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 The person charging this material is re¬ 
 sponsible for its return to the library from 
 which it was withdrawn on or before the 
 Latest Date stamped below. 
 
 Theft, mutilation, and underlining of books are reasons 
 for disciplinary action and may result in dismissal from 
 the University. 
 
 To renew call Telephone Center, 333-8400 
 
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 VNIVERSITY OF ILLINOIS 
 
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BIBLE HIST! )B Y 
 
 CONTAINING THE MOST 
 
 REMARKABLE EVENTS 
 
 OF THE 
 
 OLD AND NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 TO WHICH IS ADDED A COMPENDIUM OF 
 
 CHURCH “HISTORY. 
 
 FOR THE USE OF THE CATHOLIC SCHOOLS 
 
 IN THE UNITED STATES. 
 
 RIGHT REV. RICHARD GILMOUR, D. D., 
 
 Bishop of Cleveland. 
 
 New-York, Cincinnati, and St. Louis: 
 BENZIGER BROTHERS, 
 
 PRINTERS TO THE HOLY APOSTOLIC SEE. 
 
A LETTER FROM 
 
 His Holiness, Pope Leo XIII. 
 
 
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 i Y'& / h 
 
 
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 &f~ Jt<yhAC* *U? 
 
 CfVlXs V JZSIA^V J2/XS^ /fy >HvC^ 
 
 *' o/~rr> cf.iT*. It/S/ c 
 
 TRANSLATION. 
 
 have received with thanks the copy of The Bible History 9 
 together with the expressions of devotion, which Benzifjer Brothers 9 
 Publishers , have sent us through the Bishop of Basel , and we give our 
 Apostolic Benediction to them and to their labors that these may always 
 tend to the good of Religion. 
 
 Leo P. P. XIII. 
 
 Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1869, by BENZ 1 GER 
 
 • BROTHERS, in the Clerk’s Office of the District Court of the United States, 
 for the Southern District of Ohio. 
 
 Copyright , 1881, by BENZIGER BROTHERS. 
 
APPROBATIONS TO BISHOP GILMOUR’S BIBLE HISTORY. 
 
 tLI* 0 I ^5” 
 
 (y -(r 
 
 I cheerfully give 
 History of the Bible. 
 
 From His Eminence the Cardinal. 
 
 New York, April 13, 1871. 
 
 my approbation and recommendation of your u Illustrated 
 
 t JOHN, Archbishop 0/New York. 
 
 From His Eminence the Cardinal, Archbishop of Westminster, England. 
 
 Archbishop’s House, Westminster, S. W., May 19, 1874. 
 The Archbishop has received your “ Illustrated Bible History,” and thanks 
 you much for it. He directs me to say that he strongly approves of it, and hopes 
 that you will be able to continue publishing such good and useful books. 
 
 HENRY BAYLEY, Secretary. 
 
 
 
 From the Most Rev. Archbishop of Cincinnati. 
 
 Cincinnati, August. 5, 1869. 
 
 The Illustrated History of the Bible,” Old and New Testaments, compiled 
 by a priest of the diocese of Basel, translated into French by Rev. Dr. Bourquard, 
 of Paris, approved by many bishops in Europe, and reproduced in many lan¬ 
 guages, is presented, with our approbation, to the reverend clergy, school¬ 
 teachers, parents, and youths of this diocese, by all of whom we desire it to be 
 extensively used and circulated. Never was the thorough and intelligent 
 teaching of the Catechism more needed than at the present day, and the Cate¬ 
 chism of Christian Doctrine can neither be well taught nor properly understood 
 without the Catechism of the Bible. 
 
 This translation has been well made by Rev. Richard Gilmour, of the Arch¬ 
 diocese. J- B. PURCELL, Archbishop of Cincinnati. 
 
 From the Most Rev. Archbishop of Oregon City. 
 
 Portland, Oregon, October 4, 1869. 
 
 I have received and examined your “ Bible History,” containing the most 
 remarkable events of the Old and New Testaments. Its style is pure, its lan¬ 
 guage elegant, its plan excellent, and so much the more pleasing to me, because 
 it coincides and corresponds with that of the Catholic Ladder, for teaching the 
 history of religion from the beginning to the present time. That plan has the 
 recommendation of St. Augustine, saying: “ The true method of teaching religion 
 is to begin with those words, ‘ In the beginning God created the heaven and 
 the earth.’ It is not necessary nor feasible to state all the particulars of the 
 Old and New Testaments; but make an abridgment, and insist on what seem 
 to you the most important points. In order to show the whole scope of religion, 
 bear in mind that the Old Testament is a figure of the New; that the entire 
 Mosaic religion, the Patriarchs, their lives, their covenants, their sacrifices, are 
 so many figures of what we see ; that the whole Jewish people and their govern¬ 
 ment are but a great prophet of Jesus Christ and of the Church.” As this 
 should be teaching only the letter of religion, the illustrious Bishop of Hippo 
 insists on teaching also its spirit, which consists in the love of God and our 
 neighbor, speaking thus : “ Commencing your account from the creation of all 
 things in a state of perfection, and bringing it down to the existing period of the 
 Church, your sole airn will be to show that everything prior to the Incarnation 
 of the Word tends to manifest the love of God in accomplishing this mystery. 
 Jesus Christ himself, immolated for us, teaches us the immensity of God’s love 
 for us, in giving us his true and only Son.” For all this your book is mine for 
 teaching the Catholic Ladder. I will recommend it all over the Archdiocese. 
 
 F. N. BLANCHET, Archbishop of Oregon City . 
 
 366915 
 
From the Most Rev. Archbishop of Philadelphia. 
 
 Philadelphia, Nov. 24, 1871. 
 
 We cordially add our approbation of the “ Bible History,” prepared by Rev 
 Richard Gihnour, and published by your hrm under the auspices of the Most 
 Rev. Archbishop of Cincinnati, to that of the many venerable Prelates whose 
 names appear on the edition sent for our perusal. 
 
 t JAMES F. WOOD, Bishop of Philadelphia. 
 
 From the Most Rev. Archbishop of Montreal. 
 
 Montreal, le 14 Octobre 1870. 
 
 La Petite Bible Illustree , que Ton nous a communiquee, ayant ete approu- 
 vde par divers Eveques d’un merite eminent, comme un ouvrage extremement 
 utile, nous sommes heureux d’en recommander la lecture k tous les fideles con- 
 fies k nos soins et surtout aux enfants qui frequentent les ecoles de la ville et des 
 campagnes. t IGNATIUS, Eveque de Montreal. 
 
 From the Most Rev. Archbishop of New Orleans. 
 
 Nouvelle-Orleans, le 8 Octobre 1870. 
 
 Ayant examine votre histoire de la Bib.le en francais et l’ayant lue en anglais, 
 je pense que cet ouvrage dans l’une comme dans l’autre langue est le meilleur 
 livre dans ce genre que Ton puisse introduire dans les ecoles catholiques. 
 
 NAPOLEON JOSEPH, Archeveque de la Nouvelle-Orleans. 
 
 From the Most Rev. Archbishop of Milwaukee. 
 
 Milwaukee, Jtine 14, 1875. 
 
 The Bible History published by you I really wish to have introduced in all 
 the English schools of my diocese. Wherefore, you may use my name for its 
 approbation. JOHN M. HENNI, Archbishop of Milwaukee. 
 
 From the Most Rev. Archbishop of Baltimore. 
 
 Wilmington, N. C., Dec . n, 1871. 
 
 Father Gilmour’s Bible History, published by you, is a work that richly 
 merits, as I am sure it will receive, the liberal patronage of the Catholic schools 
 and academies throughout the country. I am delighted with it. 
 
 JAMES GIBBONS, Vicar Apostolic, North Caroli 7 ia. 
 
 From the Most Rev. Coadjutor-Archbishop of Oregon City. 
 
 Victoria, V. I., July 3, 1875. 
 
 As Bishop Gilmour’s Bible History has the approbation of almost every 
 Prelate of the Union, it is but fight that I should be honored by having my name 
 added to those of the distinguished Bishops. CAROLUS JOANNES, 
 
 Bishop of Vancouver Island. 
 
 From the Most Rev- Coadjutor-Archbishop of Milwaukee. 
 
 La Crosse, September 26, 1869. 
 
 Your Illustrated Bible History is in fact what it claims to be, a valuable school¬ 
 book, useful both for teacher and scholar. The purity and plainness of its style, 
 the careful selection and arrangement of its lessons, the variety and beauty of its 
 illustrations, as also the great number of references pointed out from the Old to 
 the New Testament, make it very desirable to see this Bible History introduced 
 in our Catholic schools. MICHAEL HEISS, Bishop of La Crosse. 
 
 From the Most Rev. Archbishop of Chicago. 
 
 Nashville, Tenn., Nov. 29, 1871. 
 
 I beg to thank you for your copy of Father Gilmour’s Bible History. It is a 
 most useful work, and I shall recommend it to the schools of the Diocese. 
 
 P. A. FEEHAN, Bishop of Nashville. 
 
From the Right Rev. Bishop of Nesqualy. 
 
 Vancouver, W. T., October i, 1869. 
 
 I have examined the “ Bible History,” of which you sent me a copy. I con¬ 
 sider it is well adapted to the wants of our schools. It is within the reach of the 
 youngest pupil’s understanding. The Director of the College says it is the best 
 work of this kind for the schools he ever saw, and intends to introduce it soon 
 into the classes. I will recommend the use of it in the schools of the Diocese. 
 
 A. M. A. BLANCHET, Bishop 0/Nesqualy. 
 
 From the Right Rev. Bishop of Brooklyn. 
 
 Brooklyn, July 7, 1873. 
 
 I take pleasure in recommending your “ Illustrated Bible History.” I hope 
 it will be very extensively patronized. JOHN LOUGHLIN, 
 
 Bishop 0/ Brooklyn. 
 
 V From the Right Rev. Bishop of Burlington- 
 
 Burlington, Vt., June 10, 1875. 
 
 We use Bishop Gilmour’s Bible History in our Perseverance Catechism in the 
 Cathedral congregation ; both our teachers and children are much pleased with 
 it, and I cannot recommend it too much. + LOUIS, 
 
 Bishop of Burlington, Vt. 
 
 From the Right Rev. Coadjutor-Bishop of Cincinnati. 
 
 Natchez, Miss., Dec. 26, 1871. 
 
 The “ Bible History ” of Rev. Richard Gilmour has been used in the Brothers’ 
 schools at Natchez almost ever since its first publication. 
 
 I have recommended it too as a useful book for a Class of Perseverance, for 
 those who have made their First Holy Communion, and who know thoroughly 
 their ordinary catechism. 
 
 It is very important that our young Catholics make themselves well acquainted 
 with the Sacred History. 
 
 Growing irreverence for *he Word of God is one of the characteristics of what is 
 now called the progress of the age. Even those who claim to be especial friends 
 of the Holy Bible expose it to daily ignominy in the Public Schools, and the 
 denial of its veracity is openly avowed by some men who claim to be teachers 
 of religion, while the synods and conventions of churches to which they belong 
 dare not condemn the impiety which is taught to their children. 
 
 On the other hand, the Sacred Council of the Vatican, in its very first decree, 
 vindicated the Sacred Scriptures against their enemies. This shows that the 
 Holy Ghost regards hostility to the Written Word of God as one of the prom¬ 
 inent evils of the day, and that a knowledge and esteem of that holy Word ought 
 to be characteristics of all earnest children of the Faith. 
 
 Father Gilmour’s Bible History is admirably adapted to promote this knowl¬ 
 edge and esteem among our young people. 
 
 The making of such books in our own country is one of the encouraging signs 
 of the times. And it is remarkable that precisely in Cincinnati, where the Cath¬ 
 olics were so fiercely denounced as enemies of the Holy Bible, a hard-working 
 Catholic Priest rested from his other labors by working at this one for the pur¬ 
 pose of promoting both a familiar and a reverent knowledge of the Sacred Books. 
 
 I congratulate Rev. Father Gilmour on the work itself, and also on the style 
 in which it has been published : cheap enough for the school-room—and beauti¬ 
 ful enough for a Christmas present. 
 
 I hope the extensiveness and fruitfulness of its use will give him the consola¬ 
 tion which he so much deserves. WILLIAM HENRY ELDER, 
 
 Bishop of Natchez. 
 
From the Right Rev. Bishop of St. Paul. 
 
 St. Paul, Minn., April 2, 1870. 
 
 I received the copy of the Bible History you did me the kindness to send me 
 some time ago. I need hardly say I was pleased with it. This History supplies 
 a want in our schools, and supplies it well. Upon my recommendation the His¬ 
 tory has been introduced into our schools in St. Paul, and I trust the example 
 will be followed in all the schools of the Diocese. 
 
 • THOMAS L. GRACE, Bishop 0/St. Paul. 
 
 From the Right Rev, Bishop of Mobile. 
 
 * / 
 
 Mobile, October 14, 1869. 
 
 We have received, by your favor, the u Illustrated Bible History,” prepared 
 for the use of Catholic schools in the United States by Rev. Richard Gilmour, of 
 the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, and published by you. Having examined it care¬ 
 fully, we consider it admirably adapted for use in the junior classes of our 
 collegiate, conventual, and parochial schools ; and we hereby most cordially 
 recommend it to all Catholic teachers and scholars within our ecclesiastical juris¬ 
 diction. JOHN QUINLAN, Bishop 0/Mobile. 
 
 From the Right Rev, Bishop of Marysville, 
 
 Marysville, Cal., January 17, 1872. 
 
 Your Bible History is an admirable and interesting compendium of the Bible. 
 I only wish it were in my power to give it a wider circulation than it has already. 
 
 tE. O’CONNELL, Bishop. 
 
 From the Right Rf.v, Bishop of Leeds, England. 
 
 Springfield House, Little Woodhouse, 
 Leeds, May , 15, 1874. 
 
 I have duly received your “ Bible History,” for which be pleased to accept my 
 best thanks and my warmest congratulations upon your elegant and useful work, 
 which I shall be glad to see in use in the schools of this Diocese. 
 
 t ROBERT CORNTH WAITE, Bishop of Beverley. 
 
 From the Right Rev, Bishop of Dubuque, 
 
 Dubuque, Dec. 14, 1871. 
 
 Please accept my thanks for a copy of Rev. Father Gilmour’s Bible History. 
 1 find it so highly recommended that I shall be glad to see it introduced into the 
 schools of this Diocese. t JOHN HENNESSY, Bishop of Dubuque. 
 
 From the Right Rev. Bishop of Little Rock, 
 
 Little Rock, Oct. 25, 1869. 
 
 The Sisters of St. Mary’s Academy of Little Rock have examined Rev. R. 
 Gilmour’s Bible History, and consider it to be a very useful text-book. They 
 purpose introducing it into their schools at the commencemen t of next school 
 year. I beg to add my recommendation to theirs. 
 
 EDWARD FITZGERALD, Bishop of Little Rock. 
 
 From the Right Rev. Bishop of Louisville. 
 
 Louisville, Ky., January 2, 1872. 
 
 You would have had an earlier acknowledgment of the receipt of the Rev. R. 
 Gilmour’s “ Illustrated Bible History,” but that I wished to read it through care¬ 
 fully, and judge for myself. This I have done, and I take great pleasure in 
 recommending it as one of the most admirable works of its kind ever published. 
 Although intended for the young, older persons may read it with much profit, 
 and 1 trust it may find its way not only into the schools, but also into every Cath¬ 
 olic family of my diocese. WILLIAM McCLOSKEY, 
 
 Bishop of Louisville, 
 
From the Right Rev. Bishop of Erie. 
 
 Erie, Pa., Nov. 20, 1871. 
 
 Accept ray thanks for the copy you sent me of the 41 Bible History prepared 
 by Rev. Richard Gilmour,” and published by you. I have examined it with 
 some care, and consider it admirably adapted for the use of Catholic schools. It 
 reproduces in a manner most attractive to children the whole inspired record of 
 God’s dealings with mankind, while its illustrations are so striking and appropri¬ 
 ate as to sustain the interest of the youthful reader and rivet his attention on the 
 most important points in the sacred narrative. Although designed for children, 
 it might be studied with advantage by persons of any age, and may then be very 
 deservedly assigned a place in the home-library as in the school-room. 
 
 t T. MULLEN, Bishop 0/Eric. 
 
 • From the Right Rev. Bishop of Buffalo. 
 
 Buffalo, N. Y., Nov. 21, 1871. 
 
 I have no hesitation in recommending Rev.-R. Gilmour’s Illustrated Bible 
 History, already so highly and respectably recommended. As a compendium of 
 Bible history, I deem it in every way a most desirable and useful book to be put 
 into the hands of children. t STEPHEN VINCENT, 
 
 Bishop of Buffalo. 
 
 From the Right Rev. Bishop of Covington. 
 
 Covington, No7>. 23, 1871. 
 
 You have deserved well of the parents and children of the United States by 
 your beautiful edition of the excellent Bible History by Rev. Rich. Gilmour. 
 Allow me to add my name to the long list of Bishops who by their approval bear 
 witness to its excellence. I cordially recommend its introduction in all the 
 schools of my Diocese. t A. M. TOEBBE, Bishop of Covington. 
 
 From the Right Rev. Bishop of Alton. 
 
 Alton, III., March 19, 1870. 
 
 I have examined the Bible History for Catholic schools, by Rev. Richard 
 Gilmour. I recommend it to the schools of our Diocese. 
 
 P. J. BALTES, Bishop of Alton. 
 
 From the Right Rev. Bishop of Detroit. 
 
 Detroit, Nov. 22, 1871. 
 
 We had the pleasure of examining the manuscript of the Bible History by 
 Rev. Richard Gilmour ; and since its publication by you we are delighted in 
 seeing it honored with the approbation of three Archbishops and thirteen Bishops 
 of the Catholic Church in the L T nited States. We unite with them in recom¬ 
 mending it to all who are interested or engaged in the instruction of youth, as in 
 every respect among the best Bible Histories published for the use of Catholic 
 schools in this country. C. H. BORGESS, 
 
 C. and A dm. Bishop of Detroit. 
 
 From the Right Rev. Bishop of Albany. 
 
 Albany, Aug. 14, 1875. 
 
 I cheerfully unite with my brethren in the Episcopacy in their commendation 
 of the Illustrated Bible History, prepared for the use of Catholic schools in the 
 United States by the Rt. Rev. Dr. Gilmour. Bishop of Cleveland, and published 
 by the house of Benziger Brothers, New York and Cincinnati. Its introduction 
 into every school in the diocese of Albany would be hailed by me with great 
 pleasure. FRANCIS, Bishop-Administrator of Albany, 
 
From the Right Rev, Bishop of Ogdensburg, 
 
 Ogdensburg, June 12, 1875. 
 
 The examination of your illustrated Bible History has given me great plea¬ 
 sure, and 1 heartily approve of its publication. 
 
 t EDGAR P. WADHAMS, Bishop of Ogdensburg. 
 
 From the Right Rev. Bishop of Savannah. 
 
 Savannah, Aug. 10, 1873. 
 
 I most cheerfully give my approbation to your “ Illustrated History of the 
 Bible,” and most earnestly recommend it to the Reverend Clergy, to school¬ 
 teachers, and to all the faithful of this diocese. + WILLIAM, 
 
 Bishop of Savannah. 
 
 From the Right Rev. Bishop of Sherbrooke. 
 
 Sherbrooke, July 6, 1875. 
 
 I would be most happy to see Bishop Gilmour’s Bible History adopted for 
 school purposes in my Diocese, as it is the most commendable book for children 
 to study from. + ANTOINE, Evcque de Sherbrooke. 
 
 From the Right Rev. Vicar Apostolic of N. Minnesota. 
 
 St. Cloud, Minn., June 12, 1875. 
 
 The copy of the Bible History by Rt. Rev. R. Gilmour, so kindly sent to me, 
 has been duly received. It is an excellent work for schools, and I shall not fail 
 to forward its introduction into the schools of my new Vicariate as far as is in 
 my power. + RUPERT SEIDENBUSH, O. S. B., 
 
 Vic. Ap. Northern Minnesota . 
 
 From the Right Rev. Bishop of St. Hyacinth. 
 
 St. Hyacinth, Bishop’s Palace, Oct. 16, 1875. 
 
 I very willingly give my approbation of the Bible History, and I earnestly 
 hope that it meets with as favorable a reception amongst all Catholics, and more 
 especially amongst the English speaking faithful of this Diocese. 
 
 t L. Z. MOREAU, Administrator of St. Hyacinth. 
 
 Cincinnati, A ugust 10, 1869. 
 
 I find your Bible History exceedingly well adapted to the object for which it 
 is designed, a school-book. The style is so purely English that it has not even 
 the semblance of a translation. It is evident that the translator aimed to use 
 Saxon words where it was possible. While his language is elegant, it is, at the 
 same time, fitted to the comprehension of children. The moral reflections, the 
 allusions to the mysteries of the New Testament, combined with the well-exe¬ 
 cuted illustrations of the work, render the book a valuable acquisition both for 
 teachers and for school-children. We will adopt it in our schools. 
 
 Rrv. W. H. HILL, S. J., President of St. Xavier College. 
 
 Alton, III., September 9, 1869. 
 
 We have received a copy of your Bible History, by Rev. R. Gilmour, and 
 approve highly of it. URSULINE SISTERS. 
 
 Evansville, Ind., September 14, 1869. 
 
 We are highly delighted with the new Illustrated Bible History. We will 
 introduce it in our German schools as an English reading-book. We consider it 
 as a powerful aid to instil piety in the hearts of the children. 
 
 SISTERS OF PROVIDENCE. 
 
Cincinnati, September 15, 1869. 
 
 For conciseness, simplicity, and clearness of style, we like your Bible History, 
 and hope gradually to introduce it into our schools. 
 
 SISTERS OF MERCY, West Fourth Street, Cincinnati. 
 
 St. Mary’s of the Woods, Vigo Co., Ind., September 15, 1869. 
 
 Having examined your Bible History, we find it suited to our wants, and 
 intend introducing it into our classes. Have the kindness to forward, as soon as 
 convenient, 6 doz. copies. Were it not that we are so much pleased with the 
 work, and so well convinced of its worth, we would not presume to introduce it 
 at present, having already laid in a supply of books for the year. 
 
 SISTERS OF PROVIDENCE. 
 
 Convent of the Annunciation, Nebraska City, Neb , September 16, 1869. 
 The copy of the Bible History you so kindly sent, arrived. We are greatly 
 pleased with it. It is just what we have long desired. 
 
 MOTHER BEATRICE BLAKELY, O S. B. 
 
 Cedar Grove, near Cincinnati, September 20, 1869. 
 We are delighted with the “ Illustrated Bible History,” by Rev. R. Gilmour, 
 and will adopt it in our schools. SISTERS OF CHARITY. 
 
 Academy of Mount St. Vincent, 
 near Yonkers, N. Y., September 23, 1869. 
 
 Accept our grateful thanks, not only for the copy of your new Bible History, 
 which you have so courteously sent us, but for having placed such an invaluable 
 work within our reach. Be assured that we shall introduce it into our schools 
 promptly. Please to forward 50 copies to Academy Mount St. Vincent. 
 
 THE SISTERS OF CHARITY. 
 
 Georgetown, D. C., October 13, 1869. 
 
 We are exceedingly pleased with your Bible History, and will adopt it in our 
 academy. The well-executed illustrations render it doubly attractive to youth. 
 We have been using it for several years in the German classes. 
 
 SISTERS OF THE VISITATION. 
 
 St. Mary’s Academy, Portland, Oregon, January 19, 1870. 
 
 I received with gratitude the copy of the Bible History you were so kind as 
 to send me. We feel really convinced that this book 0/ lipe cannot bu*: instil 
 piety in youthful hearts. Please to send 60 copies. 
 
 MOTHER VERONICA, Superioress . 
 
 St. Joseph’s Academy, Flushing, N, Y., September 25, 1870. 
 
 Having examined your Bible History, and considering it one of the most use¬ 
 ful works of its kind, for the instruction of youth in the Old and New Testa¬ 
 ments, we have introduced it in our schools throughout with great satisfaction 
 and success. SISTERS OF ST. JOSEPH. 
 
 Academy of the Immaculate Conception, 
 Chicago, March 29, 1871. 
 
 After a careful examination of the “Illustrated Bible History” published by 
 your firm, we are desirous of introducing it in our schools. 
 
 We will need quite a number at present, and of course as the school increases 
 and classes advance, another supply will be needed. When your price list is 
 received, we will then order what we need. SISTER DOMINICA. 
 

 PREFACE. 
 
 The following “Illustrated Bible History" needs a 
 word of explanation. It professes to be a translation of 
 a Bible history published by the Bexziger Brothers, 
 and now extensively used in the schools of Europe, 
 having been already translated into six different lan- 
 guages ; but there have been so many changes made, 
 and the whole form of the book so altered, that, in 
 some sense, it might be called new. 
 
 The original is, to a great extent, made up of quota¬ 
 tions from the Scriptures. To some this might be con¬ 
 sidered a recommendation, as thereby familiarizing the 
 young with the sacred text; yet the language would be 
 quaint, and the construction of the sentences awkward, 
 in a book prepared for school reading; hence, on the 
 recommendation of those whose life-long experience in 
 the training of youth gives their opinion weight, the 
 work has been recast. However, the substance, and, as 
 
VI 
 
 PREFACE. 
 
 far as possible, the language, of the. original, have been 
 retained. 
 
 For the convenience of teachers the matter has been 
 divided into paragraphs, and questions have been added 
 to aid the pupil. Dates, and a list of the patriarchs, 
 it is hoped, will be found a valuable addition. 
 
 In this Edition the old illustrations are, in great part, 
 replaced by new ones, and several additional illustrations 
 have been added. The work is also supplemented by a 
 “ Compendium of Church History,” which, it is hoped, 
 will increase the usefulness of the book. 
 
 Shortness in the chapters, pithiness in the sentences, 
 and great condensation of matter, marked the original. 
 These have been retained. The illustrations and press- 
 work speak for themselves. The work is sent forth 
 with considerable confidence in its merits. 
 
History of the Old Testament. 
 
 ' --«8S&»- 
 
 AGE I. 
 
 % 
 
 t 
 
 FROM ADAM TO ABRAHAM. 
 
 CONTAINING- 2083 YEARS. 
 
 -- 
 
 a. m. i.] i # —The Creation of the World. c - 4000 
 
 1. In the beginning God created the heavens and the 
 earth. The earth was void arid empty, and darkness was 
 on the face of the deep. Then God said : “ Let there be 
 light !” and light was made. This was the work of the 
 first day. 
 
 2. On the second day was created the firmament, with 
 all its expansive beauty. 
 
8 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 On the third day God gathered together the waters into 
 one place, and commanded the dry land to appeal ; the 
 waters He called sea, and the dry land earth. Thus were 
 formed the fountains, the streams, and the rivers. 4" 
 
 3. Then • God commanded the earth to bring forth 
 plants, and green trees, and flowers of many various 
 forms and different colors. 
 
 On the fourth day were made the great lights that 
 shine in the heavens, the sun, the moon, and the stars. 
 On the fifth day the fish that are in the waters, and the/, 
 birds that are in the air were created. 
 
 4. The sixth day God created all manner of living 
 creatures that are upon the earth, each in its kind. 
 
 At last He said: “ Let us make man to our own image 
 and likeness, and let him have dominion over the whole 
 earth.” So God formed man out of the^rme of the earth, 
 and breathed into him an immortal soul, and called him 
 Adam; that is, taken from the earth. God saw all the 
 things that He had made, and they were good. So He 
 rested on the seventh day, and blessed it. 
 
 5. As God created man on tlie sixth day of creation, so on Good- 
 Fridav, the sixth day of Holy Week, He redeemed him. And as 
 the body of the first Adam was formed from the earth whilst it 
 was yet pure and blessed, so was Jesus Christ, the second Adam, 
 born of Mary, a Virgin, pure and without original sin. 
 
 2.—Happiness of Adam and Eve in Paradise. 
 
 1. The heavens and the earth being finished, God 
 planted a garden, a terrestrial paradise, in which were all 
 manner of trees and precious fruits. In the midst thereof 
 He placed two trees, one the tree of life, the other the 
 tree of knowledge of good and evil. God then told Adam 
 
 Questions to Chapter 1 . —What was done in the beginning ? How was the 
 earth created ? What did God create on the first day ? What on the second ? 
 What on the third? What were the waters called? What did the earth bring 
 forth? What was created on the fourth day ? On the fifth 0 And sixth? Why 
 did God call the first man Adam ? What did God do on the seventh day ? 
 
THE FALL OF OUR FIRST PARENTS. 
 
 9 
 
 he mightireat of the fruit of every tree in the garden, but, 
 “ of the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, 
 he should not eat; for on the day he would eat, he should 
 surely die.” ^ 
 
 2. Then God brought before Adam all the beasts of 
 the earth that .he might give to each its name. But for 
 Adam there was not found a companion like to himself. 
 And God said : “ It is not good for man to be alone, let us 
 make a helpmate like unto himself.” So God cast a dee}) 
 sleep upon Adam, and from his side took a rib, which He 
 formed into a woman. When Adam awoke, God brought 
 the woman jfcp him, and he called her Eve, that is, the 
 mother of alBtlie living. 
 
 3. Whilst Adam and Eve were in Paradise, God treated them as 
 a father does his children, and they were happy: at the same time 
 the tree of life preserved them from sickness and death.—The tree 
 of life was a figure of the Sacrament of the Altar; of which it is 
 written, “He who is fed by it, shall live forever.” 
 
 ***t N ^‘ ' * ¥ * * 
 
 
 - vV.^1, 
 
 ^ a V T% '’* * ^ 
 
 1. Besides the visible, God also created an invisible 
 world, namely His angels. At first they were good and 
 perfectly happy ; but in time they became dazzled with 
 their own perfections, and, yielding to pride, revolted 
 against God. Michael, and the other angels that remained 
 faithful, fought against them, vanquished and overthrew 
 them, together with their leader, Lucifer , who is also 
 called Satan. 
 
 2. But Satan, fallen and lost, began to contrast his 
 misery with man’s happiness, and, raging with anger and 
 envy, resolved to seduce man from his obedience to God. 
 For this end he made use of the serpent. 
 
 3. One day, while Eve was looking at the forbidden 
 
 Questions to Chapter 2.— What was placed in Paradise ? What are the 
 names of the trees? What was to happen if Adam eat the fruit? What were 
 - brought before Adam ? What was not found ? Of what was the woman formed ? 
 What does Eve mean ? What is said of Paradise ? And of the tree of life ? 
 
10 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 tree, the serpent, coming near, asked her why she did not 
 eat of its fruit. Eve answered, God had forbidden them 
 
 to touch it, lest they should die. But the serpent artfully 
 replied, they would not die ; on the contrary, their eyes 
 would be opened, and they would be as gods, knowing 
 good and evil. Eve looked again upon the tree ; her 
 curiosity was excited : the more she looked, the more the 
 forbidden fruit appeared enticing. At length she stretched 
 forth her hand, plucked the fruit, eat and gave to Adam, 
 who also eat. This was their first sin. 
 
 4. Immediately their eyes were opened, but far other¬ 
 wise than they had expected. Covered with shame, they 
 sewed together fig-leaves and made garments for them¬ 
 selves, and, trembling, hid among the trees. From one 
 tree came ruin ; from another, the tree of the cross, came 
 redemption and victory over sin and the devil. 
 
 « 
 
 Questions to Chapter 3 .—What was created? At first, what were they? 
 How did they fall? What is said of Satan ? How did he tempt Eve? Did he 
 succeed ? What happened to Adam and Eve ? What is said of the tree and the 
 cross ? 
 
THE PUNISHMENT OF SIN 
 
 11 
 
 4.—The Punishment of Sin and the Promise of 
 
 a Redeemer. 
 
 1. In the evening God came into the garden and called 
 Adam, who, trembling with fear, approached and acknowl¬ 
 edged that he had eaten the forbidden fruit, but threw 
 the blame on the woman. She, in turn, blamed the 
 serpent. 
 
 2. Then God cursed the serpent, condemning him to 
 crawl upon the ground and to eat dust all the days of his 
 life : besides, He said, enmity should exist between the 
 serpent and the woman, but in the end the woman would 
 crush his head. 
 
 3. Then God told the woman she should bring forth 
 her children in sorrow, and, for her disobedience, be sub¬ 
 ject to her husband. To the man He said : “Cursed is 
 the earth in thy work : thorns and thistles shall it bring 
 forth to thee ; and in the sweat of thy brow thou shalt 
 eat thy bread, until thou return to the earth from whence 
 
12 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 thou earnest: for dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt 
 return. 57 
 
 4. Then God made garments of skins, and, clothing 
 Adam and Eye in them, drove them out of Paradise. At 
 the entrance of the garden an angel, with a fiery sword, 
 was placed to guard against their Teturn. 
 
 a. m. i28.] 5 . Cain and Abel. [a. c. 3872. 
 
 1. Adam and Eve had many children; of these, the • 
 
 eldest were Cain and his brother Abel. Cain was a hus¬ 
 bandman, and wicked; but Abel, a shepherd, was just 
 and good. Both offered sacrifice to God—Abel, a lamb ; 
 Cain, of the fruits of the earth. God, who knew the 
 secrets of their hearts, looked with favor on the sacrifice 
 of Abel, but turned away His face from the sacrifice of 
 Cain. ■; ■ v 
 
 2. When Cain saw this, his mind was filled with anger 
 and jealousy against his brother. His countenance fell; 
 and though God chid him in kindness, telling him if he 
 did well he would be rewarded equally with Abel, yet Cain 
 would not be appeased. 
 
 3. So, nourishing liis anger and giving way to his spite, 
 Cain one day asked Abel to go with him into the fields. 
 There he rose up against his brother and slew him. As 
 soon as the blood of the innocent Abel stained the ground, 
 God cried out to Cain: “Where is thy brother? 77 but 
 Cain, hardened in his crime, answered he did not know ; 
 nor was he his brother’s keeper. 
 
 4.. But God, from whom nothing can be hid, told Cain 
 that Abel’s blood cried to Him for vengeance, and, because 
 he had dared to touch his brother, he should be a fugitive 
 and a vagabond on the face of the earth. When Cain 
 
 Questions to Chapter 4 . — Who called Adam? What was said? What 
 curse did God pronounce on the serpent? What curse did God pronounce on 
 Eve ? On Adam ? Of what did God make clothing ? What happened to Adam 
 and Eve ? What was placed at the gate of Paradise ? 
 
THE DELUGE 
 
 13 
 
 heard this sentence of God, he gave way to despair, say¬ 
 ing : “My sin is too great to be pardoned.' 7 So God set 
 a mark upon him, and he went forth, a wanderer and a 
 fugitive upon the face of the earth. 
 
 5. The murdered Abel is a figure of Jesus Christ, while Cain is 
 a figure of the traitor Judas and the Jewish people, who put our 
 Saviour to death. 
 
 A. M. 1656.] The Ddug’0. [a. C. 2344. 
 
 1. The descendants of Adam were divided into two 
 classes—the good and the had. To console Adam for the 
 
 death of Abel, God gave him the pious Seth. Seth’s 
 posterity were known as the children of God, while the 
 descendants of Cain were very wicked. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 5 . — What is said of Cain and Abe! ? What were 
 their sacrifices ? How did God receive them ? IIow did Cain act ? How did he 
 answer God? What was Cain’s sentence? What is said of Abel and Christ ? Of 
 
 Cain and Judas ? 
 
14 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 2. By degrees mankind became corrupt, Noe alone 
 remaining just. God bade Noe build an Ark, for in a' 
 hundred years He would destroy by a deluge every living 
 creature on the face of the earth. The following are the 
 dimensions and construction of the Ark : Its length, three 
 hundred cubits ; its breadth, fifty ; and its height, thirty 
 cubits. In the upper part was a window, and in the side 
 a door. 
 
 3. For a hundred years Noe labored on the construction 
 of the Ark. During this time he preached penance to the 
 wicked, and warned them of the evils that were to come ; 
 but they heeded him not. Then God commanded him to 
 go into the Ark and to take with him his wife, and his 
 three sons and their wives ; moreover to take with him of 
 every animal two of a sort, and food sufficient. 
 
 4. After seven days the deluge came. The fountains 
 of the great deep were broken up, and the flood-gates of 
 heaven were opened, but the Ark floated peacefully upon 
 the waters. Overwhelmed with despair, men began to 
 climb the trees, and in vain to ascend the hills. The 
 waters continued to increase, until they had risen fifteen 
 cubits above the tops of the highest mountains. 
 
 5. Thus perished every living thing that then moved 
 upon the earth: from man to the beasts of the earth ; 
 from the birds in the air to the reptiles on the ground. 
 Noe and all that were in the Ark alone remained. 
 
 Noe is a figure of Jesus Christ, as the Ark is a figure of the 
 Catholic Church. 
 
 I , t 
 
 a . m. 1657.] 7.— The S 3 .crifi.c 6 of Noe. [a . C. 2343. 
 
 1. When the waters had covered the earth for a hundred 
 and fifty days, God remembered Noe, and sent a warm 
 wind, that by degrees abated the waters. Soon the moun- 
 
 Questions to Chapter 6 .— How were men divided? Who descended from 
 Seth ? Who from Cain ? Who alone remained just ? What did Noe build ? How 
 long was he building the Ark ? Who went into the Ark ? When did the deluge 
 come ? What is said of the Ark ? What of men ? What perished ? 
 
THE SACRIFICE OF NOE 
 
 15 
 
 tains began to appear, and in the seventh month the Ark 
 rested on the top of Mount Ararat, in Armenia. 
 
 2. Noe, eager to learn if the waters had subsided, opened 
 the window of the Ark .and sent forth a raven, which did 
 not return ; then he sent forth a dove, which, not finding 
 where her foot might rest, returned to the Ark. After 
 seven days, Noe again sent forth the dove, which returned 
 
 in the evening, carrying in its beak an olive branch. By 
 this, Noe knew that the waters were abated upon the 
 earth. At the command of God, Noe and his wife, and 
 his sons and his sons’ wives, and every living creature that 
 was with them, went forth from the Ark, after having 
 been shut up in it for a whole year. 
 
 3. Filled with gratitude, Noe built an altar, and, taking 
 of the animals that were pure, offered sacrifice to the 
 Lord. God was pleased with him for this, and set his 
 rainbow in the heavens. Then God blessed Noe and his 
 sons, and said to them : “ Behold, I will establish my 
 covenant with you and with your posterity. There shall 
 
16 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 be no more a deluge to destroy all flesh. While the earth 
 exists, seed-time and harvest, summer and winter, day 
 and night shall not cease. And the arc that I have 
 placed in the clouds shall be the sign of my covenant 
 with you.” ^ 
 
 4. The impenitent sinner is like the raven that returned not to 
 the Ark, while the dove is like the faithful soul that finds its rest 
 only in Jesus Christ and his Church. 
 
 a. m. less.] 8. — The Sons of Noe. [a. c. 2342 . 
 
 1. Noe had three sons—Sem, Cham, and Japhet. To¬ 
 gether with them he tilled the ground and planted the 
 vine. When the vintage came, not knowing the strength 
 of wine, he drank too freely, and, becoming drunk, lay in 
 his tent. Cham, finding him in this condition, laughed, 
 and, going, told his brothers what he had seen. 
 
 2. But they, filled with reverence, and moved with filial 
 love, took a cloak, and, putting it upon their shoulders, 
 turned away their eyes, and, going backward, covered 
 their father. AAlien Noe awoke, and learned what had 
 taken place—“Cursed be Cham,” said he, “but blessed 
 be Sem and Japhet.” 
 
 a. m. ns?.] The Tower of Babel. [ A . C. 2243. 
 
 3. Soon the descendants of Noe began so to multiply 
 that they could no longer dwell together in the same place. 
 In their pride, before separating, they resolved to build a 
 city and a tower that would reach to heaven. But God 
 easily confounded them in their foolish project. On a 
 sudden their language was confused, and they could not 
 understand one another. Before this there had been but 
 
 Questions to Chapter 7 .— How long did the deluge continue? Where did 
 the Ark rest? How did Noe know the waters were gone? How long was Noe 
 in the Ark ? .What did Noe offer ? What covenant, did God make ? What is said 
 of the raven and the dove ? 
 
THE TOWER OF BABEL 
 
 17 
 
 one language ; but now there were many. The city and 
 the tower were abandoned, and the people dispersed. 
 
 4. The posterity of Sem was spread over the greater 
 part of Asia. From him are descended the Israelites, the 
 chosen people of God. The descendants of Cham went to 
 Africa, while the children of Japhet passed over to 
 Europe. 
 
 5. The pride of Babel led to the confusion of languages; while, 
 on Pentecost, the humility of the Apostles led to their union. 
 
 END OF THE FIRST AGE. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 8 . —What is said of Noe’s sons? What happened to 
 Noe? What did Cham do ? What did Sem and Japhet do ? What did Noe do? 
 What is said of the Tower of Babel ? What did God do ? What was confused ? 
 Where did the people go ? Where did the descendants of Sem go ? Who are 
 descended from Sem? Who are descended from Cham ? and who from Japhet ? 
 What is said of Babel and Pentecost ? 
 
HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 The Names and Ages of the First Ten Patriarchs, from 
 
 Adam to Noe : 
 
 A. M. A. M. 
 
 Born. Died. Age. 
 
 1. Adam . . — 930 930 
 
 2. Seth . . 130 1042 912 
 
 3. Enos , . 235 1140 905 
 
 4. Cainan . . 325 1235 910 ' 
 
 5. Malaleel . 395 1290 895 
 
 A. M. A. M. 
 
 Born. Died. Age. 
 
 6. Jared . . 400 1422 962 
 
 7. Enoch . . 622 987 365 
 
 8. Mathusalem 687 1656 969 
 
 9. Lamech . 874 1651 777 
 
 10. Noe . .1057 2006 950 
 
 By this it will he seen to what an advanced age the 
 early Patriarchs lived. Adam lived 930 years : Lamech, 
 Noe’s father, was born in the year 874; so Noe’s father 
 lived 56 years with Adam, and Noe himself lived 128 
 years with Thare, Abraham’s father. Tims, from Abra¬ 
 ham to Adam there were hut three persons, and from 
 Abraham to Moses it was very easy to hand down tradi¬ 
 tions. Hence, there was no difficulty in Moses writing 
 about the creation and the early history of the world as 
 we find it related in the Bible. 
 
 ---- 
 
 AGE II. 
 
 FROM THE CALL OF ABRAHAM 
 
 TO MOSES. 
 
 CONTAINING 430 YEARS 
 
 a. m. 2083.] 9.—The Call of Abraham. [a. c. i 9 n 
 
 1. At Haran, in the midst of a wicked world, there 
 lived a Chaldee named Abraham, a most upright man. 
 God chose him, that through him the knowledge of the 
 true God and the hope in the promised Kedeemer might 
 be preserved among men. For this reason, the Lord 
 commanded Abraham to leave his country and his kins¬ 
 folks, and go into a strange land. God moreover promised 
 
THE VIRTUES OF ABRAHAM. 19 
 
 that Abraham should be the father of a great people, and 
 that in him all nations should be blessed. 
 
 2. Abraham obeyed, and, with Sarah his wife, and Lot 
 his nephew, together with his servants and flocks, came 
 into Chanaan, a land flowing with milk and honey. Here 
 the Lord appeared to Abraham, and promised to give him 
 and his posterity that land. In gratitude, Abraham built 
 an altar and offered sacrifice to the Lord. 
 
 « 
 
 10.—The Virtues of Abraham. 
 
 1. His love of peace .—In time, because of the scarcity of 
 pasture, quarrels arose between the herdsmen of Abraham 
 and the herdsmen of his nephew Lot ; so Abraham, who 
 loved peace rather than gain, thought it better that he 
 and Lqt should part. He gave Lot the choice to go either 
 to the right or to the left. Lot chose the country about 
 the Jordan, and dwelt in Sodom, while Abraham remained 
 at Hebron. 
 
 2. His disinterestedness. — Not long after this there 
 came into that country strange kings, who pillaged the 
 cities of Sodom and Gomorrha, took Lot captive, and 
 carried off with them all his substance. AY hen Abraham 
 heard this sad news, he gathered together three hundred 
 of his servants, and, pursuing, defeated those kings, 
 delivered Lot, and, recovering all his substance, led him 
 back to his own country. 
 
 3. It was on this occasion Abraham was met by Mel- 
 chisedech, King of Salem, and priest of the Most High, 
 who,-offering sacrifice of bread and wine, blessed Abraham. 
 At the same time, the King of Sodom offered Abraham all 
 the booty that had been taken, only to restore the captives, 
 but Abraham would take nothing. 
 
 4. In this victory over the foreign kings, we have a type of Christ’s 
 
 Questions to Chapter 9 .— What is said of Abraham ? Where did God send 
 Abraham ? Why ? What did God promise ? Where d*d Abraham come ? What 
 is said of Chanaan ? 
 
20 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 victory over the powers of hell. The sacrifice of Melcliisedecli in 
 bread and wine was a symbol of the Sacrifice of the Mass, which is 
 also offered under the appearance of bread and wine. 
 
 5. Abrahams faith .—One night God led Abraham to 
 the door of his tent, and said to him : “ Lift up your 
 eyes to heaven, and count the stars if you can ; thus shall 
 your posterity be multiplied upon the earth.” 
 
 G. God again appeared to him, and confirmed his former 
 promise, adding that He would make a covenant with him. 
 In return, God required Abraham to serve Him faithfully. 
 To confirm this covenant between them, God promised' 
 Abraham a son, whose name should be called Isaac. 
 Abraham believed the word of the Lord, and his faith, 
 confirmed by his works, was imputed to him. It was on 
 this occasion that God prescribed the ceremony of cir¬ 
 cumcision. 
 
 <* •«* 
 
 Questions to Chapter 10. — How did Abraham show his love for peace? 
 What is said of Lot ? Where did he go ? Where did Abraham remain ? What is 
 said about Sodom and Gomorrha ? Who was taken captive ? What did Abraham 
 do ? Whom did he meet when returning ? What is said of Melchisedech’s sacri¬ 
 fice ? What did God promise Abraham ? What did God make with him ? Who 
 was Isaac ? What did God prescribe ? 
 
ABRAHAM’S HOSPITALITY. 
 
 21 
 
 11.—Abraham’s Hospitality. 
 
 1. During the extreme heat of the day, three strangers 
 approached Abraham’s tent. As soon as he saw them, 
 bowing himself to the ground, he said to the most dis¬ 
 tinguished of them : “My lord, pass not by the door of 
 my tent: stop and rest under the shade of the tree, and I 
 will set before you a little bread, that you may refresh 
 yourself. ” 
 
 2. Then Sarah hastened to make flour-cakes upon the 
 hearth, whilst Abraham chose a tender calf from the flock, 
 and, hastening, gave it to the servants to dress and boil; 
 then he took milk and butter, and the calf and the cakes, 
 and set them before the strangers, while he stood by to 
 serve them. 
 
 3. When they had eaten, lie, who appeared chief among 
 the strangers, told Abraham that in a year he would 
 return, and, by that time, Sarah his wife would have a 
 son. When Abraham heard this, he knew that it was 
 God himself, accompanied by two angels, whom he had 
 entertained. 
 
 4. Abraham's love of his neighbor. — When the three 
 strangers departed, Abraham accompanied them some dis¬ 
 tance on their journey to Sodom. On the way, the Lord 
 told Abraham of the iniquity of Sodom and Gomorrha. 
 and how He was about to destroy the two wicked cities. 
 AVhen Abraham heard this, full of charity for his erring 
 neighbors, he besought the Lord not to destroy the just 
 with the unjust. 
 
 5. Pleading, he besought the Lord to spare the sinful 
 cities of the plain, if there could be found in them fifty 
 just. And when the Lord yielded to his prayer, he yet 
 again and again urged, until the Lord agreed, if ten just 
 could be found, not to destroy Sodom. But ten just could 
 not be found; therefore, on the following morning, came 
 
 in its novelty. 
 
22 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 6. The Lord haying left the two angels, they came to 
 Lot, in Sodom. On the morrow they led Lot, his wife. 
 
 and his two daughters forth from the place ; then the 
 Lord rained down fire and brimstone on the unfortunate 
 cities, destroying them with all their inhabitants. But 
 Lot’s wife, forgetting the command of the angels, looked 
 back, and, for her curiosity, was, on the spot, turned into 
 a pillar of salt. The country round about was turned into 
 a sulphurous lake—now known as the Bead Sea —which 
 will ever remain a monument of the wrath of God for the • 
 sins of men. 
 
 12.—Abraham’s Spirit of Self-sacrifice. 
 
 1. As had been foretold, the year after the destruction 
 of Sodom, Isaac was born. His father loved him most 
 
 Questions to Chapter 11. —Who approached Abraham’s tent? What did 
 Sarah and Abraham do ? What did the strangers promise ? Whom did Abraham 
 accompany ? What did the Lord tell him ? For what did Abraham plead ? What 
 came on the morrow? Who were saved ? What happened to Lot's wife? What 
 were Sodom and Gomorrha turned into ? What is its name ? 
 
abraham’s spirit of self-sacrifice. 
 
 23 
 
 tenderly, because he had been born to him in his old age. 
 One night God, that he might try him, commanded Abra¬ 
 ham to take his beloved Isaac and to go up into Mount 
 Moria, and there to sacrifice him. 
 
 2. Without a word, Abraham rose, and cutting wood 
 placed it on an ass, and, taking with him his son and two 
 servants, went forth as the Lord had commanded him. 
 On the third day, seeing in the distance the place whither 
 he had been commanded to go, he ordered the servants to 
 rest while he and Isaac would go up the mountain. 
 
 3. Then Abraham put the wood on Isaac’s shoulders 
 and they went 
 on together. 
 
 On the way, 
 
 Isaac remarked 
 that they had 
 the fire and 
 the wood with 
 them, but they 
 had no victim 
 for the sacri¬ 
 fice. But his 
 father assured 
 him God would 
 provide a vic¬ 
 tim. When 
 
 they were come to the place God had showed them, Abra¬ 
 ham built an altar, and, placing the wood upon it, bound 
 Isaac and laid him also upon it; then he took the sword 
 to sacrifice his much-loved son. 
 
 4. Just as Abraham was about to strike, an angel touched 
 his hand and told him not to harm the boy; that the 
 Lord was satisfied, since, for His sake, he had not spared 
 his only-begotten son. Abraham lifted up his eyes and 
 saw behind him a ram sticking among the bushes : taking 
 it, he offered it instead of his son. 
 
 5. The angel spoke again to Abraham, telling him the 
 Lord would bless him for this offering he had made ; that 
 
24 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 his posterity would be, as numerous as the sand of the 
 sea; and that from him would be bom one in whom all 
 nations would be blessed. 
 
 am. 2i48.] 13.—Isaac Marries Rebecca. [ A . c, ws*. 
 
 1. When Abraham had grown old, he became anxious 
 to choose for his son a wife, who feared God. Therefore, 
 calling his faithful servant Eliezer, he sent him into 
 Mesopotamia, that, amongst his own friends and kinsfolk, 
 he might seek for a wife for Isaac. Eliezer took ten 
 camels, and, loading them with his master’s goods, de¬ 
 parted for the city of Haran, where Abraham’s brother, 
 Nachor, lived. 
 
 2. When Eliezer approached the city, he made the 
 camels lie down by the wells, where the women were wont 
 to draw water; then he prayed thus to the Lord: “0 
 Lord, this day come to my help and have mercy upon my 
 master Abraham ! Soon the young women of this city 
 will come forth to draw water ; grant, therefore, that the 
 maid who shall say to me, 6 Drink, and I will give thy 
 camels also to drink/ may be, 0 Lord, the same whom 
 thou hast provided for thy servant, Isaac ! ” 
 
 3. Scarce had he finished, when there came from the 
 city a young woman, named Rebecca, as modest as she 
 was beautiful. On her shoulders she carried a pitcher. 
 When she had filled it, Eliezer said to her, “ Give me to 
 drink.” She answered, “ Drink,” and kindly offered him 
 her pitcher. Then she said, “I will also draw water for 
 your camels.” 
 
 4. When the servant heard this, he stood awhile in 
 silent amazement, watching till she had given the camels 
 to drink ; then he gave her ear-rings and golden bracelets, 
 and asked whose daughter she was, and whether there was 
 
 Questions to Chapter 12.—Who was born ? How did God test Abraham’s 
 faith ? What did Isaac remark ? What did Abraham do ? How was Isaac saved ? 
 What promises did God make ? 
 
ESAU AND JACOB. 
 
 25 
 
 room in her father’s house for him to lodge. In answer, 
 she told him she was the daughter of Bathuel, the son of 
 Nachor, and, moreover, there was room at her father’s, 
 together with plenty of straw and hay. When Eliezer 
 heard this, he adored God, who had brought his journey 
 to so successful an end. 
 
 5. He then went to Bathuel’s house, but would neither 
 eat nor drink till he had delivered his message. When 
 they all heard for what he had come, and what had hap¬ 
 pened, Laban, Rebecca's brother, as also Bathuel, her 
 father, said : “ God had directed all these events, and that 
 he should take Rebecca with him.” 
 
 6. Then Eliezer again adored God, and, bringing forth 
 vessels of silver and gold, and rich garments, gave them 
 to Rebecca. He also gave presents to her mother and her 
 brothers. A banquet was prepared; they eat, drank, 
 and made merry. In the morning, Rebecca’s parents and 
 her brothers blessed her, and she left her father’s home to 
 become the wife of Isaac. 
 
 Abraham lived to the advanced age of a hundred and 
 seventy-five years. God blessed him in all his works, and 
 he died full of grace and virtues. 
 
 A. M. 2168.] 14. — Esau and Jacob. [a. C. 1832. 
 
 1. For twenty years Isaac and Rebecca lived together 
 before God blessed them with children. They prayed to 
 the Lord, and He gave them two sons—Esau, the first 
 born, and Jacob, the second. Esau was red and hairy, 
 and rough in his manners ; but Jacob was smooth, and of 
 a gentle disposition. Esau became a hunter and a hus¬ 
 bandman, while Jacob was a shepherd. 
 
 2. Isaac loved the bold and courageous Esau, and eat 
 
 Questions to Chapter 13.—What did Abraham wish to choose ? Whom did 
 he send ? What was Eliezer’s prayer ? How did it turn out ? What did Eliezer 
 give Rebecca ? What did she tell him ? Where did Eliezer go ? What happened ? 
 Where did Rebecca go ? How old was Abraham when he died ? 
 
 2 
 
26 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 with delight the game which he brought from the chase ; 
 but Eebecca loved rather the smooth and gentle Jacob, 
 because God had told her he would yet rule his elder 
 brother. 
 
 3. One day, Jacob had prepared a dish of lentil pottage, 
 when Esau, who was returning from the chase, met him, 
 and asked him for it. But Jacob refused, unless Esau 
 - would sell him his birthright. So Esau, thinking lightly 
 of the matter, sold his birthright for a mess of pottage. 
 
 This transfer of Esau’s birthright to Jacob was symbolical of the 
 Jews, who, in the time of Christ, rejected the Gospel, and their 
 rights were transferred to the Gentiles, who were chosen in their 
 stead. 
 
 4. When Isaac had grown old, and nis eyes were dim, 
 he one day called Esau to his bedside, and told him to go 
 into the fields, and, when he had taken some game, to 
 make him a savory dish, that he might bless him before 
 he died. Eebecca overheard this conversation ; as soon as 
 Esau had gone out she called Jacob, and bade him hasten 
 and bring two kids, that she might prepare a dish for his 
 father, that carrying it in, he might get his father’s bless¬ 
 ing instead of Esau. 
 
 5. At first Jacob objected, lest his father would dis¬ 
 cover the fraud, 
 and thus, instead 
 of a blessing, he 
 would receive a 
 curse. But Ee¬ 
 becca overcame 
 h i s objection, 
 and, clothing 
 him in the skin 
 of a kid, sent 
 him to his fa¬ 
 ther. 
 
 Isaac doubted, 
 but calling Ja¬ 
 cob to him, and touching him, he said : “The voice is 
 
JACOB’S FLIGHT AND SOJOURN WITH LABAN. 27 
 
 the yoice of Jacoby but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 
 So he eat, and blessed Jacob. 
 
 6. Scarce had Jacob gone out, when Esau entered with 
 what he had caught in the chase. When Esau heard 
 what had been done, he became very angry, accusing 
 Jacob of having first robbed him of his birthright, and 
 now of his father’s blessing. From that day, Esau hated 
 Jacob, and threatened his life. Rebecca, seeing this, 
 persuaded Jacob to go and stay for awhile at Haran, with 
 her brother Laban, until Esau’s anger would be appeased. 
 Jacob consented, and immediately started on his journey. 
 
 a.m. 2245.] 15 .—Jacob’s Flight and Sojourn [ A . c. ms. 
 
 with Laban. 
 
 1. Night overtook Jacob on his journey. Wearied, he % 
 took a stone and placed it under his head whilst he slept: 
 In his sleep, he saw a ladder, whose foot rested upon the 
 earth and its top reached up to Heaven. He saw, besides, 
 angels ascending and descending upon it, whilst the Lord 
 leaned on its top. The Lord spoke to him and promised 
 to give him, and his posterity after him, the land on which 
 he then slept. 
 
 2. When Jacob awoke, he took the stone on which he 
 had slept and set it up for a title; then he poured oil 
 upon it and called the place Bethel, that is, the house of 
 God. Bethel is a figure of the Church, where Jesus Christ 
 Himself dwells, and in which the angels, more effectually 
 than by this mysterious ladder, carry our prayers to God 
 and bring again His graces to us. 
 
 3. Jacob continued his journey, and came to a well 
 around which three flocks of sheep were lying. He asked 
 
 i 
 
 Questions to Chapter 14.—What sons had Jacob and Rebecca ? What was 
 Esau? What was Jacob ? What had Jacob prepared ? Who asked for it ? What 
 did Jacob ask him to sell ? For what did Esau sell his birthright ? Of what is 
 this transfei of the birthright a picture ? How did Jacob get his father’s bless¬ 
 ing? W T hat was Jacob’s objection ? How did he succeed ? When Esau discov¬ 
 ered the fraud, how did he act ? Where did Jacob go ? 
 
HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 the shepherds if they knew Laban. They said they did, 
 and pointed to Rachel, his daughter, who was driving her 
 flocks also to the well. When Jacob saw her, he hastened 
 to take away the stone that covered the well, and helped 
 her to give drink to her hocks. He then told her who 
 he was. 
 
 4. When Rachel heard that he was her cousin, she. ran 
 home to tell her father, who came in. haste to meet Jacob, 
 and, embracing him, led him into his house. 7 Jacob 
 remained twenty years with Laban, tending^his hocks. 
 In many ways, Laban strove to lessen Jacob’s wages ; but 
 as often as he strove to injure Jacob, God blessed him, 
 until Jacob became immensely rich. In time,'Jacob mar¬ 
 ried Rachel, and also her sister, Lea. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 15.—Describe Jacob’s ladder? What did God prom¬ 
 ise ? What does Bethel mean ? What is said of Bethel and the Church ? Whom 
 did Jacob meet at the well ? What happened ? How long did Jacob serve Laban ? 
 Whom did he marry? 
 
Jacob’s return. 
 
 29 
 
 A. M. 2265.] 16. — Jacob’s Return. [A. C. 1735. 
 
 1. Owing to Jacob’s great wealth, Laban became ex¬ 
 tremely jealous of him. At the command of God, Jacob 
 gathered together all his servants, and his flocks of sheep, 
 and of goats, and of camels, and of asses, and went- into 
 his own country. When he arrived at the banks of the 
 Jordan, a river that marks the limits of Chanaan, he 
 began to fear the former anger of Esau. He then sent 
 messengers to make peace with him; but, without giving 
 an answer, Esau came to meet his brother, accompanied 
 by four hundred men. 
 
 2. When Jacob heard this, he was much alarmed, and 
 prayed God to deliver him out of his brother’s hands. 
 During the night, an angel appeared to him and wrestled 
 with him till the morning Before the angel left him, he 
 changed his name from Jacob to Israel , that is to say, 
 strong against God. 
 
 3. This contest of the angel with Jacob is a lively figure of the 
 Church. Pagan emperors, heresiarchs, and, above all, hell, have 
 made constant war against her : but as Jacob was not overcome by 
 the angel, neither has the Church been overcome, nor shall she be 
 to the end of time. 
 
 4. In the morning, Jacob saw Esau coming towards 
 him. He hastened to divide his children, and his ser¬ 
 vants, and his flocks, into two companies ; then, advancing 
 to meet Esau, bowed himself seven times before him. The 
 brothers embraced and wept for joy; Jacob’s children, 
 also advancing, bowed themselves before Esau. 
 
