viii THE EVOLUTION OF THEOLOGY 291 



obscuring, the essential characteristics of the 

 theology traditionally ascribed to their epoch. 



There is nothing that I have met with in the 

 results of Biblical criticism inconsistent with the 

 conviction that these books give us a fairly 

 trustworthy account of Israelitic life and thought 

 in the times which they cover; and, as such, 

 apart from the great literary merit of many of 

 their episodes, they possess the interest of being, 

 perhaps, the oldest genuine history, as apart 

 from mere chronicles on the one hand and 

 mere legends on the other, at present access- 

 ible to us. 



But it is often said with exultation by writers 

 of one party, and often admitted, more or less 

 unwillingly, by their opponents, that these books 

 are untrustworthy, by reason of being full of 

 obviously unhistoric tales. And, as a notable 

 example, the narrative of Saul's visit to the 

 so-called " witch of Endor " is often cited. As 

 I have already intimated, I have nothing to do 

 with theological partisanship, either heterodox or 

 orthodox, nor, for my present purpose, does it 

 matter very much whether the story is historically 

 true, or whether it merely shows what the writer 

 believed ; but, looking at the matter solely from 

 the point of view of an anthropologist, I beg leave 

 to express the opinion that the account of Saul's 

 necromantic expedition is quite consistent with 

 probability. That is to say, I see no reason 



