20Wemaythusclearlyseethattheseportionsofthebookhavebeencompiledfromvarioussources，andareonlyfromthispointofviewcomprehensible。21Thepropheciescontainedintheremainingchapters，whereJeremiahspeaksinthefirstperson，seemtobetakenfromabookwrittenbyBaruch，atJeremiah'sdictation。22These，however，onlycompriseasappearsfromchap。xxxvi:2thepropheciesrevealedtotheprophetfromthetimeofJosiahtothefourthyearofJehoiakim，atwhichperiodthebookbegins。23Thecontentsofchap。xlv:2，ontochap。
li:59，seemtakenfromthesamevolume。
24ThatthebookofEzekielisonlyafragment，isclearlyindicatedbythefirstverse。25Foranyonemayseethattheconjunctionwithwhichitbegins，referstosomethingalreadysaid，andconnectswhatfollowstherewith。26However，notonlythisconjunction，butthewholetextofthediscourseimpliesotherwritings。27Thefactofthepresentworkbeginningthethirtiethyearshowsthattheprophetiscontinuing，notcommencingadiscourse；andthisisconfirmedbythewriter，whoparentheticallystatesinverse3，"ThewordoftheLordcameoftenuntoEzekielthepriest，thesonofBuzi，inthelandoftheChaldeans，"asiftosaythattheprophecieswhichheisabouttorelatearethesequeltorevelationsformerlyreceivedbyEzekielfromGod。28Furthermore，Josephus，11Antiq。"x:9，saysthatEzekielprophesiedthatZedekiahshouldnotseeBabylon，whereasthebookwenowhavenotonlycontainsnosuchstatement，butcontrariwiseassertsinchap。xvii。thatheshouldbetakentoBabylonasacaptive，[Endnote20]。
29OfHoseaIcannotpositivelystatethathewrotemorethanisnowextantinthebookbearinghisname，butIamastonishedatthesmallnessofthequantity，wepossess，forthesacredwriterassertsthattheprophetprophesiedformorethaneightyyears。
30Wemayassert，speakinggenerally，thatthecompilerofthepropheticbooksneithercollectedalltheprophets，norallthewritingsofthosewehave；foroftheprophetswhoaresaidtohaveprophesiedinthereignofManassehandofwhomgeneralmentionismadein2Chron。xxxiii:10，18，wehave，evidently，nopropheciesextant；neitherhaveweallthepropheciesofthetwelvewhogivetheirnamestobooks。31OfJonahwehaveonly，theprophecyconcerningtheNinevites，thoughhealsoprophesiedtothechildrenofIsrael，aswelearnin2Kingsxiv:25。
32ThebookandthepersonalityofJobhavecausedmuchcontroversy。33
SomethinkthatthebookistheworkofMoses，andthewholenarrativemerelyallegorical。34SuchistheopinionoftheRabbinsrecordedintheTalmud，andtheyaresupportedby，Maimonidesinhis"MoreNebuchim。"35
Othersbelieveittobeatruehistory，andsomesupposethatJoblivedinthetimeofJacob，andwasmarriedtohisdaughterDinah。36AbenEzra，however，asIhavealreadystated，affirms，inhiscommentaries，thattheworkisatranslationintoHebrewfromsomeotherlanguage:Icouldwishthathecouldadvancemorecogentargumentsthanhedoes，forwemightthenconcludethattheGentilesalsohadsacredbooks。37Imyselfleavethematterundecided，butIconjectureJobtohavebeenaGentile，andamanofverystablecharacter，whoatfirstprospered，thenwasassailedwithterriblecalamities，andfinally，wasrestoredtogreathappiness。38Heisthusnamed，amongothers，byEzekiel，xiv:12。39ItakeitthattheconstancyofhismindamidthevicissitudesofhisfortuneoccasionedmanymentodisputeaboutGod'sprovidence，oratleastcausedthewriterofthebookinquestiontocomposehisdialogues；forthecontents，andalsothestyle，seemtoemanatefarlessfromamanwretchedlyillandlyingamongashes，thanfromonereflectingateaseinhisstudy。40IshouldalsobeinclinedtoagreewithAbenEzrathatthebookisatranslation，foritspoetryseemsakintothatoftheGentiles；thustheFatherofGodssummonsacouncil，andMomus，herecalledSatan，criticizestheDivinedecreeswiththeutmostfreedom。41Butthesearemereconjectureswithoutanysolidfoundation。
42IpassontothebookofDaniel，which，fromchap。viii。onwards，undoubtedlycontainsthewritingofDanielhimself。43WhencethefirstsevenchaptersarederivedIcannotsay；wemay，however，conjecturethat，astheywerefirstwritteninChaldean，theyaretakenfromChaldeanchronicles。44Ifthiscouldbeproved，itwouldformaverystrikingproofofthefactthatthesacrednessofScripturedependsonourunderstandingofthedoctrinesthereinsignified，andnotonthewords，thelanguage，andthephrasesinwhichthesedoctrinesareconveyedtous；
anditwouldfurthershowusthatbookswhichteachandspeakofwhateverishighestandbestareequallysacred，whateverbethetongueinwhichtheyarewritten，orthenationtowhichtheybelong。
45Wecan，however，inthiscaseonlyremarkthatthechaptersinquestionwerewritteninChaldee，andyetareassacredastherestoftheBible。
