n'~ ^ 
 
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 •i^\ii 
 
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 JAN 22 1952 
 
 STUDl^SfiJCAi 8i^ 
 
 IN THE 
 
 Book of Acts. 
 
 BY 
 
 ROBERT E. SPEER. 
 
 Eighth Thousand. 
 
 New York : 
 
 The International Committee of 
 
 Young Men's Christian 
 
 Associations. 
 
(25-I-P46-3-9S.) 
 
 COPYRIGHTED 1892 
 
 BY 
 
 THE INTERNATIONAL COMMITTEE, 
 
 YOUiNj MEN'S CHRISTIAN ASSOCIATIONS. 
 
 No. 312. 
 
 For the list of publications in the " College Series,'* 
 see last pages. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 PAGE 
 
 I. Authorship and Authenticity 8 
 
 II. Who was Luke? 20 
 
 III. When was the Book Written? . 28 
 
 IV. Where was the Book Published? 31 
 
 V. To Whom Dedicated? 32 
 
 VI. For Whom was the Book Written ? 36 
 
 VII. What WAS the Design OF the Book? 38 
 
 VIII. The Title of the Book 45 
 
 IX. The Source OF Luke's Information 47 
 
 X. The Credibility of the Book . . 50 
 
 XI. Language, Style, and Text . 59 
 
 XII. Relation of the Acts to the Gos- 
 
 pels 60 
 
 XIII. Relation of the Acts to the Epis- 
 
 tles . 66 
 
 XIV. The Chronology of the Acts . . 75 
 
 XV. The Geography 78 
 
 XVI. Some Summaries 81 
 
 XVII. The Substance of the Chapters . 87 
 
 XVIII. The Characters of the Acts . . 88 
 I. Simon Peter 88 
 
 Barnabas 100 
 
 Stephen 103 
 
 Apollos 109 
 
 Aqiiila and Priscilla . . . . .110 
 
6. Jantes .... 
 
 7. The other Apostles 
 
 8. Philip 
 
 9. Some Missionary Plelpers . . . . 
 
 10. Civil arid Political Officials . . . . 
 
 11. Minor Characters 
 
 12. Paid 
 
 a. His Life 
 
 b. His Speeches 
 
 c. The Teaching of his Speeches 
 
 d. His Epistles 
 
 XIX. The Teaching of the Acts . . . . 
 
 XX. Analysis of the Book 
 
 XXL Some Other Phases of the Book . 
 
 PAGE^ 
 
 13 
 
 17 
 17 
 
 i» 
 
 18 
 
 [29 
 
 [30 
 
 '33 
 
 ^35 
 [44 
 
 [49 
 
^Qgge3tion3. 
 
 1. The importance of a thorough study 
 of the Book of Acts can be understood by 
 those only who have undertaken such a 
 study. All others are losers by neglect. 
 When they have begun such a study, they 
 will be surprised that they have delayed so 
 long. 
 
 2. These outlines are designed to help 
 the student in his work. The end of his 
 work should be a complete mastery of the 
 Book. These studies will indicate the direc- 
 tions of his work. They can not do his 
 work for him. 
 
 3. If the class has time for ten lessons, 
 study II., VII., X., XII., XIII., XVII., 
 XVIIL, 2, XX., XXI. If there is time 
 for twenty lessons, study, in addition to 
 the preceding. III., IV., V., VI., XVIII., 
 3, 4, 5, XIX. For thirty lessons, take also 
 I., VIII., XL, XV., XVI., XVIIL, 6, 7, 8, 
 
9- For forty lessons, include XIV., XVIII. , 
 I. The full course will furnish material 
 for at least fifty lessons. The lives of 
 Peter and Paul can be readily separated 
 from the rest of the course and studied by 
 themselves. 
 
 4. Become thoroughly familiar with the 
 Book. Read it through frequently. In- 
 stead of taking XVII. as a single lesson, 
 distribute it, mastering one or two chapters 
 each time. Begin this at the outset, and 
 review constantly. 
 
 5. Look up each reference and study 
 it, bearing in mind the special thought of 
 which the text was cited as illustration. 
 Frequently the proofs are partial. In such 
 cases add others from your own study. 
 
 6. Confine the study of each hour to 
 the special subject assigned for the lesson. 
 Defer other questions, especially unimport- 
 ant side issues, until the end of the lesson, 
 or until some special time, when all that 
 have accumulated can be taken up to- 
 gether. 
 
 7. The class should have within reach 
 a good commentary, — Gloag, Hackett, or 
 
Lumby, in the Cainbridge Bible Series. 
 The careful Greek scholar will find the 
 former two and Lechler's Apostolic and 
 Post-Apostolic Times helpful. The English 
 student will prefer Lumby. McClintock 
 and Strong's Encyclopedia of the Bible, 
 which should be in every good library, will 
 furnish nearly all needed information. This 
 course, however, must be in the Book of 
 Acts. Other books must not take its 
 place. 
 
 8. Begin, continue, and end all your 
 study in prayer. Be willing to change your 
 life, and to live as the study of the Book 
 may give you light. Study to become bet- 
 ter acquainted with Christ, rather than to 
 satisfy curiosity or to acquire knowledge. 
 
STUDIES IN THE ACTS OF THE 
 APOSTLES. 
 
 I. Authorship and Authenticity. 
 
 Not until the time of Photius in the ninth centur)- 
 was any tnention made of any other writer than 
 Luke. Photius said, " Some believe the writer 
 to be Clement of Rome, some Barnabas, and 
 others Luke the Evangelist," an assertion un- 
 supported by the Christian Fathers. Photius 
 himself agreed in the common opinion that 
 Luke wrote it. 
 
 I. The testimony of tradition, 
 a. Heresy. 
 
 The Marcionites, Manicheans, Severians, 
 and Ebionites rejected the authority of the 
 Acts because it contradicted their peculiar 
 views. They admitted, without question, 
 the source from which their opponents 
 claimed to receive it. Under such circum- 
 stances, their rejection of the book be- 
 comes a testimony to its genuineness. 
 (See Bible dictionary for definition of 
 these sects.) 
 
 Basilides, one of the earliest known 
 gnostics, who lived at Alexandria about 
 
I20, assumed for himself and his son 
 Isidore the title of pupils of the Apostle 
 Matthias. The Apostolate of Matthias is 
 mentioned only in the Acts, The circula- 
 tion of that book is therefore implied. 
 
 The Fathers. 
 
 Polycarp, 80 to 155, evidently quotes 
 Acts ii. 24, in his words "whom God hath 
 awakened, having loosed the (birth) pains 
 of Hades." 
 
