The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-09-23


book suggest the possible culture influence
Of the Himyarite Arabs, who had reached
a high civilization before 500 B. G.. II Is
pointed out that not only the Authorized
but the Revised version h false In the sense
Il know that my Redes mer liveth.' the
perversion Of the Hebrew original dating
from Jerome. The probable meaning Is
given In Dr. Dillon's translation: But l
know that my avenger liveth.' The orig
inal expressed a complete disbelief in a
future life.
What marks OF the Book Of Job from all
other literature Is, Of course, Its dramatic
and reflective handling Of the ethical prob
lem Of theism, which the Prophets either
evade or dismiss by defamation against
Jewish ain. Our author woul not pretend
that the problem is solved in Job, where the
role Of Satan IL 'inoonclusive resort to
the Persian dualistio solution. and where
the Deity IL finally made to answer JOBS
free thinking by sheer literary thunder
much less ~ratiocinative, though Tar more
artistic, than the theistic speeches OF Jobs
friends.'- He submits, nevertheless, that
at least the writer or writer's Of Jobs
speeches consciously grasp the issue; and
the writer OF the epilogue evidently felt
tuAN IlO l6IBJ hlWC OOuhd NO VIM
pensate a man whom he had allowed to be
wantonly prosecuted. The various efforts
OF ancient thought to solve the same prob
lem will be found to constitute the motive
power In many later heterodox systems
theistic and atheistic.'
Mr.. Robertson thinks that In certain as
poets the Book Of Job speaks for a further
reach OF early free thinking than is seen In
Koheleth Ecclesiastesl, which latter book,
however, at it's lowest level Of conviction,
tells OF an unbelief that could not be over
borne by any rhetoric. Koheleth unques-
tionably derives from late foreign influences.
BY an increasing number OF students,
though not yet by common critical consent,
the book is dated about 200 B. c., when
Greek influence was stronger in Jewry than
at any previous time. The thought Of the
book lie, as Renan says, profoundly fatigued,
and the sombre avowals OF the absence OF
! divine moral government are i'll balanced
by sayings, probably ~interpolated by other
hands, averring an ultimate rectif1cation
even on earth. What remains unqualified
is the deliberate rejection OF the belief in a
future life, oouched in terms that imply
the currency Of the doctrine; and the DELHI
crate caution against enthusiasm in re-
Egion.'
Attention is here called to various traces In
other books OF the Old Testament OF the same
species Of tired OF stoical semi-rationalism
among the Jews Of the Hellenistic period.
Even earlier, namely, in the Book ofMalachi,
which is commonly dated about 400 b; C.,
there Is angry mention Of some who ask,
where is the God Of Judgment7" and say,
1T is vain 70 serve God";even as others, ac-
cordinR to jeremiah, had said IL in the days
OF Syrian oppression. The opening verses
OF the thirtieth chapter Of the book Of Prov
cribs attributed to Agur, who has been
called a Hebrew Voltaire, are admittedly
the expression Of a sceptic's conviction that
God cannot be known, the countervailing
passag es being plainly the additions Of a be-
lever. Agur's u~tterances probably belong
to the close Of the third century b. G. Here,
as in Job, there are signs Of Arab influence,
but at a later period the main source OF
soepticism for Israel was doubtless the Hell
lenistic civilization.
OF Greek or other atheism, however, there
In no direct trace in the Hebrew literature;
and the rationalism Of the Sadducees, who
constituted substantially the priestly party,
was. like the ra~tionalism Of the Brahmans
and the Egyptian priests, something e~soteric
and withheld from the multitude. So far,
indeed, as the literature shows, save for the
confused Judaic-P latonism OF Philo OF
Alexandria, there is practically no rational
progress in Jewish thought after Koheleth,
till the time Of contact with revived Greek
thought in Saracenic Spain. In the usual
way the mass Of the people are found gravi-
tatinR to the fanatical and superstitious
levels Of the current creed. None OF the more
r~ationalistic writings in the Hebrew canon
seems ever to have counted for much in the
national life. The anti-sacriflcial and
universalist teachings in the Prophets and
in the Psalms never affected, for the people
at large, the sacriicial and localized worship
at Jerusalem, though they may have been
esoterically received by some Of the priestly
or learned class there, and though they may
have promoted a continual exodus OF the
less fanatical type, who turned to other civ
ilizations." Nor. in our authors opinion
can il even be. said that the learned rabbini-
cal class carried on a philosophic tradition,
while the INDECENT multitude discredited
their creed.
v.
Some eighty pages OF the authors first
volume are devoted to Free Thought in
Greece" 1t il we'll known that the Greeks
varied from the general type Of culture
evolution seen in India, Persia, Egypt
and Babylon and a~pproXimated some