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认识现代神学第12讲

主讲:林慈信牧师_校对:刘加立弟兄_文字:XSS姐妹

第五章 去神话化 demythologization。我们来到去神话化第三个要点。

No.3This mythical transformation of the world,用神话来把世界改变,also has been used to transform Jesus, according to Bultmann.根据布特曼来说,也是用来把耶稣改变的一个方法。The historical person of Jesus was very soon turned into a myth in primitive Christianity,在原始基督教,历史上耶稣其人很快就转成一个神话,and so Bultmann argues that,因此,布特曼的论点是,an historical knowledge of the man Jesus is irrelevant to Christian faith.对基督教(或者基督徒)的信仰来说,对耶稣其人历史上的知识是无关重要的。

It is this myth which confronts us in the New Testament picture of Jesus.在新约圣经里面,对耶稣的描绘里面,我们所遇见的是这个神话。The historical facts about Jesus are said to have been transformed into the mythical story,他说,关于耶稣的历史事实,被转化成为一个神话性的故事,of a divine preexistent being who became incarnate,这个故事说到一位有神性的、先存的,他道成肉身了,and atoned by his blood for the sins of men,用他的血来为人的罪赎罪,rose from the dead,从死里复活,ascended into heaven,升到天上,and would, as was believed, shortly return to judge the world and inaugurate the new age.正如信徒们所相信的,短期之内要回来审判世界,展开新的时代。

This central story is also embellished allegedly by miracle stories,这个核心的故事,也据说用了一些神迹故事来装饰,about voices from heaven,例如从天上来的声音,victories over demons, etc.胜过鬼魔,等等的故事。We must remember that Bultmann claims all of this presentation of Jesus in the New Testament is not history but myth,我们必须记得,布特曼声称在新约圣经里,对耶稣这一切的表述不是历史,乃是神话,that is, the thought patterns of people who created these myths to understand themselves better.乃是人们的思维模式,他们创造了这些的神话,来对自我认识有所进步。

They are myths which have no validity for twentieth century man,对20世纪人来说,这些神话是不合理的,who believes in hospitals and not miracles,人们所相信的是医院,不是神迹,penicillin and not prayers.是盘尼西林而不是祷告。To communicate the gospel effectively to modern man,若要有效地向现代人传递福音,we must strip off the myth from the New Testament,我们必须要在新约圣经里把神话剥掉,and try to uncover the original purpose behind the myth.试图恢复神话背后的原来的目的。That process of uncovering is “demythologization.”这个剥皮的过程就是“去神话化”的过程。

No.4第四方面的特点:This process does not mean denying the mythology, according to Bultmann.根据布特曼,这个过程并不意味着否认神话。It means interpreting it existentially, that is, in terms of man’s understanding of his own existence,这里意味着,要存在性的来诠释神话,换言之,根据人对他自己存在的理解来诠释神话,and in those terms modern man himself can understand.也是根据一些现代人自己能够理解的范畴来诠释。Bultmann does this by using the concepts of the German existentialist philosopher, Martin Heidegger (1889-).布特曼透过德国存在主义哲学家海德格的一些哲学概念来做成这件事,海德格出生于1889年。

So, for example,因此,例如,the alleged myth of the virgin birth of Christ,据称为基督由童贞女所生的神话,is said to be an attempt to express the meaning of Jesus for faith.就说成是试图表达出耶稣对信仰的意义的一个尝试。“They say that Christ comes to us as the action of God.他们说,基督是借助上帝的作为临到我们的。”The cross of Christ has no significance with regard to the vicarious bearing of sins by Jesus for others.基督的十架并不重要,就是关于什么耶稣基督为别人的罪、代罪、担当罪孽,是没有意义的。It has significance only as a symbol of man’s taking up a new existence,它的重要性只在于人担起一个新的存在,作为这个动作的象征,giving up all our worldly security,人要放弃所有在世界上的安全,for a new life that is lived out of the transcendent.换取一个新的生命,是在那个超然性里活出来的。

