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 COMMENTARIES

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COMMENTARIES

came transformed and transfused with the marvellous and the supernatural, and were finally committed to writing in perfectly good faith. Strauss (1808-74), in his "Das Leben Jesu" (1835) applied this mythical explanation to the Gospels. He showed most clearly that if with Paulus the Gospels are allowed to be au- thentic, the attempt to explain the miracles naturally breaks down completely. Strauss rejected the au- thenticity and regarded the miraculous accounts in the Gospels as naive legends, the productions of the pious imaginations of the early generations of Chris- tians. The views of Strauss were severely criticized by the Catholics, Kuhn, Mack, Hug, and Sepp, and by the Protestants Neander, Tholuck, Ullman, Lange, Ewald, Riggenbach, Weiss, and Keira. Baur es- pecially, the founder of the Tiibingen School, proved that Strauss ran counter to the most clearly estab- lished facts of early Christian history, and showed the folly of denying the historical existence of Christ and His transcendent personality. Even Strauss lost aU confidence in his own system. Baur, unfortimately, originated a theory which was for a time in great vo^ue, but which was afterwards abandoned by the majority of critics. He held that the New Testa- ment contains the writings of two antagonistic par- ties amongst the Apostles and early Christians. His principal followers were Zeller, Schwegler, Planck, Koslin, Ritseh, Hilgenfeld, Volkmar, Tobler, Keim, Hosten, some of whom, however, emancipated them- selves from their master.

Besides the writers already mentioned, the follow- ing wrote in a rationalistic spirit: Ernesti (d. 1781), Semler (1791), Berthold (1822), the RosenmuUers, Crusius (1843), Bertheau, De Wette, Hupfeld, Ewald, Thenius, Fritzsche, Justi, Gesenius (d. 1842), Lon- gerke, Bleek, Bunsen (1860), Umbreit, Kleinert, Knobel, Nicolas, Hirzel, Kuenen, J. C. K. von Hoff- mann, Hitzig (d. 1875), Schulz (1869), B. Weiss, Renan, Tuch, H. A. W. Meyer (and his continuators Huther, Luneman, Dusterdieck, Bruckner, etc.), Wellhausen, Wieseler, Julicher, Beyschlag, H. Holtz- mann, and his collaborators Schmiedel, von Soden, etc. Holtzmann, while practically admitting the authenticity of the Gospels, especially of St. Mark, endeavours to explain away the miracles. He ap- proaches the subject with his mind made up that miracles do not happen, and he tries to get rid of them by cleverly attempting to show that they are merely echoes of Old Testament miracle stories. In this he is quite as unsuccessful as Paulus, who saw in them only the counterpart of the distorted imaginings of his unfortunate father. Holtzmann is severely taken to task by several writers in the "International Critical Commentary". The attempt to get rid of the supernatural has completely failed; but the activity of so many acute minds has thrown great light on the language and literature of the Bible.

(3) The Best Modern {non-Catholic) Commentaries in English. — There is a very useful list of such commen- taries in "The Expository Times" (vol. XIV, Jan. and Feb., 1903, 151, 203), by Henry Bond, Librarian of Woolwich. It is the result of opinions which he obtained from many of the most renowned English scholars. The number of votes given for the different works is printed after each name; but no name ap- pears on the list unless it received more than five votes. The editor. Dr. James Hastings, added judi- cious notes and observ'ations (270, 358). The follow- ing list is based, in great measure, on these papers, supplemented from other sources. The works are distinguish(!d :is follows: (e) excellent; (g) good; (f) fair. Some of those marked (g) and (f) were excellent for the time in which they were published; and they may still be regarded as "serviceable. The characterization of each is, of course, from the non- Catholic point of view. Old Testament. — Introduction: Driver, "Introd.

