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That the text is composite in its sources appears from the dissimilarities of its parts, mingling detailed narrative with brief notices of events. Thus of the elevation of Saul to the throne late critics find three narratives, I Sam. xi.; ix. 1-10, 16; viii. 10, 17-27, which should, however, be reduced to two, viz., ix. 1-10, 16, x. 27b, xi. 11, 15, and, for the second narrative, viii. 10, 17-27a, xi. 12-14. These two reports are marked by strong characteristics. According to the earliest of these Samuel shows only joy in the erection of the kingdom, while the more pessimistic account reflects either the exilic or postexilic times (Wellhausen), the time of Hosea (Kittel), or of Hezekiah (Kuenen). As a theocrat Samuel must have had gloomy forebodings over the new movement. Yet it is granted by several of the critics that this doubling of the narrative does not necessarily imply that either is false. Klostermann sees in the two accounts only apparent, not real, discrepancies. It is noteworthy that criticism sees so often in I Samuel doublets or repeated accounts of the same events. Some of these are: the rending of the kingdom from Saul, xiii. 8-14 and xv. 12 sqq.; the two accounts of the hurling of the spear at David, xviii. 10-11 (not in the Septuagint) and xix. 9-10; the double betrayal of David by the Ziphites, xxiii. 19-28 and xxvi.; the repetition of the proverb in x. 12 and xix. 24; the double sparing of Saul by David, xxiv. and xxvi.; the two flights of David to the Philistines, xxi. 10 sqq. and xxvii. 1 sqq. In most of these cases repetition of the occurrences is psychologically probable, while each story has its own characteristics. But in these books as in other historical books of the Bible the union of varied accounts gives rise to difficulties, to gaps, and to incongruities. Thus I., vii. 13-14 does not agree with ix. 16, x. 5, xiii., dealing with the control of the land by the Philistines, though the critics often press too far the content of the passage vii. 2-17. So in the history of David the separate narratives are put together without attempt to harmonize the differences (see DAVID). While 11 Samuel is wrought into a closer unity, circumstances of this kind are not lacking.

While the Books of Kings often name their sources, reference to a source is made only once in Samuel (II., i. 18, where the book of Jasher is named, cf. Josh. x. 13). There is no reason to hold that other pieces of poetry given in Samuel are from this source,

such as the Song of Hannah (I Sam.

3. Sources ii.), an early psalm of victory, and the and Com- lament over Abner (II Sam. iii. 33-34), position. which is genuine. The piece in II

Sam. xxii. (=Ps. xviii.) is among the psalms best attested as Davidic; while the "last words of David" (II Sam. xxiii. 1-7) are to be regarded as genuine. For the historical contents no source is adduced. II Sam. Aii. 16 first mentions a "recorder," who appears to have been a permanent official, so that annals of the reigns of David and Solomon could have been available whence such data as II Sam. xx. 23-26 might have been drawn. But the chief sources were doubtless the prophetical accounts such as those referred to in I Chron. xxix. 29, the "book of Samuel the Seer, and . . . Nathan the prophet, and . . . Gad the seer." These

references can not be to the varied parts of the Books of Samuel, but are rather prophetical narratives which seem to have been accessible to the Chronicler as parts of a greater work on the kings of Israel and Judah. Whether the prophets named left historical narratives or not, some such sources were used by the author of the Books of Samuel, and the composition was governed by a divine pragmatism. Comill divides the chief material between J. and E., though convincing proof is lacking. A Deuteronomic redaction like that of the Book of Judges is generally accepted as fact, though parts of the contents do not show the marks of this. Kittel distinguishes between an older and a later class of sources: the first includes a Jerusalemitic history of David from the time of Solomon or Rehoboam, another not much later, and a history of Saul contemporary with the second source; the later class includes an Ephrainutic history of Samuel and David from the time of Hosea; this material was worked over by the Deuteronomic redactor of Judges, while another Deuteronomist worked over the whole material. Oettli sees an earlier and a later section in the book, the earlier favorable to the kingdom and the later prophetic in its interests; the whole was edited in Deuteronomic style. Most important is the fact that contemporary sources are generally recognized. The time of the final composition of the book from these various sources can be only approximated. In general, it was later than the death of David (II Sam. v. 5), and subsequent to the division of the kingdom (I Sam. xxvii. 6). A 4. Date and considerable time had elapsed since the

(C. VON ORELLI.)

BIBLIOGRAPHY: On the prophet the reader is referred to the commentaries (see below) and to works on the history of the Hebrews (under ARAB; and ISRAEL, HISTORY OF). Of the following special nota may be made: G. C. M. Douglas, Samuel and his Age, Study in the Constitutional Hist. of Israel, London, 1901; F. B. KBster, Die Propheten des Allen and Neuen Testaments, Altona, 1838; H. Ewald, Geschichte des Volkea Israel, ii. 591 sqq, iii. 1 sqq G5ttingen, 1865-66, Eng. transl., London, 1883; F. E. KSnig, Offenbarunysbeprif des Allen Testament, pp. 69-70, Leipsie, 1882; J. Robertson, Early Religion of Israel, Edinburgh, 1892; H. Guthe, Geschichte des Volkes Israel, pp. 68 sqq., Tiibingen, 1889; F. B. Meyer, Samuel the Prophet, new ed., London, 1900; H. P. Smith, Old Testament Hiat., New York, 1903; S. Oettli, Geschichte Isracls Us auf Alexander, Calw, 1905; Wellhausen, Prolegomena; DB, iv. 381-382; BB, iv. 4270-73; JE, xi. 5-8; Vigouroux, Dictionnaire, fase. xxxv. 1435-1442.

On questions of introduction and text consult the literature in and under BIBLICAL INTRODUCTION, especially Driver, Kirkpatrick, Davidson, Comill, and McFadyen;