“舊”約 The "Old" Testament

To view the English translation, please scroll down to the bottom.

基督教聖經及大部分的基督教神學，對猶太教有極多的誤解。許多基督教的教導內容充滿了反猶太意識，不僅將猶太人醜化、邪惡化，還用了許多暗示歧視猶太人的字眼，導致許多基督徒對猶太教徒產生誤解和負面的刻板印象。

Tanakh “塔納赫”（希伯來文為תנ״ך‎）是一部早在西元前1200 到 165 期間完成的偉大文獻，是猶太教正統版本的希伯來聖經，也是猶太教第一部最重要的經籍。到西元170年左右，基督教開始改稱這本希伯來聖經為「舊約聖經」(參部落格二文：基督教舊約聖經與猶太教聖經比較一覽表及舊約聖經=希伯來聖經=塔納赫？)）。為基督教舊約聖經與猶太教聖經比較一覽表何稱之為「舊約」呢？以猶太人角度來說，Tanakh當然不是一個「舊的約」，而是一個「獨一無二，始終如一的約」。它之所以被基督教稱為「舊的約」是因為基督教宣稱耶穌是那「更美之約」的中保（希伯來書8：6)，這個「更新更美的約」才是真正、有效的約。舊的約既然已經被新的約代取，當然新的約才算數，舊的約自然就過時了，就如舊的電腦版本被更新之後就不復使用了。因此，基督教花的絕大部分時間都在傳揚、分析、查考以新約為主的主題和內容；而舊約之教導多屬選擇性。只要是跟新約內容比較無關的舊約部分，不是隻字不提，就是輕略帶過。甚至連牧師都會勸誡剛信主的基督徒從新約著手，先不要急著看舊約。他們說新約時代是恩典時代，相對於舊約繁瑣嚴謹的誡命與教條；舊約是預兆，新約是預兆的成就；舊約是應許，新約是應許的實現。基甸會更是變本加厲，乾脆連舊約聖經都不印了，這樣贈送起來更輕省，隨身攜帶，方便得很。基甸會的網站上為“只贈送新約”做了一個解說：「在華人的背景中，舊約的以色列歷史畢竟離我們較遠。贈送新約之後，若是人們得著救恩，他可以自己購買新舊約聖經來閱讀。」（參國際基甸會網站https://www.gideons.tw）雖然舊約是建立新約的基石，基督徒們心照不宣，經常把它視為一個可有可無的約。

猶太教是世界三大信奉「一神」的主流宗教之一。事實上，這三大教之中，猶太教起源最早，基督教和伊斯蘭教都是以猶太教為基礎，從中分支出來的。

前不久，在網站上看到一位牧者寫到：「猶太人的聖經雖然只分成24卷，可是他們的聖經跟我們舊約聖經的39卷其實是一樣，一卷都不缺，非常完整。」這句話聽了令人啼笑皆非，就跟聽到一個美國白人說：「台灣人煮的滷肉飯跟我們美國人做的一樣好吃」，或「這個媽媽長得好像女兒」，本末倒置，令人婉惜。每當新約聖經上註明 “經上記著說” 時，所指的 “經” 一定是希伯來聖經—塔納赫之原文。而新約“經上記著說”的引述，的確忠忠實實的從塔納赫一字不漏的抄寫過來嗎（參部落格：聖經無誤）這個重要的議題在教會中極少被提出來探討。一般的信徒也很少下功夫去做明細的比較。

猶太教只單一信奉宇宙獨一真神，不信基督教所傳耶穌是上帝的兒子，也不信伊斯蘭教的穆罕默德是真主阿拉派遣到人類的使者和先知。基督教和伊斯蘭教是排外性的宗教；相對的，猶太教是普世性的宗教。所謂“排外性的宗教”意為“相信特定的宗教為真實的學說”，換句話說，與之相馳之宗教為不真實、不正確。而猶太教不排外，因為他們相信上帝在創世之初就已經為非猶太人設想了普世之路徑。 這條道路早在猶太教尚未成形之前，上帝就已經向亞當和挪亞啟示了一條通向全世界的普世靈性之路，一條世界應該一起擁抱、默認的精神路徑。

