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

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the　alliance　（Judges　i：1；　2；　3）。　（97）　Each　tribe　separately　made　war　against



its　own　enemies；　and；　according　to　its　pleasure；　received　them　as　subjects



or　allies；　though　it　had　been　commanded　not　to　spare　them　on　any　conditions；



but　to　destroy　them　utterly。　（98）　Such　disobedience　met　with　reproof　from



the　rest　of　the　tribes；　but　did　not　cause　the　offending　tribe　to　be



arraigned：　it　was　not　considered　a　sufficient　reason　for　proclaiming　a　civil



war；　or　interfering　in　one　another's　affairs。　（99）　But　when　the　tribe　of



Benjamin　offended　against　the　others；　and　so　loosened　the　bonds　of　peace



that　none　of　the　confederated　tribes　could　find　refuge　within　its　borders；



they　attacked　it　as　an　enemy；　and　gaining　the　victory　over　it　after　three



battles；　put　to　death　both　guilty　and　innocent；　according　to　the　laws　of



war：　an　act　which　they　subsequently　bewailed　with　tardy　repentance。







（17：100）　These　examples　plainly　confirm　what　we　have　said　concerning　the



rights　of　each　tribe。　（101）　Perhaps　we　shall　be　asked　who　elected　the



successors　to　the　captains　of　each　tribe；　on　this　point　I　can　gather　no



positive　information　in　Scripture；　but　I　conjecture　that　as　the　tribes　were



divided　into　families；　each　headed　by　its　senior　member；　the　senior　of　all



these　heads　of　families　succeeded　by　right　to　the　office　of　captain；　for



Moses　chose　from　among　these　seniors　his　seventy　coadjutors；　who　formed　with



himself　the　supreme　council。　（102）　Those　who　administered　the　government



after　the　death　of　Joshua　were　called　elders；　and　elder　is　a　very　common



Hebrew　expression　in　the　sense　of　judge；　as　I　suppose　everyone　knows；



however；　it　is　not　very　important　for　us　to　make　up　our　minds　on　this　point。



（103）　It　is　enough　to　have　shown　that　after　the　death　of　Moses　no　one　man



wielded　all　the　power　of　a　sovereign；　as　affairs　were　not　all　managed　by　one



man；　nor　by　a　single　council；　nor　by　the　popular　vote；　but　partly　by　one



tribe；　partly　by　the　rest　in　equal　shares；　it　is　most　evident　that　the



government；　after　the　death　of　Moses；　was　neither　monarchic；　nor



aristocratic；　nor　popular；　but；　as　we　have　said；　Theocratic。



（104）　The　reasons　for　applying　this　name　are：







（17：105）　I。　Because　the　royal　seat　of　government　was　the　Temple；　and　in



respect　to　it　alone；　as　we　have　shown；　all　the　tribes　were　fellow…citizens；







（106）　II。　Because　all　the　people　owed　allegiance　to　God；　their　supreme



Judge；　to　whom　only　they　had　promised　implicit　obedience　in　all　things。







（17：107）　III。　Because　the　general…in…chief　or　dictator；　when　there　was　need



of　such；　was　elected　by　none　save　God　alone。　（108）　This　was　expressly



commanded　by　Moses　in　the　name　of　God　（Deut。　xix：15）；　and　witnessed　by　the



actual　choice　of　Gideon；　of　Samson；　and　of　Samuel；　wherefrom　we　may　conclude



that　the　other　faithful　leaders　were　chosen　in　the　same　manner；　though　it　is



not　expressly　told　us。







（17：109）　These　preliminaries　being　stated；　it　is　now　time　to　inquire　the



effects　of　forming　a　dominion　on　this　plan；　and　to　see　whether　it　so



effectually　kept　within　bounds　both　rulers　and　ruled；　that　the　former　were



never　tyrannical　and　the　latter　never　rebellious。







（17：110）　Those　who　administer　or　possess　governing　power；　always　try　to



surround　their　high…handed　actions　with　a　cloak　of　legality；　and　to　persuade



the　people　that　they　act　from　good　motives；　this　they　are　easily　able　to



effect　when　they　are　the　sole　interpreters　of　the　law；　for　it　is　evident



that　they　are　thus　able　to　assume　a　far　greater　freedom　to　carry　out　their



wishes　and　desires　than　if　the　interpretation　if　the　law　is　vested　in



someone　else；　or　if　the　laws　were　so　self…evident　that　no　one　could　be　in



doubt　as　to　their　meaning。　＇17：8＇　（111）　We　thus　see　that　the　power　of　evil…



doing　was　greatly　curtailed　for　the　Hebrew　captains　by　the　fact　that　the



whole　interpretation　of　the　law　was　vested　in　the　Levites　（Deut。　xxi：5）；



who；　on　their　part；　had　no　share　in　the　government；　and　depended　for　all



their　support　and　consideration　on　a　correct　interpretation　of　the　laws



entrusted　to　them。　（112）　Moreover；　the　whole　people　was　commanded　to　come



together　at　a　certain　place　every　seven　years　and　be　instructed　in　the　law



by　the　high…priest；　further；　each　individual　was　bidden　to　read　the　book　of



the　law　through　and　through　continually　with　scrupulous　care。　（Deut。　xxxi：9；



