St. Paul: the Adoption of Sons, Justification by Faith, the Indwelling Christ, the Revealing Consummation. Although most of the popular theology of the day tends to emphasize the Incarnation on the one hand, or the Ethics of Jesus on the other, Dr. DuBose puts the Cross in the centre, where the New Testament, especially its greatest thinker, St. Paul, puts it. To the Sewanee theologian, as to St. Mark the earliest Gospel writer and St. Paul the prevailing theologian of apostolic times, Jesus Himself is more important than even his life-giving words. In lieu of further imperfect characterization of our saintly theologian let us allow him to speak for himself. The brief excerpts that follow are taken from the second edition of the Soteriology of the New Testament (Longmans, Green and Company, 1906), and are given in the sequence of the book: "I have held and hold that His human holiness, as described in the Gospel and interpreted in the Epistles, is not a mere fact but an act, of course a lifelong act on His part. The New Testament describes human nature not as having been sanctified for Him but as being sanctified by Him. He Himself in it is humanly the author of its sanctification, redemption, resurrection, and eternal life" (xii). "The only essential and permanent miracles of our Lord-if miracles they ought to be called-are those of His person and of His proper work in raising humanity, in Himself and in His Church, from what it was through the Fall to what it has become by His resurrection" (288). 66 The life and death of Jesus Christ contained in it the truth of . . . . all the sacrifices and offerings of the Jewish law. "He was the perfect sin offering in that His death, by which I mean not only His physical death, but the whole death of His active and passive obedience, combined and concentrated in itself all the elements of . . . . the death of the flesh for sin and of the spirit from sin. "He was the perfect burnt offering in that His life and death was one act of perfect self-consecration, devotion, and service. He laid Himself wholly upon the altar of obedience to God, and was wholly consumed in accomplishing His Father's will. "He was the perfect peace offering, because in him was realized a perfect human oneness-of spirit, nature, and life-a perfect spiritual union and communion, with God. 494 filled each preceding st His greatest theological Whatever the noble audacity of 1of us who have soaked ourselves :: is but the reflex of the revelation of upon the earth, and furthermore, that by the conservatism of the faith once destined to be passed on as a living For after all, Dr. DuBose's dominan: ITS PROPHETS AND FALSE PROPHETS. By James Bishop but an a:: Testament: for Him but as humanly the au tion, and eternal Naumann, author of Mitteleuropa and member of g, was in his earlier phase a Christian Socialist. to Nazareth this modern man, like Saul of Tarsus, of Jesus; but, unlike Saul, his vision was a disNaumann awoke to the tragic realization that om he had been preaching with such earnestness or could have existed in such a land as Palestine. o Germany, abandoned his pulpit, and fell back personal Christianity. How Naumann the pastor nn the author of a pan-German textbook is one tragedies of our question. "The only esse miracles they ough of His proper w Church, from wh by His resurrection mas was a student in Germany when this leader of Social Congress announced his conversion. Was s was not a man of the people, that his Gospel ssage for the modern social movement, and that aught was merely personal salvation? Such was ed upon this American student twenty years ago. scholarly book, which is an illuminating review he early Semites to our own day. Jesus is some"beautiful Spirit, but an impratical leader," finds; He is a divine authority in social and he revealer of an absolute ethic and religion. nstructive contribution to modern thought st searching problems of Christianity and truth of....es "He was the paded I mean not only active and paire itself all the eleme of the spit inm "He was the gate was one at f He laid Himsel was wholly cum "He was fe realized a pefie perfect spiritual m s religion into two types: the prophetic and oiting religion finds expression in priesthood. sits highest level in Christ's conception of Jesus found the idea of the Kingdom of eloped in the prophets of Israel. He exit until it became the community of manbenefit of all according to the Divine prorealization of the religion of the insurgent "And our Lord was not only these three, but the three in this order. It was only through His perfect self-sacrifice, or crucifixion of the flesh that He was perfect righteouness or obedience, and perfect holiness or spiritual oneness with God” (326 f.). "To each one of us, and into each one of us, He personally brings the full meaning, spirit, power, and realization of all that He has Himself done and become. In each of us He reenacts His whole incarnation, saving work, and heavenly exaltation. He so identifies Himself with us, and us with Himself, that, in His grace and our answering faith, all that is true of Him is true of us. In Him we are dead, risen, ascended, completed, blessed with all spirtual blessings in the heavenly places. Objectively, all this is true of us already; as subjectively it shall be true in us" (337 f.). "Because Christ's act has made us sons prior to any act on our part, even our faith; God, through our faith coming after and accepting the grace of God and the fact of our sonship, sheds abroad in our hearts the spirit of His Son and of sons. We love Him because he loved us, not vice versa. The fact of sonship precedes and produces the affection of sons, not the affection the fact" (365). Truly, upon the waters of the spirit of this man brooded the Spirit of God! THOMAS PEARCE BAILEY. University of the South. BOOK REVIEWS RELIGION: ITS PROPHETS AND FALSE PROPHETS. By James Bishop Thomas. New York: The Macmillan Company. Price, $1.50. Friedrich Naumann, author of Mitteleuropa and member of the Reichstag, was in his earlier phase a Christian Socialist. On the way to Nazareth this modern man, like Saul of Tarsus, had a vision of Jesus; but, unlike Saul, his vision was a disillusionment. Naumann awoke to the tragic realization that the Jesus whom he had been preaching with such earnestness never existed, or could have existed in such a land as Palestine. He returned to Germany, abandoned his pulpit, and fell back upon a merely personal Christianity. How Naumann the pastor became Naumann the author of a pan-German textbook is one of the spiritual tragedies of our question. Professor Thomas was a student in Germany when this leader of the Evangelical Social Congress announced his conversion. Was it true that Jesus was not a man of the people, that his Gospel contained no message for the modern social movement, and that the religion He taught was merely personal salvation? Such was the question forced upon this American student twenty years ago. His answer is this scholarly book, which is an illuminating review of religion from the early Semites to our own day. Jesus is something more than a "beautiful Spirit, but an impratical leader," Professor Thomas finds; He is a divine authority in social and political matters, the revealer of an absolute ethic and religion. The book is a constructive contribution to modern thought concerning the most searching problems of Christianity and religious life. Our author divides religion into two types: the prophetic and the exploiting. Exploiting religion finds expression in priesthood. True religion reaches its highest level in Christ's conception of the Kingdom of God. Jesus found the idea of the Kingdom of God already well developed in the prophets of Israel. He expanded and deepened it until it became the community of mankind organized for the benefit of all according to the Divine programme. As the full realization of the religion of the insurgent |