 5. After a short delay the brothers parted, and Jacob 
 pursued his journey: penetrated with a lively sense of the 
 divine protection, he came into the land of Chanaan. 
 When his old father saw him, he was much rejoiced, and 
 gave God thanks that his son had returned. Isaac died at 
 the advanced age of a hundred and eighty years, and was 
 buried by his sons, Esau and Jacob. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 16. — How did Laban act towards Jacob ? What did 
 Jacob gather together ? What happened at the Jordan ? With whom dici Jacob 
 wrestle ? What does Israel mean ? How is Jacob’s contest a figure of the 
 Church? How did Esau and Jacob meet ? How old was Isaac when he died? 
 
30 HISTOKY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 17.—Joseph in his Father’s House. 
 
 1. Jacob had twelve sons, of whom Joseph was the best. 
 His father loved him above all his brothers ; and when 
 they saw the coat of many colors, which his father made 
 for him, they were filled with rage and envy. One day, 
 while they were tending their flocks, his brothers com¬ 
 mitted a grievous fault. Joseph told his father, and by 
 this only the more were his brothers enraged against him. 
 
 2. On another occasion, Joseph told his brothers a 
 dream he had had. He appeared, he said, to be binding 
 sheaves with them in the field, when suddenly his sheaf 
 rose up, and theirs, standing round about, bowed down to 
 his. His brothers asked him, “If he wished to be their 
 king ? ” So they only hated him the more. 
 
 3. Joseph had another dream, in which the sun and 
 the moon and eleven stars seemed to worship him. This 
 time his father asked him: “Whether he expected that 
 lie and his mother and his brothers should worship him ? ” 
 But then, reflecting upon the whole matter, Jacob thought 
 God might have great things in store for his son. 
 
 a.m. sm] 18.—Joseph Sold into Egypt. [ A . c. im. 
 
 1. Some time after this, Jacob sent Joseph to see his 
 brothers, who were feeding their flocks at Sichem, that he 
 might bring him back word how they were. But when 
 the brothers saw Joseph coming to them, they determined 
 to kill him and cast him into a pit that was near by. 
 When Ruben, the eldest brother, heard this cruelty of his 
 brothers, he persuaded them to let him down alive into 
 an empty cistern that was there. This he did hoping he 
 might rescue the boy out of their hands. 
 
 2. As soon as Joseph arrived, he was stripped of his 
 
 Questions to Chapter 17.—What is said of Joseph? Why did his brothers 
 hate him ? What were his dreams ? 
 
JOSEPH SOLD INTO EGYPT 
 
 31 
 
 coat of many colors and cast into the empty cistern. 
 Whilst his brothers were eating, they saw some Ismaelite 
 merchants passing on their way to Egypt, their camels 
 carrying their merchandise. Then Juda advised his 
 brothers not to kill Joseph—for he was their brother— 
 and it would be better to sell him ; so they drew him out 
 of the cistern and sold him to the Ismaelites for twenty 
 pieces of silver. 
 
 3. Ruben was absent when Joseph was sold, and, return¬ 
 ing shortly after, sought the boy, and, not finding him, 
 went, in much trouble, to the others to know what they 
 had done with him ; but they were indifferent to his 
 inquiries. 
 
 Then the brothers killed a kid, and, dipping Joseph’s 
 coat in its blood, sent it to their father, pretending they 
 had found it. Jacob knew the coat at once, and con¬ 
 cluded a wild beast had killed his son. Rending his 
 
 garments, and, putting on sackcloth, he would not be 
 comforted. 
 
32 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 4. In many* respects, Joseph’s life was a picture of the life of 
 Jesus Christ. Joseph was hated by his brothers because of his great 
 virtues; Jesus was hated for his doctrines and the prophecies that 
 foretold his greatness. Joseph was betrayed, sold, and calumniated ; 
 so was Christ. Joseph triumphed in the end; so did Jesus Christ. 
 Joseph was made governor over Egypt; Jesus is King of Heaven 
 and earth. Joseph saved his brothers; Jesus Christ redeemed and 
 saved mankind. 
 
 a m. 2287 .] 19.—Joseph in the House of [a. c.im. 
 
 Putiphar. 
 
 1. When the Ismaelites came into Egypt, they sold 
 Joseph to Putiphar, the chief officer in Pharao’s army, 
 God was with Joseph, so that whatever he undertook 
 succeeded. Soon he was placed in charge of Putiphar’s 
 house. 
 
 2. After some time, Putiphar’s wife strove to persuade 
 him to commit a grievous sin, but he would not. How¬ 
 ever, she continued to press her wishes, until one day, 
 when she was more pressing than usual, Joseph fled, 
 leaving his cloak in her hands. 
 
 3. Finding she could not succeed, her love was turned 
 into hatred, and, seeing Joseph's cloak in her hands, 
 resolved to ruin the innocent young man. Then, with 
 well-affected horror, she began to cry out against Joseph ; 
 and when Putiphar came home, repeated her falsehoods 
 and calumnies. Her husband believed her story, and, 
 seeing the cloak, became very angry, and cast Joseph into 
 prison. 
 
 ■ r ' “Vr 
 
 ------ ———- 
 
 Questions to Chapter 18.— Where was Joseph sent? What did his brothers 
 propose? What did Ruben say ? What was done with Joseph? To whom was 
 Joseph sold? For how much? How did Ruben act? What was done with 
 Joseph’s coat ? How did Jacob act when he saw the coat? How was Joseph’s 
 life a picture of the life of Jesus Christ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 19.—To whom was Joseph sold? How did Putiphar’s 
 wife act ? Who cast Joseph into prison ? 
 
JOSEPH IN PRISON. 
 
 33 
 
 A. M. 2287.] 20.—Joseph in Prison. [a. c. ms. 
 
 # 
 
 1. Joseph soon found favor with the keeper of the 
 prison. Here, as before with Putiphars house, Joseph 
 was placed m charge of the other prisoners. Two of 
 Pharao’s officers, the cup-bearer and chief baker, were 
 also cast into prison. 
 
 2. On the same night they had each a dream that made 
 them very sad. In the morning, Joseph noticed their 
 sorrow, and, asking why, they told him of their dreams, 
 and that no one could interpret them. Joseph bade them 
 tell them to him. 
 
 3. The cup-bearer said : “ I saw before me three branches 
 of a vine, which, by degrees, grew and blossomed, and at 
 length brought forth grapes. I took the grapes and 
 pressed them into the king’s cup, and gave him to drink.” 
 When Joseph heard this, he answered : “ The three 
 branches are yet three days, when the king will restore 
 you to your former dignity, and you shall present the 
 cup as heretofore. Remember me, and speak to the king 
 for me, for, though cast into prison, I am innocent.’ 7 
 
 4. Then the chief baker said : 66 1 carried on my head 
 three baskets of meal. In the uppermost were all kinds 
 of pastry, of which the birds came and eat. 7 ’ Joseph 
 
 -answered: “The three baskets are three days, when the 
 king shall cut off your head, and hang your body on a 
 gibbet, where the birds shall eat your flesh. 77 
 
 5. Three days after, every thing happened as Joseph 
 had foretold : the king restored the cup-bearer, and he 
 presented the cup as before, but the baker he hanged on 
 a gibbet. The cup-bearer, however, in his prosperity, 
 forgot Joseph. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 20.—What position did Joseph hold in the prison ? 
 What happened there? What was the cnp-bearer’s dream? What was the 
 baker’s ? How were they fulfilled? Whom did the cup-bearer forget? 
 
34 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 A. M. 2*239.] 21.—Joseph’s Greatness. [A. C. 1711 
 
 1. After two years, Pharao had a dream. He seemed 
 to stand on the bank of the Nile, while seven fat kine 
 came np and fed in the marshes ; then there came up 
 seven other kine, lean and ill-favored, that devoured the 
 fat kine. After this the king awoke. 
 
 2. Pharao slept again, and dreamt another dream : he 
 saw seven ears of corn, full and fair, growing upon one 
 stalk; then he saw seven other ears grow up, thin and 
 blasted, and these eat up the first. So, Pharao awoke. 
 In the morning, the king sent for all the wise men and 
 soothsayers of Egypt, to whom he related his dreams, but 
 no one could interpret them. 
 
 3. Then the cup-bearer remembered Joseph, and told 
 the king how, in prison, Joseph had interpreted both his 
 and the chief baker’s dream. Immediately Joseph was 
 sent for. When the king related his dreams to him, 
 
Joseph’s brethren go into egypt. 
 
 35 
 
 Joseph told the king their interpretation depended not on 
 him but on God. 
 
 4. “This,” said Joseph, “is the interpretation of your 
 dreams : The seven fat kine and the seven full ears are 
 seven years of plenty ; the seven lean kine and the seven 
 blasted ears are seven years of famine, which will follow 
 and eat up all the abundance of the seven years of plenty. 
 The famine shall be in all the land. Let, therefore, the 
 king choose a wise man, and make him ruler over Egypt; 
 and let him, during the years of abundance, gather the 
 crops into public granaries, that there may be food against 
 the seven years of famine.” 
 
 5. This counsel pleased Pharao, and, admiring the wis¬ 
 dom and prudence that appeared in Joseph, he chose him. 
 Then he took the ring from his own finger and put it 
 upon Joseph’s, and, putting upon him a silken robe, and 
 round his neck a chain of gold, made him go up into his 
 second chariot, while a herald went before, crying aloud : 
 “Let all the people bow their knee before Joseph, who is 
 made governor of Egypt.” Pharao also changed Joseph’s 
 name, and called him “ Savior of the world” Joseph was 
 then thirty years of age. 
 
 a m. 2296.] 22. — Joseph’s Brethren go into [a. c. no4. 
 
 Egypt. 
 
 1. During the seven years of plenty, Joseph stored up 
 great quantities of wheat. As he had foretold, the famine 
 came, and the people demanded bread from the king; but 
 he sent them to Joseph, w T ho opened the granaries and 
 gave out wheat. 
 
 2. The famine passed also into the land of Chanaan. 
 Jacob, hearing there was wheat in Egypt, sent ten of his 
 sons thither, that they might buy ; but Benjamin, the 
 
 Questions to Chapter 21.—What was Pharao’s first dream? What his 
 second ? Who could not interpret the dreams ? Who could ? What was the 
 interpretation of the dreams? Who was made governor of Egypt? What was 
 Joseph called ? 
 
36 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 youngest, he kept at home, lest any harm should befall 
 him on the way. In time the brothers arrived in Egypt, 
 and, coming to Joseph, humbly bowed themselves before 
 him. He knew them, but they did not know him. 
 
 3. Joseph began to charge them with being spies, but 
 they declared their innocence, and how they had come 
 only to buy wheat. They also told him that, originally, 
 they were twelve brothers ; that the youngest was at home 
 with their father, but the other was not living. Joseph, 
 that he might further try them, threatened to cast one of 
 them into prison, until the others should return and 
 bring their younger brother, that he might see if they 
 were men of truth or no. 
 
 4. When the brothers saw themselves so harshly treated, 
 they began to speak one to the other, not thinking that 
 Joseph understood what they said, as he had spoken to 
 them only through an interpreter. In their trouble, they 
 remembered how they had treated him, and acknowledged 
 that their present treatment was a just punishment for 
 their former cruelty to their younger brother. When 
 Joseph heard this, going out, he wept. 
 
 5. Then Simon was cast into prison, while the sacks of 
 the others were filled with corn, and their money put 
 secretly in each man’s sack ; provisions were also given 
 them for the journey. When all was ready, the brothers 
 loaded their asses, and went their way. 
 
 6. Coming to their father, they told him all that had 
 happened *: and, emptying their sacks, each found the 
 price of his corn. Great fear came upon them. When 
 Jacob heard what had happened, he began to lament his 
 sad lot—how they would rob him of his children ; Joseph 
 was not, Simon was a prisoner, and now they would take 
 Benjamin away. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 22.—After seven years, what happened? What did 
 Joseph give the people ? What did Jacob do? Who was kept at home? How 
 did the brothers appear before Joseph? What did they tell him? What did 
 Joseph threaten ? What did the brothers say to each other ? What did Joseph 
 do ? Who was cast into prison ? What was done to the others ? What did they 
 tell their father ? What was found in each man’s sack ? How did Jacob act? 
 
JOSEPH’S SILVER CUP.' 37 
 
 a. m. 2297.] 23.—Benjamin goes down to [A. C. 1703. 
 
 Egypt. 
 
 1. When their wheat was all eaten, Jacob ordered his 
 sons to go again into Egypt; but Juda said it was useless, 
 unless they took Benjamin with them. After considering 
 the matter well, Jacob at length consented. , Taking with 
 them Benjamin, and double money, they started again. 
 
 2. When they arrived in Egypt, and Joseph saw Ben¬ 
 jamin, he commanded his steward to bring them into the 
 palace, that they might dine with him. The steward did 
 as he was ordered. They, seeing what was done, became 
 frightened, and began to think it was because of the 
 money they had found in their sacks ; but the steward 
 told them to fear not, and, going, brought Simon to 
 them. 
 
 3. When Joseph came in to see them, they bowed down 
 before him, and presented the gifts they had brought. 
 He saluted them kindly, and asked for their father ; if he 
 yet lived, and if he were well. Having answered him, he 
 turned to Benjamin, and, blessing him, went out and, 
 for joy, wept. 
 
 4. Washing his face, he returned and ordered dinner. 
 When he seated them each in the order of his age, they 
 wondered exceedingly. To each he gave a share, but 
 Benjamin’s was five times larger than that of any other. 
 So they eat and drank and made merry with Joseph. 
 
 24.—Joseph’s Silver Cup. 
 
 1. Joseph would again prove his brothers, to see if they 
 were as jealous and hard-hearted toward Benjamin as they 
 
 Questions to Chaptek 23. —'What did Jacob order ? What at first did Jacob 
 refuse ? When they arrived in Egypt, what did Joseph command ? How did the 
 brothers feel ? How did Joseph receive them ? How did Joseph act toward Ben¬ 
 jamin? How did Joseph seat his brothers? Whose share was tho greatest? 
 
 How did the brothers act ? 
 
38 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 liad been to himself; so, when the feast was ended, he 
 bade his steward fill their sacks with corn, to put each 
 man’s money hack into his sack, and his own silver cup 
 into the sack of the youngest. The order was obeyed, and 
 in the morning they departed. 
 
 2. But scarce were they gone, when Joseph sent his 
 steward after them, charging them with returning evil 
 for good, in having stolen his master's silver cup. When 
 the sons of Jacob heard the accusation, they were over- 
 whelmed with fear, and declared that with whomsoever 
 the cup would be found, he should die. Hastening, they 
 opened their sacks, and the cup was found in Benjamin’s. 
 Confounded, they gazed on each other, and, rending their 
 garments, returned to Joseph. 
 
 3. They cast themselves at his feet, and Juda, in their 
 name, said they had no excuse to make ; that they were 
 thus justly punished for their sins ; and that hereafter 
 they would be his slaves. Joseph, however, declared that 
 only he with whom the cup had been found should be his 
 slave ; the others would be free to go. 
 
JACOB GOES DOWN TO EGYPT. 
 
 39 
 
 4. When Juda heard this, he drew near to Joseph and 
 told him how much it had cost their father to let Benja¬ 
 min go, how he had pledged himself for the return of the 
 boy; and how, if they returned without Benjamin, he 
 feared it would kill their aged father ; then Juda offered 
 himself to be slave, instead of his younger brother Ben¬ 
 jamin. 
 
 5. Joseph could no longer restrain himself, but, bursting 
 into tears, said to his brothers: “I am Joseph.” They 
 could not answer him, so great was their fear; but he 
 spoke kindly to them, assuring them that all they had 
 done to him had been directed by God. Then he asked 
 how his father was, and commanded his brothers to hasten 
 and tell him of his son’s glory ; to come down to Egypt, 
 for there were yet five years of famine. 
 
 When Pharao heard the news, he promised to give Jacob 
 of the fat of Egypt. Then Joseph dismissed his brothers, 
 sending with them chariots and provisions, costly robes 
 and silver. 
 
 a. m. 2298 .j 25.—Jacob goes down to Egypt. [ A . c. n 02 . 
 
 1. When Joseph’s brothers came to their father and 
 told him the news—how his son yet lived, and was gov¬ 
 ernor of Egypt—Jacob awoke as from a dream. At first 
 he could not believe what he heard, but when he saw the 
 chariots of the king, and received the rich presents sent 
 by his son, his spirits revived, and he was satisfied, now 
 that Joseph lived, to go down to Egypt, that he might see 
 him before he died. 
 
 2. Jacob gathered together all his possessions and, 
 accompanied by his sons, and their wives, and their 
 
 Questions to Chapter 24.— What is said of Joseph’s silver cup? What did 
 the brothers say? In whose sack was the cup found? What did Juda offer! 
 What message did Joseph send his father? 
 
40 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 children—in all, to the number of seventy—began his 
 journey. When he came to the borders of the land of 
 Chanaan, the Lord appeared to him and told him to fear 
 nothing, for He would go down with him, and would yet 
 make of him a great nation, and in time would bring him 
 back again. 
 
 3. Juda went on before to tell Joseph that his father 
 was coming. Joseph hastened to meet his father, and, 
 seeing him, fell upon his neck, and wept. “Now I die 
 in peace,” said Jacob, “since I see your face.” 
 
 In the same manner spoke the aged Simeon, seventeen 
 hundred years afterwards, when, in the temple of Jerusa¬ 
 lem, he saw the true Joseph, Jesus Christ, the Savior of 
 the world. 
 
 4. When Joseph presented his father to the king, he 
 asked him his age. The old man said : “I am a hundred 
 arid thirty years of age; yet I am not as old as my 
 fathers.” 
 
DEATH OF JACOB AND JOSEPH. 
 
 41 
 
 Joseph gave his father and his brethren possessions in 
 Gessen, because there was there great abundance of grass 
 for their flocks. 
 
 a m. 23i5.] 26. — The Death of Jacob and [a. C. 1685. 
 
 Joseph. 
 
 1. Seventeen years after his arrival in Egypt, Jacob fell 
 sick. Whei\ Joseph heard this, he took his two sons, 
 Ephraim and Manasses, and hastened to visit his father. 
 When Jacob saw the two boys, he blessed them. 
 
 2. Then he called together his sons, and told them God 
 would yet lead them back to their own country : but he 
 charged them to bury him in the land of Chanaan. Then 
 he blessed them, foretelling what would happen in the 
 latter days. 
 
 To Juda he gave the greatest blessing, saying : “ You 
 shall rule over your enemies ; the sons of your father shall 
 bow down to you, and the scepter shall not pass from 
 Juda till He cometh that is to be sent, ‘the Expectation 
 of Nations.’” 
 
 3. This celebrated prophecy, that so clearly marked the time 
 when the Messiah would come, was accomplished when Herod, 
 the first stranger, ruled over Judea. In him the scepter passed 
 from Juda. 
 
 4. When Jacob was dead, Joseph threw himself on his 
 father’s face, weeping and kissing him. Then he ordered 
 the physicians to embalm the body, and when, according to 
 the custom of the Egyptians, he had mourned for seventy 
 days, he, with his brothers and an immense multitude, 
 carried the body into the land of Chanaan. Thus was 
 Jacob buried at Hebron. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 25.—How did Jacob act when he heard Joseph was 
 alive? What did Jacob gather together ? Who appeared to him ? What did the 
 Lord tell him ? Who told Joseph his father was coming ? Describe the meeting 
 of Joseph and Jacob? What is said of Simeon? How old was Jacob when he 
 went into Egypt ? 
 
42 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 a. m. 2369.] 5, Joseph lived to the age of a [a. c. i63i 
 
 hundred and ten years, and saw his children’s children 
 to the third generation. When he saw his end drawing 
 near, he called his brothers to him, and told them they 
 would have trouble after his death : to fear nothing, how¬ 
 ever, as God would surely lead them back to the land be 
 had promised to their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and 
 Jacob. Then, having charged them to take his bones up 
 with them, he died, and his body was embalmed and laid 
 in a coffin. 
 
 27.—The Patience of Job. 
 
 1. Contemporary with the Patriarchs, there lived in 
 Arabia a man named Job. He had seven sons and three 
 daughters ; for possessions he had seven thousand sheep, 
 three thousand camels, five hundred yoke of oxen, and 
 five hundred asses, besides many servants. He was much 
 esteemed on account of his great wealth, but much more 
 so for his piety. 
 
 2. On a certain day God said to Satan : “ Have you 
 considered my servant Job, how there is none like to him 
 on the whole earth ? ” Satan replied that it was easy for 
 Job to serve God, that he was rich and blessed in all his 
 actions ; but, however, “ Touch him,” said Satan, “ and 
 he will curse you and abandon you.” God gave Satan 
 permission, only not to touch his person. 
 
 3. Soon after this, while the sons and daughters of Job 
 were eating and drinking together in the house of their 
 eldest brother, there came a messenger to Job to tell him 
 how the Sabeans had taken his oxen and his asses, and 
 slain his servants. The messenger had hardly finished, 
 when there came another, telling how fire had fallen from 
 
 Questions to Chapter 26.— How many years after his arrival when Jacob 
 fell sick? What were the names of Joseph’s sons ? What did Jacob do before 
 he died ? What prophecy was given to Juda ? When was this prophecy fulfilled ? 
 What was done with Jacob’s body? When was he buried? What did Joseph 
 foretell ? What was done with his body ? 
 
THE PATIENCE OF JOB. 
 
 43 
 
 heaven and consumed his sheep and his shepherds. There 
 came still a third, saying the Caldeans had taken his 
 camels and slam his servants. And while he was yet 
 speaking, there came a fourth with the sad news that the 
 house, in which his children were feasting, had been 
 blown down by a wind, and all were killed. 
 
 4. When Job heard these things, rising up, he rent his 
 garments, and, falling down, adored God. “The Lord 
 gave, and the Lord hath taken away,” said he; “blessed 
 be the name of-the Lord.” So Job sinned not, and God 
 rejoiced in his servant. 
 
 5. Satan again appeared before the Lord and said, if 
 God would but touch Job’s person, He would see Job 
 would curse Him. God put Job in Satan’s power. Then 
 Satan struck Job with a grievous ulcer, so that he was 
 covered with sores from the crown o± his head to the sole 
 of his foot. J ob scraped his sores with a potsherd. 
 
 6. Job’s wife seeing this, came and upbraided him for 
 his folly. But Job answered : “If we have received good 
 from the hand of God, why will we not receive evil?” 
 So again Job sinned not. 
 
 7. When Job’s 
 friends heard 
 what had befallen 
 him, three of them 
 came to condole 
 with him. Seeing 
 him, they wept, 
 and, sitting down, 
 for seven days 
 and seven nights 
 no one spoke, for 
 they saw how 
 great was his 
 grief. 
 
 8. At length Job opened his mouth and began to 
 lament his sufferings ; but his friends only reproached 
 him with his faults. Job would not confess that lie was 
 
44 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 guilty, but stoutly maintained his innocence and his con¬ 
 fidence in God. 
 
 9. This confidence was not misplaced, for Job was de¬ 
 livered from his afflictions, and had possessions twice as 
 great as before. Again, he had seven sons and three 
 daughters, and after this lived a hundred and forty years, 
 and saw his children’s children to the fourth generation. 
 He died an old man, full of joy and happiness. 
 
 10. Job is a figure of Jesus Christ, who, bruised from the top of 
 his head to the sole of his foot, and scorned as a man covered with 
 iniquities, complained not. We see also in Job's case how far some¬ 
 times God permits the devil to exercise his powers. 
 
 END OF THE SECOND AGE. 
 
 
 Names and Ages of the 
 
 Patriarchs from 
 
 Noe to 
 
 Moses 
 
 • 
 
 • 
 
 
 
 A. M. 
 
 
 
 
 
 A. M. 
 
 
 
 
 Born. Died. 
 
 Age. 
 
 
 
 Born. 
 
 Died. 
 
 Age. 
 
 1. 
 
 Thare . 
 
 . 1878 2083 
 
 205 
 
 4. 
 
 Jacob . 
 
 . 21G8 
 
 2315 
 
 147 
 
 2. 
 
 Abraham 
 
 . 2008 2183 
 
 175 
 
 5. 
 
 Levi 
 
 . 2255 
 
 2392 
 
 137 
 
 3. 
 
 Isaac 
 
 . 2108 2288 
 
 180 
 
 6 . 
 
 Moses . 
 
 . 2433 
 
 2553 
 
 120 
 
 -- 
 
 AGE III. 
 
 FROM MOSES TO DAVID. 
 
 a. m. 2433.] 28. — The Birth of Moses. [a . C. 1567. 
 
 1. In Egypt the posterity of Jacob rapidly increased, 
 and soon became a great people. In the meantime other 
 kings arose, who knew not Joseph, and, seeing how great 
 
 Questions to Chapter 27.—What is said of Job? What did God say to 
 Satan ? What did Satan say to God ? Who were eating and drinking ? W 7 hat 
 did the first messenger tell Job ? W T hat the second ? Third ? And fourth ? What 
 did Job say ? What power did God give Satan the second time ? With wha£ was 
 Job struck? What did Job answer his wife ? Who came to see Job ? What did 
 they do? What did Job maintain? What reward did Job receive for his 
 patience ? Of whom was Job a figure ? How ? 
 
THE BIRTH OF MOSES 
 
 45 
 
 the Israelites had become, began to fear them ; so they 
 oppressed the children of Jacob, put heavy burdens upon 
 them, and finally ordered the Egyptian midwives to cast 
 into the Nile all the male children that would be born 
 among the Hebrews. 
 
 2. One of the Hebrew women bore a son, whom she 
 loved most tenderly. For three months she hid him ; 
 but, finding it impossible to conceal him any longer, she 
 made a basket of bulrushes, and, smearing it with pitch, 
 
 laid the child in it, and placed the basket among the 
 sedges by the bank of the river. Then she sent his sister 
 to watch what would come to pass. 
 
 3. By the direction of God, Pharao’s daughter came 
 down -to the river to wash herself, and, seeing the basket, 
 sent her maid to bring it. When she opened it and saw 
 the child, she knew it belonged to one of the Hebrew 
 women. The sister approaching, Pharao’s daughter sent 
 her to bring a nurse. She ran and brought the mother. 
 Pharao’s daughter gave her the child to nurse, and, when 
 
46 
 
 HISTOKY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 he was grown up, adopted him, calling him Moses, that is, 
 
 saved from the waters. 
 
 4. Moses was a figure of Jesus Christ. Moses was saved from 
 the river; Jesus, from Herod. Moses, when young, was wise in 
 words and powerful in deeds ; so also Christ, who, at the age of 
 twelve, was the wonder of priest and doctors. Moses divided the 
 waters of the sea ; Christ calmed the winds and the storms. Moses 
 led the way to the promised land ; Christ is the way to heaven. 
 
 5. Moses, amid great miracles, gave the Old Law to the Jews ; 
 Christ, with the most stupendous miracles, gave the New Law to 
 the world. Moses abolished idolatory among the Jews ; Christ, in 
 the world. Moses gave civil liberty to the Jews; Christ, spiritual 
 liberty to mankind. 
 
 6. Moses fasted forty days on the mountain ; Christ fasted forty 
 days in the desert. Moses descended from the mountain with his 
 face transfigured ; Christ was transfigured on the mountain. In the 
 desert, Moses fed the people with manna ; Christ feeds the world 
 with His own body and blood. Moses confirmed the Old Law with 
 the blood of bullocks; Christ sealed the New Law with His own 
 blood. 
 
 a. m. 25i3.] 29.—The Call of Moses. [a . C. 1487. 
 
 1. When Moses attained his fortieth year, he resolved 
 to share the miseries of his people. By his vigorous 
 defense of the Hebrews against the cruelty of the Egyp¬ 
 tians, he incurred the displeasure of the king, who resolved 
 to put him to death ; but Moses fled to Madian, in Arabia, 
 where he lived for forty years, tending the flocks of his 
 father-in-law, Jethro, a priest of that country. 
 
 2. One day, when Moses had led his flock to the moun¬ 
 tain of Horeb, God appeared to him in the midst of a 
 burning bush. Moses was much astonished that the bush 
 was not consumed, and approached to see what it could 
 mean; but God commanded him to stand still and take 
 
 Questions to Chapter 28.—W T hat is said of Jacob’s posterity? How did the 
 kings of Egypt treat them ? What order was given to the nrdwives ? Tell the 
 story of the birth of Moses and how he was saved. What does Moses mean ? 
 Tell how Moses was a figure of Jesus Christ. 
 
THE TEN PLAGUES OF EGYPT. 
 
 47 
 
 off his shoes, for the place was holy. At the voice of God, 
 Moses fell on his face. 
 
 3. Then God told him how He had seen the afflictions 
 of the Hebrews, and that He was about to deliver them : 
 besides, He had chosen him to lead the people out of 
 Egypt. At first, Moses objected, alleging his weakness 
 and slowness of speech ; but God promised to be with 
 him, and gave him Aaron, his brother, as spokesman. 
 
 4. Then Moses returned to Egypt and Aaron with him, 
 and, assembling the people of Israel, Aaron spoke to 
 them all the Lord had commanded. When Moses had 
 wrought miracles before the people, they believed and 
 adored God. 
 
 a. m. 25i3.] 30.—The Ten Plagues of Egypt. [ A .c. iw. 
 
 1. Moses and Aaron were both about eighty years of 
 age when they first presented themselves before Pliarao, 
 and commanded him to let the Israelites go into the 
 desert to sacrifice to the Lord. But Pharao refused, and 
 commanded the Israelites to be oppressed more and more. 
 Their tasks were also increased. 
 
 2. Again Moses and Aaron presented themselves before 
 Pharao. At the command of God, Aaron cast his rod 
 before the king, and immediately it was changed into a 
 serpent. Pharao only the more hardened his heart and 
 would not let the people go. Then God sent ten plagues 
 upon Pharao and his people. 
 
 3. For the first, Aaron struck the Nile with his rod, 
 and its waters were changed into blood, and corrupted. 
 After seven days, he again stretched his hand over the 
 waters of Egypt, and there came up frogs that covered 
 
 Questions to Chapter 29.—How old was Moses when he resolved to join 
 his people ? Whose anger did he excite ? Where did he flee ? Whose flocks did 
 he keep? In what did God appear to Moses? What did God command him to 
 do ? Who was given as spokesman ? Where did Moses and Aaron go ? 
 
48 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 « 
 
 the whole land. Then, in turn, the dust of the earth was 
 turned into flies and insects, that tormented both man 
 and beast. • 
 
 4. In quick succession, there followed a murrain amongst 
 the cattle, and boils and swellings upon man and beast. 
 For the seventh plague, God sent thunder, and hail, and 
 
 lightning, running along the ground. After this was 
 added the plague of locusts to eat up wliat the hail had 
 spared; and, at last, impenetrable darkness covered the 
 land. 
 
 But Pharao hardened his heart and would not let 
 the people go as the Lord commanded; so God struck 
 him with a tenth plague more terrible than all the 
 rest. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 30.— How old were Moses and Aaron when they went 
 to Pharao ? What did they ask of him ? What did Pharao do ? What was done 
 the second time Moses presented himself to Pharao ? What was the first plague ? 
 What was the second, third, etc. ? Did Pharao let the people go ? 
 
THE DEATH OF THE FIRST-BORN, ETC. 
 
 49 
 
 A.M. 2513.] 31.—The Death of the First-born— [ A . c. un. 
 
 The Paschal Lamb—The Departure from Egypt. 
 
 1. Before God sent his tenth plague. He wished to 
 prepare the Israelites for it. Each family was therefore 
 commanded by Moses and Aaron to prepare a lamb with¬ 
 out blemish, and, on the fourteenth day of the month, 
 to sacrifice it, and to sprinkle their door-posts with its 
 blood. They were further required to roast the lamb at' 
 
 the fire, and whilst, with unleavened bread and wild 
 lettuce, they eat its flesh, to stand with their loins girt, 
 and staves in their hands. The Israelites did all they 
 were commanded. 
 
 2. About the middle of the night, the angel of the Lord 
 struck all the first-born of Egypt, even from the first-born 
 of Pharao to the humblest of the land: no family escaped. 
 But the angel, seeing the blood on the door-posts of the 
 Israelites, spared them. 
 
50 
 
 HISTOKY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 3. When Pharao saw this, he rose up and, calling Moses 
 and Aaron, commanded them to go forth and to take the 
 Israelites with them. The Egyptians also pressed them to 
 go, fearing lest all would die. The Israelites went forth 
 from Egypt, two hundred and fifteen years after Jacob 
 had gone thither, to the number of six hundred thousand 
 men, besides women and children. They carried with them 
 the bones of Joseph. 
 
 4. The Pasclial Lamb was a figure of Jesus Christ, the Lamb 
 of God, who was ottered on the cross. By his blood we also are 
 marked and delivered from eternal death. The deliverance of the 
 Israelites from the bondage of Egypt is also a figure of man’s 
 delivery from the bondage of sin and hell. 
 
 a m. 25i3.] 32.—The Passage of the Red Sea. [ A . c.Sm. 
 
 1. God became the guide of the Israelites, leading them/ 
 on their way by a cloud in the day, and a pillar of fire in 
 the night. In a few days they came to the Red Sea. 
 Meanwhile Pharao repented that he had let the Israelites 
 go, and resolved to gather together his horses and chariots 
 and pursue them. When the Israelites saw the Egyptians 
 behind them, and the sea before them, they were seized 
 with great fear. But Moses encouraged them, and assured 
 them the Lord would fight for them. 
 
 *2. The cloud that had gone before the Israelites now 
 went behind them, and became a wall of separation 
 between the Egyptians and the Israelites. On the side 
 of the former it was dark, but on the side of the latter it 
 shone with a clear light. Thus the two armies were sepa¬ 
 rated during the night. By command of God, Moses 
 
 Questions to Chapter 31. —What did God command the Israelites to eat? 
 How was the Paschal Lamb to be eaten ? With what were the door-posts 
 sprinkled ? What happened about the middle of the night ? Who were spared ? 
 What did Pharao do ? now' long w r ere the Israelites in Egypt ? How 7 many 
 entered Egypt ? How 7 many left K ? Whose bones were carried out ? Of what 
 was the Paschal Lamb a figure ? 
 
THE PASSAGE OF THE RED SEA 
 
 51 
 
 stretched forth his rod over the sea, and the waters were 
 divided, rising as a wall to the right and to the left. 
 
 3. During the night the Israelites passed through on 
 dry land. In the morning the Egyptians also followed, 
 but, at the command of God, Moses again stretched forth 
 
 his rod over the sea, and the waters returned to their 
 place—Pliarao and his whole army, his chariots and l^is 
 horsemen, were swallowed up, so that not a single person 
 escaped. 
 
 4. The cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night were a 
 figure of Jesus Christ. He is the light, in which those who walk 
 will not perish. The Red Sea is also a figure of Baptism, since we 
 must all receive it, if we will enter heaven. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 32.—Who became the guide of the Israelites ? What 
 was in the day? W T hat in the night? W r hat did Pharao do? What became of 
 the cloud ? Tell how the Israelites passed the Red Sea ? What happened to 
 the Egyptians? What was a figure of Jesus Christ? How? Of what was the 
 Red Sea a figure ? How ? 
 
HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 33.—The Quails, the Manna, and the Water in 
 
 the Desert. 
 
 1. When the Israelites came into the desert they could 
 find no bread ; then they began to murmur against Moses, 
 
 and to wish for 
 the flesh-pots 
 of Egypt. God 
 promised them 
 flesh to the 
 full, and, in 
 the morning, 
 bread. In the 
 evening there 
 came into the 
 camp an im¬ 
 mense number 
 of quails, which 
 were easily 
 caught, and in 
 the morning the desert was covered with small white 
 seeds that ap¬ 
 peared like 
 hoar-frost. 
 
 When the Isra¬ 
 elites saw this, 
 they cried out 
 Man-hu ! that 
 is, What is this ? 
 
 2. Then Mo¬ 
 ses told them it 
 was the bread 
 which the Lord 
 had sent them. 
 
 They were com¬ 
 manded to gath¬ 
 er as much as each one needed. The people did so, 
 
THE TEX COMMANDMENTS. 
 
 53 
 
 and found the taste thereof like fine flour mixed with 
 honey. 
 
 3. For forty years God fed the Israelites with this bread, 
 which was afterwards called Manna. It fell no more 
 after they came into the land of Chanaan. This manna 
 was preeminently a figure of the Sacrament of the Altar, 
 in which Jesus Christ gives himself under the appearance 
 of bread and wine. 
 
 4. Some time after this there was a scarcity of water, 
 and the Israelites began again to murmur. God told 
 Moses to take his rod, and to go to Mount Iloreb and 
 strike the rock. He did so, and immediately there came 
 forth water in such abundance that the people quenched 
 their thirst and were satisfied. 
 
 34.—The Ten Commandments. 
 
 1. Three months after their departure from Egypt, the 
 Israelites came to Mount Sinai. God called Moses, and 
 he went up into the mountain. Here the Lord spoke to 
 him, and bade him remind the people of all He had already 
 done for them, and how He would continue to protect 
 them if they would be faithful to Him, and that He would 
 make them a chosen people. When Moses descended from 
 the mountain and told the people all the words of the 
 Lord, they cried out : “ We will do all the Lord hath 
 spoken. 7 ’ 
 
 2. Then God commanded the people to purify them¬ 
 selves to-morrow and the next day, and to be ready for 
 the third. On the morning of the third day it began to 
 thunder and lighten ; a thick cloud covered the mountain. 
 The top of Mount Sinai was on fire, and it shook to its 
 
 Questions to Chapter 33.—In tHe desert what did the people do ? What 
 did God send in the evening ? What in the morning ? What was the taste of the 
 manna ? How long did God feed the Israelites on manna ? Of what was the 
 manna a figure ? How did God supply water ? 
 
54 HISTORY OE THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 base. Then came the sound of a trumpet, that grew 
 louder and louder, until the people trembled with an 
 exceeding great fear. 
 
 3. When Moses had led the people to the foot of the 
 mountain, the Lord spoke thus : 
 
 I. I am the Lord thy God. Thou shalt not have 
 strange gods before Me. 
 
 II. Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy 
 God in vain. 
 
 III. Remember thou keep holy the Sabbath day. 
 
 • IV. Honor thy father and thy mother. 
 
 V. Thou shalt not kill. 
 
 VI. Thou shalt not commit adultery. 
 
 VII. Thou shalt not steal. 
 
 VIII. Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy 
 neighbor. 
 
 IX. Thou shalt not covet thy neighbor’s wife. 
 
 X. Thou shalt not covet thy . neighbor’s goods. 
 
 i 
 
THE GOLDEN CALF. 
 
 55 
 
 4. When the people, who were camped round about the 
 mountain, heard these things, trembling with fear and 
 full of reverence, they promised to do all the Lord com¬ 
 manded. them. Moses built an altar and offered sacrifice 
 to the Lord. He took also of the blood of the victims 
 and sprinkled it upon the people, as a sign of the covenant 
 the Lord had that day made with them. 
 
 • 5. As tlie covenant of the Old Law was established on Mount Sinai,- 
 so was the covenant of the New Law sealed on Calvary. There God 
 showed His power; here, His mercy. Both covenants were sealed 
 with blood : at Sinai with the blood of bullocks; on Calvary with 
 the blood of Jesus Christ. 
 
 35.—The Golden Calf. 
 
 1. After this, Moses again went up into the mountain, 
 and for forty days and forty nights remained conversing 
 with God. The Lord gave him two tables of stone, on 
 which were written the ten commandments. While Moses 
 delayed on the mountain, the people began to murmur, 
 and came to Aaron and demanded that he would make 
 for them gods like to those of the Egyptians. Not think¬ 
 ing they would comply with his command, he said to 
 them : “ Bring me the golden ear-rings of your wives 
 and daughters.” 
 
 2. Contrary to his expectations, they brought them, 
 and, being a weak man, he had.not courage to resist 
 their wicked wish ; so he cast them into a furnace and 
 made a golden calf, and built an altar. Then the Isra¬ 
 elites gathered together and offered sacrifice, and, eating 
 and drinking, rose up to play, after the manner of the 
 Pagans. 
 
 3. When Moses came down from the mountain and saw 
 
 Questions to Chapter 34.—When did the people come to Sinai ? Who was 
 called up to the mountain ? What did God tell Moses ? What did the people 
 say? What were the people commanded to do? What happened on the third 
 day ? Repeat the ten commandments. What did Moses offer ? With what did 
 he sprinkle the people? What comparison between Sinai and Calvary? 
 
56 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 these abominations, he was exceeding angry, and, throw¬ 
 ing down the tables on which the ten commandments 
 
 were written, 
 broke them. 
 Seizing upon 
 
 and beat it into 
 powder. Then 
 he commanded 
 the sons of Levi 
 to u n s li e a t li 
 their swords; to 
 march through 
 the camp and 
 return, and to 
 put to death all whom they met. There were slain on 
 that day about twenty-three thousand men. 
 
 4. Moses again returned to the Lord on the mountain, 
 and prayed for the pardon of the people. The Lord heard 
 his prayer. Moses hewed two tables of stone like the first, 
 and God again wrote on them the ten commandments. 
 
 5. When Moses had finished speaking with the Lord, 
 he descended from the mountain, carrying with him the 
 two tables of the Law. His face had become horned, 
 and shone as the rays of the sun. When the.Israelites 
 saw this, they dared not look upon him ; so Moses was 
 forced to put a veil on his face when he spoke to the 
 people. 
 
 36.—The Ordinances for the Worship of God. 
 
 1. Besides the ten commandments which God gave 
 Moses, He also gave many other ordinances. These latter 
 
 m 
 
 Questions to Chapter 35.— How long did Moses remain on the mountain ? 
 What did God give ? What did the people ask of Aaron ? What did he make ? 
 What did the people do ? How did Moses act ? What were broken ? What did 
 the sons of Levi do ? How many were killed ? Where did Moses go again ? 
 What did he bring with him ? What appeared on the face of Moses ? 
 
 the golden calf, 
 he burned it, 
 
THE ORDINANCES FOR THE WORSHIP OF GOD. 57 
 
 related to the public worship, which, with extreme care, 
 Moses established according as God commanded him. 
 
 2. The Tabernacle. — Moses began by constructing a 
 tent, whose supports were made of setim-wood, and were so 
 framed that they could easily be taken apart. The length 
 of the tent was thirty cubits, and the height ten, and the 
 breadth ten. The supports Avere overlaid Avith gold, and the 
 Avhole Avas coA r ered Avith most precious hangings. Within, 
 
 hung a veil of magnificent tapestry, Avhich divided the 
 Tabernacle into two parts—the smaller, called the Holy 
 of Holies; the larger, the Sanctuary. 
 
 3. Within the Holy of Holies Avas placed the Ark of 
 the Covenant, a small box made of the most precious 
 Avood, overlaid Avith gold and surmounted by tAVO cheru¬ 
 bim. In the Ark Avere placed the tAvo tables of the Law. 
 
 Within the Sanctuary Avere kept three objects conse¬ 
 crated to the Avorship of God : the Table of ShoAV-bread, 
 on Avhich Avere ^placed twelve loaves of bread, made of the 
 finesl^jjlour ; the Golden Candlestick, that, with its seven 
 
58 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 lights, shone during the entire night; and, lastly, the 
 Altar of Perfumes, on which was burned the finest 
 incense. 
 
 4. Besides this, Moses constructed around the Taber¬ 
 nacle a grand portico which inclosed two other sacred 
 objects : the Altar of Holocausts and the Great Brazen 
 Basin, in which the priests were commanded to purify 
 
 5. This Ark was a figure of the Tabernacle in Catholic churches; 
 the Holy of Holies, of the Altar on which is offered the sacrifice 
 of the New Law ; the Sanctuary corresponded to the place the priests 
 occupy; and the portico represented the body of the Church, where 
 the people now worship. 
 
 G. The sacrifices of the Old Law were either bloody , in 
 which were offered heifers, and sheep, and goats, and 
 doves; or unbloody, in which were offered cakes, and 
 unleavened bread, and wine. 
 
 The bloody sacrifices prefigured the bloody sacrifice of 
 Christ upon the cross ; the unbloody were a type of the 
 sacrifice of the Mass. 
 
THE FALSE MESSENGERS, ETC. 
 
 59 
 
 7. The Keligious Feasts were : 1st. The Pasch, on 
 which the Israelites eat the flesh of a Lamb, and for 
 seven days unleavened bread, in remembrance of their 
 deliverance out of Egypt: 2d. The feast of Pentecost , 
 celebrated seven weeks after the Pasch, in remembrance 
 of the Law received on Mount Sinai. At this feast were 
 also offered the first fruits. 3d. The feast of Tabernacles , 
 in memory of their long sojourn in the desert. During 
 this feast the Israelites were required to live in tents made 
 from the branches of trees. 4th. The feast of Expiation , 
 on which the priest sacrificed a heifer for his own sins 
 and a goat for the sins of the people. Then he entered 
 into the Holy of Holies, carrying with him the golden 
 censer and the blood of the victim : with the former he 
 incensed the ark, with the latter he sprinkled the pave¬ 
 ment: 
 
 8. The Ministers of Divine Worship were, 1st. The 
 High Priest . To this office Moses consecrated Aaron, 
 anointing* him, and clothing him with the various vest¬ 
 ments of his office. 2d, The Priests proper, who were 
 the sons of Aaron, and whose office it was to offer sacrifice. 
 3d. The Levites, who were of the tribe of Levi, and who 
 were charged with the lower offices within the tabernacle. 
 
 a. m. 25i4.] 37. — The Fcilsc Messengers — The [a. C. 1486. 
 Murmurs of the People—God’s Chastisements. 
 
 1. The Israelites remained a year at Mount Sinai. 
 When they started on their way, Moses chose twelve 
 
 Questions to Chapter 36.—What besides the Commandments did God give? 
 Describe the Tabernacle. What was the Holy of Holies ? What was placed in it ? 
 What was the Ark ? What three objects Were kept within the Sanctuary? What 
 did the portico inclose ? Show how these different objects correspond To things 
 in the Catholic Church. What kinds of sacrifices were in the Old Law? What 
 was the Pasch ? What was Pentecost ? What was the feast of Tabernacles ? 
 Of Expiation ? Who was the High Priest ? Who were the Priests ? The _ 
 Levites ? 
 
60 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 men, among whom were Josue and Caleb, to go into the 
 land of promise. After forty days, they returned, carrying 
 
 with them spec¬ 
 imens of the 
 fruits of the 
 countr y. A- 
 mongst these 
 was a n enor¬ 
 mous bunch of 
 grapes borne on 
 the shoulders of 
 two men, be¬ 
 sides apples, and 
 pomegranates, 
 and figs. The 
 land, indeed, 
 said they, overflowed with abundance, but the inhabitants 
 were giants. \ 
 
 2. Then the people wept, and again murmured against 
 Moses and Aaron, wishing they had died in Egypt or in 
 the desert. In vain did Josue and Caleb speak of the 
 richness of the country and the weakness of the people. 
 The multitude, led on by the others, would not listen, 
 but cried out the more to return to Egypt. 
 
 3. When the murmur was at its height, the glory of 
 God was seen over the ark of the covenant. Then the 
 Lord said to Moses He would destroy the Israelites, for 
 they were an incredulous people. The Lord even offered 
 to make Moses ruler over a greater nation; but Moses, 
 the meekest of men, only prayed the more that the Lord 
 would pardon them. 
 
 4. At his prayer the Lord again pardoned the * people ; 
 yet, as a punishment for their sin, He declared that not 
 one of them, that had attained his twentieth year, should 
 enter the promised land, Josue and Caleb excepted. Their 
 children would enter, but for forty years should the peo¬ 
 ple wander in the desert—a year for every day spent, in 
 exploring the country. 
 
CORE, DATHAN, AND ABIRON. 
 
 61 
 
 5. This history of the Jews is similar to what happened 
 in the time of Jesus Christ. The Jews would not under¬ 
 stand the spiritual kingdom promised by Christ; hence 
 they rejected Him. On the cross He begged his Father 
 to forgive them ; but, as a punishment for their sin in 
 having rejected Him, they are to-day wanderers on the 
 earth, and will be to the end of time. 
 
 a. m. 25i4.] 38.—Core, Dathan, and Abiron. [ A . c. um . 
 
 1. Some time after tba events related in the preceding 
 chapter, two hundred and fifty Levites, led on by Core, 
 Dathan, and Abiron, revolted against Moses and Aaron, 
 denying their authority. On the following day, the Lord 
 commanded the people to go out from the tents of these 
 wicked men ; not to touch any thing belonging to them, 
 lest they also would be involved in their sin. While the 
 people were looking on to see what would come to pass, 
 the earth opened under the feet of the three leaders and 
 swallowed them down, with their tents and all their sub¬ 
 stance. Then a fire came out from the Lord and con¬ 
 sumed the two hundred and fifty Levites. Moses and 
 Aaron were that day vindicated. 
 
 2. In modern times we often see similar revolts against 
 the priests of God. Ambitious and wicked men wish to 
 rule the Church; but, like Core and his companions, they 
 will ever receive a just punishment for their pride and 
 presumption. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 37.—How long did the people remain at Sinai ? Who 
 were sent to Chanaan ? What report did they bring back ? How did the people 
 act ? Who spoke in vain ? What appeared over the ark ? What did God 
 say He would do? What punishment did God decree? What is said of the 
 
 Jews ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 38.—Who revolted? IIow were they punished? 
 What do we see in modern times ? 
 
62 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT, 
 
 a. m. 2552.] 39.—The Hesitation of Moses, and [ A . c. im 
 
 the Brazen Serpent. 
 
 1. Waiter again failed, and the people began to murmur. 
 Then the Lord commanded Moses to take his rod and 
 strike the rock. Moses, for a moment, doubted ; then 
 struck the rock, when water gushed forth in great 
 abundance. This momentary doubt greatly displeased 
 
 
 i, Jif.fi 
 
 God, and he declared that Moses, because he had not 
 believed, should not lead the people into the promised 
 land. 
 
 2. Shortly after, the people rebelled again, and, mur¬ 
 muring, complained they had neither food nor water. 
 When God saw this, He sent among them fiery serpents, 
 whose sting burned like fire. Many died amid the most 
 cruel torments. When the people saw this, they came to 
 Moses, acknowledging their sin, and begging him to pray 
 
THE DEATH OF MOSES. 
 
 63 
 
 to the Lord that He would take the serpents from amongst 
 them. 
 
 3. Moses prayed, when the Lord commanded him to 
 make a brazen serpent and to set it up for a sign. He did 
 so, and as many as looked upon it were healed. 
 
 4 . This serpent prefigured our Savior nailed to the cross ; for as 
 the Israelites were cured by looking upon the serpent, so are all, 
 who, with faith, look up to Christ, cured of the wounds of sin 
 caused by the bite of the infernal serpent. 
 
 a. m. 2553.] 40. — The Death of Moses. [a . C. 1447 . 
 
 1. When, according to the course of nature, the time 
 came that Moses must die, the Lord commanded him, in 
 the presence of the people, to put his hand upon Josue, 
 that they might have no cause to disobey him. Then 
 Moses told the people he was about to die ; that he would 
 not pass over the Jordan with them, nor enter the prom¬ 
 ised land. 
 
 2. He then reminded them of all the Lord had done 
 for them: how He had nourished them in the desert, and 
 how He had watched over them ; then he commanded the 
 people to keep the commandments, to love the Lord, and 
 to hearken to His voice. He also foretold them, in a 
 spirit of prophecy, that the Lord would in time raise up a 
 Prophet like to him, whom they should hear. He spoke 
 of Christ. 
 
 3. When Moses had finished speaking, lie went up to 
 the top of Mount Nebo, from which the Lord showed 
 him the land of Chanaan. When Moses saw it, he re¬ 
 joiced ; and, full of gratitude and thanks to God, died at 
 the ripe old age of a hundred and twenty years. The 
 Lord buried him in the valley of Phogor, but the spot no 
 
 Questions to Chapter 39.—What failed ? How was water supplied ? How 
 did Moses act? How did God punish him? What did God send? What hap¬ 
 pened ? What was set up ? Of whom was the brazen serpent a figure ? 
 
64 : 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT 
 
 man knows. Israel mourned for him thirty days. There 
 was never after a prophet like Moses. 
 
 L —-- 
 
 a. m. 2553.] 41.—The Israelites enter the [a, c. i«t. 
 
 Promised Land. 
 
 1. After the death of Moses, the Lord commanded Josue 
 to pass over the Jordan. The priests took the ark of the 
 covenant and marched before, the people followed. When 
 they were come to the banks of the Jordan, and the 
 
 priests had touched the water with the soles of their feet, 
 the waters above stood still, while the waters below ran 
 down, leaving a dry passage for the people to pass over. 
 
 2. When all had passed, the waters returned to their 
 
 Questions to Chapter 40. —Who succeeded Moses? What did Moses re¬ 
 mind the people of ? What prophecy did Moses make ? Where did Moses die ? 
 Where was he buried ? 
 
THE JUDGES. 
 
 65 
 
 f 
 
 4 ^ 
 
 usual course. The people encamped near Jericho, where 
 they celebrated the feast of the Pasch. 
 
 Jericho w’a!&* a large and populous city, well fortified 
 with walls. For six succeeding days the Israelite went 
 round about it. On the seventh, the priests carricd^with 
 them the ark of the covenant, while seven priests sounded 
 the trumpets of Jubilee ; and the people shouted with a 
 great cry. All this was done -by the command of'God. 
 At the sound of the trumpets and the shout of the people, 
 the Avails fell flat to the ground, and the Israelites entered 
 and took the city. 
 
 3. In time, Josue compared all the country, and, by lot, 
 divided it among the twelve tribes of Israel. Each tribe 
 bore the name and was descended from ong of the twelve 
 sons of Jacob. Thus, after their long wanderings, had 
 the Israelites arrived in the land of promise. 
 
 42.—The Judges. 
 
 1. Surely the Israelites owed a deep debt of gratitude 
 
 -v- 
 
 to the Lord for the rich and magnificent country He had 
 given them; but they were an ungrateful people, and 
 were easily led astray by their pagan neighbors. Shortly 
 after their arrival in the promised land, they fell into 
 idolatry. In punishment for their crime, the Lord de¬ 
 livered them into the hands of their enemies. Servitude 
 taught them repentance and their dependence upon God. 
 Having humbled themselves before Him, He sent pious 
 men, called judges, selected from among the people, to 
 deliver them and to rule them. 
 
 2. Their repentance was but of short duration ; at the 
 death of each judge they returned to their sins and 
 idolatry. For four hundred years, this faithless and 
 thankless people were in turn changing from God to the 
 
 Questions to Chapter 41 . — "Who led the people over the Jordan? What 
 happened ? What feast was celebrated ? What was Jericho ? How was it 
 taken ? Who conquered Chanaan ? How was the land divided ? 
 
66 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 worship of idols—relapsing and repenting. The twelve 
 judges sent during this time were : Othoniel, Aod, Samgar, 
 Barac, Gedeon, Tholar, Jair, Jephte, Abesan, Ahialon, 
 Abdon, Samson, Heli, and Samuel. 
 
 3. Amongst these, Samson was one of the most remark¬ 
 able. So great was his strength that, on one occasion, by 
 the mere power of his hands, he tore a furious lion into 
 pieces. On another, he slew a thousand men with the 
 jaw-bone of an ass. After this, while asleep, he was made 
 prisoner by the Philistines, and bound with seven cords; 
 but, when he awoke, he broke them like burned flax. 
 
 4. During his life, Samson waged a continual war upon 
 the Philistines : at one time carrying away the gates of 
 their city; at another, burning their crops. At length 
 he was made prisoner, and his eyes put out. While the 
 Philistines were feasting and making merry over their 
 victory, Samson was brought out to make sport for them. 
 Wearied, he leaned against the pillars that supported the 
 house in which the Philistines were assembled ; then the 
 Spirit of God came upon him, and, his strength returning, 
 he shook the pillars, and the house fell, killing himself 
 and three thousand of his enemies. 
 
 The pious and humble Gedeon, who fought against the 
 Madianites, was also very renowned. 
 
 a. m. 2708.] 43. — TThc Pious Ruth. [a. C. 1292 . 
 
 1. During the time of the Judges, a certain man of 
 Bethlehem went, with his wife and his two sons, into the 
 land of Moab. His name was Elimelech, and his wife’s 
 name, Noemi. His sons married women of Moab. In 
 time, Elimelech and his two sons died. Oppressed with 
 
 Questions to Chapter 42.—What did the Israelites owe the Lord ? How did 
 they act ? What punishment did God send ? Who were the judges ? How many 
 were there ? What is said of Samson ? Give some examples of his strength. 
 Against whom did he make war ? How did he die ? 
 
• THE PIOUS RUTH. 
 
 67 
 
 grief, Noemi returned to Bethlehem, and her two daugh¬ 
 ters-in-law resolved to accompany her. 
 
 2. When they had come some distance on the way, 
 Noemi strove 
 to persuade her 
 daughters - in- 
 law to return 
 to their own 
 country. Or- 
 pha yielded, but 
 Ruth would 
 not ; so Ruth 
 came to Bethle¬ 
 hem with Noe¬ 
 mi. They re¬ 
 turned at the 
 harvest .time, 
 and, being poor, 
 
 Ruth went into the fields to glean the ears of corn left by 
 the reapers. 
 
 3. Led by the hand of God, she went to glean in the 
 fields of Booz, a man of great wealth, and a relation of 
 Elimelech. During the day, Booz came into the fields to 
 see the reapers. When he saw Ruth and heard with what 
 courage she had followed Noemi, and with what fidelity 
 she served her, he spoke kindly to her, and told her to 
 remain with his servants and to follow his reapers ; 
 besides, when she was thirsty, to go to the vessels and 
 drink. Booz, moreover, commanded the reapers to let 
 fall, now and then, handfuls of corn, that she might 
 gather them without shame. 
 
 4. Some time after this Booz married Ruth, The Lord 
 blessed them and gave them a son, named Obed. He was 
 the father of Isai, the father of David. From this family 
 our Savior, Jesus Christ, descended. 
 
 The Moabites were not Jews, but strangers and ene- x 
 mies ; hence our Savior, in descending from Ruth, a 
 
68 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 Moabite, wished to show that He was the Savior not of 
 the Jews alone, but of all mankind. 
 
 A. M. 2848 .] 
 
 44.—The Sons of Heli. 
 
 [A. C. 1152. 
 
 1. Whilst Heli the high priest was judge in Israel, 
 there lived a pious couple named Alcana and his wife 
 Anna. Anna had no children, for which she grieved very 
 much. On a certain day she came to the tabernacle of 
 the Lord at Silo, where, weeping and praying, she said : 
 “0 Lord, God of hosts ! if thou wilt give me a son, I 
 will consecrate him to Thee.” God heard her prayer, 
 
 and gave her a 
 son, whom she 
 called Samuel. 
 
 2. When Sam¬ 
 uel was three 
 years old, his 
 m other took 
 him to Heli the 
 high priest, at. 
 Silo. Here she 
 consecrated 
 him to God; 
 and Samuel 
 served the Lord 
 in the tabernacle, and grew in favor with God and man. 
 
 3 . Samuel and John the Baptist are much alike in their histories. 
 Both were a gift for the prayers of their parents ; both were early 
 consecrated to God; and both preached penance to the people. 
 Samuel was the last judge and the immediate precursor of the great 
 King David ; John the Baptist was the last of the prophets and the 
 precursor of Jesus Christ, the Eternal King. Samuel anointed 
 David ; John baptized Jesus. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 43. — Who went to Moab ? Who returned to Beth¬ 
 lehem? Who accompanied her? Where did Ruth go? Who met her? What 
 did Bodz say? Who married Ruth? Who was Obed? Isai? David? From 
 whom is Jesus Christ descended ? 
 
THE SONS OF HELI. 
 
 69 
 
 4. Heli had two wicked sons — Ophni and Phinees. 
 When the people came .to Silo to sacrifice to the Lord, the 
 two young men were wont to come and by violence take 
 the flesh of the sacrifice. They committed also other 
 abominations in the sanctuary. Heli reproved them but 
 mildlv. He did not chastise them as he should have 
 done. 
 
 5. One night, while Heli slept within the inclosure of 
 the sanctuary, and Samuel near him, the Lord called 
 Samuel. He,, thinking it was Heli, rose and went to 
 him ; but Heli told him he had not called him, and bade 
 him go and sleep. This was repeated three times, when 
 Heli understood it was the Lord who called. Then he 
 bade Samuel answer Him and listen to what He would 
 say. Samuel did so. 
 
 6. On the morrow, Heli called Samuel, who told him 
 all the Lord had said; how the Lord would punish him 
 and his two sons : the father, because he had not pun¬ 
 ished his sons, and the sons for their wickedness. When 
 Heli heard this, he bowed before the will of God. 
 
 7. Some time after this there arose a bloody war between 
 the Philistines 
 and the Israel¬ 
 ites. Of the lat¬ 
 ter, thirty thous¬ 
 and were slain, 
 and among the 
 dead were the 
 sons of Heli. 
 
 The ark, that had 
 been carried into 
 the battle, was 
 taken. When 
 Heli heard this 
 terrible news, he 
 fell from the stool on which he was sitting, and, breaking 
 his neck, died. 
 
