A Rabbi Sees the Light 一個猶太子得見光明

“May God damn them!” the high priest, Caiaphas, exclaimed. He had been filling the chamber of the Sanhedrin—the Supreme Court of all Judaism—with his curses against Christians. “Just what we feared would take place is now happening! Their doctrine is spreading through Jerusalem like wildfire! And what’s worse, I feel like it’s my fault!”

「願天咒他們！」大祭司該亞法大喊，把猶太教的最高法院之堂皇大室，都充滿他的詛咒。「我們害怕會發生的事，現在卻在發生！他們的教義正像野火一樣地傳遍耶路撒冷！而我覺得這是我的錯！」

His father-in-law, Annas, stroked his long white beard. “Come now, son,” he said softly. “Neither we nor any of the elders of the Council had the slightest idea that this sect would continue to spread once we persuaded the Romans to execute their blasphemous leader, Jesus of Nazareth.” “Yes, yes, I know. But just last week we had the ideal opportunity to rid ourselves of two of their main leaders, Peter and John. We had them arrested and the Council agreed to slay them!” “Then why didn’t you?” “Rabbi Gamaliel persuaded the Council otherwise. He said that if their purpose or their work is of man, it will come to nothing. But if it is from God, we will be unable to stop them, and we could very well find ourselves fighting against God!”

「兒子，你不該這樣想。」該亞法年老的岳父阿那說，並一邊苦思焦慮地摸著他長白的鬍子。「我們或公會中的任何長老從沒有料想到，當我們勸服羅馬人把這傳異端的教黨的先知、即來自拿撒勒的褻瀆者判決了之後，他們仍會繼續增長！」 「是的，我知道。但就在上星期，」該亞法哀說：「我們本有個理想的機會，可除掉他們兩個主要領袖的，就是那兩個漁夫彼得和約翰！我們拘捕了他們，並帶到我們面前來，而公會也贊成殺死他們的！」 「那你又為何不這樣做呢？」阿那問。 「迦瑪列夫子起立發言，說服公會不要這樣做。他說：『他們的宗旨或工作，若只是出於人的，必要敗壞。但若是出於上帝的，你們就不能敗壞他們，恐怕你們倒是攻擊上帝了！』」

“I respect Gamaliel as one of our finest lawyers and doctors of the law,” said Annas. “But obviously his advice to you was wrong, and the Council made a grave error in releasing those heretics.” “We did whip them,” said Caiaphas, “and threatened them with more severe punishment should they continue preaching in the name of Jesus.” “But what good did that do?” said Annas. “Their popularity and their numbers are increasing daily, and I’ve heard reports that even many of our own priests are becoming secret followers of this sect! We must act, Caiaphas, and we must act now! If not, all of Jerusalem is going to be proclaiming that dead Nazarene as the Messiah!” “I agree. After all, Moses himself commanded that blasphemers and false prophets must be stoned! … As you know, however, the Romans forbid us to carry out our own executions.” “Of course, I know,” said Annas. “But the situation is such that unless we take the law into our own hands and do something immediately, we may never stop this sect. Nevertheless, to avoid trouble from the Romans should they find out that we’ve executed some of these

「你知道，我尊敬迦瑪列，他是我們其中一個最佳的律師和律法博士，」阿那傾吐說。「但明顯地，他給你的忠告是非常錯務的，而公會釋放那些異端邪說者，就犯了一個重大的錯誤！」 「我們曾鞭打他們，並恐嚇他們若繼續以那被處決了的領袖耶穌之名傳道的話，我們將嚴厲地懲罰他們。」該亞法回答說。 「但那又有什麼好處呢？」阿那問。「他們日益受人愛戴，人數正在增長，我聽到消息，甚至連我們自己的祭司，也開始變為這個教黨的秘密信徒和跟隨者！我們必須採取行動，該亞法，並且一定要現在就採取行動！要不然，耶路撒冷所有人，將宣揚那死去的拿撒勒人是彌賽亞！」 「岳父，我同意，」該亞法說：「畢竟，摩西本人曾吩咐，褻瀆者和假先知必須被石頭打死！但如你所知，羅馬人禁止我們自己施行死刑。」 「我當然知道這一點，」阿那回答。「但情況是那麼嚴重，除非我們自行私刑，馬上有所行動，否則我們或許永不能停止這個教黨！但為了避免當羅馬人因發覺我們把其中一些這

heretics, perhaps we could use some of our brethren who are not directly linked to the Sanhedrin.” Caiaphas smiled. “An excellent idea! And I know the perfect man for the job—Rabbi Saul! He is a zealous young Pharisee from Tarsus, and one of the chief rulers of the Synagogue of the Freedmen. He would do anything to further the cause of our religion.” “I have heard of him,” Annas replied. “His father was also a dedicated Pharisee.” They immediately summoned Saul to the priests’ quarters at the Temple compound, and he gladly accepted the commission of capturing a prominent Christian and seeing to it that the Christians would be dealt with. Saul agreed that such action would serve as a deterrent to the rest of the Christians in Jerusalem and would hopefully bring a stop to their activities. After organizing a band of devout Jews from his synagogue, Saul and his men went to Jerusalem’s central marketplace where the Christians frequently preached. There they discovered a disciple named Stephen, who was openly telling the multitudes about Jesus.

