Elijah and Elisha rose certainly above the level of
their order; but the first, whose hands remained pure, while he no
doubt produced a great impression at the time by his fearless words,
effected nothing against the king, and quite failed to draw the
people over to his side: while Elisha, who did effect something,
made use of means which could not bear the light, and which attest
rather the weakness than the strength of prophecy in Israel.
VII.III.4. Let us conclude by summing up the results to which we
have been led by our eclectic pilgrimage through the historical
books. What in the common view appears to be the specific character
of Israelite history, and has chiefly led to its being called sacred
history, rests for the most part on a later re-painting of the
original picture. The discolouring influences begin early. I do
not reckon among these the entrance of mythical elements, such as
are not wanting even in the first beginnings to which we can trace
the course of the tradition, nor the inevitable local colour,
which is quite a different thing from tendency. I think only of
that uniform stamp impressed on the tradition by men who regarded
history exclusively from the point of view of their own
principles.
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