登陆注册
15401600000031

第31章 THE OLD TESTAMENT (22)

But as every conjuror is not famous alike for the same thing, so neither were those prophets; for though all of them, at least those I have spoken of, were famous for lying, some of them excelled in cursing.Elisha, whom I have just mentioned, was a chief in this branch of prophesying; it was he that cursed the forty-two children in the name of the Lord, whom the two she-bears came and devoured.We are to suppose that those children were of the party of Israel; but as those who will curse will lie, there is just as much credit to be given to this story of Elisha's two she- bears as there is to that of the Dragon of Wantley, of whom it is said: Poor children three devoured be, That could not with him grapple;And at one sup he eat them up, As a man would eat an apple.There was another description of men called prophets, that amused themselves with dreams and visions; but whether by night or by day we know not.These, if they were not quite harmless, were but little mischievous.Of this class are EZEKIEL and DANIEL; and the first question upon these books, as upon all the others, is, Are they genuine? that is, were they written by Ezekiel and Daniel?

Of this there is no proof; but so far as my own opinion goes, I am more inclined to believe they were, than that they were not.My reasons for this opinion are as follows: First, Because those books do not contain internal evidence to prove they were not written by Ezekiel and Daniel, as the books ascribed to Moses, Joshua, Samuel, etc., prove they were not written by Moses, Joshua, Samuel, etc.

Secondly, Because they were not written till after the Babylonish captivity began; and there is good reason to believe that not any book in the bible was written before that period; at least it is proveable, from the books themselves, as I have already shown, that they were not written till after the commencement of the Jewish monarchy.

Thirdly, Because the manner in which the books ascribed to Ezekiel and Daniel are written, agrees with the condition these men were in at the time of writing them.

Had the numerous commentators and priests, who have foolishly employed or wasted their time in pretending to expound and unriddle those books, been carred into captivity, as Ezekiel and Daniel were, it would greatly have improved their intellects in comprehending the reason for this mode of writing, and have saved them the trouble of racking their invention, as they have done to no purpose; for they would have found that themselves would be obliged to write whatever they had to write, respecting their own affairs, or those of their friends, or of their country, in a concealed manner, as those men have done.

These two books differ from all the rest; for it is only these that are filled with accounts of dreams and visions: and this difference arose from the situation the writers were in as prisoners of war, or prisoners of state, in a foreign country, which obliged them to convey even the most trifling information to each other, and all their political projects or opinions, in obscure and metaphorical terms.They pretend to have dreamed dreams, and seen visions, because it was unsafe for them to speak facts or plain language.We ought, however, to suppose, that the persons to whom they wrote understood what they meant, and that it was not intended anybody else should.But these busy commentators and priests have been puzzling their wits to find out what it was not intended they should know, and with which they have nothing to do.

Ezekiel and Daniel were carried prisoners to Babylon, under the first captivity, in the time of Jehoiakim, nine years before the second captivity in the time of Zedekiah.The Jews were then still numerous, and had considerable force at Jerusalem; and as it is natural to suppose that men in the situation of Ezekiel and Daniel would be meditating the recovery of their country, and their own deliverance, it is reasonable to suppose that the accounts of dreams and visions with which these books are filled, are no other than a disguised mode of correspondence to facilitate those objects: it served them as a cypher, or secret alphabet.If they are not this, they are tales, reveries, and nonsense; or at least a fanciful way of wearing off the wearisomeness of captivity; but the presumption is, they are the former.

Ezekiel begins his book by speaking of a vision of cherubims, and of a wheel within a wheel, which he says he saw by the river Chebar, in the land of his captivity.Is it not reasonable to suppose that by the cherubims he meant the temple at Jerusalem, where they had figures of cherubims?

and by a wheel within a wheel (which as a figure has always been understood to signify political contrivance) the project or means of recovering Jerusalem?

In the latter part of his book he supposes himself transported to Jerusalem, and into the temple; and he refers back to the vision on the river Chebar, and says, (xliii- 3,) that this last vision was like the vision on the river Chebar; which indicates that those pretended dreams and visions had for their object the recovery of Jerusalem, and nothing further.