46ThefirstbookofEzraissointimatelyconnectedwiththebookofDanielthatbothareplainlyrecognizableastheworkofthesameauthor，writingofJewishhistoryfromthetimeofthefirstcaptivityonwards。47
IhavenohesitationinjoiningtothisthebookofEsther，fortheconjunctionwithwhichitbeginscanrefertonothingelse。48ItcannotbethesameworkasthatwrittenbyMordecai，for，inchap。ix:20-22，anotherpersonrelatesthatMordecaiwroteletters，andtellsustheircontents；further，thatQueenEstherconfirmedthedaysofPurimintheirtimesappointed，andthatthedecreewaswritteninthebookthatisbyaHebraism，inabookknowntoallthenliving，which，asAbenEzraandtherestconfess，hasnowperished。49Lastly，fortherestoftheactsofMordecai，thehistorianrefersustothechroniclesofthekingsofPersia。50ThusthereisnodoubtthatthisbookwaswrittenbythesamepersonashewhorecountedthehistoryofDanielandEzra，andwhowroteNehemiah，[Endnote21]，sometimescalledthesecondbookofEzra。51Wemay，then，affirmthatallthesebooksarefromonehand；butwe/havenocluewhatevertothepersonalityoftheauthor。52However，inordertodeterminewhencehe，whoeverhewas，hadgainedaknowledgeofthehistorieswhichhehad，perchance，ingreatmeasurehimselfwritten，wemayremarkthatthegovernorsorchiefsoftheJews，aftertherestorationoftheTemple，keptscribesorhistoriographers，whowroteannalsorchroniclesofthem。53ThechroniclesofthekingsareoftenquotedinthebooksofKings，butthechroniclesofthechiefsandpriestsarequotedforthefirsttimeinNehemiahxii:23，andagainin1Macc。xvi:24。54ThisisundoubtedlythebookreferredtoascontainingthedecreeofEstherandtheactsofMordecai；andwhich，aswesaidwithAbenEzra，isnowlost。55
Fromitweretakenthewholecontentsofthesefourbooks，fornootherauthorityisquotedbytheirwriter，orisknowntous。
56ThatthesebookswerenotwrittenbyeitherEzraorNehemiahisplainfromNehemiahxii:9，wherethedescendantsofthehighpriest，JoshuaaretraceddowntoJaddua，thesixthhighpriest，whowenttomeetAlexandertheGreat，whenthePersianempirewasalmostsubduedJosephus，"Ant。"ii。
108，orwho，accordingtoPhilo-Judaeus，wasthesixthandlasthighpriestunderthePersians。57InthesamechapterofNehemiah，verse22，thispointisclearlybroughtout:"TheLevitesinthedaysofEliashib，Joiada，andJohanan，andJaddua，wererecordedchiefofthefathers:alsothepriests，tothereignofDariusthePersian"-thatistosay，inthechronicles；and，Isuppose，noonethinks，[Endnote22]，thatthelivesofNehemiahandEzraweresoprolongedthattheyoutlivedfourteenkingsofPersia。58CyruswasthefirstwhograntedtheJewspermissiontorebuildtheirTemple:theperiodbetweenhistimeandDarius，fourteenthandlastkingofPersia，extendsover230years。59Ihave，therefore，nodoubtthatthesebookswerewrittenafterJudasMaccabaeushadrestoredtheworshipintheTemple，foratthattimefalsebooksofDaniel，Ezra，andEstherwerepublishedbyevil-disposedpersons，whowerealmostcertainlySadducees，forthewritingswereneverrecognizedbythePharisees，sofarasIamaware；and，althoughcertainmythsinthefourthbookofEzraarerepeatedintheTalmud，theymustnotbesetdowntothePharisees，forallbutthemostignorantadmitthattheyhavebeenaddedbysometrifler:infact，Ithink，someonemusthavemadesuchadditionswithaviewtocastingridiculeonallthetraditionsofthesect。
60PerhapsthesefourbookswerewrittenoutandpublishedatthetimeI
havementionedwithaviewtoshowingthepeoplethatthepropheciesofDanielhadbeenfulfilled，andthuskindlingtheirpiety，andawakeningahopeoffuturedeliveranceinthemidstoftheirmisfortunes。61Inspiteoftheirrecentorigin，thebooksbeforeuscontainmanyerrors，due，Isuppose，tothehastewithwhichtheywerewritten。62Marginalreadings，suchasIhavementionedinthelastchapter，arefoundhereaselsewhere，andinevengreaterabundance；thereare，moreover，certainpassageswhichcanonlybeaccountedforbysupposingsomesuchcauseashurry。
63However，beforecallingattentiontothemarginalreadings，Iwillremarkthat，ifthePhariseesarerightinsupposingthemtohavebeenancient，andtheworkoftheoriginalscribes，wemustperforceadmitthatthesescribesifthereweremorethanonesetthemdownbecausetheyfoundthatthetextfromwhichtheywerecopyingwasinaccurate，anddidyetnotventuretoalterwhatwaswrittenbytheirpredecessorsandsuperiors。
64Ineednotagaingointothesubjectatlength，andwill，therefore，proceedtomentionsomediscrepanciesnotnoticedinthemargin。
