the evolution of theology-第8部分

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gifts；　and　if　one　desired　to　escape　his　wrath；　which　might　be

excited　by　the　most　trifling　neglect　or　unintentional

disrespect；　the　great　thing　was　to　pacify　him　by　costly

presents。　King　Finow　appears　to　have　been　somewhat　of　a

freethinker　（to　the　great　horror　of　his　subjects）；　and　it　was

only　his　untimely　death　which　prevented　him　from　dealing　with

the　priest　of　a　god；　who　had　not　returned　a　favourable　answer　to

his　supplications；　as　Saul　dealt　with　the　priests　of　the

sanctuary　of　Jahveh　at　Nob。　Nevertheless；　Finow　showed　his

practical　belief　in　the　gods　during　the　sickness　of　a　daughter；

to　whom　he　was　fondly　attached；　in　a　fashion　which　has　a　close

parallel　in　the　history　of　Israel。





〃If　the　gods　have　any　resentment　against　us；　let　the　whole

weight　of　vengeance　fall　on　my　head。　I　fear　not　their　vengeance

but　spare　my　child；　and　I　earnestly　entreat　you；　Toobo　Totai　

＇the　god　whom　he　had　evoked＇；　to　exert　all　your　influence　with

the　other　gods　that　I　alone　may　suffer　all　the　punishment　they

desire　to　inflict　（vol。　i。　p。　354）。





So　when　the　king　of　Israel　has　sinned　by　〃numbering　the　people；〃

and　they　are　punished　for　his　fault　by　a　pestilence　which　slays

seventy　thousand　innocent　men；　David　cries　to　Jahveh：





Lo；　I　have　sinned；　and　I　have　done　perversely；　but　these　sheep；

what　have　they　done？　let　thine　hand；　I　pray　thee；　be　against　me；

and　against　my　father's　house〃　（2　Sam。　xxiv。　17）。





Human　sacrifices　were　extremely　common　in　Polynesia；　and；　in

Tonga；　the　〃devotion〃　of　a　child　by　strangling　was　a　favourite

method　of　averting　the　wrath　of　the　gods。　The　well…known

instances　of　Jephthah's　sacrifice　of　his　daughter　and　of　David's

giving　up　the　seven　sons　of　Saul　to　be　sacrificed　by　the

Gibeonites　〃before　Jahveh；〃　appear　to　me　to　leave　no　doubt　that

the　old　Israelites；　even　when　devout　worshippers　of　Jahveh；

considered　human　sacrifices；　under　certain　circumstances；　to　be

not　only　permissible　but　laudable。　Samuel's　hewing　to　pieces　of

the　miserable　captive；　sole　survivor　of　his　nation；　Agag；

〃before　Jahveh；〃　can　hardly　be　viewed　in　any　other　light。

The　life　of　Moses　is　redeemed　from　Jahveh；　who　〃sought　to　slay

him；〃　by　Zipporah's　symbolical　sacrifice　of　her　child；　by　the

bloody　operation　of　circumcision。　Jahveh　expressly　affirms　that

the　first…born　males　of　men　and　beasts　are　devoted　to　him；

in　accordance　with　that　claim；　the　first…born　males　of　the

beasts　are　duly　sacrificed；　and　it　is　only　by　special　permission

that　the　claim　to　the　first…born　of　men　is　waived；　and　it　is

enacted　that　they　may　be　redeemed　（Exod。　xiii。　12…15）。　Is　it

possible　to　avoid　the　conclusion　that　immolation　of　their　first…

born　sons　would　have　been　incumbent　on　the　worshippers　of

Jahveh；　had　they　not　been　thus　specially　excused？　Can　any　other

conclusion　be　drawn　from　the　history　of　Abraham　and　Isaac？

Does　Abraham　exhibit　any　indication　of　surprise　when　he　receives

the　astounding　order　to　sacrifice　his　son？　Is　there　the

slightest　evidence　that　there　was　anything　in　his　intimate　and

personal　acquaintance　with　the　character　of　the　Deity；　who　had

eaten　the　meat　and　drunk　the　milk　which　Abraham　set　before　him

