Benedictus de Spinoza

“ Another reason for the appearance of the Books of Daniel, Ezra, Esther, and Nehemiah at the particular time specified may have been to show the people the prophecies of Daniel fulfilled, and in the midst of so much misery to strengthen them in piety, and in the faith of better times to come. ”

“ But further, there is not the least doubt that all, from the beginning of chap. viii. to Terse 26th of chap, xii., and also the two last verses of chap, xiii., which are a kind of parenthesis added to the words of Nehemiah, have been supplied by the actual writer of the book which bears the name of Nehemiah.↑ The grand Synagogue which decided the canon of Scripture did not assemble till after the subjection of Asia to the Macedonian power. To its authority the Pharisees always refer when they invoke what they call their Traditions. ”

“ Could this only be clearly established, it would be a remarkable testimony to the assurance that the Scriptures are sacred only in so far as the things signified in them are understood, and not in so far as the language or style of composition is regarded; and that all books which teach and narrate things good and true, in whatever language written, by men of whatever nation composed, are equally and alike sacred. This much at all events may be noted, that these chapters of Daniel were written in Chaldee, and are nevertheless held of like sanctity with the rest of the Bible. ”

“ Let me not, however, be supposed to brand as blasphemers those who have had no purpose to lead astray — for truly to err is human. I return to my subject.
Besides the errors which must be acknowledged in the sums of the Genealogical Registers, both of Ezra and Nehemiah, there are many mistakes in the names of families, many especially in the genealogies, in the historical accounts, and, I apprehend, in the prophecies themselves. The prophecy of Jeremiah, for example (xxii.) ”

“ From this lost book, therefore, all that is comprised in the four books above cited was in all probability derived; for no other is referred to by their author, and we know of none besides of public authority. That the books in question were not written either by Ezra or Nehemiah appears from this, that in Nehemiah (xii. 10, 11) we have the genealogy of the high priest Jeshua continued to Jaddua, the sixth pontiff, who went to meet Alexander the Great, the Persian power being then almost destroyed (vide Joseph. Antiq. book ii. ch. viii.) ”

“ The Prophecies of Jeremiah, in like manner, which are narrated historically, are taken from various chronologers; for besides that they are accumulated without arrangement, no respect being had to times, we find the same tale variously repeated oftener than once. Thus, in the 21st chapter we have an explanation of the cause of the prophet's alarm, in the circumstance that he had foretold the devastation of the city to Zedekiah, who had consulted him. ”

“ Still I cannot help wondering that we have not more from his hand, seeing that he prophesied for upwards of 84 years, according to the testimony of the writer of the book. Of this at least we are sure generally, that neither do the books we have contain the whole of the prophecies pronounced, nor does the collection of prophetical books that has come down to us contain all of the same sort that were written. Of all the prophets who discoursed during the reign of Manasseh, and of whom there is a general notice in 2 Chronicles (xxxiii. 10, 18, 19) , we have absolutely nothing ”

“ Nor is it the conjunction only that leads to this conclusion; the whole of the context supposes other writings: for the thirtieth year, from which this book commences, shows the prophet in the course of proceeding with his narrative, not beginning it, as he himself indeed shows parenthetically in verse 3, where he says — "The word of the Lord came expressly [1] unto Ezekiel, the priest, the son of Buzi, in the land of the Chaldeans," &c., as if he had said, the words of Ezekiel thus fur refer to other things, which were revealed to him before this thirtieth year. ”

“ The conjunction which we find at the beginning of the 38th chapter plainly refers to versos 8, 9, and 10 of chap. xxi.; but strangely enough the alarm of Jeremiah is here described in very different terms, and the cause of his long imprisonment in the porch of the prison is told quite otherwise than in chap, xxxvii. ”