 Clement of Rome, 30 to 100. His first 
 Epistle to the Corinthians is the earliest 
 undisputed document of the Apostolic age. 
 In chapter xviii., he combines I. Samuel 
 xiii. 14 with Psalm Ixxxix. 20, in the words, 
 " I have found a man after my own heart, 
 David, son of Jesse, and I have anointed 
 him with eternal oil." Just as in Acts 
 xiii. 22. In chapter ii. are the words, 
 " Giving more willingly than receiving." 
 Compare Acts xx. 35. Doubtless these 
 are allusions rather than quotations ; but 
 it was not the custom of the Fathers to 
 cite the name of the writer, or to quote 
 fully or literally. The quotations were 
 well known. 
 
 Ignatius. In his Epistles to the Smyr- 
 naeans, chapter iii., are the words, " He 
 ate and drank with them." Compare 
 Acts X. 41. 
 
 In Acta Martyri Ignatii, written 1 1 5 at 
 the latest, chapter v., are the words, " That 
 
lO 
 
 when Puteoli was pointed out to him he 
 hastened to go forth, wishing to follow 
 the traces of the Apostle Paul." Compare 
 Acts xxviii. 1 3. 
 
 Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons in 178. He 
 had been intimate with those who saw the 
 Apostles, and says distinctly that Luke 
 was the author of the Acts. Quotes 
 often, and in one place gives a distinct 
 summary of the last twelve chapters. 
 
 Clement of Alexandria, 190. He not 
 only speaks of Luke as having composed 
 the Acts, but wrote a commentary on it. 
 
 Tertullian, 200. He quotes Acts re- 
 peatedly, and names Luke as the author 
 in such a way as to make it evident that 
 he merely followed in this the universal 
 opinion of the age. 
 
 Eusebius, 325, Bishop of Caesarea, the 
 friend of Constantine and the father of 
 church history. He places the Acts 
 among the uncontested books, and quotes 
 it throughout his notices of the apostolic 
 age as sacred Scripture, and says : " Luke, 
 a native of Antioch, by profession a physi- 
 cian, was mostly Paul's companion, though 
 he associated not a little with the other 
 Apostles. He has left us examples of the 
 art of healing souls, which he acquired 
 from the Apostles, in two divinely inspired 
 books, — first, in the Gospel which he tes- 
 tifies to have written according to what 
 eye witnesses and ministers of the word 
 
II 
 
 delivered to him from the beginning, all 
 of which, also, he says that he investi- 
 gated from the first ; and secondly, in the 
 Acts of the Apostles, which he composed, 
 not from report as in the other case, but 
 according to his own personal observa- 
 tion." 
 
 Chrysostom, 347 to 407. There is an 
 unbroken line of testimony to him, though 
 he says that the book was neglected in his 
 day at Constantinople, which helps to ex- 
 plain the remark of Photius. 
 
 Constantine believed that Luke wrote 
 it, and defended this position by a refer- 
 ence to the first words of the Acts, and to 
 its subject matter as a continuance and 
 completion of the Gospel. 
 
 The Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs. 
 
 This was the production of some Jewish 
 Christian, desirous of bringing his fellow 
 countrymen to Christ. He represents 
 Jacob's twelve sons as speaking on their 
 death beds, and assigns to each a pro- 
 phetic discourse, depicting the future lot 
 of their people, and the blessings to be 
 conferred by the Gospel. It dates at the 
 beginning of the second or at the end of 
 the first century, for it alludes to the de- 
 struction of Jerusalem by Titus in 70, but 
 not to the second destruction by Adrian in 
 135. It contains many quotations from 
 the Evangelists, and says : " In the last 
 
12 
 
 days, said Benjamin to his sons, there 
 shall spring from my race a ruler, accord- 
 ing to the Lord, who, after having heard 
 His voice, shall spread new light among 
 the heathen, and shall abide in the syna- 
 gogues of the heathen to the end of the 
 ages, and shall be in the mouth of their 
 chiefs as a pleasant song. His work and 
 his word shall be written in the holy 
 books." Paul was of the tribe of Ben- 
 jamin. Apparently, the Acts was already 
 reckoned among the holy books. 
 
 d. Other testimony. 
 
 Epistle of the churches of Lyons and 
 Vienne. Speaking of the martyrs in the 
 persecution under Marcus Aurelius, i6i 
 to 1 80, it says: " They prayed for those 
 who inflicted terrible tortures, as did 
 Stephen, the perfect martyr, ' Lord, lay 
 not this sin to their charge.' So he 
 prayed for those who stoned him." The 
 word martyr in this special sense is first 
 used by Paul in a speech in the Acts. 
 The Bishop of Lyons in 167 was Pothinus, 
 formerly a disciple of Polycarp. The Epis- 
 tle was sent from Gaul to Rome. It is, 
 therefore, a witness to the familiar knowl- 
 edge of the Acts in Asia Minor, Gaul, and 
 Italy. 
 
 Muratorian Canon, 170. Contains a list 
 of Books read in the churches in the time 
 of Pius I., Bishop of Rome in the second 
 
13 
 
 century. It says: "The Acts of all the 
 Apostles were written in a single book ad- 
 dressed by Luke to the most excellent 
 Theophilus. It comprises an account of 
 events which occurred within his own per- 
 sonal knowledge, as is shown plainly by 
 the omission of all notice of the martyr- 
 dom of Peter and of Paul's departure 
 from Rome to Spain." 
 
 2. The same wriUr turoie Acts and the third 
 Gospel. 
 
 a. The prologues. 
 
 The two Books are dedicated to the 
 same man. The writer of Acts introduces 
 his work as a second part or continuation 
 of a previous history. What Jesus began 
 to do and teach in the Gospel He went on 
 to do and teach in the Acts. 
 
 b. The unity of system in the two Books. 
 
 Notice their fullness in peculiar or spe- 
 cially original parts where Luke has special 
 means of knowing. First, notice Luke i., 
 ii., ix. 51 — xix. 28. The incidents which 
 the other evangelists do not contain are 
 given with " singular vividness of coloring 
 and minuteness of detail." Do you notice 
 a law of parsimony as shown in the avoid- 
 ance of repetitions ? Luke omits Mark v. 
 6, a visit to Nazareth during the Lord's 
 later ministry in Galilee. He gives an 
 earlier one, Luke iv. 16-30. Note also 
 
14 
 
 the omission of the story of the healing 
 of the dumb man, Mark vii. 31-37. A 
 similar transaction is spoken of in Luke 
 xi. 14. Luke omits the miracle of the 
 barren fig tree (Mark xi. 12-21), but he 
 relates the parable (Luke xii. 6-9). He 
 omits the story of the anointing of the 
 Lord at Bethany, but includes the story 
 of the other anointing. Luke vii. 36-50. 
 He omits the second feeding of the mul- 
 titude. Get the details of the two feedings 
 clearly in mind. 
 
