For other monographs on Samson, see Darling, Cyclo- pcedia Bibliof/raphica, col. 285.
Samson. Bkknuakdin, a Franciscan monk, who plied the traffic in indulgences in Switzerland at the time of Tetzel's exploits in Saxony, was a native of Mil- an, but the dates of his birth and death are not known. He is described by his contemporaries as an eloquent, in- solent monk. He was employed in the indulgence traf- fic by cardinal Forli, to whom Leo X had farmed out rlie territory of Switzerland. He entered Switzerland in August, 1518, and passed from canton to canton with great success, assuming great state, and giving great offence to the local clergy. Meantime Zwingli was called as priest to Zurich. He had already raised his voice against the traffic, but now he was summoned by bishop Hugo to make a direct attack upon Samson. Others also were likewise summoned. As Samson had not duly presented his credentials to the bishop, the lat- ter ordered his whole diocese to exclude him from their churches. Samson retired into Baden, and met with great success. In his zeal in urging the indulgences upon the people, he represented the souls thereby res- cued from purgatory as flying to heaven by sv arms : " Ecce vr)lant! Ecce volant!" In Feb., 1519, he went to Bremgarten, but Henry BuUinger. the priest of the place, refused to admit him into his church. There- uijon Samson pronounced the ban against him, and threatened to complain against him to the govern- ment at Zurich. On reaching Zurich, however, he was peremptorily ordered to absolve BuUinger, and to epiit the country. In answer to a complaint of the Swiss authorities, pope Leo X announced (April 30, 1510) that he had already recalled Samson, and that in case their complaints were found corroborated, he should punish him. After Samson's retiring to Italy, all trace of him is lost. See the authorities cited in Herzog, Real-En- ci/klop. xiii, 392-394. (J. P. L.)
Sam'uel (Heb. Shemu'el', bxi^d [on the significa- tion, see below] ; Sept. and New Test. Jlafioii))\), the last of those extraordinary regents that presided over the Hebrew commonwealth under the title of judges (q.v.), and the first of the line of the prophets (q. v.) specifically so called (Acts xiii, 20). (In the following account we
SAMUEL
317
SAMUEL
-freely use the articles in the dictionaries of Kitto and Smith.) See Shemuel.
I. Name. — Of this different derivations have been given: (1) bx Dl^, "name of God ;" so apparently Origen (Eiiseb. //. E. vi, -25), i. q. BtOK-X/jrof. (2) DTIJ bx, "placed by God." (3) bx blX"^, "asked of God" (I Sam. i, 20). Josephus (wlio gives this interpreta- tion, Eafioin]\o^, Ant. v, x, 3) ingeniously makes it cor- respond to the well-known Greek name yeai'-j/rof. (4) bx yn -d, " heard of God." This, which is the most obvious, may have the same meaning as the previous derivation, which is supported by the sacred text (1 Sam. i, 20).
II. f/isf07-i/. — 1. Prirafe Life. — The circumstances of his Ijirth were ominous of his future career. He was the son of Elkanah, an Ephrathite or Ephraimite, and Hannah or Anna. His father is one of the few (irivate citizens in whose household we tind polygamy. It may possiljly have arisen from the irregularity of the period, but more probably from the sterility of his wife Hannah, whom, as she is alwaj's named first, and is known to have been the favorite, he probably married first. The usual effect of polygamy was felt in Elkanah's house- hold. The sterility of Hannah brought upon her the taunts and ridicule of her conjugal rival, who " provoked her sore, to make her fret, because the Lord had shut up her womb" (1 Sam. i, 6). The jealousy of Peninnah was excited also by the superior affection which was shown to Hannah by her husband. "To Hannah he gave a worthy portion; for he loved Hannah" (ver. 5). More especially at the period of the sacred festivals did the childless solitude of Hannah create within her the most poignant regrets, when she saw her husband give portions to all the sons and daughters of Peninnah, who, exulting in maternal pride and fondness, took advantage of these seasons to subject the favorite wife to a natural feminine retaliation. Hannah's life was embittered, " she wept and did not eat" (ver. 7). See Hannah.
The descent of Samuel's father, Elkanah, is involved in great obscurity. In 1 Sam. i, 1 he is described as an Ephraimite. In I Cliron. vi, 22, 23 he is made a de- scendant of Korah the Levite (see the table below). Hengstenberg (on Psa. Ixxviii, 1) and Ewald (ii, 433) explain this by supposing that the Levites were occa-
LlNEAGI! OF SAMnm..
Names.
•a
2 o
£ O
Born B.C.
Levi
1(5 10 18
21 24
\ 1
2,18 22 22 22 23 23 23 24 24
24
24
25 '^5
25 26
26 2G
2T
27 27
28
28
38 38 38
37
37 37 37
36
36
36 36 35 35
35 35
34
34 34 34
33 33
33
ini7
? 1S65 ? 1820
? 1780 ? 1740 ? 1700 ?1660 ? 1620 ? 1585 ? 1550
? 1515
?U70
? 1445 ? 1-110 ? 1375
? 1340 M310
? 1280
? 1250
? 1220 ? 1190 ? 1142