Books of the Old Testament

9. The first book of Moses and together the first book in the entire composition of the Holy Scriptures. books is the book of Genesis. "It is called so because it contains the origin of everything - heaven, earth, people, and everything visible in general, and the very planting of paradise" (Synopsis of Athanasius). "The reason for Moses to write this book was the following: from the time of the migration to Egypt, the descendants of Abraham, like the rest of the world, began to lose knowledge of God, moved away from the good laws imprinted in nature, began to revere what was created out of nothing as eternal, and called the creatures that had recently received existence deities. For this reason God wanted through Moses to teach the truth to his erring contemporaries, so that the evil that passed on to them would not spread to all eternity. And Moses, after the miracles performed by him in Egypt, after the covenant made in the wilderness, writes about created natures brought into being out of nothing, giving them to understand that the pagans falsely understand them as gods, writes about God that He is one, writes about the mysteries of the Son foretold in creation itself" (Ephraim the Syrian, Commentary on Gen., at the beginning). "In particular, the Book of Genesis tells about the six days of creation, about the transgression of Adam and his expulsion from paradise, about the murder of Abel by his brother Cain, about the taking of Enoch into heaven, about the building of Noah's ark, about the flood that took place at Noah, about the construction of the Tower of Babel, about the division of languages and the dispersion of nations, about the exodus of Abraham from the land of the Chaldeans. Further, the Book of Genesis tells about the destruction of Sodom, about the law of circumcision, about the oath that sealed the promises of God given to Abraham, about the birth of Isaac, Jacob and the 12 patriarchs, about how Joseph was sold by his brothers to Egypt and there he was first thrown into prison, and then made ruler over all Egypt. Then it is said about the coming of Jacob to Egypt with his 75 sons, about his blessing of his son-patriarchs and his death" (Synopsis of Athanasius). Thus, the Book of Genesis embraces the history of 3799 years, that is, the whole half of the entire time of the world's standing, from its creation to the death of Jacob, and is divided into 50 chapters. "Of all the saints. the book of Genesis is written most clearly" (Jerome, Epistle to Paulinus, On the Study of Holy Scripture), since it depicts life before the law, which is not yet far removed from the period of childish simplicity. Nevertheless, in the Fathers of the Church one can find many explanations and interpretations of all the details of the content of the Book of Genesis. In particular, the following should be mentioned: the ten discourses on the Six Days of St. Basil the Great, explaining the narrative of the opening chapter of the Book of Genesis about the creation of the world and, in the words of Gregory the Theologian, "bringing the reader closer to the Creator and explaining the foundation of the universe"; a work on the Six Days by St. Gregory of Nyssa, which serves as a supplement to the Six Days of Basil; 12 Homilies on Paradise with an explanation of the second and third chapters of the Book of Genesis by St. Ephraim the Syrian; an extensive commentary on the entire Book of Genesis by St. John Chrysostom in 67 discourses, deducing lessons for the life of Christians from the history of the patriarchs; Commentary on the Book of Kings. Genesis bl. There are also many separate discourses of the Holy Fathers on various subjects of the Book of Genesis, for example, about Abraham and his calling, about circumcision (Gen. 17:10-11), which foreshadowed spiritual circumcision, not made with hands, in the putting off of the body of sinful flesh, in the circumcision of Christ and His burial by baptism (Col. 2:11-12). "The coming of the Son of God God was revealed to Moses, saying, 'The prince shall not fail of Judah, nor the ruler of his loins, until the expectation of the tongues laid aside for him shall come' (Gen. 49:10). Whoever determines the time in which the prince and leader in Judah was impoverished, will find that it is not another who is proclaimed here, but our Lord Jesus Christ. In order that the sin of Adam should not be immortal, and the evil should not become infinite and incurable, God removed Adam from the tree of life, and put enmity between the serpent and the woman and her seed, until the seed came predestined to trample down the head of the serpent, And Abraham, taught by revelation that the Son of God would be a man among men, desired to see that day, that he might embrace Christ himself, and he saw and rejoiced (Irenaeus, Against Heresies, Book 3, Ch.23, Book 4, Chapters 7, 10).

