VOLTAIRE AND THE NEW TESTAMENT A STUDY IN IRONIC DIDACTICISM

Author(s): Arnold Ages

Source: Zeitschrift fr franzsische Sprache und Literatur, Bd. 78, H. 1/2 (1968), pp. 35-43
Published by: Franz Steiner Verlag
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/40616196
Accessed: 04-06-2015 18:26 UTC

Your use of the JSTOR archive indicates your acceptance of the Terms & Conditions of Use, available at http://www.jstor.org/page/
info/about/policies/terms.jsp
JSTOR is a not-for-profit service that helps scholars, researchers, and students discover, use, and build upon a wide range of content
in a trusted digital archive. We use information technology and tools to increase productivity and facilitate new forms of scholarship.
For more information about JSTOR, please contact support@jstor.org.

Franz Steiner Verlag is collaborating with JSTOR to digitize, preserve and extend access to Zeitschrift fr franzsische
Sprache und Literatur.

http://www.jstor.org

This content downloaded from 142.58.129.109 on Thu, 04 Jun 2015 18:26:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

VOLTAIRE AND THE NEW TESTAMENT

A STUDY IN IRONIC DIDACTICISM
VonArnold Ages
Aside fromsome recentstudieswhichare orientedideologically1
has beendoneon Voltaire'sattitudetowardsand utililittleresearch
in thecorrespondence.
zationoftheNewTestament,
Thisis
especially
sincethereare over two hundredand fifty
all the moresurprising
versesandpassagesinhisletters
toNewTestamental
tofriends,
allusions
and businesscolleagues.
The dearthofrelevantstudiescan be
admirers
in partbytheabsenceofa reallygoodeditionoftheVoltaire
explained
a lacunawhichhas onlybeenfilledin recentyearswithBesterletters,
ofan exhaustive
indexmakes
man'smonumental
work.Theavailability
it possibleto tracemanyreconditeallusionsback to theirBiblical
source.
VoltaireknewhisBiblebetterthanmostmen.Schooledin theJesuit
ofthelyceLouis-letraditions
Grand,he was exposedat an earlyage
whichhe first
to theLatinVulgate.TheBiblicallearning
acquiredthere
in
but
in
as
he
matured.
not
breadth
depth
By thetimehe
grew only
leaderofthephilosophes
he wasno mere
had becometheacknowledged
in the fieldof Biblicalstudies.The prodigious
dilletante
numberof
and
he
to
tracts
brochures
which
attest
thewide
produced
pamphlets,
Biblical
of
hermaneutics2.
he
knowledge possessed
1Cf. Ren Pomeau, La religionde Voltaire(Paris, 1956) AlfredBingham,
''Voltaireand the New Testament"Studieson Voltaireand theEighteenth
Century
rfutpar l'abb BergierRevue
XXIV, pp. 183-218 and Voltaireantichrtien
Laval XX (1966) pp. 253-271 by thesame author.
de Universit
2Cf. my "Voltaire's Biblical Criticism:A Study in Thematic Repetitions"
XXX pp. 205-221; "The Technique
and theEighteenth
Studieson Voltaire
Century
of Biblical Criticism:An Inquiryinto Voltaire'sSatiricalApproachin La Bible
enfinexpliqueSymposium
XIX pp. 67-79; "VoltaireCalmetand the Old TestaXL pp. 87-187; "Voltaireand
and theEighteenth
ment"Studieson Voltaire
Century
Genesis:The Role of Creationin the Correspondence"
Zeitschrift
frfranzsische
Spracheund LiteraturLXXVI, pp. 10-16; Peter Gay, The Party of Humanity
(New York, 1964).
3*

This content downloaded from 142.58.129.109 on Thu, 04 Jun 2015 18:26:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

