Full Text for CTM Book Review 1-2 (Text)

. . .' ., "Continuing.. ... . Leh~e'und;Wehre (Vol. LXXVI:) . Magaiirl fuer Ev.~Luth~aomiletik (V;ot tIV): .' Theol.Quartedy(l897 ~1920) ~J'heo1. Monthly (Vol. X)' . .. . CONTENTS .. . ' ... ' ..•.... .•. ...... •. .......• . ,'. .·.·.!'F~ge·' Pl;EPER, F.: :"Dasi:ruclitbare Lesen del' 'Schriften Luther:;;'!Sl' G:RAEBNER, TH. ,:TheIndwellingof the .Trinity in the. .' Beartof the Believer .. ; ......... : ................... : . ;EN:(XELl?E~,~B,:Marlnirg: DerSieg d~s ScJtriftprinzlvs. 99 . ~ENGi1LDER;T:e:. : Does £he Bible Claim Infallible AuthQt~ ..... ; . . >ityfor All I1;s ~artsl''' ....... ; ...... ~; .... ; ..... : .'. ;'; .. J07 :KEINATH, H. O. A.: The.Contacts 9f the Bobk: of A..eta . "withRom8;n Political Institutions ., .............. '.".'; .. lfI~:i>iNE~,F.:SermollStudy .on Phn: '1,· 27~2,~ .......• DlspQSition~nU:eber .die ~jsenacherEvangelienreihe ..... '. ~h~:i()gical' Obs~~er.-<Kirchlich-ZeitgeSchichtli~hes ; .... . 'VI~~schtes und zeitgeschieht'lf:che Notizen ... .' ........... . . ~~~. :ltevie~"~Literatur .. ;.-.." . iE,fu 'Prediger DlltPa nicht allein w6idMl, #da~8erdies~fe unterwei8e.Wte .. &ie . recbte ·~Ii' &o.lleD· &ein\ . IIOllden /aUch :dariebeb den WoelfenwelWm,da&8' . ilie .!ite. Schare. nieht~ffen .. wid .:mit .faI8eher'~·verfu$$ und I~., ~~ •. 4.tuI~er. E~'istk~J>tiig;~'die,Leote meW .... . bei •• ~er .·Kir.che .• ~¥el,t.~fi .. d~., gpt~ . pre1l~~i:-;tPotOqw,:~~f.~if.. '. If th~ tnuIlpet give, an bnceitain ~salmd, who ~~I prepa~h~to!:h'eliilttle1' " 1 Oo .. ;.'.u'~'··'" 152 Book Review. -2Uetatut. toinIidj (rljriftu£l bei ben 6einen getoefen mit feinem ~emgen @eift unb [ljat] in iljnen ben djtiftIidjen @lauben erljalten. fmietooljl, e£l ift aIIe£l f dj to if dj 1 i dj augegangen, gleidjtote aur 2eit @;lia£l, ba fiebentaufenb fo f djtoiidjlidj erljalten toorben, ban (!:lia£l f ellif± mein±e, er toiire allein ein (rljrift [1 ~iln. 19, 10]. ~enn fo getoaltig al£l (r'1jriftu£l lja± muffen erljalten bie 5taufe toiber fo bid @;~em\.ld ber fmede unb 6eften unb ben 5te~t be£l @;bangdH unb Me anbern obgenannten 6±ude toiber fo mandjetlei ~eben~ leljre bon ~emgen, bom ~blaf3 ufto., alfo getoaltig ljat er miiffen erljal±en bie ~ era en, ban fie iljre 5taufe, @;bangelium ufto. nidj± betloren nodj bergeffen ljaben bei fo bid ifrgetlidjem fmefen; ljat audj gar ftad muffen bergeben unb burdj Me g:inger f eljen, too f eine (r'1jrif±en autoeilen gefallen unb-be±rogen toorben finb, tote er 6±. \13e±to unb ben ~\.lofteln ljat muffen bergeben iljr 5Betleugnen." 60nberlidj be±ont Qutljer immer toieber ba£l gii±±lidje fmunber, ban ber 5t e ~ ± be£l @;bangelium£l un±er bem \13a1-1fttum geblieben ift, toenn audj bie \13reMg±en, bie barauf foIg±en, toiber ba£l @;ban~ geIium lau±e±en (XIX, 1249 ff·). g:. \13. Book Review. -S!iter4tur. ~ie ~fltlmen. ftbetfett unb edIatt !lon D. lR u b 0 If .R itt e 1. (.Rommentat aum ~lten i:eftament, ~etaullllelleben !lon D. (;!tnft SeUin, !lIanb XII!.) f5ilnfte unb fed}fte ~uflalle. !mit einem ~ad}\l)ort. 528 SeUen 6%X9%. ~tetll: M.15; Ilebunben, M. 17.50. (~. ileid}etifd}e metlallllbud}~anblunll [D.~etnet Sd}oU], 2eil>aill.) ilet bebeutenbfte ~falmenfommentat bet neueften 3eU fd}eint mit ball nun fd}on in filnftet unb fed}ftet ~uflalle !lotliellenbe ~ed !lon .Rittel au fein. ~d} fteUe ell in mand}et ~infid}t nod} ilbet .Ronillll ~etf (2e~te unb ~e~te 73, 145). ilet metfaffet fann aud} fallen, bab i~m feinll feinet !lIild}et "fo !liel ilanf aull ben .Rteifen bet 2efet, !lOt aUem bet Stubtetenben unb ®eiftlid}en, einllettallen" ~abe alll biefel! (S. VI). ilall fommt jebenfaUll ba~et, bab et nid}t eine befonbetll Ilele~tte (ob\l)o~l aUf folibeftet ®ele~tfamfeit tu~enbe), fonbern eine filt Me 2efet !l e t ft Ii n b 1 i d} e unb aUllleid} 1 e II bat e (;!dllitunll bet ~falmen fd}teiben 1D0nte. (;!t ~at barum ball Ilele~tte !material faft bUtd}lDell in bie~nmetfunllen aut ftbetfetunll !letlDiefen unb aUf ball ~otlDenbille befd}tlinU. Unb et ~at bei bet ftbetfetunll, lDie et in bet morrebe bemetft, "mit !loUem !lIelDubtfein, 1D0 ell mit itllenb aull fl>tad}lid}en ®tilnben moglid) fd}ien, 2ut~et au ~orte fommen laffenu (S. V). ~iet