the evolution of theology-第13节

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All　the　more　remarkable；　therefore；　is　the　extraordinary　change

which　is　to　be　noted　in　the　eighth　century　B。C。　The　student　who

is　familiar　with　the　theology　implied；　or　expressed；　in　the

books　of　Judges；　Samuel；　and　the　first　book　of　Kings；　finds

himself　in　a　new　world　of　thought；　in　the　full　tide　of　a　great

reformation；　when　he　reads　Joel；　Amos；　Hosea；　Isaiah；　Micah；

and　Jeremiah。



The　essence　of　this　change　is　the　reversal　of　the　position

which；　in　primitive　society；　ethics　holds　in　relation　to

theology。　Originally；　that　which　men　worship　is　a　theological

hypothesis；　not　a　moral　ideal。　The　prophets；　in　substance；　if

not　always　in　form　preach　the　opposite　doctrine。　They　are

constantly　striving　to　free　the　moral　ideal　from　the　stifling

embrace　of　the　current　theology　and　its　concomitant　ritual。

Theirs　was　not　an　intellectual　criticism；　argued　on　strictly

scientific　grounds；　the　image…worshippers　and　the　believers　in

the　efficacy　of　sacrifices　and　ceremonies　might　logically　have

held　their　own　against　anything　the　prophets　have　to　say；　it　was

an　ethical　criticism。　From　the　height　of　his　moral　intuition

that　the　whole　duty　of　man　is　to　do　justice　and　to　love　mercy

and　to　bear　himself　as　humbly　as　befits　his　insignificance　in

face　of　the　Infinitethe　prophet　simply　laughs　at　the　idolaters

of　stocks　and　stones　and　the　idolaters　of　ritual。　Idols　of　the

first　kind；　in　his　experience；　were　inseparably　united　with　the

practice　of　immorality；　and　they　were　to　be　ruthlessly

destroyed。　As　for　sacrifices　and　ceremonies；　whatever　their

intrinsic　value　might　be；　they　might　be　tolerated　on　condition

of　ceasing　to　be　idols；　they　might　even　be　praiseworthy　on

condition　of　being　made　to　subserve　the　worship　of　the　true

Jahvehthe　moral　ideal。



If　the　realm　of　David　had　remained　undivided；　if　the　Assyrian

and　the　Chaldean　and　the　Egyptian　had　left　Israel　to　the

ordinary　course　of　development　of　an　Oriental　kingdom；　it　is

possible　that　the　effects　of　the　reforming　zeal　of　the　prophets

of　the　eighth　and　seventh　centuries　might　have　been　effaced　by

the　growth；　according　to　its　inevitable　tendencies；　of　the

theology　which　they　combated。　But　the　captivity　made　the　fortune

of　the　ideas　which　it　was　the　privilege　of　these　men　to　launch

upon　an　endless　career。　With　the　abolition　of　the　Temple…

services　for　more　than　half　a　century；　the　priest　must　have　lost

and　the　scribe　gained　influence。　The　puritanism　of　a　vigorous

minority　among　the　Babylonian　Jews　rooted　out　polytheism　from

all　its　hiding…places　in　the　theology　which　they　had　inherited；

they　created　the　first　consistent；　remorseless；　naked

monotheism；　which；　so　far　as　history　records；　appeared　in　the

world　（for　Zoroastrism　is　practically　ditheism；　and　Buddhism

any…theism　or　no…theism）；　and　they　inseparably　united　therewith

an　ethical　code；　which；　for　its　purity　and　for　its　efficiency　as

a　bond　of　social　life；　was　and　is；　unsurpassed。　So　I　think　we

must　not　judge　Ezra　and　Nehemiah　and　their　followers　too　hardly；

if　they　exemplified　the　usual　doom　of　poor　humanity　to　escape

from　one　error　only　to　fall　into　another；　if　they　failed　to　free

themselves　as　completely　from　the　idolatry　of　ritual　as　they　had

from　that　of　images　and　dogmas；　if　they　cherished　the　new

fetters　of　the　Levitical　legislation　which　they　had　fitted　upon

themselves　and　their　nation；　as　though　such　bonds　had　the

sanctity　of　the　obligations　of　morality；　and　if　they　led

succeeding　generations　to　spend　their　best　energies　in　building

that　〃hedge　round　the　Torah〃　which　was　meant　to　preserve　both

ethics　and　theology；　but　which　too　often　had　the　effect　of

pampering　the　latter　and　starving　the　former。　The　world　being

what　it　was；　it　is　to　be　doubted　whether　Israel　would　have

preserved　intact　the　pure　ore　of　religion；　which　the　prophets

had　extracted　for　the　use　of　mankind　as　well　as　for　their

nation；　had　not　the　leaders　of　the　nation　been　zealous；　even　to

death；　for　the　dross　of　the　law　in　which　it　was　embedded。

The　struggle　of　the　Jews；　under　the　Maccabean　house；　against　the

Seleucidae　was　as　important　for　mankind　as　that　of　the　Greeks

against　the　Persians。　And；　of　all　the　strange　ironies　of

history；　perhaps　the　strangest　is　that　〃Pharisee〃　is　current；　as

a　term　of　reproach；　among　the　theological　descendants　of　that

sect　of　Nazarenes　who；　without　the　martyr　spirit　of　those

primitive　Puritans；　would　never　have　come　into　existence。

