CONCORDIA THEOLOGICAL MONTHLY The Crisis of Theological Historicism and How It May Be Overcome WILHELM MUNDLE Bible Study in the Life of the Church OSCAR E. FEUCHT The Devotional Use of the Bible ' JAMES G. MANZ Homiletics Theological Observer Book Review VOL. xxxm July 1962 No.7 BOOK REVIE\X/ All books 'reviewed in this periodical may be procured from 01' through Concordia Pub­ lishing House, 3558 South Jefferson Avenue, St. Louis 18, Missouri. THE EV. LUTHERAN CHURCH OF preacher to whom I can take my personal NIGERIA, 1936-1961. By Paul M. problems." Most preachers will find a new Volz. Calabar, Nigeria: Hope Waddell perspective and inspiration for preaching in Press, 1961. Paper. 80 pages. Price not this volume. Some of Jackson's points will given. irritate the Lutheran pastor. All in all, how­ If is a pleasure to receive this honest and ever, it would be salutary for every preacher straightforward history of the Evangelical to meet the issues raised in this book. Lutheran Church of Nigeria from its be­ KENNETH H. BREIMEIER ginnings until the present. Full credit is given to the foundations laid by others, THE CARE AND FEEDING OF MINIS­ notably the Qua Iboe Mission, and the nat­ TERS. By Kathleen Neill Nyberg. New rad. _ poin.. Jut that the prime desire of York: 1 .. 19do ress, 1.961. 141 pages. the Ibesikpo people was for education and Cloth. $2.50. therefore a teaching church. This book, "from the wife's point of The churches in Nigeria and elsewhere view," is written with exceptional skill and are in Paul Volz's debt for this factual common sense. It will do the pastor, and account of the past 25 years, given over as sometimes his official board, as much good they were largely to an emphasis on edu­ as his wife. The place of Christ and His cation. Word in the nurture and refreshment of the It will be interesting to note how the pastor's wife and her husband could be church responds to the challenge of the next stated more explicitly, but what is said does quarter century when government can be not collide with it. expected to take over ever larger areas of RICHARD R. CAEMMERER education and the church's role in this field is likely to decrease. EFFECTIVE PUBLIC PRAYER. By Robert L. Williamson. Nashville: Broadman Press, WILLIAM J. DANKER 1960. vii and 152 pages. Cloth. $2.95. A PSYCHOLOGY FOR PREACHING. By The author, a Presbyterian minister, writes Edgar N. Jackson. New York: Channel for fellow pastors in the "Calvinian cult," Press, 1961. 191 pages. Cloth. $3.50. but his book will be both a comfort and The author applies the insights of pastoral an aid to those in the "Lutherian." Since care to the preaching task. His thesis is that the instruction is directed toward the com­ the pastor must preach to the real flesh-and­ position and delivery of the "pastoral prayer," blood problems of his people in order to the invocation, the offertory prayer, and the be effective. A pastor with a warmhearted prayer after the sermon, much of what is appreciation for the needs of his people will said is not directly pertinent to the conduct not be authoritarian or overly dogmatic. He of the Lutheran service. But in a time when will encourage people to grow from where voices question the value of the formal pat­ they are. People will feel that "this is a tern and prayers of our rite, it is a comfort 431 432 BOOK REVIEW to read these reco=endations for prayers sions end with Augustine's conversion flood adequately prepared, written out, phrased in continues the story with excerpts from ser­ beauty, and oriented to the church year as mons, letters, and treatises. It is possible to well as to specific needs. The author favors tell the whole story this way simply because extempore delivery: "If the prayer is to be Augustine wrote so much. Each excerpt is memorized and recited, it might just as well carefully footnoted. be read. After all, it is a time of prayer. WALTER W. OETTING All eyes should be closed" (p. 108). He concedes that the delivery will possibly be DIE WELT DES HIND UISM US. By Arno less smooth, but "it will sound like prayer." Lehmann. Detmold, Germany: Tolle und For the pastor who has his eyes open and Co., 1961. Paper. 32 pages. n. p. can read well the author suggests the occa­ Keeping busily at work east of the new sional use of the ancient litanies of the barriers between the communist and the church. ("They are nearly always the best, nonco=unist worlds, Lehmann has man­ and the people should not be denied the aged to pack an admirable amount of in­ privilege of experiencing them.") The Lu­ formation and spirit into this very brief theran pastor who has his ears open and treatment of Hinduism. He finds room not can hear will draw some conclusions from only for the usual description of philosoph­ that suggestion about his customary nractice ical Hind'-'£~~, ",," also, becau-- _£ L!