CHAPTER II

Some years ago a learned man asked me a question of great importance;

the problem and the solution which we gave in our reply deserve the

closest attention. Before, however, entering upon this problem and its

solution I must premise that every Hebrew knows that the term Elohim is

a homonym, and denotes God, angels, judges, and the rulers of

countries, and that Onkelos the proselyte explained it in the true and

correct manner by taking Elohim in the sentence, “and ye shall be like

Elohim” (Gen. iii. 5) in the last-mentioned meaning, and rendering the

sentence “and ye shall be like princes.” Having pointed out the

homonymity of the term “Elohim” we return to the question under

consideration. “It would at first sight,” said the objector, “appear

from Scripture that man was originally intended to be perfectly equal

to the rest of the animal creation, which is not endowed with

intellect, reason, or power of distinguishing between good and evil:

but that Adam’s disobedience to the command of God procured him that

great perfection which is the peculiarity of man, viz., the power of

distinguishing between good and evil—the noblest of all the faculties

of our nature, the essential characteristic of the human race. It thus

appears strange that the punishment for rebelliousness should be the

means of elevating man to a pinnacle of perfection to which he had not

attained previously. This is equivalent to saying that a certain man

was rebellious and extremely wicked, wherefore his nature was changed

for the better, and he was made to shine as a star in the heavens.”

Such was the purport and subject of the question, though not in the

exact words of the inquirer. Now mark our reply, which was as

follows:—“You appear to have studied the matter superficially, and

nevertheless you imagine that you can understand a book which has been

the guide of past and present generations, when you for a moment

withdraw from your lusts and appetites, and glance over its contents as

if you were reading a historical work or some poetical composition.

Collect your thoughts and examine the matter carefully, for it is not

to be understood as you at first sight think, but as you will find

after due deliberation; namely, the intellect which was granted to man

as the highest endowment, was bestowed on him before his disobedience.

With reference to this gift the Bible states that “man was created in

the form and likeness of God.” On account of this gift of intellect man

was addressed by God, and received His commandments, as it is said:

“And the Lord God commanded Adam” (Gen. ii. 16)—for no commandments are

given to the brute creation or to those who are devoid of

understanding. Through the intellect man distinguishes between the true

and the false. This faculty Adam possessed perfectly and completely.

The right and the wrong are terms employed in the science of apparent

truths (morals), not in that of necessary truths, as, e.g., it is not

correct to say, in reference to the proposition “the heavens are

spherical,” it is “good” or to declare the assertion that “the earth is

flat” to be “bad”; but we say of the one it is true, of the other it is

false. Similarly our language expresses the idea of true and false by

the terms emet and sheker, of the morally right and the morally wrong,

by tob and ra’. Thus it is the function of the intellect to

discriminate between the true and the false—a distinction which is

applicable to all objects of intellectual perception. When Adam was yet

in a state of innocence, and was guided solely by reflection and

reason—on account of which it is said: “Thou hast made him (man) little

lower...