a theologico-political treatise [part ii]-第15部分

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does　not　see　that　the　number　of　the　years　of　Saul's　age　when　he　began　to



reign　has　been　omitted？　（37）　That　the　record　of　the　reign　presupposes　a



greater　number　of　years　is　equally　beyond　doubt；　for　in　the　same　book；　chap。



xxvii：7；　it　is　stated　that　David　sojourned　among　the　Philistines；　to　whom　he



had　fled　on　account　of　Saul；　a　year　and　four　months；　thus　the　rest　of　the



reign　must　have　been　comprised　in　a　space　of　eight　months；　which　I　think



no　one　will　credit。　（38）　Josephus；　at　the　end　of　the　sixth　book　of　his



antiquities；　thus　corrects　the　text：　Saul　reigned　eighteen　years　while



Samuel　was　alive；　and　two　years　after　his　death。　（39）　However；　all　the



narrative　in　chap。　Xiii。　is　in　complete　disagreement　with　what　goes　before。



（40）　At　the　end　of　chap。　vii。　it　is　narrated　that　the　Philistines　were　so



crushed　by　the　Hebrews　that　they　did　not　venture；　during　Samuel's　life；　to



invade　the　borders　of　Israel；　but　in　chap。　xiii。　we　are　told　that　the



Hebrews　were　invaded　during　the　life　of　Samuel　by　the　Philistines；　and



reduced　by　them　to　such　a　state　of　wretchedness　and　poverty　that　they　were



deprived　not　only　of　weapons　with　which　to　defend　themselves；　but　also　of



the　means　of　making　more。　（41）　I　should　be　at　pains　enough　if　I　were　to　try



and　harmonize　all　the　narratives　contained　in　this　first　book　of　Samuel　so



that　they　should　seem　to　be　all　written　and　arranged　by　a　single　historian。



（42）　But　I　return　to　my　object。　（43）　The　years；　then；　during　which　Saul



reigned　must　be　added　to　the　above　computation；　and；　lastly；　I　have　not



counted　the　years　of　the　Hebrew　anarchy；　for　I　cannot　from　Scripture　gather



their　number。　（44）　I　cannot；　I　say；　be　certain　as　to　the　period　occupied　by



the　events　related　in　Judges　chap。　xvii。　on　till　the　end　of　the　book。







（45）　It　is　thus　abundantly　evident　that　we　cannot　arrive　at　a　true



computation　of　years　from　the　histories；　and；　further；　that　the　histories



are　inconsistent　themselves　on　the　subject。　（46）　We　are　compelled　to　confess



that　these　histories　were　compiled　from　various　writers　without　previous



arrangement　and　examination。　（47）　Not　less　discrepancy　is　found　between　the



dates　given　in　the　Chronicles　of　the　Kings　of　Judah；　and　those　in　the



Chronicles　of　the　Kings　of　Israel；　in　the　latter；　it　is　stated　that　Jehoram；



the　son　of　Ahab；　began　to　reign　in　the　second　year　of　the　reign　of　Jehoram；



the　son　of　Jehoshaphat　（2　Kings　i：17）；　but　in　the　former　we　read　that



Jehoram；　the　son　of　Jehoshaphat；　began　to　reign　in　the　fifth　year　of



Jehoram；　the　son　of　Ahab　（2　Kings　viii：16）。　（48）　Anyone　who　compares　the



narratives　in　Chronicles　with　the　narratives　in　the　books　of　Kings；　will



find　many　similar　discrepancies。　（49）　These　there　is　no　need　for　me　to



examine　here；　and　still　less　am　I　called　upon　to　treat　of　the　commentaries



of　those　who　endeavour　to　harmonize　them。　（50）　The　Rabbis　evidently　let



their　fancy　run　wild。　（51）　Such　commentators　as　I　have；　read；　dream；　invent；



and　as　a　last　resort；　play　fast　and　loose　with　the　language。　（52）　For



instance；　when　it　is　said　in　2　Chronicles；　that　Ahab　was　forty…two　years　old



