holds to the materialized Nirvana and calls it Sukhavati or the Pure Land. Many passages which describe this paradise as the visible realm are found in the sacred sutras. The following quotation is from the small Amitayus sutra: "In that world, Sukhavati, there are lotus lakes, adorned with the seven gems, viz., gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearls, diamonds and corals, as the seventh. They are full of water which possesses the eight good qualities. Their waters rise as high as the fords and bathing places, so that even crows may drink there; they are full of golden sand, and are of vast extent. And in these lotus lakes there are on the four sides four stairs, beautiful and brilliant with the four gems, viz., gold, silver, beryl, crystal. And on every side of these lotus lakes, gem trees are growing, beautiful and brilliant with the seven gems, viz., gold, silver, beryl, crystal, red pearls, diamonds, and corals, as the seventh. And in those lotus lakes lotus flowers are growing, blue, blue colored, of blue splendor, blue to behold; yellow, yellow colored, of yellow splendor, yellow to behold; red colored, of red splendor, red to behold; white, white colored, of white splendor, white to behold; beautiful, beautifully colored, of beautiful splendor, beautiful to behold, and in circumference as large as the wheel of a chariot." You cannot read this quotation without feeling that the Buddhist ideal of the future life is eudæmonistic, and that the moral and spiritual tone is lacking. "The highest blessedness in heaven will consist in communion with Christ." The highest blessedness in Sukhavati is nothing more than the ideal world of an Epicurean. Indeed, Japan cannot be completely saved by such an imperfect religion, and needs most assuredly the Gospel of Christ, our Lord.

"And in none other is there salvation; for neither is there any other name under heaven, that is given among men, wherein we must be saved." (The Acts iv., 12).

Tokyo, Japan.

TATSU TANAKA.

Book Reviews.

The idea which prevailed a century ago as to what determined the contents of a General Introduction to the Scriptures is fairly well illustrated by the monumental work of Horne, published in 1818, which covered practically all one. would understand today by a Student's Help to the Bible only on a larger scale and in a more scholarly and decidedly theological way. Besides discoursing on the languages in which the Books were written, their collection into a canon and their text, this rather famous production gave information on almost every topic, a knowledge of which would afford a better understanding of the Bible - such as the Historical and Physical Geography of the Holy Land, the Political, Sacred and Domestic Antiquities of the Jews, the Genuineness, Authenticity and Credibility of Scripture, and the General and Special Principles of Interpretation, together with an analysis of each of the Books, including such a review of their date and authorship as practically would be involved today in their critical consideration. Such method was due doubtless to the age in which it was produced; so that we are not surprised to find, some forty years later, published by the Religious Tract Society, London, a book compiled by Joseph Angus, at that time President of Stepney College, which, with a better idea of its purpose, was styled "The Bible Handbook." It covered very much the same ground as the work of Horne, but in a less diffusive and, consequently, much more usable way. It served its purpose so well that in 1860, six years after its first appearance, it was printed again in larger form and yet again in 1869, having in the meanwhile been translated into French (1858). Still later, in 1883, it was brought out in this country (Fagan & Son, Philadelphia) with Extensive revisions, notes and an index to Scripture texts" by F. S. Hoyt, D. D., editor of the "Western Christian Advocate."

With such a history it is not surprising that it should be felt worthy of another Edition, which appears under the enlarged title The Cyclopedic Handbook to the Bible, the former editions having been thoroughly revised and the book in large part rewritten by Samuel G. Green, D. D., known for his work in the fields of New Testament and Church History. The original form of the contents has been largely altered; but their characteristic as a general introduction to the Scriptures has been preserved. There are two Parts - Part I has to do with the Bible as a Book and treats of the general topics, Language, Canon, Text, Credentials, Claims, and Interpretation, including under the last point Geography, Chronology, Natural History and Antiquities, and adding a chapter on the "Study of the Scriptures in Relation to Doctrine and to Life." Part II has to do with the Books of the

