from the Judean versions. In general the variations are similar,
although somewhat greater than those between the parallel narratives of
Matthew and Luke.

[Sidenote: _Its characteristics_]

Marked peculiarities in vocabulary and literary style distinguish
this northern history from the Judean. Since _Elohim_ or _God_ is
consistently used to describe the Deity, it has sometimes been called
the _Elohistic_ history. Interest inclines to the sanctuaries and heroes
and events prominent in the life of the North. In that land which
produced a Samuel, an Elijah, an Elisha, and an Hosea, it was natural
that especial emphasis should be placed on the role of the prophet.
Throughout these narratives he is portrayed as the dominant figure,
moulding the history as God's representative. Abraham and Moses are here
conceived of as prophets, and the Ephraimite history of their age is
largely devoted to a portrayal of their prophetic activity.

[Sidenote: _Its scope_]

The interests of later editors who combined these early prophetic
histories, as we now find them in the Old Testament, were centred in the
Judean, and hence they have introduced citations from the Ephraimite
narratives chiefly to supplement the older history. Possibly it never
was as complete as that of the South. At present it begins with Abraham
and traces the parallel history of the patriarchs and the life of the
Hebrews in Egypt and the wilderness. Its account of the conquest, is
somewhat fuller, probably because Joshua was a northern leader. It also
preserves many of the stories of the heroes in the book of Judges. With
these the citations from the early Ephraimite prophetic history seem to