To view the English translation, please scroll down to the bottom.
美國一年一度的萬聖節即將來臨，為了製造這個傳統節日的鬼怪氣氛，家家戶戶除了在前庭草坪上擺設像南瓜這種以秋天為主題的各種裝飾之外，每家都别具匠心、獨出心裁，陳列出各種嚇人的東西，如：大蜘蛛、骷髏、巫婆、棺材、鬼、殭屍等等......
有人把馬太福音27章51至53節稱作 “Zombie Apocalypse”（中文可譯做“殭屍啟示錄”），其經文如下：
「忽然，殿裡的幔子從上到下裂為兩半，地也震動，磐石也崩裂， 墳墓也開了，已睡聖徒的身體多有起來的。到耶穌復活以後，他們從墳墓裡出來，進了聖城，向許多人顯現。」
依照馬太福音作者的敘述，耶穌在十字架上斷氣之後有一連串的事發生。除了殿裡的幔子裂為兩半之外，還有地震、磐石崩裂，連墳墓都崩開了。最大的奇蹟是那些已經死了的聖徒們竟然一個個的從墳墓裡走出來，還走進聖城耶路撒冷！這讓我想起小時候看的港澳殭屍影片，那些從墳裡出來的死屍臉色慘白、血色赤瞳、尖銳發黑的指甲，加上鋒利的犬齒，非常嚇人。他們一身死氣，以吸血為食，穿著清朝的官服，雙手直直的向前伸。也因他們怕陽光，所以只能在深夜裡移動。趕屍的師傅穿著草鞋，一身青布長衫，頭上戴頂青布帽，腰間的黑色腰帶內藏著一包畫滿了神秘符咒的冥紙。 當師傅手搖鈴鐺，這些僵硬的身體就隨著叮叮噹噹的鈴聲一蹦一跳的隨行在趕屍師傅後面，畫面極其恐怖，令人膽寒發豎。
已死的聖徒從墳墓裡面出來會是什麼景象？這個經節在教會裡一般都不會聽到進一步的闡述，絕大部分的牧者都會把講章重心放在前面一節──聖殿幔子裂為兩半的重要表徵。希伯來書10：19-20 說「我們既因耶穌的血，得以坦然進入至聖所， 是藉著他給我們開了一條又新又活的路，從幔子經過，這幔子就是他的身體。」也就是說耶穌的身體因人的罪被撕裂就如帳幔斷裂一樣，信他的人就能自由地通向神的途徑。至於當時周遭發生的事情，一般頂多只會提到地震和日頭變黑而已（路加福音23： 45）。
為什麼教會不多討論這些從墳墓裡走出來的人呢？其實在聖經裡，死人復活除了耶穌本身之外，一共還有8處的記載：
1. 以利亞使撒勒法寡婦的兒子復活（列王記上17：19）
2. 以利沙使書念婦人兒子復活（列王記下 4：32）
3. 以利沙的骸骨使死人復活（列王記下 13：21）
4. 耶穌使拿因城寡婦的兒子復活（路加福音 7：13-15）
5. 耶穌使管會堂的睚魯之女復活（馬可福音 5：35-42）
6. 耶穌使拉撒路復活（約翰福音11：32- 46）
7. 彼得使約帕女徒大比大復活（使徒行傳 9：36-42）
8. 保羅使猶推古復活（使徒行傳 20：7-10）
對這些復活的人，聖經沒有跟進做更詳細的記載，因此我們不清楚他們復活之後都在做什麼，只有馬太福音作者在27：53有特別的說明。他說這些從墳裡復活的聖徒們不僅進了聖城，還向許多人顯現。乍看之下，讀者可能會覺得這種天啟之場面一定氣勢磅礡；但若仔細去閱讀，會對一些細節感到納悶：根據馬太福音的敘述，聖徒的墳墓在耶穌一死就馬上被震開，而且當下他們的身體就起來了。至於他們是如何起來的，我們無法知道，但我們知道耶穌在這三天之後才復活；也就是說，介於聖徒復活到耶穌復活之間至少有40個小時的空檔。這40個小時他們是如何度過的？他們起來後就愣愣地站在自己的墳墓旁邊待命嗎？還是坐在墳墓裡面慢慢煎熬了兩天之後，第三天才忽然起身走動？他們需要吃飯睡覺嗎？如果他們都沒有走動，馬太福音作者又如何知道這些聖徒都已經活了呢？而這些死人身體應該都還依照當年的傳統習俗，緊緊的被細麻布一層層的包裹著，無法動彈（註：請參閱部落格“香料與墳墓”）。是誰幫他們把布拆開的？還是因為地震崩裂得太猛而自動脫落？他們的身體沒有腐爛？有沒有發臭？
對於聖徒復活的身體，保羅在哥林多前書15：35-49 描述信徒屬天的身體會與屬地的身體大不相同，因為信徒的身體將不會朽壞，是強壯、是榮耀、是靈性的身體，並有屬天的形狀 。因此基督徒可以用這段經節解釋，這些聖徒應該不會像殭屍一樣如此令人心悸。再者，如果這些死人活過來了，他們的親戚朋友能辨認他們的身份嗎？那個時代沒有相片，如果這些聖人是超過三四代的祖宗，在世者很可能就無法知道過世者的長相，就算認出來了，他們會說什麼？如果用路加福音24：16 的例子來解釋，榮耀的形體是不容易辨認的：在去以馬忤斯的路上，耶穌的兩個門徒「..... 眼睛迷糊了」，他們不認得已復活的耶穌。
不管這些聖徒有沒有腐爛發臭、有沒有被認得，一群死人同時從墳墓裡爬出來的景象確實會令人毛骨悚然，一定把周遭的人嚇壞了。更不用說這種極不尋常、駭人的消息一定馬上驚動全城，成為頭條新聞，而且會傳聞好幾個世代。但事實卻不是如此。這跟希律王殺男嬰的故事一樣 （註：請參閱部落格“嬰兒大屠殺”），到目前為止，全世界唯一對此事件有紀錄的似乎只有馬太福音27：53一節。聖經裡沒有任何其他作者提到這件事，連當年名聲最顯赫的歷史學家約瑟夫斯（Flavius Josephus 公元37-100）和史學、哲學家斐洛（Philo of Alexandria 公元前25年-公元59年）筆下對此事完全沒有提到。