 Secondly, this same trait is apparent in 
 the Book of Acts. The writer omits the 
 experiences related in H, Cor. xi. 23-30; 
 yet he records Paul's speech and the par- 
 tial allusion to these trials in Acts xx. 19. 
 So, also, he omits any record of the work 
 done in Macedonia shortly before Paul 
 wrote the Second Epistle to the Corinth- 
 ians, in which its extent is noted. It is 
 barely indicated by a few pregnant words. 
 Acts xx. 2. 
 
 c. Unity of style. 
 
 (I.) Verbs compounded with truK Such 
 verbs are found in Matthew three times, 
 Mark five, John three, Luke twenty-four, 
 Acts fifty-one. 
 
 aTras occurs frequently in Acts and 
 Luke ; in all others nine limes. . 
 
15 
 
 iropeieadaL occurs in Luke forty-nine 
 times, in Acts, thirty-eight ; rarely else- 
 where. 
 
 lepova-aXrjfji in preference to lepovao- 
 Xu/xa as the name of Jerusalem occurs 
 in both. 
 
 Credner gives sixty-five idioms pe- 
 culiar to Acts and the third Gospel. 
 Of these he says, "These very num- 
 erous peculiarities attest with cer- 
 tainty the genuineness of the whole 
 work, Gospel and Acts, in its present 
 form." 
 
 This unity of style is observable 
 also in the use of the characteristic 
 Pauline word xdpts, which does not 
 occur at all in Matthew and Mark, 
 and only three times in John. John i. 
 14, 16, 17. It occurs in Luke eight 
 times, and in Acts eighteen times. 
 
 The verb x°^P''-t^l^^'- occurs in Luke 
 twice, Acts three times, often in Paul, 
 but nowhere else in the New Testa- 
 ment. 
 (II.) The classical style. 
 
 (III.) Tenderness of sympathy in both 
 feeling for the poor and suffering, praise 
 of almsgiving, and declaration of the free- 
 dom of the Gospel. Find proofs of this- 
 
 (IV.) Credner: "The Acts of the Apos- 
 tles describes itself as a continuation of 
 the third Gospel ; and the common ob- 
 
i6 
 
 ject of both writings, the common peculi- 
 arities of language and style, the common 
 building up of doctrine on Pauline princi- 
 ples and foundation, the common striving 
 after exactness . . . prove irrefragably that 
 the author of the third Gospel, the physi- 
 cian Luke, must on no account be separ- 
 ated from the Author of the Acts of the 
 Apostles." 
 
 Renan : " One thing beyond all doubt 
 is that the Acts have the same author as 
 the third Gospel, and are a continuation 
 of that Gospel. The prefaces that are 
 written at the beginning of both, the dedi- 
 cation of each to Theophilus, the perfect 
 resemblance in style and in ideas, furnish 
 in this regard abundant proofs." 
 
 d. Unity of doctrine. 
 
 Both are Pauline. 
 Gospel. 
 
 (I.) Tradition. 
 
 Irenasus says, " Luke, the follower 
 of Paul, set down in a book the Gos- 
 pel which he (Paul) used to preach." 
 
 (II.) Traces. 
 
 Compare — 
 Luke iv. 22 : Col. iv. 6. 
 Luke vi. 36: IL Cor. i. 3. 
 Luke vi. 39: Rom. ii. ic). 
 Luke xxii. 19, 20 : L Cor. xi. 23-29. 
 (ni.) The connection between the Pas 
 sion and the Resurrection. 
 
17 
 
 Luke xxiv. 7, 26, 46 : I. Cor. xv. 3, 4. 
 I. Thess. iv. 14: Phil. iii. 10. 
 
 (IV.) Attention to sinners in each. 
 
 (V.) Universality and gratuitousness of 
 the Gospel. 
 
 Luke iii. 6; iv. 16-30; Col. i. 23; 
 II. Cor. V. 19. 
 
 Acts. 
 
 All are agreed upon the Pauline 
 character of the Acts. This has even 
 been made the basis of an impeach- 
 ment of its truth. 
 
 3. If the third Gospel and the Book of Acts were 
 written by the same man, do we knoiv loho it 
 could have been, apart from the testimony of 
 tradition ? 
 
 a. The writer was an immediate disciple of 
 the Apostles. I^uke i. 2. Renan calls him a 
 Christian of the second Apostolic generation. 
 He was not personally present at, or acquainted 
 with, the early church, for he omits much that 
 would be of interest, and gives only the main 
 necessary outlines. 
 
 b. He was a Gentile Christian. A Jewish 
 Christian would probably not have spoken of 
 the elders "of the Jews" (Luke vii. 3), or of a 
 city "of the Jews" (Luke xxiii. 51). Other 
 touches which indicate his Gentile character 
 are Luke i. 26; iv. 31 ; viii. 26; Acts i. 19. 
 
c. He was a believer belonging to the school 
 of Paul. 
 
 (i.) Universality. 
 
 Luke iii. 4-6 ; Rom. iii. 29 ; Gal. 
 iii. 14. 
 (ri.) Account of the Lord's Supper. 
 
 Luke xxii. 17-20; L Cor. xi. 23-29. 
 
 d. He was one of Paul's fellow laborers, for 
 he must be speaking of himself when the first 
 person plural occurs in the Acts xvi. 10, 1 1. 
 He cannot be one of Paul's fellow laborers 
 mentioned in the Acts, for he always speaks of 
 himself anonymously. 
 
 e. He must have been a man of culture. 
 
 (I.) The prologue of the Gospel and 
 the dedication of it and the Acts to The- 
 ophilus indicate it. This was a Greek cus- 
 tom, although Josephus does dedicate one 
 of his writings to Epaphroditus. 
 
 (ir.) The classic style. 
 
 (III.) The historical taste and delicacy 
 of mind. 
 
 f. These features do not belong to — 
 
 (I.) Barnabas, for he was a Levite. 
 
 (II.) Silas, for he belonged to the primi- 
 tive church at Jerusalem. 
 
 (in.) Timothy, for he was a young Lyca- 
 onian, possibly without culture. See H. 
 Tim. i. 6-8 ; L Cor. xvi. 10, ir. 
 
 (IV. Moreover, Silas, Timothy, and Bar- 
 nabas were all with Paul before the " we " 
 
19 
 
 begins ; they were not with him when the 
 " we " is used ; they were with him when 
 the writer says " they." 
 
