a theologico-political treatise [part ii]-第18部分

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statement；　but　contrariwise　asserts　in　chap。　xvii。　that　he　should　be　taken



to　Babylon　as　a　captive；　＇Endnote　20＇。







（29）　Of　Hosea　I　cannot　positively　state　that　he　wrote　more　than　is　now



extant　in　the　book　bearing　his　name；　but　I　am　astonished　at　the　smallness　of



the　quantity；　we　possess；　for　the　sacred　writer　asserts　that　the　prophet



prophesied　for　more　than　eighty　years。







（30）　We　may　assert；　speaking　generally；　that　the　compiler　of　the　prophetic



books　neither　collected　all　the　prophets；　nor　all　the　writings　of　those　we



have；　for　of　the　prophets　who　are　said　to　have　prophesied　in　the　reign　of



Manasseh　and　of　whom　general　mention　is　made　in　2　Chron。　xxxiii：10；　18；　we



have；　evidently；　no　prophecies　extant；　neither　have　we　all　the　prophecies　of



the　twelve　who　give　their　names　to　books。　（31）　Of　Jonah　we　have　only；　the



prophecy　concerning　the　Ninevites；　though　he　also　prophesied　to　the　children



of　Israel；　as　we　learn　in　2　Kings　xiv：25。







（32）　The　book　and　the　personality　of　Job　have　caused　much　controversy。　（33）



Some　think　that　the　book　is　the　work　of　Moses；　and　the　whole　narrative



merely　allegorical。　（34）　Such　is　the　opinion　of　the　Rabbins　recorded　in　the



Talmud；　and　they　are　supported　by；　Maimonides　in　his　〃More　Nebuchim。〃　（35）



Others　believe　it　to　be　a　true　history；　and　some　suppose　that　Job　lived　in



the　time　of　Jacob；　and　was　married　to　his　daughter　Dinah。　（36）　Aben　Ezra；



however；　as　I　have　already　stated；　affirms；　in　his　commentaries；　that　the



work　is　a　translation　into　Hebrew　from　some　other　language：　I　could　wish



that　he　could　advance　more　cogent　arguments　than　he　does；　for　we　might　then



conclude　that　the　Gentiles　also　had　sacred　books。　（37）　I　myself　leave　the



matter　undecided；　but　I　conjecture　Job　to　have　been　a　Gentile；　and　a　man　of



very　stable　character；　who　at　first　prospered；　then　was　assailed　with



terrible　calamities；　and　finally；　was　restored　to　great　happiness。　（38）　（He



is　thus　named；　among　others；　by　Ezekiel；　xiv：12。）　（39）　I　take　it　that　the



constancy　of　his　mind　amid　the　vicissitudes　of　his　fortune　occasioned　many



men　to　dispute　about　God's　providence；　or　at　least　caused　the　writer　of　the



book　in　question　to　compose　his　dialogues；　for　the　contents；　and　also　the



style；　seem　to　emanate　far　less　from　a　man　wretchedly　ill　and　lying　among



ashes；　than　from　one　reflecting　at　ease　in　his　study。　（40）　I　should　also　be



inclined　to　agree　with　Aben　Ezra　that　the　book　is　a　translation；　for　its



poetry　seems　akin　to　that　of　the　Gentiles；　thus　the　Father　of　Gods　summons　a



council；　and　Momus；　here　called　Satan；　criticizes　the　Divine　decrees　with



the　utmost　freedom。　（41）　But　these　are　mere　conjectures　without　any　solid



foundation。







（42）　I　pass　on　to　the　book　of　Daniel；　which；　from　chap。　viii。　onwards；



undoubtedly　contains　the　writing　of　Daniel　himself。　（43）　Whence　the　first



seven　chapters　are　derived　I　cannot　say；　we　may；　however；　conjecture　that；



as　they　were　first　written　in　Chaldean；　they　are　taken　from　Chaldean



chronicles。　（44）　If　this　could　be　proved；　it　would　form　a　very　striking



