show you those words—”
Bento recited from memory, “‘Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.’”
“Exactly, Baruch, those are the words,” said Jacob. “Would that your piety were as great as your memory. If those are God’s words, then who are you to question that we are made in His image?”
“Jacob, use your God-given reason. We cannot take such words literally. They are metaphors. Do you truly believe that we mortals, some of us deaf or crooked or constipated or wretched, are made in God’s image? Think of those like my mother who died in their twenties, those born blind or deformed or demented with huge cavernous water heads, those with scrofula, those whose lungs fail them and who spit blood, those who are avaricious or murderous—are they, too, in God’s image? You think God has a mentality like ours and wishes to be flattered and grows jealous and vindictive if we disobey His rules? Could such flawed, mutilated modes of thought be present in a perfect being? This is merely the manner of talking of those who wrote the Bible.”
“Of those who wrote the Bible? You speak disparagingly of Moses and Joshua and the Prophets and Judges? You deny the Bible is the word of God?” Jacob’s voice grew louder with each sentence, and Franco, who was intent on every word Bento uttered, put his hand on his arm to still him.
“I disparage no one,” Bento said. “That conclusion comes from your mind. But I do say that the words and ideas of the Bible come from the human mind, from the men who wrote these passages and imagined—no,
I should better say wished —that they resembled God, that they were made in God’s image.”
“So you do deny that God speaks through the voices of the Prophets?”
“It’s obvious that any words in the Bible referred to as ‘God’s words’ originate only in the imagination of the various prophets.”
“Imagination! You say ‘imagination’?” Jacob placed his hand before his mouth open with horror, while Franco tried to suppress a smile.
Bento knew that each utterance from his lips shocked Jacob, yet he could not still himself. He felt exhilarated to burst his shackles of silence and express aloud all the ideas he had pondered in secret or shared with the rabbi only in heavily veiled form. Van den Enden’s warning of “ caute, caute ” came to mind, but for once he ignored reason and plunged ahead.
“Yes, it’s obviously imagination, Jacob, and don’t be so shocked: we know this from the very words of the Torah.” Out of the corner of his eye Bento noted Franco’s grin. Bento continued, “Here, Jacob, read this with me in Deuteronomy 34:10: ‘And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses whom the Lord knew face to face.’ Now, Jacob, consider what that means. You know, of course, that the Torah tells us not even Moses saw the Lord’s face, right?”
Jacob nodded. “Yes, the Torah says so.”
“So, Jacob, we’ve eliminated vision, and it must mean that Moses heard God’s real voice, and that no prophet following Moses heard His real voice.”
Jacob had no reply.
“Explain to me,” said Franco, who had been listening carefully to Bento’s every word. “If none of the other prophets heard the voice of God, then what is the source of prophecies?”
Welcoming Franco’s participation, Bento answered readily: “I believe that the prophets were men endowed with unusually vivid imaginations, but not necessarily highly developed reasoning power.”
“Then, Bento,” said Franco, “you believe that miraculous prophecies are nothing more than the imagined notions of prophets?”
“Exactly.”
Franco continued, “It is as though there
Bento recited from memory, “‘Then God said, “Let us make man in our image, in our likeness, and let them rule over the fish of the sea and the birds of the air, over the livestock, over all the earth, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” So God created man in His own image, in the image of God He created him; male and female He created them.’”
“Exactly, Baruch, those are the words,” said Jacob. “Would that your piety were as great as your memory. If those are God’s words, then who are you to question that we are made in His image?”
“Jacob, use your God-given reason. We cannot take such words literally. They are metaphors. Do you truly believe that we mortals, some of us deaf or crooked or constipated or wretched, are made in God’s image? Think of those like my mother who died in their twenties, those born blind or deformed or demented with huge cavernous water heads, those with scrofula, those whose lungs fail them and who spit blood, those who are avaricious or murderous—are they, too, in God’s image? You think God has a mentality like ours and wishes to be flattered and grows jealous and vindictive if we disobey His rules? Could such flawed, mutilated modes of thought be present in a perfect being? This is merely the manner of talking of those who wrote the Bible.”
“Of those who wrote the Bible? You speak disparagingly of Moses and Joshua and the Prophets and Judges? You deny the Bible is the word of God?” Jacob’s voice grew louder with each sentence, and Franco, who was intent on every word Bento uttered, put his hand on his arm to still him.
“I disparage no one,” Bento said. “That conclusion comes from your mind. But I do say that the words and ideas of the Bible come from the human mind, from the men who wrote these passages and imagined—no,
I should better say wished —that they resembled God, that they were made in God’s image.”
“So you do deny that God speaks through the voices of the Prophets?”
“It’s obvious that any words in the Bible referred to as ‘God’s words’ originate only in the imagination of the various prophets.”
“Imagination! You say ‘imagination’?” Jacob placed his hand before his mouth open with horror, while Franco tried to suppress a smile.
Bento knew that each utterance from his lips shocked Jacob, yet he could not still himself. He felt exhilarated to burst his shackles of silence and express aloud all the ideas he had pondered in secret or shared with the rabbi only in heavily veiled form. Van den Enden’s warning of “ caute, caute ” came to mind, but for once he ignored reason and plunged ahead.
“Yes, it’s obviously imagination, Jacob, and don’t be so shocked: we know this from the very words of the Torah.” Out of the corner of his eye Bento noted Franco’s grin. Bento continued, “Here, Jacob, read this with me in Deuteronomy 34:10: ‘And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses whom the Lord knew face to face.’ Now, Jacob, consider what that means. You know, of course, that the Torah tells us not even Moses saw the Lord’s face, right?”
Jacob nodded. “Yes, the Torah says so.”
“So, Jacob, we’ve eliminated vision, and it must mean that Moses heard God’s real voice, and that no prophet following Moses heard His real voice.”
Jacob had no reply.
“Explain to me,” said Franco, who had been listening carefully to Bento’s every word. “If none of the other prophets heard the voice of God, then what is the source of prophecies?”
Welcoming Franco’s participation, Bento answered readily: “I believe that the prophets were men endowed with unusually vivid imaginations, but not necessarily highly developed reasoning power.”
“Then, Bento,” said Franco, “you believe that miraculous prophecies are nothing more than the imagined notions of prophets?”
“Exactly.”
Franco continued, “It is as though there
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