ift einmal !lon einem bet etften ~ebtaiften bet ®ellenlDart ~lut~etll un!letllleid}lid}e ~falmenilbetfetunll !loU anedannt unb benutt 1D0tben, in llelDiffem Sinne ein (;!teillnill. .Rittel lennt unb benutt aud) mit lRed}t bell lRefotmatotll Uaffifd}e ~falmenaulllellunll unb fallt ba!lon in bet 2itetatutilbet. fid)t: ,,~lut~etll ~falmenaulllellungen finb befonbetll betil~mt gelDotben. Sie Ile. ~oten aum (;!illenartillften unb augleid) ~et!lottagenbften, lDall ~ut~et ~et!lot~ gebtad}t ~at. Sie finb !lon mit bel! iifteren, butd}lDell nad} bet ~ullgabe !lon ~ald}, ~etanlleaollen" (S. LVI). ilall !lIud} ift fo anllelellt, bab ble ifallollifd}en f5tagen (au benen id) fteilid} mand}el! f5talleaeid}en au feten ~abe) in einet 57 SeHen umfaffenben (;!inlettunll be~anbelt lDetben; bann folgt bie (;!tUlirung aUf 439 Sei. ten, ~ietauf alDei !lIeUallen: "ilet metlleltunllllllebanfe im ~faltet" unb "!lIabt)lo. tllf~e uno itll~VtifdJe !pataUelen [!] 3um \Pfaltet" unb fd)liebltd} ein lDett!loUell Book Review. -~Heratur. 153 Sad)regifter unb ein SRad)rood aur fUnften unb fed)ften ~uflage, bie aUf med)ani~ fd)em ~ege ~ergefteUt roorben ift. ~eber !.j.lfalm ift mH einer befonberen, ben ~n~ ~alt beaeid)nenben itberfd)rift berfe~en, bie mand)mal unanne~mbar, abet oft aud) fe~r treffenb gerod~lt ift unb gleid) ein !.j.lrebigtt~ema abgibtj a.~. !.j.lf. 1: "ilie aroei ~e\)e"j !.j.lf. 6: ,,~ubllfalm in grober SRot"j !.j.lf.24: ,,!Dlad)t ~od) ba§ ~or, bie ~Uren roeH"; !.j.lf. 42. 43: ,,~eimroe~ nad) @ott"j !.j.lf. 51: ,,@ott, fei mir SUnber gndbig!" !.j.lf.73: "ila§ grobe ,ilennod)'''j !.j.lf.90: "Unfere 3uflud)t in ber RUrae bet ~age"j !.j.lf. 104: "ila§ ~ieb bon ber Sd)0llfung"i !.j.lf.110: "iler !.j.ltiefter~ fonig"; !.j.lf. 128: ,,~au§fegen"i !.j.lf. 130: ,,~u§ Hefer SRot"j !.j.lf.150: "ila§ grobe ~aUeluja." tyreilid) ~aben roir aud) gar mand)e§ au§aufeten, foroo~l in ber ~e~ ftimmung ber !.j.lfalmen al§ aud) namentltd) in ber ~u§legung. ~§ ift eben bod) ein gana moberner Rommentar, ber bte ~ege ber fird)lid)en ~u§legung, bie nad) ber 3eH beg lRattonali~mu~ auerft ~engftenberg roieber unb nad) i~m tytana ilelttfd) geaeigt ~at, bielfad) berldbt. Sd)on in ben itberfd)riften finben fid) fold)e rote: !.j.lf.44: "Rlagelieb ber !DlaUabder" (!) j !.j.lf.45: ,,3u beg Rilnig§ ~od)3eit." ~ber bor aUem ift bie meffianifd)e ~eaie~ung unb ~u§legung faft gdnaltd) auf~ gegeben. mom 110. !.j.lfalm, bon bem aud) nod) ilelitfd) fagt, bab ilabib barin "unmittelbar" bon bem !Dleffia~ rebe unb ben ilelitfd), rote 2 Sam. 23, 1-7, einen "birdt meffianifd)en !.j.lfalm" nennt (Rommentar, S.200), roirb ~ier gefagt: "ila§ @ebid)t ift, roie man fie~t, fo roenig meffianifd) im engeten Sinne al§ !.j.lf. 2, mit bem e~ fid) bielfad) berU~rt. ~§ ift bielme~r ein Ron i g § lie b" (ba~ ift bie moberne ~e3eid)nung fUr bie meffianifd)en !.j.lfalmen), "roie !.j.lf. 2, 45, 72, bon einem llroll~etif d)en Sdnger aU§ ber Umgebung beg ~errf d)ed ftammenb" (0 broo~ 1 bie itberfd)rift au~briiiflid) "bon ilabib" fagt), "bal! aber, feinen ~oriaont erroetternb, ben tegierenben Ronig augleid) im ~id)te beg meffianifd)en 3ufunft~filnig~, al~ bel! ibealen ~errfd)ed ~§rael§, fd)aut unb bamtt bon felbft 3U einem me f f i a ~ n if d) e n Ronig~liebe roirb" (S. 358). ~in ldngerer ~bfd)nitt bei bem 22. !.j.lfalm, ber ~ier bie ftberfd)rift lImon @ott berlaffen" tragt, Uber ba~ "SubjeU bel! !.j.lfalm~", bemerft, bab ,,~ier 3roar ein einaelner fllrid)t, aber nid)t al~ fUr fid) Ste~enber, fonbern al§ mertreter einer Sad)e unb roo~l aud) al~ tyU~rer eine~ Rreifel!, beg Rreifel! ber tyrommen" (S.89). Unb bann ~eibt e§, bab biefer !.j.lfalm aroar "in ber ~etben§gefd)id)te ~~fu eine bebeutfame lRoUe gefllielt ~at", abet "gegen feinen eigentlid)en Sinn fur3roeg al~ meffianifd), unb aroar genauer al§ in aUen feinen ~inael3Ugen aUf @:~riftu~ unb fein ~eiben ge~enb, berftanben rourbe" (S. 90) .. ~§ ift au bebauern, bab ber merfaffer gerabe ~ier nid)t ber grUnblid)en ~u§legung ~ut~er§ (St. ~.