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426 LETTERS IN CANADA was to traverse it without necessarily agreeing. The idea was to open questions, not to settle them." He goes on to ofl'er some "more or less idiotic" opinions, in the hope that no one will look for opinions from him, and concludes: "It's time to quit the house of illusion and talk quietly to someone, face to face. And to listen." I am - and, damn it, I keep hearing opinions that I want to hear, from Kildare Dobbs. (JOHN M. ROBSON) RELIGION The Covenant: A Theology of Human Destiny by Jakob Jocz (William B. Eerdmans Publishing ·Co., 320, $6.95), is a magnum opus which should be read by all students of theology, even though it may intimidate the uninitiated. The thesis is that Biblical theology is covenantal theology. The notion of the covenant as a merely legal concept or juridical contract is renounced. It has to do with the personal involvement of God and man. It is primarily a relationship which "can be stated in a single sentence: God's condescension to man." (225) In a sense the real topic of the book is salvation as grounded in the eternal faithfulness of God. "Salvation," we read, "cannot be discussed at all outside the covenant." (127) Dr. Jocz, Professor of Systematic Theology at Wyclifl'e College, University of Toronto, develops his study of the covenant as a basic, allinclusive category, and although the treatment is broad, there is no sacrifice of penetration or of depth of analysis. Even though the reader may not accept the author's main argument, he cannot fail to benefit from the numerous references, footnotes, and critical comments regarding theologians, philosophers, and others. The book is useful, in fact, as a kind of basic refresher course in theology, past and present. The covenant is viewed in a variety of perspectives and the author is fair and kind when dealing with conflicting views and positions. Again and again the reader is confronted with the basic realities of the Christian faith, woven into the thesis in such a way that the argument never appears to be forced or trivial. Here theology is a serious and challenging piece of business, with much for the mind. Professor Sidney Jellicoe, of Bishop's University, Lennoxville, Quebec, attempts in The Septuagint and Modern Study (Clarendon Press, xix, 424, $9.75), to bring together and assess the main features of Septuagint studies in the current century. The result is an acceptable, up-to-date, scholarly work of reference, supplementary to Swete's Introduction to RELIGION 427 the Old Testament in Greek, published over sixty years ago. The work has an extensive bibliography, together with tables of MSS collated in the Cambridge and Gottingen editions and a subject and author index. In places highly technical and specialized, this study is not for the dilettante. Jellicoe points out that a fresh approach to LXX studies might be occasioned by viewing the LXX as a literature in its own right, rather than as a mere translation. "The 'translational' approach, all too common in the past, has tended to reduce the LXX to the status of a tool in the hand of the philologist and exegete." (352) The LXX will fall into perspective only when it is recognized that for the Greek-speaking Jew of the pre-Christian era and over a century beyond, and for the Christian church from the time of its birth, this Jewish-Greek Bible held its place as the inspired Scriptures. In fact, among Christians, the LXX held its place universally until its supersession in the West by the Latin Vulgate, and in Greek-speaking Christendom it has continued to the present day as the official Old Testament. The painstaking study of source materials, including the evidence of the Qumran findings, with its examination of the history and significance of various editions, manuscripts, versions and revisions and text-critical studies, is a sure indication of progress in a vast research hinterland where much that is problematic remains. Al Qur'an. Selections from the Noble Reading (Cedar Rapids, Iowa: Unity Publishing Co., 171, $10.00, $3.50 pa.), by Dr. T. B. Irving, Professor of Spanish at...

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