第 4 节
作者:笑傲网络      更新:2024-04-09 19:52      字数:9321
  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。