Part 1 (1/2)

Studies in Old Testament History

by Jesse L Hurlbut

PREFACE

THE New Testarowth and developospels or the epistles which is not in its essence contained in the elder Scripture; though to make it manifest required the incarnation of God's Son and the descent of the Holy Spirit

Therefore, to understand the New Testament it is necessary to study the Old Testament We cannot appreciate Matthew's point of view of Christ as the Messiah until we have looked upon the throne of David, and Soloy of Paul is blind until read in the light of Moses and Isaiah; and Hebreill obtain a newwhen placed side by side with Leviticus Every chapter in the New Testaes in the Old Testament

When we open the Old Testament we find it, first of all, a book of history We are apt to look upon the Bible as a dictionary of doctrine, wherein we are to search for sentences as proof-texts But instead it contains the story of redemption in the form of a history We see how God chose a farow into a nation; then, how he trained and disciplined that nation through fifteen centuries, until upon it blossomed the Divine Man The history of the Bible is the history of huion, of doctrine; and no one who studies it carefully will fail of an abundant reward for his endeavor

In most works upon Bible history the purpose of the author seeical order a series of events without ard to their importance or their relations to each other The successive reigns of kings, the chronicles of courts, the reports of battles form the contents of most histories, whether sacred or secular

Works like these have their value in the state ed do not constitute a history, any ed constitute a literature True history records processes, the relation of cause and effect, the formative influences and their result in national life The true history of England shows not annals of kings and achievehty people The true history of Greece gives the secret springs of that intense activity which in two centuries called forth reat men in more departments of life than all the rest of the world could produce in a thousand years The true history of Israel--which is the history of the Old Testarew up to a destiny lorious than that of the proudest eion to mankind

The aim of this little book is to present the outlines of that remarkable history of the chosen people What their mission was, how they were trained for it, and how the world was prepared to receive it together constitute the three threads woven together in this work It is a book of outlines to be studied, not of chapters to be read The reader will doubtless find the paragraphs somewhat disconnected, but we trust that the student ht

In the preparation of this book many works have been read and exaue of them I would name, however, a very few books which will be of service to the student, and will be almost a necessity for the teacher who expects to use these outlines in the class, for one secret of successful teaching is for the teacher to have at his coreater than that contained in the text-book For this purpose the folloorks are named, none of which are too abstruse or difficult for the average reader:

1 _Outline of Bible History_ Bishop J F Hurst A s merely the facts of the subject

2 _Old Testaer work and valuable, but ending with the Old Testament canon An additional chapter on the interval between Old and New Testareatly improve the book

3 _Lectures on the History of the Jewish Church_ Dean A P Stanley

Three large volumes, in a brilliant but diffuse style, advanced to the knowledge of twenty years ago; not altogether sound in its critical point of view, yet to be read by all ould understand the subject

4 _Hours with the Bible_ Cunningha Bible history in all of its aspects, particularly in its relations with secular history Perhaps this is the best work on the subject for the reader who is not a specialist But it is prolix, and could be coe

There is need, in ood semi-popular Bible history, in one voluht, and to ee from the study of the Scriptures and the e upon the student that the best book for the study of Bible history is the Bible itself The historical books should be read with great care, even to their details of genealogical tables

The in of races is the tenth chapter of Genesis; and a catalogue of naive a clew to the chronology of the sojourn in Egypt

The prophetical books will aid the student, and the Psalms will irradiate certain dark periods Whoever undertakes to use these outlines should exaestion upon the subject

This book is commended to Bible students, to Sunday-school normal classes, and to all who love the word, with a hope that itattention to the Old Testah the Old to enter into a better spiritual understanding of the New

JESSE L HURLBUT

HINTS TO STUDENTS

Those who desire merely to _read_ this book or to look it over will not find it interesting Those who already kno to study will not need these hints, and can use the book in their oay But there are many who desire to study these subjects carefully, and yet do not know precisely how to do the work For these students, earnest but untrained, the hints are given