PUBLISHER'S PREFACE
IN this volume, it has been the purpose of the author to present tochildren, through "Joel," as accurate a picture of the times of theChrist as has been given to older readers through "Ben Hur." With thisin view, the customs of the private and public life of the Jews, thetemple service with its sacerdotal rites, and the minute observances ofthe numerous holidays have been studied so carefully that thedescriptions have passed the test of the most critical inspection. Aneminent rabbi pronounces them correct in every detail.
While the story is that of an ordinary boy, living among shepherds andfishermen, it touches at every point the gospel narrative, making Joel,in a natural and interesting way, a witness to the miracles, the death,and the resurrection of the Nazarene.
It was with the deepest reverence that the task was undertaken, and thefact that the little book is accomplishing its mission is evinced notonly by the approval accorded its first editions by so many, from Biblestudents to bishops, but by the boys and girls here and in distantlands.