10；　and　vi：7。）　（113）　The　captains　were　thus　for　their　own　sakes　bound　to



take　great　care　to　administer　everything　according　to　the　laws　laid　down；



and　well　known　to　all；　if　they；　wished　to　be　held　in　high　honour　by；　the



people；　who　would　regard　them　as　the　administrators　of　God's　dominion；　and



as　God's　vicegerents；　otherwise　they　could　not　have　escaped　all　the



virulence　of　theological　hatred。　（114）　There　was　another　very　important



check　on　the　unbridled　license　of　the　captains；　in　the　fact；　that　the　army



was　formed　from　the　whole　body；　of　the　citizens；　between　the　ages　of　twenty



and　sixty；　without　exception；　and　that　the　captains　were　not　able　to　hire



any　foreign　soldiery。　（115）　This　I　say　was　very；　important；　for　it　is　well



known　that　princes　can　oppress　their　peoples　with　the　single　aid　of



the　soldiery　in　their　pay；　while　there　is　nothing　more　formidable　to　them



than　the　freedom　of　citizen　soldiers；　who　have　established　the　freedom　and



glory　of　their　country；　by　their　valour；　their　toil；　and　their　blood。　（116）



Thus　Alexander；　when　he　was　about　to　make　wax　on　Darius；　a　second　time；



after　hearing　the　advice　of　Parmenio；　did　not　chide　him　who　gave　the　advice；



but　Polysperchon；　who　was　standing　by。　（117）　For；　as　Curtius　says



（iv。　Para。　13）；　he　did　not　venture　to　reproach　Parmenio　again　after　having



shortly；　before　reproved　him　too　sharply。　（118）　This　freedom　of　the



Macedonians；　which　he　so　dreaded；　he　was　not　able　to　subdue　till　after　the



number　of　captives　enlisted　in　the　army；　surpassed　that　of　his　own　people：



then；　but　not　till　then；　he　gave　rein　to　his　anger　so　long　checked　by；　the



independence　of　his　chief　fellow…countrymen。







（17：119）　If　this　independence　of　citizen　soldiers　can　restrain　the　princes



of　ordinary　states　who　are　wont　to　usurp　the　whole　glory　of　victories；　it



must　have　been　still　more　effectual　against　the　Hebrew　captains；　whose



soldiers　were　fighting；　not　for　the　glory　of　a　prince；　but　for　the　glory　of



God；　and　who　did　not　go　forth　to　battle　till　the　Divine　assent　had　been



given。







（17：120）　We　must　also　remember　that　the　Hebrew　captains　were　associated　only



by　the　bonds　of　religion：　therefore；　if　any　one　of　them　had　transgressed；



and　begun　to　violate　the　Divine　right；　he　might　have　been　treated　by　the



rest　as　an　enemy　and　lawfully　subdued。







（17：121）　An　additional　check　may　be　found　in　the　fear　of　a　new　prophet



arising；　for　if　a　man　of　unblemished　life　could　show　by　certain　signs　that



he　was　really　a　prophet；　he　ipso　facto　obtained　the　sovereign　right　to　rule；



which　was　given　to　him；　as　to　Moses　formerly；　in　the　name　of　God；　as



revealed　to　himself　alone；　not　merely　through　the　high　priest；　as　in　the



case　of　the　captains。　（122）　There　is　no　doubt　that　such　an　one　would　easily



be　able　to　enlist　an　oppressed　people　in　his　cause；　and　by　trifling　signs



persuade　them　of　anything　he　wished：　on　the　other　hand；　if　affairs　were　well



ordered；　the　captain　would　be　able　to　make　provision　in　time；　that　the



prophet　should　be　submitted　to　his　approval；　and　be　examined　whether　he　were



really　of　unblemished　life；　and　possessed　indisputable　signs　of　his　mission：



also；　whether　the　teaching　he　proposed　to　set　forth　in　the　name　of　the　Lord



agreed　with　received　doctrines；　and　the　general　laws　of　the　country；　if　his



credentials　were　insufficient；　or　his　doctrines　new；　he　could　lawfully　be



put　to　death；　or　else　received　on　the　captain's　sole　responsibility　and



authority。







（17：123）　Again；　the　captains　were　not　superior　to　the　others　in　nobility　or



birth；　but　only　administered　the　government　in　virtue　of　their　age　and



personal　qualities。　（124）　Lastly；　neither　captains　nor　army　had　any　reason



for　preferring　war　to　peace。　（125）　The　army；　as　we　have　stated；　consisted



entirely　of　citizens；　so　that　affairs　were　managed　by　the　same　persons　both



in　peace　and　war。　（126）　The　man　who　was　a　soldier　in　the　camp　was　a　citizen



in　the　market…place；　he　who　was　a　leader　in　the　camp　was　a　judge　in　the　law



courts；　he　who　was　a　general　in　the　camp　was　a　ruler　in　the　state。　（127）



Thus　no　one　could　desire　war　for　its　own　sake；　but　only　for　the　sake　of



preserving　peace　and　liberty；　possibly　the　captains　avoided　change　as　far　as



possible；　so　as　not　to　be　obliged　to　consult　the　high　priest　and　submit　to



the　indignity　of　standing　in　his　presence。







（17：128）　So　much　for　the　precautions　for　keeping　the　captai