the evolution of theology-第5部分

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aliment　as　can　be　assimilated　by　their　attenuated　substance；　and

even　for　clothes；　ornaments；　and　weapons。　That　they　were

familiar　with　this　doctrine　in　the　time　of　the　captivity　is

suggested　by　the　well…known　reference　of　Ezekiel　（xxxii。　27）　to

the　〃mighty　that　are　fallen　of　the　uncircumcised；　which　are　gone

down　to　＇Sheol＇　hell　with　their　weapons　of　war；　and　have　laid

their　swords　under　their　heads。〃　Perhaps　there　is　a　still

earlier　allusion　in　the　〃giving　of　food　for　the　dead〃　spoken　of

in　Deuteronomy　（xxvi。　14）。



It　must　be　remembered　that　the　literature　of　the　old　Israelites；

as　it　lies　before　us；　has　been　subjected　to　the　revisal　of

strictly　monotheistic　editors；　violently　opposed　to　all　kinds　of

idolatry；　who　are　not　likely　to　have　selected　from　the　materials

at　their　disposal　any　obvious　evidence；　either　of　the　practice

under　discussion；　or　of　that　ancestor…worship　which　is　so

closely　related　to　it；　for　preservation　in　the　permanent　records

of　their　people。



The　mysterious　objects　known　as　Teraphim；　which　are

occasionally　mentioned　in　Judges；　Samuel；　and　elsewhere；

however；　can　hardly　be　interpreted　otherwise　than　as　indications

of　the　existence　both　of　ancestor…worship　and　of　image…worship

in　old　Israel。　The　teraphim　were　certainly　images　of　family

gods；　and；　as　such；　in　all　probability　represented　deceased

ancestors。　Laban　indignantly　demands　of　his　son…in…law；

〃Wherefore　hast　thou　stolen　my　Elohim？〃　which　Rachel；　who　must

be　assumed　to　have　worshipped　Jacob's　God；　Jahveh；　had　carried

off；　obviously　because　she；　like　her　father；　believed　in　their

divinity。　It　is　not　suggested　that　Jacob　was　in　any　way

scandalised　by　the　idolatrous　practices　of　his　favourite　wife；

whatever　he　may　have　thought　of　her　honesty　when　the　truth　came

to　light；　for　the　teraphim　seem　to　have　remained　in　his　camp；　at

least　until　he　〃hid〃　his　strange　gods　〃under　the　oak　that　was　by

Shechem〃　（Gen。　xxxv。　4）。　And　indeed　it　is　open　to　question　if　he

got　rid　of　them　then；　for　the　subsequent　history　of　Israel

renders　it　more　than　doubtful　whether　the　teraphim　were　regarded

as　〃strange　gods〃　even　as　late　as　the　eighth　century　B。C。



The　writer　of　the　books　of　Samuel　takes　it　quite　as　a　matter　of

course　that　Michal；　daughter　of　one　royal　Jahveh　worshipper　and

wife　of　the　servant　of　Jahveh　par　excellence；　the　pious

David；　should　have　her　teraphim　handy；　in　her　and　David's

chamber；　when　she　dresses　them　up　in　their　bed　into　a　simulation

of　her　husband；　for　the　purpose　of　deceiving　her　father's

messengers。　Even　one　of　the　early　prophets；　Hosea；　when　he

threatens　that　the　children　of　Israel　shall　abide　many　days

without　〃ephod　or　teraphim〃　（iii。　4）；　appears　to　regard　both　as

equally　proper　appurtenances　of　the　suspended　worship　of　Jahveh；

and　equally　certain　to　be　restored　when　that　is　resumed。　When　we

further　take　into　consideration　that　only　in　the　reign　of

Hezekiah　was　the　brazen　serpent；　preserved　in　the　temple　and

believed　to　be　the　work　of　Moses；　destroyed；　and　the　practice　of

offering　incense　to　it；　that　is；　worshipping　it；　abolishedthat

Jeroboam　could　set　up　〃calves　of　gold〃　for　Israel　to　worship；

with　apparently　none　but　a　political　object；　and　certainly　with

no　notion　of　creating　a　schism　among　the　worshippers　of　Jahveh；

or　of　repelling　the　men　of　Judah　from　his　standardit　seems

obvious；　either　that　the　Israelites　of　the　tenth　and　eleventh

