The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Title page – Preface
THE HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT METHODIZ'D, ACCORDING To the Order and Series of Time wherein the ſeveral things therein mentioned were tranſacted.
IN WHICH
The difficult paſſages are Paraphras'd.
The ſeeming Contradictions reconcil'd.
The Rites and Cuſtoms of the Jews opened and explain'd.
To which is annex'd a SHORT HISTORY OF THE Jewiſh Affairs FROM THE End of the Old Teſtament to the Birth of our Saviour; And a Map alſo added of Canaan, and the Adjacent Countries, very uſeful for the underſtanding of the whole Hiſtory.
By SAMƲEL CRADOCK, B. D.
Pſal. 77. v. 5. I have conſidered the days of old, the years of ancient times.
Sint Caſtae deliciae meae, Scripturae tuae: Nec fallar in eis, nec fallam ex eis. Auguſt. Confeſſ. Lib. 11. Cap. 2.
Manifeſtis paſcimur, obſcuris exercemur. Idem. Tract. 45. in Joh.
LONDON, Printed for Thomas Simmons at the Princes-Armes in Ludgate-Street, M.DC.LXXXIII.
THE PREFACE.
HAving formerly written the Hiſtory of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt, and of his holy Apoſtles, and a Paraphraſe upon all the Apoſtolical Epiſtles, I thought it would be a work not only profitable to my ſelf but uſeful alſo to others, if I ſhould write the Hiſtory of the Old Teſtament. Accordingly (humbly imploring the Aſſiſtance of God) I ſet upon it, and my deſign therein was as follows: 1ſt, To Methodize that Sacred Hiſtory according to the order and ſeries of time wherein the ſeveral things therein mentioned were tranſacted. 2ly, To Paraphraſe and explain the difficult places and paſſages thereof. 3ly, To reconcile the ſeeming contradictions, which are not a few. 4ly, To open the Jewiſh rites and cuſtoms which are very neceſſary to be known in order to a clear and full underſtanding thereof. Laſtly, to add a Map of Canaan, and thoſe other adjacent Countries, which were the ſtage on which the great things mentioned in the Old Teſtament were acted.
Purſuant hereunto I have digeſted the whole work into ſeven Chapters, containing an Hiſtory of the Seven Ages of the World from the Creation to the death of our Saviour.
The firſt Chapter contains the Hiſtory of the firſt Age of the World from the Creation to the Flood, comprehending a ſpace of 1656 years.
The Second Chapter contains the Hiſtory of the Second Age of the World, from the Flood to the Promiſe made to Abraham in Ʋr of the Chaldees, comprehending a ſpace of 422 years, and ending in the 2078 year of the World.
The Third Chapter contains the Hiſtory of the Third Age of the World, from the Promiſe made to Abraham in Ʋr of the Chaldees, unto the Iſraelites departure out of Egypt, comprehending a ſpace of 430 years, and ending in the 2508 year of the World.
Within the compaſs of this Age falls the Hiſtory of Job, whereof I have given a brief Analyſis.
The Fourth Chapter contains the Hiſtory of the Fourth Age of the world, from the coming of the Iſraelites out of Egypt, to the laying the foundation of Solomons Temple, in the fourth year of his reign, comprehending a ſpace of 480 years, and ending the 2988 year of the World.
The Fifth Chapter contains the Hiſtory of the Fifth Age of the World, from the laying the foundation of Solomons Temple to the deſtruction of it, and Captivity of Judah, in the 11th. year of Zedekiah, containing a ſpace of 420 years *Some make this ſpace 424 years, vide uſſerii Annales., and ending in the 3408 year of the World.
The Sixth Chapter contains the Hiſtory of the Sixth Age of the World, from the deſtruction of Solomons Temple, and the Captivity of Judah, unto the liberty granted them by Cyrus for their return, containing a ſpace of ſeventy years, and ending in the 3478 year of the World.
