Henry Van Dyke was a 19th century American educator, clergyman, and writer. After graduating from the Princeton Theological Seminary he became a professor of literature at Princeton. He later became the U S minister to the Netherlands. While ambassador to the Netherlands he played a major role in helping President Wilson keep the US out of World War I. Van Dyke wrote poetry, essays and hymns. He wrote the words to the hymn Joyful Joyful We Adore Thee. This play takes place in Damascus in 850 B C. Van Dyke has added to the story of Naaman the Syrian a love interest between his wife and the priest of the House of Rimmon. The play is a beautifully written poetic drama.