《圣经》中文注释初探

Understanding Chinese Biblical Interpretation

2018年系中国天主教会思高《圣经》全译本出版五十周年。明年2019年是中国基督新教和合本《圣经》出版一百周年。上一个世纪的先辈《圣经》学者们把《圣经》翻译成中文并出版。上述中文《圣经》的出版,使得中国的基督徒和《圣经》学者们有机会以中文研读《圣经》。在21世纪的今天,中文圣经学者的使命乃是进一步研究《圣经》,注释《圣经》,使中国的基督徒能更好地理解经书,从而获得圣言的滋养。笔者作为一位《圣经》的爱好者和学习者有幸前往海外教会接受《圣经》专业方面的培育,也有机会了解历史上、国际上不同的《圣经》注释的方法。回国后,笔者有机会在天主教和基督教的神学院中教授《圣经》注释学这门课程和其他课程。在授课的过程中,笔者产生诸多的反省和感触。一方面,我用学到的《圣经》注释的方法如:历史考究法(Historical Critical Method)、文学考究法(Litrerary Critical Method)、叙述考究法(Narrative Critical Method)等方法注释《圣经》,使学生们对《圣经》的历史性和文学性有了一定的认识。大大地开阔了学生们的视野。另一方面,我自己在研读《圣经》时有一种在博物馆里研究古代文物的类似感受,或者如同《旧约·以西结书》所记载的"如同干枯的骨头"一样,没有生命和灵气,学生们也无法提起兴趣,《圣经》变成了无毒、无害、无营养的"三无"产品。笔者同时教授的另外一门课程叫做《圣经》灵修。在后一门课程的教授中,笔者采用了另外一种方法。笔者发现,这种新的整合方法比较适合我们中国自己的学生。他们的学习兴趣很高,好像《圣经》变成了活的语言,笔者也似乎找到了打开《圣经》的那把钥匙。正是上述负面和正面兼有的教学经验,给了笔者反省《圣经》中文注释的方法。笔者愿意从如下三个方面:一、对《圣经》的认识;二、对《圣经》注释学的认识;三、中文《圣经》的注释方法与原则等来探讨对于中文《圣经》注释的思考,最后,笔者会以简单的总结作为收尾。

As a biblical scholar who have received professional biblical training in the U.S.A.,I have the opportunity to study all the critical methods in biblical interpretation,like historical critical method,literary critical method,and narrative method,etc.In teaching biblical courses,I have realized that all these methods concentrate on the historical aspect of the text.It is like an old researcher looking at a dry bone with microscopes.There is no life.Consequently,students are not interested in the course.In this paper,I try to understand the nature of the Scriptures.The Word of God is God’s revelation in the salvation history.In the Word of God,our ancestors of faith share their faith experiences with God,their failures and successes,struggles and vulnerabilities,rebellions and faithfulness,etc.when we read the Scriptures,we try to see who God is in the revelation and what faith experiences that the author wants to convey to us,the descendants in faith.Since the Word of God would like to bring faith experience to us,the Historical critical method,under the philosophical premise of denial of miracles and the historicity of the narratives in the Scriptures,brings the text into brokenness and suspicion.It cannot lead us to communicate with the real faith experiences.Consequently,based on the Chinese understanding of religious classics,I have recommended vertical bible reading,integrated bible reading,dialogical bible reading,faith experiences related bible reading,and spiritual oriented bible reading methods in hoping that we Chinese can better understand the Word of God and be nourished by it.