THE HISTORICAL BOOKS.—(Continued.)

SPECIAL TEXT: "And Samuel said, Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams."—I. Samuel xv: 22.

NOTES.

1. The Historic Period Covered by the Books of Samuel: "The story embraces a period of over one hundred years, and extends from the end of the time of the Judges to the close of the reign of David, 1015 B. C., the connecting link being found in the civil judgeship of Eli and Samuel. The object of the narrative is to exhibit the kingdom as it realized itself in view of a divine ideal; and the prominence given to the lives of Samuel and David would seem to be due to a design to portray the one as the type of the prophetic, and the other as the type of the kingly character—the king's counselor, in this case, selecting the king, and not, as was the rule afterwards, the king his counselor." (Cambridge Teacher's Bible Helps, p. 19.)

2. Books of Samuel, I and II. Protestant View: "The two were, by the ancient Jews, conjoined, so as to make one book, and in that form could be called the Book of Samuel with more propriety than now, the second being wholly occupied with the relation of transactions that did not take place till after the death of that eminent judge. Accordingly, in the Septuagint and the Vulgate, it is called the First and Second Book of Kings. The early portion of the First Book, down to the end of the twenty-fourth chapter, was probably written by Samuel; while the rest of it, and the whole of the Second, are commonly ascribed to Nathan and Gad, founding the opinion on I Chronicles xxix: 29.. Commentators, however, are divided about this, some supposing that the statements in I Samuel ii: 26; iii: 1, indicate the hand of the judge himself, or a contemporary; while some think, from I Samuel vi: 18; xii: 5; xxvii: 6, that the composition must be referred to a later age. It is probable, however, that these supposed marks of an after period were interpolations of Ezra. This uncertainty, however, as to the authorship does not affect the inspired authority of the book, which is indisputable, being quoted in the New Testament (Acts xiii: 22; Hebrews i: 5) as well as in many of the Psalms." (Commentary, Explanatory and Critical, p. 8.)

3. Catholic View of the Books of Samuel: "This [I Samuel] and the following book [II Samuel] are called by the Hebrews the books of Samuel, because they contain the history of Samuel, and of the two kings, Saul and David, whom he anointed. They are more commonly named by the Fathers the first and second book of kings. As to the writer of them, the common opinion is that Samuel composed the first book as far as the twenty-fifth chapter; and that the prophets Nathan and Gad finished the first, and wrote the second book. See I Chronicles xxix: 29." (Introduction to the First Book of Samuel, Douay Bible, p. 308.)

4. The First and Second Books of Kings. Protestant View: "In the ancient copies of the Hebrew Bible, First and Second Kings constitute one book. Various titles have been given to them; in the Septuagint and the Vulgate they are called the Third and Fourth Books of Kings. The authorship of these books is unknown; but the prevailing opinion is that they were compiled by Ezra, or one of the later prophets, from the ancient documents that are so frequently referred to in the course of the history as of public and established authority. Their inspired character was acknowledged by the Jewish church, which ranked them in the sacred canon; and, besides, is attested by our Lord, who frequently quotes from them (cf. I Kings xvii: 9; II Kings v: 14 with Luke iv: 24-27; I Kings x: 1 with Matthew xii: 42)." (Commentary, Explanatory and Critical, p. 8.)

5. Catholic View of Books of Kings: "This [the first Book of Kings] and the following [the second Book of Kings] book are called by the holy fathers the third and fourth book of Kings; but by the Hebrews the first and second Malachim, that is Kings. They contain the history of the kingdoms of Israel and Juda, from the beginning of the reign of Solomon, to the captivity. As to the writer of these books, it seems most probable they were not writen by one man, nor at one time; but as there was all along a succession of prophets in Israel, who recorded, by divine inspiration, the most remarkable things that happened in their days, these books seem to have been written by these prophets." (Douay Bible, pp. 381-2.)

6. Historical Period of the Books of Kings: "The Books of Kings narrate the history from the rebellion of Adonijah to the final captivity of Judah, including the whole history of the northern kingdom from the separation till its disappearance in B. C. 721. The succession of events will be found under Chronology. The books were compiled by some unknown writer from a variety of written documents, including the state chronicles." (Seventies' Bible Dictionary, p 94.)

7. Literary Features of the Books of Samuel and of Kings: "The literary form of the books of Kings is quite different from that of the books of Samuel. There is an almost stereotyped framework, resembling that of the book of Judges, within which the events of the successive reigns are placed. When the name of a new king is introduced, it is stated how old he was when he came to the throne, how many years he reigned, and, in regard to the kings of Judah, what was his mother's name. Then a general character is pronounced upon his reign, the events are recorded at greater or less length, and at the close a reference is usually given to another authority for fuller details. When the divided monarchy is to be treated, the usual proceeding is to give the record of the northern kingdom first, and then the corresponding record for the southern, the history thus falling into periods longer or shorter. And this course is followed so closely that sometimes the same event is twice related, if it concerns the two kingdoms. These features make it probable that the book is composed from other written materials, or at least largely based upon them. And the frequent references to books of chronicles of the kings of Judah or of Israel favor the inference that state records of the respective kingdoms, containing lists of officials, statistical matters, and memoranda of events in the different reigns were available for the purpose. There were also, in all probability, narratives of the doings of Elijah, Elisha, and other prophets, preserved in the prophetic circles, which would furnish information of another kind. A work extending over so long a period could not be the expression of the direct personal knowledge of any one writer, and could only be composed in the way indicated." (Cambridge Bible, p. 63.)