CORNELL UNIVERSITY LIBRARY DS 121.3^21""' """'^'^'*y '-i'lrary IHMmL&.te..,f<e'>rews: 3 1924 028 771 206 The original of tliis bool< is in tlie Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924028771206 HISTORY OF THE HEBREWS THEIR POLITICAL, SOCIAL AND RELIGIOUS DEVELOPMENT AND THEIR CONTRI- BUTION TO WORLD BETTERMENT BY FRANK KNIGHT SANDERS, Ph.D., D.D. PRESIDENT OF WASHBURN COLLEGE, TOPEKA, KANSAS WITH MAPS NEW YORK CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 1914 Copyright, 1914, by CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS To the Students and Faculty of WASHBURN COLLEGE for whom and with whom we have spent five happy years FOREWORD This volume seeks to make clear the important place of the Hebrew people in the history of nations and to justify the se- lection of their history, as set forth in the Old Testament, as an introduction to the larger subject. It seems deplorable that so many thoughtfid people of today, old and young alike, take Httle or no interest in the Bible or in the fascinating history which it records. The reason is largely to be found in the fact that they failed in their formative years to become acquainted with the Bible in its true values, its attractiveness and its practical power. There seems to be a place for a compact, comprehensive outline of Biblical history and literature, simple enough in its expression and execution to hold the attention of the growing mind, and yet complete enough to meet the reasonable needs of any mind. Hebrew history and literature is a theme of great importance to the one who would really know his Bible. It can be mastered rapidly. Too much time is given, as a rule, to details of relatively slight consequence to the exclusion of those which have far-reaching importance. This volumie aims to indicate a proper balance of attention. It also seeks to enable the student to get rapidly to the heart of the subject and to view it from all essential standpoints, that of universal history, that of the development of the Hebrews, and that of permanent and personal values. The supreme defect of the religious thiriking of the average man or woman of today is its narrowness. Every religiously-minded person needs to be familiar with the whole Bible and with the Bible as a whole. This knowledge need not be reserved for ministers or scholars. It may be the possession of any thoughtful student of religion. The writer has aimed to produce a useftil book. It does not profess to be a contribution to original scholarship. The only originality that is feasible in a work of this sort is that of method. The results of others in this field have been drawn upon with the utmost freedom. To make constant acknowl- edgment of obligation has not seemed necessary or practicable. The references given in Appendix II in connection with each vi FOREWORD numbered paragraph afford the clue to most of such special soiirces of information. Appreciative thanks are due to Professors Henry T. Fowler of Brown University, Charles Foster Kent of Yale University and Irving F. Wood of Smith College for their helpful counsel and willing co-operation; to Dr. H. B. Turner, Rev. Lawrence Fenninger and the devoted teachers at Hampton, whose friendly interest led to the under- taking of this task, and to the many 'colleagues and friends in North America, England and the Continent upon whose results in the field of Biblical • scholarship the writer has drawn so freely. The volvmie should enable a teacher to cover the whole range of Biblical histoiy and literature in a year of three weekly recitations. To make it at the same time a complete survey of Hebrew and Jewish life and thought a section has been added which outlines the history and the literature of the next five and one-half centuries until 1.35 A.D., the date of the absolute termination of the history of the Jewish people as a people. The two important problems of the educational world today are the preservation of the natural relationship between religion and education and the impartation of right ideals and ambitions. These will always require the teaching of history from the be- ginning in terms of religious experience and the teaching of religion with a full recognition of its historical development. That this volume may help to solve these problems is the sincere wish of the writer. F. K. S. CONTENTS INTRODUCTORY STUDIES ^ I. REASONS FOR THE STUDY OF THE HISTORY OF THe""* HEBREW PEOPLE 3 n. THE OLD TESTAMENT THE PRINCIPAL SOURCE- BOOK FOR THIS STUDY 4 III. THE VALUE OF ITS STUDY FOR THE STUDENT OF GENERAL HISTORY 6 IV. THE BOOKS OF THE BIBLE AND THEIR CLASSIFI- CATION 8 V. HOW THE BIBLE CAME INTO BEING ... 