 (v.) Titus, for like reasons. He was 
 not at Troas when the writer uses "we." 
 11. Cor. ii. 12, 13. 
 
 , They do apply to Luke. 
 
 (I.) Paul ranks him among the Chris- 
 tians of Greek origin. Col. iv. 14. 
 
 (ir.) He assigns him a distinguished 
 place among his disciples and fellow work- 
 ers, n. Cor. viii. iS, 19. 
 
 (ill.) The title of physician implies sci- 
 entific and literary culture probably above 
 that of the other disciples and helpers. 
 
 So Renan declares : " I persist in be- 
 lieving that the last redactor of the Acts 
 is truly the disciple of Paul, who says 
 'we' in the last chapters. And we think 
 that the author of the third Gospel and 
 the Acts is assuredly Luke, disciple of 
 Paul." 
 
20 
 
 II. Who was Luke? 
 
 Named only three times in the Bible, never by 
 himself. Col. iv. 14; Philemon 24; II. Tim. 
 iv. II. 
 
 1. From Col. iv. 11, 14, we may infer that he was 
 a Gentile. 
 
 Paul does not include him among those of 
 the circumcision. Eusebius and Jerome say 
 hd was a Syrian of Antioch, explaining the in- 
 timate knowledge he shows about the condition 
 and teachers of that church. Acts vi. 5 speaks 
 of Nicholas of A/itioch, without mentioning the 
 place of any of the six other deacons. Mr. 
 Smith, of Jordanhill, mentions that, of the 
 eight accounts of the Russian Campaign, only 
 the two Scotch authors, Scott and Alison, state 
 that General Barclay de Tolly was of Scotch 
 extraction. Some of Luke's special informa- 
 tion about the Herods (Luke viii. 3 ; xxiii. 8, 
 II, 12, 15; Acts. xii. I, 6, II, 19-21) may have 
 been derived from Manaen, the foster brother 
 of Antipas of Antioch. Acts xiii. i. 
 
 2. He may have been a proselyte of the gate, a Gen- 
 tile who joined in Jewish worship and recognized 
 the Jewish lata, but was not circnmciscd. 
 
 a. Luke says "clay and night " (Acts ix. 24), 
 whereas, when he is reporting the speeches of 
 Paul (Acts XX. 31 ; xxvi. 7), — like Paul himself 
 in I. Thess. iii. 10, II. Thess. iii. 8, I. Tim. v. 5, 
 — he always says " night and day," in accord- 
 
21 
 
 ance with the Jewish notion that the night 
 preceded the day. 
 
 b. Notice Acts i. 19. 
 
 (-. His acquaintance with Jewish opinions 
 and customs. Acts iii. i ; v. 6. 
 
 d. His knowledge of the Septuagint. 
 
 77ie date of his conversion is Jincertain. 
 
 He was not one of the Seventy, as Epipha- 
 nius suggests. 
 
 Nor one of the two in Luke xxiv. 13, as 
 Theophilus tliinks. 
 
 Nor one of the Greeks in John xii. 20. 
 
 For he says (Luke i. i) he was not an eye- 
 witness. And tliis is confirmed by the fact that 
 his references to Christ are those of the post- 
 apostolic generation ; c. g. the use of 6 Ktvptos 
 when speaking of Christ. Ki^ptos, as a substi- 
 tute for "Jesus," occurs fourteen times in 
 Luke; elsewhere in the Synoptists only in 
 Mark xvi. 19, 20. The combination "the Lord 
 Jesus '' occurs only in Luke xxiv. 3, though 
 often in the Epistles. 
 
 Perhaps he was converted by Paul. Tertul- 
 lian seems to assume so : " A disciple ... of 
 Paul, without a doubt." At any rate, he was 
 converted before he met Paul at Troas. Acts 
 xvi. II. 
 
 From Troas he accompanied Paul to Philippi, 
 where he remained during the second and third 
 missionary journeys of Paul — a period of seven 
 
22 
 
 years, 51-58, We know he was left there, for 
 " they " supplants " we " in Acts xvi. 40 (com- 
 pare Acts xvi. 16), when Paul and Silas leave 
 Philippi. 
 
 Doubtless Lnke zvas not idle all this time. 
 
 We infer from II. Cor. viii. 18, referring not 
 to the written but to the spoken Gospel, that 
 he had been preaching. At any rate, a physi- 
 cian of Luke's tender spirit would have found 
 means of subsistence and opportunities for 
 helpfulness everywhere. Yet Luke never men- 
 tions these seven years of glorious missionary 
 service. 
 
 When Paul came to Philippi at the end of his 
 third missionary journey, or when he was near 
 Philippi, — where did he spend the three months 
 of Acts XX. 3 .'' — Luke joined him (Acts xx. 5) 
 to accompany him to Jerusalem (Acts xxi. 
 15-18). 
 
 After this Luke was PauPs constant companion. 
 
 a. Was with him in his imprisonment at 
 Caesarea. Acts xxiii. 33 ; xxiv. 23. Did they 
 do any literary work there .'' 
 
 b. Sailed with him to Rome. Acts xxvii. i. 
 Aristarchus went along. Acts xxvii. 2. 
 
 e. Was by his side during his first imprison- 
 ment. Acts xxviii. 16; Col. iv. 14; Phil. 24. 
 " My fellow laborers." Many with Paul now. 
 
 d. Luke was clearly with Paul at Rome in 
 62, when the Epistles to the Colossians and 
 
23 
 
 Philemon were written. Where was he when 
 Paul wrote to the Philippians? He was not at 
 Rome, or Paul w^'ilrl certainly have sent greet- 
 ings to the Philippians from him. He was not 
 at Philippi, or Paul would have sent greetings 
 to him. He was probably in Achaia, where he 
 labored with Paul, and where, according to the 
 tradition of Jerome, he wrote the Gospel. 
 
 e. Was with him during his second imprison- 
 ment. II. Tim. iv. II. "Only Luke." Soli- 
 tary now ; but Luke was faithful even unto 
 death. 
 
 8. Luke ivas a physician. 
 
 "■ The beloved physician." Col. iv. 14. What 
 does this imply as to culture and education ? 
 Tholuck says, " ' Collegium archiatrorum ' had 
 to examine in every city those who desired to 
 practice the healing art, and to exercise super- 
 vision over them." 
 
 ^7. Traces of Luke's medical knowledge in 
 the Acts: iii. 7; ix. 18; x. 10; xii. 23; xiii. 11 ; 
 XX. 31 ; xxviii. 8. 
 
 d. Traces in the Gospel: iv. 23, 38; v. 12; 
 vii. 2; vi. 19; viii. 46; viii. 43-48 (compare the 
 unceremonious statement of Mark v. 25-26); 
 ix. 2 ; xiii. 1 1. 
 
