Rev. Frederick Justus Knecht - Childs Bible History

Childs Bible History

Rev. F. J. Knecht, D.D.

Copyright 1936 by B. Herder Book Co., St. Louis, Missouri

Copyright 1973 by TAN Books.

Originally published by B. Herder Book Co.

The type in this book is the property of TAN Books, and may not be reproduced, in whole or in part, without written permission from the publisher.

Cover Illustration: Our Lords Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, by Bernhard Plockhorst.

TAN Books
Charlotte, North Carolina
www.TANBooks.com
2010

Contents

FIRST PART

HISTORY OF THE OLD TESTAMENT

1. The Creation of the World

I N THE beginning God created heaven and earth. But the earth was dark and empty. And God said: Let there be light. And there was light. This was the first day.

On the second day God said: Let there be a firmament. And it was so done. God called the firmament Heaven.

2. On the third day God said: Let the waters of the Earth be gathered together in one place, and let the dry land appear. And it was so done. God called the dry land Earth, and the gathering of the waters He called Sea.

God said again: Let the earth bring forth grass, herbs and fruit trees. And it was so done. The earth was covered with grass, and herbs, and trees yielding fruit.

3. On the fourth day God said: Let there be lights in the firmament. And it was so done. God created the sun, the moon and the stars, to rule the day and the night, and to divide the light from the darkness.

On the fifth day God said: Let there be fishes in the water and birds in the air. And God created the fishes and the birds, according to their kinds.

4. On the sixth day God said: Let the earth bring forth cattle and beasts of every kind. And it was so done. And God created the beasts and the cattle, and every creature that creeps on the earth. Lastly, God created man.

THE CREATION OF THE WORLD

On the seventh day God rested, and He blessed that day and made it holy.

QUESTIONS

1. What did God create in the beginning? How was the earth? What, did God say and create on the first day? On the second? 2. What did God say and create on the third day? What did God say again? 3, 4. What did God say and create on the fourth, the fifth and the sixth days? What did God do on the seventh day?

2. The Creation and the Fall of the Angels

B ESIDES the visible world, God created also an invisible world, namely, the angels of Heaven. At first they were all good and happy.

2. But many angels became proud, and would no longer be obedient to God. Then Michael and the other good angels fought against the wicked spirits. The bad angels were conquered, and cast from Heaven down to Hell. The leader of the fallen angels was Lucifer. He is also called Satan or the Devil.

3. God rewarded the good angels by giving them eternal happiness.

QUESTIONS

1. What did God create besides the visible world? 2. Who fought against the bad angels? 3. How did God reward the good angels?

3. The Creation of the First ManParadise

W HEN God created man, He formed a human body of the slime of the earth, breathed into his face the breath of life, and man became a living being. God called him Adam, which means, man taken from the earth.

2. The Lord made, expressly for man, a beautiful garden, called Paradise. There were in it all sorts of trees, and all kinds of delicious fruits. God placed Adam in this garden, and said to him: Of every tree of Paradise thou mayest eat. But thou shalt not eat of the tree which is in the midst of the garden. For if thou eatest of it, thou shalt die the death.

3. As yet Adam was the only man. Therefore, God caused Adam to fall into a deep sleep, and then took one of his ribs and formed of it a woman. When Adam awoke, God brought the woman to him. Adam was pleased, and called the woman Eve, which means Mother of the Living.

4. Adam and Eve lived quite happily in Paradise. They were perfect and just, and knew nothing of wickedness.

QUESTIONS

1. How did God form the body of the first man? 2. Where did God place Adam? Of what tree was Adam forbidden to eat? 3. In what manner was Eve created? 4. How did Adam and Eve live in Paradise?

4. The Fall of Our First Parents

T HE devil looked with envy on the happiness of Adam and Eve. To deceive them, he made use of the serpent. The serpent said to Eve: Why has God commanded you not to eat of every tree of Paradise?

2. Eve answered: We do eat of the trees of the garden. But God has commanded us not to eat of the tree which stands in the midst of Paradise, lest we die.

3. The serpent replied: No, surely you shall not die if you eat of it. On the contrary, your eyes shall be opened, and you shall be like God. Eve gave way to pride, she looked at the fruit, and saw that it was beautiful and good. She took and ate of it. Then she gave to Adam, and he also did eat. Thus was the first sin committed.

4. Now their eyes were opened, and they saw that they were naked. Filled with shame, they began to sew together fig leaves to cover their nakedness. But soon they heard the voice of God, and they hid themselves among the trees of the garden. Then God called and said: Adam, where art thou?

5. Adam answered: I am afraid, for I am naked, and have hidden myself.

God said: Who told thee that thou art naked: but that thou hast eaten of the forbidden fruit?

Adam answered: The woman gave me of it, and I did eat.

Then the Lord asked the woman: Why hast thou done this?

She replied: The serpent deceived me, and I did eat.

QUESTIONS

1. Of whom did the devil make use to deceive our first parents? 2. What did Eve reply? 3. What did Eve do when the serpent said that their eyes would be opened? 4. Why did they hide, when God came to call them? 5. What did God say to Adam and Eve, and what did they answer?

5. The Punishment of Our First ParentsThe Promise of a Saviour

T HEN the Lord said to the serpent: Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed among all the beasts of the earth. I will put enmity between thee and the woman, thy seed and her seed. She shall crush thy head. This refers to the Saviour.

2. To Eve he said: Thou shalt have great sorrow with thy children, and thou shalt be under the control of thy husband.

3. To Adam the Lord said: Cursed be the earth in thy work. Thorns and thistles shall it bring forth to thee. In the sweat of thy face thou shalt eat thy bread, till thou shalt return to the earth, out of which thou wast taken: For dust thou art, and unto dust thou shalt return.

THE FALL OF OUR FIRST PARENTS

4. Then God made garments of skins for Adam and his wife. Hereupon he drove them out of Paradise.

QUESTIONS

1. How did God curse the serpent? 2. How did God punish Eve? 3. What did He say to Adam? 4. What garments did God make for Adam and Eve?