The Spiritual Journey of Saint Paul by Lucien Cerfaux (review)

BOOK REVIEWS 579 fact, this example shows that the author writes of "non-Byzantine" and "non-Roman" Christianity, and not of the "East" as such. A general study on the Eastern "Non-Chalcedonian" Churches was lacking in English. The participation of these Churches in the Ecumenical Movement, the conversations presently being held between their representatives and those of the Orthodox Church for eventual reunion, and the widespread interest in ecumenism, will assure to this book a well-deserved success. Professor A. S. Atiya is Director of the Middle East Center at the University of Utah and is a member of the Coptic Church of Egypt. This explains the fact that Alexandrian Christianity receives quite a preferential treatment in his book (pp. 11-145), while the much larger Church of Ethiopia is covered in only twenty pages. (pp. 146-166) The author's view of the early Church history suffers from his Copticcentered historical perspective: Origen himself is described as " a true son of Egypt, Coptic to the core " (p. 35) , and monasticism is viewed as " a purely Egyptian creation with world potential." (p. 59) Not being a professional theologian, his description of the Christological debates of the fifth century is not always a model of clarity (" [Cyril's) almost indiscriminate use of words physis and hypostasis led to the Chalcedonian confusion which resulted in the establishment of the so-called ' Monophysite ' doctrine ," p. 48). But the book (which is beautifully illustrated) will not be read as a handbook of Church history but for its precious description of the remarkable survival of the Eastern communities throughout the Middle Ages up to the modern times. In this respect it offers to the student a very competent collection of otherwise unavailable information. St. Vladimir's Orthodox Theological Seminary Tuckahoe, N.Y. JoHN MEYENDORFF The Spiritual Journey of Saint Paul. By LuciEN CERFAUX. Translated by John C. Guiness. New York: Sheed and Ward, 1968. Pp. 9l36. $5.50. The author's long (he is 85 years old) and brilliant career as both theologian and biblical scholar automatically guarantees him a hearing. A defender of Father M. J. Lagrange's "La Methode Historique," Fr. Crefaux was a pioneer in the Catholic biblical revival. His distinguished writing career reached a climax in 1969l with the completion of a trilogy of Pauline studies: Christ in the Theology of St. Paul, The Church in the Theology of St. Paul, and The Christian in the Theology of St. Paul. The present volume is described on the dust jacket as " an extract of the spiritual doctrine contained in this trilogy." Actually, it is a summary of the main themes of St. Paul's epistles. But it more than this. Skillfully 580 BOOK REVIEWS woven into this doctrinal fabric is a spiritual biography of the great Apostle. Taking the epistles in chronological order (with an occasional assist from the Acts), Fr. Cerfaux has managed to construct a happy blend of St. Paul's life, doctrine and religious maturation. From the very beginning of the book the author's penetrating analyses are matched by his clarity and orthodoxy. The reader is treated to such succinct phrases as: "... Paul clearly affirms that God raised Jesus, not so that he might be his son, but because he was his son." (p. 21) All of the big themes are handled: the development of the key concept, " Body of Christ " in its various aspects; the growth of the concept of the " ecclesia " from local to universal scope (a favorite topic of Fr. Cerfaux) ; the emergence of Christ's diverse headships in the Captivity Epistles; the Eucharist and the resurrection. Particularly commendable is the author's treatment of the theology of salvation in the Epistle to the Romans. His sweeping synthesis includes an up-to-date insight on the problem of original sin. (p. 120) And his exposition of the Pauline notion of freedom could well serve as a timely antidote to current misconceptions on the subject, especially his conclusion on p. 72: " Whenever one's freedom begins to harm the good of his neighbor which is the concern of every Christian, the right of the individual conscience must yield before the higher obligation of the love...