聖經詮釋架構：以「時代論」為例

Abstract

詮釋聖經的基本策略分為兩種：一、以經文書寫對象與時代之區別劃分聖經，本文稱之為時代論（Dispensationalism）；二、非時代論詮釋法。教會依不同比例混合以上兩種策略，發展出各種詮釋框架，產生諸多不同的教義、數千種不同的教派。教會的詮釋框架又可分為兩種：一、完全並只採用時代論策略，本文稱之為保羅時代論（Mid-Acts Dispensationalism）；二、其它混合型詮釋框架。本文將探討這兩種詮釋框架的不同、何者較為合理與可行，以提供聖經研究者一個值得參考的聖經詮釋框架與研究策略。The Church consists of thousands of denominations, each with its own belief system. This paper asserts that the denominational and doctrinal division is rooted primarily in Bible interpretation practices. There are two main approaches to interpretation in the Church: dispensational and covenantal. Each is undergirded by a Bible interpretation framework, including the fixed and the fluid, respectively. Each framework consists of constituent interpretation elements: the fixed exclusively of sound elements, the fluid of both sound and unsound elements. Throughout church history, the fixed framework and/or its constituent sound elements have been employed consciously by various small groups of believers, while the fluid framework has been used by most of the Church, which switches between sound and unsound elements to support and defend preformed belief systems. It is important for believers to understand how the frameworks differ, the support each enjoys, and the interpretation outcomes they lend themselves to, so that they can consciously and knowledgeably choose the one they would like to use in their studies. This paper compares the two frameworks and their constituent elements, using Mid-Acts Dispensationalism as a case study, and, based on its support and merits, offers the fixed framework as an appealing alternative.