02 Introductory Note

INTRODUCTORY NOTE:

Josiah Blake Tidwell states "Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself (Lev 19:18). It is the final word in all right relations to others." This statement in _The Bible Period by Period_, regarding the Laws of Moses, and echoed in the words of Jesus is the guiding principle by which Tidwell seems to have lived.

J. B. Tidwell was born in Alabama in 1870 to a modest family of farmers. He was educated at Alabama’s Howard College (now Samford University), earned a Master’s Degree from Baylor University in 1903, and did post-graduate studies through a correspondence program of the

University of Chicago. He also received several honorary degrees. Tidwell served as the Chairman of the Bible Department at Baylor University from 1910 until the time of his passing in 1946. Among his writings are _The Bible, Book by Book_ (1914), _The Bible, Period by Period_ (1916), _Genesis: A Study of the Plan of Redemption_ (1924), and _John and His Five Books_ (1937). This book, _The Bible Period by Period_ (1916) is a companion to Tidwell’s _The Bible Book by Book_ (1914). Both are college level introductory courses in Christian studies. They are each organized in outline form with questions at the end of each chapter to guide the student in acquiring a comprehensive mastery of the material. In preparing "The Bible Period by Period" in e-book format, the outline styles were edited for sake of e-text consistency and proofreading. Certain geographical place names were edited for consistent spelling. The rest of the text remains faithful to the original. For any errors in transcription, I sincerely apologize as the words of the author could hardly be improved upon.

Fredric Lozo

Mathis, Texas

April 2005