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圣经用语：“忧虑”

 

Bible Words:  DEFENSE

By Bill Young, Ph.D., Abilene Christian University（ 翻译：石小竹）

 

"辩护"在《圣经·新约》里是一个十分显著的词。这个词在希腊语中原本写作 "apologia (ap-ol-og-ee&cent;-ah)"，后来被移植到英语里，成了"apology"——圣 经学者都知道什么是"Christian apologetics"，即"护教文"，指为捍卫基督教信条而写作的辩护性文章。

在希腊语中，apologia还有一重含义，它是个法律术语，指辩护律师代表被控方在法庭做出的口头辩护。他们也和现在的辩护律师一样，有责任为自己的委托人洗脱罪名。

在《新约》中，当使徒保罗说到自己与指控者的几次当庭对质时，也曾数次在法律意义上援引了apologia这个希腊词。例如，当他站在罗马派来的大法官兼犹太巡抚非斯都面前受审时，非斯都就曾使用了"apologia(辩护)"这个词来解释罗马法律：

"……无论什么人，被告还没有和原告对质，未得机会分诉所告他的事，就先定他的罪，这不是罗马人的条例。（使徒行传 25：16）

如果考查一下"apoligia"这个词的动词形态，我们可以更清楚地了解它的含义。apologeomia (ap-ol-og-eh&cent;-om-ahee)

这个希腊语动词，在字面上的意思就是"为自己说话"。它由两个部分构成：前一部分apo,意为"来自"；而后一部分lego,就是"说话"。要为自己作辩护(apologia)，就得通过言辞来驳斥指控者，洗清对方加在自己身上的罪名。

保罗花了很多时间来驳斥那种说他并非真使徒的责难。他不光在信中这么做，还在法庭上面对面地与指控者们对质，换言之，与他们进行口舌上的交锋，以洗脱对手强加于自己的不实指控。以下摘录的是哥林多前书第9章的1-3节，这里记载了保罗为自己进行的辩护：

"我不是自由的吗？我不是使徒吗？我不是见过我们的主耶稣吗？你们不是我在主里面所做之工吗？假若在别人我不是使徒，在你们我总是使徒。因为你们在主里正是我作使徒的印证。"

保罗全力维护的是自己作为耶稣的忠实追随者的合法地位。无论是面对着大权在握的司法者，如非斯都之流，还是面对着以辩士贴土罗为代表的、把他诬蔑成意图颠覆一切神圣事物的阴险邪恶之徒的迫害者们，保罗都始终不渝地为自己进行着辩护，要洗去他们强加于自己的不实罪名。实际上，按照使徒保罗自己的说法，他甚至很"乐意为自己分诉"。（使徒行传 24：10）

保罗勇敢驳斥的一项最严重的指控，就是说他违背了摩西的律法和古老的宗教传统。在保罗的案子被移交到罗马高等法庭审理之前，当他在亚基帕王面前最后一次受审的时候，保罗曾当庭发表了一篇激动人心的辩护辞。请看《使徒行传》第26章中的几段：

"现在我站在这里受审，是因为指望神向我们祖宗所应许的……王啊，我被犹太人控告，就是因这指望……然而我蒙神的帮助，直到今日还站得住，对着尊贵、卑贱、老幼作见证。所讲的并不外乎众先知和摩西所说将来必成的事……"（使徒行传，26：6，7，22）

保罗的这几句话真是掷地有声，字字坚立，它们全都有着极其深远的背景和意义。如果读一读第26章全篇内容，定会使你获益匪浅，从而更深地领略到使徒保罗这番辩护辞的精彩绝伦之处。

当时，威胁着他的是更久的牢狱之灾，甚至可能是死刑的判决，但保罗凭着这番滔滔雄辩，拯救自己脱离了诬陷的网罗。而比他的言辞更值得称道的，乃是他在多年失去世间种种自由权利的囚徒生涯中表现出来的坚定意志。

