登陆注册
5155200000014

第14章

(109) Those who are ignorant of this fact cannot justify the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews for interpreting (chap. xi;21) Genesis (xlvii:31) very differently from the version given in our Hebrew text as at present pointed, as though the Apostle had been obliged to learn the meaning ofScripture from those who added the points. (110) In my opinion the latter are clearly wrong. (111) In order that everyone may judge for himself, and also see how the discrepancy arose simply from the want of vowels, I will give both interpretations. (112)Those who pointed our version read, "And Israel bent himself over, or (changing Hqain into Aleph, a similar letter) towards, the head of the bed." (113) The author of the Epistle reads, "And Israel bent himself over the head of his staff," substituting mate for mita, from which it only differs in respect of vowels. (114) Now as in this narrative it is Jacob's age only that is in question, and not his illness, which is not touched on till the next chapter, it seems more likely that the historian intended to say that Jacob bent over the head of his staff (a thing commonly used by men of advanced age for their support) than that he bowed himself at the head of his bed, especially as for the former reading no substitution of letters is required. (115) In this example I have desired not only to reconcile the passage in the Epistle with the passage in Genesis, but also and chiefly to illustrate how little trust should be placed in the points and accents which are found in our present Bible, and so to prove that he who would be without bias in interpreting Scripture should hesitate about accepting them, and inquire afresh for himself. (116) Such being the nature and structure of the Hebrew language, one may easily understand that many difficulties are likely to arise, and that no possible method could solve all of them. (117) It is useless to hope for a way out of our difficulties in the comparison of various parallel passages (we have shown that the only method of discovering the true sense of a passage out of many alternative ones is to see what are the usages of the language), for this comparison of parallel passages can only accidentally throw light on a difficult point, seeing that the prophets never wrote with the express object of explaining their own phrases or those of other people, and also because we cannot infer the meaning of one prophet or apostle by the meaning of another, unless on a purely practical question, not when the matter is speculative, or if a miracle, or history is being narrated. (118) I might illustrate my point with instances, for there are many inexplicable phrases in Scripture, but I would rather pass on to consider the difficulties and imperfections of the method under discussion.

(119) A further difficulty attends the method, from the fact that it requires the history of all that has happened to every book in the Bible; such a history we are often quite unable to furnish. (120) Of the authors, or (if the expression be preferred), the writers of many of the books, we are either in complete ignorance, or at any rate in doubt, as I will point out at length. (121) Further, we do not know either the occasions or the epochs when these books of unknown authorship were written; we cannot say into what hands they fell, nor how the numerous varying versions originated; nor, lastly, whether there were not other versions, now lost. (122) I have briefly shown that such knowledge is necessary, but I passed over certain considerations which I will now draw attention to.

(123) If we read a book which contains incredible or impossible narratives, or is written in a very obscure style, and if we know nothing of its author, nor of the time or occasion of its being written, we shall vainly endeavour to gain any certain knowledge of its true meaning. (124) For being in ignorance on these points we cannot possibly know the aim or intended aim of the author; if we are fully informed, we so order our thoughts as not to be in any way prejudiced either in ascribing to the author or him for whom the author wrote either more or less than his meaning, and we only take into consideration what the author may have had in his mind, or what the time and occasion demanded. (125) I think this must be tolerably evident to all.

(126) It often happens that in different books we read histories in themselves similar, but which we judge very differently, according to the opinions we have formed of the authors. (127) I remember once to have read in some book that a man named Orlando Furioso used to drive a kind of winged monster through the air, fly over any countries he liked, kill unaided vast numbers of men and giants, and such like fancies, which from the point of view of reason are obviously absurd. (128) A very similar story I read in Ovid of Perseus, and also in the books of Judges and Kings of Samson, who alone and unarmed killed thousands of men, and of Elijah, who flew through the air, said at last went up to heaven in a chariot of fire, with horses of fire. (129) All these stories are obviously alike, but we judge them very differently. (130) The first only sought to amuse, thesecond had a political object, the third a religious object.(131) We gather this simply from the opinions we had previously formed of the authors.