Bible and carries out a historical criticism of the writings in both Testaments. It is furnished with two useful Appendices one giving a Comparative Chronology of the Scripture History with that of the Contemporary Nations; the other giving full lists of the Flora, Fauna, and Minerals of the Bible. Because of the rather discursive form of its contents it is compelled to add an alphabetical index to its material. In short, the Book presents itself to us with a flavor of the olden time, and yet it would be doing it great injustice not to emphasize the fact that what it gives us is given with a scholarship that is aware of what has been discovered about the Bible in the half century since it first appeared. It is statedly traditional in its critical position, though not offensively so. It is naturally contracted in its form and is embarrassed somewhat by the necessary restrictions to its discussions, but within its limits it has not failed to place that which must be of real help to Bible students and readers today. (Revell, pp. xvi., 832. $2.00.)

M. W. J.

Another of the "Bible Class Primers"- this upon Ezekiel, written by Rev. W. Harvey-Jellie-edited by Principal Salmon, comes to hand without date. Everything is stated with brevity and soberness. There is an Introduction showing the situation of Ezekiel's times. The succeeding chapters are a running analysis of the book, with occasional interpretative comments. It is a helpful little guide for the beginning of one's study. (Imported by Scribner, pp. 99. 20 cts. net.)

C. S. B.

Neither the English nor the Greek Testament gives the reader any idea of the chronological sequence of the writings which comprise its collectionand this is something of which it is well worth having an idea. Many attempts to remedy this have been made, one of which is before us in the Student's Chronological New Testament, compiled by Professor Archibald T. Robertson of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky. It is based upon the text of the American Standard Revision, is furnished with a map of Palestine and one of the Journeys of Paul, and prefaces each book with a concise statement of such critical facts regarding it and its author as are generally accepted, followed by a brief outline of its contents. As the editor admits in the preface, the sequence of the New Testament books is not always an assured thing, so that he has not attempted in the uncertain cases anything more than the probable order. More than this, he has not departed from the ordinary English Bible plan in placing the Gospels and the Book of Acts before the Epistles, though confessedly they were produced later than most of them. His reason has been simply that these books, dealing as they do with facts that antedate the Epistles, should in spite of the sequence of their composition be read before the Epistles. In this plan, wisdom will doubtless be granted the Editor, though there are those who will question not so much why Hebrews should be placed after Jude and the Petrine Letters, but why, on general probabilities, II Peter should not be placed at the end of the list or omitted from it altogether. The book ought to be a useful help to the reader and the student of the Bible, and will doubtless find its way to many to whom it will be a revelation of new facts. (Revell, $1.00 net.)

M. W. J.

The Outlines of the Synoptic Record is a presentation of the narrative of the first three Gospels in the light of the accepted results of Synoptic Criticism. It is a doubly authored book, coming from two English scholars, the Rev. Bernard Hugh Bosanquet, and Reginald A. Wenham, both of whom have contributed to the interpretative portion of the book, though the former is responsible for the major part of the exegesis, while the latter has written the opening Chapter, which furnishes the critical introduction to the rest. Of this critical introduction it is enough to say that it contains a clear and concise presentation of the Synoptic Problem, as stated and solved generally by the scholarship of the present day, viz: the priority of Mark, as a narrative source for Matthew and Luke, and the presence in these two Gospels of an additional sayings-source, most likely not used by Mark. The historical credibility of the records is accepted in general, though the possibility of redaction in all three of the Gospels and the actuality of it in Matthew and Luke is fully recognized. On this basis the narrative is taken up at the Annunciation and carried through to the post Resurrection events. It is a satisfaction to bear witness to the prevailing excellence of the interpretative insight which characterizes this part of the book. The suggestiveness with which the record often is given and the frequent fine sense of the spiritual lessons involved are of real value. These marks are especially clear in the Chapter on the Parables (VIII) and in that on the Eschatalogical Teaching (XV), the former of which comes from the pen of Dr. Bosanquet and the latter from that of his collaborator. This exegetical excellence is accompanied by, and in some respects is due to, a freedom in the critical handling of the material which takes the narrative out of all straitjacket pressure and allows it free play in the disclosing of the truths. At the same time this excellence does not always come to full results. For example, in the admirable chapter on the Parables, where Jesus' purpose in this newly introduced method of teaching is shown to be his desire to sift the elements among his hearers, there should have been, from the very recognition of this purpose, a better appreciation of the incident of the True Relatives, where the receptivity to Jesus' teaching shown by the better element in the crowd already begins the sifting process. In fact, it is the disclosure of this self-sifting among his hearers that gives the reason for Jesus' adopting the sifting method of the Parable in his teaching. More serious than this is the failure to recognize the fundamental difference between the spirituality of Jesus' message and mission and the ceremonial of the Scribes' position and profession, as it discovers itself in the Healing of the Paralytic, where the opposition to Jesus' ministry first appears. There results from this, almost inevitably, a failure to properly correlate and develop the growing hostility which underlies all his ministry.

