Scriptural Bulletin

Extract

A recently translated work by Bishop Felder makes a sort of counterpart to his long established work known in its English version as Christ and the Critics. He resumes his defence of the New Testament against these same critics and certain of their descendants. But he is now more concerned to be constructive, and the most substantial part of the book is designed to portray the character of Christ according to the Gospels and to provide a synthesis of the New Testament doctrine concerning the messianic role and the divinity of Christ. The material thus assembled is of great value; and the spirit of the book is impressive and powerfully edifying. It can be strongly recommended to pious readers. As a work of biblical science, however, or quite simply as a piece of writing, it is not so commendable. Neglect of the historical aspect of the New Testament introduces something of flatness, of text-bookish deadness into the treatment of the doctrine. And the apologetics are defective in several ways. There is a want of sympathetic understanding of the position of opponents, and even a certain want of controversial integrity. It is difficult to grasp the point of view that, ‘In the entire history of the intellectual development of man there is hardly a disaster of more frightful tragedy than the collapse of the rationalistic criticism of the gospel and of Jesus.’ Elsewhere the discomfiture of the critics can be contemplated more cheerfully : ‘To-day serious scientists, and even light-footed poets, have at most a compassionate smile for all these clever little essays of rationalistic memory.’