Full Text for CTM Book Review 3-5 (Text)

Book Review. -£iteratur. 393 Book Review. -£iteratur. !lSeftlucit itlirfenbe &ottel;llraft. ~rHiuterungen unb @ebanfen Bum lRomet~ brief. mon Lie. jJi i d) arb .R r Ii mer. metIag bon @ottrob .Ro1a1e, m!et~ nigetobe. 396 5eHen 6 X 914. !j.!rei~: M. 6. ~n llnad)benfenbe @Iieber ber @emeinbe" wenbet fid) ber merfaffet unter ausbruiHid)et ~b1e~nung jeben ~nfvrud)ll aUf befonbete e!:egetifd)~wiffenfd)aft~ Iid)e ~ebeutung be~ botIiegenben ~anbe~. Unb bod) witb fein ~~eo1og Lie . .Rrib mer~ ~ud) aus bet &janb lellen o~ne ~mid)erunll feine~ merftiinbniffes ber ~viftel an b~ \Romer. :;'Sn ~inreiflenbet 5vrad)e gefd)rieben, bietet biefes lilletf, o~ne eigentlid) ein .Rommentar BU fein, faft aUf jeber 5eite @ebanfen, bie nid)t nur in geiftboUet, im beften 5inne geiftreid)er lilleife bas merftiinbniS biefer 5d)rift !j.!auli erfd)Iieflen, fonbem aud) fur &jera unb @emut limid)emb finb. S)en eigent~ Iid)en ~ettad)tunilen ubet ben ~rief fd)icft .Rriimet awd ~rbeHen borau~, bie an fid) fd)on t~eolollifd)e ~ebeutung liefi~en. ~r ffiaaiett auerft ben £eben~ganll bes ~vofte!S mit liefonbetet ~etiicffid)tigung bet ill'tomente, bie fur ben ~rief an bie \Romer bon m!id)tillfeit finb. S)ann folllt dne ftlierfe~ung be~ ~riefes in freiet Umfd)teibunll. ~em £efet, bem ber Ilried)ifd)e ~e!:t aur &janb ift, witb fofod flar, bafl fid) .Rtiimer mit ben wiffenfd)aftlid)en .Rommentaten dnlle~enb liefd)iiftigt ~at, um bie @ebanfen bes ~vofte!S mOIlIid)ft abiiquat wieber3ulleben. ill'tan mad)e bie !j.!rolie mit fold) fd)wierillen 5teUen wie 3, 7 -wieberllellelien, wie folllt: lI~un Ilut; wenn es alier bod) nun in lillitfHd)feit fo fte~t, bafl bie lautm lilla~r~eit @ottes Ilerabe erft butd) bas lillibetfviel aUer meiner Unwa~r~eit aur bolligen ~ntfa1tunll i~rer uberragenben &jerrIid)feit fommt"; ober 6, 5: ,,~rft bann, wenn wit burd) ein innere~ ill'titetlelien feines 5terlienll, ein ill'titedelien beffen, was er bamit edebte, g1eid)fam au einer organifd)en merliinbunll mit i~m geIommen finb"; ober 7, 8: lI~as na~m bie 5unbe alS ~ullllanll~vunft aum ~n. Ilriff unb mad)te untet ill'tiflbraud) be~ @eliote~ aUes, was nur immer an ~e. ge~ren in mir fd)1ummette, i~ren Sweeten nu~liar"; ober 8,30: II ••• unb bie er Ilered)tfertigt ~at, beren mer~errIid)ung fte~t aufler aUer iYralle"; ober 14, 22: ,,@lUetIid), ber bei fid) felbft feine ffruvel~aften @ewiffensunterfud)ungen bor. nimmt in ~inllen, bie er nun dnmal alS ervrobt anne~men barf" -, unb man wirb fid) ein ~ilb mad)en bon bem ~e!:tftubium, bas biefer ~rbeit 3ugrunbe liegt, unb bon bem glUetIid)en @riff, ber .Rriimer~ lilliebergalie ber @ebanfen bes ~riefd fennaeid)net. ~e~er3illenswert ift aud) ber lillinf (5. 57), bie ~viftel "einmal laut au lefen ober nod) beffer bor3ulefen", um bie "lelienbig.frifd)e @laulien~ulier. aeullung unb gewiffe £eben~~offnungll, bie barin aum ~usbruet fommen, i~r ali. aufvuren. mon ber ~tt biefer ~etrad)tungen einen ~egriff au liefommen, baau witrben aud) ausfit~rIid)ere Sit ate faum Ilenugen. lillie fein anberer neuerer .Rom. mentat, mit bem wir uns liefd)iiftigt ~alien, bieten biefe ~diiuterunllen .Rriimets eine lillurbillung bet unge~euren, aUell SeitIid)e uub ~wige umfvannenben @e. banIen bes ~voftelll. ill'tan erlelit ben lRometbtief. ill'tan legt mand)ma1, bon ber !IDud)t unb @riifle bet @ebanfen ulietwiiltigt, bie fid) burd) bie ~tgumenta. Honen !j.!auli ~inburd)aie~en, ball ~ud) aull ber &janb, um f03ufallen wieber au ~tem 3U lommen. Unb bod) -an ernften ill'tiinge1n leibd biefe ~rlieit, fo tief fie aud) im ein~ aelnen in ben 5inn bes ~riefe!5 eingebrungen ift. ~id)t fte~t, wie man ball tr~ 394 Book Review. -Xliteratut. marten foUte, bet S'deH§tatfd)IuU unb bas (grliifungsmerf im ?notbetgtunb. ?ner~ mitteft uns .Rtamct aud) -unb bas fei bantoat anedannt -cine ?Bef)anbfung, Die uns etmiigHd)t, ben ?Brief "einmal fo 3U lefen, 015 menn man i!)n nod) nid)t gefefen f)atte" (5.26), 10 fef;lt uns bod) getabe bie ,\Jau.ptfad)e, bie ?Betol1ung bes f oteriologifd)en 53c!)rge!)aIB, bet ben ffiiimerorief bocf; bot aUen neuteftamentfid)en 5d)tiften aus3dd)net. j}erner betmiffen mit in ben musfUfJrungen au ben .Rapb teln 9-11, fo fein jie aud) im cin,clnen ben ®ebanfengang bes ~ebtes miebet~ geben, bod) Die flare SDatfteUung belfen, mail ~auluil mit biefen .Ra.piteln cigentIid) mill, namlid) bie ~atfad)e ber menfd)1id)en Sd)ulb nad) aUen 5eiten f)in, aud) in if)tem metfJiiftniS aum giittlid)en lillaften unb lillitfen, 3U eti)iirten unb bie aUcinige metantmortlid)feit beil9.Renfd)en fUr frine metmetfung ins f)eUe 53id)t aU tUden. 9.Retfllliirbig luenig finben luir l)ier, Illie aud) in .Rap. 8, tiller bie 53e1)tc bon ber lIDo!)!, bie fid) bod) burdj biefen gan,en .Romple); bon .R:apiteln f)inburd)3iefJt. g(od) cinae!neil. ,,®ottfdjmubetcr", ,,®ottf)ajfet", aIS lIDiebergabe bon theosty­gos, I, 30, fonnen mir nns nid)t ancignen. Statt ber @rbfd)ulb als {jured)nung, 5, 12 ft., finnen mit ein gemagtes 5pielen mit .pft)djo!ogifd)en j}otfd)ungen im Unterbemufltfeitt. (5.195 f. ;;sm folgenben uleiht bann .Rramer, I1.nnn Illir i1)n. red)t berftei)en, bei bet @ini)eit beil 9.Renfd)engefd)Ied)til, mail stob unb @r!ofung anbelangt, ftef)en.) 5tatt ber ~erfiinlid)feit bes .\'deiligen ®eiftes in ben ?nafm .f~ap. 8, 26 f. fonf!ruied ber ?nerfaffer ben s))lcnfd)engeift f)eraus nnb berHer! fo ben 18etueiSgaltg biefes mbfd)nitt!l, bet ja nur 5inn befommt, menn es ber g ii t t ~ 1 i d) e ®eift ift, ber fUr unb mit uns betet. (5. 270 f.) .Rap. 9, 5 f)alt er es mit g(eueren, ben en biefes {jeugniS fUr ~f)tifti ®otti)cit laftig ift, fUr miiglid), cinen ~unft f)inter "nad) bem j}leifd)e" aU feu en, fo bail ~anlus biefe Sl:lage Uber ;;ssraelil ?nerfd)equng feiner ?nomcf;te mit ciner SDo);oIogie gefd)loffen f)atte! (5. 286.) Unbefriebigt blieven mir aud) burd) bie 18ef)anblung ber fd)mierigen SteUen 10, 6.7 unb 11, 25. 5d)!ieUrid) finbet fid) in ber ;;sn!)aItSUberfid)t aUf bem letten ?Blatt rin urger SDrucrfef)Ier: ,,;;ssrael ift unfd)ulbig" (rid)tig im ~ebt, 5. 296). st 1). ® r a b n e r. St. Paul the Herald of Christianity. By Xenophon P. Wiljley, A. M., LL. B., LL. D. Cokesbury Press, Nashville, Tenn. 267 pages, 5X7lj2' Price, $2.00. This life of St. Paul was written by a lawyer and statesman, which, let me say it at once, constitutes its chief claim upon our interest. Mr. \Vilfiey, after a distinguished career as a lawyer, served for a short time as United States Senator from Missouri. He died in May, 1931, a few days after he had given "final Ilopproval to the proofs for this book." Since the history of Paul's life abounds in episodes where questions of law played a role, the legal training of the author was a valuable asset to him. The book consists of forty short chapters, each of them, as the preface informs us, being "the summary of a talk delivered to a Bible class composed