Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

AN UNFORTUNATE IDENTIFICATION

79

perhaps a more frequent form of ambition than it is now. For us to-day an immortality of fame would supply small motive for high endeavour. And rightly. Professor Jowett has wisely said: To have been a benefactor to the world, whether in a higher or a lower sphere of life and thought, is a great thing: to have the reputation of being one, when men have passed out of the sphere of earthly praise or blame, is hardly worthy of consideration.'

§ 8. Wisdom and the Law-Ben Sira takes the fateful step of frequently identifying Wisdom with the Law, and of assuming that the whole contents of wisdom are to be found within the 'Mosaic' Code. This extreme exaltation of that heterogeneous collection of stories and ordinances which we now know as the Pentateuch was fraught with great evil for the whole future development of the Jewish religion. The Pentateuch, as we have seen in our previous volume, contains many noble ordinances and much practical wisdom: fundamental truths of morality and religion are to be found in its pages. Its stories are deeply interesting and often exceedingly beautiful. But it is irrational to identify wisdom, still more divine wisdom, with any book which the hands of men have written, even though the Divine Spirit (as we may well believe) has often strengthened and purified the human insight and understanding. For if a book be the embodiment of Wisdom, every part of it must be equally wise and true, so that the greatest saying in the Pentateuch would be no better than the most imperfect, and the dross would be as pure as the gold. Now the Rabbis did make this unfortunate identification, and so they were compelled to draw these no less unfortunate inferences. Hence the Pentateuch became, from one important point of view, a real hindrance to the development and diffusion of Judaism, and it is only within the last hundred years that determined efforts have been made to emancipate the religion from the bondage of a book, and to discriminate between the ore and the alloy, between the true and the false, between the permanent and the obsolete.

Let us, however, hear what our Ben Sira has to say. Parts of his Praise of Wisdom are clearly modelled upon the famous panegyric in Proverbs. Note that the writer first, by way of preface, explains the monologue that is to follow, and then, speaking again in his own person, appends an epilogue of interpretation.

Wisdom shall praise herself, and shall glory in the midst of her people. In the congregation of the Most High shall she open her mouth, and glory in the presence of his power.

'I came forth from the mouth of the Most High, And covered the earth as a mist.

I dwelt in high places,

And my throne is in the pillar of the cloud.
Alone I compassed the circuit of heaven,
And walked in the depth of the abyss.
In the waves of the sea, and in all the earth,

And in every people and nation, I got a possession.
With all these I sought rest;

And in whose inheritance shall I lodge?

Then the Creator of all things gave me a commandment;
And he that created me made my tabernacle to rest,
And said, Let thy tabernacle be in Jacob,

And thine inheritance in Israel.

He created me from the beginning before the world;
And to the end I shall not fail.

In the holy tabernacle I ministered before him;
And so was I established in Sion.

In the beloved city likewise he gave me rest;
And in Jerusalem was my authority.

And I took root in a people that was glorified,

Even in the portion of the Lord's own inheritance.

'I was exalted like a cedar in Libanus,

And as a cypress tree on the mountains of Hermon. I was exalted like a palm tree on the sea shore,

And as rose plants in Jericho,

And as a fair olive tree in the plain;

And I was exalted as a plane tree.

As cinnamon and aspalathus, I have given a scent of perfumes; And as choice myrrh, I spread abroad a pleasant odour;

As galbanum, and onyx, and stacte,

And as the fume of frankincense in the tabernacle.

As the terebinth I stretched out my branches;

And my branches are branches of glory and grace.

As the vine I put forth grace;

And my flowers are the fruit of glory and riches.

'Come unto me, ye that are desirous of me,
And be ye filled with my produce.

For my memorial is sweeter than honey,
And mine inheritance than the honeycomb.

AN EXPANDING STREAM

They that eat me shall yet be hungry;

And they that drink me shall yet be thirsty. He that obeyeth me shall not be ashamed;

And they that work in me shall not do amiss.'

81

All these things are the book of the covenant of the Most High God, even the law which Moses commanded us for a heritage unto the assemblies of Jacob. It is he that maketh wisdom abundant, as Pishon, and as Tigris in the days of new fruits; that maketh understanding full as Euphrates, and as Jordan in the days of harvest; that maketh instruction to shine forth as the light, as Gihon in the days of vintage. The first man knew her not perfectly; and in like manner the last hath not traced her out. For her thoughts are filled from the sea, and her counsels from the great deep.

And I came out as a stream from a river, and as a conduit into a garden. I said, I will water my garden, and will water abundantly my garden bed; and lo, my stream became a river, and my river became a sea. I will yet bring instruction to light as the morning, and will make these things to shine forth afar off. I will yet pour out doctrine as prophecy, and leave it unto generations of ages. Behold that I have not laboured for myself only, but for all them that diligently seek her.