些異端邪說者處死時，而給我們的麻煩，我們或許可用我們一些與猶太教最高法院沒有直接關係的弟兄吧？」 「岳父，這是個非常好的主意！」該亞法含笑地回答說。「我想我知道誰是做這工作的最佳人選！掃羅夫子！如你所知，他來自基利家省的首都大數，他並是『自由人會黨』的其中一個主管。掃羅是個非常狂熱的年輕法利賽人，他會做任何事來傳揚我們的宗教。」 「是的，當他還是個小孩子時，我曾見過他。他的父親也是個非常忠心的法利賽人，當我身為大祭司之時，他曾擔任公會中一員，有一年以上。」阿那回答說。 掃羅馬上被傳召到聖殿範圍內的祭司住處。他欣然地接受了這個去搜索和捕捉傑出基督徒之任務，和親自確定這「異端者」被刺殺！掃羅同意這樣的行動將成為對其餘在耶路撒冷的基督徒的一個榜樣和警告，希望這樣做，會停止他們的活動！ 掃羅從他的會堂組織了一隊忠心的猶太人隊伍之後，就與他的人直接到耶路撒冷中央的市街尾，基督徒們時常在那裡，向群眾傳道。在那裡，他們發現有某位名叫司提反的門徒，他正大能地公開向群眾見證有關耶穌。

Here is the description of this band’s encounter with Stephen in the Bible’s own words: “Then there arose certain men who were members of the ‘Synagogue of the Freedmen’. These Jews began arguing and disputing with Stephen, yet were unable to resist the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke! So they bribed false witnesses who said, ‘We have heard him speak blasphemy against Moses and against God!’ “The elders and the scribes then seized Stephen and brought him to the Council. The false witnesses testified to the Sanhedrin, ‘This man says that Jesus of Nazareth will destroy our holy place and change the customs which Moses gave us!’”—Acts 6:8-15.

聖經本身，就是這樣敘述這黨彈壓異端的人與司提反的相遇：「當時有稱『自由人會堂』的幾個人，他們是來自外地的猶太人，並有基利家、亞西亞省的人，都起來和司提反辯論。司提反是以智慧和聖靈說話，眾人敵擋不住！所以他們就買出（賄賂）假證人來說：『我們聽見他說誹謗摩西和上帝的話！』」 「長老和文士就忽然來捉拿他，把他帶到公會去。假見證人說：『我們曾聽見他說：這拿撒勒人耶穌，要毀壞我們的聖地，也要改變摩西所交給我們的規條！』」--使徒行傳6:8-15。

Caiaphas asked Stephen if the accusations were true. Stephen answered with a powerful and detailed recounting of the early history of the Jews—from Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to Moses and through their prophets and kings, showing how God had dealt with Israel through the ages, preparing them for the Messiah. Stephen ended his account, saying, “You stiff-necked in heart and ears, you do always resist the Holy Ghost! As your fathers did, so do you! Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? They even killed those who predicted the coming of the Messiah, who you have now betrayed and murdered!—You who have received the law, but have not kept it!” Unable to bear this stinging rebuke, the Council, as well as Rabbi Saul’s mob who had captured Stephen, agreed that this heretic should be stoned immediately. But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, gazed upward toward heaven and saw the glory of God. “Behold!” he cried, “I see heaven opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of the Father!”

該亞法看著司提反，問他這些控訴是否真實。司提反用一個有力的講道作答，在這講道中，他詳盡地敘述猶太人的整個歷史，從亞伯拉罕、以撒、雅各，到摩西、他們的先知們和帝王們的時候，來顯示出上帝歷代曾如何教導以色列，準備他們去迎接彌賽亞。 然后他坦白的告訴他們真理：「你們這硬著頸項，心與耳未受割禮的人，時常抗拒聖靈！你們的祖宗怎樣，你們也怎樣！那一個先知，不是你們祖宗逼迫呢？他們甚至把預先傳說彌賽亞要來的人殺了，如今你們又把那彌賽亞出賣了、殺了！你們受了所傳的律法，竟不遵守！」 這個公會(即當初猶太教的法庭)，還有帶他到公會的那群跟隨掃羅夫子的暴徒，都無法接受這扎心的斥責及同意他們應馬上用石頭打死這位異端邪說者！ 「但司提反被聖靈充滿，定晴望天，看見上帝的榮耀，又看見耶穌站在上帝的右邊，就向會眾大聲說：『看啊！我看見天開了，人子站在上帝的右邊！』」

