Our action in building up the University would also be a fitting response to the words burning with zeal of our Holy Father who, in his recent Encyclical, appeals so earnestly to all Bishops to withstand, by the teaching of sound science, the pernicious encroachments of error. Nothing, I am sure, would afford him greater comfort nor prove our devotion to him more completely than a resolute and united endeavor in behalf of the Catholic University.

For these reasons, then, I venture to urge that the great movement for higher Catholic education be carried forward with ever-increasing energy for the glory of God, the defense of religion, the consolation of our sorely-tried Pontiff and the honro of the Church in America.

J. CARD. GIBBONS,

Chancellor of the Catholic University of America.

We have received the following notice, entitled "Modernism and the Bible," from the publishers of the Catholic Encyclopedia. We are happy to print it in full, and for various reasons:-for the compliment it pays to the really remarkable scholarship of a confrère and contributor of our own; as a confirmation from irreproachable sources of views expressed elsewhere in this issue of the NEW YORK REVIEW; as an evidence of the fine blending of Catholic loyalty and devotion to science which marks the editorial management of the Catholic Encyclopedia; and most of all, as an inducement to the learned readers of this REVIEW to give all possible financial and moral support to that excellent publication.

"It may not be the fault of the average Catholic layman if recent non-Catholic newspaper talk has somewhat confused and bewildered him as to the Pope's recent Encyclical on "Modernisin." In this rushing age the average layman can hardly be expected to make a profound and exhaustive study of the Encyclical itself and the history of nineteenth-century thought which led up to it, which would be necessary to reach any clear and well-defined idea as to what "Modernism" really means. The thing meant seems, in fact, to be rather a diffused taint in the intellectual atmosphere than any compact body of doctrine; the Modernists, says the Holy Father, 'present their doctrines without order and systematic arrangement into one whole, scattered and disjointed.

And yet there is a solid nucleus to this impalpable noxious vapor of Modernism. The nebula seems to thicken round and about the field of sacred letters, where the exegesis of some Catholic scholars has been far too accommodating to the modern spirit of scepticism. The new volume, the second, of The Catholic Encyclopedia, comes opportunely to summarize and to illustrate our position in the matter of Pius X. and "Modernism." Those whose function it is to watch over the safety of God's flocks have long since perceived that here was a danger for which the Chief Shepherd must immediately find a remedy. The article "Biblical Commission," in this volume, tells, within the relatively small compass of one page, how that body was constituted by Papal authority in 1901, to investigate the menacing conditions and to suggest a remedy; it tells of the personnel, the official authority, and the work of the commission, and a perusal of that one, clearly and tersely written page is as the beam of a great searchlight striking through the fog which our non-Catholic contemporaries have raised. So much for clear instruction; for illustration the same volume gives us, among others of similar scope, an article entitled “Biblical Antiquities"-eight pages-which in years to come will serve to mark the degree of enlightened freedom fairly sanctioned by the Church in Old-Testament exegesis. Let no good Catholic

with this volume before him be afraid that Pius Xis going to "turn off the light" which modern research has afforded to Christian scholarship; the last-named article and those on "Assyria," "Babylonia," and "Baal" (all by the same author, the Rev. Dr. Gabriel Oussani give ample assurance that in our day, as heretofore, the Catholic Church can afford to tolerate a proper freedom of criticism in her exegetes in perfect consistency with her own inflexible principles."

BOOK REVIEWS.

The International Critical Commentary on the Holy Scriptures of the Old and New Testament-edited by REV. CH. A. BRIGGS, D.D., D.Litt.; REV. S. R. DRIVER, D.D., D.Litt., and REV. A. PLUMMER, M. A., D.D.: New York, Charles Scribner's Sons.

That the study of the Bible in the present day should be not only reverential but also thoroughly critical and scientific no one doubts, for the problems involved are of vital importance, not only for theology but also for the interests of the Christian religion itself. It is therefore much to be regretted that English speaking Catholics do not as yet possess any critical and scientific commentary on the Bible. In this respect our Catholic brethren of the Continent are much more fortunate than ourselves. Thus the Germans can justly be proud of their Kurzgefasster Kommentar zu den heiligen Schriften and many other valuable commentaries on several of the O. and N. T. books; while the French have Le Saint Bible, in 27 vols., by such writers as Fillion, Clair, Gillet, Lesêtre, Trochon, etc. This work is, of course, in many respects antiquated, but the new series projected by the distinguished head of the Dominican Biblical School of Jerusalem, and of which the vol. on Judges, by Lagrange; on Isaias, by Condamin; on John, by Calmes, and on the Minor Prophets, by Van Hoonacker, have already appeared, will doubtless leave nothing to be desired in point of sound, accurate scholarship. The Italian brethren too, are beginning to appreciate the value and usefulness of Dr. Minocchi's praiseworthy commentaries on the Song of Songs, on the Lamentations, on the Psalms, on Isaias, and lately on Genesis. Such are some of the products of our scholarly exegetes on the Continent. English speaking Catholics can point to no such achievement. Not only do we lack a complete critical commentary on the Bible in English, but we are also without any serious critical commentary on any of its individual books. This fact alone is painfully significant and should, we think, stimulate some of our representative English speaking Catholic exegetes to take the matter in hand and begin to fill this grave lacuna in our religious literature. The Cursus Scripturæ Sacræ, projected and edited by some distinguished German Jesuits, such as Cornely, Knabenbauer, Hummelauer and a few others, is indeed an admirable monument of erudition but

