reign and that of Solomon, who succeeded him, literature and art were developed to a high degree. Solomon maintained a court characterized by Oriental splendor. Upon his death, B. C. 975, ten tribes revolted. and the kingdom was divided into two rival sections. The northern section, including the ten tribes, chose Samaria as its capital and was known as the kingdom of Israel. The two tribes of Judah and Benjamin retained Jerusalem as their capital. The northern kingdom maintained its political existence for two hundred and fifty years. It was characterized by internal dissensions and the development of considerable political corruption. Occasionally there appeared a king who strove to restore the earlier conditions, but for the most part the rulers were not men of much moral purpose or strength of character. The prophets Elijah and Elisha went about as preachers of righteousness in the northern kingdom, and Amos and Hosea have left their prophetic messages in book form. Israel was captured by Sargon, King of Nineveh, about B. C. 721, and the ten tribes seem to have become quite lost to history. There is at present, however, a religious organization which claims to be the descendants of these lost tribes, and which still maintains a form of worship which is supposed to go back to these times. The kingdom of Judah lasted until B. C. 588, or about one hundred and thirty years longer than the northern kingdom. This kingdom was a little more fortunate in the character of its rulers, although there were many who were most corrupt. Isaiah and Micah were prominent among the prophets of Judah. Under King Zedekiah the kingdom was subdued and the people carried as captives to Babylon. When Babylon was overcome by Cyrus, king of Persia, the Jews were permitted to return to Jerusalem and restored the temple. This privilege of maintaining their own religious rites at their old capital was con tinued until about A. D. 70, when the city was laid waste by the Romans and a vast number of its inhabitants slain. During the time of Christ and his early disciples Judah was a province of the Roman empire. The patriotic spirit blazed out at intervals during their subjection and reached its height under the Maccabees, about two centuries before Christ. The constant fear of outbreaks in this province had doubtless much to do with the attitude of the Roman authorities toward the message of Jesus and his disciples. CHAPTER III THE OLD TESTAMENT NARRATIVES FOR Convenience the books of the Bible may be classi fied as follows: The Narratives THE OLD TESTAMENT Genesis Exodus Leviticus Numbers Deuteronomy Joshua Judges Samuel Kings Chronicles Ezra Nehemiah The Major Classics Job Psalms Proverbs The Minor Classics Ruth Esther Ecclesiastes The Song of Solomon Lamentations The Major Prophets Isaiah Jeremiah Ezekiel Daniel* The book of Daniel is apocalyptic as well as prophetic. The Apocalypse* Unless it has been shown by proper tests that the students are reasonably familiar with the narratives here listed, a daily assignment should be made covering the topics in the various books. In connection with this study the special passages tabulated in Chap ter 2 should be used. GENESIS 1. The creation story with sequence of days. 2. The second creation story. 3. The temptation and fall. 4. The murder of Abel. 5. The Flood. 6. The building of Babel. 7. Disagreement of Abraham and Lot. 8. Destruction of Sodom and Gomorrahı. 9. The casting out of Hagar and Ishmael. 10. Abraham's temptation to sacrifice Isaac. 11. Isaac's courtship of Rebekah. 12. The selling of Esau's birthright. 13. The blessing of Jacob through deception. 4 6-9 11 13 19 21 22 24 25 27 14. Jacob's courtship of Rachel. 29 15. Jacob's trickery with Laban. 30 16. Jacob's wrestling with the angel. 17. Joseph's dreams and sale into Egypt. 18. Joseph's advances in Egypt; his imprisonment. 39 19. Joseph's interpretation of dreams and restora 37 tion to court favor. 40-41 20. Jacob's sons sent into Egypt to buy bread; the meeting with Joseph. 42 21. Further relations between Joseph and his father and brothers. 43-45 22. The coming of Jacob's family into Egypt; the death of Jacob. 46-50 This would be the New Testament Apocalypse. |