when　he　began　to　reign；　they　pretend　that　these　years　are　computed　from　the



reign　of　Omri；　not　from　the　birth　of　Ahab。　If　this　can　be　shown　to　be　the



real　meaning　of　the　writer　of　the　book　of　Chronicles；　all　I　can　say　is；　that



he　did　not　know　how　to　state　a　fact。　（53）　The　commentators　make　many　other



assertions　of　this　kind；　which　if　true；　would　prove　that　the　ancient　Hebrews



were　ignorant　both　of　their　own　language；　and　of　the　way　to　relate　a　plain



narrative。　（54）　I　should　in　such　case　recognize　no　rule　or　reason　in



interpreting　Scripture；　but　it　would　be　permissible　to　hypothesize　to　one's



heart's　content。







（55）　If　anyone　thinks　that　I　am　speaking　too　generally；　and　without



sufficient　warrant；　I　would　ask　him　to　set　himself　to　showing　us　some　fixed



plan　in　these　histories　which　might　be　followed　without　blame　by　other



writers　of　chronicles；　and　in　his　efforts　at　harmonizing　and　interpretation；



so　strictly　to　observe　and　explain　the　phrases　and　expressions；　the　order



and　the　connections；　that　we　may　be　able　to　imitate　these　also　in　our



writings；　＇Endnote　17＇。　（56）　If　he　succeeds；　I　will　at　once　give　him　my



hand；　and　he　shall　be　to　me　as　great　Apollo；　for　I　confess　that　after　long



endeavours　I　have　been　unable　to　discover　anything　of　the　kind。　（57）　I　may



add　that　I　set　down　nothing　here　which　I　have　not　long　reflected　upon；　and



that；　though　I　was　imbued　from　my　boyhood　up　with　the　ordinary　opinions



about　the



Scriptures；　I　have　been　unable　to　withstand　the　force　of　what　I　have　urged。







（58）　However；　there　is　no　need　to　detain　the　reader　with　this　question；　and



drive　him　to　attempt　an　impossible　task；　I　merely　mentioned　the　fact　in



order　to　throw　light　on　my　intention。







（59）　I　now　pass　on　to　other　points　concerning　the　treatment　of　these　books。



（60）　For　we　must　remark；　in　addition　to　what　has　been　shown；　that　these



books　were　not　guarded　by　posterity　with　such　care　that　no　faults　crept　in。



（61）　The　ancient　scribes　draw　attention　to　many　doubtful　readings；　and　some



mutilated　passages；　but　not　to　all　that　exist：　whether　the　commentaries　of



those　who　endeavour　to　harmonize　them。　（62）　The　Rabbis　evidently　let　their



fancy　run　wild。　（63）　Such　commentators　as　I　have；　read；　dream；　invent；　and



as　a　last　resort；　play　fast　and　loose　with　the　language。　（64）　For　instance；



when　it　is　said　in　2　Chronicles；　that　Ahab　was　forty…two　years　old　when　he



began　to　reign；　they　pretend　that　these　years　are　computed　from　the　reign　of



Omri；　not　from　the　birth　of　Ahab。　（65）　If　this　can　be　shown　to　be　the　real



meaning　of　the　writer　of　the　book　of　Chronicles；　all　I　can　say　is；　that　he



did　not　know　how　to　state　a　fact。　（66）　The　commentators　make　many　other



assertions　of　this　kind；　which　if　true；　would　prove　that　the　ancient　Hebrews



were　ignorant　both　of　their　own　language；　and　of　the　way　to　relate　a　plain



narrative。　（67）　I　should　in　such　case　recognize　no　rule　or　reason　in



interpreting　Scripture；　but　it　would　be　permissible　to　hypothesize　to　one's



heart's　content。







（68）　If　anyone　thinks　that　I　am　speaking　too　generally；　and　without



sufficient　warrant；　I　would　ask　him　to　set　himself　to　showing　us　some　fixed