 8. The Philistines carried the ark into the temple of 
 
70 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 their god, Dagon. But the Lord afflicted them in many 
 ways : their God was thrown down, their fields were oyer- 
 run with mice, their cities were devastated by pestilence, 
 until the Philistines were glad to send back the ark to 
 Israel. 
 
 9. Samuel succeeded Heli in the office of judge. He 
 assembled the people and pointed out their sins. He also 
 promised them, if they would repent, the Lord would 
 deliver them out of the hands of the Philistines. The 
 people fasted and confessed their sins. God gave them 
 the victory, and for many years peace reigned over the 
 land. 
 
 a. m. 2909.] 45.—Saul, the First King. [A. C. 1091 . 
 
 1. When Samuel had grown old, lie appointed his sons 
 judges over Israel; but they walked not in the fear of the 
 Lord. Then the people asked for a king. When Samuel 
 heard this he was very angry, because he wished that God 
 alone should be King of Israel. God, however, yielded, 
 and Samuel anointed Saul king. He was a beautiful and 
 valiant youth, from the tribe of Benjamin, and stood head 
 and shoulders above any other man in Israel. 
 
 2. In the beginning of his reign, the Lord was with 
 Saul, and gave him the victory over his enemies. On one 
 occasion he unfortunately disobeyed God. 
 
 He was commanded to cut off the Amalicites, and to 
 spare nothing; but, in the pride of his power, he sjiared 
 the best of the fiocks, and, on his return, built triumphal 
 arches to celebrate his victory. For this he was cut off 
 from the throne of Israel, and his posterity forbidden to 
 succeed him. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 44. — When did Alcana and Anna live ? What was 
 Anna’s Prayer ? When was Samuel consecrated to God ? How are Samuel and 
 John the Baptist compared ? What is said of Heli and his sons ? Wliat is said 
 of Samuel ? How did Heli die ? How did his sons die ? What happened to the 
 Philistines ? Who succeeded Heli ? What did Samuel promise ? What reigned 
 over the land ? 
 
DAVID. 
 
 71 
 
 3. Saul was a figure of the Jewish Church. Chosen by God, at 
 first she surpassed all others in her knowledge of God and the 
 graces with which she was endowed. But, little by little, she fell. 
 She forgot her obedience, her humility, her charity, and, in the 
 pride of her insolence, trusted alone in her sacrifices. She also 
 rejected the Christian Church, chosen to succeed her. Saul perse¬ 
 cuted David ; so did the Jews persecute Jesus Christ. David wept 
 for the death of Saul; so did Jesus Christ weep over Jerusalem. 
 
 A. M. 2934.] 46. — David. [ A . C. 1066. 
 
 1. At the command of God, Samuel went to Bethlehem, 
 to the house of Isai. When he arrived, David, the young¬ 
 est of the sons of Isai, was in the fields tending his father’s 
 
 llocks. Samuel sent for him, and, taking a horn of oil, 
 anointed him. As the Spirit of God came upon Dav icf, it 
 departed from Saul. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 45.—What did the people ask for? Who was anointed 
 king? What is said of Saul? How did he reign in the beginning? For what 
 was Saul cut off from the throne of Israel ? IIow was Saul a figure of the Jewish 
 
 Church ? 
 
1 2 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 2. Saul became subject to fits of melancholy, and an 
 evil spirit haunted him. On such occasions David was 
 brought in to play upon his harp and soothe the troubled 
 mind of the king. Thus David was introduced into Saul’s 
 house. Moreover, Saul made David his armor-bearer, not 
 knowing that he had been consecrated king. As often as 
 David played, Saul was soothed. 
 
 a. m. 2942 .] 47.—David and Goliath. [a. c. loss. 
 
 1. A new war broke out between the Philistines and 
 the Israelites. The Philistines were encamped on one 
 mountain, the Israelites on another directly opposite— 
 a narrow valley lying between them. A giant, named 
 Goliath, advanced from the camp of the Philistines.' 
 His height was six cubits and a span ; he had on his head 
 a brazen helmet, and was clothed in a heavy coat of mail. 
 The staff of his spear was like a weaver’s beam. 
 
 2. Thus arrayed, Goliath defied the armies of Israel, 
 asking that a man be sent to fight him. For forty days 
 this giant presented himself,—to the shame of Saul and 
 the terror of the Israelites, for no man dared to meet 
 him. 
 
 David came to the camp to see how it fared with his 
 brothers. When he saw Goliath, and heard his taunts, 
 his blood boiled within him, and, coming to Saul, he said : 
 “ I will fight this Philistine. ” 
 
 3. At first Saul refused, but, on the representations of 
 David, at length yielded. Then Saul clothed David in 
 his own armor ; but, unaccustomed to it, David put it off, 
 and, choosing five smooth stones from the brook, took his 
 sling and went forth to meet Goliath. 
 
 4. When the giant saw him, he despised him, asking if 
 he thought he was a dog. But David feared not; he went 
 
 Questions to Chapter 46.—Who was anointed king ? Whose son was he ? 
 With what was Saul attacked ? Who played for him ? What was David made ? 
 
DAVID AND GOLIATH 
 
 73 
 
 forth in the might and the jiower of God. When the two 
 champions drew near to each other, David chose one of 
 the stones that he carried with him, and, casting it with 
 his sling, struck the Philistine on the forehead Avitli such 
 force, that he fell Avitli his face to the ground. Then 
 David ran and, draAving the SAVord of Goliath from its 
 sheath, cut off his head. 
 
 5. W hen the Philistines saAV their champion was slain, 
 they fled ; but the Israelites, shouting and pursuing, 
 killed many of them, and pillaged their camp. 
 
 This victory of David over Goliath was a figure of Christ’s victory 
 over the devil. As Goliath for forty days insulted the armies of 
 Israel, so did the devil for four thousand years war against God’s 
 kingdom on earth ; and as David conquered Goliath with a staff and 
 five smooth stones, so did Jesus Christ conquer the devil by His 
 Cross and His five wounds. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 47.—What is said of the armies of (he Israelites and 
 Philistines? Who was Golialh? What did Goliath do? Who killed him? 
 
 How ? AVhat comparison between David and Christ ? And between Goliath and 
 
 the devil ? 
 
74 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 a. m. 2944.] 48.—Jonathan’s Love and Saul’s [a.c. ios& 
 
 Hatred for David. 
 
 1. When Saul and the army returned from their victory 
 over the Philistines, the women of Israel came forth from 
 the different cities playing and singing: “ Saul hath 
 killed his thousands, but David his tens of thousands. 2 3 * 5 ’ 
 When Saul heard this he became exceedingly angry, and 
 one day strove to strike David with his lance ; but David 
 escaped. 
 
 2. Shortly after this, Saul offered his daughter Michol 
 in marriage to David, on condition that he would kill 
 two hundred Philistines. Saul hoped, that the Philistines 
 would kill David. But David killed the Philistines, and 
 was only the more loved by the people. When Saul saw 
 this, his hatred increased, and he became more decided on 
 David’s death. 
 
 3. In proportion as Saul hated David, did Jonathan, 
 the king’s son, love him. David and Jonathan made with 
 
 each other a covenant of peace. They often spoke to each 
 
 other of Saul’s hatred. Jonathan reasoned with his father, 
 
DAVID’S GENEKOSITY TO SAUL—SAUL’S DEATH. 75 
 
 and spoke of vvliat David had done against the Philistines. 
 For the moment Saul was appeased. 
 
 4. For the fourth time David went to war with the 
 Philistines. His victory only aroused anew the anger 
 and jealousy of Saul, who strove to strike him with his 
 javelin, but David escaped for the second time. Again 
 Jonathan pleaded for his friend: Saul’s anger would not 
 be appeased, and in his rage he even drew his sword to 
 kill his own son. 
 
 5. When Jonathan saw this, he went to David, and 
 told him what had happened, and advised him to flee. 
 Weeping, Jonathan sent David away, but bade him never 
 forget the covenant they had made, nor what they had 
 sworn to the Lord. 
 
 a. m. 2949 .] 49.—David’s Generosity to Saul— [ A . c. 1051. 
 
 Saul’s Death. 
 
 1. For a while, David’s life was in constant danger from 
 the hands of 
 Saul: but he 
 placed his 
 confidence in 
 God, who did 
 not desert 
 him. 
 
 One day 
 Saul pursued 
 David with 
 three thou¬ 
 sand men. 
 
 Wearied, 
 
 Saul entered 
 a cave in 
 
 which David and his men lay concealed, but Saul knew 
 
 Questions to Chapter 48. — What did the women sin"? How did Saul 
 act? What did he try to do? On what condition did Saul offer his daughter 
 to David? What is said of David and Jonathan? How did Jonathan plead 
 for David ? What did Saul try a second time ? What did Jonathan advise David ? 
 
76 HISTOKY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 it not. David's men would have killed Saul, but David 
 would not allow them, contenting himself with cutting off 
 the hem of Saul's robe. 
 
 2. On another occasion Saul pursued David into the 
 desert of Hacliila. While Saul and his general, Abner, 
 together with the whole army were asleep, David and 
 Abisai entered the camp. Abisai would have run Saul 
 through with his spear, but David forbade him. David, 
 however, took the spear that was at the king’s head. 
 
 3. AYhen they were gone some distance from the camp, 
 David cried to the king, and he awoke. AVhen Saul saw, 
 by the loss of his spear, how he had been in David’s 
 power, and how, for the second time, David had spared 
 him, he repented, and returned with his army, while 
 David went his way. 
 
 4. AVar again broke out between the Philistines and 
 the Israelites. Saul assembled an army and went forth 
 to meet the enemy. In the battle Saul was mortally 
 wounded, and, fearing he might fall into the hands of 
 the Philistines, fell on his own sword, and died. By his 
 
THE GREAT AND PIOUS KING DAVID. 
 
 77 
 
 sinful death, David was freed from danger, but lie rejoiced 
 not; lie only saw the virtues and good qualities of the 
 kino:. In this same battle Jonathan was also killed. 
 When David heard of his friend’s death, he wept bit¬ 
 terly, calling him brother, and comparing his love for 
 him to the love of a mother for her child. 
 
 END OF THE THIRD AGE. 
 
 -* 088 *- 
 
 AGE IV. 
 
 THE GRANDEUR OF THE PEOPLE 
 
 OF ISRAEL. 
 
 * 
 
 FROM DAVID TO THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM 
 
 UNDER ROBOAM 
 
 a. m. 2949.] 50.—The Great and Pious King [a. c. iosi. 
 
 David. 
 
 1. After Saul’s death David was chosen king of Israel. 
 He established his residence at Jerusalem, and, by the 
 number of his armies and the brilliancy of his victories, 
 was very renowned amongst the neighboring nations. He 
 had twelve generals, each with an army of twenty-four 
 thousand men under him, and, over all, Abner was placed 
 general-in-chief. 
 
 2. During his long and turbulent reign David carried 
 on many wars. In turn, he subdued the Philistines, the 
 Moabites, the Syrians, the Edomites, and the Ammonites. 
 By his victories, immense treasures of gold and great 
 
 Questions to Chapter 49.—What is said of David’s life? How did David 
 show his generosity? Hovv did Saul act? Ilow did Saul die? Who else was 
 killed ? How did David take Jonathan’s death 
 
78 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 quantities of booty were brought to Jerusalem. When 
 David died, he left a kingdom that extended from Egypt 
 to the Euphrates. In every respect this was the most 
 brilliant period in the history of Israel, as well for its 
 victories abroad as for the wisdom of its legislation at 
 home. 
 
 3. David paid much attention to the administration of 
 justice. He chose wise men for his counselors and upright 
 
 men to rule the people. He also appointed honest men to 
 guard the royal treasures and manage the crown lands. 
 Order was everywhere. 
 
 4. David, moreover, strove, as well by his own example 
 as by his influence, to cultivate and spread the worship of 
 the true God among his subjects. On Mount Sion he 
 built a magnificent tent in which to place the ark of the 
 covenant. When all things were ready, the ark was car¬ 
 ried thither with great pomp and show. In the procession 
 were all the princes of the people, clad in purple robes, 
 while the priests wore their richest vestments. Three 
 
THE REVOLT AND CHASTISEMENT OF ABSOLOM. 79 
 
 thousand armed men served as a guard of honor, whilst 
 the people attended m countless numbers. 
 
 5. Those who marched before, and those who imme¬ 
 diately surrounded the ark, played upon lutes and harps, 
 and on cymbals and trumpets. David himself walked 
 before the priests, playing on his harp, while, at every 
 few steps, a bull and heifer were offered in sacrifice to 
 the Lord. 
 
 6. After this, David divided the priests into twenty- 
 four classes, and each, in its turn, was commanded to 
 serve before the Lord. From amongst the Levites were 
 chosen four thousand singers, whose duty it was to chant, 
 day by day, the praises of God, and to play on all manner 
 of musical instruments. 
 
 a.m. 298i.] 51.—The Revolt and Chastisement [ A . c. ioi». 
 
 of Absolom. 
 
 1. David committed two grievous crimes : first, he per¬ 
 suaded Bethsabee to sin with him, and then, to hide her 
 shame, caused Urias, her husband, to be murdered. But 
 the Lord sent the prophet Nathan to him, who fearlessly 
 reproached him with his crimes. David humbly acknowl¬ 
 edged his faults and confessed his sins against the Lord. 
 At the sight of his humiliation, God pardoned him, but, 
 as a punishment, sent him many trials. 
 
 2. Of these, the most severe was the revolt of his son 
 Absolom, the most beautiful man in Israel. Absolom 
 began by flattering the people and pandering to their 
 prejudices. When he thought himself strong enough, he 
 openly revolted. From all sides the people ran to his 
 standard. When David heard this, he left Jerusalem, 
 
 Questions to Chapter 50.—Who was chosen king? What is said of him? 
 What of his armies ? Who were subdued ? What was brought to Jerusalem ? 
 What is said of David’s reign ? What was built on Mount Sion ? What was 
 placed in it ? How were the priests divided ? What was the duty of the 
 
 Levites ? 
 
80 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 <* 
 
 and, passing over the brook Cedron, went barefooted and 
 his head uncovered, up the Mount of Olives, weeping on 
 the way. 
 
 3. A man from the house of Saul, named Semei, met 
 David as he fled, and, throwing stones at him, cursed him, 
 calling him a man of blood. Abisai, one of David’s 
 servants, wished to kill Semei, but David forbade him, 
 hoping God might perhaps turn his curses into blessings. 
 
 4. In the meantime Absolom pursued his father beyond 
 the Jordan ; the two armies met, and Absolom was de¬ 
 feated. While he fled, mounted on a mule, Absolom 
 passed under a large oak-tree, in the branches of which 
 his hair became entangled, and, the mule passing on, he 
 was left hanging by the hair. When Joab, one of the 
 king’s generals, heard this, he ran and thrust three spears 
 into the ungrateful heart of Absolom. He threw the 
 body into a deep pit, and cast upon it a great heap of 
 stones. 
 
THE LAST DAYS OF DAVID. 
 
 81 
 
 5. When David heard of his son's death, he was greatly 
 afflicted, and, weeping, cried out: “My son Absolom, 
 would to God I had died in your stead, Absolom, my son 
 Absolom.” After this, David returned to Jerusalem, 
 accompanied by his army and a great multitude of people, 
 who came forth to meet him. 
 
 6. David is a figure of Jesus Christ — in his family residence, 
 Bethlehem; in the obscurity of his youth; in his victory over 
 Goliath ; in his sorrow when he passed over the brook Cedron ; 
 by his ascent of the Mount of Olives ; in his generosity to his perse¬ 
 cutors ; and, finally, in his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. 
 
 7. As David had to contend against two enemies, Saul and 
 Absolom, so have two enemies risen against Christ and his Church 
 —the first, Judaism, which the Church replaced ; the second, heresy, 
 which has so often risen against the Catholic Church, and, by flat¬ 
 tering the passions of men, succeeded in blinding the multitude, 
 and leading them astray. 
 
 a. m. 2986.] 52.—The Last Days of David. [a. c. iou. 
 
 1. David reigned over Israel from his thirtieth to 
 seventieth year. When he saw his end approaching, he 
 called together the princes and principal men of the 
 nation, and told them how he had intended to build a 
 temple to the Lord ; how he had gathered together gold 
 and silver, brass and iron, and wood and stone, but that 
 God had forbidden him, as he was a man of blood and of 
 many wars. God, however, would allow his son Solomon 
 to build the temple. 
 
 2. Then David gave Solomon minute directions as to 
 its construction, and warned him that it w r as not a house 
 for man he was building, but a dwelling-place for the 
 Lord. David, besides, told Solomon never to forsake the 
 Lord, but to serve him with a docile heart; and, further, 
 
 Questions to Chapter 51 .— Whom did God send to David ? What did David 
 do ? What great punishment did God send ? Who cursed David ? W T hat 
 happened to Absolom ? Where did David go ? Of whom is David a figure ? 
 How ? 
 
82 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 to remember that, in the day he forsook God, God would 
 forsake him. 
 
 David died, and was buried on Mount Sion, and Solo¬ 
 mon, his son, succeeded him. 
 
 a. m. 2989.] 53 .—The Wisdom of Solomon. [ A .c. ion. 
 
 • * , ‘‘ ‘ _ rf 1 
 
 1. In the beginning of * his* reign Solomon loved the 
 Lord, and walked in. his father’s • footsteps. One night 
 the Lord appeared to him, and bade him ask what he 
 would, Solomon asked for wisdom, that he might rule 
 with justice. When the Lord heard this, He was much 
 pleased, and gave Solomon not only the wisdom he had 
 asked for, but also riches, and honors, and a long life. 
 
 2. Besides, God gave him a true knowledge of all things 
 in nature, so that he understood the admirable order of 
 creation, the power of the elements, the course of the 
 seasons, the position of the stars, the instincts of animals, 
 and the thoughts of men, together with a knowledge of 
 the diversity of plants, and the medicinal virtues of their 
 roots. All nature was open to his mind, whence it came 
 to pass that the wise men of the world, and the princes of 
 nations, stood in admiration at the wisdom of Solomon. 
 
 3. One day two women came to him demanding judg¬ 
 ment in their case. The first said: “This woman and 
 myself live together in one house. We have each had a 
 child. During the night her son died. AVhen she dis¬ 
 covered this, she rose, whilst I slept, and took my son from 
 my side, and laid her dead son in his place. In the 
 morning I saw the dead child, but, on a closer examina¬ 
 tion, I discovered it was not mine.” 
 
 4. In answer to this, the other said : “Surely, your son 
 is dead, and mine lives.” But the first answered, “ It is 
 not so.” Thus the two women disputed before the king. 
 Then Solomon ordered a sword to be brought and the 
 
 Questions to Chapter 52.—How long did David reign? What did he say 
 about the temple ? What did he say to Solomon ? 
 
THE WISDOM OF SOLOMON. 
 
 83 
 
 living child to be divided, and half to be given to one, 
 and half to the other. When the mother of the child 
 heard this, she was filled with dismay, and overwhelmed 
 with agony. Torn with a mother’s love for her child, she 
 cried out to the king : “ My lord, give her the child 
 
 alive; do not kill it.’’ But the other said: “ Let it be 
 divided.” 
 
 5. Then Solomon ordered the living child to be given 
 to the first: “for,” said he, “she is the mother.” Soon 
 this judgment was known in all the land of Israel, and 
 the people were filled with admiration for Solomon, be¬ 
 cause .they saw the Spirit of God was in him. 
 
 a. m. 2992.] 54. — The Building’ and Dedication [a. c. ioos. 
 • of the Temple of Jerusalem. 
 
 1. I^l the fourth year of his reign, Solomon began to 
 build oif Mount Moria, in Jerusalem, a temple to the 
 
 Questions to Chapter 53.—What is said of Solomon ? What did God give 
 him ? What else besides wisdom ? What is said of the two women ? What was 
 
 Solomon’s decision ? 
 
84 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 Lord. During its construction, seventy thousand men 
 were employed to cut and bring the wood that was needed, 
 while eighty thousand more were engaged in quarrying 
 and dressing the stone. Besides these, thirty-six hundred 
 overseers were needed to see that all was done according 
 as it had been planned. Ten thousand Israelites were 
 sent to cut down cedars and pine-trees on the mountains 
 of Libanus. 
 
 2. The building itself was of vast and magnificent pro¬ 
 portions. Its length was sixty cubits, its height thirty, 
 and its breadth twenty cubits. Besides this, there were 
 added porticoes, that ran round the main building, and 
 also courts for the use of the priests and the people. The 
 interior was lined with cedar, and ornamented with carv¬ 
 ings representing cherubim, palm-trees, and all kinds of 
 flowers. Everything needed in the temple for the worship 
 of God was of the purest gold, among which are enu¬ 
 merated ten tables, a large number of candlesticks, and a 
 hundred chalices. 
 
 3. At the end of seven years the temple was finished, 
 when the princes and ancients of the people assembled 
 together, and carried the ark from Mount Sion to the 
 sanctuary prepared for it. The people walked before, 
 while the Levites played upon cymbals and harps, and a 
 hundred priests sounded their trumpets, and all the mul¬ 
 titude sang: “Praise to the Lord, because He is good; 
 and Ilis mercy endureth forever.” On the way, an in¬ 
 numerable number of oxen and sheep were offered in 
 sacrifice. 
 
 4. When the ark was placed within the sanctuary, a 
 cloud filled the temple, and the multitude fell upon their 
 knees. Solomon, lifting up his hands towards heaven, 
 said: “Lord, the God of Israel! nothing can be com¬ 
 pared to Thee; nor can the heavens contain Thee, much 
 less this house : nevertheless I have built it, that here 
 Thou mayest listen to the prayers of the people, and 
 mayest be merciful to them.” 
 
 5. Whilst Solomon was yet praying and the people were 
 
MAGNIFICENCE OF SOLOMON—HIS END. 
 
 85 
 
 round about adoring, fire came down from heaven and 
 consumed the sacrifices. God again appeared to Solomon, 
 
 and told him his prayer was heard; and this temple he 
 had built should ever be a place where the prayers of 
 those who came to offer their vows would be heard. 
 
 a.m. 3023. j 55.—The Magnificence of Solomon— [ A . c. 977. 
 
 His End. 
 
 1. For the first twenty years of his reign, Solomon 
 walked in the footsteps of his father David. His name 
 and his greatness were known throughout the world. 
 Nations paid him tribute, and his vessels whitened the 
 seas from India to Spain, carrying gold, and ebony, and 
 precious stones to his capital. 
 
 2. In this general prosperity many cities were built 
 through the land, and Jerusalem rose to the highest 
 splendor and magnificence. Solomon built a palace of 
 untold wealth ; his throne was of ivory, overlaid with 
 
 Questions to Chapter 54.—What did Solomon build? IIow many men were 
 engaged upon it? Describe the temple and the things needed for the worship of 
 •God. Describe the dedication. What happened when the ark was placed in the 
 ctuary ? What did God promise Solomon ? 
 
86 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 gold, while within the palace hung fifty massive bucklers 
 of the same precious metal. 
 
 3. The vessels, the chalices, the utensils, and every 
 thing necessary for the service of the Lord, were of the 
 purest gold. The people lived in peace, and neighboring- 
 nations sought his friendship. Even the Queen of Saba, 
 dazzled by the splendor of his fame, came to visit him, 
 that she might for herself see his magnificence and prove 
 his wisdom. These were the days of Israel’s glory. 
 
 4. But Solomon did not end his reign as he began it. 
 When he grew old, he was led away from God by the 
 blandishments of pagan women; his heart became cor¬ 
 rupted, and he fell into idolatry ; nay, to please his women' 
 he built a temple for their idols. When the Lord saw' 
 this, he became exceedingly angry, and told Solomon that, 
 for his sins, the kingdom would be divided and given to 
 another : “yet,” said the Lord, “for the love I bore thy 
 father David, I will leave two tribes to thy son.” 
 
 5. Hurried on by his passion, and blinded by his sins, 
 Solomon fell from his greatness. He oppressed his sub¬ 
 jects, and scandalized his people, until discontent and 
 revolt showed themselves everywhere. Amid general 
 gloom, Solomon, the wisest of men, died—a sad example 
 of the weakness and fickleness of man, and the vanity of 
 life. 
 
 a. m. 3029.] 56. — The Division of the Kingdom. [a. C. 971 . 
 
 1. After the death of Solomon, the people came to his 
 son Boboam, and asked him to lighten a little the burden 
 which his father had imposed upon them. Boboam bade 
 them return in three days. In the meantime he consulted 
 the old men, who recommended mercy and kindness; 
 and then the young men, who advised harshness. Fol- 
 
 Questions to Chapter 55. — What is said of the first years of Solomon’s 
 reign ? Describe Solomon’s magnificence. What is said of the ornaments and 
 vessels of the Ipmple ? Who came to see Solomon ? How did Solomon end hi 
 days? 
 
THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM. 
 
 87 
 
 lowing the advice of the young men, Roboam said to the 
 people, on the third day: “ My father put a heavy yoke 
 upon you ; I will make it heavier. My father heat you 
 with whips ; I will chastise you with scorpions/’ 
 
 2. When the people heard tins, they became very angry, 
 and stoned Aduran, the king’s messenger, and, choosing 
 Jeroboam, one of Solomon's servants, made him king over 
 ten tribes. The two tribes of Juda and Benjamin adhered 
 to Roboam. 
 
 Thus, according as God had foretold Solomon, were 
 the Jewish people divided into two kingdoms—Israel and 
 Juda. Jerusalem remained the capital of Juda, while 
 Samaria, at a later period, became the capital of Israel. 
 
 3. This sinful separation of the ten tribes from their 
 harsh, yet lawful king, is a figure of so many who, by 
 heresy and sin, separate themselves from the Catholic 
 Church, God’s true representative upon earth. 
 
 Jerusalem represented truth ; Samaria, heresy. At the 
 former was the temple, where alone sacrifice pleasing to God 
 could be offered. There, was the ark of the covenant, and 
 there alone, was the priesthood that God had established. 
 
 4. The separated tribes, from which was formed the 
 Kingdom of Israel, were by far more numerous than the 
 two that remained faithful. This mattered not. As with 
 heresy, so with them ; in a few years they entirely dis¬ 
 appeared from history, leaving but a name behind them. 
 
 5. To the two tribes God showed mercy, for from them 
 came the Savior of the world. So shall it be with the 
 Catholic Church : she has seen the rise and fall of all 
 forms of heresies, many of which, for a time, seemed to 
 threaten her existence; but they have passed away, while 
 she remains, as she will remain, to the end. 
 
 END OF THE FOURTH AGE. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 56.— How did Roboam treat the people ? What hap 
 pened? What was Jeroboam made? Who adhered to Roboam? Into what 
 were the Jews divided ? What were the capitals of the two nations ? What is 
 said of the kingdom of Israel and of the kingdom of Juda ? What is said of the 
 Catholic Church and heresy ? 
 
88 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 AGE V. 
 
 DECLINE OF THE PEOPLE OF 
 
 ISRAEL. 
 
 FROM ROBOAM TO JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 PART FIRST. 
 
 THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL TO ITS DESTRUCTION BY THEv 
 
 KINGS OF ASSYRIA. 
 
 57.—A General View. 
 
 1. Soon after their separation from the Kingdom of 
 Jnda, the people of Israel fell into idolatry. It happened 
 thus ; Jeroboam said to himself : “If my people go up to 
 Jerusalem to offer sacrifice, as the law commands, they 
 will soon return to Roboam and abandon me.” So he made 
 two calves of gold, and, setting them up, said to the 
 people: “Go not up to Jerusalem, for your gods are 
 here.” The people obeyed him, and adored the idols. 
 
 2. During his whole reign, Roboam made war upon 
 Jeroboam ; nor was peace ever permanently established 
 between the two kingdoms. So bitter became the strife, 
 that frequently the stranger and the pagan were called in 
 to help the weaker side. 
 
 For two hundred and fifty-three years, Israel, whose 
 capital was at Samaria, maintained a separate existence. 
 During this time, Israel had nineteen kings, most of whom 
 came to the throne by violence, or by the murder of their 
 predecessors. Disorder, vice, idolatry, reigned supreme. 
 
 3. To punish the kings and correct the people, and that 
 He might leave them no shadow of excuse for their wick¬ 
 edness, God, from time to time, raised up saintly men, 
 called Prophets. These prophets preached and wrought 
 
GOD SENDS THE PROPHET ELIAS. 
 
 89 
 
 miracles, both in the kingdom of Israel and in the king¬ 
 dom of Juda. 
 
 4. God did every thing to save his chosen people : at 
 one time humbling them by the bands of their enemies, 
 at another cheering them on with the promises of the 
 Redeemer. But they were a perverse and stiff-necked 
 people, nor would they obey. Hence, God could say to 
 them, in all justice: “ 0 Israel! thy destruction is from 
 thyself. ” 
 
 a. m. 3092.] 58.—God Sends the Prophet Elias. [a. C. 908 . 
 
 1. Achab was one of the most wicked of all the kings 
 that ruled over Israel. In concert with his pagan wife, 
 Jezabel, he built a temple to the god Baal. He appointed 
 four hundred and fifty priests to serve this false god, 
 whilst at the same time he put to death all the priests of 
 the true God he could find in his kingdom. 
 
 2. When God 
 saw the wick¬ 
 edness of this 
 king, He sent 
 Elias the proph¬ 
 et to him to tell 
 him no rain 
 should fall in 
 Israel. When 
 Achab heard 
 this, he became 
 exceedingly an¬ 
 gry, and secret¬ 
 ly sought to put 
 Elias to death. 
 
 But God bade the prophet go to the torrent of Carith, 
 where the ravens would feed him. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 57.— How did the people of Israel fall into idolatry ? 
 What did Roboam do against Jeroboam ? How long did the kingdom of Israel 
 last ? What was its character ? Who were the prophets ? What did they do ? 
 
90 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 3. Elias did as he was commanded, and night and 
 morning the ravens brought him bread and flesh, and he 
 drank from the torrent. In time, the torrent also dried 
 up, when the Lord told Elias to go to Serepta, in the land 
 of the Sidonians, where a widow would feed him. 
 
 4. Elias went, and, as he was entering the city, he met 
 the widow, from whom he asked a little water to drink. 
 When she went to bring it, Elias called after her to bring 
 him also a little morsel of bread. But she answered : “ I 
 have but a handful of meal and a little oil in a crus&. I 
 am gathering a few sticks wherewith to cook it for myself 
 and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 
 
 5. Elias bade her fear not, but to make a cake for him, 
 and then to make one for herself and son : “ For her meal 
 would not fail, nor her oil diminish, until rain would fal) 
 upon the earth.” The woman did as he commanded her, 
 and her meal failed not, nor did her oil diminish. 
 
 G. Some time afterwards the widow’s son died, and, at 
 the prayer of Elias, the child was restored to life. When 
 the woman saw what was done, she said to Elias : “Now 
 I know you are a man of God.” 
 
 a. m. 3096.] 59.—Elias and the Priests of Baal. [ A . c. 904. 
 
 1. For three years and six months no rain fell in Israel. 
 Again Elias presented himself to Achab, who, with much 
 anger, chid him for the distress that was then in the 
 country. But Elias answered him that he had not 
 plunged^ 1 Tito its present trouble, but the king him¬ 
 self by his sins and his idolatries. 
 
 2. Then Elias bade the king assemble all Israel upon 
 Mount Carmel, and also the four hundred and fifty priests 
 of Baal. Acliab did so, and went himself to the moun¬ 
 tain. When they were all assembled, Elias made the 
 
 Questions to Chapter 58.—What is said of Achab ? What did he build ? 
 Who came to him ? Where did Elias go ? How was he fed ? W r here did God 
 send him ? Tell what happened to the widow of Serepta ? 
 
ELIAS AND THE PRIESTS OF BAAL 
 
 91 
 
 following proposition: “I am alone,” said he; “ the 
 priests of Baal are four hundred and fifty: let two bul¬ 
 locks be given us ; let them choose one, and I will choose 
 the other; let them kill their bullock, and I will kill 
 mine ; and let each of us lay our bullock upon wood, but 
 put no fire under it: then let them call upon their gods, 
 and I will call upon my God ; and let the God that shall 
 answer by fire, be God.” The proposition pleased the 
 people. 
 
 3. The priests of Baal prepared themselves with great 
 solemnity, and, when they had dressed their bullock, laid 
 it on the altar. From morning till noon they called upon 
 Baal, but he heard them not. 
 
 Then Elias began to laugh at them, bidding them : 
 “ Cry louder ; perhaps Baal was asleep ; or may be enter¬ 
 taining himself with a friend ; or perhaps he might be on 
 a journey, and away from home.” They continued to 
 cry all the louder, but no Baal spoke. 
 
 4. Eli as built an altar also, and, dressing his bullock, 
 laid it on it. He dug a trench round about the altar, and 
 
92 
 
 HISTOKY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 filled it with water; he also poured water on the wood. 
 Then he called upon the Lord to show His power, that 
 the people might be converted. 
 
 5. While Elias was yet praying, fire came down from 
 heaven and consumed the holocaust, as also the wood and 
 the stones of the altar ; nay, the very water in the trench. 
 When the people saw this, they fell on their faces and 
 cried out: “The Lord, He is God ; the Lord, He is the 
 true God.” 
 
 Then the priests of Baal were slain, and shortly after 
 rain fell in great abundance. 
 
 60.—The Vineyard of Naboth. 
 
 1. A man, named Naboth, had a vineyard near the 
 palace of King Achab. The king wished to buy it, but 
 Naboth would not sell it; so Achab became very angry. 
 When Jezabel, the queen, heard what had happened, she 
 sent for false witnesses, who accused Naboth “of having 
 blasphemed against God and the king.” Naboth was 
 stoned to death, and Achab took the vineyard. 
 
 2. By the command of God, Elias came to Achab, and 
 told him, because he had done this wicked tiling and un¬ 
 justly taken the vineyard of Naboth, the dogs would lick 
 his blood and eat the flesh of Jezabel. 
 
 This prophecy was fulfilled to the letter. Three years 
 after, Achab was mortally wounded in battle, and the 
 dogs licked his blood ; and some time after that, during 
 the reign of Jehu, Jezabel, by the king’s orders, was 
 thrown from a window, and trampled to death under the 
 horses’ feet. When, same hours afterwards, her friends 
 came to seek for the body, it was found torn to pieces by 
 the dogs. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 59.—For how long did no rain fall ? What proposal 
 did Elias make ? How did the priests of Baal act ? What did Elias do ? What 
 was the result ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 60.—What is said of Naboth’s vineyard? How did 
 Achab get it? What did Elias tell Achab ? How was this prophecy fulfilled ? 
 
THE PROPHET ELISEUS. 
 
 93 
 
 61.—The Prophet Eliseus. 
 
 1. By God’s command, Elias chose Eliseus for his suc¬ 
 cessor. When the time drew near that Elias should go to 
 God, he strove 
 to escape from 
 Eliseus, but he 
 could not. 
 
 And while 
 they were walk¬ 
 ing together, 
 
 Elias was part¬ 
 ed from Elise¬ 
 us by a fiery 
 chariot, and 
 carried up into 
 heaven by a 
 whirl win d. 
 
 The mantle of 
 Elias fell upon 
 
 Eliseus, and he was filled with the spirit and miraculous 
 powers of his master. 
 
 2. One day Eliseus was insulted by some rude boys, 
 who mockingly called him “Bald-head.” The prophet 
 threatened them in the name of the Lord, and, at the 
 same instant, two bears came from the woods and tore 
 forty of these wicked boys to pieces. 
 
 3. On another occasion, Naaman, a distinguished Syrian 
 general, came to Eliseus to be cured of leprosy. When 
 he came to the house where Eliseus was, the prophet sent 
 him word by his servant to go and wash seven times in 
 the Jordan and he would be clean. Naaman became 
 exceedingly angry, because he thought he had been 
 slighted by the prophet. 
 
 4. However, at the earnest advice of his servants, 
 Naaman went, and, bathing seven times in the Jordan, 
 was cured. When Naaman saw what was done, he re- 
 
94 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 turned to Eliseus, and acknowledged there was no God 
 but the God of Israel. Then he besought the prophet to 
 take a gift, but he would not. 
 
 5. When Naaman was gone, Giezi, Eliseus’ servant, ran 
 after him, and told him that two sons of the prophet’s had 
 just called upon his master, and he had been sent for a talent 
 of silver and two changes of garments. Naaman gave him 
 two talents of silver and Giezi returned to his master. 
 
 6. When Eliseus saw him, he asked: “Where he had 
 been.” But Giezi denied he had been anywhere. Eliseus 
 became indignant at the lie, and said to him: “ My spirit 
 was with you when the man turned back from his chariot 
 to meet you. Even now you have the silver and gar¬ 
 ments that were given you. As a punishment for your 
 sin, the leprosy of Naaman shall stick to you forever.” 
 And Giezi went out a leper, white as snow. 
 
 7. After working many miracles, Eliseus died, and was 
 buried. Some time after his death, a man died, and his 
 friends came to bury him near the grave of Eliseus. But, 
 suddenly a band of robbers coming upon them, they 
 threw the dead man into the grave where the body of 
 Eliseus lay. Scarce had the dead man touched the bones 
 of Eliseus when he came to life and stood upon his feet. 
 
JONAS THE PROPHET. 
 
 95 
 
 •V 
 
 This fact proves that even among the Jews God wrought miracles 
 by the relics of His saints. 
 
 A. M. 3197.] 
 
 62.—Jonas the Prophet. 
 
 [A. C. 803. 
 
 1. After the death of Eliseus, God chose Jonas for His 
 prophet. One day God bade him go to Ninive and preach 
 penance, for the sins of the people had become very great. 
 
 Ninive was the capital of Assyria, and Jonas wished it 
 to perish. Hence he fled to the sea, and embarked aboard 
 a vessel going to Tharsis, thinking he would thus flee 
 from the Lord. 
 
 2. When the ship had pushed out from the land, God 
 sent a violent storm, so that the vessel was in danger of 
 being lost. They cast lots to see who was the cause of 
 the evil, and the lot fell upon Jonas. Then he told them 
 what he had done, 
 
 and advised them 
 to cast him into 
 the sea. 
 
 The 
 
 sailors cast him 
 overboard, and 
 
 immediately the j|j|S|||| 
 
 sea became calm. 
 
 3. The Lord 
 had prepared a 
 great fish — a 
 whale — which 
 swallowed up Jo¬ 
 nas. For three 
 days and three 
 
 nights the prophet was in the whale’s belly. Then 
 prayed to the Lord for help. God heard him, and, 
 the third day, the fish vomited him out on dry land. 
 
 he 
 
 on 
 
 Questions to Chapter 61. — Who succeeded Elias ? IIow did Elias go up to 
 heaven ? What fell upon Eliseus ? What happened the rude boys ? Tell the 
 story of Naaman. What happened to Giezl ? What happened to the dead mau ? 
 
96 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 4. Jonas was a figure of Jesus Christ. Jonas was cast into the 
 sea, that, by the loss of one, the crew might be saved. By the sac¬ 
 rifice of Christ the world was redeemed. Jonas was three days in 
 the whale’s belly ; Christ was three days in the tomb. 
 
 5. God said to Jonas a second time : “ Go into Ninive 
 and cry, ‘Yet forty days, and Ninive shall be destroyed/” 
 When the people heard these words, they believetLin God, 
 and, fasting, clothed themselves in sackcloth and ashes. 
 Even the king shared in the general penance, and, by 
 proclamation, commanded every one to abandon his sins, 
 that perhaps God would spare the city. When God saw 
 the sincerity of their repentance, He heard the prayer of 
 the people, and did not destroy the city. 
 
 6. Jonas, fearing he might be considered a false prophet, 
 was displeased, and, going, built for himself a booth out¬ 
 side the walls of the city. During the night the Lord 
 caused an ivy to grow up, that it might shade the prophet 
 from the heat of the sun. Jonas was much pleased ; but 
 in the following night God prepared a worm to strike the 
 ivy, and it withered. 
 
 7. Then there came a hot, burning wind, while the rays 
 of the sun beat upon the head of the prophet. Scorched 
 by the heat, discouraged and dejected, Jonas wished to 
 die. But the Lord said to him: “ You are grieved and 
 dejected for the loss of a miserable ivy that you neither 
 planted nor made to grow : should I not spare Ninive, a 
 great city, in which there are more than a hundred and 
 twenty thousand men ? ” 
 
 A. M. 3278 .] 63.—The End of the Kingdom [ A . c. 722 . 
 
 of Israel. 
 
 1. Ninive, an idolatrous city, did penance, and found 
 grace with God ; but Israel became daily more and more 
 
 Questions to Chapter 62. — Where was Jonas sent ? What happened to 
 him ? How long was Jonas in the whale’s belly ? How was Jonas a figure 
 of Jesus Christ ? What did the people of Ninive do ? How did Jonas act ? 
 What did Jonas build ? What is said of the ivy ? What became of tfinive ? 
 
THE OLD TOBIAS. 
 
 97 
 
 wicked. She set God at defiance, and despised Ilis 
 prophets, until, weary with her crimes. He resolved on 
 her destruction. 
 
 2. Suddenly and unexpectedly, Salmanasar, King of 
 Assyria, came with a powerful army, and laid siege to 
 Samaria, the capital of Israel. After three years, he took 
 the city, and led the greater portion of the inhabitants 
 captives into Assyria, while those who remained became 
 mixed with the neighboring nations. 
 
 3. The religion of the Samaritans was a compound of 
 Judaism and paganism. The people of Judea hated the 
 Samaritans, both because of their religion and because of 
 their revolt. Hence, our Savior was called a Samaritan, 
 because the Jews thought they could call a man no worse 
 name. 
 
 Those who were led away into captivity never returned, 
 but, becoming mixed with the people of Assyria and the 
 surrounding nations, were lost to history, and perished as 
 a people. Not a trace of the ten tribes remains to-day. 
 
 a. m. 3286.] 64. — The Old Tobias. [a . C. 714. 
 
 1. Among those who were led into captivity by Sal¬ 
 manasar, was a God-fearing man, named Tobias. From 
 his youth he had avoided the society of the wicked, and 
 kept the commandments. He spent much of his time in 
 consoling his fellow-captives, and, by his charities, help¬ 
 ing to relieve their wants. To feed the hungry, to clothe 
 the naked, and in the night to bury the dead, was his 
 usual care. 
 
 2. One day, wearied and exhausted with burying the 
 dead, he returned to his house, and, lying down by the 
 wall, fell asleep. Whilst he slept, the hot dung from a 
 swallow’s nest fell into his eyes, and he lost his sight. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 63. — Who destroyed Israel? now? What became 
 of the people ? What was the religion of the Samaritans ? Why was Christ 
 called a Samaritan ? 
 
98 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 Tobias bore his affliction without murmur, and strove to 
 purify himself by his trials. 
 
 3. Tobias being rendered helpless by the loss of his 
 
 sight, his wife 
 Anna went out 
 every day to 
 weave, that she 
 might help to 
 support him. 
 One day she re¬ 
 ceived, over and 
 above her wages, 
 a little kid. 
 When Tobias 
 heard it bleat¬ 
 ing, he began 
 to fear lest it 
 might have been gotten dishonestly; and not until he had 
 been assured that it was a gift would he touch it. 
 
 65.—The Counsels of Tobias to his Son. 
 
 1. After Tobias had been proved in many tribulations, 
 he thought he was going to die ; so he called his son to 
 him, that he might give him some advice. 
 
 “ When I die,” said he, “fail not to bury me. Honor 
 thy mother, nor forget what she suffered for thee. When 
 she dies, bury her by my side. Fear God, and never sin ; 
 keep pride from your heart, and seek the counsel of the 
 w r ise man. 
 
 2. “ Ho to another what von would wish him to do to 
 
 «/ 
 
 you. Give alms according to your means: if you have 
 much, give much ; if little, give little : but give with a 
 good heart. We are poor, it is true ; but, if we fear God, 
 and avoid sin, we will receive much.” 
 
 Questions to Chapter 64. — W T hat is said of Tobias ? What did he do ? How 
 did Tobias lose his sight ? What is said about the kid ? 
 
THE JOURNEY OE TIIE YOUNG TOBIAS. 
 
 99 
 
 When the young Tobias heard his good old father 
 speaking in this manner, he fell upon his neck, and, 
 weeping, promised to do all he had commanded. 
 
 a.m. 3300.j 66.—The Journey of the Young f A .c. 700. 
 
 Tobias. 
 
 1. After this advice, Tobias wished to send his son to a 
 distant city, called Rages, to collect a debt. Before he 
 started, the old man was very anxious to select for him a 
 suitable companion—one who also knew the way. The 
 
 young Tobias went out to seek one, and he found a beau¬ 
 tiful young man standing girded and ready for the road. 
 It was the angel Raphael, but Tobias knew it not. 
 
 2. Tobias asked the stranger if . lie knew the road to 
 Rages. He answered, “Yes.” Then he led him into the 
 
 Questions to Chapter 65. —What counsels did Tobias give his son ? IIow 
 did the young Tobias act ? 
 
100 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 house, when the angel promised to lead the younger 
 Tobias to Rages and back again. Tobias blessed them, 
 and they departed. 
 
 3. At the end of the first day’s journey they came to 
 the River Tigris. When Tobias wished to wasli his feet, 
 a monstrous fish rose up to devour him. The angel bade 
 him fear not, but seize the fish and draw it out. Tobias 
 did so. Then, according to the directions of the angel, 
 he took out the heart, and the gall, and the liver, and put 
 them away to be used for medicine. They then roasted as 
 much of the fish as they could eat; the rest they salted 
 and took with them. 
 
 4. When they drew near to a certain city, the angel* 
 told Tobias that there lived there a man, named Raguel, 
 a near relation ; that, moreover, lie had a daughter, named 
 Sara, whom he must ask in marriage. When Raguel saw 
 him, and heard who lie was, he was exceedingly glad, and 
 readily gave him his daughter. Tobias remained with his 
 father-in-law during the rejoicings for his marriage, but 
 Raphael went on to Rages and received the money for 
 which they had come. 
 
 67.—The Return of Tobias. 
 
 1. When Tobias had been with Raguel for some time, 
 he thought of returning home, lest his father might be 
 uneasy at his delay. At first, Raguel strove to persuade 
 him to remain ; but when he saw the young man resolved 
 to go, he divided his property, and gave him half as a 
 marriage gift, and, blessing him and his daughter, dis¬ 
 missed them. 
 
 2. After they had come some distance on the way, 
 Raphael and Tobias, leaving Sara, and the company to 
 follow, went on before. By the advice of the angel, 
 
 Questions to Chapter 66 .— Tell the history of Raphael. What is said about 
 the fish ? What is said of Raguel ? 
 
THE RETURN OF TOBIAS. 
 
 101 
 
 Tobias took with him the gall of the fish, which he had 
 preserved. 
 
 Meanwhile the parents of Tobias became very anxious 
 at the long delay of their son. His mother wept unceas¬ 
 ingly, and every day went to the top of a neighboring hill, 
 from which she could see a great way off. 
 
 3. At length she saw him in the distance, and recognized 
 him at once. Then she ran back and told her husband 
 that their son was coming. The old man, led by the 
 hand, hastened to meet his son, and, kissing him, they 
 both wept for joy. In the meantime the dog that had 
 accompanied the younger Tobias on his journey ran on 
 before, wagging his tail and jumping with delight. 
 
 4. When they had all thanked God for his mercies, 
 Tobias anointed his father's eyes with the gall of the fish 
 which lie had brought with him, and immediately the old 
 man recovered his sight. Falling on his knees, he praised 
 God—as well because He had afflicted him with blindness, 
 as now because He had cured him. 
 
 Seven days after this, Sara arrived, and, with her, the 
 servants, the flocks,, and the camels her father had given 
 her, besides the money which Gabelus had paid. A 
 great feast was made, and they gave themselves up to 
 rejoicing. 
 
 5. When the days of the feast were finished, Tobias 
 asked his father what reward they would give the young 
 man that had accompanied him, .or what recompense 
 could be sufficient for all he had done for them. After 
 consulting, they called the angel, and offered him half of 
 all they possessed, but he refused. Then he bade them 
 rejoice and give thanks to God for his mercies to them, to 
 pray and to fast, and to fear not: “for,” said he, “I am 
 Raphael, one of the angels that stand before God, and 
 have been sent by the Lord to heal you.” 
 
 6. When they heard this, they were much troubled, 
 and fell with their faces to the ground. But the angel 
 said to them : “ Fear not; it was God’s will I should be 
 with you ; bless Him and sing His praise.” Then he dis- 
 
102 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 appeared, but they continued to praise God and to pub¬ 
 lish all His wonders. At a good old age they were both 
 gathered to their fathers, full of grace before God and 
 men. 
 
 second. 
 
 THE KINGDOM OF JUDA FROM THE YEAR 975 TO THE BIRTH 
 
 OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 a. m. 3025 .] 68.—A Summary of the Principal [ A . c. 9 75t 
 
 Events. 
 
 1. From the death of King Roboam to the year 588 
 before Christ, eighteen princes of the house of David 
 successively governed Juda. Some of them were men of 
 wisdom, who, fearing God, listened to the prophets that 
 were sent to them ; but many of them were wicked and 
 perverse, who gave themselves up to idolatry and led the 
 people into sin. 
 
 2. To punish, these latter, in the year 606 God permitted 
 Jerusalem to be taken by the Babylonians, and the prin¬ 
 cipal men among the Jews to be led into captivity. 
 Eighteen years afterwards—that is, in the year 588 before 
 Christ—the entire population of Juda was carried into 
 Babylon, and the kingdom of Juda destroyed. 
 
 3. For seventy years the Jews remained captives in 
 Babylon, until they learned to humble themselves and 
 acknowledge their sins. During their captivity their 
 faith was strengthened by the words of the prophets, and 
 by their piety they edified their conquerors, and spread 
 amongst them a knowledge of the Redeemer. 
 
 4. At the end of seventy years—536 before Christ— 
 God led the Jews back to their own country. They 
 
 Questions to Chapter 67.—What did Raguel divide ? What is said of the 
 meeting of the old and young Tobias? How did Tobias recover his sight? 
 What is said of Sara ? What was offered to Raphael ? What did he say ? 
 
THE KINGS OF JUDA FROM ROBOAM TO EZEC1IIAS. 103 
 
 immediately rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple, and for 
 two hundred years lived in peace and contentment. 
 
 After the death of Alexander the Great — 323 years 
 before Christ — they were again persecuted by different 
 nations, until Herod, a stranger, ascended the throne of 
 David. Then, according to the prophecy of Jacob, the 
 time was come when Christ should be born. 
 
 69.—The Kings of Juda from Roboam to 
 
 Ezechias. 
 
 1. Abia, a brave but wicked prince, succeeded his 
 father, Roboam, on the throne of Juda. In turn lie was 
 succeeded by Asa, who, in the beginning, ruled with 
 justice, and by his many brilliant victories added to the 
 
 "glory of Juda, but at last ended in forgetting God. 
 
 2. Josaphat, who succeeded him, was better than any 
 of his three predecessors. He abolished idolatry, and 
 appointed God-fearing men to judge the people and teach 
 them the law of God. For his piety, God gave him the 
 victory over his enemies. 
 
 3. Josaphat was succeeded by his son Joram, a cruel 
 and idolatrous prince, who, in turn, was succeeded by 
 Ochozias, as wicked as his predecessor. Ochozias was 
 succeeded by his wife, Athalia, who, for seven years, 
 committed all kinds of abominations in Juda. 
 
 She murdered all the children of the royal family, 
 Joas, the grandson of Ochozias, excepted, who was hidden 
 by Joiada the high-priest. He afterwards ascended the 
 throne, and, during the life-time of Joida, was a virtuous 
 and pious prince, but, after the death of the high-priest, 
 like so many of his predecessors, fell into idolatry. 
 
 4. Amasias, Ozias, and Joatham successively reigned in 
 
 Questions to Chapter 68 .—What is said of David’s successors? When 
 were the Jews carried into Babylon? IIow long did they remain in captivity? 
 When did the Jews return ? What was rebuilt ? 
 
104 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 Juda. In some respects they were better than their pre¬ 
 decessors ; yet they often fell into idolatry. 
 
 Once Ozias wished to usurp the duties of the priest¬ 
 hood, and, entering into the temple, insisted upon burning 
 incense before the Lord. The priests boldly resisted him, 
 and ordered him to leave the sanctuary. 
 
 5. Ozias became exceedingly angry, and threatened to 
 strike the priests with the censer he held in his hand. On 
 the instant he was struck by the hand of God, and covered 
 with a leprosy that never left him. Until the day of 
 his death, Ozias remained a public example of how God 
 punishes the presumption of a layman who assumes the 
 duties of a priest. 
 
 a. m. 3301.] *70.—The Pious King Ezcchias. [a. C. 699. 
 
 1. The noble and pious Ezechias ascended the throne 
 of Juda after the deatli of Achaz, the wicked and idol¬ 
 atrous son of Joatham. Like David, lie was a man 
 according to God's own heart. lie purified the temple 
 and abolished idolatry, for which God blessed him, and 
 Juda rose in power and influence. 
 
 2. During his reign, Sennacherib, the King of Assyria, 
 laid siege to Jerusalem, but Ezechias feared not. While 
 the Assyrians lay round about the city, Ezechias went to 
 the temple and prayed to the Lord. He also sent the 
 priests, clad in their robes of mourning, to Isaias the 
 prophet, begging him also to pray in their behalf. The 
 Lord heard his prayer, and in the night sent His angel 
 into the camp of the Assyrians, and there were slain ere 
 the morning a hundred and eighty thousand of the enemy. 
 The rest perished in their flight. 
 
 3. About this time, Ezechias fell seriously ill, and the 
 prophet Isaias came to him and warned him to arrange 
 his affairs, for he was about to die. When the king heard 
 
 Questions to Chapter 69. — What is said of the successors of Roboarn? 
 What is said of Ozias ? 
 
KINGS PRECEDING THE BABYLONISH CAPTIVITY. 105 
 
 this, he became greatly alarmed, and, turning his face to 
 the temple, prayed earnestly to the Lord. His prayer was 
 heard, and fifteen years were added to his life. His reign 
 was one of the most glorious in the history of Juda. 
 
 71.—The Kings immediately preceding the 
 
 Babylonish Captivity. 
 
 1. Manasses succeeded his father, Ezechias, on the throne 
 of Juda. He was a wicked prince, and wantonly shed 
 the blood of the innocent. He rebuilt the altars of the 
 false gods which his father had destroyed ; and, influenced 
 by his bad example, the people became more sinful than 
 even the pagans. As a punishment for his crimes, God 
 permitted this wicked king to fall into the hands of the 
 Assyrians, who led him a captive to Babylon. 
 
 2. In his captivity he learned to acknowledge his faults, 
 and to do penance for his sins. God took, compassion on 
 him, and brought him back to Jerusalem, where, in his 
 latter days, he strove to repair the scandals of his early 
 reign. 
 
 3. His son Ammon succeeded him, only to imitate him 
 in his wickedness, but liis grandson Josias, strove to follow 
 the example of his latter days. During the reign of Josias, 
 idolatry was rooted out and religion restored. That he 
 might not see the evils that were about to come upon the 
 kingdom of Juda, God took him to Himself, after a short 
 reign of nine years. 
 
 4. He Avas succeeded by Joachaz, Joachim, and Sede- 
 cias—all wicked princes—who led the people away from 
 God, and, by their idolatries, brought about the captivity 
 of Babylon. With but few exceptions, Juda was cursed 
 with bad kings. Her history is sin, and its punishment, 
 
 Questions to Chapter 70.— What is said of Ezechias? How was Senna¬ 
 cherib defeated ? Ilow many were killed ? What was added to the life of 
 Ezechias ? 
 
106 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 until, at length, she ended in crucifying Jesus Christ, and 
 being cast off by God. 
 
 72.—The Prophets. 
 
 1. From the beginning of the reign of Roboam to the 
 captivity of Sedecias, God raised up men gifted with 
 special powers, and into whom he breathed his own Spirit. 
 These were the Prophets , whom He sent to preach penance 
 to the people, and to threaten kings with the judgments 
 that awaited them if they continued to forget God. 
 
 2. The most renowned of the prophets who rose during 
 the early history of Juda were Joel, Micheas, and Isaias. 
 These prophets were generally poor men, but bold in the 
 power of God ; nor did they fear to resist kings, or to cry 
 out against their sins. 
 
 3. At their preaching, many repented, and for a while 
 returned to God. For their fearless war against sin, and 
 their open denunciations of both kings and people, some 
 of them were put to death. Though dead, their words 
 lived in the hearts of the just, among whom the true faith 
 was preserved, and by whom the hopes and promises that 
 had been made of the Redeemer that was to come were 
 handed down to cheer the world. 
 
 73.—The Captivity of Babylon. 
 
 (FROM 606 TO 536 YEARS A. C.) 
 
 1. After the death of the pious King Josias, Nebucho- 
 donosor, King of Babylon, came and besieged Jerusalem. 
 When he had taken the city, he carried back with him to 
 Babylon the principal men of the nation, together with a 
 
 Questions to Chapter 71. — What is said of Manasses? How did God 
 punish him ? How did he end his days ? What is said of Josias ? What is said 
 of Juda? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 72.—Who were the prophets ? Who were much re¬ 
 nowned ? What did they preach ? How did some of them die ? 
 
THE CAPTIVITY OF BABYLON. 
 
 107 
 
 part of the sacred vessels of the temple. This happened 
 in the year GOG before Christ, and was the beginning of 
 what in history is known as the “ Babylonian Captivity ” 
 
 2. Three years after this, Nebuchodonosor returned to 
 Jerusalem, and carried Jechonias, the king, back with 
 him to Babylon. He also, on this occasion, carried with 
 him into capivity a great part of the people, besides 
 immense treasures. He left Sedecias to rule over the 
 remnant of Juda. 
 
 3. Sedecias revolted, and Nebuchodonosor returned for 
 the third time, and destroyed Jerusalem, and burned the 
 gorgeous and magnificent temple of Solomon, carrying 
 with him nearly the entire Jewish people. He put out 
 the eyes of Sedecias, and, loading him with chains, carried 
 him a captive to Babylon. This happened in the year 
 588 before Christ. 
 
 4. At this time lived Jeremias the prophet, who, long 
 before, had warned the people of the destruction that was 
 about to come upon them. Alone and in sorrow, he con¬ 
 tinued to weep over Jerusalem, and at times presented 
 himself to the people with a chain round his neck, as a 
 sign of the captivity that was near at hand. But his 
 warnings were received with curses and persecutions. 
 
 5. When at length Jerusalem was destroyed, Jeremias 
 remained to console the remnant of the nation that was 
 left, and to weep amid the ruins of the once glorious 
 city. 
 
 In his grand Lamentations , Jeremias cries out from the 
 depth of his sorrow : “How sorrowful, alas ! are the ways 
 that lead to Mount Moria ; there are now none to come to 
 the feast. The gates of the city are destroyed; the priests 
 weep; the virgins are without ornament. 0 you who 
 pass by the way, see if there is sorrow like unto my sor¬ 
 row ! Alas! is this the city of magnificence, the perfect 
 in beauty, the joy of the world ? ” 
 
 G. During their captivity the Jews did penance for their 
 sins and became sincerely converted to the Lord. Nebu- 
 chodonosor was kind and considerate to them; but they 
 
108 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 wept and sighed to return to their country. “ By the 
 rivers of Babylon/' cried they, “we sat and wept when 
 we remembered Sion. On the branches of the willow- 
 trees we hung up our harps; for how could we sing the 
 songs of Sion in a strange land ? ” 
 
 a. m. 3410.] 74.—Daniel and the Three Young [ A . c. 590. 
 
 Men. 
 
 1. Amongst the captives at Babylon were several youths 
 of the royal race. Amongst these were Daniel and his 
 three companions, Azarias, Ananias, and Misael. By the 
 command of king Nebuchodonosor, they were selected, as 
 well for the beauty of their persons as for their intelli¬ 
 gence, and orders were given to feed them daily from the 
 royal table. 
 
 2. But by the Jewish law several kinds of meats were 
 forbidden to be eaten. These young men fearing they 
 would be required to eat of these forbidden meats, came 
 to the chief eunuch of the king, and begged him to let 
 them, for ten days, be fed on pulse, and to drink water 
 only, and then if they were not fatter and fairer than 
 those who were fed from the king's table, they would 
 submit and eat what he wished. 
 
 3. The proposition pleased Malasar, the chief eunuch, 
 and at the end of ten days their faces were fatter and fairer 
 than those who had been fed from the king's table. From 
 this time forward they were fed 011 pulse and water only. 
 
 4. God gave them, besides comeliness of person, great 
 abundance of wisdom, so that when sometime afterward 
 they were called before the king, none were found equal 
 to them. Thus they were selected and placed in the 
 service of Nebuchodonosor. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 73.—What is said of Nebuchodonosor ? When did he 
 return ? What did he carry with him ? Who was left ? What happened to 
 Jerusalem and the temple ? What is said of Jeremias ? What is said of the 
 Lamentations ? What is said of the Jews in captivity ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 74.—Tell the history of Daniel and his companions. 
 
