a theologico-political treatise [part ii]-第11部分

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received　opinions　concerning　the　true　authors　of　the　sacred　books；　and　in



the　first　place；　speak　of　the　author　of　the　Pentateuch；　who　is　almost



universally　supposed　to　have　been　Moses。　（8）　The　Pharisees　are　so　firmly



convinced　of　his　identity；　that　they　account　as　a　heretic　anyone　who　differs



from　them　on　the　subject。　（9）　Wherefore；　Aben　Ezra；　a　man　of　enlightened



intelligence；　and　no　small　learning；　who　was　the　first；　so　far　as　I　know；



to　treat　of　this　opinion；　dared　not　express　his　meaning　openly；　but　confined



himself　to　dark　hints　which　I　shall　not　scruple　to　elucidate；　thus　throwing；



full　light　on　the　subject。







（10）　The　words　of　Aben　Ezra　which　occur　in　his　commentary　on　Deuteronomy　are



as　follows：　〃Beyond　Jordan；　&c　。　。　。　If　so　be　that　thou　understandest　the



mystery　of　the　twelve　。　。　。　　moreover　Moses　wrote　the　law　。　。　。　　The



Canaanite　was　then　in　the　land　。　。　。　。　it　shall　be　revealed　on　the　mount　of



God　。　。　。　。　then　also　behold　his　bed；　his　iron　bed；　then　shalt　thou　know



the　truth。〃　（11）　In　these　few　words　he　hints；　and　also　shows　that　it　was　not



Moses　who　wrote　the　Pentateuch；　but　someone　who　lived　long　after　him；　and



further；　that　the　book　which　Moses　wrote　was　something　different　from　any



now　extant。







（12）　To　prove　this；　I　say；　he　draws　attention　to　the　facts：







（13）　1。　That　the　preface　to　Deuteronomy　could　not　have　been　written　by



Moses；　inasmuch　as　he　ad　never　crossed　the　Jordan。







（14）　II。　That　the　whole　book　of　Moses　was　written　at　full　length　on　the



circumference　of　a　single　altar　（Deut。　xxvii；　and　Josh。　viii：37）；　which



altar；　according　to　the　Rabbis；　consisted　of　only　twelve　stones：　therefore



the　book　of　Moses　must　have　been　of　far　less　extent　than　the　Pentateuch。



（15）　This　is　what　our　author　means；　I　think；　by　the　mystery　of　the　twelve；



unless　he　is　referring　to　the　twelve　curses　contained　in　the　chapter　of



Deuteronomy　above　cited；　which　he　thought　could　not　have　been　contained　in



the　law；　because　Moses　bade　the　Levites　read　them　after　the　recital　of　the



law；　and　so　bind　the　people　to　its　observance。　（16）　Or　again；　he　may　have



had　in　his　mind　the　last　chapter　of　Deuteronomy　which　treats　of　the　death　of



Moses；　and　which　contains　twelve　verses。　（17）　But　there　is　no　need　to　dwell



further　on　these　and　similar　conjectures。







（18）　III。　That　in　Deut。　xxxi：9；　the　expression　occurs；　〃and　Moses　wrote　the



law：〃　words　that　cannot　be　ascribed　to　Moses；　but　must　be　those　of　some



other　writer　narrating　the　deeds　and　writings　of　Moses。







（19）　IV。　That　in　Genesis　xii：6；　the　historian；　after　narrating　that　Abraham



journeyed　through　the　and　of　Canaan；　adds；　〃and　the　Canaanite　was　then　in



the　land；〃　thus　clearly　excluding　the　time　at　which　he　wrote。　（20）　So　that



this　passage　must　have　been　written　after　the　death　of　Moses；　when　the



Canaanites　had　been　driven　out；　and　no　longer　possessed　the　land。







（21）　Aben　Ezra；　in　his　commentary　on　the　passage；　alludes　to　the　difficulty



as　follows：…　〃And　the　Canaanite　was　then　in　the　land：　it　appears　that



Canaan；　the　grandson　of　Noah；　took　from　another　the　land　which　bears　his



