It happens during a season of pestilence7 that a small canton forbids all communication with large cities. It preserves itself from the prevailing8 contagion9, but remains10 a prey11 to other maladies.
Of this description of persons were the Gymnosophists in India, and certain sects12 of philosophers among the Greeks. Such also were the Pythagoreans in Italy and Greece, and the Therapeut? in Egypt. Such at the present day are those primitive13 people called Quakers and Dunkards, in Pennsylvania, and very nearly such were the first Christians15 who lived together remote from cities.
Not one of these societies was acquainted with the dreadful custom of binding16 themselves by oath to the mode of life which they adopted, of involving themselves in perpetual chains, of depriving themselves, on a principle of religion, of the grand right and first principle of human nature, which is liberty; in short, of entering into what we call vows17. St. Basil was the first who conceived the idea of those vows, of this oath of slavery. He introduced a new plague into the world, and converted into a poison that which had been invented as a remedy.
There were in Syria societies precisely18 similar to those of the Essenians. This we learn from the Jew Philo, in his treatise19 on the “Freedom of the Good.” Syria was always superstitious and factious20, and always under the yoke21 of tyrants22. The successors of Alexander made it a theatre of horrors. It is by no means extraordinary that among such numbers of oppressed and persecuted23 beings, some, more humane24 and judicious25 than the rest, should withdraw from all intercourse26 with great cities, in order to live in common, in honest poverty, far from the blasting eyes of tyranny.
During the civil wars of the latter Ptolemies, similar asylums27 were formed in Egypt, and when that country was subjugated28 by the Roman arms, the Therapeut? established themselves in a sequestered29 spot in the neighborhood of Lake M?ris.
It appears highly probable that there were Greek, Egyptian, and Jewish Therapeut?. Philo, after eulogizing Anaxagoras, Democritus, and other philosophers, who embraced their way of life, thus expresses himself:
“Similar societies are found in many countries; Greece and other regions enjoy institutions of this consoling character. They are common in Egypt in every district, and particularly in that of Alexandria. The most worthy30 and moral of the population have withdrawn31 beyond Lake M?ris to a secluded32 but convenient spot, forming a gentle declivity33. The air is very salubrious, and the villages in the neighborhood sufficiently34 numerous,” etc.
Thus we perceive that there have everywhere existed societies of men who have endeavored to find a refuge from disturbances35 and factions, from the insolence36 and rapacity37 of oppressors. All, without exception, entertained a perfect horror of war, considering it precisely in the same light in which we contemplate38 highway robbery and murder.
Such, nearly, were the men of letters who united in France and founded the Academy. They quietly withdrew from the factious and cruel scenes which desolated39 the country in the reign40 of Louis XIII. Such also were the men who founded the Royal Society at London, while the barbarous idiots called Puritans and Episcopalians were cutting one another’s throats about the interpretation41 of a few passages from three or four old and unintelligible42 books.
Some learned men have been of opinion that Jesus Christ, who condescended43 to make his appearance for some time in the small district of Capernaum, in Nazareth, and some other small towns of Palestine, was one of those Essenians who fled from the tumult44 of affairs and cultivated virtue45 in peace. But the name “Essenian,” never even once occurs in the four Gospels, in the Apocrypha46, or in the Acts, or the Epistles of the apostles.
Although, however, the name is not to be found, a resemblance is in various points observable — confraternity, community of property, strictness of moral conduct, manual labor47, detachment from wealth and honors; and, above all, detestation of war. So great is this detestation, that Jesus Christ commands his disciples48 when struck upon one cheek to offer the other also, and when robbed of a cloak to deliver up the coat likewise. Upon this principle the Christians conducted themselves, during the two first centuries, without altars, temples, or magistracies — all employed in their respective trades or occupations, all leading secluded and quiet lives.
Their early writings attest49 that they were not permitted to carry arms. In this they perfectly50 resembled our Quakers, Anabaptists, and Mennonites of the present day, who take a pride in following the literal meaning of the gospel. For although there are in the gospel many passages which, when incorrectly understood, might breed violence — as the case of the merchants scourged51 out of the temple avenues, the phrase “compel them to come in,” the dangers into which they were thrown who had not converted their master’s one talent into five talents, and the treatment of those who came to the wedding without the wedding garment — although, I say, all these may seem contrary to the pacific spirit of the gospel, yet there are so many other passages which enjoin52 sufferance instead of contest, that it is by no means astonishing that, for a period of two hundred years, Christians held war in absolute execration53.
Upon this foundation was the numerous and respectable society of Pennsylvanians established, as were also the minor54 sects which have imitated them. When I denominate them respectable, it is by no means in consequence of their aversion to the splendor55 of the Catholic church. I lament56, undoubtedly57, as I ought to do, their errors. It is their virtue, their modesty58, and their spirit of peace, that I respect.
