s there were a Devil. On the other hand, if the
Devil is to be considered merely the personification of evil, then a
Christ who would be only the personification of the ideal, but not a real
personality, would suffice equally."(587) At present Christian theologians
and even philosophers have recourse to Platonic and Buddhist ideas, that
evil is implanted in the world from which humanity must free itself, and
they thus present Christianity as the _religion of redemption par
excellence_.(588) Over against this, Judaism still maintains that there is
no radical or primitive evil in the world. No power exists which is
intrinsically hostile to God, and from which man must be redeemed.
According to the Jewish conception, the goodness and glory of God fill
both heaven and earth, while holiness penetrates all of life, bringing
matter and flesh within the realm of the divine. Evil is but the contrast
of good, as shade is but the contrast of light. Evil can be overcome by
each individual, as he realizes his own solemn duty and the divine will.
Its only existence is in the field of morality, where it is a test of
man's freedom and power. Evil is within man, and against it he is to wage
the battles of life, until his victory signalizes the triumph of the
divine in his own nature.(589)

Chapter XXXII. God and the Intermediary Powers

1. In addition to the angels who carried out God's will in the universe,
the Biblical and post-Biblical literature recognizes other divine powers
which mediate between Him and the world of man. The more a seer or thinker
became conscious of the spirituality and transcendency of God, the more he
felt the gulf between the infinite Spirit and the world of the senses. In
order to bridge this gap, the Deity was replaced by one of His
manifestations which could appear and act in a world circumscribed by
space and time.(590) As we found in prophecy the direct revelation of God
giving way to a mediating angel, so either "the Glory" or "the Name" of
JHVH takes the place of God himself. That is, instead of God's own being,
His reflected radiance or the power invested in His name descends from on
high. The rabbis kept the direct revelation of God for the hallowed past
or the desired future, but at the same time they needed a suitable term
for the presence of God; they therefore coined the word _Shekinah_--"the
divine Condescension" or "Presence"--to be used instead of the Deity
himself. Thus the verse of the