The Letter of Aristeas, a fascinating text that purports to be from the time of the translation of the Hebrew Bible into Greek (the Septuagint), grapples with this very question. It tells us of a wise leader who carefully considered these truths, making it clear that even thinking about doing evil – let alone actually doing it! – wouldn’t escape notice. Because, and this is the kicker, the power of God, according to him, pervades the whole of the law.
Think about that for a second. Not just the act, but the very thought. It's a pretty powerful idea.
This leader, whose identity is clear within the broader text of the Letter of Aristeas, uses this as a springboard to discuss something else that’s been on his mind. Namely, the fact that, well, everyone else seems to have it wrong.
According to him, pretty much all of mankind – except for "ourselves" – believes in a multitude of gods. And not just any gods, but gods they consider to be far more powerful than themselves. It's a curious observation, isn't it?
He elaborates, pointing to the common practice of creating statues from stone and wood. These, he says, are claimed to be images of those who invented something useful. And then they are worshipped. Even though, he argues, there’s clear proof that these statues, these idols, possess no feeling, no sentience whatsoever.
It begs the question: Why? Why create these idols? Why attribute power to something so obviously inanimate? Is it simply gratitude for past inventions? Or is there something deeper, something more primal, driving this impulse to worship?
The Letter of Aristeas doesn’t explicitly answer that question, but it certainly leaves us pondering the nature of belief, the allure of the tangible, and the enduring human search for something, anything, greater than ourselves. And whether or not we can truly hide our thoughts from a higher power... now that's something to think about.