Page:Jews and Judaism (Morris Jastrow).djvu/13

 to believe in Revelation to suppose that God came down on Mount Sinai and gave Moses two tablets of stone, but I do hold that if you remove the supernatural character of it, you have no longer Revelation in the sense in which that term has hitherto been understood. If you continue to use the term without stating clearly that what you mean by it is something entirely different, essentially different, then you are contributing to the confusion which is so strongly to be condemned. You may be as wide as you please in your definition, but withal within certain limits. The line, it seems to me, must be drawn between the natural and supernatural.

In close connection with this stands the question concerning the divine origin and authority of the Bible. Again, I say, interpret the term "divine origin and authority" as widely as you please, but you have no right to interpret it away. I am not of those who believe that the acceptance of modern views of the Bible lowers its value in our eyes. No! Its value for me does not depend upon the question of its origin and its parts, but lies somewhere else, in a region where these questions do not enter. Nor do I fear that it will become lost. Mankind cannot do without the Bible, because it is a reflection of mankind. But I go further, and say the acceptance of modern views does not at all necessarily involve the abandoning of the belief in its divine authority or even origin. We have instances in our days of persons who cling firmly to its authority, aye, and yet accept the results of the much-abused Biblical criticism. But if we do not accept the Bible as our au-authorityauthority [sic], we must distinctly say so. To go on theoretically acknowledging it as such and contradicting ourselves in practice, is again a contribution to confusion. Here is another doctrine, which has hitherto been considered fundamental in Judaism. In order to know exactly what differences divide Jews to-day, what is our relation towards Judaism,we must make clear what has heretofore been understood under Judaism. It is only then that we can know how far our views are in accord with it or not.

There is one more doctrine to which I desire to allude, and which, it appears to me, has been held to be essential to Judaism, I add once