This little book is a revision and expansion of the first chapter in Louis Finkelstein's two volume work, The Jews; The History, Culture and Religion (New York, 1949), with a new title. The text was originally written in the summer of 1947, just fifteen years before the date of the present revision. In order to include some treatment of new finds and their significance, as well as a brief account of my own recent work on such figures as Abraham and Samuel, the book is nearly half again as long as the chapter on 'The Biblical Period'. (The 1950 reprint by the Biblical Colloquim omitted the Bibliography, but added a Chronological Table; we have followed suit, but have revised the Table).