【刊物文章系列】神出鬼沒：論舊約鬼怪觀念的神學發展和意義

本文取自：

黃天相：〈神出鬼沒：論舊約鬼怪觀念的神學發展和意義〉，《山道期刊》28（2011）：4-26。

Abstract

This paper proposes to identify different demons in the Old Testament and their origin in the background of ancient Near East culture.  Two kinds of demons are discussed here: one lives in a desert habitat area and is harmful to humans; the other, on the contrary, is the cause of sudden attacks of sickness and death to humans.  In an earlier period, whoever died for whatever reason, went to the same place, Sheol.  The preservation of demons in the beginning before the development of monotheism suited the need to explain something unexplainable, especially the sudden death of a pious person.  After Yahweh, the a sole god, took the responsibility for everything in the Hebrew religion, the demons became a tool of punishment under his control.  In a later period, the concept of conscious life after death began to develop.  The role of demons disappeared since the afterlife judgment, the resurrection of the dead and eternal life in heaven solved the theological problem and compensated for an improper death of a pious person.   The conclusion may be drawn that demons in the Old Testament are different from those in the New Testament especially given the fact that the latter came from fallen angels and acted as hostile power against God in the intertestamental period. 

引言

我們很多時把新約的污鬼邪靈，與舊約鬼怪惡魔的觀念混淆，例如把舊約中的撒但擔任著後來墮落後的魔鬼角色，結果把舊約和新約的不同觀念看作一樣。查實舊約本身是有自己獨特的意義和神學價值，其中的鬼怪是承繼了古代近東世界的宗教觀念，針對有特定的目的，若單把舊約的觀念等同新約，這就抹煞了以色列宗教保存鬼怪的原本意義和價值了。