Nippold, who has just been promoted from Berne to Jena, has lately published the second volume of his "Manual of Modern Church History." The first volume, published three years ago, contained the introduction to the Church History of the nineteenth century; this second volume gives the History of Catholicism since the restoration of the papacy. The story of this is neither more nor less than the increasing power of the Order of Jesus, and the progressive permeation of the Catholic Church with the spirit of Jesuitism within and without; the assumption and extension of power in the line of temporal rule; with a state policy that ever fails in the means and rarely reaches the goal. The author brings to light many facts and arguments which prove that the Vatican is threatening the Christian world and its missionary efforts with much danger. The author, who possesses a comprehensive knowledge of facts, gives us not simply a mere collection of these, but extends his observations to the more deeply-lying causes that produce events, and the impulses that control their course.

Heinrich Atte's "Archæology of Christian Art" is a well-known and highly esteemed work. It has been growing on his hands for many years, and in 1877, by the conflagation of his home, he lost in a few hours the weary labors, collections, and books that formed his fund of treasures for a revised edition of his work. But notwithstanding his age and physical exhaustion, he determined to go again through the labors of a new and enlarged edition, and this he now gives to the world, He divides it into sections, headed "The Church Edifice," "The Internal Arrangement and Adornment of the Churches," "Church Heraldry," etc. These are merely the central points around which he groups the most manifold subdivisions. The bewildering mass of details indicates an admirable diligence, a thorough collecting, and a careful sifting and working of the whole. The profoundest student can here hardly be left in doubt in regard to any question. The first impression of the reader, as the last, is astonishment at the bee-like industry of the author. From this minute perfection of details, we need scarcely say that the work is not adapted to the mere dilettante of Christian art. And for a like reason it is no mere guide for the beginner in the study of Christian archæology. But for the advanced student, it forms an inestimable fund of this species of knowledge, and is an indispensable manual for his investigations.

A new oriental journal, bearing the title of "Journal for Cuneiform Studies and Filial Subjects," has been begun by two orientalists of the University of Munich, which promises to be a very useful adjunct in this line of learned investigation. It is published quarterly, and bears a somewhat international character, in so far as it is intended for investigators of the Arrow-head Inscriptions in France, England, and our own country. The text will be mainly German, but the editors propose to give articles in the English and French languages, and also in Italian. To judge from the contents of the specimen number, the best

representatives of this line of study will appear in its pages and contribute to its success. Among the authors in this number, we find the names of Schrader, Guiard, Sayce, Appart, Halévy, and others. The Journal promises, according to the articles announced in its Prospectus, to give monographic descriptions of the west Asiatic religions, art, and culture, paying most attention to the Babylonian and Assyrian and Christotheological interests. If it carries out its programme, it will be a very desirable scientific adjunct to its older colleague in Germany, namely, "The German Oriental Journal for Egyptology."

The Rector of the German and Swiss school in Constantinople publishes an interesting monogram in the archives of Christian art of 1884, entitled "A Subterranean Byzantine Church.” This proves to be the narrative of a very interesting "find," which he has made a few miles eastward from ancient Chalcedon, on the shore of the Sea of Marmora, in the coast region of Bithynia. It is a description of a hillock of refuse and earth covering a small church with a low cupola on a quadrangular site. It is surrounded by four halls covered with arches which terminate at the four corners in little chapels with small domes. An oblong court leads into the little church, which is destitute of windows, and therefore from the beginning must have been planned for artificial lighting. Around the church are grouped the remains of rectangular walls, which may point to the earlier existence of a cloister. The peculiar connection of the dome with the quadrangular surface by the rounding of the inner walls indicates, according to the narrator, that the origin of the structure is to be laid in the most ancient period of oriental church architecture, perhaps, therefore, in the sixth century. As the building is not entirely exhumed, a more accurate description cannot yet be given.

Samuel Gobat, the late Protestant Bishop of Jerusalem, has found a biographer who performs a very acceptable task in giving to the world the information that he has been able to collect in regard to this worthy and noted man. The Bishop himself had previously published a diary of his life in Abyssinia up to the period when he entered on his episcopal office in Jerusalem, and then a portion of his biography was to be found only in manuscript in his own hand, written not for publicity, but for the satisfaction of his own family circle. His youngest daughter made a German translation of the English original for the press. The material for the later portion of his life is supplied by Gobat's circulars and the re ports of others, especially of his own children and of a reverend friend. Professor Thiersch gathered and arranged all the material for this book. The impression made by the biography in regard to the personality of Gobat is very clear and emphatic. His pure evangelical piety, his deep humility, his unusual measure of self-sacrifice, his ceaseless struggle for the welfare of souls, even outside of the limits of his own Church, made him a man capable beyond most others to be a pathbreaker for evangelical Christianity and life in the depressed Orient.

And he deserves the greater appreciation because much of the opposition to him, and indeed his greatest troubles, came from the circle of his own English Church. The Germans entertain a high respect for him because of his peculiar relations with Frederick William IV., through whose patronage and care he was placed and maintained in his peculiar position. It appears from this biography that it was the wish of the Prussian king to have the first bishops of the newly organized Prussian Church consecrated by him. The closing pages of the work give a short review of the present condition of the Protestant diocese of Jerusalem.

ART. XIII.-QUARTERLY BOOK-TABLE.

