Sacred Times For Chosen People

Reprint of the original, first published in 1859.

Charlotte M. Yonge's "The Chosen People" offers a detailed compendium of sacred and church history tailored for schoolchildren. The narrative delves into biblical events, providing insights into the rich tapestry of church history. Yonge's approachable style ensures that complex religious narratives are made comprehensible, offering young readers a foundational understanding of biblical and ecclesiastical events.

From the moment of God's covenant with Abraham in the Old Testament, the idea that a people are chosen by God has had a central role in shaping national identity. This text argues that sacred belief remains central to national identity, even in an increasingly secular, globalized modern world.

Messianic Jews, Arab Evangelicals and Muslim-Background Believers in the Holy Land face unique challenges when they follow in the footsteps of Jesus in the places where he walked on this earth. Questions related to their identity seem to be most pressing and, at the same time, deeply puzzling. Who am I? Where do I belong? How do I practice my faith? This book provides an in-depth study on the personal and collective experiences of these Jesus Followers from Jewish, Christian and Muslim backgrounds. It will demonstrate that although they might have the same destination in mind, at times, they take different routes. Nevertheless, when they encounter each other on their faith journey – as fellow travellers - there is a strong sense of connection and belonging between these believers of evangelical faith.

According to narratives in the Bible the threats of the people’s end come from various sources, but the most significant threat comes, as learned from the Pentateuch, from God himself. What is the theological meaning of this tradition? In what circumstances did it evolve? How did it stand alongside other theological and socio-political concepts known to the ancient authors and their diverse audience? The book employs a diachronic method that explores the stages of the tradition’s formation and development, revealing the authors’ exegetical purposes and ploys, and tracing the historical realities of their time. The book proposes that the motif of the threat of destruction existed in various forms prior to the creation of the stories recorded in the final text of the Pentateuch. The inclusion of the motif within specific literary contexts attenuated the concept of destruction by presenting it as a phenomenon of specific moments in the past. Nevertheless, the threat was resurrected repeatedly by various authors, for use as a precedent or a justification for present affliction.

This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the "public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.