arose during the monarchy, and that some of this came from the time of David and Solomon. In only a few instances, however, is it possible to distinguish these early portions with even approximate certainty.1

1 Professor Briggs finds, in addition to the portions of 24 and 60 noted above, as genuine products of the Davidic age: 71-48, 5, 12-16, 18 2-19, 28-44, 46-48, 50, and possibly 13 1. 23 he would place possibly in the reign of Solomon. Psalms, Int. Crit. Com.

CHAPTER IV

BEGINNINGS OF CONNECTED PROSE WRITING

(Before 900 B.C.)

THE years of struggle between Canaanite, Philistine, and Hebrew for possession of the vine-covered hills and fertile valleys of Palestine produced noble songs and prose tales, handed down by word of mouth, but not connected prose writing. So, too, the years of struggle of Celt and Saxon for possession of Britain called 'forth gleeman's song rather than historian's narrative. This came later. Comparison between the early English and Hebrew literature may be carried far, for the history of early prose writing in our own literature offers closest analogy to that of Israel.1

It was not till near the middle of the sixth century A.D., in Christian England, that Gildas the Wise wrote his Epistle concerning the wickedness and corruption of the British State and Church. This he introduced by an historical sketch, "clearly derived," it is maintained, "from oral tradition."2 This historical introduction was used more than a century later in the compilation of the Historia Britonum, "a curious congeries of writings" compiled somewhere about the year 679 A.D., with additions in later times. About the year 800, one Nennius is supposed to have made a recension of the whole; although, in accordance with another view, the original compilation is ascribed to Nennius. In either case, whether the original Historia dates from the last quarter of the seventh century or from 800, the earliest connected narrative known to us dealt with comparatively recent history, resting on

1 Carpenter and Harford-Battersby (The Hexateuch, I, p. 4 f.) and Dr. John P. Peters (various writings) have noted some of the similarities in the literary history. The subject was first suggested to the present writer by Peters, Early Hebrew Story. The working out of the analogies in the present volume has been along almost wholly independent lines. 2 See Cambridge History of English Literature, Vol. I, p. 73.

oral traditions, and this was used as one document in the earliest direct attempt to write the history of the Britons, which was itself a compilation rather than original composition of digested material. Again Gildas, and, probably, the Historia Britonum, were among the sources used by Bede, in the first half of the eighth century, in his ecclesiastical history of England, a work which carries the history from the landing of Cæsar down to the time of the writer. Bede's history and other materials were used in the Saxon Chronicle, begun in Alfred's time (ninth century) and continued by various hands on into the twelfth century. In this latter century, Florence of Worcester attempted to write a universal history, beginning with the creation. He styled it Chronicon ex Chronicis, a name which suggests its real nature as a compilation. The basis of the earlier portions was the Universal Chronicle of the Irish monk Marianus Scotus, who, for the early portion of his history, was a compiler from Bede and the Old English Chronicle. Other monks continued the work of Florence after his death. Thus, during the six centuries, from the day when Gildas the Wise wrote, rather incidentally, connected history from oral tradition, to Florence of Worcester and his Chronicon ex Chronicis, historical writing in England advanced largely through the process of compilation. Again, we may note that historical writing dealt at first with comparatively recent events and that gradually the historians extended their view backward. Bede reached back to the conquest of Britain by Cæsar, and, several centuries later, Marianus and Florence strove to write the story from the creation on.

In Israel it is certainly not earlier than the era of David and Solomon that we can find connected prose writings. They come only when the nation has been united and comparative peace secured. As in the case of Gildas's Epistle, the earliest concern not the distant past, but more recent events; they are current stories handed down orally with much lifelike detail. The story of David's court and family life, which makes up the greater part of 2 Samuel, is very commonly spoken of as the earliest connected prose writing of Israel; the narratives of Saul and David, however, beginning at 1 Samuel 9, may be as early or even earlier.