這和當年神在西乃山上透過摩西跟百姓立約的故事迴然不同。出埃及記19 ：16 -17記載：「在山上有雷轟、閃電，和密雲，並且角聲甚大，營中的百姓盡都發顫。摩西率領百姓出營迎接，都站在山下。」神要在百姓眼前讓他們親耳聽見他的聲音，除了為要豎立摩西領導的權威之外，神要以色列百姓能夠世世代代將這件神蹟奇事傳講下去：「要謹慎、小心，不可忘記親眼所見的事，要一生銘記在心，並且告訴子子孫孫。」（申命記4：9）也因此，幾千年後的今天，猶太人仍繼續傳講這個故事給他們的後代聽；相對的，在馬太福音裡，這些被死人“見證”過的活人都在哪裡呢？他們沒有子孫爲他們傳講這個故事嗎？
因為證據不足，既沒有的歷史筆錄，也沒有口傳紀錄，專家們只好各自為之做詮釋。
2010年一位美南浸信會新約學者、神學教授──李克納博士（Michael Licona）出版了《從新的歷史學角度談論耶穌復活 》（Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach）一書。在書裏，他試圖為馬太福音這段經節作他認為最合理的解釋。他指出這段“聖徒復活”不是歷史事件，並暗示它可能只是象徵世界末日的畫面。他此書裏他說：
Given the presence of phenomenological language used in a symbolic manner in both Jewish and Roman literature related to a major event such as death of an emperor… it seems to me that an understanding of the language in Matthew 27:52-53 as ‘special effects’ with eschatological Jewish texts and thought in mind is most plausible.（譯：鑑於在猶太和羅馬文學中，有時會以表徵的方式使用現“象學語言”來形容天下大事，諸如皇帝去世等……以我對語言的理解，馬太福音 27：52-53 最合理的解釋是：它是以末世猶太文本和思想為根基所運用的一種“特殊效果”寫作方法。）
他又說：
It seems best to regard this difficult text in Matthew 27:51-53 as a poetic device added to communicate that the Son of God had died.（譯：我們可能最好將馬太福音 27：51-53 中這段難懂的文字視為是一種用來傳達上帝的兒子已經死了的詩意寫作手法。）
因為李克納博士用“特殊效果” 和 “詩意寫作手法” 來形容這段經節，他等於隱晦地表達“其實這件事情沒有發生”。如此“大膽”的論點引發了一個極大的爭議風波，導致一場神學界的口水戰。在公開信上 ，李克納博士被兩位著名神學家譴責：第一位是蓋茲博士（註：Norman Geisler 為美國基督教系統神學家和哲學家，Veritas 國際大學和南方福音派神學院創始人），第二位是莫勒博士（註：Albert Mohler 為福音派肯塔基州美南浸信會神學院院長）。他們譴責李克納博士立場不正確，因為他質疑聖經之無誤（註：請參閲部落格“聖經無誤”）。李克納博士只好於 2011 年辭去了他在南方福音派神學院的研究教授（Southern Evangelical Seminary）和北美宣教委員會 （North American Mission Board ）辯護學學者的職務。
基督教界有一個傾向，就是他們喜歡擁有“正確答案”和“聖經權威”的頭銜；但是不甚歡迎“非傳統答案”和“與聖經無誤原則對立”的立場。他們寧可用“神蹟”或“信心”等字眼來掩蓋答不出的問題，也不願意承認心中的問號。既然「真理」的定義是“真實不變的道理”，它應該不怕被質疑、被推翻。提出問題才有可能激發更深層的思想、引起更廣泛的討論、看到更多的可能性、放開更寬擴的視野跟角度，這樣才不至於原地踏步。希望基督教圈子不要捲縮在一個框框的死角，把挑戰視為負面，甚至“撒旦的攻擊”；反之，基督徒應該創造一個健康的空間和平臺，將提出來的問題視為一個引發對話、刺激成長、進步的好機會，不要因爲怕冒犯了真理的完整性而讓自己停滯在一個思想禁錮的模式裏。
Zombie Apocalypse
The annual Halloween is approaching in the United States. In order to create the spooky atmosphere of this tradition, households not only decorate their front yards with various autumn-themed decorations like pumpkins but also unleash their creativity by displaying a variety of terrifying items such as giant spiders, skeletons, witches, coffins, ghosts, and zombies, among others.