(132)Thus it is evidently necessary to know something of the authors of writings which are obscure or unintelligible, if we would interpret their meaning; and for the same reason, in order to choose the proper reading from among a great variety, we ought to have information as to the versions in which the differences are found, and as to the possibility of other readings having been discovered by persons of greater authority.

同类推荐
热门推荐
  • 嫁入豪门之后

    嫁入豪门之后

    (新书,《婚姻的保卫战》)女人的价值究竟是什么?男人的爱不在了,难道就要沦为一杯隔夜的冷茶吗?她在孤儿院长大,因为一场选秀节目让她化茧成蝶,一夜之间成为了万众瞩目的当红选秀明星,从此踏入了娱乐圈,当她事业如日中天的时候遇到了他,为了他她放弃了自己前途无限光明的事业,为了他,她放弃了交往多年的初恋男友,与他走入了婚姻殿堂,从此退出了娱乐圈,从一个娱乐明星一下子转变成豪门贵妇,七年之后,他们的婚姻却涟漪叠起,没有想到丈夫居然和自家保姆的闺女玩儿起了婚外恋,没有想到自己的初恋男友在此出现,没有想到自己居然成了前男友公司旗下艺人,
  • 赤松子中诫经

    赤松子中诫经

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 外科集验方

    外科集验方

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 摄瞳人

    摄瞳人

    她时常做一个梦,梦到白衣长衫男子手持柄剑刺进她的胸口,无数次她想看清那男子的面容,却从看不清楚。传言有一种人专门剜取鬼魂的双眼,阴界称之其为摄瞳人,摄瞳人手中有一把刀为摄冥刀,凡阴邪之物触碰,轻则灼伤,重则魂飞魄散。李天旭:“小时姐,你真的剜鬼眼睛当下酒菜吃啊。”苏青时咬牙:“谁对你说的。”李天旭一脸无辜:“我二哥啊……哎?小时姐你要去哪里!”苏青时头也不回:“剜了你二哥的眼睛给你当下酒菜!”民国时期的老上海,一件件离奇的死亡案件接连发生。南明路12号警区,新来锋宇队成员苏青时打着混吃混喝的名义与亡者通灵。新书推荐:《半世烟雨半世桃花》正在连载中。。
  • 别人家孩子的治愈史

    别人家孩子的治愈史

    每个人的心灵深处,都会藏着一些人或事,伴随着欢欣与悲戚。家人在他们心中或许是这个世界上最利刃的剑,直刺进心脏,疼痛至消亡。她们三个青梅,他们两个足马,因为感同身受,因为惺惺相惜,因为被伤害过的孩子只能互相舔舐伤口、互相取暖、互相依靠。一路上有报复、有阴谋、有喜怒哀乐,但是他们有幸相遇,携手用爱情、友情、亲情来治愈心底无法抹平的疮疤。爱原本就该是幸福,所以,我们幸福给别人看。
  • 邓小平外交谋略

    邓小平外交谋略

    全党全军和全国各族人民所敬爱的邓小平,不仅是邓小平理论的伟大创立者和改革开放的总设计师,而且也是当今世界上最杰出的国际战略家和外交家。国际形势开始发生深刻变化的大背景下,邓小平运用辩证唯物主义和历史唯物主义观点,清醒冷静地观察,实事求是地分析,科学缜密地思考,大胆准确地判断,得出了世界战争可以避免,和平与发展已经成为时代主题的结论。
  • 重生之荣耀军人

    重生之荣耀军人

    地球五好青年秦踏天,在高考前一个月,获得无敌神豪刷钱系统,装的是逼,打的是脸!立志打造出超脱凡人的逼格!,我叫柳俊我为神豪代言。
  • 穿越的神将

    穿越的神将

    上本书因不可抗力因素太监了十三在此跪拜各位读者老爷请求原谅,幼苗新书《自九叔世界不朽》以轻装上路,还请诸位老爷多多关照,十三在此跪谢各位。诸位老爷可以小看一下开头,觉得不爽或者想K我的可以在新书里(????)=?盘我。
  • 逆天作弊器之超级项链