DANIEL SAVES SUSANNA. 
 
 109 
 
 a.m. 3410 .] 75.—Daniel saves Susanna. [ A .c. m 
 
 1. Among the Jewish captives at Babylon was a man, 
 named Joachim, as distinguished for his goodness as his 
 wife, Susanna, was for her beauty and her virtue. Many 
 of the Jews came to his house, for there two of the 
 ancients were wont to administer justice. 
 
 2. Joachim had an orchard near his house, where his 
 wife, Susanna, was accustomed to walk at mid-day. The 
 two judges, who were wicked men, knew this, and one day 
 concealed themselves in the orchard. According to cus¬ 
 tom, Susanna came in to walk, when they came to her 
 and strove to persuade her to commit sin with them, but 
 she refused. They then threatened to accuse her before 
 the people. 
 
 3. When Susanna saw herself thus straitened on every 
 side, she knew not what to do. “If I yield/’ said she, 
 “ I am ruined before God ; and if I do not, I will not 
 escape your hands. However, it is better to fall into your 
 hands innocent, than to sin against God.” 
 
 So she cried with a loud voice, and the old men cried 
 also. When the people were come together, the two men 
 accused Susanna. 
 
 4. On the morrow Susanna was cited before the tribu¬ 
 nal. She came accompanied by her parents and friends, 
 all weeping for the disgrace that had happened to them. 
 The old men renewed their charge, and faith was placed 
 in their words. Susanna was condemned to death, but 
 she prayed to the Lord and He heard her. 
 
 5. When they were leading her forth to be stoned, 
 Daniel, enlightened by the Spirit of God, cried out: “ Let 
 there be another trial; these men have borne false wit¬ 
 ness.” The people, hearing this, returned in haste. 
 
 G. Then Daniel commanded the two old men to be 
 separated one from the other. When this was done, 
 Daniel asked the first, under what tree he had seen 
 Susanna. He answered: “Under a mastic-tree.” He 
 
110 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 was then put aside and the other asked, “ Under what 
 tree he had seen the woman.” He answered: “ Under 
 a holm-tree.” 
 
 7. When the people heard their contradictory stories, 
 they saw how false had been their accusation against the 
 virtuous Susanna, and praised God who thus preserved 
 those who trusted in Him. 
 
 From that day, Daniel was great in the eyes of the 
 people. 
 
 a.m. 34i7.] 76.—The Three Young Men in the [a. c. sss. 
 
 Fiery Furnace. 
 
 1. Nebuchodonosor made a statue of gold, and setting 
 it up, commanded the grandees and people of his king¬ 
 dom to fall down and adore it. Every one obeyed, Ananias, 
 
 Questions to Chapter 75.—Tell the history of Susanna. Where was Su¬ 
 sanna cited on the morrow ? To what was she condemned ? Who saved 
 Susanna ? How ? 
 
THE THREE YOUNG MEN IN THE FIERY FURNACE. Ill 
 
 Misael, and Azarias excepted. Daniel was not present, or 
 he also would have disobeyed. The Babylonians, seeing 
 that the three young men would not adore the idol, 
 accused them to the king. 
 
 2 . When Nebuchodonosor saw that even he could not 
 induce them to adore his statue, tilled with fury, he or¬ 
 dered a furnace to be heated seven times more than usual, 
 and the young men to be thrown into it. Ilis order was 
 
 immediately obeyed. However, the men who threw them 
 in were burned to death. 
 
 3. An angel descended with the three young men, 
 whilst God sent a soft, dewy air, that blew within the 
 furnace like an evening breeze. Not a hair of their heads 
 was singed, nor were their clothes touched by the fire. 
 
 4. When the king heard this wonder, he came and 
 looked into the furnace himself. “ Did we not,” lie asked, 
 “cast three men, bound, into the fire ? Behold ! I see 
 four loose, and unhurt; and the fourth is like the Son of 
 God.” Then the king cried out: “Servants of God, 
 come forth.” 
 
112 
 
 IIIST0KY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 5. They obeyed ; and when the king saw there was no 
 sign of fire upon them, he thanked God, who had thus 
 saved His servants, because they had preferred to die 
 rather than sin. Nebucliodonosor also published a decree 
 that no one should blaspheme against the God of the 
 Jews. The young men were advanced to the highest 
 dignities. 
 
 a. m. 3466.] 77.—Daniel and King Baltassar. [a.c. km. 
 
 1. After Nebuchodonosor's death, his grandson, Baltas¬ 
 sar, reigned in Babylon. He made a great feast for his 
 nobles and their wives. When they were all full of wine, 
 the king ordered the golden vessels which his grandfather, 
 Nebuchodonosor, had brought from the temple of Jerusa¬ 
 lem, to be brought in, that he and his guests might drink 
 from them. Whilst they were drinking, a hand appeared 
 upon the wall, and wrote certain words. 
 
 2. When Baltassar saw this, he became greatly troubled, 
 and, trembling with fear, sent for his soothsayers ; but 
 no one could interpret the handwriting. Then Daniel 
 was sent for. 
 
 He said: “ These are the words: Mane, Thecel, 
 Phakes ; and this is the interpretation: Mane —the days 
 of thy kingdom are numbered, and it is at an end; 
 Thecel —thy merits are weighed in the balance, and thou 
 art found wanting ; Phares —thy kingdom is divided and 
 given to the Medes and Persians.” 
 
 3. That same night this prophecy was fulfilled. The 
 Medes and the Persians, by turning the bed of the River 
 Euphrates, Entered Babylon during the night, and Bal¬ 
 tassar was slain, and his kingdom divided. Darius the 
 Mede succeeded to the kingdom of Babylon. 
 
 Questions to Chatter 76.—Tell the history of the golden statue ? What was 
 done to the three young men ? How were they saved ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 77.—What happened to Baltassar ? What was tlio 
 handwriting ? Who interpreted it ? Was it fulfilled ? How ? 
 
DANIEL AND TIIE IDOL BEL. 
 
 113 
 
 78.—Daniel and the Idol Bel. 
 
 1. Cyrus, King of Persia, soon made himself master of 
 Babylon. He showed much attention to Daniel, and often 
 invited him to his table. One day, Cyrus asked Daniel 
 why lie would not adore Bel, the god of the Babylonians. 
 Daniel answered that he adored only the living Cod, by 
 whom all things were created. 
 
 2. But the king said : “ So is Bel a living god ; he eats 
 daily a dozen measures of flour and forty sheep, and, 
 besides, drinks six pitchers of wine.” But Daniel only 
 laughed at him, and bade the king not be deceived : 
 “for clay and brass could not eat.” Then Cyrus sent 
 for the priests of Bel, and told them what Daniel had 
 said. 
 
 3. The priests proposed that the king should himself 
 place the meats before Bel, and seal the door of the tem¬ 
 ple, and if, on the morrow, they were not eaten, then 
 they would willingly suffer death. This proposition 
 pleased Cyrus. 
 
 4. When Cyrus had put the priests out of the temple, 
 he set the meats before Bel. But Daniel, in the presence 
 of the king, sifted fine ashes on the floor of the temple. 
 They then closed the door, and sealed it with the king’s 
 ring. 
 
 During the night, as was their custom, the priests en¬ 
 tered the temple by a secret door, and, together with their 
 wives and their children, eat up the sacrifices that were 
 placed before the idol. 
 
 5. Early in the morning, Cyrus and Daniel came to the 
 temple, and found the seals unbroken. When they en¬ 
 tered, and the king saw the empty table, he cried out: 
 “ Great is Bel, and he can not be deceived.” But Daniel 
 pointed to the footprints that were upon the pavement. 
 Having examined the place a little closer, the secret door 
 was found under the table on which the meats had been 
 placed. When the king saw how lie had been deceived, 
 
114 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 he killed the priests, and Daniel destroyed the god Bel, 
 and burned his temple. 
 
 a. m. 3466.j 79. — Daniel in the Lions’ Den. [a. c. 53 4. 
 
 1. Besides the god Bel, the Babylonians also adored a 
 great dragon. Cyrus said one day to Daniel: “However, 
 you can not say this is not a living god.” Daniel, without 
 discussing the king’s words, proposed to kill the dragon 
 without sword or club. When Cyrus consented, Daniel 
 boiled pitch and fat together, into which he mixed hair. 
 He then made balls of the mixture, and, putting them 
 into the dragon’s mouth, the so-called god burst asunder. 
 
 2. When the Babylonians heard what had happened, 
 they came, in great fury, and demanded that Daniel be 
 delivered up to them. At first, Cyrus refused ; but at 
 length yielded to the fury of the mob. Daniel was de¬ 
 livered to them, and they cast him into the lions’ den. 
 On purpose, no food was given to the seven furious lions 
 that were there confined, with the hope that Daniel 
 would be the sooner devoured ; but Daniel remained 
 unhurt. 
 
 3. After six days, Daniel was hungry. Now, at this 
 time, there lived amid the ruins of Jerusalem a prophet, 
 named Habecuc. He had boiled some pottage, and was 
 carrying it to the reapers that were in the field. 
 
 While on the way, an angel appeared to him, and ordered 
 him to carry the dinner he had in his hands to Daniel, 
 who was then in the lions’ den. Habecuc answered : 
 “He had never been in Babylon, and did not know the 
 den of which he spoke.” The angel took Habecuc by the 
 hair of the head and, with the rapidity of lightning, car¬ 
 ried him to Babylon, and placed him over the den where 
 Daniel was. * 
 
 4. When Daniel had eaten the dinner thus so miracu¬ 
 lously sent him, he thanked God, who had not forgotten 
 
 Questions to Chapter 78. — What is saicl of Bel? How did Daniel unde¬ 
 ceive Cyrus ? 
 
DANIEL IN THE LIONS’ DEN. 
 
 115 
 
 him in his distress. But the angel carried back Habecuc, 
 and placed him where he had found him. 
 
 5. On the seventh day the king came to the lions’ den, 
 and found Daniel cpiietly sitting in the midst of the wild 
 beasts. When Cyrus saw this, he was much astonished, 
 and immediately caused Daniel to be drawn out, and his 
 
 persecutors to be thrown in. Before these wicked men 
 had fallen to the bottom of the den, they were torn to 
 pieces, and devoured by the starved and angry lions. The 
 king also published an edict, in which he commanded all 
 to venerate and fear the God of Daniel, because He was 
 the Savior working signs and wonders upon earth. 
 
 6. The young men in the furnace and Daniel in the lions’ den 
 were figures of Christ. Daniel came forth from the lions unhurt, 
 Christ rose from the tomb glorious and immortal. Daniel remained 
 with the Jews during their long captivity to console and cheer them, 
 so does Christ remain with His Church to guard and protect her 
 against her enemies. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 79 .—IIow did Daniel kill the dragon? What was 
 done to Daniel ? Who brought food to Daniel ? How was Daniel delivered ? 
 Who were figures of Christ ? How ? 
 
116 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 a. m. 3468 .] 80.—The Jews return from Captivity. [ A . c. 532. 
 
 1. When the seventy years of captivity foretold by the 
 prophets were finished, God moved the heart of Artaxerxes, 
 King of the Medes and Persians, with compassion for the 
 captives. I 11 the year 532 before Christ, Artaxerxes pub¬ 
 lished an edict that the Jews might return to Jerusalem 
 and rebuild the temple of the Lord. 
 
 2. Under the leadership of Zorobabel, a prince of the 
 people, more than forty thousand Jews returned at this 
 time. Artaxerxes was very kind to them, giving them 
 money, and restoring the vessels of gold and silver Nebu- 
 chodonosor had taken away. When the people arrived at 
 Jerusalem, they built an altar, until the temple could be 
 finished. For twenty-one years they labored upon the 
 new temple. When it was finished, and the old men came 
 to see it, they wept and lamented, for its magnificence 
 was not to be compared to the temple of Solomon. 
 
 3. Twenty years after Zorobabel had gone to Jerusalem, 
 Esdras, a holy priest, gathered together many of the Jews 
 that still remained in Babylon and led them back to their 
 own country. Here, with the aid of his saintly friend, 
 Nehemias, he strove to instruct the people in the law of 
 God, and purify them from the abominations which they 
 had contracted among their pagan masters. 
 
 4. Nehemias moreover urged the people to rebuild 
 Jerusalem. With ready willingness they followed his 
 example, and, from the high-priest to the least among 
 them, each put his hand to the work. 
 
 When the Samaritans saw with what rapidity the city 
 rose from its ashes, fearing for their own safety, they 
 strove by plots and falsehoods to stop the work ; but they 
 failed. So earnestly did every body work, that at the end 
 of fifty-two days the walls of Jerusalem, and the gates, and 
 the towers were finished. In time, the city also was built up. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 80. — Under whom did the Jews return ? What did 
 they build ? What is said of the new temple ? Who led many of the Jews back ? 
 What did Esdras and Nehemias do ? What did the Samaritans strive to do ? 
 
THE PROPHETS AFTER THE CAPTIVITY. 
 
 117 
 
 81.—The Prophets after the Captivity. 
 
 \ 
 
 1. During the long captivity of Babylon, the prophets, 
 Jeremias, Daniel, and Esechiel, instructed and sustained 
 the Jews by their prophecies. After their return to Jeru¬ 
 salem, God raised up others to cheer and encourage His 
 people. Amongst these latter were Aggeus and Zacharias, 
 by whose prophecies, that the Messiah would one day 
 enter this new temple, the people were strongly encouraged 
 to push on the work. It was in this sense they said : 
 “The glory of the second temple will be far greater than 
 the glory of the first. ” 
 
 2. The last of the prophets whom God raised up among 
 the Jews, was Malachias who lived about four hundred 
 years before Christ. He preached against the hypocrites 
 of his day, and more especially against the priests. Mala¬ 
 chias is remarkable for his celebrated prophecy: “That 
 God would reject the sacrifices of the Old Law, and in 
 their place institute a New Sacrifice , that would not cease 
 from the rising to the setting of the sun.” This prophecy 
 is fulfilled in the sacrifice of the Mass. 
 
 3. About the year 277 A. C., the Old Testament was 
 translated from the Hebrew into Greek. This translation 
 is known as the Septuagint . When this was done, Greek 
 was spoken everywhere; hence,, by this translation a 
 knowledge of the sacred Scriptures, and more particularly 
 of the prophecies concerning the Messiah, was scattered 
 among the pagan nations. 
 
 4. About the same time also, under the inspiration of 
 God, a Jew, named Jesus, the son of Sirach, wrote a book 
 of pious sentences. The object of the book was to teacli 
 men truth and lead them to God. This book is known as 
 the book of Ecclesiasticus. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 81.— Who were the prophets during the captivity? 
 Who were after ? What is said of Malachias ? What is the Septuagint ? Who 
 wrote the book of Ecclesiasticus ? 
 
118 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 A. M. 3495.] 82.—Esther. [a . C. 505. 
 
 1. The great kindness shown by the kings of Persia to 
 the Jews induced many of them to remain in Babylon. 
 Amongst these was Esther. 
 
 During the reign of Assuerus, Esther lived with her 
 uncle, Mardocliai. By chance the king saw her, and, 
 being much pleased with her, made her his queen. 
 
 2. Her uncle, Murdochai, became very uneasy, lest any 
 thing would happen to his adopted daughter; hence, he 
 stood daily before the king’s palace. While Mardochai 
 thus watched over the interest of his adopted child, he 
 one day discovered a conspiracy, by which two officers 
 intended to kill the king. Instantly he warned Esther, 
 who told Assuerus. The officers were put to death, and 
 the event put in the annals of the kingdom. 
 
 3. Some time after this, the king raised Aman to the 
 highest dignities in the state. All the king’s servants 
 bent the knee before him, Mardochai excepted. When 
 Aman noticed this, he became exceedingly angry, and 
 resolved on the destruction of the obstinate Jew. 
 
 4. That he might the better accomplish his object, 
 Aman pretended that the Jews were about to revolt, and 
 succeeded in persuading the king to publish an edict, that 
 all of them that were in his kingdom should on the same 
 day be put to death, together with their wives and their 
 children, and all their possessions be confiscated to the 
 crown. 
 
 5. When Mardochai heard the news, he hastened to 
 Esther and urged her to plead for her people. But there 
 was a law forbidding any subject to present himself before 
 the king, unless called. Esther resolved to brave the 
 danger. She clothed herself in her most gorgeous apparel, 
 and, begging God to bless her mission, presented herself 
 to the king while he was sitting on his throne. 
 
 6. Esther threw herself at the king’s feet, but fainted 
 at sight of his angry look. When Assuerus saw the dis^ 
 
ESTHER. 
 
 119 
 
 tress of his queen, lie relented, and, descending from his 
 throne, raised her up and supported her till she recovered. 
 Then the king said to her : “ Fear not, Esther ; you shall 
 not die. AVhat do you wish ? ” The queen merely asked 
 him to bring Aman with him, and come the following 
 evening to the banquet she had prepared. The king 
 promised to come. 
 
 7. During the night the king could not sleep, and, to 
 amuse himself, ordered the annals of his reign to be read 
 for him. When it came to the conspiracy which Mardochai 
 had discovered, the king asked what reward Mardochai 
 had received for what he had done. Being answered, 
 “None,” Assuerus sent for Aman, and asked: “AVhat 
 ought to be done to the man whom the king wished to 
 honor ?” 
 
 8. Aman, thinking the king wished to honor himself, 
 said : “The man whom the king would honor should be 
 clothed in the royal robes, and be placed on the king’s 
 horse, and the first of the king’s princes should walk 
 before him and cry aloud : ‘ Thus shall he be honored 
 whom the king wishes to honor.’ ” The king then bade 
 Aman go and do to Mardochai, the Jew, as he had coun¬ 
 seled. Aman dared not disobey the king. 
 
1 'Z'j HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 9. In the meantime the hour for the queen’s feast came 
 on, and Aman hastened to attend. During the feast, the 
 king asked Esther what she wished, promising to' give 
 even to the half of his kingdom. The queen asked but 
 for her life and the lives of her people. When the king 
 heard how his confidence had been abused, and how, under 
 false pretenses, the Jews were about to be destroyed, he 
 became angry, and asked who had dared to do this thing. 
 Esther answered, “Aman.” 
 
 10. The king rose in great fury, and, calling together 
 his eunuchs, asked what he would do. But one said : 
 “Aman has prepared a gibbet fifty cubits high on which 
 to hang Mardochai.” Then the king said : “ Hang Aman 
 on it.” 
 
 That very hour Aman was hung, and Mardochai invested 
 with his dignity. The edict against the Jews was revoked, 
 and many of the pagans were converted. 
 
 11. Queen Esther was a figure of the Blessed Virgin. Esther 
 was alone exempted from the rigors of the Persian law ; the Blessed 
 Virgin was alone exempted from original sin. Esther saved her 
 people ; Mary gave a Savior to the world. 
 
 Mardochai was the faithful guardian of Esther ; Joseph was the 
 guardian of Jesus and Mary. Mardochai was placed in the highest 
 office of state ; Joseph holds one of the highest places in heaven. 
 
 83.—Judith. 
 
 1. When the Jews were reestablished in their own 
 country, God, in a most wonderful manner, again de¬ 
 livered them by the hands of a woman. Holofernes, an 
 Assyrian general, advanced into Judea with a powerful 
 army. He took many of the cities, and treated the inhab¬ 
 itants with extreme cruelty. At length he laid siege to 
 
 Questions to Chapter 82.—Tell the history of Esther. What did Mardo¬ 
 chai do ? What is said of Aman ? What did Esther do ? What was the result ? 
 What counsel did Aman give ? Where did Aman hasten to go ? What happened 
 to Aman ? What happened to Mardochai ? llow is Esther a figure of the 
 Blessed Virgin ? 
 
JUDITH. 
 
 121 
 
 Bethulia, and, cutting off the aqueduct by which the city 
 was supplied with water, the inhabitants were soon reduced 
 to the last extremity. 
 
 2. When they saw themselves in this condition, they 
 agreed to surrender if, within five days, they received no 
 help. There was within the city a young widow, named 
 Judith, of great wealth and beauty. When she heard the 
 resolution to which the leaders had come, she laid aside 
 the garments of her widowhood, and, anointing herself, 
 put on her richest ornaments. 
 
 3. Thus arrayed, she went, accompanied by her servant, 
 to the Assyrian camp. God also added to her beauty. 
 When Holofernes saw her, he received her most kindly, 
 and gave orders to his servants to permit her to come and 
 to go at her pleasure. 
 
 4. Four days after her arrival in the Assyrian camp, 
 Holofernes gave a great banquet to the officers of his 
 army. Late in the night, he threw himself upfiii his bed, 
 and, being drunk, slept heavily. Judith drew near the 
 bed on which Holofernes lay, and, praying to God to 
 
122 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 strengthen her arm, took the sword that hung at the top 
 of the bed and cut off his head. 
 
 5. Then she put the head in a hag, and gave it to her 
 servant, and, hastening from the Assyrian camp, came to 
 Bethulia. When she had assembled the leaders and the 
 people, she showed them the head of Holofernes, and bade 
 them praise the Lord, who had protected her from sin, 
 and, by her hands, killed their enemy. 
 
 6. The Jews, seeing how God had thus fought for them, 
 hung the head of Holofernes from the walls of the city, 
 and, going forth, attacked the Assyrians, who, without a 
 leader, were easily overcome, and many of them slain. 
 
 Judith was much esteemed, not only by the inhabitants 
 of her native city, but by all Judea ; and when she died, 
 all the people wept. 
 
 a. m. 3837 .J 84.—Eleazar the Martyr. [ A . c. i 63 . 
 
 1. In the year 333 before Christ, Alexander the Great 
 put an end to the kingdom of Persia, which had ruled 
 over the Jews since the time of Cyrus. After this, they 
 fell into the power of the kings of Egypt, and finally 
 under the power of the kings of Syria. 
 
 2. Among these latter, Antiochus was very cruel. He 
 burned the sacred books, and forbade, under pain of death, 
 any one to observe the Law. Many basely apostatized, 
 while, on the other hand, many remained faithful, pre¬ 
 ferring death to sin. 
 
 3. Among these latter was the venerable Eleazar, an 
 old man of ninety years of age, and much esteemed for 
 his knowledge of the Law. Antiochus commanded him 
 to eat the flesh of swine, threatening him with death if he 
 refused. But his religion forbade him to obey, and the 
 brave old man would rather die than offend God. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 83. — What is the history of Judith? Whose head 
 did she cut off? What did the Jews do? What was done at the death o* 
 J udith ? 
 
THE MARTYRDOM OF THE SEVEN MACHABEES. 123 
 
 4. His friends strove to persuade him to yield ; nay, 
 even urged him to save his life by pretending to eat the 
 forbidden flesh, though he did not. But Eleazar scorned 
 deceit: “ I may deceive men,” said he, “ but I can not 
 deceive God, and my example might lead others astray.” 
 The old man suffered a cruel death, but truth triumphed 
 in his sufferings. 
 
 a. m. ass?.] 85.-—The Martyrdom of the Seven [ A . c. i 63 . 
 
 Machabees. 
 
 1. Amongst others that were brought before Antiochus 
 were the seven Machabees and their mother. When they 
 were ordered to eat the forbidden flesh of the swine, they 
 refused, and said they would rather die than break the laws 
 of God. 
 
 2. When the king heard this, he became very angry, 
 and ordered the seven brothers to be beaten with rods. 
 But the heroic youths still refusing to obey, Antiochus 
 commanded frying-pans and brazen cauldrons to be made 
 hot. Then the executioners seized the eldest and cut out 
 his tongue ; after this they tore off the skin from his 
 head, and chopped off his hands and his feet, and at last 
 threw him into the red-hot frying-pan. His mother and 
 his brothers stood encouraging him and exhorting him to 
 persevere. 
 
 3. When the first was dead, the second oldest was 
 brought, and the skin of his head also pulled off. He, 
 too, was asked if he would eat the forbidden meat; but 
 
 .he boldly answered, “No.” He was tormented as his 
 brother had been. The third and the fourth, as also the 
 fifth and the sixth, willingly offered themselves to the 
 executioners, and died proclaiming their faith in God, and 
 their hopes of eternal happiness. 
 
 4. The youngest still remained. The king hoped by 
 
 Questions to Chapter 84.—Into whose power did the Jews fall ? What is 
 said of Antiochus ? What is said of Eleazar ? 
 
124 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 kindness to win him oyer. He promised him honors and 
 riches, even his own friendship, if he would renounce the 
 Jewish religion ; but he would not yield. Then the king 
 exhorted the mother to persuade her son to save his life, 
 but she only the more encouraged her child to be a worthy 
 successor of his six martyred brothers. 
 
 5. While his mother was yet speaking to him, he 
 boldly cried out: “I will not obey the king, nor will 
 I break the law of God.” When the king heard this, 
 he was greatly incensed, and ordered him to be more 
 cruelly tormented than any of the rest. Last of all, 
 the mother suffered death with the same heroic con¬ 
 stancy that had marked the sufferings of her seven noble 
 sons. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 85.—What is said of the Machabees ? How was the 
 eldest brother put to death ? How was the second eldest? How did the others 
 die ? How did the king act toward the youngest ? What was done to the 
 mother ? 
 
MATHATHIAS AND JUDAS MACHABEUS. 
 
 125 
 
 a. m. 3838.] 86.—Mathathias and Judas [ A .c. ie*. 
 
 Machabeus. 
 
 1. During the reign of Antiochus, there lived in Judea 
 a priest named Mathathias, who had five sons. When lie 
 saw the abominations that were committed against the 
 Law, and the cruelties with which the people were op¬ 
 pressed, he resolved to free his country. Calling upon all 
 those who would defend the Law of God to follow him, 
 he fied with his sons and many others into the mountains. 
 
 2. At first he was content with overthrowing the idols 
 and the altars of the pagan gods; then, as his numbers 
 increased, he began to make.war on the enemies of his 
 country. 
 
 After his death, the leadership fell upon his son Judas, 
 who, because of his invincible courage, was called Macha¬ 
 beus. Bold as a lion, he met and vanquished the generals 
 of Antiochus, one after another. 
 
 3. He also retook Jerusalem, and purified the temple. 
 The altar was consecrated anew, amid the sounds of harps, 
 and lutes, and cymbals ; the sacrifices were restored, and 
 a great feast was appointed to celebrate his victories. 
 
 4. When Antiochus heard of the success of the Mach- 
 abees, he became very angry. Gathering together an 
 immense army, he resolved to lead it himself against 
 Jerusalem, and forever destroy the place ; but God's judg¬ 
 ments overtook him on the way. 
 
 One day he fell from his chariot and hurt himself very 
 badly. His sores putrified, and worms began to crawl out 
 of his wounds ; the flesh fell off from his bones, and the 
 whole body sent forth a stench insupportable to himself, 
 as w T ell as all around him. 
 
 5. AVhen Antiochus saw how grievously he suffered, he 
 acknowledged the hand of God in his punishment, and, 
 hoping to escape death, humbled himself and lamented 
 his cruelty. He even promised to repair, as far as he 
 could, the evils he had done. But his repentance was 
 
126 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 insincere, and God listened not to his prayer. He died 
 amid the most cruel torments, leaving to the world a 
 frightful example of the justice of God. 
 
 6. After his death, his son strove to reconquer Judea ; 
 but the Machabees, trusting in God, assembled their fol¬ 
 lowers, and went forth to battle. In the heat of the 
 engagement, suddenly there came from heaven five men, 
 whose armor shone as the sun, and whose horses were 
 covered with golden harness. Two placed themselves on 
 
 either side of Judas, whilst the other three hurled darts 
 on the enemy: at the same time the lightning flashed in 
 the faces of the Syrians. Stunned and confounded, many 
 fell to the ground, whilst the others turned and fled. The 
 enemy left twenty thousand infantry and six thousand 
 cavalry dead upon the field. 
 
 7. After many victories, Judas established the inde¬ 
 pendence of his country ; yet not without loss. Many of 
 the Jews were killed ; but, on examining the bodies of the 
 dead, there were found concealed under their coats offer- 
 
FROM THE MACIIABEES TO JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 127 
 
 ings that had been stolen from the temples of the pagan 
 idols. Then all knew the cause of their death. 
 
 8. When Judas saw why they had been punished, lie 
 did not despair, but, trusting in the power of prayer and 
 the mercy of God, sent twelve thousand drachms of silver 
 to Jerusalem, that sacrifices might be offered for them, 
 saying : “ It is a holy and wholesome, thought to pray for 
 the dead.” 
 
 87.—From the Machabees to Jesus Christ. 
 
 « 
 
 1. After the death of the pious and heroic Judas, his 
 brothers, one after another, were placed at the head of the 
 nation. Under their wise guidance, many victories were 
 won and peace established, and Judea began again to 
 
 Questions to Chapter 86.—What is said of Mathathias ? What is said of 
 Jndas Machabeus? How did Antiochus die? How was the son of Antiochus 
 defeated ? What did Judas send to Jerusalem ? Wky ? 
 
128 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 flourish. Unhappily, their successors did not walk in 
 their footsteps, and gradually the inconstant Jews fell 
 again into sin. 
 
 2. The nation, however, still recognized the one true 
 God, and exteriorly observed the forms of the Law, but 
 the hearts of the people were far from God. 
 
 Two sects rose up among them : one, the hypocritical 
 Pharisees; the other, the incredulous Sadducees. The 
 former placed all perfection in the exterior observance of 
 the law ; the latter denied much that was in the law, more 
 particularly the resurrection of the dead. 
 
 3. Beyond Judea the world was buried in idolatry and 
 abomination ; cruelty and oppression were everywhere, 
 and mankind longed for the coming of the Messiah. 
 There remained but one thing more—the fulfillment of 
 the prophecy made by Jacob to his son Juda; and this 
 was not long delayed. 
 
 4. The successors of the Machabees lived in continual 
 war, civil as well as foreign; brother fought against 
 brother ; murder and rapine replaced peace and honesty. 
 As a last hope, the Romans were called in to arbitrate 
 between the parties. Soon they filled the country with 
 their armies ; the government was seized upon, and Herod, 
 a stranger, appointed king of the Jews. Thus perished 
 the kingdom of Judea; the scepter had passed from the 
 tribe of Juda; the time was come when the Messiah, the 
 Savior, Our Lord Jesus Christ, should come to bless 
 the world and save mankind, to whom be praise and 
 benediction forever and ever. 
 
 END OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. # 
 
 Questions to Chapter 87. — What is said of the latter history of the Jews? 
 Who were the Pharisees ? Who were the Sadducees ? What is said of the world 
 in general? What alone was wanting? Who were brought into Judea ? Why? 
 Who was made king ? For whom was the time come ? 
 
History of the New Testament. 
 
 / 
 
 -■« 888 »'- 
 
 FA.R-T FIEST. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF OUR LORD 
 
 JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 1.—The Birth of John the Baptist Announced. 
 
 1. During the reign of King Herod, there lived in the 
 mountains of Judea an aged priest, named Zachary, and 
 his wife Elizabeth. Though just before God and other¬ 
 wise happy, there was one drawback: they had no family. 
 They had often asked for a son, but their prayers seemed 
 unheard. 
 
 2. One day while Zachary, according to the custom of 
 the priests, was burning incense within the sanctuary, 
 suddenly an angel appeared at the right of the altar. 
 Zachary was much frightened ; but the angel bade him 
 fear not. Then the angel told him his prayer had at 
 length been heard, and his wife Elizabeth, in her old 
 
130 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 age, would bear him a son, and he should call his name 
 John . 
 
 3. When Zachary heard this, he began to doubt, and 
 
 to reason with 
 himself, saying 
 he was old, and 
 his wife was old. 
 In answer to his 
 objections, the 
 angel said to 
 him: “Because 
 you have doubt¬ 
 ed and have not 
 believed my 
 word, you shall 
 be d u m b till 
 what I luwe an¬ 
 nounced to you come to pass. 55 The angel disappeared, 
 but Zachary was struck dumb from that moment. 
 
 2.—The Birth of Jesus Announced. 
 
 1. Six months after the events above related, the angel 
 Gabriel was sent to Nazareth, a little town in Galilee, to a 
 virgin, called Mary. Though of the royal family of David, 
 she was very poor in this world’s goods ; but, in virtues, 
 she was exceedingly rich. A short time before the angel 
 appeared to her, she had been married to a poor carpenter, 
 called Joseph, who, like herself, also belonged to the house 
 of David. 
 
 2. While this humble virgin was deeply absorbed in 
 prayer, suddenly the angel Gabriel entered her chamber, 
 and said to her : “Hail, full of grace ! the Lord is with 
 thee ; blessed art thou amongst women.” 
 
 Questions to Chapter 1. — What is said of Zachary and Elizabeth? What 
 happened to Zachary at the altar ? 
 
THE BIRTH OF JESUS ANNOUNCED. 
 
 131 
 
 3. When Mary heard these strange and, to her, startling 
 words, she became exceedingly troubled, not knowing 
 what they could mean. But the angel hastened to relie\e 
 her anxiety, by telling her that God had sent him to an¬ 
 nounce the coming of the Messiah, and that she had been 
 
 chosen to be His mother. When Mary objected that she 
 was a virgin, and knew not man, the angel bade her fear 
 not: “for the Holy Ghost would come upon her, and the 
 power of the Most High would overshadow her, and the 
 Holy One that should be born of her should be called the 
 Son of God.” 
 
 4. To confirm his words, Gabriel told her that her 
 cousin Elizabeth had also conceived. When Mary under¬ 
 stood the great things God proposed to do in her, she no 
 longer opposed the divine will, but gave her consent. The 
 same moment she consented she became the Mother of 
 God . In her was thus fulfilled the promise made in the 
 garden of paradise; that the woman should crush the 
 serpent’s head. The Son of Mary has indeed conquered 
 the devil. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 2 . —Who came to Mary? Who was she? What is 
 said of Mary ? What did Gabriel say to her ? IIow did Mary act ? To confirm 
 his words what did Gabriel tell Mary ? 
 
132 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 3.—Mary visits Elizabeth. 
 
 1. After the angel left her, Mary hastened to visit her 
 cousin. When she entered the house, Elizabeth was 
 suddenly filled with the Holy Ghost, and, in an ecstasy of 
 joy, cried out: “Blessed art thou amongst women, and 
 blessed is the fruit of thy womb.’ 5 
 
 2. Mary was also carried away with the fullness of the 
 grace that was within her, and burst forth into that mag¬ 
 nificent canticle the Church daily sings, and is so well 
 known as the Magnificat , viz. : 
 
 “My soul doth magnify the Lord, and my spirit hath 
 rejoiced in God, my Savior ; because He hath regarded 
 the humility of His handmaid. Behold, from henceforth, 
 all generations shall call me Messed . ” * 
 
 3. Mary remained about three months Avith Elizabeth ; 
 
 * For eighteen centuries has this prophecy been fulfilled in the Catholic 
 Church, by the daily recital of the “Hail Mary!” ' 
 
THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 133 
 
 after this she returned to her own humble home, at 
 Nazareth, where she gave herself up to prayer and to the 
 duties of her house. 
 
 4.—The Birth of John the Baptist. 
 
 1. When the time was come, Elizabeth brought forth 
 a son. It was customary among the Jews to give a name 
 to the child at its circumcision. Now, when the neighbors 
 gathered together to do for the child as the law required, 
 they thought to call him by his father’s name. But 
 Elizabeth objected, and ordered him to be called John. 
 
 2. Some hesitating, they asked the father; but he, 
 being dumb, took a pen and wrote, “John is the name.” 
 On the instant Zachary recovered his speech, and began 
 to praise God, and to publish His works. 
 
 Fear came upon all when they saw and heard what had 
 happened; and, wondering, they asked: “What would 
 the child become, for the hand of God was with him ?” 
 
 3. Soon the news of these wonders was spread through 
 the mountains of Judea, and excited in some hojies, in 
 others fears, according as each regarded it. 
 
 The child grew, and the Spirit of God was in him. At 
 a tender age, John went into the desert, where he remained 
 in prayer and penance, until God bade him come into 
 Judea and preach to the people of Israel. It was of him 
 the prophet Malachias said : “I will send my angel, who 
 will prepare the way before me.” 
 
 a. m. 4000.] 5. — The Birth of Jesus Christ. [a. d. i 
 
 1. When Joseph discovered the condition of his wife 
 Mary, he was very much troubled, and, not understanding 
 
 Questions to Chapter 3. — Where did Mary go? What happened when 
 Mary met Elizabeth? What is said of the Magnificat? How long did Mary stay 
 with Elizabeth ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 4. — What happened at the birth of John? What at 
 his circumcision ? How was John regarded ? Where did Ike go ? 
 
 % 
 
134 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 the deep mystery that surrounded her, resolved to put her 
 away secretly. Whilst he was thus debating the matter 
 with himself, the angel of the Lord appeared to him* in 
 sleep and told him to fear not, for Mary had become a 
 mother by the overshadowing power of God ; and, more¬ 
 over, the angel bade him call the child, that would be born 
 of her, Jesus —that is to say, Savior. Joseph did as he 
 was commanded. 
 
 2 . Soon after this, Augustus, the Eoman Emperor, 
 published an edict that the whole world should be en¬ 
 rolled. This enrollment first began in Judea, and every 
 one was required to go to his family city, there to be 
 enrolled. It was thus Joseph and Mary, being descend¬ 
 ants of David, were forced to go to Bethlehem, the city 
 of David. 
 
 3. When they arrived, the city was full of strangers, 
 and they could find no place in the inns or among their 
 friends, and so w T ere forced to seek for shelter in a poor 
 stable, near by the gates of the city. It was in this 
 wretched place, that but poorly served as a shelter for the 
 ox and the ass, that Jesus Christ, the Son of God, and the 
 Master of all things, was born. With holy joy and tender 
 care, Mary, the Virgin Mother, wrapped her child in 
 swaddling clothes and laid Him in the manger. 
 
 4. The prophecy of Micheas was accomplished : “And 
 tliou , Bethlehem , art the least among the cities of Juda, 
 but out of thee shall come the Euler of Israel.” 
 
 6.—The Shepherds. 
 
 1. On the night Christ was born, a few shepherds were 
 watching their flocks a short distance from Bethlehem. 
 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and a 
 
 Questions to Chapter 5. —What is said of Joseph ? How was he prevented 
 from sending Mary away? What is said of Augustus? Why did Mary and 
 Joseph go to Bethlehem ? Where was Christ born ? What prophecy was 
 fulfilled ? 
 
THE SHEPHERDS 
 
 135 
 
 bright light shone round about them. Great fear came 
 upon them; but 
 the angel bade 
 them fear not, 
 for he came to 
 announce to 
 them tidings 
 of great joy. 
 
 Then he told 
 them that, in 
 the neighbor¬ 
 ing city of 
 Bethlehem, a 
 child had just 
 been born, who 
 was Christ the 
 Lord, and the 
 Savior of the world ; and. as a sign of the truth he told 
 
 them, they would find the child wrapped in swaddling 
 clothes and laid in a manger. While lie was yet speaking, 
 
136 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 a great multitude of angels suddenly appeared and began 
 to sing: “ Glory to God in the highest, and peace on 
 earth to men of good will.” 
 
 2 . When the angels disappeared, the shepherds hastened 
 to go over to Bethlehem, where they found the child lying 
 in the manger. Wondering, they told Mary and Joseph 
 all they had heard, and having adored the infant King, 
 returned, glorifying God. 
 
 Eight days after this, the child was circumcised and 
 received the name of Jesus. 
 
 7.—The Kings from the East. 
 
 1. Some time after the birth of Christ, there came into 
 Jerusalem three eastern kings, asking where they could 
 find the new-born King of the Jews, for they had seen 
 His star in the east, and were come to adore Him. When 
 Herod,'the king, heard this, lie was very much troubled, 
 as Avas also all Jerusalem. Then he called together the 
 chief priests and doctors of the la\v and asked Avhere 
 Christ should be born. They promptly answered, at 
 Bethlehem. 
 
 2. When Herod heard this, he called the three kings 
 privately to him, and bade them go and search for the 
 child, and, when they had found him, to come and tell 
 him. So he dismissed them. They had scarcely left 
 Jerusalem, Avhen the star they had seen in the east again 
 Avent before them, until it stood over where the child Avas. 
 Entering, they found the infant Savior, and, falling down, 
 adored Him. They then presented gifts of gold, and 
 frankincense and myrrh. 
 
 3. In the night God warned them in a dream not to 
 return to Herod, for he meditated mischief to the child. 
 They, therefore, returned another Avay into their own 
 country. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 6.—What is said of the shepherds ? AVhat sign was 
 given the shepherds? Where did they find the child?’ AVhen was Jesus cir¬ 
 cumcised ? 
 
JESUS PRESENTED IN THE TEMPLE. 
 
 137 
 
 We liave also a star, that leads us to the heavenly Jerusalem, 
 namely the grace of God, by.which we are enlightened and led on 
 to^tlie truth taught us by the Church. 
 
 8.—Jesus Presented in the Temple. 
 
 1. Forty days after the birth of Jesus, Mary and Joseph 
 carried the child to the temple, that they might present 
 Him to the Lord. They also took with them the usual 
 offering of the poor —two turtle doves —according as the 
 Law prescribed. 
 
 2. At this time there was living at Jerusalem a man 
 named Simeon. He was very pious, and the Holy Ghost 
 had revealed to him that he should not die until he had 
 seen tlie Savior. When Mary and Joseph entered the 
 
 Questions to Chapter 7.— Where did the wise men come from ? IIow did 
 Herod act towards them ? What again appeared ? What did they find ? What 
 did they offer? IIow did they return to their own country? 
 
138 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 temple, Simeon, led by the Spirit, also entered. Seeing 
 the child, he took Him in his arms, and cried out: 
 “Now, 0 Lord, dismiss Thy servant in peace, because my 
 eyes have seen Thy salvation.” 
 
 3. After this, he blessed Mary and Joseph ; but he 
 warned her that a sword of sorrow should one day pierce 
 her heart. 
 
 While Simeon was speaking, a prophetess, named Ann, 
 entered the temple. She also took the child in her arms, 
 and, praising God, went forth, publishing the news to all 
 who were looking for the redemption of Israel. 
 
 9.—The Flight into Egypt. 
 
 1. Herod, seeing the Magi did not return to him, be¬ 
 came very angry, and, resolving to destroy this new-born 
 
 Questions to Chapter 8 —When was Jesus presented in the temple ? What 
 happened ? What did Simeon do and say ? What did Ann do ! 
 
THE FLIGHT INTO EGYPT. 
 
 139 
 
 King, ordered all the children in Bethlehem and the 
 country round about to be put to death. He foolishly 
 thought Jesus would surely be killed among the rest, 
 little dreaming how easily God could shield Him. 
 
 2. Whilst Herod was preparing for the murder of the 
 holy innocents, an 
 angel appeared to 
 Joseph in his sleep, 
 and told him to 
 take the child and 
 'its mother and flee 
 into Egypt, and to 
 remain there until 
 told to return. 
 
 Without a word of 
 complaint, Joseph 
 rose, and, taking 
 the child and its mother, went into Egypt. 
 
 3. He had scarce gone, when Herod’s messengers came 
 to Bethlehem, and, tearing the children from their 
 
 mother’s arms, murdered them. Every house was filled 
 with lamentation and sorrow, and the prophecy of Jcre- 
 
140 
 
 HISTOKY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 mias was fulfilled: “Rachel bewailing her children, and 
 would not be comforted, because they were not.” As a 
 punishment for his cruelty, Herod died, some years after, 
 amid the most horrid torments. 
 
 4. Again the angel appeared to Joseph, and commanded 
 him to return to Judea, because Herod was dead. Joseph 
 rose, and, taking the child and Mary, returned, and dwelt 
 in Nazareth. Thus it came to pass that Christ was called 
 a Nazarene. 
 
 Jesus, the Savior of the World, was saved by a miracle ; so was 
 Moses, the Savior of the Israelites, saved by a miracle. 
 
 10.—The Child Jesus in the Temple, [a. c. 12. 
 
 1. In accordance with the custom of the Jews, Mary 
 and Joseph went up every year to Jerusalem to celebrate 
 
 the feast of the Pasch . At the age of twelve years, Jesus 
 
 Questions to Chapter 9. —What did Herod order? How was Jesus saved? 
 What was done to the children ? How did Herod die ? Where did Joseph dwell 
 after his return from Egypt ? - - 
 
THE PREACHING OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 
 
 141 
 
 also went up to Jerusalem with His parents. When the 
 celebration was over, Mary and Joseph, together with their 
 friends, returned to their homes; but Jesus remained in 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 2. Not finding the child in their own company, his 
 parents thought he was with some of their friends, and 
 so continued the journey. But, when at night they 
 sought him, and could not find him, they were filled with 
 much anxiety, and hastened back to Jerusalem. 
 
 3. After a search of three days, they found him in the 
 temple, in the midst of the doctors, listening to them, 
 and asking them questions. All were astonished at his 
 wisdom and his answers. 
 
 His mother, approaching, asked him: “Why he had 
 acted thus towards them ? ” In a kindly manner, he told 
 them he was there engaged about his Father’s business. 
 In obedience to their wishes, he returned to Nazareth, 
 and was subject to them. He also grew in age, and wis¬ 
 dom, and grace before G od and men. 
 
 THE PUPJ J LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 11.—The Preaching of John the Baptist. 
 
 1. For thirty years Jesus lived in obscurity at Nazareth. 
 When the time was come that He should begin His public 
 life, He commanded John the Baptist to come forth from 
 the desert, where, from his childhood, he had lived, and 
 to preach to the people. John obeyed, and came into the 
 country about the Jordan. 
 
 2. Soon the fame of John’s preaching was spread far 
 and near, and great crowds from Jerusalem and Judea 
 came to him by the banks of the Jordan. Here they saw 
 a man of most austere manners, with a leathern girdle 
 round his waist; whose food*was the wild locust, and 
 
 Questions to Chapter 10.—What happened when Jesus was twelve years 
 old ? Where was He found ? How did He act towards Ilis parents V 
 
142 HISTOKY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 whose cry was : “ Do penance, for the kingdom of God is 
 at hand.” Many were baptized, confessing their sins. 
 
 3. When John saw the Pharisees and Sadducees amongst 
 the multitudes that came to hear him, lie cried out to 
 
 them : “Do penance, and trust not to your descent from 
 Abraham, for the ax is about to be laid to the root of the 
 tree.” 
 
 John-the Baptist made a great impression on his 
 hearers, and many thought he was the Messiah. But he 
 said he was not; on the contrary, he was but the voice of 
 one crying in the wilderness. 
 
 12.—Jesus is Baptized and Tempted. 
 
 1. Jesus also came to John, at the Jordan, to be bap¬ 
 tized. At first, John refused, saying he was not worthy 
 to do so great an act. But when Christ bade him do it, 
 
 Questions to Chapter 11. —How long did Jesus live at Nazareth? What 
 is said of John the Baptist ? What was his cry? What did John say of himself? 
 
JESUS IS BAPTIZED AND TEMPTED 
 
 143 
 
 that thereby “ they might fulfill all justice/ 2 3 4 5 John yielded, 
 and baptized Jesus. Immediately the heavens were opened, 
 and the Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove, and 
 rested on Jesus, whilst a voice from heaven was heard, 
 saying: “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well 
 pleased.” 
 
 2. After his baptism, Jesus was led by the Spirit into 
 the desert, there to be tempted by the devil. After He 
 had fasted forty days and forty nights, the devil came to 
 Him, and strove to persuade Him, as a proof of His 
 divinity, to turn the stones into bread ; but Jesus would 
 not. 
 
 3. Again the devil dared to tempt Him, by carrying 
 Him to Jerusalem, where he placed Him on the pinnacle 
 of the temple, telling Him to cast Himself down : “For 
 if He were the Son of God, the angels would protect 
 Him.” But Jesus said : “Tempt not the Lord thy God.” 
 
 4. A third time Satan came, and, carrying Jesus Christ 
 up into a high mountain, showed Him all the kingdoms 
 
 of the earth, promising to give them to Him, if He would 
 
144 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT 
 
 fall down and adore him. But Jesus, with a holy anger, 
 bade him “ Begone, for the Lord only should be adored.” 
 Then Satan left Him, and angels came and ministered 
 to Him. . 
 
 In the deluge, water cleansed the world from its corruptions; in 
 baptism, water cleanses the soul from its sin. 
 
 13.—Jesus the Lamb of God. 
 
 1. Some time after His baptism, Jesus came into the 
 country where John was baptizing. When John saw 
 Him, pointing to Him, he exclaimed : “ Behold the Lamb 
 of God, who taketh away the sins of the world. This is 
 
 He, of whom I have already spoken, when I said, 4 There 
 is one who will come after me, who is preferred before 
 me; ’ and He is the Son of God, for at His baptism I saw 
 the Holy Ghost descend from heaven in the form of a 
 dove, and rest upon Him.” 
 
 Questions to Chapter 12.— What happened at the baptism of Jesus ? What 
 happened after His baptism ? Describe Christ’s temptations. 
 
THE FIRST DISCIPLES OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 145 
 
 2. Under the Jewish religion, every day there was offered on the 
 altar of holocausts a lamb to the Lord ; under the New Law Jesus 
 Christ is this Lamb of Sacrifice, that was once offered on Calvary, 
 and is now daily offered in the Sacrifice of the Mass. 
 
 14.—The First Disciples of Jesus Christ 
 
 1. On the following day, as Jesus was walking on the 
 banks of the Jordan, two of the disciples of John the 
 Baptist, named Andrew and John, saw Him. They 
 remained with Jesus during the day. Toward the even¬ 
 ing, Andrew brought Simon, his brother, to Jesus. As 
 soon as Jesus saw him, He said : “ Thou art called 
 Simon, son of Jona; hereafter thou shalt be called 
 Peter. ” 
 
 2. The next day Jesus saw Philip, and said to him : 
 “Follow me.” When Philip had listened for a while, he 
 hastened to seek his brother Nathaniel. Finding him 
 under a fig-tree, he told him that at last the Messiah was 
 come, and Jesus of Nazareth was the person. At first 
 Nathaniel was inclined to be incredulous, owing to the 
 prejudice that existed against the Nazarenes, but at last 
 he yielded, and went with his brother. 
 
 3. When Jesus saw him coming, He said: “Behold, an 
 Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.” But Na¬ 
 thaniel’s astonishment knew no bounds when Jesus told 
 him how Philip had found him under the fig-tree, and 
 how He had known him long before. Filled with awe, 
 Nathaniel bowed himself before Jesus, and acknowledged 
 Him to be the Son of God. Nathaniel afterward became 
 one of Christ’s disciples, under the name of Bartholo¬ 
 mew. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 13. — Tell what John said when he saw Jesus the 
 second time. What is said of the Lamb in the Old Law and what in the 
 New? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 14. — Who were the first disciples of Christ? What 
 did Christ say to Peter ? What is said of Philip and Nathaniel ? By what name 
 is Nathaniel also known ? 
 
146 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 15.—The Marriage at Cana. 
 
 1. Three days after Jesus had called Philip and Na¬ 
 thaniel to follow Him, a marriage feast was celebrated at 
 Cana of Galilee. Jesus and Mary were there, as also the 
 newly-chosen disciples. During the feast the wine failed, 
 when Mary, coming to Jesus, mentioned the fact to him. 
 At first Jesus seemed inclined to do nothing to remove 
 
 the embarrassment of the master of the house, but Mary, 
 who knew the kindness of her son, came to the servants 
 and bade them do whatever He told them. 
 
 2. There stood six stone pitchers, each containing from 
 two to three measures. Now Jesus came to the servants 
 and told them to fill them with water ; then to draw out 
 and carry to the chief steward. When the steward had 
 tasted the water made wine, he was much astonished, and, 
 calling the bridegroom, chid him for having kept the best 
 wine to the end of the feast. 
 
Christ’s zeal for the sanctity of the temple. 147 
 
 This was the first public miracle Jesus wrought, and 
 those who saw it, not only were astonished, but believed 
 Jesus was the Son of God. 
 
 3. It was at this feast of Cana that Jesus sanctified marriage, 
 and raised it to the dignity of a sacrament. And this change of 
 water into wine was emblematic of that still greater change in the 
 Sacrifice of the Mass, where wine is changed into the blood of Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 THE FIRST YEAR OF CHRIST’S PUBLIC MINISTRY, 
 
 16.—Christ’s Zeal for the Sanctity of the [a. d. si 
 
 Temple. 
 
 1. About this time, Jesus went up to Jerusalem to cele¬ 
 brate the feast of the Pasch. Entering the temple, He 
 
 found many who were there selling oxen, and sheep, and 
 doves, while the money changers sat at their tallies. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 15.— Who were at the marriage feast ? What failed ? 
 How was the wine supplied ? What was the first public miracle Jesus wrought? 
 When was marriage instituted ? 
 
148 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 Animated with a holy zeal, He made a whip of cords and 
 drove out those who thus profaned the house of God. No 
 one dared to resist Him, and soon the place was empty. 
 
 2. The few who remained, asked by what authority he 
 assumed to act as He had done. His only answer was: 
 “ Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” 
 He meant His body, but the Jews thought He meant that 
 grand and gorgeous temple, that had cost their forefathers 
 forty-six years of labor, and an immense treasure of gold 
 and silver. 
 
 3. During the celebration of this Paschal feast, Jesus 
 wrought a great many miracles in and near Jerusalem. 
 Many, when they saw His works and heard His words, 
 were led to believe in Him. 
 
 \ 
 
 17. —Nicodemus comes to see Jesus. 
 
 1. Whilst Jesus was at Jerusalem, celebrating this feast 
 of the Pasch, Nicodemus, a member of the great Jewish 
 Council, came to Him in the night-time and said : “ Mas¬ 
 ter, we know thou art a teacher from God, for no man 
 can do what thou doest, if God were not with him.” 
 
 2. After they had talked together for a while, Nico¬ 
 demus asked what he must do to be saved. Jesus an¬ 
 swered : “ He must be born again of water and the Holy 
 Ghost.” When Nicodemus heard this he was much 
 puzzled to understand what he had heard, but Christ only 
 repeated His words, and added : “That God had sent 
 His only-begotten Son into the world, that the world 
 might be saved through Him.” 
 
 3. It was at this interview that Christ taught the neces¬ 
 sity of Baptism. The Catholic Church not only teaches 
 this doctrine to-day, but insists that all her children shall 
 be baptized. As the Israelites were saved from the 
 
 Questions to Chapter 16. — How did Jesus purify the temple? What did 
 Jesus say to those who remained? 
 
JESUS AT THE WELL OF JACOB. 
 
 149 
 
 slavery of Egypt, by passing through the Red Sea, so are 
 Christians freed from the slavery of sin by the waters of 
 baptism. 
 
 18.— Jesus at the Well of Jacob. 
 
 1. When the feast of the Pasch was over, Jesus passed 
 through Judea, baptizing as He went. On His way to 
 Nazareth, He came to a city called Sichar, in the country 
 of Samaria. Being weary, He sat down near a well which 
 formerly Jacob had dug, and which was much visited by 
 the people, because it was near the gate. His disciples, 
 leaving Him, went into the city to buy bread. 
 
 2. While Jesus was sitting by the well, a woman came 
 to draw wa¬ 
 ter. Jesus 
 asked her for 
 a drink. Now 
 the Jews so 
 hated the 
 Samaritans 
 that they 
 would have 
 preferred to 
 die rather 
 than ask a 
 favor from 
 them. So, 
 
 ti r li n n f L /-* 
 
 f * AJL V/ XX \J XX \J 
 
 woman heard the request, she was very much astonished, 
 and asked how it came that He, who was a Jew, asked her 
 
 for a drink. 
 
 3. Jesus said to her, if she knew who it was that asked 
 her for a drink, may be she would ask Him for a drink, 
 
 Questions to Chapter 17.—Who came to see Jesus ? What did Nicodemus 
 say to Jesus? What answer did Jesus give? What did Christ teach at this 
 interview ? 
 
150 
 
 HISTOEY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 for He would give her living water. When she heard of 
 living water, and how those who drank of it would not 
 thirst again, she asked for it, that she might be saved the 
 trouble of coming so often to draw water. Then Jesus • 
 revealed to her the secret sins of her life. Being struck 
 at the Spirit of God, which she so clearly saw in Him, she 
 said : “ Sir, I see thou art a prophet.” 
 
 4. The Samaritans had built a temple on Garizim, a 
 mountain near the city of Sichar, where they were accus¬ 
 tomed to offer sacrifice, as the Jews did at Jerusalem. 
 The woman asked: “Who was right, the Jew or the 
 Samaritan?” But Jesus said: “The time will come— 
 nay, was come—when men would worship God neither on 
 Mount Garizim, nor at Jerusalem.” 
 
 5. Jesus also said to her that He was the Messiah. 
 When she heard this, she left her water-pot, and, hastening 
 into the city, told the inhabitants all that had happened. 
 The Samaritans came to Jesus, and asked Him to remain 
 with them. He stayed two days, teaching and instructing 
 them, many believing in Him. 
 
 6. The water which Jesus gives is interior light to guide the 
 soul, and grace to overcome the passions. Those who will truly 
 serve God, must offer Him not the appearances of piety, hut humil¬ 
 ity, faith, and charity. These are the fountains from which all true 
 religion springs. 
 
 19.—Jesus Preaches at Nazareth. 
 
 1. After Jesus left Sichar, He returned to Nazareth, 
 His native city. It was His custom to go frequently into 
 the synagogue. One day, while many of the people were 
 assembled, Jesus rose up to read. The hook of Isaias was 
 given Him, and, opening it, He read from the place where 
 it is written : “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me ; He 
 
 Questions to Chapter 18.— Tell what happened at the weli of Jacob. 
 "What did Jesus.ask for ? What astonished the woman ? What did Jesus reveal 
 to her ? What did the woman tell the people of the city ? What did the Sama¬ 
 ritans do ? How did Jesus act ? 
 
THE MIRACLE OF JESUS AT CAPHARNAUM. 
 
 151 
 
 hath anointed me, and sent me to preach the Gospel to 
 the poor, and to heal the contrite of heart.” 
 
 2. Having shut the book, He returned it to the doctors. 
 All eves were fixed upon Him, and wonder and doubt 
 filled their minds when He began to show them what the 
 prophets had said of the Messiah. But they were con¬ 
 founded, when He referred these prophecies to Himself, 
 and clearly proved He was the Messiah. 
 
 3. “Is not this,” said they, “the son of Joseph the 
 carpenter ? ” In answer, Jesus said, “ It was not wonderful 
 that He was not believed, for a prophet had no honor in 
 his own country; even,” said he, “ Elias was rejected by 
 his own, and was forced to confer his favors upon the 
 pagan widow of Serepta.” 
 
 4. When the people heard this, they were filled with 
 rage, for they saw He referred to them. They finally for¬ 
 bade Him to speak any more, and thrusting Him out, 
 brought Him to the brow of the mountain on which the 
 city was built, intending to cast Him down. But Jesus, 
 when He saw Himself on the edge of the precipice, turned, 
 and with a calm dignity, that utterly confounded and 
 paralyzed His enemies, passed through their midst. 
 
 20.—The Miracle of Jesus at Capharnaum. 
 
 1. From Nazareth Jesus went to Capharnaum, where 
 He taught on the Sabbath days. All were in admiration 
 and astonishment at His doctrines, for He spoke as no 
 man had ever spoken, and His words penetrated into the 
 inmost recesses of their hearts. 
 
 2. One day, while He was speaking, a man, who was 
 possessed by a devil, cried out: “Let us alone, what have 
 we to do with thee ? I know thou art the Holy One of 
 God.” But Jesus rebuked the devil, and drove him out 
 
 Questions to Chapter 19.— What did Jesus do at Nazareth? What con¬ 
 founded the people ? What question did they ask ? IIow were they answered ? 
 What did they propose to do to Jesus ? IIow did He escape ? 
 
152 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 of the man. When the people saw this, fear came upon 
 them, and they knew not what to think. 
 
 3. Going out of the synagogue, Jesus entered the house 
 of Simon and Andrew, his brother. Simon’s mother-in- 
 law was very sick. Her friends asked Jesus to do some¬ 
 thing for her. He approached the bed on which she lay, 
 and, taking her by the hand, lifted her up. Immediately 
 the fever left her, and, rising, she began to minister to 
 Him and His disciples. 
 
 4. During the evening of this same day, the inhabitants 
 of the city came to Peter’s house, carrying with them the 
 sick and those that were possessed. Jesus went to the 
 door and cured the sick and drove out the devils. On the 
 next day He went into Galilee, where he also cured the 
 sick and the infirm. 
 
 5. Under the Jewish dispensation, the saints and the prophets 
 also wrought miracles, but in the name of God, from whom they 
 had their authority. Jesus, on the contrary, wrought His miracles in 
 His own name, and by His own authority, thus distinguishing Him¬ 
 self from those who went before Him, and from those who came 
 after Him. 
 