65I。SomeerrorhascreptintothetextofthesecondchapterofEzra，forinverse64wearetoldthatthetotalofallthosementionedintherestofthechapteramountsto42，360；but，whenwecometoadduptheseveralitemswegetasresultonly29，818。66Theremust，therefore，beanerror，eitherinthetotal，orinthedetails。67Thetotalisprobablycorrect，foritwouldmostlikelybewellknowntoallasanoteworthything；butwiththedetails，thecasewouldbedifferent。68If，then，anyerrorhadcreptintothetotal，itwouldatoncehavebeenremarked，andeasilycorrected。69ThisviewisconfirmedbyNehemiahvii。，wherethischapterofEzraismentioned，andatotalisgiveninplaincorrespondencethereto；butthedetailsarealtogetherdifferent-somearelarger，andsomeless，thanthoseinEzra，andaltogethertheyamountto31，089。
70Wemay，therefore，concludethatbothinEzraandinNehemiahthedetailsareerroneouslygiven。71Thecommentatorswhoattempttoharmonizetheseevidentcontradictionsdrawontheirimagination，eachtothebestofhisability；andwhileprofessingadorationforeachletterandwordofScripture，onlysucceedinholdingupthesacredwriterstoridicule，asthoughtheyknewnothowtowriteorrelateaplainnarrative。
72SuchpersonseffectnothingbuttorendertheclearnessofScriptureobscure。73IftheBiblecouldeverywherebeinterpretedaftertheirfashion，therewouldbenosuchthingasarationalstatementofwhichthemeaningcouldbereliedon。74However，thereisnoneedtodwellonthesubject；onlyIamconvincedthatifanyhistorianweretoattempttoimitatetheproceedingsfreelyattributedtothewritersoftheBible，thecommentatorswouldcoverhimwithcontempt。75IfitbeblasphemytoassertthatthereareanyerrorsinScripture，whatnameshallweapplytothosewhofoistintoittheirownfancies，whodegradethesacredwriterstilltheyseemtowriteconfusednonsense，andwhodenytheplainestandmostevidentmeanings?76WhatinthewholeBiblecanbeplainerthanthefactthatEzraandhiscompanions，inthesecondchapterofthebookattributedtohim，havegivenindetailthereckoningofalltheHebrewswhosetoutwiththemforJerusalem?77Thisisprovedbythereckoningbeinggiven，notonlyofthosewhotoldtheirlineage，butalsoofthosewhowereunabletodoso。78IsitnotequallyclearfromNehemiahvii:5，thatthewritermerelytherecopiesthelistgiveninEzra?79Those，therefore，whoexplainthesepassagesotherwise，denytheplainmeaningofScripture-
nay，theydenyScriptureitself。80TheythinkitpioustoreconcileonepassageofScripturewithanother-aprettypiety，forsooth，whichaccommodatestheclearpassagestotheobscure，thecorrecttothefaulty，thesoundtothecorrupt。
81Farbeitfrommetocallsuchcommentatorsblasphemers，iftheirmotivesbepure:fortoerrishuman。ButIreturntomysubject。
82Besidestheseerrorsinnumericaldetails，thereareothersinthegenealogies，inthehistory，and，Ifearalsointheprophecies。83TheprophecyofJeremiahchap。xxii。，concerningJechoniah，evidentlydoesnotagreewithhishistory，asgiveninIChroniclesiii:17-19，andespeciallywiththelastwordsofthechapter，nordoIseehowtheprophecy，"thoushaltdieinpeace，"canbeappliedtoZedekiah，whoseeyesweredugoutafterhissonshadbeenslainbeforehim。84Ifpropheciesaretobeinterpretedbytheirissue，wemustmakeachangeofname，andreadJechoniahforZedekiah，andviceversa85This，however，wouldbetooparadoxicalaproceeding；soIprefertoleavethematterunexplained，especiallyastheerror，iferrortherebe，mustbesetdowntothehistorian，andnottoanyfaultintheauthorities。
86OtherdifficultiesIwillnottouchupon，asIshouldonlywearythereader，and，moreover，berepeatingtheremarksofotherwriters。87ForR。Selomo，infaceofthemanifestcontradictionintheabove-mentionedgenealogies，iscompelledtobreakforthintothesewordsseehiscommentaryon1Chron。viii。:"EzrawhomhesupposestobetheauthorofthebookofChroniclesgivesdifferentnamesandadifferentgenealogytothesonsofBenjaminfromthosewhichwefindinGenesis，anddescribesmostoftheLevitesdifferentlyfromJoshua，becausehefoundoriginaldiscrepancies。"88And，again，alittlelater:"ThegenealogyofGibeonandothersisdescribedtwiceindifferentways，fromdifferenttablesofeachgenealogy，andinwritingthemdownEzraadoptedtheversiongiveninthemajorityofthetexts，andwhentheauthoritywasequalhegaveboth。"
89Thusgrantingthatthesebookswerecompiledfromsourcesoriginallyincorrectanduncertain。
90Infactthecommentators，inseekingtoharmonizedifficulties，generallydonomorethanindicatetheircauses:forIsupposenosanepersonsupposesthatthesacredhistoriansdeliberatelywrotewiththeobjectofappearingtocontradictthemselvesfreely。91PerhapsI
shallbetoldthatIamoverthrowingtheauthorityofScripture，forthat，accordingtome，anyonemaysuspectitoferrorinanypassage；but，onthecontrary，Ihaveshownthatmyobjecthasbeentopreventtheclearanduncorruptedpassagesbeingaccommodatedtoandcorruptedbythefaultyones；
