RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY

Press, Volume XCIV, Issue 28158, 22 December 1956, Page 3

RELIGION AND PHILOSOPHY

The Blessing of Belief. By Gordon iw'pp dodder and Stoughton.

_*The Hey- Gordon Powell is minister ot the Presbyterian Church of St. LuP“ en ’ Sydney. This book contains addresses given in that church on Wednesdays, when very large congregations were present. The subjects were taken from the Apostles' Creed tor the most part: but there is a chapter on belief in the Bible and one on Spiritual healing. The other chapters deal with belief in God. in Christ, in immortality, in hell, in forgiveness, in The Church and in the Holy Trinity, ■ine themes are well-known ones, but Jhe treatment of them is fresh and vigorous and this book will be of great use to inquirers.

The Lively Oracles. By Ernest Marshall Howse. Allen and Unwin. 224 pp.

Th JS book is designed “to piece together from the commonly accepted conclusions of research scholars a sunpie, clear outline of history which Would enable the Bible reader to relate the varying books to their times and circumstances.” Mr Howse, in I; expounds the teachings of nios - Isaiah, Hosea and Micah as rea2lers God 's message of justice mercy m the eighth century B.C. in the second part, he shows Jeremiah. * he “Second Isaiah” and the “Thor of Lamentations as leaving to “no 3 ? a hiaing spiritual legacy from the Tn woe in which they lived, the third part, he deals with the wisdom Literature of the Old TestaVrJi* ■ books of Job. Proverbs and N«SJ esi ? stes) anc * with the Psalms, Ezra. Chronicles as well as ori • « e Minor Prophets. The book, Voi^ na “ y preached as sermons, ina g°°d deal of unnecessary tSytition in a printed book, but his is v- Old Testament story E and interesting and forms a Kia popular introduction to the Hebrew Bible.