2SO 



Till: STANDARD DICTIONARY OF FACTS 



Scriptures. The composition of the books of 

 the Ol nt Scriptures extends from tlu> 



time of David to the Mao period of at 



least 900 years. Before this, like all ancient 

 peoples, the Hebrews by oral tradition handed 

 doun their sagas, songs, fragments of -history, 

 inscriptions, laws, and priestly registers. 



The prevalent idea of Hebrew literature is 

 Monotheism, and a belief in themselves as the 

 one peculiar people, chosen of Clod, hence their 

 passionate enthusiasm for independence and 

 the preservation of their nationality. While 

 other nations were creating their divinities 

 marred by human passions, and were painting 

 in the glowing colors of their poetry, as 

 engaged in wars and feasting, sensuous love or 

 hate, revenge or revelry, the Hebrew poets 

 pictured their God in the most sublime language, 

 simple, just, severe. "God is a Spirit, and they 

 that worship Him must worship Him in spirit 

 and in truth." Love and wisdom are His at- 

 tributes; power and majesty are His, and yet 

 paternal care and wisdom. In this contempla- 

 tion of Jehovah the Hebrews reached the very 

 source of enthusiasm, which caused their poets 

 so fervently to utter the denunciations and 

 promises of the Eternal in a tone suited to the 

 inspired of God. Under whatever form they 

 wrote, law, prophecy, history, lyric poetry, 

 philosophy, or speculation, God and His provi- 

 dences are their special theme. 



The simplest division of the literature of the 

 Hebrews is into the four following periods: 



The first period, extends from remote an- 

 tiquity to the time of David. It includes all 

 the records of patriarchal civilization trans- 

 mitted by tradition previous to the age of Moses, 

 and contained in the Pentateuch, with the book 

 of Joshua added. The earliest literature be- 

 longing to this period seems to have been lyrics 

 and laws circulated from mouth to mouth with- 

 out the aid of written copies, and thus handed 

 down as oral tradition from generation to genera- 

 tion. As early as the reign of David a scribe 

 was attached to the royal court, and from that 

 time on we have written records. 



The second period extends from the time of 

 David to the death of Solomon. To this period 

 we refer the Psalms of David, the Songs of Solo- 

 mon, the Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Joshua, Judges, 

 Samuel, Kings, and Chronicles. 



The third period extends from the death of 

 Solomon to the return from the Babylonish 

 captivity, and to this age belong the writings 

 of the prophets of the captivity and the book 

 of Esther. 



The fourth period extends from the return 

 from the Babylonian captivity to the present 

 time. To this time belong the writings of the 

 New Testament, the writings of Josephus, of 

 Philo of Alexandria, and the rabbinical literature. 



The epoch of the captivity marks the beginning 

 of Jewish literature properly so called as distinct 

 from the earlier Hebrew. It is founded on the 

 earlier and more creative Hebrew. It retains 

 the fundamental religious thought, but both 

 language and imagination are modified by con- 

 tact with Persian, Greek, and Roman civiliza- 

 tion, and by the forms of Arabic poetry and 

 scientific study as introduced from Europe. 



Since the return from exile. Jewish literature 

 has contributed richly toward the cultivation 

 of the human mind, and in the writings of the 

 .lrw>. known as rabbinical literature, lie con- 

 cealed the richest treasures of centuries. 



The most important of this later literature is 

 the Talmud. The* word Talmud signifies learn- 

 ing and the work itself is a vast storehouse of 

 learning and of speculation. It treats of every 

 conceivable subject and depicts incidents in the 

 life of the people, not only of the Jews, but of 

 other nations as well. There are separate works 

 on civil and criminal law, religious philosophy. 

 psychology, education, mathematics, medicine, 

 magic, gardening, music, astrology, zoology, 

 geography, etc. It is enlivened by parables, 

 jests, fairy tales, ethical sayings, and proverbs. 

 It is a great wilderness of themes in the midst 

 of which are precious treasures. 



The Talmud is divided into two great divisions, 

 which are kept distinct, (1) the laws and regu- 

 lations designated as Mishna, and (2) the dis- 

 cussion of the laws designated as Gemara. The 

 language of the Mishna is Hebrew; that of the 

 Gemara, which is of later composition, is Ara- 

 maic. The Aramaic, both in Palestine and 

 Babylonia, drove out the Hebrew as the popular 

 speech. 



A remarkable correspondence exists between 

 parts of the Talmud -and the gospel writings. 

 The authority of the Talmud was long considered 

 second only to the Bible. 



It was not until the second century A: D. that 

 the writings contained in the Talmud were 

 systematized into a code. In the Fifth Century, 

 A. D., the Babylonian rabbis composed new 

 commentaries known as the Babylonian Talmud. 



Sayings taken from the Talmud : 



"Even when the gates of heaven are shut to 

 prayer they are open to tears." 



"Turn the Bible and turn it again for every- 

 thing is in it." 



"Teach thy tongue to say, 'I do not know.'" 



"Thy friend has a friend, and thy friend's 

 friend has a friend: be discreet." 



"The soldiers fight, and the kings are heroes." 



During the middle ages rabbinical learning 

 flourished. Schools were established in Spain, 

 Portugal, France, Italy, . Germany, to which 

 flocked the scholars of the world. In the Six- 

 teenth Century there was a great revival of in- 

 terest in the study of Hebrew language and 

 literature, and again in the Nineteenth Century. 

 At the present time there are several schools 

 for the study of rabbinical literature. Among 

 the most celebrated of these schools are the 

 seminaries at Padua, Berlin, and Metz. 



BOOKS OF THE BIBLE ANALYZED 



BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT 



PENTATEUCH 



Genesis. Account of creation, early history of the 

 human race, and story of the patriarchs. 



Exodus. Account of the exodus and the giving of 

 the moral law by Moses. 



Leviticus. Development of the nation and insti- 

 tution of priestly law. 



Numbers. Further development and institution of 

 social and political law. 



Deuteronomy. Recapitulation of history and law. 



HISTORIC BOOKS 



Joshua. Conquest of Canaan, and separation of 

 the tribes. 



