按键盘上方向键 ← 或 → 可快速上下翻页，按键盘上的 Enter 键可回到本书目录页，按键盘上方向键 ↑ 可回到本页顶部！
————未阅读完？加入书签已便下次继续阅读！
thee that thou mayest make known unto me what I shall do。
And Samuel said； Wherefore then dost thou ask of me； seeing that
Jahveh is departed from thee and is become thine adversary？
And Jahveh hath wrought for himself； as he spake by me； and
Jahveh hath rent the kingdom out of thine hand and given it to
thy neighbour； even to David。 Because thou obeyedst not the
voice of Jahveh and didst not execute his fierce wrath upon
Amalek； therefore hath Jahveh done this thing unto thee this
day。 Moreover； Jahveh will deliver Israel also with thee into
the hands of the Philistines； and to…morrow shalt thou and thy
sons be with me： Jahveh shall deliver the host of Israel also
into the hand of the Philistines。 Then Saul fell straightway his
full length upon the earth and was sore afraid because of the
words of Samuel 。。。〃 （v。 14…20）。
The statement that Saul 〃perceived〃 that it was Samuel is not to
be taken to imply that； even now； Saul actually saw the shade of
the prophet； but only that the woman's allusion to the prophetic
mantle and to the aged appearance of the spectre convinced him
that it was Samuel。 Reuss in fact translates the passage
〃Alors Saul reconnut que c'etait Samuel。〃 Nor does the dialogue
between Saul and Samuel necessarily； or probably； signify that
Samuel spoke otherwise than by the voice of the wise woman。
The Septuagint does not hesitate to call her ＇Greek＇； that is to
say； a ventriloquist； implying that it was she who spokeand
this view of the matter is in harmony with the fact that the
exact sense of the Hebrew words which are translated as 〃a woman
that hath a familiar spirit〃 is 〃a woman mistress of Ob。〃
Ob means primitively a leather bottle； such as a wine
skin； and is applied alike to the necromancer and to the spirit
evoked。 Its use； in these senses； appears to have been suggested
by the likeness of the hollow sound emitted by a half…empty skin
when struck； to the sepulchral tones in which the oracles of the
evoked spirits were uttered by the medium。 It is most probable
that； in accordance with the general theory of spiritual
influences which obtained among the old Israelites； the spirit
of Samuel was conceived to pass into the body of the wise woman；
and to use her vocal organs to speak in his own namefor I
cannot discover that they drew any clear distinction between
possession and inspiration。
If the story of Saul's consultation of the occult powers is to
be regarded as an authentic narrative； or； at any rate； as a
statement which is perfectly veracious so far as the intention
of the narrator goesand； as I have said； I see no reason for
refusing it this characterit will be found； on further
consideration； to throw a flood of light； both directly and
indirectly； on the theology of Saul's countrymenthat is to
say； upon their beliefs respecting the nature and ways of
spiritual beings。
Even without the confirmation of other abundant evidences to the
same effect； it leaves no doubt as to the existence； among them；
of the fundamental doctrine that man consists of a body and of a
spirit； which last； after the death of the body； continues to
exist as a ghost。 At the time of Saul's visit to Endor； Samuel
was dead and buried； but that his spirit would be believed to
continue to exist in Sheol may be concluded from the well…known
passage in the song attributed to Hannah； his mother：
Jahveh killeth and maketh alive；
He bringeth down to Sheol and bringeth up。
（1 Sam。 ii。 6。）
And it is obvious that this Sheol was thought to be a place
underground in which Samuel's spirit had been disturbed by the
necromancer's summons； and in which； after his return thither；
he would be joined by the spirits of Saul and his sons when they
had met with their bodily death on the hill of Gilboa。 It is
further to be observed that the spirit； or ghost； of the dead
man presents itself as the image of the man himselfit is the
man； not merely in his ordinary corporeal presentment （even down
to the prophet's mantle） but in his moral and intellectual
characteristics。 Samuel； who had begun as Saul's friend and
ended as his bitter enemy； gives it to be understood that he is
annoyed at Saul's presumption in disturbing him； and that； in
Sheol； he is as much the devoted servant of Jahveh and as much
empowered to speak in Jahveh's name as he was during his sojourn
