29 JANUARY 1876, Page 25

We must be content with a brief description, or even

enumeration, of many important theological works, which would demand for any detailed treatment space and time which we have not at our command. Among these are the Biblical Connnentary on the Proverbs of Solomon, by Franz Delitzsch, translated from the German by M. G. Easton, D.D. 2 vols. The commentary displays a copious learning beyond oven the high average of German Biblical criticism. Another volume, on the. Canticles and Ecclesiastes, also from the pen of Dr. Delitzsch, will cern- pieta the "Keil and Dolitzsch Commentaries on the Old Testament Scriptures." The Theology of the Old Testament, by Dr. Gust. Fr. Oehler, translated by Sophia Taylor, Volume IL, is occupied, not with 'lanai criticism and exegesis, but with a wider survey of the ethical Ad spiritual teaching of the Old Testament. The volume before us completes, under the head of the Mosaic worship, the subject of the "various kinds of offerings," and discusses, "The Sacred Sea- sons ;" Part IL relates to " Prophetism ;" Part III. to "Old Testa- ment Wisdom." Relating to the New Testament, we have a Com- mentary on St. Luke's Gospel, by F. Godet, Doctor and Professor of Theology at Neuchfttel, translated by E. W. Shalders and M. D. Cusin. All these works belong to a series of very high value, of whioh we have had occasion to speak several times, Clark's Foreign Theological Library. (T. and T. Clark.) We are glad to see that it is satisfactorily supported by subscriptions. If so vast a variety of works may be characterised by a single sentence, we should say that it is distinguished by a criticism which is liberal without being destructive.—From the same publishers we have two volumes of the critical and Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, by Heinrich A. W. Meyer, Th.D. One of these con- tains the second part of the "Critical and Exegetical Handbook to St. -John's Gospel," and the other, "The Epistles to the Philippians and Colosaians."—From the "Theological Translation Fund" we have received the Contents and Origin of the Acts of the Apostles Critically Investigated by Dr. Edward Zeller. Translated by Joseph Dare. (Wil- liams and Norgate.) To this is prefixed Overbeck's Introduction to the Acts of the Apostle& Dr. Overbeck's view of the book may be briefly indicated by the fact that he assigns its authorship to the reign of Trajan, an hypothesis which we shall not examine, but which, if it is correct, changes the book into a fictitious narrative not worthy of the trouble which is spent upon it. Of Dr. Zeller's views we cannot judge so decidedly ; he leaves the definite statement of them to a second volume. But his leaning seems to be against the trustworthiness of the book.—From the same source also we have the first volume of Ewald's Prophets of the Old Testament. Translated by J. Frederick Smith. The volume treats of Joel, Amos, Hosea, and Zechariah.

The Apostle Paul and the Preaching of Christianity in the Primitive Church, by Sir Richard Davis Hanson (Williams and Norgate), is a volume of the destructive kind, by an author whose critical capacity we are not disposed to rate very highly. It is very easy, to take one in- stance, to dispose of the conversion of St. Paul as probably tho "effect of an illness," but it is scarcely philosophical. Has Sir Richard Hanson's Australian experience (he Ms the post of Chief Justice of South Australia) led him to believe that a "sun-stroke," probably the precise form of the illness, has ever proved, or could ever prove, the starting-point of a career which has altered the face of the world ?