CRITICISM AND INTERPRETATION 203
in it some of the same types of rhythm (yet with
a difference) that occur in books or passages of
the Old Testament generally recognised to be
poetry, and also some types or rather some
combinations of types of rhythm that are not
found there, but are yet no less strictly rhythmical
than the rest.
Lowth's discovery that the prophetic writings
were in large part poems could not but have had,
and has actually had, a very considerable effect
on the criticism, in the broadest sense of that
term, of those writings, on our conceptions of
their inspiration, origin, composition, and inter-
pretation. Just as little, if they succeed in
establishing themselves, can Sievers' theories of
the rhythmical forms of. the books of Genesis and
Samuel, two books which he has subjected to an
exhaustive metrical analysis,l fail to affect the
criticism of these books and others of the same
general character. For this reason I propose to
give some account of Sievers' theory of the metres
of Genesis, to suggest certain objections, and to
indicate one possible result that follows. After
that I will return to the consideration of the
parallelistic poetry and consider the legitimacy
of certain theories of its rhythm. I refer more
particularly to Duhm's theories, which have
exercised very considerable influence not only
1 E. Sievers, " Metrische Studien," ii. " Die hebraische Genesis";
iii. " Samuel " (Abhandlungen... , xxiii.).