關於西一15：基督是受造之物的第一個麼？（六）

關於西一15：基督是受造之物的第一個麼？（六）

柒、聖經教師（學者）的看法和斷案

以下摘錄一些聖經教師（學者）的看法和斷案，有些譯自英文原著，有些是中文的著作，「參考聖經」（Reference Bible）的註解則置於最後。讀者若覺得研讀英文吃力，可以直接跳讀中文譯文。之所以同時將英文原著放進來，沒有別的用意，只為取信於眾。每段之後若有評論，是我個人下的。

一、Matthew Henry（1662-1714）

In the early ages the firstborn son possessed extra-ordinary privilege and honors. Hence the Hebrew term, and its correspondent word in other languages, acquired the secondary meaning of that which is chief and most excellent. Of these there are many examples in the Scripture, and in Jewish phraseology, the Holy and blessed God is called the Firstborn of the world, to signify his supremacy over all created beings. The just inference from what follows there is, that Christ is superior to all creatures, and that subsequently, in his proper and original nature, he cannot be a creature.- J.P. Smith

在早代長子擁有特權和尊榮。因此，在希伯來用詞和其他語言中對等的詞，產生了第二個意思，就是首領和最卓越的。這個在聖經中有許多例子，在猶太人的用詞裡，那聖潔可稱頌的神被稱為世界的「首生」，表明祂在造物之上的主權。從後面接著的話公正的推論，基督是優於一切造物，因此，就祂的本性而言，祂不會是個造物。（引J.P. Smith的話）

（Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Commentary on the Holy Bible, Matthew to Revelation, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1979, p.240）

Christ is the first-born of every creature. Not that he is himself a creature; he was born or begotten before all the creation, or any creature was made; which is the Scripture way of representing eternity, and by which the eternity of God is represented to us. It signifies his dominion over all things; as the first-born in a family is heir and lord of all, so he is the Heir of all things, Heb 1:2…Christ is so far from being himself a creature, that he is the Creator. For by him were all things created,…

基督是每一造物的首生（筆者按，是英文「欽定本」的翻譯），不是說祂是一個造物。祂是在所有造物之先被生。這是聖經表明永恆的方式，藉此神的永恆向我們表明。這表徵祂在上統管萬有。就如家中的長子繼承並統管一切，照樣，祂是萬有的承受者（來一2）。基督根本不是一個受造之物，祂是造物主，因為萬有都是被祂所造的…

（Matthew Henry and Thomas Scott, Commentary on the Holy Bible, Matthew to Revelation, Thomas Nelson Publishers, 1979, p.241）

二、J.N. Darby（1800-1882）

But then what place can He have in creation when He has come into it according to the eternal counsels of a God? He could have but one, namely, that of supremacy without contestation and without controversy. He is the firstborn of all creation, that is a relative name, not one of date with regard to time. It is said of Solomon, “I will make him my firstborn, higher than the kings of the earth.” Thus the Creator, when He takes a place in creation, is necessarily its Head….

那麼，當祂照著神永遠的定旨來到造物中時，祂在其中的地位為何？祂只能有一個，意即祂是至高無上、天下無匹的。祂是一切造物的首生，而首生是一個相對的名字，不是時間裡的一個日子。論到所羅門，「我要立他為長子，為世上最高的君王。」因此造物主，當祂來到造物中有其位時，祂必然是它的頭。…

He is then the image of the invisible God, and, when He takes His place in it, the firstborn of all creation. The reason of this is worthy of our attention-simple, yet marvelous: He created it. It was in the Person of the Son that God acted, when by His power He created all things, whether in heaven or in the earth, visible and invisible. All that is great and exalted is but the work of His hand; all has been created by Him (the Son) and for Him. Thus, when He takes possession of it, He takes it as His inheritance by right. Wonderful truth, that He who has redeemed us, who made Himself man, one of us as to nature, in order to do so, is the Creator. But such is the truth.

祂是不能看見之神的像，當祂在造物中有其位時，是一切受造之物的首生。這個的理由值得我們的注意－簡單卻是稀奇：祂創造了它。當神用祂的大能創造萬有（無論天上的，地上的；能看見的，不能看見的）時，祂是在子的人位裡行動。一切偉大和崇高的乃是祂手的工作，一切都是藉著祂（子）造的，又是為祂造的。因此，當祂擁有它時，祂是有權利得它為產業。奇妙的真理就是，那救贖我們的是創造主。為了要這樣做，祂使自己成為人，成為就本質說是我們中間的一個人。而這是真理。

（J. N. Darby, Synopsis of the Books of the Bible, Vol. 5, Bible Truth Publishers, 1980, Col. pp.12-13）
（達秘，聖經略解，第五冊，「歌羅西」，第12-13頁）

