diced b Jos e S. Arc a, - non

The book bums with praises of reason as the only source of knowledgeand the primordial ethical norm, against revelation which "supposing it waspossible, is not superior to man's reason." Hence, the author deduces, "thereis no revelation, nor was there ever any." Besides, religions that base theirclaims on supposed revelation are plagued with contradictions and have beenhistorically responsible for oppression, violence, and fanaticism. Leoncio,the symbol of the force of emerging reason in the society at the end of thenineteenth century, will demolish one by one Rodrigo's arguments andalleged certainties, and end up counselling him to "attend to reason and leaverevelation aside." Leoncio, it must be remembered, had tasted to satiety thatfaith is the abdication of a man's intelligence" as well as the "inefficacity andimpotence of revelation to unify men or solve life's problems." (page 130)Rodrigo, as was to be feared, will finally succumb to the unanswerablecogency of Leoncio's logic. And the publication of the book produced amongthe extensive Catholic circles of Spain real indignation. Its subsequent banhelped only to spread it."'Is the book's impact on Rizal, such as I have demonstrated, shown in theNoll? Yes, and clearly. One can even say something more. If Eugene A.Hessel had known this, he would have understood more easily the apparentcontradictions he found in Rizal's writings.'" In this sense Unamuno wasright when he said Rizal's religious thought was much more extensive andprofound than he and W. E. Retana had admitted.To Pi y Margall, Jesus'of Nazareth was no more than an exceptional man,an "apostle and martyr of an idea, who will always win my respect," but notsuperior to the founders of other religions or systems of thought. On thecontrary, he is on occasion inferior to the rest, his teaching and behaviorsometimes unacceptable because they call for resignation, apathy, andtolerance of oppression by tyrants, and certain disdain for the intellect inpreference to feelings. Following this idea of Jesus, Rizal usually avoidedmentioning His name in his novel and, when he did, never made Him appearas the Messiah and Savior, but simply as a good but occasionally an illogicalman:102CapitanTasio's was a "God [Who] in His infinite goodness had created the poorfor the good of the rich, the poor who for a peso are able to recite sixteenmysteries and all the holy books, even adding to the price of the Hebrew Bible."(Noli, chapter 6)"My good Crispin!" Sisa cried. "How dare they say such things about my goodCrispin! It's because we're poor, and the poor have to stand for everything." Sisasobbed after Fray Damaso had accused her son of stealing. (Noli, chapter 17)