Some people refer to Matthew 27:51-53 as the "Zombie Apocalypse." The scripture reads as follows:
At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and went into the holy city and appeared to many people.
According to the account by the author of Matthew, after Jesus breathed his last on the cross, a series of events occurred. Besides the temple curtain tearing, there was an earthquake, rocks splitting, and even tombs opening. The most remarkable miracle was that the bodies of deceased holy people came back to life, one by one, and walked out of their tombs, then entered the holy city of Jerusalem! This reminds me of the Hong Kong made zombie films I watched as a child. Those resurrected corpses emerged from their graves with pallid faces, blood-red eyes, sharp, blackened fingernails, and pointed fangs – a truly frightening sight. They exude an aura of death, fed on blood, wore Qing Dynasty official attire, and extended their arms forward menacingly. They were afraid of sunlight and could only move about at night. The zombie leaders (note: the leaders are human, whose job is to help zombies to relocate to their new places), dressed in straw shoes, blue long robes, and wearing blue cloth hats, had black belts around their waists concealing a bundle of ghost money (note: sheets of paper to serve as “money”, made into burnt offerings for Chinese ancestral worship) covered in mysterious charms. When the leaders shook their bell rattles, these stiff bodies followed along, bouncing and hop skipping behind them – an incredibly terrifying scene that sent shivers down one's spine.
What would it be like when the deceased saints come out of their tombs? This verse is generally not further elaborated upon in the church, and most pastors tend to focus on the preceding verse - the significant symbolism of the temple curtain tearing in two. Hebrews 10:19-20 says, “Therefore, brothers and sisters, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Placeby the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body…”, In other words, just as the body of Jesus was torn due to human sin, similar to the veil being torn, those who believe in Jesus can freely approach God. As for the events that happened at that time, typically only the earthquake and the darkening of the sun (Luke 23:45) are mentioned in churches.
Why doesn't the church discuss more about these people who came out of the tombs? In the Bible, apart from Jesus himself, there are a total of 8 accounts of the resurrection of the dead:
1. Elijah raised the widow of Zarephath's son (1 Kings 17:19).
2. Elisha raised the Shunammite woman's son (2 Kings 4:32).
3. Elisha's bones raised a dead man (2 Kings 13:21).
4. Jesus raised the widow of Nain's son (Luke 7:13-15).
5. Jesus raised Jairus' daughter (Mark 5:35-42).
6. Jesus raised Lazarus (John 11:32-46).
7. Peter raised Dorcas, a disciple in Joppa (Acts 9:36-42).
8. Paul raised Eutychus (Acts 20:7-10).
The Bible does not provide detailed follow-up accounts of these resurrected individuals, so we are left wondering what these individuals did after their resurrection. Only the author of Matthew 27:53 provides specific information. He mentions that these resurrected saints not only entered the holy city but also appeared to many. At first glance, readers might imagine this to be a grand and awe-inspiring event. However, upon closer examination, some details raise questions: According to Matthew's account, the graves of these saints opened immediately upon Jesus' death, and their bodies rose at that moment. How they rose is unclear, but we do know that Jesus did not resurrect until at least 40 hours later, leaving a gap between the resurrection of these saints and Jesus’s death. How did they spend those 40 hours? Did they stand motionless beside their graves upon rising, or did they remain inside their tombs, alive, for two days before suddenly rising in action on the third day? Did they need to eat and sleep? If they didn't move, how did Matthew, the author, even know they were alive? Furthermore, these bodies of the deceased would likely have been tightly wrapped in layers of linen following the burial customs of the time (please refer to my blog :The Spices and the Tomb). Who helped them unwrap these coverings, or did they fall off due to the intense earthquake? Did their bodies not decay or emit odors?