it is written in Latin, and the credit for it belongs to Catholic Germany. Yet a critical English commentary of the Old and New Testament is an ever growing need for all Catholic theologians and clergymen, to say nothing of the cultured laity; and awaiting the realization of such a work by our Catholic scholars, we deem it useful to call the attention of those interested in such studies to the International Critical Commentary, which in many respects is well adapted to satisfy our present needs. The series, though incomplete, has already won its place among the best critical commentaries on the Bible, be they German, French, Latin or Italian. Indeed, many of its volumes are doubtless the best that have as yet been written on their respective portions of Holy Writ. The practical success and popularity of the International Critical Commentary is due to two main reasons, viz: I. Its strictly scientific, critical and up-to-date treatment of topics, and II. Its truly international or better, inter-denominational character.

The series, as is well known, is published under the editorship of three distinguished biblical scholars, namely, Prof. Charles Briggs, of Union Theological Seminary, New York; Prof. S. Driver, of Oxford, foremost among the living Old Testament, scholars of England, and Prof. Plummer, of University College, Durham. The first two are in charge of the Old Testament, while Prof. Plummer edits the New Testament commentaries in the series. From the point of view of competency, of painstaking, sober and reverent criticism, the selection of editors was indeed a happy one, and leaves nothing to be desired. Their programme, which has been conscientiously carried out, is set forth by the Editors themselves as follows: "The Commentaries will be international and inter-confessional, and will be free from polemical and ecclesiastical bias. They will be based upon a thorough critical study of the original texts of the Bible, and upon critical methods of interpretation. They are designed chiefly for students and clergymen, and will be written in a compact style. Each book will be preceded by an Introduction, stating the results of criticism upon it, and discussing impartially the questions still remaining open. The details of criticism will appear in their proper place in the body of the Commentary. Each section of the Text will be in-troduced with a paraphrase, or summary of contents. Technical details of textual and philological criticism will, as a rule, be kept. distinct from matter of a more general character; and in the Old Testament the exegetical notes will be arranged, as far as possible,

so as to be serviceable to students not acquainted with Hebrew. The History of Interpretation of the Books will be dealt with, when necessary, in the introduction, with critical notices of the most important literature of the subject. Historical and archeological questions, as well as questions of Biblical Theology, are included in the plan of the Commentaries, but not Practical or Homiletic Exegesis. These volumes will constitute a uniform series."-(From the Editors' Preface). The following is a list of the various volumes of the series, many of which have been published, while others are in preparation:

THE OLD TESTAMENT.

Genesis. The Rev. John Skinner, D.D., Professor of Old Testament Language and Literature, College of Presbyterian Church of England, Cambridge, England.

Exodus. The Rev. A. R. S. Kennedy, D.D., Professor of Hebrew, University of Edinburgh.

Leviticus. J. F. Stenning, M.A., Fellow of Wadham College,

Oxford.

Numbers. The Rev. G. Buchanan Gray, D.D., Professor of Hebrew, Mansfield College, Oxford. [Now Ready].

Deuteronomy. The Rev. S. R. Driver, D.D., D.Litt., Regius Professor of Hebrew, Oxford. [Now Ready].

Joshua. The Rev. George Adam Smith, D.D., LL.D., Professor of Hebrew, United Free Church College, Glasgow.

Judges. The Rev. George Moore, D.D., LL.D., Professor of Theology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Mass. [Now Ready].

Samuel. The Rev. H. P. Smith, D.D., sometime Professor of Biblical History, Amherst College, Mass. [Now Ready].

Kings. The Rev. Francis Brown, D.D., LL.D., Professor of Hebrew and Cognate Languages, Union Theological Seminary, New York City.

Chronicles. The Rev. Edward L. Curtis, D.D., Professor of Hebrew, Yale University, New Haven, Conn.

Ezra and Nehemiah. The Rev. L. W. Batten, Ph.D., D.D.,· Rector of St. Mark's Church, New York City, sometime Professor of Hebrew, P. E. Divinity School, Philadelphia.

Psalms. The Rev. Chas. A. Briggs, D.D., D.Litt., Professor of Theological Encyclopædia and Symbolics, Union Theological Seminary, New York. [2 vols. Now Ready].