HISTORY AND THE BIBLE

1. The World in Bible Times

The following great empires of the world held first place duringdifferent periods of the history of the Jews. Can you recall Israel'srelationship to each of these great powers? [488 T.J.]
Babylon
During the time of what Hebrew captive was Babylon in the ascendency? [183 T.J.]
Assyria
During what king's reign did the hordes of Assyria, under its greatest king, Sennacherib, descend upon Jerusalem? [299 T.J.]
Persia
What great Hebrew statesman was associated with the splendor of the Persian court? [212 T.J.]
Greece
In the time of what brave men was the attempt made to force Grecian customs and worship upon Palestine? [418 T.J.], [496 T.J.]
Rome
During what time did Rome rule over all the lands of Western Asia, including Palestine? [19 L.J.]

How did the capture of Babylon by Cyrus, in 538 B.C., affect the Jews? [397 S.A.]
What was the effect of the captivity in Babylon upon the Jewish people? [397 S.A.]
By what name was the great king Xerxes known in the Bible? What historical estimate of his character is supported by THE BIBLE STORY, and how? [60 T.J.], [488 T.J.]

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From your knowledge of general history, link up the stories of Daniel, Esther, and Nehemiah in point of time, remembering that:--

(1) Daniel lived for a short time in the court of Cyrus the Great, the founder of the Persian Empire[206 T.J.]
(2) Ahasuerus, who was king of Persia in Esther's time, was the well-known Xerxes.[60 T.J.]
(3) The incidents of Nehemiah's life began "in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes," king of Persia[214 T.J.]
What was the national standing of Egypt during Old Testament times?[492 H.T.], [488 T.J.]
What custom in the ancient world explains the question: "Is not this the cup from which my lord drinketh, and whereby he indeed divineth?"[118 H.T.], [492 H.T.]
It is said that no Bible story more faithfully describes the customs of the Ancient Orient than the story of Esther. What do you learn of Eastern court life and the manners and customs of the people from a reading of this story?[60-79 T.J.]
What Egyptian superstition led to the custom of embalming?[493 H.T.]
By whom was the embalming done and how long is it said to have taken in the case of Jacob?[130 H.T.]
From what name is the term "Palestine" derived?[493 H.T.]
How did Phoenicia come to have a special influence upon the Jews in the time of Jezebel?[113 T.J.], [490 T.J.]
A short time before the birth of Jesus, Jerusalem was captured by Pompey and the Jews made tributaries to Rome. Herod the Great was appointed king of Judea. What was the spirit of the Jews under the rule of Herod?[485 L.J.], [486 L.J.]
What Caesar was in power in Rome when Jesus was born?[443 L.J.]
Describe the Roman Provincial Government and Army in the time of Paul.[494 L.J.]

2. The Bible in History

Why do you consider "A Morning Prayer" ([20 S.A.]) appropriate for the use made of it by the English? [497 S.A.]
What romantic use was made of "A Morning Prayer" ([20 S.A.]) by the Huguenots? [497 S.A.]
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What men considered "An Evening Prayer" ([21 S.A.]) a consolation for their last moments, and what can you find in the psalm to justify their preference? [497 S.A.]
What interesting uses have been made of Psalm 8 ([22 S.A.])? [497 S.A.]
To what use were lines 18 and 19 of Psalm 17 ([25 S.A.]) put? [497 S.A.]
What great university has chosen the first two lines of Psalm 27 ([40 S.A.]) as a motto? [498 S.A.]
Pick out the line in Psalm 31 ([47 S.A.]) which was used by Jesus on the cross and has since been used by many Christian martyrs [498 S.A.], [499 S.A.]
Name some martyrs who have died with these words on their lips [498 S.A.], [499 S.A.]
What was the secret of Livingstone's great work in Africa, judging from his constant use of lines nine and ten of Psalm 37 ([55 S.A.])? [499 S.A.]
What great English ceremony is said to be founded on Psalm 45 ([66 S.A.])? [499 S.A.]
What terms make this Psalm appropriate for such use? [66 S.A.], [499 S.A.]
By what great men and for what purposes has Psalm 46 ([68 S.A.]) been used? [499 S.A.], [500 S.A.]
On what occasions in English history has Psalm 51 ([75 S.A.]) been used? [500 S.A.]
How was Psalm 68 ([86 S.A.]) used by the friends of Savonarola at the crisis of his career? [500 S.A.]
To what general use has Psalm 68 ([86 S.A.]) been put? [501 S.A.]
What famous early English poem is full of allusions to the Psalms? [502 S.A.]
What lines in Psalm 90 ([104 S.A.]) make its place in the burial service of the church of England especially appropriate? [502 S.A.]
Pick out the lines in Psalm 91 ([106 S.A.]) that were, according to legend, repeated by Pope Alexander as he set his foot on the neck of the kneeling Emperor Barbarossa over whom he had just triumphed. [502 S.A.]
Find the line in Psalm 98 ([108 S.A.]) which was used as a proof of the fixity of the earth by the opposers of the Copernican theory. [502 S.A.]
In what way was Psalm 117 ([139 S.A.]), the shortest Psalm, used at the battle of Worcester? [504 S.A.]
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What did Luther say of Psalm 118 ([140 S.A.])? [504 S.A.]
Name some of the uses that have been made of Psalm 118 ([140 S.A.]) in celebrating success and triumph. [504 S.A.], [505 S.A.]
To what use did the missionary, James Harrington, put Psalm 121 ([155 S.A.]) and what did he name it? [505 S.A.]
Find the lines in Psalm 144 ([166 S.A.], [167 S.A.]) that have often been used in England and France as a motto on the face of sundials. [506 S.A.]
The moral awakening of the world in our day is, it is said, due in no small degree to the rediscovery of the prophets of Israel. Isaiah is the specialist on the great social problem of the city, its sins, its volatile and vibrant life, its opulence, and its pride. The principles which Isaiah applied to the evils of his day are the principles of our age and of all times. From a study of the messages of Isaiah what can you say of his stand on this question? [264-296 S.A.]

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