~u§g. IV, 1226-1355), bie aUd) fd)on bor ~a~ren in ~onbon in englifd)et Sllrad)e erfd)ienen ift, gefolgt ift. -ilie borfte~enbe ~naeige roar fd)on gefd)rieben, al§ beutfd)ldnbifd)e Rird)enbldtter bie SRad)rid)t bon bem am 20. Oftober borigen ~a~re§ erfolgten ~obe beg merfaffer~ brad)ten. !illir teilen folgenbe ~aUl!tbaten au~ feinem ~eben mit: @e~eimrat Dr. D. lRubolf Rittel, !.j.lrofeffor fUr ba~~lte ~eftament an ber Uniberfitat ~ei1l3ig, roat am 28. ·!Dldra 1853 in !illUrt~ temberg geboren, biente auerft feiner ~eimatlid)en Rird)e, rourbe bann lRelletent in ~Ubingen unb lReligionsle~rer an einem @~mnafium in Stuttgart. ~n let~ tetem Ode fing er an, fein grobe§ !iller! "@efd)id)te ber ~ebraer" ~eraus3ugeben, roa~ i~m 1888 einen lRuf an bie Uniberfitat ~re§lau eintrug. mon bort rourbe er nad) ~ei1l3ig berufen aU SRad)folger ~u~l§, beg befannten ~eraul!geber~ ber neuen ~uflagen bel! bor3Uglid)en ~ebrdifd)en :!illilrterbud)l! bon @efeniu§. (~u~l roar ber SRad)folget tyrana ilelttfd)' geroefen.) ~m ~a~re 1924 trat Rtttel in ben lRu~eftanb, roar aber immer nod) literarifd) tiitig. ilurd) feine @ele~rfamfeit unb Selbftanbillfeit ift er roeit~in bdannt Ileroorben, roar aud) ~~renmHlllieb ber 154 Book Review. -~iteratur. .American Society of Biblical Literature and Exegesis. !Bon feiner ,,®efdjidjte he§ !Bolfe§ ~§rad", bie er f~iiter bie ,,®efdjidjte her S';lebriiet" nannte, ift fdjon hie fedjfte ~uflage erfdjienen, unh erft fiiralidj ~atte er hie etfte S';liilfte he§ hritten !8anhe§ in neuer !8eatbeitung ~erau§gegeben. Sdn berhienftndjfte§ ~ert mar bie S';letau§gabe her beften ~ebriiifdjen !8ibelau§gabe, bon her jett dne treue ~u§= gabe borbmltet mirh. ~r le~nte hie rahitale !8ibeUritif, mie fie hUrdj ~eU= ~aufen§ Sdjule bertreten murhe, ab, mar aber fonft hodj ltitifdj geridjtet unb na~m dnm betmitte(nhm Stanh~untt tin amifdjen Offenbarung unh lReligion§= gefdjidjte. ~§ mar ftin ~unfdj, haf! an feinem ®rabe nur tin fdjlidjte§ ®ebet gef~rodjen mer he, mie hie§ henn audj gefdje~en ift. Stin So~n ®er~arh RUteI ift !J.'rofeffor her neuteftamentlid)en !t~eologie in !tiibingen. ~. tr. Exploring the Bible. By Frank E. Gaebelein. Price, $1.50. (Harper & Bros., New York.) Mr. Gaebelein, head master of the Stony Brook School on Long Island, is known as a versatile writer on Bible subjects. Several years ago he gave us an excellent history of the English Bible in his book Down through the Ages. In the work before us his ability again is manifest. To read the first fifty-six pages is a pure delight. Here the author treats not only historical questions belonging to the field of Introduction, such as the history of the canon, but especially the doctrine of inspiration. It does one good to see the strong defense which he presents of the verbal inspira­tion of the Scriptures. At that, he is very careful not to commit the error of attempting to explain the process of inspiration -a point on which God has not granted us much revelation. Now and then one begs leave to disagree with the author even in this section, for instance, when he calls Ecclesiastes "a true record of a false philosophy." A fair, im­partial interpretation, we are convinced, will show that this book of the Bible is valuable, not merely for the false views it rejects, but for the positive truths it teaches. Soon the author unfortunately leaves the solid ground of revelation and enters the dangerous bog of speculation. He has observed that numbers play an important r61e in the Scriptures, so he begins to attach a special, a hidden, mystical, meaning to them. Con­cerning the number one, he says: "Being the prime number, this naturally signifies beginning. Hence one stands in Scripture for source, unity, sovereignty, creation, and chiefly God (the first, or creative, Person of the Trinity)." "Two has a twofold implication, a good and an evil sense." "Three is the number of manifestation. The three dimensions and the three forms of matter (solid, liquid, and gaseous) reveal the world about us," etc. This is evidently taking us into the shadowy province of fancy, of interesting guesses, in which the old cabalists reveled. In speaking of God's plan for the ages, the author distinguishes between SeVen dispensa­tions, those of innocency, conscience, human government, promise, Law, grace, and the Kingdom. Even where the terms employed can be correctly understood, the procedure strikes one as forced, as artificial. If a person wishes to learn what the so-called dispensationalism is, here first-hand information can be gotten. The outstanding error of the book is its Chiliasm. The author belongs to that school of believers in the authority and infallibility of the Bible who think that loyalty to every letter of the Sacred Volume compels us to become millenarians. Rev. 19 and 20, sta.mped Book Review. -~itefQtuf. 