No.5第五方面的特点:Ultimately, Bultmann says that the basic features of New Testament mythology center on two kinds of self-understanding.布特曼说,新约的神话的基本的特点,至终是围绕着两种的自我认识。One is life outside of faith and one is life in faith.一种的自我认识是在信心以外,因为总是在信心里面(或者藉着信心的)。The terms sin, flesh, fear, and death are mythological explanations of this life outside of faith.罪、肉体、惧怕和死等等的词汇,是借着神话来解释这个在信心以外的生活。In existential terms, it is said to mean,从存在主义的角度来看,这就意味着:life in bondage to tangible, visible realities which perish.一种受到能见的、能摸到的、现实的捆绑,而这些的现实都必然灭亡的。这种受捆绑的生活,就是罪、肉体、死亡等等,这些在信心以外的生活要表达的。

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Life in faith, on the other hand, means,另外一方,在信心里生活的意思就是,abandoning this adherence to visible, tangible realities.放弃这些对能见的、能摸到的现实的连接。It means release from one’s own past,这就意味着从人自我的过去释放,and openness to God’s future.向上帝的未来敞开。According to Bultmann,根据布特曼来说,this is eschatology’s only real meaning.这个是末世论的唯一真正的意义。True eshatological living is said to be living in constant renewal through decision and obedience.他说,真正默示性的生活就是不断的透过决定和顺服,不断的更新的生活。

下面是一、两点,我们的作者说去神话化,与我们正统基督教有一些表面上的接触点。Bultmann helps to remind us of the necessity of understanding modern man as we preach to him.布特曼帮助我们、提醒我们,当我们向现代人传讲神的道的时候,就必须要明白他。And he reminds us also of the necessity of making sure that we carefully apply the gospel as well as simply proclaim it.他也提醒我们,我们必须确保,我们不单单宣讲福音,也要很谨慎的应用福音。In this connection, it is interesting that such Korean scholars as Prof. Ryu Tong-shik and Dr. Yun Sung-bum,从这个角度来看,很有趣的,一些的韩国的神学学者,例如Ryu Tong-shik教授,和Yun Sung-bum博士,make much use of Bultmann’s approach to hermeneutics in their discussion of so-called “indigenization of theology.” 在他们讨论所谓神学的本色化的时候,他们大量地使用了布特曼的解经的近路。They have recognized that Bultmann is grappling with very similar problems.他们看到布特曼与一些非常类似的问题在增加。

But,for several reasons, our judgment of demythologization must be negative.但是,因为种种的原因,我们必须对去神话化做负面的判断的。

下面是我们的作者提出五方面的批判。

No.1第一方面的批判:“Demythologization” is, like neo-orthodoxy, strongly indebted to a school of philosophy, existentialism,去神话化和新正统神学一样,深深受到存在主义的哲学学派所影响,radically at odds with the New Testament itself.而存在主义彻底的与新约本身有所冲突的。One is deeply man-centered in its approach, the other deeply God-centered.存在主义的方法是深深的以人为中心的,而新约圣经是深深的以上帝为中心的。By adapting such man-centered categories in his efforts to have the New Testament tell us something about human existence, Bultmann not only does great injustice to the God-centered character of Christianity.当布特曼用这些以人为中心的概念或者范畴,来试图让新约圣经告诉我们一些关于人类生存的事的时候,布特曼不单单对基督教的以神为中心的性质不公允。He also loses the only center by which man in his essence can be understood properly.他也失去了人正确的自我认识的唯一的核心点。The real purpose of the New Testament is to proclaim that the sovereign God has come,新约圣经真正的目的就是要宣告:上帝这位真正的主宰已经来了,and He has come in Christ to restore man’s proper nature as image of God.他借着基督已经来,要恢复人正当的性质,就是人作为上帝的形象。The heart of the New Testament remains not man but God.新约圣经的核心仍就是上帝,而不是人。