under　the　oaks　of　Mamre；　to　lead　him　to　hesitateeven　to　wait

twelve　or　fourteen　hours　for　a　repetition　of　the　command？　Not　a

whit。　We　are　told　that　〃Abraham　rose　early　in　the　morning〃　and

led　his　only　child　to　the　slaughter；　as　if　it　were　the　most

ordinary　business　imaginable。　Whether　the　story　has　any

historical　foundation　or　not；　it　is　valuable　as　showing　that　the

writer　of　it　conceived　Jahveh　as　a　deity　whose　requirement　of

such　a　sacrifice　need　excite　neither　astonishment　nor　suspicion

of　mistake　on　the　part　of　his　devotee。　Hence；　when　the　incessant

human　sacrifices　in　Israel；　during　the　age　of　the　kings；　are　put

down　to　the　influence　of　foreign　idolatries；　we　may　fairly

inquire　whether　editorial　Bowdlerising　has　not　prevailed　over

historical　truth。



An　attempt　to　compare　the　ethical　standards　of　two　nations；　one

of　which　has　a　written　code；　while　the　other　has　not；　is　beset

with　difficulties。　With　all　that　is　strange　and；　in　many　cases；

repulsive　to　us　in　the　social　arrangements　and　opinions

respecting　moral　obligation　among　the　Tongans；　as　they　are

placed　before　us；　with　perfect　candour；　in　Mariner's　account；

there　is　much　that　indicates　a　strong　ethical　sense。　They　showed

great　kindliness　to　one　another；　and　faithfulness　in　standing　by

their　comrades　in　war。　No　people　could　have　better　observed

either　the　third　or　the　fifth　commandment；　for　they　had　a

particular　horror　of　blasphemy；　and　their　respectful　tenderness

towards　their　parents　and；　indeed；　towards　old　people　in

general；　was　remarkable。



It　cannot　be　said　that　the　eighth　commandment　was　generally

observed；　especially　where　Europeans　were　concerned；

nevertheless　a　well…bred　Tongan　looked　upon　theft　as　a　meanness

to　which　he　would　not　condescend。　As　to　the　seventh　commandment；

any　breach　of　it　was　considered　scandalous　in　women　and　as

something　to　be　avoided　in　self…respecting　men；　but；　among

unmarried　and　widowed　people；　chastity　was　held　very　cheap。

Nevertheless　the　women　were　extremely　well　treated；　and　often

showed　themselves　capable　of　great　devotion　and　entire

faithfulness。　In　the　matter　of　cruelty；　treachery；　and

bloodthirstiness；　these　islanders　were　neither　better　nor　worse

than　most　peoples　of　antiquity。　It　is　to　the　credit　of　the

Tongans　that　they　particularly　objected　to　slander；　nor　can

covetousness　be　regarded　as　their　characteristic；

for　Mariner　says：





When　any　one　is　about　to　eat；　he　always　shares　out　what　he　has

to　those　about　him；　without　any　hesitation；　and　a　contrary

conduct　would　be　considered　exceedingly　vile　and　selfish　（vol。

ii　p。　145）。





In　fact；　they　thought　very　badly　of　the　English　when　Mariner

told　them　that　his　countrymen　did　not　act　exactly　on　that

principle。　It　further　appears　that　they　decidedly　belonged　to

the　school　of　intuitive　moral　philosophers；　and　believed　that

virtue　is　its　own　reward；　for





Many　of　the　chiefs；　on　being　asked　by　Mr。　Mariner　what　motives

they　had　for　conducting　themselves　with　propriety；　besides　the

fear　of　misfortunes　in　this　life；　replied；　the　agreeable　and

happy　feeling　which　a　man　experiences　within　himself　when　he

does　any　good　action　or　conducts　himself　nobly　and　generously　as

a　man　ought　to　do；　and　this　question　they　answered　as　if　they

wondered　such　a　question　should　be　asked〃　（vol。　ii。　p。　161）。





