ART. X.-CONTEMPORARY LITERATURE.

THEOLOGY.

Two new volumes of Clark's Ante-Nicene Christian Library are published in this country by Scribner, Welford & Co.: vol. xvii contains The Clementine Homilies (twenty in number), and the Apostolic Constitutions, edited by Rev. ALEXANDER ROBERTS, D.D., and JAMES DONALDSON, LL.D.; vol. xviii brings us the third part of the Writings of Tertullian, and also the extant Works of Victorinus and Commodianus. We need only repeat our frequent and earnest recommendation of this series; it is a boon for all Christian scholars of every name in the English-speaking world. The work of translating and editing has been carefully and creditably performed. Of this Library there remain to be issued: Lactantius in 2 vols.; Origen against Celsus, concluded; Dionysius of Alexandria; Gregory Thaumaturgus; Arnobius; and "probably a Volume of Early Liturgies." All these it is hoped to have out in the course of the present year. The same publishers have in preparation a translation of a Selection from Augustine's Writings, in 12 or 14 vols., with a Life by Dr. Rainy, Prof. of Church History, New College, Edinburgh. This series, too, will be published by subscription at the rate of four vols. for a guinea.

Biblical Theology of the New Testament. By CHRISTIAN FRIEDRICH SCHMID, D.D., late Professor of Theology, Tübingen. Translated from 4th German Edition, edited by C. WEIZÄCKER, [Weizsäcker] D. D. By G. H. Venables. Clark's Foreign Theol. Library. Fourth Series, vol. xxvii. Edinburgh. New York: Scribner, Welford & Co. The author of this excellent work was Professor of Theology in Tübingen from 1819 to 1852, universally respected for his character and learning, and as an upholder of the evangelical faith in the midst of rationalistic tendencies. While living, he worked by his life and teachings more than by his writings. His lectures, published since his death, have been well received, though they of course lack his revising hand. Dr. Weizsäcker, while carefully editing Dr. Schmid's lectures on the Theology of the New Testament, has also added whatever was available from published articles and essays of the author. The work is distributed into two main parts, the "Messianic Age" and the "Apostolic Age." The first Division of the first Part, is on the Life, the second on the Teaching of Jesus-and this latter is distributed under only three heads: 1. The Glorification of the Father in the Son; 2. The Redemption of Man; 3. The Kingdom of God. In the Second Part, besides the Lives of the Apostles, their Teaching is also exhibited, in its first form, as that of James and Peter, and in its second form, as it is found in the writings of Paul and John. The original work gives in the "Contents" a full analysis of the particular subjects of teaching under each headbut this is omitted in the translation.

The translation omits also, and without any notice of the fact, a good deal more of the original work. There are about one hundred pages more of the original than of the translation, and the former is more compactly printed. This reduction, now, is chiefly made by leaving out in each section the most

important part for the student, that is, the summary of its contents, which is printed in the German in larger type to signify its relative value. True, this summary is perhaps virtually contained in what follows-but not in so definite a form. The procedure is something like that of leaving out the main propositions in a treatise on geometry.

With this abatement, the work is to be commended, as the best in English, and one of the best in German, evangelical in spirit and clear and full in exposition.

A Comparative View of Religions. Translated from the Dutch of J. H. SCHOLTEN, Prof. at Leyden. By FRANCIS T. WASHBURN. Reprinted from "The Religious Magazine and Monthly Review." Boston: Crosby and Damrell. 8vo. pp. 33. Prof. Scholten's Manual of the History of Philosophy and Religion was translated into French by Réville, 1861; and into German by Redepenning, 1868, the latter being revised and enlarged by the author. His sketch of the History of Religion, here translated, forms but a small part, and hardly the best part, of the original work. It is, indeed, concise and clear in its statements, and so far a convenient summary; but it is wholly naturalistic in its conceptions and method, and based on the extreme necessarian philosophy which is the chief characteristic of Scholten's dogmatism. The religion of the Israelites is just given as a development out of polytheism; and even as to Christianity there is no suggestion about a positive and specific divine revelation. In this version, as compared with Réville's, there is a fuller and better statement of some points; but the statement of the essence of Christianity is more abstract than in the earlier work. Réville, for example, represents Scholten as saying, that "in Jesus religion is realized as the perfect union of man with God;" but this is not contained in the English version, where Christianity is vaguely defined as "the religion by which man, in the full enjoyment of individual development, and with a sense of his own strength, lives in the consciousness of the most entire dependence upon God." This, now, is a very imperfect account of the abstract element of all religion, and it most certainly is not any definition at all of the peculiarity of the Christian religion.

