Book Briefs: December 5, 1960

Frontiers Of Psychiatry And Religion

Soul and Psyche, by Victor White (Harper, 1960, 312 pp., $5), is reviewed by Orville S. Walters, Director, Health Services, University of Illinois.

The splitting of man into soul and psyche is an artificial and untenable division. If man’s soul is assigned to the clergyman and his psyche to the psychiatrist, then each would have to surrender any claim to deal with the whole man and with the process of personality integration. The psychiatrist is, in fact, unable to exclude areas of the soul from his concern, and the religionist likewise cannot exclude what belongs to the psyche. The living organism is the common ground of both psychology and religion.

With these premises, Victor White launches his “Enquiry into the Relationship of Psychiatry and Religion.” A member of the Dominican order, White is professor of theology at Blackfriars, Oxford University, and is author of God and the Unconscious.

Since man is essentially a unity, the object of God’s dealing is the whole man. In the New Testament, the Greek word psyche is the equivalent of life in its entirety. The theologian cannot allow that any sector of life, conscious or unconscious, lies outside this psyche with which he is concerned (p. 23). In so clarifying the scope of the psyche, White corrects even some well-known psychiatrists of his own faith.

Once this segmentation of personality is disallowed, the psychotherapist finds himself in a predicament. The moral and metaphysical questions so important to his troubled patient are insoluble by the methods of empirical science. If he claims, as did Freud, that what is not empirically verifiable by science is not knowable, he makes an assertion that itself is not capable of such proof, but merely states a certain philosophical position. The “neutral” posture of the therapist is a grotesque self-deception. He selects some of the patient’s offerings as genuine manifestations of the unconscious but rejects others as “resistance.” What is to be the therapist’s criterion? His psychotherapy is inseparable from his anthropology (p. 41).

White delineates his limited acceptance of the Jungian approach to religion. (He is a member of the Jung Institute and has lectured there.) While psychology cannot legitimately make any statement about the existence of the nonexistence of God, Jungians concern themselves with the empirical observation of religious phenomena. From these observations are deduced the elements of the Jungian psychology. In the archetypes, Jung contends, may be found the beginnings of religion in its symbolic form. In several chapters, White examines the applicability of the Jungian concepts to Thomistic theology. Some of Jung’s writings are found not only incompatible with Roman Catholic theology, but also lacking in the objectivity that his empiricism professes to maintain (p. 61).

In his final chapter, the author deals with the vexatious question of why holiness does not always insure psychological health. It is true that the Christian has at his disposal unique resources for attaining greater maturity and integration. Sometimes he simply does not avail himself of these; in other instances the fault may be some form of psychopathology. The Word and the Sacraments are not intended to make the unconscious conscious and will not always avail to do so (p. 189). The Christian is not immune to psychic disintegration and Christianity may offer increased occasion for guilt. Sanctification is not a fait accompli but a process. Wholeness, in the sense of complete reintegration, is finally the work of grace, but it is still eschatological, something to be hoped for from God rather than fully achieved in this life. Therefore, the presence of neurosis or even psychosis in the souls of the faithful should not occasion too much surprise (p. 187).

Although his primary concern is with Thomistic theology and Jungian psychology, White has grappled here with some of the most perplexing problems on the frontier between psychiatry and religion. Even those answers with a strong Thomistic slant will advance the thinking of those in both camps who are searching to find ground for synergistic collaboration.

ORVILLE S. WALTER

The Search For God

The Ancient Gods, by E. O. James (G. P. Putnam’s Sons, 1960, 355 pp., $7.50), is reviewed by Oswald T. Allis, formerly Professor of Old Testament at Westminster Theological Seminary.

This book is important for two reasons. It is the latest of the numerous publications of the now emeritus professor of the history of religion at the University of London. For a half century or more the author has been working, writing, and lecturing in the field of anthropology and comparative religion. He is one of the recognized leaders of the British School of Myth and Ritual. The subtitle defines the scope of the book more precisely as “The History and Diffusion of Religion in the Ancient Near East and the Eastern Mediterranean.”

