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JEWISH PHILOSOPHY |
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by Joseph Solomon Delmedigo
People say that the art of printing has brought us great advantages, whereas it has in fact been detrimental to us. For in former days authors were handsomely paid and people would buy from them only the good, pleasing, useful books, while the useless, vain books would of themselves disappear. Not so, however, in our days, when many ignorant people assume airs, and, though benighted and smaller than the least throughout their lives, seek to set themselves up as shining lights to another generation that has not leaned to know them. And everyone who possibly can, and whose wealth is greater than his understanding, connives to publish books in which he is arbitrarily referred to as a great and worthy man, whereas he is no more an authority than is a carpenter's apprentice. The only concern for the publishers is for new books. No one pays any attention to the writings of the early authors, or makes effort to preserve them and to shake the dust from them. Because of the art of printing you find a topsy-turvy world -- the native below and the stranger on top. It seems to me that books are subject to the same process as souls: they migrate from one body to another. Not by chance are son and book designated in Latin by the same term, liber. And so it is in the case of scholarly books that are translated from one language into another, in a different style, in other words, and in changed order. The language becomes different but the content is the same. And the book is given a new title -- for example, a book originally entitled Precious Vessel will be called Costly Vessel. The matter remains exactly the same except that it has been poured from one receptacle into another. Ecclesiastes has taught us all this in these his words: "That which hath been is that which shall be, and that which hath been done is that which shall be done; and there is nothing new under the sun. Is there a thing whereof it is said: 'See, this is new'? -- it hath been already, in the ages which were before us. There is no remembrance of them of former times; neither shall there be any remembrance of them of latter times that are to come, among those that shall come after." He also said: "Seeing that in the days to come all will long ago have been forgotten." It is true indeed that there is no cause for concern about the good, useful, pleasing authors, for under any circumstances their names will live for many days, perhaps they will even shine forever, like stars. But not so in the case of those who pen spurious writings, who have consumed their time and their money to no advantage. When their ignorance is laid bare and their mischief gives offense, their shortcomings are recognized and their hope turns to despair. For their eye is dimmed. Even if they were to offer their books as gifts, no one would accept them. They become like thorns in their eyes, they are piled high in their houses, heaps upon heaps, and the rats feed upon and glut themselves with them. And the rain falls, drips down upon them drop upon drop, and the birds, pigeons, and chickens nest among them. The sun sets at noon for the authors of these books, before their very eyes, and their books die in their lifetime. But if the authors were only wise enough to realize all this, they would recoil from "much study that is a weariness of the flesh." But their love for themselves is great, and they shut their minds to the fact that the ultimate end of their books is but a vain one, for no one would ever commit the folly of publishing them anew. Thus one who writes a number of inferior books will live unto all generations just as little as the name of one who begets many illegitimate children.
Excerpted from Elim (Psalms). |
The
Jewish Philosophy
Reader,
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