The Gospels and the Gospel. By G. R. S. Mead,
M.A. (Theo- sophical Publishing Society. 4s. Od. net ) —Mr. Mead begins with a
sketch of the recent progress of Biblical criticism. The tone is not altogether what one would wish—the "conservatives" were, after all, fighting for what they held to be very preoious—but it
substantially true. When Mr. Mead comes to speak of the condition of the New Testament text in the chapter entitled "The 'Word of Gdd ' and 'Lower Criticism," he seems to us to exaggerate. The text is, when all is said, substantially more certain than that of many of the classics, that of Aeschylus, for instance, and, if Dr. Rutherford is to be believed, that of 'Thucydides. To say that the Westcott- Hort text is built on a foundation but "slightly less shifting than that of the Textus Receptus" is to contradict the judgment of competent scholars. When Mr. Mead goes on to say that the Revised Version is to the Authorised Version in many respects as Tweedledum to Tweedledee he is, whether right or wrong—and few competent judges will be found to agree with him—unpardonably rude. It is not worth while to pursue the subject any further.
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