seems to have been arranged into 1,085, in Babylonia into 378 chapters (comp. Fürst ,
Kultur-u. Liter. Gesch. p. 62).
For, ancient tradition ascribes a peculiar activity to certain 'Colleges' - as they are termed
- in regard to the Canon. In general, the well-known Baraita (Baba B. 14 b, 15 a) bears,
that Moses wrote the Pentateuch, the book (Prophecies?) of Balaam, and Job; Joshua the
work that bears his name, and the last eight verses of Deuteronomy;36 Samuel the
corresponding books, Judges and Ruth; David with the 'ten Elders,' Adam, Melchisedek,
Abraham, Moses, Heman, Jeduthun, Asaph, and the three sons of Korah, the Psalter;
Jeremiah wrote his prophecies, Lamentations, and Kings; King Hezekiah and his
Sanhedrin compiled, or edited, the Prophecies of Isaiah, Proverbs, the Song, and
Ecclesiastes; and the men of the 'Great Synagogue' the Prophecies of Ezekiel, of the
twelve Minor Prophets, and the books of Daniel and Esther; Ezra wrote his own book and
Chronicles, the work being completed by Nehemiah, the son of Chakaliah. The last verse
of Joshua were written by Eleazar and Phinehas; the last chapters of Samuel by Gad and
Nathan.37
36. But comp. and opinion, previously quoted, about the last verses in Deut.
37. 'History of the Jewish Nation,' p. 418.
Loose and uncritical as these statements may appear, they so far help our investigations
as to show that, according to tradition, certain portions of Scripture were compiled or
edited by one or another Rabbinic 'College,' and that there were several 'Colleges' which
successively busied themselves with the codification and revision of the Canon. By these
'Colleges,' we are not to understand gatherings of certain members, who discussed and
decided a question at one or more of their meetings. They rather indicate the learned
activity of the authorities during a certain period, which are respectively designed by the
generic names of 'the Sanhedrin of Hezekiah,' 'The men of the Synagogue,' the 'Legal
Court of the Maccabees,' and finally, 'Chananayah and his College,' We have thus
somewhat firmer historical ground. If in Prov. xxv. 1, we read of the activity about the
Canon of 'the Men of Hezekiah,' and bear in mind the Scriptural account of the religious
revival of that reign (for ex. 2 Chron. xxix. 25-30; 2 Chron. xxx. 1), we scarcely required
the frequent and elaborate glorification of tradition to lead us to infer that, if the
collection of the Book of Proverbs was due to their activity, they must have equally
collated the other portions of Scripture then existing, and fixed the Canon as their time.
Again, if we are to credit the statement that they equally collected and edited the
Prophecies of Isaiah, we are obliged to infer that the continuance of that College was not
limited to the life of Hezekiah, since the latter died before Isaiah (Tos. Baba Bathra; Yeb.
49 b).
What has just been indicated is fully confirmated by what we know of the activity of Ezra
(Ezra vii. 6, 10), and of his successors in the great Synagogue. If we are to attach credit to
the notice in 2 Macc. ii. 13,38 it points to such literary activity as tradition indicates. That
the revision and determination of the Canon must have been among the main occupations
of Ezra and his successors of 'the Great Synagogue' - whatever precise meaning may be
attached to that institution - seems scarcely to require proof. The same remark applies to