    逆天作弊器之超级项链

    逆天第二部,超级项链!预计9月15号发布,小猪强势归来,各位敬请期待!枯寂的山谷之中,落叶吹拂。巨大的九头蛇王躺在地上,气息全无。人影手拿长刀,缓缓蹲下,从九头蛇王身下摸索一番,最终,摸出了数十件物品。“极品神石、魔王之翼、神圣权杖、瞬间恢复药……这些东西,应该会让华夏国的那帮老家伙大吃一惊吧?!”将手中的这些东西放进超神器‘无限储物戒’之中,叶铭笑着说道。“干掉九头蛇王,终于到了65级,现实里,应该也可以突破尊境了。”重生十年,携逆天游戏,横扫天下!——————————阔别一年之久,小猪重新归来!一年准备,精心打造【逆天】第二部——超级游戏!
  • 天纵邪狂

    天纵邪狂

    前世她代号天凰,当代最有战斗力的特种部队里,最有价值的特别行动组长。专门带领手下执行各种国际级“斩首任务”在一次执行国际反恐任务中,为了维护同伴的尊严,完成任务毅然与目标人物同归于尽。带着现代桀骜不驯、固执张狂的灵魂,她重生在斩月大陆,一个灵武兼修的著名世家。现在她成为体弱多病、性情懦弱,人皆可欺的天生废材七少爷。被恨铁不成钢的老爹给硬拎到比武场中,还没有上台便被对手激发出的漫天剑灵而活活吓死了。当清冽的眼睛睁开,“他”已经不再是”他“。闯密地、解封印、签神兽、按照奇书《破天决》中凤凰涅槃之法,用命脉中潜力为基,彻底洗练了废弃的筋脉,重塑了羸弱的躯体。从此”他“胆怯变胆大、慌张变嚣张、病态成变态。性情乖张暴戾、行事恣意狂邪、颠覆正邪理念,打破黑白界限。以帝阶魔兽慑月为伴、异界妖皇天魅为伍、魔域至尊惊羽为友、闯荡斩月大陆,扫清三界六道中一切障碍,步上巅峰。当众生仰视时,才发现”他“竟然是她。一介撼世奇才,竟然是绝代红妆。片段一:惊羽一根手指插着那颗犹自跳动的巨大魔兽心脏,邪魅无比的讨好着慕容七少:“老弟,有没有兴趣品尝一下,皇阶魔核的滋味?”“滚,丫的,你把老子搞吐了,老子拆了你这把万年老骨头!”“呜呜呜!好歹俺也是魔界至尊,你多少给点面子!”片段二:“几百个超高级吸血鬼在旷野间游荡,寻找食物,大有横扫一切生灵的气势!”有个声音喊道:“大法师来了!”那群吸血鬼毫无反应。“法皇来了!”吸血鬼照样游荡。“冥帝来了!”那群吸血鬼开始瞪大他们那双血淋淋的眼睛,想把那个敢骗鬼的家伙找出来撕碎。“慕容七少来了!”一阵狂风卷过,当地空空如也。一个戴着面具的小人儿,从隐身处现身耸着肩膀喃喃道:“有没有搞错,偶真的哪么恐怖?”妖艳之极的冥帝也跟着现身出来,眨着妖冶的眸子叹着气补充了一句:“看来,以后,本帝只能跟你混了!”片段三:“天生废材,老子只不过把他改了一个字而已,有毛大惊小怪的?”慕容七少眨着一双颠倒众生的大眼睛,嘀咕道。”他“身体周围,被轰击成齑粉飞上半空的斩月至宝——测脉石,正纷纷扬扬的从半空飘落下来。”他“手中的斩月魔剑中被迫出的剑灵,正流散激荡如漫天烈焰。围观的众人全部石化。那可是斩月大陆传世千年的最高级别测验灵力和脉力的神器,”他“楞给当成了土块!片段四:“她”是宇文世家唯一的血脉,宇文雪凤。