On the critical side there should be pointed out the fact that the incidents which chronologically belong to the Last Journey to Jerusalem, as given by Luke, are to be determined, in the last analysis, by the element of the specific disciple instruction characteristic of this period of the ministry. As a consequence there is much which has been brought forward in time that should be allowed to remain as Luke has placed it-e. g. x, 1-24; xii,2-9, 11, 12, 51-53; xvii, 1-10; xviii, 28-30. These faults, however, have been

frankly pointed out, because the book is really too good to let them go unnoticed. (Longmans, pp. viii, 283. $1.70 net.)

M. W. J.

It was a wise choice that was made in the selection of Dr. F. C. Porter to write Vol. VIII of "The Messages of the Bible" series entitled The Messages of the Apocalyptic Writers. The class of readers for whom this series is chiefly intended needs to be most carefully instructed regarding the nature of the two Biblical Apocalypses, Daniel and The Revelation. Dr. Porter's comprehensive and accurate scholarship, his well-balanced judgment and his skill and tact in presenting views which, though true and generally accepted among scholars, are not as yet commonly held, all combine to give this little book a high place among the works devoted to the Apocalyptic literature. The introductory discussion of the nature and significance of the Apocalyptic writings is especially worthy of a careful reading. In addition to Daniel and The Revelation to which most of the book is devoted, some of the more important uncanonical Apocalypses, particularly those attributed to Enoch and Ezra, come in for a brief discussion. (Scribner, pp. xxii, 367. $1.25 net.)

E. E. N.

Among the many books written for the purpose of making the Bible attractive and familiar to children, the Life of Christ for Children, by Florence Baillie Fitzpatrick, may be counted as one of the best. One of the praiseworthy features of this little book is the large number of illustrations selected with great discrimination from the works of celebrated artists. The Gospel stories are retold in simple language with their moral and spiritual lessons well set forth. (Westminster Press, pp. 170. 50 cts.) E. E. N.

One of the most important problems of Gospel interpretation is that of Jesus' attitude toward the Old Testament. The views that have come to be very generally held among scholars have not as yet found acceptance on the part of the majority of Christians. A very thoughtful and quite thorough investigation of one phase of the problem is now at hand in C. S. Macfarland's Jesus and the Prophets. While neither in agreement with all the exegesis of the author, nor approving his too frequent resort to the short and easy method of mere assertion in the face of serious difficulties, we can commend the book as one worthy of careful reading and as specially fitted to serve as an introduction to the study of the weighty question with which it deals. (Putnam, pp. xiii, 249.

$1.50.)

E. E. N.

The author of The Lynching of Jesus evidently wrote with a two-fold purpose, viz: to set forth the legal aspects of the trial of Jesus, and to throw into bold relief the heinous crime of lynching in our own day and land. The line of argument is cogent, although there is no adequate critical sifting of the sources. Mr. Welford assumes that there is a broad ignorance and a general apathy concerning the grave injustice which Jesus suffered at the hands of his countrymen and the Roman authorities. This ignorance and apathy, however, is certainly not confined to this aspect of the life of our Lord. And we question the wisdom of seeking to arouse resentment and hatred toward those who nineteen hundred years ago put Him to death. That Jesus was illegally as well as unjustly condemned and executed is