在台灣，關於猶太人的書籍其實相當多，如：猶太民族盪氣迴腸的苦難與奮鬥史，猶太民族為何擁有別外一格的氣質和品格，以色列民族政治經濟的分析，細聽拉比的智慧，猶太人建立成功家庭教育秘訣... …等等。世界對猶太人在各個行業上的頂尖成就一向刮目相看，卻很少認真面對基督教在信仰上對他們曲解和仇視的存在。在華人教會裏，更是聽不到牧師對猶太教正確的剖析和接納。猶太人在華人教徒的眼裡，基本上，要不是“假冒為善的法利賽人”（參部落格：法利賽人是毒蛇的種類嗎？），就是一群 “曾經是上帝的選民，卻因拒絕彌賽亞而失去祝福的高傲民族”。

台灣基督教書房零零總總的書，但要找到分析希伯來聖經如何在新約被刪改、曲解的書，幾乎是海底撈針。高舉新約，貶低舊約，早已成為典型華人基督徒屬靈刊物作者寫作的一大現象。專家學者們千方百計，挖空心思，幫助基督徒解決各種新約聖經的疑難雜症。當新約聖經內容有矛盾與衝突時，神學家們更是搬出歷史、哲學、人類文明、希臘原文等等工具來大做文章。但當舊約聖經被新約引用有所牴觸時，多以新約為權威，殊不知新約是從舊約而生，如此做法豈不是本末倒置？

將此現象用音樂理論來做個比方。音樂理論的十二平均律（又稱十二等成律）已經成為西方古典音樂不可推翻的主流律式。它將一個八度平均分成十二等份，每等分稱為半音，兩個半音稱為全音。幾百年以來，成千上萬的作曲家音樂家都以這種音樂定律方法為標準作為音準的尺標，它就是我們現代人所熟悉的DoReMi。如果今天有新的理論出來，想要推翻十二平均律，或是想要從這個平均律的模式再發展出一套更好、更準確的音律，其困難的程度簡直有如蒸沙成飯。發明一整套完全不同、完全新的音律形式是一回事；想要從已定型的模式加工，讓它成爲一套更新、更正確的音律，是另外一回事。就算有人想要要更新已存在的定型模式，他的基礎最終仍建立在最初、最被認可的十二平均律模式之上。

今天基督教的發展，就如音樂家想要推翻十二平均律的可信度一樣，推翻一個幾千年前上帝就已經跟他的選民立的約，推翻摩西在西乃山上從神那裡得來的誡命一樣，是一個荒謬、不敬的做法。更可悲的是基督教的做法不僅是喧賓奪主，還有加無已，認為青出於藍勝於藍。既然上帝的話是永遠長存，讓我們好好在希伯來聖經上下功夫，把有色的新約眼鏡摘下，將權威和敬重交還給希伯來聖經，好好善待這本“舊”約。

"Old" Testament

The Christian Bible and much of Christian theology contain many misconceptions about Judaism. Many Christian teachings are filled with anti-Jewish sentiments, not only demonizing Jews but also using language that discriminates against them. This has led many Christians to harbor misunderstandings and negative stereotypes about Jewish people.

The Tanakh, "תנ״ך‎" in Hebrew is a significant document completed between 1200 and 165 BCE. It is the orthodox version of the Hebrew Bible in Judaism and the most crucial religious text for Jews. Around 170 CE, Christianity began referring to this Hebrew Bible as the "Old Testament" (Please refer to my 2 blog posts: Comparison of the Books & Orders between Christian Old Testament and Tenakhthe and What is the Difference between the Old Testament, the Tanakh, and the Hebrew Bible?) Why call it the "Old Covenant"? From a Jewish perspective, the Tanakh is not an old covenant but a singular, consistent covenant. It's labeled as the "Old Covenant" by Christians because Christianity claims Jesus is the mediator of a "better covenant" (Hebrews 8:6). This "new and improved covenant" is deemed the only valid and effective one. Since the old has been replaced by the new, the old naturally becomes obsolete, much like an outdated computer software after an upgrade. Thus, Christianity spends most of its time preaching, analyzing, and studying themes primarily from the New Testament. The teachings from the Old Testament are taught selectively. Parts of the Old Testament that seem unrelated to the New are either ignored or glossed over. Even pastors advise new believers to start with the New Testament, not to rush into the Old. They say that the New Testament era is the age of grace, in contrast to the Old Testament's meticulous and strict commands and teachings; the Old Testament is a foreshadowing, and the New is its fulfillment; the Old is the promise, and the New is its realization. The Gideons International have gone even further, they don’t print the Old Testament at all to make their gift versions lighter and more portable. On their website (note: in Taiwan), an explanation for why they only distribute the New Testament is: "In the Chinese context, the history of Israel in the Old Testament is, after all, more distant from us. After gifting the New Testament, if someone receives salvation, they can purchase the full Bible, both Old and New Testaments, to read" (https://www.gideons.tw/faq.html).

