Book 2
PREFACE
Since in this little book, that is, in the second part of our allegorical exposition on the blessed prophet Samuel, with the Lord's help, we are about to speak, in our modest way, about the end of Samuel's leadership and the beginning of Saul's reign, it seems appropriate, as a prologue, to discuss the time during which each of them governed God's people; and because Holy Scripture seems to be silent about this, we undertake to search with diligent inquiry for what might be most plausibly estimated. Indeed, there were some who said that they both ruled for not more than thirteen years, because it is written: "And it came to pass, from the day the ark remained at Kiriath Jearim, the days increased; for it was now the twentieth year" (1 Samuel 7). They thought that the ark remained twenty years at Kiriath Jearim, and these years, from the beginning of Samuel's life until the seventh year of David's reign, when he began to rule in Jerusalem and brought it there, should be counted; although Scripture very clearly testifies that in the times of Saul when Israel fought against the Philistines, it was with the people in the camps. And it might much more truly seem that the twenty years which were mentioned, if they designate the time of the ark's stay at Kiriath Jearim, are to be counted rather up to this time than when David brought it from there. Some believe that Samuel should be completely ignored in the Chronicles. Some attributed seventy years to him, and thirty to Saul. Others claimed that, combining the times of the two, they ruled the people for forty years. But we cannot find any basis for affirming any of these. However, it is very easy to see how all these could be refuted and disproved. For Scripture plainly says: "It came to pass in the four hundred and eightieth year after the children of Israel came out of the land of Egypt, in the fourth year, in the month Ziv, which is the second month of Solomon's reign over Israel, he began to build the house of the Lord" (1 Kings 6). Therefore, recount the times of the Judges, and you will find that Othniel ruled the people for forty years, Ehud for eighty, Deborah for forty, Gideon for forty, Abimelech for three, Tola for twenty-three, Jair for twenty-two, Jephthah for six, Ibzan for seven, Elon for ten, who is not found in the Septuagint: Abdon for eight, Samson for twenty, Eli for forty, which together make three hundred thirty-nine years. To these, add forty years of the journey from Egypt, the same for David's reign, four for Solomon's, making four hundred twenty-three years: evidently fifty-seven years less than four hundred eighty, which must be accounted for in the times of Joshua, Samuel, and Saul; but how we should divide them, the Scripture does not teach. If we follow the authority of the chronicles, we give twenty-four to Joshua, and the remaining two have not more than thirty years together. If forty to Saul, the remaining two do not have more than seventeen. Therefore, to open some way for inquiry, let us turn to the writings of Josephus, who is easily found more learned in such matters than anyone else besides the divine scriptures. And we will find in his history of Antiquities that Joshua ruled for twenty-six years, Samuel for twelve, and Saul for twenty over the people; these make fifty-eight years together. Nor should we be troubled by the one year that exceeds the four hundred eighty. For either Scripture, following its usual manner, placing the full sum, did not care to add the one year that exceeded; or, what is more believable, the writing of Josephus, through the carelessness of long age, added one year somewhere, as often happens. For it is not to be supposed that there was an error in the writings of Holy Scripture; which, although differing in many other places, yet in the catalog of Judges agrees through all things with Hebrew truth and the Septuagint edition, except for one Hailon, whom they entirely omitted. The omission of whom forced the chroniclers ignorant of Hebrew truth to neglect Josephus' writings and give forty years to Samuel and Saul and twenty-seven to Joshua. For they saw that otherwise, they could not reach the four hundred and eighty-year number, which they did not know how to fulfill without the years of Hailon: for which they allowed themselves to add the nine years to Josephus so that the scripture might be satisfied. Why should we not be allowed to subtract at least one year from that count, especially since we are concluded by similar necessity, and give twenty-five years to Joshua, and thirty-two to Samuel and Saul? Lest by believing historians more than proper, we seem to violate Scripture: which absolutely asserts the four hundred and eightieth year of the exodus from Egypt to be the fourth year of Solomon. For if it had been written thus: "It came to pass after four hundred and eighty years of the exodus from Egypt, in the fourth year of Solomon's reign," there would be no controversy at all, for the extra year would be the fourth of Solomon. And lest anyone say that we follow a false rule of four hundred and eighty years, as if five hundred and eighty should rather be computed according to some copies, the interpreter of sacred history himself, when he translated the Book of Times into Latin, where he came to the fourth year of Solomon and mentioned that the temple began to be built in it, immediately, either from his own erudition which he had gathered in the holy scriptures or from Greek authority, added and said: "It is gathered that the whole time from Moses and the exodus of Israel from Egypt to the present year is 480 years." Indeed, let no one be troubled in the computation of time by what we have written, and we have mentioned above: "From the day that the ark remained in Kiriath Jearim, the days increased: for it was the twentieth year, and all the house of Israel rested after the Lord" (1 Samuel 7:2). This verse can also be taken in such a way that it does not mean the ark remained in Kiriath Jearim for twenty years, but from the day the ark remained there, all the house of Israel rested after the Lord for twenty years, rejoicing indeed about the ark, which they had lost due to their sins, returning to them, but afterward, sharing in the sins of Saul, gradually deviated from His precepts. But since the preface has gone on too long, let us now begin the very order of Scripture which we are scrutinizing.