name；　if　this　be　not　the　true　meaning；　there　lurks　some　mystery　in　the



passage；　and　let　him　who　understands　it　keep　silence。〃　（22）　That　is；　if



Canaan　invaded　those　regions；　the　sense　will　be；　the　Canaanite　was　then　in



the　land；　in　contradistinction　to　the　time　when　it　had　been　held　by　another：



but　if；　as　follows　from　Gen。　chap。　x。　Canaan　was　the　first　to　inhabit　the



land；　the　text　must　mean　to　exclude　the　time　present；　that　is　the　time　at



which　it　was　written；　therefore　it　cannot　be　the　work　of　Moses；　in



whose　time　the　Canaanites　still　possessed　those　territories：　this　is　the



mystery　concerning　which　silence　is　recommended。







（23）　V。　That　in　Genesis　xxii：14　Mount　Moriah　is　called　the　mount　of　God；



＇Endnote　9＇；　a　name　which　it　did　not　acquire　till　after　the　building　of　the



Temple；　the　choice　of　the　mountain　was　not　made　in　the　time　of　Moses；　for



Moses　does　not　point　out　any　spot　as　chosen　by　God；　on　the　contrary；　he



foretells　that　God　will　at　some　future　time　choose　a　spot　to　which　this　name



will　be　given。







（24）　VI。　Lastly；　that　in　Deut。　chap。　iii。；　in　the　passage　relating　to　Og；



king　of　Bashan；　these　words　are　inserted：　〃For　only　Og　king　of　Bashan



remained　of　the　remnant　of　giants：　behold；　his　bedstead　was　a　bedstead　of



iron：　is　it　not　in　Rabbath　of　the　children　of　Ammon？　nine　cubits　was　the



length　thereof；　and　four　cubits　the　breadth　of　it；　after　the　cubit　of　a



man。〃　（25）　This　parenthesis　most　plainly　shows　that　its　writer　lived　long



after　Moses；　for　this　mode　of　speaking　is　only　employed　by　one　treating　of



things　long　past；　and　pointing　to　relics　for　the　sake　of　gaining　credence：



moreover；　this　bed　was　almost　certainly　first　discovered　by　David；　who



conquered　the　city　of　Rabbath　（2　Sam。　xii：30。）　（26）　Again；　the　historian　a



little　further　on　inserts　after　the　words　of　Moses；　〃Jair；　the　son　of



Manasseh；　took　all　the　country　of　Argob　unto　the　coasts　of　Geshuri　and



Maachathi；　and　called　them　after　his　own　name；　Bashan…havoth…jair；　unto　this



day。〃　（27）　This　passage；　I　say；　is　inserted　to　explain　the　words　of　Moses



which　precede　it。　（28）　〃And　the　rest　of　Gilead；　and　all　Bashan；　being　the



kingdom　of　Og；　gave　I　unto　the　half　tribe　of　Manasseh；　all　the　region　of



Argob；　with　all　Bashan；　which　is　called　the　land　of　the　giants。〃　（29）　The



Hebrews　in　the　time　of　the　writer　indisputably　knew　what　territories



belonged　to　the　tribe　of　Judah；　but　did　not　know　them　under　the　name　of　the



jurisdiction　of　Argob；　or　the　land　of　the　giants。　（30）　Therefore　the　writer



is　compelled　to　explain　what　these　places　were　which　were　anciently　so



styled；　and　at　the　same　time　to　point　out　why　they　were　at　the　time　of　his



writing　known　by　the　name　of　Jair；　who　was　of　the　tribe　of　Manasseh；　not　of



Judah。　（31）　We　have　thus　made　clear　the　meaning　of　Aben　Ezra　and　also　the



passages　of　the　Pentateuch　which　he　cites　in　proof　of　his　contention。　（32）



However；　Aben　Ezra　does　not　call　attention　to　every　instance；　or　even　the



chief　ones；　there　remain　many　of　greater　importance；　which　may　be　cited。



（33）　Namely　（I。）；　that　the　writer　of　the　books　in　question　not　only　speaks



of　Moses　in　the　third　person；　but　also　bears　witness　to　many　details