neitherdoesthefactthatsomepassagesarecorruptwarrantusinsuspectingall。92Nobookeverwascompletelyfreefromfaults，yetI
wouldask，whosuspectsallbookstobeeverywherefaulty?93Surelynoone，especiallywhenthephraseologyisclearandtheintentionoftheauthorplain。
94IhavenowfinishedthetaskIsetmyselfwithrespecttothebooksoftheOldTestament。95Wemayeasilyconcludefromwhathasbeensaid，thatbeforethetimeoftheMaccabeestherewasnocanonofsacredbooks，[Endnote23]，butthatthosewhichwenowpossesswereselectedfromamultitudeofothersattheperiodoftherestorationoftheTemplebythePhariseeswhoalsoinstitutedthesetformofprayers，whoarealoneresponsiblefortheiracceptance。96Those，therefore，whowoulddemonstratetheauthorityofHolyScripture，areboundtoshowtheauthorityofeachseparatebook；itisnotenoughtoprovetheDivineoriginofasinglebookinordertoinfertheDivineoriginoftherest。97InthatcaseweshouldhavetoassumethatthecouncilofPhariseeswas，initschoiceofbooks，infallible，andthiscouldneverbeproved。98IamledtoassertthatthePhariseesaloneselectedthebooksoftheOldTestament，andinsertedtheminthecanon，fromthefactthatinDanielii。isproclaimedthedoctrineoftheResurrection，whichtheSadduceesdenied；
and，furthermore，thePhariseesplainlyassertintheTalmudthattheysoselectedthem。99ForinthetreatiseofSabbathus，chapterii。，folio30，page2，itiswritten:R。Jehuda，surnamedRabbi，reportsthattheexpertswishedtoconcealthebookofEcclesiastesbecausetheyfoundthereinwordsopposedtothelawthatis，tothebookofthelawofMoses。100Whydidtheynothideit?101Becauseitbeginsinaccordancewiththelaw，andendsaccordingtothelaw；"andalittlefurtheronweread:"TheysoughtalsotoconcealthebookofProverbs。"102Andinthefirstchapterofthesametreatise，fol。13，page2:"Verily，nameonemanforgood，evenhewhowascalledNeghunja，thesonofHezekiah:for，saveforhim，thebookofEzekielwouldbeenconcealed，becauseitagreednotwiththewordsofthelaw。"
103Itisthusabundantlyclearthatmenexpertinthelawsummonedacounciltodecidewhichbooksshouldbereceivedintothecanon，andwhichexcluded。104Ifanyman，therefore，wishestobecertifiedastotheauthorityofallthebooks，lethimcallafreshcouncil，andaskeverymemberhisreasons。
105ThetimehasnowcomeforexamininginthesamemannerthebooksintheNewTestament；butasIlearnthatthetaskhasbeenalreadyperformedbymenhighlyskilledinscienceandlanguages，andasIdonotmyselfpossessaknowledgeofGreeksufficientlyexactforthetask；lastly，aswehavelosttheoriginalsofthosebookswhichwerewritteninHebrew，I
prefertodeclinetheundertaking。106However，Iwilltouchonthosepointswhichhavemostbearingonmysubjectinthefollowingchapter。
EndofPart2。
AUTHOR'SENDNOTESTOTHETHEOLOGICO-POLITICALTREATISE
Part2-ChaptersVItoX
CHAPTERVI。
Endnote6。1WedoubtoftheexistenceofGod，andconsequentlyofallelse，solongaswehavenoclearanddistinctideaofGod，butonlyaconfusedone。2Forashewhoknowsnotrightlythenatureofatriangle，knowsnotthatitsthreeanglesareequaltotworightangles，sohewhoconceivestheDivinenatureconfusedly，doesnotseethatitpertainstothenatureofGodtoexist。3Now，toconceivethenatureofGodclearlyanddistinctly，itisnecessarytopayattentiontoacertainnumberofverysimplenotions，calledgeneralnotions，andbytheirhelptoassociatetheconceptionswhichweformoftheattributesoftheDivinenature。4Itthen，forthefirsttime，becomescleartous，thatGodexistsnecessarily，thatHeisomnipresent，andthatallourconceptionsinvolveinthemselvesthenatureofGodandareconceivedthroughit。5Lastly，weseethatallouradequateideasaretrue。6Compareonthispointtheprologomenatobook，"PrinciplesofDescartes'sphilosophysetforthgeometrically。"
CHAPTERVII。
Endnote7。1"ItisimpossibletofindamethodwhichwouldenableustogainacertainknowledgeofallthestatementsinScripture。"2Imeanimpossibleforuswhohavenotthehabitualuseofthelanguage，andhavelosttheprecisemeaningofitsphraseology。
Endnote8。1"Notinthingswhereoftheunderstandingcangainaclearanddistinctidea，andwhichareconceivablethroughthemselves。"2BythingsconceivableImeannotonlythosewhicharerigidlyproved，butalsothosewhereofwearemorallycertain，andarewonttohearwithoutwonder，thoughtheyareincapableofproof。3EveryonecanseethetruthofEuclid'spropositionsbeforetheyareproved。4Soalsothehistoriesofthingsbothfutureandpastwhichdonotsurpasshumancredence，laws，institutions，manners，Icallconceivableandclear，thoughtheycannotbeprovedmathematically。5ButhieroglyphicsandhistorieswhichseemtopasstheboundsofbeliefIcallinconceivable；yetevenamongtheselasttherearemanywhichourmethodenablesustoinvestigate，andtodiscoverthemeaningoftheirnarrator。
