Biblical Kingdoms—Book Summaries

Egypt/Assyria Persia Phoenicia/Carthage
Israel Gospel Era

Egypt/Assyria

Peeps at Ancient Egypt by Jamse Baikie
This account of Ancient Egypt is beautifully illustrated, and gives a short but engaging introduction to the fascinating accomplishments of Egypt. The book is written to appeal to middle schools students, so the history and legends of Egypt are told in a story-book manner. Even topics of archeological or scholarly interest are simplified in a way an older grammar student could easily understand.45 credits

Peeps at Ancient Assyria by Jamse Baikie
This account of Ancient Syria does an excellent job presenting the story of Ancient Assyria in a manner appealing to middle school students. Much of the history of Assyria is known by archeological excavations as well as Biblical era chronicles, and Baikie does an excellent job of presenting archeological evidence in the context of an "Indiana Jones" style account of the search for artifacts. He also presents stories and mythologies that are appealing to young students, and ties in Assyrian history with that of the Biblical chronicles. 49 credits

Stories of the East From Herodotus by Alfred J. Church
This book is based on the "Histories" of Herodotus and relates many stories concerning the Persian empire, including the histories of Croesus, Cyrus the Great, Cambyses, and Darius. Many interesting stories about Egypt, India, Scythia, Babylon, and Tyre are also given. This version preserves most of the detail and style of the original, but is rendered in simpler language. It is so well edited that it provides much of the benefit of reading Herodotus in the original, with only a fraction of the effort. 79 credits

Persia

Cyrus the Great by Jacob Abbott
Cyrus the Great was the founder of the Persian Empire, and the story of his life gives great insights into the politics of the empires of central Asia in the sixth century B.C. Highlights of Cyrus's history include his romantic childhood, his conquest of Media with the aid of traitors from his grandfather's court, the story of Croesus--wealthy king of Lydia, the sieges of Tyre and Babylon, the restoration of the Jews, and the ill-fated campaign in Scythia. 77 credits

Darius the Great by Jacob Abbott
The story of Darius began with Cambyses' ascension to the Persian throne and his subsequent conquest of Egypt. On Cambyses' death, a usurper assumed the throne. Darius dispatched the usurper and was awarded the throne. He then embarked on a series of misadventures including a thwarted excursion to Scythia, crushing a rebellion in Ionia, and two unsuccessful campaigns to conquer Greece, including the famous battle of Marathon.78 credits

Xerxes by Jacob Abbott
On the demise of Darius, the Persian throne descended to his son Xerxes. After putting down a rebellion in Egypt, he formed a plan to invade Greece with an enormous army drawn from every province of the vast Persian Empire. The land battles of Thermopylae and Plataea as well as the naval battles of Artemisium, Salamis, and Mycale are described here, complete with the complicated but heroic stratagems of the Greek hero Themistocles. 82 credits

Story of the Persian War by Alfred J. Church
This book is based on the Histories of Herodotus and covers the period from the Ionian revolt against Darius to the final battles of the Persian War at Salamis and Plataea. Herodotus is the most complete account we have of this period of Greek history. Church's rendition preserves the tone and style of the original, but is rendered in simpler language. It is very well edited, and concise, so it provides much of the benefit of reading Herodotus in the original, with much less effort. The story of the Persian War includes terrific insight into both Greek and Persian machinations and is thoroughly engaging. 82 credits

Phoenicia/Carthage

Aeneid for Boys and Girls by Alfred J. Church
This story recounts the fascinating tale of Aeneas, the legendary ancestor of Romulus, who escaped from the burning city of Troy and wandered the Mediterranean for years before settling in Italy. His adventures once arriving in Latium are no less interesting since he must fight the jealous suitor Turnus for the hand of the princess Lavinia. Patterned after the Iliad and the Odyssey, the Aeneid was described in an epic poem by Virgil to glorify the imperial city of Rome. 59 credits

Story of Carthage by Alfred J. Church
The Punic civilization was one of the most advanced in the ancient world, but few native works survived the destruction of Tyre and Carthage. About a third of this book is dedicated to the internal history and legends of the city of Carthage, but most of the rest gives accounts of the ancient wars that Carthage engaged in with the Greeks on the island of Sicily and with the Romans for control of the Western Mediterranean.108 credits

Helmet and Spear by Alfred J. Church
This fascinating military history provides a review of some of the most important conflicts of Ancient times in an engaging manner, rich in detail. Six clashes between the Ancient civilizations and their barbarian neighbors are covered: the Persian invasion of Greece, the fight between Greece and Carthage for Sicily, the Macedonian invasion of Persia, the Punic Wars, Rome's early encounters with Barbarian Celts and Germans, and Rome's fall to the Barbarians. 112 credits

