14 JULY 1906, Page 24

Deutero-Canonica, July. (International Society of the Apocrypha. 6d.)—This small quarterly

journal is the organ of a Society which merits sympathy and support. It is more than time that the subject of the Apocrypha should bo lifted out of the region of controversy. After all, its polemical use is but of little consequence. On the other hand, its historical importance is great. On some subjects, notably on the life after death, it exhibits a higher stage of Jewish thought than can be found in any of the Canonical books. If the First Lessons for All Saints' Day (Wisdom iii. 1-9 and v. 1-16) were excluded—and it is probable that there are some who would be ready to exclude them—it would be quite impossible to supply their place adequately out of any other Old Testament books. Luther criticised some of the Apocryphal books severely, but he would, if lie could, have put Maccabees into the place of the Canonical Esther. The number of Deutero-Canonica now before us contains much interesting information. We may mention especially Canon Christopher Wordsworth's "Notes." The Canon quotes a saying of his father (sometime Bishop of Lincoln),',,that the Anglican Bible, as it is commonly published, may fairly be thought to be unjustifiably mutilated, while the Roman Bible errs in making no distinction between the "Ecclesiastical Books "and the Hebrew Canon.