Regarding the resurrected bodies of these saints, Paul describes in 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 that the bodies of believers in heaven will be significantly different from earthly bodies. Believers will have incorruptible, glorious, spiritual bodies, conforming to the image of heaven. Therefore, Christians can interpret that these saints would not have appeared as terrifying zombies. Moreover, if these resurrected individuals existed beyond three or four generations, their relatives and friends might not have recognized their appearance, especially given the absence of photographs at that time. Even if they did recognize them, what would they say? Using the example of Luke 24:16, glorified forms may not be easily recognizable, as the disciples on the road to Emmaus "were kept from recognizing him."
Regardless of whether these saints decayed or emitted odors, the sight of a group of dead people emerging simultaneously from their tombs would indeed be chilling and surely terrify those in their vicinity. Not to mention that such an extraordinarily unusual and horrifying occurrence would have immediately alarmed the entire city, becoming headline news, and would likely have been passed down through generations. However, the reality is quite different. This situation is similar to the story of King Herod's slaughter of male infants (note: please refer to my blog "Baby Massacre"). To date, it seems that the only record of this event worldwide is found in Matthew 27:53. There is no mention of this event by any other authors in the Bible, not even by prominent historians of the time like Flavius Josephus (37-100 AD) or the philosopher-historian Philo of Alexandria (25 BC-59 AD).
This is quite different from the story of God making a covenant with the people through Moses on Mount Sinai in ancient times. Exodus 19:16-17 states, "On the morning of the third day there was thunder and lightning, with a thick cloud over the mountain, and a very loud trumpet blast. Everyone in the camp trembled. Then Moses led the people out of the camp to meet with God, and they stood at the foot of the mountain." God intended for the people to hear His voice with their own ears in front of them. This was not only to establish the authority of Moses as their leader but also for the Israelites to pass down this miraculous event from generation to generation, "Only be careful, and watch yourselves closely so that you do not forget the things your eyes have seen or let them fade from your heart as long as you live. Teach them to your children and to their children after them" (Deuteronomy 4:9). Therefore, even today, thousands of years later, Jewish people continue to tell this story to their descendants. In contrast, in the Gospel of Matthew, where are these living individuals who were "witnessed" by the dead? Don't they have descendants to pass down this story? Due to the lack of evidence, neither historical records nor oral traditions, scholars have had to interpret this passage in their own ways.
In 2010, Dr. Michael Licona, an American New Testament scholar, author, Associate Professor of Theology at Houston Baptist University, and Visiting Professor of Theology at Northwestern University, published "The Resurrection of Jesus: A New Historiographical Approach." In this book, he attempted to provide what he considered the most reasonable explanation for the passage in Matthew. He argued that the resurrection of the saints mentioned in this passage was not a historical event and suggested that it might be a symbolic depiction of the end of the world. In his book, he stated, “Given the presence of phenomenological language used in a symbolic manner in both Jewish and Roman literature related to a major event such as the death of an emperor… It seems to me that an understanding of the language in Matthew 27:52-53 as ‘special effects’ with eschatological Jewish texts and thought in mind is most plausible. He further states, “It seems best to regard this difficult text in Matthew 27:51-53 as a poetic device added to communicate that the Son of God had died.”
Dr. Licona uses the terms "special effects" and "poetic device" to describe this passage, which effectively implies that this event did not actually occur. This bold argument sparked a significant controversy and led to a theological debate in the academic community. In an open letter, Dr. Licona was criticized by two prominent theologians, Dr. Norman Geisler, a renowned Christian systematic theologian and philosopher, and Dr. Albert Mohler, the president of The Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. They condemned Dr. Licona's position, as he questioned the inerrancy of the Bible Please see my blog post: Bible Inerrancy). Dr. Licona subsequently resigned from his positions as Research Professor of Apologetics and Interdisciplinary Studies at Southern Evangelical Seminary and as a Senior Research Fellow at the North American Mission Board in 2011.
There is a tendency within the Christian community to seek "correct answers" and uphold the authority of the Bible while being less welcoming of "non-traditional answers" and positions that diverge from the principle of biblical inerrancy. They often prefer to use terms like "miracle" or "faith" to gloss over unanswered questions and may resist acknowledging doubt. However, since the definition of "truth" is “an unchanging fact,” it should not fear scrutiny or being challenged. Asking questions can lead to deeper thinking, broader discussions, exploration of more possibilities, and a wider perspective. This helps prevent intellectual stagnation. It is my sincere hope that the Christian community can create a healthy space and platform where questions are seen as opportunities for dialogue, stimulation, growth, and progress, rather than as threats to the integrity of truth. It's important not to confine oneself to a rigid mode of thinking and to embrace challenges as a chance for constructive exploration, rather than viewing them as attacks on faith.
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