10. "The second book of Exodus was written by the same Moses and is called so because it depicts the exodus of the children of Israel from Egypt, which took place 430 years after the promise given to Abraham and 215 years after the migration to Egypt, because the Israelites lived there for so long. The book tells about the 10 plagues sent against Pharaoh, the Egyptian ruler, about how the Egyptian magi, Jannes and Mamre, first resisted Moses, and then departed in shame. Further, it is said that Pharaoh pursued the departed people of Israel, that Israel crossed the Red Sea on dry land, and that the Egyptians who pursued it drowned in it along with Pharaoh. The law on Pascha is set forth, and the transformation of bitter water into sweet water; the giving of the sabbath and the sending of manna, and the bringing forth of water from the stone, to which Moses gave the name of temptation and blasphemy, here is the beginning of the keeping of the Sabbath and the divine legislation on Mount Sinai, given through Moses on two stone tablets, here is also the image of the structure of the tabernacle and the garments of the high priest and priests; and the tabernacle was set up, it is said, in the second year from the Exodus, in the first new moon" (Synopsis of Athanasius). Thus, the book of Exodus embraces the sacred history of 145 years from the death of Joseph to the construction of the tabernacle at Sinai. At St. Cyril's Alexander. there is a work: "Glaphyra, or Higher Explanations of Selected Passages of the Book of Exodus", in which "the mystery of Christ was manifested in the lawful shadow", and which he explains, "leaving to history that which is fully befitting it, and what apparently serves for spiritual interpretation, applying to the economy in Christ". St. Cyril considers such "selected" passages in the book of Exodus to be: the narration of the birth of Moses and the circumstances in contact (Exodus 2:1-22), the vision of the burning bush (3:1-6), the sacrifice of the Passover lamb (ch. 12), the dedication of the firstborn (13:11-13), the story of the tree that sweetened bitter water (15:22-27), the sending down of the bread of heaven in the form of manna (16:2-5), the story of the three signs that were in the time of Moses (4:1-9), the story of the stone that struck and drained the water (17:1-7), the descent of God into Mount Sinai and the coming of Israel (19:10-13), the ascent of Moses and Aaron, and also of Nabbad and Abihu and the seventy elders (24:1-8), and the veil over the face of Moses (34:27-35). "Moses doeth signs, and givesteth the law; so also Christ" (Chrysostom, on Acts, Discourse 17:1).

11. "The book of Leviticus is so called because it contains the outline of the entire Levitical ministry and the way in which Aaron and his sons are chosen from the tribe of Levi and anointed priests, as well as the differences of all the sacrifices and all the characteristics of the worship in the temple and the priestly ministry. Laws are also set forth for each sacrifice, the sacrifice of salvation, and the sacrifice for voluntary and involuntary transgression; it is also explained how each of the offerings is to be divided and offered. This book also describes the dedication of the high priest and the priests, the distinction and recognition of the signs of leprosy of people, garments, and walls of the house, and sets forth the law concerning their purification; a decree is given on marriages, legal and illegal; the distribution of clean and unclean animals, birds, fish, and reptiles, and which of them the Jews were commanded to eat and which to abstain from. The commandment about the day of the trumpet in the new moon of the seventh month is set forth, as well as the commandment about Great Lent, which is called the Sabbath of Sabbaths and the remission of sins, so that the Jews should celebrate it in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month. There is also an ordinance for the Feast of Tabernacles, to be on the fifteenth day of the same month, and for the other festivals and sacrifices proper to them, for the deliverance of the Jews who had been sold into slavery, for the forgiveness of debts, for the rest that was to be given to the land in every seventh year. In this way, the laws, commands and testimonies are again remembered, promises are given to those who fulfill the law and the most severe threats are given to those who violate the law" (Synopses of Athanasius and John Chrysostom). St. Kirill Alex. in the "Glaphyra" or higher explanations of the book, Leviticus singles out the following "most chosen" subjects of this book, as signifying the mystery of Christ closer: the law of bringing the firstfruits of life (2:14-16), the slaughter of the sacrifice (3:1-6; 6:24-29), the rite of cleansing leprosy (14:1-9), the law on leprosy of houses, which marks the fall of the people under the law (14:33-45), the law on the entry of the high priest into the Holy of Holies alone in the year (Leviticus 16:3-10). In even more detail, the same St. Cyril Alex. explains the laws of the book of Leviticus about the Old Testament sanctuary, priesthood and all kinds of sacrifice in another of his works, called "On Worship and Service in Spirit and Truth", as well as St. John Chrysostom in Commentaries. on Ep. to the Hebrews and other holy books. "Of the commandments of Moses," says Chrysostom, "some are given by themselves, and others are given for something else, for example, to know God, and not to kill, not to commit adultery, is commanded because of the benefit arising from this, and to offer sacrifices, to observe the Sabbath, etc., is commanded not simply so that it may be done only by itself. but it does not bear fruit, so also the sacrifices of the Jews, when they were offered in vain, God rejects in the prophet Isaiah" (Chrysostom, Discourse on Isaiah 1:5).

