a theologico-political treatise [part ii]-第4部分

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immediately　to　God。　（87）　When；　therefore；　the　Bible　says　that　the　earth　is



barren　because　of　men's　sins；　or　that　the　blind　were　healed　by　faith；　we



ought　to　take　no　more　notice　than　when　it　says　that　God　is　angry　at　men's



sins；　that　He　is　sad；　that　He　repents　of　the　good　He　has　promised　and　done；



or　that　on　seeing　a　sign　he　remembers　something　He　had　promised；　and　other



similar　expressions；　which　are　either　thrown　out　poetically　or　related



according　to　the　opinion　and　prejudices　of　the　writer。







（88）　We　may；　then；　be　absolutely　certain　that　every　event　which　is　truly



described　in　Scripture　necessarily　happened；　like　everything　else；　according



to　natural　laws；　and　if　anything　is　there　set　down　which　can　be　proved　in



set　terms　to　contravene　the　order　of　nature；　or　not　to　be　deducible



therefrom；　we　must　believe　it　to　have　been　foisted　into　the　sacred　writings



by　irreligious　hands；　for　whatsoever　is　contrary　to　nature　is　also　contrary



to　reason；　and　whatsoever　is　contrary　to　reason　is　absurd；　and；　ipso　facto；



to　be　rejected。







（89）　There　remain　some　points　concerning　the　interpretation　of　miracles　to



be　noted；　or　rather　to　be　recapitulated；　for　most　of　them　have　been　already



stated。　（90）　These　I　proceed　to　discuss　in　the　fourth　division　of　my



subject；　and　I　am　led　to　do　so　lest　anyone　should；　by　wrongly　interpreting　a



miracle；　rashly　suspect　that　he　has　found　something　in　Scripture　contrary　to



human　reason。







（91）　It　is　very　rare　for　men　to　relate　an　event　simply　as　it　happened；



without　adding　any　element　of　their　own　judgment。　（92）　When　they　see　or　hear



anything　new；　they　are；　unless　strictly　on　their　guard；　so　occupied　with



their　own　preconceived　opinions　that　they　perceive　something　quite



different　from　the　plain　facts　seen　or　heard；　especially　if　such　facts



surpass　the　comprehension　of　the　beholder　or　hearer；　and；　most　of　all；　if　he



is　interested　in　their　happening　in　a　given　way。







（93）　Thus　men　relate　in　chronicles　and　histories　their　own　opinions　rather



than　actual　events；　so　that　one　and　the　same　event　is　so　differently　related



by　two　men　of　different　opinions；　that　it　seems　like　two　separate



occurrences；　and；　further；　it　is　very　easy　from　historical　chronicles　to



gather　the　personal　opinions　of　the　historian。







（94）　I　could　cite　many　instances　in　proof　of　this　from　the　writings　both　of



natural　philosophers　and　historians；　but　I　will　content　myself　with　one　only



from　Scripture；　and　leave　the　reader　to　judge　of　the　rest。







（95）　In　the　time　of　Joshua　the　Hebrews　held　the　ordinary　opinion　that　the



sun　moves　with　a　daily　motion；　and　that　the　earth　remains　at　rest；　to　this



preconceived　opinion　they　adapted　the　miracle　which　occurred　during　their



battle　with　the　five　kings。　（96）　They　did　not　simply　relate　that　that　day



was　longer　than　usual；　but　asserted　that　the　sun　and　moon　stood　still；　or



ceased　from　their　motion　…　a　statement　which　would　be　of　great　service　to



them　at　that　time　in　convincing　and　proving　by　experience　to　the　Gentiles；



who　worshipped　the　sun；　that　the　sun　was　under　the　control　of　another　deity



who　could　compel　it　to　change　its　daily　course。　（97）　Thus；　partly　through



religious　motives；　partly　through　preconceived　opinions；　they　conceived　of



and　related　the　occurrence　as　something　quite　different　from　what　really



happened。







（98）　Thus　in　order　to　interpret　the　Scriptural　miracles　and　understand　from



the　narration　of　them　how　they　really　happened；　it　is　necessary　to　know　the



opinions　of　those　who　first　related　them；　and　have　recorded　them　for　us　in



writing；　and　to　distinguish　such　opinions　from　the　actual　impression　made



upon　their　senses；　otherwise　we　shall　confound　opinions　and　judgments　with



the　actual　miracle　as　it　really　occurred：　nay；　further；　we　shall　confound



actual　events　with　symbolical　and　imaginary　ones。　（99）　For　many　things　are



narrated　in　Scripture　as　real；　and　were　believed　to　be　real；　which　were　in



fact　only　symbolical　and　imaginary。　（100）　As；　for　instance；　that　God　came



down　from　heaven　（Exod。　xix：28；　Deut。　v：28）；　and　that　Mount　Sinai　smoked



because　God　descended　upon　it　surrounded　with　fire；　or；　again　that　Elijah



ascended　into　heaven　in　a　chariot　of　fire；　with　horses　of　fire；　all　these



things　were　assuredly　merely　symbols　adapted　to　the　opinions　of　those　who



have　handed　them　down　to　us　as　they　were　represented　to　them；　namely；　as



real。　（101）　All　who　have　any　education　know　that　God　has　no　right　hand　nor



left；　that　He　is　not　moved　nor　at　rest；　nor　in　a　particular　place；　but　that



He　is　absolutely　infinite　and　contains　in　Himself　all　perfections。







（102）　These　things；　I　repeat；　are　known　to　whoever　judges　of　things　by　the



