[INTRODUCTION] “For a large proportion of those who have professed the Christian religion, that religion has included the doctrine that salvation is to be won in some sense through the death of it's Founder, and through belief in the saving efficacy of that death." These words, uttered by Dr. Hastings Rashdell in the opening lecture of the Bampton Series for 1915 express well the recognized place of the "Cross" in Christianity. For the most part, it has occupied central place. To the majority of Christian believers, that last event of the life of Jesus in the flesh, the crucifixion, stands out as absolutely unique In history, furnishing, in the economy of God the indispensible prerequisite of the world's salvation. But while the Gross has I been accorded central place in Christian history, the method whereby the death of Christ avails for the salvation of the world has been expressed in a number of ways.

[INTRODUCTION] We have reason to believe that pain and suffering has accompanied the human family since before the dawn of history. Man has been compelled to give attention to his misfortunes. From the time of the first calamity until now, this theme has engaged his attention with an increasing interest. The recurrence of evil, trouble, and tribulation not only to the wicked but to the good became a subject which needed some explanation. To make this explanation, the mental and spiritual capacities of the religious leaders were taxed to the utmost. In the following discussion, we shall try to show the progressive development of the problem of suffering in the Old Testament as it shows itself more or less chronologically arranged.

[INTRODUCTION] Since the modern radical movements have been launched there has been manifested considerable interest in the problem of discovering the true source of these movements. Religious sociologists have presented the view that modern radicalism finds its true foundation and inspiration in the utterances of the Hebrew Prophets. But on the other hand, the "prophecies” of such materialistic philosophers as Karl Marx and his disciples have appeared so discordant to the messages of the prophets that many Bible students have denied the possibility of the above argument. It is the purpose of this thesis to survey briefly the social teachings of representative prophets found in the Old Testament period and to discover the specific character of their social programs. A review will likewise be made of the social creeds and principle! of representative modern radicals and an attempt will then be made to compare their general motive and method with that manifested by the Hebrew Prophets.

[The resurrection of Jesus Christ has been the subject of controversy from the very beginning of the Christian era. Inquiries concerning the resurrection cannot be silenced. The universal craving for immortality prompts and stimulates interest in the problem of the resurrection. Immortality and the resurrection are not to be identified. It is quite impossible however to think of the one without thinking of the other.]

[To a marked degree a belief in fatalism presists in common thought. This idea is not one of strict definition and adequate conception but a sort of a helpless, irrational skepticism based upon a pagan sense of dependence and lack of knowledge and insight. As such it finds a favorable soil In the superficial, hurried, constantly moving, restless type of life that prevails outside of the meditative and reflective circles of thought. Moreover, this common belief in Tate varies all the way from a sort of Determinism to an abject and extreme type of fatalism. In the common mind, however, each and all of these varied phases and aspects of the belief are classified under the more or less familiar caption, "What is to be, will be. There Is no power within the possession of man that can either control or prevent it. From the standpoint of correct definition, however, there is a marked difference between pure Fatalism and Determinism or Necessitarianism. Fatalism is the doctrine that all events are determined by Fate Instead of by natural causes, and nothing that man can will or do affects the course of events. Strictly speaking, fatalism denies that the Will has any efficacy In the shaping of events; it does not recognize the determination of all events by causes, in the ordinary sense. Immediately preceding events have nothing whatever to do with the origination of those events immediately following, as these would occur Just the same even if the former were entirely changed. Thus conceived, simon-pure Fatalism is a flat denial of natural law for it simply means that however much one may vary the antecedent causes or events leading thereto, one cannot change the inevitable doom of Fate. In other words, a foreordained result is sure to come about, no matter what may be done to prevent it. Determinism or Necessitarianism, on the other hand, asserts that events are predetermined by the events that immediately precede them, and, if these antecedent events become altered, modified, or changed the result will likewise be different. Insofar as the Will has a place in this viewpoint. Determinism, in its scientific form, asserts that the Will may and does shape events, but this casually efficient] Will is, itself, to be casually accounted for. According to J. S. Mill, "Materialistic determinism, in the strict and literal sense, that accords no place to the Will is now largely discredited." (Logic, Ratiocination, and Induction, Book VI. Chap. II.) Necessiatrianism is but another name for Determinism because it is conceived of as holding that every event is determined by those events that have Immediately preceded it. Says G.H. Lewes, "Necessity simply states that whatever is is and will vary with varying antecedent conditions." (Int. Stand. Diet.) Thus interpreted it Is but another name for Determinism.]

[Francis of Assisi and My Lady Poverty. "Francis a gay, bright fascinating character. Francio always good to tho poor. Francis takes to himself his bride after banqueting. |He becomes a literalist. Poverty beloved of Francis. Definition given by Fra Jacophone da Todi." Francis sings the praises of poverty. He could never find that he and his brothers were poor enough. Poverty absolutely essential to Christian life. Francis takes begging trip that he might know hunger. Stripped by beggars yet happy.]

[PREFACE] The principles of Biblical pedagogy herein explained are for the most part those used by the man to whom this thesis is dedicated. They have been used for a long period of years by this matchless teacher. The author has also used then. And experience proves that they work.

[INTRODUCTION] The student of the Middle Ages, particularly the time of the Peasants' Revolt (1525), is likely to come from his study with a considerable number of questiohs in his mind. That was a time of intense rivalry, open bitterness, and rank partisanship. Seemingly much of the same spirit and practice has descended upon the. shoulders of those who have since acted as historians of that period, and much, if not all what has been written bears the mark of bias and is open to the charge of partizanship. The facts,with a right estimate as to their value, and the correct inference to be drawn,- these are difficult to determine. One needs to remember also, that the very character of the period with its state of wide, spread unrest, its religious, social and political uncertainties, was reflected in the lives and actions of the individual men of the time. They thought, spoke and acted, usually with much vigor, and (as men usually do) from mixed motives. If we sieze upon certain of their conceptions and deeds it would be to condemn them unmercifully in the judgment of today, but upon closer and fuller study there come to light the complex reasons and explanations which raise the question: Should they, products of their age and living by its standards, be subjected too searchingly to the more rigid tests of the modern conscience?]

[INTRODUCTORY] Nothing is clearer to the mind of a person who undertakes a study of the social customs and teachings of any people than the fact that the sources of their social institutions are embedded In their religious conceptions, as the roots of an oak are embedded In the soil which gives It nourishment. This la especially true of the races of the orient, for the eastern mine has never yet drawn the distinction between things secular and things religious that to a certain degree now prevails among western peoples. No sooner does one begin the study of their beliefs concerning the relations of man to man than he finds himself engulfed in their doctrines of God, of prayer—man’s relation to God,—of the soul and the future life, as well as their theories regarding the universe.

[There is no silence in the period between the Testaments. The Divine voice spoke, and that thru the writers of the Apocrypha. In these two centuries - 200 B.C. - 100 A.D. - there was doctrinal development, and this is shown in the APOCRYPHA and the PSEUDEPIGRAPHA.]