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Elder James E. Talmage, an apostle of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, makes a survey of the Latter-day Saint view of the Great Apostasy. The book's subtitle states that it is a study considered in the in the light of scriptural and secular history, and includes a discussion of the establishment of Christ's church in the meridian of time, the predictions and causes of its apostasy, or falling away, and the restoration of Christ's church in the Latter-days by a modern prophet. (Summary by Matthias Whitney)...

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Religion

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The history of the first return of exiles, in the first year of Cyrus the Great (536 B.C.), till the completion and dedication of the new Temple in Jerusalem, in the sixth year of Darius (515 B.C.). The history of the second return under Ezra, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus, and of the events that took place at Jerusalem after Ezra's arrival there. The book thus contains memorabilia connected with the Jews, from the decree of Cyrus to the reformation by Ezra (456 B.C.), extending over a period of about eighty years....

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Religion

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The history of the Israelites from the death of Moses to the death of Joshua. (Summary by Joy Chan)

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Ancient Texts, Religion

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Written by the former skeptic, poet, and scholar, Thomas Cooper, The Bridge of History Over the Gulf of Time admirably sets forth a winsome defense of Christianity. Written as the substance of fourteen years of lectures, at the request of his hearers, Cooper leads his reader across the bridge of history, through the centuries, tracing Christianity. At last, he addresses Leben Jesu by Dr. David Friedrich Strauss, discusses the historicity of the four Gospels, and offers some concluding evidences for the truth of Christianity. (Introduction by tzieger)...

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Religion, History

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THE intention of this work is to provide a sketch of the History of the Church in the first six centuries of its existence, resting throughout on original authorities, and also giving references to the principal modern works which have dealt specially with its several portions. It is hoped that it may be found to supply a convenient summary for those who can give but little time to the study, and also to serve as a guide for those who desire to make themselves acquainted with the principal documents from which the History is drawn....

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History, Religion

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The history of the kings of Judah and Israel until their downfall. (Summary by Joy Chan)

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Ancient Texts, Religion

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Acts tells the story of the Apostolic Age of the Early Christian church, with particular emphasis on the ministry of the Twelve Apostles and of Paul of Tarsus. The early chapters, set in Jerusalem, discuss Jesus' Resurrection and Great Commission, his Ascension with a prophecy to return, the start of the Twelve Apostles' ministry, and the Day of Pentecost. The later chapters discuss Paul's conversion, his ministry, and finally his arrest and imprisonment and trip to Rome....

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Religion, History

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Ellen Gould White (1827 - 1915) was a prolific Christian writer, authoring 40 books in her lifetime. She was active in the Millerite movement, and was one of the principle founders of the Seventh Day Adventist Church. Steps to Christ, first published in 1892, is her most popular book. It has been translated into more than 70 languages. The theme of the book is how to come to know Christ better. (Summary by Donald Hines)...

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Religion, History

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Eusebius presents the history of the Church from the apostles to his own time, with special regard to the following points: 1. the successions of bishops in the principal sees 2. the history of Christian teachers 3. the history of heresies 4. the history of the Jews 5. the relations to the heathen 6. the martyrdoms. (Summary adapted from Wikipedia)...

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Religion, History

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2 Chronicles was purportedly written by Ezra the scribe. It expounds the history of King Solomon and the kings came after him. It is very similar to 1 and 2 Kings, but centers primarily on the Temple as the Presence of God among the people. It is a history of the Kings of Israel. (Summary by Sundiata)...

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Religion

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Practically nothing is known about Habakkuk's personal history, except for what can be inferred from the text of his book, which consists of five oracles about the Chaldeans (Babylonians) and a song of praise to God. Since the Chaldean rise to power is dated c. 612 BC, it is assumed he was active about that time, making him an early contemporary of Jeremiah and Zephaniah. Jewish sources, however, do not group him with those two prophets, who are often placed together, so it is possible that he was slightly earlier than they. Because the final chapter of his book is a song, it is sometimes assumed in Jewish tradition that he was a member of the tribe of Levi, which served as musicians in Solomon's Temple. According to the Zohar (Volume 1, page 8b) Habakkuk is the boy born to the Shunamite woman through Elisha's blessing. Habakkuk is unique among the prophets in that he openly questions the wisdom of God.[citation needed] In the first part of the first chapter, the Prophet sees the injustice among his people and asks why God does not take action: 1:2 Yahweh, how long will I cry, and you will not hear? I cry out to you 'Violence!' and ...

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Religion

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The history of the judges of Israel. (Summary by Joy Chan)

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Religion

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The Book of Martyrs, by John Foxe, is an English Protestant account of the persecutions of Protestants, many of whom had died for their beliefs within the decade immediately preceding its first publication. It was first published by John Day, in 1563. Lavishly illustrated with many woodcuts, it was the largest publishing project undertaken in Britain up to that time. Commonly known as, Foxe's Book of Martyrs, the work's full title begins with Actes and Monuments of these Latter and Perillous Days, Touching Matters of the Church. There were many subsequent editions, by Day, and by other editors down through the years. Foxe's original work was enormous (the second edition filling two heavy folio volumes with a total of 2,300 pages, estimated to be twice as long as Edward Gibbon's Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire. This edition is much abridged from Foxe's original. This book was first published shortly after the death of Queen Mary. During Mary's reign, common people of Protestant Christian faith were publicly burned at the stake in an attempt to eliminate dissension from Catholic doctrines. Foxe's account of Mary's reign and its m...