 9. //ad he been a physician to some vessel on the 
 Jlfediterranean Sea ? 
 
 The size of the ancients' ships, holding up- 
 wards of three hundred people, the imperfect 
 
24 
 
 sanitary arrangements, and the length of the 
 voyages, must have rendered a physician neces- 
 sary. Luke possessed accurate nautical knowl- 
 edge, shown especially in Acts xxvii. In this 
 chapter are five compounds of ttX^w, — Luke 
 uses three others elsewhere (Acts xx. 6, i6; 
 Luke viii. 26), — and ten other correct nautical 
 terms. 
 
 At any rate, he was a physician and used to 
 the sea, and must have been a great comfort 
 and help to Paul. And his large sympathy is 
 stamped on his Gospel. " He was a physician, 
 and so to all his words are medicines of the 
 drooping soul." — Jerome. 
 
 I o. Could he have been the cousin of the Latin poet, 
 Liicati, 7iephew of Gallio and Seneca ? 
 
 Acts xviii. 14-17. Renan and Plumptre, on 
 the ground of an apochryphal correspondence 
 between Paul and Seneca, have indulged in 
 this speculation. 
 
 1 1 . There is a legend that he was a painter. 
 
 There was a Florentine painter of the twelfth 
 century named Luca Santo, and there was an 
 earlier Greek hermit of the name of Lucas, 
 who used to paint the Blessed Virgin. The 
 tradition may have originated in the finding of 
 a picture of the Virgin in the Catacombs with 
 the inscription, " One of seven painted by 
 
25 
 
 Luca." Art and poetry have perpetuated the 
 tradition. 
 
 " Give honor unto Luke, evangelist, 
 For he it is (the ancient legends say) 
 Who first taught Art to fold her hands and pray." 
 
 — Rosetti. 
 
 12. Luke'' s latei' life. 
 
 We have nothing reliable about it. 
 
 Epiphanius says that he preached in Dal- 
 matia, Gallia, Italy, and Macedonia. 
 
 Jerome (in what Godet calls an interpolated 
 passage) asserts that he lived a celibate life to 
 the age of eighty-four. 
 
 Gregory of Nazianzus first makes him a 
 martyr. 
 
 Nicephorus, fifteenth century, maintains that 
 he was hanged on an olive tree in Greece at 
 the age of eighty. 
 
 On the ancient doors of the San Paulo in 
 Rome he is represented as dying peacefully. 
 
 It was generally believed that he ended his 
 days in Achaia ; for there, according to Jerome, 
 the Emperor Constantine sought for his ashes 
 to transport them to the Church of the Apos- 
 tles in Constantinople. 
 
 13. His relation to Paul is the important thing. It 
 was a warm, close, iDiinterrnpted friendship. 
 
 God has helped His Kingdom more than 
 once in this way. Luther and Melancthon, 
 Calvin and Beza, Cranmer, Latimer, Ridley, 
 are other illustrations of the same truth. The 
 Lord sent out the disciples two by two. So, 
 
26 
 
 too, we read of Peter and " Marcus, my son." 
 I. Peter v. 13. 
 
 The significance and influence of this friend- 
 ship — 
 
 a. On Luke. 
 
 (r.) Opportunity for service. 
 
 (II.) Changed his character. 
 
 (III.) The pure privilege and honor of it. 
 
 k On Paul. 
 
 (I.) In his sickness. 
 
 (II.) In his work. The preacher and 
 the physician went together. 
 
 (ill.) In his literary work. Luke never 
 mentions Paul's Epistles in the Acts. Did 
 he have a share in them, and is his silence 
 due to modesty.'' 
 
 (IV.) In his language. Notice the medi- 
 cal terms in the following passages in Paul's 
 Epistles: I. Tim. i. 10; vi. 4; iv. 2, 8; 
 V. 23 ; II. Tim. ii. 17 ; iv. 3 ; Phil. iii. 2, 8 ; 
 • Col. iii. 5. 
 
 This may be a little precarious, but we 
 need not let go the internal evidence in 
 Luke's writings of his knowledge of medi- 
 cine. Thus Jerome speaks of " Lucas, 
 medicus Antiochensis, ut scripta ejus in- 
 dicant." 
 
 And Luke was a faithful friend. Col. 
 iv. 14; II. Tim. iv. ID, II. 
 
 c. See Keble's Christian Vear, " St. Luke's 
 Day." 
 
27 
 
 14- What is your jiuignieiit of his chaj'actcr and 
 work ? 
 
 " Whose joy is to the wandering sheep 
 To tell of the Great Shepherd's lova; 
 
 To learn of mourners while they weep 
 The music that makes mirth above ; 
 
 Who makes the Saviour all his theme, 
 The Gospel all his pride and praise." 
 
 " Utilis ille labor per quem vixere tot aegri, 
 Utilior per quem tot didicere mori." 
 
28 
 
 III. When was the Book of Acts Written ? 
 
 1. Before the destruction of Jerusalem. Because 
 the Gospel of Luke contams explicit prophecies 
 of the destruction of Jerusalem, and because 
 Acts was written, according to its own state- 
 
 ' ment, after the Gospel, the rationalistic critics 
 hold it must have been written after 70. 
 
 a. Jesus was, however, able to foretell things 
 to come, and the evangelists were preserved 
 from error in recording these predictions. 
 
 b. In the numerous notices of Jerusalem, 
 which show personal knowledge and deep 
 interest in its localities, no indication is given 
 that any change has passed over the places 
 where Paul had endured his sorrows and his 
 enemies had temporarily but decisively tri- 
 umphed. Acts i. 19; iii. 11, "/> called." A 
 sensitive man like Luke was not likely to have 
 omitted the mention of such things. 
 
 c. There was time enough for the writer to 
 complete the records before 70. 
 
 2. The time when Acts was written v.as not far 
 distant from the termination of Paul's impris- 
 onment at Rome, mentioned in Acts x.xviii. 
 Luke speaks of that in a way clearly to imply 
 that the imprisonment was over; either Paul 
 had been liberated or he had been put to 
 death. 
 
 a. If, following the tradition of his second 
 imprisonment and subsequent death, we sup- 
 pose he was liberated, we have a natural ex- 
 
29 
 
 planation of the abrupt close of the Book, if 
 we assume that Luke published it at the time 
 of the Apostle's release, or so soon after that 
 the interval furnished nothing new which he 
 deemed it necessary to add to the history. 
 
 b. If, on the other hand, we suppose that 
 this, the first and only captivity of Paul, was 
 terminated by his martyrdom, it is difficult to 
 account for the writer's silence respecting his 
 death, except on the ground that it was so re- 
 cent and well known in the circle of his readers 
 that they did not need the information. 
 