proof　of　the　fact　that　the　sacredness　of　Scripture　depends　on　our



understanding　of　the　doctrines　therein　signified；　and　not　on　the　words；　the



language；　and　the　phrases　in　which　these　doctrines　are　conveyed　to　us；



and　it　would　further　show　us　that　books　which　teach　and　speak　of　whatever　is



highest　and　best　are　equally　sacred；　whatever　be　the　tongue　in　which　they



are　written；　or　the　nation　to　which　they　belong。







（45）　We　can；　however；　in　this　case　only　remark　that　the　chapters　in　question



were　written　in　Chaldee；　and　yet　are　as　sacred　as　the　rest　of　the　Bible。







（46）　The　first　book　of　Ezra　is　so　intimately　connected　with　the　book　of



Daniel　that　both　are　plainly　recognizable　as　the　work　of　the　same　author；



writing　of　Jewish　history　from　the　time　of　the　first　captivity　onwards。　（47）



I　have　no　hesitation　in　joining　to　this　the　book　of　Esther；　for　the



conjunction　with　which　it　begins　can　refer　to　nothing　else。　（48）　It　cannot



be　the　same　work　as　that　written　by　Mordecai；　for；　in　chap。　ix：20…22；



another　person　relates　that　Mordecai　wrote　letters；　and　tells　us　their



contents；　further；　that　Queen　Esther　confirmed　the　days　of　Purim　in　their



times　appointed；　and　that　the　decree　was　written　in　the　book　that　is　（by　a



Hebraism）；　in　a　book　known　to　all　then　living；　which；　as　Aben　Ezra　and　the



rest　confess；　has　now　perished。　（49）　Lastly；　for　the　rest　of　the　acts　of



Mordecai；　the　historian　refers　us　to　the　chronicles　of　the　kings　of



Persia。　（50）　Thus　there　is　no　doubt　that　this　book　was　written　by　the　same



person　as　he　who　recounted　the　history　of　Daniel　and　Ezra；　and　who　wrote



Nehemiah；　＇Endnote　21＇；　sometimes　called　the　second　book　of　Ezra。　（51）　We



may；　then；　affirm　that　all　these　books　are　from　one　hand；　but　we　/have　no



clue　whatever　to　the　personality　of　the　author。　（52）　However；　in　order　to



determine　whence　he；　whoever　he　was；　had　gained　a　knowledge　of　the　histories



which　he　had；　perchance；　in　great　measure　himself　written；　we　may　remark



that　the　governors　or　chiefs　of　the　Jews；　after　the　restoration　of　the



Temple；　kept　scribes　or　historiographers；　who　wrote　annals　or　chronicles　of



them。　（53）　The　chronicles　of　the　kings　are　often　quoted　in　the　books　of



Kings；　but　the　chronicles　of　the　chiefs　and　priests　are　quoted　for　the　first



time　in　Nehemiah　xii：23；　and　again　in　1　Macc。　xvi：24。　（54）　This　is



undoubtedly　the　book　referred　to　as　containing　the　decree　of　Esther　and　the



acts　of　Mordecai；　and　which；　as　we　said　with　Aben　Ezra；　is　now　lost。　（55）



From　it　were　taken　the　whole　contents　of　these　four　books；　for　no　other



authority　is　quoted　by　their　writer；　or　is　known　to　us。







（56）　That　these　books　were　not　written　by　either　Ezra　or　Nehemiah　is　plain



from　Nehemiah　xii：9；　where　the　descendants　of　the　high　priest；　Joshua　are



traced　down　to　Jaddua；　the　sixth　high　priest；　who　went　to　meet　Alexander　the



Great；　when　the　Persian　empire　was　almost　subdued　（Josephus；　〃Ant。〃　ii。



108）；　or　who；　according　to　Philo…Judaeus；　was　the　sixth　and　last　high　priest



under　the　Persians。　（57）　In　the　same　chapter　of　Nehemiah；　verse　22；　this



point　is　clearly　brought　out：　〃The　Levites　in　the　days　of　Eliashib；　Joiada；



and　Johanan；　and　Jaddua；　were　recorded　chief　of　the　fathers：　also　the