 21.—The Miraculous Draught of Fishes. 
 
 1. Jesus passed over from Capharnaum to Lake Gen- 
 esareth. Here the multitude pressed to see Him and to 
 hear His words. By the shore were two vessels ; the 
 nearest, Peter’s. Into this Jesus entered, and requested 
 Peter to push out a little from the land. Then He sat 
 down and taught the multitude.. 
 
 2. When Jesus had finished speaking, He told Peter 
 to launch out into the deep and to let down his net. 
 Peter answered, that he and his partners had been fishing 
 all the night, but had caught nothing; yet, as He wished 
 it, they would let down the net. Scarce had they done so 
 
 Questions to Chapter 20.—What did Jesus do at Capharnaum? What 
 miracles did He do ? What did the saints and prophets do ? 
 
THE MIRACULOUS DRAUGHT OF FISHES 
 
 153 
 
 when the net was filled with such a quantity of fish, that 
 it w r as nearly breaking. They made signs to their partners 
 to come and help them, tad both ships were filled, so that 
 they were almost sinking. 
 
 3. When Peter saw this, he fell at the feet of Jesus, 
 and said : “Depart from me, 0 Lord, for I am a sinful 
 
 man” But Jesus answered : “Fear not, from henceforth 
 thou shalt be taking men.” Having brought the ships 
 to the shore, Peter and his companions left all and fol¬ 
 lowed Jesus. 
 
 4. Jesus chose Peter’s ship from which to teach. In the Roman 
 Catholic Church, of which Peter’s ship was a figure, Jesus Christ 
 continues to teach through the Popes, who are the lawful successors 
 of Peter. 
 
 The miraculous draught of fishes was also symbolic. The sea is 
 the world, the net the Church. The fishers are the bishops and 
 priests; the fish are the faithful who voluntarily enter the Church, 
 that thereby they may be saved. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 21.—What did Jesus do at Lake Genesareth ? What 
 miracle did He work ? What is said of Peter’s ship ? 
 
154 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 22.—The Paralytic. 
 
 1. One day, while Jesus taught in a certain house of 
 Capharnaum, surrounded by the Pharisees and doctors, 
 who had come from Galilee and the surrounding towns to 
 hear Him, a man, sick of the palsy, was brought to the 
 door. When those who carried the sick man found, 
 because of the multitude, they could not reach Jesus, 
 they went up on the roof of the house—which, according 
 to the custom of the East, was flat, and had an opening 
 in it—and let the sick man down into the midst of the 
 crowd. 
 
 2. Jesus seeing their faith, said to the sick man : “Thy 
 
 sins are forgiven.” When the doctors and the Pharisees 
 heard this, they said : “ This man blasphemes. Who can 
 forgive sins, hut God alone ? ” Jesus, who knew the 
 thoughts of their hearts, asked them whether it was easier 
 to forgive sins than to cure the man ? “ But, that you 
 
 may know,” said He, “that the Son of Man has power 
 to forgive sins, I say to this sick man : Arise, take up thy 
 bed and go into thy house.” And the sick man rose, 
 and took up his bed, and returned to his house, praising 
 God. 
 
 3. All those who saw this palpable miracle, were con¬ 
 founded and astonished. They had heard Jesus say : 
 “Thy sins are forgiven,” and, in proof of His power to 
 forgive sins, they had seen Him cure the man. Hence, it 
 was not astonishing, that being unable to explain the 
 mystery, they simply cried out: “ We have seen wonderful 
 things to-day.” 
 
 23.—The Sermon on the Mountain. 
 
 1. Jesus, seeing a great multitude come to Him, went 
 up into a mountain and sat down. His disciples came to 
 
 Questions to Chapter 22. — What did Jesus say to the man sick of the 
 palsy ? What did the doctors say ? What did Jesus do ? What effect had this 
 miracle on the multitude ? 
 
THE SERMOK OK THE MOUKTAIK 
 
 155 
 
 Him, and the multitude stood round about, on the sides 
 of the mountain, listening in silence. Jesus thus began : 
 
 The Eight Beatitudes . 
 
 2. Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the king¬ 
 dom of heaven. 
 
 Blessed are the meek, for they shall possess the land. 
 Blessed are they that mourn, for they shall be com¬ 
 forted. 
 
 Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice, 
 for they shall be filled. 
 
 3. Blessed are the merciful, for they shall obtain mercy. 
 Blessed are the clean of heart, for they shall see God. 
 Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called 
 
 the children of God. 
 
 Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice’ sake, 
 for theirs is the kingdom of God. 
 
 The Dignity and Duties of the Apostles . 
 
 4. After Jesus had spoken thus to the people, lie turned 
 to His Apostles, and told them they were the salt of the 
 
156 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 earth and the light of the world ; and that if the one lost 
 its savor, or the other was put under a bushel, each was 
 equally worthless. 
 
 The Duties of Christians . 
 
 5. Again turning to the people, Jesus said to them, that 
 their “justice should be more than that of the Scribes and 
 Pharisees ; neither should they kill, nor call another fool; 
 nor should they offer a gift to God, whilst they were in 
 anger with their brother.” Besides these grand maxims 
 of justice, Hs taught them to love their enemies, to do 
 good to those that hated them, and to pray for those that 
 persecuted and calumniated them. 
 
 The Sanctity of Marriage. 
 
 6. Having thus spoken of the general duties of Chris¬ 
 tians one to another, Jesus gave the following very clear 
 and decided command concerning the nature and sanctity 
 of marriage, to-wit, “ Let no man put away his wife ; for 
 what God has joined together, let no man put asunder.” 
 Then He added that, in all their actions, they should have 
 purity of intention, nor do any thing for the applause of 
 men. 
 
 The Works of a Christian. 
 
 7. After this, Jesus spoke to the multitude of the vani¬ 
 ties of life and the folly of laying up treasures on earth. 
 He bade them rather lay up treasures in heaven, where 
 neither the moth nor the rust could consume nor the 
 thief steal. He also told them not to be anxious for the 
 things of life, how they should be clothed, or what they 
 should eat, for the birds neither sowed, nor did they 
 gather into barns, and yet God fed them. 
 
 8. “Consider,” said He, “the lilies of the field : they 
 labor not, neither do they spin, and yet Solomon, in all 
 his glory, was not arrayed as one of them.” He added : 
 “No man can serve two masters: you can not serve God 
 and Mammon.” 
 
THE LEPER—THE CENTURIONS SERVANT. 15? 
 
 The End of the Sermon. 
 
 9. Besides these and many other exhortations, Jesus 
 said : “ Swear not: let your words be yea, yea ; no, no : 
 do unto others as you wish them to do unto you : judge 
 not, that you be not judged. 7 ' 
 
 10. Then Jesus concluded with that beautiful similitude 
 that has been 
 so often quo¬ 
 ted ; that those 
 who did as He 
 had command¬ 
 ed “ would be 
 like a house 
 built on a 
 rock: the 
 winds blew, 
 and the floods 
 came, but the 
 house fell not; 
 but those who 
 
 kept not His words would be like a house built on the 
 sands : when the winds blew, and the floods came, it fell.” 
 
 11. When the people heard all these words, they were 
 in admiration, not only at the doctrines they heard, but 
 also with Jesus Himself, for He spoke to them not as the 
 Scribes and Pharisees, but as one having authority. 
 
 24.—The Leper—The Centurion’s Servant. 
 
 1. When Jesus came down from the mountain, a leper 
 came to Him and, adoring, asked to be cleansed. Jesus 
 stretched forth his hand and touched him, and imme¬ 
 diately he was cleansed. Then he commanded the leper 
 to go to the priest and offer the gift prescribed by Moses. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 23. —What was the first part of the sermon on the 
 mountain? Repeat the eight beatitudes. What did Jesus say of the Apostles? 
 What was said to Christians in general? What was said of marriage? What 
 other lessons did Jesus give? What effect had Christ's words on the multitude ? 
 
158 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. . 
 
 2. Among the Jews, when a leper was cured, he was required to 
 show himself to the priest, who, having examined him, declared 
 him cleansed, and removed from him the restrictions imposed by the 
 law of Moses. This declaration of the Jewish priest was a figure 
 of the sacramental absolution of the Christian priest, who, absolving 
 sinners, may be justly said to cleanse them from a spiritual leprosy. 
 
 3. Jesus came again into Capharnaum, where a Roman 
 
 centurion ap¬ 
 proached Him, 
 and told Him 
 that his servant 
 lay dangerously 
 ill. Jesus of¬ 
 fered to go and 
 cure him ; but 
 the centurion 
 said : “ Lord, I 
 am not worthy 
 t h a t Thou 
 shouldst enter 
 under my roof; 
 say only the 
 
 word, and my servant shall be healed.” 
 
 4. When Jesus heard this, He declared He had not 
 found such faith in Israel; nay, that many would come 
 from the east and the west, and sit down with Abraham, 
 and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, but the 
 Jews themselves would be cast forth, because they would 
 not believe. 
 
 5. Then He turned to the centurion and said : “As you 
 have believed, so be it done ; ” and immediately the ser¬ 
 vant was cured. 
 
 The Jews did not receive Christianity as willingly as the Gentiles: 
 in like manner, Joseph’s brethren despised him, whilst the Egyptians 
 admired him. 
 
 Questions to Chaptek 24. —What is said of the leper? What was a 
 custom among the Jews ? What was it a figure of ? What happened at 
 Capharnaum ? 
 
THE WIDOW’S SON OF NAIM. 
 
 159 
 
 25.—The Widow’s Son of Naim. 
 
 1. Once when Jesus was entering the city of Naim, 
 Ticcompanied by His disciples and a great multitude, lie 
 met a funeral procession in which a widow’s son was car¬ 
 ried out to be buried. Jesus, seeing the great sorrow of 
 the mother, and the many friends that were with her, 
 
 came and said : “ Weep not.” 
 
 2. Then He approached the bier on which the dead man 
 lay, and, touching the body, said, “ Arise; ” and the young 
 
 man rose up and began to speak. Jesus presented the 
 son to the mother. When those who were present saw 
 what was done, great fear came upon them, and they 
 began to glorify God, because “ a great prophet had arisen 
 amongst them.” 
 
 3. This miracle is symbolic of the future resurrection, when God 
 will raise up all men from the grave. Even now it has its fulfill¬ 
 ment in the Sacrament of Penance, where Jesus Christ, through His 
 priests, raises up the sinner from the spiritual death of sin. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 25.—Tell how Jesus raised the widow s sou. 
 
160 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 26.—Mary Magdalene. 
 
 1. A certain Pharisee, named Simon, invited Jesus to 
 come and eat with him. Jesus went, and, while He was 
 at table, Mary Magdalene came and brought with her an 
 alabaster box filled with precious perfume. Entering the 
 house, she cast herself on her knees, and began to wash 
 the feet of Jesus with her tears, and to wipe them with 
 the hair of her head; then, kissing them, she anointed 
 them with the precious perfume she had brought. 
 
 2. When the Pharisee saw this, he began to doubt in 
 Jesus, saying to himself : “ Were this man a prophet, He 
 would surely know this woman is a sinner/’ 
 
 Jesus, knowing his thoughts, spoke to him as follows : 
 “ A certain man had two debtors: one owed him five 
 hundred pence ; the other, fifty. As neither could pay 
 him, he forgave them both. Which, do you think, loved 
 him most ? ” The Pharisee said : “I suppose, he to whom 
 he forgave most.” 
 
 3. “You see this woman,” said Jesus. “I entered 
 your house, and you gave me no water for my feet; yet 
 
THE MESSENGER OF JOHN THE BAPTIST. 
 
 161 
 
 she has washed them with her tears, and wiped them with 
 her hair. You did not anoint my head, but she has 
 anointed my feet. I say to you, many sins are forgiven 
 her, because she has loved much." 
 
 27.—The Messengers of John the Baptist. 
 
 1. Owing to the poverty and obscurity of His life, many 
 thought Jesus was not the Son of God, and could not be 
 the Messiah. John the Baptist, not that he doubted, but 
 that he might afford Jesus an opportunity of publicly 
 proclaiming His divinity, sent two of his disciples to ask 
 Him if He were the Messiah or not. 
 
 2. Jesus, without saying yes or no, simply referred to 
 the miracles He had wrought and the evils He had cured, 
 and told the messengers to say to John : “ The blind see, 
 the deaf hear, the dead rise, and the poor have the Gospel 
 preached to them." These things had been long before 
 prophesied of the Messiah by Isaias. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 26.—Give the history of Mary Magdalene and the 
 anointing of Jesus. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 27.—For what did John send messengers ? What 
 answer did Jesus give John’s messengers ? 
 
1G2 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 THE SECOND YEAR OF CHRIST’S PUBLIC MINISTRY. 
 
 28.—Jesus Cures a Man who had been Sick 
 
 Thirty-eight Years. 
 
 1. In the second year of His public preaching, Jesus 
 went up to Jerusalem to assist at the Paschal solemnities. 
 There was at Jerusalem a pond, called Bethsaida, having 
 around it five porches. In these porches lay many sick, 
 such as the blind, the lame, and the paralytic. 
 
 2. At certain times an angel came down into the pond 
 and moved the waters, and he who first entered after the 
 waters had been disturbed, was cured of whatever disease 
 he might have. 
 
 3. Now there lay in one of the porches a man, who had 
 
 been sick for 
 thirty-eight 
 years. Jesus 
 came to him and 
 asked him if lie 
 would like to be 
 
 \ cured. The 
 poor man an¬ 
 swered he had 
 little chance, for 
 he had no one to 
 put him in after 
 the angel had 
 troubled the 
 waters. Jesus 
 said to him: “Arise ; take up thy bed and walk.” The 
 man rose, and, taking up his bed, walked. 
 
 4. The Jews seeing what Christ had done, began to 
 murmur, because He had cured the sick man on the 
 Sabbath. When Jesus met their objections by telling 
 them that not only His Father worked, but that He also 
 worked, they became exceedingly angry, for they saw by 
 this He made Himself equal to God. 
 
THE SEVEN” PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 1G3 
 
 5. They then strove to kill Him, but He all the more 
 declared Himself the Son of God, and that in Him, and 
 through Him, were men to be saved. Then He appealed 
 to the works He did, as the best testimony that His Father 
 had sent Him. 
 
 29.—The Seven Parables of the Kingdom of God. 
 
 N 
 
 1. Jesus came again to Lake Genesareth, and, entering 
 a ship, taught the multitude that stood on the shore. 
 
 2. The Parable of the Sower .—A man went out to sow 
 seed. Some fell by the wayside, and the birds picked it 
 up; some fell on stony ground, and, springing up, soon 
 withered away, because it had no root; some fell among 
 thorns, and was soon choked ; but others fell upon good 
 ground, and brought forth—some a hundred, some sixty, 
 some thirty-fold. 
 
 Questions to Ciiaptek 28.—Tell (he history of the man who had been sick 
 for thirty-eight years. How was he cured? What did the Jews complain, of? 
 What did they strive to do ? What did Christ declare ? 
 
164 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT 
 
 3. Jesus afterwards gave this explanation of the parable 
 to His disciples: The seed is the word of God : that by 
 
 the wayside are those who hear; but the devil comes and 
 takes the word out of their hearts, lest, believing, they 
 should be saved. The seed that fell upon the rock are 
 those who, at first, joyfully receive the word, and for a 
 while believe, but, having no roots, in time of temptation 
 easily fall away. 
 
 4. That which fell among thorns are those who hear, 
 but, going away, are choked with the cares and pleasures 
 of life, and yield no fruit. But the seed that fell on good 
 ground are those who, hearing the word with a good heart, 
 keep it, and bring forth fruit in patience. 
 
 5. The Parable of the Cockle .—Jesus spoke another 
 parable: A man sowed good seed in his field, and when 
 he slept his enemy came and sowed cockle. When the 
 blades sprang up the cockle appeared ; but the master 
 bade the servants let both grow until the harvest, when 
 he would tell the reapers to gather the cockle into 
 
THE SEVEN PARABLES OF THE KINGDOM OF GOD. 105 
 
 bundles and burn it, but to gather the wheat into his 
 barn. 
 
 6. The following is the interpretation of this parable : 
 The Sower is the 
 Son of God; the 
 field is the world; 
 the seed is the 
 good; the cockle 
 is the bad; the 
 enemy that 
 sowed the cockle 
 is the devil; the 
 harvest is the 
 end of the world; 
 and the reapers 
 are the angels. 
 
 As the cockle 
 was gathered 
 and burned, so shall the wicked be in the day of judg¬ 
 ment. 
 
 7. The Parable of the Mustard-seed. — Jesus spoke 
 another parable : The kingdom of heaven is like to a 
 grain of mustard-seed : it is the least of all seeds ; but, 
 when it grows up and becomes a tree, the birds can rest 
 in its branches. 
 
 8. The Parable of the Leaven .—A woman took leaven 
 and hid it in three measures of meal, until the whole was 
 leavened : so is the kingdom of God. 
 
 9. The Parable of the Treasure. — The kingdom of 
 heaven is like to a treasure hidden in a field : when a 
 man finds it, he goes and sells all he has and buys that 
 field. 
 
 10. The Parable of the Pearl. —The kingdom of heaven 
 is again like to a merchant seeking pearls : he finds one 
 of great price ; then he goes and sells all he has and 
 buys it. 
 
 11. The Parable of the Good and Bad Fishes. —Again 
 the kingdom of heaven is like a ilet cast into the sea : it 
 
166 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMEHT. 
 
 gathers all kinds of fishes ; but when it is drawn out, men 
 select the good, and cast away the bad : so shall it be at 
 the end of the world—the angels shall separate the just 
 from the unjust. 
 
 30.—The Tempest Calmed. 
 
 1. After Jesus had finished speaking to the people, He 
 said to His Apostles: “ Let us pass oyer to the other side.” 
 Before they started, a Scribe came to Him and proposed 
 to follow Him ; but Jesus, knowing how selfish his heart 
 
 was, sunply answered : “The foxes have holes, and the 
 birds have nests, but I have not whereon to lay my head.” 
 When the Scribe heard this, he went away. 
 
 2. Shortly after the ship left the land, a violent storm 
 arose. The waves covered the ship, but Jesus slept. The 
 storm increasing, the disciples came to Jesus and told 
 
 Questions to Chapter 29.— What is the parable of the sower? Tell the 
 parable of the cockle. What is its interpretation ? What are the other 
 parables ? 
 
THE DAUGHTER OF JAIRUS 
 
 167 
 
 Him they feared all would be lost. Then Jesus rose and, 
 chiding them for their want of faith, calmed the winds 
 and the sea. When the disciples saw this, a great fear 
 came upon them. 
 
 3. The stormy sea is the world ; the ship is the Church, which 
 rides safely amid the tempest, for Christ is with her. 
 
 31.—The Daughter of Jairus. 
 
 1. When the ship landed, a multitude of people came 
 and, with great joy, welcomed Jesus. Among those who 
 met him was a man named Jairus, a ruler of the syna¬ 
 
 gogue, who begged Him to come and heal his daughter, 
 who lay dangerously ill. Jesus went with him. 
 
 2. As Jesus was passing through the crowd, a woman 
 who had been sick for twelve years, and had in vain 
 
 Questions to Chapter 30.— What is said of the Scribe ? Tell the story of 
 
 the tempest. 
 
168 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMEHT. 
 
 sought relief from many physicians, came behind Him 
 and touched His garment. , She was immediately cured. 
 
 3. Whilst they were on the way, a servant came to 
 Jairus and told him, his daughter was dead, and it was 
 useless to trouble himself any further. But Jesus said to 
 him : “ Fear not; only believe.” 
 
 4. When they came to the house where the young 
 woman was, they found a great crowd weeping and 
 lamenting. But Jesus, approaching, said: “Weep not; 
 she is not dead.” They laughed at Him, for they all knew 
 too well she was dead. 
 
 5. Then Jesus took with Him Peter, and James, and 
 John, and the parents of the girl, and went into the room 
 where she lay. Taking her by the hand, He said : “ Arise ; ” 
 and immediately she rose and began to walk through the 
 house. 
 
 32.—Jesus chooses His Apostles. 
 
 1. Every day, crowds of people came from far and 
 near, to hear Jesus. He was moved with great compas¬ 
 sion for them. Seeing them wandering about like sheep 
 without a shepherd, He said to His disciples : “ The 
 harvest is great, but the laborers are few.” 
 
 2. The following night was spent in prayer. In the 
 morning, Jesus called His disciples, and from amongst 
 them chose twelve, whom He called Apostles —that is, 
 sent. Their names were Peter and Andrew, James and 
 John, Philip and Bartholomew, Thflmas and Matthew, 
 James, the less, and Tliaddeus, Simon Zelotes and Judas 
 Iscariot. 
 
 3. When Jesus had chosen them, He gave them power 
 to heal the sick, to raise the dead, and to drive out devils. 
 Then He sent them forth to preach, but forbade them to 
 take any thing with them but their staff. They were thus , 
 
 Questions to CnAPTEK 31. —What did Jesus do to the daughter of Jairus? 
 What happened to the woman in the crowd ? 
 
JOinS" THE BAPTIST BEHEADED. 
 
 169 
 
 taught to put their trust in God, and not to hope for suc¬ 
 cess through human means. 
 
 4. He moreover told them they must suffer for His 
 sake, nay, that they would be scourged and put to death. 
 “But,” said He, “the disciple is Qot above the Master; 
 and if they do these things to me, how much more to 
 you ?” 
 
 5. But He consoled them by the promise that He would 
 be with them, and speak through them ; and, that those 
 who heard them, heard Him; and that those who despised 
 them, despised Him. 
 
 6. The Apostles went forth two by two, preaching, and 
 driving out devils, and healing the sick. Some time after 
 this, Jesus added seventy disciples, whose duties were to 
 help the Apostles, and go before Christ as the Apostles 
 had done. 
 
 7. The blessing which our Lord gave by His doctrines, was 
 spread through His Apostles, as the blessing given to Abraham 
 long before descended to the sons of Jacob. As Gideon with his 
 little band vanquished his enemies, so did the Apostles with their 
 staff, change the face of society and subdue the world to the yoke 
 of Christ. 
 
 33.—John the Baptist Beheaded. 
 
 1. Herod, Tetrarch of Galilee, had married Herodias, 
 his brother's wife. John the Baptist came to him, and 
 told him it was not lawful for him to have his brother’s 
 wife. When Herod heard this, he became exceedingly 
 angry, and cast John into prison, hoping thus to silence 
 him. 
 
 2. Now it happened that Herod, on his birthday, gave 
 a grand feast to the princes of Galilee. During the feast, 
 the daughter of Herodias danced for Herod and his court. 
 The king was much pleased, and promised to give the 
 
 Questions to Chapter 32.— Who were the Apostles ? What powers did He 
 give them ? Where did He send them ? How did He console them ? What did 
 the Apostles do ? Whom did Jesus add to the Apostles ? 
 
170 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 young woman whatever she would ask, even to the half 
 of his kingdom. He confirmed this promise with an 
 oath. 
 
 3. The damsel hastened to her mother, who advised 
 
 her to ask for 
 the head of 
 John the Bap¬ 
 tist, that thus 
 they might 
 be revenged on 
 him for what 
 he had said. 
 The daughter 
 returned and 
 asked for the 
 head of John. 
 
 4. When He¬ 
 rod heard this, 
 he was very sad, 
 but because of his oath, he sent and had John beheaded. 
 The head was placed upon a dish and brought to the 
 young woman, who carried it to her mother. 
 
 5. Like John the Baptist, the saintly and fearless prophet, Elias, 
 had presented himself, on a similar occasion, before king- Acliab. 
 Like Herod, Acliab also hated the truth, and strove to put the man 
 of God to death, but failed. 
 
 34. —The Miracle of the Loaves and Fishes. 
 
 1. About the time of the Pasch, the Apostles returned 
 from their first mission. Coming to Jesus, they told Him 
 what they had done and what they had taught. Jesus 
 then took them with Him, and they crossed the sea of 
 Galilee, and went into the desert. A great multitude 
 followed them. When Jesus saw how many had come. 
 He began to teach them and to heal their sick. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 33 —For what was John the Baptist cast into prison? 
 How (lid he die ? 
 
THE MIRACLE OF THE LOAVES AND FISHES. 171 
 
 2. About the evening, the Apostles proposed to send 
 the multitude home, as they had nothing to give them to 
 eat. Jesus asked what they had. The Apostles answered : 
 “ Five loaves and two fishes.” 
 
 3. Then Jesus commanded the people to sit down on 
 the grass, and having taken the loaves and the two fishes, 
 blessed them and gave them to His Apostles, who dis¬ 
 
 tributed them amongst the people. There were about 
 five thousand men, besides the women and children, and 
 yet there was enough for all. When they were done, 
 twelve baskets of fragments were gathered up. 
 
 4. When the people saw this stupendous miracle, they 
 were filled with admiration, and wished to make Jesus 
 their king. But He, knowing their design, hid Himself, 
 and during the night passed with his disciples over to 
 Capharnaum. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 34. — What is said of the return of the Apostles? 
 Tell the history of the loaves and fishes. What effect had this miracle on the 
 people ? 
 
172 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 35.—The Promise of the Blessed Sacrament. 
 
 1. The day after the miracle of the loaves and fishes, 
 the people came to Jesus in the synagogue of Caphar- 
 naum. When He saw how they came to Him, because 
 they had eaten of the miraculous bread, He told them not 
 to labor for perishable bread, but for that bread which 
 never perished, and which He could give. 
 
 2. Then He told them that He was the living bread, 
 and that this bread was His flesh. When the Jews heard 
 this, they were scandalized, and asked : “How could He 
 give them His flesh to eat.” But Jesus only repeated His 
 former assertion, in a stronger and more emphatic manner, 
 and concluded with these clear and decided words : “ Un¬ 
 less you eat the flesh of the Son of Man, and drink His 
 blood, you shall not have life in you. For my flesh is 
 meat indeed , and my Mood is drink indeed .” 
 
 3. Many of the disciples, when they heard these words, 
 were very much troubled, and because they could not 
 understand how Christ could give them His body to eat, 
 and His blood to drink, went away, and walked no more 
 with Him. 
 
 4. But Jesus continued to affirm this incomprehensible 
 mystery all the more, and at last turned to Peter, and 
 asked him if he would also go away. But Peter, who 
 could understand the doctrine no better than the others, 
 declared he would not, but would believe it; not that he 
 understood it, but because Jesus Christ had said it, and 
 “ He had the words of eternal life.” 
 
 5. As the manna fell from heaven, to support the Israelites in the 
 desert, so is the Blessed Sacrament daily present upon our altars, to 
 feed and nourish the soul in the battle of life. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 35. — What happened on the day after the miracle of 
 the loaves and fishes ? How did the Jews receive the words of Jesus ? How did 
 Jesus meet their objection ? What did many do ? How did Peter act ? What is 
 said of the manna and the Blessed Sacrament ? 
 
THE PRIMACY CONFERRED ON PETER. 
 
 173 
 
 36.—The Woman of Chanaan. 
 
 1. Jesus went into the country of Tyre and Sidon, and 
 a pagan woman of Chanaan came to Him, asking Him to 
 cure her daughter, who was possessed by a devil. But 
 Jesus made her no answer. The woman continued to 
 urge her request, until the disciples thought of putting 
 her away, but Jesus forbade them. 
 
 2. The woman coming near, adored Jesus, when He said 
 to her, “ It is not good to give the bread of the children 
 to the dogs.” But she answered : “ The whelps some¬ 
 times eat the crumbs that fall from the tables of their 
 masters.” When Jesus heard this, He was much struck 
 with her faith, and cured her daughter. 
 
 Jesus found faith among the pagans of Sidon, as, on a 
 former occasion, Jonas had found it among the pagans of 
 Ninive. 
 
 37.—The Primacy conferred on Peter. [ A . d. 32. 
 
 1. Jesus came to the city of Cesarea Philippi, and that 
 He might try His Apostles, asked what the people gen¬ 
 erally thought of Him. The Apostles answered, there 
 was great difference of opinion ; some taking Him for 
 Elias, some for Moses, and some thought He was a 
 prophet. Then Jesus asked them what was their own 
 opinion on the matter. Peter answered in the name of 
 all: “ Thou art Christ, the Son of the living God.” 
 
 2. When Jesus heard this unqualified acknowledgment, 
 of his divinitv, He said to Peter : “ Blessed art thou, 
 Simon Bar-Jona. Thou art Peter, and upon this rock I 
 will build my Church, and the gates of hell shall not 
 prevail against her. I will give to thee the keys of the 
 kingdom of heaven, and whatsoever thou shalt bind on 
 
 Question to Chapter 3(i.—What is said of the woman of Chanaan. 
 
174 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 earth, shall be bound also in heaven ; and whatsoever 
 thou shalt loose upon earth, shall be loosed also in 
 heaven.” 
 
 3. Peter was thus the first of the Apostles who made a 
 public profession of the divinity of Jesus Christ, and, for 
 his faith, Jesus made him the chief among the Apostles, 
 and the future visible head of the Church. For eighteen 
 hundred years, the Popes, who are the legitimate succes¬ 
 sors of St. Peter, have been placed at the head of the 
 Christian world. 
 
 38.—The Transfiguration. 
 
 1. After six days, Jesus took Peter, and James, and 
 John with Him up into a mountain. There He was 
 transfigured before them. His face shone as the sun, and 
 His garments became white as snT>w. Moses and Elias 
 also appeared, and began to talk with Him. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 37— What did Jesus do at Cesarea Philippi ? What 
 was the opinion of the people about Him ? What did Peter say ? What power 
 did Christ confer on Peter? What is said of the Popes? 
 
THE TRANSFIGURATION 
 
 175 
 
 2. When the Apostles saw the ravishing beauty of 
 Christ’s person, they proposed, in their joy, to build 
 three tabernacles; one for Him, one for Moses, and one 
 for Elias. Whilst they were speaking, a voice from 
 heaven cried out: “ This is my beloved Son, hear ye 
 Him.” 
 
 3. At these words, the Apostles fell flat on the ground, 
 nor did they look up until Jesus came and bade them rise. 
 
 When they lifted up their eyes they saw no one hut Jesus, 
 who commanded them to tell the vision to no one till 
 after He had risen from the dead. 
 
 4. Jesus, transfigured, appeared between the two greatest men of 
 the Old Law—Moses, the law-giver, and Elias, the miracle-worker. 
 In His glory, He infinitely surpassed both the one and the other, 
 proving clearly that He was the center of majesty as well as the 
 origin of power, both in the Jewish and Christian dispensation. 
 
 Question to Chapter 38.—Tell the history of the transfiguration. 
 
176 HISTORY OP THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 39.—Jesus the Friend of Children—Scandal. 
 
 1. One day, after teaching, Jesus sat down to rest, when 
 the women brought their children to Him, that He might 
 bless them. The Apostles, anxious to spare Him, strove 
 to keep back the crowd; but Jesus said to them: “Suffer 
 little children to come to me, for in their innocence they 
 are like the angels in heaven.” Then Jesus laid His 
 hands upon the heads of the children, and blessed them. 
 
 2. On another occasion the Apostles asked Jesus who 
 was the greatest in heaven. He called a little child, and, 
 placing it in their midst, said, “ That to become great in 
 heaven, we must, on earth, become innocent and humble 
 as children. ” 
 
 3. It was on this occasion Christ pronounced a woe 
 upon those who scandalized the young, or led them into 
 sin ; and the reason He gave was, “ their angels were ever 
 before the face of God.” 
 
 As Tobias was protected by an angel, so have we angels to guard 
 us, though with the eyes of the body we can not see them. 
 
 Question to Chapter 39 —What is said of little children ? 
 
POWER OF THE KEYS GIVEN TO THE APOSTLES. 177 
 
 40.—The Pardon of Injuries — The Unforgiving 
 
 Servant. 
 
 1. One day, Peter asked our Savior how often he should 
 forgive his brother. Jesus said: “Till seventy times 
 seven by which is meant an indefinite number. 
 
 2. To confirm His words to Peter, Jesus related the 
 following parable: A king wished to take an account of 
 his affairs ; so he called his servants. One came who 
 owed ten thousand talents, and, being unable to pay, the 
 master ordered him, and his wife, and his children, to be 
 sold. The poor man, when he saw the misfortune that 
 was come upon him, fell upon his knees and begged for 
 time, promising to pay all. The master, taking pity on 
 him, forgave the debt. 
 
 3. When this servant left the master, he met a fellow- 
 servant who owed him a hundred pence. Seizing him by 
 the throat, lie demanded immediate payment The ser¬ 
 vant begged for a little time. He would not give it, but 
 cast him into prison. 
 
 4. When the other servants saw what was done, they 
 told the master, who, calling the unforgiving servant to 
 him, chid him for his harshness, and then cast him into 
 prison until his own debt should be paid. Christ con¬ 
 cluded with these memorable words : “So also shall mv 
 heavenly Father do unto you, if you forgive not every one 
 his brother from your hearts. ” 
 
 41. —The Power of the Keys given to the Apostles. 
 
 1. At the time St. Peter made his glorious profession 
 of faith in the divinity of Christ, he received, besides the 
 primacy in the Church, a special power of binding and 
 
 Questions to Chapter 40 .— What is the lesson on forgiving injuries ? What 
 is said of the two servants ? How did the master act ? What conclusion did 
 
 Christ draw ? 
 
178 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 loosing on earth. About the period we are writing, Jesus 
 extended this same power to the other Apostles. 
 
 2. The words in which this power was conferred, were 
 as follows: “Amen, I say to you, whatsoever you shall 
 bind upon earth, shall be bound also in heaven ; and, 
 whatsoever you shall loose on earth, shall be loosed also 
 in heaven/ 5 And in order that there might be no doubt 
 as to the authority of the Apostles when they went forth 
 to preach, Christ added : “ He that hears you, hears me ; 
 and he that despises you, despises me. 55 
 
 42.—The Parable of the Good Samaritan. 
 
 1. Once, while Jesus was teaching, a lawyer came to 
 Him, and asked what he must do to be saved. Jesus 
 answered: “Love God with your whole heart, and love 
 your neighbor as yourself. 55 When the lawyer heard of 
 his neighbor, he thought he would entrap our Savior, and 
 asked : “Who is my neighbor ?” 
 
 2. In answer, 
 Jesus narrated 
 the following 
 parable : A man 
 went down from 
 Jerusalem to 
 Jericho. On the 
 way, he fell 
 among robbers, 
 who stripped 
 him, and wound¬ 
 ing him, left 
 him half dead. 
 Shortly after¬ 
 wards, a priest came by the same way, and, though he 
 
 Questions to Chapter 41.—What power was granted the Apostles ? What 
 are the words in which Christ conferred this power ? 
 
MARY AND MARTHA. 
 
 179 
 
 saw the helpless condition of the wounded man, passed 
 on. In like manner, a Levite also passed. 
 
 3. But a Samaritan, passing, saw the wounded man, 
 and coming, bound up his wounds, and placing him on his 
 own ass, took him to the inn. The next day, he took two 
 pence and gave to the host, bidding him take care of the 
 wounded man, and promising to pay, on his return, what¬ 
 ever additional expense would be incurred. 
 
 4. When our Savior had finished, He asked the lawyer : 
 “ Who was neighbor to the man who fell among robbers ? ” 
 The Doctor answered : “He that showed mercy.” Then 
 Jesus said : “Go and do in like manner.” 
 
 # 
 
 43.—Mary and Martha. 
 
 1. After this, Jesus came to a town called Bithania. 
 Here a woman, named Martha, received Him into her 
 house. Martha 
 gave herself much 
 trouble, arranging 
 and fixing the 
 house, that she 
 might show her re¬ 
 spect for her guest; 
 but her sister, Mary, 
 went and sat down 
 at the feet of Jesus, 
 and listened to His 
 words. 
 
 2. When Martha 
 saw that Mary left 
 all the care of the 
 house to her, she came to Jesus and requested Him to 
 speak to her sister, that she might help her. But Jesus 
 
 Questions to Chaptek 42. — What did the lawyer ask? What answer did 
 lieget? Relate the parable of the good Samaritan. What conclusion is drawn 
 from the parable ? 
 
180 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 told Martha not to trouble herself about many things, one 
 thing was necessary ; and, as Mary had chosen the better 
 part. He would not disturb her. 
 
 44.—The Lord’s Prayer. 
 
 1. One day, after Jesus had been praying in a retired 
 spot, one of His disciples came to Him, and asked Him 
 to teach them to pray, as John had taught his disciples. 
 Jesus said: “When you pray, say: Our Father, Who art 
 in heaven ; hallowed be Thy name ; Thy kingdom come : 
 Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven. Give us 
 this day our daily bread ; and, forgive us our trespasses, 
 as we forgive those who trespass against us. And lead us 
 not into temptation, but deliver us from evil. Amen/’ 
 
 2. Jesus said besides : “ Come to me, all you that labor, 
 and are heavy ladened, and I will refresh you. My yoke 
 is sweet, and my burden is light. Learn of me, because 
 I am meek and humble of heart. ” 
 
 45.—The Lost Sheep and the Good Shepherd. 
 
 1. At the feast of Tabernacles, Jesus went up to Jeru¬ 
 salem, where He taught. Many of those who came to 
 hear Him were publicans and sinners. When the Scribes 
 and Pharisees saw this, they began to murmur. That He 
 might the better illustrate His own character, and at the 
 same time teach them a lesson, Jesus gave the following 
 parable: 
 
 2. What man having a hundred sheep, and losing one, 
 does not leave the ninety-nine and seek for that which 
 was lost, until he find it ? When he has found it, does he 
 
 Questions to Chapter 43.—What is said of Martha ? What is said of Mary ? 
 Whose conduct was preferred ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 44.—Tell the history of the Lord’s prayer. What 
 other maxims did Jesus give ? 
 
THE PRODIGAL CHILD. 
 
 181 
 
 not call together his friends and neighbors, and say to 
 them, rejoice with me, because I have found my sheep 
 that was lost ? As a man does with his lost sheep, so 
 does God with the sinner that repents. 
 
 3. “I am the good shepherd,” said Christ. “ The good 
 shepherd gives his life for his flock, but the hireling, 
 when he sees the wolf, flies. I lay down my life for my 
 sheep. I have other sheep that are not yet of this fold, 
 them also I must bring. There shall be but one fold and 
 one shepherd.” 
 
 46.—The Prodigal Child. 
 
 1. After Jesus had given the above parable, that so 
 beautifully explains what a good shepherd should be, Tie 
 spoke another, to illustrate the forgiving character of His 
 Father toward a repenting sinner. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 45. — What gave occasion for the parable of the good 
 shepherd? Relate it. What does Christ say of nimself? 
 
182 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 2. “A certain man/ 5 said He, “had two sons. The 
 younger asked his father for his portion, and, having 
 received his share, went into a far country. He was not 
 long there, till he spent what his father had given him, 
 and the companions of his folly abandoning him when 
 they found he had no more to spend, he was reduced to 
 extreme want. 
 
 3. “ Seeing nothing but starvation staring him in the 
 
 face, he went 
 and hired him¬ 
 self to a farmer, 
 who sent him 
 to feed swine. 
 When the 
 young man saw 
 the condition 
 to which he 
 was reduced, 
 entering into 
 himself, he 
 rose up and 
 returned to his 
 father. 
 
 4. “ The kind-hearted father was watching, and when 
 he saw his poor prodigal son returning to him, hastened 
 out to meet him, and, falling on his neck, kissed him, 
 and welcomed him back to the home of his childhood. 
 The son said : ‘ Father, I have sinned against heaven, 
 and before thee. I am not worthy to be called thy son. 5 
 
 5. “ But the father ordered the servants to bring forth 
 the best robe in the house, and put it on him, and to put 
 a ring on his finger, and shoes on his feet. Then he com¬ 
 manded them to hasten and bring the fatted calf, that 
 they might kill it and make merry. 
 
 6. “The eldest son was in the fields, and when he 
 returned, and heard music and dancing, and learned the 
 cause, he was very angry. Calling his father, he com¬ 
 plained that he had made so much of his disobedient and 
 
THE RICH MAH AND LAZARUS. 
 
 183 
 
 dissipated brother, whilst he had never received any thing, 
 not even a kid, with which to make merry with his friends. 
 But his father said, it was but right to rejoice, for his 
 brother, that was dead, had come to life, and he who had 
 been lost was found.” 
 
 7. In this parable, Jesus Christ taught the doctrine of penance. 
 First, the prodigal child recognizes his sins, repents, and returns to 
 his father. Secondly, he confesses, and is ready to make satisfac¬ 
 tion for what he has done. In the same manner the sinner recognizes 
 his sins, repents, and confesses them ; then willingly accepts the 
 penance imposed on him. And, lastly, the absolution of the priest 
 reconciles him to God. 
 
 47.—The Rich Man and Lazarus. 
 
 1. Jesus, continuing to preach, spoke as follows : There 
 was a certain rich man, who was clothed in purple and 
 
 fine linen, and feasted sumptuously every day. There was 
 
 Questions to Chapter 46. —Relate the parable of the prodigal child. What 
 does the parable of the prodigal child teach T How ? 
 
184 
 
 HISTOKY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 also a certain beggar, named Lazarus, who lay at the rich 
 man’s gate, begging for the crumbs that fell from his 
 table : moreover, the dogs licked his sores. 
 
 2. In due time the beggar died, and was carried to 
 Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, but was 
 buried in hell. Here, lifting up his eyes, he saw Lazarus, 
 and begged Abraham to send him to him, that he might 
 dip his finger in water and cool his tongue. But Abraham 
 reminded the rich man how it had been with him and 
 Lazarus in life, and how just it was that he, who had 
 feasted on good things, should now suffer, whilst he who 
 had suffered should be rewarded. 
 
 3. “Besides,” said Abraham, “there is between us a 
 great lake, so that no one can pass from us to you, nor 
 from you to us.” 
 
 As a last appeal, the rich man begged Abraham to 
 send Lazarus to his five brothers, that they might be kept 
 out of hell; but Abraham refused, saying: “They have 
 Moses and the prophets ; let them hear them.” 
 
 48.—The Cure of the Man Born Blind. 
 
 1. Whilst Jesus was celebrating the feast of Tabernacles, 
 He went out from the temple on the Sabbath-day. He 
 met a man who had been blind from his birth. The dis¬ 
 ciples asked : “If it was because of any fault in the blind 
 man himself, or in his parents, that he had been born 
 blind.” Jesus answered : “ That the blindness was neither 
 because of any fault in the man, nor in his parents, but 
 simply to manifest the works of God:” 
 
 2. Jesus spat on the ground and made clay, and spread 
 the clay on the eyes of the blind man. Then He bade him 
 go and wash in the pool of Siloe. The blind man went, 
 washed, and returned, seeing. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 47.--What is said of the rich man ? What is said of 
 Lazarus ? What did Abraham say ? What last appeal did the rich man make ? 
 now was he answered ? 
 
THE CURE OF THE MAH BORN BLIND. 
 
 185 
 
 3. When those who had formerly known him saw him, 
 they were con¬ 
 founded, and 
 took him to the 
 Pharisees. 
 
 They asked him 
 how he had been 
 cured. He told 
 them. When 
 they heard how 
 Jesus had cured 
 him on the Sab¬ 
 bath, some said, 
 
 He was God, 
 and some said, 
 
 He was a sin¬ 
 ner, whilst others said, “ A sinner can not do such mira¬ 
 cles and there was a division. 
 
 4. There were some also who would not believe the man 
 had been blind ; so they sent for his parents, who testified 
 that he had been born blind, and that it was their son. 
 When the blind man began to reason, and to show that 
 none but God could restore sight to the blind, the Phari¬ 
 sees became very angry, and cast him out. 
 
 5. Some time after this, Jesus met him, and asked him 
 if he believed in the Son of God. When, to his question, 
 Jesus told him He was the Son of God, the man who had 
 been blind fell on his knees and adored Jesus, saying : 
 “ Lord, I believe. 
 
 6. In this miracle we have a remarkable fulfillment of the words 
 of the prophet Isaias concerning Christ, that in His time “the eyes 
 of the blind should be opened.” Such a miracle could only be done 
 by God ; hence, the anger and rage of unbelieving Pharisees when 
 they could neither disprove nor gainsay the cure of the man who 
 had been born blind. 
 
 Questions to Chapteh 48.—What is said of the blind man? How was he 
 cured ? IIow did the Pharisees act? Who were called ? What was done to the 
 blind man ? Why ? What happened to him afterwards ? 
 
186 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 49.—The Ten Lepers. 
 
 1. After the feast of Tabernacles, Jesns passed through . 
 Samaria and Galilee. On the way, He met ten lepers/ 
 By the law of Moses, lepers were forbidden to live in the 
 towns or cities, or to mingle among the people, and were 
 required to live in the country, apart by themselves. 
 When Jesus saw the ten lepers, He commanded them to 
 go and show themselves to the priest. Whilst they were 
 going, they were cleansed. 
 
 2. One of them, when he saw what had happened, 
 
 returned, and 
 cast himself at 
 the feet of Je¬ 
 sus ; and this 
 man was a Sa¬ 
 maritan. Jesus 
 asked if the 
 other nine had 
 not also been 
 cleansed, and 
 how came it that 
 only the stranger 
 returned to give 
 thanks. Then 
 Jesus, to console 
 
 the grateful leper, said: “Rise, thy faith hath made thee 
 whole.” 
 
 50.—The Publican and the Pharisee. 
 
 1. When Jesus saw how some trusted in their own 
 works and despised others, He spoke the following para¬ 
 ble : “ Two men went up to the temple to pray; one was 
 a Pharisee, the other a Publican. The Pharisee, standing, 
 
 Question to Chapter 49.— Tell the history of the ten lepers. 
 
THE RICH YOUNG MAN. 
 
 187 
 
 prayed thus : ‘ 0 God, I thank Thee that I am not like 
 the rest of men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers ; nor am 
 I like this Pub¬ 
 lican. I fast 
 twice a week, 
 and I give tithes 
 of all I possess. 5 
 
 2. “ But the 
 Publican, stand¬ 
 ing afar off, 
 would not so 
 much as lift up 
 his eyes, but 
 struck his breast, 
 saying : ( 0 God, 
 be merciful to 
 me, a sinner.’ 
 
 “ I say to you, the Publican was justified, but the 
 Pharisee was not; because he that exalteth himself 
 shall be humbled, and he that humbleth himself shall 
 be exalted.” 
 
 51.—The Rich Young Man. 
 
 1. A rich young man came to Jesus and asked what he 
 must do to be saved. Jesus bade him keep the com¬ 
 mandments. But the young man, hesitating, asked: 
 “ What commandments ? ” Jesus said: “Kill not, steal 
 not, neither shalt thou bear false witness. Honor thy 
 father and thy mother.” The young man, hearing this, 
 answered he had kept all these from his youth. 
 
 2. Jesus then turned to him and said: “If you will 
 
 %j 
 
 be perfect, sell all you have and give it to the poor, 
 and come and follow me.” But the young man went 
 
 Questions to Chapter 50. — Relate the parable of the Pharisee and the 
 Publican. What did the Pharisee do ? What did the Publican do ? Which 
 was justified? 
 
188 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 / 
 
 away sorrowful. When he had gone, Jesus turned to 
 His disciples and remarked, liow difficult it was for a 
 
 rich man to part with his wealth, and very few of them 
 would enter heaven. 
 
 52.—The Laborers in the Vineyard. 
 
 1. After Jesus had spoken to his disciples of the rewards 
 that awaited the faithful servant, He gave the following 
 parable: The kingdom of heaven is like to the master of 
 a vineyard. In the morning he went out to hire laborers ; 
 and, having agreed to give them each a penny a day, sent 
 them into his vineyard. 
 
 2. He went out at the third, and the sixth, and the 
 ninth hours, and seeing men standing idle, sent them 
 into his vineyard, telling them he would give them 
 what was right. He did the same at the eleventh 
 hour. 
 
 3. In the evening, the master called the laborers, and 
 
 Questions to Chapter 51.—What is said of the rich young man ? Describe 
 his interview with Jesus. What is said of the rich ? 
 
THE RESURRECTION OF LAZARUS. 
 
 189 
 
 paid them each 
 labored from 
 the morning 
 c a m e, and re¬ 
 ceived only a 
 
 be¬ 
 am, 
 
 because the 
 others, who had 
 not labored as 
 much as they, 
 had been made 
 equal to them. 
 
 4. The master 
 answered, they 
 had agreed for a 
 penny; he had paid them, and he did not see why they 
 should complain because he was generous. 
 
 Then Jesus said : “ So shall it be in heaven : the last 
 shall be first, and the first last, for many are called, but 
 few are chosen.” 
 
 5. Two thousand years before the coming of Jesus Christ, the 
 Jews were called to be the chosen people of God. They despised this 
 call, and so comparatively but few of them have been chosen to have 
 a part in the kingdom of Jesus Christ. When the Jews denied and 
 rejected Jesus Christ, He turned to the Gentiles, who, in immense 
 numbers, enrolled themselves under His banner, and thus they who 
 were last have become first, and the Jews, who were first, have 
 become last. 
 
 penny, they 
 gan to comp] 
 
 a penny. But, when those who had 
 
 53.—The Resurrection of Lazarus. 
 
 1. Whilst Jesus was assisting at the feast of the dedica¬ 
 tion of the temple, He openly taught that He and the 
 Father were one. When the Jews heard this, and saw 
 that lie thus made Himself equal to God, they became 
 
 Questions to Chapter 52.—Toll the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. 
 What is said of the Jews and Gentiles ? 
 
190 
 
 HISTOKY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 very angry, and determined to stone Him. But, hearing 
 of their intentions, Jesus quietly left Jerusalem and went 
 into the country about the Jordan. There He received 
 a message from the two sisters, Mary and Martha, of 
 Bithania, telling Him their brother Lazarus was very 
 sick. 
 
 2. But He remained two days longer, remarking to His 
 disciples that Lazarus was dead. When He came to 
 
 Bithania, Martha met Him, and complained that He had 
 been so slow. But Jesus bade her have courage, for her 
 brother would again come to life. 
 
 3. Martha called Mary, who was at home weeping. She 
 rose and hastened to meet Jesus, who was yet outside the 
 town, and, casting herself at His feet, said : “Lord, if you 
 had been here, my brother had not died.” 
 
 4. When Jesus saw her weeping, find saw the other 
 Jews who accompanied her also weeping, He asked where 
 they had laid Lazarus. They brought Him to the sepul¬ 
 cher. He commanded them to take away the stone that 
 lay over the door; then He lifted up His eyes to heaven. 
 
THE JEWS SEEK TO KILL JESUS. 
 
 191 
 
 and, praying, cried out: “ Lazarus, come forth.” Imme¬ 
 diately Lazarus rose and came forth from the grave, bound 
 in the napkins and grave-clothes in which he had been 
 buried. Many of the Jews believed in Jesus, but others 
 went and told the chief priests and Pharisees what had 
 happened.* 
 
 54.—The Jews Seek to Kill Jesus. ’ 
 
 1. When the Pharisees and Scribes heard of the resur-' 
 rection of Lazarus, and how the people were following 
 Jesus, they said : “If we let Him alone, every body will 
 believe in Him.” They asked Caiphas, who was high- 
 priest that year, what he thought of the matter. But he 
 answered: “It is expedient that one man die for the 
 people, that the whole nation perish not.” This he said 
 by inspiration. 
 
 2. From that day they sought to put Jesus to death. 
 For this reason, He walked no more openly among the 
 Jews, but, going away, dwelt in the city of Ephrem. 
 The Jews hated Jesus because His works proved His 
 divinity; and Cain killed his brother because God loved 
 Abel. 
 
 3. Six days after the resurrection of Lazarus, Jesus 
 said to His Apostles : “ We are about to go up to Jeru¬ 
 salem, and I shall be betrayed and condemned to death ; 
 then I shall be scourged, and at last crucified ; but I shall 
 rise again, on the third day.” This remarkable prophecy 
 was fulfilled to the letter in the passion and death of 
 Christ. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 53.—What did Jesus teach concerning Ilimself and 
 the Father? Where did He go ? What message did ne receive ? What happened 
 when Jesus came to Bithania ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 54.—When the Pharisees heard of the resurrection of 
 Lazarus, how did they act? What did the high-priest say? What did the Jews 
 try to do ? What prophecy did Jesus give ? 
 
192 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 55.—Zacheus, the Chief of the Publicans. 
 
 1. There lived in Jericho a man named Zacheus, the 
 chief of the Publicans. He strove to see Jesus when He 
 passed through the city, but, being a man of small stature, 
 lie could not, on account of the crowd. He then ran on 
 and climbed up a sycamore-tree. When Jesus came to the 
 tree, He lifted up His eyes and said to Zacheus : “ Make 
 
 haste and come down, for to-day I must abide in your 
 house.” Zacheus hastened, and with great joy, received 
 Him into his house. 
 
 2. When the others saw this, they began to murmur, 
 because Jesus had gone into the house of a publican, who, 
 from his profession, was considered a sinner. Jesus said 
 to Zacheus : “This day salvation is come into this house, 
 for the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that 
 which was lost.” 
 
 Question to Chapter 55.—What is said of Zacheus ? 
 
Christ’s triumphal entry into.Jerusalem. 103 
 
 56.—Mary Magdalene Anoints Jesus. 
 
 1. From Jericho, Jesus went to Bithania, where Simon 
 the leper made a supper for Him. Lazarus was one of the 
 guests, and Martha, his sister, helped to wait upon them. 
 Now, while they were all sitting at supper, Mary Magda¬ 
 lene took a box of precious ointment, and, coming into 
 the house, knelt down and anointed the feet of Jesus, and 
 wiped them with the hair of her head. The house was 
 filled with the sweet odor of the ointment. 
 
 2. When Judas Iscariot saw this, he began to complain 
 and to murmur at the waste. He asked why they had 
 not sold the ointment and given the price to the poor; 
 not that he cared for the poor, but because he carried the 
 purse, and was a thief. 
 
 3. Jesus bade them let the woman alone, for she had 
 
 done a good work in embalming His body for the tomb. 
 He said also, that wheresoever His Gospel would be 
 preached, the piety of Mary Magdalene would be pro¬ 
 claimed. ^ 
 
 4. Like Judas, many nowadays cry “Prodigality” if they are 
 asked to contribute for the beauty of the Church or the splendor 
 of divine worship; they also say : “Let it be given to the poor.” 
 But Jesus says : “Do both : ornament the Church, and help the 
 poor.” 
 
 57.—Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem. 
 
 J '* * 'A |» ; J -**• * . 4 * ' 
 
 1. On the following day, Jesus came to Jerusalem, but, 
 before entering,'stopped at Mount Olivet, just outside 
 the walls of the city. From there He sent His disciples 
 
 * * l 
 
 1 0 Bethpage, a little town close by, and bade them bring *; 
 the ass which they would find tied by the way. 
 
 2. The disciples did as He commanded, and, bringing 
 
 Questions to Chatter 56.— From Jericho where did Jesus go ? What hap¬ 
 pened ? What did Mary Magdalene do? What did Judas say ? What did Jesus 
 sav ? What do many nowadays snv ? 
 
194 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 the ass, pnt their garments on it; then they placed Jesus 
 thereon, and led Him into Jerusalem. On the way great 
 multitudes of the people met Him. Some spread their 
 garments on the ground, some cut down branches from 
 the palm-trees, and strewed them before Him, whilst all 
 cried : “ Hosanna to the Son of David ! blessed is He that 
 cometh in the name of the Lord ! ” 
 
 3. Many of the Pharisees were also in the crowd. When 
 they heard the people shouting, and saw the honors that 
 were paid to Jesus, they asked Him to rebuke His dis¬ 
 ciples, and to tell the people to hold their peace ; but He 
 would not. 
 
 4. As Jesus drew near the city, looking upon it He 
 wept; then He cried out: “ 0 Jerusalem ! if you had 
 known the things that are for your peace ; but now they 
 are hidden from your eyes. The days shall come when 
 your enemies shall compass you about, and shall beat you 
 flat to the ground, and there shall not remain of you a 
 stone upon a stone.” 
 
THE PARABLE OF THE MARRIAGE FEAST. 
 
 195 
 
 5. When Jesns entered Jerusalem, He went directly to 
 the temple, where, from every direction, the sick, the 
 blind, and the paralytic were brought to Him, and He 
 cured them all. At last the people became very much 
 excited, and even the children caught up the general 
 enthusiasm, and cried out : “ Hosanna to the Son of 
 David ! ” 
 
 6. When the Pharisees heard this, they became more 
 and more enraged, and, coming to Him, asked if He 
 heard what was said. Jesus answered : “ Yes ; but,” said 
 He, “have you never read what was written by the 
 prophet: Out of the mouths of infants and sucklings thou 
 hast perfected praise ? ” 
 
 7. Long before had Zacharias the prophet foretold the 
 entrance of Christ into Jerusalem, when he said: “Re¬ 
 joice, daughters of Sion, and shout, daughters of Jerusa¬ 
 lem ; behold, thy King will come to thee: He is poor, 
 and riding upon an ass.” 
 
 8. Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem on the very day the 
 Jews were required by the law of Moses to procure the 
 Paschal lamb. How significant His every act! The 
 Paschal lamb was offered for the Jewish people; but 
 Jesus, who is the true Paschal Lamb, was offered, not for 
 a people, but for a ivorld. 
 
 58.—The Parable of the Marriage Feast. 
 
 1. On the next day, while Jesus was teaching in the 
 temple, He said: “The kingdom of heaven is like to a 
 king who made a marriage feast for his son. He sent 
 his servants to call those who had been invited, but 
 they would not come. He sent a second time, but they 
 
 Questions to Chapter 57.—What is said of Christ’s entry into Jerusalem ? 
 What did the multitude do? How did the Pharisees act? What did Jesus say 
 of Jerusalem ? What was done in the temple ? How did Jesus answer the 
 Pharisees? What did Zacharias prophesy? On what day did Jesus enter 
 Jerusalem ? 
 
196 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 not only refused, but, seizing liis servants, put them to 
 death. 
 
 2. “ When the king heard this, he became very angry, 
 and, sending his armies, destroyed the murderers, and 
 burnt their city. 
 
 “ That his marriage feast might not be without guests, 
 the king sent his servants into the highways and invited 
 all—the good as well as the bad—to come. 
 
 3. “ The king, going into the banqueting hall, found a 
 guest who had not on a wedding-garment. When asked 
 why he had neglected to put on a wedding-garment, he 
 was silent. Then the king ordered him to be bound hand 
 and foot, and to be cast into exterior darkness/’ 
 
 4. In tlie East it was customary for kings to supply tlieir guests 
 with wedding-garments ; hence, the crime of the unfortunate man, 
 who, through carelessness, had neglected to put on the proper gar¬ 
 ment, even though provided for him. 
 
 59.—The Tribute to Caesar. 
 
 1. When the Scribes and Pharisees heard the parable 
 of the marriage feast, they knew Jesus meant them by 
 the guests who had refused to come. In consequence, 
 they were very angry, and began to plot how they might 
 entrap Him in His words, that thereby they might have 
 a pretext to condemn Him. 
 
 2. For this purpose they sent some of their own dis¬ 
 ciples, together with some of the friends of Herod, to 
 Him. They began by flattering Him, and praising Him 
 for His bold and fearless declaration of His opinions. 
 When they thought they had deceived Him as to their 
 intentions, they, with deep cunning, asked Him “ whether 
 it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not.” 
 
 3. Jesus knew very well what their motives were, and 
 the treacherous plot by which they hoped to entrap Him ; 
 
 Questions to Chapter 58.—Tell the parable of the marriage feast. What 
 was done to the dumb guest ? What was a custom in the East? 
 
THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM, ETC., FORETOLD. 197 
 
 for if He said “ Yes,” the Jews would hate Him as being 
 an enemy to 
 their country; 
 and if He said 
 “No,” Herod 
 would seize 
 upon Him for 
 resisting the 
 government. 
 
 4. Jesus 
 asked for a 
 jienny. When 
 it was present¬ 
 ed to Him, lie 
 asked “ whose 
 image was on 
 it.” They said, “Caesar’s.” Then said Jesus: “Bender 
 to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the 
 things that are God’s.” 
 
 When they heard this, their malice was forced to yield 
 in admiration to His wisdom. Going away, they dared 
 ask Him no more questions. 
 
 60. — Christ Foretells the Destruction of Jerusa¬ 
 lem and the End of the World. 
 
 1. After Jesus had finished speaking, He rose to leave 
 the temple. As He was passing out, His disciples began to 
 admire its magnificence and solidity; but Jesus told them 
 not to trust too much to appearances ; that that temple 
 which they now so much admired, and of which the Jews 
 were so proud, would, ere long, be destroyed; nor would 
 there remain of it so much as a stone upon a stone. 
 
 2. When He came to Mount Olivet, that stands but a 
 short distance from the city, He sat down and began to 
 
 Questions to Chapter 59.— How did the Scribes try to entrap Jesus ? How 
 did He answer them ? What did they do ? 
 
