A Brief Biblical History: the Old Testament

After the slaying of Goliath, David was made the constant companion of Saul; and he and Jonathan became sworn friends. But as the women of Israel sang the praises of David after the slaying of Goliath, and ascribed tens of thousands of slain to David and only thousands to Saul, Saul began to dread him as a possible rival. -from "The Reign of Saul" This concise overview of the Old Testament, from a respected and prolific Biblical scholar, strives to offer a level-headed assessment of the oldest tales in the world's oldest book. Brief synopses of the major characters and storylines-from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob to the Flight of Israel, the Syrian Wars, and the Settlement of Judah-are presented with an awareness of the different moral climate in which we live today, with a critical bent toward the historicity of the events depicted, and with a skeptical eye toward the miraculous. While never dismissing the importance of faith, this classic 1924 work embraces the necessity of both the heart and the mind in gaining a full understanding of the Old Testament. AUTHOR BIO: British theologian FREDERICK JOHN FOAKES-JACKSON (1855-1941) was a fellow of Jesus College, Cambridge, and a professor of Christian institutions at New York City's Union Theological Seminary. Among his many works are An Introduction to the History of Christianity, A. D. 590¬-1314 (1921), Josephus and the Jews: The Religion and History of the Jews as Explained by Flavius Josephus (1930), and Peter: Prince of Apostles: A Study in the History and Tradition of Christianity (1927).