THEOLOGY AND CRITICISM.—The Oracles of God. By W. Sanday, M.A.
(Longmans.)—Professor Sanday treats in this volume a
subject of pressing interest,—the apportionment of Scripture between the divine and the human element. All the discourses —this is the shape in which the contents of the book were first given to the world—are valuable, but we would specially mention the fifth, dealing with "The Blending of the Human and Divine." A more rational, sober, and, to our minds, satisfactory exposition of the doctrine of inspiration, made from a practical point of view, could not be easily found. The following sermon on "Loss and Gain "—the "loss," i.e., and the " gain " that have followed, and will follow, the freer criticism of the Bible that now prevails —is also highly valuable. In the eighth, the question of our Lord's use of the Old Testament Scriptures is treated. Professor Sanday writes:—" I should be loth to believe that our Lord accommodated His language to current notions, knowing them to be false. I prefer to think that, as it has been happily worded, that He
condescended not to know.' It is part of that process of Kenosis or exinanition described at least in two places of St. Paul's Epistles." In fact, he divested himself of such knowledge as would have put him on a different plane of knowledge as to things not concerned with his mission from that occu- pied by his hearers. The second appendix, referring to some recent criticism on Old Testament exegesis, contains a notable quotation from Dr. C. Siegfried, to the effect that the Scribes and Pharisees • "made the end into the beginning," and "so created the illusion that the religion of Israel began with a Law." That religion must be studied first, he declares, in the Elder Prophets.—The Jewish People in the Time of Jesus Christ. Translated from the German of Emil Scharer by the Rev. J. Macpherson. (T. and T. Clark.)—This is the first division of the second volume. It concludes the work, excepting an index, the English translation of which is to follow. The volume contains the history from the death of Herod to the rebellion in Hadrian's time, a range of about a hundred and forty years. The narrative is, of course, from the quantity of material that had to be made use of, highly compressed. At the same time, it seems complete. Eight appendices follow, dealing with various cognate matters. We do not see the reason why Dr. Scharer prefers Josephus's account of Titus's action with respect to the Temple, to the more probable nar- rative which Sulpicius Severus has manifestly quoted from Tacitus. This volume concludes "The Foreign Theological Library," a series commenced by Messrs. Clark in 1846. Four volumes have been regu- larly published every year. We heartily agree with the modest claim put forward by Messrs. Clark in their "Notice to Sub- scribers," that the series "has exercised a healthy influence upon the progress of theological science in this country and in the United States." We are sure that it has benefited students and divines very largely in the direction of a broader and more liberal criticism and exegesis. Our own function of reviewer has, we feel, been but very imperfectly exercised. A journal of this kind can, however, afford but a moderate space to theology, while "The Foreign Theological Library" has had for many years past so well- established a place in public favour, that a notice of its publication seemed as much as was absolutely called for. We may be allowed to offer our congratulations to the senior partner of the firm on his successful conduct of a most valuable undertaking.— From the same publishers we have received Obadiah, Jonah, Micah, Nahum, Habakkuk, Zephaniah, by the Rev. Principal Douglas, D.D., one of the "Handbooks for Bible-Classes and Private Students." Dr. Douglas is a critic of a conservative turn, maintaining, for instance, the historical character of the Book of Jonah. —The Writers of the New Testament. By the late Rev. W. H. Simcox, M.A. (Hodder and Stoughton.)—This volume con- tains the second part of a work which was noticed some time ago in these columns under the title of "The Language of the New Testament." That described the common type which is to be found in all the writers ; the work now before us deals with the "style and language of each of the writers." We need hardly say that it is full of valuable learning, and breathes a spirit of candid and sober criticism. Mr. Simcox did not argue up to preconceived conclusions. He had an eminently open mind. The volume is a notable addition to the series of "The Theological Educator."—The Book of Leviticus. By the Rev. S. H. Kellogg. (Hodder and Stoughton.)—This volume forms a part of the series of "The Expositor's Bible." Dr. Kellogg, who dates his book from Toronto, takes the conservative view of the origin of Leviticus ; that is, mainly at least, of Mosaic authorship ; in fact, that the elaborate ritual which it describes and enjoins was intended for, and, it is to be supposed, actually practised in the wanderings of, Israel.—Another volume belonging to the same series is The Book of Ecclesiastes, by Samuel Cox, D.D. Dr. Cox published a series of lectures on this subject in 1867. He has revised them for the purpose of the present issue, and made such additions and changes as the studies of the intervening period, assisted by not a few works of considerable value which have appeared since the first publication, may have fang. waded. He still, however, puts his chief confidence in the learned work of Dr. Ginsberg.—Yet another volume in the same series is The Gospel of St. John, by Marcus Dods, D.D. Vol. I. This first volume treats of the first eleven chapters. We hope to have an opportunity of returning to the work when it is completed by the publication of the second volume.--.4 Cons- mentary on St. Paul's Epistles to the Ephesians,
Colossians, and to Philemon. By Joseph Agar Beet. (Same pub- lishers.)—Professor Beet carries on his work from the undoubtedly Pauline Epistles to those which, though generally accepted, have been questioned by some critics. His , second section (the first being a general view of the writer's expository work) is accordingly devoted to a proof of their genuineness. The third puts in a convenient form the chief varieties of reading and rendering. In the fourth, we have an account of the three towns and the Churches founded in them. A full commentary follows, the letter to Philemon being very properly treated in close juxtaposition to that to the Colossians. We may direct attention here to the note on the Gnostics. Professor Beet's carefulness and learning are well known to all students of theology, and we must be content, having regard to the limits of our space, to commend his work generally to our readers. The second and third dissertations, having for their subjects respectively, "St. Paul's Conception of the Church," and "St. Paul's Conception of Christ," should be specially mentioned. The former is an able statement of the problem of reunion of the Churches.
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