 By and by we shall see that this second sup- 
 position — that Paul's first captivity in Rome 
 was his only one, ended by his death — is un- 
 tenable. But, for the present, whichever one 
 we take makes the time of writing the Acts 
 almost coincide with the end of the captivity 
 in Rome, which Luke has described. 
 
 What time was this ? 
 
 Most critics agree that Paul was brought to 
 Rome in 6i or 62. The Neronian persecution 
 came in 64. If Paul was set at liberty after 
 his imprisonment, it must have been in 6t, 
 or near the beginning of 64, before Nero's per- 
 secution began. If, on the other hand, he was 
 still in prison when Nero began to play the 
 tyrant, he, probably, as leader of the sect, soon 
 shared the fate of the others, about 64. Hence, 
 this date, or the close of 63, we may consider 
 the date of the writing of the Acts. 
 
3° 
 
 4- The impression left on the reader by the clos- 
 ing of the Acts is that the writer's whole story 
 is told. It could not have been told if the 
 writer knew more about the Apostle Paul. It 
 is plain that the book was published soon after 
 the events with which it closes. The two years 
 would have been abundant time to write it, or 
 to complete what may have been already writ- 
 ten. It is evidently a finished story. It ends 
 with the word dKio\vT(j}i, unmolestedly. " The 
 cadehce is expressive of stability, of motion 
 succeeded by rest, of action settled in repose, 
 'an emblem of the history of the church of 
 Christ, and of the life of every true believer 
 in Him.' " 
 
 5. The best date for the Gospel of Luke is about 
 63. The Acts followed at no long interval. 
 
 6. There were motives that would lead the writer 
 to publish the Book as soon as possible. 
 
31 
 
 IV. Where was the Book Published? 
 
 If Luke wrote the Book and published it near 
 the close of Paul's captivity, it was probably at 
 Rome, for he was there with Paul when the 
 Epistles to the Colossians and Philemon were 
 written. 
 
 This was the opinion of the early Christian 
 Fathers. (Jerome.) 
 
 The probability of this is strengthened by the 
 fact that Luke makes no mention of Paul's 
 liberation or martyrdom, whichever it was. 
 
 a. This would be natural at Rome, because 
 every one there knew the result of Paul's cap- 
 tivity. 
 
 b. If he wrote away from Rome, it is hard 
 to explain this omission. 
 
 The accuracy and minuteness of references to 
 Italian geography suggests that it was written 
 at Rome, xxviii. 12-15. 
 
 So also do the corresponding explanations 
 about other places, though this evidence must 
 not be pressed. Acts i. 12; v. 17; viii. 26; 
 xxvii. 7, 8, 12, 13. 
 
32 
 V. To Whom Dedicated? 
 
 Theophilus. 
 
 1. Origen supposed him to be a purely fictitious 
 person. He says that all who are beloved by 
 God are Theophili and may therefore appropri- 
 ate to themselves the books addressed to The- 
 ophilus. Salvanius appears to adopt the same 
 view. Theophylact, who believes in his exist- 
 ence, still moralizes upon the name. If it were 
 an ideal person, the name would be tptXodeos. 
 II. Tim. iii. 4. Moreover, KpaTiare is not ap- 
 plicable in this sense universally. 
 
 2. Calls him Kparia-Te. Luke i. 4. This word 
 omitted in dedication of Acts i. i. It is a 
 title either of rank, given to procurators, or of 
 friendship. In the former sense it is used in 
 Acts xxiii. 26; xxiv. 3 ; xxvi. 25. 
 
 3. Theophylact conjectures that he was a Roman 
 governor or person of senatorial rank, ground- 
 ing the conjecture on the use of KpancrTe. 
 CEcumenius tells us he was a governor. 
 
 4. Hase and Michaelis identify him with the de- 
 posed High Priest, son of Ananias, brother 
 and immediate successor of Jonathan, made 
 High Priest by Vitellius at the Passover of 37, 
 from whom some think Paul got the letters 
 authorizing his persecution of the Christians 
 at Antioch. 
 
 5. Alexander Morus makes the hazardous conjec- 
 ture that the Theophilus of Luke is identical 
 
33 
 
 with the Athenian of the same name recorded 
 by Tacitus as having been condemned for fraud 
 by the court of the Areopagus. 
 
 6. Was he an Italian ? Luke often explains to 
 him the position and distance of towns in Judea 
 and Galilee. Luke i. 26; iv. 31; viii. 26; 
 xxiv. 13. Not so Italian geography. Acts 
 xxviii. 12-15. 
 
 7. He was probably not a Macedonian (Acts xvi. 
 12), or an Athenian (Acts xvii. 21), or a Cretan 
 (Acts xxvii. 12). 
 
 8. The tradition of the Clementine Homilies, 
 middle of the second century : " So that 
 Theophilus, who was at the head of all the 
 men in power at the city (of Antioch), conse- 
 crated under the name of a church the great 
 palace in which he resided." 
 
 9. We have seen that probably Luke was of An- 
 tioch. Was he of the household of Theoph- 
 ilus .'' He may have been his freedman. Lo- 
 beck has noticed that contractions in as, as 
 Lucas from Lucanus, Silas from Silvanus, are 
 frequent in the names of slaves. 
 
 (7. This fact at once prevents the identi- 
 fication of Lucas with Lucius of Cyrene. 
 Acts xiii. I. Lucas and Lucius are different 
 names. 
 
 l>. It is not inconsistent with Luke's cul- 
 ture and medical knowledge. Physicians and 
 men of letters frequently belonged to the class 
 of slaves. 
 
34 
 
 c. If Luke had practiced his profession in 
 Antioch, and if he was brought to the faith 
 at the time of the founding of the church in 
 that city (Acts xi. 20-26), the "we" in Acts 
 xvi. 1 1 becomes easily explicable ; for Luke 
 might very probably have desired to accom- 
 pany Paul in his missionary work, and Troas 
 would be the natural place for him to join 
 him. 
 
 t/. This accounts also for both the fact and 
 the style of the dedication. 
 
 (i) Naturally Luke would dedicate his 
 book to his old master and friend. 
 
 (ii) Theophilus must have been a cul- 
 tured man, and Luke would take pains to 
 write the dedication in as elegant Greek 
 as possible. 
 
