a theologico-political treatise [part iii]-第7部分

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that　Scripture　only　transmits　and　teaches　truths　which　can　readily　be



comprehended　by　all；　not　deducing　and　concatenating　its　conclusions　from



definitions　and　axioms；　but　narrating　quite　simply；　and　confirming　its



statements；　with　a　view　to　inspiring　belief；　by　an　appeal　to　experience　as



exemplified　in　miracles　and　history；　and　setting　forth　its　truths　in　the



style　and　phraseology　which　would　most　appeal　to　the　popular　mind　（cf。　Chap。



VI。；　third　division）。







（3）　Lastly；　we　demonstrated　in　Chap。　VIII。　that　the　difficulty　of





understanding　Scripture　lies　in　the　language　only；　and　not　in　the



abstruseness　of　the　argument。







（4）　To　these　considerations　we　may　add　that　the　Prophets　did　not　preach　only



to　the　learned；　but　to　all　Jews；　without　exception；　while　the　Apostles　were



wont　to　teach　the　gospel　doctrine　in　churches　where　there　were　public



meetings；　whence　it　follows　that　Scriptural　doctrine　contains　no　lofty



speculations　nor　philosophic　reasoning；　but　only　very　simple　matters；　such



as　could　be　understood　by　the　slowest　intelligence。







（5）　I　am　consequently　lost　in　wonder　at　the　ingenuity　of　those　whom　I　have



already　mentioned；　who　detect　in　the　Bible　mysteries　so　profound　that　they



cannot　be　explained　in　human　language；　and　who　have　introduced　so　many



philosophic　speculations　into　religion　that　the　Church　seems　like



an　academy；　and　religion　like　a　science；　or　rather　a　dispute。







（6）　It　is　not　to　be　wondered　at　that　men；　who　boast　of　possessing



supernatural　intelligence；　should　be　unwilling　to　yield　the　palm　of



knowledge　to　philosophers　who　have　only　their　ordinary；　faculties；　still　I



should　be　surprised　if　I　found　them　teaching　any　new　speculative



doctrine；　which　was　not　a　commonplace　to　those　Gentile　philosophers　whom；　in



spite　of　all；　they　stigmatize　as　blind；　for；　if　one　inquires　what　these



mysteries　lurking　in　Scripture　may　be；　one　is　confronted　with　nothing　but



the　reflections　of　Plato　or　Aristotle；　or　the　like；　which　it　would



often　be　easier　for　an　ignorant　man　to　dream　than　for　the　most　accomplished



scholar　to　wrest　out　of　the　Bible。







（7）　However；　I　do　not　wish　to　affirm　absolutely　that　Scripture　contains　no



doctrines　in　the　sphere　of　philosophy；　for　in　the　last　chapter　I　pointed　out



some　of　the　kind；　as　fundamental　principles；　but　I　go　so　far　as　to　say　that



such　doctrines　are　very　few　and　very　simple。　（8）　Their　precise　nature　and



definition　I　will　now　set　forth。　（9）　The　task　will　be　easy；　for　we　know　that



Scripture　does　not　aim　at　imparting　scientific　knowledge；　and；　therefore；　it



demands　from　men　nothing　but　obedience；　and　censures　obstinacy；　but　not



ignorance。







（10）　Furthermore；　as　obedience　to　God　consists　solely　in　love　to　our



neighbour　…　for　whosoever　loveth　his　neighbour；　as　a　means　of　obeying　God；



hath；　as　St。　Paul　says　（Rom。　xiii：8）；　fulfilled　the　law；　…　it　follows　that



no　knowledge　is　commended　in　the　Bible　save　that　which　is　necessary



for　enabling　all　men　to　obey　God　in　the　manner　stated；　and　without　which



they　would　become　rebellious；　or　without　the　discipline　of　obedience。







（11）　Other　speculative　questions；　which　have　no　direct　bearing　on　this



object；　or　are　concerned　with　the　knowledge　of　natural　events；　do　not　affect



Scripture；　and　should　be　entirely　separated　from　religion。







（12）　Now；　though　everyone；　as　we　have　said；　is　now　quite　able　to　see　this