36

ArnoldAges

But thereis a significant

difference
in the way Voltairemanipulates
While the same ironyis presentmuch
Scripturein his correspondence.
of the vehemenceassociatedwith his anti-Biblicaltractsis attenuated
in his letters.In the privacy of personal correspondencethe harshly
polemical utilization of Biblical motifsis subordinatedto literary,
stylisticand moralizingends. Here Voltaire takes on the mantle of
preacherratherthan that of iconoclast.He uses the dictums,parables
and metaphors,particularlyof the New Testament,to persuade and
of the rectitudeof a givenposition.
convincehis correspondents
Voltairedoubtlessfoundgreat delectationin boldlyinvokingScriptural authorityto buttresshis viewpoints.The moral lessonswhichhe
abstractsfromthe New Testamentare intendedto carry,as it were,a
divine imprimatur,or so he would like his readers to feel. With his
customaryflippancyhe applies teachingsfromthe Gospelsto situations
and phenomenawhich are not always parallel. By juxtaposing the
elevated language of the Bible with mundanemattershe bringshigh
The presenceof Biblical language in the
ironyto his correspondence.
lettersheightenstheirreadabilityand adds to theirluster.
In categorizinghis quotationsfromthe New Testament and their
deploymentamongthe lettersseveralnaturaldivisionssuggestthemselves. The firstis the witnessof Biblical insightsas guides to the proper
conductof life.The lifeof the mindand spiritversusthat of the body
about man, sin and the problemof evil
is anothertheme.Affirmations
enterinto anothercategory.Finally the use of morallyorientedmetaphorsmay be consideredas a separateorderamongthe myriadpassages
citedby Voltaire.
The lessons which Voltaire abstractsfromthe passages quoted are
usually but not always ironical.In certaininstanceshis appropriations
of a New Testamentalimage will indicatethat he believesin the exact
opposite of the Biblical dictum.In the majorityof cases Scriptureis
advanced to corroborateopinionsalready held by Voltaire. In some
lettersthe message of the pertinentcitation may be directedto its
reader; in others the writeris merelythinkingout loud. Often his
Biblicalallusionsrepresentself-evaluation,and on occasionself-criticism.
An appeal for tolerance,a quality which Voltaire translatedinto
politicaland social activismthroughouthis life,is seen in his note to
Thierioton November29, 1738. QuotingJesus' commentto the apostles
"in my father'shouse thereare manymansions", (John14:2) Voltaire
gentlychidesthe criticFourmontforhavingaccused him of neglecting
poetry.Il est vrai qu'il m'enveloppedans ses plaintesgnralescontre
les dserteursd'Apollon,he admits, but continues,je ne suis point
dserteur,mais je dirai toujoursmultae sunt mansionesin domo patris

This content downloaded from 142.58.129.109 on Thu, 04 Jun 2015 18:26:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

