The Nature and Destiny of Man : Vol. 11, Human
Destiny. By Reinhold Niebuhr. (Nisbet. i5s.)
BOOKS OF THE DAY
Man's Destiny
WE May think it strange that on Lord Gifford's foundation, which was designed to promote the study of natural theology to Ihe ex- clusion of all appeal to revelation, there should appear a book which is essentially an essay in Biblical theology, but it is important to recognise that this is what Dr. Niebuhr offers us, for we shall apply irrelevant standards if we regard his impressive contribution as a work of general philosophy. He begins with the acceptance of the Bible as a revelation which is to be apprehended by faith, but we shall be unjust to him again if we imagine that his purpose is simply to expound the biblical texts. He applies the truth which he believes that he gathers from Scripture to the interpretation of life, and particularly to the interpretation of history. His principal thesis is that the Bible affords the most profound philosophy of history. Dr. Niebuhr's approach is definitely Protestant, by which is meant that he makes no appeal to the authority of the Church, claiming that his judgement of the meaning of Revelation deserves attention for its own sake. But more, he stands in the Protestant tradition when he develops his philosophy of history. Though it would be very far from the truth to allege that for him St. Paul is the founder of Christianity, it is clear that the Pauline epistles are the core of the New Testament. An interesting comparison might be made between Dr. Niebuhr's book and that by another eminent Christian thinker on the same subject—Berdyaev. The latter, coming out of the tradition of the Eastern Church, is mystical and Platonic, laying stress on " gnosis " and the Incarnation, while Niebuhr puts the atonement at the centre of his thinking, and rejects the Catholic doctrine that the summum bonum consists in the knowledge or con- templation of God, preferring to regard it as loving activity. Even those readers who find themselves left with unresolved problems concerning the basis of Dr. Niebuhr's philosophy will admit that his book has two outstanding merits ; it deals with a great theme greatly, leaving an impression of the sombre grandeur of human destiny, and it contains some acute and even profound analyses of social tendencies and social theories. The discussion of Communism and its relation with Christian Eschatology is most illuminating. It may be doubted whether the book will make any appeal to those who do not accept the Christian faith, for it centres upon those elements in Christianity which are widely supposed to be the most mysterious and unintelligible. The destiny of the human race, in Dr. Niebuhr's view, can be understood only by those who meditate upon the significance of original sin, the atonement, and the final judgement. The illusion of progress, which is traced to the new outlook of the Renaissance, has grown up because men have over- looked the fact that accumulation of knowledge and power increases potentialities of evil and destruction just as much as it enlarges the possibilities of fuller life. All human activity, even that of the theologian, who rightly divides the Word of God, is infected by pride, which is the root of sin. Thus all human achievements, nations and communities, even history itself, are under the judgement of God. At the same time, the Mercy of God, manifested in the sacrifice of Christ, is ready and able to redeem and forgive the cor- ruptions of human effort. The centuries of optimism "have well nigh destroyed the Christian faith as a potent force in modem culture and civilisation "the period of disillusionment will not necessarily restore the dristian faith, but it has " established its relevance." The conception of the Last Judgement has been dismissed by liberal theologians as a part of the Jewish mythology inherited by Christianity, but to Niebuhr it is of fundamental importance, for it asserts the truth that history is not self-sufficient or self-explanatory. The end of history, in the sense of its completion and fulfilment, is beyond history. Perhaps the treatment of the Last Judgement illustrates as well as anything else the perplexity which sometimes worries the mind of the critical reader. Dr. Niebuhr consistently employs concepts which have been taken literally by millions of Christians, but it is plain that often he does not take them literally- " symbol " is a favourite word with him—and we are not always able to determine whether or not he is to be understood as speaking symbolically. A relatively unimportant instance is his passage on " possession." Dr. Niebuhr has been at pains to distinguish his position from that which would be taken by an Anglican, a liberal, or a rationalist, and he will not expect wholehearted agreement from one who would modestly claim some share in all these titles, but this
need not hinder the recognition that he has written a book which in its sweep of thought and " architectonic " quality deserves respect, and has a power to stimulate reflection such as few recent works
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