WATTS’S LITERARY GUIDE. B E I N G A M O N T H L Y R E C O R D O F L I B E R A L A N D A D V A N C E D P U B L I C A T I O N S .
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No. 90.]
MAY 15 , 1893.
[P r ic e One P en n y .
N E I V P U B L I C A T IO N S .
O U R L I B R A R Y S H E L V E S .
M essrs. Watts & Co. will publish next week the first volume 'of Mr. F. J. Gould’s “ Concise History of Religion ” (2s. 6d.). In it will be found brief accounts of the principal religions of the world (except Judaism, Christianity, and Mohammedanism), preceded by an analysis exhibiting the chief phases of primitive worship and the main lines of religious development. We venture to say that the work is one of the most instructive issued from the Rationalist press during recent years.
Messrs. Swan Sonnenschein & Co. have issued a little work, from the pen of Mr. Arthur Lillie, dealing with “ The Influence of Buddhism on Primitive Christianity” (3s. 6d.).
T he Right Hon. Sir M. E . Grant Duff has published, through Messrs. Macmillan & Co., a deeply interesting volume entitled “ Ernest Renan: In Memoriam.” The author was an intimate friend of the eminent Freethinker.
V isito rs to South Place Institute, and indeed all liberal thinkers, will be glad to hear that a life of Mr. W. J . Fox is being written by his daughter. The distinguished exponent of Unitarianism was also, it will be remembered, the author of the articles in the Weekly D ispatch under the pseudonym of “ Publicola.”
P rofessor Max M u l ler has chosen the title, “ Theosophy or Psychological Religion” (10s. 6d.), for the volume containing his recent Gifford Lectures. He explains, somewhat apologetically, that by “ Theosophy” he means something very different from spirit-rappings, table-turnings, and the black arts.
M r . H er b er t S pencer has completed the second volume of “ The Principles of Ethics” (12s. 6d.), and it is now issued by Messrs. Williams & Norgate.
M iss Mathilde B l ind , the author of “ The Ascent of Man,” very favourably reviewed in these columns at the time of publication, has written a new volume of poetry, entitled “ Songs and Sonnets,” which will be cordially welcomed by her many admirers.
Mr. C harles Watts has written a new pamphlet, taking as his text Sir George Mivart’s recent paper in the N in e teenth Century. The title of the brochure is “ Happiness in Hell and Misery in Heaven” (3d.).
M e ssr s . Watts & Co. are issuing, on behalf of the Rationalist Press Committee, a remarkably cheap edition of the Prize Essays on “ The Practical Value of Christianity,” written by the Rev. Broadhurst Nichols and C. YV. Dymond, F.S.A. The volume covers 160 pages, and the price in cloth is is., or in paper 3d. (postage 2d.). For the purposes of distribution, 50 copies of the paper edition are offered at ios., or 100 for 18s. 6d., in each case carriage paid.
A mong the classics of Rationalism, despite the imperfections which later research has revealed in its theories, stands
ST R A U S S ’S “ L I F E OF J E S U S ”
(translated from the fourth German edition, by George E l io t ; Swan Sonnenschein; second edition, in one vo l .; 1892 ; 784 pp.; 15s.). In the Guide for November, 1888, we gave an account of the later and more popular “ Life ” which Strauss issued in 1864. The work now before us was originally published in 1835, and is of a more elaborate and academic character; and yet it is by no means beyond the level of the general reader, as “ general readers” go in the Agnostic world. Strauss’s leading idea is that the central figure of Christianity was built up out of Jewish Messianic myths, with certain additions which grew out of the actual career of the historical Jesus. These myths were in process of formation long before Jesus was born. “ So that for the period between the formation of the first Christian community and the writing of the Gospels there remains to be effected only the tranference of Messianic legends, almost all ready formed, to Jesus, with some alterations to adapt them to Christian opinions, and to the individual character and circumstances of Jesus ; only a very small proportion of mythi having to be formed entirely new.” This principle of interpretation Strauss lays down in his Introduction, which gives also a backward glance at Philo’s and Origen’s allegorical methods of explaining Scripture, the Rationalist treatment of Eichhornand Paulas, and the moral exposition of Kant. Having thus dug his trenches and circumvallated the orthodox fortress, Strauss makes his assault in detail, Part I. giving the History of the Birth and Childhood of Jesus ; Part II., the Public Life of Jesus ; Part I II ., the Passion, Death, and Resurrection of Jesus. From each part we may cull an example of Strauss’s mode of scrutiny. On the question of the alleged supernatural birth of Jesus he sets out the difficulties of the orthodox opinion. I f a human father were dispensed with in order to avoid the stain of original sin, how did the mother escape this mark of imperfection? And if Joseph were not the father of Jesus, of what use were the genealogies which traced his descent through Joseph to royal and patriarchal ancestors ? Strauss closes the discussion by concluding that the groundwork of the legend lies in the story of Sarah’s conception of Isaac, and the mystical turn given to such Old Testament expressions as “ Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee,” etc. As another sample of Strauss’s method we may take his examination of the Temptation story. He points out remarkable divergences among the Evangelists, and puts a series of awkward questions, such as : I f the Devil knew Christ to be divine, why did he take the unnecessary trouble to tempt him ? Among miscellaneous comments on the temptation episode is cited the desperate suggestion that the Devil was able to show Jesus all the kingdoms of the world in a moment by means of a map 1 Quite as ingenious, but more rational, is the notion that it was not the
