Life-scenes from the Old Testament

In filling up those remote Bible scenes, and in his effort to make them vivid and life-like to the reader, the author has made use of the well-known laws in human feeling and conduct, by which we know that certain things being given, certain results will follow: but in doing this, and in letting his imagination have that exercise which the case required, he has felt also the danger in such use of this faculty and has endeavored to keep it within the proper bounds. Anything like making a romance out of Scripture incidents is to be entirely deprecated: and all attempts at sketching Bible scenes should be in most careful subservience to the revelations in the Word of God. Josephus has in this respect committed an error, by following the Latin historical authors in his day, and putting speeches into the mouths of persons introduced in his writings, which he had no authority for doing. The writer of the present book has carefully avoided everything of that nature, and he has, he believes, made all his work in entire reverence for the Scriptures themselves. He has also avoided the course of some excellent biblical scholars, who have shown an unwillingness fully to admit miraculous action when the effect might be produced by unusual operation of natural causes. The full actuality of miracles is everywhere acknowledged in this book, with an argument also that what we call natural laws are only a uniform mode of action by the Deity for men's good, and can as easily be departed from by Him when there is sufficient

cause.

With such a proper reverence for Scripture, picturing, both in Sunday-school and in the pulpit, may be made the vehicle of good results. In a notice of a former work of the author, by the "Sunday-School Teacher," of Chicago, it is remarked, "Picture teaching is always delightful, if at all well managed. It is the method for a Sunday-school teacher." To this may be

added, that there is often no method for impressing a truth from the pulpit, and for making it permanent, so effective as to attach it to some vividly-sketched Scriptural scene with which it is connected. The writer of this has listened to some of the best preachers of his day, and although the discourses have been powerful and convincing, they have often left no prominent idea, and nothing enduring except the general effect. In other cases, a sketched Bible scene has attached both itself and its connected truth, to the mind; and not only this, but the memory has taken continued pleasure in reverting to both.

It was the intention, when this book was commenced, to make it embrace all the most prominent incidents of the Old Testament, from Abraham to Daniel, both inclusive; but the author soon discovered that this would be impossible without such a degree of compression as would counteract the design. of the work; and indeed, he found the parts here introduced so extremely rich in facts and so full of the picturesque in incident, that his pen, unconsciously to himself, lingered among them till he was at last able to go only half-way toward the accomplishment of his original purpose. The striking parallelism between the peculiar Scripture incidents and the idiosyncrasies of the different Pharaohs reigning during the Israelite period in Egypt, illustrative of the latter, is deserving of yet further attention, and it is hoped that scholars will pursue the subject beyond what could be done in the limits of this book. The affirmative testimony from the monuments as it is here exhibited, drawn from the writings of the two great German Egyptologists, is the more valuable because those writers have the peculiar German views of Scripture incidents.

The author cannot withhold here the expression of his gratification at the success of a former work like the present entitled, "Life-scenes from the Four Gospels," and at the testimony of

its usefulness given by persons of all classes and from every part of the country. After a very careful preparation of the present work, he submitted it to the examination of his valued young friend, Mr. I. Newton Baker; and to the critical acumen of that gentleman the book is indebted for much of the accuracy and neatness in its present appearance.

UNITED STATES NAVAL ASYLUM,

PHILADELPHIA, July 8th, 1868.

GEORGE JONES.

In addition to the notice of authorities in the foot-notes, the following titles are given more in detail,-the Bible being always the chief authority: Bunsen: "Egypt's Place in Universal History," by Christian Karl Josias Bunsen, Chevalier, D. Ph. and D. C. L.

Lepsius: "Denkmaeler aus Egypten und Aethiopien," etc., 1842-1845, von
C. R. Lepsius, 13 vols., royal folio.

Lepsius: "Chronology of the Egyptians," by Dr. Richard Lepsius.
Kenrick: "Ancient Egypt," by John Kenrick, M. A.

Wilkinson: "Manners and Customs of the Ancient Egyptians," by Sir J.
Gardner Wilkinson, D. C. L., F. R. S.

Wilkinson: "Topography of Thebes and General view of Egypt," by Sir J. Gardner Wilkinson, D. C. L., F. R. S.

Layard: "Nineveh and its Remains," by H. A. Layard.

Robinson: "Biblical Researches in Palestine," Robinson and Smith.

Stanley: "Sinai and Palestine," by Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, M. A., Canon of Canterbury.

Stanley: "Lectures on the History of the Jewish Church," by Arthur Penrhyn Stanley, M. A., Canon of Canterbury.

Porter: "Five Years in Damascus," by Rev. J. L. Porter, A. M., F. L. S. Olin: "Travels in Egypt, Arabia, Petræa and the Holy Land," by Rev. Stephen Olin, D. D.

Loftus: "Travels and Researches in Chaldea and Susiana," by Wm. Kennet Loftus, F. G. S.

Burckhardt: "Travels in Syria and the Holy Land," by John Lewis Burckhardt, F. G. S.

ILLUSTRATIONS.

1.-TENT OF AN ARAB SHEIKH.................................................

PAGE

2.-MAP OF THE SUPPOSED "UR OF THE CHALDEES.".

3. REMAINS OF THE ANCIENT TEMPLE OF THE MOON-GODDESS HURKI,

117

AT MUGEYER.............

4.-EGYPTIAN MONEY, AS REPRESENTED ON THE MONUMENTS...............................

5.-HIEROGLYPHICS PTOLEMY'S NAME, ETC.........................................

6. ORIGINAL ALPHABETS; PHOENICIAN, AND HEBREW COIN LETTER, ETC 121