perception　of　pure　reason；　and　not　according　as　his　imagination　is　affected



by　his　outward　senses。　（103）　Following　the　example　of　the　masses　who　imagine



a　bodily　Deity；　holding　a　royal　court　with　a　throne　on　the　convexity　of



heaven；　above　the　stars；　which　are　believed　to　be　not　very；　far　off　from　the



earth。







（104）　To　these　and　similar　opinions　very　many　narrations　in　Scripture　are



adapted；　and　should　not；　therefore；　be　mistaken　by　philosophers　for



realities。







（105）　Lastly；　in　order　to　understand；　in　the　case　of　miracles；　what　actually



took　place；　we　ought　to　be　familiar　with　Jewish　phrases　and　metaphors；



anyone　who　did　not　make　sufficient　allowance　for　these；　would　be　continually



seeing　miracles　in　Scripture　where　nothing　of　the　kind　is　intended　by　the



writer；　he　would　thus　miss　the　knowledge　not　only　of　what　actually　happened；



but　also　of　the　mind　of　the　writers　of　the　sacred　text。　（106）　For　instance；



Zechariah　speaking　of　some　future　war　says　（chap。　xiv；7）：　〃It　shall　be　one



day　which　shall　be　known　to　the　Lord；　not　day；　nor　night；　but　at　even　time



it　shall　be　light。〃　In　these　words　he　seems　to　predict　a　great　miracle；　yet



he　only　means　that　the　battle　will　be　doubtful　the　whole　day；　that　the　issue



will　be　known　only　to　God；　but　that　in　the　evening　they　will　gain　the



victory：　the　prophets　frequently　used　to　predict　victories　and　defeats　of



the　nations　in　similar　phrases。　（107）　Thus　Isaiah；　describing　the



destruction　of　Babylon；　says　（chap。　xiii。）：　〃The　stars　of　heaven；　and　the



constellations　thereof；　shall　not　give　their　light；　the　sun　shall　be



darkened　in　his　going　forth；　and　the　moon　shall　not　cause　her　light　to



shine。〃　（108）　Now　I　suppose　no　one　imagines　that　at　the　destruction　of



Babylon　these　phenomena　actually　occurred　any　more　than　that　which　the



prophet　adds；　〃For　I　will　make　the　heavens　to　tremble；　and　remove　the　earth



out　of　her　place。〃







（109）　So；　too；　Isaiah　in　foretelling　to　the　Jews　that　they　would　return　from



Babylon　to　Jerusalem　in　safety；　and　would　not　suffer　from　thirst　on　their



journey；　says：　〃And　they　thirsted　not　when　He　led　them　through　the　deserts；



He　caused　the　waters　to　flow　out　of　the　rocks　for　them；　He　clave　the　rocks；



and　the　waters　gushed　out。〃　（110）　These　words　merely　mean　that　the　Jews；



like　other　people；　found　springs　in　the　desert；　at　which　they　quenched　their



thirst；　for　when　the　Jews　returned　to　Jerusalem　with　the　consent　of　Cyrus；



it　is　admitted　that　no　similar　miracles　befell　them。







（111）　In　this　way　many　occurrences　in　the　Bible　are　to　be　regarded　merely　as



Jewish　expressions。　（112）　There　is　no　need　for　me　to　go　through　them　in



detail；　but　I　will　call　attention　generally　to　the　fact　that　the　Jews



employed　such　phrases　not　only　rhetorically；　but　also；　and　indeed　chiefly；



from　devotional　motives。　（113）　Such　is　the　reason　for　the　substitution　of



〃bless　God〃　for　〃curse　God〃　in　1　Kings　xxi：10；　and　Job　ii：9；　and　for　all



things　being　referred　to　God；　whence　it　appears　that　the　Bible　seems　to



relate　nothing　but　miracles；　even　when　speaking　of　the　most　ordinary



occurrences；　as　in　the　examples　given　above。







（114）　Hence　we　must　believe　that　when　the　Bible　says　that　the　Lord　hardened



Pharaoh's　heart；　it　only　means　that　Pharaoh　was　obstinate；　when　it　says　that



God　opened　the　windows　of　heaven；　it　only　means　that　it　rained　very　hard；



and　so　on。　（115）　When　we　reflect　on　these　peculiarities；　and　also　on　the



fact　that　most　things　are　related　very　shortly；　with　very　little　details　and



almost　in　abridgments；　we　shall　see　that　there　is　hardly　anything　in



Scripture　which　can　be　proved　contrary　to　natural　reason；　while；　on　the



other　hand；　many　things　which　before　seemed　obscure；　will　after　a　little



consideration　be　understood　and　easily　explained。







（116）　I　think　I　have　now　very　clearly　explained　all　that　I　proposed　to



explain；　but　before　I　finish　this　chapter　I　would　call　attention　to　the　fact



that　I　have　adopted　a　different　method　in　speaking　of　miracles　to　that　which



I　employed　in　treating　of　prophecy。　（117）　Of　prophecy　I　have　asserted



nothing　which　could　not　be　inferred　from　promises　revealed　in　Scripture；



whereas　in　this　chapter　I　have　deduced　my　conclusions　solely　from　the



principles　ascertained　by　the　natural　light　of　reason。　（118）　I　have



proceeded　in　this　way　advisedly；　for　prophecy；　in　that　it　surpasses　human



knowledge；　is　a　purely　theological　question；　therefore；　I　knew　that　I　could



not　make　any　assertions　about　it；　nor　learn　wherein　it　consists；　except



through　deductions　from　premises　that　have　been　revealed；　therefore　I　was



compelled　to　collate　the　history　of　prophecy；　and　to　draw　therefrom　certain



conclusions　which　would　teach　me；　in　so　far　as　such　teaching　is　possible