CHRISTIAN SCHOLARSHIP

The Christian Scholar in the Age of the Reformation, E. Harris Harbison, Charles Scribners’ Sons, New York, 1956, $3.00.

The purpose of this small volume (177 pp.), which is based on a series of lectures delivered by the author at Princeton Theological Seminary, is clearly set forth in the following quotation from its preface: “. . . what follows is an attempt to suggest what a Christian scholar is like, how he comes by a sense of his calling, how he may reconcile his scholarly zeal with his Christian faith, and how his work affects the development of Christianity, through a study of a few Christian scholars of the Reformation period and some of their predecessors who influenced them.” The author devotes one chapter to Jerome, Augustine, Abelard, and Aquinas; another to Petrarch, Valla, Pico delal Mirandola, and John Colet; and a chapter each to Erasmus, Luther, and Calvin. Harbison admits that a thorough study of the subject about which he is writing should go much further; he has, however, chosen to, “. . . talk in particular rather than in general, to concentrate on a few important and well-known figures rather than to catalogue the many, to suggest rather than to conclude.”

Christian scholarship was of vital consequence in the age of the Reformation. It was after all, as the author points out, a scholar’s insight into meaning of Scripture that provided the necessary impetus for the Reformation to get under way. It was largely a scholar’s movement, a revolution involving professors and students. The Counter-Reformation of the Catholic church was of the same nature. Thus it is essential to an understanding of the Reformation to approach it from the perspective of Christian scholarship, as well as from other standpoints.

The author points up the controversy that has existed through the history of Christianity with regard to the value of Christian scholarship by quoting from Tertullian. “What has Athens to do with Jerusalem, the Academy with the Church?,” asked Tertullian. “What is there in common between the philosopher and the Christian, the pupil of Hellas and the pupil of Heaven?” His answer was in no uncertain terms: “We have no need for curiosity since Jesus Christ, nor for inquiry since the Evangel” Yet, as Harbison states, almost from the beginning of Christianity there have been individuals who have pursued scholarship as a Christian calling, in the belief that they were doing the will of God. The author believes that scholarship as a Christian calling has not been given the attention it deserves by students of history. His suggested explanation for this failure is that scholars do not make good copy and never have!

There are three major tasks, according to Harbison, which confront Christian scholars in any generation: (1) to reinvestigate the Hebrew-Christian tradition, (2) to show the relationship of that tradition to secular culture and its tradition, (3) to effect a reconciliation between Christian faith and science, using the latter term in a broad sense. The person who follows scholarship as a Christian calling must address himself to one of these three tasks or to some combination of the three.

Erasmus once wrote, “People say to me: How can scholarly knowledge facilitate the understanding of Holy Scripture? My answer is: How does ignorance contribute to it?” This great Reformation humanist was capable of seeing both the value and the lighter side of scholarship in its relationship to the Christian faith. In connection with this, Harbison makes the very valuable observation that,

Just because a man gives himself wholeheartedly to the profession of Christian Scholarship, this does not mean he must believe that learning is the whole of life. Nor if he sees the more human and ridiculous side of the intellectua1’s profession. this need not mean that he has lost faith in his calling . . . Erasmus knew his calling as a Christian scholar to be serious and important. but he also knew the presumption in it, the presumption that taints an human aspirations and must often amuse a loving God.

The author concludes by warning of the danger that exists if the possibility of a Christian devoting himself to scholarship is not taken seriously. The devastating result may be that sacred and secular learning will be separated: thus Christianity would cease to be intellectually respectable and honest, unable to cope with the challenge of secular culture. “The danger of final separation between sacred and secular learning can only be avoided if more men and women . . . acquire the vision of scholarship as a calling worthy of a Christian, and of Christianity as a commitment worthy of a scholar.”

Harbison has written an interesting and valuable little book which I would recommend to those who are interested in Christian scholarship or those who would depreciate its value.—Robert I. Duncan

EARLY APOLOGETICS

The Defence of the Gospel in the New Testament, F. F. Bruce. (Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., Grand Rapids, Mich., 105 pp. $1.50.

