a theologico-political treatise [part iv]-第6部分

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and　the　same。　（51）　The　dogmas　of　religion　were　not　precepts；　but　laws　and



ordinances；　piety　was　regarded　as　the　same　as　loyalty；　impiety　as　the　same



as　disaffection。　（52）　Everyone　who　fell　away　from　religion　ceased　to　be　a



citizen；　and　was；　on　that　ground　alone；　accounted　an　enemy：　those　who



died　for　the　sake　of　religion；　were　held　to　have　died　for　their　country；



in　fact；　between　civil　and　religious　law　and　right　there　was　no　distinction



whatever。　｛in　Biblical　Hebrew；　there　was　no　word　for　what　we　call　Religion。〃



Modern　Hebrew　has　selected　a　word　whose　root　is　〃knowledge。〃｝　（53）　For　this



reason　the　government　could　be　called　a　Theocracy；　inasmuch　as　the　citizens



were　not　bound　by　anything　save　the　revelations　of　God。







（17：54）　However；　this　state　of　things　existed　rather　in　theory　than　in



practice；　for　it　will　appear　from　what　we　are　about　to　say；　that　the



Hebrews；　as　a　matter　of　fact；　retained　absolutely　in　their　own　hands　the



right　of　sovereignty：　this　is　shown　by　the　method　and　plan　by　which　the



government　was　carried　on；　as　I　will　now　explain。







（17：55）　Inasmuch　as　the　Hebrews　did　not　transfer　their　rights　to　any　other



person　but；　as　in　a　democracy；　all　surrendered　their　rights　equally；　and



cried　out　with　one　voice；　〃Whatsoever　God　shall　speak　（no　mediator　or



mouthpiece　being　named）　that　will　we　do；〃　it　follows　that　all　were　equally



bound　by　the　covenant；　and　that　all　had　an　equal　right　to　consult　the　Deity；



to　accept　and　to　interpret　His　laws；　so　that　all　had　an　exactly　equal　share



in　the　government。　＇17：5＇　（56）　Thus　at　first　they　all　approached　God



together；　so　that　they　might　learn　His　commands；　but　in　this　first



salutation；　they　were　so　thoroughly　terrified　and　so　astounded　to　hear　God



speaking；　that　they　thought　their　last　hour　was　at　hand：　full　of　fear；



therefore；　they　went　afresh　to　Moses；　and　said；　〃Lo；　we　have　heard　God



speaking　in　the　fire；　and　there　is　no　cause　why　we　should　wish　to　die：



surely　this　great　fire　will　consume　us：　if　we　hear　again　the　voice　of　God；



we　shall　surely　die。　（57）　Thou；　therefore；　go　near；　and　hear　all　the　words



of　our　God；　and　thou　（not　God）　shalt　speak　with　us：　all　that　God　shall　tell



us；　that　will　we　hearken　to　and　perform。〃







（17：58）　They　thus　clearly　abrogated　their　former　covenant；　and　absolutely



transferred　to　Moses　their　right　to　consult　God　and　interpret　His　commands：



for　they　do　not　here　promise　obedience　to　all　that　God　shall　tell　them；　but



to　all　that　God　shall　tell　Moses　（see　Deut。　v：20　after　the　Decalogue；　and



chap。　xviii：15；　16）。　（59）　Moses；　therefore；　remained　the　sole　promulgator



and　interpreter　of　the　Divine　laws；　and　consequently　also　the　sovereign



judge；　who　could　not　be　arraigned　himself；　and　who　acted　among　the　Hebrews



the　part；　of　God；　in　other　words；　held　the　sovereign　kingship：　he　alone



had　the　right　to　consult　God；　to　give　the　Divine　answers　to　the



people；　and　to　see　that　they　were　carried　out。　（60）　I　say　he　alone；　for　if



anyone　during　the　life　of　Moses　was　desirous　of　preaching　anything　in　the



name　of　the　Lord；　he　was；　even　if　a　true　prophet；　considered　guilty　and　a



usurper　of　the　sovereign　right　（Numb。　xi：28）　＇Endnote　30＇。　（61）　We　may　here



