The series of works by Dr. Ryder Smith on various Bible doctrines is well known and widely used. Shortly before his death he completed the typescript of the last of them, The Bible Doctrine of the Hereafter, a volume which in its general approach resembles its predecessors and in its qualities of careful scholarship and balanced judgment is worthy of a place beside them. What does the Bible say about the future of mankind and of the individual? The question cannot be adequately answered in simple terms; and to understand the wide range of Biblical teaching it is necessary to go outside the Bible to the vitally important literature of the inter-testamental period. Dr. Ryder Smith surveys the evidence of the Old and New Testaments and the Apocrypha; and in his discussion of New Testament teaching he takes account of the extracanonical Apocalyptic literature, showing both the historical background and the distinctive character of the New Testament message. This is a substantial work, which will be of great value to the serious student. C. Ryder Smith was Professor of Theology in the University of London.
