圣经是无误的吗?如果有科学或历史上的「错误」怎么办?
Is the Bible inerrant? What about apparent scientific or historical 'errors'?
简答 Short Answer
圣经无误是说圣经在其原稿中、按照作者的原意和文体来理解时,所教导的一切都是真实的、没有错误的。
Biblical inerrancy means that in its original manuscripts, understood according to the authors' intent and literary genre, everything Scripture teaches is true and without error.
详细解答 Detailed Answer
圣经无误论(inerrancy)是改革宗传统的核心信念,它并不意味着用现代科学教科书的标准来衡量圣经。圣经无误论的正确理解是:圣经在其原稿中所肯定、所教导的一切,按照每卷书的文体和作者意图来理解,都是完全真实的。
例如,圣经说「太阳升起」不是科学错误——这是使用日常语言的现象性描述,就像我们今天仍然说「日出」。诗篇说「树木拍掌」不是植物学错误——这是诗歌的拟人修辞。判断一段经文的含义,首先要理解它的文体。
对于真正困难的经文——比如看似矛盾的数字记载——我们应当承认可能是传抄过程中的细微变化,或者是我们对古代文化和表达方式的了解不足。但整体而言,考古学和历史研究不断印证圣经的可靠性,这给了我们充分理由信任那些我们尚未完全理解的部分。
Biblical inerrancy is a core Reformed conviction, but it doesn't mean measuring the Bible by modern science textbook standards. Properly understood, inerrancy means: everything Scripture affirms and teaches in its original manuscripts, understood according to each book's genre and authorial intent, is completely true.
For example, the Bible saying 'the sun rises' is not a scientific error — it's phenomenological language, just as we still say 'sunrise' today. Psalms saying 'trees clap their hands' is not a botanical error — it's poetic personification. Determining a passage's meaning requires first understanding its genre.
For genuinely difficult texts — like seemingly contradictory numerical accounts — we should acknowledge possible minor variations in transmission or our insufficient knowledge of ancient culture and expression. But overall, archaeology and historical research continually confirm biblical reliability, giving us ample reason to trust parts we don't yet fully understand.
📖 经文引用 Bible Verses
📚 推荐阅读 Related Readings
- •Chicago Statement on Biblical Inerrancy (ICBI)
- •Scripture Alone (R.C. Sproul)
- •The Inerrancy of Scripture (various authors)