Public-domain ebook
by Sherman, Henry A.; Kent, Charles Foster
Language: en5,276 downloads on Project Gutenberg
Subjects
In: Children's Religion·Children & Young Adult Reading·Religion/Spirituality
Public-domain ebook sourced from Project Gutenberg #23580.
The Children’s Bible, compiled by Henry A. Sherman and Charles Foster Kent, is a curated selection of Old and New Testament narratives rendered in straightforward English. Its opening explains that the editors have spent over twenty‑five years choosing passages that can be read aloud to younger listeners while still offering older readers a gradual introduction to biblical vocabulary. The work begins with the familiar creation account, presenting the Genesis story in clear, uncomplicated prose that avoids one‑syllable restrictions, allowing children to encounter new words and idioms as they follow the unfolding of God’s work. The extensive contents list shows the breadth of the volume, ranging from early Genesis episodes through the life of Jesus and the early church, each titled to signal the moral or event that follows.
The language reflects the late‑19th‑century evangelical educational style, combining a didactic tone with a reverent narrative voice. Its sentences are longer than modern children’s Bibles, yet the diction remains accessible, making it suitable for families, Sunday‑school teachers, and anyone seeking a faithful yet readable retelling of biblical stories. Readers who appreciate historical religious texts and enjoy the rhythm of classic prose will find this volume a helpful bridge between the full biblical canon and a child‑friendly presentation.
The opening · free to read
"The Children's Bible" provides, in simple English, a translation of selections from both the Old and the New Testament. These selections have been made as a result of more than twenty-five years of observation and study. The text is that of the Bible itself, but in the language of the child, so that it may easily be read to the younger children and by those who are older. It is not in words of one syllable, for while the child is reading the Bible he should gradually learn the meaning of new words and idioms.
The Bible contains the foundations on which the religious life of the child must be built. The immortal stories and songs of the Old and New Testaments are his richest inheritance from the past. To give him this heritage in language and form that he can understand and enjoy is the duty and privilege of his parents and teachers.
It is hoped that "The Children's Bible" will meet the need and the demand, which parents and educators alike have long felt and often expressed, for a simple translation of selections from the Bible most suited to the needs and the interests of the child. It is also believed that after the child has learned to appreciate and love these stories and songs, he will be eager and able to read the Bible as a whole with genuine interest and understanding.
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