12. "The fourth book of Moses is called the Book of Numbers, because it shows the number of all the people according to their number. And the people from twenty years of age and above were numbered, every man capable of war, except the tribe of Levi, and the number of those numbered was found to be 603,550. The tribe of Levi was numbered separately from the other tribes, and their number was 22,000. Moses also numbered the firstborn males of all the other tribes, and found the number 22273, and instead of these firstborn, the Levites were consecrated to God, for there were also as many Levites. The Levites are commanded to be cleansed, and they set themselves apart to do the works of the Lord instead of the people, to serve Aaron and his sons. This book also tells about the renewal of the altar and how the tabernacle was anointed and consecrated, about the sacrifices at the dedication of the altar, and the time limit for the service of the Levites (from 20 to 50 years) is indicated. It also speaks of the sworn water of reproof, and the law of the Nazarites is set forth, it tells of the sending down of dyes to the murmuring people, of the outpouring of water from the stone, which is called the water of wrangling. Moses sent spies, one from each tribe, including Joshua and Caleb. Here the host of Korah rose up against Moses, swallowed up in the earth, Miriam, Aaron's sister, was stricken with leprosy, and the rod of Aron brought forth fruit. After these circumstances, Aaron dies on Mount Hor, and his son Eliazar takes his place. It also tells of Balaam and his donkey, who spoke with a human voice, and how Balak king of Moab was ashamed. When the people, at the instigation of Balaam, were defiled, Phinehas pierced the Midianite woman and the Israelite Zimri for fornication, and thereby tamed the wrath of God. When the people who cursed Moses were bitten by serpents, God, heeding his petition, commanded that a brazen serpent should be made and lifted up, so that those who were wounded, looking at him, would live. Here also God commanded Moses and Eliazar to make a new number of the people from 20 years old and above, and their number was found to be 601730; and the Levites are 23,000. This inspection was in Arabit of Moab, opposite Jericho, and among them there was none of those who were numbered before, because they were dead, except Caleb and Joshua. Moses in this book, by God's command, also described the walls of the Israelites, in which they, after the exodus from Egypt, stopped for some time, a total of 43 camps. After the Jews have defeated and killed Zion, king of the Amorite, and Og, king of Bashan, Moses is commanded to give the lands to Reuben, Gad, and half of the tribe of Monasseh, to give cities for the Levites to live in, and the suburbs of the cities, and also to establish cities of refuge, three beyond the Jordan and three in the land of Canaan" (synopsis of Athanasius). "The purpose of the people described in the book was to show how the tribes of Israel multiplied by the blessing of God, and in the course of 220 years increased from 70 souls to 600,000 owning weapons" (Ephraim the Syrian, Commentary on Numbers, at the beginning). In historical order, the book of Numbers embraces the time of 38 years and 9 months of wandering in the wilderness.

St. Kirill Alex. in "Glaphyri on the book. Numerals" "considers the following to be selected passages in the book on which he writes his discourses: the narration of the defeat of Mariamne, who was indignant with Moses, by leprosy, who signified the entire Jewish community (Num. 12), about the 12 spies of the promised land, ten unbelievers and two believers (ch. 13), about the bringing of the firstfruits of bread (ch. 15:17), about the purifying ashes of the young woman (19), about the brazen serpent (21). Likewise, in all the wanderings of the people of God in the wilderness described in the Book of Numbers, the Holy Fathers see the image of a Christian man in his earthly pilgrimage to the heavenly promised homeland under the guidance of Christ. Read, for example, the work of Bl. Jerome, "The Book of Fabiole's Interpretation of the 42 Camps of the Israelites in the Wilderness."

