a theologico-political treatise [part iii]-第4节

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said　that　the　Temple　which　would　then　be　the　Temple　of　God　had　perished　in



the　flames。　（25）　Jeremiah　tells　us　this　in　respect　to　the　law；　for　he　thus



chides　the　ungodly　of　his　time；　〃Wherefore；　say　you　we　are　masters；　and　the



law　of　the　Lord　is　with　us？　（26）　Surely　it　has　been　given　in　vain；　it　is　in



vain　that　the　pen　of　the　scribes　〃　（has　been　made）　…　that　is；　you　say



falsely　that　the　Scripture　is　in　your　power；　and　that　you　possess　the　law　of



God；　for　ye　have　made　it　of　none　effect。







（27）　So　also；　when　Moses　broke　the　first　tables　of　the　law；　he　did　not　by



any　means　cast　the　Word　of　God　from　his　hands　in　anger　and　shatter　it　…　such



an　action　would　be　inconceivable；　either　of　Moses　or　of　God's　Word　…　he　only



broke　the　tables　of　stone；　which；　though　they　had　before　been　holy　from



containing　the　covenant　wherewith　the　Jews　had　bound　themselves　in



obedience　to　God；　had　entirely　lost　their　sanctity　when　the　covenant　had



been　violated　by　the　worship　of　the　calf；　and　were；　therefore；　as　liable　to



perish　as　the　ark　of　the　covenant。　（28）　It　is　thus　scarcely　to　be　wondered



at；　that　the　original　documents　of　Moses　are　no　longer　extant；　nor　that　the



books　we　possess　met　with　the　fate　we　have　described；　when　we　consider　that



the　true　original　of　the　Divine　covenant；　the　most　sacred　object　of　all；　has



totally　perished。







（29）　Let　them　cease；　therefore；　who　accuse　us　of　impiety；　inasmuch　as　we



have　said　nothing　against　the　Word　of　God；　neither　have　we　corrupted　it；　but



let　them　keep　their　anger；　if　they　would　wreak　it　justly；　for　the　ancients



whose　malice　desecrated　the　Ark；　the　Temple；　and　the　Law　of　God；　and　all



that　was　held　sacred；　subjecting　them　to　corruption。　（30）　Furthermore；



if；　according　to　the　saying　of　the　Apostle　in　2　Cor。　iii：3；　they　possessed



〃the　Epistle　of　Christ；　written　not　with　ink；　but　with　the　Spirit　of　the



living　God；　not　in　tables　of　stone；　but　in　the　fleshy　tables　of　the　heart；〃



let　them　cease　to　worship　the　letter；　and　be　so　anxious　concerning　it。







（31）　I　think　I　have　now　sufficiently　shown　in　what　respect　Scripture　should



be　accounted　sacred　and　Divine；　we　may　now　see　what　should　rightly　be



understood　by　the　expression；　the　Word　of　the　Lord；　debar　（the　Hebrew



original）　signifies　word；　speech；　command；　and　thing。　（32）　The　causes　for



which　a　thing　is　in　Hebrew　said　to　be　of　God；　or　is　referred　to　Him；　have



been　already　detailed　in　Chap。　I。；　and　we　can　therefrom　easily　gather　what



meaning　Scripture　attaches　to　the　phrases；　the　word；　the　speech；　the



command；　or　the　thing　of　God。　（33）　I　need　not；　therefore；　repeat　what　I



there　said；　nor　what　was　shown　under　the　third　head　in　the　chapter　on



miracles。　（34）　It　is　enough　to　mention　the　repetition　for　the　better



understanding　of　what　I　am　about　to　say　…　viz。；　that　the　Word　of　the　Lord



when　it　has　reference　to　anyone　but　God　Himself；　signifies　that　Divine　law



treated　of　in　Chap。　IV。；　in　other　words；　religion；　universal　and　catholic



to　the　whole　human　race；　as　Isaiah　describes　it　（chap。　i：10）；　teaching　that



the　true　way　of　life　consists；　not　in　ceremonies；　but　in　charity；　and　a　true



heart；　and　calling　it　indifferently　God's　Law　and　God's　Word。







（35）　The　expression　is　also　used　metaphorically　for　the　order　of　nature　and



destiny　（which；　indeed；　actually　depend　and　follow　from　the　eternal　mandate



of　the　Divine　nature）；　and　especially　for　such　parts　of　such　order　as　were



foreseen　by　the　prophets；　for　the　prophets　did　not　perceive　future　events　as



the　result　of　natural　causes；　but　as　the　fiats　and　decrees　of　God。　（36）



Lastly；　it　is　employed　for　the　command　of　any　prophet；　in　so　far　as　he　had



perceived　it　by　his　peculiar　faculty　or　prophetic　gift；　and　not　by　the



natural　light　of　reason；　this　use　springs　chiefly　from　the　usual　prophetic



conception　of　God　as　a　legislator；　which　we　remarked　in　Chap。　IV。



（37）　There　are；　then；　three　causes　for　the　Bible's　being　called



the　Word　of　God：　because　it　teaches　true　religion；　of　which　God　is　the



eternal　Founder；　because　it　narrates　predictions　of　future　events　as



though　they　were　decrees　of　God；　because　its　actual　authors　generally



perceived　things　not　by　their　ordinary　natural　faculties；　but　by　a



power　peculiar　to　themselves；　and　introduced　these　things　perceived；



as　told　them　by　God。







