To view the English translation, please scroll down to the bottom.
此文參Tovia Singer拉比之“Zechariah 9:9”
耶穌凱旋進入耶路撒冷，驚動全城，是新約聖經裡一則有名的故事。群眾興奮地揮動著砍下來的樹枝歡迎他，甚至把自己的衣袍脫下來鋪在路上，高聲稱頌：「和散那歸於大衛的子孫！奉主名來的是應當稱頌的！高高在上和散那！」（馬太福音21：9） 這是耶穌受難週的開始，也是“棕樹節”的由來。此景在許多電影、戲劇、歌曲都成為經典之作。記得小時候，主日學老師教過我們一首歌叫“我是小小驢駒”。歌詞內容講到這隻小驢駒，背負了歷史性的重任，讓耶穌騎在身上進入耶路撒冷。老師告訴我們，一隻看起來不起眼的小動物，竟然能被耶穌看重。我們每一位小朋友也都能像這隻驢駒一樣，成為小小僕人，為主所用。
但，耶穌當時到底騎了幾隻驢駒？這麼荒謬的問題還需要拿出來討論嗎？當然一個人一次只能騎一隻動物！ 但這麼一個顯而易見的答案，在新約四福音書裡卻發生了分歧的說法。馬可福音 11：7、路加福音 19：29-35 和約翰福音 12：14三處的新約作者，都將他們的敘述建立於撒迦利亞書著名預言之上：彌賽亞騎驢駒進入耶路撒冷。然而，馬太福音一書的作者似乎誤解了撒迦利亞書 9：9 中預言，導致了一個相當奇怪的結果：彌賽亞不是騎一隻，而是同時騎兩牲口進耶路撒冷。
熟悉聖經希伯來語的人會知道，在塔納赫 （ 參部落格：舊約聖經=希伯來聖經=塔納赫？） 中有一個常見的詩歌結構寫作手法，就是作者會在詩詞的第三行，用不同的表達詞句重申了第二行中所述內容。 這種手法稱為“同義平行法”（synonymous parallelism 或做“排比”）；換句話說，兩行詩會用不同的詞重述相同的事情。撒迦利亞書 9：9就是用此手法寫作的：「錫安的民哪，應當大大喜樂！耶路撒冷的民哪，應當歡呼！看哪，你的王來到你這裡，他是公義的，並且施行拯救，謙謙和和地騎著驢，就是騎著驢的駒子。」（註：驢駒“colt"為四歲以下之小驢）這句話描述這位王“騎著驢”：一隻動物。接下來一句 “就是騎著驢的駒子”是一個重申。撒迦利亞所寫的“駒子”是“驢”的平行，不是另一頭牲口。
可惜的是，馬太福音作者要證明撒迦利亞書是耶穌進耶路撒城的預兆之同時，卻又不熟悉撒迦利亞書這種“同義平行”寫法。在這情況下，他就照希伯來文字面去理解、判斷，導致騎一頭驢變成騎兩頭驢的荒謬景象。馬太福音21：2-7說：「耶穌就打發兩個門徒，對他們說：你們往對面村子裡去，必看見一匹驢拴在那裡，還有驢駒同在一處；你們解開，牽到我這裡來。若有人對你們說什麼，你們就說：主要用他。那人必立時讓你們牽來。這事成就是要應驗先知的話，說：要對錫安的居民說：看哪，你的王來到你這裡，是溫柔的，又騎著驢，就是騎著驢駒子。門徒就照耶穌所吩咐的去行，牽了驢和驢駒來，把自己的衣服搭在上面，耶穌就騎上。」因為中文的文字有時候沒有單數與複數之區別，所以“耶穌就騎上”這句話的中文寫不清楚耶穌騎上什麽。但英文的NIV版本寫得很清楚“They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on”耶穌騎在“他們”上面，是複數：騎一隻驢和一隻驢駒，共兩隻。有許多基督教學者對於馬太福音與其他三福音書之分歧另有解釋：他們認為耶穌騎在“他們”上面的“他們”是指衣服，衣服的複數。
不管是新約學者的牽強，或是希伯來拉比的執著，基督徒不妨對聖經之矛盾之處多做研究、探討。
註一：希伯來聖經，或做Tanakh “塔納赫”，基督徒稱之為“舊約聖經”
One or Two?
