PREFACE. THE design of the following pages has been that of placing the Geography of Palestine in living relation to the Sacred Story. A large portion of the Bible is purely historical; the Psalms and the Prophetical books are intimately associated with history, but there can be no proper understanding of the history of any country without a knowledge of its geography. A great modern geographer has said, "The natural scenery of Palestine speaks with one voice in favour of the Bible; every word of the sacred narrative receives its best interpretation by being studied in connection with the place where it was recorded." Palestine is a land of marked physical peculiarities, which seem singularly well adapted to be the background to the remarkable and stirring events of which the land has been the scene. Its mountains, valleys, and plains, lakes and rivers, appear to bring us into close contact with its seers and prophets, priests and kings, and to give to each Scripture story a vivid distinctness and reality. Half the force of the Bible narratives is lost to us if we are without a good knowledge of the localities in which they occurred. It is very important, therefore, that the young should be well instructed in this matter, and there is no better plan than that of considering the history and geography together. In the attempts made to supply a book suitable for this purpose, free use has been made both of ancient and modern authorities, far too many to be enumerated here;. the effort of the writer has been to condense into an interesting narrative the labours and researches of those whose great works are, in a measure, closed volumes to the majority of young students. The story of Palestine is here told precisely in the same way as the history of any other country might be related; but of those who can run the race of succeeding sovereigns, from Egbert to Victoria, or from the accession of Clovis to the exile of Napoleon, how few there are who could distinctly enumerate the succession of the kings of Israel and Judah, pointing out the contemporary prophets who were conspicuous during their several reigns! This book is designed to further a better acquaintance with the Geography of the Land, and impart a more consecutive knowledge of the Chronology of its History. It furnishes a connected narrative of the progress of the chosen people-their Patriarchs, their sojourn in Egypt, their deliverance from that house of bondage; their but partial conquest of the Promised Land; their Judges, their Kings, their divided Kingdom, their Captivities; it supplies the connecting links between the days of Ezra and Herod; it tells the story of the fall of Jerusalem, and the dispersion of the Jews, and gives a brief outline of what they were subsequently called upon to endure. The story of Palestine is one of great interest; it brings us into association with the ancient nations of Egypt, Babylon, Nineveh, and later still with Persia, Greece, and Rome. The light thrown by modern research upon the antiquities of the Jews, and those of neighbouring nations, helps materially to enable us to realize the condition of the people. Respect has been had to all this in the preparation of this work. In conclusion, the writer can only say that he has done what he could-thanks to help received from many quarters—to render Bible Geography and Bible History more familiar to the young than is the case at present. If he succeeds in awakening a deeper interest in the HOLY SITES and SACRED STORY of Palestine, and in quickening a desire to know more about both, a rich reward will be his. |