CHAPTERVIII。
Endnote9。1"MountMoriahiscalledthemountofGod。"2Thatisbythehistorian，notbyAbraham，forhesaysthattheplacenowcalled"InthemountoftheLorditshallberevealed，"wascalledbyAbraham，"theLordshallprovide。"
Endnote10。1"Beforethatterritory[Idumoea]wasconqueredbyDavid。"
2FromthistimetothereignofJehoramwhentheyagainseparatedfromtheJewishkingdom2Kingsviii:20，theIdumaeanshadnoking，princesappointedbytheJewssuppliedtheplaceofkings1Kingsxxii:48，infacttheprinceofIdumaeaiscalledaking2Kingsiii:9。
3ItmaybedoubtedwhetherthelastoftheIdumaeankingshadbeguntoreignbeforetheaccessionofSaul，orwhetherScriptureinthischapterofGenesiswishedtoenumerateonlysuchkingsaswereindependent。4ItisevidentlymeretriflingtowishtoenrolamongHebrewkingsthenameofMoses，whosetupadominionentirelydifferentfromamonarchy。
CHAPTERIX。
Endnote11。1"Withfewexceptions。"2Oneoftheseexceptionsisfoundin2Kingsxviii:20，whereweread，"Thousayestbuttheyarebutvainwords，"thesecondpersonbeingused。3InIsaiahxxxvi:5，weread"I
saybuttheyarebutvainwordsIhavecounselandstrengthforwar，"andinthetwenty-secondverseofthechapterinKingsitiswritten，"Butifyesay，"thepluralnumberbeingused，where"m.kanbaapp点com"asIsaiahgivesthesingular。4
ThetextinIsaiahdoesnotcontainthewordsfoundin2Kingsxxxii:32。5
Thusthereareseveralcasesofvariousreadingswhereitisimpossibletodistinguishthebest。
Endnote12。1"Theexpressionsinthetwopassagesaresovaried。"2Forinstancewereadin2Sam。vii:6，"ButIhavewalkedinatentandinatabernacle。"3Whereasin1Chron。xvii:5，"buthavegonefromtenttotentandfromonetabernacletoanother。"4In2Sam。vii:10，weread，"toafflictthem，"whereasin1Chron。vii:9，wefindadifferentexpression。5
Icouldpointoutotherdifferencesstillgreater，butasinglereadingofthechaptersinquestionwillsufficetomakethemmanifesttoallwhoareneitherblindnordevoidofsense。
Endnote13。1"Thistimecannotrefertowhatimmediatelyprecedes。"2
ItisplainfromthecontextthatthispassagemustalludetothetimewhenJosephwassoldbyhisbrethren。3Butthisisnotall。4WemaydrawthesameconclusionfromtheageofJudah，whowasthantwenty-twoyearsoldatmost，takingasbasisofcalculationhisownhistoryjustnarrated。5
Itfollows，indeed，fromthelastverseofGen。xxx。，thatJudahwasborninthetenthoftheyearsofJacob'sservitudetoLaban，andJosephinthefourteenth。6Now，asweknowthatJosephwasseventeenyearsoldwhensoldbyhisbrethren，Judahwasthennotmorethantwenty-one。7Hence，thosewriterswhoassertthatJudah'slongabsencefromhisfather'shousetookplacebeforeJosephwassold，onlyseektodeludethemselvesandtocallinquestiontheScripturalauthoritywhichtheyareanxioustoprotect。
Endnote14。1"DinahwasscarcelysevenyearsoldwhenshewasviolatedbySchechem。"2TheopinionheldbysomethatJacobwanderedabouteightortenyearsbetweenMesopotamiaandBethel，savoursoftheridiculous；ifrespectforAbenEzra，allowsmetosayso。3ForitisclearthatJacobhadtworeasonsforhaste:first，thedesiretoseehisoldparents；
secondly，andchieflytoperform，thevowmadewhenhefledfromhisbrotherGen。xxviii:10andxxxi:13，andxxxv:1。4WereadGen。xxxi:3，thatGodhadcommandedhimtofulfillhisvow，andpromisedhimhelpforreturningtohiscountry。5Iftheseconsiderationsseemconjecturesratherthanreasons，IwillwaivethepointandadmitthatJacob，moreunfortunatethanUlysses，spenteightortenyearsorevenlonger，inthisshortjourney。6AtanyrateitcannotbedeniedthatBenjaminwasborninthelastyearofthiswandering，thatisbythereckoningoftheobjectors，whenJosephwassixteenorseventeenyearsold，forJacobleftLabansevenyearsafterJoseph'sbirth。7NowfromtheseventeenthyearofJoseph'sagetillthepatriarchwentintoEgypt，notmorethantwenty-twoyearselapsed，aswehaveshowninthischapter。8ConsequentlyBenjamin，atthetimeofthejourneytoEgypt，wastwenty-threeortwenty-fouratthemost。
9HewouldthereforehavebeenagrandfatherintheflowerofhisageGen。xlvi:21，cf。Numb。xxvi:38，40，and1Chron。viii；1，foritiscertainthatBela，Benjamin'seldestson，hadatthattime，twosons，AddaindNaa-man。10ThisisjustasabsurdasthestatementthatDinahwasviolatedattheageofseven，nottomentionotherimpossibilitieswhichwouldresultfromthetruthofthenarrative。11Thusweseethatunskillfulendeavourstosolvedifficulties，onlyraisefreshones，andmakeconfusionworseconfounded。
Endnote15。1"Othniel，sonofKenag，wasjudgeforfortyyears。"2