to the Literature of the Old Test.", written from a "Higher Critical" standpoint; on the other side is the powerful book by Orr, "The Problem of the 01 r Testament" (London, 1906). Both contain anipl literatures. — Genesis: Skinner, in "Internatioinl Critical Commentary"; Spurrell (g) (notes on the text); Delitzsch (g), and Dillmann (g); Dods in "Handbook Series". — Exodus: There is, at present, no first-class commentary on Exod.; Kennedy in "Int. Crit. Comni."; Chadwick (g). — Leviticus: Sten- ning in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Kalish (g) the best in English; Driver and W'hite (f) in Polychrome Bible; Ginsburg (London); Kellog (f) (London). — Numbers: Buchanan Gray (e) in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Kittell, "History of the Hebrews"; there is little else to refer to, as the others are out of date. — Deuter- onomy: Driver (e) in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Harper (g). — Josue: Smith in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Maclear (f). — Judges: Moore (e) in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Watson (f); Lias (f). — Ruth: Briggs in "Int. Crit. Coram.". — Samuel: Smith (e) in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Kirkpatrick (e). — Kings: Brown in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Lumby, an excellent popular work. — • Chronicles (Paralip.): Curtis in "Int. Crit. Comm."; also his article in Hastings, " Diet, of the Bible" ; Ben- nett (g); Barnes (g). — Esdras and Neheraias: Batten in "Int. Crit. Coram."; Ryle's is an excellent popular commentary; Adeney (f). — Esther: Paton in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Lange (f); Adeney (f). — Job: There appears to be no first-rate students' commentary on Job ; Davidson's is an excellent popular book ; earlier works of Driver, Gibson, and Cox are fair. — Psalms: Briggs (e) in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Delitzsch (e); Kirkpatrick (e); Perowne (g); Cheyne (f). — Prov- erbs: Toy (e) in "Int. Crit. Comm.''. — Ecclesiastes: Barton (e) in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Strong (e); Tyler (g) ; Plumptre, a good popular comm. ; Delitzsch (f) ; Wright (f). — Song of Solomon (Canticles): Briggs in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Harper, a valuable work; Gins- burg (f). — Isaias: Driver and Gray in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Smith (e); Delitzsch (g); Cheyne (f). — ■ Jeremias: Kirkpatrick in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Streane an excellent popular work; that of Ball and Bennett is good; Orelli (f). — Lamentations: Briggs in "Int. Crit. Coram."; Streane and Adeney, good popular books. — Ezechiel: Cooke and Bur- ney in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Cobern (g); Toy (f) in "Polychrome Bible"; Davidson (e), an excellent popular commentarj'. — Daniel: Peters in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Kennedy (g); Bevan (g); Driver has a first-class popular commentary. — Amos and Osee: Harper (e) in "Int. Crit. Comm."; three excellent popular works are by Smith, Driver, and Cheyne. — Other Minor Prophets: Smith, etc., in "Int. Crit. Comm."; Smith (e); Davidson (g), and Perowne (g); Orelli (f); Dods, "Post-exilian Proph- ets", in Handbook Series; Low (g); Zechariah (g); Pusey (f).

New Testament. — Introduction: Salmon, "Introd. to the New Test.", an excellent book; Westcott, "Canon of the New Test." (7th ed., 1896); Lightfoot, "Essays on Supernatural Religion" (1893), a power- ful reply to the attacks of an anonymous rationalist on the New Test.; also his "Dissertations on the Apostolic Age", and Biblical Essays; Ramsay, "St. Paul the Traveller", "Was Christ born in Bethle- hem?", etc.; Harnack, "St. Luke the Physic-an", defends the authenticity of the Gospel and Acts; Hawkins, " Horse Synopticie". Text: "Variorum New Test."; Weymouth, "The Resultant Greek Test.", showing the Greek readings of eleven great editions; Westcott and Hort, "The New Test, in Greek", vol. II, Introd.; Salmon, "Some Criticism of the Text" (1897), a criticism of Westcott and Hort; "The Ox- ford Debate on the Textual Criticism of the New Test." (Oxford, 1897); Kenyon, "Our Bible and the Ancient Manuscripts", an invaluable book; also his

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