a theologico-political treatise [part ii]-第1部分

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A　Theologico…Political　Treatise　＇Part　II＇







by　Benedict　de　Spinoza







Also　known　as　Baruch　Spinoza







Translated　by　R。　H。　M。　Elwes









Part　2　…　Chapters　VI　to　X













TABLE　OF　CONTENTS：







CHAPTER　VI　…　Of　Miracles。







Confused　ideas　of　the　vulgar　on　the　subject。







A　miracle　in　the　sense　of　a　contravention　of　natural　laws　an　absurdity。







In　the　sense　of　an　event；　whose　cause　is　unknown；



less　edifying　than　an　event　better　understood。







God's　providence　identical　with　the　course　of　nature。



How　Scripture　miracles　may　be　interpreted。















CHAPTER　VII　…　Of　the　Interpretation　of　Scripture。







Current　systems　of　interpretation　erroneous。







Only　true　system　to　interpret　it　by　itself。







Reasons　why　this　system　cannot　now　be　carried　out　in　its　entirety。







Yet　these　difficulties　do　not　interfere　with　our　understanding



the　plainest　and　most　important　passages。







Rival　systems　examined　…　that　of　a　supernatural



faculty　being　necessary　…　refuted。







That　of　Maimonides。







Refuted。







Traditions　of　the　Pharisees　and　the　Papists　rejected。















CHAPTER　VIII。　…　Of　the　authorship　of　the　Pentateuch；



and　the　other　historical　books　of　the　Old　Testament。







The　Pentateuch　not　written　by　Moses。







His　actual　writings　distinct。







Traces　of　late　authorship　in　the　other　historical　books。







All　the　historical　books　the　work　of　one　man。







Probably　Ezra。







Who　compiled　first　the　book　of　Deuteronomy。







And　then　a　history；　distinguishing　the　books　by　the　names　of　their　subjects。















CHAPTER　IX。　…　Other　questions　about　these　books。







That　these　books　have　not　been　thoroughly　revised　and　made　to　agree。







That　there　are　many　doubtful　readings。







That　the　existing　marginal　notes　are　often　such。







The　other　explanations　of　these　notes　refuted。







The　hiatus。















CHAPTER　X。…　An　Examination　of　the　remaining　books　of



the　Old　Testament　according　to　the　preceding　method。







Chronicles；　Psalms；　Proverbs。







Isaiah；　Jeremiah。







Ezekiel；　Hosea。







Other　prophets；　Jonah；　Job。







Daniel；　Ezra；　Nehemiah；　Esther。







The　author　declines　to　undertake　a　similar　detailed



examination　of　the　New　Testament。







Author's　Endnotes　to　the　Treatise























CHAPTER　VI。　　…　　OF　MIRACLES。







（1）　As　men　are　accustomed　to　call　Divine　the　knowledge　which　transcends



human　understanding；　so　also　do　they　style　Divine；　or　the　work　of　God；



anything　of　which　the　cause　is　not　generally　known：　for　the　masses　think



that　the　power　and　providence　of　God　are　most　clearly　displayed　by　events



that　are　extraordinary　and　contrary　to　the　conception　they　have　formed　of



nature；　especially　if　such　events　bring　them　any　profit　or　convenience：　they



think　that　the　clearest　possible　proof　of　God's　existence　is　afforded　when



nature；　as　they　suppose；　breaks　her　accustomed　order；　and　consequently　they



believe　that　those　who　explain　or　endeavour　to　understand　phenomena　or



miracles　through　their　natural　causes　are　doing　away　with　God　and　His



providence。　（2）　They　suppose；　forsooth；　that　God　is　inactive　so　long　as



nature　works　in　her　accustomed　order；　and　vice　versa；　that　the　power　of



nature　and　natural　causes　are　idle　so　long　as　God　is　acting：　thus　they



imagine　two　powers　distinct　one　from　the　other；　the　power　of　God　and　the



power　of　nature；　though　the　latter　is　in　a　sense　determined　by　God；　or　（as



most　people　believe　now）　created　by　Him。　（3）　What　they　mean　by　either；　and



what　they　understand　by　God　and　nature　they　do　not　know；　except　that　they



imagine　the　power　of　God　to　be　like　that　of　some　royal　potentate；　and



nature's　power　to　consist　in　force　and　energy。







（4）　The　masses　then　style　unusual　phenomena；　〃miracles；〃　and　partly　from



piety；　partly　for　the　sake　of　opposing　the　students　of　science；　prefer　to



remain　in　ignorance　of　natural　causes；　and　only　to　hear　of　those　things



which　they　know　least；　and　consequently　admire　most。　（5）　In　fact；　the　common



people　can　only　adore　God；　and　refer　all　things　to　His　power　by　removing



natural　causes；　and　conceiving　things　happening　out　of　their　due　course；　and



only　admires　the　power　of　God　when　the　power　of　nature　is　conceived　of　as　in



subjection　to　it。







（6）　This　idea　seems　to　have　taken　its　rise　among　the　early　Jews　who　saw　the



Gentiles　round　them　worshipping　visible　gods　such　as　the　sun；　the　moon；　the



earth；　water；　air；　&c。；　and　in　order　to　inspire　the　conviction　that　such



divinities　were　weak　and　inconstant；　or　changeable；　told　how　they　themselves