RabbiLeviBenGersonandothersbelievethatthesefortyyearswhichtheBiblesayswerepassedinfreedom，shouldbecountedfromthedeathofJoshua，andconsequentlyincludetheeightyearsduringwhichthepeopleweresubjecttoKushanRishathaim，whilethefollowingeighteenyearsmustbeaddedontotheeightyyearsofEhud'sandShamgar'sjudgeships。3
InthiscaseitwouldbenecessarytoreckontheotheryearsofsubjectionamongthosesaidbytheBibletohavebeenpassedinfreedom。4ButtheBibleexpresslynotesthenumberofyearsofsubjection，andthenumberofyearsoffreedom，andfurtherdeclaresJudgesii:18thattheHebrewstatewasprosperousduringthewholetimeofthejudges。5
ThereforeitisevidentthatLeviBenGersoncertainlyaverylearnedman，andthosewhofollowhim，correctratherthaninterprettheScriptures。
6Thesamefaultiscommittedbythosewhoassert，thatScripture，bythisgeneralcalculationofyears，onlyintendedtomarktheperiodoftheregularadministrationoftheHebrewstate，leavingouttheyearsofanarchyandsubjectionasperiodsofmisfortuneandinterregnum。7Scripturecertainlypassesoverinsilenceperiodsofanarchy，butdoesnot，astheydream，refusetoreckonthemorwipethemoutofthecountry'sannals。8
ItisclearthatEzra，in1Kingsvi。，wishedtoreckonabsolutelyalltheyearssincetheflightfromEgypt。9Thisissoplain，thatnooneversedintheScripturescandoubtit。10For，withoutgoingbacktotheprecisewordsofthetext，wemayseethatthegenealogyofDavidgivenattheendofthebookofRuth，andIChron。ii。，scarcelyaccountsforsogreatanumberofyears。11ForNahshon，whowasprinceofthetribeofJudahNumb。vii；11，twoyearsaftertheExodus，diedinthedesert，andhissonSalmonpassedtheJordanwithJoshua。12NowthisSalmon，accordingtothegenealogy，wasDavid'sgreat-grandfather。13Deducting，then，fromthetotalof480years，fouryearsforSolomon'sreign，seventyforDavid'slife，andfortyforthetimepassedinthedesert，wefindthatDavidwasborn366yearsafterthepassageoftheJordan。14HencewemustbelievethatDavid'sfather，grandfather，great-grandfather，andgreat-
great-grandfatherbegatchildrenwhentheywereninetyyearsold。
Endnote16。1"Samsonwasjudgefortwentyyears。"2SamsonwasbornaftertheHebrewshadfallenunderthedominionofthePhilistines。
Endnote17。1Otherwise，theyrathercorrectthanexplainScripture。
Endnote18。1"Kirjath-jearim。"Kirjath-jearimisalsocalledBaaleofJudah。2HenceKimchiandothersthinkthatthewordsBaaleJudah，whichI
havetranslated"thepeopleofJudah，"arethenameofatown。3Butthisisnotso，forthewordBaaleisintheplural。4Moreover，comparingthistextinSamuelwithIChron。Xiii:5，wefindthatDaviddidnotriseupandgoforthoutofBaale，butthathewentthither。5IftheauthorofthebookofSamuelhadmeanttonametheplacewhenceDavidtooktheark，hewould，ifhespokeHebrewcorrectly，havesaid，"Davidroseup，andsetforthfromBaaleJudah，andtookthearkfromthence。"
CHAPTERX。
Endnote19。1"AftertherestorationoftheTemplebyJudasMaccaboeus。"
2Thisconjecture，ifsuchitbe，isfoundedonthegenealogyofKingJeconiah，givenin1Chron。iii。，whichfinishesatthesonsofElioenai，thethirteenthindirectdescentfromhim:whereonwemustobservethatJeconiah，beforehiscaptivity，hadnochildren；butitisprobablethathehadtwowhilehewasinprison，ifwemaydrawanyinferencefromthenameshegavethem。3Astohisgrandchildren，itisevidentthattheywerebornafterhisdeliverance，ifthenamesbeanyguide，forhisgrandson，PedaiahanamemeaningGodhathdeliveredme，who，accordingtothischapter，wasthefatherofZerubbabel，wasborninthethirty-seventhorthirty-eighthyearofJeconiah'slife，thatisthirty-threeyearsbeforetherestorationoflibertytotheJewsbyCyrus。4ThereforeZerubbabel，towhomCyrusgavetheprincipalityofJudaea，wasthirteenorfourteenyearsold。5Butweneednotcarrytheinquirysofar:weneedonlyreadattentivelythechapterof1Chron。，alreadyquoted，wherev。17，sqq。mentionismadeofalltheposterityofJeconiah，andcompareitwiththeSeptuagintversiontoseeclearlythatthesebookswerenotpublished，tillafterMaccabaeushadrestoredtheTemple，thesceptrenolongerbelongingtothehouseofJeconiah。
Endnote20。1"ZedekiahshouldbetakentoBabylon。"2NoonecouldthenhavesuspectedthattheprophecyofEzekielcontradictedthatofJeremiah，butthesuspicionoccurstoeveryonewhoreadsthenarrativeofJosephus。
3Theeventprovedthatbothprophetswereintheright。
Endnote21。1"AndwhowroteNehemiah。"2ThatthegreaterpartofthebookofNehemiahwastakenfromtheworkcomposedbytheprophetNehemiahhimself，followsfromthetestimonyofitsauthor。Seechap。i。。3Butitisobviousthatthewholeofthepassagecontainedbetweenchap。viii。