priests；　to　the　reign　of　Darius　the　Persian〃　…　that　is　to　say；　in　the



chronicles；　and；　I　suppose；　no　one　thinks；　＇Endnote　22＇；　　that　the　lives　of



Nehemiah　and　Ezra　were　so　prolonged　that　they　outlived　fourteen　kings　of



Persia。　（58）　Cyrus　was　the　first　who　granted　the　Jews　permission　to　rebuild



their　Temple：　the　period　between　his　time　and　Darius；　fourteenth　and　last



king　of　Persia；　extends　over　230　years。　（59）　I　have；　therefore；　no　doubt



that　these　books　were　written　after　Judas　Maccabaeus　had　restored　the



worship　in　the　Temple；　for　at　that　time　false　books　of　Daniel；　Ezra；　and



Esther　were　published　by　evil…disposed　persons；　who　were　almost　certainly



Sadducees；　for　the　writings　were　never　recognized　by　the　Pharisees；　so　far



as　I　am　aware；　and；　although　certain　myths　in　the　fourth　book　of　Ezra　are



repeated　in　the　Talmud；　they　must　not　be　set　down　to　the　Pharisees；　for　all



but　the　most　ignorant　admit　that　they　have　been　added　by　some　trifler：　in



fact；　I　think；　someone　must　have　made　such　additions　with　a　view　to　casting



ridicule　on　all　the　traditions　of　the　sect。







（60）　Perhaps　these　four　books　were　written　out　and　published　at　the　time　I



have　mentioned　with　a　view　to　showing　the　people　that　the　prophecies　of



Daniel　had　been　fulfilled；　and　thus　kindling　their　piety；　and　awakening　a



hope　of　future　deliverance　in　the　midst　of　their　misfortunes。　（61）　In



spite　of　their　recent　origin；　the　books　before　us　contain　many　errors；　due；



I　suppose；　to　the　haste　with　which　they　were　written。　（62）　Marginal



readings；　such　as　I　have　mentioned　in　the　last　chapter；　are　found　here　as



elsewhere；　and　in　even　greater　abundance；　there　are；　moreover；　certain



passages　which　can　only　be　accounted　for　by　supposing　some　such　cause　as



hurry。







（63）　However；　before　calling　attention　to　the　marginal　readings；　I　will



remark　that；　if　the　Pharisees　are　right　in　supposing　them　to　have　been



ancient；　and　the　work　of　the　original　scribes；　we　must　perforce　admit　that



these　scribes　（if　there　were　more　than　one）　set　them　down　because　they



found　that　the　text　from　which　they　were　copying　was　inaccurate；　and　did　yet



not　venture　to　alter　what　was　written　by　their　predecessors　and　superiors。



（64）　I　need　not　again　go　into　the　subject　at　length；　and　will；　therefore；



proceed　to　mention　some　discrepancies　not　noticed　in　the　margin。







（65）　I。　Some　error　has　crept　into　the　text　of　the　second　chapter　of　Ezra；



for　in　verse　64　we　are　told　that　the　total　of　all　those　mentioned　in　the



rest　of　the　chapter　amounts　to　42；360；　but；　when　we　come　to　add　up　the



several　items　we　get　as　result　only　29；818。　（66）　There　must；　therefore；　be



an　error；　either　in　the　total；　or　in　the　details。　（67）　The　total　is　probably



correct；　for　it　would　most　likely　be　well　known　to　all　as　a　noteworthy



thing；　but　with　the　details；　the　case　would　be　different。　（68）　If；　then；　any



error　had　crept　into　the　total；　it　would　at　once　have　been　remarked；　and



easily　corrected。　（69）　This　view　is　confirmed　by　Nehemiah　vii。；　where　this



chapter　of　Ezra　is　mentioned；　and　a　total　is　given　in　plain　correspondence



thereto；　but　the　details　are　altogether　different　…　some　are　large