concerning　him；　for　instance；　〃Moses　talked　with　God；〃　〃The　Lord　spoke　with



Moses　face　to　face；　〃　〃Moses　was　the　meekest　of　men〃　（Numb。　xii：3）；　〃Moses



was　wrath　with　the　captains　of　the　host；　〃Moses；　the　man　of　God；　〃Moses；　the



servant　of　the　Lord；　died；〃　〃There　was　never　a　prophet　in　Israel　like



unto　Moses；〃　&c。　（34）　On　the　other　hand；　in　Deuteronomy；　where　the　law　which



Moses　had　expounded　to　the　people　and　written　is　set　forth；　Moses　speaks　and



declares　what　he　has　done　in　the　first　person：　〃God　spake　with　me　〃　（Deut。



ii：1；　17；　&c。）；　〃I　prayed　to　the　Lord；〃　&c。　（35）　Except　at　the　end　of　the



book；　when　the　historian；　after　relating　the　words　of　Moses；　begins　again　to



speak　in　the　third　person；　and　to　tell　how　Moses　handed　over　the　law　which



he　had　expounded　to　the　people　in　writing；　again　admonishing　them；　and



further；　how　Moses　ended　his　life。　（36）　All　these　details；　the　manner　of



narration；　the　testimony；　and　the　context　of　the　whole　story　lead　to　the



plain　conclusion　that　these　books　were　written　by　another；　and　not　by　Moses



in　person。







（37）　III。　We　must　also　remark　that　the　history　relates　not　only　the　manner



of　Moses'　death　and　burial；　and　the　thirty　days'　mourning　of　the　Hebrews；



but　further　compares　him　with　all　the　prophets　who　came　after　him；　and



states　that　he　surpassed　them　all。　（38）　〃There　was　never　a　prophet　in　Israel



like　unto　Moses；　whom　the　Lord　knew　face　to　face。〃　（39）　Such　testimony



cannot　have　been　given　of　Moses　by；　himself；　nor　by　any　who　immediately



succeeded　him；　but　it　must　come　from　someone　who　lived　centuries　afterwards；



especially；　as　the　historian　speaks　of　past　times。　（40）　〃There　was　never　a



prophet；〃　&c。　（41）　And　of　the　place　of　burial；　〃No　one　knows　it　to　this



day。〃







（42）　III。　We　must　note　that　some　places　are　not　styled　by　the　names　they



bore　during　Moses'　lifetime；　but　by　others　which　they　obtained　subsequently。



（43）　For　instance；　Abraham　is　said　to　have　pursued　his　enemies　even　unto



Dan；　a　name　not　bestowed　on　the　city　till　long　after　the　death　of　Joshua



（Gen。　xiv；14；　Judges　xviii；29）。







（44）　IV。　The　narrative　is　prolonged　after　the　death　of　Moses；　for　in



Exodus　xvi：34　we　read　that　〃　the　children　of　Israel　did　eat　manna　forty



years　until　they　came　to　a　land　inhabited；　until　they　came　unto　the　borders



of　the　land　of　Canaan。〃　（45）　In　other　words；　until　the　time　alluded　to　in



Joshua　vi：12。







（46）　So；　too；　in　Genesis　xxxvi：31　it　is　stated；　〃These　are　the　kings　that



reigned　in　Edom　before　there　reigned　any　king　over　the　children　of　Israel。〃



（47）　The　historian；　doubtless；　here　relates　the　kings　of　Idumaea　before　that



territory　was　conquered　by　David　＇Endnote　10＇　and　garrisoned；　as　we　read



in　2　Sam。　viii：14。　（48）　From　what　has　been　said；　it　is　thus　clearer　than　the



sun　at　noonday　that　the　Pentateuch　was　not　written　by　Moses；　but　by　someone



who　lived　long　after　Moses。　（49）　Let　us　now　turn　our　attention　to　the　books



which　Moses　actually　did　write；　and　which　are　cited　in　the　Pentateuch；　thus；



also；　shall　we　see　that　they　were　different　from　the　Pentateuch。　（50）



Firstly；　it　appears　from　Exodus　xvii：14　that　Moses；　by　the　command　of