2024年5月13日发(作者：文件夹如何设置密码保护)

第2章 似非而是、奥秘与矛盾 Paradox, Mystery, Contradictions

似非而是Paradox = 看来好像自相矛盾或相反，但事实上却可能是正确的。

基督徒对上帝的认识与了解必定存在似非而是Paradox

• 既然上帝是我们无法完全理解的，那么我们对上帝的最终的知识一定是好像矛盾的。这是因为我们的

知识是类比式的知识 analogical knowledge，所以好似非而是的Paradox。

1

为什么上帝是我们无法真正理解的 Why God is imcomprehensible to us ?

• 因为上帝是那位终极的理性者,所以我们的知识是理智的。与此同时，因为上帝是那位最终的理性者，

所以我们是无法理解祂。我们无法理解上帝，不是因为上帝是非理智的，而我们无法理解上帝是因为祂是那

位终极的理性者。例如：我们无法理解上帝不是因为上帝是黑暗，而其实是因为祂就是光，那绝对的真光。

上帝住在无人所能靠近的真光。然而我们并没有因为上帝的真光而便的瞎眼盲目，反是在上帝的光中，我们

看见光。

2

被造的人的知识是类比analogical创造者无限与绝对的知识。

• 基督徒相信有两种不同层次的存在。上帝是自存的存在，但人的存在是源自上帝的自存。因此基督徒

相信世上有两种不同层次的知识。上帝的知识是绝对完整全面的并自足的。人的知识却不是全面的而是系出

源自与神，并且人是重复解释上帝已解释了的一切。所以我们说基督徒相信人的知识是类比上帝绝对的知识

1

Now since God is not fully comprehensible to us we are bound to come into what seems to be contradiction in all our knowledge. Our knowledge is analogical and therefore must be paradoxical.

Van Til, C. (1955). The defense of the faith

2

Van Til, C. (1979). An Introduction to Systematic Theology. The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company: Phillipsburg, NJ. our knowledge is rational because God is ultimately rational. At

the same time, God is incomprehensible to us because he is ultimately rational. It is not because God is irrational that we cannot comprehend him; it is because God is rational, and in the nature of

the case, ultimately rational, that we cannot comprehend him. It is not because God is darkness that he is incomprehensible to us, but it is because he is light, and, in the nature of the case,

absolute light. God dwelleth in a light that no man can approach unto. We are not blind because of the light of God; it is only in God’s light that we see light.

man’s knowledge is analogical of God’s knowledge。

3

人的知识是类比式analogical，因此许多的真理对我们人而言是似非而是的paradoxical

• 我们所有的知识都有一个参照点是从神那里开始的。既然我们无法完全理解上帝，所以我们所接触到

的知识一定有像矛盾的地方。我们的知识是类比式Our knowledge is analogical，因此是似非而是的

paradoxical。任何真正的知识都必须是在上帝自己的绝对知识系统里。虽然我们却无法完全理解上帝的绝

对知识系统，但我们坚信一切的知识都必须是与神的绝对知识系统有关联。

4

我们的知识是存在着似非而是paradox，但不是矛盾not contradiction

• 如果我们说我们的知识有真正的矛盾contradiction存在。那么不仅我们理性的思想是没有任何完整的

连贯性，我们也是在说在上帝的思想里也是没有任何完整的连贯性。如果我们说似非而是paradox 就等同

真实的矛盾，我们就摧毁一切所有人类和上帝的知识。

5

如果我们说，似非而是paradox是好像矛盾但并非

真的矛盾，那么我们将赎回人能掌握真知识的可能性。

6

人只能从圣经中的类比式真理系统来进行思考

• 一些教义看似矛盾，但并非真的矛盾。类比思维方式是从圣经中显明的类比式真理系统来进行我们的

3

Van Til, C. (1979). An Introduction to Systematic Theology. The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company: Phillipsburg, NJ. the level of God’s knowledge which is absolutely comprehensive

and self-contained, and the level of man’s knowledge which is not comprehensive but is derivative and re-interpretative. Hence we say that as Christians we believe that man’s knowledge is

analogical of God’s knowledge.

