a theologico-political treatise [part i]-第8节

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cheerful；　victories；　peace；　and　events　which　make　men　glad；　were　revealed　to



him；　in　that　he　was　naturally　more　likely　to　imagine　such　things。　（34）　If；



on　the　contrary；　he　was　melancholy；　wars；　massacres；　and　calamities　were



revealed；　and　so；　according　as　a　prophet　was　merciful；　gentle；　quick　to



anger；　or　severe；　he　was　more　fitted　for　one　kind　of　revelation　than



another。　（35）　It　varied　according　to　the　temper　of　imagination　in　this　way：



if　a　prophet　was　cultivated　he　perceived　the　mind　of　God　in　a　cultivated



way；　if　he　was　confused　he　perceived　it　confusedly。　（36）　And　so　with



revelations　perceived　through　visions。　（37）　If　a　prophet　was　a　countryman　he



saw　visions　of　oxen；　cows；　and　the　like；　if　he　was　a　soldier；　he　saw



generals　and　armies；　if　a　courtier；　a　royal　throne；　and　so　on。







（38）　Lastly；　prophecy　varied　according　to　the　opinions　held　by　the　prophets；



for　instance；　to　the　Magi；　who　believed　in　the　follies　of　astrology；　the



birth　of　Christ　was　revealed　through　the　vision　of　a　star　in　the　East。　（39）



To　the　augurs　of　Nebuchadnezzar　the　destruction　of　Jerusalem　was　revealed



through　entrails；　whereas　the　king　himself　inferred　it　from　oracles　and　the



direction　of　arrows　which　he　shot　into　the　air。　（40）　To　prophets　who



believed　that　man　acts　from　free　choice　and　by　his　own　power；　God　was



revealed　as　standing　apart　from　and　ignorant　of　future　human　actions。　（41）



All　of　which　we　will　illustrate　from　Scripture。







（42）　The　first　point　is　proved　from　the　case　of　Elisha；　who；　in　order　to



prophecy　to　Jehoram；　asked　for　a　harp；　and　was　unable　to　perceive　the　Divine



purpose　till　he　had　been　recreated　by　its　music；　then；　indeed；　he　prophesied



to　Jehoram　and　to　his　allies　glad　tidings；　which　previously　he　had　been



unable　to　attain　to　because　he　was　angry　with　the　king；　and　these　who　are



angry　with　anyone　can　imagine　evil　of　him；　but　not　good。　（43）　The　theory



that　God　does　not　reveal　Himself　to　the　angry　or　the　sad；　is　a　mere　dream：



for　God　revealed　to　Moses　while　angry；　the　terrible　slaughter　of　the



firstborn；　and　did　so　without　the　intervention　of　a　harp。　（44）　To　Cain　in



his　rage；　God　was　revealed；　and　to　Ezekiel；　impatient　with　anger；　was



revealed　the　contumacy　and　wretchedness　of　the　Jews。　（45）　Jeremiah；



miserable　and　weary　of　life；　prophesied　the　disasters　of　the　Hebrews；　so



that　Josiah　would　not　consult　him；　but　inquired　of　a　woman；　inasmuch　as　it



was　more　in　accordance　with　womanly　nature　that　God　should　reveal　His　mercy



thereto。　（46）　So；　Micaiah　never　prophesied　good　to　Ahab；　though　other　true



prophets　had　done　so；　but　invariably　evil。　（46）　Thus　we　see　that　individual



prophets　were　by　temperament　more　fitted　for　one　sort　of　revelation　than



another。







（47）　The　style　of　the　prophecy　also　varied　according　to　the　eloquence　of　the



individual　prophet。　（48）　The　prophecies　of　Ezekiel　and　Amos　are　not　written



in　a　cultivated　style　like　those　of　Isaiah　and　Nahum；　but　more　rudely。　（49）



Any　Hebrew　scholar　who　wishes　to　inquire　into　this　point　more　closely；　and



compares　chapters　of　the　different　prophets　treating　of　the　same　subject；



will　find　great　dissimilarity　of　style。　（50）　Compare；　for　instance；　chap。　i。



of　the　courtly　Isaiah；　verse　11　to　verse　20；　with　chap。　v。　of　the　countryman



Amos；　verses　21…24。　（51）　Compare　also　the　order　and　reasoning　of　the



prophecies　of　Jeremiah；　written　in　Idumaea　（chap。　xhx。）；　with　the　order　and



reasoning　of　Obadiah。　（52）　Compare；　lastly；　Isa。　xl：19；　20；　and　xliv：8；　with



Hosea　viii：6；　and　xiii：2。　And　so　on。







（53）　A　due　consideration　of　these　passage　will　clearly　show　us　that　God　has



no　particular　style　in　speaking；　but；　according　to　the　learning　and　capacity



of　the　prophet；　is　cultivated；　compressed；　severe；　untutored；　prolix；　or



obscure。







（54）　There　was；　moreover；　a　certain　variation　in　the　visions　vouchsafed　to



the　prophets；　and　in　the　symbols　by　which　they　expressed　them；　for　Isaiah



saw　the　glory　of　the　Lord　departing　from　the　Temple　in　a　different　form　from



that　presented　to　Ezekiel。　（55）　The　Rabbis；　indeed；　maintain　that　both



visions　were　really　the　same；　but　that　Ezekiel；　being　a　countryman；　was



above　measure　impressed　by　it；　and　therefore　set　it　forth　in　full　detail；



but　unless　there　is　a　trustworthy　tradition　on　the　subject；　which　I　do　not



for　a　moment　believe；　this　theory　is　plainly　an　invention。　Isaiah　saw