notice；　that　though　the　people　had　elected　Moses；　they　could　not　rightfully



elect　Moses's　successor；　for　having　transferred　to　Moses　their　right　of



consulting　God；　and　absolutely　promised　to　regard　him　as　a　Divine　oracle；



they　had　plainly　forfeited　the　whole　of　their　right；　and　were　bound　to



accept　as　chosen　by　God　anyone　proclaimed　by　Moses　as　his　successor。　（62）　If



Moses　had　so　chosen　his　successor；　who　like　him　should　wield　the　sole　right



of　government；　possessing　the　sole　right　of　consulting　God；　and　consequently



of　making　and　abrogating　laws；　of　deciding　on　peace　or　war；　of　sending



ambassadors；　appointing　judges　…　in　fact；　discharging　all　the　functions　of　a



sovereign；　the　state　would　have　become　simply　a　monarchy；　only　differing



from　other　monarchies　in　the　fact；　that　the　latter　are；　or　should　be；



carried　on　in　accordance　with　God's　decree；　unknown　even　to　the　monarch；



whereas　the　Hebrew　monarch　would　have　been　the　only　person　to　whom　the



decree　was　revealed。　（63）　A　difference　which　increases；　rather　than



diminishes　the　monarch's　authority。　（64）　As　far　as　the　people　in　both　cases



are　concerned；　each　would　be　equally　subject；　and　equally　ignorant　of



the　Divine　decree；　for　each　would　be　dependent　on　the　monarch's　words；　and



would　learn　from　him　alone；　what　was　lawful　or　unlawful：　nor　would　the　fact



that　the　people　believed　that　the　monarch　was　only　issuing　commands　in



accordance　with　God's　decree　revealed　to　him；　make　it　less　in　subjection；



but　rather　more。　＇17：6＇　（65）　However；　Moses　elected　no　such　successor；　but



left　the　dominion　to　those　who　came　after　him　in　a　condition　which　could　not



be　called　a　popular　government；　nor　an　aristocracy；　nor　a　monarchy；　but　a



Theocracy。　（66）　For　the　right　of　interpreting　laws　was　vested　in　one　man；



while　the　right　and　power　of　administering　the　state　according　to　the



laws　thus　interpreted；　was　vested　in　another　man　（see　Numb。　xxvii：21）



＇Endnote　31＇。







（17：67）　In　order　that　the　question　may　be　thoroughly　understood；　I　will　duly



set　forth　the　administration　of　the　whole　state。







（68）　First；　the　people　were　commanded　to　build　a　tabernacle；　which　should



be；　as　it　were；　the　dwelling　of　God　…　that　is；　of　the　sovereign　authority　of



the　state。　（69）　This　tabernacle　was　to　be　erected　at　the　cost　of　the　whole



people；　not　of　one　man；　in　order　that　the　place　where　God　was　consulted



might　be　public　property。　（70）　The　Levites　were　chosen　as　courtiers　and



administrators　of　this　royal　abode；　while　Aaron；　the　brother　of　Moses；　was



chosen　to　be　their　chief　and　second；　as　it　were；　to　God　their　King；　being



succeeded　in　the　office　by　his　legitimate　sons。







（17：71）　He；　as　the　nearest　to　God；　was　the　sovereign　interpreter　of　the



Divine　laws；　he　communicated　the　answers　of　the　Divine　oracle　to　the　people；



and　entreated　God's　favour　for　them。　（72）　If；　in　addition　to　these



privileges；　he　had　possessed　the　right　of　ruling；　he　would　have　been　neither



more　nor　less　than　an　absolute　monarch；　but；　in　respect　to　government；　he



was　only　a　private　citizen：　the　whole　tribe　of　Levi　was　so　completely



divested　of　governing　rights　that　it　did　not　even　take　its　share　with　the



others　in　the　partition　of　territory。　（73）　Moses　provided　for　its　support　by



