The Fifteen Books Most Indispensable for the Minister or Christian Worker

(About this series. This booklist appears at the end of Volume XII just before the 12 volume index.)

For several years the Committee having in charge the publication of “THE FUNDAMENTALS” has been endeavoring to get a list of the five most indispensable books for the minister and the Christian worker, and the ten and the fifteen and the twenty-five. They have been in correspondence with various leaders in Christian thought on both sides of the water. It was hoped that a comparison and combination of all the answers could be made, but the replies have been so divergent that this has been impossible. We are, therefore, giving here nine dif­ferent lists sent, classifying the books in the order of their importance according to the various persons furnishing the lists. The other lists submitted were not classified or specific.

List of Rev. W. J. Erdman, D. D.: Best Five:

“The Divine Unity of the Scripture,” Adolph Saphir. (This book is published in cloth covers at $1.50; paper cover, 15c.)
“Divinity of Christ,” Liddon.
“The Progress of Doctrine in the New Testament,” Bernard.
“History of Doctrine,” Shedd.
“Confessions of St. Augustine.”

Second Five:

“History of the Reformation,” D’Aubigne.
“Old Testimony Theology,” Oehler.
“Life and Epistles of St. Paul,” Conybeare and Howson.
Rutherford’s Letters.
Bacon’s Essays.

Third Five:

“Many Infallible Proofs,” A. T. Pierson.
“New Acts of Apostles,” A. T. Pierson.
“Law of Love and Love as Law,” Mark Hopkins.
“How to Study the Bible for Greatest Profit,” R. A. Torrey.
“Facts of the Future State,” Frederick Grant.

List of Rev. Charles R. Erdman, D. D., Professor in Princeton The­ological Seminary, Princeton, N. J.:

First Five:

“The Bible,” American Standard Edition.
“Bible Dictionary,” J. B. Davis (new edition).
“Bible Handbook,” Angus-Green (new edition).
“The Progress of Doctrine in the New Testament,” Bernard.
“The Divine Unity of Scripture,” Adolph Saphir.

Second Five:

A Reference Bible (either Scofield’s or the Cross Reference Bible).
“Strong’s Concordance.”
“The Historical Geography of the Holy Land,” G. A. Smith.
“How We Got Our Bible,” Smyth.
“Introduction to the New Testament,” Kerr.

Third Five:

“Old Testament Introduction,” Raven.
“Outline Studies of the Books of the Old Testament,” Moorehead.
“The Mosaic Institutions,” Moorehead.
“Outline Studies of the Four Gospels,” Moorehead.
“Outline Studies of the Acts and Epistles,” Moorehead.

List of Rev. Cleland B. McAfee, D. D., Professor in McCormick The­ological Seminary, Chicago,

First Five:

A good concordance. (I have found nothing better than Young’s Analytical.)
A good commentary. (The best I know in one volume is Dumme­low, which includes a good introduction to each book.)
A good Bible dictionary. (The best two are that by Jacobus and Zenus and that by Davis.)
A good church history. (Fisher’s is the best I know.)
A good history of the world, either Meyer’s or Ridpath’s.

Dr. McAfee does not give a second and third list, but says : “The next five books should be on special phases of Christian truth, probably such as (1) The Person of Christ; (2) The Atonement; (3) Sin; (4) The Holy Spirit; (5) The Inspiration of the Bible.

List of Rev. James M. Gray, D. D., Dean of the Moody Bible Institute, Chicago: (He gives his list as the Ten Indispensable Books for the Pastor’s Library, or, “to put it in another way, what ten books have most helped me.”)

1. Oxford Two Version Bible.
2. “The Cyclopædic Hand Book of the Bible,” Rev. Samuel G. Green, D. D.; Introduction by the late Joseph Angus, M. A.
3. “Analytical Concordance of the Bible,” Robert Young, LL. D.
4. “Theopneustia” (“The Plenary Inspiration of the Bible”), Dr. L. Gaussen.
5. “Outlines of Theology,” Rev. A. A. Hodge, D. D.
6. “Pre-Millennial Essays” of the Prophetic Conference held in the Church of the Holy Trinity, New York City, with an ap­pendix of critical testimony. by Nathaniel West.
7. “Aids to Prophetic Enquiry,” 13. W. Newton.
8. “Christianity and Anti-Christianity in Their Final Conflict,” Rev. S. J. Andrews.
9. “The Life of Our Lord Upon the Earth,” Rev. S. J. Andrews.
10. “The Two-Fold Life,” Rev. A. J. Gordon, D. D.

