We cannot wonder that in the Northern king- dom, where a central sanctuary was wanting, it took far longer than in Judah to form reputable and, in a certain measure, politically powerful priestly societies. But that this point was reached 1s testified to us by the saying regarding Levi in the (Ephraimite) Blessing of Moses, Dt 33°*: (prob- ably dating from the time of Jeroboam II. or not much earlier). The interpretation of some expres- sions is not, indeed, without difficulty. Accord- ing to Wellhausen and others, v.? alludes to those who, renouncing their tribe and their family, have attached themselves to a guild of Levites. But probably we should rather find an allusion to the narrative of Ex 32” (cf. above, p. 6337), where the priesthood is assigned to the tribe of Levi as a recompense for the courageous way in which it stood up for Jahweh. With this accords the circumstance that the whole saying is spoken of Levi as of a tribe standing on the same footing as Benjamin, Joseph, etc. Here, then, the belonging to Levi is already a condition of priesthood, al- though this, of course, does not exclude isolated instances of members of other tribes (particularly, it may be presumed, those who had married the daughters of priests) obtaining the office. The whole saying betrays in lofty language a legiti- mate pride in the importance and the power of the priesthood, and an assured confidence (v.™) that Jahweh will annihilate its foes, of whom there is no lack. Amongst its official functions the first place is still held by the manipulating of the sacred lot (Urim and Thummim), but in addition
* Thus, according to the certainly historical note in 2 Oh PPA
Jehosheba, a sister of king Ahaziah, was wife of the chief priest Joiada. Except for this, even 2 K 113 would be unintelligible.
RELIGION OF ISRAEL
to this (v.°) the priests teach the people the statutes and the torah of Jahweh and attend to the sacrificial service.
Just as in the above passage the priests sprung from Levi appear as zealous upholders of the service of Jahweh, so it may have been true of the Jahweh priesthood in general in the Northern kingdom that its members were entitled to be counted among the organs of genuine Jahwism. It is surprising, indeed, that in the struggle against the Tyrian Baal we never hear of the priests, but only of the prophets, being persecuted for their fidelity to Jahweh. But, on the other hand, no- where during this period are the priests reproached as favouring the service of Baal. An express reference, however, to priestly zeal for Jahweh is found nowhere but in the case of Eli. The latter feels it a grievous scandal that his sons give occasion to evil reports among ‘the people of Jahweh’; he dreads the heavy judgment of Jahweh which tolerates no opposition ; he submits most humbly to the sentence of rejection (15 3!8 ‘it is Jahweh, let him do what seemeth good to him’). And during the battle with the Philistines he trembles, above all, for the Ark of Jahweh (41%) ; and it is when he hears that i¢ is taken that he sinks down and dies (v.18). In like manner, the last thought of the dying wife of Phinehas is grief at the carrying away of the Ark, for ‘the glory is departed from Israel’ (v.24). All these are features which may lay claim to being historical. They prove that Jahwism, amidst all amalgamation with relics of ancient Semitic nature religions, was even then a power which struck deep into the life and thought of its adherents, and was capable of awakening in them genuine piety.
2. Prophets.—1. By far the most prominent place among the organs of genuine Jahwism is occupied by the prophets.* It is usual in this connexion, to bring together quite heterogeneous phenomena, and to couple the representatives of heathen Semitic mantic and sorcery with the genuine Hebrew prophetism which stood in the service of Jahwism. It cannot be denied that in the traditions of ancient Israel traces even of the former category are to be found, and such as plainly appear not to be inconsistent, in the mind of the narrators, with genuine Jahwism. This was rendered possible when the moving force was no longer found in demonic powers, but in Jah- weh Himself. Thanks to the gifts with which Jahweh endows him, Moses surpasses the achieve- ments of the Egyptian magicians (Ex 4° 78#-), making at the same time frequent use of his statt as of a magician’s wand (Ex 7° 9°8 1758, Nu 207), The same eflicacy that is attributed to the stretching forth of Moses’ staff is produced by the spear stretched forth by Joshua (Jos 88: 2); it procures victory for Israel and the complete de- struction of the inhabitants of Ai. Even in 2 K 134% a relic has been rightly discovered of the belief in divining by arrows.{ It is not merely a symbolical action when king Joash, with his hands covered by the hands of Elisha, shoots an arrow in the direction of the Syrians, and then, at the pro- phet’s command, smites with the arrows upon the ground. These actions are rather a curse, ex-
* Of monographs on Israelitish prophetism in general [see § IV, for the Literature on the writing prophets] we would note specially : A. Knobel, Der Prophetismus der Hebrder, 2 Theile, Breslau, 1837 [antiquated in many respects, but a thorough- going work, and one that is still useful] ; A. Kuenen, De profeten en de profetie onder Israel, 2 vols., Leiden, 1875 [Eng. tr., Lon- don, 1877]; C. H. Cornill, Der Israelitische Prophetismus : in 5 Vortrdgen fiir gebildete Laien geschildert, Strassburg, 1894 u. 6; R. Kraetzschmar, Prophet wnd Seher im alten Israel, Tiibingen, 1901 ; cf. also A. B, Davidson’s article PRopHEcy anpD PROPHETS in vol. iv., and his posthumous work, Old Testament Prophecy, Edinburgh, 1903. :