A Studyin IronicDidacticism
and theNew Testament.
Voltaire

37

whichJesusshowedtowardsthe
mei(1594)*.The merciful
compassion
sinfulwomanwhobathedhisfeet,(Luke7:47) is theraretraitpraised
in another
letterto Thieriot
on January19,1739.Referring
byVoltaire
withDesfontaines
Voltaireimito thelatter'srolein the controversy
tatesLukewhenhe remarks
laconically;Vospchssontgrands,que
le soit,et que je dise remittuntur
ei peccatamultaquia
la pnitence
dilexitmultum
(1716).Voltaireagaingivesassentto theBiblicalideal
on September
6: 12) whenhe writesd'Alembert
offorgiveness
(Matthew
someof"Gilles"Shakespeare
15,1762abouttranslating
(9892).
whichcan be engendered
The intolerance
by blindfaithin thedeity
to Frederick
onJanuary
letterwritten
is thesubjectofa mostinteresting
20, 1740.He recountsto the kingthe storyof a youngEnglishman
thetaskofassassinating
whotookuponhimself
namedShepherd
George
reason
was
the
?
C'tait
1st.What
uniquement
que Shepherdn'tait
que le roi ... il persistatoujours direqu'il
pas de la mmereligion
ofcourse,is
valaitmieuxobir Dieu qu'auxhommes
(2239).Voltaire,
literal
of
Peter's
this
remark
(Acts5:29).
interpretation
condemning
"We oughtto obeyGodratherthanmen".
and theappealto followfaithofearthly
The uselessness
possessions
to the youngman in
are
in
admonition
Jesus'
which
implicit
fully,
Matthew(19:21) "go sell whatthouhast ... and comefollowme",
in a letterto countOtto
provideVoltairewithelementsof flattery
on
Here he attemptsto
Podewils
1750.
von
3,
September
Christoph
a parallelbetween
thefaithoftheyoungmanin Jesusandhis,
establish
to RichardTalbota few
Voltaire'sfaithin thecount(3638).In writing
his
to Francehas as its
later
he
remarks
that
forthcoming
trip
days
la
vende
omnia
que habeset sequere
pour
y
pratiquer
prcepte,
purpose
financial
in thatcountry,
to histroublesome
me,a reference
problems
ofcertainproperties.
ofdisposing
Voltairealso
(3648)and hisintention
MarieLouiseDenisto sellall andfollowhimto Senoneon June
exhorts
and
12, 1754.Thereshe can dispensewithmundanepreoccupations
withhim(5192).
"philosophize"
whichis engendered
The ambivalence
bydual loyaltiesis the ScripturallessonwhichVoltaire
appliesto hisletterofOctober28,1750to the
fromPotsdamwherehe was enjoying
the
samecorrespondent.
Writing
Frederick's
coterie
he
Me
voil
of
complains;
company
enlightened
Celuiqui a dit qu'onne peutpas servir
donc prsent deuxmatres.
bienraison; aussi,pourne point
la foisavaitassurment
deuxmatres
1AU quotationsfromVoltairecome fromTheodorBestermanVoltaireCorreshas been modernizedthroughpondence(Geneva, 1953-1964). The orthography
out.

This content downloaded from 142.58.129.109 on Thu, 04 Jun 2015 18:26:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

38

ArnoldAges

thatmenshould
le contredire,
je n'ensersaucun(3679).Jesus'teaching
to
love one another(John13:34) is themodelforVoltaire'scomment
aimezvouslesunslesautres,he
on June9, 1760.Mesenfants
Thieriot
<<si
vouspouvez.(8222)He employs
themuch
addingmaliciously,
urges,
debatedversefromLuke(14:23) "compelthemto comein" as a mock
forcoercionin writing
authorization
to Grimmon August10, 1760.
Speakingof Diderotand the AcadmieFranaisehe says ironically;
monadorablephilosophe,
IIfautqu'ilentre,
qu'ilentre,qu'ilentrevous
les d'entrer.
(8375) Voltaireequatesthis command
dis-je.Contrains
in hisletterofDecember18,1767to JeanGal-Pomaret
withintolerance
he writes,etle contrains
les d'entrer
Leshommess'clairent,
parat
aussiabsurdeque tyranique
(13690).On December9, 1776
aujourd'hui
to contrains
les d'entrer
as an illnesswhichhas infected
a
he refers
He
had
written
a
about
which
Chinese
book
China
energumen.
young
wasinspired
byJesuitzealousness
(19313).
Voltaireendorses,but withreservation,
the passage in Matthew
which
advises
"Take
therefore
no
forthemorrow;
forthe
(6:34)
thought
shalltakethought
forthethingsofitself.Sufficient
morrow
untothe
dayis theevilthereof".
By 1777at age 83,Voltairefoundthisdescripfatequiteappropriate.
tionofman'searthly
He complains
to hislong
Vous
timefriend
sentez
la
des
bien
multitude
norme
d'Argental;
que
fardeauxdontj'ai chargma faiblesse,
et des embarrasdontje suis
ne me permetgured'agacerles jeunes dames de Paris.
environn
dieimalitiasua(19401).In a notetocardinal
de Bernishe asks;
Sufficit
deslivres
Onattrapebienvitele boutde la journe,avecdes ouvriers,
et quelquesamis,et c'estbienassurment
toutce qu'ilfaut,que d'attradieimalitiasua, a bienquelquevrit,
perce boutgaiment;le sufficit
mais pourquoine pas dire aussi sufficit
diei Laetitiasua? (10324).
toneis contrasted
Thisoptimistic
withtheacidtoneofremarks
hemakes
about a criticin a letterto EtienneDamilavilleon March1, 1765.
"Followme; andletthe
Reactingto a specioususeofJesus'admonition
dead burytheirdead",(Matthew
8:22) bya manwhohad accusedhim
ofmeddling
in theCalas and Sirvenaffairs,
Voltairelaudsthealtruism
ofthegoodSamaritan.Jelui rpondis:J'ai trouvdans mesdserts
l'Isralitebaigndanssonsang;souffrez
que je rpandeun peu d'huile
et de vin surses blessures:vous tesLvite;laissezmoi treSamaritain(11580).
*
In hisreferences
to the *'mansions*
imageand the "compelthemto
enter"admonition,
Voltaireis obviouslyappealingfortolerancealtand
houghin the lattercase throughnegativeexample.Forgiveness
are stressedin the missivesto Thieriot.To Talbot and
compassion
MarieDenise Voltaireproposesthe abandonment
of mundaneoccu-