truth　for　himself；　I　should　nevertheless　wish；　considering　that　the　whole　of



Religion　depends　thereon；　to　explain　the　entire　question　more　accurately　and



clearly。　（13）　To　this　end　I　must　first　prove　that　the　intellectual



or　accurate　knowledge　of　God　is　not　a　gift；　bestowed　upon　all　good　men



like　obedience；　and；　further；　that　the　knowledge　of　God；　required　by　Him



through　His　prophets　from　everyone　without　exception；　as　needful　to　be



known；　is　simply　a　knowledge　of　His　Divine　justice　and　charity。　（14）　Both



these　points　are　easily　proved　from　Scripture。　（15）　The　first　plainly



follows　from　Exodus　vi：2；　where　God；　in　order　to　show　the　singular　grace



bestowed　upon　Moses；　says　to　him：　〃And　I　appeared　unto　Abraham；　unto　Isaac；



and　unto　Jacob　by　the　name　of　El　Sadai　（A。　V。　God　Almighty）；　but　by　my　name



Jehovah　was　I　not　known　to　them〃　…　for　the　better　understanding　of　which



passage　I　may　remark　that　El　Sadai；　in　Hebrew；　signifies　the　God　who



suffices；　in　that　He　gives　to　every　man　that　which　suffices　for　him；　and；



although　Sadai　is　often　used　by　itself；　to　signify　God；　we　cannot　doubt　that



the　word　El　（God；　｛power；　might｝）　is　everywhere　understood。　（16）



Furthermore；　we　must　note　that　Jehovah　is　the　only　word　found　in　Scripture



with　the　meaning　of　the　absolute　essence　of　God；　without　reference　to



created　things。　（17）　The　Jews　maintain；　for　this　reason；　that　this　is；



strictly　speaking；　the　only　name　of　God；　that　the　rest　of　the　words　used　are



merely　titles；　and；　in　truth；　the　other　names　of　God；　whether　they　be



substantives　or　adjectives；　are　merely　attributive；　and　belong　to　Him；　in



so　far　as　He　is　conceived　of　in　relation　to　created　things；　or　manifested



through　them。　（18）　Thus　El；　or　Eloah；　signifies　powerful；　as　is　well　known；



and　only　applies　to　God　in　respect　to　His　supremacy；　as　when　we　call　Paul　an



apostle；　the　faculties　of　his　power　are　set　forth　in　an　accompanying



adjective；　as　El；　great；　awful；　just；　merciful；　&c。；　or　else　all　are



understood　at　once　by　the　use　of　El　in　the　plural　number；　with　a　singular



signification；　an　expression　frequently　adopted　in　Scripture。







（19）　Now；　as　God　tells　Moses　that　He　was　not　known　to　the　patriarchs　by　the



name　of　Jehovah；　it　follows　that　they　were　not　cognizant　of　any　attribute　of



God　which　expresses　His　absolute　essence；　but　only　of　His　deeds　and　promises



that　is；　of　His　power；　as　manifested　in　visible　things。　（20）　God　does　not



thus　speak　to　Moses　in　order　to　accuse　the　patriarchs　of　infidelity；　but；



on　the　contrary；　as　a　means　of　extolling　their　belief　and　faith；　inasmuch



as；　though　they　possessed　no　extraordinary　knowledge　of　God　（such　as



Moses　had）；　they　yet　accepted　His　promises　as　fixed　and　certain；　whereas



Moses；　though　his　thoughts　about　God　were　more　exalted；　nevertheless　doubted



about　the　Divine　promises；　and　complained　to　God　that；　instead　of　the



promised　deliverance；　the　prospects　of　the　Israelites　had　darkened。







（21）　As　the　patriarchs　did　not　know　the　distinctive　name　of　God；　and　as　God



mentions　the　fact　to　Moses；　in　praise　of　their　faith　and　single…heartedness；



and　in　contrast　to　the　extraordinary　grace　granted　to　Moses；　it　follows；　as



we　stated　at　first；　that　men　are　not　bound　by；　decree　to　have　knowledge　of



the　attributes　of　God；　such　knowledge　being　only　granted　to　a　few　of　the



faithful：　it　is　hardly　worth　while　to　quote　further　examples　from　Scripture；



for　everyone　must　recognize　that　knowledge　of