155 by their imagery and their context as obviously figurative, he takes literally. The last chapter contains some good laws of interpretation, which may be stated thus: 1. One must have the Spirit of God to under­stand the Scriptures. 2. The context must be observed. 3. The literary form of the particular Scripture-passage must be noted (namely, whether it is prose or poetry, parable or plain statements of fact, etc.). 4. Parallel passages must be considered. 5. The scope (aim) of Scripture, namely, to lead us to heaven, must not be forgotten. 6. The Bible must not, in a superstitious way, be used for purposes of divination; nor must it be read in a mechanical, perfunctory fashion. 7. Perseverance and patience must be exhibited in the study of the Bible. The book, to sum up, has chapters that are exceedingly good and helpful; but it likewise has sec­tions which place a veil over the clear Word of God and even distort it to yield wrong notions. A. Moses. By M. O. Wee. 121 pages,5%,XS. (Augsburg Publishing House, Minneapolis, Minn.) Order from Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Mo. Professor Wee delivered these lectures as Professor of Old Testament in Luther Theological Seminary (Norwegian) at St. Paul. They discuss in a popular manner the life of Moses, with special reference to chronology. Professor Wee correctly, we believe, assigns the Oppression to the reign of, Thothmes III, making Amenophis II the Pharaoh of the Exodus. He does not doubt the Mosaic origin of the Pentateuch and upholds the his­toricity of the events there recorded from the life of Moses. We are obliged to dissent from the author in several respects. The reviewer does not believe the Ethiopian second wife of Moses to have been a Negress (p. 97), nor does he accept the conclusion drawn from the references to the Apiru, better Apuriu (p. 60). The identification of Joseph drawn, from the Abydos Tablet (p.52) rests on insufficient evidence. One regrets the omission of any reference to the problem ra.i.sed by Petrie's find of the Sinai tablets and their decipherment by Grimme. Standard texts unconsulted are Knight, Nile and Jordan, Jack, The Date of Ea:oaus, and the old, but still indispensable book by Dean Stanley, Sinai and Palestine. The book is illustrated with fine views and is handsomely bound. The proof-reading has not been impeccable, "glasses" for "glosses" (p. 95) being particularly bad. G. The Authority of the Bible. By O. H. Dodd. 310 pages, 6X9. Price, $3.00. (Harper and Brothers Publishers, 1929.) This book by the Yates Professor of New Testament Greek and Exegesis at Mansfield College, Oxford, a Congregationalist, refuses to accept the Bible as the infallible authority. That matter is discussed elsewhere in the present issue of our magazine. Instead of the Bible "religious ex­perience" is set up as the supreme authority. The "primal authority is that of truth itself," and to get at the truth, "we must ground our think­ing on facts of experience" (p. 133 f.) . "We no longer accept a saying as authoritative because it lies before us as a word of Jesus, but because we are rationally convinced that it is a word of His, and that will mostly mean in the last resort because we are convinced that it is worthy of Him, that is, true and important" (p. 233), which means in the last resort that 156 Book Review. -2itetntur. "Christ is in some way identical with 'that of God in us,' the inner Light, the indwelling Spirit, whatever it is that we live by at our best" (p. 232). The Christian is set in judgment over Scripture; for since the prophets sometimes were mistaken (p. 128), Jesus, too (p. 237 ), "we shall seek the test of inspiration in the value