Upon hearing these words, they covered their ears, and yelling at the top of their voices, “rushed upon Stephen and dragged him out of the city to stone him!” Saul remained on the outskirts of the frenzied religious mob. As they prepared to hurl their stones at Stephen, the Bible says, “They laid their robes and cloaks down at the feet of the young man whose name was Saul… And Saul consented and gave full approval to Stephen’s death.” To their dismay, however, the Sanhedrin discovered that Stephen’s death failed to curb or slow down the Christians’ activities. They continued growing and spreading their message more than ever. Not only was the Council enraged, but Rabbi Saul himself also became obsessed with exterminating the Christians, and the persecution against them became so violent that most Christians left Jerusalem. Saul, however, not content with having merely driven most of them out of the capital, continued breathing out murderous threats against the disciples. He even went to the high priest and asked for official letters to the synagogues in Damascus, Syria, authorizing him to bring captive to Jerusalem any Christians that could be found there.

當他們聽到這些話時，就蓋著耳朵，大聲喊叫，「擁上前去，把司提反推到城外，用石頭打他！」 掃羅保持在那群狂亂氣怒的宗教暴徒的外面。當他們準備向司提反擲石頭時，聖經說：「他們把衣裳放在一個少年人名叫掃羅的腳前……掃羅也喜悅和完全許可司提反被殺害。」 但使長老們非常失望的是，他們發覺，司提反的死一點也沒有抑制或阻延基督徒們的活動。他們繼續比從前更增長和廣傳他們的訊息。不但只是公會狂怒，連掃羅夫子本身，也變得對基督徒們充滿憎恨，對基督徒們作的迫害變得那麼狂暴惡毒，以致基督徒們簡直要完全逃離整個耶路撒冷城！ 但那狂熱的法利賽人掃羅，對只是驅走大部份基督徒離開巴勒斯坦的首都，覺得還不夠滿意。 他甚至去見大祭司，求文書給敘利亞之大馬色的各會堂，若是找著信奉這道的人，無論男女，都准他捆綁到耶路撒冷！

As Saul and his company of Temple guards traveled by horseback on the dusty road to Damascus, an unexpected and extraordinary event befell him. As they approached the city, a brilliant light from heaven shone down on Saul. He fell from his horse and heard a voice saying to him, “Saul, Saul, why do you persecute Me?” Although Saul had studied the Scriptures and knew that God often supernaturally spoke to and called His messengers and prophets, he probably would have never dreamed that anything like this would happen to him!

然而，當掃羅和他那班聖殿衛士騎馬，在那乾旱多塵的路上往大馬色去之時，在他們旅程的最終部份，一些完全出乎意料及不尋常的事情發生了。忽然從天上發光，四面照著掃羅！他就仆倒在地，聽見有聲音對他說：「掃羅，掃羅，你為什麼逼迫我？」 這個狂熱的猶太教夫子，一生從未經歷過任何像這樣的事！雖然他曾研讀聖經章節，並知道上帝時常超自然地召叫和向祂的報訊者與先知們說話，但他從沒有夢想到，任何像這樣的事會發生在他身上！

Astonished and terrified, Saul must have wondered what this blinding light and this voice could possibly mean. If it truly was the voice of God, then why did it say, “Why do you persecute Me?” Surely, God knew that he was on a holy mission for Him, to persecute God’s enemies, the members of a heretical sect that followed that troublemaker, Jesus of Nazareth! Saul addressed the voice aloud, saying, “Who are You, Lord?” Then came the answer that would radically alter this young Pharisee’s life. The voice replied, “I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting.” “My God, my God!” he thought as his mind reeled. “Jesus! Jesus is the Lord! Jesus is the Messiah! My God! What have I done! Have mercy upon me, Lord!” Saul trembled and wept as he addressed the voice again, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” “Arise and go into the city,” the Lord replied. “It shall be told you there what you must do.” Saul rose to his feet, but when he opened his eyes, he could see nothing. He was blind. His companions led him by the hand into the city of Damascus, where he remained for three days without sight.