198 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMEHT. 
 
 speak to His disciples of the destruction of Jerusalem and 
 the end of the world. They asked Him when these things 
 would take place. 
 
 3. In answer to the first question, He said: “When 
 yon shall see an army encompass Jerusalem about, know 
 that her destruction is at hand. Then let those that are 
 in Judea fiee to the mountains, and those that are in 
 Jerusalem hasten to depart, for the days of vengeance and 
 tribulation are come : many shall fall by the sword, many 
 shall be led away captives among the nations of the earth, 
 and Jerusalem shall be destroyed.” 
 
 4. To the second question, He said : “ Be not deceived; 
 My Gospel shall be preached in the whole world, and then 
 shall the end come. There shall be tribulations such as 
 have not been ; false Christs shall arise, and false prophets 
 shall come, doing wonders and showing signs, so as almost 
 to deceive the elect. But the end is not yet.” 
 
 5. Other signs shall appear: “The sun shall be dark¬ 
 ened, the moon shall not give her light, the stars shall fall 
 from heaven, the earth shall be moved, the sea shall roar, 
 and men shall wither away for fear of the things that are 
 to come. Then shall the sign of the Son of Man appear, 
 and He Himself shall come in His majesty; the angels 
 shall gather together the elect from the four winds. But 
 no one knows either the day or the hour, but the Father 
 alone.” 
 
 6. Thirty-seven years after this remarkable prophecy 
 concerning the destruction of Jerusalem, Titus, a Roman 
 general, came with an army and laid siege to Jerusalem. 
 The prophecy was fulfilled to the letter: the walls were 
 beaten down, the city was taken, the temple burned, and 
 the Jews were carried into captivity, never to return. 
 
 In its own time will the prophecy concerning the end 
 of the world be also fulfilled. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 60.— What did Jesus say concerning the temple ? Of 
 what did Jesus speak when lie came to Mount Olivet ? When was Jerusalem to 
 be destroyed ? What did Jesus say about the end of the world ? Who destroyed 
 Jerusalem ? When ? 
 
THE FIVE WISE AND THE FIVE FOOLISH VIRGINS. 199 
 
 61.—The Parable of the Five Wise and the 
 
 Five Foolish Virgins. 
 
 1. Jesus continued to speak to His disciples, saying : 
 “The kingdom of heaven is like to ten virgins who took 
 their lamps and went forth to meet the bridegroom. Five 
 were wise, and five were foolish. The foolish took no oil 
 with them, but the wise took oil in vessels, together with 
 their lamps. 
 
 2. 66 Whilst the bridegroom tarried, they all slept. During 
 the night, the bridegroom came, and they rose and went 
 forth to meet him. But soon the foolish virgins found 
 their lamps had gone out, and, while they went to buy 
 oil, the bridegroom entered, and the doors were shut. 
 
 3. “ At length the foolish virgins came, but could not 
 enter. When they cried out to open for them, the bride¬ 
 groom answered : 6 1 know you not: watch, for you know 
 not when the Son of Man shall come. 5 ” 
 
 Question to Chapter 61.— Tell the parable of the virgius. 
 
200 
 
 HISTOEY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 62.—The Parable of the Talents. 
 
 1. Again Jesus gave another parable : “The end of the 
 world is like to a man who went into a far country. He 
 called together his servants, and delivered to them his 
 goods. To one he gave five talents ; to another, two ; 
 and to another, one. Then lie started on his journey. 
 
 2. “Now, he that had received the five talents went 
 and traded with them till he gained other five talents. 
 In like manner, he that had received the two gained other 
 two ; but he that had received the one talent went away 
 and buried his lord’s money. 
 
 3. “After a long time the lord returned ; and he that 
 had received the five talents came and brought with him 
 the other five. When the lord saw this, he said: ‘ Well 
 done, thou good and faithful servant; because thou hast 
 been faithful over a few things, I will set thee over many 
 things; enter thou into the joy of thy lord.’ In like 
 manner the lord spoke to him that had gained the two 
 talents. 
 
 4. “ But he that had received the one talent came and 
 said: ‘ Lord, I knew thou Avert a hard man, and, being 
 afraid, I hid thy talent in the ground. Here is what is 
 thine.’ The lord reproached him for his sloth, and, 
 taking the talent from him, gave it to him who had the 
 ten talents. Then he commanded the unprofitable ser¬ 
 vant to be bound hand and foot and cast into exterior 
 darkness.” 
 
 63.—The Last Judgment. 
 
 1. Among the last of the public instructions Christ 
 gave the people, Avas a discourse on the last judgment, 
 and an exhortation to His disciples to prepare for it. 
 The negligence of men, and the little influence that the 
 mere love for God has to change the mind, rendered it 
 
 (Question to Chapter 62.—Tell the parable of the talents. 
 
THE PASCHAL LAMB. 
 
 201 
 
 necessary to add fear to the other motives for serving 
 God. 
 
 2. Jesus began by a description of the commotions that 
 would beforehand take place in the heavens and on the 
 earth ; telling how the sun, and the moon, and the stars 
 would change, and the earth tremble ; and how, after 
 this, an angel would sound the last trumpet and call the 
 dead to judgment. Then would come the Son of Man, 
 surrounded by His angels, and seated on a cloud, while 
 all the nations of the earth would be gathered before 
 Him. 
 
 3. When all mankind shall have been thus gathered 
 before Him, Jesus Christ shall send out His angels to 
 separate the good from the bad, placing the former on 
 His right hand, and the latter on His left. Then shall 
 Christ turn to the good, and say to them: “ Come, ye 
 blessed of My Father, possess the kingdom prepared for 
 you from the foundation of the world. 7 ’ 
 
 4. But He shall turn to the wicked and, with an angry 
 countenance, say: “Depart from me, ye accursed, into 
 everlasting tire, which was prepared for the devil and his 
 angels. 77 And these shall go into everlasting punishment, 
 but the just into life everlasting. 
 
 5. At His first coming, Jesus appeared in poverty and weakness, 
 but, at His second, He shall appear as a judge, surrounded by His 
 majesty, and backed by His power. The cross, now so much 
 despised, will then be the sign of His glory. 
 
 THE PASSION AND DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 64,—The Paschal Lamb. 
 
 1. On the first day of the Azymes, the Jews were com¬ 
 manded by the law of Moses to sacrifice the Paschal lamb, 
 
 Questions to Chapter 63.—Besides love, what else is needed to serve God ? 
 Describe the last judgment. What shall be done to the good ? W T hat to the bad ? 
 What is the difference between the first and the last coming of Jesus Christ ? 
 
202 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 and for eight days to eat unleavened bread. On that day* 
 Jesus told Peter and John to go and prepare the Pasch 
 for Him and His disciples. 
 
 2. They went into the city and, as Jesus had bidden 
 them, prepared the Pasch. When the evening was come, 
 Jesus sat down to table with His twelve Apostles, declar¬ 
 ing how much and how long he had desired to eat that 
 supper with them. 
 
 3. The Jewish Paschal lamb was a figure of Jesus Christ, the 
 true Paschal Lamb: for this reason Christ was, by His own will, 
 put to death on the cross, on the same day, and at the very hour, 
 that, year by year, the Jewish Paschal lamb was offered in the 
 temple. 
 
 65.—The Washing of Feet. 
 
 1. When they had all eaten, Jesus rose from the table 
 and girded Himself with a towel. Then, pouring water 
 
 into a basin, He began to wash the feet of His disciples, 
 and to wipe them with the towel. 
 
 Question to Chapter 64.—Wliat wag done on the first day of the Azymes ? 
 
CHRIST INSTITUTES THE BLESSED SACRAMENT. 203 
 
 2. When He came to Peter, the brave Apostle declared, 
 never should his Lord wash his feet; but when Jesus told 
 him it was necessary, if he would have share with Him, 
 Peter yielded. 
 
 3. After Jesus had washed the feet of the Apostles, 
 He again sat down and began to discourse to them on 
 what He had done. “The servant,” said He, “is not 
 greater than the master; and if I, who am Master, have 
 washed your feet, you also ought to wash one another’s 
 feet,” 
 
 4. When Jesus said the washing of feet was necessary, He wished 
 to show how necessary baptism and penance were. By these, sins 
 are washed away through the merits of Christ; so was the washing 
 of feet at the last supper a symbol of these sacraments. 
 
 66.—Christ Institutes the Blessed Sacrament. 
 
 1. After the washing of the Apostles’ feet, came that 
 sacred and solemn moment Christ had so long desired. 
 He was about to enter on His passion, and must fulfill 
 that promise He had before made, that “ He would give 
 His body to eat, and His blood to drink.” 
 
 2. Therefore, while they were all sitting at the table, 
 Jesus took of the bread that was before Him, and, holding 
 it in His sacred hands, lifted up His eyes to heaven ; then 
 He gave thanks, and, blessing the bread, gave it to His 
 disciples, saying : “Take ye and eat; this is My body, 
 which is given for you.” By these words Jesus changed 
 the bread into His adorable body. 
 
 3. Then He took the chalice, in which was a part of the 
 wine that had been used at the supper, and, giving thanks, 
 blessed it, and gave it also to His disciples, saying: “Drink 
 ye all of this, for Tms is My blood of the new testa¬ 
 ment, which shall be shed for many for the remission of 
 sins. Do this for a commemoration of Me.” 
 
 Questions to Chaptek 65.— Describe the washing of feet by Jesus. What 
 did Peter do and say ? Of what was the washing of feet a symbol ? 
 
204 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 4. By these words Jesus changed the wine into His 
 blood ; and, by the words, “Do this for a commemoration 
 
 of Me,” He ordained the Apostles priests, and instituted 
 for all time the august Sacrament of the altar. 
 
 Jesus is the Melchisedec of the New Law, who, as King and Priest, 
 offered Himself under the appearances of bread and wine. 
 
 67.—Jesus Foretells the Treason of Judas and 
 
 the Denial of Peter. 
 
 1. After the institution of the Blessed Sacrament, Jesus 
 became depressed and very much troubled. He knew that " 
 Judas Iscariot was about to betray Him for the paltry 
 sum of thirty pieces of silver. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 66. —Describe the institution of the Blessed Sacra¬ 
 ment? What did Christ do ? What did He say? What is Jesus in the New 
 Law ? 
 
CHRIST’S LAST DISCOURSE TO IIIS APOSTLES. 205 
 
 2. That the traitor might have no excuse, Jesus pub¬ 
 licly declared “one of them was about to betray Him.” 
 Instantly there was a commotion among the Apostles, and 
 each began to ask : “ Is it I ? ” 
 
 3. John, whom Jesus loved most tenderly, was sitting 
 by His side. Peter made a sign to him to ask Jesus of 
 whom He spoke. John, leaning on the bosom of Jesus, 
 did so. Jesus answered: “It is he to whom I shall reach 
 bread dipped; ” and, immediately dipping the bread, He 
 handed it to Judas. As soon as Judas had eaten the 
 morsel, Satan entered into him, and, going out, he con¬ 
 summated his treason. 
 
 4. When Judas was gone, Jesus said, in a very solemn 
 manner : “ Now is the Son of Man glorified, and God is 
 glorified in Him ; I will be with you only a little while.” 
 Peter, hearing this, asked “where He would go.” Jesus 
 answered: “Where I go, thou canst not follow now.” 
 Peter became very much excited, and, with great vehe¬ 
 mence, asked “why he could not follow now, as he was 
 ready to lay down his life for Him.” 
 
 5. But Jesus, turning to him, said : “Amen, amen; I 
 say to thee, this night, before the cock crow twice, thou 
 shalt deny Me thrice.” 
 
 Joseph was sold by his brothers, that he might save them in the 
 time of famine; Jesus was sold by Judas, that He might redeem 
 and save mankind. 
 
 68.—Christ’s Last Discourse to His Apostles. 
 
 1. After Judas left the supper-room, Jesus, turning to 
 the other Apostles, said: “I am about to leave you, but, 
 before I go, I give you a new commandment: Love one 
 another . Be not troubled ; I will not entirely leave you ; 
 at present I go to prepare a place for you in My Father’s 
 house ; I will come again and take you with Me. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 67.—After the institution of the Blessed Sacrament, 
 what happened to Jesus ? How did Jesus act toward Judas Iscariot ? What did 
 Judas do ? What did Jesus say to Peter ? 
 
206 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 2. “I will also ask My Father to give you another 
 Paraclete, who will teach you all things, and abide with 
 you forever. I am the way, and the truth, and the life; 
 no one can come to the Father but through Me. I am 
 the vine ; My Father is the husbandman : he that abideth 
 in Me, and I in him, shall bear much fruit. My peace I 
 leave you ; My peace I give you.” 
 
 3. When Jesus had finished with these grave and affec¬ 
 tionate words, He lifted up His eyes to heaven, and said : 
 “ Father, the hour is come; glorify Thy Son. I pray for 
 Mine ; sanctify them. I pray not for Mine only, but for 
 those also who, through their word, shall believe in Me, 
 that they may be one with Me, as You, Father, are in Me, 
 and I in Thee.” 
 
 69.—Jesus in the Garden of Gethsemani. 
 
 1. When Jesus had finished His prayer, He went with 
 His disciples, to the garden of Gethsemani, near Mount 
 Olivet. Having entered, He bade His disciples sit down 
 and rest, while He went to pray. Taking with Him 
 Peter, and James, and John, He went away a little dis¬ 
 tance. Oppressed with grief, He said: “My soul is 
 sorrowful even unto death : stay here and watch.” 
 
 2. Leaving the three Apostles, He went forward a little 
 distance, and, falling flat on the ground, prayed thus: “ 0 
 My Father ! if it is possible, let this chalice pass from Me: 
 nevertheless, not as I will, but as Thou wilt.” Then, 
 rising, He came to the Apostles ; but they were asleep. 
 Jesus left them, and went again and prayed as He had 
 done before. For the third time He prayed in the same 
 manner, saying the same words. 
 
 3. When Jesus had finished His prayer, and for the 
 third time had submitted Himself to the will of His 
 Father, He began His agony. Oppressed with the load of 
 sin that was placed upon Him, and overwhelmed with 
 
 Question to Chapter 68.— What was^Christ’s last discourse to His Apostles ? 
 
JESUS IK THE GARDEK OF GETHSEMAHI. 
 
 207 
 
 grief, His sweat became as drops of blood trickling on 
 the ground. His Father sent an angel to comfort Him. 
 
 When His agony was over, Jesus rose, and coming to His 
 disciples, said: “ Arise; let us go; he that shall betray 
 Me is at hand.” 
 
 70.—Jesus Delivered up to His Enemies. 
 
 1. Whilst Jesus was still speaking to Ilis Apostles, a 
 great multitude of the priests and people came into the 
 garden. Some carried swords in their hands; others car¬ 
 ried clubs and torches. Judas Iscariot walked at their 
 head. When Judas came to Jesus, he said: “ Hail, Rabbi,” 
 and kissed Him. 
 
 2. Jesus advanced towards the multitude and asked 
 them whom they sought. They said : “ Jesus of Naza¬ 
 reth.” He simply answered : “I am He; ” when the 
 multitude, overcome with fear, went back and fell to the 
 
 Questions to Chapter 69.—What happened in the garden of Gethsemani ? 
 What was Christ’s prayer? What is said of Ilis agony ? 
 
208 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 ground. Then Jesus said : “You have come to seize Me 
 as if I were a thief : whilst I was daily in the temple, you 
 did not touch Me.” 
 
 3. As soon as Jesus had said this, the soldiers advanced 
 and seized Him. Peter, seeing what was done to his 
 Master, drew his sword and cut off the ear of Malchus, 
 the servant of the high-priest; but Jesus bade him put 
 back his sword into the scabbard, saying that, if He 
 needed help, His Father would send Him more than 
 twelve legions of angels. 
 
 4. Jesus touched the ear of Malchus and healed it; 
 then lie delivered Himself into the hands of the soldiers, 
 who bound Him. The disciples, seeing this, fled ; Peter 
 and John alone following at a distance. 
 
 71.—Jesus before the High-priest. 
 
 1. The multitude led Jesus to the house of Annas, one 
 of the priests. There He was asked concerning His doc¬ 
 trines and disciples. Jesus simply answered, He had 
 taught openly; His words and actions were well known. 
 For this, one of the servants struck Him, asking how He 
 dared to answer thus. 
 
 2. After much abuse, Annas sent Jesus to Caiphas the 
 high-priest. Here were assembled the priests, and the 
 Scribes, and a great multitude of the people. Christ was 
 led into their midst ; false witnesses were brought in, and 
 all manner of accusations were made against Him ; they 
 were determined to put Him to death. 
 
 3. When the witnesses had been examined, Caiphas rose 
 and asked Jesus if He had any thing to say; but Jesus 
 held His peace. 
 
 Again Caiphas rose, and adjured Him by the living 
 
 Questions to Chapter 70. — Who betrayed Jesus? With what? When the 
 soldiers seized Jesus, what did Peter do ? Who alone followed Jesus? 
 
PETER DEFIES JESUS. 
 
 209 
 
 God to tell whether He was the Christ, the Son of God. 
 Jesus answered: 
 
 “I am” 
 
 4. The high- 
 priest, hearing 
 this, rent his gar¬ 
 ments, and de¬ 
 clared there was 
 no n£ed of fur¬ 
 ther evidence ; 
 all had heard the 
 blasphemy, and, 
 by their law% He, 
 who made Him¬ 
 self God, de¬ 
 served death. He then asked what they thought. They 
 all cried out, “ He is worthy of death.” 
 
 72.—Peter Denies Jesus. 
 
 1. Whilst Jesus was before the tribunal of the high- 
 priest, Peter remained in the hall, among the soldiers, 
 warming himself. One of the servants of the higli-priest 
 came to him and accused him of being not only a follower 
 of Jesus, but of having been in the garden with Him. 
 Peter declared he knew Him not; and the cock crew. 
 
 2. A short time after this, another servant, seeing Peter, 
 said to those that were standing about: “ This man was 
 also with Jesus.” Peter again denied, and swore with an 
 oath that he knew not Jesus. 
 
 3. About an hour after this, a friend of Match us, whose 
 ear Peter had cut off, also charged him with being a dis¬ 
 ciple of Jesus ; but Peter began to swear he knew not the 
 man. The cock crew r the second time. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 71.—Where was Jesns led ? AVhat was Jesus asked ? 
 What was done to Him ? What was done at the house of Caiphas ? 
 
210 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 4. At that moment Jesus was led through the hall. 
 Turning, He looked at Peter, who remembered what 
 Christ had said to him in the early part of the evening : 
 “Before the cock crow twice, thou slialt deny Me thrice.” 
 Peter went out and wept bitterly. 
 
 It is related in history that after his denial of Christ 
 Peter always wept when he heard a cock crow, and so 
 frequent were his tears that they made furrows in his 
 cheeks. 
 
 5. Man is very weak : Peter saw His Master on Tliabor, and yet 
 denied Him in the judgment hall. Had lie prayed in the garden, he 
 would not have been so timid in trial: let us, therefore, watch and 
 pray. 
 
 73.—The Despair of Judas. 
 
 1. When Judas saw that Jesus was condemned to death, 
 he repented of what lie had done. Going to the chief 
 priests, he threw down the thirty pieces of silver, declaring 
 he had betrayed innocent blood ; then he went out and 
 hanged himself. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 7*2.—Tell liow Peter denied Jesus. What is said of 
 Peter’s after life ? 
 
JESUS BEFORE PILATE AND HEROD. 
 
 211 
 
 2. The priests, taking the money, bought with it a 
 potters-field, in which to bury strangers, for it was not 
 lawful to put blood-money in the treasury of the temple. 
 This field was called by the Jews Haceldama; that is, the 
 field of blood . 
 
 74.—Jesus Insulted. 
 
 • _ 
 
 1. After Jesus was condemned by the great council, the 
 soldiers took Him into a large hall, and there began to 
 mock Him and to spit upon Him. Blindfolding Him, 
 they buffeted Him, and then tauntingly asked who struck 
 Him ; yet, in the midst of their blasphemies, their jeers, 
 and their scoffs, Jesus remained silent—a wonder to men 
 and angels. 
 
 75.—Jesus before Pilate and Herod. 
 
 1. As soon as it was day, the great council of the Jews 
 assembled, and again condemned Jesus to death. But, 
 Judea being at that time a Roman province, the Jews Avere 
 forbidden to inflict punishment of death on any one, until 
 they had received the permission of the governor. They, 
 therefore, dragged Jesus before Pontius Pilate, who was 
 then governor of Judea. 
 
 2. When Jesus Avas brought before him, Pilate asked 
 what was the accusation against Him. The multitude 
 cried out: “ He is a seditious man; He forbids the people 
 to pay tribute to Caesar, and, moreover, declares He is 
 Christ, the King.” 
 
 3. Pilate asked Jesus if He Avere a king. He declared 
 He Avas, but that His kingdom Avas not of this world. 
 When Pilate heard this, he said to the people : “ I find 
 
 Questions to Chapter 73.— How did Judas act? AVhat was done with the 
 money ? 
 
 I » 
 
 Questions to Chapter 74.—What insults were heaped upon Jesus? How 
 did Jesus act ? 
 
212 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 no fault in the man.” But they only cried out the more: 
 “ He is a disturber of the peace, from Galilee even to 
 Jerusalem.” 
 
 4. Pilate, hearing of Galilee, asked if Jesus were a 
 Galilean. Learning He was, Pilate sent Him to Herod, 
 governor of Galilee, who was then in Jerusalem attending 
 the Paschal feast. When Herod saw Jesus, he was very 
 much pleased. He had heard a great deal about Him, 
 and now hoped to see some miracle. 
 
 5. But, when cpiestioned, Jesus remained silent. Herod, 
 seeing that his idle curiosity would not be gratified, mocked 
 our Savior, and, in derision, clothing Him in a white gar¬ 
 ment, sent Him back to Pilate. That same day Herod 
 and Pilate were reconciled to each other, having before 
 been enemies. 
 
 76.—Jesus and Barabbas. 
 
 1. During the whole of Christ’s trial, Pilate strove to 
 save Him, because he saw Jesus was innocent. But Pilate 
 was a weak man, and feared to resist popular opinion. 
 To add to his embarrassment, his wife had a dream which 
 frightened her very much, and, while Pilate was sitting in 
 the judgment hall, she sent him a message to have nothing 
 to do with Jesus, because He was a just man. 
 
 2. There was a custom among the Jews that, on the 
 feast of the Pasch, the governor should release any pris¬ 
 oner whom the people chose. Pilate, hoping to save 
 Jesus, presented for their choice Jesus or Barabbas. Now 
 Barabbas was a thief and an assassin. 
 
 3. The priests and the ancients persuaded the people to 
 demand the release of Barabbas, and the death of Jesus; 
 so, when Pilate again asked whom would he release, they 
 
 Questions to Chapter 75.—What did the great council do ? What could the 
 Jews not do ? Why ? Before whom was Christ dragged ? What accusations 
 were made against Him ? To whom did Pilate send Jesus ? How did Herod 
 treat Jesus ? 
 
JESUS SCOURGED AND CROWNED WITH THORNS. 213 
 
 cried out: “Barabbas;” and when he asked what he 
 would do with Jesus, they cried out: “Crucify Him.” 
 
 4. Barabbas is a picture of sin. Man disobeys, and, by liis sin, 
 drives the grace of God from liis soul ; thus, in a certain sense, 
 killing tlie soul. Jesus came to free man from sin, and, by His 
 sufferings, pay the ransom for all sin. 
 
 77.—Jesus is Scourged and Crowned with 
 
 Thorns. 
 
 1. Pilate still hoped to save Jesus from death, and, at 
 the same time, satisfy the people ; he, therefore, ordered 
 Jesus to be scourged. The soldiers led our blessed Savior 
 
 out of the hall into a court-yard. There they stripped 
 Him, and, tying Him to a pillar, scourged Him. 
 
 2. After this, mocking Him, they put a purple garment 
 on Him, and, platting a crown of thorns, put it on His 
 head. For a scepter, they put a reed in His hand, and. 
 
 Question to Chapter 7ti.—Tell the story of Jesus and Barabbas. 
 
214 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 coming, bowed the knee before Him, saying : “ Hail, 
 King of the Jews.” They also spat on Him, and, taking 
 the reed, struck Him with it; thus driving the thorns 
 deeper into His head. 
 
 78.—Jesus is Condemned to Death. 
 
 1. Pilate, seeing the pitiable condition to which Jesus 
 was reduced, thought the sight of Him would appease the 
 malice of the Jews. For this reason, he led the Son of 
 God out on a high balcony, and, presenting Him in all 
 His misery, said: “Behold the Man.” But the barbarous, 
 blood-thirsty people only cried out the more: “Crucify 
 Him, crucify Him ! ” 
 
 2. Pilate still continued irresolute, and hesitated what 
 to do. But when the leaders of the people came and said 
 to him, if he released Jesus, he was no friend of Caesar’s, 
 he seems to have made up his mind. Hoping to quiet the 
 stings of his conscience, he took a basin of water and, 
 going before the multitude, washed his hands, saying : 
 “ I am innocent of the blood of this just Man.” But the 
 people cried out: “His blood be upon us, and upon our 
 children.” 
 
 3. For eighteen hundred years has the blood of Christ 
 been upon the Jews. Driven from Judea—without coun¬ 
 try, without home—strangers amongst strangers—hated, 
 yet feared—have they wandered from nation to nation, 
 bearing with them the visible signs of God’s curse. Like 
 Cain, marked with a mysterious sign, they shall continue 
 to wander till the end of the world. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 77.—Tell how Christ was scourged. After scourging 
 Him what was done ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 78.—What did Pilate do with Jesus on the balcony? 
 What did the people say? What argument did the leaders use to persuade 
 Pilate to condemn Jesus ? What is said of the blood of Jesus, and the 
 Jews ? 
 
THE JOURNEY TO CALVARY. 
 
 215 
 
 79.—The Journey to Calvary. 
 
 1. Pilate, seeing lie could not prevail upon the people, 
 at last passed sentence of death upon Jesus. Then the 
 soldiers took Him, and, placing a heavy cross on His 
 wounded shoulders, led Him forth to Calvary. This was 
 the usual place for the execution of criminals. 
 
 2. As Jesus passed through the streets, His strength 
 failed, and He fell several times. Hi's executioners, seeing 
 
 He could not carry the cross any further, compelled Simon 
 the Cyrene, whom they met on the way, to take it up and 
 carry it to Calvary. Together with Jesus, two thieves 
 were also led forth to be crucified. 
 
 3. Amongst the crowd that accompanied Jesus, were 
 many women, weeping and lamenting. Turning to them, 
 He strove to console them, and, in the kindest words, 
 bade them weep not for Him, but for themselves, and for 
 their children. 
 
 4. What a sublime example of patience Christ gave in 
 
216 
 
 HISTOKY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 His passion ! Condemned unjustly, He nevertheless, 
 without a murmur, takes His cross ; treated with the 
 utmost cruelty and inhumanity, He complains not. So 
 ought we to act when trials are sent to us, or men perse¬ 
 cute us. 
 
 80.—Jesus is Nailed to the Cross. 
 
 1. When Jesus reached Calvary, the soldiers offered 
 Him wine, mixed with gall. This draught helped to render 
 the agony of crucifixion less keen, by deadening the feel¬ 
 ing of sense. But Jesus refused to drink, being deter¬ 
 mined to suffer unshrinkingly all his Father had decreed. 
 
 2. He was then stripped of His garments and nailed to 
 the cross. On each side of Jesus was crucified one of the 
 thieves that had been led forth with Him. The soldiers 
 divided His garments amongst them, but for His coat 
 they cast lots. 
 
 3. This coat of our Savior was a figure of His Church. • 
 Wove from top to bottom without seam : so is the Church 
 without division — one, and indivisible. 
 
 81.—Jesus on the Cross. 
 
 1. At length Jesus was raised up, and hung suspended 
 by His wounds. How cruel were His torments, whilst 
 His blood ran in streams to the ground ! But the Jews 
 remained unmoved; nay, they even mocked Him, and, in 
 derision, cried out: “Vah! You, who said You could 
 destroy the temple of God, and in three days rebuild it, 
 come down from the cross, if You be the Son of God.” 
 
 Questions to Chapter 79.—Who passed sentence of death on Jesus ? What 
 was placed on Christ’s shoulders? What happened on the way to Calvary? 
 Who carried the cross? Who were in the crowd? What did Jesus say to the 
 women ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 80.—What was done to Jesus on Calvary? Who 
 were crucified with Jesus ? What was done with his garments ? 
 
MARY AT THE FOOT OF THE CROSS. 
 
 217 
 
 The only answer Jesus made was a prayer for their for¬ 
 giveness : “Father,” said He, “forgive them, for they 
 know not what they do.” 
 
 2. One of the thieves who was hanging at His side also 
 began to blaspheme, and, chiding, bade Him, if He were 
 the Christ, to save Himself and them. But the other 
 thief remonstrated: “We,” said he, “suffer justly, but 
 this Man unjustly.” Then he turned to Jesus and asked 
 to be remembered by Him. Jesus said : “This day thou 
 slialt be with Me in paradise.” 
 
 3. In this history of the penitent thief vve have one of the best 
 examples of the power of prayer—one repentant word, and he is 
 saved. In the desert, Moses set up a brazen serpent, upon which 
 those who were bitten looked, and were cured; on Calvary, Jesus 
 hung upon the cross, that those who look upon Him in faith and 
 love may be cured of the wounds of the soul. 
 
 82.—Mary at the Foot of the Cross. 
 
 1. Whilst Jesus was hanging upon the cross, Mary, His 
 mother, and John the Apostle, came and stood at its foot. 
 When Jesus saw them, He said to His mother : “ Woman, 
 behold thy son ! ” then He said to John: “Behold thy 
 mother ! ” and from that hour John took the Blessed 
 Virgin under his care. 
 
 2. As formerly the heroic mother of the Machabees 
 stood encouraging her seven sons to die bravely for their 
 religion, so did Mary stand at the foot of the cross. Then, 
 indeed, was Simeon’s prophecy fulfilled ; truly, a sword 
 of sorrow pierced her heart. In John, every Christian 
 was given as a child to Mary. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 81—What is said of Jesus on the cross ? How did 
 the Jews act ? How did Jesus answer them ? What happened to one of the 
 thieves? What example does the penitent thief give us? What is said of the 
 brazen serpent and the' cross ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 82.—What is said of Mary and Johr at the foot of 
 the cross ? 
 
 A 
 
 i 
 
218 
 
 HISTOEY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT 
 
 83.—Jesus Dies upon the Cross. 
 
 1. About noon of the day on which Christ was crucified, 
 the whole earth was covered with darkness. This con¬ 
 tinued for three hours. In the midst of this general 
 gloom, and, as life was ebbing away, Jesus, seeing that 
 God had withdrawn His consolations from Him, cried 
 out: “ My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken me ?” 
 
 2. After this, Jesus said : “ I thirst. 55 A soldier dipped 
 a sponge in vinegar, and, putting it on a reed, gave Him 
 to drink. When Jesus had tasted the vinegar, He said, 
 “ It is consummated,’ 2 3 * 5 and, bowing down His head, died. 
 
 3. At the moment Christ died, nature shook to her 
 
 centre; the earth trembled, the rocks were split, the 
 graves were opened, and the dead arose ; the vail of the 
 temple was rent from the top to the bottom. When the 
 
 centurion and the guard of soldiers that stood round the 
 
JESUS IS LAID IN THE TOMB. 
 
 219 
 
 cross saw this, they cried out: “ Indeed, this was the Son 
 of God.” The multitude returned to Jerusalem, striking 
 their breasts, and wondering at what they had seen. 
 
 4. At length, man’s Redemption is accomplished; Christ has tri¬ 
 umphed. His extended arms show the extent of His love, and His 
 wounds are the fountains from whence grace flows to pay the debt 
 of sin. With Christ’s death, ended the law of Moses; hence, the 
 vail of the temple, which had heretofore separated the people from 
 the sanctuary, was torn, as a sign that Christ had opened the way 
 to heaven. The bloody sacrifices of Moses had passed away—the 
 shadow was gone—and, in their stead, was substituted the only 
 true and real sacrifice, Jesus Christ. 
 
 84.—Jesus is Laid in the Tomb. 
 
 1. Christ was crucified on the eve of the Sabbath. 
 That the bodies of the criminals might not remain ex¬ 
 posed to view during the Paschal solemnities, the soldiers 
 broke the legs of the two thieves, that they might die the 
 sooner. But when they came to Jesus, He was already 
 dead, so they did not break His legs, but one of them 
 opened His side with a spear. Immediately there ran 
 forth blood and water. 
 
 2. Towards evening, Joseph of Aremithea, a member of 
 the great Jewish council, but a secret believer in Christ, 
 came to Pilate and asked for the body of Jesus. Pilate 
 having granted his prayer, Joseph and Nicodemus came 
 and took the body from the cross. They then embalmed 
 it with precious perfumes, and, wrapping it in white 
 linen cloths, laid it in a sepulcher. This sepulcher was 
 cut in a rock, and situated in a garden near Calvary. 
 
 3. The chief priests and Pharisees, though they had 
 apparently conquered, were not at ease. They remem¬ 
 bered well that Jesus had foretold His death, and how He 
 would rise again on the third day. Fearing that, possibly, 
 
 Questions to Chapter 83.— What happened at noon of the day Christ was 
 crucified? What did Jesus say just before he died? What happened when 
 Christ died ? 
 
220 
 
 HISTOltY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT 
 
 the Apostles might steal the body and declare that He 
 had risen, they came to Pilate and asked him to place 
 
 hi s seal upon the tomb, and set a guard to watch it. He 
 did so. ^ 
 
 4. Eve, the mother of mankind, was taken from Adam’s side; so 
 the Church* our spiritual mother, came forth from the side of 
 Christ. It was forbidden to break the bones of the Paschal lamb ; 
 neither were the bones of Jesus Christ, the true Paschal Lamb, 
 broken. In all things, even the smallest, we see the fulfillment 
 not only of the prophecies, but of the types and figures that fore¬ 
 told the life and death of Christ. 
 
 THE GLORIOUS LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 85.—The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. 
 
 1. The body of Jesus Christ was two days in the tomb. 
 On the morning of the third, the guards were startled by 
 
 Questions to Chapter 84—What was done to the thieves? What did one 
 of the soldiers do ? What ran from Christ’s side ? W 7 ho asked for Christ’s body ? 
 What was done with it ? How was the tomb guarded ? What is said of Eve and 
 the Church ? 
 
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 221 
 
 an earthquake, that shook the ground, and the sudden 
 appearance of an angel, that rolled back the stone from 
 the mouth of the sepulcher. Their wonder knew no 
 bounds when they saw Jesus coming forth from the tomb, 
 His face shining as the sun. For the moment, in terror, 
 they fell to the ground ; then, rising, fled into Jeru¬ 
 salem. 
 
 2. Early in the morning of the third day, Mary Mag¬ 
 dalene, and Mary, the mother of James and Salome, came 
 to the tomb, that they might embalm the body of Jesus. 
 
 9 
 
 On the way, they began to consider how they would roll 
 back the stone that closed up the door of the sepulcher. 
 No wonder, when they arrived and found, not only the 
 stone rolled back, but the tomb empty, they were over¬ 
 come with astonishment. 
 
 3. As soon as Mary Magdalene saw how matters stood, 
 she hastened back and told the Apostles, but the other 
 women remained. Stooping down, to look into the tomb, 
 they saw an angel, who bade them fear not, for Jesus was 
 
222 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMEHT. 
 
 risen, and had gone before them into Galilee, where they 
 would see Him. The angel told them also to hasten to 
 the Apostles, and more particularly to Peter, and tell 
 them the news. 
 
 4. These pious women had. hardly left the place, when 
 Peter and John came. They had doubted Mary Magda¬ 
 lene s word, and came to see for themselves. John arrived 
 first, but Peter entered first. Finding nothing but the 
 linens in which the body had been wrapped, they hastened 
 back to tell the others. 
 
 5. As He foretold, Jesus remained among the dead as long as 
 Jonas had been in the whale’s belly. Though dead, His sacred 
 body was not corrupted, for long before had the psalmist declared: 
 “ Thy Holy One shall not see corruption.” 
 
 Jesus was not raised from the dead—He rose by His own power ; 
 and, as His body rose glorious and transformed, so shall the bodies 
 of the just rise. Since the resurrection of Christ, His tomb has 
 remained, and ever will remain, an object of reverence and love to 
 the Christian world. 
 
 86.—Jesus Appears to Mary Magdalene. 
 
 1. Scarce had Peter and John left the sepulcher, when 
 Mary Magdalene arrived. Overwhelmed with sorrow at 
 the loss of the body of her Master, she entered the sepul¬ 
 cher. Here she met an angel, who asked her why she 
 wept. She answered: “They have taken away the body 
 of my Lord, and I know not where they have laid it.” 
 
 2. When she had said this, not knowing it was an angel 
 to whom she spoke, she left the sepulcher. As she came 
 out, she met Jesus, but did not know Him. Thinking 
 He was the gardener, she asked Him where the body was. 
 But Jesus simply said, “Mary,” when she recognized 
 Him, and threw herself at His feet. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 85.— How long was the body of Jesus in the tomb ? 
 What happened on the third day? Who came to the tomb? What did they 
 find ? What is said of Mary Magdalene ? What of the other women ? What did 
 Peter and John ao ? What is said of Jesus and Jonas? What of the tomb of 
 Christ ? 
 
THE RESURRECTION OF JESUS ANNOUNCED. 223 
 
 3. Jesus then told her to hasten and tell the Apostles, 
 for He was about to ascend to His Father. Having dis¬ 
 
 appeared from her sight, Mary came to the disciples; 
 hut they would neither believe that she had seen the 
 Lord, nor that He was risen. 
 
 87.—The Resurrection of Jesus is Announced to 
 
 the Chief Priests. 
 
 1. When the guards fled from the sepulcher, they 
 hastened to the city to tell what had happened. The 
 chief priests having heard the startling news, assembled 
 the rulers of the people to consider what steps they should 
 take. 
 
 2. They saw that, if the news went among the people 
 that Jesus was risen from the dead, all their schemes to 
 discredit Him would be forever destroyed : so they called 
 
 Questions to Chapter 86. —What is said of Mary Magdalene ? Whom did 
 she meet? How did she recognize Jesus? What message did Jesus give her? 
 How did the Apostles receive her? 
 
224 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 tlie guards before them, and promised to give them money 
 if they would only agree to say: “The disciples of Jesus 
 came, while they slept, and stole the body away.” The 
 soldiers took the money and did as they were required. 
 
 88.—Jesus Appears to Two Disciples while they 
 
 were going to Emmaus. 
 
 1. Towards evening of the day Jesus rose from the 
 dead, two of Ilis disciples were going to Emmaus, a little 
 village, about two leagues from Jerusalem. On the way 
 they talked of what had happened during the past days. 
 
 2. Jesus came near them and began to speak to them, 
 but they did not recognize Him. Remarking how sad 
 they were, one of them, named Cleophas, asked Him if 
 He were a stranger, or how came it that He had not heard 
 what had happened at Jerusalem. 
 
 3. They then told Him of Jesus; how they had believed 
 He was the Messiah, and what great hopes had been 
 founded on Him ; but, just as they thought His power 
 about to be established, the chiefs of the Jews had seized 
 upon Him and crucified Him ; and this was, moreover, 
 the third day since He had been laid in the tomb. They 
 added also, strange rumors were afloat that He was again 
 risen. 
 
 4. When they had finished, Jesus began with the proph¬ 
 ecies of Moses, and, continuing through the prophets, 
 explained to them the things that related to Himself, 
 showing it was necessary for Christ to suffer as He had. 
 
 As they drew near the town, He pretended to go fur¬ 
 ther ; but they pressed -Him to remain with them, as it 
 was evening. 
 
 5. Yielding to their wishes, He sat down to table with 
 them. He took bread, and blessed it, and gave it to them. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 87.—What did the chief priests do ? What bargain 
 did they make with the soldiers ? 
 
JESUS INSTITUTES THE SACRAMENT OE PENANCE. 225 
 
 Their eyes were opened, and they knew Him ; but lie 
 immediately vanished from their sight. 
 
 6. After His resurrection, Jesus showed Himself no more to tlie 
 Jews ; they had rejected Him and resisted all His efforts to convert 
 them ; He appeared only to His disciples. 
 
 In like manner to-day He comes to those who, with a good heart, 
 receive Him, but abandons those who despise his warnings and 
 reject His graces. 
 
 89.—Jesus Appears to the Apostles. 
 
 1. After Jesus had disappeared, the two disciples rose 
 and hastened back to Jerusalem. Here they found the 
 eleven Apostles in a great state of excitement, for Peter 
 had just come in, declaring he had seen the Lord. Then 
 the two disciples told how they also had seen Him, and 
 how they had known Him in the breaking of bread. 
 
 2. Whilst they were yet speaking, Jesus entered the 
 room in which they were all assembled, the doors being 
 shut. He said to them : “ Peace be to you.” And when 
 the Apostles were doubting and troubled, fearing it was 
 a spirit they saw, Jesus showed them His hands and His 
 feet, and bade them touch Him, and convince themselves 
 that it was not a spirit they saw. They still doubting, 
 He took a piece of broiled fish, and a part of a honey¬ 
 comb, and eat it before them. 
 
 90.—Jesus Institutes the Sacrament of Penance. 
 
 1. When at last the Apostles were convinced it was the 
 Lord they saw, Jesus repeated His salutation of peace be 
 to them. He added besides : “As the Father hath sent 
 Me, I also send you ” Then He breathed upon them, and 
 said: “Receive ye the Holy Ghost: whose sins you shall 
 
 Questions to Chapter 88.—Tell what happened to the two disciples on the 
 way to Emmaus. How did they recognize Jesus ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 89.—To whom else did Jesus appear? How? How 
 did Jesus prove He was not a spirit ? 
 
226 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 forgive, they are forgiven them ; and whose sins you shall 
 retain, they are retained them.” 
 
 2. In these two commissions conferred upon the Apostles, we 
 have the most unqualified proof of the divinity of the Catholic 
 Church and the power of the Catholic priesthood. The Apostles 
 were mortal, hut the Church is immortal ; hence, these powers 
 were conferred not only on the Apostles, but were, through them, 
 to descend to their legitimate successors, the bishops and priests of 
 the Catholic Church. 
 
 3. From the beginning, the bishops and priests have claimed the 
 power to forgive sins; but it is a power they can only exercise in 
 the administration of the Sacrament of Penance. 
 
 91.—Jesus and St. Thomas. 
 
 1. Thomas, one of the Apostles, was absent when Jesns 
 appeared to the others. But Thomas would not believe 
 on their word, and even declared that, unless with his 
 own eyes he saw the marks of the nails in the hands and 
 feet of Jesus, and put his hand into the side of Jesus, he 
 would not believe. 
 
 2. Eight days after this, the Apostles were assembled, 
 and Thomas with them. Again Jesus entered, the doors 
 being shut. Jesus then bade Thomas look at His wounds, 
 and put his hand into His side. 
 
 3. When Thomas saw Jesus, he fell down on his knees 
 and cried out: “ My Lord, and my God.” But Jesus said 
 to him : “Because thou hast seen Me, Thomas, thou hast 
 believed; blessed are they that have not seen Me, and 
 have believed.” 
 
 92.—Peter is Appointed Chief Pastor. 
 
 1. In obedience to the command of Jesus, the Apostles 
 left Jerusalem and went into Galilee. Here Jesus appeared 
 
 Questions to Chapter 90.—Tell how Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Pen¬ 
 ance. How is the divinity of the Catholic Church proved ? How is the power of 
 the priesthood shown ? In what sacrament are sins forgiven ? 
 
 Question to Chapter 91.—What is said of Jesus and Thomas ? 
 
PETER IS APPOINTED CHIEF PASTOR. 
 
 227 
 
 to them at Lake Genesareth, and again their nets were 
 filled with a miraculous draught of fishes. 
 
 2. After they had all dined, Jesus said to Peter: 
 “ Simon, lovest thou Me more than these ?” And upon 
 Peter declaring how much he did love Him, Jesus said : 
 “Feed My lambs.” This same question was repeated 
 
 until the third time, when Jesus said : “ Feed My 
 sheep.” 
 
 3. By the lambs and the sheep, are meant the faithful and the 
 pastors of the Church. There is something remarkable in the man¬ 
 ner in which Christ treats Peter : Christ enters Peter’s ship ; Peter 
 is called the rock ; Peter is commissioned to confirm the other 
 Apostles; Christ prays for Peter ; and, in all the lists of the Apos¬ 
 tles, Peter is always named first. 
 
 This primacy continues in the Catholic Church, and is found in 
 the Popes, who are the legitimate successors of Peter. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 92. — What happened at Lake Genesareth? What 
 power was conferred on Peter ? How did Christ treat Peter ? In whom is the 
 primacy found ? 
 
228 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 93.—The Promise of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 1. After this, Jesus appeared several times to His 
 Apostles, instructing them, and directing them in their 
 future labors. He spoke to them more in detail of the 
 nature and destiny of His Church; of her developments 
 and establishment upon earth. 
 
 2. On the fortieth day after His resurrection, Jesus 
 appeared, for the last time on earth, to His Apostles, 
 who were then all assembled at Jerusalem. Amongst 
 other things, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem 
 for a few days, but to remain till the Holy Ghost should 
 come upon them ; after which they should go forth to 
 bear testimony of Him—not only in Jerusalem and Judea, 
 but even to the end of the earth.—This promise was ful¬ 
 filled ten days after, when the Holy Ghost came, in the 
 form of fiery tongues, and sat upon the Apostles. 
 
 94.—Christ’s Last Commission to His Apostles— 
 
 His Ascension. 
 
 1. After Jesus had finished speaking, He led His 
 Apostles out to Mount Olivet. There He said to them : 
 “ All power is given to Me in heaven and in earth : go 
 into the whole world and preach the Gospel to all nations, 
 baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, 
 and of the Holy Ghost: and behold, I am with you all 
 days, even to the consummation of the world.’ 5 
 
 2. Jesus, having finished speaking, lifted up His hands 
 and blessed His Apostles. Whilst in the very act of bless¬ 
 ing them, He slowly rose from the earth and ascended into 
 heaven, where He . sits, and will forever sit, on the right 
 hand of His Father. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 93.—On what did Christ more particularly instruct 
 His Apostles ? What happened on the fortieth day ? What command did Christ 
 give the Apostles ? 
 
Christ’s last commission—his ascension. 220 
 
 Lost in wonder, and overwhelmed with sorrow, the 
 Apostles continued to gaze upon Him as He ascended, 
 until a cloud coming, concealed Him from their sight. 
 
 3. While the Apostles were still looking up to heaven, 
 two angels, clad in white robes, came and said to them : 
 “ This Jesus, whom you have seen ascending into heaven, 
 shall come again.” 
 
 The Apostles, hearing this, fell upon the ground and 
 adored God ; then, rising, returned to Jerusalem to await 
 the fulfillment of the promises made to them. 
 
 4. Elias was a figure of Christ. This prophet was carried up to 
 heaven in a fiery chariot; and, according to the prophecy of Mala- 
 chias, He will come again on earth just before the last day. 
 
 Adam, by sin, drew man from God; Christ, by His ascension, 
 raised man’s thoughts to heaven, and held out the hope of a blessed 
 eternity. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 94. —What was the last commission Christ pave His 
 Apostles ? From what Mount did Christ ascend ? Tell what happened to the 
 Apostles. What is said of Elias and Adam ? 
 
230 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 95.—An Observation. 
 
 1. All that has been here related of the life of our 
 blessed Saviour — what He did, and what He said — is 
 found in the four Gospels. But w T e must not conclude 
 from this that Jesus did nothing nor said any thing 
 besides. 
 
 2. It is a part of Catholic teaching that Christ said many 
 things and did much that is not related in the sacred 
 Scriptures; nay, we have it on the authority of St. John 
 himself, in the last chapter of his Gospel, that Jesus did 
 so many things besides what have been recorded, that he 
 verily believed, if they were all written, the world could 
 not contain the books in which they should be written. 
 
 -*988*- 
 
 PAR T SECOND. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTLES. 
 
 ---—■ 
 
 96. — A Preliminary Remark. 
 
 1. Jesus Christ came into the world that He might 
 destroy the power of the devil and, in its place, establish 
 the kingdom of God; hence, at His ascension, He left 
 His Church small, it is true, but yet complete, that, like 
 a grain of mustard-seed, it might grow until it had filled 
 the whole world. 
 
 2. This growth and expansion of the Church was first 
 begun in Judea, and afterwards extended to the whole 
 world, under and by the Apostles themselves, whose history 
 we are about to relate in the following chapters. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 95.—What is said in this chapter ? What is a part of 
 Catholic teaching ? 
 
 Question to Chapter 90.—What is said of the rise and development of the 
 Church ? 
 
THE DESCENT OF THE HOLY GHOST. 
 
 231 
 
 97.— The Election of the Apostle Matthias, 
 
 1. After the ascension, the Apostles remained at Jeru¬ 
 salem, as they had been commanded. For ten days they 
 continued in prayer, the Blessed Virgin and many of the 
 disciples being with them. They occupied an upper 
 room — called among Eastern nations, a Genaculum . 
 Here, in all, were assembled about a hundred and 
 twenty persons. 
 
 2. It was during this time Peter rose and proposed 
 that, as Judas Iscariot had proved false to his apostleship, 
 another be chosen in his stead. The* proposition was 
 approved, and, having prayed to God, lots were cast, 
 and Matthias, one of the disciples, chosen. 
 
 98.—The Descent of the Holy Ghost. 
 
 1. Ten days after the ascension of Jesus Christ, was 
 celebrated the Jewish Pentecost. On this day, while the 
 Apostles and disciples were still within the upper chamber, 
 suddenly there was heard the sound, as if it were, of a 
 great wind coming from heaven. At the same time there 
 appeared cloven tongues of fire, that sat upon each one 
 present. 
 
 2. In a moment all were filled with the Holy Ghost. 
 No longer timid or fearful, the Apostles sallied forth to 
 preach Christ, and Him crucified. 
 
 Jerusalem was filled with strangers who had come up 
 from all parts of the world to celebrate the feast of Pente¬ 
 cost. Soon the news spread abroad, and, in a short time, 
 an immense multitude assembled round the house in 
 which the Apostles were. But what was their astonish¬ 
 ment, when each one heard the Apostles speaking in his 
 own tongue ! 
 
 - -_i_—--—_ 
 
 Questions to Chapter 97.—After the ascension, what was done ? What did 
 Peter do ? Who w r as chosen ? 
 
3. Amazed and confounded, they asked: “ Are not 
 these Galileans who speak? and how comes it that we 
 every one hear our own tongue ? ” But others said : 
 “They are full of new wine.” 
 
 4. Then Peter rose, and, standing with the eleven, said: 
 
 “Men of Judea, and all you that dwell in Jerusalem, 
 know that these men are not drunk, hut in them are 
 fulfilled the words of the prophet Joel: ‘And it shall 
 come to pass and I will pour out My Spirit upon all 
 flesh. ? . tlS 
 
 5. “ Moreover, this also hear : Jesus of Nazareth, a 
 man who, by the wonders and miracles He wrought in 
 your midst, proved Himself sent by God, was crucified 
 and put to death by wicked men ; but now He is in 
 heaven, seated at the right hand of God. It is He that 
 has poured out His Spirit upon us, as you see ; and it is 
 certain that Jesus is the Savior and the Lord of heaven 
 and earth.” 
 
 6. 'When the multitude heard this, they were touched 
 with compunction, and asked Peter what they would do, 
 
PETER CURES THE LAME MAN. 
 
 But he answered : “Do penance, and be baptized in the 
 name of Jesus Christ.” 
 
 On this occasion about three thousand were baptized. 
 With them began that miraculous expansion of the Church 
 that, increasing day by day, ended in the conversion of 
 the world and the establishment of Christianity. 
 
 7. On the day of Pentecost the Holy Ghost enlightened the minds 
 of the multitude, that they might understand the Apostles ; but at 
 Babel God confounded the multitude, that, by the confusion of 
 tongues, their pride might be humbled, and their vain project 
 stopped. 
 
 8. The first Jewish Pentecost was celebrated at Mount Sinai, 
 amid thunder and lightning. There God proclaimed the Old Law. 
 On the first Christian Pentecost, the Holy Ghost came in the form 
 of fiery tongues, that He might confirm and give testimony of the 
 New Law. 
 
 The Jewish Pentecost was celebrated during the harvest feast; 
 on the first Christian Pentecost the Holy Ghost reaped a rich harvest 
 of converts among the Jews. 
 
 99.—Peter Cures the Lame Man. 
 
 1. Shortly after Peter’s first sermon to the Jews, and 
 the miraculous conversion of the three thousand, Peter 
 and John went up to the temple to pray. A man, who 
 had been lame from his birth, was every day carried by 
 his friends and laid at one of the gates of the temple, that 
 he might beg alms from those who entered. 
 
 2. When this man saw Peter and John entering, lie 
 begged an alms from them. Peter said to him : “ Gold or 
 silver, I have none to give, but what I have I will give: 
 in the name of Jesus Christ, rise and walk.” 
 
 On the spot, the man rose, and, leaping for joy, entered 
 the temple praising God. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 98.—When was Pentecost celebrated ? What hap¬ 
 pened to the Apostles? Who were in Jerusalem? What caused astonishment ? 
 What did Peter say ? What did the people do ? How many were converted at 
 Peter’s first sermon ? What is said of the Jewish, and what of the Christian 
 Pentecost ? 
 
234 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 3. When the multitude saw this, they stood confounded 
 
 and amazed. 
 Peter, seeing 
 their astonish¬ 
 ment, said: 
 “ Why do you 
 wonder at 
 this ? or why 
 do you look at 
 us as if by our 
 power we had 
 made this 
 man to walk ? 
 Know, it is in 
 the name and 
 by the power 
 of Jesus of Nazareth that this man walks. ” 
 
 This discourse, and the sight of the miracle that had 
 been wrought, produced so great an impression on the 
 multitude that five thousand people were converted and 
 baptized. 
 
 100. — Peter and John before the Great Council. 
 
 1. Whilst Peter and John were yet speaking to the 
 people, the priests and the officers commanding in the 
 temple came to them. Enraged to find the Apostles 
 openly teaching, they laid hands on them and cast them 
 into prison. 
 
 2. On the following day the chief priests assembled in 
 the council hall. Peter and John, being brought in, were 
 asked by what power they had cured the lame man. Peter 
 said “the lame man had been cured in the name and by 
 the power of Jesus Christ, whom they had crucified, and 
 who was now risen from the dead/’ 
 
 Questions to Chapter 99.— Who cured the lame man ? What did Peter 
 say ? What was the result of Peter’s words ? 
 
ATSTANIAS A1STD SAPHIRA. 
 
 3. When the priests heard this, they put the Apostles 
 out of the council hall. Consulting with themselves, 
 they asked what should be done. “It was clear/’ said 
 they, “a miracle had been wrought, and they could not 
 deny it.” 
 
 4. Having agreed among themselves, they recalled the 
 Apostles, and forbade them either to speak or to teach any 
 more in the name of Jesus. But Peter asked : “ Is it just 
 we should obey you rather than God ? We must speak 
 what we have seen and heard.” 
 
 The judges contented themselves with merely theaten- 
 ing the two Apostles, and then dismissed them. 
 
 101.—The Lives of the First Christians. 
 
 j 
 
 1. Nothing could exceed the holiness of the lives of the 
 first Christians. All had but one heart, and all were 
 animated with the same spirit. The Apostles were un¬ 
 wearied in their labors, and the faithful were constant in 
 the breaking of bread, and in the labor of prayer. 
 
 2. All their goods were in common. Those who had 
 fields or houses sold them, and placed the price in the 
 hands of the Apostles, who distributed to each according 
 as he needed. Soon their unbounded charity to the poor, 
 and their brotherly love for each other, began to produce 
 their effects. Both Jew and Gentile was forced to respect 
 them. Their numbers increased daily. 
 
 102.—Ananias and Saphira. 
 
 1. At this time there lived a man named Ananias, and 
 his wife Saphira. They sold a field, but secretly kept 
 
 Questions to Chapter 100.—What happened to Peter and John ? What 
 answer did they give the council ? 
 
 Questions to Chapter 101. — What is said of the early Christians ? How 
 were their goods held ? What effects did tbeir lives produce ? 
 
HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 back a part of the price. The balance, Ananias gave . to 
 the Apostles, pretending it was all he had received. 
 
 2. Peter said to him : “ Ananias, why have you suffered 
 Satan to tempt you to lie to the Holy Ghost ? and why 
 have you kept back a part of the price of the field ? You 
 have not lied to men, but to God.” 
 
 On the spot, Ananias fell down dead at the feet of the 
 Apostle. 
 
 3. Three hours after, Saphira came and, not knowing 
 what had happened to her husband, repeated the same 
 lie. She also fell dead. When these things were heard, 
 fear and terror came upon all the faithful. 
 
 103.—The Apostles are Thrown into Prison. 
 
 1. The Apostles continued to work miracles. From 
 the villages round about, the sick, and those possessed by 
 unclean spirits, were brought to Jerusalem, and the 
 Apostles cured them. Peter, above all the rest, was held 
 in the highest esteem. So unlimited became his power, 
 that his very shadow cured the sick as he passed through 
 the streets. 
 
 2. By the authority of the Jewish priests, Peter and 
 John were again seized and cast into prison ; but, during 
 the night, an angel opened the prison doors and bade 
 them go forth to the temple and teach the people. 
 
 3. In the morning, when the officers went to bring the 
 Apostles before the council, they found the doors of the 
 prison indeed closed, and the guards at their post, but no 
 prisoners. The council was confounded. 
 
 4. Shortly after, a man came, who told them Peter and 
 John were in the temple teaching the people. An officer 
 hastened and, with great violence, brought them before 
 the council. The liigh-priest rose and reproached them 
 for continuing to preach, notwithstanding the former 
 
 Question to Chapter 102.— Tell the history of Ananias and Saphira. 
 
STEPHEN THE DEACON—THE FIRST MARTYR. 237 
 
 prohibitions of the council. The Apostles said: “ God 
 must be obeyed/’ At the same time, Peter declared that 
 Jesus, whom they had crucified, was the Christ, and that 
 He was risen from the dead. 
 
 \ 
 
 5. When the priests heard this, they gnashed their 
 teeth, and, in their rage, began to consider how they 
 might put them to death. 
 
 At this part of the proceedings, Gamaliel, a member of 
 the great council, and also a doctor of the Law, rose and 
 commanded the Apostles to be put out. 
 
 6. “ Men of Israel,” said he, “ consider well what you 
 are about to do. If this be the work of men, it will soon 
 fall to nothing ; but if it be the work of .God, you can not 
 destroy it.” They despised this advice. 
 
 7. The Apostles were recalled, and, having been 
 scourged, were ‘forbidden again to speak in the name 
 of Jesus. But they went forth from the council rejoicing 
 that they were found worthy to suffer for their divine 
 Master. Neither did they cease, either in the temple or 
 in the houses, to preach Jesus Christ. 
 
 104.—Stephen the Deacon—The First Martyr. 
 
 1. As the number of the faithful increased, there arose 
 murmurs on account of the manner in which the food 
 was distributed. When the Apostles saw this, they di¬ 
 rected the people to choose seven men, of good character, 
 full of wisdom and the Holy Ghost, and they laid their 
 hands upon them. These were the seven deacons spoken 
 of in the Scriptures, among whom were Philip and Ste¬ 
 phen. To them was intrusted the care of the temporalities 
 of the Church, that the Apostles might give themselves 
 
 Questions to Chapter 103.—What did the Apostles continue to do ? What 
 is said of Peter’s shadow ? What was done to Peter and John ? How were 
 they set at liberty? What did the council do? What did Peter answer? 
 What did Gamaliel say? What was done to the Apostles? How did they act 
 after ? 
 
238 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT 
 
 entirely to prayer, and to the preaching of the word of 
 
 God. 
 
 2. Stephen did great wonders and wrought many mira¬ 
 cles ; few could resist the power of his eloquence. 
 
 The Jews accused him of haying spoken against Moses 
 and blasphemed against God ; then they seized him and 
 led him before the great council. When he stood before 
 the judges, those who looked at him thought they saw the 
 face of an angel. 
 
 3. The high-priest rose and asked him if the charges 
 that had been made against him were true. Stephen, 
 standing before the council, answered by reviewing the 
 history of the Jewish Church, and showing that it was 
 but the forerunner of the Christian dispensation. He 
 concluded with reproaching the Jews for their disbelief in 
 having resisted the Holy Ghost, and for having crucified 
 the Messiah. 
 
 4. When they heard this, they shook with rage, and 
 gnashed their teeth against him. Their anger knew no 
 
CONFIRMATION—BAPTISM OF THE ETHIOPIAN. 239 
 
 bounds when Stephen, lifting up his eyes, cried out: “I 
 see the heavens opened, and the Son of Man standing at 
 the right hand of God.” 
 
