316 THE EVOLUTION OF THEOLOGY vui 



any other Elohim, whether human or divine. 

 Further, the evidence proves that this belief was 

 the basis of the Jahveh-worship to which Samuel 

 and his followers were devoted ; that there is 

 strong reason for believing, and none for doubting, 

 that idolatry, in the shape of the worship of the 

 family gods or teraphim, was practised by sincere 

 and devout Jahveh-worshippers ; that the ark, 

 with its protective tent or tabernacle, was regarded 

 as a specially, but by no means exclusively, 

 favoured sanctuary of Jahveh ; that the ephod 

 appears to have had a particular value for those 

 who desired to divine by the help of Jahveh ; and 

 that divination by lots was practised before 

 Jahveh. On the other hand, there is not the 

 slightest evidence of any belief in retribution after 

 death, but the contrary; ritual obligations have 

 at least as strong sanction as moral ; there are 

 clear indications that some of the most stringent 

 of the Levitical laws were unknown even to 

 Samuel; priests often appear to be superseded by 

 laymen, even in the performance of sacrifices and 

 divination ; and no line of demarcation can be 

 drawn between necromancer, wizard, seer, prophet, 

 and priest, each of whom is regarded, like all the 

 rest, as a medium of communication between the 

 world of Elohim and that of living men. 



The theological system thus defined offers to 

 the anthropologist no feature which is devoid of a 



