''The Divine Legation of Moses'' is the best-known work of

William Warburton William Warburton (24 December 16987 June 1779) was an English writer, literary critic and churchman, Bishop of Gloucester from 1759 until his death. He edited editions of the works of his friend Alexander Pope, and of William Shakespeare. Li ...

, an English theologian of the 18th century who became

bishop of Gloucester The Bishop of Gloucester is the ordinary of the Church of England Diocese of Gloucester in the Province of Canterbury. The diocese covers the County of Gloucestershire and part of the County of Worcestershire. The see's centre of governan ...

. As its full title makes clear, it is a conservative defence of orthodox Christian belief against

deism Deism ( or ; derived from the Latin ''deus'', meaning "god") is the Philosophy, philosophical position and Rationalism, rationalistic theology that generally rejects revelation as a source of divine knowledge, and asserts that Empirical evi ...

, by means of an apparent paradox: the

afterlife The afterlife (also referred to as life after death) is a purported existence in which the essential part of an individual's identity or their stream of consciousness continues to live after the death of their physical body. The surviving ess ...

is not mentioned in terms in the

Pentateuch The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the sa ...

(i.e.

Torah The Torah (; hbo, ''Tōrā'', "Instruction", "Teaching" or "Law") is the compilation of the first five books of the Hebrew Bible, namely the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. In that sense, Torah means the s ...

– see

Jewish eschatology Jewish eschatology is the area of Jewish theology concerned with events that will happen in the end of days and related concepts. This includes the ingathering of the exiled diaspora, the coming of a Jewish Messiah, afterlife, and the rev ...

), making Mosaic

Judaism Judaism ( he, ''Yahăḏūṯ'') is an Abrahamic, monotheistic, and ethnic religion comprising the collective religious, cultural, and legal tradition and civilization of the Jewish people. It has its roots as an organized religion in the ...

distinctive among ancient religions; from which, Warburton argues, it is seen that Moses received a

divine revelation In religion and theology, revelation is the revealing or disclosing of some form of truth or knowledge through communication with a deity or other supernatural entity or entities. Background Inspiration – such as that bestowed by God on the ...

. The ''Divine Legation'' was published in two parts and nine books from 1738 by Warburton, who left it unfinished, however. It is a learned and discursive work, and excited extensive controversy in Warburton's lifetime, which the author pursued with acrimony. One side-issue, the

history of writing The history of writing traces the development of expressing language by systems of markings and how these markings were used for various purposes in different societies, thereby transforming social organization. Writing systems are the foundati ...

, was treated by Warburton in a manner that proved influential. Divine Legation Caylus

A modern opinion, from

J. G. A. Pocock John Greville Agard Pocock (; born 7 March 1924) is a historian of political thought from New Zealand. He is especially known for his studies of republicanism in the early modern period (mostly in Europe, Britain, and America), his work on th ...

, is that the book is a "strange and flawed work of undisciplined genius".

Reception timeline

*1738 First part published. *1738 Warburton publishes a ''Vindication'' to an anonymous attack (by William Webster). *1741 Second part published. *1743 Reply from

Thomas Bott Thomas Bott (1688–1754) was an English cleric of the Church of England, known as a controversialist. Life Born at Derby, Bott was the son of a mercer; his grandfather had been a major in the parliamentary army. He was trained for the dissenting ...

Thomas Chubb Thomas Chubb (29 September 16798 February 1747) was a lay English Deist writer born near Salisbury. He saw Christ as a divine teacher, but held reason to be sovereign over religion. He questioned the morality of religions, while defending Chris ...

in ''An Enquiry Concerning Redemption'' hit back at some comments of Warburton's. *1744 The section dealing with the

origin of language The origin of language (spoken and signed, as well as language-related technological systems such as writing), its relationship with human evolution, and its consequences have been subjects of study for centuries. Scholars wishing to study th ...

is translated into French by Léonard de Malpeines, as '' Essai sur les hiéroglyphes des Égyptiens''. Warburton issues the first part of a two-part reply to critics, to

Conyers Middleton Conyers Middleton (27 December 1683 – 28 July 1750) was an English clergyman. Mired in controversy and disputes, he was also considered one of the best stylists in English of his time. Early life Middleton was born at Richmond, North Yorkshir ...

Richard Pococke Richard Pococke (19 November 1704 – 25 September 1765)''Notes and Queries'', p. 129. was an English-born churchman, inveterate traveller and travel writer. He was the Bishop of Ossory (1756–65) and Meath (1765), both dioceses of the Church ...

Richard Grey Sir Richard Grey (1457 – 25 June 1483) was an English knight and the half-brother of King Edward V of England. Early life Richard Grey was the younger son of Sir John Grey of Groby and Elizabeth Woodville. Richard was a 3-year-old child whe ...

; and also

Mark Akenside Mark Akenside (9 November 1721 – 23 June 1770) was an English poet and physician. Biography Akenside was born at Newcastle upon Tyne, England, the son of a butcher. He was slightly lame all his life from a wound he received as a child f ...

, John Tillard,

Julius Bate Julius Bate (1711–1771) was an English divine, known as a Hutchinsonian and Hebraist. Life Bate was one of the ten children of the Rev. Richard Bate, by his wife, Elizabeth Stanhope. He entered St John's College, Cambridge, became B.A. 1730, an ...

and Nicholas Mann. *1745 Warburton issues the second part of his reply to Arthur Ashley Sykes and

Henry Stebbing Henry Stebbing (1687–1763) was an English churchman and controversialist, who became archdeacon of Wilts. Life Baptised at Walton, Suffolk on 19 August 1687, he was the fourth son of John Stebbing (1647–1728), a grocer of Walton, by his wife ...

. *1751 A German translation begins publication, and is reviewed by

Gotthold Ephraim Lessing Gotthold Ephraim Lessing (, ; 22 January 1729 – 15 February 1781) was a philosopher, dramatist, publicist and art critic, and a representative of the Enlightenment era. His plays and theoretical writings substantially influenced the developmen ...

. *1766 In an anonymous work,

Robert Lowth Robert Lowth ( ; 27 November 1710 – 3 November 1787) was a Bishop of the Church of England, Oxford Professor of Poetry and the author of one of the most influential textbooks of English grammar. Life Lowth was born in Hampshire, England, G ...

takes issue with Warburton, over a 1765 addition to the ''Divine Legation'' (appendix to book 5) concerning the ''

Book of Job The Book of Job (; hbo, אִיּוֹב, ʾIyyōḇ), or simply Job, is a book found in the Ketuvim ("Writings") section of the Hebrew Bible (Tanakh), and is the first of the Poetic Books in the Old Testament of the Christian Bible. Scholars ar ...

''. *1770

Edward Gibbon Edward Gibbon (; 8 May 173716 January 1794) was an English historian, writer, and member of parliament. His most important work, ''The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire'', published in six volumes between 1776 and 1788, is k ...

attacks Warburton's interpretation of '' Æneid'' book VI.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Divine Legation of Moses 1738 books 18th-century Christian texts Christian theology books Moses Unfinished books