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French Reviews.

REVUE CHRETIENNE, (Christian Review.) March, 1879.-1. BERSIER, The Law of the Heart. 2. ALONE, Louisa Siefert. 3. MASSEBIEAU, The Two Conversions of Perrot d'Ablancourt and Protestantism at Paris under Louis XIII. April.-1. E. DE PRESSENSE, The Origin of Religion, and the Darwinian School. 2. BONET-MAURY, John Huss and the Religious Revolution of Bohemia in the Fifteenth Century. 3. BRECOURT, From Paris to Venice.

May. 1. NYEGAARD, A New Biographer of St. Paul. 2. BABUT, God and Cæsar. 3. BRECOURT, From Paris to Venice

The first article in the May number acquaints us with a singular literary production of French Atheism, a new biography of St. Paul, (Le Vrai Saint Paul, sa vie, sa morale,) by Victor Schoelcher. M. Schoelcher is widely known as a leader of the Republican Party of France, and as a champion of the abolition of slavery. As regards the character of his new publication, we quote a few passages from the above article in the "Christian Review":

"After reading this book of M. Schoelcher, one might ask himself whether it is not beneath criticism. This is not our opinion. Notwithstanding the errors and blunders with which the book swarms, the honesty of the author cannot be doubted. The name of M. Schoelcher is one which inspires respect. It is well known that the honorable senator is a generous philanthropist. A rival of Wilberforce and Macaulay, he has contributed to the abolition of slavery in our colonies. An indefatigable soldier of the liberal cause, he has suffered before he has been honored, and before taking his seat in the Senate he has endured the rigors of the exile which the Government of the second December inflicted upon the champions of right and liberty. Why, then, unmindful of the old maxim, Ne sutor ultra crepidam, did M. Schoelcher desire to add to his crown a flower which does not grow in the gardens which he frequents? Neither his studies nor his convictions have prepared him for exegetical works. M. Schoelcher is a professed atheist, and though it has been said of him, on account of the nobility of his character, he is an atheist who causes one to believe in God,' no one will be tempted to add, and who causes one to understand St. Paul.'

"M. Schoelcher has, however, the pretension of describing the true St. Paul. If he had only flattered himself that he had succeeded, perhaps his illusion might be pardoned. But

since indulging or blind friends in the press have welcomed the appearance of his book as the birth of a child of bright prospects, I must say to M. Schoelcher: Your St. Paul is not the true St. Paul. Though it may be painful to prove the incompetence and injustice of a man otherwise worthy of respect, I have the right to defend, against your undeserved attacks, the character of an apostle who was also the friend of the feeble and the oppressed, the defender of the right, the martyr of a noble cause, with this difference, that the only recompense which he received here on earth was the consciousness of having done his duty."

The table of contents of M. Schoelcher's book, which contains 223 pages, is as follows: Chapter 1. Paul was a heresiarch; Chapter 2. Paul accuses St. Peter and circumcises Timothy; Chapter 3. Paul often departing from the truth; Chapter 4. Paul is vain and imperious; Chapter 5. Paul the apostle of the Gentiles-his invectives against the ancient law and against his adversaries; Chapter 6. Paul has made great errors; Chapter 7. Paul is often incomprehensible-Divagations-What the holy fathers thought of Paul as a writer; Chapter 8. General indefiniteness and dangerous character of the doctrines of St. Paul; Chapter 9. Paul represents God as the most unjust of tyrants; Chapter 10. Paul sometimes expresses malicious and cruel sentiments; Chapter 11. The moral teaching of Paul is very lax; Chapter 12. Paul sanctions the worst institutions of antiquity.

As regards the literary character of Schoelcher's book, the reviewer calls attention to the fact that Schoelcher shows himself entirely unacquainted with the recent literature on this subject, and he even seems to have consulted the Greek original of the New Testament only two or three times. The reviewer finally enumerates a considerable number of blunders into which Schoelcher has been led by his stupendous ignorance in biblical and exegetical literature.

In the April number of the Review, E. de Pressensé gives a condensed and very interesting review of the theories proposed by the chief representatives of the Darwinian school concerning the origin of religion. The article was originally delivered as the first of a series of apologetical lectures, and the author announces that the same subject will be treated by him more

fully in the forthcoming third edition of his history of the first six centuries of the Christian Church. As may be expected from Pressensé, he shows a profound acquaintance with the entire recent literature. He states and discusses the views of Häckel, Darwin, Herbert Spencer, whom he calls the most eminent representative of the school, as well as those of Girard de Rivalle, (La mythologie comparée, Paris, 1868,) which he calls the latest publication of the positivist school on the subject.

ART. X.-FOREIGN RELIGIOUS INTELLIGENCE.

THE CHURCH OF ROME IN 1879.

The forthcoming eighth volume of M'Clintock & Strong's Theological Cyclopædia contains an article on the Roman Catholic Church from the pen of Professor Schem, from which we glean a few facts supplementary of the information given in former volumes of the Methodist Quarterly Review, (See Meth. Quar. Review, 1878, p. 547.)