13. "The fifth and last book of Moses, Deuteronomy, is so called for two reasons: first, because this book was repeated or reread to the people every seventh year, on the day of atonement, wherefore Moses commanded that this book should be placed beside the ark as a witness, while the first books of the law given at Horeb were laid in the ark itself; secondly, because in the book of Deuteronomy Moses repeats what was previously set forth in the books of Exodus, Leviticus, and Numbers" (Synopsis of Athanasius). "This brief repetition of the laws and events set forth in the preceding books was made for the new generation of the people of God who had grown up in the wilderness. Moses also tells where and when he taught this teaching to the people themselves: in the land of the Jordan, in the wilderness, in the west, in the fourtieth year, in the first ten months, on the first day of the month, after "the slaying of Zion king of the Amorites and Og king of Bashan" (Deuteronomy 1:1-4) (Theodorite, Commentary on Deuteronomy Question 1)." "Having expounded his repeated law with some new additions, however, Moses added to it sayings of curses and blessings, curses to the disobedient and blessings to the obedient, and pronounced a great speech about the calamities that would befall them, which was fulfilled at the invasion of the Assyrians and Babylonians. Christ Himself is also mentioned here. "Thy life shall be," says Moses, "hanging before thy eyes" (Deuteronomy 28:66). Here is also this saying: "The secret of the Lord is to God, which was manifested to you and to your children" (Deuteronomy 29:66); For His commandment, it is said, is not heavy: it is not in heaven, saying, Whosoever shall ascend into heaven; below it there is a land of the sea; but there is a word near thee, in thy mouth" (Deuteronomy 30:11-12). These words spoken about the commandments of the law, Ap. Paul refers to faith in Christ (Romans 10:8). At the end of the book, Moses calls Joshua and commands him to lead the people, not fearing enemies, but hoping for God's help, and on the Feast of Tabernacles to read the law to all the people. To Moses himself, God foretells that after death his people will serve idols and for this they will be punished. Let this song (ch. 32) be a witness against them, says He; for they will never forget it. Having received the command to go up to Mount Abarim, which was also called Nabab, and look from there at the promised land, and having blessed each tribe, Moses died" (Synopsis of John Chrysostom). And in his other interpretation (on 2 Corinthians Discourse 7) St. John Chrysostom returns to the book of Deuteronomy for the second time and points out in it another important prophetic testimony. "You ask, where in the books of the law did the Lord say that the law must have an end in Christ? He not only spoke about this, but also showed it by his very deeds, firstly, by the fact that he confined all the sacrifices and all consecration in one place, in the temple, and then destroyed this temple. If He did not want to abolish these sacrifices, He would have done one of two things: either without destroying it, He would not have forbidden those sacrifices to be offered in other places. But now He has made these sacrifices impossible, and thus by His very deed He has explained that the ordinances of the law have come to an end in Christ, for Christ has condemned the temple to destruction. But if you wish to know the very words of the law, which determine its end in Christ, then listen to the lawgiver himself, who says thus: The Lord your God will raise up a prophet for you from among your brethren, as I am, hear him in all things, if he saith unto you, 'And every soul that heareth not the prophet shall be required of men' (Deuteronomy 18:15,18, Acts 3:22,23). Do you see how the law has shown itself to have an end in Christ" (Chrysostom on 2 Corinthians, Discourse 7). St. Kirill Alex. In his "Higher Explanations of the Book of Deuteronomy" he also singles out the following "selected" passages related to the mystery of Christ: about the young woman, whose sinews were cut off in the wilds (Deuteronomy 21:109), about the captive woman in good form (21:10-14), about the purity of the camp in time of war (23:9-14), about the stones with the writing of the law on the top of the mountain (27:1-8). According to the historical events mentioned in the book of Deuteronomy, it embraces the last two months of the last year of wandering in the wilderness.

14. From the time of the conclusion of the canon of the Old Testament books, under Ezra, all these five books of Moses are considered as one whole under the name of "law" or "law of Moses", as these books are called in the New Testament, where Moses and his law are mentioned no less than 79 times. The five-part composition so closely and invariably merged with the presentation of the law as the first foundation of the entire word of God, that the ancient synagogue divided the other holy scriptures in relation to it. books on the pentateuch. "Let not even this be hidden from you, O lover of good," says St. Epiphanius, "that the Jews also divided the book of Psalms into five parts, so that it also represents a special Pentateuch" (Epiphanius, On Measures, Ch. 4.5). Bl. Jerome thought that the five-book division of the Old Testament holy books, which was customary, gave the Apostle Paul a reason to express himself about the pronunciation of the five words in the Church (1 Corinthians 14:19) (Epistle to Paulinus, On the Study of the Holy Scriptures).

