EDITORnThomas FlemingnASSOCIATE EDITORnTheodore PappasnSENIOR EDITOR, BOOKSnChilton Williamson, ]r.nART DIRECTORnAnna Mycek-WodeckinCONTRIBUTING EDITORSnJohn W. Aldridge, Harold 0./.nBrown, Katherine Dalton, SamuelnFrancis, George Garrett,nE. Christian Kopff, Clyde WilsonnCORRESPONDING EDITORSn]anet Scott Barlow, JohnnShelton ReednEDITORIAL SECRETARYnLeann DobbsnPUBLISHERnAllan C. CarlsonnPUBLICATION DIRECTORnGuy C. ReffettnCOMPOSITION MANAGERnAnita FedoranCIRCULATION MANAGERnRochelle FranknA publication of The Rockford Institute.nEditorial and Advertising Offices:n934 North Main Street, Rockford, IL 61103.nEditorial Phone: (815)964-5054.nAdvertising Phone: (815) 964-5811.nSubscription Department: P. O. Box 800,nMount Morns, IL 61054. Call 1-800-877-5459.nFor information on advertising in Chronicles,nplease call Rochelle Frank at (815) 964-5811.nU. S. A. Newsstand Distribution by Eastern NewsnDistributors, Inc., 1130 Cleveland Road,nSandusky, OH 44870.nCopyright © 1992 by The Rockford Institute.nAll rights reserved.nChronicles (ISSN 0887-5731) is publishednmonthly for $24 per year by The RockfordnInstitute, 934 North Main Street, Rockford,nIL 61103-7061. Second-class postage paidnat Rockford, IL and additional mailing offices.nPOSTMASTER: Send address clranges tonChronicles, P. O. Box 800, Mount Morris,nIL 61054.nThe views expressed in Chronicles are thenauthors’ alone and do not necessarily reflectnthe views of The Rockford Institute or of itsndirectors. Unsolicited manuscripts cannot benreturned unless accompanied by a self-addressednstamped envelope.nChroniclesn4/CHRONICLESnVol.16, No. 10 October 1992nPOLEMICS & EXCHANGESnOn the ‘Dead Sea Scrolls’nJacob Neusner’s otherwise entertainingnreport on the Dead Sea Scrolls fiascon(Cultural Revolutions, April 1992) isnmarred by the aside that “Christianity,nlike every other great religion, rests notnon historical facts but supernatural revelation.n…”nThis ugly little pronunciamenton(made just in time for Lent) is aboutnwhat one would expect of an academicnscholar of religion these days. For suchnand their ilk religion is only a humanncreation, and gods, angels, demons, andnSatan, even God himself, are at bestnquaint ideas. Accordingly, the supernaturalndoes not overturn the laws ofntime and space in the form of miracles,nfor example. All it does, if it exists atnall, is impact the human psyche.nIt would be nice for a change to seenan academic of the stature of Dr.nNeusner take seriously the documentarynevidence of St. Paul or St. John, both ofnwhom were at pains to make the contrarynpoint, and especially that the historicitynof this mattered, and matterednabsolutely. But I suppose this would benasking too much of a profession devotednto the homogenization of religion.n—John S. MeyernRoselle, ILnRoving eyes should have stumbled overnJacob Neusner’s second, pivotal paragraphnin his April 1992 editorial. Thenrub between my orthodoxy and his liberalnheresy sparked this revision: “Christianityn[is not] like every other great religion,n[it] rests on historical fact [and]nsupernatural revelation. . . . Christianitynwas [proven] on the first Easter, whenn[Jesus Christ] arose from the grave [fulfillingnJewish prophecy and changing thencourse of humanity].” A fragment fromna cave is further evidence that supernaturalnfaith is based upon historical fact.n—Mark S. ZuelkenFox River Grove, ILnDr. Neusner Replies:nThe sentence to which both correspondentsnappear to take exception simplynrestates what I take to be standard Christianndoctrine. As to Mr. Zuelke’s statement,nI honestly don’t know what he’snnntalking about. Mr. Meyer and I probablyndo not differ, since I propose to denynnot historical facticity but the relevancenof historical inquiry. All religions thatnappeal to revelation take for granted thenhistoricity of the stories told in revelation.nThat has no bearing on this matter.nThe point I wished to make is thatnthe premise of religious faith in no waynopens the door for ordinary historicalnstudy to stand in judgment upon extraordinaryntheological conviction. It isntime, after the long, black dominion ofnhistoricism, to free theology, includingncreed, from the norms of history. Mynstatement means to dismiss historicalncriticism as monumentally irrelevant tonthe truths of theology, for reasons verynmuch like those Mr. Meyer expresses.nOn ‘Law and Order’nAs a former prosecutor and public defender,nI found Thomas Fleming’s MaynPerspective, “Law and/or Order,” to benvery wise. However, I noticed one oversight—nonmention of the workfarm, ornwork camp, as a place of incarcerationnfor some convicts.nWhen I started practicing in 1969,nSt. Louis county had a workfarm operatednby Mel Abrahamson, who wasntough, but very fatherly. Wild, youngnmen would get, upon their first adultnfelony conviction, a year at the farm.nThey would hoe onions all day, whichngave them time to think about a life ofncrime and periodic incarceration.nBut then they changed the farm into ancorrectional center for rehabilitatingn”clients,” who were “consumers of thencriminal justice system,” according tonone memo I saw. Mel, not being degreednin criminology, was forced to retire.nRequired work was out, peer groupntherapy was in.nI recall one likable client who got anyear in prison and my lecture on how henwas accountable for his actions andnshould do his best to profit from the experience.nA year or so later I ran intonhim on the street. He was bitter; he wasnnow a victim of his childhood environment,nhe said, learning this in “transactionalnanalysis.”n—Thomas ]. BieternDuluth, MNn