The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 03 (of 11) — Thomas Hobbes — John Shaqi
The English works of Thomas Hobbes of Malmesbury, Volume 03 (of 11)
Thomas Hobbes · en
That the book of _Joshua_ was also written long after the time of
Joshua, may be gathered out of many places of the book itself. Joshua
had set up twelve stones in the midst of Jordan, for a monument of their
passage; of which the writer saith thus, _They are there unto this day_
(_Josh._ iv. 9); for _unto this day_, is a phrase that signifieth a time
past, beyond the memory of man. In like manner, upon the saying of the
Lord, that he had rolled off from the people the reproach of Egypt, the
writer saith, _The place is called Gilgal unto this day_ (_Josh._ v. 9);
which to have said in the time of Joshua had been improper. So also the
name of the valley of Achor, from the trouble that Achan raised in the
camp, the writer saith, _remaineth unto this day_ (_Josh._ vii. 26);
which must needs be therefore long after the time of Joshua. Arguments
of this kind there be many other; as _Josh._ viii. 29, xiii. 13, xiv.
14, xv. 63.
[Sidenote: The books of Judges and Ruth written long after the
captivity.]
The same is manifest by like arguments of the book of _Judges_, chap. i.
21, 26, vi. 24, x. 4, xv. 19, xvii. 6, and _Ruth_ i. 1; but especially
_Judg._ xviii. 30, where it is said, that _Jonathan and his sons were
priests to the tribe of Dan, until the day of the captivity of the
land_.
[Sidenote: The like of the books of Samuel.]
That the books of _Samuel_ were also written after his own time, there
are the like arguments, _1 Sam._ v. 5, vii. 13, 15; xxvii, 6, and xxx.
25, where, after David had adjudged equal part of the spoils, to them
that guarded the ammunition, with them that fought, the writer saith,
_He made it a statute and an ordinance to Israel to this day_. Again,
when David, displeased, that the Lord had slain Uzzah, for putting out
his hand to sustain the ark, called the place Perez-Uzzah, the writer
saith, (_2 Sam._ vi. 8) it is called so _to this day_: the time
therefore of the writing of that book, must be long after the time of
the fact; that is, long after the time of David.
[Sidenote: The books of the Kings, and the Chronicles.]