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lias determined that an anarchy of 20 years intervened be- 

 tween the death of Eli and the cominenceraent of the juris- 

 diction of Samuel at Mizpeh, (Saml. 7- v. 6.) " The Book, of 

 Judges makes no mention of Eh, and that of Samuel is 

 equally silent as to the jurisdiction of Samson ; it should ap- 

 pear, therefore, that there was some deficiency or interregnum 

 in the chronology and history of this period." (Vignoles, 

 p. 72. Ed. Berlin, 1738.) As Severus Sulpicius, had long 

 since observed, " Sed mihi annorum ordinem & seriem tem- 

 porum persequenti parum continuatae videntur historiae — sed 

 quam quot anni inter Heli & Samson minime Scriptura pro- 

 diverit video medii quiddara fuisse temporis quod laboret 

 ambiguo. — (Hist. Eccl. Lib. 1. cap. 2p.) Yet it is a remark- 

 able and singular inconsistency, that Vignoles, after these 

 observations, rejects their authority and makes Eli succeed 

 Samson immediately, in the very year of his death. However, 

 as he will not admit the years of Samson and Eli to be con- 

 temporaneous, he presents the following as his opinion and 

 his argument in favour of his hypothesis : The slaughter of 

 the Philistines by Samson, at his death, (Jud. 17- 30.) obliged 

 the oppressors to resign their usurped dominion, and leave 

 the country in repose; perhaps, the Israelites, profiting by 

 the disorder incident to this signal destruction, took up arms, 

 and emancipated themselves, and probably subjected their 

 enemies, under the conduct of Eli, who was then 58 years 

 of age, but after his dominion of forty years, the Philistines 



took 