This content downloaded from 142.58.129.109 on Thu, 04 Jun 2015 18:26:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

A Studyin IronicDidacticism
Voltaireand theNew Testament.

39

is thelessonof
pationsforthehigherpleasuresofthemind.Unselfishness
the Samaritan.The wretchedstate of the human conditionis mirrored
in Voltaire'suse ofthe diei "malitia".
A large body of borrowingsfromScriptureis concernedwith man's
spirituallife,the conflictswithinhis being and the natureof his inner
character.
"The Spiritbreathethwherehe will" (John3: 8), an allusionto man's
is an imagefrequently
used by Voltaire
potentialfordivinecommunion,
to describea kindofintuitivebut aimlessactionon the partofthe mind.
He employsit,forexample,in describingto d'Argentaltheunsystematic
he is
way he is correctinghis play Smiramis,(3327) or the difficulty
experiencingin writinggood poetry(4423). In a letterto d'Alembert
dated January 17, 1763 he regretsthe latter's preoccupationwith
geometryand says; J'aimeraisbien mieux pour ma satisfaction,que
vous donnassiezde nouveaux mmoiresde littrature,qui amusentet
qui instruisenttout le monde; mais l'espritsouffleo il veut (10107).
To Marie de Vichy de ChamrondVoltaireconfideson March 12, 1764
that his delightin readingstorieshas declined,quotingJohn'sdictum
to explainhis currentmunterest(10951). He applies the same phrasein
a letterto d'Argentalon May 9, 1772whenhe givesdu Roncel's answer;
J'ai demand monjeune du Roncel pourquoiil ne corrigeaitpas tant
d'autres petitsendroits.Il m'a rponduque l'espritsoufflaito il voulait (16680).
The fact that the "poor in spirit" are promised"the kingdomof
heaven" (Matthew5:3) seems to be small consolationwhen they are
exploitedon earth,accordingto Voltaire.He makesthispointin a note
to AntoineJean Gabrielle Bault on December29, 1758. Alludingto a
taxes
local priestwho had demandedwhat amountedto confiscatory
frompeasantsnear Ferney,Voltairecommentsacridlythat despitethe
fact that they were poor in name, effectsand spiritle tratrene leur
laisse que le royaumedes cieux(7299). Voltairemakesampleuse ofthe
well knownBiblical aphorism"the letterkillethbut the spiritgiveth
life",in writingto d'Alemberton September15, 1762. In this instance
to translationhe had done fromShakespeare(9892). On
he is referring
1767
he applies the phraseto one of his own plays when
February14,
he tellsd'Argental;II seraittropais de jouer le rled'Obide contresens; c'est dans ce rle que la lettretue, et que l'espritvivifie;car dans
ce rle,pendantplus de quatreactes,oui veut direnon(13053).
Jesus' teachingthat "my kingdomis not of this world"(John18:36)
is adapted to Voltaire'sthoughtson the receptionof the ideals of the
philosophesin a note to d'Alemberton August25, 1766. Ah! mon cher
matre,que les philosophessont plaindre!he announces,Leur roy-

