Author Our next stop in our “Route 66” sermon series is the Old Testament book of 2 Samuel. As we learned last week, originally 1 and 2 Samuel were one book. Jewish sources ascribe the composition of 1 Samuel to Samuel himself. But since Samuel’s death is recorded in chapter 25, Samuel could not have been the author of 1 Samuel 25 and following. As I pointed out last week, according to most modern scholars, 1 Samuel is but one part of the Deuteronomistic History which consists of the books of Deuteronomy, Joshua, Judges, 1 and 2 Samuel, 1 and 2 Kings. The editor who put together this history probably drew together earlier written sources to compose the book of Samuel. Date If we follow the traditional view of authorship by Samuel, then the composition of the books of 1 and 2 Samuel may be dated to the time of Samuel’s life and the lives of Nathan and Gad who also, according to the traditional view, had a hand in this work. If this is true, then we might date this book to the