4

Van Til, C. (1955). The defense of the faith. Every knowledge transaction has in it somewhere a reference point to God. Now since God is not fully comprehensible to us we are bound to come into

what seems to be contradiction in all our knowledge. Our knowledge is analogical and therefore must be paradoxical. We say that if there is to be any true knowledge at all there must be in God an

absolute system of knowledge. We therefore insist that everything must be related to that absolute system of God. Yet we ourselves cannot fully understand that system

5

Frame, J. M. (1987). The doctrine of the knowledge of God (p. 253). Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing. (v) Scripture teaches that God himself is logical. In the first place, His Word is truth (John

17:17), and truth means nothing if it is not opposed to falsehood. Therefore His Word is noncontradictory. Furthermore, God does not break His promises (2 Cor. 1:20); He does not deny himself (2

Tim. 2:13); He does not lie (Heb. 6:18; Tit. 1:2). At the very least, those expressions mean that God does not do, say, or believe the contradictory of what He says to us. The same conclusion follows

from the biblical teaching concerning the holiness of God. Holiness means that there is nothing in God that contradicts His perfection (including His truth). Does God, then, observe the law of

noncontradiction? Not in the sense that this law is somehow higher than God himself. Rather, God is himself noncontradictory and is therefore himself the criterion of logical consistency and

implication. Logic is an attribute of God, as are justice, mercy, wisdom, knowledge. As such, God is a model for us. We, as His image, are to imitate His truth, His promise-keeping. Thus we too are to

be noncontradictory.

Therefore the Westminster Confession of Faith is correct when it says (I, vi) that the whole counsel of God is found not only in what Scripture explicitly teaches but also among those things

that “by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture.” This statement has been attacked

6

even by professing disciples of Calvin, but it is quite unavoidable. If we deny the

implications of Scripture, we are denying Scripture

6

Van Til, C. (1955). The defense of the faith. If we said that there is real contradiction in our knowledge we would once more be denying the basic concept of Christian-theism, i.e., the concept of

the self-complete universal in God. We should then not merely be saying that there is no complete coherence in our thinking but we should also be saying that there is no complete coherence in

God’s thinking. And this would be the same as saying that there is no coherence or truth in our thinking at all. If we say that the idea of paradox or antinomy is that of real contradiction, we have

destroyed all human and all divine knowledge; if we say that the idea of paradox or antinomy is that of seeming contradiction we have saved God’s knowledge and therewith also our own.

思考。it means thinking from the analogical system of truth revealed in Scripture.

虽然真理是不矛盾的，但基督徒不可使用不矛盾律law of non-contradiction来成为衡量圣经中一切

对或否的准则

• 基督徒所认知的不矛盾律是对上帝本性的内在一致性的一种表达。但基督徒不可使用不矛盾律来成为

衡量一切是对或否的准则。

7

• 问：为什么基督徒不可使用不矛盾律来成为衡量一切是对或否的准则？

圣经中的有些内容有表面上的矛盾apparent contradiction in the Bible

• 我们相信圣经在逻辑上是一致的，但是我们知道，有很多原因（例如：我们的有限性，我们的罪，我

们逻辑系统的不足之处，我们前提假设上不足之处，我们对术语理解的争论等）。圣经中的经文可能会出现

表面上的矛盾apparent contradiction。但我们不会因此这些表面上的矛盾而放弃我们的信仰。尽管这些

问题，牵涉一些逻辑上的问题，我们也会像亚伯拉罕一样，坚持我们的信仰。这样，我们人类的逻辑与理

性，从来都不是真理的最终权威的测试。

8

• 唯有上帝自己有绝对的知识系统，而我们的知识是类比式analogical

• 我们对神的知识，是从圣经中而得的类比式真理系统

• 圣经中的真理系统看似矛盾的教导，其实是似非而是的paradoxical and not contradictory

7

Van Til, C. (1979). An Introduction to Systematic Theology. The law of contradiction, therefore, as we know it, is but the expression on a created level of the internal coherence of God’s nature.

Christians should therefore never appeal to the law of contradiction as something that, as such, determines what can or cannot be true.

8

Frame, J. M. (1987). The doctrine of the knowledge of God (pp. 257–258). We believe that Scripture is logically consistent, but we realize that for many reasons (our finitude, our sin, the

inadequacies of our logical systems, the inadequacy of our premises, our understanding of the terms of the argument, etc.) Scripture may appear contradictory. But we do not abandon our faith

because of apparent contradiction. Like Abraham, we persevere in faith despite the problems, even when those problems are problems of logic. Thus our human logic is never a final test of truth.