They；　like　their　historical　successors；　our　own　Puritans；　have

shared　the　general　fate　of　the　poor　wise　men　who　save　cities。



A　criticism　of　theology　from　the　side　of　science　is　not　thought

of　by　the　prophets；　and　is　at　most　indicated　in　the　books　of　Job

and　Ecclesiastes；　in　both　of　which　the　problem　of　vindicating

the　ways　of　God　to　man　is　given　up；　though　on　different　grounds；

as　a　hopeless　one。　But　with　the　extensive　introduction　of　Greek

thought　among　the　Jews；　which　took　place；　not　only　during　the

domination　of　the　Seleucidae　in　Palestine；　but　in　the　great

Judaic　colony　which　flourished　in　Egypt　under　the　Ptolemies；

criticism；　on　both　ethical　and　scientific　grounds；　took　a

new　departure。



In　the　hands　of　the　Alexandrian　Jews；　as　represented　by　Philo；

the　fundamental　axiom　of　later　Jewish；　as　of　Christian

monotheism；　that　the　Deity　is　infinitely　perfect　and　infinitely

good；　worked　itself　out　into　its　logical　consequenceagnostic

theism。　Philo　will　allow　of　no　point　of　contact　between　God　and

a　world　in　which　evil　exists。　For　him　God　has　no　relation　to

space　or　to　time；　and；　as　infinite；　suffers　no　predicate　beyond

that　of　existence。　It　is　therefore　absurd　to　ascribe　to　Him

mental　faculties　and　affections　comparable　in　the　remotest

degree　to　those　of　men；　He　is　in　no　way　an　object　of　cognition；

He　is　＇Greek＇　and　＇Greek＇without　quality　and

incomprehensible。　That　is　to　say　the　Alexandrian　Jew　of　the

first　century　had　anticipated　the　reasonings　of　Hamilton　and

Mansell　in　the　nineteenth；　and；　for　him；　God　is　the　Unknowable

in　the　sense　in　which　that　term　is　used　by　Mr。　Herbert　Spencer。

Moreover；　Philo's　definition　of　the　Supreme　Being　would　not　be

inconsistent　with　that　〃substantia　constans　infinitis

attributis；　quorum　unumquodque　aeternam　et　infinitam　essentiam

exprimit；〃　given　by　another　great　Israelite；　were　it　not　that

Spinoza's　doctrine　of　the　immanence　of　the　Deity　in　the　world

puts　him；　at　any　rate　formally；　at　the　antipodes　of　theological

speculation。　But　the　conception　of　the　essential

incognoscibility　of　the　Deity　is　the　same　in　each　case。

However；　Philo　was　too　thorough　an　Israelite　and　too　much　the

child　of　his　time　to　be　content　with　this　agnostic　position。

With　the　help　of　the　Platonic　and　Stoic　philosophy；　he

constructed　an　apprehensible；　if　not　comprehensible；　quasi…deity

out　of　the　Logos；　while　other　more　or　less　personified　divine

powers；　or　attributes；　bridged　over　the　interval　between　God　and

man；　between　the　sacred　existence；　too　pure　to　be　called　by　any

name　which　implied　a　conceivable　quality；　and　the　gross　and　evil

world　of　matter。　In　order　to　get　over　the　ethical　difficulties

presented　by　the　naive　naturalism　of　many　parts　of　those

Scriptures；　in　the　divine　authority　of　which　he　firmly　believed；

Philo　borrowed　from　the　Stoics　（who　had　been　in　like　straits　in

respect　of　Greek　mythology）；　that　great　Excalibur　which　they　had

forged　with　infinite　pains　and　skillthe　method　of　allegorical

interpretation。　This　mighty　〃two…handed　engine　at　the　door〃　of

the　theologian　is　warranted　to　make　a　speedy　end　of　any　and

every　moral　or　intellectual　difficulty；　by　showing　that；　taken

allegorically　or；　as　it　is　otherwise　said；　〃poetically〃　or；　〃in

a　spiritual　sense；〃　the　plainest　words　mean　whatever　a　pious

interpreter　desires　they　should　mean。　In　Biblical　phrase；　Zeno

（who　probably　had　a　strain　of　Semitic　blood　in　him）　was　the

〃father　of　all　such　as　reconcile。〃　No　doubt　Philo　and　his

followers　were　eminently　religious　men；　but　they　did　endless

injury　to　the　cause　of　religion　by　laying　the　foundations　of　a

new　theology；　while　equipping　the　defenders　of　it　with　the

subtlest　of　all　weapons　of　offence　and　defence；　and　with　an

inexhaustible　store　of　sophistical　arguments　of　the　most

plausible　aspect。



The　question　of　the　real　bearing　upon　theology　of　the　influence

exerted　by　the　teaching　of　Philo's　contemporary；　Jesus　of

Nazareth；　is　one　upon　which　it　is　not　germane　to　my　present

purpose　to　enter。　I　take　it　simply　as　an　unquestionable　fact

that　his　immediate　disciples；　known　to　their　countrymen　as

〃Nazarenes；〃　were　regarded　as；　and　considered　themselves　to　be；

perfectly　orthodox　Jews；　belonging　to　the　puritanic　or　pharisaic

section　of　their　people；　and　differing　from　the　rest　only　in

their　belief　that　the　Messiah　had　already　come。　Christianity；　it

is　said；　first　became　clearly　differentiated　at　Antioch；　and　it

separated　itself　from　orthodox　Judaism　by　denying　the　obligat