'All these things are the book': i.e. they are contained in or are given by the book.

'It is he that maketh,' i. e. God; but perhaps we should translate 'It is this which maketh,' supposing the reference to be to the Law. And I came out.' This last paragraph is difficult. Most commentators suppose that it is Ben Sira who now speaks again in his own person. The meaning seems to be that when the author began to study the Law and first became a disciple of Wisdom, he did it for his own sake. But as he studied, his material grew under his hands, and all that he could deduce from the Law, and all that Wisdom inspired him to know, became so large that he can now 'pour it forth' as if it were the outburst of a prophet, and dedicate it in confidence to all the ages of the future.

§ 9. Sin and atonement.-Like the earlier sages, Ben Sira held high the prophetic doctrine that material sacrifices could make no atonement for evil-doing. Thus he says:

:

Bind not up sin twice; for in one sin thou shalt not be unpunished. Say not, He will look upon the multitude of my gifts, and when I offer to the Most High he will accept it.

Think not to corrupt with gifts; for he will not receive them and set not thy mind on an unrighteous sacrifice; for the Lord is judge, and with him is no respect of persons. He will not accept any person against a poor man; and he will listen to the prayer of him that is wronged. He will in no wise despise the supplication of the fatherless; nor the widow, when she poureth out her tale. Do not the tears of the widow run down her cheek? And is not her cry against him that hath caused them to fall? He that serveth God according to his good pleasure shall be accepted, and his supplication shall reach unto the clouds.

He that sacrificeth of a thing wrongfully gotten, his offering is made in mockery; and the mockeries of wicked men are not well-pleasing. The Most High hath no pleasure in the offerings of the ungodly; neither is he pacified for sins by the multitude of sacrifices. As one that killeth the son before his father's eyes is he that bringeth a sacrifice from the goods of the poor. The bread of the needy is the life of the poor: he that depriveth him thereof is a man of blood. As one that slayeth his neighbour is he that taketh away his living; and as a shedder of blood is he that depriveth a hireling of his hire.

One building, and another pulling down, what profit have they had but toil? One praying, and another cursing, whose voice will the Lord listen to? He that washeth himself after touching a dead body, and toucheth it again, what profit hath he in his washing? Even so a man fasting for his sins, and going again, and doing the same; who will listen to his prayer? and what profit hath he in his humiliation?

He that keepeth the law multiplieth offerings; he that taketh heed to the commandments sacrificeth a peace offering. He that requiteth a good turn offereth fine flour; and he that giveth alms sacrificeth a thank offering. To depart from wickedness is a thing pleasing to the Lord; and to depart from unrighteousness is a propitiation. See that thou appear not in the presence of the Lord empty. For all these things are to be done because of the commandment.

THE TRUE SACRIFICE

83

These sayings remind us of the Rabbinic teaching relative to the Day of Atonement, quoted in Part I, p. 151, with which we may profitably compare them. The last paragraph is extremely interesting. When Ben Sira says, ' He that keepeth the law multiplieth offerings,' he seems to be thinking of the moral injunctions of the law, its ordinances of gratitude, righteousness and charity. To obey these is better than a myriad bullocks. But he then seems to remember that the law actually commands sacrifices, and that a stingy man might make evil use of the higher teaching which he has just laid down. So he adds a caution against any meanness in the due observance of the sacrificial ordinances or any neglect of what the law has enjoined. Whether it seem to us important or not, whether we understand the reason of the particular ordinance or not, it must be fulfilled because it is there. All these things are to be done because of the commandment.' And this is

a perfectly logical point of view. Once believe that every order in a given code is the direct command of God, and there can be no greater and smaller, no distinctions and differences. If the code be uniformly divine, we cannot criticize its parts. Where the assumption or theory fails is that there is no test of divinity' except moral and religious excellence. Hence we are again brought back to the use of our reason, and are justified in distinguishing between a better and a worse, between lower and higher, between the obsolete and the permanent. No commandment in any book is good because God has ordered it; but because it is good therefore it is of God.

§ 10. The divine justice.-Let no man fancy, exclaims Ben Sira, that he can escape the all-knowing justice of God. Nor let him presume upon God's 's mercy to sin at pleasure, comfortably confident that God will forgive because his compassion is so abundant.

Say not, I sinned, and what happened unto me? For the Lord is longsuffering.' Be not without fear to add sin upon sins and say not, His compassion is great; he will be pacified for the multitude of my sins': for mercy and wrath are with him, and his indignation will rest upon sinners.

Even if there be one stiffnecked person, it is marvel if he shall be unpunished: for mercy and wrath are with him; he is mighty to forgive, and he poureth out wrath. As his mercy is great, so is his correction also; he judgeth a man according to his works. The sinner shall not escape with his plunder; and the patience of the godly shall not be

« AnteriorContinuar »