• 由于我们的知识是类比式analogical，因此是似非而是的paradoxical

• 人的逻辑是有限的，并人的理性是受罪影响

一些教义看是矛盾。那么我们应该怎么办？

• 当有人说，上帝的良善与邪恶的存在逻辑上是不一致的，或神的独一性与祂又是三threeness并不一

致时，我们可能无法反驳他的说法。但我们知道（我相信），现在有时事情看起来是违反逻辑，这看来似乎

合理的论据并不总是就一定合理。虽然我们不应该忽略那样的说法，但我们不需因此被它吓倒。即使我们不

能回答，我们知道，我们的神有那答案，祂将在祂自己的时间里，责备人的愚蠢（无论人有多强大的）反

对。

9

不矛盾律law of non-contradiction本身不是中立的工具not neutral。

• 基督徒与非基督徒对不矛盾律law of non-contradiction 有着不同的概念。因为基督徒不认为矛盾

的，非基督可能却认为是矛盾的。 不矛盾律law of non-contradiction本身不是中立的not neutral。

因为圣经告诉我们非基督会使用理性不义的来压制真理。而基督徒是不容许人的理性被抬高成为审核一切对

错的最高裁判者。

10

• 自从亚当堕落后，背道的人类已自立自己成神。当人使用逻辑法则，尤其是不矛盾律时，他时常假定

自己的逻辑是判定一切真实本质的法则。不管世上任何事物，人都假定这一切都是人有足够的能力来参透

的。

11

9

but we do know now (I trust) that sometimes things do go wrong in logic, that an apparently sound argument is not always sound after all. Thus, though we ought not to ignore that kind of

argument, we need not be intimidated by it, either. Even if we cannot reply, we know that our God has an answer and that He will, in His time, rebuke the foolish (no matter how formidable)

objections of men. Frame, J. M. (1987). The doctrine of the knowledge of God (p. 260). Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.

10

Van Til, C. (1955). The defense of the faith. The non-Christian uses the gifts of logical reasoning in order to keep down the truth in unrighteousness. The Christian, in particular the Reformed

Christian, must not accord to “reason” the “prerogative of deciding whether a thing is possible or impossible.

11

Van Til, C. (1969). A Christian theory of knowledge. Since the fall of Adam apostate mankind has assumed its own essential divinity. Man is assumed to be participant in deity. When he uses the

laws of logic and in particular the law of contradiction, as he must, then he takes for granted this inherent divinity of man. He assumes that his logic is legislative for the nature of reality. Whatever

exists, he assumes, must be exhaustively penetrable by the logical powers of man.

因为不矛盾律不是中立的, 所以信徒无法使用逻辑或“矛盾律”来证明信仰

• 若基督徒告诉非基督徒，基督教是“符合矛盾律”，那是毫无意义的。除非基督徒先向他们解释我们的

意思是什么。因为未信者对这“符合矛盾律”的见解与基督徒截然不同。未信者并不相信世界是被上帝造

的，所以对未信者而言“矛盾律”与其它的定律一样并非最终都是从上帝的创造工作中而来的。基督徒相信

上帝决定了有什么事是人可以或不可作的。但对未信主的人而言，人才是决定这些事物的那位。

12

虽然逻辑是有限的，也不是中立的工具，也受人的罪影响。但我们作神学时，表达神学知识时要力求不

自相矛盾。

• 如果我们随时抵触矛盾自己所说的或拒绝我们所说的一切所带来的含意implication, 那么我们将无法

做任何神学。我们说必须遵守“不矛盾律” the law of noncontradiction，从意义上来说，任何事物都必

须就是我们所要说的，而不是带有相反的意思。这也是为什么这么多人说，人的思想与行为是逻辑合理的。

13

12

Van Til, C. (1979). An Introduction to Systematic Theology. The Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Company: Phillipsburg, NJ. It is therefore pointless for Christians to tell non-Christians that

Christianity is “in accord with the law of contradiction” unless they explain what they mean by this. For the non-Christian will take this statement to mean something entirely different from what

the Christian ought to mean by it. The non-Christian does not believe in creation. Therefore, for him the law of contradiction is, like all other laws, something that does not find its ultimate source in

the creative activity of God. Accordingly the non-Christian will seek to do by means of the law of contradiction what the Christian has had done for him by God. For the Christian God legislates as to

what is possible and what is impossible for man. For the non-Christian, man determines this for himself.

13

We cannot do theology if we are going to feel free to contradict ourselves or to reject the implications of what we say. Anything that we say must observe the law of noncontradiction in the sense

that it must say what it says and not the opposite. Thus many have said that logic is necessary to all human thought and actionFrame, J. M. (1987). The doctrine of the knowledge of God (p. 251).

Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing.