Chapter 20

THE HISTORICAL BOOKS. 1 and 2. Their Office to Unfold the History of God's Dealings with the Covenant People--General Remarks on the Character of this History--I. _Joshua_--3. Contents of this Book. Its Immediate Connection with the Pentateuch--Its Two Divisions with their Contents--4. Its Authorship--5. Its Authenticity and Credibility--The Miracle of the Arrest of the Sun and Moon in their Course--II. _Judges and Ruth_--6. Name of this Book--Office of the Judges whose History it records--Condition of the Hebrew Nation during the Administration of the Judges--Office of this Book in the General Plan of Redemption--7. Arrangement of its Materials--its Twofold Introduction; the Body of its History; its Two Appendixes--8. Its Date and Authorship--9. Uncertainty of its Chronology--10. The Book of Ruth. Its Place in the History of Redemption--III. _The Books of Samuel_--11. The Two Books of Samuel originally One Work--Their Name--12. Their Office in the History of Redemption--Eventful Character of the Period whose History they record--Change to the Kingly Form of Government--God's Design in this--The Kingly Office Typical of Christ--13. Contents of the Books of Samuel--Introductory Division; Second Division; Third Division--14. Authorship and Date of their Composition--IV. _The Books of Kings_--15. They Originally constituted a Single Book--Their Names and Office--Their Manner of Execution--Their Main Divisions--16. The First Period--17. The Second Period--18. The Third Period--19. Chronology of the Books of Kings. Their Date and Authorship--V. _The Books of Chronicles_--20. They originally constituted One Work--Their Various Names--They constitute an Independent Work--Their Office different from that of the Books of Kings--Peculiarities which distinguish them from these Books--Particular Attention to the Matter of Genealogy; Fullness of Detail in Respect to the Temple Service; Omission of the History of the Kingdom of Israel; other Omissions--21. Position of the Chronicles in the Hebrew Canon--Their Authorship and Date--Their Relation to the Books of Kings--22. Difficulties connected with these Books--VI. _Ezra and Nehemiah_--23. General Remarks on these Books--Change in the Relation of the Hebrews to the Gentile Nations--Gradual Withdrawal of Supernatural Manifestations--24. While the Theocracy went steadily forward to the Accomplishment of its End--The Jews reclaimed from Idolatry in Connection with the Captivity--Establishment of the Synagogue Service and its Great Influence--25. The Book of Ezra--Its Authorship--Parts written in Chaldee--Persian Monarchs mentioned by Ezra and Nehemiah--26. The Book of Nehemiah--Its Contents and Divisions--First Division; Second Division; Third Division--27. Authorship and Date of the Book--VII. _Esther_--28. Contents of this Book--Feast of Purim--29. The Ahasuerus of this Book--Remarks on its History