of men who had determined to review the whole of the life of St. Paul." The author continues: "In order to meet the convenience of busy men and women who, though interested, might not otherwise undertake such a study,. the discussion has been divided into a rather large number of short chap­ters, anyone of which will require but a few minutes." That there is some advantage for the reader in such an arrangement of the material will be readily admitted. With respect to the views expressed, there are' Book Review. -£iterahlt. 395 few, if any, chapters which I read with unqualified approval. I was amazed to see that the author, representing a profession which insists on evidence when carrying on investigations, was willing to put down mere conjectures as absolute facts. Witness the first two sentences of the book: "Saul of Tarsus was a Roman Jew. His ancestors hailed from Galilee, whence they journeyed to Rome, either in search of better ad­vantages or in bondage." How glibly are not interesting guesses here given the status of historical truth! Doctrinally the book has very grave defects. That the author did not grasp the essence of Christianity is evi­dent from these words, p. 24: "Love of God and love of fellow-men have always been recognized as the outstanding commandments of the Hebrew Law, and they constitute the foundation of all the teachings of Jesus. (In the light of these accepted facts there is a great temptation to a twentieth­century lawyer to ask, 'Why should there not be greater cooperation be­tween the forces of righteousness represented by the Jewish and Chris­tian churches when their respective faiths rest upon the same foundation principles 1')" In discussing the conversion of Paul, the author is strangely hazy. He speaks of a thUllder-storm and lightning in which a power greater than physical phenomena was so plainly manifest "that it was as if a voice spake and said, 'Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou Me l' " At the same time he wishes to have Paul's accounts of his conversion as given in Acts 22 and 26 looked upon not as tradition, but as autobiography. One is much disappointed in reading his discussion of Paul's Epistle to the Gala­tians, the language being vague and giving the impression that the author understands neither the significance of the work of Christ nor of the phrase "justification by faith." To conclude, in spite of the author's noble in­tentions, it is evident that he did not show his large and enthusiastic Bible class what is of prime importance in the life and message of St. Paul. W.ARNDT. &runbrifl bet &efdJidite bel.l 2elienl.l ~~fu. 82 l5eUen. \.l.lreis: M. 3.60 j ge~ bunben, M. 5. &runbrifl bet ~inreitung in bnB meue Xeftnment. men st ~ e 0 bot 3 II ~ n. 120 l5eiten 5%,X9. \.l.ltds: M.5j geounben, M. 6.50. ~. :Iletd)ertfd)e merIagSbUd)~llnbIung, £eiNig. ~rm 10. DUooet 1928 lJat \.l.ltof. st~. 3aljn feinen neunaigften @lebutt5tag gefeiett, unb es mag besljalb einmal etwas aus bem £eben biefes betannten, ljer, l10rragenben @ldeljtteu, bet bon l1ielen aIS bet bebeutenbfte neuteftamentHd)e stl.Jeo~ log bet !neu3ett angefeljen witb, mitgeteiIt werDen. ~t wat bet l50ljn bell fetnet 3eit ebenfaUs befannten \.l.l1ibagogen tytans £ubwig 3a~n, bes metfaffetil dnet weitbetbteiteten miblifcf)en @lefd)icf)tej feine Wluttet Wat bie I5dJweiaetin iUnna l5d)Iattct, cine stod)tet bet gleid)namigen :Ilid)tetin. !nad) meenbigung felnet I5tubien in mafd, merlin unb ~rlangen wanDie 1ld) ,Baljn hIll bet afabemifd)en £aufbal.Jn au, wat 3uetfi \.l.ltofeffor in @lottingen, bann in .!He! unb foIgte 1878 im ~llter bon biet3ig ;saljren 'oem mUfe nad) ~tIangen, lllO iljn fein £eljret, ;;\'. (,£ljt. oR. bon .