The origin of the entire five-part composition of the book of the law from the prophet Moses is not in the least disgusted by the fact that in the conclusion of the last book (Deuteronomy 34) it is said about the death of Moses, about his mourning by the people, his tomb, with the addition of magnification to Moses himself: "And the prophet did not rise in Israel like Moses." This addition was made by the collector of the codex Ezra, according to the ancient custom. In the same way, in the conclusion of the penitential canon of St. Andrew of Crete, in which, according to the order of time, the forefathers Adam, Abraham, Isaac, Moses, kings and prophets converse with the repentant soul, there is an addition made on behalf of the Church in the form of a prayerful magnification in honor of St. Andrew himself: "Honorable Andrew and Most Blessed Father, Shepherd of Crete" Concerning the words of Deuteronomy 34:6: "And no one has seen the burial of Moses even to this day, Bl. Jerome says: "Today must be considered the day on which this announcement was written, whether it is Moses, the writer of the Pentateuch, or Ezra, the collector of his work, I do not argue" (Jerome, On the Ever-Virginity of the Mother of God, Book Against Elvid).

15. The sixth book of St. The Scriptures of the Old Testament, the book of Joshua, opens a number of historical sacred books in a narrower sense. "It is inscribed Joshua, because it contains the history and deeds of Joshua, the successor of Moses.

Having thus defeated the Amorites and all their kings, Joshua divided the land among the nine tribes and half of the tribe of Manasseh and ruled the people for 26 years. He died at the age of 110. The work of dividing the land among the people was done, besides Joshua, by the priest Eliazar, and one member from each tribe" (Synopsis of Athanasius). The particular points to which the teachers of the Church most drew the attention of believing readers of the book of Joshua are: 1) the very name of Jesus. "After the death of the lawgiver Moses, Jesus led Israel into the Promised Land, just as at the end of all the law, Jesus appeared, opened the Kingdom of Heaven to the pious" (Theodorite, Commentary on the Book of Joshua at the Beginning, Also Justin's Conversation with Tryphon 89, 113). 2) Joshua was formerly called Ozee, i.e. the Saviour, for he saved the people and led them into the promised land; he was a virgin, for nowhere is it said that he had a wife and children" (Jerome, Against Jovinian, Book 1). 3) "When this prophet, when the people were led into the promised land, fought with the enemies, the sun became; and when the Saviour destroyed death by death, the sun restrained its rays, and in the middle of noon darkness filled the universe" (Theodorite, Commentary on the Book of Joshua, Question 14). (4) The Jews did not take possession of the entire Promised Land, because in order to maintain a way of life in accordance with the law, a country enclosed within narrow boundaries was required; The law commanded that feasts should be celebrated three times a year, uniting in one place. In accordance with this, God limited the Jews to a small area of land, so that even the lazy could easily come to the sanctuary dedicated to God" (Theodoret, Commentary on the Book of Judgment, Question 7). "Read the book of Joshua, and you will know how narrow the boundaries are, O Jew, in your dominions. From Dan to Beersheba, it is only 160 miles long As for the breadth of your land, from Joppa to the small village of Bethlehem is 45 miles, and then there is a huge desert inhabited by barbarians, of whom it is said: "He will dwell in the presence of all the brethren" (Gen. 16:12). You will say that the promised land is the one spoken of in the book of Numbers (ch. 34): to the stream of Egypt from the south, to the great sea from the west, to Hamath in the north, and that beyond the Jordan are the possessions of Reuben, Gad, and the half-tribe of Manasseh. And I confess that this is promised to you, but not given; it was promised, if she had not worshipped Beelphegor and Baal, Beelzebub and Chemosh, and since you preferred them to God, you have lost all that was promised to you The smallness of the land of Israel means the narrowness of the synagogue in comparison with the breadth of the Church" (Jerome, Letter to Dardanus, On the Promised Land). (5) Finally, the book of Joshua gives a general lesson in obedience to the will of God. "Of what Joshua spoke to the people, when he led them into the promised land, the word of God tells us even now: Fear the Lord now, and serve him in righteousness and uprightness." (Joshua 24:14). (Origen, Exhortation to Martyrdom, 17).

