the evolution of theology-第2章

按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！



being　assured　of　immunity；　asks；　〃Whom　shall　I　bring　up　to

thee？〃　whereupon　Saul　says；　〃Bring　me　up　Samuel。〃　The　woman

immediately　sees　an　apparition。　But　to　Saul　nothing　is　visible；

for　he　asks；　〃What　seest　thou？〃　And　the　woman　replies；　〃I　see

Elohim　coming　up　out　of　the　earth。〃　Still　the　spectre　remains

invisible　to　Saul；　for　he　asks；　〃What　form　is　he　of？〃　And　she

replies；　〃An　old　man　cometh　up；　and　he　is　covered　with　a　robe。〃

So　far；　therefore；　the　wise　woman　unquestionably　plays　the　part

of　a　〃medium；〃　and　Saul　is　dependent　upon　her　version　of

what　happens。



The　account　continues：



And　Saul　perceived　that　it　was　Samuel；　and　he　bowed　with

his　face　to　the　ground　and　did　obeisance。　And　Samuel　said　to

Saul；　Why　hast　thou　disquieted　me　to　bring　me　up？　And　Saul

answered；　I　am　sore　distressed：　for　the　Philistines　make　war

against　me；　and　Elohim　is　departed　from　me　and　answereth　me　no

more；　neither　by　prophets　nor　by　dreams；　therefore　I　have　called

thee　that　thou　mayest　make　known　unto　me　what　I　shall　do。

And　Samuel　said；　Wherefore　then　dost　thou　ask　of　me；　seeing　that

Jahveh　is　departed　from　thee　and　is　become　thine　adversary？

And　Jahveh　hath　wrought　for　himself；　as　he　spake　by　me；　and

Jahveh　hath　rent　the　kingdom　out　of　thine　hand　and　given　it　to

thy　neighbour；　even　to　David。　Because　thou　obeyedst　not　the

voice　of　Jahveh　and　didst　not　execute　his　fierce　wrath　upon

Amalek；　therefore　hath　Jahveh　done　this　thing　unto　thee　this

day。　Moreover；　Jahveh　will　deliver　Israel　also　with　thee　into

the　hands　of　the　Philistines；　and　to…morrow　shalt　thou　and　thy

sons　be　with　me：　Jahveh　shall　deliver　the　host　of　Israel　also

into　the　hand　of　the　Philistines。　Then　Saul　fell　straightway　his

full　length　upon　the　earth　and　was　sore　afraid　because　of　the

words　of　Samuel　。。。〃　（v。　14…20）。





The　statement　that　Saul　〃perceived〃　that　it　was　Samuel　is　not　to

be　taken　to　imply　that；　even　now；　Saul　actually　saw　the　shade　of

the　prophet；　but　only　that　the　woman's　allusion　to　the　prophetic

mantle　and　to　the　aged　appearance　of　the　spectre　convinced　him

that　it　was　Samuel。　Reuss　in　fact　translates　the　passage

〃Alors　Saul　reconnut　que　c'etait　Samuel。〃　Nor　does　the　dialogue

between　Saul　and　Samuel　necessarily；　or　probably；　signify　that

Samuel　spoke　otherwise　than　by　the　voice　of　the　wise　woman。

The　Septuagint　does　not　hesitate　to　call　her　＇Greek＇；　that　is　to

say；　a　ventriloquist；　implying　that　it　was　she　who　spokeand

this　view　of　the　matter　is　in　harmony　with　the　fact　that　the

exact　sense　of　the　Hebrew　words　which　are　translated　as　〃a　woman

that　hath　a　familiar　spirit〃　is　〃a　woman　mistress　of　Ob。〃

Ob　means　primitively　a　leather　bottle；　such　as　a　wine

skin；　and　is　applied　alike　to　the　necromancer　and　to　the　spirit

evoked。　Its　use；　in　these　senses；　appears　to　have　been　suggested

by　the　likeness　of　the　hollow　sound　emitted　by　a　half…empty　skin

when　struck；　to　the　sepulchral　tones　in　which　the　oracles　of　the

evoked　spirits　were　uttered　by　the　medium。　It　is　most　probable

that；　in　accordance　with　the　general　theory　of　spiritual

influences　which　obtained　among　the　old　Israelites；　the　spirit

of　Samuel　was　conceived　to　pass　into　the　body　of　the　wise　woman；

and　to　use　her　vocal　organs　to　speak　in　his　own　namefor　I

cannot　discover　that　they　drew　any　clear　distinction　between

possession　and　inspiration。



If　the　story　of　Saul's　consultation　of　the　occult　powers　is　to

be　regarded　as　an　authentic　narrative；　or；　at　any　rate；　as　a

statement　which　is　perfectly　veracious　so　far　as　the　intention

of　the　narrator　goesand；　as　I　have　said；　I　see　no　reason　for

refusing　it　this　characterit　will　be　found；　on　further

consideration；　to　throw　a　flood　of　light；　both　directly　and

indirectly；　on　the　theology　of　Saul's　countrymenthat　is　to

say；　upon　their　beliefs　respecting　the　nature　and　ways　of

spiritual　beings。



Even　without　the　confirmation　of　other　abundant　evidences　to　the

