The remaining scriptural notices of Samuel are in connection with David's history. See David.
6. Decease and Traditions. — The death of Samuel is descriljed as taking place in the year of the close of David's wanderings. It is .said with peculiar empha- sis, as if to mark the loss, tfiat "o// the Israelites" — all, with a iniiversality never specified before — "were gath- ered together" from all (larts of this hitherto divided country, and "lamented him," and "lmrio<l him," not in any consecrated place, nor outside the walls of his city, but within his own house, thus in a manner consecrated by being turned into his tomb (1 Sam. xxv, 1). His
relics were translated "from Judsea" (the place is not specified), A.D. 406, to Constantinople, and received there with much pomp by the emperor Arcadius. They were landed at the pier of Chalcedon, and thence con- veyed to a church near the palace of Hebdomoii (see .4 eta Sanctornm, Aug. 20).
The situation of Kamathaim, as has been observed, is uncertain. But the place long pointed out as his tomb is the height, most conspicuous of all in the neigh- borhood of Jerusalem, immediately above the town of Gibeon, known to the Crusaders as "Montjoye," as the spot from whence they first saw Jerusalem, now called Nehij Saimcil, "the Prophet Samuel." The tradition can be traced back as far as the 7th century, when it is spoken of as the monaster}' of St. Samuel (Robinson, Bib. Res. ii, 142). See Zophim. A cave is still shown underneath the floor of the mosque. "He built the tomb in his lifetime," is the account of the Mussulman guardian of the mosque. " but was not buried here till after the expulsion of the Greeks." It is the only spot in Palestine which claims any direct connection with the first great prophet who was born within its limits; and its commanding situation well agrees with the im- portance assigned to him in the sacred history. See MizrKH.
His descendants were subsisting at the same place till the time of David. Heman, his grandson, was one of the chief singers in the Levitical choir (1 Chron. vi, 33 ; XV, 17; xxv, 5).
The apparition of Samuel at Endor (1 Sam. xxviii, 14; Ecclus. xlvi, 20) belongs to the history of Saul. We here follow the inspired narrative, and merely say that Saul strangely wished to see Samuel recalled from the dead, that Samuel himself made his appearance sud- denly, and, to the great terror of the necromancer, heard the mournful complaint of Saul, and pronounced his speedy death on an ignoble field of loss and massacre (Henderson, On Divine Inspiration, p. 165 ; Hales, Chro- nology, ii, 323 ; Scott, On the Existence of Evil Spirits, etc. p. 232).
It has been supposed that Samuel wrote a life of David (of course of his earlier years) which was still accessible to one of the authors of the book of Chroni- cles (1 Chron. xxix, 29); but this appears doubtful. Various other books of the Old Test, have been ascribed to him by the Jewish tradition — the Judges, Ruth, the two books of Samuel (the latter, it is alleged, being writ- ten in the spirit of prophecy). He is regarded by the Samaritans as a magician and an infidel (Hottinger, Hist. Orient, p. 52).
The Persian traditions fix his life in the time of Kai- i-Kobad, second king of Persia, with whom he is said to have conversed (D'Herbelot, Bihlioth. Orient, s. v. " Kai- Kobad").
III. SamveVs Character — So important a position did he hold in Jewish history as to have'given his name to the sacred book, now divided into two, which covers the whole period of the first establishment of the king- dom, corresponding to the manner in which the name of Moses has been assigned to the sacred book, now di- vided into five, which covers the period of the founda- tion of the Jewish Church itself. In fact, no character of equal magnitude had arisen since the death of the great lawgiver.
1. Samuel's character presents itself to us as one of uncommon dignity and patriotism. His chief concern was his country's weal. Grotius compares him to Aris- tides, and Saul to Alcibiades {Opera r/ico/. i, 119). To preserve the worship of the one Jehovah, the God of Israel, to guard the liberties and rights of the people, to secure them from hostile invasion and internal dis- iniion, was the grand motive of his life. His patriotism was not a Itoman love of eon(|uest or empire. The sub- jugation of other people was only sought when they disturbed the peace of his country. He was loath, in- deed, to change the form of government, yet he did it with consummate policy. First of all, he resorted to
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the divine mode of appeal to the Omniscient Ruler — a solemn sortilege — and brought Saul so chosen before the people, and pointed him out to them as peerless in his form and aspect. Then, waiting till Saul should distinguish himself by some victorious enterprise, and receiving him fresh from the slaughter of the Ammon- ites, he again confirmed him in his kingdom, while the national enthusiasm, kindled by his triumph, made him the popular idol. Samuel thus, for the sake of future peace, took means to show that Saul was both chosen of God and yet virtually elected by the people. This procedure, so cautious and so generous, proves how lit- tle foundation there is for the remarks which have been made against Samuel bv some writers, such as Schiller {Neue Thalia, iv, 9i),yatke {Hihl. Theol. p. 3G0), and the infamous Wolfenblittel I'ragmeutist (p. 200, ed. Schmidt).