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

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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；



was　chosen　by　Moses；　nor　had　anyone；　after　Moses'　death；　a　right　to　elect　to



the　office；　which　became　hereditary　。　（87）　The　general…in…chief　of　the　army



was　also　chosen　by　Moses；　and　assumed　his　functions　in　virtue　of　the



commands；　not　of　the　high　priest；　but　of　Moses：　indeed；　after　the　death　of



Joshua；　the　high　priest　did　not　appoint　anyone　in　his　place；　and　the



captains　did　not　consult　God　afresh　about　a　general…in…chief；　but　each



retained　Joshua's　power　in　respect　to　the　contingent　of　his　own　tribe；



and　all　retained　it　collectively；　in　respect　to　the　whole　army。　（88）　There



seems　to　have　been　no　need　of　a　general…in…chief；　except　when　they　were



obliged　to　unite　their　forces　against　a　common　enemy。　（89）　This　occurred



most　frequently　during　the　time　of　Joshua；　when　they　had　no　fixed　dwelling。



place；　and　possessed　all　things　in　common。　＇17：7＇　（90）　After　all　the　tribes



had　gained　their　territories　by　right　of　conquest；　and　had　divided　their



allotted　gains；　they；　became　separated；　having　no　longer　their　possessions



in　common；　so　that　the　need　for　a　single　commander　ceased；　for　the



different　tribes　should　be　considered　rather　in　the　light　of　confederated



states　than　of　bodies　of　fellow…citizens。　（91）　In　respect　to　their　God　and



their　religion；　they；　were　fellow…citizens；　but；　in　respect　to　the　rights



which　one　possessed　with　regard　to　another；　they　were　only　confederated：



they；　were；　in　fact；　in　much　the　same　position　（if　one　excepts　the　Temple



common　to　all）　as　the　United　States　of　the　Netherlands　｛or　United　States　of



America｝。　（92）　The　division　of　property；　held　in　common　is　only　another



phrase　for　the　possession　of　his　share　by　each　of　the　owners　singly；　and　the



surrender　by　the　others　of　their　rights　over　such　share。　（93）　This　is　why



Moses　elected　captains　of　the　tribes　…　namely；　that　when　the　dominion　was



divided；　each　might　take　care　of　his　own　part；　consulting　God　through　the



high　priest　on　the　affairs　of　his　tribe；　ruling　over　his　army；　building　and



fortifying　cities；　appointing　judges；　attacking　the　enemies　of　his　own



dominion；　and　having　complete　control　over　all　civil　and　military　affairs。



（94）　He　was　not　bound　to　acknowledge　any　superior　judge　save　God



＇Endnote　32＇；　or　a　prophet　whom　God　should　expressly　send。　（95）　If　he



departed　from　the　worship　of　God；　the　rest　of　the　tribes　did　not　arraign　him



as　a　subject；　but　attacked　him　as　an　enemy。　（95）　Of　this　we　have　examples　in



Scripture。　（96）　When　Joshua　was　dead；　the　children　of　Israel　（not　a　fresh



general…in…chief）　consulted　God；　it　being　decided　that　the　tribe　of　Judah



should　be　the　first　to　attack　its　enemies；　the　tribe　in　question　contracted



a　single　alliance　with　the　tribe　of　Simeon；　for　uniting　their　forces；　and



attacking　their　common　enemy；　the　rest　of　the　tribes　not　being　included　in



the　alliance　（Judges　i：1；　2；　3）。　（97）　Each　tribe　separately　made　war　against



its　own　enemies；　and；　according　to　its　pleasure；　received　them　as　subjects



or　allies；　though　it　had　been　commanded　not　to　spare　them　on　any　conditions；



but　to　destroy　them　utterly。　（98）　Such　disobedience　met　with　reproof　from



the　rest　of　the　tribes；　but　did　not　cause　the　offending　tribe　to　be



arraigned：　it　was　not　considered　a　sufficient　reason　for　proclaiming　a　civil



war；　or　interfering　in　one　another's　affairs。　（99）　But　when　the　tribe　of



Benjamin　offended　against　the　others；　and　so　loosened　the　bonds　of　peace



that　none　of　the　confederated　tribes　could　find　refuge　within　its　borders；



they　attacked　it　as　an　enemy；　and　gaining　the　victory　over　it　after　three



battles；　put　to　death　both　guilty　and　innocent；　according　to　the　laws　of



war：　an　act　which　they　subsequently　bewailed　with　tardy　repentance。







（17：100）　These　examples　plainly　confirm　what　we　have　said　concerning　the



rights　of　each　tribe。　（101）　Perhaps　we　shall　be　asked　who　elected　the



successors　to　the　captains　of　each　tribe；　on　this　point　I　can　gather　no



positive　information　in　Scripture；　but　I　conjecture　that　as　the　tribes　were



divided　into　families；　each　headed　by　its　senior　member；　the　senior　of　all



these　heads　of　families　succeeded　by　right　to　the　office　of　captain；　for



Moses　chose　from　among　these　seniors　his　seventy　coadjutors；　who　formed　with



himself　the　supreme　council。　（102）　Those　who　administered　the　government



after　the　death　of　Joshua　were　called　elders；　and　elder　is　a　very　common



Hebrew　expression　in　the　sense　of　judge；　as　I　suppose　everyone　knows；



however；　it　is　not　very　important　for　us　to　make　up　our　minds　on　this　point。



（103）　It　is　enough　to　have　shown　that　after　the　death　of　Moses　no　one　man



wielded　all　the　power　of　a　sovereign；　as　affairs　were　not　all　managed　by　one



man；　nor　by　a　single　council；　nor　by　the　popular　vote；　but　partly　by　one



tribe；　partly　by　the　rest　in　equal　shares；　it　is　most　evident　that　the



government；　after　the　death　of　Moses；　was　neither　monarchic；　nor



aristocratic；　nor　popular；　but；　as　we　have　said；　Theocratic。



（104）　The　reasons　for　applying　this　name　are：







（17：105）　I。　Because　the　royal　seat　of　government　was　the　Temple；　and　in



respect　to　it　alone；　as　we　have　shown；　all　the　tribes　were　fellow…citizens；







（106）　II。　Because　all　the　people　owed　allegiance　to　God；　their　supreme



Judge；　to　whom　only　they　had　promised　implicit　obedience　in　all　things。







（17：107）　III。　Because　the　general…in…chief　or　dictator；　when　there　was　need



of　such；　was　elected　by　none　save　God　alone。　（108）　This　was　expressly



commanded　by　Moses　in　the　name　of　God　（Deut。　xix：15）；　and　witnessed　by　the



actual　choice　of　Gideon；　of　Samson；　and　of　Samuel；　wherefrom　we　may　conclude



that　the　other　faithful　leaders　were　chosen　in　the　same　manner；　though　it　is



not　expressly　told　us。







（17：109）　These　preliminaries　being　stated；　it　is　now　time　to　inquire　the