claim of the Hegelian philosophy to have found the genuine reconciliation of speculation and the Christian faith. This task appeared to him all the more important because the claim of the Hegelians seemed to find more and more adherents in theological circles. Thus in his controversy with C. F. Göschel (Studien, 1833, i, and 1835, iii) he endeavored to prove the Christian faith could not, without destroying itself, admit the demanded recognition of its identity with absolute science. When the radical opposition between the philosophy of the absolute and historical Christianity became fully apparent in the Life of Jesus, by Strauss, and the Essence of Christianity, by Feuerbach, Julius Müller's articles in the Studien against these two works were regarded as being among the ablest apologies of evangelical Christianity against its modern opponents. At the beginning of 1856 he became, in the place of Lücke, one of the assistant editors of the Studien, and he retained this position until his death. Two articles, which he contributed to the Studien in this year, on "The Relation between the Working of the Holy Spirit and the Divine Word as a Means of Grace," are classed among his best literary productions. He was looked upon as the foremost spokesman of the evangelical portion of the United Evangelical Church, (the so-called Consensus party,) and intended to follow up these first articles by others on the sacraments, especially on the Lord's Supper. But his health failed, and made it necessary for him to concentrate his strength for the fulfillment of his duties as professor of theology. He found it impossible to contribute any further articles to the Studien, and, therefore, even wished to have his name withdrawn from the list of the assistant editors who are named on the titlepage; but he yielded in this point to the earnest solicitation of the editor-in-chief, who wished to retain his name on the title-page as a standing announcement that Müller continued to be in full agreement with the theological principles of which the Studien was, and still is, the foremost expounder. The editors of the Studien announce that a biography of Müller will, ere long, be published in their columns. This biography will be looked forward to with interest by the entire theolog ical world, for Julius Müller will always occupy a prominent place in the history of theological literature. His principal

work, the "Christian Doctrine of Sin," (1839, 4th edition, 1858,) ranks among the ablest productions of Protestant theology in the nineteenth century. His work, Die evangelische Union, ihr Wesen und göttliches Recht, (1854,) is probably the ablest apology of the fundamental principle on which the union of German Lutherans and German Reformed into the United Evangelical Church has been founded. In the place of Julius Müller, two other distinguished theologians, Dr. Dorner and Dr. Wagenmann, have been found willing to associate themselves with the present editors-in-chief, Dr. Köstlin and Dr. Richm, in the publication of the Studien. Dr. J. A. Dorner is well known in the United States by his great work on the "Person of Christ," (English translation by Dr. Simon, Edinburgh, 1859,) also by his work on the "History of Protestant Theology," (English translation, 1871.) Dorner was also one of the founders and chief editors of the Jahrbücher für Deutsche Theologie, a theological quarterly which pursued a similar tendency as the Studien, but was discontinued at the close of 1878. As Dr. Wagenmann was likewise one of the editors. of the Jahrbücher, the association of Dorner and Wagenmann with the editors of the Studien appears like a consolidation of the two principal literary organs of the evangelical party in the United Church.

We have referred, in former numbers of the "Methodist Quarterly Review" to several interesting articles of the German theological quarterlies on Luther's sojourn at Rome. The article by Dr. Buddensieg, in Dresden, is another interesting contribution to the literature on this subject. Dr. Buddensieg agrees with Dr. Kolde, (Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte, ii, pp. 460-470,) that Luther was not at Rome, as has been generally inferred from several passages in his own writings, in the winter from 1510 to 1511, but in the winter from 1511 to 1512. But, while agreeing with the results of Dr. Kolde's investigations, Dr. Buddensieg believes himself to have found better arguments for proving the assertion which is common to both writers. He undertakes to show, first, that Luther, while at Rome, saw the Pope; and, secondly, that Pope Julius II. was not at Rome during the winter from 1510 to 1511, but that he was there during the winter from 1511 to 1512. The second point, relative to the sojourn of Pope Julius in Rome, has

also been proved in a new German work by Moritz Brosch on Pope Julius. But with regard to the former assertion, that Luther while in Rome saw the Pope, the editor of the Zeitschrift für Kirchengeschichte, Dr. Brieger, remarks, in the last number of his quarterly, that the argumentation of Dr. Buddensieg does not appear to him as conclusive. The controversy is likely to be continued in the German periodicals; for, as Dr. Köstlin, in his great biographical work on Luther, remarks: "Luther's journey to Rome projects over all other events between 1508 and 1512, on account of the great influence which it exerted upon Luther." On the other hand, all historians are agreed that in regard to no other section of Luther's life there still prevails so great uncertainty as in regard to his journey to Rome. Of late, much new light has been shed on the history of the Reformation by the opening of the Italian libraries, and the publication from them of valuable documents relative to the religious movement of the sixteenth century. It may be hoped that Luther's journey, like other events, may receive from this source new elucidation.