plan　in　these　histories　which　might　be　followed　without　blame　by　other



writers　of　chronicles；　and　in　his　efforts　at　harmonizing　and　interpretation；



so　strictly　to　observe　and　explain　the　phrases　and　expressions；　the　order



and　the　connections；　that　we　may　be　able　to　imitate　these　also　in　our



writings　（17）。　（69）　If　he　succeeds；　I　will　at　once　give　him　my　hand；　and　he



shall　be　to　me　as　great　Apollo；　for　I　confess　that　after　long　endeavours　I



have　been　unable　to　discover　anything　of　the　kind。　（70）　I　may　add　that　I　set



down　nothing　here　which　I　have　not　long　reflected　upon；　and　that；　though　I



was　imbued　from　my　boyhood　up　with　the　ordinary　opinions　about　the



Scriptures；　I　have　been　unable　to　withstand　the　force　of　what　I　have　urged。







（71）　However；　there　is　no　need　to　detain　the　reader　with　this　question；　and



drive　him　to　attempt　an　impossible　task；　I　merely　mentioned　the　fact　in



order　to　throw　light　on　my　intention。







（72）　I　now　pass　on　to　other　points　concerning　the　treatment　of　these　books。



（73）　For　we　must　remark；　in　addition　to　what　has　been　shown；　that　these



books　were　not　guarded　by　posterity　with　such　care　that　no　faults　crept　in。



（74）　The　ancient　scribes　draw　attention　to　many　doubtful　readings；　and　some



mutilated　passages；　but　not　to　all　that　exist：　whether　the　faults　are



of　sufficient　importance　to　greatly；　embarrass　the　reader　I　will　not　now



discuss。　（75）　I　am　inclined　to　think　that　they　are　of　minor　moment　to　those；



at　any　rate；　who　read　the　Scriptures　with　enlightenment：　and　I　can



positively；　affirm　that　I　have　not　noticed　any　fault　or　various　reading　in



doctrinal　passages　sufficient　to　render　them　obscure　or　doubtful。







（76）　There　are　some　people；　however；　who　will　not　admit　that　there　is　any



corruption；　even　in　other　passages；　but　maintain　that　by　some　unique



exercise　of　providence　God　has　preserved　from　corruption　every　word　in　the



Bible：　they　say　that　the　various　readings　are　the　symbols　of　profoundest



mysteries；　and　that　mighty　secrets　lie　hid　in　the　twenty…eight　hiatus　which



occur；　nay；　even　in　the　very　form　of　the　letters。







（77）　Whether　they　are　actuated　by　folly　and　anile　devotion；　or　whether　by



arrogance　and　malice　so　that　they　alone　may　be　held　to　possess　the　secrets



of　God；　I　know　not：　this　much　I　do　know；　that　I　find　in　their　writings



nothing　which　has　the　air　of　a　Divine　secret；　but　only　childish



lucubrations。　（78）　I　have　read　and　known　certain　Kabbalistic　triflers；　whose



insanity　provokes　my　unceasing　as　astonishment。　（79）　That　faults　have　crept



in　will；　I　think；　be　denied　by　no　sensible　person　who　reads　the　passage



about　Saul；　above　quoted　（1　Sam。　xiii：1）　and　also　2　Sam。　vi：2：　〃And　David



arose　and　went　with　all　the　people　that　were　with　him　from　Judah；　to　bring



up　from　thence　the　ark　of　God。〃







（80）　No　one　can　fail　to　remark　that　the　name　of　their　destination；　viz。；



Kirjath…jearim　＇Endnotee　18＇；　has　been　omitted：　nor　can　we　deny　that



2　Sam。　xiii：37；　has　been　tampered　with　and　mutilated。　〃And　Absalom　fled；　and



went　to　Talmai；　the　son　of　Ammihud；　king　of　Geshur。　（81）　And　he　mourned　for



his　son　every　day。　So　Absalom　fled；　and　went　to　Geshur；　and　was　there　three