Women of the New Testament. By the Rev. Professor W.
F. Adeney. (Service and Paton. 3s. 6d.)—The object of this fresh addition to the "Popular Biblical Library Series" is to bring the women of the New Testament more vividly before the minds of its readers, but we doubt whether it be really helpful to supplement, as Professor Adeney does, the meagre hints and suggestions that are given of the conditions and characters of the women in the Gospels and Epistles, with a mass of specula- tions and conjectures, much of it of a rather far-fetched nature. The subject of Mary's feelings when she learns the greatness of the honour laid upon her, the conjectures as to her dis- cussing them later with her kinswoman Elizabeth, and the speculations about the feelings, and shrinking from publicity of the woman who sought and found healing by touching the garment of our Lord, seems to us unnecessary and wanting in reserve. This, too, seems hardly the way to deal with the pathetic answer given by the Canaanite woman to our Lord's apparently harsh reply to her petition :— " Even the very dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table. What delightful repartee ! How apt ! How exactly to the point ! And how timely ! What clever things we could all say if only we had time to bunt them out ! Only the happy thought comes too late. That new point of hers is delicious their Master's table.' Thus she quietly suggests a sort of claim, though one confessedly inferior to the children's right." Still, the work will be welcome to those who do not shrink from a too familiar and rather sentimental handling of sacred subjects and they will find many hints as to the customs and rules for Jewish women and those of the early Christian and Apostolic Church. Indeed, Professor Adeney is at his best when he leaves speculations and conjectures, and describes the conditions of life and the state of service of these women. It must be acknowledged that to make a book out of the slender materials at his command was a difficult task.
Previous page
