Book Quote by Elie Wiesel
“If the Book of the Law could be forgotten for so many years, who knows what was done to it during those years? Maybe it was lost later, too. And another one replaced it, and that one is no longer the original text. These are questions that perturb me much more than whether it's history or not history.”
About This Quote
Source Book: Night by Elie Wiesel, 1956
The quote reflects on how lost or altered texts can obscure truth, raising doubts about authenticity and historical memory.
In simple terms: Lost texts create uncertainty about truth.
Key Takeaway
Question sources critically.
Themes
history
truth
memory
authenticity
skepticism
Mood
reflective
inquisitive
Type
philosophical
critical
When to use this quote
- archival research
- academic study
- legal evidence
- personal genealogy
Key Concepts
textual criticism
historical revisionism
epistemology
Questions to Reflect On
- How do we verify authenticity of ancient documents?
- What impact does a missing text have on cultural identity?
A Different Perspective
Even if a text is lost, its influence may persist in collective memory.
![“[The Book of the Law]was lost for so many years. And then Josiah decided to celebrate Passover. The text says that "The Passover sacrifice had not been offered in that way ... during the days of the kings of Israel and the kings of Judah" [2 Kings 23:22]. What do you mean? Not in the days of David…” quote by Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/1d4/elie-wiesel-341_book_the-book-of-the-law-was-lost-for-so-many_1777453.jpg)
![“[Original text in French] Giovanni n'avait pas menti. Sagra était une merveille baroque, une collision improbable et inquiétante de la nature et de l'art. [My translation to English] Giovanni hadn't lied. Sagra was a Baroque wonder, an unlikely and disturbing collision between Nature and Arts. [My…” quote by Julien Gracq](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/6f4/julien-gracq-33846_art_original-text-in-french-giovanni-n-avait_1618963.jpg)
![“It really makes little difference in the long run whether The Book of the Law was dictated to [Crowley] by preterhuman intelligence named Aiwass or whether it stemmed from the creative deeps of Aleister Crowley. The book was written. And he became the mouthpiece for the Zeitgeist, accurately…” quote by Israel Regardie](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/c24/israel-regardie-53757_book_it-really-makes-little-difference-in-the_1937685.jpg)
![“[Chinese] are a huge empire now, you'll soon be - in a few years two billion people in the world. So, you should be more compassionate, more understanding. And above all, you don't need all their trouble.” quote by Elie Wiesel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/img-quotes/751/elie-wiesel-341_billions_chinese-are-a-huge-empire-now-you-ll-soo_28398.jpg)