andchap。xii。verse26，togetherwiththetwolastversesofchap。xii。，whichformasortofparenthesistoNehemiah'swords，wereaddedbythehistorianhimself，whooutlivedNehemiah。
Endnote22。1"Isupposenoonethinks"thatEzrawastheuncleofthefirsthighpriest，namedJoshuaseeEzravii。，and1Chron。vi:14，andwenttoJerusalemfromBabylonwithZerubbabelseeNehemiahxii:1。2Butitappearsthatwhenhesaw，thattheJewswereinastateofanarchy，hereturnedtoBabylon，asalsodidothersNehem。i；2，andremainedtheretillthereignofArtaxerxes，whenhisrequestsweregrantedandhewentasecondtimtoJerusalem。3NehemiahalsowenttoJerusalemwithZerubbabelinthetimeofCyrusEzraii:2and63，cf。x:9，andNehemiahx:1。4TheversiongivenoftheHebrewword，translated"ambassador，"isnotsupportedbyanyauthority，whileitiscertainthatfreshnamesweregiventothoseJewswhofrequentedthecourt。5ThusDanielwasnamedBalteshazzar，andZerubbabelSheshbazzarDan。i:7。6NehemiahwascalledAtirsata，whileinvirtueofhisofficehewasstyledgovernor，orpresident。
Nehem。v。24，xii:26。
Endnote23。1"BeforethetimeoftheMaccabeestherewasnocanonofsacredbooks。"2Thesynagoguestyled"thegreat"didnotbeginbeforethesubjugationofAsiabytheMacedonians。3ThecontentionofMaimonides，RabbiAbraham，Ben-David，andothers，thatthepresidentsofthissynagoguewereEzra，Daniel，Nehemiah，Haggai，Zechariah，&c。，isapurefiction，restingonlyonrabbinicaltradition。4IndeedtheyassertthatthedominionofthePersiansonlylastedthirty-fouryears，andthisistheirchiefreasonformaintainingthatthedecreesofthe"greatsynagogue，"orsynodrejectedbytheSadducees，butacceptedbythePhariseeswereratifiedbytheprophets，whoreceivedthemfromformerprophets，andsoindirectsuccessionfromMoses，whoreceivedthemfromGodHimself。5SuchisthedoctrinewhichthePhariseesmaintainwiththeirwontedobstinacy。
6Enlightenedpersons，however，whoknowthereasonsfortheconvokingofcouncils，orsynods，andarenostrangerstothedifferencesbetweenPhariseesandSadducees，caneasilydivinethecauseswhichledtotheassemblingofthisgreatsynagogue。7Itisverycertainthatnoprophetwastherepresent，andthatthedecreesofthePharisees，whichtheystyletheirtraditions，derivealltheirauthorityfromit。
EndofEndnotestoPartII-ChaptersVItoX。
EndofPartII
ATheologico-PoliticalTreatise[PartIII]
byBenedictdeSpinozaAlsoknownasBaruchSpinozaTranslatedbyR。H。M。ElwesPartIII-ChaptersXItoXV
TABLEOFCONTENTS:
CHAPTERXI-AnInquirywhethertheApostleswrotetheirEpistlesasApostlesandProphets，ormerelyasTeachers，andanExplanationofwhatismeantbyApostle。
Theepistlesnotinthepropheticstyle。
TheApostlesnotcommandedtowriteorpreachinparticularplaces。
DifferentmethodsofteachingadoptedbytheApostles。
CHAPTERXII-OfthetrueOriginaloftheDivineLaw，andwhereforeScriptureiscalledSacred，andtheWordofGod。
Howthat，insofarasitcontainstheWordofGod，ithascomedowntousuncorrupted。
CHAPTERXIII-Itisshown，thatScriptureteachesonlyverySimpleDoctrines，suchassufficeforrightconduct。
Errorinspeculativedoctrinenotimpious-norknowledgepious。
Pietyconsistsinobedience。
CHAPTERXIV-DefinitionsofFaith，theTrueFaith，andtheFoundationsofFaith，whichisonceforallseparatedfromPhilosophy。
Dangerresultingfromthevulgarideaoffaith。
Theonlytestoffaithobedienceandgoodworks。
Asdifferentmenaredisposedtoobediencebydifferentopinions，universalfaithcancontainonlythesimplestdoctrines。
Fundamentaldistinctionbetweenfaithandphilosophy-
thekey-stoneofthepresenttreatise。
CHAPTERXV-TheologyisshownnottobesubservienttoReason，norReasontoTheology:aDefinitionofthereasonwhichenablesustoaccepttheAuthorityoftheBible。
TheorythatScripturemustbeaccommodatedtoReason-
maintainedbyMaimonides-alreadyrefutedinChaptervii。
TheorythatReasonmustbeaccommodatedtoScripture-
maintainedbyAlpakhar-examined。
Andrefuted。
ScriptureandReasonindependentofoneanother。
Certainty，offundamentalfaithnotmathematicalbutmoral。
GreatutilityofRevelation。
AuthorsEndnotestotheTreatise。
CHAPTERXI-ANINQUIRYWHETHERTHEAPOSTLESWROTETHEIR
EPISTLESASAPOSTLESANDPROPHETS，ORMERELYASTEACHERS；
ANDANEXPLANATIONOFWHATISMEANTBYANAPOSTLE。
1NoreaderoftheNewTestamentcandoubtthattheApostleswereprophets；butasaprophetdoesnotalwaysspeakbyrevelation，butonly，atrareintervals，asweshowedattheendofChap。I。，wemayfairlyinquirewhethertheApostleswrotetheirEpistlesasprophets，byrevelationandexpressmandate，asMoses，Jeremiah，andothersdid，orwhetheronlyasprivateindividualsorteachers，especiallyasPaul，inCorinthiansxiv:6，mentionstwosortsofpreaching。
