HISTORY. Under this term we here intend to give, not a narrative of the leading events de tailed in the Bible, but such general remarks on the Biblical history as may enable the reader to esti mate the comparative value, and apply for informa tion to the proper sources, of historical knowledge, as presented in or deduced from the sacred records.
The matter contained in the Biblical history is of a most extensive nature. In its greatest length and fullest meaning it comes down from the crea tion of the world till near the close of the 1st cen tury of the Christian era, thus covering a space of some 4o0o years. The books presenting this long train of historical details are most diverse in age, in kind, in execution, and in worth ; nor seldom is it the fact that the modern historian has to con struct his narrative as much out of the implications of a letter, the highly coloured materials of poetry, the far-reaching visions of prophecy, and the indi rect and allusive information of didactic and moral precepts, as from the immediate and express state ments of history strictly so denominated. The history of Herodotus, einbracing as it does most of the world known at this time, and passing, under the leading of a certain thread of events, frotn land to land—this history, with its nalve, graphic, gossip, and traveller-like narratives, interweaving in a succession of fine old tapcstries many of the great events and moving scenes which had, up to his time, taken place on the theatre of the world, pre sents to the intelligent reader a continuation of varied gratifications. But even the hiscory of Herodotus must yield to that contained or implied. in the Bible, not merely in extent of compass, but also in variety, in interest, and beyond all compari son, in grandeur, importance, and moral and spiri tual sig,nificance. The children of the faithful Abraham seetn to have had one great work of Pro vidence intrusted to them, namely, the develop ment, transmission, and infusion into the world of the religious element of civilization. Their history, accordingly, is the history of the rise, progress, and diffusion of true religion, considered in its source and its developments. Such a history must pos sess large and peculiar interest for every student of human nature, and pre-eminently for those who love to study the unfoldings of Providence, and desire to learn that greatest of all arts—the art of living at once for time and for eternity.
The Jewish history contained in the Bible em braces more and less than the history of the Israel ites ;—more, since it begins with the beginning of thc earth and narrates with extraordinary brevity events which marked the period terminated by the flood, going on till it introduces us to Abraham, the primogenitor of the lIebrew race ; less, since, even with the assistance of the poetical books, its narratives do not come down to a later date than some 600 years before the birth of Christ. The historical materials furnished relating to the Hebrew nation may be divided into three great divisions : 1. The books which are consecrated to the antiquity of the Hebrew nation—the period that elapsed before the era of the judges. These works are the Pentateuch and the book of Joshua, which, according to Ewald (Ceschichte des Volkes Israel, i. 72), properly constitute only one work, and which may be termed the great book of origi nal documents. 2. The books whicb describe the times of the judges and the kings up to the first destruction of Jerusalem ; that is, Judges, Kings, and Samuel, to which belongs the book of Ruth : all these,' says Ewald, constitute also, according to their last formation, but one work, which may be called the Great Book of Kings.' 3. The third class comprises the books included ttnder the head of Hagiographa, which are of a much later origin, Chronicles, with Ezra and Nehemiah, forming the great book of general history reaching to the Gre cian period. After these books came those which are classed together under the name of Apocrypha, whose use in this country we think unduly ne glected. Then the circle of evangelical records begins, which closed within the century that saw it open. Other books found in the O. and N. T., which are not properly of a historical charactei, connect themselves with one or other of these periods, and give important aid to students of sacred history.