《智慧篇》第18章——光、毁灭之言与亚郎的赎罪

《智慧篇》第18章追述长子之夜:以色列行走在光中,埃及人却坐在黑暗里;神圣之言击杀长子,而亚郎赎罪的香止住了后来的一场灾祸。

智慧篇

第18章

  1. 1.光照在以色列人身上 但你为你的圣徒预备了极大的光,他们的敌人听见他们的声音,却没有看见他们的形象,就把他们算为有福的人,因为他们没有遭遇灾祸Light Shines on the Israelites But for thy holy ones there was very great light. Their enemies heard their voices but did not see their forms, and counted them happy for not having suffered,
  2. 2.并且感谢你的圣徒,尽管他们以前受到冤枉,却没有加害于人,他们为与圣徒不和而求饶。and were thankful that thy holy ones, though previously wronged, were doing them no injury; and they begged their pardon for having been at variance with them.
  3. 3.因此,你为你的人民未知的旅程提供了一根火柱作为指引,也为他们光荣的流浪提供了一个无害的太阳。Therefore thou didst provide a flaming pillar of fire as a guide for thy people’s unknown journey, and a harmless sun for their glorious wandering.
  4. 4.因为他们的敌人理应被剥夺光明而被囚禁在黑暗中,这些人曾经囚禁了你的儿子们,而你的儿子们原本要将不朽的律法之光传给世界。For their enemies deserved to be deprived of light and imprisoned in darkness, those who had kept thy sons imprisoned, through whom the imperishable light of the law was to be given to the world.
  5. 5.当他们决定杀死你圣民的婴儿时,有一个孩子被遗弃并得救,你为了惩罚他们,夺走了他们众多的孩子,并用一场大洪水一起毁灭了他们。The Death of the Egyptian Firstborn When they had resolved to kill the babes of thy holy ones, and one child had been exposed and rescued, thou didst in punishment take away a multitude of their children; and thou didst destroy them all together by a mighty flood.
  6. 6.那一夜预先为我们列祖所知道,好叫他们因知道的凭据欢喜。That night was made known beforehand to our fathers, so that they might rejoice in sure knowledge of the oaths in which they trusted.
  7. 7.你的人民期盼义人得救和敌人受到毁灭。The deliverance of the righteous and the destruction of their enemies were expected by thy people.
  8. 8.因为你用来惩罚我们敌人的同样手段,你召唤我们归向你,并使我们得荣耀。For by the same means by which thou didst punish our enemies thou didst call us to thyself and glorify us.
  9. 9.因为义人之子在秘密中献祭,并且一致同意神圣的律法,认为圣徒应该共同分享同样的东西,无论是福气还是危险;他们已经在赞美祖先了。For in secret the holy children of good men offered sacrifices, and with one accord agreed to the divine law, that the saints would share alike the same things, both blessings and dangers; and already they were singing the praises of the fathers.
  10. 10.但他们的敌人发出了不和谐的哭声,他们为孩子们的哀怨哀叹传播开来。But the discordant cry of their enemies echoed back, and their piteous lament for their children was spread abroad.
  11. 11.奴隶与主人受到同样的惩罚,平民与君王遭受同样的损失;The slave was punished with the same penalty as the master, and the common man suffered the same loss as the king;
  12. 12.他们一起因一种死法而尸体无数。因为活着的人连埋葬死者都力不从心,因为他们最珍贵的孩子在一瞬间就被毁灭了。and they all together, by the one form of death, had corpses too many to count. For the living were not sufficient even to bury them, since in one instant their most valued children had been destroyed.
  13. 13.因为他们曾经因为自己的魔法而不相信一切,但当他们的长子被毁灭的时候,他们却承认你的子民是上帝的儿子。For though they had disbelieved everything because of their magic arts, yet, when their first-born were destroyed, they acknowledged thy people to be God’s son.
  14. 14.当温柔的寂静笼罩一切,夜以迅速的步伐已经过去了一半,For while gentle silence enveloped all things, and night in its swift course was now half gone,
  15. 15.你那全能的言语从天上,从王座中,跳入了注定要灭亡的土地中,成为一名严厉的战士thy all-powerful word leaped from heaven, from the royal throne, into the midst of the land that was doomed, a stern warrior
  16. 16.携带着你真实命令的锋利剑,站立并用死亡充满万物,同时站在大地上触及天空。carrying the sharp sword of thy authentic command, and stood and filled all things with death, and touched heaven while standing on the earth.
  17. 17.于是,在可怕的梦中出现了幻象,极大地扰乱了他们,并且他们被意外的恐惧袭击;Then at once apparitions in dreadful dreams greatly troubled them, and unexpected fears assailed them;
  18. 18.这里有一人,那里有一人,被抛下,半死不活,说明了他们为什么而死;and one here and another there, hurled down half dead, made known why they were dying;
  19. 19.因为困扰他们的梦预先警告了他们这件事,好让他们不会在不知道自己受苦原因的情况下灭亡。for the dreams which disturbed them forewarned them of this, so that they might not perish without knowing why they suffered.
  20. 20.沙漠中的毁灭威胁 死亡的经历也涉及义人,瘟疫降临于旷野中的众人,但愤怒并没有持续很久。Threat of Annihilation in the Desert The experience of death touched also the righteous, and a plague came upon the multitude in the desert, but the wrath did not long continue.
  21. 21.因为无瑕的义人迅速站出来为他们辩护,他拿出他事工的盾牌,即祷告和香的祈求,他抵挡了愤怒,制止了灾祸,证明他是你的仆人。For a blameless man was quick to act as their champion; he brought forward the shield of his ministry, prayer and propitiation by incense; he withstood the anger and put an end to the disaster, showing that he was thy servant.
  22. 22.他不是靠着身体的强壮,也不是靠着武器的力量,而是靠着他的话语使惩罚者服从,他诉诸于赐给我们祖先的誓言和约定。He conquered the wrath not by strength of body, and not by force of arms, but by his word he subdued the punisher, appealing to the oaths and covenants given to our fathers.
  23. 23.当死者已经堆积在一起时,他介入并阻止了愤怒,并切断了它到达活人的道路。For when the dead had already fallen on one another in heaps, he intervened and held back the wrath, and cut off its way to the living.
  24. 24.因为在他的长袍上,整个世界都被描绘出来,而列祖的荣耀被刻在四行宝石上,你的威严也在他头上的王冠上。For upon his long robe the whole world was depicted, and the glories of the fathers were engraved on the four rows of stones, and thy majesty on the diadem upon his head.
  25. 25.对于这些,毁灭者让步,这些他都害怕;因为仅仅试探一下愤怒就足够了。To these the destroyer yielded, these he feared; for merely to test the wrath was enough.

