Theology of the Old Testament by Dr. Paul Heinisch (review)

140 BOOK BEVIEWS judgment. Furthermore, benevolence itself has little real meaning since there are no standards for judging what is truly the good of another. The appeal to universal approbation provides no real standard for it, demands only a psychological objectivity, and would be impossible to verify. No norm is provided by which one could distinguish between two contrary moral opinions. Ultimately, the difficulty with Sharp's ethical theory is that there is no metaphysical basis on which it rests. Without such a basis no true appreciation of the particular moral judgment is possible. Finally, the rejection of reason as a guide to judging conduct and the reliance on "feeling" are points with which a scholastic could not agree. The appraisal of the concrete moral situation for the Thomist is the work of prudence, which rests on and derives from reason the principles of its judgment. While ,we admit the great role of sentiment in actual moral judgments, a relying on " feeling " alone does not provide a sufficient guide for moral conduct. St. Anselm's Priory, Washington, D. d. DoM. GREGORY STEVENs, 0. S. B. Theology of the Old Testament. By DR. PAUL HEINISCH. Trans. by William Heidt. Collegeville: The Liturgical Press, 1950. Pp. 386. $5.00. It has long been ,the fashion among Biblical scholars to speak of Biblical Theology as " the ,coming thing." Let us acknowledge the fact: Biblical Theology has already arrived. The present volume, originally in German, is from the pen of qne of the foremost Old Testament si:!holars in the world today. The present translation is not from the German edition as it appeared in 1940 as a supplement to the Bonnerbibel, but from the recent and thorough revision of the work by Fr. Heinisch. We pick up this book, then, with confidence, aware that the author is thoroughly prepared for the task he has sef out to do, and that he has worked long and diligently to accomplish it. Most reviewers of the present English translation have noted that one sigQ.ificant indication of the book's worth is the fact that two translations, one in English and the other in Italian, have simultaneously appeared. The work is divided into 5 major sections: I. God: His Nature, The Attributes of God, Preparations for the Mystery of the Holy Trinity. H. Creation: The 'Spirit World, The World, Man. HI. Human Acts: Morality, Divine Worship, Man and God's Commandments. IV. Life After Death. V. Redempt~on: Judgment, The New Kingdom of God, The Messiah. BOOK REVIEWS 141 A four-fold section induding Collateral Reading for Each Chapter, Abbreviations , Index of Scripture Texts, and General Index completes the work. The plan of the author is to present in a systematic fashion the essential doctrines, both dogmatic and moral, of the Old Dispensation, as they appear scattered throughout the Sacred Books. In gathering the texts pertaining to a revealed truth, Fr. Heinisch spared no pains, as the almost 6,000 scriptural references attest. The reader, as a result, gets the impression that he is reading a scriptural mosaic, not unlike the great scriptural sermons composed by St. Bernard. In this mosaic, however, there is discernable a real development of doctrine exhaustively traced through the Old Testament from Genesis to the Books of Machabees. Biblical Theology has been described as " the fruit of exegesis and the germ of scholastic theology." Fr. Heinisch adheres strictly to this notion, for he rarely devotes much space to exegesis precisely as such. Exceptions are Job 19 :5-27; Isaias 7: 14; Daniel 9 :24-27, as Fr. Eric May has noted in his review in The Catholic Biblical Quarterly, voL Xlli, no. 2, p. 235. In a work such as this, a true estimate of its value is best arrived at by personal use. This reviewer, for instance, found such sections as Suffering, Sheol, and Retribution most helpful in preparing lectures on the Didactic Books, especially the Book of Job. No doubt other Old Testament professors will find helpful matter in sections pertaining to the particular matter they are treating in class. All, I am certain, will appreciate the care and good judgment exercised in the treatment of such matters as...