This content downloaded from 142.58.129.109 on Thu, 04 Jun 2015 18:26:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

40

ArnoldAges

aume n'est pas dans ce monde,et ils n'ontpas l'esprancede rgnerdans

un autre(12625). The castingout of the "old leaven" (I Corinthians
5:7) is one of the New Testament'simagesto teach man the necessity
for his spiritualregeneration.He acknowledgesthis in his letter to
d'Argentaldated April19, 1767in whichhe commentson publicreaction
to his play, les Scythes(13230).
Voltaireuses the storyofthe believinghusbandwho convertshis wife
to suggest
(I Corinthians7:13-16) to the true faith,i.e. Christianity,
the possibilitythat Alexandred'Hornoy's wifemightbe convertedto
the faithof the philosophes(16811). In writingto JeanBaptistede lisle
on April22, 1774 he quotes Jesus' remark,"Because thou has seen me
Thomas, thou hast believed", to reinforcethe idea that Sabatier's
maliciousactivitiesare now beyonddenial(17797). The Biblical message
"man does not live by breadalone" (Matthew4:4) findsits way intoone
ofthe last lettersVoltaireeverwrote,to ThodoreTronchinon May 20,
1778. "Panem mitto",he begins,"Non in solo pane vivit homo,sed in
omniverboquod oriturex ore Tronchin"(20038).
In this sectionVoltaireadduces the authorityof Scriptureto explain
the individualvagaries of thoughtwhichinhibitconcentratedmental
effort.By implicationhe condemnsas sop the kingdomof heaven
reservedforthe poorin spirit,whileat the same timeagreeingwiththe
idea that the spiritoftengives meaning,at least to literarytexts. He
impliesthat beliefoftenis subjectto concreteevidence.
Voltairehas a greatdeal to say about man's frailties.He appears to
concurwiththe Scripturalimageofman,forwhom"the spiritis willing
but the fleshweak" (Matthew21:14). But whileScriptureis characterizing man's propensityforsin, Voltaireinterpretsthe passage simplyas
an indicationof man's physicallimits.His firstuse of this passage is
foundin a letterto Claude de Voisenonin August 1745. At age 51 he
physical infirmities,
complainsbitterlyabout different
informinghis
that in his case not onlyis the fleshweak but the spirit
correspondent
as well (2962). On August21, 1746 he is stillbemoaningthe sorrystate
of his health to Louis de la Vergne,again utilizingthe verse from
Matthew(3128). In a letter writtenin Italian to cardinal Giroiamo
QuiriniVoltaireexplains his inabilityto visit Italy. "Sono veramente
troppolontanoda vra eminenza.La mia mentefa ognigiornoil viaggio
d'Italia; ma il cattivostatodel corpomi retiene.Spiritusenimpromptus
est caro auteminfirma"(3339).
Claude Dargetlearnsthat Voltaire'sspiritis willingbut his fleshweak
when the lattergives this as the reason he cannot go to Potsdam on
January30, 1752 (4182). To d'ArgensonVoltairequotes the same image
and adds: Jesuis obligde remettremon voyageau printemps
(4456).

This content downloaded from 142.58.129.109 on Thu, 04 Jun 2015 18:26:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

A Studyin IronicDidacticism
Voltaireand theNew Testament.