Anyone who is acquainted with the writings of F. F. Bruce will expect to find this book to be of both academic worth and spiritual stimulation. He will not be disappointed. The book contains five chapters, being five lectures which the aurhor gave under the auspices of the Calvin Foundation at Calvin College and Seminary, Grand Rapids, Michigan, in April, 1958. An index of Scripture references gives added usefulness to the volume.

Usually we think of Apologetics as a science for defending the faith in centuries following the New Testament period. Probably very few of us had ever thought of it as existing within the New Testament. Therefore, the mere title of this book intrigues us. The element of debate and conflict within the New Testament itself is by no means negligible.

Chapter 1 deals with the gospel’s battle with Judaism. After showing the beginnings of the controveny in the lifetime of Jesus, the author analyzes the viewpoints of Stephen and Paul. According to Mr. Bruce, Stephen’s argument was that “If the gospel was true, then there was no place for Judaism.” This left no note of hope for the nation and presented a grave problem in theodicy. Upon Paul fell the task of finding the answer to the riddle of Israel’s position, which he did in Romans 11 by showing that even now there is a believing remnant, and that ultimately all Israel would be shaken out of the spirit of stupor to accept Christ.

Chapter 2 is entitled, “The Gospel Confronts Paganism.” Mr. Bruce discusses Paul’s speech at Lystra and his speech at Athens, claiming that in both instances Paul used a Biblical approach.

Chapter 3 deals with the conflict with Raine. Mr. Bruce regards Luke’s writings as having the purpose of showing Theophilus, a high-ranking Roman, that Christianity is not incompatible with Roman citizenship. In the later New Testament period, as shown in I Peter and the Revelation, the picture had changed considerably, due largely to the rise of the imperial cult which demanded homage to the emperor, which the Christian could not conscientiously render. The Christian was therefore assured that, although for the present he might have to suffer persecutions, eventually Christianity would triumph over the Roman imperial power and the imperial cult, which are symbolized by the two beasts of Revelation 13.

Chapter 4 discusses Christianity’s battle with what the author calls “perversions of pure Christianity.” The four movements he discusses are (1) Christianized legalism, (2) Ascetic Gnosticism, (3) Antinomian Gnosticism, and (4) Docetism. The first two perversions are countered by the writings of Paul, the third by Jude, and the fourth by John.

In Chapter five the author uses the Epistle to the Hebrews and the Gospel of John to show “The Finality of the Gospel.” There are some good insights in this chapter, but it has a basic weakness from the viewpoint of Apologetics. In emphasizing that the living Christ is THE WORD OF GOD the author fails to stress that we have an objective norm, the written Word, as a basis for he defence of the gospel.

Many scriptures will be given new illumination by this book. For example, “the water and the blood” of I John 5:6 are seen in opposition to the Corinthian Gnosticism, proving that the same Christ who went through the water of baptism also shed his blood on the cross.

One may disagree with Mr. Bruce at several points without impairing the general argument nor the worth of the book.

The reader will find the volume most refreshing and stimulating, a compendium of valuable analyses of Christianity’s struggles in New Testament days.

Mr. Bruce’s erudite background, particularly in the area of the book of Acts, always produces fruitful insight, while his clear style puts the information within the reach of the average reader. —Richard Ramsey, Director, Church of Christ Bible Chair, Southeastern Louisiana College, Hammond, La.

BIOGRAPHY

J. D. Tant-Texas Preacher. Fanning Yater Tant. Gospel Guardian Company, Lufkin, Texas. 1958. 479 Pages. $4.00.

This is the chronicle of an era, as well as the story of a man who lived in it. Jefferson Davis Tant was born in northern Georgia in 1861. He was immersed and became a Methodist when fourteen years of age. He started preaching in that denomination at the age of nineteen. In 1881 he came in contact with W. H. D. Carrington, a “Campbellite” preacher, and profoundly influenced by his plea, cast his lot with the Church of Christ at Euda, Texas, which accepted him on his previous baptism. Within a week he was granted a letter of commendation authorizing him “to preach the word, organize and take the oversight of Sunday Schools, and baptize any converts he may be instrumental in converting to Christ.”

Thus began a career characterized by intense devotion to a cause, and by poor judgment in financial and business matters. The book reveals the Tant family almost constantly on the move, packing their furniture in freight cars or wagons for transportation to a new locality, suffering hardships imposed by the belief that the grass was greener in another pasture. An inveterate trader, the preacher was always swapping his place for the holdings of another, yet seldom bettering his condition, and generally increasing the burden of his wife and children. This state of things was not helped by the meager support of the churches.

