What is the third period of Bible history called? With what events did it begin and end? How was Is'ra-el governed during this period? What are its subdivisions? How many judges governed the Is'ra-el-ites after Josh'u-a? Name four important persons of the third period. State for what each of these persons was distinguished. PART FOUR IV. With the reign of the first king a new period opens. We now study the history of the =Is'ra-el-ite Kingdom=. The kingdom was divided after the reign of three kings, but even after the division it was regarded as one kingdom, though in two parts. 1. This period extends from the =Coronation of Saul=, B. C. 1050? (1 Sam. 11. 15), to the =Captivity of Bab'y-lon=, B. C. 587. 2. During this period the chosen people were ruled by kings; hence this is named the =Regal Administration=. The king of Is'ra-el was not a despot, however, for his power was limited, and he was regarded as the executive of a theocratic government (1 Sam. 10. 25). 3. This period is divided into three epochs, as follows: 1.) =The Age of Unity=, under three kings, Saul, Da'vid, and Sol'o-mon, each reigning about forty years. In Da'vid's reign, about B. C. 1,000, the kingdom became an empire, ruling all the lands from E'gypt to the Eu-phra'tes. 2.) =The Age of Division.= The division of the kingdom took place B. C. 934, when two rival principalities, Is'ra-el and Ju'dah, succeeded the united empire, and all the conquests of Da'vid were lost (1 Kings 12. 16, 17). The kingdom of Is'ra-el was governed by nineteen kings, and ended with the fall of Sa-ma'ria, B. C. 721, when the Ten Tribes were carried into captivity in As-syr'i-a (2 Kings 17. 6) and became extinct. 3.) =The Age of Decay.= After the fall of Is'ra-el, Ju'dah remained as a kingdom for one hundred and thirty-four years, though in a declining condition. It was ruled by twenty kings, and was finally conquered by the Chal-de'ans. The Jews were carried captive to Bab'y-lon in B. C. 587 (2 Chron. 36. 16-20). 4. The following may be regarded as the representative =Persons= of his period, one from each epoch: 1.) =Da'vid=, the great king (2 Sam. 23. 1), and the true founder of the kingdom. 2.) =E-li'jah=, the great prophet (1 Kings 18. 36). 3.) =Hez-e-ki'ah=, the good king (2 Kings 18. 1-6). Blackboard Outline