_ -nis­ of using the best prayers the church has sionary experience in India, for a realistic composed over the years. description of popular religion _.. __ ~._ -,",ety. The book's instruction for preparing ex­ WILLIAM J. DANKER tempore prayers should be an aid to pastors who tend to open or close meetings rather GOD'S WORD INTO ENGLISH. By than worship God in their free praying, or Dewey M. Beegle. New York: Harper & whose expressions are informational or in­ Brothers, 1960. x and 178 pages. Cloth. structive rather than aids to intercession, $3.50. petition, thanksgiving, confession, adoration, Few books state so simply and so con­ or dedication. It is not enough for ministers vincingly the case for the ongoing task of to preach about these things. "In public rendering the Bible into intelligible terms. prayer people may be helped to experience Still fewer present a really honest and fair them." (P.139) GEORGE W. HOYER appraisal of the relation of the King James Version to modern translations. For example, THE MIND AND HEART OF AUGUS­ critics of the Revised Standard Version have TiNE. Edited by ]. M. Flood. Introduc­ often observed that this version submits tion by Martin D'Arcy. Fresno: Academy a large proportion of conjectural readings of Guild Press, 1960. 108 pages. Cloth. the Old Testament text, but fail to note that $2.45. under the italics of the King James Version This lovely little biographical sketch, built lie buried many speculations as to the mean­ entirely around excerpts from Augustine's ing of the original and that in many cases writings, is almost devotional in its character. departures from the Masoretic Text are not The first part is taken from the Confessions even noted. In addition to the many illus­ except where other material fills in the story, trations of improved readings in modern such as his debt to Romanianus, his love versions, the author is certain to endear of Cicero, and an explanation of why he was himself to a large circle of readers who have for a time a Manichean. Since the Confes- been looking for a reprint of the PrefaCe BOOK RIlVIEW 433 to the King James Version, "The Translators lator has made a conjectural emendation in to the Reader." He thoughtfully appends it Titus 3: 5 or has inadvertently omitted ref­ along with the preface to William Tyndalc's erence to God's mercy (aX"-u. )mt 'to ul!'toii translation of Genesis in his Pentateuch, l£AEor;). "Tables" are imported into Mark printed in 1530. 7:4 (if the Textus Receptus was used, the FREDERICK W. DANKER word XALVWV should be rendered beds). And certainly it is not too much to ask that NORLIE'S SIMPLIFIED NEW TEST A­ a modern translator, with all the resources MENT: IN PLAIN ENGLISH -FOR of textual criticism at his command, should TODAY'S READER. Trans. by Olaf M. refrain from perpetuating a verse that cer­ Norlie. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Pub­ tainly was not a part of the "original Greek" lishing House, 1961. 762 pages. Cloth. text of the earliest church, namely, the $3.95. comma fohanneum in 1 John 5:7. The in­ Publication of the New English Bible: telligent young person for whom this version New Testament has put free-lance translators is intended will most certainly find himself at a disadvantage, and in the presence of so confused when he takes up other modern­ many excellent modern-speech versions any speech versions which reflect a more con­ claims to a fresh rendering of the original scientious textual-critical scholarship (see will I'leet with skep'ic3: cru·!. '-7care also the absence of DC ~3 ')n ;-,rark 10:9-20 not convinced that the English in this "sim­ and John 7 :53-8: 11). plified" version is any simpler than that in A more iiberal approach to textual critical Goodspeed's American Translation (note, problems is taken by R. K. Harrison in his e. g., Rom. 5: 16, 17, "acquittal" (G) vs. translation of the Psalms, which accompany "justification"; "uprightness" (G) vs. "sanc­ this volume. In Ps.20:9, e. g., he follows tification" ) . the LXX; in Ps.72:9 he adopts the con­ As for the claim of a "graceful eloquence jectural emendation "':l~, in place of MT's so often lacking in modern-speech versions," C":~. In Ps. 22 he resorts to conjectural it is distressing to note the choppy effect of paraphrase in an attempt to preserve the many of Norlie's phrasings in contrast with Masoretic reading.