of the inspired utterance itself. Where value is concerned, appeal must be made to the reason and to the moral interests of human society" (p. 61). Then, wherein does the authority of the Bible consist, of that form of the Bible which liberal criticism has given it? '''This is the function of the Bible as a whole: it is the in­strumen t of a Spirit in creating an experience of divine things" (p. XV) . "The Bible makes us partakers in many centuries of human experience and invites us to appropriate to ourselves the rich religious meaning of it all" (p. 152). "The parables possess inherent truth, which was once appre­hended in experience, it matters little by whom, so passionately that its utterance makes us sharers in the experience" (p. 193) . -Since "religious experience" and thought which does not flow directly from Scripture are simply the ratiocinations and emotions of the carnal mind, and since the carnal mind can think only Pelagian thoughts, the "religious thought" represented in this book is pure Pelagianism in modern thought-forms. The religion whose authority is experience does not need a Savior to rec­oncile God with US; Jesus need but elicit the best that is in us. "The work of Jesus was primarily this of reconciliation. He released men from falsehoods and perversions of affection and will which obscured thllir view of God, and then they began to know God" (p. 291). All that we need to know is "the prophetic maxim that there is one God and He is good, and the New Testament definition 'God is Love'" (pp. 298.290). What experience does the carnal mind get when "Paul presents God in Christ as 'Just and the Justifier,' Rom. 3, 261" "The way Paul sees it is this: The highest form of righteousness, and therefore the righteousness of God, is love" (p. 212). -Is, then, the present generation in possession of the full truth? The apostles were not. They had no business to .at­tempt to fix in a "form of sound words" the "faith once delivered to the saints"; that was simply constructing a new "tradition of the elders" (p. 299). Has, then, the Christian experience up to 1929 evolved an ab­solutely true religion 1 Certainly not. The book closes with the state­ments: "Any faith which springs out of life and experience, must develop . . . . If the Bible is indeed 'the Word of God,' it is so not as the 'last word' on all religious questions, but as the 'seminal word,' out of which new apprehension of truth springs in the mind of man." E. The Truth of Christianity. An Examination of the :More Important Arguments for and against Believing in That Religion. By Lt.-Ool. W. H. Turton, D. B. 0., Late Royal Engineers. Tenth Edition. 508 pages. Price, $1.50. (Wells Gardner, Darton & Co., London.) ~oftille. !l!rebigtrufe aUer ,8eiten. @efammelt bon @. !l! e t e r ~ man n " 18 0 r ~ b 0 r f f. 212 6eUen. !l!ret~: @e~eftet, :M.3; gelJunben, :M.5. (~(freb ~ill>e(mann, @iefjen.) These two volumes, written, respectively, by an Englishman and a German, deal with the defense of Christian truth. Turton's Truth, of Oh,riBtwmty haa proved itself a most popular apologetic work, appearing Book Review. -£itetatut. 157 now in the tenth edition, carefully revised throughout, and registering the sale of fifty thousand copies. It has been translated into Arabic, Chinese, Italian, Japanese, and other languages. For the trained apologist the book has unquestionable merits. In 25 chapters it defends the following theses on rational grounds: 1. That the Universe Had a Creator; 2. That the Creator Designed the Universe; 3. That the Existence of God Is Extremely Probable; 4. That Man Is a Free and Responsible Being; 5. That God Takes an Interest in Man's Welfare; 6. That God Might . Make Some Revelation to Man; 7. That a Miraculous Revelation is Credible. In general, the argumentation is highly satisfactory. The author fully exhausts the YVOOOl"OV l"oii {}eoii, Rom. 1, 19, so far as reason is con­cerned, and throughout, his defense is concise, keen, and generally incon­trovertible, since the writer wisely refrains from the attempt of proving too much. Unfortunately, however, he concedes to his opponents points which a conscientious