SAMUEL (SimmuEL), BOOKS OF, originally formed one work, but were by the TAX. and Vulg. (followed by the recent Hebrew editions since Bomberg) and the authorized version, 'divided into two books, the first closing with the death of Saul. The name they bear is derived from Samuel, as the principal figure in them. He not only stood at the head of the commonwealth at the period they treat of in a spiritual and worldly capacity, but also anointed Saul and David, and exercised an important influence upon their rule. Their contents beginning with the high-priesthood of Eli, the narrative con cludes with the death of David, and thus three principal periods are noticeable-1. The restoration of the theocracy, of which Samuel assumes the leadership (I. 2. The history of Saul's, kingship till his death (I. xiii.—xxxi.); and 3. David's reign (II.).
The plan of the whole work is not, as has been stated, to represent one king as he ought not to he—viz., Saul, contrasted by a king after the heart of God, David; but simply to draw the development of the theocracy from the end of the period of judges to the end of David's ,sign, its humiliation and its glory under Samuel and David, whose history is, to a certain extent, told with biographical minuteness, on account of their being the divinely-chosen vessels fur this great work of the restoration. KS to the composition and unity of the hooks, it has been the prevailing opinion of scholars to see in them not a loose compilation from a number of stray sources, but a consecutive mar rative drawn upon ancient and authentic documents. The character of the narrative itself, o•casionally dwelling at large upon biographical episodes, occasionally assuming the brevity of a mere chronicle, and at times repeating itself at length, is quite in accordance with ancient Semitic historiography. It has Lien supposed by some that the
honks if Samuel were composed by the same hand that wrote the books of Kings, but they belong to a much earlier period. Tile author appears to have lived after the separa tion of the kingdoms, but long before. the Exile, the language being remarkably pure, and quite free from late forms and Chaldaisms. In all probability, the author was a prophet of the time of Solomon. The Talmudical notion of Samuel's authorship has been rejected by the critics, as inconsistent with the contents and circumstances of the book, There are glosses in the book due to later hands. Of sources, we only find the " Book of Jashar" mentioned in the work. The author, if he did not use real annals of the empire, which were only first commenced under Solomon, had, at all events, a cer tain number of prophetical narratives of Samuel's, Saul's, and David's lives and doings before him. As regards the occasional verbal agreement between Samuel and Chronicles, which has often been commented upon, we may either assume that the latter drew upon the former, or that they both—which is more probable from internal evidence—dr•.v upon the same source, and modified their accounts according to their special tendencies. Altogether, the work before us hears the character of a truly authentic record. Cf modern commentators, we mention principally Hensler, liOnigsfeldt, Thenius, and Ewald.