No.2第二方面的批判:“Demythologization” destroys the foundation of Christianity in history.去神话化就毁掉基督教在历史的基础。The religion of the Bible becomes a religion founded on myths.圣经的宗教就变成一个以神话为基础的宗教。Herman Ridderbos remarks that,Herman Ridderbos(就是《天国的来临》的作者),他这样评论说:according to Bultmann,根据布特曼,Jesus “was not conceived by the Holy Ghost,耶稣不是由圣灵感孕所生的,not born of the virgin Mary.不是由童贞女马利亚所生的。He did suffer under Pontius Pilate,他的确在本丢比拉多手下受难,he was crucified.他被钉十字架了。He did not descend into hell.他没有降到阴间。He did not rise again on the third day from the dead,他没有在第三天从死人中复活;He did not ascend into heaven.他没有升到天上。He does not sit on the right hand of God the Father,他没有坐在父上帝的右边,and He will not come again to judge the living and the dead.他也不会再回来,审判活人死人的。”

According to Bultmann,根据布特曼,these words are devoid of any literal meaning.这些话都完全没有字义上的(就是具体的)意义。They are mythological,这些都是神话性的话,and do not denote any historical, objective reality.他们也不指向任何历史上的、客观的现实。This is also true of the Trinity, the substitutionary atonement, justification, and the work of the Holy Spirit.那么三位一体,代罪性的赎罪,称义,和圣灵的工作,也是如此了。

No.3第三方面的批判:Primitive Christianity is stamped by the impact of the person and work of Christ.基督的位格和他的工作,在原始的基督教(就是早期教会上),刻上了印证。No other explanation can possibly account for the rise of the church and its theology.没有任何其他原因可以解释教会的兴起和教会的神学。But Bultmann reduces Jesus’ influence to nothing.可是布特曼把耶稣的影响降低到零。He assumes that,他的假设是,virtually all reliable recollection about Jesus was either annihilated or suppressed in the brief period that separated His earthly life from the period of gospel preaching.关于耶稣所有可靠的回忆,在短短一段时期(就是从他地上的一生到传福音的阶段)里面都消灭了,或者都被压制了。Such skepticism is untenable.这种的怀疑主义是站不住脚的。It must be remembered that,我们必须要记得,Jesus the Teacher was greater than the disciple-community which he taught.耶稣这位教师,是比他所教导的门徒群体更伟大。

No.4第四方面的批判:“Demythologization,” like classic liberalism, leads to a radical skepticism regarding New Testament supernaturalism.去神话化与经典自由派神学一样,导致一种的彻底的怀疑主义,怀疑新约圣经里的超自然导向。And, for this very reason, it is often called “neo-liberalism.”也就是为了这个原因,人往往称之为“新自由派神学”。 Bultmann’s program demands nothing less than a radical rejection of the supernaturalism of classic Christianity.布特曼的工程要求人彻底的拒绝经典基督教的超自然主义。Every doctrine that Bultmann calls myth, the New Testament calls fact.布特曼所称为神话的每一项教义,新约圣经都称它为事实的。All this is quite in keeping with Bultmann’s anthropocentric emphasis.这些都完全符合布特曼所强调的人为中心的导向。But it is radically opposed to the theocentric character of the New Testament.但是这个彻底的与新的圣经的以神为中心的性质所抵触。

No.5最后,第五点的批判:Bultmann’s assumption that the relevance of the gospel will become apparent to modern man,布特曼假设,福音迟早会对现代人来说,是适切的,ignores the depravity of the human heart.这种的假设忽略了人心的败坏。It is not “demythologization,” but the Holy Spirit who can dispel the darkness of unbelief and cause the sinner to see the gospel.能够驱逐不信的黑暗,使罪人看见福音的不是“去神话化”,乃是圣灵他自己。No matter what efforts are made to apply the gospel (whether good or bad),不论我们用什么好的或者不好的方法来应用福音,to the “natural man, the things of the Spirit will remain foolishness” (I Cor. 2:14).对自然人,或者属血气的人来说,属灵的是,必然就是愚拙的(林前2:14)。

End of the CHAPTER V,第五章结束。

下一章我们继续讲第六章,CHAPTER VI HEILSGESCHICHTE 救恩历史(或者救赎历史)。我在这里先注明,这个救赎历史(或者救恩历史)与我们改革宗所表达的克罗尼、罗伯逊等等的救赎历史或者圣经神学,是有天渊之别,是完全不一样的。这个救赎历史是深深受到巴特和布特曼影响的。不是那种相信圣经无误作为出发点来发展出的,当代改革宗的救赎历史近路,或者圣经神学近路。我们下一次开始讲第六章。

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