The Seventh Chapter contains the Hiſtory of the Seventh Age of the World from the return of the Jews out of Babylon, and the end of the ſeventy years Captivity to the death of Chriſt, containing a ſpace of 490 years (ſignified by Daniels ſeventy Weeks, Dan. 9. v. 24, 25, 26, 27.) and ending in the 3968 year of the World. Now though this Age, as to the firſt part of it, belongs to the Old Teſtament, yet it extends much further, even to the death of Chriſt, which takes up about 33 years of the New Teſtament-ſtory; for the Hiſtory of the Old Teſtament reaches no further than the end of the Book of Nehemiah, which ends in the 32th. year of Artaxerxes Longimanus; ſo that the Hiſtory of the Old Teſtament extends but 99 years in the compaſs of this Age, and ends 358 years before the Birth of Chriſt, who being Crucified in the 33th. year of his age, thoſe three ſums, viz. 99, 358, and 33, make up the 490 years of this interval. Now becauſe ſome may be deſirous to know what was the ſtate and condition of the Jews after the end of the Old Teſtament during thoſe 358 years to the Birth of Chriſt, I have thought fit to ſet down, 1. What Perſian Kings ſucceeded Artaxerxes Longimanus till that Kingdom was Conquered by Alexander the Great, in whom the Grecian or Third Monarchy began. (2) To ſhew how after Alexander's death, his Empire was divided into four Kingdoms, viz. 1. that of Macedonia; 2. of Syria; 3. of Aſia the leſs; 4. of Egypt; and to give a Catalogue of the ſeveral Kings that reigned ſucceſſively in thoſe Kingdoms till they were all Conquered by the Romans, in whom the Fourth Monarchy began. (3) To ſhew who were High Prieſts among the Jews after their return from the Babyloniſh Captivity, wherein we have occaſion to give a ſhort Hiſtory of the Maccabees till their power was ſwallowed up by Herod, made King by the Romans, in the 35th. year of whoſe reign Chriſt the Saviour of the World was born.
As we go along in the Hiſtory of the Kings, we meet with ſeveral eminent Prophets, whom God raiſed up both in Judah and Iſrael, after the diviſion of the Kingdom, and by conſidering the temper and condition of thoſe times, and the ſeveral vices and diſorders that then reigned and prevailed, we may the better diſcern the ſcope and drift of their Propheſies. And for the clearer underſtanding of them I have ſet down the time wherein they lived and propheſied, and have given a brief Analyſis of their Propheſies. They ſeem to have Propheſied in this order.
1. Jonah, in the days of Jeroboam the Second, who was Contemporary with Amaziah King of Judah, 2 King. 14.25.
2. Iſaiah, who Propheſied in the days of Ʋzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Kings of Judah.
3. Joel, in the days of Ʋzziah.
4. Hoſea, in the days of Ʋzziah, Jotham, Ahaz, and Hezekiah, Kings of Judah, and ſeven Kings of Iſrael, viz. from Jeroboam the Second to Hoſhea, who was Contemporary with Hezekiah. He was ſent chiefly to Iſrael.
5. Micah, in the days of Jotham, Ahaz, Hezekiah, Kings of Judah.
6. Amos lived in the ſame time with Hoſea, and was ſent principally to the people of Iſrael.
7. Nahum ſeems to have Propheſied in the days of Hezekiah.
8. Habakkuk in the days of Manaſſes and Joſiah, for he forewarns the Jews of their approaching deſtruction by the Chaldeans.
9. Zephany, in the days of Joſiah.
10. Jeremy began to Propheſie in the 13th. year of Joſiah, and continued Propheſying till the final captivity of Judah, and two years after in Egypt. The Lamentations ſeem to be written by him upon Judahs Captivity.
11. Ezekiel began to Propheſie in Babylon in the fifth year of Jehoiakin's captivity, and continued Prophecying about two and twenty years.
12. Obadiah ſeems to have been Contemporary with Jeremy and Ezekiel, for he Propheſies againſt the Idumeans in almoſt the ſame words and phraſes that they did. Compare his Propheſie with Jer. 49. and Ezek. 25.
13. Daniel, in the firſt year of Belſhazzar, had the Viſion of the four Beaſts; and in his third year the Viſion of the Ram and He-goat. And in the firſt year of Darius the Angel Gabriel informed him concerning the Seventy Weeks.
Theſe three laſt Propheſied after the return from Captivity, viz. Haggai, Zachary, Malachi.
Thus having given a ſhort account of this my undertaking, and humbly deſiring that God may have glory, and my Reader much benefit and advantage thereby, I ſhall conclude this Preface with that ſhort, but fervent prayer, which that excellent perſon Nehemiah put up for himſelf when he concluded his Book, and therewith the Hiſtory of the Old Teſtament,
Remember me (O my God) for Good.
May 5. 1683.