 10. " Until the discovery of printing, the publication 
 of a work was a very costly undertaking ; and 
 authors were accustomed to dedicate their 
 works to some high personage of their ac- 
 quaintance, who could provide the writer an 
 opportunity of reading his production in some 
 select circle, and have the first copies prepared 
 at his own expense." 
 
 11. Bar-bahleel, a Syrian lexicographer of the 
 tenth century, says: "Theophilus primus Cre- 
 dentium et celeberrimus apud Alexandrienses, 
 qui cum aliis Aegyptiis Lucam rogabat ut eis 
 evangelium scriberet." The inscription of the 
 
35 
 
 Gospel of Luke in the Syriac version tells us it 
 was published at Alexandria. Alexandria was 
 the centre of the book world of the day. Is 
 this inconsistent with what has been said about 
 Theophilus .'' 
 
36 
 VI. For Whom was the Book Written ? 
 
 1. Theophilus, primarily, presumptively to carry 
 forward his Christian education, with the ex- 
 pressed aim of advancing which, Luke had 
 faithfully traced the Gospel history. 
 
 2. But an account so wide-reaching in its impor- 
 tance and so intense in its interest, and alone 
 of its kind, must have been designed by the 
 Holy Spirit, probably consciously by Luke also, 
 for a wider circle of readers. If what we have 
 supposed regarding Theophilus be true, he 
 must have been a man of sufficient education 
 and acquaintance with the Roman world not to 
 need the minute suggestions regarding the 
 geography of Macedonia (Acts xvi. 12), or of 
 Crete (Acts xxvii. 12), or the reference to the 
 inquisitive character of the Athenians (Acts 
 xvii. 21). 
 
 3. These indications lead to the belief that Luke 
 wrote for a wide circle of readers, a conclusion 
 which, when we remember that the widest 
 circle would be non-Palestinian and Gentile, 
 is strengthened by the following observations : 
 
 a. The character of Theophilus, who was 
 a Gentile. 
 
 b. The special identification of Luke and 
 Paul with the Gentiles. 
 
 c. The analogy of the Gospel of Luke, 
 which was a Gentile Gospel. Luke iv. 16-30; 
 iii. 6. 
 
Z1 
 
 d. The explanation of geographical relations 
 in Palestine. Acts i. 12; viii. 26; ix. 38. 
 
 e. The Gentile-universal character of Acts. 
 The way Peter was freed from his Gentile 
 
 scruples. Acts x. The reception of heathen 
 converts into the Church. Acts x. 11. The 
 council at Jerusalem. Acts xv. The large 
 space given to the non-Palestinian work of 
 Paul. 
 
 These traits did not unfit it for circulation in 
 Palestine among Jewish Christians. They 
 better fitted it for use among the Gentiles. 
 They make it to us the very book needed by 
 us to understand at least a little the growth of 
 the Church and of the conception of the Gospel 
 in the Church. 
 
 Suggest various reasons why the Book is 
 precious to us. There is nothing else on this 
 period with the exception of Apocryphal books 
 or forgeries, and of inferences from the Epis- 
 tles. The Book of Acts is one of the best 
 Christian evidences, both as a positive proof and 
 as a refutation of negative criticism. With- 
 out the Book of Acts we should lose evidence 
 like that presented in Paley's Home Patdine. 
 We should have an unknown, unbridged gulf 
 between the Gospels and Epistles. We should 
 lose the greatest missionary book. 
 
3^ 
 
 VII. What was the Design of the Book? 
 
 1. Heinrichs, Kuinol and others maintain that no 
 particular design should be attributed to the 
 writer beyond that of giving his friend Theophi- 
 lus a pleasant and instructive narrative of such 
 events as .had come under his own notice, 
 either immediately or by report of others. 
 
 a. This overlooks the earnest seriousness of 
 the New Testament writers. 
 
 h. It omits the constant guiding agency of 
 the Holy Spirit, with His large purposes. 
 
 c. From its contents, form, style, spirit, and 
 allusions, the Book is evidently designed for 
 a wider use than that of Theophilus. 
 
 2. It has been asserted that the design was to 
 vindicate, for either Peter or Paul, the first 
 place in the Church. 
 
 a. In the first twelve chapters our attention 
 is largely fixed upon Peter, and there are 
 works done by him fulfilling the promises 
 made to him by Christ. 
 
 (I.) But not to the exclusion of others, 
 Barnabas, Stephen, and Philip complete or 
 anticipate works of Peter. Who first 
 preached to Gentiles ? Who baptized the 
 first Gentile convert? Whose is the longest 
 recorded speech in the first half of the 
 book? 
 
 (II.) Peter passes wholly out of sight 
 after the first twelve chapters, so far as 
 
39 
 
 regards his own special work. Where is 
 he last mentioned in the Book ? 
 
 (III.) His subsequent important work 
 and martyrdom are not hinted at. Acts 
 may have been published before the last, 
 but not before some of the former. I Cor. 
 i. 12; iii. 22; I. Peter i. i. 
 
 (IV.) In the council of Jerusalem Peter 
 occupied a place subordinate to James. 
 
 b. Paul fills a larger portion of Acts, but the 
 design of the Book cannot be to vindicate the 
 first place for him. 
 
 (I.) For much that we learn of him in 
 his Epistles, that most probably was known 
 to Luke, is omitted from the Book. II. Cor. 
 xi. 23-27 ; II. Thess. iii. 8, 9. 
 
 (II.) Luke tells things not altogether 
 to Paul's praise, and omits much which 
 might have been said by way of commenda- 
 tion. Prove this. 
 
 c. The deadly enmity between Paul and 
 Peter and their followers pre-supposed by 
 those holding this view did not exist. There 
 were two enemies of Christianity without : 
 Heathenism and unbelieving Judaism ; and 
 two parties within, one striving for national 
 supremacy and opposed to the great movement 
 toward Catholicity, and the other pressing 
 onward and outward. Peter and James at the 
 most critical moment gave the whole weight of 
 their authority and influence to this second 
 party, striving to remove obstructions to the 
 
40 
 
 growth of Christianity. This is the testimony 
 of Acts XV., which shows not antagonism, but 
 agreement. 
 
 Hilgenfeld and others represent the work as 
 written with the express intention of proving a 
 substantial unity of doctrine between the two 
 Apostles. The impression produced by reading 
 the Acts is that this unity existed. Compare 
 for example ii. 39 ; iii. 15; x. 43 ; with xiii. 26 ; 
 xvi^ 31 ; xvii. 31. This impression, however, 
 comes not from intended effect, but from the 
 fact that such an agreement existed. 
 