As to the romantic interpretations and applications, wild as the dreams and visions they undertake to explain, which commentators and priests have made of those books, that of converting them into things which they call prophecies, and making them bend to times and circumstances as far remote even as the present day, it shows the fraud or the extreme folly to which credulity or priestcraft can go.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 圣域苍穹

    圣域苍穹

    踏至巅峰,一朝陨!至圣之道,崎岖坎坷!天纵之资,命转乾坤!亲情,友情,爱情,情深似海!圣道情道,辗转徘徊!鏖无数星域,成寰宇圣业!圣道至尊,成圣成主!启示圣录,幡然顿悟!内容中很多情感故事以及人生感悟都是作者亲身经历有据可考!希望此书能让各位兄弟姐妹品阅之时能引起共鸣!但愿各位兄弟姐妹在此书获得娱乐的同时也能学到有用的东西!那样也就不枉我写此书的初衷了!在此谢谢各位推荐、收藏、留言、建议的兄弟姐妹!已有两部完本作品共计500万字,请各位兄弟姐妹放心收藏。即使仅剩最后一名读者,作者也不会TJ!借推荐、借收藏(移到书架)、各种借!圣录读者群一:250929978圣录读者群二:250928487
  • 鬼王独宠清城妃

    鬼王独宠清城妃

    她是二十一世纪的天才医生,二十五岁就获得博士学位,她亦是黑暗组织的顶尖杀手。当她魂穿到异世,平凡的伪装下,是怎样的倾国倾城……他是暗夜的修罗,冷心冷情,但那只是因为他还没有遇到那个令他一见倾心的人,一但遇上,要么不爱,要么爱入骨髓……
  • 封少的神秘娇妻

    封少的神秘娇妻

    她,千景沫,被找回的豪门千金。他,封黎爵,被大家族不看好的二儿子。她,意外出国,四年后,她华丽归来,却早已改变。他,华丽蜕变成为数一数二的钻石王老五。四年里,从未停止过找她,但她真的就像消失了一样,再也毫无音讯。在四年里,她故意拒绝了解他的一切,她怕自己忍不住回去找他。明明相爱,却因为不相信而一再错过。四年后,她的归来会把过去的恩怨与误会解开吗?
  • 独,毒

    独,毒

    美丽的校园,纯纯的爱情,畅想未来,回忆美好,在这个爱做梦的年纪,总会有丝丝的心动环绕在身边,无论是曾近爱过的,还是被爱的,这些人还在身边吗?
  • 鸿蒙天行

    鸿蒙天行

    上穷碧落下黄泉,生死两茫然。披头褴褛志不改,曾经笑阑珊。有才不行,还得有力,有力也不够还得有心机耍阴谋啊,足不出户便能手掌天下权,只言片语便能屠杀天下人,嗯?枭雄?放屁!老子是宅男!丫丫的,什么东西,哥狼毫一挥便有千万弟兄与我征战疆场,风骚一对便有无数美人为我竞相折腰,且看哥如何纵横异世笑傲人间!
  • 天下圣儒

    天下圣儒

    天元大陆,九州十国,人魔妖三族鼎立!三教九流,诸子百家争锋!这是一个无比奇妙的世界,才气如山,泼墨成河,落笔惊风雨,诗成泣鬼神!宁浩无意间附身一个落魄书生,从此踏上圣儒之路!
  • 剩下的雨季

    剩下的雨季

    也许命运总是会帮忙打点好一切。凭什么,你就可以住在我的心里。会在机场帮我的人不止你一个,可以让我叫大哥的自然也不仅仅有你。可你好自私的,为什么?为什么总要在我的心里抢个位置呢?当初整颗心都是你的时候,你不是不要嘛?不会了,现在不会了。我已经强大到,可以没有你了??????所以,现在,请你不要再来挤进我的生命。你我已是陌路人。不要再来阻挡我,不然,即使是你,我也毫不留情。爱这种东西,已经离我很远了呢。我是个好演员,明明知道结局,却还是尽职的演完。但我们早已不是以前的我们了,我也没有这么好的演技了。所以,请你离开。不要和我说爱,我已经与它错过了????错过了就是错过了????回不去了????
  • 天绝剑仙

    天绝剑仙

    冷萧逸冷萧逸得来历不明的逆天宝剑名碧落,剑中深藏有莫名剑灵,玄旭,在他的指导下在天剑门逆天崛起。斩三尸,杀凶兽,弑神将,终铸就成天地一绝的剑仙。
  • 无法无天之真灵

    无法无天之真灵

    这是一个精彩的世界,世界的某处有一个平凡而祥和的山村山村稍远处有一座大山,山坡上生活着一个少年,少年过着无忧无虑而平静的生活,不出意外的话少年将在这里生活到老。然而有一天山里来了一位少女,少年平静的生活从这天开始被打破了。本书是练功升级流,不过跟其他小白文有所不同,望君细品,本作前期的境界如下,中后期暂不公布,敬请期待!!练气-筑基-培汞-聚元-化灵-升仙
  • 剑侠奇传之穿越

    剑侠奇传之穿越

    一把古剑带着一个屌丝穿越了........不喜勿喷