191 



3. Tlie original of Clemens bears " Samuel succeeded HeTi, 

 and governed 27 years," trn 'iuiocn Irra. xurairx.'^v. However, 

 no ancient author gives 27 years to Samuel alone, or to Saul 

 and Samuel in conjunction, but a number agree in granting 

 20 years to Samuel, among whom we may mention the author 

 of the Chronicle of Alexandria, Maximus, Cedrenus, and 

 Chronicon Latino-barbarum of Scaliger: these 20 years are 

 doubtless, those, during which the ark remained at Kirjath- 

 jearim, to which, if we add the 7 months it was in the pos- 

 session of the Philistines, we have 20 years and 7 months, so 

 that it should appear the passage of Clemens should be cor- 

 rected thus, " 'irn iiMiTi f^nvct,? iirra, )iu,Ta.(f)(,m " By this amend- 

 ment, we derive the seven months mentioned so frequently 

 by Clemens, a period which is no otherwise deducible.. 

 Admitting the corrections af Vignoles, which appear equally 

 happy and just, we collect the sums assigned by Clemens, 

 and the arguments we derive from them in the support of 

 our system, are by no means inconsiderable or unimportant. 



I. We remark the supputation of Clemens makes the first 

 oppression succeed immediately on the conclusion of the ju- 

 risdiction of Joshua, without estimating or admitting the 

 period usually assigned to the government of the Eiders, 

 during which, " Israel served the Lord," either in the idea,, 

 that the period of the Elders must be the same as that of the 

 jurisdiction of Othniel, who himself was one of them, as being, 

 a distinguished warrior at the conquest of the land — or as- 



VOL. XI. 2 c including; 



