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Chcyne : Encyclopaedia Biblica 7 7 1 sketch can be regarded as final, but it is well to have a brief statement of the latest results of investigation. The article on Israel (its political history), by Professor Guthe, of Leipzig, discusses the origins of the people at length and brings the story of its fortunes down to the building of Aelia Capitolina on the site of Jerusalem by Hadrian (A. D. 135). Thanks to the Amarna letters (which gave a picture of Canaan about 1400 B. C), and to our fuller knowledge of Egyptian and Hittite history, it is now possible to understand the nature of the Israelite migrations better than ever before. Much in this episode, however, is still obscure, and Guthe's narrative of the movements of the tribes is necessarily tenta- tive ; we do not know how many tribes there were at the outset, and the pre-Canaanite history of Israel is largely enveloped in mystery. But at least we are able to see that the better account of the invasion of Canaan is given in the book of Judges, and that the story in Joshua'is mostly a romance, an ecclesiastical construction of the sixth or fifth century B. C. Other valuable historical articles are those on Edom (by Professor N61- deke, of Strassburg), on the Philistine cities Gath, Gaza, etc. (by Canon Cheyne), on the Herodian family (by Professor Woodhouse, of St. Andrews), and on Jerusalem (by Professor G. A. Smith, of Glasgow). There is also an admirable account (by Professor Francis Brown, of New York) of the geographical knowledge of the Hebrews of the pre-Christian period, with maps showing the limits of their world at different epochs. Contributions to social history are found in the articles on government, education, kinship, the family, food, handicrafts, embroidery, and other such topics. Biblical literature is largely represented ; there are critical articles on eighteen books of the Old Testament, twelve of the New Testament, and three of the Apocrypha. The articles on the Gospels and Galatians reach the dimensions of treatises ; it is questionable whether it is judi- cious in such an Encyclopaedia to discuss at enormous length the relative merits of the "North Galatian " and the "South Galatian " theories — the gist of the matter might have been put satisfactorily in smaller compass. This charge applies only to the two articles just mentioned ; the rest are of reasonable length. The latest stages in the process of the disintegration of Isaiah, Jeremiah and Job are set forth clearly, and whether or not one accepts the conclusions of the writers, the principles of criticism are illustrated in their discussions. In the case of certain books whose origin is doubtful, as Habakkuk, Hebrews, James, Jude, and the Johannine writings, the present position of research is stated judiciously ; and there is an interesting account of a recently discovered short recension of the book of Judith, for which there may possibly be a real (though vague) historical basis. A number of other important subjects are treated. The article on Eschatology, by Professor Charles, of Dublin, is an abridgment of his book with the same title ; though it has some untenable positions (particularly in its view of the Hebrew conception of soul and spirit), it is a valuable contribution to the doctrine of eschatology. Professor