This article derives from Rabbi Tovia Singer's talk on Zechariah 9:9
The triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem, which stirred the entire city, is a famous story in the New Testament. The crowds enthusiastically waved palm tree branches to welcome him, even laying their garments on the pavement and loudly proclaiming, "Hosanna to the Son of David! Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord! Hosanna in the highest!" (Matthew 21:9)
This marked the beginning of Jesus' Passion Week and the origin of the "Palm Sunday." This scene has become iconic in many movies, plays, and songs. I remember when I was a child, my Sunday school teacher taught us a song called "I Am a Little Colt." The lyrics spoke of this humble little colt that bore the historic responsibility of carrying Jesus into Jerusalem. The teacher told us that even an unassuming creature like this colt could be valued by Jesus. Just like this little colt, each one of us children could also become little servants for the Lord.
But how many colts did Jesus actually ride at that time? Is it even necessary to discuss such a ludicrous question? Of course, one person can only ride one animal at a time! However, this seemingly obvious answer is a point of contention in the New Testament's four Gospels. The authors of Mark 11:7, Luke 19:29-35, and John 12:14 all base their accounts on the famous prophecy from the book of Zechariah～the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem on a donkey, a colt. However, the author of the Gospel of Matthew seems to have misunderstood the prophecy in Zechariah 9:9, leading to a rather peculiar result: the Messiah is depicted as riding not one but two animals into Jerusalem simultaneously.
Those familiar with the Hebrew Bible ( Please refer to my blog post: What is the Difference between the Old Testament, the Tanakh, and the Hebrew Bible?) will know that in the Tanakh (or "Old Testament"), there's a common poetic structure where the author repeats the content of the second line using different words in the third line of a verse. This technique is known as "synonymous parallelism" or "parallelism," where two lines of poetry express the same thing using different words. Zechariah 9:9 employs this technique: "Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and victorious, lowly and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey." The phrase "riding on a donkey" describes the king riding on one animal. The subsequent phrase, "on a colt, the foal of a donkey," is a repetition. Zechariah's use of "foal of a donkey" parallels "donkey," signifying the same animal, not another one.
Unfortunately, the author of the Gospel of Matthew, in his attempt to establish a connection between Zechariah's prophecy and Jesus' entry into Jerusalem, seems to have misunderstood this "synonymous parallelism" style found in Zechariah. In this case, he interpreted it literally from the Hebrew text, leading to the absurdity of Jesus riding two animals (one donkey, one colt). Matthew 21:2-7 states: "Saying to them, 'Go to the village ahead of you, and at once you will find a donkey tied there, with her colt by her. Untie them and bring them to me. If anyone says anything to you, say that the Lord needs them, and he will send them right away.' This took place to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet: 'Say to Daughter Zion, "See, your king comes to you, gentle and riding on a donkey, and on a colt, the foal of a donkey."' The disciples went and did as Jesus had instructed them. They brought the donkey and the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on."
In the Chinese edition, the narrative can become unclear due to the absence of a clear distinction between singular and plural in the Chinese language. This confusion is compounded by the phrase "耶穌就騎上" (translation: "then Jesus rode on") without specifying what Jesus rode on. However, the English NIV version "clarifies" this by adding the word "and." "They brought the donkey AND the colt and placed their cloaks on them for Jesus to sit on," indicating that Jesus rode on both of them, which totals two animals. Many Christian scholars offer an alternative interpretation for the discrepancy between the Gospel of Matthew and the other three Gospels. They propose that when Matthew mentions Jesus riding on "them," it actually refers to the cloaks, which are in the plural form.
Indeed, whether it's the interpretations of New Testament scholars or the insights from Hebrew rabbis, it becomes evident that these contradictions can serve as an invitation to deeper exploration, fostering a richer understanding of the scriptures. In the pursuit of spiritual growth and intellectual enlightenment, Christians can greatly benefit from delving into these explorations that contribute to a more profound comprehension of their faith.
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