As a preacher and debater, Tant was blunt and crude in speech. Many of the Mormon, Methodist and Baptist champions of the day were of the same caliber, and the rough-and-tumble, “dog-eat-dog” style of encounters, miscalled debates, pleased the ignorant and uninformed, as well as the bitter partisans in all groups. In many instances these religious skirmishes, filled with personal attacks and venom, served only to cement the sectarian spirit for several generations.

The fights which tore the disciple brotherhood to shreds are given full play. Among these was the one which developed over the use of the organ, the advocates of which frequently broke the lock off a meetinghouse door in the dead of the night, and spirited in the instrument, after which they entered suit in court to take the property from those who protested, and who were locked out of the places of worship they had constructed. Tant hurled himself into the fray against the use of the instrument and the missionary society. On the other hand, he was constantly called upon to defend the “Sunday School” by those who regarded it as an innovation equal to that of the organ.

One gathers that there has been a prolonged conflict between the Texas and Tennessee elements of the non-instrument group. This began over the position of David Lipscomb, J. N. Harding, et. al., of the Gospel Advocate group, relative to re-baptism. “Generally speaking, David Lipscomb and the brethren who were associated with the Gospel Advocate took the position it was not necessary that a man who was immersed with a sincere desire to obey God was in truth and in reality baptized into Christ, even though he had thought he was already in Christ and had had his sins forgiven before the act of baptism. If such a man after being baptized affiliated himself with some denomination, all he had to do to become a faithful Christian was to renounce his denominational affiliation and take his stand among the people of God.”

Branding this as an endorsement of “sect baptism,” Austin McGary began to advocate that the validity of baptism depended upon the degree of knowledge possessed by the believing penitent, and the author states, “In Texas, the Firm Foundation was begun in 1884 by Austin McGary for the expressed purpose of combating Lipscomb’s teaching on this subject.” Tant himself was rebaptized after having preached for several years during which he had baptized many, and became a champion of the idea that has done more than any other to reduce the restoration plea to the status of a narrow, sectarian, partisan position. The paper fight between the Texas and Tennessee journals aroused feelings which have never been eradicated in the southland.

The author, a son of J. D. Tant, is one of the Texas leaders in a current controversy between two factions, one led by the Gospel Guardian, of which he is editor, and the other by the Gospel Advocate. The subject of dispute now is institutionalism, and the author does not resist the temptation to use his father’s career for propaganda purposes, although hindered somewhat by the fact that J. D. Tant seems to have been on all sides of the question at the same time. Thus we find such apologetic statements as, “Not many of the brethren seemed to know exactly what Tant was criticizing,” and again, “Tant’s writing so vigorously in criticism of ‘our Bible colleges’ and then almost in the same breath commending them .. . . was most puzzling to many of the brethren.”

Perhaps G. C. Brewer best resolves the difficulty, in an article in Gospel Advocate, December 20, 1951, as follows:

“The editor of the Gospel Guardian . . . quotes J. D. Tam as opposing the orphan homes as an unscriptural method of caring for orphans at the time he was connected with the Tennessee Orphan Home. Thus J. D. Tant was shown to condemn as unscriptural that which J. D. Tant was practicing. This was not at all new to some of us oldsters. We know that J. D. Tant did that very thing on more than one point, but we would not, now that Brother Tant is dead, tell these things on him. They were overlooked when Tant was living on the ground that J. D. Tant was J. D. Tant.”

After reading the book, that is also the primary conclusion of your reviewer-that J. D. Tant was J. D. Tant!—W. Carl Ketcherside

STUDY OF ISMS

The Church Faces The Isms. By the Faculty of Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, Arnold Rhodes, Editor; Abingdon Press, Nashville, Tennessee, 1958. 304 pages. $4.50.