were　under　the　sway　of　an　invisible　God；　and　narrated　their　miracles；



trying　further　to　show　that　the　God　whom　they　worshipped　arranged　the　whole



of　nature　for　their　sole　benefit：　this　idea　was　so　pleasing　to　humanity　that



men　go　on　to　this　day　imagining　miracles；　so　that　they　may　believe



themselves　God's　favourites；　and　the　final　cause　for　which　God　created　and



directs　all　things。







（7）　What　pretension　will　not　people　in　their　folly　advance！　（8）　They　have　no



single　sound　idea　concerning　either　God　or　nature；　they　confound　God's



decrees　with　human　decrees；　they　conceive　nature　as　so　limited　that　they



believe　man　to　be　its　chief　part！　（9）　I　have　spent　enough　space　in　setting



forth　these　common　ideas　and　prejudices　concerning　nature　and　miracles；　but



in　order　to　afford　a　regular　demonstration　I　will　show　…







（10）　I。　That　nature　cannot　be　contravened；　but　that　she　preserves　a　fixed



and　immutable　order；　and　at　the　same　time　I　will　explain　what　is　meant　by　a



miracle。







（11）　II。　That　God's　nature　and　existence；　and　consequently　His　providence



cannot　be　known　from　miracles；　but　that　they　can　all　be　much　better



perceived　from　the　fixed　and　immutable　order　of　nature。







（12）　III。　That　by　the　decrees　and　volitions；　and　consequently　the　providence



of　God；　Scripture　（as　I　will　prove　by　Scriptural　examples）　means　nothing　but



nature's　order　following　necessarily　from　her　eternal　laws。







（13）　IV。　Lastly；　I　will　treat　of　the　method　of　interpreting　Scriptural



miracles；　and　the　chief　points　to　be　noted　concerning　the　narratives　of



them。







（14）　Such　are　the　principal　subjects　which　will　be　discussed　in　this



chapter；　and　which　will　serve；　I　think；　not　a　little　to　further　the　object



of　this　treatise。







（15）　Our　first　point　is　easily　proved　from　what　we　showed　in　Chap。　IV。　about



Divine　law　…　namely；　that　all　that　God　wishes　or　determines　involves　eternal



necessity；　and　truth；　for　we　demonstrated　that　God's　understanding　is



identical　with　His　will；　and　that　it　is　the　same　thing　to　say　that　God　wills



a　thing；　as　to　say；　that　He　understands　it；　hence；　as　it　follows



necessarily；　from　the　Divine　nature　and　perfection　that　God　understands　a



thing　as　it　is；　it　follows　no　less　necessarily　that　He　wills　it　as　it　is。



（16）　Now；　as　nothing　is　necessarily　true　save　only　by；　Divine　decree；　it　is



plain　that　the　universal　laws　of　nature　are　decrees　of　God　following　from



the　necessity　and　perfection　of　the　Divine　nature。　（17）　Hence；　any　event



happening　in　nature　which　contravened　nature's　universal　laws；　would



necessarily　also　contravene　the　Divine　decree；　nature；　and　understanding；　or



if　anyone　asserted　that　God　acts　in　contravention　to　the　laws　of　nature；　he；



ipso　facto；　would　be　compelled　to　assert　that　God　acted　against　His　own



nature　…　an　evident　absurdity。　（18）　One　might　easily　show　from　the　same



premises　that　the　power　and　efficiency；　of　nature　are　in　themselves　the



Divine　power　and　efficiency；　and　that　the　Divine　power　is　the　very　essence



of　God；　but　this　I　gladly　pass　over　for　the　present。







（19）　Nothing；　then；　comes　to　pass　in　nature　（N。B。　I　do　not　mean　here　by



〃nature；〃　merely　matter　and　its　modifications；　but　infinite　other　things



besides　matter。）　in　contravention　to　her　universal　laws；　nay；　everything



agrees　with　them　and　follows　from　them；　for　whatsoever　comes　to　pass；　comes



to　pass　by　the　will　and　eternal　decree　of　God；　that　is；　as　we　have　just



pointed　out；　whatever　comes　to　pass；　comes　to　pass　according　to　laws　and



rules　which　involve　eternal　necessity　and　truth；　nature；　therefore；　always



observes　laws　and　rules　which　involve　eternal　necessity；　and　truth；　although



they　may　not　all　be　known　to　us；　and　therefore　she　keeps　a　fixed　and　mutable



order。　（20）　Nor　is　there　any　sound　reason　for　limiting　the　power　and



efficacy　of　nature；　and　asserting　that　her　laws　are　fit　for　certain



purposes；　but　not　for　all；　for　as　the　efficacy；　and　power　of　nature；　are　the



very；　efficacy　and　power　of　God；　and　as　the　laws　and　rules　of　nature　are　the



decrees　of　God；　it　is　in　every　way　to　be　believed　that　the　power　of　nature



is　infinite；　and　that　her　laws　are　broad　enough　to　embrace　everything



conceived　by；　the　Divine　intellect；　the　only　alternative　is　to　assert　that



God　has　created　nature　so　weak；　and　has　ordained　for　her　laws　so　barren；



that　He　is　repeatedly　compelled　to　come　afresh　to　her　aid　if　He　wishes　that



she　should　be　preserved；　and　that　things　should　happen　as　He　desires：　a



conclusion；　in　My　opinion；　very　far　removed　from　reason。　（21）　Further；　as



nothing　happens　in　nature　which　does　not　follow