VIII. Canonidty and Credihilifij. — The book was pub- lished at a time when the events related were generally known, and when the veracity of the author coidd be ascertained by a reference to the original documents. Several of its narratives are confirmed by the books of Samuel (comp. Judg. iv, 2 : vi, 14 ; xi, with 1 Sam. xii, 9-12; Judg. ix, 53 with 2 Sam. xi, 21). The Psalms not only allude to the book of Judges (compare I'sa. Ixxxiii, 11 with Judg. vii, 25), but copy from it entire verses (compare Psa. Ixviii, 8, 9 ; xcvii, 5, with Judg. v, 4, 5). Philo and Josephns knew the book, and made use of it in their own compositions. The New Testa- ment alludes to it in several places (comp. Matt, ii, 13- 23 with Judg. xiii, 5 ; xvi, 17 ; Acts xiii, 20 ; Heb. xi, 32).^
This external evidence in support of the authority of the book of Judges is corroborated by many internal proofs of its authenticity. "All its narratives are in character with the age to which they belong, and agree Avith the natural order of things. We find here that shortly after the death of Joshua the Hebrew nation had, by several victories, gained courage and become valorous (ch. i and xix), but that it afterwards turned to agriculture, preferred a quiet life, and allowed the Canaanites to reside in its territory in consideration of a tribute imposed on them, when the original plan was that they should be ex])elled. This chang'ed their character entirely: they became effeminate and indo- 'lent — a result which ;ve find in the case of all nations who, from a nomadic and warlike life, turn to agricul- ture. The intercourse with their heathen neighbors frequently led the uncultivated Hebrews into idolatry; and tliis, again, further prepared them for servitude. Tliej' were consequently overpowered and oppressed by their heatlien neighbors. The first subjugation, indeed, by a king of JIesopotamia,-they endured but eight j^ears ; but the second, more severe, by Eglon, lasted longer: it was the natural consequence of the public spirit having gradually more and more declined, and of Eglon having removed his residence to Jericho with a view to closely watching all their movements (Josephus, yl ;?/. v, 5). When Ehud sounded the trumpet of revolt, the whole nation no longer rose in arras, but only the inhabitants of INIount Ephraim (iii, 27) ; and wh,en Barak called to arms apjainst Sisera, many tribes remained quietly with their herds (v, 14, 1 5, 20,' 28). Of the 30,000 men who offered to follow Gideon, he could make use of no more than 300, this small number onh' being, as it would seem, filled with true patriotism and courage. Thus the peo- 7)le had sunk gradually, and deserved for fort}' years to bear the yoke of the Philistines, to whom they had the meanness to deliver Samson, who, however, loosed the cords with which he was tied, and killed a large num- ber of them (ch. xv). It is impossible to consider such a historical worlv, which perfectly agrees with the nat- ural course of things, as a fiction : at that early period of authorship, no author could, from fancy, have depict- ed the character of the Hebrews so conformablj'^ with nature and established facts. All in this book breathes the spirit of the ancient world. IMartial law we find in it, as could not but be expected, hard and wild. The conquered people are subjected to rough treatment, as
is the case in the wars of all uncivilized people ; the in- habitants of cities are destroyed wholesale (viii, IG, 17; xx). Hospitality and the protection of strangers re- ceived as guests is considered the highest virtue : a fa- ther will rather resign his daughter than allow violence to be done to a stranger who stops in his house for the night (ch. xix; comp. Gen. xix).
In the state of oppression in which the Hebrews often found themselves during the period from Joshua to EH, it was to be expected that men, filled with heroism, should now and tlien rise up and call the people to arms in order to deliver them from their enemies. Such val- iant men are introduced by our author, and he extols them, indeed, highly; but, on the other hand, he is not silent respecting their faults, as may be seen in the in- stances of Ehud, whom he reports to have murdered a king to recover liberty for his country (iii, 16 sq.) ; of Gideon, who is recorded to have pimished the inhabi- tants of Succoth and Penuel cruelly for liaving refused bread to his weary troops (viii, 16, 17) ; and of Jeph- thah, whose inconsiderate vow deprives him of his only daughter (xi, 34). This cannot be a fiction; it is no panegvTic on Israel to describe them in the manner the author has done. Now this frank, impartial tone per- vades the whole work. It begins with displaying the Israelites as a refractory and obstinate people, and the appendix ends with the statement of a crime committed by the Benjamites, which had the most disastrous conse- quences. At the same time, due praise is bestowed on acts of generosity and justice, and valiant feats are care- fully recorded.
But are not the exploits of its heroes exaggerated in our book, like those of Sesostris, Semiramis, and Hercu- les? Their deeds are, no doubt, often splendid, but they do not surpass belief, provided we do not add to the narrative anything which the original text does not sanction, nor give to particular words and phrases a meaning which does not belong to them. Thus, when we read that " Shamgar slew of the Philistines 600 men" (iii, 31), it would perhaps have been correct if the He- brew TjlT^ had been rendered by "put to flight;" and it should further be recollected that Shamgar is not stated to have been alone and unassisted in repelling the ene- my : he did it, no doubt, supported by those brave men whose leader he was. It frequently happens that to the leader is attributed what has been performed by his fol- lowers. Nor can it offend when, m the passage quoted above, it is said that Shamgar repelled the Philistines with an ox-goad; for this was exactly the weapon which an imcultivated Oriental warrior, who had been brought up to husbandry, would choose in preference to other instruments of oifence. From the description which travellers give of it, it appears to have been well siuted to such a purpose. See Goad. It is chiefly the prodig- ious strength of Samson, however, which to very many readers seems exaggerated, and surpassing all belief. He is, e. g., reported to have, unarmed, slain a lion (xiv, 5,CT; to have caught 300 jackals (n"'brVJ), bound their tails to one another, put a firebrand between two tails, and let them go into the standing corn of the Philis- tines, which was thus burnt up (xv, 4, 5, 8) ; to have broken, with perfect ease, the new cords with Avhich his arms were bound, etc. (xv, 14; xvi,7-9,ll). Now there is in these and other 'recorded feats of Samson nothing which ought to create diflficulty, for history affords many instances of men of extraordinarj' Strength, of whom Go- liath among the Philistines is not the least remarkable; and for others we refer to T. Ludolf, Uistoria JEtlnojnm, i, 10; to the Aria Dei per Francos, i, 75, 314; and to Schillinger, Missionsbericht, iv, 79. Lions were also slaia by other persons unarmed, as liy David (1 Sam. xvii,36) and Benaiah (2 Sam. xxiii, 20). It were easy to show that, when properly understood, his other exploits do not necessarily exceed the limits of human power. Extraor- dinary indeed they were, but, even if regarded as not alleged by the Scripture itself to have been supernatu-