One　may　read　from　the　beginning　of　the　book　of　Judges　to　the　end

of　the　books　of　Samuel　without　discovering　that　the　old

Israelites　had　a　moral　standard　which　differs；　in　any　essential

respect　（except　perhaps　in　regard　to　the　chastity　of　unmarried

women）；　from　that　of　the　Tongans。　Gideon；　Jephthah；　Samson；　and

David　are　strong…handed　men；　some　of　whom　are　not　outdone　by　any

Polynesian　chieftain　in　the　matter　of　murder　and　treachery；

while　Deborah's　jubilation　over　Jael's　violation　of　the　primary

duty　of　hospitality；　proffered　and　accepted　under　circumstances

which　give　a　peculiarly　atrocious　character　to　the　murder　of　the

guest；　and　her　witch…like　gloating　over　the　picture　of　the

disappointment　of　the　mother　of　the　victim





The　mother　of　Sisera　cried　through　the　lattice；

Why　is　his　chariot　so　long　in　coming？　（Jud。　v。　28。）





would　not　have　been　out　of　place　in　the　choral　service　of　the

most　sanguinary　god　in　the　Polynesian　pantheon。



With　respect　to　the　cannibalism　which　the　Tongans　occasionally

practised；　Mariner　says：





Although　a　few　young　ferocious　warriors　chose　to　imitate　what

they　considered　a　mark　of　courageous　fierceness　in　a

neighbouring　nation；　it　was　held　in　disgust　by　everybody　else

（vol。　ii。　p。　171）。





That　the　moral　standard　of　Tongan　life　was　less　elevated　than

that　indicated　in　the　〃Book　of　the　Covenant〃　（Exod。　xxi。…xxiii。）

may　be　freely　admitted。　But　then　the　evidence　that　this　Book　of

the　Covenant；　and　even　the　ten　commandments　as　given　in　Exodus；

were　known　to　the　Israelites　of　the　time　of　Samuel　and　Saul；　is

（to　say　the　least）　by　no　means　conclusive。　The　Deuteronomic

version　of　the　fourth　commandment　is　hopelessly　discrepant　from

that　which　stands　in　Exodus。　Would　any　later　writer　have

ventured　to　alter　the　commandments　as　given　from　Sinai；　if　he

had　had　before　him　that　which　professed　to　be　an　accurate

statement　of　the　〃ten　words〃　in　Exodus？　And　if　the　writer　of

Deuteronomy　had　not　Exodus　before　him；　what　is　the　value　of　the

claim　of　the　version　of　the　ten　commandments　therein　contained

to　authenticity？　From　one　end　to　the　other　of　the　books　of

Judges　and　Samuel；　the　only　〃commandments　of　Jahveh〃　which　are

specially　adduced　refer　to　the　prohibition　of　the　worship　of

other　gods；　or　are　orders　given　ad　hoc；　and　have　nothing

to　do　with　questions　of　morality。



In　Polynesia；　the　belief　in　witchcraft；　in　the　appearance　of

spiritual　beings　in　dreams；　in　possession　as　the　cause　of

diseases；　and　in　omens；　prevailed　universally。　Mariner　tells　a

story　of　a　woman　of　rank　who　was　greatly　attached　to　King　Finow；

and　who；　for　the　space　of　six　months　after　his　death；　scarcely

ever　slept　elsewhere　than　on　his　grave；　which　she　kept　carefully

decorated　with　flowers：





One　day　she　went；　with　the　deepest　affliction；　to　the　house　of

Mo…oonga　Toobo；　the　widow　of　the　deceased　chief；　to　communicate

what　had　happened　to　her　at　the　fytoca　＇grave＇　during

several　nights；　and　which　caused　her　the　greatest　anxiety。

She　related　that　she　had　dreamed　that　the　late　How　＇King＇

appeared　to　her　and；　with　a　countenance　full　of　disappointment；

asked　why　there　yet　remained　at　Vavaoo　so　many　evil…designing

persons；　for　he　declared　that；　since　he　had　been　at　Bolotoo；　his

s