41

chezmoi,he beginsa letterto

Si la chairn'taitpas aussi infirme
on
28,
1760,
que l'espritest promptquandil s'agit
d'Argence April
d'estimeque vousm'inspirez,
dessentiments
si j'avais eu unmoment
de
vous remercier
du
sant,il auraitt employdepuislongtemps
dontvousm'honorez
souvenir
(8144).
ofhis Ferneyretreat,
Voltaireonce
Six yearslaterfromthecomfort
in a noteto Michel
againinvokesthe fleshimagein excusinghimself
to du DefFand
he attributes
Henin(12303).In 1770writing
to St. Paul
of the dichotomy
in man's natureinsisting
the description
that his
*
'passion"is as willingas ever(15692)."Moncherange",he beginshis
to d'Argental,
salutation
est prompt,
et la chairest
customary
l'esprit
un pieddevantl'autrevouscroyezbienque
faible.Si je pouvaismettre
chezvous(17891).
mesdeuxpas seraient
Voltairelikesto comparehimselfand otherswiththe "old man"
in Colossians(3:9) "Lie not to one another,seeingthatye
described
haveputtofftheoldmanwithhisdeeds".The "oldman"in thiscaseis
individual
whohas notbeensavedin contradistinction
to the
thesinful
In describing
newmanwhohas beenredeemed.
to d'Argental
oneofhis
le vieilhommemesanges,et
playsVoltairerequests;Dpouillez-moi
la
dernire
de
rose qu'on a misejusqu'
l'eau
goutte
jettezjusqu'
dans
la
On
(3442). April4, 1762,he transfers
franaise
tragdie
prsent
thedeterioration
of
theimageto thepoliticalarenawhenhe describes
He tellsd'Argental
thatFranceis insulted
FrenchpowerunderChoiseul.
andin all probability
; theEnglishhavetakenMartinique
byall nations
in publiclifeis causing
willsoondestroytheFrenchfleet.Corruption
of Frenchhegemony.
Les Anglaisaurontdpouillle
the breakdown
remarks
Voltairecryptically,
onaura oublila Martinivieilhomme,
letterto d'Argenque,il neseraplusquestionde rien(9606).In another
in 1767he appliesthe"old man"themeto himself
whenhe
tal written
le vieilhomme
dansce joursde Pques,
comments
; Jedevraisdpouiller
du vieuxlevain(13230).
et medfaire
Man'spredilection
forevileveninthefaceoftrueknowledge
(Romans
7: 15-19)is a themeechoedina noteaddressed
to JeanRobertTronchin
on December27, 1756.Les tracasseries
ne fontpoint
parlementaires
maisles horreurs
de tortaux toffes
de Lyon,he reports,
germaniques
fontchezvousdouzemillepauvres.C'estainsique les causessecondes
et que les hommesfontle mal qu'ilssaventet celuiqu'ilsne
agissent,
saventpas(6402).One ofthesinsdescribed
by Matthew(5:22) which
is the callingof one's brother"Raca" or fool,both
entailsperdition,
termsofopprobrium.
VoltaireaccusestheProtestants
of
contemporary
thissinin a letterto MichelHeninonJune10,1770.Nousvoyonsavec
les Chrtiensrforms
douleur,he statesironically,
appelerleurs

This content downloaded from 142.58.129.109 on Thu, 04 Jun 2015 18:26:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

