man after the Flood. On the result of this latter investigation will depend how far we may expect to find an historico-chronological element in these biblical accounts of human life during the antediluvian period. BIBLICAL A. TRADITION AND RESEARCH INTO THE PERIOD FROM THE BUILDING OF THE TEMPLE TO THE MIGRATION INTO EGYPT, OR FROM SOLOMON TO JOSEPH. I. THE LENGTH OF THE PERIOD FROM SOLOMON TO MOSES. WE have in Scripture two data as to the length of the first of these two periods - one, reckoning by the separate dates in the Pentateuch, the Books of Joshua and Judges; the other, a general statement in the Book of Kings. The former dates are transmitted harmoniously - although with occasional chasms-in the different texts; as to the latter, the Septuagint and Hebrew texts differ; while both are at variance with any sum total that can be formed out of the individual numbers of the other reckoning. We shall first examine the specific dates, divided into sections, according to the general course of history during the period. I. The time of Moses. 1. The journey to Sinai, from thence to Ka- Yrs. Mths. desh Barnea: the mission of Caleb 24x 2. The march from Kadesh Barnea to the gulf of Eleanitis and back - subsequent decampment, conquest, and occupation by the Israelites of the country to the east of Jordan the death of Moses - 37+x reckoned as 40 yrs. He conquers II. The time of Joshua. country on this side Jordan. ration arises. The death of the A new gene Joshua at the x yrs. age of 110. (Josh. xxiv. 29. age of Caleb Josh. xiv. 7. 10.) III. The period of the Judges, from the death of Joshua to the close of Samuel's rule. The data touching this period are of two kinds. On one side, the duration of foreign supremacy over the Israelites is given; on the other, that of their independence and state of peace under one or other of their judges, or simply the date of the time that such or such a leader was in office. Thus it is said of the time when Ehud was judge "the land had rest fourscore years." It is improbable that Ehud was judge in Israel during all this period of peace: yet the name of no other judge occurs between him and Deborah. But one single fact the defeat of the Philistines by the hero Shamgar is briefly mentioned. Sampson on the contrary (it is said) judged Israel 20 years" in the days of the Philistines," consequently in the time of the supremacy of the Philistines, which is stated as being a period of 40 years. Here then the question at once presents itself: how is the time to be computed from these data? merely by the years of the Judges? or by them conjointly with those of foreign supremacy ? An exclusive preference of either method were obviously objectionable. We here give the numbers as transmitted to us, in a double column, according to the above twofold notation. x+7 18 40 x+x+x+111 X Period without a leader after the death of Joshua under the Elders Othniel, of the tribe of Judah, Nephew of Caleb (Judges, iii. 11.) 40 Ehud, of the tribe of Benjamin (iii. 30.) 80 Shamgar, son of Anath (iii. 31.) x] Deborah, of the tribe of Ephraim, Judge in the time of Jabin (iv. 4.) Barak, of the tribe of Naphthali, Gideon (Jerubbaal), of the tribe of Abimelech, his natural son, destroys 40 40 the house of Gideon, and exercises the supreme power (ix. 22.) x+3 Tola, of the tribe of Issachar, Judge (x. 1, 2.) Jair, of the tribe of Manasseh on the other side (x. 3.) Jephthah, a Gileadite (xii. 7.) Ibzan, from Bethlehem of Judah or Zebulon (xii. 8.) Elon of Zebulon (xii. 11.) Abdon of Ephraim (xii. 13.) Samson of Dan "Judge in the days of the Philistines" (xv. 20., comp. xvi. 31.) Eli, High Priest, judges Israel (1 Sam. iv. 18.) up to the defeat at Eben-Ezer, where the ark fell into the hands of the Philistines: Samuel already a prophet in high repute and estimation (iii. 19. &c.) Samuel, judge from the death of Eli to shortly before the victory over the Philistines at Mizpeh (xi. 15. xv. 12.) Samuel, judge after the victory to the reign of Saul x+x+x+359 IV. The time of the Kings to the Building of the Temple. Saul (his son Ish-bosheth is 40 years old at his death, 2 Sam. ii. 10.) - x years David (7 years at Hebron (over Judah) 33 years at Jerusalem (over all Israel), 2. Sam. v. 4, 5. Comp. 1 Kings ii. 11.) Solomon, up to the commencement of the building of the Temple. (2 Kings vi. 1.) We have therefore the following results: 40+6 months 3+x x+43 yrs. +x mo. I. The time of Moses 40 years. II. Joshua x+ III. IV. the Judges 3x+359+(3x+311) yrs. the Kings x+ 43 4x+442+(3x+111) yrs. If we omit entirely from our calculation the periods of rebellion which preceded the supremacy-as not being historical, or as included in the other numbers or as unimportant, together with the time of Shamgar, as being included in that of Ehud- and lastly, the time before Abimelech took possession of the government at the death of Gideon-still there are four important periods remaining, the length of which is undefined: The whole term of Joshua's command, consequently the time employed in the conquest of great part of Canaan: The time between the death of Joshua and the judicature of Othniel: consequently that of the victorious settlement of the tribes in their new seats. (Judges i.) The time of the judicature of Samuel after the victory at Mizpeh: lastly The period of the reign of Saul—that is, from the battle of Mizpeh to his death. All chronology is here obviously out of the question from the palpably defective state of the individual numbers. Add to which that from Moses to Gideon, all the numbers recorded are either 40 or twice 40 (40+40+80+40): and in like manner from Samson to David are either 40 or 20 (20+40+20+40). The intermediate numbers on the other hand are more definite, as are most of the dates for the duration of hostile supremacy.118 Was there any fixed system of chronology running parallel to these dates? If so, on what could it be based? Let us examine the sum total for our period. It is stated in the 2nd Book of Kings according to the Hebrew text with reference to the foundation of Solomon's Temple, that up to that time, consequently up to the fourth year of Solomon, 480 years had elapsed since the Exodus. The Septuagint version gives 440 years. This latter account is altogether irreconcilable with the dates above recapitulated - for the numbers there given, exclusive of those of foreign supremacy, amount to 442 years. It has, however, obviously the appearance of a round number, formed out of the sum total of those separate specific dates. It may, however, on that very account, be unhesitatingly rejected as spurious, as an arbitrary adjustment of dates in themselves to all appearance inaccurate, and certainly incomplete. The only remaining number, therefore, not liable to suspicion, is the 480: and that, perhaps, only because we have no insight into the mode in which it is made up. May up. May we venture to assume that it is a tradition 118 Studer's hypothesis, that the list of the Judges is not historically arranged, but rather of a geographical character according to their birthplaces, is not worth refuting. It is actually contradicted by the statements given above of the birthplaces of the separate Judges. But the whole historical contents of this part of Scripture prove, moreover, that their order is intended to be chronological. |