The author of the article has carefully estimated the number of Roman Catholics in the several large divisions of the world, and in order to ascertain the relative numerical strength of the Roman Catholic Church among the large divisions of Christianity, has also computed the population connected with the Eastern and with the Protestant Churches. As the tables now presented are several years later than any others published before, they will be welcomed by all who interest themselves in the present extent of the various forms of Christianity. His present tables are as follows:

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It will be seen from the above table that the total number of Roman Catholics still exceeds the aggregate number of all other Christians. The Church of Rome prevails over both Protestantism and the Eastern Churches in South America, (which is almost wholly Catholic,) and in Europe, it leads Protestantism, but is, on the other hand, somewhat exceeded by the Eastern Churches in Asia and Africa; it falls considerably behind Protestantism in North America and Australia. The fact that both in North America and in Australia the total population in

creases with much greater rapidity than in any other country of the world, may be full of significance for the future, for a simultaneous continuance of the numerical proportion between Protestants and Catholics in these countries would materially change the relative position of both in the list of prominent religious denominations of the world. There are other indications foreshadowing the same result. The population of the Protestant countries of Europe increases more rapidly than that of the Roman Catholic, France and Spain being, in regard to the rate of increase of population, among the lowest countries of Europe. Though the Church of Rome continues to make some progress in her mission fields, no conquests have been made by her in the nineteenth century equal to those gained by the Protestant missionaries in Madagascar. It is also a noteworthy fact that none of the Catholic countries is at present making, or is expected to make, any territorial annexations in the non-Christian world equal to those which, from year to year, add to the vast extent of the British and Russian Empires. The following comparisons will be of interest. According to the above article in M'Clintock & Strong's Cyclopædia, the Roman Catholic population in 1879 amounted to about 14.6 per cent. of the total population of the earth; the Protestant population to 7.9 per cent.; the population of the Eastern Churches to 6.1 per cent. In 1860 Professor Schem (American Ecclesiastical Yearbook for 1860, p. 14) estimated the Roman Catholics at 13.9 per cent., the Protestants at 6.8, and the Eastern Churches at 5 per cent. of the total population of the globe. According to these estimates the Protestant population amounted in 1860 to 47 per cent. of the Roman Catholics, and in 1879 to 54 per cent., a remarkable change, which, however, a glance at the rapid increase of population in the United States, in Australia, in England, Germany, and other Protestant countries, fully suffices to make plausible. Adding the Roman Catholic, the Protestant, and the Eastern Church population in the years 1860 and 1879, it appears that the total Christian population amounted in 1860 to 25.7 per cent., and in 1879 to 28.6 per cent. of the total population of the earth, a wonderful progress within nineteen years.

The two hundred and nine millions with which the Roman Catholic Church is credited in 1879 represent, of course, only the population which in some way or other is under the influence of that Church. In the case of many millions this influence is exceedingly weak. Even Roman Catholic writers admit, quite generally, that the bulk of the native population in the Philippine Islands, where six millions are claimed for the Roman Catholic Church, and in the Portuguese colonies of Africa, has little more of Catholics than the name and a few customs. Of the six countries of Europe in which the Roman Catholic faith prevails-France, Austria, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Belgium-only one, Spain, was, in 1879, on friendly terms with the Pope; and even there the Cortes frequently refuse to grant all the demands of the Church. In all the others the Government was, in 1879, carried on according to the principles which the Syllabus of Pius IX. enumerates among the fundamental errors of our

age. In Portugal a liberal anti-Roman party is invariably in the ascendency in the Cortes; even the majority of the priests and bishops sympathize more with the Government than with the Pope; and up to the end of 1878 the Government has forbidden and prevented the promulgation of the doctrine of infallibility. In France the success of the Republican party at the last general elections, in spite of its denunciation by all the bishops of the French Church, has placed the Government of the country in the hands of statesmen who are fully determined to annihilate the influence of the Catholic priesthood upon the Government of France and upon the education of the rising generation. In Belgium the Catholic Church has, probably, exerted a greater influence upon legislation than in any other country of Europe; nevertheless, at the election of 1878 the Liberal party, which is in open and bitter emnity to the Church, secured a decided victory, and has since, with the personal approval of the King, prepared a law on public instruction, which will exclude the direct influence of the Church. In Austria the imperial family is anxious to sustain friendly relations with Pope and bishops, but the majority of both houses of Parliament are adverse to the continuance of Church influence upon public affairs, and firmly uphold the principles of religious toleration and of State education. Italy has fully secularized public instruction, and, more than any other Government of the world, it is compelled to reject the claims of the Church, because these claims involve the destruction of Italian unity. Among the States of Spanish and Portuguese America there is not one which has not from time to time its conflicts with Pope and bishops. The progress of religious toleration, and of a secular school system, after the Protestant models of Germany and the United States, and in opposition to the bishops, proves that the Church has no longer a firm hold of any of these States.

The hierarchy of the Church of Rome, according to the Papal Almanac, (La Gerarchia Catholica,) was in 1878 constituted as follows: the full number of the College of Cardinals is 73, namely, 6 cardinal bishops, 51 cardinal priests, and 16 cardinal deacons. Of patriarchal sees there are 12, 6 of which belong to the Latin, and 6 to the Oriental rites. The number of archiepiscopal sees in December, 1877, was 172, of which 151 belong to the Latin, and the remainder to several Oriental rites. Of episcopal sees there were 719, of which 664 belonged to the Latin, and 55 to several Oriental rites. If we add the six suburban sees of the cardinal bishops, the total number of episcopal sees would be 725, of which 670 belong to the Latin rite. The Oriental rites which have archbishops or bishops are the Armenian, Græco-Melchite, Græco-Roumanian, GræcoRuthenian, Græco-Bulgarian, Syrian, Syro-Chaldean, Syro-Maronite. Where it is found impracticable to establish dioceses in accordance with the provisions of the canonical law, the Pope appoints vicars apostolic, delegates apostolic, or prefects apostolic, in place of bishops. Adding the vicars, delegates, and prefects to the bishops, the total number of hierarchical titles was 1,148. The total number of dignitaries composing the hierarchy, inclusive of the assistant bishops, was 1,198. The

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