在我们平时的生活中，捍卫自己对耶稣基督的信仰并不一定会立刻带来生死的考验。然而，我们总会遇到这样那样的不实指责和对自己名誉的诋毁。作为基督徒，当这种不愉快的事发生时，要记住，你的辩护绝不是无人倾听、无人证明的。只要你表现出足够的耐心，坚持向那些诋毁你的人说明真相，上帝就会为你提供辩护，替你抵御这世间的不公。

 

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 One of the prominent words in the New Testament is the word, "defense." In Greek it is pronounced apologia (ap-ol-og-ee’ -ah). The Greek word when anglicized is pronounced apology, and Bible scholars will be familiar with the English expression, "Christian apologetics," referring to writings in defense of Christian doctrines.

Apologia was also a judicial term used in Greek courts of law to describe verbal arguments by defense attorneys on behalf of clients. Defense lawyers – then, as even in these times – were responsible for proving that charges brought against their clients were false.

Paul uses the legal term, apologia, in several New Testament scriptures when he discusses his courtroom trials in response to his accusers. For instance, Paul appeared before Festus, a Roman-appointed jurist and ruler of Judea. Listen to how Festus uses apologia (meaning, defense) as he explains Roman law:

 ". . . it is not the custom of the Romans to give up any man, before the accused have the accusers face to face, and have had opportunity to make his defense concerning the matter laid against him" (Acts 25:16) [ Xiao zhu, NIV translation is clearer--ES]

[16]"I told them that it is not the Roman custom to hand over any man before he has faced his accusers and has had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges.

 

The meaning of apologia is made additionally clear when one examines the verb form – apologeomia (ap-ol-og-eh’ -om-ahee). Literally the verb means "speak for self." The verb is made of two parts: apo, which means "from," and lego, which means "to speak." In order for one to make a defense (apologia), one must talk himself away from charges brought by accusers.

Paul spent a lot of time defending himself against critics who said he was not a true apostle. He wrote letters and appeared face to face with accusers in court defending against, or talking himself away from, the false accusations. Here is a part of his defense as recorded in 1 Corinthians 9:3:

"Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord? If to others I am not an apostle, at least I am to you; for you are the seal of my apostleship in the Lord."

 

Paul defended his legitimate position as a faithful follower of Christ. Regardless of those who wielded judicial authority such as Festus, or a prosecutor like Tertullas who portrayed Paul as a sinister and evil disturber of all that was sacred, Paul continued to defend himself by talking himself off the charges against him. In fact, the apostle said he was making his defense "cheerfully" (Acts 24:10)

The most significant charges that Paul courageously defended were the charges that he violated the ancient law of Moses and religious traditions. In Paul’s last court appearance before the provincial King Agrippa, and prior to his case being forwarded to higher courts in Rome, Paul offered a stirring defense that is heard in the following selections from Acts 26:

 ". . . I am standing trial for the hope of the promise made by God to our fathers . . . and for this hope, O King, I am being accused by Jews . . . .And so, having obtained help from God, I stand to this day testifying both to small and great, stating nothing but what the prophets and Moses said was going to take place . . ." (Acts 26:6,7,and 22).

 Those words of Paul’s defense stand like bookends to a larger context. You will benefit by reading all of chapter 26 and getting a sense of the apostle’s marvelous apologia (his defense).

In the face of more prison time and possibly a sentence to death, Paul spoke his way out of the maze of false accusations. What is more remarkable than his defense is Paul’s attitude during years of imprisonment and loss of common freedoms.

Defending your faith in Jesus Christ may not bring enemies to your door seeking to end your life. But false accusations and attacks against [your] reputation [may] occur in one form or another [, as] to many Christians. When these unpleasant incidents occur, remember, your defense is still being seen and heard by witnesses. When you demonstrate patience, and speak the truth to those who abuse you, God will supply you a defense against the injustice of this world.