The work of Gildas, we have seen, was embodied in a later

composition, the Historia Britonum, and this reëdited by Nennius; Gildas and the Historia, with other sources, were used by Bede, and so on, through the Saxon Chronicle and the compilation of Florence. So the early Saul and David narratives were combined with other narratives of Samuel, Saul, and David, and ultimately, some four hundred years after their times, were edited in the present books of Samuel. In the study of each literature, the long and patient work of many critics, building upon and correcting each other, has so far unravelled the various documents compiled that we can now select with considerable certainty the portions belonging to the earlier and later strands. Apparently the students of each literature have commonly worked in ignorance of the details of the work being done in the other, so that the closely analogous results are the more notable.

The analysis, now made with confidence, gives a group of early Saul stories which probably constituted at first a separate cycle of narratives, written down by a different hand from that which gathered the David-Saul stories. In order to appreciate the Saul stories in their individual character, as they first existed in a separate document, it is necessary to read them through by themselves.1

Now there was a man of Benjamin, whose name was Kish, the son of Abiel, the son of Zeror, the son of Becorath, the son of Aphiah, the son of a Benjamite, a mighty man of valor. And he had a son, whose name was Saul, a young man and a goodly: and there was not among the children of Israel a goodlier person than he: from his shoulders and upward he was higher than any of the people. And the asses of Kish, Saul's

1 They now constitute the following sections of 1 Samuel: 9 1-10, 16, 11 1-11, 15, 13 2-7, 16-18, 23, 14 1-46. Some of the grounds for the separation of this material and the David-Saul stories from the later strand of Samuel lie on the surface. There are in 1 Samuel two different conceptions of the position held by Samuel, the one viewing him as a prophet, the other as a "judge." With these go different views of Samuel's attitude toward the founding of the monarchy; the narrative that pictures him as a "judge" views the kingdom from the standpoint of its later defects. There are, too, several duplicate narratives: two introductions of David to Saul, two origins of the saying concerning Saul among the prophets, two accounts of the sparing of Saul's life, with striking similarities, etc. The analysis of 1 Samuel into its earlier and later strands relieves difficulties that puzzle even the young Sunday school scholar. The character of the later document will be considered in Chapter XIV.

father, were lost. And Kish said to Saul his son, Take now one of the servants with thee, and arise, go seek the asses. And he passed through the hill-country of Ephraim, and passed through the land of Shalishah, but they found them not: then they passed through the land of Shaalim, and there they were not: and he passed through the land of the Benjamites, but they found them not.

When they were come to the land of Zuph, Saul said to his servant that was with him, Come, and let us return, lest my father leave off caring for the asses, and be anxious for us. And he said unto him, Behold now, there is in this city a man of God, and he is a man that is held in honor; all that he saith cometh surely to pass: now let us go thither; peradventure he can tell us concerning our journey whereon we go. Then said Saul to his servant, But, behold, if we go, what shall we bring the man? for the bread is spent in our vessels, and there is not a present to bring to the man of God: what have we? And the servant answered Saul again, and said, Behold, I have in my hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver: that will I give to the man of God, to tell us our way. (Beforetime in Israel, when a man went to inquire of God, thus he said, Come, and let us go to the seer; for he that is now called a Prophet was beforetime called a Seer.) Then said Saul to his servant, Well said; come, let us go. So they went unto the city where the man of God was.

As they went up the ascent to the city, they found young maidens going out to draw water, and said unto them, Is the seer here? And they answered them, and said, He is; behold, he is before thee: make haste now, for he is come to-day into the city; for the people have a sacrifice to-day in the high place. As soon as ye are come into the city, ye shall straightway find him, before he goeth up to the high place to eat; for the people will not eat until he come, because he doth bless the sacrifice; and afterwards they eat that are bidden. Now therefore get you up; for at this time ye shall find him. And they went up to the city; and as they came within the city, behold, Samuel came out toward them, to go up to the high place.

Now Jehovah had revealed unto Samuel a day before Saul came, saying, To-morrow about this time I will send thee a man out of the land of Benjamin, and thou shalt anoint him to be prince over my people Israel; and he shall save my people out of the hand of the Philistines: for I have looked upon my people, because their cry is come unto me. And when Samuel saw Saul, Jehovah said unto him, Behold, the man of whom I spake to thee! this same shall have authority over my people. Then Saul drew near to Samuel in the gate, and said, Tell me, I pray thee, where the seer's house is. And Samuel answered Saul, and said, I am the seer;

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