This book grew out of a course in the curriculum of Louisville Presbyterian Seminary, according to the Preface, which states its purpose is to “help Christians, especially leaders in the Church, to prepare themselves to deal effectively and fairly with specific organized and unorganized movements which challenge main line Protestantism in particular ways.” “The Church” is equated with “main line Protestantism” throughout the volume, a basic error, as this reviewer sees it. “Protestantism” as such, is also an ism and a challenge to the church of God. It is on a side track rather than on the main line. It is noteworthy that the one ism which the apostle Paul condemned so forcefully—sectism—is no longer regarded as an evil or a challenge.

The Isms are considered under three heads: (1) Isms predominantly biblical; (2) Isms both biblical and cultural; (3) Isms predominantly cultural. Under the first division are treatises on Fundamentalism, Adventism, Dispensationalism, and Perfectionism. These are designated as “Predominantly biblical” being espoused by “groups which differ from the larger denominations of Protestantism in their approach to biblical interpretation.” It is possible the classification may be somewhat misleading.

Under the second heading, appear articles on Judaism, Roman Catholicism, Denominationalism and Ecumenism, and The Healing Sects. In this latter exposition, it appears that Dr. Harry G. Goodykoontz, Professor of Christian Education, confuses “the charisma of healing” as exercised by the elders and others in the primitive ekklesia, with psychiatry, group therapy, pastoral psychology, autosuggestion, and hypnotism, modern methods of treating the psychosomatic and emotionally disturbed.

Under the designation “Isms predominantly cultural,” notice is given to Totalitarianism: Fascism and Communism; Racism; Naturalism, Scientism, Modernism; and Secularism. The average reader will find this section of particular interest, since it presents a study of these isms in language understandable by those who are not advanced students.

The format of the book is excellent. Each writer gives the origin and development of the ism with which he deals, followed by an outline of its salient features, with a suggested method of handling it. At the close of each chapter there are projects of study in which the interested researcher may engage in his own community. A bibliography has been compiled on each ism, which is not one-sided or prejudicial.

The writers are to be commended for their objectivity. This reviewer has never read a volume discussing religious differences, which exhibits less bias. The authors seem to “lean over backwards” in an attempt to be fair to the opposition. In this respect the work is exemplary. One is also impressed by the humility of the eminent scholars selected to deal with these important topics.

One statement worthy of special thought is this, “An inadequate conception of faith interferes with the practical application of biblical truth. Faith may be viewed simply as an intellectual assent to certain doctrines apart from a genuine commitment of the total person to God through Jesus Christ, or it may be viewed as an emotional feeling apart from adequate comprehension. Either of these defects will impair the exercise of the third principle of interpretation. Even when faith is genuine, wisdom and effort are essential for the interpreter.”

The personal reaction of the reviewer upon completing the volume is one of sadness produced by contemplation of the divided state of Christendom; of gratitude that scholarly men are facing up to the differences that exist and are seeking a solution; and of renewed dedication to the task of promoting the unity of all believers by a restoration of the primitive order, so that, in the words of another reformer, John Wesley, we may “Let names, and sects, and parties fall, And Jesus Christ be all in all.”—W. CARL KETCHERSIDE

Science in Everyday Things. William C. Vergara. Harper and Bro., New York. 1958. 308 p., $3.95.

Here is a book that you can pick up time and again, reading here and there, and always be better off for so doing. I recently took this book along with me to the park to read to my wife as we sat watching our daughter play. We had a delighrful time fishing around in the great sea of science for fascinating and helpful information. Neither of us knew that “electric eels” do indeed have power to generate enough electricity to kill a man, that there are at least 75 million galaxies in the sky, that some manunals are venomous, and that the tallest mountains are in the ocean. Learning can be fun. Do you know what causes holes in Swiss cheese, what causes the northern lights, or what animal runs the fastest? Have you wondered if sea animals sleep in the water or if a baseball really curves or if pictures can be taken in the dark?

This unusual book answers the kind of questions our children ask us, but which we cannot answer! How does TV receive the picture you want and not all the others that are possible? Why does aluminum not tarnish? How do insects find their way home? What is the bottom of the ocean like? What causes the man in the moon?

The merit of the book is that it explains so many everyday things in everyday language. Mr. Vergara is not a man to waste words. When he explains harmones, enzymes, cosmic rays, the White Cliffs of Dover, or neon lights he talks like a common man and he makes every word count. I highly recommend this book to those among our readers who are trying to broaden their knowledge and to give more breadth and variety to their family library.—LEROY GARRETT