BENEDICT DE SPINOZA: Theological-Political Treatise

167
chapter 13
Where it is shown that the teachings of Scripture
are very simple, and aim only to promote
obedience, and tell us nothing about the divine
nature beyond what men may emulate by a
certain manner of life
[1] We proved in chapter 2 of this treatise that the prophets possessed
extraordinary powers of imagination but not of understanding, and that
it was not the deeper points of philosophy that God revealed to them but
only some very simple matters, adapting Himself to their preconceived
beliefs.We then showed in chapter 5 that Scripture explains and teaches
things in such a way that anyone may grasp them. It does not deduce and
derive them from axioms and de¢nitions, but speaks simply, and to
secure belief in its pronouncements, it con¢rms them by experience
alone, that is, by miracles and histories narrated in a language and style
designed to in£uence the minds of the common people: on this see
chapter 6 (point 3). 1 Finally, we demonstrated in chapter 7 that the di⁄culty
of comprehending the Bible lies solely in the language and not in
the sublimity of its content. There is the further problem, though, that
the prophets were not addressing the learned among the Jews but the
entire people without exception, and the Apostles likewise were accustomed
to proclaim the Gospel teaching in churches where there was a miscellaneous
congregation of all types of people. From all this it follows that
biblical teaching contains no elevated theories or philosophical doctrines
but only the simplest matters comprehensible to even the very slowest.
1 For point 3 in ch. 6, see pp. 89^92.
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