掃羅又驚異、又恐懼地思量這令人眩目的光和這超自然的聲音所說的，究竟是指什麼！它若真的是上帝的聲音的話，那它為何說：「你為什麼逼迫我？」上帝定然知道，他正在為上帝執行一件神聖的任務，去迫害上帝的敵人，就是那個跟隨製造麻煩者拿撒勒人耶穌之異端教黨！掃羅勉強鎮定下來，他向那聲音大聲詢問說：「主啊，您是誰？」 然後，掃羅夫子聽到一個非常令他感到愕然的答案！一個對這位年青狂熱的法利賽人之生命有極大改變的答案！那聲音清楚地、慢慢地回答說：「我就是你所逼迫的耶穌！」 轟！掃羅由這個明亮目眩的閃光、這個天堂的啟示領悟到。「我的天啊！我的天啊！」他一邊想，一邊心中充滿驚愕！「耶穌！…耶穌是上主！…耶穌是彌賽亞！我的天啊！我曾做了什麼事！主啊，請對我開恩！」 掃羅一邊震慄、一邊哭泣，再次問那聲音：「上主，您想要我做什麼呢？」 上主答道：「起來，進城去，你所當作的事，必有人告訴你。」 掃羅從地上起來，睜開眼睛，竟什麼也看不見，因他瞎了眼！有人拉他的手，領他進了大馬色。三日不能看見，也不吃，也不喝。

The once great and proud Pharisee, the Rabbi Saul, had been supernaturally struck down and knocked off his high horse by Jesus Christ Himself. He was so shaken by the dramatic events that he was unable to eat or drink, but lay in bed pondering, praying and waiting for God to reveal more to him. Three days later, The Lord spoke to a certain disciple in Damascus named Ananias, saying, ‘Arise and go to the house where Saul of Tarsus is. Put your hands on him and pray for him that he may receive his sight!’”

想像一下吧！這個曾一度是驕傲自大的法利賽人掃羅夫子，被耶穌本人超自然地從高高的馬上打了下來，並被上帝之光使他完全盲目！他被這個發生在他身上的超自然、令人印象深刻的事件，所完全震憾而目瞪口呆，以致他無法吃喝，只能躺在床上深思、迫切的禱告，等待上帝指示他該怎麼辦。 三天之後：「在大馬色，有個門徒，名叫亞拿尼亞，主對他說：『起來，往直街去，訪問一個大數人名叫掃羅。按手在他身上，叫他能看見！』」

“But Lord,” Ananias replied, “I have heard from many about this man and how much evil he has done to Your children in Jerusalem. And how he now has authority from the chief priests to capture and imprison all those who call upon Your name!” “Obey Me and go to him,” said the Lord, “for he is a chosen vessel who will take My name before many!” So Ananias went, albeit hesitantly, and as he entered the room where the rabbi lay, he greeted him. “Brother Saul,” he said. Saul was dumbfounded. He had encountered many Christians, but none had ever called their heartless persecutor “brother.” Seeing the pitiful condition of this former tormentor of his people, Ananias felt compassion for him and told him, “Saul, the Lord—even Jesus, who appeared to you on the road as you journeyed here—has sent me to pray for you so that you can see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit!” Ananias then laid his hands over Saul’s eyes and prayed, and immediately Saul’s eyes were healed, and he rose up, ate, and was strengthened.

亞拿尼亞回答說：「但主啊！我聽見許多人說，這人怎樣在耶路撒冷多多苦害您的聖徒！並且他在這裡有從祭司長得來的權柄，捆綁一切求告您名的人！」 但上主對亞拿尼亞說：『你只管去。他是我所揀選的器皿，宣揚我的名！』。 亞拿尼亞就去了，但仍有一點遲疑。當亞拿尼亞進入掃羅夫子躺著的房間時，他向他問候說：「兄弟掃羅！」 這使掃羅發愕。他以前曾遇過許多基督徒，但從沒有基督徒曾稱那兇殘無道的迫害者為「兄弟」的！ 亞拿尼亞看到這個以前曾經刑虐人民的人之可憐情況，就對他大發憐憫心，告訴他：「在你來的路上，向你顯現的主，就是耶穌，打發我來為你禱告，叫你能看見，又被聖靈充滿！」 然後亞拿尼亞按手在掃羅的眼睛上，熱切禱告，他就立刻被治癒，起來吃過飯，就健壯了！

After spending just a few days with the disciples in Damascus, the Bible says that Saul immediately preached in the synagogues, saying that Jesus is the Son of God. All those who heard him were amazed and said, “Isn’t this the one that destroyed those who called on Jesus’ name in Jerusalem? And didn’t he come here to imprison Christians?” Nevertheless, Paul increased in strength and confounded the Jews that lived in Damascus, proving that Jesus was indeed the Messiah! The thrilling ministry of the apostle Paul was launched!

當掃羅與在大馬色的門徒只花了幾天時間後，聖經說他就馬上在各會堂裡宣傳耶穌，說祂是上帝的兒子！凡聽見的人，都驚奇說：「在耶路撒冷殘害求告這名（即耶穌）的，不是這人嗎？並且他到這裡來，不是特別要捆綁和囚禁基督徒的嗎？」 但掃羅越發有能力，駁倒在大馬色的猶太人，證明耶穌真的是基督！而使徒保羅令人振奮的職事就開始了！

Text courtesy of My Wonder Studio/TFI. Art by Sweet Publishing, used under CC-SA license. Featured on www.freekidstories.org