Zohar (光明篇)是犹太教神秘主义kabbalah(卡巴拉)的主要经典之一,Zohar 被世界上不同的学者解读,成为跨种族、跨宗教、跨文化的普世文化,在国际视域看,zohar 逐渐走下圣坛,成为一种生活化的世俗文化。此文并不意在阐述zohar的国际研究视野,而是想谈谈zohar中的弥赛亚信息,而在这个领域中,弥赛亚派的书籍多有阐述,比如Jews for Jesus 的创始人,弥赛亚派学者Mitch Glaser博士的成名作《Isaiah 53 Explained》,Mitch Glaser 本来是一个犹太教正统派的学者,然而一次奇异的经历,完全改变了他的视野,最后他成为一个坚定的弥赛亚派的学者。弥赛亚派媒体 one for israel 采访 Glaser博士时,他详细地分享自己的生命改变经历,并伴有祷告。 当然正统派的犹太人建立了自己的社团,一个名为jews for Judaism 与弥赛亚派争辩,代表人物有 Rabbi Yosef Mizrachi 和 Rabbi Tovia Singer ,他们试图用正统犹太教观点来解构新约,试图“挽救”那些“误入歧途”的犹太人,但是,他们的观点都被天才的辩论家 Michael L. Brown 博士一一驳斥。他们间的讨论有许多,Utb上面有,感兴趣的自己去看。在这里,我想直入主题,谈谈自己对zohar中的弥赛亚信息的观感。
Isaiah 53:4,5 in Zohar Volume II 212a :
He was despised, and forsaken of men, A man of pains, and acquainted with disease,And as one from whom men hide their face: He was despised, and we esteemed him not.Surely our diseases he did bear, and our pains he carried;Whereas we did esteem him stricken, Smitten of God, and afflicted.But he was wounded because of our transgressions, He was crushed because of our iniquities: The chastisement of our welfare was upon him,And with his stripes we were healed.“ - Isaiah 53:3-4 JPS
JPS Hebrew English Tanakh 是犹太正统派的一个出版机构OU(orthodox Union)的书,此处采用这个版本的金句对于感化正统犹太教徒更具有说服力。
我们再看看 Zohar Volume II 212a 上是怎么说的:
“There is in the Garden of Eden a palace named the Palace of the Sons of Sickness. This palace the Messiah enters, and He summons every pain and every chastisement of Israel. All of these come and rest upon Him. And had He not thus lightened them upon Himself, there had been no man able to bear Israel’s chastisements for the transgressions of the law; as it is written, "Surely our sicknesses he has carried.” --Zohar ( II 212a )