- - Kindness to Meribbaal - David's Census and its Conse- quences - David's Wars of Conquest― David and Bath- sheba Absalom Revenges Tamar The Pardon of Absalom - Absalom's Rebellion - David's Return- The Removal of Solomon's Opponents - Solomon's Wis- dom-Prosperity of the Kingdom - The Building of the Temple The Temple Furnishings - Dedication of the Temple-Solomon's Palace - Solomon's Resources and X. NORTHERN ISRAEL TO THE FALL OF SAMARIA Revolt of the Northern Tribes - Jeroboam's Religious In- novations - The Prophecy against the Altar of Beth-el- - sha Ahab and Naboth - Deliverance of Samaria - Abijam Asa Jehoshaphat- Joram Ahaziah-Athaliah's Usurpation - Joash Repairs the Temple - The Decline of Joash - Amaziah — Uzziah — The Call of Isaiah Jotham Ahaz-Hezekiah's Re- forms - Hezekiah's Sickness - Embassy of Merodach- baladan-Sennacherib's Invasion of Judah - Manasseh -Amon-Josiah and the Discovery of the Law-Book -The Great Reformation Josiah's Death- Jehoahaz -Jeremiah's Preaching and Trial - The Writing of Jeremiah's Prophecies- The Reign of Jehoiakim Jehoiachin and the First Captivity of Judah-Zedekiah's Judah under Gedaliah The Migration to Egypt- The Decree of Cyrus- The Refounding of the Temple - The Building Recommenced-Completion of the Temple Nehemiah's Patriotic Resolve - The Rebuilding of the Wall - Nehemiah's Social Reforms - Unsuccessful Plots against the Work - Dedication of the Walls - Nehe- miah's Religious Reforms-The Mission of Ezra - The Daniel's Abstinence - Nebuchadnezzar's Dream - The Im- The Beginnings of Greek Rule- Persecution by Antiochus IV-The Uprising of Mattathias - The Fortunes of the Fugitive Jews — Judas's Defeat of Apollonius and Seron - Defeat of the Syrian Generals The Great Victory over Lysias - The Restoration of the Temple Service. BABYLONIAN CYLINDER-SEAL IMPRESSION, SUGGESTING THE Adapted from Perrot and Chipiez: Histoire de l'art dans 2 5 14 EARLY EGYPTIAN REPRESENTATION OF A SEMITIC CAPTIVE From Spiegelberg: Der Aufenthalt Israels in Ägypten From Rosellini: Monumenti dell'Egitto e della Nubia. AMORITES (RELIEF ON A PYLON OF THE RAMESSEUM) From Maspero: Histoire ancienne des peuples de l'orient clas- CANAANITE WOMAN FROM ASHKELON From Benzinger: Hebräische Archäologie TERRA-COTTA FIGURE OF ASHTART From Perrot and Chipiez: op. cit., vol. iii CYLINDER-SEAL IMPRESSION, SHOWING ASHERAH AND SACRED TREE From Ohnefalsch-Richter: Kypros (plate xxx) EGYPTIAN RELIEF-HEAD OF A PHILISTINE WARRIOR. PILLAR-STONES AT TAANACH After Sellin: Tell Ta'annek LONGITUDINAL SECTION OF SOLOMON'S TEMPLE. After Stade AMBASSADORS FROM JEHU TO SHALMANESER II THE GOD AMON BRINGING CAPTIVE CITIES TO SHISHAK SCULPTURED BOUNDARY-STONE OF MERODACH-BALADAN From Gressmann: Altorientalische Texte und Bilder, vol. ii Based on Layard: Monuments of Nineveh, 2d series (plate xlii) SILVER TETRADRACHM WITH HEAD OF ANTIOCHUS EPI PHANES. · CANDLESTICK FROM THE TEMPLE AS SHOWN ON THE ARCH OF TITUS INTRODUCTION 1. OLD TESTAMENT HISTORY THE Old Testament narrative is not only a rich literary source, from which all our serious prose and poetry draw ideas and expressive forms of speech: it is a history, recording the life of a people that has influenced the course of human affairs. A modern man, therefore, can hardly understand either his native literature or the society he lives in, without knowing something of the story of Israel. This importance of the little Hebrew people is due, not to its having any remarkable antiquity, nor to any commanding rôle that it played. Israel was both antedated and overshadowed by great civilized states in the valleys of the Nile and of the Euphrates, and between these her national life was finally crushed out. But before this could happen, her national religion had become dominated by ideals which made it one of the indestructible forces of the spirit. For reasons to be explained later (p. xxi), the growth of these ideals can be followed only imperfectly by an uncritical reading of the Old Testament books as they stand. A summary of Hebrew history is therefore required, to show, on the one hand, its general setting in the ancient world, on the other, the successive parts in it taken by the prophets. Excavation and study have in recent years brought to light some information about Palestine before the coming of the Hebrews. Its narrow strip of habitable land was important to Babylonia and Egypt, because through this ran great trade routes. between the Nile and the Euphrates. Babylonia was first to control the region, but by B. c. 1500 it had passed to Egypt, and under Thutmose III (d. 1447) was consolidated as part of his great empire. His successors, however, were unable to defend Palestine against the Aramean nomads that, about 1350, began pressing in from the desert, and taking its little city-kingdoms one by one. As part of this Aramean migration, though perhaps more than a century later, appeared the clans of Israel. The gradual and irregular advance of the Israelites into Canaan. |