any of these the Song of Deborah most likely existed in a collection of songs. (b) The stories appear to have been collected to form a book, and provided with short introductory and connecting passages, probably at a time contemporary with the editorial work of JE. (c) After the publication of Deuteronomy, and probably in the first half of the 6th century, this earlier work was taken in hand by an author filled with the spirit of the Dtc. school, who enlarged and arranged it on a definite plan framed to illustrate certain historical and religious principles. (d) A later editor in the 5th century expanded this Dtc. book by adding to it certain early documents which concerned the period, i. 1-ii. 5, ix., xvi., xvii.—xxi. (e) A further editorial process followed, introducing fresh additions and expansions, e.g. iii. 31. While we may thus distinguish the stages by which our present Book grew into shape, it must be remembered that the really important matter is to mark off the work of the Dtc. compiler from the older sources which he used; this can be done with considerable precision, while the analysis of the older sources must remain largely provisional. 3. THE CHRONOLOGY OF THE BOOK We have seen that the Dtc. compiler, besides interpreting the documents before him, fitted them into a scheme of chronology. Whether he found any data to go upon we cannot tell; but in the main he is responsible for the system of numbered periods, because it is inseparably linked to his interpretation. of the history. He regarded the Judges not only as ruling over all Israel, but as following one another in regular succession--a theory which is not borne out by the early sources. The chronology of the compiler, therefore, stands on the same level as his interpretation; both have an interest and value of their own, and both are to be estimated in the same spirit. The following are the chronological data given in the Book: Deliverance by Othniel: the land rests 40 iii. II. iii. 14. iii. 30. iv. 3. v. 31. vi. I. Deliverance by Ehud: the land rests Oppression by Jabin Deliverance by Deborah: the land rests 40 Deliverance by Gideon: the land rests Jair judges Israel Oppression by the Ammonites viii. 28. ix. 22. X. 2. Tola judges Israel x. 3. x. 8. xii. 7. xii. 9. Ibzan judges Israel Jephthah judges Israel xiii. I. Oppression by the Philistines XV. 20, xvi. 31. Samson judges Israel Total, 410 years. Now in I Kings vi. I the number of years from the Exodus to the 4th year of Solomon, when the building of the temple was begun, is given as 480; and the problem arises, how can this figure be reconciled with the total in Judges', plus the additional years required to fill up the period? Thus: 1 In Acts xiii. 19 f. the weight of MS. authority undoubtedly supports the text of Westcott and Hort adopted by the RV.; the 450 years are reckoned from Abraham (presumably from the promise made to him) up to the Judges. The reading followed by the AV., however, assigns the 450 years to the Judges; and this, in spite of inferior support from the MSS., is preferred by many, e.g. by Blass, on the ground that the other reading is a rather obvious correction. If we follow the AV., and assign the 450 to the Judges, we must suppose that St Paul is here using popular chronology, of which a specimen is given by Josephus, Ant.. viii. 3, I. Many attempts have been made to account for these conflicting totals, none of them with entire success. For the present purpose it will be sufficient to explain the method which, in the main and with some variation in details, is now most generally adopted. It was Nöldeke who first drew attention to the practice followed by the Jewish and early Christian chronologers in dealing with our period: the years of foreign domination were passed over, and the beginning of a new Judge's rule was dated, not from his victory over the oppressor, but from the death of the Judge before him1. Besides the years of the oppressions, those of usurpers are also to be dropped, the three of Abimelech, and the unknown length of the reign of Saul, who was not counted by the Jews as a lawful king. Then we find that the period of the Philistine domination, 40 years, is exactly covered by the 20 of Samuel and the 20 of Eli (according to the LXX. of 1 Sam. iv. 18). Further, as Nöldeke points out, omitting Abimelech, the years of the Minor Judges (70) with Jephthah (6), come to 76, and thus we obtain, by including the four years of Solomon, another instance of the recurring multiple of 20. Thus : 1 Untersuchungen zur Kritik des A.T.: Die Chronologie der Richterzeit, 1869, pp. 173-198. The Jewish commentators followed this method; see also Seder 'Olam, ch. 12; Eusebius, Chron. ii. p. 35 (ed. Schoene) Post mortem Iesu subiectos tenuerunt Iudaeos alienigenae ann. viii., qui iunguntur temporibus Gothoniel secundum Iudaeorum traditiones. Nöldeke's explanation is worked out with variations by Moore, Lagrange, and others. There remain 80 years for x and y. The foregoing scheme, which, it will be noticed, is framed on the principle of 40 years to a generation, either halved or doubled, suggests that 40 years each are to be given to Joshua and Samuel. Thus we obtain the required total of 480 (1 Kings vi. 1) which may well be intended to represent the lapse of 12 generations (40×12). Nothing could be more satisfactory; but we must bear in mind that the scheme rests upon several assumptions, (a) that the years of oppressions and of usurpers are not to be counted, (6) that the Minor Judges were included in the chronology of RD, (c) that we have guessed the right numbers for Joshua and Samuel. In any case the chronology as we have it in the Book of Judges is obviously artificial. Human history does not fit precisely into periods of 20, 40, 80 years; but the attempt thus to reckon it is interesting as an illustration of the methods of ancient historians. The period covered by the Book cannot have lasted so long as 410 years. If we may place the Exodus in the time of Merenptah (1234-1214 Petrie, or 1225-1215 Breasted), i.e. in the 13th century B.C., and the reign of David in the 11th century (c. 1010 B.C. for the beginning of it), we have two, or two and a half centuries for the period of the Judges, which is amply sufficient for the events recorded. § 4. THE HISTORY AND RELIGION OF THE PERIOD When we have distinguished the work of successive editors from the early sources which they incorporate, we are in a position to form some idea of the history and religion of the period. The history, it must be remembered, is related in a series of pictures rather than in an exhaustive narrative. Thus while the incidents of a crisis or a battle are described with vivid detail, little is said about the ordinary life of old Israel in times of peace; we have to glean what we can from stray allusions. Again, the compilers of the O.T. historical books display little interest in history for its own sake; they set to work with a definite purpose, and selected such episodes as would illustrate it; and since they had no other aim than religious edification, the moral of the story was all-important in their eyes. We find, then, that many gaps occur which cannot be filled. A. The occupation of Canaan. Jud. i. tells us how gradually and partially this was accomplished, indeed the tradition there imbedded has preserved a record mainly of failures. So far back as the 15th century B.C. the Canaanites, as the Amarna tablets shew, were in possession of the country, organized under petty rulers, owning allegiance to the Pharaoh of Egypt, and corresponding with him in the language and script of Baby- lonia. The civilization of Canaan was thus of long standing, and, under the influences of Babylon and Egypt, it had reached a considerable degree of development. The natives tilled the soil, dwelt in fortified towns under the local chief, and possessed a distinctive religion of their own. Though not constituted as a united nation, they could on occasion combine their forces under a single leader; the feuds of ages had practised them in the art of war; their horses and armoured chariots enabled them to hold the level country, their strong walls protected them among the hills. No wonder, then, that the Hebrew nomads proved unequal to the task of overthrowing a civilization so much superior to their own. According to the tradition given in Jud. i. the tribes of Israel entered Canaan from the East, after crossing the Jordan a little to the N. of the Dead Sea; from an encampment on the plain |