SOME BOOKS OF THE WEEK.
[Under this heading we notice such Books of the week as have not been reserved for review in other forms.] The Resurrection of Jesus. By James Orr, D.D. (Hodder and Stoughton. 6s.)—We have sometimes found ourselves differing seriously in opinion from Professor Orr. On the question of the date of Daniel, for instance, he attempts, we think, to hold an untenable position. But with the thesis that is set forth in the volume before us we are in entire agreement. This thesis may be briefly stated thus,--that Jesus rose out of His tomb with an actual, visible, and tangible body ; that the appearances recorded by the Evangelists were of such a body, the records being sub- stantially in agreement, though there are minor differences ; and that St. Paul classed his own experiences with those of the earlier Disciples. This last is a point which has to be specially insisted on. An attempt has been made to spiritualiso all the appearances by arguing that those of St. Paul were spiritual. The common-sense interpretation of his language, whether as reported in Acts or used by himself in 1 Corinthians, is that he ranked his experiences with those of his predecessors, and that it is the character we assign to them which must determine the character to be assigned to his. The three narratives in Acts are not in absolute agreement, but they are all one in insisting on the objectivity of the appearance. There was a light and a voice, and Paul's fellow-travellers were in some way affected. These narratives may be incredible—all the miraculous is to many minds incredible—but they are absolutely clear in meaning. Those who must have a non-miraculous Christianity should begin by frankly rejecting the Christian documents, for the miraculous is inextricably mixed up with them. We do not think that Professor Orr strengthens his ease by arguing against the com- monly accepted theory of the primary source being St. Mark, as far at least as tho Synoptists are concerned. This does not hinder us from accepting the Apostolic origin of the Fourth Gospel.
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