This work is a Class-Book of the Old and the New Testaments treated as consecutive history. It includes the Jewish history of the centuries between the close of the Old Testament and the beginning of the New.

It presents those important elements of Biblical history which distinguish it from all other histories and which illustrate the plan and the purpose of the Bible as one Book. Whatever modern scholarship has accomplished to aid in the understanding of the original languages of Scripture in important points has been made use of, and whatever monumental or topographic discoveries would contribute to a better understanding of the geography or archÆology of the text-statements have been introduced where the history required it.

The history of the centuries between the close of the Old Testament canon and the beginning of the Christian era includes that of its Jewish literature. This history greatly helps us to appreciate that singular tenacity with which the earliest Christian church held to the Mosaic ritual.

In the treatment of this history we have allowed no space for mere opinions or speculations. The work is purely historical, and its text is illustrated only by that which is pertinent and well authenticated, in either geographic or archÆological discovery.

The entire subject matter is divided into Periods and chapters and subdivided into sections and paragraphs, the latter presented in such a form as generally to suggest to the teacher the question and to the reader the topic of the paragraph.