2IfweexaminethestyleoftheEpistles，weshallfindittotallydifferentfromthatemployedbytheprophets。
3TheprophetsarecontinuallyassertingthattheyspeakbythecommandofGod:"ThussaiththeLord，""TheLordofhostssaith，""ThecommandoftheLord，"&c。；andthiswastheirhabitnotonlyinassembliesoftheprophets，butalsointheirepistlescontainingrevelations，asappearsfromtheepistleofElijahtoJehoram，2Chron。xxi:12，whichbegins，"ThussaiththeLord。"
4IntheApostolicEpistleswefindnothingofthesort。5Contrariwise，inICor。vii:40Paulspeaksaccordingtohisownopinionandinmanypassageswecomeacrossdoubtfulandperplexedphrase；suchas，"Wethink，therefore，"Rom。iii:28；"NowIthink，"[Endnote24]，Rom。viii:18，andsoon。6Besidesthese，otherexpressionsaremetwithverydifferentfromthoseusedbytheprophets。7Forinstance，1Cor。vii:6，"ButIspeakthisbypermission，notbycommandment；""IgivemyjudgmentasonethathathobtainedmercyoftheLordtobefaithful"1Cor。vii:25，andsooninmanyotherpassages。8WemustalsoremarkthatintheaforesaidchaptertheApostlesaysthatwhenhestatesthathehasorhasnotthepreceptorcommandmentofGod，hedoesnotmeanthepreceptorcommandmentofGodrevealedtohimself，butonlythewordsutteredbyChristinHisSermonontheMount。9Furthermore，ifweexaminethemannerinwhichtheApostlesgiveoutevangelicaldoctrine，weshallseethatitdiffersmateriallyfromthemethodadoptedbytheprophets。10TheApostleseverywherereasonasiftheywerearguingratherthanprophesying；
theprophecies，ontheotherhand，containonlydogmasandcommands。11
Godisthereinintroducednotasspeakingtoreason，butasissuingdecreesbyHisabsolutefiat。12Theauthorityoftheprophetsdoesnotsubmittodiscussion，forwhosoeverwishestofindrationalgroundforhisarguments，bythatverywishsubmitsthemtoeveryone'sprivatejudgment。13ThisPaul，inasmuchasheusesreason，appearstohavedone，forhesaysin1
Cor。x:15，"Ispeakastowisemen，judgeyewhatIsay。"14Theprophets，asweshowedattheendofChapterI。，didnotperceivewhatwasrevealedbyvirtueoftheirnaturalreason，andthoughtherearecertainpassagesinthePentateuchwhichseemtobeappealstoinduction，theyturnout，onnearerexamination，tobenothingbutperemptorycommands。15Forinstance，whenMosessays，Deut。xxxi:27，"Behold，whileIamyetalivewithyou，thisdayyehavebeenrebelliousagainsttheLord；andhowmuchmoreaftermydeath，"wemustbynomeansconcludethatMoseswishedtoconvincetheIsraelitesbyreasonthattheywouldnecessarilyfallawayfromtheworshipoftheLordafterhisdeath；fortheargumentwouldhavebeenfalse，asScriptureitselfshows:theIsraelitescontinuedfaithfulduringthelivesofJoshuaandtheelders，andafterwardsduringthetimeofSamuel，David，andSolomon。16ThereforethewordsofMosesaremerelyamoralinjunction，inwhichhepredictsrhetoricallythefuturebackslidingofthepeoplesoastoimpressitvividlyontheirimagination。17IsaythatMosesspokeofhimselfinordertolendlikelihoodtohisprediction，andnotasaprophetbyrevelation，becauseinverse21ofthesamechapterwearetoldthatGodrevealedthesamethingtoMosesindifferentwords，andtherewasnoneedtomakeMosescertainbyargumentofGod'spredictionanddecree；itwasonlynecessarythatitshouldbevividlyimpressedonhisimagination，andthiscouldnotbebetteraccomplishedthanbyimaginingtheexistingcontumacyofthepeople，ofwhichhehadhadfrequentexperience，aslikelytoextendintothefuture。
18AlltheargumentsemployedbyMosesinthefivebooksaretobeunderstoodinasimilarmanner；theyarenotdrawnfromthearmouryofreason，butaremerely，modesofexpressioncalculatedtoinstilwithefficacy，andpresentvividlytotheimaginationthecommandsofGod。
19However，Idonotwishabsolutelytodenythattheprophetseverarguedfromrevelation；Ionlymaintainthattheprophetsmademorelegitimateuseofargumentinproportionastheirknowledgeapproachedmorenearlytoordinaryknowledge，andbythisweknowthattheypossessedaknowledgeabovetheordinary，inasmuchastheyproclaimedabsolutedogmas，decrees，orjudgments。20ThusMoses，thechiefoftheprophets，neverusedlegitimateargument，and，ontheotherhand，thelongdeductionsandargumentsofPaul，suchaswefindintheEpistletotheRomans，areinnowisewrittenfromsupernaturalrevelation。
21ThemodesofexpressionanddiscourseadoptedbytheApostlesintheEpistles，showveryclearlythatthelatterwerenotwrittenbyrevelationandDivinecommand，butmerelybythenaturalpowersandjudgmentoftheauthors。22Theyconsistinbrotherlyadmonitionsandcourteousexpressionssuchaswouldneverbeemployedinprophecy，asforinstance，Paul'sexcuseinRomansxv:15，"Ihavewrittenthemoreboldlyuntoyouinsomesort，mybrethren。"