（37）　Although　Scripture　contains　much　that　is　merely　historical　and　can　be



perceived　by　natural　reason；　yet　its　name　is　acquired　from　its　chief　subject



matter。







（38）　We　can　thus　easily　see　how　God　can　be　said　to　be　the　Author　of　the



Bible：　it　is　because　of　the　true　religion　therein　contained；　and　not　because



He　wished　to　communicate　to　men　a　certain　number　of　books。　（39）　We　can　also



learn　from　hence　the　reason　for　the　division　into　Old　and　New　Testament。



（40）　It　was　made　because　the　prophets　who　preached　religion　before　Christ；



preached　it　as　a　national　law　in　virtue　of　the　covenant　entered　into　under



Moses；　while　the　Apostles　who　came　after　Christ；　preached　it　to　all　men　as　a



universal　religion　solely　in　virtue　of　Christ's　Passion：　the　cause　for　the



division　is　not　that　the　two　parts　are　different　in　doctrine；　nor　that　they



were　written　as　originals　of　the　covenant；　nor；　lastly；　that　the　catholic



religion　（which　is　in　entire　harmony　with　our　nature）　was　new　except　in



relation　to　those　who　had　not　known　it：　〃　it　was　in　the　world；〃　as　John　the



Evangelist　says；　〃　and　the　world　knew　it　not。〃







（41）　Thus；　even　if　we　had　fewer　books　of　the　Old　and　New　Testament　than　we



have；　we　should　still　not　be　deprived　of　the　Word　of　God　（which；　as　we　have



said；　is　identical　with　true　religion）；　even　as　we　do　not　now　hold　ourselves



to　be　deprived　of　it；　though　we　lack　many　cardinal　writings　such　as　the　Book



of　the　Law；　which　was　religiously　guarded　in　the　Temple　as　the　original　of



the　Covenant；　also　the　Book　of　Wars；　the　Book　of　Chronicles；　and　many



others；　from　whence　the　extant　Old　Testament　was　taken　and　compiled。　（42）



The　above　conclusion　may　be　supported　by　many　reasons。







（43）　I。　Because　the　books　of　both　Testaments　were　not　written　by　express



command　at　one　place　for　all　ages；　but　are　a　fortuitous　collection　of　the



works　of　men；　writing　each　as　his　period　and　disposition　dictated。　（44）　So



much　is　clearly　shown　by　the　call　of　the　prophets　who　were　bade　to



admonish　the　ungodly　of　their　time；　and　also　by　the　Apostolic　Epistles。







（45）　II。　Because　it　is　one　thing　to　understand　the　meaning　of　Scripture



and　the　prophets；　and　quite　another　thing　to　understand　the　meaning



　of　God；　or　the　actual　truth。　（46）　This　follows　from　what　we　said　in



Chap。　II。　（47）　We　showed；　in　Chap。　VI。；　that　it　applied　to　historic



narratives；　and　to　miracles：　but　it　by　no　means　applies　to　questions



concerning　true　religion　and　virtue。







（48）　III。　Because　the　books　of　the　Old　Testament　were　selected　from　many；



and　were　collected　and　sanctioned　by　a　council　of　the　Pharisees；　as　we



showed　in　Chap。　X。　（49）　The　books　of　the　New　Testament　were　also　chosen　from



many　by　councils　which　rejected　as　spurious　other　books　held　sacred　by　many。



（50）　But　these　councils；　both　Pharisee　and　Christian；　were　not　composed　of



prophets；　but　only　of　learned　men　and　teachers。　（51）　Still；　we　must　grant



that　they　were　guided　in　their　choice　by　a　regard　for　the　Word　of　God　；　and



they　must；　therefore；　have　known　what　the　law　of　God　was。







（52）　IV。　Because　the　Apostles　wrote　not　as　prophets；　but　as　teachers　（see



last　Chapter）；　and　chose　whatever　method　they　thought　best　adapted　for　those



whom　they　addressed：　and　consequently；　there　are　many　things　in　the　Epistles



（as　we　showed　at　the　end　of　the　last　Chapter）　which　are　not　necessary　to



salvation。







（53）　V。　Lastly；　because　there　are　four　Evangelists　in　the　New　Testament；　and



it　is　scarcely　credible　that　God　can　have　designed　to　narrate　the　life　of



Christ　four　times　over；　and　to　communicate　it　thus　to　mankind。　（54）　For



though　there　are　some　details　related　in　one　Gospel　which　are　not　in



another；　and　one　often　helps　us　to　understand　another；　we　cannot　thence



conclude　that　all　that　is　set　down　is　of　vital　importance　to　us；　and　that



God　chose　the　four　Evangelists　in　order　that　the　life　of　Christ　might　be



better　understood；　for　each　one　preached　his　Gospel　in　a　separate



locality；　each　wrote　it　down　as　he　preached　it；　in　simple　language；　in



order　that　the　history　of　Christ　might　be　clearly　told；　not　with　any　view　of



explaining　his　fellow…Evangelists。







（55）　If　there　are　some　passages　which　can　be　better；　and　more　easily



understood　by　comparing　the　various　versions；　they　are　the　result　of　chance；



and　are　not　numerous：　their　continuance　in　obscurity　would　have　impaired



neither　the　clearness　of　the　narrative　nor　the　blessedness　of　mankind。