inspiring　the　common　people　with　great　reverence　for　it；　as　the　only　tribe



dedicated　to　God。







（17：74）　Further；　the　army；　formed　from　the　remaining　twelve　tribes；　was



commanded　to　invade　the　land　of　Canaan；　to　divide　it　into　twelve　portions；



and　to　distribute　it　among　the　tribes　by　lot。　（75）　For　this　task　twelve



captains　were　chosen；　one　from　every　tribe；　and　were；　together　with



Joshua　and　Eleazar；　the　high　priest；　empowered　to　divide　the　land　into



twelve　equal　parts；　and　distribute　it　by　lot。　（76）　Joshua　was　chosen　for　the



chief　command　of　the　army；　inasmuch　as　none　but　he　had　the　right　to　consult



God　in　emergencies；　not　like　Moses；　alone　in　his　tent；　or　in　the



tabernacle；　but　through　the　high　priest；　to　whom　only　the　answers　of　God



were　revealed。　（77）　Furthermore；　he　was　empowered　to　execute；　and　cause　the



people　to　obey　God's　commands；　transmitted　through　the　high　priests；　to



find；　and　to　make　use　of；　means　for　carrying　them　out；　to　choose　as　many；



army　captains　as　he　liked；　to　make　whatever　choice　he　thought　best；　to



send　ambassadors　in　his　own　name；　and；　in　short；　to　have　the　entire　control



of　the　war。　（78）　To　his　office　there　was　no　rightful　successor　…　indeed；　the



post　was　only　filled　by　the　direct　order　of　the　Deity；　on　occasions　of



public　emergency。　（79）　In　ordinary　times；　all　the　management　of　peace　and



war　was　vested　in　the　captains　of　the　tribes；　as　I　will　shortly　point　out。



（80）　Lastly；　all　men　between　the　ages　of　twenty　and　sixty　were　ordered　to



bear　arms；　and　form　a　citizen　army；　owing　allegiance；　not　to　its　general…in…



chief；　nor　to　the　high　priest；　but　to　Religion　and　to　God。　（81）　The　army；　or



the　hosts；　were　called　the　army　of　God；　or　the　hosts　of　God。　（82）　For　this



reason　God　was　called　by　the　Hebrews　the　God　of　Armies；　and　the　ark　of　the



covenant　was　borne　in　the　midst　of　the　army　in　important　battles；　when　the



safety　or　destruction　of　the　whole　people　hung　upon　the　issue；　so　that　the



people　might；　as　it　were；　see　their　King　among　them；　and　put　forth　all　their



strength。







（17：83）　From　these　directions；　left　by　Moses　to　his　successors；　we　plainly



see　that　he　chose　administrators；　rather　than　despots；　to　come　after　him；



for　he　invested　no　one　with　the　power　of　consulting　God；　where　he　liked　and



alone；　consequently；　no　one　had　the　power　possessed　by　himself　of　ordaining



and　abrogating　laws；　of　deciding　on　war　or　peace；　of　choosing　men　to　fill



offices　both　religious　and　secular：　all　these　are　the　prerogatives　of　a



sovereign。　（84）　The　high　priest；　indeed；　had　the　right　of　interpreting　laws；



and　communicating　the　answers　of　God；　but　he　could　not　do　so　when　he　liked；



as　Moses　could；　but　only　when　he　was　asked　by　the　general…in…chief　of　the



army；　the　council；　or　some　similar　authority。　（85）　The　general…in…chief　and



the　council　could　consult　God　when　they　liked；　but　could　only　receive　His



answers　through　the　high　priest；　so　that　the　utterances　of　God；　as　reported



by　the　high　priest；　were　not　decrees；　as　they　were　when　reported　by　Moses；



but　only　answers；　they　were　accepted　by　Joshua　and　the　council；　and　only



then　had　the　force　of　commands　and　decrees　｛Like　the　separation　of　powers　in



the　United　States　of　America。｝







（17：86）　The　high　priest；　both　in　the　case　of　Aaron　and　of　his　son　Eleazar；