Religion, Theology, and Biblical Literature.

Annual Theological Review. Current Discussions in Theology. By the Professors of Chicago Theological Seminary. Volume II. 12mo, pp. 324. Chicago: Fleming H. Revell.

More than a year ago, three of the professors of Chicago Theological Seminary (Congregational) issued a small volume entitled "Current Discussions," which they designed should be the first of a series of annual publications from that institution, giving some account of the trend of biblical and theological thought and discussions during the last preceding year. The second of the series is now before the public, and the whole six members of the faculty unite in its production, each contributing a "Part" having reference to his own specialty.

Part I, by Professor Samuel Ives Curtis, having the general title, "Present State of Old Testament Studies," and the more definite one, "The History of Israel," occupies about sixty pages, and is one of the most noticeable divisions of the volume. The subject is just now the leading one in the whole world of biblical learning, and it is here treated by a specially able hand. The design appears to be simply to indicate the state of the subject as it exists among the most "advanced," which means the most skeptical and destructive school of critics in the German universities. The situation is outlined with a good share of learning, and with a judicial freedom from bias that seems to be at once clear and exceedingly cold, scarcely giving any indication of the writer's own attitude in respect to the matters of which he writes. Its atmosphere is altogether that of the least evangelical of the German universities, and it apparently "gives away" the cause of

the supernatural religionists, by tacitly allowing the unwarrantable positions of the rationalists to stand unchallenged as they choose to present them. The positions of such critics as Ewald, Wellhausen, Stade, Robertson Smith, and others of the same school of thought, are brought prominently into view, but those of writers of opposite views are very little noticed. The exhibit made is, no doubt, a correct one as to the details given; but as a representation of the subject in hand, as it exists among the great body of Protestant scholars and theologians, it is manifestly onesided and untruthful. There often appears a strange tendency among our biblical and theological scholars to give the advantage in every discussion to the enemies of the Bible and of evangelical orthodoxy. No doubt there is great need of a thorough and searching re-examination of the Old Testament, and it is the duty of our Christian scholars to engage in that work; but there is no good reason why the whole case should be virtually surrendered by uncalled-for concessions before the issue is fairly joined.

The second division of the department of Exegetical Theology, that of the New Testament, by Professor J. T. Hyde, is in quite a different tone from that of the former. The fight about the New Testament, which was precipitated by the publication of Strauss's "Life of Jesus," half a century ago, may be set down as fully determined, with the complete discomfiture of the assailants, but not without driving the defenders out of not a few of the indefensible positions formerly occupied by them. The present state of New Testament learning, which has become popularized in connection with the publication of the Revised Version, is altogether a satisfactory one, and the whole subject is very well outlined in the nearly fifty pages here devoted to it.

In Part II, Exegetical Theology, Professor H. M. Scott details the condition of the subject as it now exists in Germany, with an almost absolute disregard of any other portion of the Church or the world. The state of things among the New Lutherans and the "Unionists" is briefly and rapidly sketched, and then the "New Rationalistic Theology," which is shown to be a medley of all sorts of opinions, agreed upon among themselves only as to their common rejection of and contempt for the cherished opinions of evangelical Christians. The case is stated very calmly and clearly-no doubt fairly-and the reader is left guess what may be the writer's personal estimate of the issues described, and whether or not he has any preference respecting the estimates that his readers may make of the questions discussed.

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All this may be very well, if it is to be understood that it is no part of the duty of a theological professor to vindicate the truth of what he is set to teach.

Part III, Systematic Theology, by Professor George N. Bowman, is devoted to the consideration of Theism and Revelation, and a chapter is given to each of these subjects. The first discusses Professor Hicks's "Design Argument," examining especially his idea of the Absolute, and closing with the unanswered question, whether or not the view there given is tenable. The second chapter is, in like manner, devoted to Professor Ladd's recent book on the "Sacred Scriptures," which is ably handled, and some very good suggestions brought out; but, as if giving any intimation of what is correct or incorrect in it would be an impertinence, the writer is very careful to avoid any thing determinative, though his leaning toward the better side may, at some points, be detected.

Part IV, Practical Theology, (about preaching,) by Professor F. W. Fisk, is much more within the range of every-day life. Much that is given is excellent, but some of his suggestions may be safely subjected to further consideration. About the same criticism might apply to Part V, Pastoral Theology, (Church work,) which treats of the "how" and the requisite appliances for carrying forward, successfully and pleasantly, the proper affairs of "a conjugation of faithful men, in which the pure word of God is [should be] preached, and the sacraments duly administered."

The design and plan of this "annual" appear to us to be especially a happy conception, and the execution of the work, as purposed by its authors, is well done; but its matter suggests a reason why so many of the younger ministers of the Congregational churches appear to be wholly adrift in respect to nearly all the fundamental doctrines of Christianity. It would be an excellent service could one or more of our own theological faculties give to us a similar production, but without its dubiousness of theological opinions.

Theological Encyclopædia and Methodology, on the Basis of Hagenbach. By GEORGE R. CROOKS, D.D., and JOHN F. HURST, D.D. 8vo, pp. 596. New York: Phillips & Hunt. 1884.

The "Library of Biblical and Theological Literature,” projected by the Methodist Book Concern at New York several years ago, advances apace, and we are enabled to announce, as above, the