Bible student, on the authority of Holy Scripture, must maintain, as, for instance, when he endeavors to harmonize the creation report of Genesis with the evolutionary theory (p. 124 f.) . He writes: "We come to the creation of man. Three points have to be noticed here. The first refers to the time of man's appearance; which, every one now admits, was not till towarjls the close of the tertiary or most recent group of strata; so Genesis is quite correct in placing him last of all. As to the actual date it says nothing; for its chronology only leads back to the creation of Adam in chapter 2, and not to that of the human raoe (male and female) in chapter 1. And it is implied in several places that there were men before Adam" (p. 132). The writer thus assumes tha.t there were pre-Adamites, which Holy Scripture nowhere "implies," but rather flatly contradicts. Again: "But it may be mentioned in passing that there is nothing to show that the earliest so-called men were ever men at all in the sense of having a spirit, which, as said in chapter 4, is the important point. They may have been animals, though closely resembling men in their bodies" (p. 133). The writer thus assumes that the pre-Adamites may have been animals, contradicting the Genesis creation report by this assumption. Again, from the words made and created the author infers that "in one respect (as to his body) he [man] was evolved like the rest of nature; in another respect (as to his spirit) he was essentially distinct" (p. 135). This is apologetics "gone crazy," for it undermines the very foundation of the truth which it purposes to defend. These examples may suffice to show that the book, though excellent in many parts, must be studied with great care and much critical discern­ment. For this reason it ought not to be placed into the hands of the untrained Bible student. Dr. Petersmann's Postille differs from the volume just named both in character and purpose. Only in the widest sense of the term may it be called a postil. It offers to the reader ninety-two sermon excerpts, grouped under five headings: 1. Festzeit j 2. Anbetung Gottes j 3. Ohristenleben ",or Gott j 4. Ohristenleben 1m iter Welf j 5. Tod und Ewigkeit, each in a complete form so as to constitute not merely a disconnected part, but a finished sermonet. The selection has been made with great care to cover the whole time from the beginning of Christian preaching to the present hour. The orthodox and the ,unorthodox, the Lutheran and the 158 Book Review. -9itetatuf. Reformed, the conservative and the liberal, all were given a chance to have their say. .Among the writers quoted we note: Ahlfeld, Augustin, Berthold v. Regensburg, Frommel, Gregor v. Nazianz, Haering, Ihmels, Chrysostom, Kierkegaard, Koegel, Lagarde, Loofs, Luther, Loehe, H. Muel­ler, Rade, Sadhu Sundar Singh, Schleiermacher, Tholuck, Thomas il. Kempis, Vinet, Weiss, etc. In consequence, we find in the book the purest orthodoxy and the sheerest enthusiasm, sophia Theou and sophia logou. The value of the book lies in its careful selection of excerpts, which, while fitting in the general scope, nevertheless show the characteristics of the various men represented. To the theologian, and especially to the Christian apologist, such a selection of testimonials is of great benefit in introducing him to outstanding churchmen and leaders, their theological Grundan­schOlUungen and idiosyncrasies. Linguistically and rhetorically, the majority of the selections are veritable gems; spiritually, they are lacking in that inner harmony which is found only where there is perfect unity of faith. J. T. M. eltubien aUf 'I~eologie 2ut~etll. mon ~ a t 1 ei tan g e. ~tftet !!lanb. 1928. VI unb 495 eieiten, in ~einroanb mit iRilden: unb tledeltitel gebunben. !Jltei~: M. 15; gebunben, M.17. (tltud unb metlag bon @. !!ledel~mann in @iltet~lo~.) D. eitange ift otbentlid)et !Jltofeffot bet f~ftematifd)en :t~eologie in @iittingen, 11JHt~etau~gebet bet Ouellenfd)tiften aUt @efd)id)te be~ !Jltoteftanti~mull (feU 1904) unb metfaffet einet gan3en iRei~e bon ~uffaten unb ~inaelfd)tiften. tlie bOt: liegenbe eiammlung befte~t aug neunae~n ~uffaten unb iRe ben, bie famtlid) teil~ in t~eologifd)en {leitfd)tiften betiiffentlid)t, teil~ al~ eiellatatbtude etfd)ienen, aUd) im Lutheran Quarterly unb in bet .