H — Histoire des Rois Juifs & Paralipomènes
Original French
Tous les peuples ont écrit leur histoire dès qu’ils ont pu écrire. Les juifs ont aussi écrit la leur. Avant qu’ils eussent des rois, ils vivaient sous une Théocratie; ils étaient censés gouvernés par Dieu même.
Quand les juifs voulurent avoir un roi comme les autres peuples leurs voisins, le prophète Samuel leur déclara de la part de Dieu,que c’était Dieu lui-même qu’ils rejettaient; ainsi la Théocratie finit chez les Juifs, lorsque la monarchie commença.
On pourait donc dire, sans blasphémer, que l’histoire des rois Juifs a été écrite comme celle des autres peuples, & que Dieu n’a pas pris la peine de dicter lui-même l’histoire d’un peuple qu’il ne gouvernait plus.
On n’avance cette opinion qu’avec la plus extrême défiance. Ce qui pourait la confirmer, c’est que les Paralipomènes contredisent très souvent le livre des rois dans la chronologie & dans les faits, comme nos historiens prophanes se contredisent quelquefois. De plus, si Dieu a toujours écrit l’histoire des Juifs, il faut donc croire qu’il l’écrit encore; car les Juifs sont toujours son peuple chéri. Ils doivent se convertir un jour, & il paraît qu’alors ils seront aussi en droit de regarder l’histoire de leur dispersion comme sacrée, qu’ils sont en droit de dire que Dieu écrivit l’histoire de leurs rois.
On peut encor faire une réflexion; c’est que Dieu ayant été leur seul Roi très longtemps, & ensuite ayant été leur historien, nous devons avoir pour tous les Juifs le respect le plus profond. Il n’y a point de fripier Juif qui ne soit infiniment au dessus de César & d’Aléxandre. Comment ne se pas prosterner devant un fripier qui vous prouve que son histoire a été écrite par la divinité même, tandis que les histoires Grecques & Romaines ne nous ont été transmises que par des prophanes?
Si le stile de l’histoire des rois & des paralipomènes est divin, il se peut encor que les actions racontées dans ces histoires ne soient pas divines. David assassine Urie. Isboseth, & Miphiboseth sont assassinés. Absalon assassine Amnon, Joab assassine Absalon, Salomon assassine Adonias son frère, Baza assassine Nadab, Zimri assassine Ela, Hamri assassine Zimri, Achab assassine Naboth; Jehu assassine Achab, & Joram; les habitans de Jérusalem assassinent Amasias fils de Joas. Sélom fils de Jabès assassine Zacharias fils de Jéroboam. Manahaim assassine Sélom fils de Jabès. Phacée fils de Roméli assassine Phaceia fils de Manahaim. Ozée fils d’Ela assassine Phacée fils de Roméli. On passe sous silence beaucoup d’autres menus assassinats. Il faut avouer que si le St. Esprit a écrit cette histoire, il n’a pas choisi un sujet fort édifiant.
Musean translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Musean translation of the 73 articles in the 1764 first edition, made directly from the French and reviewed against the scan-collated French text. The author’s notes, quotations and verse are retained. Historical ethnic labels, including offensive terms, are retained from the 1764 text.
All peoples have written their history as soon as they could write. The Jews, too, wrote theirs. Before they had kings, they lived under a theocracy; they were supposed to be governed by God himself.
When the Jews wanted a king like the other peoples, their neighbors, the prophet Samuel declared to them on God’s behalf that it was God himself they were rejecting. Thus theocracy ended among the Jews when monarchy began.
One might therefore say, without blasphemy, that the history of the Jewish kings was written like that of other peoples, and that God did not take the trouble to dictate himself the history of a people he no longer governed.
This opinion is advanced only with the most extreme diffidence. What might confirm it is that Chronicles very often contradicts the Book of Kings in chronology and in facts, just as our secular historians sometimes contradict one another. Moreover, if God has always written the history of the Jews, we must believe that he is still writing it, for the Jews are still his beloved people. They must be converted one day, and it appears that they will then be as entitled to regard the history of their dispersion as sacred as they are entitled to say that God wrote the history of their kings.