The Doctrine of the Atonement, as taught by the Apostles; or the Sayings of the Apostles exegetically expounded. With Historical Appendix. By GEO. SMEATON, D.D. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. New York: Scribner, Welford & Co. 8vo. pp. 556. This volume is the sequel of the volume which appeared in 1868 on the "Sayings of Jesus" in reference to the atonement, and completes the author's undertaking. "The doctrine of the atonement being a matter of pure revelation, all our information as to its nature," says Prof. Smeaton, "must be drawn simply from the Scriptures; and the sole inquiry for us is, in what, according to the Lord and his Apostles, does the historic fact of the atonement objectively consist, and what are its constituent elements?" The highly favorable opinion of the work which we expressed on the appearance of the former volume (see Presb. Review for 1868, pp. 622-3) is confirmed by the present. It is a truly excellent work, timely, pertinent, and thorough. No other work in the English language exhibits so fully and effectively the sayings of Jesus and of his Apostles on the Atonement. All theories here must ultimately be tested by the testimony of Scripture: that alone is decisive. The

author is evidently possessed of the literature of the subject, embracing the works of recent German and Dutch authors. We commend the work as a truly valuable contribution to our theological literature.

The Tripartite Nature of Man, Spirit, Soul, and Body. By Rev. J. B. HEARD, M.A. Third edition, revised and enlarged. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark. New York: Scribner, Welford & Co. 12mo. pp. xvi. 374. The object and scope of this work is to weave into one connected whole the various passages in the Bible which speak of human nature as consisting of three parts -spirit, soul, and body. The distinction between soul and body is obvious, and is as old as philosophy itself. But what of the distinction between soul and spirit? The author aims to show that "the psychology of the schools is radically different from that of the Scriptures; yet to this day divines treat the distinction of soul and spirit as if it were only a verbal one, and speak of mortal body and immortal soul in phrases which are unconsciously borrowed from Plato rather than from Paul." And as a consequence he claims that "obscurities, if not positive errors, have crept into theology, which can only be cleared up by bringing the light of Biblical psychology to bear on theology." In this treatise he applies Scripture psychology to "illustrate and explain the doctrines of original sin, the new birth, the disembodied state, and the spiritual body." It is an exceedingly able, ingenious, and original discussion, both in thought and illustration, of a question which has hitherto received less attention than it deserves from theologians and preachers of the Gospel.

BIBLICAL LITERATURE.

Jesus: His Life and Work as Narrated by the Four Evangelists. By HowARD CROSBY. New York: University Publishing Co., 8vo. pp. 551. The externals of this volume are highly creditable to the publishers. It is beau tifully printed; the maps and illustrations are abundant, numbering more than a hundred, and are, on the whole, very well executed. The head of Jesus (the frontispiece) is striking and impressive-engraved after a bust in marble by an amateur sculptor, Dr. H. N. Kingsley, one of Dr. Crosby's parishioners, who was inspired to do it by the discourses here shaped into a volume.

It is a good and healthful sign that so many works are now written on the Life of Jesus. Dr. Crosby well remarks: "As the life of Jesus is both the historic and doctrinal basis of Christianity, the Church of Christ is ever to be purified or preserved in purity by a constant recurrence to that life. Everything in doctrine or practice is to be brought to this touchstone, and to stand or fall by this test." This life is contained in the Four Gospels; and "the great need of the Church to-day is a careful study of these four gospels, not so much the perusal of dissertations on the character of the gospels and the Messiah portrayed in them, as the actual examination of the Sacred Word itself." The best reply to a rationalistic and subversive criticism is the presentation of the Life of Jesus itself, by a true harmony of the four witnesses, as a consistent and majestic whole, in its unity and completeness. This is what the author has aimed to do; and, within the limits he has chosen, his great task is wrought out with unction, life and spirit. Criticism is only incidental to his main object. He is observant

and critical; he knows the difficulties-many of them he has successfully mastered; the harmony he attempts is rather in the great features than in all the minute incidents of the record-though as to most of the latter he makes acute and pertinent suggestions; but his main object is kept steadily in view, to present Christ's Life as a living whole; and he does not allow the full force and volume of the stream to be turned aside into the eddies. The volume, too, being first prepared as discourses, was probably determined in its character in part by this fact; though there is not about it, nor indeed about the author's preaching, anything of conventional plan or routine.

In one way, this work might be best described as an eloquent paraphrase upon a well adjusted harmony of the Four Gospels. This work of harmonizing all the details must have cost much labor, but this does not appear-excepting where there are some special knots of difficulty, or some new solutions; yet this preparatory critical investigation is all there-the hidden anatomy of the life that is portrayed. The chief geographical and chronological points have been carefully investigated, the geography from personal inspection; and while we may not always agree with the results (there are so many disputed and difficult cases), yet no one can fail to respect the acumen and learning and force of the investigator.