The work is scholarly and comprehensive, but it has two very serious defects. It is a history of religion, not of religions. This means that the emphasis is on resemblances and alleged relationships, rather than differences. All the religions dealt with are treated as phenomena of the expression of the search of the human spirit after the Unknown. Dr. James is greatly interested in the religion of the Bible. But he makes no clear distinction between it as a unique revelation from God and the ethnic faiths. And the religion of Israel with which he deals in this treatise is not the religion set forth in the Bible, but the modern reconstruction which is the product of higher criticism; and since this reconstruction is itself the end-product of the rewriting of the Bible in terms of evolution and comparative religion, it is not surprising that the origin and development of that religion as traced in this volume is found to have marked points of contact with these ethnic faiths. The result would be very different had the author allowed the Holy Scriptures to speak for themselves and had he taken them in their obvious sense.

As a single example, I cite the use made of David as an illustration of the “sacral kingship.” “Thus, David wore an ephod and danced ecstatically before the ark when it was taken to Mount Zion, after the Jebusite fortress had been made the capital. There he took over the priesthood of the god Zedek and placed himself at the head of the hierarchy with Zadok and Nathan as his kohen and nabi respectively” (p. 125). This is a striking example of what Albright has called the “symbiosis” of Canaanite and Israelite religion, which is so severely denounced in the Bible!

The second reason the book is important lies in the fact that it is the first of some 16 volumes in a series edited by Professor James, which is to be called “The Putnam History of Religion.” The titles of some of the others will be: Buddhism, Zoroastrianism, Islam, Judaism, the Eastern Churches, the Anglican Communion, Roman Catholicism, Protestantism, The History of Heresy, and Primitive Religions in Contemporary Society. About half of the authors are professors in British universities. But Harvard, Yale, Princeton, and other institutions are also represented. The series will be helpful and valuable to the Christian student and scholar largely in the measure that it does justice to the uniqueness of the religion of the Bible. As to this Professor James’ introductory volume is far from reassuring.

OSWALD T. ALLIS

Evaluating Paul

Paul and the Salvation of Mankind, by Johannes Munck (John Knox Press, 1959, 351 pp., $6.50), is reviewed by Merrill C. Tenney, Dean of the Graduate School, Wheaton College (Illinois).

In a series of technical and detailed scholarly studies, the author has attempted a fresh evaluation of Paul’s ministry based on a close and painstaking study of the Epistles. The 11 chapters of the book cover the career of the Apostle to the Gentiles from his conversion and call to his final defense before the emperor. Munck is more concerned with the interpretation of the Pauline movement than with the details of Paul’s biography. He holds that Paul sought to present Christianity as the final stage of Judaism. “Paul makes no distinction between Judaism and Christianity, as we do. He himself is a Jew, and through Christ he is a Jew or Israelite in the full sense of the word. The Church’s most important task is the conversion of Israel; it is the culminating point in the short history of the Church between Christ’s ascension and return, and from that point life and salvation radiate to the whole world” (p. 318).

Several of his suggestions are novel. He interprets the “hinderer” of 2 Thessalonians 2 to be Paul himself, whose ministry to the Gentiles must be completed before the Lord can return. The Judaizers of Galatians are not Jews from Jerusalem but local Gentiles who have become enamored of the law. The Corinthian correspondence is not, as numerous critics have advocated, a mosaic of fragments, but an orderly succession of letters of which I and II Corinthians are unitary members. Romans is the manifesto of Pauline teaching on the relation of Jewish and Gentile Christianity, which are essentially alike. Acts belongs to the sub-apostolic age “because the writer cannot have been one of Paul’s pupils, writing during the apostle’s lifetime.”

Although Munck is not intentionally constructing an apologetic for a conservative view of Paul’s theology, he has effectively destroyed the older dichotomy of Petrine (Jewish) and Pauline (Gentile) theology originating in the Tübingen school, and he has made a number of shrewd observations that evangelical scholars can well afford to consider. His meticulous examination of the biblical text is exact and discerning, though occasionally tedious. The chief flaw in his work is his low estimate of Acts as an historical source; its strength lies in its academic thoroughness; but it is better suited to discussion in a learned seminar than for immediate use in sermonizing.

MERRILL C. TENNEY

Church And State

Constantine and Religious Liberty, by Hermann Doerries, translated by Roland N. Bainton (Yale University Press, 1960, 141 pp., $5), is reviewed by William Nigel Kerr, Professor of Church History and Missions, Gordon Divinity School.

