Theologico-Political Treatise — Part 2
- Pages
- about 120
- Category
- History
- Language
- English
- Reading time
- 2.2 h at 250 wpm
From the opening
A miracle in the sense of a contravention of natural laws an absurdity.
In the sense of an event, whose cause is unknown,
less edifying than an event better understood.
God's providence identical with the course of nature.
How Scripture miracles may be interpreted.
Reasons why this system cannot now be carried out in its entirety.
Yet these difficulties do not interfere with our understanding
the plainest and most important passages.
Rival systems examined - that of a supernatural
faculty being necessary - refuted.
CHAPTER VIII. - Of the authorship of the Pentateuch,
and the other historical books of the Old Testament.
And then a history, distinguishing the books by the names of their subjects.
That these books have not been thoroughly revised and made to agree.
CHAPTER X. - An Examination of the remaining books of
the Old Testament according to the preceding method.
The author declines to undertake a similar detailed
examination of the New Testament.
(1) As men are accustomed to call Divine the knowledge which transcends
human understanding, so also do they style Divine, or the work of God,
anything of which the cause is not generally known: for the masses think
that the power and providence of God are most clearly displayed by events
that are extraordinary and contrary to the conception they have formed of
nature, especially if such events bring them any profit or convenience: they
think that the clearest possible proof of God's existence is afforded when
nature, as they suppose, breaks her accustomed order, and consequently they
believe that those who explain or endeavour to understand phenomena or
miracles through their natural causes are doing away with God and His
providence.
A short sample. Read the whole book
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