On lexical distinctions

[S]ubtle lexical distinctions play only a secondary role in interpretation. How many writers are likely to throw all their eggs into one basket and hope that the readers catch the one small distinction that determines the meaning of the whole sentence? One cannot deny, for example, that there are some distinctions between the two Greek verbs for love, agapao and phileo. It is less clear, however, whether those distinctions are reflected, say, in the interchange between Jesus and Peter recorded in John 21:15 –17. The NIV translators must have thought so, since they translate the former verb (found in Jesus’ question) with the words “truly love,” while the latter (used by Peter in his response) is translated simply “love.” Such a distinction is highly debatable. To mention only one problem, the latter verb is used of the Father’s love for the Son in 5:20. But even if the distinction could be sustained, is it reasonable to think that the proper understanding of the passage hangs on our ability to discover such a faint contrast? A solid interpretation should be built on much broader evidence than that.

Generally speaking, the greater the weight placed on distinctions among synonyms, the more likely it is that such distinctions are being overstated.

~Walter Kaiser and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning

Letting-be...

 

One rather distinguished writer, who happens to be a proponent of so-called existentialist theology, has argued that the essence of being is a dynamic “letting-be.”At a later point in his argument, he remarks: “It is significant that the Bible does not begin by merely affirming God’s existence but with his act of creation, which is the conferring of existence. His first utterance is: ‘Let there be light!’and so begins the history of his letting-be.”

What the author of these words fails to tell the reader is that there is nothing in the Hebrew text of Genesis 1:3 that corresponds precisely to the English verb let. While Hebrew (as well as many other languages) has a specific verbal form for the third person imperative, English lacks such a form. English does have a second person imperative, such as “Come!” To express the imperative idea in the third person, however, we have to use other means, such as “John must come!” or “Let John come!” In the second example, the verb let does not have its usual meaning of “allow,”nor does it have any supposed dynamic sense; rather, it functions merely as a helping verb to express the imperatival idea. In short, this theologian’s appeal to the English rendering of Genesis 1:3 in support of his proposal has very little to commend it.

~Walter Kaiser and Moisés Silva, Introduction to Biblical Hermeneutics: The Search for Meaning

正確理解福音核心?

 

頭先喺基督教論壇報見到篇文章: "2025年，美國家庭研究委員會公布一項令人震撼的調查：出席教會聚會的信徒中，僅約三分之一能正確理解福音核心——「悔改罪、接受基督，就能進天堂」。" 

其實, 如果呢個委員會強逼NT Wright答呢份問卷, 佢地會話NT Wright都未能正確理解福音核心.

佢嗰本"Simply Good News: Why the Gospel Is News and What Makes It Good"開頭有一段咁講: 

"In many churches, the good news has subtly changed into good advice: Here’s how to live, they say. Here’s how to pray. Here are techniques for helping you become a better Christian, a better person, a better wife or husband. And in particular, here’s how to make sure you’re on the right track for what happens after death. Take this advice: say this prayer and you’ll be saved. You won’t go to hell; you’ll go to heaven. Here’s how to do it.

This is advice, not news.

The whole point of advice is to make you do something to get a desired result. Now, there’s nothing wrong with good advice. We all need it. But it isn’t the same thing as news. News is an announcement that something significant has happened. And good news is what Jesus and his first followers were all about.

At this point someone will object, 'My church hasn’t forgotten the good news! We know that Jesus died for our sins! He took our punishment so that we could go to heaven! Isn’t that good news? If you thought you were destined for hell and suddenly someone told you God had done something about it, wouldn’t that be good news?'

Well, yes, it would. But—and this is the shocking and difficult thing for many people—that isn’t exactly the good news Jesus and the early church were talking about.

......

Yes, the good news is indeed about Jesus, and about his death and resurrection in particular. Yes, this good news does indeed open up a vision of an ultimate future beyond death, so that we live in hope and joy meanwhile. But the usual heaven-and-hell scheme, however popular, distorts the Bible’s good news. Over many centuries, Western churches have got the story wrong."  

Source: https://cdn-news.org/News.aspx?EntityID=News&PK=00000000a482feafe97bfa5d93ea7f4eb1d3d8bf39d02fc6

2025年終報告

全年睇咗一共191齣戲, 其中有165齣係之前從未睇過的, 其餘係翻睇. 未能突破200齣, 係因為今年花多咗時間睇劇同打機. 2025睇咗14齣劇, 其中包括有156集的海女; 仲有爆咗14集game. 

舊年最重要的總結, 就係因為睇加奈子的幸福殺手生活, 所以鍾意咗能年玲奈, 基本上全年都喺度睇佢D電影同劇, 聽佢D電台節目同歌, 好忙.