Israel

Stories from the Old Testament Told to the Children by Louey Chisholm
This collection of Bible stories, which focus on the early patriarchs and are taken mostly from Genesis and Exodus. The book is part of the Told to the Children series and is relatively short, so that it confines itself to some of the most famous stories of the Old Testament, including those of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph and Moses. The stories are engagingly told and beautifully illustrated. 36 credits

Heroes of Israel by Lawton Evans
This collection of ninety Bible stories cover the entire Old Testament from Genesis to Nehemiah, and was authored by a master story teller. It recounts the stories from the Bible most suitable for youngsters in beautiful prose. The illustrations are few, but of extraordinary quality.130 credits

Story of the Chosen People by Helene Guerber
Guerber's history of the Jewish people tells many familiar stories from the Old Testament, but is not written as a Children's Bible. She recounts the stories of Genesis and Moses in detail, but moves quickly through the histories of Israel and Judea, and uses independent historical sources to describe events of the Babylonian captivity, and exile of the Jews. Her story passes over the life of Christ, but ends with the conquest of Judea by the Romans and the destruction of the Temple. 100 credits

Story of the Bible Told for Young and Old by Jesse Hurlbut
Hurlburt's classic retelling of most of the famous stories from the Bible has been a popular favorite, in print continuously since it was first published in 1904. There are numerous versions and all are beautifully illustrated. 387 credits

Children's Bible - Old Testament by Sherman and Kent
This Children's Bible is a true classic, and was a favorite in many American homes for decades. The authors were renowned scholars of biblical literature, and every section of the Bible is rendered with great care to preserve Biblical accuracy while retelling the most important stories in common language. This first volume contains the most famous stories of the Old Testament, all told in fascinating detail, and broken up into short chapters to make it friendly for young readers. Perfect for daily reading, family reading, or reference. 139 credits

Hammer by Alfred J. Church
This story is based on the first book of Maccabees from the Old Testament. It is set during the Macedonian occupation of Judea (around 250 B.C.), a very critical period in Jewish history, and tells the story of a young Jewish man who is first attracted to the "modern" Greek way of life, but eventually joins the Maccabee brothers in their desperate revolt against their Macedonian overlords. The conflict between the cosmopolitan and decadent Greek manner of life, and the customs of traditional Judaism is well portrayed . 135 credits

Gospel Era

Nursery Book of Bible Stories by Amy Steedman
This beautifully illustrated book retells many of the most famous stories from the Bible, especially those most appealing to youngsters. It includes twenty-four stories from the Old Testament and twelve stories from the New Testament, each told in the manner of a children's tale. The pictures that accompany these Bible stories are outstanding. 82 credits

Stories from the Life of Christ Told to the Children by Janet Kelman
These thirty short stories from the New Testament cover the gospels from the birth of Christ to the Ascension. They are beautifully illustrated and written in an appealing manner for grammar school children. Stories from the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus are told along with a dozen parables. 44 credits

When the King Came: Stories from the Four Gospels by George Hodges
Hodges retells the lessons of the gospels as if they were a storybook for young people. He faithfully fallows the biblical account, but recounts the stories with the charm and romance of a fairy tale.98 credits

Children's Bible - New Testament by Sherman and Kent
This Children's Bible is a true classic, and was a favorite in many American homes for decades. The authors were renowned scholars of biblical literature, and every section of the Bible is rendered with great care to preserve Biblical accuracy while retelling the most important stories in common language. This second volume of the Children's Bible covers the New Testament, from the Birth of Christ, to the Acts of the Apostles, ending with Stories from the Epistles of Paul, James, and John. Perfect for daily reading, family reading, or reference. 73 credits

Last Days of Jerusalem: From Josephus by Alfred J. Church
Based on War of the Jews by Josephus, this book tells the dramatic story of the bravery, fanaticism, and treachery which lead to the fall of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Josephus was an eyewitness to the events, first as Jewish leader in a neighboring town that fell to the Romans, then as Roman captive. He tried unsuccessfully to negotiate with the zealots holding Jerusalem and save the city from destruction. 48 credits

Jews under Roman Rule by W. D. Morrison
This book focuses on the role of the Jewish states and people during the period of Roman influence. When the Romans first encountered Judaea it was under the influence of the Macedonian empire. The Romans gave the Jewish state a great deal of autonomy, but tried to integrate it into the greater empire, and the Jewish people, largely due to a resurgence of religious vigor, rebelled. The Roman Jewish rebellions continued throughout the first and second centuries, and affected not only the Jews, but also the Christian communities that had sprung from them. 143 credits