Jewish Forerunners of Christianity. By Adolphe Danziger. (John Murray. 6s.)—This
compact and lucidly written volume should be very valuable to historical students of Christianity and of religion. While not pretending to contain anything in the shape of discoveries, it gives fresh studies of various masters in Israel, and in particular of three who were specially prominent in the modifications they introduced into the character of the Jewish people while they still dwelt in Palestine. " Hillel gave them a cosmopolitan character as op- posed to the old tribal one; Akibah by the failure of his great rebellion caused the abandonment among his people of the dream of a military supremacy which had almost become part of their creed; Rabbi Judah, the Prince, by the formation of rabbinic literature gave the race a centre of union which had been strong enough to perpetuate their nationality through centuries of subjection and dispersion." In addition to the chapters dealing with these, the foremost of the Rabbinical caste, and with Jesus, with whose death, the author contends, the caste had nothing to do, there are interesting accounts of others, such as Yochanan ben Zakkai, Eliezer ben Hyrkanos, Jesus ben Hananiah, "the blacksmith-judge and friend of Hadrian," Rabbi Mair the Illustrious, and " Acher the Agnostic." The value of the book is enhanced by notes, which have both an historical and an exegetical interest. Altogether, it must be accounted an important contri- bution to the history of Jewish nationalism.
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