Journal: Bibliotheca Sacra
Volume: BSAC 123:490 (Apr 1966)
Article: Book Reviews
Author: Anonymous

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BSac 123:490 (Apr 66) p. 173

Book Reviews

The Jew And The Cross. By Dagobert D. Runes. New York: Philosophical Library, 1965. 94 pp. $2.75.

This is an impassioned plea to end once for all anti-Semitism on the ground that the Jews murdered Jesus of Nazareth. The author traces anti-Semitism to the ecclesiastical system of the Catholic Church in the early centuries which separated Israelites from other non-Christian people on the ground that they were guilty of the murder of Christ. The author feels deeply the injustice of such an indictment and declares in effect that there must be something wrong with Christianity that justifies such injustice.

Most fair-minded readers will heartily agree with the author, and Christians, whether Roman Catholic or Protestant, should oppose racial discrimination against the Jew and certainly not hold modern Jewry responsible for the scene on Calvary. Christians, of all people, should be aware of the fact that Christ died for all, that the real executioner was humanity at large, not Herod or the rulers of the Jews. In the humbling fact that Christ died for the sins of the whole world, Christians should love their neighbors rather than persecute them. In the light of the history of the Jewish persecutions, the author can hardly be blamed for not distinguishing the true Christian point of view, which treats the Jew with extra respect because of his racial relationship to Jesus Christ, from organized Christendom which even in modern times has condoned Jewish persecution.

J. F. Walvoord

Law Or Grace. By M. R. DeHaan. Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1965. 182 pp. $2.50.

Paul experienced the wrath of legalizers when he ministered grace truth. The conflict between the perverters of God’s grace in the church and the “able ministers of the New Testament” has not abated.

The late Dr. DeHaan is in the latter group. His comments concerning his mail indicated that during the radio presentation of this series he experienced expected opposition.

These 26 short chapters do not comprise a systematic development of the doctrines of law and grace. Each chapter is a simple unit

BSac 123:490 (Apr 66) p. 174

message prepared for the average man. Each is Bible-centered, uses common, nontechnical language, and is interestingly illustrated.

The critical reader might notice some debatable statements. In the discussion of the meaning of law DeHaan says: “In every case a study of the context will determine which meaning is in view” (p. 76). Not all the possible Bible meanings of law are listed by DeHaan, and some Bible uses are not clearly categorized by the Biblical context.

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