List of Rev. C. I. Scofield, D. D., Editor “Scofield Reference Bible”:

First Five:

Young’s Concordance.
“Bible Dictionary,” Angus-Green.
“Darby’s Synopsis.”
“What the Bible Teaches,” Torrey.
“Personal Work,” Torrey.

Second List:

Andrews’ “Life of Christ.”
“Synthetic Bible Studies,” Rev. James M. Gray, D. D.
“Jukes on the Four Gospels.”
“Harmony of the Prophetic Word,” Gaebelein.

List of Rev. Professor W. H. Griffith-Thomas, D. D., of Wycliffe Col­lege, Toronto, Canada: (Dr. Thomas has not divided his list into the first five, etc.)

“The Christian View of God and the World,” Orr.
“Galatians, Philippians and Colossians,” Lightfoot.
“Psalms and Colossians in the Expositor’s Bible,” McLaren.
“The Cross in Christian Experience,” Clow.
“Christ in the Social Order,” Clow.
“Romans in the Expositor’s Bible,” Moule.

List of Rev. John H. Hunter, of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles:

Strong’s or Young’s Concordance.
“Bible Dictionary,” Davis.
“The Bible Text Cyclopædia,” Inglis.
Matthew Henry’s or Jamieson, Faucett and Brown’s Commentary.
“Synthetic Bible Studies,” Rev. James M. Gray, D. D.
“The Life and Times of Jesus, The Messiah,” Edersheim.
“The Life and Epistles of St. Paul,” Conybeare and Howson.
“What the Bible Teaches,” Torrey.
“How to Work for Christ,” Torrey.
“Tongue of Fire,” William Arthur.
“Many Infallible Proofs,” A. T. Pierson.
“New Acts of Apostles,” A. T. Pierson.
“Memoirs of Robert Murray McCheyne.”
“Christian Leaders in England in the Eighteenth Century,” Bishop Ryle.
“Handbook of the Bible,” Angus-Green (new edition).

List of Rev. R. A. Torrey, D. D., Dean of the Bible Institute of Los Angeles :

First Five:

Scofield Reference Bible.
American Standard Version Bible. (The best edition is the Cross Reference Bible, but quite expensive.)
“Treasury of Scripture Knowledge.”
“Cyclopædia of Bible Texts,” Inglis.
Strong s Concordance (by far the best concordance).

Second Five:

Finney’s Autobiography.
“Revivals of Religion,” by Chas. G. Finney.
“The Divine Unity of the Scripture,” Adolph Saphir.
“Harmony of the Prophetic Word,” A. C. Gaebelein.
“Wonders of Prophecy,” Urquhart.

Third Five:

“With Christ in the School of Prayer,” Andrew Murray.
“Demon Possession and Allied Themes,” Dr. Nevius.
C. H. M.’s Notes on Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy.
“The Spirit of Christ,” Andrew Murray.
“The Epistle to the Ephesians,” Rev. H. C. G. Motile. M. A., Bishop of Durham. (The Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges.)

List of Rev. John M. Maclnnis:

Best Five:

Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance.
A good, reliable Bible dictionary.
“Book by Book, Popular Studies on the Canon of Scripture.”
Salmon’s “Introduction of the New Testament.”
“The Life of Our Lord,” Andrews.

Second Five:

“How to Bring Men to Christ,” R. A. Torrey.
“The Personal Life of the Clergy,” A. W. Robinson.
“The Preacher, His Life and Work,” Jowett.
“The Holy Life,” MacGregor.
“The Ministry of Intercession,” Murray.

Third Five:

“The Living Messages of the Bible,” G. Campbell Morgan
“The Progress of Doctrine in the New Testament,” Bernard.
The best single commentary on each book in the Bible as taken up; e .g., Plummer on the Gospel of Luke; Sanday on Romans, McLaren on Psalms, Godet on John. (I do not favor sets of commentaries very much, because in all of these sets there is a great deal of useless matter.)
“Pilgrims’ Progress,” Bunyan.
“What the Bible Teaches,” R. A. Torrey.