PART ONE

We begin by dividing the entire field of time to the opening of the New Testament into five periods. Each of these we write at the head of a column. (See the Blackboard Outline.)

I. The Period of the Human Race. II. The Period of the Chosen Family. III. The Period of the Is´ra-el-ite People. IV. The Period of the Is´ra-el-ite Kingdom. V. The Period of the Jew´ish Province.

I. We find in the opening of the Bible that the =Human Race= is the subject of the history. This theme extends through the first eleven chapters of Genesis, which narrate the history of much more than half of the time included in the Bible. During this long period no one tribe or nation or family is selected; but the story of all mankind is related by the historian.

1. This period begins with the =Creation of Man= (not the creation of the _world_), at some unknown time which scholars have not been able to fix; and it ends with the =Call of A´bra-ham=, also at a date uncertain, though given with some doubt at about B. C. 2280. With this event Bible history properly begins.

2. Through this period it would appear that God dealt with each person _directly_, without mediation or organized institutions. We read of neither priest nor ruler, but we find God speaking individually with men. (See Gen. 3. 9; 4. 6; 5. 22; 6. 13; and let the class find other instances.) We call this, therefore, the period of =Direct Administration=.

3. All the events of this period may be connected with three epochs:

1.) =The Fall= (Gen. 3. 6), which brought sin into the world (Rom. 5. 12), and resulted in universal wickedness (Gen. 6. 5).

2.) =The Deluge= (Gen. 7. 11, 12). By this destruction the entire population of the world, probably confined to the Eu-phra´tes valley, was swept away (Gen. 7. 23), and opportunity was given for a new race under better conditions (Gen. 9. 18, 19).

3.) =The Dispersion= (Gen. 10. 25). Hitherto the race had massed itself in one region, and hence the righteous families were overwhelmed by their evil surroundings. But after the deluge an instinct of migration took possession of families, and soon the whole earth was overspread.

4. In this period we call attention to three of its most important =Persons=:

1.) =Ad´am=, the first man (Gen. 5. 1, 2). His creation, fall, and history are briefly narrated.

2.) =E´noch=, who walked with God (Gen. 5. 24), and was translated without dying.

3.) =No´ah=, the builder of the ark (Gen. 6. 9), and the father of a new race.

Hints to the Teacher

Let the teacher place the outline of the period on the blackboard, point by point, as the lesson proceeds, and let the class do the same on paper or in notebooks. Let every Scripture text be read in the class by a student, and let its bearing be shown. Call upon members of the class to give more complete account of the events and the persons named, and for this purpose let the first eleven chapters of Genesis be assigned in advance as a reading lesson.

Blackboard Outline

+---------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------+ |I. Per. Hu. Ra.|II. Per. |III. Per. |IV. Per. |V. Per. | | | Ch. Fam.| Is. Peo.| Is. Kin.| Je. Prov.| +---------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------+ | C. M. | | | | | | C. A. | | | | | +---------------+ | | | | | Dir. Adm. | | | | | +---------------+ | | | | | Fa. | | | | | | Del. | | | | | | Dis. | | | | | +---------------+ | | | | | A. E. N. | | | | | +---------------+-----------+-----------+-----------+------------+

Review Questions

What is the central theme of the Bible? How is this theme presented in the Bible? Why should we study the history in the Bible? What are the five periods of Old Testament history? What is the subject of the history during the first period? With what events does the first period begin and end? What is said concerning the dates of early events? What kind of divine government in relation to men is shown in the first period? Into what epochs is the first period subdivided? What results followed the first man's falling into sin? Where was the population of the world confined up to the time of the flood? How did the flood become a benefit to the world? What new instinct came to the human family after the flood? Name three important persons in the first period? State a fact for which each of these three men is celebrated.