Origin and History of the Books of the New Testament.
By Professor- C. E. Stowe. (Low, Son, and Marston.)—The object of this volume is to trace the title-deeds of the books of the New Testament up to the Apostles, beginning from the times of St. Jerome and St. Augustine. It is unfortunate that the course of this Investigation leads the Pro- fessor to speak of St. Gregory of Nazianzen. Nor can we say much for the Professor's preliminary dissertations about the nature of the Bible.. He says, very truly, that "the Bible does not state, and does not profess. to state, scientific facts in scientific forms, but only phenomena or ap- pearances to the eye of a spectator." Again, "If we are lost in a forest and a man is sent to help us, we want one that will lead us out of the- forest, and not take up the time in giving us lectures on botany." But who has over attacked the Bible as a spiritual guide on the ground that material allegations in it were untrue ? What Professor Stowe takes for attacks on the Bible are really the defensive movements of science against those who argue that every word of the Bible must be true, whether it deal with spirit or with matter. If we are lost in a forest and the man who guides us out tells us that an oak tree is a beech, are we to believe him against the evidence of our eyes, because our eyes cannot guide us out of the forest without his assistance ? That is the point at issue between those whom Professor Stowe wishes to convince, and those with whom he ranks himself. The moat of his book is more valuable, though very miscellaneous.
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