AN INFIDEL HISTORIAN ON THE LAW OF MOSES

By Nana Yaw Aidoo

Edward Gibbon was an English historian and parliamentarian from the eighteenth century, who opposed the Christian religion so much that, he apparently believed that the fall of the Roman Empire was due to its embracing of Christianity. In the fifteenth chapter of the first volume of his monumental work, "The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire", Gibbon attempted to explain the factors which accounted for the rapid progress of Christianity from its inception.

Among the five reasons which he claimed "were the secondary causes of the rapid growth of the Christian church", was the contention that the church grew because of "The inflexible, and if we may use the expression, the intolerant zeal of the Christians, derived, it is true, from the Jewish religion, but purified from the narrow and unsocial spirit, which, instead of inviting, had deterred the Gentiles from embracing the law of Moses."

In explaining the kind of inflexible and intolerant zeal of the Jewish people, which he believed the Christians inherited, Gibbons observed that; "The religion of Moses seems to be instituted for a particular country as well as for a single nation...Their peculiar distinctions of days, of meats, and a variety of trivial though burdensome observances, were so many objects of disgust and aversion for the other nations, to whose habits and prejudices they were diametrically opposite. The painful and even dangerous rite of circumcision was alone capable of repelling a willing proselyte from the door of the synagogue" (pp.1615-1617).

Notice if you would that this infidel historian upon studying the Old Testament and whatever evidence was at his disposal, concluded that "the religion of Moses", which is the Old Law, was "instituted for a particular country as well as for a single nation". This man after reading God's book and other available evidence, could draw no other conclusion than that the Law of Moses was a national religion.

This we believe is the biblical position. The Psalmist wrote that God "...declares His word to Jacob, His statutes and His judgements to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any nation..." (Psa.147:19-20). Without comments, we ask that if you were reading the bible for the first time in your life, separate and apart from any teaching that you might have received from elsewhere, how would you have understood these words of the Psalmist?

Also, the prophet Ezekiel wrote; "Say to them, Thus says the Lord GOD: On the day when I chose Israel and raised My hand in an oath to the descendants of the house of Jacob, and made Myself known to them in the land of Egypt, I raised My hand in an oath to them, saying I am the LORD your God. On that day I raised My hand in an oath to them, to bring them out of the land of Egypt into a land that I had searched out for them, flowing with milk and honey, the glory of all lands...And I gave them My statutes and showed them My judgements, which if a man does, he shall live by them. Moreover I also gave them My Sabbaths, to be a sign between them and Me, that they might know that I am the LORD who sanctifies them." (Eze.20:5-12).

Once again we ask; "Would a man honestly read these words written in Ezekiel for the first time in his life, separate and apart from the teachings of men and draw any conclusion other than that which was drawn by Edward Gibbon?"

Seventh day Adventists however, read these texts and the entire bible, and fail to see that, which is as clear as the bright morning sky, which is that the Law of Moses (which is the same as the Law of the Lord cf. 2 Chr.34:14; Ezra 7:6), was given to the nation of Israel and the nation of Israel alone. It was a national religion.

We can think of no other reason for this "wilful ignorance" but these words our Lord; "And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says: Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them." (Matt.13:14-15).

We are also reminded of these words of the apostle Paul; "...For until this day the same veil remains unlifted in the reading of the Old Testament, because the veil is taken away in Christ. But even to this day, when Moses is read, a veil lies on their heart" (2 Cor.3:14-15).

Edward Gibbon, an infidel, read the bible and understood it (which proves that the bible can be understood, without any direct operation of the Holy Spirit cf. 2 Cor.1:13; Eph.3:3-4) and unless a man is simply unwilling to understand or is so determined to be on the side of his teachers and his church (cf. Mark 7:1-9) rather than on the side of the Lord, then the only conclusion that can be drawn from the studying of the sacred writings is that the Law of Moses was "instituted for a particular country as well as for a single nation."

We urge our Adventist friends to please consider the evidence properly.

God bless us all in the name of Jesus Christ. Amen.