translations of the Jewish and Christian Bible from its original languages to that of most, if not all, others; and we have the advantage of having different approved and revised translations to the English language; but we are constantly confronted with endless controversies relative to the correct interpretation and translation of certain words, phrases, sentences, and paragraphs or periods of the original manuscripts.

The Jewish and Christian Bible, as we have it translated into the English language, is divided into two general parts called the Old and the New Testament Scriptures. The Old Testament part of this Bible begins by assuming the existence of this planet which it calls "The Earth," and some general statements as to its original and later physical condition and divisions with the manner of the creations and emanations in and upon the Earth including man. After some general history of man and the world in the earliest stages, this Old part of the Jewish and Christian Bible is devoted almost exclusively to the civil and religious history and the civil and religious visions, prophecies, and teachings of the Hebrew or Jewish branch of the Semitic family of mankind which was one of the three great general divisions into which mankind was found to be divided at the time of the earliest history we have of mankind other than what is found here.

The New Testament part of this Jewish and Christian Bible is devoted to the nativity and history of Jesus and his acts, sayings, doings, and teachings while on earth resulting in the development of a Gentile church and a Christian religion, the apostles and disciples of Jesus and their acts, sayings, doings, teachings, and writings, and the

progress of the Gentile church and Christian religion in the extension of the Christian salvation to all mankind.

As a Christian people, taught to believe that we are dependent upon the Jewish and Christian Bible for our knowledge of God and the way of Life, no one can, in justice to himself and those loved ones by whom he is surrounded, be indifferent to or careless in the systematic study and interpretation of the records and teachings of that Bible. And no matter what may have been his teaching or the present state of his belief, no one can afford to carelessly or indifferently entertain a peace of mind relative to his relations to God and the future Life while this life lasts which must at best soon end if he is concerned about the status of his soul in the hereafter.

PART III

A SUMMARY OF THE BOOKS OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

The Jewish and Christian Bible is commonly called the English Bible and hereafter we shall refer to it as the English Bible. The word Bible, meaning Books, is not very unlike our term Library. The English Bible is the Library of the Jewish and Christian religions, the collection of Books in which the ancient history, vision, prophecy, and teaching of those religions are recorded and the literature thereof preserved. It has two parts, the Old and the New Testament parts, which are entirely unconnected so far as human design is concerned.

The Old or Covenant part has three general parts, the Law, the Prophets, and the Psalms, referred to in the New Testament writings as "the Scriptures." The Law part, called the "Pentateuch," consists of the books of Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy, which are commonly believed to have been written by Moses. The second part, or that of the Prophets, consists of the Books of Joshua, Judges, the first and second Samuels, the first and second Kings, Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and the twelve minor prophets. And the Psalms part consists of all the other books, beginning with that of Psalms from which it takes its name.

The collection of writings contained in the Old Testament part of the English Bible is thought to extend over a period of not less than one thousand years.

GENESIS

The word Genesis is Greek and means Generation. This book is divided into fifty chapters. In the first eleven chapters, the writer, without undertaking to account for its prior existence, gives some meager account, as to the physical condition, of what he calls "the Earth" at the time of what he calls "In the Beginning" with some of its later physical changes; also of the formation of a firmament which is called heaven, and the creation of lights, the Sun, Moon, and Stars which are set in that firmament. Here, he also gives some meager account of the manner of the creation and emanation of things in and upon the earth including man, and some general history of the world and man leading up to and connecting with the call of Abram whose name was changed to Abraham as the beginning of a people called Hebrews.

Beginning with the twelfth chapter, the remainder of this book is devoted to the history of this Hebrew people represented in Abram whose name was changed to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob whose name was changed to Israel and their families, recording the Promises and Covenants represented to have been made by God to and with this people and their seed forever thru Abram and Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and Israel, and the history of these men and this particular people down to the time of the death of Joseph the son of Jacob in the land of Egypt which practically dates the beginning of the bonage of the descendents of Jacob, who were called "The Children of Israel," in the land of Egypt.

Exodus is a Greek word and means Departure. This book is divided into forty chapters and may be considered in two general parts, that of History and that of Law giving.

The writer relates the manner of the birth, nurture, and education of Moses, his call and preparation and that of Aaron his brother to bring about the deliverance of the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, as it is said, to make sacrifices to their God, and narrates the special efforts made and miracles performed by Moses and Aaron before Pharaoh, called the plagues of Egypt, to induce him to let the children of Israel go.

He narrates the manner of the departure and guidance of the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; the pursuit of the children of Israel by Pharaoh and his army, and their overthrow in the waters of the Red sea; the wonderings of the children of Israel in the wilderness, their murmurings, and the miraculous provision of quail, manna, and water; the war with Amalek, and the Lord's oath to have war with Amalek from generation to generation; and the various camps of the Israelites while in the wilderness.

An appearance of the Lord on Mount Sinai in the sight of all this people and the delivery to Moses of the Lord's Commandments, Laws, and Judgments for the guidance of all this people, with the two tables of the Testimony is related. It is here written that, during the absence of Moses in the Mount, the people had Aaron make for them an idolatrious god in the form of a Molton Calf, which they were worshipping when Moses returned with the Commandments, Laws, and Judgments of the Lord