Sunday morning globe., 1901-10-06
A Great HISTORY
Of a Great Race by Professor Nc
Curdy.
THE OUTLOOK ON ISRAEL
Spiritual Development Of Tho General Race
Their Moral Ideas Superior 10 their military
Achievements Influences on Modern
Life Surprising that Of Any Ancient People
and Equal 10 Tho Greeks.

Why another history of Israel? One
instinctively turns, If not for compari-
son, at least for an answer to this
question to the preceding histories of
The same people: Milman's History
OF the Jews" the first to suggest to
/ English readers that this people were
human people with human history
which could be written as the history
OF other peoples; Ewalds History Of
Israel a work of genius, which, de-
spite some errors which subsequent in
yestigations of later scholarship have
corrected, Is still unsuperseded and. to
our thinking without its equal as a
spiritual nation; Dean Stanley's "His-
tory of the Jewish Church" large in
its treatment though limited, as its
title indicates In its scope, founded on
Ewald and a brilliant Interpretation Of
him to English readers and still the
best book for popular reading If not
for lay study OF the Old Testament;
Wellhausen's History Of Israel" the
most notable of the distinct attempts
TO treat Biblical history from the eyO-
utionary point of view and to recast
the Biblical chronology so as to make
IL conform to recognized principles Of
moral and social development; W. Rob
ertson Smiths "Old Testament in the
Jewish Church and Prophets Of Is
rael," founded on Wellhausen as Stan
ley was on Ewald yet independent
| history which one reads now with won
der how the Presbyterian Church Of
Scotland could ever find it matter for
a heresy trial. Graetz's History of the
Ia obi In foN nor
by the fact that it is written by a Jew,
and has therefore the national color;
Kent's volumes on Old Testament his
tory and literature, the best series Of
brief treatises for the lay student who
wishes to get in outline the results Of
modern historical and critical scholar
ship. Professor McCurdys three vol
umes agree with these works Of his
predecessors in accepting the conclu-
sions repecting the order Of events and,
in general, the date OF the sacred books
on which all alike must depend for the
chief sources of their information. In
deed. It is difficult to see how Israel
can be made the subject Of historical
treatment at all, as the word history
is ordinarily understood. without as
suming that the nation was subject to
the general laws Of development eXem.
plifed in the history of other nations,
nor how, If this be assumed, the gem
eral conclusions Of modern critics can
be avoided. Thus Professor McCurdy
assumes, as a matter of course, that
the Levitical code was a gradual de-
velopment, that Deuteronomy was pro-
duced i'm the reign of Josiah and was
an efficient cause i'm bringing about the
Reformation, and that Isaiah IL, or the
Great Unknown prophesied toward the
close Of the Exile and in the begin
ming of the reign Of Cyrus the Great
Professor McCurdys history differs
from that Of his predecessors in two
important particulars: it is pre-emi
nently a history of the people, and 1t
connects their life closely with that Of
surrounding nations.
Green's History OF the English peo-
pie" may almost be said to have intro
duced to English readers a new view
OF history, as the development Of a
people. This is the application Of the
democratic idea to historical narrative.
The life OF the people is more impor-
tant than the achievements OF their
kings; in truth, the achievements of
their kings are important only or chief
ly as throwing light upon the develop
ment Of the people. Professor Nc
Curdy's predecessors have certainly
done something, perhaps we should say
a great deal, to trace the spiritual de-
velopment OF the Jewish people, but
to this aspect Of their history Profes.
sor McCurdy gives greater emphasis
than his predecessors. He appears to
care less for what Josiah did and less
for the question who wrote Deuteron-
omy and when, than he does for the
spiritual influences at work among the
people during the preceding reign OF
Manasseh, which made the production
OF Deuteronomy possible and indeed,
almost necessitated II, and for the
share which the people took In the re.
| formation and the extent to which they
were affected by it. This is the first
/ distinguishing characteristic OF this
| history; Il Is a study Of the moral and
/ intellectual development Of an eXtraor-
binary race. Sometimes the author ap-
pears to us to allow too little for the
| phenomenon of genius and the effect
which individual geniuses have on the
| common life Of the people to whom
| they belong. But, In the main, his con-
/ cluslons are eminently sane and sem
sibe. The other characteristic is in
| dicated by the somewhat clumsy title
Of his work. History, Prophecy, and
/ the Monuments" Far too much we
on by themselves as though they lived
I'm a wholly different world from our
own. We have read and studied their
history in the Bible in the same spirit
o. provincial exclusiveness in which
they lived and in which their histo-
rians wrote. In fact, no nation liveth
to itself and no nation dieth to itself,
and this is as true Of Israel as Of any
people Their life made but one
thread, though a thread composed OF
different strands interviewer with 9th
er threads in one historic pattern, and
we can not truly understand the his
tory OF any one Of these ancient peo'
pies without understanding, at least in
some measure, the history OF all the
others Professor McCurdy's work is
not merely a history OF Israel, with oc'
casional glances at neighboring ma
tions, nor even a consideration Of the
incidental effect which neighboring ma
tions had upon Israel. II Is a history
OF Israel and her times, and II brings
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