same　effect；　it　leaves　no　doubt　as　to　the　existence；　among　them；

of　the　fundamental　doctrine　that　man　consists　of　a　body　and　of　a

spirit；　which　last；　after　the　death　of　the　body；　continues　to

exist　as　a　ghost。　At　the　time　of　Saul's　visit　to　Endor；　Samuel

was　dead　and　buried；　but　that　his　spirit　would　be　believed　to

continue　to　exist　in　Sheol　may　be　concluded　from　the　well…known

passage　in　the　song　attributed　to　Hannah；　his　mother：





Jahveh　killeth　and　maketh　alive；

He　bringeth　down　to　Sheol　and　bringeth　up。

　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　　（1　Sam。　ii。　6。）





And　it　is　obvious　that　this　Sheol　was　thought　to　be　a　place

underground　in　which　Samuel's　spirit　had　been　disturbed　by　the

necromancer's　summons；　and　in　which；　after　his　return　thither；

he　would　be　joined　by　the　spirits　of　Saul　and　his　sons　when　they

had　met　with　their　bodily　death　on　the　hill　of　Gilboa。　It　is

further　to　be　observed　that　the　spirit；　or　ghost；　of　the　dead

man　presents　itself　as　the　image　of　the　man　himselfit　is　the

man；　not　merely　in　his　ordinary　corporeal　presentment　（even　down

to　the　prophet's　mantle）　but　in　his　moral　and　intellectual

characteristics。　Samuel；　who　had　begun　as　Saul's　friend　and

ended　as　his　bitter　enemy；　gives　it　to　be　understood　that　he　is

annoyed　at　Saul's　presumption　in　disturbing　him；　and　that；　in

Sheol；　he　is　as　much　the　devoted　servant　of　Jahveh　and　as　much

empowered　to　speak　in　Jahveh's　name　as　he　was　during　his　sojourn

in　the　upper　air。



It　appears　now　to　be　universally　admitted　that；　before　the

exile；　the　Israelites　had　no　belief　in　rewards　and　punishments

after　death；　nor　in　anything　similar　to　the　Christian　heaven　and

hell；　but　our　story　proves　that　it　would　be　an　error　to　suppose

that　they　did　not　believe　in　the　continuance　of　individual

existence　after　death　by　a　ghostly　simulacrum　of　life。　Nay；　I

think　it　would　be　very　hard　to　produce　conclusive　evidence　that

they　disbelieved　in　immortality；　for　I　am　not　aware　that　there

is　anything　to　show　that　they　thought　the　existence　of　the　souls

of　the　dead　in　Sheol　ever　came　to　an　end。　But　they　do　not　seem

to　have　conceived　that　the　condition　of　the　souls　in　Sheol　was

in　any　way　affected　by　their　conduct　in　life。　If　there　was

immortality；　there　was　no　state　of　retribution　in　their

theology。　Samuel　expects　Saul　and　his　sons　to　come　to　him

in　Sheol。



The　next　circumstance　to　be　remarked　is　that　the　name　of

Elohim　is　applied　to　the　spirit　which　the　woman　sees

〃coming　up　out　of　the　earth；〃　that　is　to　say；　from　Sheol。

The　Authorised　Version　translates　this　in　its　literal　sense

〃gods。〃　The　Revised　Version　gives　〃god〃　with　〃gods〃　in　the

margin。　Reuss　renders　the　word　by　〃spectre；〃　remarking　in　a　note

that　it　is　not　quite　exact；　but　that　the　word　Elohim　expresses

〃something　divine；　that　is　to　say；　superhuman；　commanding

respect　and　terror〃　（〃Histoire　des　Israelites；〃　p。　321）。

Tuch；　in　his　commentary　on　Genesis；　and　Thenius；　in　his

commentary　on　Samuel；　express　substantially　the　same　opinion。

Dr。　Alexander　（in　Kitto's　〃Cyclopaedia〃　s。　v。　〃God〃）　has　the

following　instructive　remarks：





＇Elohim　is＇　sometimes　used　vaguely　to　describe　unseen

powers　or　superhuman　beings　that　are　not　properly　thought　of　as

divine。　Thus　the　witch　of　Endor　saw　〃Elohim　ascending　out　of　the

earth〃　（1　Sam。　xxviii。　13）；　meaning　thereby　some　beings　of　an

unearthly；　superhuman　character。　So　also　in　Zechariah　xii。　8；　it

is　said　〃the　house　of　David　shall　be　as　Elohim；　as　the　angel　of

the　Lord；〃　where；　as　the　transition　from　Elohim　to　the　angel　of

the　Lord　is　a　minori　ad　majus；　we　must　regard　the　former　as　a

vague　designation　of　supernatural　powers。





Dr。　Alexander　speaks　here　of　〃beings〃；　but　there　is　no　reason　to

suppose　that　the　wise　woman　of　Endor　referred　to　anything　but　a

solitary　spectre；　and　it　is　quite　clear　that　Saul　understood　her

in　this　sense；　for　he　asks　〃What　form　is　HE　of？〃



This　fact；　that　the