THE BEGINNINGS OF CHRISTIANITY.*
• The Beginnings of Christianity. Part I.—" The Acts of the Apostles." Edited by F. J. Foakes Jackson, D.D., and Kirsopp Lane, D.D. Volume IL- Proleaomena U.: Criticism." London: Macmillan. [24s.i
The Acts of tho Apostles has become of late years the arena in which New Testament scholars are accustomed to " give their proofs," and to exhibit at once their learning and their ingenuity. Hence a certain crossing of notable works on the subject ; it is to be regretted that M. Loisy's great commentary did not reach the editors of this series in time to be considered in the present volume, which discusses not only the complicated questions of the composition and authorship of the Acts, but also the history of their treatment by modem critics. The
• opening volume of The Beginnings of Christianity, which was reviewed in the Spectator on publication, was made at the time
the pretext for a controversy which, like most theological controversies, was not over-scrupulously conducted and diverted attention from the matter in hand. It is possible that a certain embarrassment was caused even to friendly critics in this country by what has been called the " reticence " of the editors on the religious issues suggested in the course of the book. It would be more accurate to say that their work was characterized by a detachment which, though common in the Continental schools, is liable to be misunderstood in England. A case may be made for the Continental method—Prolegomena are one thing, the full reconstruction of the narrative is another. And the editors have nothing to conceal :-
"Later on we hope to return to the subject, and reconsider the narrative of the life of Jesus, and the influence on the Church of His own teaching and of the teaching of others about Him— two subjects which are not identical, though necessarily related."
The argument of the Preface, to the effect that history is an art and the historian an artist, is skilfully pressed. It was not till our own time that history came to be regarded as a mere
record of events :—
" Whether the subject chosen was a nation, or a society, or an individual, the moral was the chief thing. Whatever may have been the methods of the writer of Acts, or the sources which he used, ho was assuredly no exception. Acts is history, but history composed with a purpose, and with a moral. It is our hope to have contributed something in this volume to the better understanding of the method of its compilation, of the purpose with which it was written, and the moral it was intended to enforce."
The content falls under three main heads : (1) the Composition and Purpose of Acts ; (2) the Identity of the Editor of Luke and Acts ; (3) the History of Criticism : to which three appen- dices are added, the first of which is a striking study of the " Psychology of Authorship." " A book dealing with this subject by a specialist in psychology would (say the editors) greatly advance the understanding of history, and would render much ignorant criticism impossible." The remark is at once just and pertinent. The two examples given, one from mediaeval the other from modern history, show how short a time is required for the growth of legend and for the investment of historical figures with new characteristics, " so that in the subsequent
development of thought concerning them these new and rela- tively unhistorical features become more important than the original facts." The bearing of this on Christian Origins is obvious ; and it will seem to many that Appendix A.—con- taining the story of St. Francis of Assisi, by Mr. G. G. Coulton,
and that of Margaret Catohpole, by the editors—in the most important and original contribution to the book.
In Appendix C.—Professor Cadbury's " Commentary on the Preface to Luke "—and in the chapter on the " Internal Evidence
of Acts," Norden's opinion on the origin of Acts, based on an examination of the Theophilus paragraph in that book, is some- what summarily dealt with. In a recent review of M;Loisy's commentary, in the Harmed Theological Review, Professor Lake announces his intention of examining Norden's view at greater length in a future volume of The Beginnings of Christianity. The view in question—that Luke was the author of a work, dedicated to Theophilus, which was enlarged by a later editor—has com- mended itself to Continental scholars of eminence, and seems to deserve more serious consideration in this country than it has yet received.
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