~utetff Ridetibenbe" ilbetfett rootben finb -alleg 3roifd)en 1900 unb 1928. tlet ~uffat ilbet ~ut~et~ !!leaie~ungen aUt :t~eologie feine~ Otbeng unb feine !!lefanntfd)aft mit @tegOt bon iRimini foroie .~ine ftitifd)e !!lemedung aum etften !!lanb bet !ffieimatet ~u~gabe· beaeugen bie miftoffollifd)e Rleinatbeit bd ~otfd)etg, bet mit fid)mm ~uge aile in !!lettad)t fommenben ~u~fagen fie~t, fammelt, gtulllliett, fid) babei ein anfd)aulid)e~ geiftige~ !!lUb mad)t unb bie~ genau befd)teibt. tletartige ~tbeit ift, roenn fie aud) nut ein fleine~ Illioment be~ !ffiitfen~ ~ut~et~ bettifft, nid)t ilberf!ilffig, fonbetn roitb banfbat bon jebem benutt, bet fid) ben gtOuen iRefotmatot erflaten roil!. ~ud) in ben anbern .eitubten· finbet fid) biel bon biefet Rleinatbeit betteff~ ~ut~etfd)et ~u~fagen, abet fie tuten bod) ~intet bie eitangefd)e @ebanfenentroidlung autild. eitange ift in btefem !!lanbe ~aulltfad)lid) ~t~ifet. ~t be~anbelt .bie tefotmato: tifd)e ~e~te bon bet ~tei~ett be~ ~anbeln~l/, .bie alteften et~ifd)en tli§llutationen ~ut~et~·, .bie ~embebeutung be~ @efete~·, .iReligion unb eiittlid)feit bei ben iRefotmatotenl/, .~ut~et unb bet fittlid)e :;'5beali~mu~·, unb aud) bei bet I/:tauf: le~te ~ut~et~· ift bie et~ifd)e bie ~aulltftage. tlas !!letonen bet ~t~if bet iRefot: mation ift in Otbnung; routbe unb roitb bod) bem iRefotmatot aUf biefem @ebiet metfroUtbigetroeife eine ~ftde 3Ut eid)ulb gegeben! ~bet bet ~efet etroattet blld), untet bem :titel biefe~ !!lanbe~ bie tlarlegung bet (et~ifd)en) :t~eologie ~ u t ~ e t s au finben. ~ut~et ift nid)t ben @ebanfengang gegangen, ben bet metfaffet uns au ge~en aroingt, e~e et ~ut~et batin einaufilgen betfud)t. ~ud) ~ut~et ~atte feine ~ntroidlung; et roat 1530 ein anbetet alS 1519; et bebad)te fid)etlid) eid)lufl: folgetungen unb motau~fetungen. ~bet geroiU ift et nid)t au bet ~e~te bon bet . eiilnbenbetgebung gefommen, roie eitangc bas feinen eitubenten biftied ~at (untet Book Review. -£itetatut. 159 bet itbetfd)tift lI£ut~etg Sjeil!lle~te", S. 224): .~beal ift bet giitUid)e lIDiUe, wenn -auf feine fittlid)e itbetlegen~eit gefe~en witbj £ebengrmeid)etung, wenn bet ~n~alt be~ giittlid)en lIDiUeng betgcgenw/ittigt witb. stiet' lIDiUe, ba~ eigene £eben ba~in" augeben, ift gegenUbet bem SUnbet SUnbenbetgebung"j fonbetn et wutbe baau butd) bie einfad)e Sd)tift gebtad)t. !Rbet fteilid), "wa~ ift fd)tiftgemiin1" !nt.7, .s. 90-110: II... ~s ift o~ne weitmll beutlid), ban in bet bogmatifd)en. !jkin" ,aipienle~te nid)t me~t in etftet mnie bon bet Sd)tift bie ffiebe fein fann. stiie 'stiogmatif witb bielme~t nut bann als lIDiffenfd)aft e1;iftimn filnnen, wenn bet ~ad)wei~ gefU~tt wetben fann, ban fie e~ mit einet befonbmn, eigenttimlid)en 'lRtt bet' ~tfa~tung au tun ljat. !nun mag biefe !Rtt bet ~tfa~tung aud) in bet .sd)tift i~ten !Rugbtud finben. ~totlbem ift abet bet ®egenftanb bet stiogmatif llid)t unmittelbat in ben S/itlen gegeben, in benen bie Sd)tift biefe ~tfa~tung 3um !Ru~btud btingt, fonbetn eben in bet ~tfa~tuug, weld)e biefen S/itlen aU" '\It'Unbe lieg±." (S. 99.) ~~ ift benn aud) nid)t au betwunbem, ban in bem fed)aig SeHen laugen !Ruffatl .{lUt !Ru~legung bet !Rullfagen £ut~et~ fibet bie Unftetb" 'Ud)feit bet Seele" bet ~egtiff be~ ewigen ~obe~ abllele~nt witb. ~totlbem -.bie ~~eologie £ut~et~"! ffi. lID. Sj. mrdjlid;e8 ~a~diudj filr bie eIJangelifdjen 2anbe8firdjeu ~eutfdjranb8. 1929. ~in Sjllf~bud) aUt ,IHtd)enfunbe bet ®egenwatt. Sjetau~gegeben bon D. ~. S d) n e i bet in ~etlin. 