EDITOR'S NOTE

This volume, intended for the use of pupils in about the third year of the academy or high school, belongs to a series of textbooks for religious education extending from the kindergarten to the adult department. A list of these books will be found on a succeeding page.

The student has already pursued the consecutive study of the lives of the Old Testament heroes and of Jesus and Paul. He is now ready to turn to the study of the development of the religious life and thought of the Hebrew people through their great men. In taking up the present book the pupil should not therefore feel that because he has already made a study of portions of the Old Testament, he is now duplicating the work of earlier years. While a few of the characters whose lives are treated in this volume have become known to him in his previous study, the whole subject is here presented from a different point of view and with greatly multiplied selections for reading. There is, therefore, no danger of lack of fresh interest in the subject. The student is urged to attack the study of this volume with the same earnestness and to apply to it the same interesting methods which he has found successful in his study of other history and literature.

It is believed that many older people will find in this book a helpful medium of study, since in small compass, without reference to other volumes, it gives through selected literature a rapid survey of the growth of the religion of the Hebrews such as cannot easily be obtained elsewhere.

Both editor and author desire to acknowledge the invaluable assistance of Professor John M. P. Smith, in the criticism of the work from the point of view of modern historical scholarship. Only on a basis of thorough scholarship can the work of religious education be effectually done for pupils who in other fields of study are taught to search for facts and to accept the results of investigation.

The editor and the author count themselves, therefore, peculiarly fortunate in having secured the benefit of Dr. Smith's scholarly judgment.

For permission to use translations from the American Standard Revised Version of the Bible, thanks are due the publishers, Messrs. Thomas Nelson & Sons. In many cases, however, the translation has been further revised with a view to making the selection more clear and comprehensible to students of immature years.

April, 1911

FOREWORD TO THE STUDENT

Many years ago the author of this volume, then about sixteen years of age, came into touch with a great teacher. Up to that period the books bearing the names of the Hebrew prophets were to her both unexplored and unintelligible. In a few brief class periods at a summer school, through the wonderful presentations of this teacher, the Hebrew prophets became living men with living messages to the world. Since that time, no year has passed in which these men have not become more real, and their influence on human life more clearly seen and appreciated. It is in the hope that this experience may, in some measure, come to the boys and girls who study these pages, that this book has been prepared.

In entering upon the study of the chapters contained in this book, the reader will meet a task which, while containing many possibilities for literary enjoyment, will need the same painstaking care which he devotes to the study of Greek, Roman, or other ancient history and literature. It has been too long the custom to relegate the study of the history and literature of the Hebrews to a half-hour on Sunday in connection with the Sunday school. Such an expenditure of time is better than giving no attention to the subject, but it is hoped that all who use this book will find it possible to devote a fair amount of time to the consideration of its pages, whether the work be performed on Sunday or a week-day, in a school for religious instruction alone, or in connection with the general education of the day school. We have only to remind ourselves of the far-reaching influence of the literature of the Hebrews upon the civic, social, and religious life of the world to convince ourselves of its importance as a subject of study.

We must bear in mind that in the collection of literature from which selections are presented in this volume there are many ideas as well as frequent words and phrases which can be understood only in the light of the history out of which the literature arose.

An effort has been made, therefore, to give a sufficient historical setting to each selection. Because of the limitations of space required in a practical textbook it has been impossible to make this historical setting as complete as might be desired. This is especially true in the latter part of the book. The period of Israel's history following the restoration of Jerusalem was replete with interesting historical events. The influence and activity of the prophets in this period, however, was less than in the earlier history of the nation, and for this reason, as well as because of limitations of space, it has been necessary to omit, to a very large degree, the history of the later period. That the religious life of the people in these years was steadily growing will be seen by the study of the small number of selections from the literature which are incorporated.

Many students will desire to read more fully concerning the history of the Hebrews, especially in its relation to the work of the prophets. For such study we recommend constant reference to such a dictionary as Hastings' one-volume Dictionary of the Bible1 or the Standard Bible Dictionary2 which present brief articles of value on practically every subject which will occur to the mind of the reader. A very practical and complete one-volume history of the Hebrews is Wade's Old Testament History.3 A most attractive volume, giving a chapter to each of the Hebrew prophets, is Cornill's The Prophets of Israel. A general book on the Old Testament prophet is Batten's The Hebrew Prophet.5 Excellent commentaries on the prophets are found in the series, The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges, The Bible for Home and School, and The Century Bible.8

Only by constant use of the numerous maps, which have been most carefully prepared with reference to the history which they illustrate, and by frequent review of the summaries of historical events, appearing for the early period in chap. viii, and for the later period in two historical tables on pp. 101 and 169, can the history be kept clearly in mind. These maps and tables may also profitably

I Charles Scribner's Sons, $5.00.

2 Funk & Wagnalls, $6.00.

3 E. P. Dutton & Co., $1.00.

4 Open Court Publishing Co., $1.00.

5 Macmillan, $1.50.

"G. P. Putnam's Sons.

7 Macmillan.

8 T. C. & E. C. Jack, Edinburgh.