 5. Hearing this, the multitude stopped their ears, and, 
 rushing upon him, hurried him out of the city to stone 
 him. The witnesses laid their garments at the feet of a 
 young man named Saul—afterwards better known as the 
 celebrated St. Paul. Whilst they were stoning him, 
 Stephen exclaimed: “ Lord, lay this not to their charge.” 
 Having said this, he slept in the Lord. 
 
 G. The Jews liave a dreadful account to give to God : they perse¬ 
 cuted the prophets, they crucified the Savior, they put to death 
 the Apostles. But truth spreads, the more it is persecuted ; so 
 that the saying, “ The blood of the martyrs is the seed of the 
 Church,” has passed into an adage. 
 
 105.—Confirmation—The Baptism of the Ethi¬ 
 opian. 
 
 1. With Stephen’s death, began, at Jerusalem, a cruel 
 persecution against the Church. Saul was one of the 
 bitterest enemies of the Christians ; his anger knew no 
 rest. With unsparing fury, men and women were dragged 
 before the tribunals and cast into prison. Many lied 
 from Jerusalem and spread themselves through Judea 
 and Samaria. 
 
 2. Those who thus fled, passing from place to place, 
 preached the word of God. Amongst the number was 
 Philip the deacon, who, going to Samaria, preached the 
 Gospel. He wrought miracles, and many were converted. 
 
 3. The Apostles at Jerusalem, hearing that Samaria 
 had received the word of God, sent thither Peter and 
 John. When they were come, praying, they laid their 
 
 Questions to Chapter 104. — Why were deacons chosen ? Wliat was in¬ 
 trusted to their care ? What did Stephen do ? What did he say before the 
 council? How was it received? What was done to Stephen ? What was laid 
 at the feet of Saul ? What effect has persecution on the Church ? 
 
240 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 hands upon the converts, and as many as were baptized 
 received the Holv Ghost. 
 
 4. In tliis visit of Peter and John at Samaria, there is the clearest 
 evidence of the Apostolic institution of the sacrament of Confirma¬ 
 tion. Philip could preach and baptize, but, being only a deacon , 
 could not confirm. Apostles alone, and their successors, the bishops 
 of the Church, can confirm. 
 
 5. Whilst Philip was at Samaria, an angel came to him 
 and commanded him to go down by the road that led 
 from Jerusalem to Gaza. Philip obeyed. On the way 
 lie met a distinguished Ethiopian eunuch, the treasurer 
 of the queen of Ethiopia. He had been up to Jeru¬ 
 salem to attend at one of the feasts. At the moment 
 Philip met him, he was sitting in his chariot, reading 
 from the prophet Isaias. 
 
 6. Directed by the Holy Ghost, Philip drew near, and 
 asked him if he understood what he read. But the 
 eunuch answered: “How can I, unless some one show 
 me ? ” Philip went up into the chariot and began to 
 speak to him of Jesus and the Gospel. 
 
 7. Amongst other things, Philip spoke to him of Bap¬ 
 tism. Meanwhile they came to a place where there was 
 
THE CONVERSION OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 241 
 
 water, when the eunuch asked why he could not be bap* 
 tized. Philip said, if he believed, there was no objection. 
 
 Upon the eunuch declaring he did believe in Jesus Christ, 
 he was baptized. 
 
 The eunuch, full of joy, continued his journey, but the 
 Spirit of God took Philip away. 
 
 106.—The Conversion of St. Paul. 
 
 1. After the martyrdom of St. Stephen, Saul became 
 one of the most, active persecutors of the Christians. 
 Resolved on their ruin, he went to the high-priest and 
 asked for letters to the synagogues at Damascus authoriz¬ 
 ing him to seize upon every man or woman, whom he 
 would find either believing in Jesus, or teaching in His 
 name. 
 
 2. Animated with this spirit, and armed with the 
 
 Questions to Chapter 105 —After Stephen's death, what happened at Jeru¬ 
 salem? Who was a bitter enemy’ Who preached at Samaria? How do you 
 show that the Apostles administered Confirmation ? Tell the history of Philip 
 
 and the Eunuch. 
 
242 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 authority of the Jewish priesthood, lie started for Da¬ 
 mascus. As he approached the place, suddenly a bright 
 light shone round about him. Struck, as if by lightning, 
 he fell to the ground, while, at the same time, a voice 
 said to him : “ Saul, Saul, why dost thou persecute me ? ” 
 Saul asked, who spoke to him, when the voice said : “I 
 am Jesus, whom thou persecutest. ” 
 
 3. Trembling and confounded, Saul asked what he 
 should do. Jesus bade him rise and go into the city, 
 when it would be told him what he must do. Saul rose, 
 but discovered he was blind. His companions led him 
 into Damascus, where he remained three days at the house 
 of one Judas, neither eating nor drinking. 
 
 4. At this time there lived in Damascus a man named 
 Ananias. The Lord commanded him to go to Saul and 
 place his hands upon him. No sooner had Ananias 
 touched Saul, than scales fell from his eyes, and he 
 recovered his sight. Saul rose and was baptized. His 
 name was changed to Paul. 
 
PETEK VISITS THE CHUKCHES IN JUDEA, ETC. 243 
 
 5. With all the zeal of a new convert, Paul began to 
 preach Jesus. All that heard him were astonished. The 
 Jews became very angry, and, by every means in their 
 
 power, strove to put him to death; but God protected 
 him. 
 
 0. Ill the history of Saul we have the fulfillment of Jacob's 
 prophecy to his son Benjamin, when he said: “Benjamin is a 
 ravenous wolf: in the morning he shall eat the prey, and in the 
 evening he shall divide the spoil.” 
 
 haul belonged to the tribe ot Benjamin. In his youth, the morn¬ 
 ing of life, he persecuted the Church ; afterwards, in the evening 
 of life, he gathered together both Jew and Gentile, and offered 
 them as a precious gift at the feet of Christ. 
 
 107. — Peter Visits the Different Churches in 
 Judea—Cornelius is Baptized. 
 
 9 
 
 1. When the persecution had somewhat ceased, Peter 
 visited the several churches in Judea, preaching to the 
 people, and confirming them in their faith. 
 
 At Lydda, Peter cured a man, named Eneas, who, for 
 eight years, had been confined to his bed by the palsy. 
 At Joppe he raised to life the charitable Tabitha. By the 
 fame of these miracles many were converted, and the 
 influence of Christianity extended. 
 
 2. While Peter was still at Joppe, there lived at Cesarea 
 a man named Cornelius. One day, whilst Cornelius was 
 at prayer, an angel appeared to him, and bade him send 
 to Joppe for a man named Peter, who would tell him 
 what to do. Cornelius sent at once. 
 
 3. About the time the messengers drew near to Joppe, 
 Peter was praying ; he also had a vision : 
 
 The heavens appeared to him to open, and, as it were, 
 a great sheet was let down, in which were all manner of 
 
 Questions to Chapter 106.—What is said of Saul ? What happened to him 
 on the road to Damascus? Who baptized Saul ? How did Saul act after his 
 baptism? What prophecy is fulfilled in Saul? 
 
244 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 four-footed beasts, and creeping things, and birds ; a voice 
 said to him : “Arise, kill, and eat.” 
 
 4. Now it was not allowed the Jews to eat all manner 
 of beasts; so Peter answered he could not, as he had 
 never eaten any thing unclean. But the voice said to 
 him, “Call not that common that God has purified.” 
 This was done three times, when the vision disappeared. 
 
 5. While Peter was reflecting on the meaning of the 
 vision, the Spirit of God said to him: “ Three men seek 
 you ; rise and go with them.” 
 
 On the next day, Peter went with the messengers. 
 When Cornelius related the vision he had had, Peter 
 understood his own. By it, Peter understood that here¬ 
 after there was to be no distinction between Jew and 
 Gentile in the Christian Church, and that Christ had died 
 for all mankind. 
 
 G. Then Peter began to speak of Jesus : how He had 
 been crucified, and how He had risen again from the 
 dead, and that, through Him, was man to be saved. 
 While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Ghost came 
 upon the Gentiles who were present, and, to the aston¬ 
 ishment of the Apostle, they began to speak in divers 
 tongues. When Peter saw this, he commanded them to 
 be baptized. These were the first Gentiles received into 
 the Church. 
 
 7. From this time, the Apostles turned their attention 
 to the Gentile as well as the Jew. Paul became especially 
 the Apostle of the Gentile. At Antioch the converts 
 were first called Christians —that is, followers of Christ. 
 
 8. Jesus died for all ; and as Joseph, during the seven years 
 famine, fed not only the Egyptian, hut also the Israelite and the 
 stranger, so must the Jew and the Gentile share in the merits of 
 Jesus Christ. The Jews formed hut a small part of mankind, and, 
 at hest, never were very docile; hence, the Christian Church, from 
 the beginning, was formed principally from the Gentiles. 
 
 Questions to Ciiaptek 107.—Where did Peter go ? What did he do at Lydda 
 and Joppe ? Tell how Cornelius was received into the Church. Who were the 
 first Gentiles received into the Church ? Who became especially the Apostle of 
 the Gentiles ? Where were the Christians first known by that name ? 
 
PETER CAST INTO PRISON. 
 
 245 
 
 108.—Peter Cast into Prison. 
 
 [a. D. 44. 
 
 1. After the. conversion of Cornelius, Peter returned to 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 About the year 44, Herod Agrippa, the king, again 
 raised a persecution against the Christians. He beheaded 
 James, the brother of John, and cast Peter into prison. 
 But the Church prayed for her venerated head. 
 
 2. The night before he was to have been led forth to 
 punishment, Peter lay, bound with chains, between two 
 soldiers, while guards walked before the door. 
 
 On a sudden, an angel stood before him, and a heavenly 
 light tilled the prison. The angel touched Peter, and 
 bade him rise 
 and put on his 
 sandals and 
 follow him. 
 
 Peter obeyed, 
 not knowing 
 whether or not 
 it was a vision 
 he saw. They 
 passed the first 
 and second 
 guard, and 
 came to an iron 
 gate t li a t, of 
 
 itself, opened to them. Having passed out into the city, 
 the angel disappeared. 
 
 3. Peter, coming to himself, saw that God had sent an 
 angel to deliver him from the power of Herod. Then he 
 went to the house of Mark, where many of the faithful 
 were assembled in prayer. Rapping, a young woman, 
 name Rode, or Rose, came to open the door. 
 
 4. When she recognized Peter’s voice, filled with joy, 
 she ran back to tell those who were within that Peter 
 was at the door. They would not believe her; but, as 
 
246 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 Peter continued to rap, they at length opened the door, 
 and, to their amazement, Peter walked in. When he told 
 them how he had been delivered out of prison, they all 
 began to praise God. 
 
 5. In the morning there was great consternation among 
 the soldiers. No one could tell how Peter had escaped, or 
 where he had gone. Herod questioned the soldiers, and 
 then punished them severely. 
 
 6. Shortly after this, Herod was receiving embassadors 
 from Cesarea. The people began to applaud him, and, 
 flattering him, cried out: “ You speak as a god, not as a 
 man.” 
 
 Herod took the glory to himself. On the spot an angel 
 struck him with a loathsome disease, and, in a few days, 
 he died amid the most horrid torments—a fit example 
 of the power of God and the pride of man. 
 
 109.—St. Paul’s First Apostolic [ A . d. 45 . 
 
 Journey. 
 
 1. After his miraculous conversion, St. Paul was re¬ 
 ceived with much joy among the Apostles. For some 
 time he continued to teach at Antioch ; but, after a while, 
 directed by the Holy Ghost, he and Barnabas were sent 
 to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles. 
 
 2. Wherever he went, Paul first preached to the Jews ; 
 and only when they refused to hear him did he turn to 
 the Gentiles. Many of these latter were converted, while 
 the former, rejecting the grace thus offered them, were left 
 without excuse. 
 
 3. Long before, bad the prophet Isaias spoken of St. Paul and 
 his labors, when he declared that “God would choose of the elect 
 and send them to the people of the sea : He would send them into 
 Africa and Lydia, into Italy and Greece, and the islands afar off, 
 
 Questions to Chapter 108.— What did Herod raise ? Who was beheaded ? 
 Who was cast into prison ? How was Peter liberated ? What happened at the 
 house of Mark ? What was done to the soldiers ? How did Herod die ? 
 
ST. PAUL’S FIRST JOURNEY. 
 
 247 
 
 that they might announce His glory to the Gentiles, and all flesh 
 should adore.” 
 
 4. When St. Paul and Barnabas left Antioch, they 
 directed their steps to the island of Cyprus. On their 
 arrival, Sergius, the Roman proconsul, sent for them, that 
 he might hear the word of God. But there was at the 
 proconsul’s house a Jewish magician, named Elymas, who 
 strove to turn Sergius from the faith. 
 
 5. St. Paul, seeing the malice of Elymas, and also in¬ 
 spired by the Holy Ghost, turning to him, said : “Because 
 you have tried to pervert the ways of God, you shall be 
 blind for a time.” Immediately he was struck blind. 
 When the jDroconsul saw this, he believed, and was bap¬ 
 tized. 
 
 6. From Cyprus, Paul and Barnabas sailed for Asia 
 Minor. Arriving at Antioch, in Pisidia, they preached 
 to both Jew and Gentile. Many were converted. Here 
 the Jews became very much excited, and, coming together, 
 contradicted Paul; but lie, turning to them, said : “ It 
 behooved us to preach to you first; now you have rejected 
 the word of God, and we turn to the Gentile.” 
 
 7. The Jews continued to harass and persecute Paul 
 and Barnabas, until, wearied, they shook the dust from 
 their feet and left the place. They passed from city to 
 city, preaching and establishing churches. 
 
 8. At Lystra, a city of Lyconia, Paul cured a man who 
 had been lame from his birth. When the people saw this, 
 they thought Paul and Barnabas were gods, and wished 
 to offer sacrifice to them ; but Paul forbade them. Many 
 believed. 
 
 9. Soon after this, certain Jews came to Lystra from 
 the cities where Paul had already been preaching. They 
 succeeded in exciting an insurrection against him, and 
 the multitude, rising up, stoned him, and, dragging him 
 out of the city, left him for dead. Paul, however, 
 recovered, and returned into the city, where he remained 
 for some time. 
 
 10. After preaching the Gospel at Derbe, Paul and 
 
248 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 Barnabas returned to Antioch, passing through the places 
 where they had already preached. Everywhere they ex¬ 
 horted the faithful to persevere, and in every church they 
 appointed bishops, having first prayed and imposed hands 
 upon them. 
 
 110.—The Council of Jerusalem. [a. d. so. 
 
 1. During the apostolic time, several subjects of dispute 
 arose. Amongst these, was, at Antioch, the subject of 
 circumcision—some of the Jewish converts insisting on it, 
 
 while Paul and Barnabas resisted it. To avoid all possi¬ 
 bility of error, it was agreed to refer the whole matter to 
 the Apostles at Jerusalem. For this purpose, Paul and 
 Barnabas were sent thither. 
 
 Questions to Chaptek 109.—What is said of Paul after his conversion ? To 
 whom did he first preach ? What was done at Cyprus ? What happened to 
 Elymas ? From Cyprus, where did Paul and Barnabas go ? How did the Jews 
 act ? W T hat was done at Lystra ? What was done to Paul ? Who were appointed 
 in the churches ? 
 
THE SECOND VOYAGE OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 249 
 
 2. When they arrived, the Apostles and the ancients 
 assembled, under the presidency of Peter, to deliberate 
 on the subject. After the matter had been well discussed, 
 Peter rose and said: “As God had made no difference 
 between the Jew or the Gentile, giving the Holy Ghost to 
 the one as well as to the other, there should be no differ¬ 
 ence within the Church ; nor should the law of circum¬ 
 cision be imposed on any one.” 
 
 3. Under this teaching, it was decided that the ancient 
 ceremonial laws of Moses had lost their effect, and, for 
 the future, should not be imposed upon the Christians. 
 
 The council wrote to the faithful at Antioch, saying : 
 “ It hath seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, not 
 to lay this burden upon you.” 
 
 4. When the bishops of the Catholic Church, who are 
 the legitimate successors of the Apostles, assemble under 
 the presidency of the Pope, who is the true successor of 
 Peter, we have a general council similar to that held at 
 Jerusalem under the Apostles. Its decisions are infallible, 
 for they are the decisions of God's Church, which, accord¬ 
 ing to the teachings of Jesus Christ, is, in an invisible 
 manner, guided and preserved from error by and through 
 the Holy Ghost. 
 
 111.—The Second Voyage of St. Paul. 
 
 1. Some time after this, St. Paul started on a second 
 missionary journey. He passed through Syria, and again 
 went into Asia Minor, preaching everywhere, visiting the 
 old, and establishing new churches. 
 
 At Troas he had a vision, in which he was called to 
 Macedonia. Immediately he set sail, accompanied by 
 Silas, Luke, and Timothy. They passed over from Asia, 
 and arrived safely at Philippi, the capital of Macedonia. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 110.—On what was there dispute? What was done 
 on the matter ? What did Peter say ? What conclusion did the council come to ? 
 What is said of the Catholic Church ? 
 
250 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 2. Here the Apostle stayed with a merchant, named 
 Lydia, one of the new converts. There was also in the 
 city a girl possessed by a divining spirit. She brought 
 much gain to her masters. Paul, taking her, drove out 
 the evil spirit. 
 
 3. When her masters saw their hopes of gain gone, they 
 became very much displeased, and, seizing Paul and Silas, 
 cast them into prison, having first beaten them with 
 rods. About the middle of the night, while Paul and 
 Silas were praying, suddenly there came a great earth¬ 
 
 quake and shook the jail to its foundations. All the 
 doors were opened, and the bonds of the prisoners were 
 loosened. 
 
 4. When the jailer awoke and found the doors of the 
 prison open, he took his sword and was about to kill him¬ 
 self, thinking the prisoners had escaped. But Paul cried 
 out they were there. The jailer, trembling, entered with 
 a light, and falling down at the feet of Paul, asked what 
 he must do to be saved. Paul bade him believe in the 
 Lord Jesus ; and, having instructed him, that same night 
 baptized him and all his family. 
 
THE SECOND VOYAGE OF ST. PAUL. 
 
 251 
 
 5. In the morning the magistrates, hearing that Paul 
 and Silas were Roman citizens, sent to beg their pardon 
 for having scourged them, for it was unlawful to scourge 
 a Roman citizen. They then set them at liberty. 
 
 6. Paul established a small church at Philippi; thence 
 he passed to Thessilonica, and, afterwards, to Berea and 
 several other cities, establishing churches and preaching 
 the Word. At last he came to Athens, the capital of 
 Greece. 
 
 7. Seeing how the city was given up to idolatry, his 
 zeal was roused, and he began to preach in the market¬ 
 place. He was taken before the Areopagus, where the 
 philosophers and leading men of the city were assembled, 
 and was asked to state the nature of the doctrines he 
 taught. 
 
 8. Paul rose and addressed the vast multitude, saying : 
 “Athenians, in passing through your city, I found an 
 altar, on which was written : ‘ To the unknown God : 5 
 what you here worship without knowing it, I preach. ” 
 He then gave a long and detailed account of the nature 
 of God and the character of the Christian religion, con¬ 
 cluding with the resurrection of the dead. 
 
 9. When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, 
 some mocked, but others said they would hear him again. 
 A few joined him ; amongst whom was one named Dio¬ 
 nysius, a member of the Areopagus. 
 
 10. From Athens Paul went to Corinth. He first 
 preached to the Jews ; but they contradicting, and re¬ 
 fusing to listen to him, he said to them : “ Your blood 
 be upon your own heads ; I am clean.” 
 
 He then preached to the Corinthians, and soon had the 
 satisfaction of seeing many converted. After a year and 
 a half spent at Corinth, Paul passed over to Asia, and, 
 returning by Ephesus, came to Antioch. 
 
 11. The Church grew with astonishing rapidity ; her influence 
 was felt everywhere. The little cloud, no bigger than a man’s 
 hand, had begun to grow, and now covered nearly the face of the 
 heavens. The earth was about to receive the genial rain. Christ 
 
HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 came to call the Jews, but they threw away their vocation with the 
 same indifference that Esau had sold his birthright for a mess of 
 pottage. 
 
 112.—St. Paul’s Third Voyage. 
 
 1. Soon after his return from his second voyage, St. 
 Paul started on a third missionary tour. Again he passed 
 through Asia Minor, and finally came to Ephesus, at that 
 time the capital of the Roman possessions in Asia. Here 
 he baptized twelve men who formerly had received the 
 baptism of John, and, laying hands upon them, they 
 received the Holy Ghost. 
 
 2. For two years Paul remained at Ephesus. Through 
 his teaching, most of the inhabitants of that part of Asia 
 learned the doctrines of Christianity. Paul wrought 
 many miracles, and his power became so great, that the 
 simple touch of the handkerchiefs that had touched his 
 body was sufficient to cure the sick. Fear came upon 
 those who saw these things, and many came, confessing 
 their sins. 
 
 3. While St. Paul was at Ephesus, there arose a violent 
 persecution against him. There was in the place a grand 
 temple, dedicated to the goddess Diana. The silversmiths 
 made small miniature temples, which they sold at con¬ 
 siderable gain. When, by the conversion of the inhab¬ 
 itants, they saw their trade gone, headed by one Demetrius, 
 they rose up against Paul, and only with much difficulty 
 could the magistrates save him from their hands. 
 
 4. When the tumult had subsided, Paul, having exhorted 
 the disciples to persevere, passed over to Macedonia, and 
 afterwards to Greece. From thence he returned to Asia, 
 and came to Troas, where he stayed a week. On Sunday, 
 
 Questions to Chapter 111.— What is said of Paul’s second voyage? Where 
 was he called to go ? Into what trouble did Paul and Silas get ? What is said of 
 their imprisonment? How did they get out of jail? From Philippi, where did 
 Paul go? What did he do at Athens? Who joined him? How long did Paul 
 stay at Corinth ? 
 
THE IMPRISONMENT AND DEATH OF ST. PAUL. 253 
 
 the faithful assembled in a large hall to celebrate the 
 divine mysteries. While St. Paul was preaching, a young 
 man, who had been sleeping, fell from one of the windows, 
 and was killed. Paul raised him to life. 
 
 5. From Troas, Paul went to the islands of Lesbos and 
 Chios, and thence to Samos and Miletus. At this latter 
 place, he sent for the chief men of the church at Ephesus, 
 and spoke to them words of affectionate adieu : “ I go,” 
 said he, “to Jerusalem, but I know not what shall befall 
 me. Only this I know : that the Holy Ghost has warned 
 me that chains and afflictions await me. But I fear not 
 these things, only that I fulfill my mission. I know you 
 shall see my face no more; therefore take heed to your¬ 
 selves, and to the flock over which the Holy Ghost has 
 placed you. 
 
 6. “ After my departure there shall rise up men speak¬ 
 ing perverse things. Watch, therefore, remembering 
 that, for three years, I ceased not, night nor day, to 
 admonish every one of you. And now I commend you 
 to God, who is able to give you an inheritance amongst 
 His saints.” 
 
 7. When he had said this, he knelt down and prayed 
 with them. All began to weep, and, falling upon his 
 neck, kissed him. They grieved particularly because he 
 had said they would see him no more. Leading him to 
 the ship, they bade him an affectionate farewell. 
 
 113.—The Imprisonment and Death [ A . d. « 
 
 of St. Paul. 
 
 1. • The conversion of St. Paul had, from the beginning, 
 been a sore blow to the Jews. His zeal for Christianity, 
 and his great success in making converts, only increased 
 
 Questions to Chapter 112.—Where did Paul go on his third voyage ? What 
 did he do at Ephesus ? What wonders did Paul do at Ephesus ? What caused 
 the persecution against Paul at Ephesus ? What happened at Troas ? What was 
 done at Miletus ? 
 
254 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 their hatred ; lienee, on his return to Jerusalem, they 
 excited so great a tumult against him that, in order to 
 save him from violence, it became necessary for the Roman 
 governor to cast him into prison, and finally to send him 
 to Felix, the governor of Cesarea. 
 
 2. Paul remained two years a prisoner at Cesarea, when 
 he appealed to the emperor at Rome. On the voyage the 
 ship was wrecked at the Island of Malta, and Paul was 
 saved only by a miracle. 
 
 3. After two years of easy captivity spent at Rome Paul 
 was set at liberty. Again he visited the scenes of his 
 former labors, preaching anew the word of God, and 
 confirming the converts in their faith. 
 
 About the year 67, St. Paul again returned to Rome. 
 Shortly after, Nero, the emperor, raised a cruel persecu¬ 
 tion against the Christians ; St. Paul was seized upon and 
 cast into prison, and, a few days after, beheaded. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 113.—Why was Paul sent to Cesarea? On the voyage 
 to Rome, what happened to St, Paul ? How did St. Paul die ? When ? 
 
THE OTHER APOSTLES 
 
 255 
 
 114.—The other Apostles. 
 
 1. While St. Paul was preaching in Asia and Europe, 
 the other Apostles were not idle. Everywhere they 
 preached the Gospel and established churches, appointing 
 bishops to guide the faithful and transmit the doctrines 
 they had received. Some went to Persia, others to Arabia, 
 while some went even to the distant India. By the end 
 of the first century, there was no country then known 
 that had not heard of Christ. 
 
 2. During this time, some of the Apostles, and two of 
 their disciples, under the inspiration of the Holy Ghost, 
 wrote short histories of our Savior’s life. St. Paul and 
 some of the other Apostles also wrote letters, or, as they 
 are better known, “Epistles,” of instruction, either to 
 churches they had themselves established, or to others 
 that asked them for advice. By degrees, these writings 
 
25 G HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 were gathered together, and became known under the 
 general name of the New Testament. 
 
 3. After preaching at Jerusalem, for a while St. Peter 
 chose Antioch as the center of his apostolic labors. At a 
 later period he established his see at Rome, where to-day 
 his successors reside, and from whence they rule the 
 Church of God. At the same place, and on the same day 
 that St. Paul was beheaded, St. Peter was crucified with 
 his head down. All the other Apostles, John excepted, 
 also shed their blood in proof of their faith in Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 4. After our Savior’s death, St. John took the Blessed 
 Virgin to himself, and, by his tender love, partly recom¬ 
 pensed for the loss of her divine Son. After her death, 
 John was seized upon and cast into a caldron of boiling 
 oil. Saved by a miracle, he was banished to the island of 
 Patmos, where he wrote his prophetic Revelations. After 
 his release, he dwelt in Ephesus. Here he wrote his 
 Gospel, and for many years preached but one sermon : 
 “ My children , love one another .” 
 
 About the year 100, he died—alone of all the Apostles— 
 a natural death. 
 
 5. Under the Old Law, Jerusalem was the center of the 
 Jewish religion ; under the Christian dispensation, Rome 
 is the center of Catholicity, and the Pope is the head 
 of the Christian Church. 
 
 115.—Conclusion. 
 
 1. In this short and exceedingly condensed history, it 
 will be seen how God, for four thousand years, strove to 
 
 Questions to Chapter 114. —What is said of the other Apostles ? What did 
 some of the Apostles write ? What did St. Paul write ? Under what name are 
 these writings known ? Where did Peter establish his see ? How did Peter die ? 
 How did the other Apostles die ? What is said of St. John ? What is said of 
 Rome and Jerusalem ? 
 
CONCLUSION. 
 
 257 
 
 prepare mankind for the coming of Jesus Christ. at one 
 time by revelations made directly by himself ; at another, 
 by the prophets, whom, from time to time, He sent to 
 enlighten the world. 
 
 2. When Jesus Christ did come, He showed how the 
 revelations made concerning Him, w r ere verified in Him¬ 
 self, and also proved His divinity by His miracles. He 
 then preached and established His Church, choosing His 
 Apostles to be witnesses both of His words and His works. 
 In time, He died, rose again, and, ascending into heaven, 
 the work of Redemption was accomplished. 
 
 3. The first Apostles, whom Christ chose to announce 
 His doctrines to the world, have also passed away, but the 
 work of Jesus Christ, the Holy Catholic Church, remains, 
 and will remain to the end. 
 
 4. She is founded upon truth ; her voice is the voice of 
 truth ; hence, she is as imperishable as truth itself. The 
 cement that binds together the parts of this grand old 
 edifice is none other than the blood of Jesus Christ; also 
 the blood of His Apostles and martyrs, wdio have so 
 generously and freely sacrificed their lives in proof of the 
 doctrines they so fearlessly preached, and which were 
 once delivered to them by their divine Master, Jesus 
 Christ. 
 
 5. Let the storms of human passion rage as they may 
 against this Church; let the violence of human power 
 spend itself for her ruin ; let the poison of heresy and the 
 malice of blasphemy conspire against her, yet this Church 
 shall never be shaken nor destroyed. 
 
 G. Let us then rejoice that we belong to the Catholic 
 Church ; let us only remain faithful to the end ; let us 
 keep the commandments, and, enlightened, purified, and 
 strengthened by the graces which the Church alone can 
 give, we need have no fear ; one day we must, we infallibly 
 will, pass from God's kingdom upon earth to God's king¬ 
 dom in heaven, where, with the angels, we will for endless 
 ages rejoice in an ocean of bliss; where, in the heavenly 
 
258 
 
 HISTORY OF THE HEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 Jerusalem, with the saints of the Old, as well as with the 
 saints of the New Law, we shall forever bless and adore 
 the Father, the Son, and the Holy Ghost. 
 
 Questions to Chapter 115.—What is said in this last chapter? When 
 Christ came, what did He do? Who have passed away? What work of Christ 
 still remains ? What is said of the Church ? 
 
 END OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
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 MAP OF PALESTINE 
 
Church History. 
 
 -- 
 
 FIRST PERIOD. 
 
 FROM THE BIRTH OF CHRIST 
 TO THE FALL OF ROME. 
 
 -- 
 
 1.—The Beginning of the Church. 
 
 1. Four thousand years before the coming of Christ, 
 Adam was created. With the birth of Christ begins the 
 Christian era. Under the reign of Augustus, Emperor 
 of Rome, Christ was born, and at the age of thirty years 
 began to preach in Jerusalem and Judea. 
 
 2. At the end of three years He was seized upon and 
 put to death, but after three days, rose again, and for 
 forty days appeared to His Apostles and other devout men 
 and women. He then ascended into heaven, and in ten 
 days after, the Holy Ghost came upon the Apostles and 
 they began to preach the gospel. 
 
 3. When it was noised abroad through Jerusalem that 
 the Holy Ghost had visibly appeared upon the Apostles, 
 great multitudes came together, when Peter, rising up, 
 began to preach. The multitude were amazed, for each 
 one heard him and the other Apostles speaking in his 
 own tongue : Jews and Gentiles, Medes and Persians, and 
 citizens from Egypt and Arabia. At this first sermon 
 three thousand were converted, and at the second five 
 thousand. 
 
 4. To the gift of tongues was also added the gift of 
 miracles. The sick were cured, the lame walked, and the 
 
262 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 Church grew apace. In a short time Jerusalem was in 
 great commotion. The Apostles spread themselves every¬ 
 where, passing from town to village, and from country to 
 country. 
 
 5. At first Peter confined himself to preaching to the 
 Jews, passing through Judea and Samaria, then into Asia 
 Minor, where for eight years he resided at Antioch. After 
 this he passed over to Home, where he fixed his See, and 
 for twenty-five years, as Bishop of Borne, governed the 
 whole Church. The Popes being the successors of Peter 
 are also called Bishops of Borne, where, with but short 
 interruptions, they have always resided. 
 
 2.—The Apostles. 
 
 1. At first the other Apostles preached in Jerusalem 
 and in the villages throughout Judea, but soon they also 
 passed to other lands, visiting Arabia and Persia. Every¬ 
 where great numbers were converted; churches estab¬ 
 lished ; priests and bishops ordained ; miracles and the 
 gift of tongues proving the divinity of their mission. 
 
 2. The Greater and Lesser James confined themselves 
 to Jerusalem, the latter becoming the bishop thereof. 
 Bartholomew went to Persia, Thomas to India; Philip 
 preached in Phrygia, Andrew in Achaia, whilst Matthew 
 spent himself for the Parthians and Ethiopians. Jude 
 died in Armenia, Simon in Persia, and Matthias, who was 
 chosen to fill the place of Judas, was beheaded at Colchis. 
 
 3. For a time John preached in Judea and Samaria, 
 but at length went also to Borne, where he was seized upon . 
 and banished to Patmos, an island in the Egean Sea. 
 Here he was favored with the revelations which he has 
 recorded in the Apocalypse. After the death of Domitian 
 he was released and went to Ephesus, where he wrote his 
 Gospel and for many years preached charity to his people. 
 He died at the age of ninety-one years, the last of the 
 Apostles and the only one who died a natural death. 
 
THE APOSTLES. 
 
 263 
 
 4. At first St. Paul was a fiery persecutor of the Church, 
 assisting and consenting to the stoning of St. Stephen, 
 the first martyr. Not content with persecuting the 
 Christians at Jerusalem, he obtained letters from the 
 High Priest and went to Damascus, there to persecute 
 the Church. On the way, Jesus appeared to him. Fall¬ 
 ing from his horse, he was lifted up blind and led into the 
 city, where he was baptized by Ananias and at once 
 became a most zealous Apostle. 
 
 ST. PETER AND ST. PAUL IN PRISON. 
 
 5. After he had preached at Damascus, St. Paul went 
 to Galicia and Greece, stopping at Athens and Corinth. 
 From thence he passed into Asia Minor and Judea, and 
 going up to Jerusalem, he met Peter and other Apostles, 
 with whom he conferred on matters concerning the future 
 of the Church. 
 
 6. Whilst preaching in Judea he was frequently cast into 
 prison, scourged, and his life threatened. After many years 
 he was sent a prisoner to Rome, where he met St. Peter, who 
 had long dwelt there. For two years he was allowed the 
 freedom of the city, preaching openly and converting many. 
 
264 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY, 
 
 7. During the persecution of Nero, he was seized upon, 
 and with St. Peter, cast into prison, where he remained 
 for nearly nine months. While there, he converted the 
 jailer and a number of the prisoners. At the prayer of 
 
 Peter a fountain of 
 water burst forth 
 in the floor of the 
 prison, and they 
 were baptized. 
 
 8. In the year 67 
 they were both con¬ 
 demned to death 
 and on the 29th of 
 June St. Paul was 
 beheaded on the 
 Ostian way, just 
 outside the walls 
 of Pome ; while St. 
 Peter was crucified 
 on Mount Janicu- 
 lum within the 
 walls. Both places 
 are yet shown and 
 constantly visited 
 by pious pilgrims. 
 The bodies of these 
 
 two great saints are 
 buried in Rom e', 
 
 CRUCIFIXION OF ST. PETER. the 0 II e i II St. 
 
 Peter’s church, the other in the church of St. Paul. 
 
 3.—The Spread of Christianity. 
 
 1. The conversion of the world to Christianity is the 
 most wonderful event in history. Conquerors, such as 
 Alexander and Caesar, have subdued nations; after cen- 
 . turies of toil and sacrifice Greece and Rome grew into 
 
THE SPREAD OF CHRISTIANITY. 
 
 265 
 
 power, but nothing in history is like to the work of the 
 Apostles. 
 
 2. Here were twelve uneducated men, without money 
 or influence, from a nation despised, preaching a doc¬ 
 trine hated, yet in the face of every opposition, nay even 
 death, they converted the world. To Jews and Gentiles, 
 Medes and Persians, Greeks and Romans, Arabians and 
 Ethiopians, even to the far distant India was the Gospel 
 preached ere the death of Saints Peter and Paul in the 
 year 67, just thirty-four years after the death of Christ. 
 
 3. Not only had the Gospel been thus preached to the 
 whole world, and the Church organized, congregations 
 formed, bishops and priests ordained, but the whole of the 
 Scriptures were written with the exception of the Gospel 
 of St. John, which was written later on in the year 94. 
 
 4. The New Testament is divided into Gospels and 
 Epistles, Acts and Revelations. The Gospels were written 
 by Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John; the Epistles by 
 Peter and Paul, James and Jude ; the Acts by St. Luke, 
 and the Revelations by St. John. These, with the Old 
 Testament, form the Bible—a sacred code of laws to guide 
 and instruct mankind. 
 
 5. The fervor of the first Christians was as remarkable 
 as was their conversion. They had but one heart and one 
 soul. They held their goods in common, each giving 
 what he had for the good of all. Prayer and the breaking 
 of bread was their constant occupation ; humility and 
 chastity the virtues that distinguished them ; and so kind 
 to each other were they that the Pagans in wonder used 
 to cry out, “See, how they love one another. 
 
 6. Not only did the Apostles preach the Gospel and 
 establish the Church, but under the inspiration of the 
 Holy Ghost they determined the forms for the adminis¬ 
 tration of the Sacraments and the celebration of the 
 Mass. Their work was not of man but of God ; hence, 
 must last forever. As Christ is unchangeable, so. are His 
 doctrines unchangeable. Man may change, but God and 
 His works change not. 
 
266 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 4.—The Persecutions of the Church.—Jews. 
 
 1. With the spread of Christianity rose enmities and 
 hatreds amongst both Jews and Gentiles. As the Jews 
 had persecuted Christ, so they also persecuted His Apos¬ 
 tles, and were the first to rise up against Christianity. 
 They scourged Saints Peter and John; stoned St. Stephen ; 
 cast St. James headlong from the roof of the temple and 
 beat out his brains with a fuller's mallet. 
 
 2. They also seized upon the Christians wherever they 
 were found, scourged them and threw them into prison ; 
 others they banished, some they put to death. The 
 Christians, seeing this, fled, thus spreading the doctrines 
 of Christ and adding to the fold by the virtues they 
 
 ^practiced. Wherever the Jews w r ere in power, there the 
 , followers of Christ suffered. 
 
 i 
 
 3. Elsewhere the other Apostles were equally mal¬ 
 treated. St. Bartholomew was skinned alive; St. Mat¬ 
 thew died in Parthia, Andrew in Achia; St. Philip was 
 martyred in Phrygia, Thomas in India; St. Jude gave up 
 his life in Armenia, and Simon shed his blood for the 
 conversion of Persia. While at Pome, St. John was cast 
 into a caldron of boiling oil, but by a miracle came forth 
 unhurt. Every one of the Apostles, St. John alone 
 excepted, as before mentioned, died by violence, giving 
 their lives for their faith. 
 
 4. For a time God permitted these persecutions, but 
 in time their punishment came; first on the Jews, then 
 trpon the Romans. In the year 69 the Jews revolted 
 against Rome, when Titus, the Roman general, collected 
 An army and besieged Jerusalem, surrounding the city 
 
 * with vast fortifications. 
 
 5. Soon famine, then pestilence set in. The city was 
 torn by factions from within, while the Romans battered 
 down the walls from without. Neither young nor old 
 were spared ; Jerusalem was doomed. The prophecy of 
 Christ w T as about to be fulfilled. Forewarned, the Chris- 
 
ROMAN PERSECUTIONS. 
 
 267 
 
 tians had fled. Within one year, more than one million 
 Jews died from pestilence, or were killed by the Romans. 
 The city was taken, the Temple burned, the people sold 
 into slavery, and thus dispersed over the world as we now 
 find them, without country or king. Truly the blood 
 of Christ is upon them. 
 
 5.—Roman Persecutions. 
 
 1. During the first three hundred years of the Chris¬ 
 tian era there were ten general persecutions raised against 
 the Church by the Roman emperors, besides many local 
 persecutions by governors and city magistrates. The 
 first general persecution was raised by Nero (66). He 
 had burned the city of Rome, and seeing the anger of 
 the people, accused the Christians, who in the moment 
 of passion were seized upon, cast into prison or put to 
 death. 
 
 2. Many were exposed to wild beasts, others thrown into 
 the Tiber. Some were beheaded; some were crucified; 
 others rolled up in pitch, and at night burned to light up 
 the public gardens. Old men and tender women, even 
 boys and girls gave up their lives for Christ. 
 
 3. Nine other emperors proclaimed persecutions through¬ 
 out the empire. Amongst these the persecutions under 
 Domitian (93), Severus (202), Maximin (235), and Dio¬ 
 cletian (303), were the most severe. During these three 
 hundred years Rome looked more like a slaughter-house 
 than a place where men might dwell. From every 
 province of the empire Christians were dragged to Rome 
 to be torn to pieces in the amphitheatre, or burned at the 
 stake for the amusement of the people. This was the 
 age of martyrs. 
 
 4. During this period the catacombs were dug, and in 
 them the Christians hid, buried their dead and held their 
 religious services. In them are found to-day the bodies 
 
268 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 of the martyrs, with the symbols of faith on their tombs— 
 pictures, altars, chalices, inscriptions, teaching every arti¬ 
 cle of Catholic faith, showing beyond a doubt the identity 
 of the Catholic religion of to-day with the religion of 
 Christians in the first ages of the Church. 
 
 'MARTYRDOM OF ST. IGNATIUS. 
 
 5. During these persecutions, Sts. Ignatius and Polycarp 
 were put to death, and Felicitas and Perpetua torn by 
 wild beasts ; St. Agnes beheaded ; St. Lawrence roasted 
 on a gridiron, and St. Cecilia condemned to be suffocated 
 in the bath. All that human cruelty could devise was 
 tried ; but the Christians remained firm, adding daily to 
 their numbers by the virtues of their lives and the con¬ 
 stancy of their faith. So wide spread and so deeply 
 rooted did Christianity become, that in the year 320 
 Constantine the Great declared himself a Christian, and 
 persecutions ceased. Christ had triumphed, the world 
 was converted. 
 
HERESIES. 
 
 269 
 
 6.—Heresies. 
 
 1. With the spread of Christianity rose heresy. In the 
 time of the Apostles the Jewish conyerts sought to unite 
 the ceremonial law of Moses with the new law of Christ. 
 Against this St. Paul preached. At the Council of Jeru¬ 
 salem (51), St. Peter presiding, it was resolved not to 
 impose the observance of the Mosaic law upon the Chris¬ 
 tian Church. 
 
 2. After this came Simon Magus, who, seeing the 
 Apostles working miracles, offered them money if they 
 would give him like power; failing, he rose up against 
 the Church, and going to Rome, published that, like 
 Christ, he would ascend into heaven. On the appointed 
 day, in the presence of a great multitude, by the power of 
 the devil, he rose in the air ; but, at the prayer of Peter, 
 he fell, and was killed. After him came the Ebionites and 
 Cerinthians, who are spoken of by St. John, and against 
 whom he wrote his Gospel, to prove the divinity of Christ 
 which they denied. 
 
 3. In the second and third centuries rose the Gnostics, 
 who taught that the world was eternal; then the Mani- 
 cheans, who held that there were two eternal principles, 
 one good, the other bad ; also the Sabellians, who denied 
 that there are three persons in God. Against these the 
 principal Christian writers were Ireneus and Tertullian, 
 Cyprian and Origen. 
 
 4. In the year 319 Arius, a priest of Alexandria, 
 attacked the divinity of Christ, teaching that the Son was 
 not equal to the Father. At the Council of Nice (325) he 
 was condemned, and refusing to retract, was banished. 
 Ten years after (336), returning to Constantinople, he 
 attempted to force himself into the Church, but the hand 
 of God came upon him and he died, his blood gushing out 
 of his mouth and his bowels bursting forth. 
 
 5. In the year 430 Nestorius, Bishop of Constantinople, 
 began to preach that the Blessed Virgin was not the 
 
270 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 Mother of God, but only the Mother of Christ, contrary 
 to the true faith that teaches there is but one person in 
 Christ, and that consequently the Blessed Virgin is the 
 Mother of God. Nestorius was condemned at the Coun¬ 
 cil of Ephesus (431), then 'banished. He died in 439, 
 
 HIS TOHGrUE ROTTING IY HIS MOUTH. 
 
 7.—Heresies. Concluded. 
 
 1. In combating the errors of Nestorius, Eutyches, a 
 monk of Constantinople, fell into another error. Nestorius 
 had taught there were two persons in Christ; Eutyches 
 taught there was but one nature in Christ, while the true 
 doctrine is that there are two natures in Christ, one 
 
 ST. AUGUSTINE, BISHOP OF HIPPO. 
 
 human, the other divine. This heresy was condemned, 
 first at the Council of Chalcedon (451), and again at the 
 Council of Constantinople, held in the year 553. 
 
 2. After Eutyches came Pelagius (417), who taught 
 many grave errors on the subjects of Grace and Original 
 
PALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.. 
 
 271 
 
 Sin. Against this latter heresy God raised up the great 
 St. Augustine, Bishop of Hippo, in Africa, whose writings 
 remain a monument for all ages. Around him are clus¬ 
 tered the names of Saints Athanasius, who wrote against 
 Arius, and Jerome, Basil, and Gregory, who are a 
 tower of strength in the cause of Christianity. 
 
 3. The above heresies, together with the later heresy 
 against the Holy Ghost, in which it was taught that the 
 Holy Ghost did not proceed from the Father and the Son, 
 but from the Father only, constitute the great heresies of 
 the Church down to the time of the Protestant Reforma¬ 
 tion, when Luther and Calvin revived the old Pelagian 
 heresies on Grace and Justification and added several of 
 their own. 
 
 4. This heresy on the Holy Ghost is held by the present 
 schismatic Greek Church, now spread through Russia and 
 Turkey. The Nestorian and Eutychian heresies still 
 survive in some parts of Asia and Persia. 
 
 8.—Fall of the Roman Empire. 
 
 1. With the conversion of Constantine, Rome seemed 
 for a short time to have received a new lease of life, but 
 this was not to be. Rome had sinned too deeply. For 
 three hundred years she had persecuted the Church ; the 
 blood of the martyrs was on her head; she must fall. 
 The decree had long before gone forth, and by the mouth 
 of his prophets God had foretold what he would do. 
 Pagan Rome must fall and Christian Rome take her 
 place. 
 
 2. Conquest had made Rome rich, and with wealth had 
 come corruption and weakness. Society was divided into 
 two classes, master and slave. Owing to war and con¬ 
 quest the latter was far more numerous than the former. 
 Besides, the exactions of Rome had made the provinces 
 very discontent. Everywhere there were murmurings and 
 signs of the coming storm. The people were oppressed, 
 
272 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 the slaves ready for revolt; the provinces growing in 
 power ; there was but needed a spark to fire the volcano 
 on which Koine rested. The occasion came towards the 
 latter part of the fourth century. 
 
 3. In the year 361 Julian, surnamed the Apostate, 
 mounted the throne of the Caesars. At first he pretended 
 to Jbe a Christian, but in a short time, threw off the mask, 
 and attempted to restore the Pagan religion. This seems 
 to have been the last drop ; the cup was full; God’s 
 patience was exhausted ; the time was come, and God sent 
 forth His hosts to destroy this proud and sinful Mistress 
 that for twelve hundred years had ruled the world. 
 
 4. To falsify the words of Christ, “that the Temple of 
 Jerusalem should be destroyed,” Julian undertook to 
 rebuild it. He called together the Jews and began to 
 clear away the ruins. When the last stone of the original 
 foundation had been removed, and the workmen were 
 about to begin the foundations for the new temple, balls 
 of fire burst forth from the earth, so that the work had 
 to be abandoned. Thus the very prophecy, “that not a 
 stone should be left upon a stone of that grand building,” 
 which he had attempted to falsify, was by him literally 
 fulfilled. 
 
 5. In a war with the Persians Julian was killed, crying 
 out, “ 0 Nazarean, thou hast conquered.” He had 
 attempted to war against God, but, as ever must be, 
 failed. 
 
 9.—Rome Destroyed. 
 
 1. In the beginning of the fifth century, vast hordes of 
 barbarians began to descend from the north of Europe, 
 and to sweep over the fairest provinces of the Roman 
 Empire. Wherever they came they left ruin and deso¬ 
 lation behind. 
 
 2. First came the Visigoths, in the year 410, led by the 
 warlike Alaric. He swept through France, invaded Italy, 
 
ROME DESTROYED 
 
 273 
 
 and took Rome, giving np the city to pillage and killing 
 many of the inhabitants. 
 
 3. In the year 453 Attila, King of the Huns, swept 
 through Europe, desolating France, and crossing over to 
 Italy, appeared before Rome. At the prayer of St. Leo, 
 then Pope, the city was spared, and Attila withdrew his 
 army. Three years after (456), Genseric, King of the 
 Vandals, took Rome and pillaged it. Still later the Goths, 
 under Totila, again took Rome and pillaged it. 
 
 POPE LEO THE GREAT AND ATTILA. 
 
 4. After ravaging Italy, the Vandals crossed over to 
 Africa, and seizing upon Carthage, made it their capital. 
 The Visigoths settled principally in the south of France 
 and Spain, while the Goths spread over some of the fairest 
 portions of Europe. 
 
 5. The Saxons invaded Britain, while the Franks over¬ 
 ran the greater part of France, ultimately giving their 
 name to the country. Such was the condition of things 
 when Odoacer, King of the Heruli, in the year 476, took 
 Rome, and making himself master of the country, pro- 
 
274 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 claimed himself King of Italy. With him ended the 
 Roman Empire that for twelve hundred years had been a 
 power and a terror to the nations of the earth, and for 
 much of the time had ruled the world. 
 
 6. While Rome was virtuous, she was strong; but when 
 luxury and pride crept in she grew weak, and by her cor¬ 
 ruptions fell with none to mourn her. Had she retained 
 her virtue, had she not yielded to the corruptions of 
 wealth, had she received Christ and not imbrued her 
 hands in the blood of His Saints, she had not fallen as she 
 did a scoff and a by-word to the nations of the earth. 
 Like proud Babylon she rose up against God and trusted 
 in her own strength. For a time, man may turn his back 
 upon God, but in the end God will assert His power. 
 
 10.—Christian Apologists. 
 
 1. Coeval with the rise of Christianity rose a contest 
 with Paganism. In the light of Christian truth the shal¬ 
 lowness and falsehood of Pagan philosophy was easily seen. 
 The worship of false gods was wide-spread and deeply 
 rooted, while the knowledge of the true God was known 
 only to the Jews, a race despised and of little power or 
 influence. Everywhere irreligion prevailed. 
 
 2. Because the Christians could not, and would not 
 accept these gods, and so refused to worship them, they 
 were declared enemies to the state and offenders against the 
 religion of the gods. They were accused of sacrilege ; of 
 adoring an ass’s head ; of atheism and immorality; of 
 disloyalty to the secular powers and a divided allegiance ; 
 and, lastly, of eating a child at their religious feasts. 
 
 3. To combat these errors and false accusations — so 
 similar to those of our own times—God raised up men of 
 great learning, who not only refuted these errors and the 
 heresies that rose among Christians themselves, but tri¬ 
 umphantly vindicated the truth of Christianity, proving 
 
CHRISTIAN APOLOGISTS. 
 
 275 
 
 that Christ was the Messiah, and his religion but the 
 fulfillment of the prophecies made by Moses and the 
 prophets. 
 
 4. The most distinguished of these early writers—or as 
 they are called, Apologists, Fathers, Doctors—were Justin, 
 martyr, Clement of Alexandria and Origen among the 
 Greeks ; Tertullian and Cyprian among the Latins. 
 
 5. Justin (167) wrote two Apologies, or rather defenses 
 of Christianity, one to the Emperor Antoninus Pius, the 
 second to Marcus Aurelius. For this latter he was put to 
 death, and so won his martyr's crown. 
 
 6. Origen, the most illustrious of Clement’s scholars, 
 wrote (253) a triumphant vindication of Christianity in 
 refutation of the false charges made against it by Celsus, 
 a most learned and subtle Greek philosopher, while Ter¬ 
 tullian (204), a priest of Carthage, wrote not only a com¬ 
 plete refutation of the charges made by the Pagans against 
 Christianity, but proved most triumphantly in his im¬ 
 mortal work, De Principiis , the divinity and perpetuity 
 of the Catholic Church. 
 
 7. The writings of these men will ever remain as 
 monuments of Christian faith, and full and complete 
 refutations of the falsehoods and weaknesses of Pagan 
 philosophy. They fully cover the controversy between 
 Paganism and Christianity, and are the store-house from 
 which all future writers on Paganism have drawn. 
 
 11.—The Doctors and Fathers of the Church. 
 
 1. Besides the Apologists, who devoted themselves to the 
 defense of Christianity, its divinity and perfection, and 
 the refutation of Paganism, God also raised up, in the 
 subsequent ages of the Church, men of great learning and 
 deep thought to refute the heresies that from time to time 
 arose to disturb Christian society. 
 
276 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 2. The most distinguished among these Doctors and 
 Fathers of the Church were Athanasius and Chrysostom, 
 Basil and Gregory Nazianzen in the East; Jerome, Am¬ 
 brose, and Augustine in the West. 
 
 ST. ATHANASIUS BANISHED FROM ALEXANDRIA. 
 
 3. Athanasius distinguished himself at the Council of 
 Nice (325) by his brilliant refutation of Arianism, while 
 Basil (360) and Gregory labored for the general defense 
 of the Church. St. Chrysostom, Bishop of Constantinople 
 (398), called the golden-mouthed, is considered the most 
 eloquent of all the Christian orators, a worthy rival of 
 Cicero and Demosthenes. 
 
 4. Jerome (420) immortalized himself by his translation 
 of the Bible from the original Hebrew and Greek, giving 
 us what is now known as the Vulgate, a work that will 
 ever remain as a monument of erudition and correctness. 
 Ambrose (385), Bishop of Milan, besides his able refuta¬ 
 tion of heresy and his general defense of religion, dis¬ 
 tinguished himself by his heroic rebuke of the Emperor 
 
THE DOCTORS AND FATHERS OF THE CHURCH. 277 
 
 Theodosius for the wanton massacre of the inhabitants of 
 Thessalonica, He is also renowned, as being the means 
 in God’s hands used, for the conversion of St. Augustine. 
 
 5. St. Augustine was born in the year 354, and in the 
 early part of his life embraced the errors of the Mani- 
 clnuans, much to the sorrow of his saintly mother, Monica. 
 In 385 he was converted by the preaching of St. Ambrose, 
 and in 396 became Bishop of Hippo, Africa. St, Augustine 
 is pre-eminently noted for his refutation of the heresies of 
 Donatus (411) and Pelagius (416). 
 
 6. Of all the great men known to Christianity, no two 
 have so impressed themselves upon the Church as St. 
 Augustine and St, Thomas Aquinas, the latter born in the 
 kingdom of Naples, Italy, 1227. The former dealt with 
 the entire body of revealed truth—God, the Holy Trinity ; 
 man, the powers of body and soul; grace, free will, and 
 our future destiny ; the latter, with society and govern¬ 
 ment. St. Augustine sought to explain the dogmas of 
 revelation, and to refute heresy, while St. Thomas laid 
 down the principles on which society is built, and the 
 binding influence of religion upon king and people. 
 Between them, the whole body of Christian dogma has 
 been explained, and every form of heresy, so far known, 
 refuted. Nothing escaped them. The most profound 
 truths, equally with the most minute details,* are to be 
 found in their works. 
 
 7. Besides the above, the Church has ever had men of 
 great learning and ability, distinguished in every branch 
 of knowledge. In more modern times the names of 
 Albertus Magnus (1254), Francis de Sales (1654), Bossuet 
 (1704), and St. Liguori (1787), will easily be recalled, 
 together with a host of others, distinguished in theology 
 and philosophy, science and literature. No institution 
 has done so much for the development of the human 
 intellect as the Catholic Church ; nor can, for to her 
 alone has God given the great commission “go teach all 
 nations.” 
 
278 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 SECOND PERIOD. 
 
 FROM THE FALL OF ROME TO 
 THE PROTESTANT REFORMA¬ 
 TION. 
 
 12.—The Conversion of the Barbarians. 
 
 1. From the death of Christ to the fall of the Roman 
 Empire Christianity had made great progress, both in 
 Asia, Africa, and Europe. At the conversion of Con¬ 
 stantine (312) the population of the empire appears to 
 have been about 120,000,000, of whom 30,000,000 were 
 Christians, leaving, as will be' seen, the Pagans largely in 
 the ascendant. 
 
 2. When the barbarians came from the North and 
 swept over Europe like an avalanche, destroying all before 
 them, civilization seemed doomed, and would certainly 
 have been destroyed but for the Church. But God had 
 prepared a means of salvation, and the Church set herself 
 to the conversion of Europe. Up to the fall of Rome, 
 Christianity had been confined in Europe and Africa 
 principally to the shores of the Mediterranean. There 
 were flourishing churches all along the north of Africa ; 
 at Carthage, at Hippo, and in Egypt; in Europe the faith 
 was wide-spread, in Greece, in Sicily, in Italy, and in the 
 south of France and Spain. Elsewhere in Europe Chris¬ 
 tianity was little known when Rome fell. 
 
 3. The Vandals, who settled in the north of Africa, 
 were tainted with the Arian heresy, and long persecuted 
 the Church there, as did the Visigoths in Spain. The 
 Saxons destroyed almost every vestige of Christianity in 
 Britain. From the same cause religion suffered every¬ 
 where throughout Italy and France. 
 
THE CONVERSION OF THE BARBARIANS. 279 
 
 4. As early as the year 241, the Franks, a German tribe, 
 invaded France, and by degrees, seized upon the greater 
 part of 1 the country. Clovis, their king, married Clotilda, 
 a Christian, and a woman of great piety. She often spoke 
 to her husband of the Christian religion, to which he 
 became most kindly disposed. In a battle with the Ger¬ 
 mans (496), Clovis vowed that if the God of Clotilda 
 would give him the victory he would become a Christian. 
 God gave him the victory, and Clovis, with more than 
 
 THE BAPTISM OF CLOYIS. 
 
 3000 of his army, were baptized by St. Kemigius, Bishop 
 of Rheims, being the first Christian king of Europe. With 
 Clovis the conversion of the whole French nation soon 
 followed, and to the end of the last century, France re¬ 
 mained one of the most faithful of the Catholic countries. 
 
 5. Shortly after the conversion of the Franks, the Suevi 
 (562), the Visigoths (587), and (593) the Lombards of 
 northern Italy were converted to the true faith, but the 
 great event of this period was the conversion of Ireland 
 and England. 
 
280 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 13.—The Conversion of Ireland and Scotland. 
 
 1. As early as the third century Christianity was some¬ 
 what known in Ireland. So much so was this that, when 
 Palladius, in the year 431, came to preach Christ, he 
 found many Christian communities already existing. But 
 to St. Patrick is due the credit of having converted the 
 island. 
 
 ST. PATRICK. 
 
 2. St. Patrick was born in North Britain, in the year 
 387, and in youth was for seven years held a slave in 
 Ireland. Escaping, he was called, in a vision, to preach 
 the gospel, and going to Borne to consult the Pope, was 
 commissioned by Celestine to return to Ireland, where he 
 landed A. u. 432. 
 
 3. - He at once struck boldly into the country, and at 
 Tara met the king and Druid priests, with whom he had 
 many conferences. With the permission of the king he 
 
CONVERSION OF ENGLAND AND GERMANY. 281 
 
 began to preach. Soon converts were multiplied ; churches 
 and monasteries built; bishops consecrated, and priests 
 ordained. So rapid and complete was the conversion of 
 Ireland, that when St. Patrick died (492), the island was 
 Christian—the only example of a whole nation converted 
 to the faith without a single martyr. 
 
 4. In the beginning of the Christian era, Scotland was 
 peopled by two tribes known as the Piets and the Scots. 
 The former dwelt in the south, the latter in the north of 
 the island. 
 
 5. As early as 412, St. Ninian, a native of Britain, 
 preached to the Piets, of whom many were converted. 
 One hundred and fifty years after (563), St. Columba, an 
 Irish missionary, accompanied with twelve companions, 
 landed at Iona, an island on the coast of Scotland. There 
 he founded a monastery and began to preach to the Scots 
 on the mainland. Converts were rapidly made ; mission¬ 
 aries multiplied, and churches established among both 
 Piets and Scots, so that at the death of St. Columba (597) 
 the inhabitants of Scotland were almost entirely Christian. 
 
 6. Since her conversion, Ireland has remained faithful 
 to the Church, but at the Reformation, Scotland fell away 
 from the faith and became Protestant. 
 
 14.—Conversion of England and Germany. 
 
 1. At what precise period Christianity was first preached 
 in Britain is not positively known, but it seems quite cer¬ 
 tain that at the end of the second century, Lucius, a 
 British prince, was converted, and at his petition Pope 
 Eleutherius sent two priests, Fugatius and Damianus, 
 who converted many. During the persecution of Diocle¬ 
 tian (305) quite a number were put to death, among whom 
 St. Alban is honored as the first English martyr. 
 
 2. In the second century the Saxons were a small German 
 tribe, but by the fourth century had grown to be a powerful 
 people. In their piratical expeditions they often invaded 
 
282 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 Britain, and when Rome withdrew her legions, the British 
 invited the Saxons to help them repel the attacks of the 
 Piets and Scots. For their reward the Saxons drove out 
 the inhabitants and divided the country into seven king¬ 
 doms, at the same time almost entirely destroying Chris¬ 
 tianity in the island. 
 