centuries　B。C。　knew　not　the　second　commandment；　or　that　they

construed　it　merely　as　part　of　the　prohibition　to　worship　any

supreme　god　other　than　Jahveh；　which　precedes　it。



In　seeking　for　information　about　the　teraphim；　I　lighted　upon

the　following　passage　in　the　valuable　article　on　that　subject　by

Archdeacon　Farrar；　in　Ritto's　〃Cyclopaedia　of　Biblical

Literature；〃　which　is　so　much　to　the　purpose　of　my　argument；

that　I　venture　to　quote　it　in　full：





The　main　and　certain　results　of　this　review　are　that　the

teraphim　were　rude　human　images；　that　the　use　of　them　was　an

antique　Aramaic　custom；　that　there　is　reason　to　suppose　them　to

have　been　images　of　deceased　ancestors；　that　they　were　consulted

oracularly；　that　they　were　not　confined　to　Jews；　that　their　use

continued　down　to　the　latest　period　of　Jewish　history；

and　lastly；　that　although　the　enlightened　prophets　and　strictest

later　kings　regarded　them　as　idolatrous；　the　priests　were　much

less　averse　to　such　images；　and　their　cult　was　not　considered　in

any　way　repugnant　to　the　pious　worship　of　Elohim；　nay；　even　to

the　worship　of　him　〃under　the　awful　title　of　Jehovah。〃　In　fact；

they　involved　a　monotheistic　idolatry　very　different　indeed

from　polytheism；　and　the　tolerance　of　them　by　priests；　as

compared　with　the　denunciation　of　them　by　the　prophets；　offers　a

close　analogy　to　the　views　of　the　Roman　Catholics　respecting

pictures　and　images　as　compared　with　the　views　of　Protestants。

It　was　against　this　use　of　idolatrous　symbols　and　emblems　in　a

monotheistic　worship　that　the　second　commandment　was

directed；　whereas　the　first　is　aimed　against　the　graver　sin　of

direct　polytheism。　But　the　whole　history　of　Israel　shows　how

utterly　and　how　early　the　law　must　have　fallen　into　desuetude。

The　worship　of　the　golden　calf　and　of　the　calves　at　Dan　and

Bethel；　against　which；　so　far　as　we　know；　neither　Elijah　nor

Elisha　said　a　single　word；　the　tolerance　of　high　places；

teraphim　and　betylia；　the　offering　of　incense　for　centuries　to

the　brazen　serpent　destroyed　by　Hezekiah；　the　occasional

glimpses　of　the　most　startling　irregularities　sanctioned

apparently　even　in　the　temple　worship　itself；　prove　most

decisively　that　a　pure　monotheism　and　an　independence　of　symbols

was　the　result　of　a　slow　and　painful　course　of　God's　disciplinal

dealings　among　the　noblest　thinkers　of　a　single　nation；　and　not；

as　is　so　constantly　and　erroneously　urged；　the　instinct　of　the

whole　Semitic　race；　in　other　words；　one　single　branch　of　the

Semites　was　under　God's　providence　educated　into　pure

monotheism　only　by　centuries　of　misfortune　and　series　of

inspired　men　（vol。　iii。　p。　986）。





It　appears　to　me　that　the　researches　of　the　anthropologist　lead

him　to　conclusions　identical　in　substance；　if　not　in　terms；　with

those　here　enunciated　as　the　result　of　a　careful　study　of　the

same　subject　from　a　totally　different　point　of　view。



There　is　abundant　evidence　in　the　books　of　Samuel　and　elsewhere

that　an　article　of　dress　termed　an　ephod　was　supposed　to

have　a　peculiar　efficacy　in　enabling　the　wearer　to　exercise

divination　by　means　of　Jahveh…Elohim。　Great　and　long　continued

have　been　the　disputes　as　to　the　exact　nature　of　the　ephod

whether　it　always　means　something　to　wear；　or　whether　it

sometimes　means　an　image。　But　the　probabilities　are　that　it

usually　signifies　a　kind　of　waistcoat　or　broad　zone；　with

shoulder…straps；　which　the　person　who　〃inquired　of　Jahveh〃　put

on。　In　1　Samuel　xxiii。　2　David　appears