Was not the great philosopher Bayle right, then, when he remarked that a Christian14 of the earliest times of our religion would be a very bad soldier, or that a soldier would be a very bad Christian?
This dilemma59 appears to be unanswerable; and in this point, in my opinion, consists the great difference between ancient Christianity and ancient Judaism.
The law of the first Jews expressly says, “As soon as you enter any country with a view to possess it, destroy everything by fire and sword; slay60, without mercy, aged61 men, women, and children at the breast; kill even all the animals; sack everything and burn everything. It is your God who commands you so to do.” This injunction is not given in a single instance, but on twenty different occasions, and is always followed.
Mahomet, persecuted by the people of Mecca, defends himself like a brave man. He compels his vanquished62 persecutors to humble64 themselves at his feet, and become his disciples. He establishes his religion by proselytism and the sword.
Jesus, appearing between the times of Moses and Mahomet, in a corner of Galilee, preaches forgiveness of injuries, patience, mildness, and forbearance, dies himself under the infliction65 of capital punishment, and is desirous of the same fate for His first disciples.
I ask candidly66, whether St. Bartholomew, St. Andrew, St. Matthew, and St. Barnabas, would have been received among the cuirassiers of the emperor, or among the royal guards of Charles XII.?
Would St. Peter himself, though he cut off Malchus’ ear, have made a good officer? Perhaps St. Paul, accustomed at first to carnage, and having had the misfortune to be a bloody67 persecutor63, is the only one who could have been made a warrior68. The impetuosity of his temperament69 and the fire of his imagination would have made him a formidable commander. But, notwithstanding these qualities, he made no effort to revenge himself on Gamaliel by arms. He did not act like the Judases, the Theudases, and the Barchochebases, who levied70 troops: he followed the precepts71 of Jesus Christ; he suffered; and, according to an account we have of his death, he was beheaded.
To compose an army of Christians, therefore, in the early period of Christianity, was a contradiction in terms.
It is certain that Christians were not enlisted72 among the troops of the empire till the spirit by which they were animated73 was changed. In the first two centuries they entertained a horror for temples, altars, tapers74, incense75, and lustral water. Porphyry compares them to the foxes who said “the grapes are sour.” “If,” said he, “you could have had beautiful temples burnished76 with gold, and large revenues for a clergy77, you would then have been passionately78 fond of temples.” They afterwards addicted79 themselves to all that they had abhorred80. Thus, having detested81 the profession of arms, they at length engaged in war. The Christians in the time of Diocletian were as different from those of the time of the apostles, as we are from the Christians of the third century.
I cannot conceive how a mind so enlightened and bold as Montesquieu’s could severely82 censure83 another genius much more accurate than his own, and oppose the following just remark made by Bayle: “a society of real Christians might live happily together, but they would make a bad defence on being attacked by an enemy.”
“They would,” says Montesquieu, “be citizens infinitely84 enlightened on the subject of their duties, and ardently85 zealous86 to discharge them. They would be fully87 sensible of the rights of natural defence. The more they thought they owed religion, the more they would think they owed their country. The principles of Christianity deeply engraved88 on their hearts would be infinitely more powerful than the false honor of monarchies89, the human virtues90 of republics, or the servile fear which operates under despotism.”
Surely the author of the “Spirit of Laws” did not reflect upon the words of the gospel, when saying that real Christians would be fully sensible of the rights of natural defence. He did not recollect91 the command to deliver up the coat after the cloak had been taken; and, after having received a blow upon one cheek, to present the other also. Here the principle of natural defence is most decidedly annihilated92. Those whom we call Quakers have always refused to fight; but in the war of 1756, if they had not received assistance from the other English, and suffered that assistance to operate, they would have been completely crushed.
Is it not unquestionable that men who thought and felt as martyrs93 would fight very ill as grenadiers? Every sentence of that chapter of the “Spirit of Laws” appears to me false. “The principles of Christianity deeply engraved on their hearts, would be infinitely more powerful,” etc. Yes, more powerful to prevent their exercise of the sword, to make them tremble at shedding their neighbor’s blood, to make them look on life as a burden of which it would be their highest happiness to be relieved.
“If,” says Bayle, “they were appointed to drive back veteran corps94 of infantry95, or to charge regiments97 of cuirassiers, they would be seen like sheep in the midst of wolves.”
Bayle was perfectly right. Montesquieu did not perceive that, while attempting to refute him, he contemplated98 only the mercenary and sanguinary soldiers of the present day, and not the early Christians. It would seem as if he had been desirous of preventing the unjust accusations99 which he experienced from the fanatics100, by sacrificing Bayle to them. But he gained nothing by it. They are two great men, who appear to be of different opinions, but who, if they had been equally free to speak, would have been found to have the same.
