To view the English translation, please scroll down to the bottom.
此文參Tovia Singer拉比著作 “Let's Get Biblical”及Michael Skobac 拉比“Paul's usen of Isaiah 59:20"
「必有一位救贖主來到錫安，來到雅各族中轉離過犯的人那裡。這是耶和華說的。耶和華說：至於我與他們所立的約乃是這樣，我加給你的靈，傳給你的話，必不離你的口，也不離你後裔與你後裔之後裔的口，從今直到永遠；這是耶和華說的。」（以賽亞書59：20-21）
「於是以色列全家都要得救。 如經上所記 ：必有一位救主從錫安出來， 要消除雅各家的 一切罪惡；又說：我除去他們罪的時候，這 就是我與他們所立的約 。」（羅馬書11： 26 -27）
在以賽亞書59章20-21節，先知以賽亞用鼓舞激勵的口吻來描述末日。他說彌賽亞（救贖主）將要來到。他會臨到那些「轉離過犯的」雅各族（以色列人）那裡。耶和華也立約應許以色列子民和他的後裔永遠不會離開他們。然而，以賽亞書的這一段經節提出了一個和新約衝突的嚴肅神學問題。 依照以賽亞書的說法，救贖者是要來到那些「遠離」罪惡的人面前，不是來到「罪人」面前來 「消除」他們的罪。人遠離罪是“自發性”的行為；人的罪被消滅是 “被動性” 的行為。以賽亞書說，那些人的罪遠離他們，是因為他們 採取 “主動行為” 而「遠離」罪；他們的罪不是“被動”的「被消除」。在這裡，“人”是主詞，“遠離” 是動詞，“過犯”是受詞；相對的，羅馬書所強調的是被動式。“救贖主”是主詞，“消除”是動詞，“人的罪”是受詞。
基督教教義最基本的基礎就是保羅的教導──人不能靠善行或誠心悔改得到贖罪、得到救恩。唯靠耶穌十架的寶血，人方能到救贖。尤其在羅馬書第三章，保羅再三強調這一點。 若以保羅的推理：沒有耶穌，就沒有人能靠自己的力量遠離過犯；若沒有人轉離過犯，那麼救贖主未到以先，他們都只能停留在罪人的狀態之下。若以此邏輯推論，當救贖主來到錫安時，他要如何「到雅各族中轉離過犯的人」那裡？既然沒有人有能力轉離過犯，救贖主來，是不是就沒有對象了呢？更何況，耶和華和雅各家立的約和 “消除罪” 並沒有關聯。耶和華跟他們立的約是「我加給你的靈，傳給你的話，必不離你的口，也不離你後裔與你後裔之後裔的口，從今直到永遠」。而為什麼保羅說這個約的重點是「除去他們罪」呢? 看起來這是兩個迴然不同的約。
保羅在羅馬書 11：26中雖然說「如經上所記」，但如果把羅馬書和以賽亞書並列，就會看到其實他並沒有引用 “經上” 所記的。為了要吻合他極力推廣的救恩系列福音宗旨，保羅把以賽亞書 59：20 的話重新排列，把這段話變成在預言救贖主耶穌將 “消除” 雅各家的罪。這樣一來，“寶血、贖罪、救恩” 整套他所傳福音，就能很完整地在舊約被“預表”了。換句話說，羅馬書把以賽亞書的先後順序倒過來了：以賽亞說猶太人先自行遠離罪過，救贖隨之會臨到；保羅說救贖主先來除百姓的罪，他們隨之可以回歸上帝而得救。以賽亞書是公元前730年寫的，羅馬書是在公元50年寫的。當後者作者在780年後“引用”前者之言時，我們是否都應該仔細看「經上所記」的原來內容是什麼呢？
Turn Away vs Take Away
This passage is from the works of Rabbi Tovia Singer's "Let's Get Biblical" and Rabbi Michael Skobac's "Paul's Isaiah 59:20."
"“The Redeemer will come to Zion, to those in Jacob who repent of their sins,” declares the Lord. “As for me, this is my covenant with them,” says the Lord. “My Spirit, who is on you, will not depart from you, and my words that I have put in your mouth will always be on your lips, on the lips of your children and on the lips of their descendants—from this time on and forever,” says the Lord." (Isaiah 59:20-21)
"and in this way all Israel will be saved. As it is written:“The deliverer will come from Zion; he will turn godlessness away from Jacob. And this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins.'" (Romans 11:26-27)
In Isaiah 59:20-21, the prophet Isaiah uses an inspiring tone to describe the last days. He states that the Messiah (Redeemer) will come. He will come to those who have "turned away from transgression," the descendants of Jacob (the Israelites). The Lord also makes a covenant promise to the Israelites and their descendants, assuring them that He will never depart from them. However, this passage in the book of Isaiah raises a serious theological question that conflicts with the New Testament. According to Isaiah, the Redeemer is coming to those who have "turned away" from sin, not to "eliminate" their sins. Turning away from sin is considered a voluntary action, while the being eliminated of sin is a passive action. Isaiah suggests that these individuals have distanced themselves from their sins through their active choices; their sins are not passively eliminated. Here, "people" are the subjects, "turned away" is the verb, and "transgressions" are the objects. In contrast, Romans 11:26-27 emphasizes the passive form. "The Redeemer" is the subject, "eliminate" is the verb, and "the sins of the people" are the objects.
The most fundamental basis of Christian doctrine is the teaching of Paul, which states that people cannot attain redemption or salvation through good deeds or sincere repentance alone. Salvation can only be obtained through the precious blood of Jesus on the cross. This is particularly emphasized by Paul in Romans chapter 3. According to Paul's reasoning, without Jesus, no one can turn away from transgression by their own efforts. If no one turns away from transgression, then they would remain in a state of sin until the Redeemer arrives. Following this logic, when the Redeemer comes to Zion, how will he "come to those of Jacob who have turned from transgression"? Since no one has the ability to turn away from transgression on their own, does it mean there would be no recipients for the Redeemer? Furthermore, the covenant the Lord made with Jacob's descendants and the idea of eliminating sin don't seem to be directly related. The Lord's covenant is described as, "My spirit will not depart from you." So why does Paul emphasize that the focus of this covenant is to "take away their sins"? These appear to be two quite distinct covenants.
Paul's reference to "as it is written" in Romans 11:26, while he is citing a passage in Isaiah, doesn't exactly match the text found in Isaiah. To align with his emphatic message of the gospel of salvation, Paul rearranges the wording from Isaiah 59:20 to emphasize the prophecy that Jesus, the Redeemer, will remove" the sins of Jacob's descendants. This rearrangement fits neatly into the whole gospel message that he is preaching about precious blood, atonement, and salvation, as if these ideas are already foreshadowed in the Old Testament. In other words, Romans altered the message found in Isaiah. Isaiah suggests that the Jewish people turn from their transgressions, and then the Redeemer will come. Paul presents it as the Redeemer coming to remove the sins first, allowing them to return to God and be saved. Isaiah was written around 730 BCE, whereas Romans was written around 50 CE. When the latter author "quotes" the former's words written 780 years earlier, it raises the question of whether we should consider what the original context of "as it is written" was.
Commentaires