Though the Old Testament is the foundation for the New Testament, it's often seen as an optional covenant.

Judaism is one of the three major monotheistic religions in the world. In fact, among these three, Judaism is the oldest, with both Christianity and Islam branching out from it as their foundation. 

Not long ago, I saw a website written by a pastor, "Although the Jewish Bible is divided into 24 books, their Bible and our Old Testament with 39 books are essentially the same, lacking nothing and completely intact." This statement is rather amusing and The Taiwanese dishes prepared in American restaurants are as flavorful as the street food made in Taiwan." or "This mother looks just like her daughter." It's a case of getting the cart before the horse, which is rather unfortunate. 

Whenever the New Testament mentions "as it is written," the reference is invariably to the original Hebrew Bible— the Tanakh. But are these references from the New Testament "as it is written" faithfully and wholly transcribed from the Tanakh without omission or alteration (please refer to my blog post: Biblical Inerrancy)? This crucial topic is rarely discussed in churches. Most believers seldom take the effort to make a detailed comparison.

Judaism solely believes in the unique, singular God of the universe. They do not accept the Christian doctrine that Jesus is the Son of God, nor do they believe in Islam's teaching that Muhammad is the messenger and prophet sent by Allah. Christianity and Islam are exclusivist religions; in contrast, Judaism is universalistic. The term "exclusivist religion" means believing in a specific religion as the only true doctrine; in other words, religions that differ from it are considered untrue or incorrect. Judaism is not exclusivist, as they believe that God had envisioned a universal path for non-Jews from the beginning of creation. This path, a universal spiritual journey for the world to embrace and acknowledge, was revealed by God to Adam and Noah long before Judaism took form.

In Taiwan, there are quite a few books about Jews, such as the tragic history of the Jewish people's sufferings and struggles, the unique temperament, strength and character of the Jewish people, analyses of Israel's political economy, the wisdom of rabbis, and the secrets of successful Jewish family education, among others. The world has always admired the top achievements of Jews in various industries, but has seldom confronted the misinterpretation and hostility they face from Christianity in terms of faith. In Chinese churches, one rarely hears pastors provide a correct analysis and acceptance of Judaism. In the eyes of Chinese Christians, Jews are generally seen either as "hypocritical Pharisees" (Please refer to my blog post: Are Pharisees Generations of Vipers?) or as a group who were once God's chosen people but lost their blessings due to their rejection of the Messiah.

In Taiwan's Christian bookstores, there's a plethora of books. However, finding one that analyzes how the Hebrew Bible was altered or misinterpreted in the New Testament is like looking for a needle in a haystack. Elevating the New Testament while belittling the Old Testament has become a prominent trend among Chinese Christian writers. Experts and scholars go to great lengths, using every ounce of their creativity, to help Christians address various challenges and questions about the New Testament. When there are contradictions and conflicts within the New Testament, theologians often resort to history, philosophy, human civilization, the original Greek text, and other tools to elaborate. However, when the Old Testament is cited in the New Testament and there are discrepancies, the New Testament is often taken as the authoritative text, overlooking the fact that the New Testament originated from the Old. Isn't such an approach putting the cart before the horse?

I would like to use the analogy of music theory: The 12-tone equal temperament (also known as “well temperament”). 12 equal temperament is a system in classical music where an octave (8 notes) is divided into 12 equal parts, making every note equally spaced apart. It has become the undeniable dominant standard tuning for most Western  music. This system has become the undeniable dominant tuning system in Western classical music. For centuries, thousands of composers and musicians have used this musical tuning method as a standard benchmark, which some people recognize as DoReMi. Introducing a new system today to overthrow the 12-tone equal temperament or to develop a better, more accurate tonal system from this pattern is as challenging as turning sand into rice. Inventing a completely different, entirely new tonal system is one thing; trying to refine an established pattern to make it a newer, more accurate tonal system is another. Even if someone wants to update the existing model, their foundation is still ultimately built upon the initial, widely recognized 12-tone equal temperament.

The development of Christianity today is similar to musicians attempting to discredit the 12-tone equal temperament. Overthrowing a covenant that God made with His chosen people thousands of years ago or overturning the commandments Moses received from God on Mount Sinai is both absurd and irreverent. An even greater disappointment is that Christianity doesn't just sideline the original but also arrogantly believes that "the student has outdone the master." 

Since God's word is everlasting, let's diligently study the Hebrew Bible, take off the tinted glasses of the New Testament, return authority and reverence to the Hebrew Scriptures, and properly respect this "Old" Testament.