06.10. The Early Historical Books
Chapter 9 The Early Historical Books
We have given all the time we can profitably spare to the consideration of the canon of the Law and must now proceed to the second division of the Old Testament, the Prophets. This, as was stated earlier, is sometimes divided into the Former and Latter Prophets, the “Former” including Joshua, Judges, Samuel and Kings, but which are better known to us perhaps, as the early Historical books. These, too, are passing through the crucible of modern literary criticism, although much less is being said and heard about them than the Pentateuch.
Tradition names Joshua as the author of the first book, and, from the common sense point of view, that much of its contents could have been known only to himself or to whomsoever he revealed it. In evidence of this see Joshua 1:1; Joshua 3:7; Joshua 5:13; etc. To this fact should be added the further one that the vividness of the descriptions throughout the book indicate the presence of an eyewitness, a suggestion strengthened by the occasional use of the pronouns “We” and “Us,” as, for example, Joshua 5:1-6. And then, too, there is an express statement that Joshua made a record “in the book of the Law of God” (Joshua 24:26). There is indeed a common expression in the book, “unto this day,” (Joshua 4:9; Joshua 6:25; Joshua 8:28), indicating a later hand than Joshua, but in explanation of this the same thing may be said as in the case of the Pentateuch, viz. that while the book was really written by Joshua a subsequent editor gave to it its present literary form. Of course, it might be perfectly satisfactory to say that Joshua added these comments himself towards the close of his life, but even then we have to account for the record of his death (Joshua 24:1-33), which Samuel or some later prophet must have contributed. But no matter whose hand contributed these later allusions it may be safely argued that it was prior to the period of David and Solomon, for the proof of which compare Joshua 15:63 with 2 Samuel 5:7-9, and Joshua 16:10 with 1 Kings 9:16. But let it not be supposed for a moment that the question of the authorship of every word in the book is necessarily bound up with that of its inspiration or its authority. One man may be guided by the Holy Spirit to write a book up to a certain point in time and another to complete it, a thought upon which more light shall be thrown when we reach Part III (page 277) of our work dealing with inspiration: but in the meantime as to the authority of this book let it be remembered what was said in our earlier chapters as to the genuineness of the Old Testament as a whole. Every book, including Joshua as we now have it, was contained in the Septuagint, used by Christ and His apostles, and acknowledged by the whole Jewish nation as canonical. Particular references to Joshua, establishing its authority, are found in 1 Kings 16:34; Habakkuk 3:11; Acts 7:45; Hebrews 10:30; and James 2:25. The book of Judges is thus called from the fact that it gave the history of judges who governed Israel from the time of Joshua to the monarchy a period of between three and four hundred years or thereabouts. Its authorship, though unknown definitely, is usually ascribed to Samuel for the following reasons:
1. It was written after the establishment of the monarchy (Judges 19:1; Judges 21:25).
2. It was written prior to the capture of Jerusalem (Judges 1:21).
3. Jerusalem was captured by David (2 Samuel 5:6-8).
4. It must have been written therefore during Saul’s reign.
5.The most probable author during that reign was Samuel. To be sure there is a captivity of Israel referred to in Judges 18:30, from which some would argue a date for the book as late as Ezra; but it is to be remembered that there were several captivities of Israel, or at least of certain tribes of Israel, prior to that at the hand of the Assyrians about 720 B.C. and it may be to one of these the author refers. Indeed the main purpose of the book seems to be to tell about these captivities, how they came about and |how Israel was delivered from them. Compare for a similar mention of early captivities, Psalms 78:60-61, etc. But in any event, no matter who was the human writer or compiler of the book its authority for us is established beyond question by the arguments used in the case of Joshua, and its quotation in other Scriptures, as for example, 1 Samuel 12:9-12; 2 Samuel 11:21; Psalms 83:11; Isaiah 9:4; Acts 13:20; Hebrews 11:32 and elsewhere. To follow the Jewish classification the book of Ruth should be considered later in connection with the third division of the Old Testament known as the “Holy Writings,” but its proximity to Judges and the natural relationship it bears to that book will make it more convenient to speak of it at this time. That relationship is marked by the very first sentence, and indeed the very first word of the book which, in the Revised Version, is “And.” Its authorship is, like Judges, ascribed to Samuel, and in any event it was written “after the period of the judges when certain Israelitish usages had become antiquated, and probably when David’s house was established upon the throne.” See for these things, Ruth 1:1; Ruth 4:7; Ruth 4:17-22. Quoting the Bible Hand-book in this place, “a chief design of this book is to trace the descent of David, bringing out clearly the fact that a foreigner, one of a hated race, was in the ancestral line. In this connection read also Matthew 1:5, where the further fact is added that Boaz, the husband of Ruth, was a descendant of Rahab. Thus does the purpose of Jehovah show itself superior to positive command (Deuteronomy 23:3), while the facts expressly indicate the catholicity of the divine kingdom, and prefigure the calling of the Gentiles.” This is a good place to notice, although it might have been stated earlier, that the books of the Old Testament in the Jewish canon numbered but twenty-four, while with us they number thirty-nine; but this is because the following were reckoned by the Jews as one book each--I and II Samuel, I and II Kings, I and II Chronicles, Ezra and Nehemiah, the twelve Minor Prophets. As to I and II Samuel tradition ascribes their writing to the prophet himself down to 1 Samuel 24:1-22, and the remainder to Nathan or Gad who were his contemporaries (1 Samuel 10:25; 1 Chronicles 29:29). The authority of these books, like the preceding ones, is established by numerous quotations in other books of the New and Old Testaments which the reader may easily discover by the examination of the marginal references in his Bible.
Jeremiah has been regarded as the compiler of the two books of Kings, although it is a point on which there is no absolute certainty. I speak of him as compiler rather than author, however, because there are many indications in the books as to the sources which may have been used in their composition. See 1 Kings 11:41; 1 Kings 14:19; 1 Kings 14:29 and other places. Some of these sources thus referred to may have been the court records of the different kings, and some of them may have been the memoirs of the prophets of the time, such as Elijah and Elisha, which had been preserved in the schools of the prophets of which mention is made in the book.