and territories, and that therefore He was called
the God of Israel and the God of Jerusalem, whereas the other gods were
called the gods of the Gentiles. For this reason the Jews believed that
the strip of territory which God had chosen for Himself, demanded a
Divine worship quite apart and different from the worship which obtained
elsewhere, and that the Lord would not suffer the worship of other gods
adapted to other countries. Thus they thought that the people whom the
king of Assyria had brought into Judaea were torn in pieces by lions
because they knew not the worship of the National Divinity (2 Kings
xvii. 25)....

If we now examine the revelations to Moses, we shall find that they were
accommodated to these opinions; as he believed that the Divine Nature
was subject to the conditions of mercy, graciousness, etc., so God was
revealed to him in accordance with his idea and under these attributes
(see Exodus xxxiv. 6, 7, and the second commandment). Further it is
related (Ex. xxxiii. 18) that Moses asked of God that he might behold
Him, but as Moses (as we have said) had formed no mental image of God,
and God (as I have shown) only revealed Himself to the prophets in
accordance with the disposition of their imagination, He did not reveal
Himself in any form. This, I repeat, was because the imagination of
Moses was unsuitable, for other prophets bear witness that they saw the
Lord; for instance, Isaiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, etc. For this reason God
answered Moses, "Thou canst not see My face;" and inasmuch as Moses
believed that God can be looked upon--that is, that no contradiction of
the Divine nature is therein involved (for otherwise he would never have
preferred his request)--it is added, "For no one shall look on Me and
live," thus giving a reason in accordance with Moses' idea, for it is
not stated that a contradiction of the Divine nature would be involved,
as was really the case, but that the thing would not come to pass
because of human infirmity....

Lastly, as Moses believed that God dwelt in the heavens, God was
revealed to him as coming down from heaven on to a mountain, and in
order to talk with the Lord Moses went up the mountain, which he
certainly need not have done if he could have conceived of God as
omnipresent.

The Israelites knew scarcely anything of God, although He was revealed
to them; and this is abundantly evident from their transferring, a few
days afterwards, the honor and worship due t