This work is a contribution to the contemporary understanding of toleration based upon Constantine’s treatment of the heathen (tolerance with conversion in mind) and dissident Christian groups (intolerance because they purposely tread the truth under foot). The author brings to bear on the problem his rich knowledge of Constantine and his understanding of the European State-Church relationship since the Reformation. Doerries finds the seeker of toleration caught in the same enigmatic plight as Constantine and his successor. Tolerance and intolerance are inextricably bound together. One cannot be defined without touching the other. The very word toleration “carries the overtones of bitter contention” (p. 77) and to such a degree that despite our historical perspective we are unable still to distinguish fully “between the sublimity of the gospel, and its monstrous perversion” (p. 77), Doerries concludes that toleration cannot exist at all if its support is found in law, for “Tolerance has to do in every period with the new and the living, the work of the spirit” (p. 131).

Despite the fact that Doerries does not give full play to the possibilities of democracy, his work can have a catalytic value in the present joint exploration of religious liberty and Church-State relationship.

WILLIAM NIGEL KERR

Gnostic Library

The Secret Books of the Egyptian Gnostics, by Jean Doresse (Viking Press, 1960, 445 pp., $6.50), is reviewed by Richard E. Taylor, candidate for the Ph.D. at the University of St. Andrews.

Frenchman Jean Doresse was the first Coptic specialist to see the 44 books (including the Gospel of Thomas) uncovered in Egypt in 1946 as part of a Gnostic library. He has now given an account of the discovery and an admittedly sketchy and uneven description of its contents. The sketchiness is the result of a lack of time on the part of M. Doresse for examining thoroughly all the manuscripts. Since his initial perusal of them, progress has been very slow. But he does give a complete list of the titles of the Gnostic books and devotes over 100 pages to a description of their contents. He also gives, in the opening chapters of the book, a good discussion of the present understanding of Gnosticism and a summary of the sources for its study. In the closing chapters he draws some conclusions about the Gnostic sect that owned the library and discusses later developments in Gnosticism.

Doresse puts the books of the Gnostic library into four groups: (1) Revelations of Gnostic prophets, for example, Seth and Zoroaster; (2) Gnostic books with a thin Christian disguise (the Apocryphon of John and the Wisdom of Jesus Christ); (3) Christian Gnostic writings; and (4) Hermetic literature. The books in the second category were published in 1955 (but there are unpublished copies with significant differences). In the third group, the Gospel of Thomas (of which Doresse gives an introduction, translation, and short commentary) and the Gospel of Truth are generally available. Of the other Christian Gnostic books, for example, the Dialogue of the Saviour, Book of Thomas the Athlete, Acts of Peter, Revelation of James, Apocalypse of Paul, Doresse says disappointingly little; but he does give a few summary descriptions and quotations, and notes that these are unlike previously-known apocrypha with the same titles. The book is a useful and well-documented introduction to Gnosticism and to the newly-discovered Gnostic library. A comprehensive index makes it extremely useful for reference purposes.

RICHARD E. TAYLOR

Study Of Baptism

The Biblical Doctrine of Initiation, by R. E. O. White (Eerdmans, 1960, 392 pp., $6), is reviewed by M. Eugene Osterhaven, Professor of Systematic Theology, Western Theological Seminary.

If one were to ask why there has been such wide discussion about Christian baptism in recent years, a variety of answers would be at hand. Some would tell him it is due to the recovery of biblical theology and the new interest in the “mysteries” of the faith; or that it is illustrative of the rediscovery of the means of grace in the ministry of the Church, and of the new interest in symbolism in the Christian faith. And he would be told that it is a result of gross misunderstanding of the New Testament’s significance of the holy rite and of a lack of discipline within the Church which has profaned, if not prostituted, her sacraments. An illustration of the last-mentioned is offered in the volume before us. “Out of every one hundred children born, sixty-seven are baptised at fonts of the Church of England, twenty-six are subsequently confirmed, only nine remain faithful even to the extent of making their communion … at Easter” (p. 296, n 1). In order to make clear that he has no illusions about the situation in Baptist churches either, the author thereafter remarks, “comparable figures for adult-baptising churches are unobtainable but might show similar disappointments, though in this case the fault lies wholly in the baptised, and not in the rite.” This study of baptism must be included among the best on the subject; it takes its place among publications of recent years by Flemington, Cullmann, Marcel, and Murray. The book is probably the best anti-paedobaptist work since Carson’s magnum opus of more than a century ago. The author has a thorough understanding of his subject and he knows how to write. The exposition is clear, there is a good command of language, the arguments of other authors are neatly and fairly handled, and there are frequent summaries of the argument so that one does not lose his way. Moreover, the author knows the weaknesses in the positions of his opponents (vid., e.g., pp. 279 ff. where he most effectively attacks the paedobaptist position).