seraphim　with　six　wings；　Ezekiel　beasts　with　four　wings；　Isaiah　saw　God



clothed　and　sitting　on　a　royal　throne；　Ezekiel　saw　Him　in　the　likeness　of　a



fire；　each　doubtless　saw　God　under　the　form　in　which　he　usually　imagined



Him。







（56）　Further；　the　visions　varied　in　clearness　as　well　as　in　details；　for　the



revelations　of　Zechariah　were　too　obscure　to　be　understood　by　the　prophet



without　explanation；　as　appears　from　his　narration　of　them；　the　visions　of



Daniel　could　not　be　understood　by　him　even　after　they　had　been　explained；



and　this　obscurity　did　not　arise　from　the　difficulty　of　the　matter　revealed



（for　being　merely　human　affairs；　these　only　transcended　human　capacity　in



being　future）；　but　solely　in　the　fact　that　Daniel's　imagination　was　not　so



capable　for　prophecy　while　he　was　awake　as　while　he　was　asleep；　and　this　is



further　evident　from　the　fact　that　at　the　very　beginning　of　the　vision　he



was　so　terrified　that　he　almost　despaired　of　his　strength。　（57）　Thus；　on



account　of　the　inadequacy　of　his　imagination　and　his　strength；　the　things



revealed　were　so　obscure　to　him　that　he　could　not　understand　them　even　after



they　had　been　explained。　（58）　Here　we　may　note　that　the　words　heard　by



Daniel；　were；　as　we　have　shown　above；　simply　imaginary；　so　that　it　is　hardly



wonderful　that　in　his　frightened　state　he　imagined　them　so　confusedly　and



obscurely　that　afterwards　he　could　make　nothing　of　them。　（59）　Those　who　say



that　God　did　not　wish　to　make　a　clear　revelation；　do　not　seem　to　have　read



the　words　of　the　angel；　who　expressly　says　that　he　came　to　make　the　prophet



understand　what　should　befall　his　people　in　the　latter　days　（Dan。　x：14）。







（60）　The　revelation　remained　obscure　because　no　one　was　found；　at　that　time；



with　imagination　sufficiently　strong　to　conceive　it　more　clearly。　（61）



Lastly；　the　prophets；　to　whom　it　was　revealed　that　God　would　take　away



Elijah；　wished　to　persuade　Elisha　that　he　had　been　taken　somewhere　where



they　would　find　him；　showing　sufficiently　clearly　that　they　had　not



understood　God's　revelation　aright。







（62）　There　is　no　need　to　set　this　out　more　amply；　for　nothing　is　more　plain



in　the　Bible　than　that　God　endowed　some　prophets　with　far　greater　gifts　of



prophecy　than　others。　（63）　But　I　will　show　in　greater　detail　and　length；　for



I　consider　the　point　more　important；　that　the　prophecies　varied　according　to



the　opinions　previously　embraced　by　the　prophets；　and　that　the　prophets　held



diverse　and　even　contrary　opinions　and　prejudices。　（64）　（I　speak；　be　it



understood；　solely　of　matters　speculative；　for　in　regard　to　uprightness　and



morality　the　case　is　widely　different。）　（65）　From　thence　I　shall　conclude



that　prophecy　never　rendered　the　prophets　more　learned；　but　left　them　with



their　former　opinions；　and　that　we　are；　therefore；　not　at　all　bound　to



trust　them　in　matters　of　intellect。







（66）　Everyone　has　been　strangely　hasty　in　affirming　that　the　prophets　knew



everything　within　the　scope　of　human　intellect；　and；　although　certain



passages　of　Scripture　plainly　affirm　that　the　prophets　were　in　certain



respects　ignorant；　such　persons　would　rather　say　that　they　do　not



understand　the　passages　than　admit　that　there　was　anything　which　the



prophets　did　not　know；　or　else　they　try　to　wrest　the　Scriptural　words　away



from　their　evident　meaning。







（67）　If　either　of　these　proceedings　is　allowable　we　may　as　well　shut　our



Bibles；　for　vainly　shall　we　attempt　to　prove　anything　from　them　if　their



plainest　passages　may　be　classed　among　obscure　and　impenetrable　mysteries；



or　if　we　may　put　any　interpretation　on　them　which　we　fancy。　（68）　For



instance；　nothing　is　more　clear　in　the　Bible　than　that　Joshua；　and　perhaps



also　the　author　who　wrote　his　history；　thought　that　the　sun　revolves　round



the　earth；　and　that　the　earth　is　fixed；　and　further　that　the　sun　for　a



certain　period　remained　still。　（69）　Many；　who　will　not　admit　any　movement　in



the　heavenly　bodies；　explain　away　the　passage　till　it　seems　to　mean



something　quite　different；　others；　who　have　learned　to　philosophize　more



correctly；　and　understand　that　the　earth　moves　while　the　sun　is　still；　or　at



any　rate　does　not　revolve　round　the　earth；　try　with　all　their　might　to　wrest



this　meaning　from　Scripture；　though　plainly　nothing　of　the　sort　is



intended。　（70）　Such　quibblers　excite　my　wonder！　（71）　Are　we；　forsooth；　bound



to　believe　that　Joshua　the　So