評論：達秘的話，第一段清楚強調基督首生的地位，就是作頭、居先的地位；第二段強調這樣的一位，為了救贖的緣故，來成為一個與我們一樣的人。這是福音叫人稀奇的地方，但這是聖經的真理！

若有人引達秘的話，說基督道成肉身，來成為與我們屬性相同的人，就將西一15的「首生」解為「造物中的第一個」，是明顯錯解了他的話。他從來沒有說過這樣的話！他在「聖經略解」西一15這裡所說的是：基督是造物主，祂是萬有的頭，為了救贖的工作，祂來成為一個人。

達秘在他的時代被譽為解經之王，這個封號絕非過獎。讀他的著作就知道他的解經是非常嚴謹、謹慎的。在西一15這麼重要的地方，他絕不會出差錯，叫人對他所說的起質疑。

人並不能因為基督為了救贖的工作來成為人，有了人性，就說基督是「受造之物，且是第一個」，這是錯誤的解經。基督來成為人，與基督是受造之物，是兩件大不同的事！

這種錯誤的「牽線」出現在「水流職事站」的網站「真裡辯正」：「回覆唐守臨、任鍾祥《為真道竭力爭辯》之十點爭議」的第二篇：關於「基督是受造之物的首生者」一文中。讀者可以上網自行瀏覽：

http://www.cftfc.com/com_chinese/apologetics/reading.asp?title_no=4-19#2

三、Henry Alford（1810-1871）

The first and simplest meaning is that of priority of birth. But this, if insisted on, in its limited temporal sense, must apply to our Lord’s birth from his human mother, and could have reference only to those brothers and sisters who were born of her afterward; a reference clearly excluded here. But a second and derived meaning of πρωτοτοκος, as a designation of dignity and precedence, implied by priority, cannot be denied. Cf. Ps. 89:27…, Exo.4:22…, Rom.8:29…, Heb.12:23…It would be obviously wrong here to limited the sense entirely to this reference, as the very expression below, αυτος εστιν προ παντων, shews, in which his priority is distinctly predicated. The safe method of interpretation therefore will be, to take into account two ideas manifestly included in the word, and here distinctly refer to – priority, and dignity, and to regard the technical term πρωτοτοκος as used rather with reference to both these, than in strict construction where it stands.“First-born of every creature” will then imply, that Christ was not only first-born of His mother in the world, but first-begotten of His Father, before the worlds,- and that He holds the rank, as compared with every created thing, of first-born in dignity.

第一和最簡單的意思是第一個出生的，然而若這樣堅持，在它受限的時間意思裡，必須用於我們的主從祂肉身的母親而有的出生上，也只能與後來從她而生做祂弟妹的有關係。顯然地，這個關係在這裡是被排除掉的。然而πρωτοτοκος第二個和衍生出來的意思，是優越所表明的尊貴和領先的一個稱號，這是不能否認的。參考詩八十九27…，出四22…，羅八29…，來十二23…。
這裡若完全侷限於這種關係是明顯的錯誤，正如後面的發表「αυτος εστιν προ παντων」（祂在萬有之先）所表明的，清楚斷言祂在其中的優越。

安全詮釋的方法，乃是考慮包含在這字裡的二個思想，無疑的是：優越和尊貴。…因此「一切造物的首生」指明基督不僅是祂母親在世上所頭生的，也是在諸世界以前祂的父所獨生的。當祂與一切受造物相比時，祂擁有尊貴的首生地位。

...The Arians maintained that Christ is thus Himself declared to be a κτισις of God. It might have been enough to guard them from this, that as Chr. remarks, not πρωτοκτιστος, but πρωτοτοκος advisedly used by the Apostle.

亞流主義者堅持…基督是神的一個造物（κτισις），…正如屈梭多模（Chrysostom）注意到的，使徒深思熟慮的用了「首生」（πρωτοτοκος）一字，而不是「首造」（πρωτοκτιστος）。

(Henry Alford, Alford’s Greek Testament, An Exegetical and Critical Commentary, Vol. III, ΠΡΟΣ ΚΟΛΑΣΣΑΕΙΣ, 1:15 notes, pp.202-203)

評論：保羅在西一15下的用詞非常謹慎，正如Henry Alford所說的，是經過深思熟慮的。他所要表達的乃是基督的超越和尊貴。若他所要表達的是基督乃受造之物的第一個，他的寫法應該是：「一切造物的首造」（ the first-created of all the created things）。這樣的寫法把基督貶低了，正和諾斯底異端的講法。若他所要表達的是所有受造之物也是神生的，正如基督是神生的，且是第一位，那麼他的寫法會是：「一切所生的首生者」（ the first-born of all born）。但這是泛神論，無法被接受。保羅寫的是：「一切造物的首生」（the first-born of all created things），因此他所表達的是一切都是被造的，唯基督是被生的，他之於萬物是居先、居首、居上的！

（未完待續）