“The false honor of monarchies, the human virtues of republics, the servile fear which operates under despotism;” nothing at all of this goes towards the composition of a soldier, as the “Spirit of Laws” pretends. When we levy101 a regiment96, of whom a quarter part will desert in the course of a fortnight, not one of the men enlisted thinks about the honor of the monarchy102: they do not even know what it is. The mercenary troops of the republic of Venice know their country; but nothing about republican virtue, which no one ever speaks of in the place of St. Mark. In one word, I do not believe that there is a single man on the face of the earth who has enlisted in his regiment from a principle of virtue.
Neither, again, is it out of a servile fear that Turks and Russians fight with the fierceness and rage of lions and tigers. Fear does not inspire courage. Nor is it by devotion that the Russians have defeated the armies of Mustapha. It would, in my opinion, have been highly desirable that so ingenious a man should have sought for truth rather than display. When we wish to instruct mankind, we ought to forget ourselves, and have nothing in view but truth.
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1
superstitious
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| adj.迷信的 | |
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obstinately
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| ad.固执地，顽固地 | |
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bent
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| n.爱好，癖好；adj.弯的；决心的，一心的 | |
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factions
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| 组织中的小派别，派系( faction的名词复数 ) | |
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intoxicated
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| 喝醉的，极其兴奋的 | |
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fanaticism
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| n.狂热，盲信 | |
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pestilence
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| n.瘟疫 | |
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prevailing
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| adj.盛行的；占优势的；主要的 | |
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contagion
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| n.(通过接触的疾病)传染；蔓延 | |
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remains
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| n.剩余物，残留物；遗体，遗迹 | |
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prey
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| n.被掠食者，牺牲者，掠食；v.捕食，掠夺，折磨 | |
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sects
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| n.宗派，教派( sect的名词复数 ) | |
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primitive
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| adj.原始的；简单的；n.原(始)人，原始事物 | |
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Christian
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| adj.基督教徒的；n.基督教徒 | |
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Christians
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| n.基督教徒( Christian的名词复数 ) | |
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binding
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| 有约束力的，有效的，应遵守的 | |
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vows
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| 誓言( vow的名词复数 )； 郑重宣布，许愿 | |
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precisely
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| adv.恰好，正好，精确地，细致地 | |
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treatise
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| n.专著；(专题)论文 | |
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factious
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| adj.好搞宗派活动的，派系的，好争论的 | |
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yoke
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| n.轭；支配；v.给...上轭，连接，使成配偶 | |
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tyrants
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| 专制统治者( tyrant的名词复数 )； 暴君似的人； （古希腊的）僭主； 严酷的事物 | |
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persecuted
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| （尤指宗教或政治信仰的）迫害(~sb. for sth.)( persecute的过去式和过去分词 )； 烦扰，困扰或骚扰某人 | |
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humane
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| adj.人道的，富有同情心的 | |
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judicious
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| adj.明智的，明断的，能作出明智决定的 | |
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intercourse
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| n.性交；交流，交往，交际 | |
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asylums
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| n.避难所( asylum的名词复数 )；庇护；政治避难；精神病院 | |
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subjugated
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| v.征服，降伏( subjugate的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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sequestered
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| adj.扣押的；隐退的；幽静的；偏僻的v.使隔绝，使隔离( sequester的过去式和过去分词 )；扣押 | |
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worthy
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| adj.(of)值得的，配得上的；有价值的 | |
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withdrawn
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| vt.收回；使退出；vi.撤退，退出 | |
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secluded
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| adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词) | |
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declivity
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| n.下坡，倾斜面 | |
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sufficiently
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| adv.足够地，充分地 | |
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disturbances
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| n.骚乱( disturbance的名词复数 )；打扰；困扰；障碍 | |
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insolence
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| n.傲慢；无礼；厚颜；傲慢的态度 | |
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rapacity
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| n.贪婪，贪心，劫掠的欲望 | |
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contemplate
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| vt.盘算，计议；周密考虑；注视，凝视 | |
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desolated
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| adj.荒凉的，荒废的 | |
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reign
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| n.统治时期，统治，支配，盛行；v.占优势 | |
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interpretation
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| n.解释，说明，描述；艺术处理 | |
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unintelligible
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| adj.无法了解的，难解的，莫明其妙的 | |
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condescended
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| 屈尊，俯就( condescend的过去式和过去分词 )； 故意表示和蔼可亲 | |
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tumult
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| n.喧哗；激动，混乱；吵闹 | |
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virtue
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| n.德行，美德；贞操；优点；功效，效力 | |
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apocrypha
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| n.伪经，伪书 | |
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labor
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| n.劳动，努力，工作，劳工；分娩；vi.劳动，努力，苦干；vt.详细分析；麻烦 | |
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disciples
