Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 240

216 nitio

§ 54.

THERE A PLACE FOR THEOLOGY

IS

Dei ectypa).

Had

this revelation,

now, taken place

the form of complete analysis and synthesis, at once the

most rigorous claims

would simply have

[Div. II

it

would

in

satisfy

of our scientific wants,

and

to be inserted into the result of our other

work; just as in an historical sketch of an event, which you yourself have played an important r81e, you simply insert and embody without further examination that which you yourself have planned and achieved, because you know your personal part in a way which does not provoke

scientific

in

a closer investigation.

Such, however,

not the character

is

of this revelation, for it presents itself in

such a form that

sorts of data are given, from which you are obliged Understood in this way, the comframe the result. plex of all that belongs to this revelation forms an object which, in its starting-point and end, is a unit (einheitall

to

which invites investigation and which by scientific must be transposed into a form that shall satisfy the claims of our human consciousness. Suppose that still more Egyptological discoveries were to be made, and, what is not impossible, that a number of inscriptions and communica-

lich)

;

;

effort

tions were brought to light concerning

a

thus

far

lesser

that monuments of his activity were unand that you were supplied with all sorts of letters, statistics, and records of his reign; all these discoveries would invite and enable you scientifically to exThen, plain the historical phenomenon of this prince. however, the object of your investigation would still be Pharaoh himself, and not the knowledge of his person, simply because all these monuments and documents were not erected and written by him for the sake of giving you

known Pharaoh

;

earthed;

a specially intended representation of his person. Supj)0se that an

imagine the other case. had purposed to hand down particular representation

But now

Eastern despot

to succeeding generations,

of his person

a

and work, which

did not correspond to reality, and to this end had prepared numerous monuments and documents; then from these his real figure in history could

not be known, but only that

representation of himself which he had intended.

And

the

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