Unlike some Baptist literature, White’s study shows appreciation for the covenant which God established with Israel and the prevenience of grace throughout the history of redemption.

The reviewer felt that the author’s position needs strengthening in those very points where Marcel (The Biblical Doctrine of Infant Baptism) is strong, in the matter of the unity of the covenant and the relation of circumcision to baptism, and in the doctrine of the Church. White, like a good Baptist, continues to define the Church as a fellowship of believers only (pp. 287, 315, passim) which to some of us fails to do justice to the biblical teaching and to believers’ children, the lambs of the flock.

The reviewer believes also that there is biblical warrant for baptism by a mode other than immersion, although White’s discussion here also was not irritating as other Baptists’ writings have been. The book will give many people a new appreciation for the Baptist position for, even when portions of the argument are not accepted, it is as worthy of respectful study as any of the literature on the subject.

M. EUGENE OSTERHAVEN

Biblical Data

A Dictionary of Life in Bible Times, by W. Corswant, edited and illustrated by Edouard Urech and translated by Arthur Heathcote (Oxford, 1960, 308 pp., $6.50), is reviewed by Burton L. Goddard, Dean of Gordon Divinity School.

How long has it been since a professor of the history of religions and biblical archaeology dealt with technical subjects in so simple a fashion that his book could be recommended to those of junior grade! Yet this is the claim of the translator of the dictionary-manual prepared by the Neuchatel scholar and which, after Corswant’s death, one of his former students completed and made ready for publication. I do not vouch for the entire worthiness of the claim, but I do affirm that the author has given us in clear and nontechnical language a wealth of well-organized biblical and related data.

Translator Heathcote succinctly summarizes the contents: “Every outward and visible aspect of the personal, social, and religious life of the Israelites and early Christians is treated, together with such associated topics as the fauna, flora, and minerals of Palestine” (p. vii). The dictionary form is a ready reference convenience; the “Systematic Classification of Principal Articles” at the beginning of the volume makes possible a rather extensive acquaintance with major subject areas.

Although the style is popular, the author speaks with the authority of an informed scholar. Not all the data is biblical in character; the author includes such subjects as Hittite amulets, Canaanite temples, and Egyptian dress, and the volume is abundantly illustrated with drawings of items unearthed by archaeologists. There is even an article on “Inri” and one on the “Tomb of Absalom!”

For the most part, Corswant refrains from introducing controversy regarding the trustworthiness of the text of Scripture, but his commitment to the views of higher criticism is reflected plainly in such articles as those on the Brazen Serpent, the Law, the Sun, the Tabernacle, and so forth. It may be asked whether conservative ministers will want to put the volume into the hands of teachers and pupils in their Sunday Schools. The answer probably depends upon the person using it, whether or not he knows how to evaluate the claims for documentary analysis of the Pentateuch. One should approach such a work critically. On the other hand, we question whether the problem is present to much greater extent than in the revised edition of the International Standard Bible Encyclopedia.

Our judgment would be that the book will have wider circulation among the evangelical clergy than among lay people. The average pastor will find it most convenient for quick reference. Then if he desires to pursue a particular subject further, he can go to biblical, religious, and general encyclopedias and specialized works for detailed, technical information.

There are further criticisms I could make of this volume which has so many commendable qualities. For example, Corswant’s treatment and selection of animal names unfortunately does not follow any one English language version of the Bible, but in spite of its defects, Corswant’s book is very well printed and adequately illustrated. Scripture references for the most part are relegated to footnotes. The articles are easy and interesting to read. This is a good test of any book!