11 VI. THE ANCIENT BIBLICAL WORLD . .14 VII. THE CENTRAL PLACE OF PALESTINE ... 17 VIII. THE HEBREW PEOPLE 18 THE CHILDHOOD OF THE HEBREW PEOPLE I. THE BEGINNINGS OF HUMAN HISTORY (Gen. 1-11). 23 1. The True God Revealed by His Work of Creation (Gen. 1:1 to 2: 4a) . -.^^ . .25 2. The Story of Man's Creation (Gen. 2:4b-24) . 25 3. The Sin of Man and its Consequences (Gen. 3) . 26 4. The Great Flood and Humankind's Fresh Start (Gen. 6-8) 27 5. The Origin of Languages and Races (Gen. 10: 1 to 11:9) 28 6. The Peculiar Fitness of these Narratives to Serve as an Introduction to the Old Testament . 29 II. THE ANCESTORS OF THE HEBREW PEOPLE (Gen. 12-50) 31 1. Stories Regarding Abraham, the Pioneer, and Man OF Sturdy Faith (Gen. 11: 10 to 25: 10) . 32 (1) The Call of Abraham and His Response (Gen. 11 : 10 to 12: 9) 32 (2) Abraham's Generosity to Lot (Gen. 12: 10; 13: 1-18) 34 (3) The Strengthening of Abraham's Faith in God's Justice (Gen. 18: 1-33; 19: 1-14, 24-28) . 35 (4) How Abraham Successfully Met God's Severest Test (Gen. 21: 1-6; 22: 1-19) . .36 2. Stories Regarding Jacob, the Clever and Crafty, WHO Developed into Israel, the Consecrated (Gen. 24; 25: 19 to 35: 29) 37 (1) The Sons of Isaac and Rebekah (Gen. 24; 25: 20-34) 38 (2) Jacob's Unscrupulous Ambition and its Outcome (Gen. 27: 1-45) 39 (3) Jacob, the Fugitive (Gen. 28: 10 to 29: 35) . 40 (4) Jacob's Return to Canaan (Gen. 31-35) . 41 3. Stories of Joseph, the Upright, Statesmanlike Pre- server OF His People (Gen. 37-50) .43 ; via CONTENTS (1) Joseph Sold by his Brethren into Egypt (Gen. 37) . 43 (2) Joseph Made Governor of Egypt (Gen. 39: 1-41 : 57) 44 (3) Joseph's Generous Forgiveness of his Brethren and Welcome to his Famine-stricken Kindred (Gen. 42:1 to 45: 26) . _ . .45 (4) The Last Days of Jacob and of Joseph in Egypt (Gen. 45: 27 to 47: 12; 47: 27 to 48: 22; 49: 28 to 50:26) . .43 4. The Ancestral History of the Hebrews: a Review OF Genesis . .48 III. THE SOJOURN OF THE HEBREWS IN EGYPT AND THEIR TRIUMPHANT DELIVERANCE THROUGH MOSES (Exod. 1: 1 to 15:21) 49 1. The Hebrews in Egypt (Exod. 1) . .49 2. The Preparation of Moses for Leadership (Exod. 2-4) 52 3. The Departure of the People from Egypt (Exod. 5:1 to 12: 39) 54 4. The Great Deliverance at the Red Sea (Exod. 13: 17 to 15:21) 57 IV. THE LIFE IN 1 HE WILDERNEvSS, FROM THE.MAKING OF A COVENANT WITH JEHOVAH AT SINAI TO THE DEATH OF MOSES (Exodus to Deuteronomy) . 59 1. The March through the Desert to Sinai-Horeb (Exod. 15:22 to 17: 16; 19: 1, 2) ..... 60 2. The Year at the Sacred Mountain (Exod. 18; 19:2-25; 20; 24; 32-34) 61 3. The Training of the Wilderness (Num. 10: 11 to 14: 45; 20 to 25) 65 4. The Last Days of Moses (Num. 27:12-23; Deut. 31, 32, 34) 67 5. The New Israel 68 THE ADOLESCENT OR GROWING AGE OF ISRAEL'S DEVELOPMENT From the Crossing of the Jordan to the Disruption of the Newly Organized Kingdom V. THE CONQUEST AND SETTLEMENT OF CANAAN (Joshua, Judges, Ruth, First Samuel 1-3) .... 74 1. TheSpeedyConquestofCanaan (Joshual-12; Judgesl) 78 2. The Migration of the Danites to the North (Judges 17, 18; Joshua 19:40-48; Judges 1:34-36) . 82 3. The Victory Over the Canaanitish Coalition (Judges 4, 5 83 4. The Exploits of the Hebrew Heroes (Judges 3 : 7 to 16:31) 85 5. Glimpses of the Finer Life of those Rude Days (Ruth First Samuel 1-3) 86 6. The Israel of 1050 B.C 87 VI. THE GRADUAL ESTABLISHMENT OF THE HEBREW KINGDOM (First and Second Samuel; First Kings 1-11) . 88 CONTENTS 1. The Inauguration- of the Kingdom lntjer Svmuel (I Sam. 4-1-1) cjo (1) The Humiliation of the Hebrews by their Philistine Neighbors (I Sam. 4: to 7: 1 2; 13: 3-6, 16-23) . 90 (2) The Choice of Saul as King through Samuel, the Prophet (I Sam. 1 9: to 11: 15) . 92 (3) Saul's Splendid Deliverance of His People from their Foes (I Sam. 13, 14) 93 2. The Deterioration of Sacl ant) the Gradual Prep- aration OF D.AViD for Leadership (I Sam. 15-31; II 1 : : . Sam. 1 to 5 5) .