BIBLE 609 which is that of our present Hebrew Bibles, is very ancient. The Greek-speaking Jews, how- ever, varied from those of Palestine, and their arrangement is preserved in the Septuagint, which is followed in the Vulgate and in our English Bibles ; an order not according to chronological succession, but made with a view to grouping similar classes of composition to- gether, the historical being placed first, the poetical next, and the prophetical last. The historical division opens in the book of Gene- sis with an account of the creation of all things, then takes up the history of the Hebrews as a matter of central interest, showing the sepa- ration of the family of Abraham from other na- tions and their prosperous settlement in Egypt. Exodus describes the escape of the Israelites from Egypt and their organization as a nation under the Mosaic law. Leviticus contains the more special laws of Israel, chiefly those relat- ing to the public worship, festivals, and similar topics. Numbers, with a supplement to the laws, narrates the weary march through the desert, and the opening of the contest for the land of Canaan. In Deuteronomy Moses, draw- ing near death, reminds the people of the ex- perience they have gone through and the laws they have received, and exhorts them to obedi- ence to God ; then appoints a successor, and, taking a first and last look at the land not yet entered, dies. The book of Joshua describes the conquest and partition of Canaan, and the leader's farewell exhortation and death. In the next hook, Judges, we read of anarchy and apostasy, and the consequent subjugation of the Israelites by their heathen neighbors, and the exploits of heroes raised up to deliver them. The books of Samuel give his history as prophet and judge, and the story of Saul and David. The books of Kings tell of David's death, the brilliant reign of Solomon, and the subsequent decline, the revolt of the ten tribes, the overthrow of the seceded kingdom of Isra- el and the fall of the kingdom of Judah into captivity, and the fate of the remnant left in Judea while their brethren were carried away captive. These books tell also of those prophets who testified for God in the face of wicked kings and a degenerate people. The Chroni- cles are a supplementary work, and are accom- panied by the book of Ruth, an episode in the time of the judges, narrating with exquisite grace the marriage of Ruth the Moabitess and Boaz the great-grandfather of David. The Old Testament history closes in the hooks of Ez- ra and Nehemiah, which describe the return of the Jewish nation from exile and the resto- ration of Jerusalem and the temple worship. The book of Esther records events of the Per- sian captivity. While the historical books show the development of those religious ideas which underlie the Hebrew national life, the prophetic books show these ideas inspiring the j people in their conflicts with unbelief and ' apostasy, and animating the nation with bright hopes of the future. In all literature there are no books like these, in severe morality, high religious tone, sublime conception, grand diction, and rich imagery. Covering a great ex- tent of time, these prophetic writings vary in style, but they show the struggles of the na- tion's heart and its foreign relations in a way that lights up the historical books. The poet- ical books express the same ideas with the pro- phetic, but in a more quiet didactic and lyric form. The didactic portion of them consists of the Proverbs, a collection of sententious max- ims and wise discourses ; Ecclesiastes, an elo- quent wail over the transientness of earthly things ; and the book of Job, a philosophical poem upon Providence, wonderfully rich in thought and diction, and full of the doctrine of resignation to the mysterious will of God. The Psalms are a collection of devotional lyrics. Lamentations are elegiac patriotic verses. The Song of Solomon is an amatory idyl, which has been explained by many scholars as an al- legory. The New Testament gives the only original account of the origin and early spread of Christianity. It is composed of 27 books. Four contain the memoirs of Jesus ; one (Acts) gives the actions of the apostles, especially of Peter and Paul ; 21 are apostolical letters ; and the collection closes with the Apocalypse. The Gospels of Matthew and John are held to be the work of the apostles whose names they bear. Mark was a disciple of Peter, and Luke a companion of Paul. The book of Acts is also ascribed to Luke. The Epistles are let- ters called forth by various exigencies, and contain incidental information, throwing much light upon the early constitution and spread of the Christian church, and the development of its doctrines. The Apocalypse is the only book in the New Testament of a strictly pro- phetic character. It was written shortly after the death of Nero, and strengthened the hearts of Christians against a threatening persecution by giving hope of the approaching kingdom of Christ. For 1,000 years learned men have been studying the authenticity and arrange- ment of the constituent parts of the Bible. The history of this work will be found under the title CANON. Far greater study, however, has been given to the original text of Scripture. The Hebrew text of the Old Testament as we have it has already passed through many re- visions. Of the primitive text we have little positive information. The books were first written on skins or linen cloth or papyrus, and preserved in rolls. The letter used was the old Hebrew character, which is found on the coins of the Maccabees, and was probably of Phoenician origin. There were no accents nor vowel points, the consonants only being writ- ten, and the vowel sounds supplied by the usage of the living speech ; and the words were generally run together in a continuous line. Not until the Hebrew became a dead language was its vowel system perfected, to take the place of the familiar usage which was passing away. After the return from the Babylonish
