The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1897-07-25

such of tho literary treasures Of the kingdom Of
Israel as had been preserved wero added to those
Of Judah. which had been accumulating at
Jerusalem. and a few years later. during the
productive period OF the reign Of Hezekiah. some
writer. probably ono of the temple scribes. un-
dertook to combine into ono narrative the two
versions of the sacred history. He appears to
have had other material at his command, and
did not altogether refrain from injecting state
ments Of his own. He was by no means a skilful
or painstaking compiler. and he preferred copy
ing and piecing together his materials to working
them into o new and harmonious compositions;
oven when he attempted to modify a statement
OF his predecessors. no often did II SO clumsily
as to leave evidence Of inconsistency. This
writer. the fusionist, was accustomed to the
use Of jehovah Tor YahwehD as the name
Of the deity; but the shorter Elohist docu-
msnt. SO far as 1t went. was the basis of
his compilation. and when he pieced passages
OF the Jehovist document into 1t, he made no
change In tho divine name. Whore he had be-
fore him two versions of the same incident, no
usually adopted ono In preference to the othor,
but sometimes he undertook to combine them in
order to save different details. and sometimes,
where they varied widely, he used both as II
they referred to different incidents. Occasion
ally he introduced fragments OF material quite
independent OF his two main documents, and
formed connecting links OF his own. That SO
much of the Northern composition was pre-.
served. Notwithstanding It's exaltation OF
Ephraim and disparagement OF Judah, is at
tributed in part to the perfunctory method of
the fusionist; In part to tho softening OF old an
tipathieS after tho calamities OF Israel and the
downfall of samaria, and partly to the hope that
was now cherished OF the ultimate reunion Of
the tribes under ono King of the house of David.
During the interval between the compilation
Of q compound sacred history through the blond
ing of two original and the taking of
Jerusalem by tho Babylonians. there is little
evidence that its contents had become famil-
lar. oven to the prophets and writers OF tho
period. Ono of the strongest indications that
tho Oldest material in the narrative was later
than tho time of Solomon and was unfamiliar
until after tho Babylonian captivity. Ia to DO
found In the absence of all allusion 10 Its con-
tents In the other writings belonging to the time
Of the kingdoms. In the books of judges. Samuel.
and Kings there 10 no sign of a knowledge OF
the venerable ancestors of the race, or oven of
Moses and his law" save. as regards the latter.
In passages OF tho later annals, which arc dis
Timothy traceable to reduction after the exile.
Not only is there no Sign Of such knowledge. but
the tone and spirit of the narratives arc incon-
sistent with its existence. The prayer put
- ~ tStho ~ N"N
the temple by the late compiler of tho annals
Of his reign Is anachronistic and out OF keeping
with the character, but. while 1t contains re-
peated appeals to tho God OF Israel" there Is
no recognition of the God Of Abraham. Isaac.
and Jacob. In tho passage which represents
the prophet Elijah as praying to Jehovah In
competition with tho prophets of Baal. he in
vokes the God Of Abraham, OF Isaac. and OF
Israel. but elsewhere In the annals. from tho
conquest to the doom of the northern kingdom.
theso venerable names do not appear, and the
appearance OF this phrase In the story Of Elijah
recalls tho suggestive coincidence of timo and
similarity Of character in the production OF the
Jehoyist document and the legend OF the prophet
of Carmel. Tho phrases, "tho posterity Tor
seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" and the
covenant with Abraham, Isaac. and Jacob
arc common In tho Book of Deuteronomy.
and the former appears once in the
writings Of jeremiah. who was almost
certainly associated in tho production OF
tho book Just named. at . time when the litera-
ture OF the temple already contained the sacred
history as 1t had been complied In tho days OF
Hezekiah. Isaiah used tho names Abraham and
Jacob only In tho ethnic sense, and tho former
name occurs only once In tho writings of the
hrst or real Isaiah. He shows no knowledge OF
tho patriArchs OF Israel. Micah uses tho name
Of Abraham once. but in the strictly ethnic
sense. Hosea. alone of tho prophets. shows
some evidence Of familiarity with tho legend OF
Jacob. but he was Of the northern kingdom and
near tho time Of the legends origin. Amos
who dwelt near the BeershSbA region. where
the Isaac traditions prevailed. 10 the only one
! to uas that n"ns' sTsaia tAs sthalQ Aanss. Rsf0r'