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| n.信徒( disciple的名词复数 )；门徒；耶稣的信徒；（尤指）耶稣十二门徒之一 | |
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attest
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| vt.证明，证实；表明 | |
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50
perfectly
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| adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地 | |
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51
scourged
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| 鞭打( scourge的过去式和过去分词 )； 惩罚，压迫 | |
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enjoin
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| v.命令；吩咐；禁止 | |
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execration
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| n.诅咒，念咒，憎恶 | |
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minor
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| adj.较小(少)的，较次要的；n.辅修学科；vi.辅修 | |
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splendor
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| n.光彩；壮丽，华丽；显赫，辉煌 | |
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56
lament
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| n.悲叹，悔恨，恸哭；v.哀悼，悔恨，悲叹 | |
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undoubtedly
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| adv.确实地，无疑地 | |
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modesty
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| n.谦逊，虚心，端庄，稳重，羞怯，朴素 | |
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dilemma
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| n.困境，进退两难的局面 | |
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slay
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| v.杀死，宰杀，杀戮 | |
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aged
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| adj.年老的，陈年的 | |
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vanquished
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| v.征服( vanquish的过去式和过去分词 )；战胜；克服；抑制 | |
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persecutor
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| n. 迫害者 | |
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humble
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| adj.谦卑的，恭顺的；地位低下的；v.降低，贬低 | |
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infliction
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| n.（强加于人身的）痛苦，刑罚 | |
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candidly
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| adv.坦率地，直率而诚恳地 | |
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bloody
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| adj.非常的的；流血的；残忍的；adv.很；vt.血染 | |
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warrior
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| n.勇士，武士，斗士 | |
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temperament
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| n.气质，性格，性情 | |
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levied
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| 征（兵）( levy的过去式和过去分词 )； 索取； 发动（战争）； 征税 | |
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precepts
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| n.规诫，戒律，箴言( precept的名词复数 ) | |
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enlisted
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| adj.应募入伍的v.（使）入伍， （使）参军( enlist的过去式和过去分词 )；获得（帮助或支持） | |
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animated
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| adj.生气勃勃的，活跃的，愉快的 | |
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tapers
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| （长形物体的）逐渐变窄( taper的名词复数 )； 微弱的光； 极细的蜡烛 | |
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incense
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| v.激怒；n.香，焚香时的烟，香气 | |
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burnished
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| adj.抛光的，光亮的v.擦亮（金属等），磨光( burnish的过去式和过去分词 )；被擦亮，磨光 | |
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clergy
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| n.[总称]牧师，神职人员 | |
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passionately
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| ad.热烈地，激烈地 | |
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addicted
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| adj.沉溺于....的，对...上瘾的 | |
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80
abhorred
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| v.憎恶( abhor的过去式和过去分词 )；（厌恶地）回避；拒绝；淘汰 | |
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detested
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| v.憎恶，嫌恶，痛恨( detest的过去式和过去分词 ) | |
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severely
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| adv.严格地；严厉地；非常恶劣地 | |
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censure
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| v./n.责备；非难；责难 | |
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84
infinitely
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| adv.无限地，无穷地 | |
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85
ardently
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| adv.热心地，热烈地 | |
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86
zealous
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| adj.狂热的，热心的 | |
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87
fully
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| adv.完全地，全部地，彻底地；充分地 | |
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88
engraved
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| v.在（硬物）上雕刻（字，画等）( engrave的过去式和过去分词 )；将某事物深深印在（记忆或头脑中） | |
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monarchies
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| n. 君主政体, 君主国, 君主政治 | |
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90
virtues
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| 美德( virtue的名词复数 )； 德行； 优点； 长处 | |
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recollect
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| v.回忆，想起，记起，忆起，记得 | |
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92
annihilated
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| v.（彻底）消灭( annihilate的过去式和过去分词 )；使无效；废止；彻底击溃 | |
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93
martyrs
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| n.martyr的复数形式；烈士( martyr的名词复数 )；殉道者；殉教者；乞怜者（向人诉苦以博取同情） | |
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corps
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| n.(通信等兵种的)部队；(同类作的)一组 | |
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infantry
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| n.[总称]步兵(部队) | |
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regiment
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| n.团，多数，管理；v.组织，编成团，统制 | |
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regiments
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| （军队的）团( regiment的名词复数 )； 大量的人或物 | |
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contemplated
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| adj. 预期的 动词contemplate的过去分词形式 | |
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accusations
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| n.指责( accusation的名词复数 )；指控；控告；（被告发、控告的）罪名 | |
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100
fanatics
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| 狂热者，入迷者( fanatic的名词复数 ) | |
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101
levy
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| n.征收税或其他款项，征收额 | |
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102
monarchy
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| n.君主，最高统治者；君主政体，君主国 | |
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