这段经文的意思

《智慧篇》第18章在同一夜之间,刻意构建了两个民族之间的对比。第1至4节以光勾勒以色列的行程——第3节的火柱,第4节法律的不朽之光——而曾囚禁天主众子的埃及人,则被交于黑暗。本章所描述的不是普通的光,而是作为天主恩宠记号的光,以及如今托付给以色列的法律之光。

第5至16节叙述长子的死亡。法郎先前下令丢弃希伯来婴孩(第5节),如今埃及自己的孩子丧失,正是对此的回应。第14至16节明确说明了行动者:在夜的寂静中,全能之言从王座上跃下,手持利剑,使万物充满死亡,并且‘站立在地上,却触及诸天’。这击杀并非无人格的灾祸,而是一位人格化的战士在执行天主的命令。

第17至25节转向以色列的营帐。长子之后又来了一场新的灾祸(第20节),一位无可指摘的人物——从第21和24节可清楚看出是亚郎——带着香和祈祷挺身而出。毁灭者并非屈服于武力,而是屈服于大司祭的话,因这话诉诸盟约。甚至对忿怒的一场考验也已足够;这一幕将司祭的代祷与赐给先祖的盟约应许联系起来。

背景

《智慧篇》第18章位于《智慧篇》对以色列救恩史的扩展复述之中(大致为第10至19章)。本章聚焦于一个夜晚——逾越节——以及对此的两种回应:以色列得光,埃及遭死亡。整理注释将本章描述为项目P0/P1范围之外的回填内容,因此除本章本身之外,源材料未提供进一步的主题框架。在本章内,叙事从引导未知旅程的火柱(第3节)转向击杀长子(第5、14–16节),再转向后来被亚郎的香止住的灾祸(第20–25节),而第8节将这两半连接起来:‘你用以惩罚我们仇敌的同一方式,也正是你召叫我们归向你、并使我们得荣耀的方式。’

第21至25节与后来关于亚郎司祭职分的传统密切呼应:第24节中带有四行宝石的长袍和他头上的冠冕,呼应了大司祭礼服的描述。第22节明确说,毁灭者被制服并非靠武力,而是靠言语,并靠诉诸赐给先祖的誓言与盟约;这就将司祭的代祷呈现为对抗天主忿怒的决定性力量。

常见问题

为什么《智慧篇》第18章描述一个‘话语’从天上跃下,击杀长子?

在本章本身(第14–16节)中,长子的被杀并非归因于无人格的灾祸,而是归因于一位人格化的‘全能之言’:他从王座上跃下,带着‘你真实命令的利剑’,使万物充满死亡。经文将此呈现为天主谕令的直接执行,而这谕令是在预先向先祖宣告的那一夜(第6节)成就的。

第20至25节中阻止灾祸的‘无可指摘的人’是谁?

本章间接指明了他:第21节称他为战士,以‘他职务的盾牌,即祈祷和藉香所行的赎罪’行事;第24节则描述了一件带有四行宝石的长袍和他头上的冠冕——这些用语取自对大司祭礼服的描述。就本章自身的呈现而言,这人物履行司祭代祷者的角色,他的话诉诸与先祖所立的盟约,从而止住了毁灭者。

本章如何将出谷事件与以色列的蒙召联系起来?

第8节明确建立了这一联系:‘因为你用以惩罚我们仇敌的同一方式,也正是你召叫我们归向你、并使我们得荣耀的方式。’赐给以色列的光(第1–4节)与使埃及陷入黑暗的是同一行动;向先祖所起的盟约誓言(第6、22节)则将这次拯救描述为已许之应许的实现。本章指出,其结果是埃及的幸存者‘承认你的子民是天主的儿子’(第13节)。

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