Another reflection may be made: since God was their only king for a very long time and afterward their historian, we must have the deepest respect for every Jew. There is no Jewish secondhand-clothes dealer who is not infinitely above Caesar and Alexander. How can we fail to prostrate ourselves before a secondhand-clothes dealer who proves to us that his history was written by the divinity himself, while Greek and Roman histories have been handed down to us only by secular writers?
If the style of the history of Kings and Chronicles is divine, it is still possible that the actions related in these histories are not divine. David murders Uriah. Ish-bosheth and Mephibosheth are murdered. Absalom murders Amnon; Joab murders Absalom; Solomon murders Adonijah his brother; Baasha murders Nadab; Zimri murders Elah; Omri murders Zimri; Ahab murders Naboth; Jehu murders Ahab and Joram; the inhabitants of Jerusalem murder Amaziah son of Joash. Shallum son of Jabesh murders Zechariah son of Jeroboam. Menahem murders Shallum son of Jabesh. Pekah son of Remaliah murders Pekahiah son of Menahem. Hoshea son of Elah murders Pekah son of Remaliah. We pass over many other minor murders in silence. It must be admitted that if the Holy Spirit wrote this history, he did not choose a very edifying subject.
Plain English translation
Mouseia’s complete machine-assisted Plain English translation of the same 73 articles, made directly from the French and reviewed against the scan-collated French text. The author’s notes, quotations and verse are retained. Historical ethnic labels, including offensive terms, are retained from the 1764 text.
Once a people could write, it wrote its history. The Jews did the same. Before the time of kings, they lived under a theocracy. God himself was supposed to govern them.
The Jews wanted a king, like the peoples around them. Speaking for God, the prophet Samuel told them they were rejecting God himself. That ended the Jewish theocracy. Monarchy took its place.
So we could say this without blaspheming. People wrote the Jewish kings’ history just as they wrote other nations’ histories. God no longer governed this people. He didn’t bother to dictate its history himself.
We put this opinion forward only with the greatest hesitation. Chronicles very often contradicts the Book of Kings on dates and facts. That might support the opinion. Our secular historians sometimes contradict each other in just this way. Besides, suppose God has always written the history of the Jews. Then we must believe he’s still writing it: they’re still his beloved people. One day they must be converted. It seems they’ll then have every right to call the history of their scattering sacred. They’ll have just as much right as they have to say God wrote their kings’ history.
Consider something else. For a very long time, God was their only king. Afterward, he became their historian. So we owe every Jew the deepest respect. Even a Jewish secondhand clothes dealer ranks infinitely above Caesar and Alexander. He proves that God himself wrote his history. Only secular writers have passed down the histories of Greece and Rome. How could we fail to bow down before this clothes dealer?
The history of the kings and Chronicles may have a divine style. That doesn’t mean the actions they describe are divine. David murders Uriah. Ish-bosheth and Mephibosheth are murdered. Absalom murders Amnon; Joab murders Absalom; Solomon murders his brother Adonijah; Baasha murders Nadab; Zimri murders Elah; Omri murders Zimri; Ahab murders Naboth; Jehu murders Ahab and Jehoram. The inhabitants of Jerusalem murder Amaziah, son of Joash. Shallum, son of Jabesh, murders Zechariah, son of Jeroboam. Menahem murders Shallum, son of Jabesh. Pekah, son of Remaliah, murders Pekahiah, son of Menahem. Hoshea, son of Elah, murders Pekah, son of Remaliah. We’re leaving out many other little murders. If the Holy Spirit wrote this history, we must admit something. He didn’t choose a subject that teaches very good behavior.
About this section
H — Histoire des Rois Juifs & Paralipomènes is part of Pocket Philosophical Dictionary by Voltaire. This page sets the French original beside 2 direct-source translations, so any line can be checked against the source. It is article 47 of 73 in the work, which is kept in the European tradition.
Open the work page for the full contents, every edition, and the download links, or go back to Explore to browse other complete works in the European tradition. The reader keeps your place when you are signed in and lets you compare the original with each translation, one edition at a time.