in the upper air。
It appears now to be universally admitted that； before the
exile； the Israelites had no belief in rewards and punishments
after death； nor in anything similar to the Christian heaven and
hell； but our story proves that it would be an error to suppose
that they did not believe in the continuance of individual
existence after death by a ghostly simulacrum of life。 Nay； I
think it would be very hard to produce conclusive evidence that
they disbelieved in immortality； for I am not aware that there
is anything to show that they thought the existence of the souls
of the dead in Sheol ever came to an end。 But they do not seem
to have conceived that the condition of the souls in Sheol was
in any way affected by their conduct in life。 If there was
immortality； there was no state of retribution in their
theology。 Samuel expects Saul and his sons to come to him
in Sheol。
The next circumstance to be remarked is that the name of
Elohim is applied to the spirit which the woman sees
〃coming up out of the earth；〃 that is to say； from Sheol。
The Authorised Version translates this in its literal sense
〃gods。〃 The Revised Version gives 〃god〃 with 〃gods〃 in the
margin。 Reuss renders the word by 〃spectre；〃 remarking in a note
that it is not quite exact； but that the word Elohim expresses
〃something divine； that is to say； superhuman； commanding
respect and terror〃 （〃Histoire des Israelites；〃 p。 321）。
Tuch； in his commentary on Genesis； and Thenius； in his
commentary on Samuel； express substantially the same opinion。
Dr。 Alexander （in Kitto's 〃Cyclopaedia〃 s。 v。 〃God〃） has the
following instructive remarks：
＇Elohim is＇ sometimes used vaguely to describe unseen
powers or superhuman beings that are not properly thought of as
divine。 Thus the witch of Endor saw 〃Elohim ascending out of the
earth〃 （1 Sam。 xxviii。 13）； meaning thereby some beings of an
unearthly； superhuman character。 So also in Zechariah xii。 8； it
is said 〃the house of David shall be as Elohim； as the angel of
the Lord；〃 where； as the transition from Elohim to the angel of
the Lord is a minori ad majus； we must regard the former as a
vague designation of supernatural powers。
Dr。 Alexander speaks here of 〃beings〃； but there is no reason to
suppose that the wise woman of Endor referred to anything but a
solitary spectre； and it is quite clear that Saul understood her
in this sense； for he asks 〃What form is HE of？〃
This fact； that the name of Elohim is applied to a ghost； or
disembodied soul； conceived as the image of the body in which it
once dwelt； is of no little importance。 For it is well known
that the same term was employed to denote the gods of the
heathen； who were thought to have definite quasi…corporeal forms
and to be as much real entities as any other Elohim。 The
difference which was supposed to exist between the different
Elohim was one of degree； not one of kind。 Elohim was； in
logical terminology； the genus of which ghosts； Chemosh； Dagon；
Baal； and Jahveh were species。 The Israelite believed Jahveh to
be immeasurably superior to all other kinds of Elohim。 The
inscription on the Moabite stone shows that King Mesa held
Chemosh to be； as unquestionably； the superior of Jahveh。 But if
Jahveh was thus supposed to differ only in degree from the
undoubtedly zoomorphic or anthropomorphic 〃gods of the nations；〃
why is it to be assumed that he also was not thought of as
having a human shape？ It is possible for those who forget that
the time of the great prophetic writers is at least as remote
from that of Saul as our day is from that of Queen Elizabeth； to
insist upon interpreting the gross notions current in the
earlier age and among the mass of the people by the refined
conceptions promulgated by a few select spirits centuries later。
But if we take the language constantly used concerning the Deity
in the books of Genesis； Exodus； Joshua； Judges； Samuel； or
Kings； in its natural sense （and I am aware of no valid reason
which can be given for taking it in any other sense）； there
cannot； to my mind； be a doubt that Jahveh was conceived by
those from whom the substance of these books is mainly derived；
to possess the appearance and the intellectual and moral
attributes of a man； and； indeed； of a man of just that type
with which the Israelites were familiar in their stronger and
intellectually abler rulers and leaders。 In a well…known passage