ZEITSCHRIFT FÜR WISSENSCHAFTLICHE THEOLOGIE. (Journal for Scientific Theology.) Edited by Hilgenfeld. 1879. Second Number.-1. HILGENFELD. The Martyrdom of Polycarp of Smyrna. 2. THOMA, The Old Testament in the Gospel of John. 3. ROENSCH, Fragments of the Itala of the Epistles to the Romans and Galatians. 4. TOLLIN, Servetus' Doctrine of the World. 5. FRANK, A Glimpse at the Theology of the Nineteenth Century.

The last article of the above number is an address delivered by Dr. G. Frank, Dean of the Faculty of Protestant Theology at Vienna, to the students of the faculty. It is a brief sketch (filling fifteen pages of the "Quarterly ") of the most prominent philosophers and theologians of Germany who have exerted a lasting influence upon the development of theological science in Germany during the present century. The author is an enthusiastic admirer and disciple of Schleiermacher, whom he calls a highly blessed man, a religious genius, and an original thinker. Schleiermacher, according to Frank, was the great reformer of the Protestant theology of the nineteenth century. Schleiermacher occupies, with regard to modern theology, the same position that Kant occupies with regard to modern philosophy. He examined the religious foundation in man, and brought to light again the covered-up source of religion. "He has overcome both rationalism and supernaturalism, and is,

therefore, attacked by Strauss no less than by Hengstenberg. Though he has not founded, in the strict sense of the word, a school of his own, there is no branch of theology which has not been influenced by him, no prominent theologian who has not learned from him." Dr. Frank closes his speech with a few remarks on the changed position of theology among the sciences. "Only one generation ago," he says, "theology was still the most respected science. To no other department of scholarship, not even of natural science, so many able and intelligent young men devoted themselves as to it. Times have greatly changed. But our courage does not fail us. The knot of history must not be cut in such a way that Christianity goes with ignorance and science with infidelity. Christianity has proved to be the great deed of God in the destinies of nations and individuals, and as the highest and surest truth it will, in all times to come, find its servants and witnesses, who, as enlightened teachers, will unlock its depths, and as characteristic prophets, will announce its glories."

French Reviews.

REVUE CHRETIENNE, (Christian Review.) December, 1878.-1. E. W., An English Essayist, (Roger Williams.) 2. G. MONOD, The Fine Arts at the Universal Exposition, 1867-1878. 3. SABABIER, On the Theological Spirit.

January, 1879.-1. BERSIER, Man's Place in the Universe. 2. G. MONOD, Foreign Painters at the Universal Exposition. 3. VINCAME, Dr. Wines and the Stockholm Congress for Prison Reform.

In an introduction to the December number, the learned editor of the Revue, E. de Pressensé, informs us that this periodical closes with this number the twenty-fifth year of its existence, and he briefly reviews the work it has performed and the great interests of French Protestantism in which it has taken an active and leading part. It also points to the important questions of the present and the future, which await a solution, and to the discussion of which the Revue will devote a prominent attention. Pressensé reiterates his unshakeu belief in a complete separation between Church and State. He regrets that at present the most trusted leaders of the republican party in France do not favor that principle, but intend to break the force of ultramontane tendencies by means

of State laws. But he is confident that they will be as unsuccessful as the authors of the so-called Kulturkampf in Germany and Switzerland, and that in less than twenty years the Republican party will accept the entire separation between Church and State as a necessity. Among the questions looming up in the future, and inviting a special attention, Pressensé enumerates the remarkable movement among the educated classes of France and Belgium toward Protestantism. A new feature of the Revue, hereafter, will be, a Chronique anglaise, which will be given every other month, and will alternate with the Chronique allemande, which will be continued by Professor Lichtenberger.

ART. VIII.-FOREIGN RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

CHRISTIANITY IN AFRICA.

Ir is generally assumed that the Christian Church in Africa was planted during the Apostolic age. Alexandria, in Egypt, became early the seat of one of the great Ecumenical Patriarchates. The progress of Christianity was rapid, and at an early period nearly the whole of Northern Africa was Christian. The Exarchate of Africa proper contained fortytwo, the Patriarchate of Alexandria more than a hundred, dioceses. But in the seventh and eight centuries a terrible and fatal blow was struck to the Church in Africa by the Mohammedan Saracens. Mohammedanism became the ruling religion all along the coast, and has remained so until the present day. Only in Abyssinia a population estimated at about three millions has remained nominally Christian to the present day, but cut off from all communication with the remainder of the Christian world. The Church of Abyssinia has become a withered branch of Christianity. The same remark, though not to the same extent, may be applied to the native Christians of Egypt, the Copts, who are supposed to number from 200,000 to 300,000.

The maritime discoveries which began in the fifteenth century led to the establishment of Portuguese and Spanish sovereignty over large tracts of land. The mass of the population of these territories was prevailed upon or forced to connect itself, nominally at least, with the Church of Rome. The population of the islands on the northwestern coast of Africa have since become strongly attached to the Roman Church. On the coast of the Continent, on the other hand, in Angola, Congo, and Mozambique, little can now be discovered of Roman Catholicism, even by the most devoted writers of the Church, except the retention of some usages and ceremonies. As large numbers of natives continue, however, to consider themselves as Catholics, they still figure in the statistical accounts of the Church,