As for the author of the book of Joshua, Bl. Theodoret discusses him in the following way: "Since in the narration of the book (10:13) after the words: 'And the sun and the moon stood still, until God avenged their enemy,' it is added: 'Is not this written in the books of the righteous?' it is revealed that the book was not written by Joshua himself, but by someone else who lived later" (Theodorite, Commentary on the Book of Joshua, Question 14). And the synopsis of Athanasius, beginning with the book of Joshua, says: "From the book of Joshua even to the book of Ezra, not all of them are written, but their inscription is and they are remembered; and it is narrated, as it was written from the prophets, who at some time were." But in the book of the Son of Sirach we read the following about Joshua himself: Joshua was strong in battle, and the successor of Moses was in prophecy, i.e. in the scripture of the holy books (Sirach 46:1). And the majority of the Church Fathers attribute the writing of the book to Joshua himself (e.g., Jerome, Epistle to Paulinus, On the Study of the Holy Scriptures). "To a later writer, the legend could not provide so many details of persons and places as are found here. Moreover, the description of the division of lands found here, in order to prevent dangerous disputes, must necessarily be made by Joshua himself." The addition about the death of Joshua and his burial was made by the same hand of the collector of holy books as the addition about the death of Moses in the books of the law.

16. "The seventh book of Judges is so called because, after the death of Joshua, God saved the people oppressed by the Canaanites through the judges, and this book contains the actions of each of these judges and the time of their lives. The judges of Israel were as follows: the first was Othniel. He killed Hushar-shathoem, the king of Mesopotamia, who had oppressed the people for 40 years. After Othniel, Ehud was two-handed; he killed Eglom, king of Moab, who oppressed the people for 18 years, and he himself judged Israel for 80 years. After him, Samgar, the son of Dinach, who smote 600 foreigners with an oxen sword, judged the people for one year. After this, Barak the son of Abinech; he fought against Jabinus and Sisera, who oppressed Israel for 20 years, and judged Israel for 40 years. After him Gideon, who is also Jerubbaal; he smote the people of Midian, Oreb, Zeeb, and Zebah, and Zalmun, their rulers, and overthrew the tower of Phanuel, and his rulers, who had oppressed Israel for 7 years, and slew them with thorns. He judged Israel for 40 years. After him, Abimelech, the son of Gideon, who was a fire of thorns and for his own, ruled for three years. After him, Fola, who ruled for 23 years. After this, Jairus of Gilead; ruled for 22 years. After this, Jephthah of Gilead, the conqueror of the Ammonites and the Philistines, who had oppressed Israel for 18 years. In the battle he made a vow: to sacrifice whoever first went out to meet him after the victory. And the father sacrificed his daughter, who had gone out to meet him, allowing her to mourn her virginity for two months in solitude. The people judged for 6 years. After him Heshbon of Bethlehem; He tried for 7 years. After this, Elon the Zebulonite was sentenced to 10 years. After this, Abdon the Farathanite was 8 years old. After this Sampsonot of the tribe of Dan. The Philistines, who had been oppressing Israel for 40 years, he struck the jawbone with an ass, another time with a rod, then with foxes, and finally with the destruction of the temple; he judged Israel for 20 years. All the judges were 13 in number; but their time is 411 years" (Synopsis of Athanasius). With this content, the book of Judges, in the words of Bl. Theodoret, gives the following lessons for edification: 1) she teaches that the Lord God, out of His fatherly love, at a time when the people of Israel transgressed the law, handed it over to the foreigners, using them as it were instead of a rod and a whip, and then, after their repentance, vouchsafed them every kind of care; in this way, the people, in every attack of the enemy, by experience ascertained God's care for them" (Theodoret, Commentary on the Book of Judges, Questions 8 and 12). 2) The Book of Judges teaches "how harmful is the lack of rule, and how useful pious rulers are to the people" (Theodorite, Question 7). 3) "In rebuke of the men of that time, among whom it is difficult to find a worthy one, the book of Judges teaches how Deborah received the gift of prophecy" (Theodorite, Question 12).

When and by whom was the book of Judges written? According to Bl. According to St. Theodoret, "the book of Judges was written after the time it depicts, because it mentions the name Jerusalem, and the city received this name later, instead of the ancient name Jebus" (Commentary on the Book of Judges, Question 2). On the basis of Judg. 18:31; 1:21; In Acts 17:6, the exact time of writing the book of Judges can be placed between the capture of the ark or the king's decree and David's conquest of Jerusalem. The writer of the book, according to the Old Testament legend, was Samuel the prophet.