This is eminently a book to be taken and read right through, as we would read any biography, so as to get a vivid impression of the whole matchless life of our Lord. As thus read-and read by any thoughtful person-it will give a new sense of the wonderful Person whose earthly career is so simply and majestically recorded; it will bring us into close communion with him who is both our example and our Lord. For young men, among others, it is thus admirably adapted. Doubts or special points, puzzling intellectual difficulties, fade away in the brightness of this light.

While then for the critic and scholar other elaborations of the Life of Jesus are needed, yet such an one as this is also needed, to make us feel more fully that this sacred life of the Godman is a reality-vital to us, the most inspiring and elevating biography which can be conceived or written.

Commentary on the Epistle to the Hebrews. By FRANZ DELITZSCH, D.D., Prof. Theol., Leipsick. Translated by T. L. KINGSBURY. Vol II. Edinburgh: Clark. New York: Scribner, Welford & Co. By his thorough acquaintance with the literature of the Old Testament, Dr. Delitzsch has some special qualifications for the interpretation of the Epistle to the He brews. His stores of Rabbinic learning enable him to cast new light on some of the most perplexing and difficult points, and make his commentary a real addition to the literature of this Epistle. The table of contents presents an excellent outline of the course of thought and argument. As to the authorship of this epistle, he decidedly inclines to the view, that it was written by Luke, under the guidance and authority of Paul; and he finds confirmation of this from a comparison of Luke's Gospel and the Acts with the method and language of the epistle. "St. Paul is in no case the writer;" nor is it "a translation." But the doctrine is in harmony with Paul. "Luke wrote at the suggestion and in the name of Paul, and the

mental product which was the result is identical with the spirit of his master, although bearing the writer's own peculiar stamp." This view of the authorship is that of Grotius, Stein, Koehler, Ebrard, etc.

Another "Dissertation" is "on the Sure Scriptural Basis of the Ecclesiastical Doctrine of Vicarious Satisfaction." This is a valuable discussion, and is aimed particularly against the views of Dr. Hofmann, of Erlangen, in his "Scriptural Proof,” and other works. Delitzsch sums up the negations of the latter, as follows: "1. The death of Jesus was not the punishment of the sin of man; 2. Satisfaction is not thereby made to the wrath of God; 3. Christ did not suffer in the place of man; 4. Our reconciliation with God does not consist in the fact, either that our sin was correspondingly punished in Jesus' death, or that it was atoned for by Jesus' ethical action in His sufferings." And he adds: "I am convinced that all these negations would be condemned by the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, as inferences very incorrectly drawn from his writings." And he proceeds to show, "that the obliteration of the ideas of penal suffering and vicarious representation leads to a view of the work of the atonement which run counter to the New Testament Scriptures;" also, "that this view is opposed by the Old Testament sacrifices, rightly understood," etc.

A Critical Greek and English Concordance of the New Testament. Prepared by C. F. HUDSON, under the Direction of H. L. Hastings. Revised and completed by EZRA ABBOT, LL.D. Boston: Scriptural Tract Repository. This is just the book for students of the New Testament. It contains: 1. References to all places where every Greek word in the New Testament may be found; 2. The various English words used in translating the Greek-this is one of the best points in it; 3. Also, the various readings in the editions of Griesbach, Lachmann, Tischendorf, Tregelles, and in the Siniatic manuscript; 4. An index of English Words, for those who do not know the Greek. It is, in short, a critical Concordance. Dr. Abbot's name is a guarantee for its accuracy. We have fallen upon only one misprint, in the note to page v of Preface-768, for 7, 68. It is a very compact volume of 510 pages, and is sold for $2.50 in cloth.

The Leading Christian Evidences, and the Principles on which to Estimate them. By GILBERT WARDLAW, M.A. Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark; New York: Scribner, Welford & Co. 12mo. pp. ix, 286. This is a praiseworthy attempt to state anew, and within a moderate compass, the Christian evidences, and mainly with reference to the present position of the controversy. The author, we think, has executed his task in the spirit of candor, and with marked ability. It is a fresh, judicious, and vigorous presentstion of the question from the standpoint of Christian faith. At a time when infidelity is ever dogmatizing from the chair of science, and skepticism plants its insinuations in every path of literature, it is desirable to state and restate continually the foundations of our faith to make them vital to resist every new phase of attack. There is nothing in modern science yet established, which weakens in the least the Christian evidences; and let this be made to appear, and doubts and fears be put to rest.