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large place in the lite ra tu re of the n a tion, and they appeal to th e silence of th a t lite ra tu re in proof th a t no such personage in fact existed. And yet when th e testim ony of Ezekiel is cited, they declare th a t th ere m u st have been ano th er Daniel of equal if no t g reater fame, who flourished a t some earlier epoch of th e ir history, about not even th e vaguest trad itio n of his existence has survived! Such casuistry is hard to deal .with. “ But th e m a tte r becomes fa r more serious and solemn when we realize how definitely th e visions of Daniel h ave been adopted in th e teaching of Christ. Dr. F a rra r imagines th a t he has disposed of th e m a tte r by th e fig m ent th a t in th e tw enty-fourth chap te r of Matthew th e reference to “Dan iel th e p rophet” was added by th e evan gelist as an explanatory note. But even if such a wild suggestion could be allowed every in telligen t read er of the passage can see th a t any such interpola- tiqn must have been based upon th e ob vious and unm istakable connection be tween th e words of our Lord and the visions of th e prophet of the Exile. “ Here is a dilemma from which es cape is impossible. If the Gospels be au th en tic and tru e, our Lord has ad opted, and identified H im self w ith, the visions of th is now discredited book. If th e Gospels be unreliable and fic titious, th e foundations of our faith are destroyed, and belief in Christian ity is sheer superstition .” THE SUMMARIZED BIBLE This volume by K eith L. Brooks rep resen ts much tim e and labor. Six things are given in connection w ith each one of th e eleven hundred and eighty- nine chapters of th e English Bible. The contents are epitomized in a sentence or two. The characters are nam ed. The conclusion or leading lesson is stated. The key word is indicated. A ttention is called to the strong verse and lastly th e strik in g facts are itemized. The au th o r gives conclusions w ithout the processes by which they are reached. The only possible disadvantage th a t m ight atten d th e use of th e volume would be its labor saving effect. The study of th e Bible means h ard and in dependent work. Sometimes a stud en t is tempted to accept th e resu lt of an o th e r’s labor and dispense w ith th e pro cess. In th a t case his work is u n fru it ful. Pre-digested food may be good
for a weak stomach b u t will weaken a strong one. It would be well, however, for a stud en t of Scripture to do th e same work th a t th e au th o r of th e Summar ized Bible has done and then compare results. It is a notable and welcome addition to the many helps to Bible study and in any course of consecutive Bible read ing will be found to be well nigh in dispensable.-—F. W. F a rr. Dr. G riffith-Thomas says of th e work: “ On its own lines it is adm irable for its helpfulness and those who use it will certainly obtain a thorough knowledge of th e Bible. PAUL’S CONVERSION ' A second edition of Chas. F. Reitzel’s book, “P au l’s Conversion,” has ju st been issued by th e Union Gospel P rin ting Co. and we h eartily commend ib is unique study to all Bible students. Mr. Reitzel tak es up th e study of P au l’s conversion and life in a series of in te r esting couplets, devoting a chapter to each couplet. We mention a few of these which will be to many a fru itfu l line of study even ap a rt from Mr. R eit zel’s book. 1. Acts 9 :5 : “Who a rt Thou L o rd ?” and 9 :6 : “W hat w ilt Thou have me to do?” These are called th e couplet of Christian service. The question must be decided by each in exactly th is or der. 2. Acts 22:10 and 9, 10, 11: The couplet of divine operations. The Lord calls P aul to Damascus and th e Lord prepares Ananias by a vision, for the reception of Paul. There are many such dual operations recorded. 3. Acts 26:13 and 26:14; The coup le t of heavenly forces. Two harm on ious heavenly forces en ter into P au l’s conversion, ligh t and voice. These two are seen to be buiding factors in the lives of men today. Psa. 43:3. 4. Acts 9:15 and 9 :16 : The couplet of God’s will. The passive and active aspects of God’s will, or w itnessing and suffering for Christ’s sake. 5. Acts 22:22 and 9 :15 : The couplet of estimates-—m an’s estim ate of God’s serv an t and God’s estimate. 6 . Acts 22:3 and 15:8: The couplet of n atu res— P au l as born of the flesh and as born from above. 7. Acts 26:5 and Phil. 3 :3 : Thè couplet of worshippers—-P au l’s religious worship as an unsaved man and his worship in th e sp irit as a Christian.
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