the gates are assigned to them by lot, and Levites also are named as treasure-keepers, officers, and judges.

In v.1-19, comp. ix.18,24, the gatekeepers are assigned by lot to their different posts with reference probably to the state of things in the writer's own time, without considering that nothing of the kind existed in David's time. 34

In v.29 Chenaniah and his sons are set over Israel for outward business' and as 'officers and judges,' comp. xxiii.4, 2Ch. xix.8,11, xxxiv. 13, and Chenaniah' is also overseer of the Arkbearers (E.V. singers) under David, xv.22,27, of the Templerevenues under Hezekiah, 2Ch.xxxi.12, and of the Levites under Josiah, xxxv.9.

6

In v.30-32 C says that 1,700 Levites, men of force,' were 'officers among them of Israel across Jordan westward in all the business of Jahveh and in the King's service,' and 'in the fortieth year of David' the Hebronite Levites were sought for of whom David made 2700, heads of the fathers,' to superintend the trans-Jordanic tribes in all religious and civil matters. But of these appointments, doing such honour to the tribe of Levi, the Books of Samuel and Kings know nothing. 35

443. In xxvii.1-15 C applies to the army the twelve-fold reckoning, as in the case of the Priests and Levites, xxiv, xxv, As the choristers consisted of 24 × 12=288, so the soldiers consisted of 12 courses of 24,000 men each, which served the King as body-guard month by month. GRAF says, p.243—

If anywhere, then certainly in this passage it is plain that, in spite of such accuracy in the names, we have only to do with pure fiction. Not only are the numbers evidently in themselves phantastic, but 2Samuel and 1 Kings know nothing whatever of any such a body-guard. How modest in contrast appears the small troop of Cherethites and Pelethites, and the 600 Gittites, whom David on his flight before Absalom sent forward in advance, 2S.xv.18! Moreover, what a peculiar light does it throw upon the mode of preparing such imaginary, and yet apparently documental, narratives, when we find that the names are merely taken from the beginning of the list of David's heroes, xi.11-31 (2S.xxiii), and follow nearly in the same order as there!

In v.5 Jehoiada, father of Benaiah, the commander of the Cherethites and Pelethites, 2S.viii.18, xx.23 (1Ch.xviii.17), is made High Priest, 36 comp. Jehoiada the leader of the Aaronites,' xii.27,-which contradicts xi.22 (from 28.xxiii.20), but has perhaps arisen from some confusion with Jehoiada the High Priest in the time of Joash. At all events, 2Samuel knows nothing of any High Priest 'Jehoiada'; but Abiathar and Zadok fill that office under David till Solomon's time.

In v.7, among the chiefs, who took each his monthly turn with his 24,000 men at the court in Jerusalem, appears Asahel, Joab's brother, who, however, was killed by Abner, 2S.ii.18,&c., in the very beginning of David's reign, while he still lived at Hebron ! 37

444. In v.16-22 we have a list of the Princes of the Twelve Tribes; comp. similar lists in LL (N.i.5–15, xiii.4–15, xxxiv.19-28). But Gad and Asher are omitted, the number ' twelve' being made up by reckoning Levi and both halves of Manasseh.

In v.17 the usual later distinction is drawn between Priests and Levites, and the Prince of Aaron' is Zadok, who appears in xii.28 with 'Jehoiada the Prince of Aaron,' as a warlike

youth.

In v.23,24, we have an obscure notice, referring to the numbering in xxi, but out of all connexion with the context.

In v.25-31 we have a list of twelve officers set over David's possessions of various kinds, which, says GRAF, p.244

in some of the data and some of the names has more the character of genuineness and originality than the rest.

But, surely, the number

twelve' betrays here also the fictitious character of the list, and so do the contents of it, which assign to David a wealth of rural possessions of which we find no trace in 2Samuel.

In v.32-34, where the other officers of David are given, the names are almost all found in 2Samuel. But the notice differs materially from those in 2S.viii.16-18 (1Ch.xviii.15-17) and 2S.xx.23-26.

445. Thus we have thoroughly examined the two Books of Chronicles. And, as the result of our enquiry, we find that for some very few notices, e.g. 1Ch.iv.39-43, the writer had probably the support of older records, while for some of his lists of names he may have had written authorities before him, but these composed after the Captivity. Very much of the contents of these Books, however, is manifestly fictitious, the offspring of his own imagination. And in most of what remains, though he has copied almost verbally the older histories, he has modified these continually to suit the purpose of his whole work-that purpose being mainly to represent the relations of the Priests and Levites and the institutions of the Second Temple, such as they were in his own time, as having existed from of old, even from David's time before the First Temple was built, if not, indeed, from the time of Aaron, and to exhibit these, in contrast with the poverty of his actual surroundings, in an ideal model state of perfection.

446. But, although he refers all these institutions to David, 2Ch.viii.14, xxiii.18, Ezr.viii.20, Neh.xii.24,46, yet he makes Jehoiada in the time of Joash appoint the gatekeepers, 2Ch.xxiii.19, and Hezekiah assign their duties to the Priests and Levites, many of whom bear the same names as their brethren appointed in David's time, 2Ch.xxxi.2,&c., and Josiah establish the service of the Passover as it had been prescribed by David and Solomon, 2Ch.xxxv.4, comp. Neh.xii.45. short, as GRAF concludes, p.246-7—

In

It appears from our investigation that the Chronicler, in exhibiting the history of his People, which for him was nothing more than a Church History, has both in

the lists of names and also in the narrative-portions so sketched that history as it was reflected from the mirror of the 4th [? 3rd] century B.C., frequently distorting it, and not representing the colours belonging to different times. . . . If, taking as our guide the Middle Legislation of the Pentateuch and the Chronicles, we assume the post-exilic relations to have existed also in the primitive times, we shall shut out every glimpse into the course of development of the history of Israel and consequently of the history of Revelation itself. . . . If, however, the Books of Chronicles lose almost all value for us as authentic sources for the ancient history, on the other hand they are so much the more important as an authority for the spirit and character of the 4th [? 3rd] century B.C., of which otherwise we know so little.

389

CHAPTER XXIII.

THE BOOK OF EZRA.

447. The Analysis (App.141-3-6) shows clearly that the Books of Ezra and Nehemiah in their present form are due to the Chronicler. Accordingly, the Jews regarded these Books as one Book, or, at least, as two parts of one work, which they called by the name of Ezra. But we must now examine into this matter more closely, and ascertain, if possible, what portions of these two Books are C's own composition, and what may have been derived by him from other sources.

448. i is throughout the work of C, who has repeated v.1-3a at the end of 2Ch., with one or two slight variations; and the manner in which in that place the edict of Cyrus is broken off, which is here given at greater length, seems to imply that the Book of Ezra was first completed, and C only troubled himself to copy in 2Ch. the beginning of the edict.

In v.9-11 we have the usual exaggerations of this writerviz. 30 golden chargers, 30 golden basons, 1,000 silver chargers, 410 silver basons, 1,000 other vessels, and altogether 5,400 gold and silver vessels, belonging to a Temple which in Zedekiah's time had only one chief Priest, two second Priests, and three other Priests, keepers of the threshold,' 2K.xxv.18.

449. The edict, however, in v.2-4, is obviously not genuine. Cyrus, even if he mentioned (twice), as here, the name 'Jahveh,' the Elohim of heaven,'* v.2, the Elohim of Israel,' v.3, would

This phrase occurs in the Chaldee parts of Ezra, v.11,12, vi.9,10, vii. 12,21,23, only in words ascribed to heathens, as a substitute for 'Jahveh': but in Neh.i.4,5, ii.4,20, it is used by Nehemiah himself.