56. ~a~t'gang. 597 SeHen 6X8%" in £einwanb mit stiedel" unb ffiUdentitel gebunben. !ptei~: M.20. (stitud unb metlag bon @:. ~ettel~mann in ®Utet~lo~.) stiiefe~ teid)~altigfte fitd)lid)e ~a~t~ud), bag wit fennen, etfd)eint nun aum .56. !male. ~~ betUdfid)tigt natutgemiin ~auptf/id)lid) bie beutfd)en £anbemtd)en, bidet Ubet fie eine eiuge~enbe fitd)lid)e Statiftif, fd)ilbett i~t'e ~nnete !miffion, '\liM !Ruffd)lun Ubet' bie ebangelifd)e Sjeibenmiffion unb ~ubenmiffion, be~anbelt abet aud) bie ebaugelifd)e Ritd)e tm !Ru~lanb, wenn aud) wiebet natutgem/in nut luta. Sobann giM e~ eine fitd)lid)"foaiale @:~tonif, fd)ilbett bie fitd)lid)e {leitlage, l)at etn befonbetell Rapitel tibet aflgemeine fitd)lid)e ~eweguugen bet ®egenwart unb Ubet Ritd)e unb Sd)ule unb fd)lient mit bet !Rngabe be~ !petfonalbeftanbeg bet Ritd)enbe~iltben, S~noben, !ptUfung~fommiffionen unb t~eologtfd)en {yaful" tiiten in gana stieutfd)lanb. ~in wettbofleg !nad)fd)lagewetf, aud) fUt fold)e, bie aUf einem gana anbem alll lanbe~fitd)lid)en Stanbpunft fte~en. £. {y. ~d !Dlarliurget' lRertgion8gef'riidj. metfud) dnet ffiefonfttuftion. mon !illal" t ~ e t R il ~ let. 141 Seiten 6X9. !ptei~, ge~eftet: M. 3.80. (~get & Siebed, £eipatg, 1929.) stiiefe stiatfteflung be~ !matbutget Rofloquium~, gewonnen butd) unpattetifd)e, fad)funbige unb fdjatffinnige metgleid)ung unb !ptUfung bet betfd)iebenen, bon £ut~etanetn unb ffiefotmietten be'tabfanten ffielationen, witb aud) bern £ut~etanet wiUfommen fein. stiet metfaffet, !ptofeffot in Sjeibelbetg, f/iflt fein Uttell Ubet bie t~eologifd)e Steflung bet Rofloquenten, abet getabe bie tefotmietten stiat" fteflungen be~ ®efpt/id)ll, fo aud) bie botliegenbe, geben auf~ beutlid)fte au et" fennen, wie gewaltig £ut~et au !matbutg ba~. Sd)tiftptinaip aUt ®eltung btad)te. ~. Martin Luther as a Preacher. By Harold J. Grimm, A. M. 122 pages, , 5%X7%,. Price, $1.25. (Lutheran Book Concern, Columbus, 0.) Order from Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Mo. A treatise on a. subject sufficiently indicated by its title, with references to Luther's writings as well as to the literature on the subject. G. 160 Book Review. -SJitetlltUt. St. John. By R. O. H. Lenski, D.D. 194 pages, 5%,X7%. Price, $1.75. (Lutheran Book Concern, Columbus, 0.) Order from Concordia Publishing House, St. Louis, Mo. A series of nine textual studies, together with outlines for sermons on the life and writings of the apostle John. G. Missions in a Changing World. By W. W. Pinson, D. D. 212 pages, 7%X5. $1.00. (The Cokesbury Press, Nashville, Tenn.) Dr. W. W. Pinson, for twelve years general secretary of the board of missions for the Methodist Episcopal Church, South, prepared this volume for the series on "Leadership and Training." His views are freely ex­pressed in a lucid and lively style, but are strongly tinged· with modern Reformed theology. W. G. P. Loose-Leaf Index, Rerum and Locorum. By R. T. SchuricM, Hills­boro, N. Dak. This index system consists of loose-leaf pages, guide-cards, and covers, the latter made up of heavy cardboard bound in green buckram. The sheets measure 6%X3%. Cover will hold 250 sheets. There are two sets of guide·cards, requiring two covers. One set has the names of the Biblical books printed on tabs; with these go sheets for references to books and chapters (exegetical index). . The other set of guide-cards has the simple alphabet tabs for index rerum, and with these go the ordinary ruled sheets. The covers cost $1.50. The printed Locorum sheets, 50 cts. a hundred; the Rerum sheets, 25 eta. a hundred. The Old Testament guide-cards at 80 cts.; New Testament and ABC at 60 cts. each. Rev. Schuricht mentions these advantages over the Wilson and other book systems: "More room for notations -small clippings may be pasted where they belong -flex­ibility -handy size -unlimited expansion -ready correction -easy house-cleaning (the latter, to my experience, is essential for a beginner)." Rev. Schuricht also has a congregational-record system, which fits into the same covers. Details on application. G. Please Take Notice. Kindly consult the address label on this paper to ascertain whether your subscription has expired or will soon expire. "Feb 30" on the label means that your subscription has ex­pired. Please pay your agent or the Publisher promptly in order to avoid interruption of service. It takes about two weeks before the address label can show change of address or acknowledgment of remittance. When paying your subscription, please mention name of pub­lication desired and exact name and address (both old and ne~, if change of address is requested). CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, st. Louis, Mo.