\dofmann, feIbfi aIll lJ1adjfolget gewlinfcljt gatte.Wltt iUus~ ,naljme bon flinf ;saljten, bie et an bet Unibetlltiit £ei413ig auhacljtc, ljat 3a~n flinhig ;saljte bet Unibetllt1it ~tlangen gebient unb nid)t aum wenigften i~ten !Ruf fettgefett. l5eine teid)e titetatifclje st1itigfeit ~at iljten .\diiljepunft etteicf)t in brei groteren jffietfen. ,Buerft erfd)ien feine ,,@lefdjidjte bes neutefiamentlidjen 396 Book Review. -S3iteratut. ~anon~II, ba~ \ltunbHd)fte !!Bert liber biefen @egenftanbi bann fo!gte feine 3wei< bunbige ,,~inleitung in bas lJ1eue steftament", ebenfaUs bas teicf)!)aHigfte unb 3ugleid) cin fonfetbatib gelJaltenes fillcd tiber Mefes @ebieti unb enblid) ber ".!!'ommentat 3um lJ1euen ::teftament", an bem fid) jebod) natutgemii~ aud) anbere @e{e!)rte g!eid)ct ffiicf)tung oeteiligt !)aoen. ~ber au~et biefen lilleden gat er faft aa!)llofe ~rtife1 unb bieIe grii~ete unb Ueinm !!Bette betiiffentficf)t, !)auptfiid)fid) in be'3ug aUf bas lJ1eue steftament, wie et eben aud) fein ganses S3eben lang bie neuteftamentlid)e st!)eologic bettt'eten gat. :;'Sn ben jJefticf)riften, bie aU feinem @ebuttstag beriiffentfid)t wm'oen, wutbe aud) mitgeteilt, bat bet gteife jJorfd)et \Sonntag um \Sonntag fetnen ~Hall im @ottesl)aufe innelJat, cin fd)lid)tes @lieb bet @emeinbe mit unb neoen aUen anbern. !!Bit l)aben me!)t ars einmal l)erbot< lJeben mliffen, bat wit butd)aus nid)t in aUem .Ba!)n folgen flinnen. \Seine :;'Sn< Hlitationsle!)te 1ft nid)t bie fefte bibHfcf)lef)n geift1idje lReben Uber Me tvunberbaun ~inridjtun(len bes menfdjlidjen .!tiitpers als ®leid)nis fUt bas l3eben bes (£f)tiftemnenfc!)en. mon Dr. med. et phil. i;l 0 t t s ir t el) t n z t. 94 6etten 5%X8%. I.j.lreis: M.3. '!:Ier ~ergrufer. ~tn lSudj fUt 6ceIforgcr, if)te ·illlitatIietter unO fJelfer. mon il i e t t t el) mot tv e t f. 78 6eiten 5X7. I.j.ltcis: M.2.50. 6tiftungsbedag, l.j.lot.Sbam: '!:In£! ~nterunfer. mon D. mil f) e I nt ,;>l ii II net. 56 6eHen 6X9. I.j.lteis: M. 1.80. met 1 a g i;l. ®. !ill a 11 nt ann, l3 e i p 3 i \1 : '!:lie ~utfdinft be£! ~ntedii£!mu~. lUuslegungen flit bie ®egenloart. ®e~ iammelt bon ~l b 0 I f ~ ii bet I e. 144 6etten 5X7%. I.j.lreis: M.3.50. \neue ~h:dindic 3citfdirift. i;letausgegeoen bOll ~ 0 f). lS e t g b 0 (t unll anbern. ileidjett, l3eilJaig. 43. ~af)tgan\J, 1. i;left. iBeibillllindjen: ",;>lum neuen ~a~tell; IU. ~bant: "lUnfa~ unll IUbjidjt bet lIialettifdjen :tTjeologie"; ~. lSergbo!t: ,;>lettf djtiften=3!unbf djau. ;t~eurugie ber @Jeoenltlnrt. ~erau§\JegeIien bon .R'. ~ e t f) , O. ~ b e r ~ a r » unb anbetn. ileidjert, l3etp3ig. 26. ~af)tgang, 1. i;left. ®. ®tli~madjer: ,,9teue l3Uetatut liber .Il'irdjengcfdjidjte, I unb II (~rtettum unb illlittelaItet). The book History of the Atlantic Dist-rict and Its Antecedents should be ordered from Mr. H. F. Holtorf, 69 Fifth Ave., New York, N. Y. Please Take Notice. Kindly consult the address label on this paper to ascertain whether your subscription has expired or will soon expire. "May 32" 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 new, if change of address is requested). CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE, St. Louis, Mo.