The Project Gutenberg EBook of Old Testament Legends, by M. R. James

This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with
almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or
re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included
with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.net

Title: Old Testament Legends
being stories out of some of the less-known apochryphal
books of the old testament

Author: M. R. James

Release Date: May 21, 2005 [EBook #15874]

Language: English

Character set encoding: ASCII

*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK OLD TESTAMENT LEGENDS ***

Produced by David Malcolmson

OLD TESTAMENT LEGENDS
BEING STORIES OUT OF SOME OF THE LESS-KNOWN APOCRYPHAL BOOKS
OF THE OLD TESTAMENT
BY
M. R. JAMES, LITT.D.
PROVOST OF KING'S COLLEGE, CAMBRIDGE

WITH TEN ILLUSTRATIONS BY
H. J. FORD
LONGMANS, GREEN AND CO.
39 PATERNOSTER ROW, LONDON
NEW YORK, BOMBAY, AND CALCUTTA
1913
All rights reserved

PREFACE

If you read the title-page of this book--a thing which young persons
very seldom do--you will see that it (the book) contains stories
taken "out of some of the less-known apocryphal books of the Old
Testament." You will very possibly not understand what that means;
but if you will read this preface--another thing which young persons
do even seldomer than they read a title-page--you will find the best
explanation that I can give.

I have to begin by talking about the word apocryphal. The newspapers
are fond of saying that a statement made by the Prime Minister (or
the leader of the Opposition, according to which side in politics the
newspaper takes) is apocryphal. By this, the newspaper means to say
that the statement was untrue. Or, you will read that someone
obtained money or goods by saying that he possessed large estates
abroad; and that the estates turned out to be apocryphal. By this is
meant that they did not exist. But when you read of a book being
apocryphal, something rather different is meant: either that it is
"spurious," i.e. that it pretends to be written by someone who did
not write it; or