42

ArnoldAges

dfendudans l'vangile
frresRaca et bougres,ce qui est expressment
la ghennedu feu(15412).
et ce qui attireinfailliblement
WhileScripturelooksuponthe weaknessofthe fleshas sinfulVoltaire
accepts the Biblical dictum as an indicationof man's corporeallimitations.His appropriationof the "old man" image does not parallelthe
Biblicalfunctionsincein the lattera metaphysicalor at least a religious
is envisaged. Voltaire's new man is not Christian!
transformation
Perhapsthe onlyfullendorsementalbeit on an ironicallevel whichhe
makes of New Testamentalteachingson sin, is with respectto defamationofbrotherswhichhe turnsneatlyagainstProtestantChristianity.
One of the mostcolourfuluses to whichVoltaireputs Scriptureis the
evocationor metaphoricalimages designedto introduceparallelswith
contemporaryphenomena. The favourite is from Matthew (5:15);
"Neitherdo men lighta candle and push it undera bushelbut upon a
candlestick,that it may shineto all that are in the house". For Voltaire
this becomes an admonitionto display truth,to speak boldly and to
condemthe reticenceof the luke-warm.He employsthe image forthe
firsttimein writingto PierreMaupertuison August10, 1741. Referring
to the mathematician'srecentworkon physicshe asks himif he would
sendhima copy ofthe essay because a candle must not be put undera
bushel(2365). The same passageappearsin Voltaire'snoteto d'Alembert
on the death bed repudiationofChristianity
on July12, 1762.Reflecting
made by the apostate priestJean MeslierVoltaire wonderswhy the
former'sbooks are not morereadilyavailable in Paris. Que vous tes
tides Paris, he charges,Vous laissez la lumiresous le boisseau
(9772).
Two yearslater in anothernote to d'Alemberthe praisesthe latter's
in the strugglefortolerance.Que ne pouvez-vousfairesans vous
efforts
he asks, Ne laissez pas une si belle chandellesous le
compromettre,
boisseau (10858). Voltaire calls Nicolas Frret's Lettrede Trasibule
Leucippea lightwhichremainsundera bushelin writingto Damilaville
on October16, 1765,and in a letterto Fredericksomefiveyearslaterhe
uses the same imageto praiseone ofthe king'streatises(15532).
is almost
Voltaire'suse of the New Testamentin the correspondence
and
radicalin its modernity.
maxims,parables
images
By reinterpreting
in a broadlyhumanisticfashionhe is in effect
Scripture.
demythologizing
Instead of the revealedwordof God whichcontainsa specificregimen
for man's supernaturalsalvation, the New Testament becomes, in
Voltaire'shands,a literarysourcebook of humanwisdom.But even on
thislevel it is not an infallibleguide.
Scriptureis used as a foil by Voltaireto accentuatea moral lesson
or refutation.Jesus was rightwhen he taught
eitherby corroboration

This content downloaded from 142.58.129.109 on Thu, 04 Jun 2015 18:26:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions

A Studyin IronicDidacticism
Voltaireand theNew Testament.

43

Buthe waswrongto compelpeople

thatmancannotservetwomasters.
canindeedbe expressed
interms
to joinhimintheinn.Humansuffering
The New
ofthedietmalitiabutcannotmanalso havehisdietlaetitia?
man's vagariesof thoughtbut the
Testamentsucceedsin describing
of
for
of
heaven
the
the
kingdom
poorin spiritis a gratuitous
gift.
hope
Man'sfleshis weakbut the weaknessis partofhis humancondition.
is indeedreprehensible
Hatredofbrother
whenit is practiced
especially
but whenit is blind
ObeyingGod maybe meritorious
by Protestants.
fanaticism.
it can leadto murderous
ofBiblicalversesone cannotlook
In analyzing
Voltaire'sutilization
ofethics.It wasnothisintention
to createone.
foran organized
system
his lettershe did notstartwiththe Biblicalimageand
In composing
wastrue.Ata timewhen
searchfora contemporary
parallel.Thereverse
it wasnaturalforhim
oftheBiblewasfairly
theknowledge
widespread
whendiscussing
withfriends.
to thinkofBiblicalantecedents
problems
had alreadyattainedthestatus
Someoftheimageswhichhe mentions
thesourceofwhichwas probablyunknown
ofwellknownproverbs
by
ofhiscitations
showthatVoltaire
mostpeople.But thevastmajority
couldroamfarand wideto findtheappropriate
passage.One can only
in thisrespect.Voltaire'sextrapolations
marvelat his dexterity
from
make
his
as
alive
as
his
stories
letters
and
into
provide
Scripture
insights
oflearning
andmoralsensitivity.
theman'sbreadth

This content downloaded from 142.58.129.109 on Thu, 04 Jun 2015 18:26:00 UTC
All use subject to JSTOR Terms and Conditions