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History, Religion

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The Book of Nehemiah is a book of the Hebrew Bible. Told largely in the form of a first-person memoir, it concerns the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem by Nehemiah, a Jew who is a high official at the Persian court, and the dedication of the city and its people to God's laws (torah). The events take place in the second half of the 5th century BCE, and together with the Book of Ezra, it represents the final chapter in the historical narrative of the Hebrew Bible. The book tells how Nehemiah, at the court of the king in Susa, is informed that Jerusalem is without walls and resolves to restore them. The king appoints him as governor of Judah and he travels to Jerusalem. There he rebuilds the walls, despite the opposition of Israel's enemies, and reforms the community in conformity with the law of Moses. After an absence in Susa he returns to find that the Israelites have been backsliding, taking non-Jewish wives, and stays to enforce the Law....

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History, Religion

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A few years before James E. Talmage was called to serve as an apostle for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (also known as the Mormon church), he gave a series of lectures at universities such as the University of Michigan and Cornell, describing the history of the Church. These lectures were later compiled and published as 'The Story of Mormonism.' It is a concise, yet informative summary for all interested in learning the history and beliefs of the Mormon church. (Summary by Nathan Markham)...

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Religion

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The Additions to Daniel comprise three chapters not found in the Hebrew/Aramaic text of Daniel. The text of these chapters is found in the Greek Septuagint and in the earlier Old Greek translation. They are accepted as canonical and translated as such in Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Bibles. They are listed in Article VI of the Thirty-Nine Articles of the Church of England. However, most Protestant versions exclude these passages as apocryphal, retaining only the text available today in the Hebrew/Aramaic manuscripts. The additions are: * The Prayer of Azariah and Song of the Three Holy Children : after Daniel 3:23, incorporates the Fiery Furnace episode. * Susanna and the Elders : before Daniel 1:1, a prologue in early Greek manuscripts; chapter 13 in the Vulgate. * Bel and the Dragon : after Daniel 12:13 in Greek, an epilogue; chapter 14 in the Vulgate. Bel and the Dragon is the supposed story of Daniel and his struggle with Cyrus King of Persia and his idolatrous people. It is considered a deuterocanonical book by some Christians and Apocryphal by others. The story covers two events, the reckoning of the ...

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Religion

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William Bernard Ullathorne was a Benedictine monk and Roman Catholic priest who ministered in Australia from 1833 until 1840 and then returned to his native England, where he was ordained a bishop in 1847 and served as Roman Catholic Bishop of Birmingham from 1850 until 1888. He is best known for his catechetical trilogy: The Endowments of Man, The Groundwork of the Christian Virtues, and Christian Patience, published in the 1880s. The Endowments of Man is presented in fourteen lectures, adapted from lectures originally delivered to clerics in Olton, England, at St. Bernard's Seminary, which Bishop Ullathorne founded in 1873. In these lectures, Ullathorne lays a foundation for the practice of the Christian virtues. Copiously citing Sacred Scripture and the writings of Fathers and Doctors of the Church, he presents sound theological doctrines and philosophical principles precisely and thoroughly as he traces the history of man from his creation and origin in God, to his tragic fall, to his restoration and regeneration in Jesus Christ, and finally to his glorious end in beatific union with God. (Introduction by dave7)...

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Religion

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The Catholic brings to history (when I say history in these pages I mean the history of Christendom) self-knowledge. As a man in the confessional accuses himself of what he knows to be true and what other people cannot judge, so a Catholic, talking of the united European civilization, when he blames it, blames it for motives and for acts which are his own. He himself could have done those things in person. He is not relatively right in his blame, he is absolutely right. As a man can testify to his own motive so can the Catholic testify to unjust, irrelevant, or ignorant conceptions of the European story; for he knows why and how it proceeded. Others, not Catholic, look upon the story of Europe externally as strangers. They have to deal with something which presents itself to them partially and disconnectedly, by its phenomena alone: he sees it all from its centre in its essence, and together. (Hilaire Belloc)...

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History, Religion

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This short Old Testament book tells the story of Naomi and Ruth, Naomi's daughter-in-law and great-grandmother of King David. (Summary by TriciaG)

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Religion, History

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Charles Foster Kent was one of the premier scholars in Jewish Studies at the turn of the century. He was particularly well-known for his comparisons of early Christianity to its Jewish roots. He also wrote several distinguished histories of Israel, the Jewish people, Torah studies, and the development of oral Torah. (Summary by Kirsten Ferreri)...

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History, Religion