 3. In the year 597, Pope Gregory the Great sent Augus¬ 
 tine, with a band of forty missionaries, to preach the 
 
 ST. BONIFACE. 
 
 Gospel in Britain. They were kindly received, and Ethel- 
 bert, King of Kent, with many of his people, were bap¬ 
 tized. From Kent the Gospel spread rapidly through the 
 other kingdoms. To meet the growing wants of the new 
 church, Augustine went to Fi mce, and at Arles was 
 consecrated bishop. Returning to England he fixed his 
 See at Canterbury. By the end of the seventh century 
 the whole island was Christian. 
 
 4. With the Roman armies the Christian religion had 
 been carried into Germany, but there was no general con- 
 
RELIGIOUS ORDERS—EAST. 
 
 283 
 
 version of the nation till St. Boniface, an Anglo-Saxon, 
 began the work in earnest. For twenty-five years lie 
 traveled over Germany and Bavaria. He found the 
 country covered with idols ; he left it Christian. In the 
 year 755 he was put to death, a martyr of zeal. 
 
 5. In the ninth century the Danes and the Swedes were 
 converted, and after them the Hungarians and Russians. 
 In the year 912 the Normans received the faith and 
 settled in France, and at the end of this century (1000), 
 the Poles, with their saintly king, Stephen, bowed before 
 the Cross. 
 
 6. The struggle had been long and the resistance great, 
 but in the end Christ had conquered. The Jews had 
 tried persecution and failed ; Rome had for three hundred 
 years warred against the Church, and failed ; the bar¬ 
 barians had resisted, but in time were subdued ; heresy 
 and schism had striven to rend the seamless garment of 
 Christ, and failed. God alone is great; God alone is 
 eternal, and as He, so is His Church—spotless and eternal. 
 
 15.—Religious Orders—East. 
 
 1. From the beginning of the Church, the most fervent 
 and earnest devoted themselves to prayer and meditation, 
 giving their goods to the poor and themselves to works of 
 charity and penance. In the community of goods, and 
 the consecrated virgins spoken of in the New Testament, 
 :s found the first germs of monastic life ; but not till 
 the middle of the third century was there anything like 
 organized communities of Religious or any fixed Rule for 
 their government. Up to that time each had been a rule 
 to himself, living in his own family, or where convenience 
 best suited. 
 
 2. In the year 251, St. Anthony was born in Egypt, of 
 rich and virtuous parents. Hearing one day in the Church 
 the words: “If thou wilt be perfect, go, sell all thou hast 
 
284 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 and give to the poor ; ” he took them literally. Selling 
 all he had, he retired to the wilderness and gave himself 
 up to prayer and fasting. 
 
 3. His food was bread, his drink water ; his bed a mat, 
 or the bare earth ; his clothing a shirt of hair and a cloak 
 of skin. After many years thus spent in the deserts of 
 Thebais, God gave him the gift of miracles. This drew 
 to him many followers, whom he formed into communi¬ 
 ties, and for whom he drew up rules, including the vows 
 of poverty, chastity, and obedience. 
 
 4. These monks, as they were called, spent their time 
 in fasting and prayer and labor. Their food was bread 
 and water, of which they eat but once a day, and that not 
 till the evening; their bed a mat, and their abode a little 
 cell, or a cave in the rocks. 
 
 5. Soon these communities spread not only through 
 Egypt and Palestine, but also through Syria and Greece, 
 and the whole East. 
 
 6. St. Anthony died (356) at the advanced age of one 
 hundred and five years, leaving after him the beginning 
 of an Institution that has been one of the glories of the 
 Church, and the most powerful of means for the sanctifi¬ 
 cation of souls and the promulgation of the Gospel. The 
 monks of the East, but more particularly of the West, 
 have been the great missionaries, the great writers and 
 scholars of the world. There is nothing they have not 
 touched, and nothing they have not beautified, be it 
 history, or science, or philosophy, or theology. 
 
 16.—Religious Orders—West. 
 
 1. After the death of St. Anthony, the work he had 
 begun was carried on by St. Paul at Thebes, and Pacho- 
 mius (340) by the Nile ; St. Hilarion, a disciple of St. 
 Jerome, carried the monastic rule into Palestine, while 
 St. Basil the Great, by his learning and wisdom, gave 
 strength and knowledge to the Order. St. Augustine, in 
 
RELIGIOUS ORDERS—WEST. 
 
 285 
 
 Africa (396), organized communities of women, for whom 
 he wrote rules, yet used as the basis of the Rules for 
 most of all the female religious communities since his 
 time. 
 
 2. Though much had been done, as above shown, yet 
 much had yet to be done ere monasticism would attain its 
 power and perfection. This came in the West with St. 
 Benedict, who was born in Italy, a. d. 480. 
 
 3. At the age of fourteen he left Rome, where he was 
 at school, and went secretly to Subiaco, where for three 
 years he dwelt unknown to the world. From thence he 
 was made abbot of a monastery at Vicovaro, but the 
 monks becoming dissatisfied with his strictness, he left 
 and went to Monte Cassino (529), where he established a 
 monastery that in time became the most celebrated house 
 of learning and religion the world has ever seen. 
 
 4. Besides prayer and penance, and the usual vows of 
 poverty, chastity, and obedience, St. Benedict added labor 
 —intellectual and manual. Under the hand of the Bene¬ 
 dictines, deserts, marshes, and mountains became gardens; 
 their monasteries became homes of learning; in them 
 history was written, science cultivated, and religion and 
 civilization found their great defenders. It is usual to 
 decry the monks, but the fact must ever remain that, 
 through them, whatever of classic lore or ancient or 
 mediaeval history we have, has been preserved. 
 
 5. During the middle ages, the Benedictine, the Fran¬ 
 ciscan, and the Dominican Orders were the great religious 
 power of Europe. To the Benedictines is due whatever 
 of ancient civilization we have, and in the Franciscans 
 and Dominicans we have the great preachers and theolo¬ 
 gians. 
 
 17.—Religious Orders. Concluded. 
 
 1. In the beginning monks were only laymen, and not 
 till well on in the Middle Ages were priests admitted 
 amongst them. In the twefth century the Albigenses and 
 
286 
 
 CHUKCH HISTORY. 
 
 Waldenses rose in the south of France to disturb society 
 with their errors. To counteract their teachings, and try 
 to convert them, St. Dominic, a Spanish priest (1215), 
 established the Religious Order known as the Dominicans, 
 or Friar Preachers. To preaching they united great learn¬ 
 ing. The most distinguished among them is St. Thomas 
 Aquinas. 
 
 DEATH OF ST. FRANCIS OF ASSISI. 
 
 2. Cotemporary with St. Dominic was St. Francis of 
 Assisi. He too established an Order (1223) whose end 
 was also preaching. To learning he added extreme pov¬ 
 erty in dress and food. St. Dominic seeing the great 
 success of the Franciscan Order, added poverty to his 
 rule. Hence, both Orders are known as Mendicant 
 Orders, the members of both being required by their 
 Rule to make begging a part of their religious life. The 
 Benedictines, Dominicans, and Franciscans were the three 
 great Orders of the Mediaeval Church. Other Orders 
 arose, hut they were but branches; such as the Cistercians 
 by St. Bernard (1113), and the Carthusians (1101) under 
 St. Bruno, who sought merely to revive the fervor of the 
 
MOHAMMEDANISM. 
 
 287 
 
 Benedictine Rule, or to add greater rigor to its austerities. 
 
 3. At the Reformation St. Ignatius (1540) established 
 the Society commonly known as the Jesuits. Their object 
 is teaching and preaching. By their great learning, botli 
 as writers and preachers, they have greatly helped to resist 
 and refute the errors of Protestantism. They are noted as 
 teachers, having colleges and schools everywhere. They 
 and the Franciscans have been the great missionaries of 
 the Church in latter times—the Jesuits in North America, 
 the Franciscans in Mexico and South America, and both 
 have won immortal glory among the Pagans of Asia and 
 Africa. 
 
 18.—Mohammedanism. 
 
 1. Mohammed was born at Mecca, in Arabia, a. d. 5G9. 
 In youth he engaged in commerce, but at the age of forty 
 began to preach religion, giving himself out as a prophet. 
 He promised his followers wealth and power in this world, 
 and a paradise of sensual pleasures in the next. He also 
 taught the doctrine of fatalism. 
 
 2. Aided, it is said, by an apostate monk, Mohammed 
 composed a book, known as the Koran, filled with fables 
 and maxims drawn from the Old and New Testament. 
 He held Christ was a Prophet, and that there was but one 
 God. He forbade the use of pork or wfine to his followers, 
 but permitted polygamy. 
 
 3. In the year 622 Mohammed fled to Medina, where he 
 began a war on all who would not believe in him. In 630, 
 at the head of an army, he returned to Mecca, took it, 
 and at once began a career of conquest seldom equalled 
 by the most renowned. 
 
 4. At his death (632), all Arabia had accepted Mohammed, 
 and within twenty years after, his successors had subdued 
 Syria and Palestine, Egypt and Persia (651). From Asia 
 they swept along the Mediterranean, subduing Northern 
 Africa (707) and so completely destroying Christianity 
 that scarce a vestige remains. From thence they passed 
 
288 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 over to Spain (711) and seized upon the greater part of 
 the country. 
 
 5. The Christians that were spared, fled to the moun¬ 
 tains. For seven hundred years war between the Moham¬ 
 medans and Christians of Spain was carried on, and only 
 ended (1492) when, under Ferdinand and Isabella, the 
 Moorish city of Granada was taken, and the Moors finally 
 driven out or converted. 
 
 6. In 732 a countless host of Mohammedans, or, as they 
 were also called, Saracens, invaded the south of France, 
 carrying destruction and ruin everywhere. Wherever they 
 had come, so far, their power had been irresistible. Europe 
 seemed destined to fall before them, as Asia and Africa 
 had already done. But at this moment, God raised up 
 Charles Martel, King of France, who, with his army, met 
 the Saracens near Poitiers, where a great battle was 
 fought. The Saracens were defeated, and it is said three 
 hundred thousand of them were left dead upon the field. 
 Christendom was saved, and the further progress of the 
 Mohammedans was forever arrested in Europe. 
 
 19.—Temporal Power of the Popes. 
 
 1. From the time of Constantine (330), the Eoman 
 emperors had gradually concentrated their power in the 
 East, leaving Rome and the West much to itself. During 
 the invasions of the barbarians, the people began-to look 
 to the Popes for protection, so that from the necessities 
 of the times the Popes became, to a great extent, the civil 
 as well as the ecclesiastical rulers of Rome. This was 
 finally and formally settled in 755 by the act of Pepin, 
 King of France, and later, in 774, by Charlemagne. 
 
 2. In 755, while Stephen II. filled the pontifical chair, 
 the Lombards under their king, Astolphus, invaded the 
 Roman territory and laid waste the surrounding country. 
 Having in vain appealed to the Eastern Emperor for 
 assistance, the Pope turned to Pepin, son of Charles 
 
TEMPORAL POWER OF THE POPES. 28 ( J 
 
 Martel, who crossed the Alps, drove back the Lombards, 
 and by a solemn act gave to the Pope and his successors 
 forever the territory of Eome and Eavenna, together with 
 Bologna and Ferrara, and a considerable portion of the 
 territory stretching along the Adriatic. 
 
 3. Twenty years later (774), when the Lombards a 
 third time attacked Eome, Charlemagne crossed into 
 Italy, and defeating them, confirmed the grant given to 
 Pope Stephen, adding new territory to the original gift. 
 From that time to 1870 the Popes have governed Eome 
 and the states above named. In 1870, Victor Emanuel, 
 King of Sardinia, invaded the states of the Church, took 
 Eome, and has since held it, keeping the Pope a pris¬ 
 oner in the Vatican. 
 
 4. Though these temporal possessions are not essential 
 to the existence of the Church to-day any more than 
 during the first three centuries, yet they are of immense 
 benefit. The necessities of religion require that the 
 Pope be independent of kings and princes, that he be free 
 from the intrigues of courts and politicians, and that he 
 be free to communicate with the bishops of the world. 
 This he cannot do if dependent on any government for 
 his liberty, nor can he act freely and independently with 
 governments if he is subject to any particular govern¬ 
 ment. This is well seen in the present condition of 
 Eome, where infidels are robbing the Church and destroy¬ 
 ing religion. 
 
 20.—The Crusades. 
 
 1. After overrunning Syria and Palestine, the Moham¬ 
 medans took Jerusalem (638). The Emperor Iieraclius 
 removed the true Cross, but the city was pillaged and the 
 Christians subjected to great hardships. 
 
 2. During the reign of Charlemagne the western em¬ 
 pire assumed much of its ancient glory and power. The 
 Mohammedans were kept in check, and the Christians in 
 the East were to some extent protected against cruelties 
 
290 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 and persecutions. But after his death (814) persecution 
 was renewed, and continued to the end of the eleventh 
 century, when the first Crusade began. 
 
 3. During the eleventh century religious zeal ran very 
 high, and many visited the Holy Land as pious pilgrims. 
 On these pilgrimages they were subjected to great indig¬ 
 nities, the Mohammedans robbing them, and often put¬ 
 ting them to death or reducing them to slavery. 
 
 PREACHING THE CRUSADES. 
 
 4. The recital of these indignities and persecutions 
 greatly excited the Christians of Europe. Popes Sylvester 
 II. and Gregory VII. appealed to the Christian princes of 
 Europe to protect the Christians in the East, and to free 
 Jerusalem from the power of the Mussulman. 
 
 5. In the year 1094 Peter, surnamed the Hermit, visited 
 the Holy Land, and on his return spoke to Pope Urban 
 II. of the distress of the Christians in the East. The 
 Pope called a council at Clermont, at which it was resolved 
 to recover Jerusalem. 
 
 6. Amid great enthusiasm large armies were raised. 
 Cries of “God wills it” were everywhere heard. The 
 
THE CRUSADES. 291 
 
 march was begun, and soon Constantinople was reached. 
 Nice was taken; Antioch fell into the hands of the Cru¬ 
 saders, and in a short time the most of Palestine was in 
 possession of the Christians. 
 
 7. When the Crusaders first saw Jerusalem from a 
 neighboring hill, they fell on their knees and kissed 
 the ground, then rising and shouting “God wills it,” 
 rushed to the attack. For five weeks the Mussulman 
 held the walls, but on Friday, July 15, 1099, at three 
 o’clock in the afternoon, the city was taken by assault, 
 and the Tomb of Christ was in the hands of the Cru¬ 
 saders. 
 
 8. Eight days after, Godfrey of Bouillon was elected 
 king, but when offered a golden crown, refused to wear 
 it, saying, “that it was not fit that he should wear a 
 crown of gold where the King of kings had worn a crown 
 of thorns.” 
 
 9. By the battle of Ascalon, fought on the 12th of 
 August of the same year, the whole of Palestine fell into 
 the hands of the Crusaders. Jerusalem remained in pos¬ 
 session of the Christians for eighty-eight years, when it 
 was again taken by the Saracens (1187), and with a short 
 interval of eleven years, from 1228 to 1239, it has ever 
 since been under the dominion of the Turks. 
 
 21.—The Crusades. Concluded. 
 
 1. In 1144 the Saracens attacked the Christians of 
 Palestine ; Edessa was taken and the inhabitants put to 
 the sword. When the news reached Europe Louis VII., 
 King of France, and Conrad III., Emperor of Germany, 
 raised two large armies and marched for the Holy Land. 
 They failed ; and after an ineffectual attempt to reduce 
 Damascus, returned with but a remnant of their armies. 
 
 2. After the fall of Jerusalem in 1187, the Emperor of 
 Germany, Frederick Barbarossa, and Philip, King of 
 France, with Richard, Gceur-de-Lion , King of England, 
 raised each an army, and in 1189 marched for Jerusalem. 
 
292 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 Frederick died on the journey. After a siege of twenty- 
 three months Acre was taken, when Philip returned, 
 leaving Richard to continue the war. In 1192 Richard 
 concluded a treaty with the Turks, by which the Chris¬ 
 tians were at liberty to visit Jerusalem and Palestine 
 without molestation. With his return ended this third 
 and best equipped of all the Crusades. 
 
 3. A fourth (1203) and a fifth (1228) Crusade were 
 undertaken for the defense of Palestine. In the former, 
 Constantinople was taken, and for fifty-six years was held 
 by Baldwin, Count of Flanders, and his successors ; by the 
 latter Jerusalem was ceded to Frederick II., Emperor of 
 Germany, but no substantial benefits remained to the 
 Christians by either expedition. 
 
 4. In 1244 the Turks burst into Syria, and overrunning 
 Palestine, again took Jerusalem and pillaged it. To repel 
 these barbarians St. Louis, King of France, headed the 
 sixth Crusade, but was defeated and taken prisoner (1250). 
 On the payment of a large ransom he was set at liberty, 
 and with other prisoners, returned to France. Twenty 
 years after (1270) Louis undertook still another Crusade, 
 but his fleet was driven by adverse winds to the coast of 
 Africa, where he landed his troops near the site of ancient 
 Carthage. A virulent plague breaking out, his army was 
 swept away, and he himself fell a victim. With him died 
 the last effort to recover Jerusalem, which ever since has 
 remained in the hands of the infidel—a sad thought for 
 the Christian mind. 
 
 5. Though the Crusades had failed to free the Holy 
 Land from the power of the infidel, and had cost Europe 
 immense loss of both men and treasure, yet they were not 
 without benefit. By them commerce had been enlarged, 
 knowledge increased, and the refinement of the East 
 brought to the West. The fine arts, a wider knowledge 
 of geography and mathematics, and the institution of 
 chivalry, were some of the advantages derived by the 
 Crusades, to which must be added the stop they put to 
 Mohammedan conquest. 
 
SCIENCE AND LITERATURE. 
 
 293 
 
 22.—Science and Literature during the Middle 
 
 Ages. 
 
 1. In the fall of the Roman Empire, and the invasion 
 of Europe by the Barbarians, literature received a rude 
 shock, and for a time science and letters seemed doomed, 
 but God had provided a savior in the monks, with whom 
 some of the princes and rulers co-operated. 
 
 2. Owing to the disturbed state of society occasioned by 
 the constant wars of the Barbarians and the devastations 
 consequent thereon, little for a time could be done for the 
 cultivation of letters. The wonder is not that so little 
 was done, but that under the circumstances so much was 
 done. 
 
 3. With the reorganization of the empire under Pepin, 
 King of France (741), and its final consolidation under his 
 son Charlemagne (800), literature began to revive. Char¬ 
 lemagne was a great patron of letters. Under his reign, 
 notwithstanding his continual wars, he established schools, 
 and gathered together the learned from his whole empire. 
 
 4. He invited from England, Alcuin (804), a distin¬ 
 guished scholar and pupil of the venerable Bede, under 
 whose direction academies were established, and the sons 
 of the more wealthy flocked to his lectures ; Alcuin spoke 
 Latin, Greek, and Hebrew, was master of philosophy, 
 theology, history, and mathematics. Under his teaching 
 the schools of France soon became celebrated, and scholars 
 from all Europe came to learn wisdom at his lips. The 
 impulse thus given to letters by Charlemagne was con¬ 
 tinued by his successors. 
 
 5. Alfred the Great, King of England (870), after 
 defeating the Danes and driving them out of the country, 
 also turned his attention to the education of his people. 
 For this purpose he in turn invited from France men of 
 learning, founded schools and encouraged letters, so that 
 under his reign science and learning made great progress. 
 
 6. Otho, Emperor of Germany (973), was also a great 
 patron of education; he established schools and patronized 
 
294 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 r 
 
 the learned. His example revived and infused new life 
 into the schools of France and England. During this 
 period the schools of Ireland were also very celebrated; so 
 much so, that as many as twenty-five thousand scholars 
 are said to have attended at one time the schools of 
 Armagh. 
 
 7. In the year 529 the celebrated monastery of Monte 
 Casino, in Italy, was founded by St. Benedict, and by the 
 end of the 12th century the monasteries of Cluny in 
 France, Bee in Normandy, and the schools of Oxford and 
 Canterbury in England, had grown into great repute. 
 Pope Sylvester II (1003) and Gregory VII (1013) were also 
 great patrons of learning, besides being defenders of the 
 faith, while Lanfranc and St. Anselm, in England, had 
 rendered illustrious the See of Canterbury, and by their 
 learning adorned the age in which they lived. 
 
 23.—The Monks and Literature. 
 
 1. It is popular with modern historians to decry the 
 monks and accuse them of laziness and ignorance. Be¬ 
 cause forsooth steamboats, telegraphs, and railroads were 
 unknown to the Middle Ages, then the men of the past 
 were ignorant, and the Church sought to keep the world 
 in darkness. This is not correct either in fact or in 
 reason. 
 
 2. The truth is, there was much more learning among 
 the masses, and scholars far more profound during the 
 Middle Ages than has been generally admitted. The usual 
 mode of reasoning is, to compare the past witlj the 
 present, and if the present has what the past had not, 
 then to conclude that the past was buried in darkness, 
 and that ignorance reigned supreme. The unfairness of 
 this reasoning is easily seen. 
 
 3. To reason justly we must consider the condition of 
 the past—the disruption of society by the fall of Rome ; 
 the devastation of Europe by the Barbarians ; and the 
 necessary reorganization of society and the formation of 
 
THE HONKS AND LITERATURE. 
 
 295 
 
 new governments. To these must be added the ignorance 
 and number of the slaves; the rudeness of the Barbarians, 
 and the continual wars, consequent on the rude and un¬ 
 civilized state of society. 
 
 4. To overcome the above, schools and colleges had to 
 be established, manners softened, the Barbarian civilized, 
 and slavery abolished. Yet all this was done during the 
 Middle Ages ; and though learning was not as diffused 
 among the people then as now, yet there were scholars 
 not only as profound as any of to-day, but they found 
 audiences fully as able to understand and appreciate them 
 as any we find in modern times. 
 
 5. At first the monks were but cultivators of the soil; 
 but as the monasteries grew in size and wealth they 
 opened hospitals, then schools, where rich and poor were 
 free to attend. In these schools were taught Grammar 
 and Rhetoric, Arithmetic and Logic, Greek and Roman 
 Classics, Aristotle and Euclid. 
 
 6. The best fitted among the monks were selected ; 
 some to teach, some to copy, some to write on history or 
 sacred Scripture. Others devoted themselves to science, 
 or architecture, or the fine arts. 
 
 7. The churches and monasteries that time, fire, and 
 the Reformation have spared, show the state of perfection 
 to which architecture was carried, as also carving and 
 painting. To these must be added music, and the dis¬ 
 coveries and inventions of the Middle Ages, showing not 
 only a high degree of intelligence, but causing wonder to 
 the honest-minded that so much could have been done in 
 the midst of so much that was adverse. 
 
 8. The writings of Bede (730), Alcuin (804), Scotus 
 Erigina (885), Gerbert (1003), Anselm (1106), Bernard 
 (1150), Bonaventure (1270), St. Thomas (1272), Dante 
 (1309), Petrarch (1370), show not only men of profound 
 minds, but men of most extensive learning. By their 
 fruits let the past be judged, and by them it will be seen 
 that the Middle Ages were neither so dark, nor Catholics 
 so ignorant, as so-called history pretends to tell. 
 
296 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY, 
 
 24.—Discoveries and Inventions of Catholics. 
 
 1. A common mode of reasoning is to assume the past 
 is not equal to the present, or vice versa , as it best suits 
 our vanity. So men of modern times very often assume 
 that an improvement is a discovery. That the present 
 age has improved on the past is not to he doubted, but 
 that much that is really original has been either invented 
 or discovered in the present age may be very honestly 
 
 THE CATHEDRAL OF COLOGNE 
 
 doubted. It is also commonly assumed that Catholics have 
 done nothing for either science or arts. This is a grave 
 mistake, as will be seen by the following list of discoveries 
 and inventions, all by Catholics, and many of them before 
 the Protestant Keformation. 
 
 2. Architecture, music, sculpture, painting, glass-stain¬ 
 ing, and such like, have been always taken as criterions of 
 the civilization of which they were the outcome. The 
 architecture of Eome, and Greece, and Babylon, and 
 
DISCOVERIES AND INVENTIONS OF CATHOLICS. 297 
 
 Egypt, are taken to-day as signs of the advanced state of 
 civilization in those countries, when they built to the 
 wonder of the world. So we can point to the great 
 cathedrals of Europe, such as Cologne, Spiers, Milan, 
 Canterbury, and AVinchester, that to-day are the wonder 
 and admiration of all, as monuments of the high cultiva¬ 
 tion of the Middle Ages, when they were built. 
 
 3. Besides this may be mentioned the cultivation and 
 manufactory of silk introduced into Europe by two 
 monks in the year 551, the invention of water-mills (555), 
 window-glass for churches and dwellings (601), bells for 
 churches (605), organs (673), paper, made of cotton (706), 
 made of linen (1270). The Gregorian Chant, by Pope 
 Gregory the Great (600), to which was added the gamut, 
 or scale in music, that so aids in its study; also clocks 
 with balance and wheels (1089), glass-staining, with 
 the art of imprinting figures upon it (1199), gun¬ 
 powder (1214), watches (1306), and the mariner’s com¬ 
 pass (1310). 
 
 4. To these inventions of the Middle Ages must be 
 added the inventions and discoveries made by Catholics 
 before and since the Reformation. Amongst these are 
 printing (1400), the discovery of America and its partial 
 colonization in the 11th century, and its after discovery 
 in 1492 by Columbus, also the doubling of the Cape of 
 Good Hope in 1497. 
 
 5. In 1542 the Solar System was discovered by Coper¬ 
 nicus, and in 1543 steamboat navigation was demonstrated 
 in Spain by Blasco de Garay. The rotundity of the earth 
 was taught by Virgilius (764), afterwards by Dante (1320) 
 in his immortal Inferno, and in 1610 its motion was 
 demonstrated by Galileo, as also the Satellites of Jupiter 
 discovered. In 1582 the Calendar now used was corrected 
 by Pope Gregory. 
 
 6. In 1597 the thermometer was invented by Galileo ; 
 the telescope and microscope in 1609, and the barometer 
 in 1643. In 1630 the art of enamelling on ivory was 
 invented, and in 1791 galvanism was discovered. The 
 
298 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 r 
 
 weaving of satin and broadcloth were discoveries of the 
 Middle Ages (1189). 
 
 7. Nearly all the present governments of Europe were 
 formed during the Middle Ages, with their languages and 
 laws. When we add to all this the abolition of slavery 
 in Europe, the civilization of the Barbarians, the softening 
 of manners, the elevation of woman, the Magna Charta, 
 trial by jury, the habeas corpus, the Common Law, and 
 the sanctity of home, all the direct results of the teachings 
 of the Catholic Church during the Middle Ages, it will be 
 seen that not only the Church has been no obstacle to 
 progress, either in science or art, but that to Catholics is 
 due the discovery of nearly all the valuable inventions 
 we have. Carefully examined it will be seen, that with 
 the exception of the steam-engine and the railroad, little 
 that is really new has been discovered other than by 
 Catholics. It is true, valuable improvements have been 
 made, but discoveries and inventions of things entirely 
 new are few and far between. 
 
 -- 
 
 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 FROM THE REFORMATION TO 
 THE PRESENT TIME. 
 
 25.—Causes of the Reformation. 
 
 1. Two causes largely contributed to the success of the 
 Reformation, one the decline of morals, the other the 
 spread of the heresies of Wycliffe and Huss. The great 
 wealth of the monasteries had certainly brought laxity 
 among their members, while the universal acceptance of 
 Catholicity had deadened zeal for its maintenance. The 
 discovery of printing about the time of Luther rendered 
 
CAUSES OF THE REFORMATION. 
 
 299 
 
 possible the rapid spread of heresy, to which must be 
 added the long contests between the Church and the 
 secular powers, which had greatly weakened authority. 
 
 2. In the year 1356, John Wycliffe, a fellow of Oxford 
 University, England, began to preach against the monks. 
 Four years after (1360), he attacked the whole ecclesias¬ 
 tical order, teaching that the Pope was not the head of the 
 Church, nor were bishops superior to priests ; that priests 
 and civil magistrates lost their authority when they fell 
 into mortal sin, ending all by the denial of Transubstan- 
 tiation. 
 
 3. These doctrines readily found followers, who, under 
 the name of Lollards, created great disturbance, assuming 
 the right to preach when and where they pleased. In 
 1380 Wycliffe translated the Bible into English, and four 
 years after (1384), died, having been condemned by the 
 Pope and several Councils in England. His doctrines were 
 finally condemned at the Council of Constance (1415), as 
 was also John Huss, who had begun to preach them in 
 Bohemia. 
 
 4. In 1402 Jerome of Prague returned from Oxford, 
 where he had been studying, and began to preach the 
 
 He was seconded by John Huss of 
 the same place, who not only taught the condemned 
 doctrines of Wycliffe, but went farther — denying the 
 authority of the Pope, attacking the clergy, the doctrines 
 of the Church on indulgences, the Blessed Virgin, the 
 Saints, and communion under one kind. 
 
 5. His doctrines spread rapidly through Bohemia. In 
 1414 the Council of Constance was held, before which lie 
 appeared, was condemned and burned at the stake (1415). 
 The next year, his followers rose in great force, overran 
 Bohemia and were not finally subdued^ till 1436, but 
 by this time his doctrines were widespread. The tares 
 had been sown, and in 1517 brought forth their fruit in 
 the heresy of Luther, when he began to preach against 
 indulgences, and maintain the heresies taught by Wycliffe 
 and Huss. 
 
 doctrines of Wycliffe 
 
300 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY*. 
 
 6. It cannot be denied that the laxity of morals greatly 
 contributed to the spread of these heresies, while the 
 wealth of the Church afforded a specious pretext to 
 attack the clergy. Besides, as will be readily seen, the 
 doctrines of Wycliffe and Huss appealed to the worst 
 passions, exciting directly to rebellion against authority. 
 The same was in worse degree under Luther, his doctrines 
 exciting not only to rebellion against authority, but 
 appealing to the worst form of intellectual pride. 
 
 26.—Luther. 
 
 1. November 10, 1483, Martin Luther, the first and 
 chief of the Protestant Reformers, was born in Thuringia, 
 Germany. In 1505 he became a monk of the Order of 
 St. Augustine, and shortly after was appointed professor 
 in the University of Wittenberg. 
 
 2. In 1517 Pope Leo X. published a Jubilee, and directed 
 that the alms to be given should be sent to Rome to help 
 complete the great Cathedral of St. Peter, then being 
 built. Tetzel, Superior of the Dominicans, was appointed 
 to preach this Jubilee throughout Germany, which greatly 
 displeased Luther, because of the slight, as he supposed, 
 that had thus been thrown upon the Augustinians by not 
 inviting them to preach the Jubilee. 
 
 3. At first Luther attacked only the Dominicans, but 
 in a short time he also attacked the doctrine of indul¬ 
 gences itself, publishing October 31, 1517, his famous 
 declaration of principles, in which were embodied the 
 germs of the Protestant Reformation. In 1520 his doc¬ 
 trines were condemned by the Pope and he himself 
 excommunicated. 
 
 4. In 1522 Luther translated the Bible into German, 
 and with it proclaimed the doctrine of “an open Bible 
 and free interpretation,” as a fundamental doctrine. He 
 also denied the supremacy of the Pope, the authority of 
 the Church, the celibacy of the clergy, the efficacy of the 
 
LUTHER. 
 
 301 
 
 sacraments, the doctrine of purgatory, and the teachings 
 of the Church on justification and original sin. 
 
 5. He forbade his followers to honor the Saints or to 
 obey the commandments of the Church, rejecting all the 
 sacraments except Baptism and the Lord's Supper. He 
 also taught that faith ivitliout good works would save, 
 contrary to the Catholic doctrine, which teaches that men 
 are saved by faith with good works. 
 
 6. With the exception of “the Bible alone as the Buie 
 of faith," Luther and Calvin but repeated the heresies of 
 Huss and Wycliffe, and the earlier heresiarchs. Calvin 
 adopted the heresies of Pelagius on grace and original 
 sin, while Luther with his “open Bible and free interpre¬ 
 tation " paved the way to the multiplicity of sects, and 
 the vagaries of opinion into which Protestantism has 
 divided. In 1525 Luther married Catharine de Bora, a 
 nun whom he had persuaded to leave her convent, and in 
 1546 he died, with Protestanism torn into pieces by the 
 contending sects. 
 
 7. The doctrines of Luther spread rapidly throughout 
 Saxony, the north of Germany, and Prussia. From 
 thence they passed into Denmark, Sweden, and Nor¬ 
 way, encouraged by princes and kings, and everywhere 
 accompanied with bloodshed and disorder. Calvinism 
 was adopted in parts of France and Switzerland, and 
 under the teaching of Knox became the religion of 
 Scotland. 
 
 8. In 1545 the Council of Trent was convened, and 
 after seventeen years of careful examination, condemned 
 the heresies of Luther and Calvin, at the same time 
 affirming the true doctrine on the sacraments, grace, 
 original sin, justification, and free will. The Canon of 
 Scripture was more precisely determined, and many wise 
 laws published. For over three hundred years no new 
 Council was held till 1869, when the Council of the 
 Vatican assembled, but in 1870 was forced to adjourn in 
 consequence of the seizure of Rome by Victor Emanuel, 
 King of Italy. 
 
302 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 27.—Calvin and Knox. 
 
 1. John Calvin was born 1509 at Noyon, France, and died 
 at Geneva, 15G4. At first lie studied for the priesthood 
 and received Minor Orders, but afterwards studied law. 
 In 1532 he adopted the doctrines of Luther, and in 1535 
 published his celebrated “ Institutions,” in which he 
 embodied the heresies of Pelagius on grace and predes¬ 
 tination, teaching that all men were predestined by the 
 fore will of God to heaven or hell; thus destroying free 
 will and making God the author of sin. 
 
 2. In 1536 he went to Geneva, from whence, two years 
 after, he was banished because of his great rigor and 
 vehemence. In 1541 he returned, and from that to his 
 death (1564) ruled Geneva with a rod of iron. In 1553 
 lie burned Servetus, because he taught doctrines on the 
 Trinity objectionable to Calvin, thus denying to others 
 the freedom he claimed for himself. 
 
 3. Calvin forbade all exterior religion, forbidding re¬ 
 ligious ceremonies, denying the Mass, the Real Presence, 
 the invocation of Saints, the supremacy of the Pope, and 
 the sacramental character of bishops and priests. 
 
 4. Calvin was a man of strong character, great rigor, 
 and deep, resolute will. He is by many deemed the soul 
 and real author of the Reformation, and wherever his 
 doctrines have been accepted they have produced a deep 
 and lasting effect. 
 
 5. John Knox, author of the Reformation in Scotland, 
 was born 1505 ; was ordained priest, but in 1547 began 
 to preach against the Pope and the Mass. He was a man 
 violent of temper and rude in manners. In 1-554 he 
 adopted the doctrines of Calvin, and succeeded in having 
 them so universally adopted in Scotland that Catholicity 
 was almost entirely rejected by the Scotch. He died in 
 1572, revered by the Scotch, but known in history as the 
 “ ruffian of the Reformation.” 
 
THE REFORMATION IN ENGLAND. 
 
 303 
 
 28.—The Protestant Reformation in England. 
 
 1. In the beginning, Henry VIII., King of England, 
 was strongly opposed to the doctrines of Luther, writing 
 a book against him, for which he was called by the Pope, 
 “Defender of the Faith,” a title still retained by the 
 kings and queens of England. 
 
 2. In 1509 he married Catharine of Aragon, but twenty- 
 four years after, conceived an unlawful passion for Anne 
 Boleyn, waiting-maid to the queen. Because the Pope 
 refused to divorce him from his lawful wife, Catharine, 
 he declared himself head of the Church in England, 
 forced parliament to divorce him (1533), then publicly 
 married Anne Boleyn, to whom he had been already 
 privately married some months before. 
 
 3. Three years after (1536), he had her beheaded, and 
 next day married Jane Seymour, who the year following 
 died, when he again married. Within six months this 
 marriage was also annulled, and he married Catharine 
 Howard, who next year was beheaded, when he married 
 again. He was preparing to have this, his sixth wife, 
 divorced, when he himself died, despised and detested by 
 all. Such was the man who began the Keformation in 
 England. 
 
 4. After the death of Henry VIII. (1547), the Reforma¬ 
 tion was continued by Edward VI. (1547-1553) and 
 Elizabeth (1558-1603), under whose reigns Catholicity 
 was almost entirely destroyed, and Erotestanism so firmly 
 established that up to within the last fifty years there 
 were but few Catholics in England. Latterly, however, 
 the Church has again begun to grow in England, there 
 being at present (1881) three English Cardinals, besides 
 bishops, priests, and religious. 
 
 5. When Henry VIII. separated from the Church, he 
 began a most violent persecution, seizing upon the monas¬ 
 teries, driving out the religious, and dividing their lands 
 among his partisans. Prison, fines, confiscation, torture, 
 
304 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 death, was the doom of all who refused to acknowledge 
 him as head of the Church. He beheaded Fisher, Bishop 
 of Rochester, and Thomas More, Chancellor, two of the 
 most distinguished men of England, because they would 
 not sanction his divorce, or acknowledge his supremacy 
 in spirituals. 
 
 6. To the schism of Henry, Edward and Elizabeth added 
 heresy, suppressing the Mass, destroying images, pillaging 
 and profaning churches, changing dogma and ceremonies, 
 the whole nation basely accepting at the beck of its rulers. 
 From the death of Elizabeth (1G03) to the present day, 
 the “English Church/ 5 as it is now called, has been but 
 the slave of the state, the kings and queens of England 
 being its head. 
 
 7. To make converts, Catholicity has ever appealed to 
 reason; Protestantism, like Mohammedanism, to force 
 and violence. In England and Scotland Protestantism 
 was forced upon the people by fines, imprisonment, and 
 death; in Germany and Prussia, Sweden and Denmark, 
 and Norway the same. In America the Puritans acted 
 in like manner. 
 
 8. Protestanism began with “an open Bible and Free 
 Interpretation/ 5 and has ended in division and disbelief. 
 By the above principle every one becomes judge of what 
 he will, or will not believe. Hence, amongst Protestants 
 there are almost as many religions as there are individuals, 
 the churches divided and torn into pieces, ending in 
 infidelity and Mormonism. On the other hand, Catho¬ 
 licity remains ever the same, because Catholicity is truth, 
 and truth changes not. 
 
 29.—The Church in Asia and America. 
 
 1. While on the one hand the Church was being so 
 sadly despoiled in Europe by the violence of Protestantism, 
 she was on the other consoled by the heroism of her 
 martyrs, and the wonderful conversions to her fold in 
 India and Japan, and amid the forests of America. 
 
THE CHURCH IN ASIA AND AMERICA 
 
 305 
 
 2. In 1540 the Society of Jesus was organized by Igna¬ 
 tius of Loyola, a Spanish soldier. From the beginning, this 
 Society has been distinguished for its learning and zeal. 
 In 1541 Francis Xavier, one of its first members, was sent 
 to Goa, a Portuguese settlement in India, where for six 
 years he preached throughout India and Malabar, count¬ 
 ing his converts by millions. 
 
 ST. FRANCIS XAVIER. 
 
 3. In 1549 he passed over to Japan, and preached with 
 such success, that within fifty years there were over three 
 million Christians gathered to the Church. In 1552 
 Xavier passed from Japan to China, but God was satisfied 
 with what he had done, and he died on the coast, at the 
 early age of forty-six years. 
 
 4. While St. Francis Xavier was thus adding to the 
 Church in the East, his brother Jesuits in Paraguay, 
 South America, were converting the rude savages to the 
 Faith, teaching them a knowledge of God and forming 
 them to habits of civilized life (1556). 
 
 £>, In 1608 the French founded Quebec, Canada, where 
 
306 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 they not only planted the cross as a sign of their own 
 faith, but established a missionary home, from whence 
 the Jesuits sent forth a band of heroes to explore the 
 country and convert the Indians. 
 
 6. There is no more beautiful page in the history of the 
 Church than that of the Jesuits in North America. From 
 Quebec they penetrated into New York, where Jogues 
 gave his life for the conversion of the Mohawks, while 
 Brebeuf and Lallamant died at the stake for their Huron 
 converts. Up the St. Lawrence and Ottawa Rivers, along 
 Lakes Huron and Michigan, through forests and amid the 
 wild tribes of the West, Marquette sought the Mississippi— 
 preaching the Gospel everywhere—the first of Europeans 
 to look upon its waters. The works of the Jesuits in 
 North America have disappeared with the destruction of 
 the Indians, but they were not the less real, nor their 
 success the less true because to-day so little remains to 
 tell of former struggles and triumphs. 
 
 30.—Religious Wars in Europe. 
 
 1. With the acceptance of the doctrine of Luther, 
 “ that all men were free in religion,” there soon rose a 
 desire to be also free in secular affairs. 
 
 2. In Germany the Lutherans took up arms, pillaged and 
 burned churches, destroyed monasteries, and massacred 
 priests and religious. After great loss of life Charles V. 
 subdued them, and in 1555, by the peace of Augsburg, 
 accorded them the free exercise of their religion ; but in 
 1619 they again rose in rebellion. By the assistance of 
 the Danes and Swedes, and the Protestants of France, 
 they, for thirty years, carried on war, which was finally 
 ended in 1648 by the treaty of Westphalia. 
 
 3. During this time the Galvinists of France, under 
 the name of Huguenots, began to disturb the peace. In 
 1561 they took up arms, pillaged and destroyed churches, 
 murdered priests and nuns, and attacked and burned a 
 number of towns and villages. 
 
RELIGIOUS WARS IK EUROPE. 
 
 4. On the eve of St. Bartholomew, 
 turn attacked, and large numb^ 
 and elsewhere throughout 
 (1598) they were^jjjji 
 except^ 
 
CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 the Teachings of the 
 
 ' ed 
 hurch 
 
 ation. 
 
GENERAL CONCLUSION. 
 
 309 
 
 Emperor of France, and in 1804 was solemnly crowned in 
 Notre Dame, Paris, by Pope Pius VII. Five years after, by 
 order of Napoleon, the States of the Church were seized 
 upon and Pius VII. dragged into France, where for five 
 years he was held a prisoner. In 1815 the French were 
 defeated at Waterloo, and Napoleon banished to the 
 Island of St. Helena, where he died in the year 1821. 
 
 32.—General Conclusion. 
 
 1. Though much has been necessarily omitted in this 
 short history of the Church, yet enough has been given 
 to show how strangely the world has warred against God 
 and religion. 
 
 2. The Jews rejected Christ and persecuted His Apos¬ 
 tles, to be themselves in turn persecuted and scattered 
 over the w T orld without home or country. Rome perse¬ 
 cuted the Church, and in the vain hope of destroying 
 Christianity, deluged the empire in the blood of the 
 martyrs. 
 
 3. Heresy rose, and by division strove to destroy the 
 unity of faith, beginning with the denial of the divinity 
 of Jesus Christ, and ending in the deification of human 
 reason, and the right of men to determine for themselves 
 what they shall or shall not believe. 
 
 4. Heretofore the controversy between the Church and 
 the world has been on matters of faith. In the Protestant 
 world faith is rapidly passing away, to be replaced by in¬ 
 difference or positive hostility to religion. The sects 
 have lost their power, are divided and torn among them¬ 
 selves, their only bond of unity being a common hostility 
 to Catholicity. 
 
 5. The Protestant world seems to have lost confidence 
 in revelation to save the world, and is falling back upon 
 education, hoping that men will be saved by a knowledge 
 of science without religion, forgetting, seemingly, that 
 man is a spiritual being and needs religion to purify and 
 guide, and keep his unruly passions subject to reason. 
 
310 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 6. Within the Church there is much to console and 
 much to afflict. The indifferentism of the world is 
 largely affecting the faith of Catholics; numbers are 
 becoming cold or adopting the loose doctrines of the day. 
 The teachings on civil freedom now so prevalent, are 
 exciting to a religious freedom that must end in dis¬ 
 belief. 
 
 7. Germany has attempted to revive religious persecu¬ 
 tion only to unite Catholics, and stir up their faith. The 
 Infidels of France have begun a war upon the Church, 
 expelling the religious and secularizing education. The 
 Italian government lias seized upon Home and the States 
 of the Church; the Pope is a prisoner in the Vatican 
 (1881), yet amid all this there is much to encourage. 
 
 8. At no time in the Church’s history have the bishops 
 been so united with the Sovereign Pontiff or among them¬ 
 selves. Priests and people are tilled with zeal. In Eng¬ 
 land, Scotland, and America, the Church is growing with 
 wonderful rapidity, and in Asia and Africa thousands are 
 being added to the fold. Persecution but purifies and 
 unites ; Christ is with his Church, always fair and ever 
 true. Heaven and earth shall pass away, but Christ and 
 His Church abide forever. 
 
V* 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. 
 
 AGE I. 
 
 EARLY HISTORY: FROM ADAM TO ABRAHAM. 
 
 CHAP. . PAGE 
 
 1. The Creation of the World... 7 
 
 2. The Happiness of our First 
 
 Parents in Paradise. 8 
 
 3. The Creation of the Angels and 
 
 the Fall of Adam and Eve... 9 
 
 4. The Punishment of Sin, and 
 
 the Promise of a Redeemer. 11 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 5. Cain and Abel... 12 
 
 6. The Deluge. 13 
 
 7. The Sacrifice of Noe. 14 
 
 8. The Sons of Noe—The Build¬ 
 
 ing of the Tower of Babel— 
 
 The Early Patriarchs. 16 
 
 AGE II. 
 
 THE ELECTION OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL, 
 OR FROM ABRAHAM TO MOSES. 
 
 9. The Call of Abraham. 18 
 
 10. The Virtues of Abraham. 19 
 
 11. Abraham’s Hospitality. 21 
 
 12. Abraham’s Spirit of Self-sacri¬ 
 
 fice . 22 
 
 13. Isaac Marries Rebecca. 24 
 
 14. Esau and Jacob. 25 
 
 15. The flight of Jacob, and So¬ 
 
 journ with Laban. 27 
 
 16. Jacob’s Return. 29 
 
 17. Joseph in his Father’s House. 30 
 
 18. Joseph Sold into Egypt. 30 
 
 19. Joseph in the House of Puti- 
 
 phar. 32 
 
 20. Joseph in Prison. 33 
 
 21. Joseph’s Greatness. 34 
 
 22. Joseph’s Brethren go into 
 
 Egypt. 35 
 
 23. Benjamin Goes Down to Egypt 37 
 
 24. Joseph’s Silver Cup. 37 
 
 25. Jacob Goes Down to Egypt.. 39 
 
 26. The Death of Jacob and Jo¬ 
 
 seph. 41 
 
 27. The Patience of Job. 42 
 
 AGE III. 
 
 THE WONDERFUL EDUCATION OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL: 
 
 FROM MOSES TO DAVID. 
 
 28. The Birth of Moses. 
 
 29. The Call of Moses. 
 
 30. The Ten Plagues of Egypt.,.. 
 
 44 
 
 46 
 
 47 
 
 31. The Death of the First-born— 
 The Paschal Lamb—The De¬ 
 parture from Egypt. 
 
 ( 311 ) 
 
 49 
 
312 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 32. The Passage of the Red Sea.. 50 
 
 33. The Quails, the Manna, and 
 
 the Water in the Desert.... 52 
 
 34. The Ten Commandments—The 
 
 Covenant of God with Israel. 53 
 
 35. The Golden Calf. 55 
 
 36. The Ordinances for the Wor¬ 
 
 ship of God. 56 
 
 37. The False Messengers — The 
 
 Murmurs of the People — 
 God’s Chastisements. 59 
 
 38. Core, Dathan, and Abiron_ 61 
 
 39. The Hesitation of Moses—The 
 
 Brazen Serpent. 62 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 40. The Death of Moses. 63 
 
 41. The Israelites Enter the Prom¬ 
 
 ised Land. 64 
 
 42. The Judges. 65 
 
 43. The Pious Ruth. 66 
 
 44. Samuel—The Sons of Heli_ 68 
 
 45. Saul, the First King. 70 
 
 46. David the Shepherd. 71 
 
 47. David and Goliath. 72 
 
 48. Jonathan’s Love and Saul’s 
 
 Hatred for David. 74 
 
 49. David’s Generosity to Saul— 
 
 Saul’s Death. 75 
 
 AGE IV. 
 
 THE GRANDEUR OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL: FROM DAVID 
 TO THE DIVISION OF THE KINGDOM UNDER ROBOAM. 
 
 50. The Great and Pious King 
 
 David. 77 
 
 51. The Revolt and Chastisement 
 
 of Absolom.. 79 
 
 52. The Last Days of David. 81 
 
 53. The Wisdom of Solomon. 82 
 
 54. The Building and Dedication 
 
 of the Temple at Jerusalem. 83 
 
 55. The Magnificence of Solomon 
 
 -His End. 85 
 
 56. The Division of the King¬ 
 
 dom. 86 
 
 AGE V. 
 
 THE DECLINE OF THE PEOPLE OF ISRAEL: 
 FROM ROBOAM TO JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 PART THIRST. 
 
 THE KINGDOM OF ISRAEL TO ITS DESTRUCTION BY THE KINGS 
 
 OF ASSYRIA. 
 
 57. A General View. 88 
 
 58. God Sends the Prophet Eli¬ 
 
 as . 89 
 
 59. Elias and the Priests of 
 
 Baal. 90 
 
 60. The Vineyard of Naboth. 92 
 
 61. The Prophet Eliseus. 93 
 
 62. The Prophet Jonas. 95 
 
 63. The End of the Kingdom of 
 
 Israel. 96 
 
 64. The Old Tobias. 97 
 
 65. The Counsels of Tobias to his 
 
 * Son. 98 
 
 66. The Journey of the Young 
 
 Tobias. 99 
 
 67. The Return of Tobias. 100 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 313 
 
 PART SECOND. 
 
 THE KINGDOM OF JUDA TO THE BIRTH OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 68. A Summary of the Principal 
 
 Events. 102 
 
 69. The Kings to Ezechias. 103 
 
 70. The Pious Ezechias. 104 
 
 71. The Kings Preceding the Baby¬ 
 
 lonish Captivity. 105 
 
 72. The Prophets. 106 
 
 73. The Captivity of Babylon... 106 
 
 74. Daniel and the Three Young 
 
 Men. 108 
 
 75. Daniel Saves Susanna. 109 
 
 76. The Three Young Men in the 
 
 Fiery Furnace. 110 
 
 77. Daniel and Baltassar. 112 
 
 78. Daniel and the Idol Bel. 113 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 79. Daniel in the Lions’ Den. 114 
 
 80. The Jews Return from Cap¬ 
 
 tivity.... 116 
 
 81. The Prophets after the Cap¬ 
 
 tivity.117 
 
 82. Esther. 118 
 
 83. Judith. 120 
 
 84. Eleazar the Martyr. 122 
 
 85. The Martyrdom of the Seven 
 
 Machabees. 123 
 
 86. Mathathias and Judas Macha- 
 
 beus. 125 
 
 87. From the Machabees to Jesus 
 
 Christ. 127 
 
 HISTORY OF THE NEW TESTAMENT. 
 
 PART FIRST. 
 
 HISTORY OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 1. The Birth of John the Baptist 
 
 Announced. 129 
 
 2. The Birth of Jesus Announced 130 
 
 3. Mary Visits Elizabeth. 132 
 
 4. The Birth of John the Bap¬ 
 
 tist. 133 
 
 THE PUBLIC LIFE 
 
 11. The Preaching of John the . 
 
 Baptist. 141 
 
 12. Jesus is Baptized and Tempt¬ 
 
 ed . 142 
 
 5. The Birth of Jesus Christ_ 133 
 
 6. The Shepherds. 134 
 
 7. The Kings from the East. 136 
 
 8. Jesus Presented in the Temple 137 
 
 9. The Flight into Egypt. 138 
 
 10. Jesus in the Temple. 140 
 
 OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 13. Jesus the Lamb of God. 144 
 
 14. The First Disciples of Jesus 
 
 Christ. 145 
 
 15. The Marriage at Cana. 146 
 
314 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 
 THE FIRST YEAR OF CHRIST’S PUBLIC MINISTRY. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 16. Christ’s Zeal for the Sanctity 
 
 of the Temple. 147 
 
 17. Nicodemus comes to see Jesus 14S 
 
 18. Jesus at the Well of Jacob... 149 
 
 19. Jesus Preaches at Nazareth... 150 
 
 20. The Miracles of Jesus at Ca- 
 
 pharnaum. 151 
 
 21. The Miraculous Draught of 
 
 Fishes. 152 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 22. The Paralytic. 154 
 
 23. The Sermon on the Moun¬ 
 
 tain . 154 
 
 24. The Leper —The Centurion’s 
 
 Servant. 157 
 
 25. The Widow’s Son of Naim... 159 
 
 26. Mary Magdalene. 160 
 
 27. The Messengers of John the 
 
 Baptist.*... 161 
 
 THE SECOND YEAR OF CHRIST’S PUBLIC MINISTRY. 
 
 28. Jesus Cures a Man who had 
 
 been Sick Thirty-eight Years 162 
 
 29. The Seven Parables of the 
 
 Kingdom of God. 163 
 
 30. The Tempest Calmed. 166 
 
 31. The Daughter of Jairus . 167 
 
 32. Jesus Chooses His Apostles.. 168 
 
 33. John the Baptist Beheaded... 169 
 
 34. The Loaves and Fishes. 170 
 
 35. The Promise of the Blessed 
 
 Sacrament. 172 
 
 36. The Woman of Chanaan. 173 
 
 37. The Primacy Conferred on 
 
 Peter. 173 
 
 38. The Transfiguration. 174 
 
 39. Jesus the Friend of Children 
 
 —Scandal. 176 
 
 40. The Pardon of Injuries—The 
 
 Unforgiving Servant. 177 
 
 41. The Power of the Keys given 
 
 to the Apostles. 177 
 
 42. The Parable of the Good 
 
 Samaritan. 178 
 
 43. Mary and Martha.179 
 
 44. The Lord’s Prayer. 180 
 
 45. The Lost Sheep and the Good 
 
 Shepherd. 180 
 
 46. The Prodigal Child. 181 
 
 47. The Rich Man aud Lazarus .. 183 
 
 48. The Cure of the Man Born 
 
 Blind. 184 
 
 49. The Ten Lepers. 186 
 
 50. The Publican aud the Phari¬ 
 
 see . 186 
 
 51. The Rich Young Man. 187 
 
 52. The Laborers in the Vineyard. 188 
 
 53. The Resurrection of Lazarus.. 189 
 
 54. The Jews Seek to Kill Jesus. 191 
 
 55. Zaclieus the Publican.192 
 
 56. Mary Magdalene Anoints the 
 
 Feet of Jesus. 193 
 
 57. Christ’s Triumphal Entry into 
 
 Jerusalem. 193 
 
 58. The Parable of the Marriage 
 
 Feast. 195 
 
 59. The Tribute to Caesar. 196 
 
 60. Christ Foretells the Destruc¬ 
 
 tion of Jerusalem and the 
 End of the World. 197 
 
 61. The Five Wise and the Five 
 
 Foolish Virgins. 199 
 
 62. The Parable of the Talents .. 200 
 
 63. The Last Judgment. 200 
 
 THE PASSION AND DEATH OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 64. The Paschal Lamb.201 
 
 65. The Washing of Feet. 202 
 
 66. Christ Institutes the Blessed 
 
 Sacrament. 203 
 
 67. Jesus Foretells the Treason of 
 
 Judas and the Denial of Peter 204 
 
 68. Christ’s Last Discourse to His 
 
 Apostles. 205 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 315 
 
 CHAP. - PAGE 
 
 69. Jesus iu the Garden of Geth- 
 
 semani. 206 
 
 70. Jesus Delivered to His Ene¬ 
 
 mies. 207 
 
 71. Jesus before the High-priest.. 208 
 
 72. Peter Denies Jesus. 209 
 
 73. The Despair of Judas. 210 
 
 74. Jesus Insulted. 211 
 
 75. Jesus before Pilate and Herod. 211 
 
 76. Jesus and Barabbas. 212 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 77. Jesus is Scourged and Crowned 
 
 with Thorns.213 
 
 78. Jesus is Condemned to Death. 214 
 
 79. The Journey to Calvary .215 
 
 80. Jesus is Nailed to the Cross.. 216 
 
 81. Jesus on the Cross.:. 216 
 
 82. Mary at the Foot of the Cross. 217 
 
 83. Jesus Dies on the Cross.218 
 
 84. Jesus is Laid in the Tomb... 219 
 
 THE GLORIOUS LIFE OF JESUS CHRIST. 
 
 85. The Resurrection of Jesus 
 
 Christ. 220 
 
 86. Jesus Appears to Mary Mag¬ 
 
 dalene. 222 
 
 87. The Resurrection of Jesus 
 
 Announced to the Chief 
 Priests. 223 
 
 88. Jesus Appears to Two Dis¬ 
 
 ciples Going to Emrnaus... 224 
 
 89. Jesus Appears to the Apos¬ 
 
 tles. 225 
 
 90. Jesus Institutes the Sacra¬ 
 
 ment of Penance. 225 
 
 91. Jesus and St. Thomas.226 
 
 92. Peter Appointed Chief Pas¬ 
 
 tor . 226 
 
 93. The Promise of the Holy 
 
 Ghost. 228 
 
 94. Christ’s Last Commission to 
 
 His Apostles —His Ascen¬ 
 sion. 228 
 
 95. An Observation. 230 
 
 i 
 
 PART SECOND. 
 
 THE HISTORY OF THE APOSTLES. 
 
 96. A Remark. 230 
 
 97. The Election of the Apostle 
 
 Matthias. 231 
 
 98. The Descent of the Holy 
 
 Ghost . 231 
 
 99. Peter Cures the Lame 
 
 Man. 233 
 
 100. Peter and John before the 
 
 Great Council. 234 
 
 101. The Lives of the First Chris¬ 
 
 tians. 235 
 
 102. Ananias and Saphira. 235 
 
 103. The Apostles thrown into 
 
 Prison. 236 
 
 104. Stephen the Deacon — The 
 
 First Martyr. 237 
 
 105. Confirmation—Baptism of the 
 
 Ethiopian. 239 
 
 106. The Conversion of St. Paul.. 241 
 
 107. Peter Visits the different 
 
 Churches in Judea—Corne¬ 
 lius is Baptized.243 
 
 108. Peter Cast into Prison. 245 
 
 109. St. Paul’s First Apostolic 
 
 Journey. 246 
 
 110. The Council of Jerusalem... 248 
 Hi. St. Paul’s Second Voyage 249* 
 
 112. St. Paul’s Third Voyage_252 
 
 113. The Imprisonment and Death 
 
 of St, Paul. 253 
 
 114. The other Apostles. 255 
 
 115. Conclusion. 256 
 
316 
 
 CONTENTS. 
 
 CHURCH HISTORY. 
 
 FIRST PERIOD. 
 
 FROM THE BIRTH OF CHRIST TO THE FALL OF ROME. 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 1. The Beginning of the Church. 261 
 
 2. The Apostles. 262 
 
 3. The Spread of Christianity... 264 
 
 4. The Persecution of the Church 
 
 —Jews.266 
 
 5. Roman Persecutions. 267 
 
 6. Heresies. 269 
 
 CHAP. PAGE 
 
 7. Heresies. Concluded.270 
 
 8. Fall of the Roman Empire ... 271 
 
 9. Rome Destroyed. 272 
 
 10. The Christian Apologists. 274 
 
 11. The Doctors and Fathers of 
 
 the Church. 275 
 
 SECOND PERIOD. 
 
 FROM THE FALL OF ROME TO THE PROTESTANT 
 
 REFORMATION. 
 
 12. The Conversion of the Bar¬ 
 
 barians. 278 
 
 13. The Conversion of Ireland and 
 
 Scotland. 280 
 
 14. The Conversion of England 
 
 and Germany. 281 
 
 15. Religious Orders—East. 283 
 
 16. Religious Orders—West. 284 
 
 17. Religious Orders. Concluded. 285 
 
 18. Mohammedanism.'.... 287 
 
 19. Temporal Power of the Popes 288 
 
 20. The Crusades. 289 
 
 21. The Crusades. Concluded_ 291 
 
 22. Science and Literature during 
 
 the Middle Ages. 293 
 
 23. The Monks and Literature ... 294 
 
 24. Discoveries and Inventions of 
 
 Catholics. 296 
 
 THIRD PERIOD. 
 
 FROM THE REFORMATION TO THE PRESENT TIME. 
 
 25. Causes of the Reformation ... 298 
 
 26. Luther. 300 
 
 27. Calvin and Knox. 302 
 
 28. The Protestant Reformation in 
 
 England. 303 
 
 29. The Church in Asia & America 305 
 
 30. Religious Wars in Europe_ 306 
 
 31. Results of the Teachings of 
 
 the Reformation. 308 
 
 32. General Conclusion. 309 
 

 
 
 
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