Samuel

Samuel
Detail from Saul and the Witch of Endor by Matthias Stom, c. 1635
Prophet, seer
Bornc.1070 BCE
Ramathaim-Zophim (traditional)
Diedc.1012 BCE
Ramah in Benjamin (traditional)
Venerated in
Feast

Samuel is a figure who, in the narratives of the Hebrew Bible, plays a key role in the transition from the biblical judges to the United Kingdom of Israel under Saul, and again in the monarchy's transition from Saul to David. He is venerated as a prophet in Judaism, Christianity, and Islam. In addition to his role in the Bible, Samuel is mentioned in Jewish rabbinical literature, in the Christian New Testament, and in the second chapter of the Quran (although the text does not mention him by name). He is also treated in the fifth through seventh books of Antiquities of the Jews, written by the Jewish scholar Josephus in the first century. He is first called "the Seer" in 1 Samuel 9:9.