A Study of Religion of Israel

182 Book Reviews
For good reasons of his own Dr Vidler makes no attempt to trace

"the exact pedigree of various points in Maurice's teaching, or even
of his leading convictions." For our own part we believe this is a
loss. Not only have many writers of repute been dogmatic on this
subject-e.g., Pfleiderer, Fairbairn-it is also difficult to overlook
some words of Maurice himself. Again, while too much may be read
into the Calvinism of his mother and the Unitarianism of his father,
Maurice's theological antecedents were such as to lead him to a
passion for unity which in turn led him to join the Church of Eng-
land, inspired his hatred of all "systems," and provided the driving
force of his strenuous life.
As we read this book we found ourselves also wishing that the
lecturer had rut us still further in his debt by saying something on
the vexed, difficult, and debated question of the influence of the
theology of Maurice. It is arguable that to-day we are still suffering
from what Bishop Philip Brooks shrewdly observed in his later visits
to England: "the rising generation of clergy were turning from
Maurice's theology in order to devote themselves to social studies
and methods of social reform" (p. 224, Vol. II, Life and Letters of
Philip Brooks)-a change Brooks much deprecated as a confession
that the theological and religious problem was insoluble. If Ang-
lican Evangelicalism suffered most from its failure to "waken up"
to Maurice as contrasted, e.g.~ with Congregationalism, not to speak
of Tractarianism, the theological confusion of our time is warning
enough lest we in our generation glorify a "theology of proposi-
tions" till it take the place of a theology of the Living God.
It will be difficult for anyone to read this book and not agree
with the author that Maurice is "a theologian for Churches and
Nations and for a world that stands 'on the last low verge of life.' "
The best commendation we can give this book is to say that the
perusal of it would have sent Maurice into one of his frequent
paroxysms of humility. A. B. LAVELLE.
WEDNESBURY.
How CAME OUR FAITH. A Study of the Religion of Israel and its
Significance for the Modern World. By W. A. L. Elmslie.
C.U.P. .21S.
This is not a book about the birth of Christianity, nor yet about
the development and transmission to our own day of the Faith of
Catholic Christendom. It is concerned, as the sub-title suggests, with
the Jewish preparation for the Gospel. Its claim is that in the course
of Hebrew history beliefs were attained that are in essence eternally
valid, and fundamentally concern the right understanding of the
Christian faith and its presentation to the modern world. Thus the
work is addressed "to anyone who takes a responsible interest in his
own life, his neighbours' lives, affairs of state in his own and other
lands, and the trend of thought and morals at this momentous
period."
The author divides his subject into three parts: the Old Testa-
Book Reviews 183
ment to-day, the Religion of the Hebrews, and the Faith of the
Prophets. Under the first head he treats of the relevance to-day of
the Old Testament message from God to Man, of the Old Testa-
ment as literature, and the Bible as sacred Scripture. It is a pity
that his great success as a broadcast speaker on the Old Testament
has led him to introduce in this section such captions as "The
Clouds Gather (Typology)," "The Ice Age (Allegory)," "The Sun
Returns (Renaissance and Reformation)." They may be all very well
in a radio talk, but they are out of place in a book intended for the
serious student as well as the general reader. Part II traces the de-
velopment of the religion of early Israel, and Part III continues the
story down to the period of Deutero-Isaiah. The author thus gives
us, as he says, a description of "the progress of Israel's ideas of God
and duty to the stage at which the last of the truly great Hebrew
prophets had rendered his service to God and testimony to men,
and a 'Faith for Mankind' had come into existence" (p. x).
We understand that Dr Elmslie is planning a sequel to this book,
and this may account for his stopping short in his account of Old
Testament religion at Deutero-Isaiah. But we cannot escape the
feeling that his enthusiasm for the Prophets has led him to give less
than its due to the idea of the covenant relationship on its priestly
and sacrificial side, in the development of the "Faith for Mankind."
Granted that the cultus was bound up with Canaanite licence and
superstition, it was the sacrificial worship of Israel which made
possible the language of Isa. liii and the ideas of sin and atonement
which prevailed in the post-exilic period.
In his broadcast talks Dr Elmslie has been extraordinarily success-
ful in making people see the Old Testament as a book with living
interest. It might have been better if he had written with that public
in view instead of trying to combine incompatible ends by seeking
to serve both the general reader and the student. The outlines of
specialist discussion in the footnotes, however, will prove valuable
to school-teachers and students. There are full references to works
by other scholars and the book is provided with four maps. No one
could deny that the author has made a courageous attempt to bridge
the gap between the Old Testament specialist and the ordinary
reader. All who are concerned with the task of rehabilitating the
Old Testament will be grateful to him for this presentation of its
message as a living concern for to-day. C. W. DUGMORE.
MANCHESTER UNIVERSITY.
THE BOOK OF DANIEL. By C. Lattey, S.). Browne and Nolan.

6d.
l.2S.
This commentary on the Book of Daniel in the Westminster
version of the Sacred Scriptures may be warmly welcomed. Like all
the volumes of the series, it contains a new translation of the text,
together with introduction and commentary. The commentary is
not printed on the same page as the text, but following it. While on
a number of points the reviewer is not in agreement with Fr Lattey

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182 Book Reviews

For good reasons of his own Dr Vidler makes no attempt to trace

THE BOOK OF DANIEL. By C. Lattey, S.). Browne and Nolan.

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