BURTON L. GODDARD

Clue To Justice

The Theological Foundation of Law, by Jacques Ellul (Doubleday, 1960, 140 pp., $3.95), is reviewed by C. Gregg Singer, Professor of History at Catawba College.

There can be no doubt that contemporary philosophies of law must be recalled from the abyss of positivism and relativism into which they have been led by Oliver Wendell Holmes, Jr., and his followers, on and off the bench. At first glance, Jacques Ellul would seem to have been successful in his attempt to rescue us from these twin perils. This book is essentially a radical criticism of natural law theories, and the author argues convincingly against both the classical and the more modern versions in the light of Scriptures. It is heartening to see a contemporary professor of law in a European university take such a stand. However, the reviewer regrets that in the general criticism, the author has assumed that Calvin’s conception of both the nature and function of the law of nature is the same as that found in the system of Thomas Aquinas.

In a positive treatment of his subject, Ellul calls for a theological understanding of law. But it is precisely at this point that the difficulty arises. Although the author holds to many evangelical doctrines, such as the fall of Adam, original sin, the deity of Jesus Christ, his second coming and a final judgment, he also seems to accept Barthian presuppositions at certain points in his argument, notably where he rejects the doctrine of common grace which leads him to the conclusion that apart from Jesus Christ there is only “non law.” He further insists that there can be no study of law apart from Jesus Christ, and he finds the center of law in the righteousness of God in Christ. The crux of the argument is found in his denial that in fallen man there is any remnant of the image of God, and he dismisses the usual evangelical interpretation of Romans 2:14 that God has written his law in the heart of man. Accordingly, Ellul rejects the historic view that human rights are the result of the possession of this image and finds the seat of human rights in God’s covenant of mercy with the race.

Because of the theological inconsistencies in the book, there is a resulting legal confusion which prevents the author from accomplishing his purpose. Nevertheless, the author is to be commended for insisting that the real clue to understanding of both law and justice is in theology.

C. GREGG SINGER

Here And Hereafter

This World and the Beyond, by Rudolf Bultmann (Scribner’s, 1960, 248 pp., $3.50), is reviewed by Geoffrey W. Bromiley, Professor of Church History, Fuller Theological Seminary.

This short volume, excellently translated by Dr. Harold Knight, consists of sermons preached at Marburg during the period 1936–1950. It thus gives us an opportunity of seeing how the theology of Bultmann works out in practice, that is, in the presentation of the Gospel message. The general theme of the series—an important one for Bultmann—is itself biblical in substance, namely, that of the relationship of this world to that which is to come. The theme is presented with a force and relevance, a seriousness and profundity of thought, yet also an elegance of expression and a happy use of hymnal and literary quotation, which might cause many preachers to envy and certainly ought to stir them to emulation. Nevertheless, while the basic unorthodoxy of Bultmann does not obtrude, there is a lurking thinness, inadequacy, and perhaps even ultimate irrelevance which must be attributed to the failure to present a full and fully authentic biblical message. If the miracle stories are pious fictions, as Bultmann candidly tells us in relation to the miraculous catch of fishes, then the drawing out of powerful spiritual or theological lessons is a mere spinning in the void, and no amount of pious existentialism can supply power or solidity.

GEOFFREY W. BROMILEY

Book Briefs

A Believer’s Life of Christ, by John C. Rankin (Wilde, 1960, 210 pp., $3.50). Inspiring meditations with a distinctly scriptural and theological orientation.

Out of the Depths, by Anton T. Boisen (Harper, 1960, 216 pp., $4). The personal “case history” of an erratic psychiatrist whose works have had wide influence in the field of religion and psychiatry.

Fragments of a Faith Forgotten, by G. R. S. Mead (University Books, 1960, 633 pp., $10). An objective interpretation and analysis of the Gnostic movement and its literature.

Speaker’s Book of Illustrations, by Herbert V. Prochnow (Wilde, 1960, 165 pp., $2.95). Hundreds of well-selected anecdotes, epigrams, and humorous stories by public speakers.

God’s Provision for Normal Christian Living, by Robert T. Ketcham (Moody, 1960, 154 pp., $2.75). A faithful delineation of the Christian life and the resources which make it possible.

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