 Grotius called the Book a biography of Peter 
 and Paul. 
 
 a. This conception is disproven, however, 
 by the reasons urged against the second design 
 suggested above. 
 
 b. Much that would be contained in a biog- 
 raphy is omitted. How many of the experi- 
 ences mentioned in II. Cor. ix. 24-33, ^^f"- 
 related in the Acts? What we learn from 
 Gal. i. 7, ii. 11, and from I. Peter v. 13, we 
 do not learn from the Acts. 
 
 The design cannot be to give the history of the 
 Apostolic body, for they do not come before 
 the reader in their collective capacity after the 
 introductory chapters, and, with the exception 
 of Peter, James, and John, none of them are 
 mentioned by name after the first chapter. 
 Where in the Book are the " Apostles " spoken 
 of.? 
 
41 
 
 6. Baumgarten and Ewald describe the design as 
 the relation of the history of the out-spreading 
 of the Church from Jerusalem to Rome. But 
 this confuses contents with design. 
 
 7. Chrysostom holds that the main effect of the 
 Book is to prove the Resurrection. Peter al- 
 ludes to it six times: i. 22; ii. 24; iii. 15; iv. 
 10; V. 30; X. 40. Paul, five times: xiii. 30, 31, 
 33~37 5 xvii. 3, 31 ; xxvi. 23. This, however, 
 was not the design of the Book. 
 
 S. CEcumenius regards the Book in its truest and 
 highest sense, as the Gospel of the Holy Ghost; 
 following Chrysostom, who says, " The Gospels 
 are a history of what Christ did and said, but 
 the Acts the history of what the other Com- 
 forter said and did." There is a large truth 
 here. Study vi. 3, vii. 55, xii. 2, and chapters 
 ii., viii., x., and xix., with this in mind. 
 
 9. Luther writes, " In this Book, St. Luke teaches 
 all Christendom, unto the end of the world, the 
 real central principle of Christian doctrine, that 
 we must all be righteous only through faith in 
 Jesus Christ, without any aid of the law or 
 help of our works." Luther sees, as usual, one 
 thing clearly, to the neglect of other things. 
 X. 43, xiii. 39, xvi. 31, are proofs of the truth 
 which Luther indicates ; but to assert that 
 justification is by faith alone was not Luke's 
 design in writing the Book of Acts. 
 
 10. Eichorn says, the object was to give a history 
 of missions for the propagation of Christianity. 
 
T2. 
 
 42 
 
 Farrar calls the Book " A picture of the origms 
 of Christianity." According to Jerome, it is 
 a history of the infancy of the new-born 
 Church. 
 
 a. But there is much omitted about which 
 in such a record we should hope to find in- 
 formation, — namely, the distribution from the 
 common store, and the position of women and 
 of young people in the church. 
 
 l>. Does not this confuse contents and de- 
 sign ? 
 
 Hanlein and Michaelis hold that ''the general 
 design of the author of this Book was by means 
 of his narratives to set forth the co-operation 
 of God in the diffusion of Christianity, and, 
 along with that, to prove by remarkable facts 
 the divinity of the Apostles and the perfectly 
 equal right of the Gentiles Avith the Jews to a 
 participation in the blessings of that religion." 
 
 Cosmos Indicopleustes declares, that "both in 
 the Gospel and in the Acts Luke relates the 
 ascent of Christ into Heaven and the promise 
 that He will come again, and he completes his 
 work, having before him this one object, to 
 which all must look forward." Examine this 
 thoroughly. 
 
 The Book of Acts is a "record of the personal 
 action of the Lord Jesus Christ in the first 
 evolution of His Gospel and in the formation 
 of His Church." The design of Luke in writ- 
 ing the Book was to supply, by select and suit- 
 
43 
 
 able instances, an illustration of the power and 
 working of the religion which Jesus had died 
 to establish, and to show that the activity of 
 Jesus was not checked or reduced by His ascent 
 into Heaven, but was exerted even more, be- 
 cause He, had ascended on high, and having 
 gone away had sent the Holy Spirit to teach, 
 help, guide, and extend the Church. That 
 this was the design of the Acts is indicated : 
 
 (7. By the introduction. Luke refers to his 
 Gospel as an account of the things which Jesus 
 began to do and to teach. Baumgarten says, 
 " If, therefore, at the commencement of a 
 second book, all that has been narrated in the 
 first has been characterized as the work of the 
 initiatory labors of Jesus, is not this a plain in- 
 timation that in the second book we are to 
 look for an account of the farther continuance 
 of those labors?" Compare Luke xxiv. 19, 
 Acts i. I, II. Thess. ii. 17, Acts vii. 22, noticing 
 the order of the words. Where does doing 
 precede teaching, and where does teaching pre- 
 cede doing ? 
 
 b. By the way in which Jesus constantly ap- 
 pears as the ruler and judge of His spiritual 
 kingdom. Acts i. 24; ii. 2>Z^ 47; iii. 26; xvi. 
 10; viii. 26; ix. 5, 10; xviii. 9; xxii. 17, 18, 21; 
 xxiii. 1 1 ; xxvii. 23, 24. Compare Eph. iv. 
 10-12; Rev. i. 13, 20; ii. i. 
 
 c. By the frequency with which our eyes are 
 lifted up to Heaven. Acts i. 9-11 ; ii. 2 ; vii. 
 55' 56; ix. 3-5; X. 11-16; xi. 5-10. 
 
44 
 
 This design, of course, governed the selec- 
 tion of facts, and so determined the contents. 
 " We find that by an undeviating course we 
 have followed the development of the true idea 
 of the Church of Christ in its relation, first to 
 the Jewish system out of which it emerges, 
 and then to the great world to which it opens 
 itself. When the words and deeds of Philip 
 or Stephen or Peter or Paul are implicated 
 with this process of things, we find ourselves 
 in their company; but when we part from 
 Peter without notice of his after course, when 
 we leave Paul abruptly at the commencement 
 of his two years in Rome, we are given to un- 
 derstand that we have been reading, not their 
 personal memoirs, but a higher history, which 
 certain parts of their careers serve to embody 
 or to illustrate." The deep design, however, 
 was the bearing of a clear testimony to the 
 ever present, controlling, administrative agency 
 of the risen and ascended Lord, and His un- 
 failing, loving concern for His Church. 
 
 There is a needed lesson here for every man. 
 The Book of Acts is a clear rebuke to the prac- 
 tical atheism of our daily life, which regards 
 things as chancing and happening, and does 
 not regard all our life as under the dominance 
 of the living Christ. There is help in a reali- 
 zation of the great truth which the Book of 
 Acts teaches. To each man who has learned 
 that truth it is his conscious joy — 
 
 " That evermore beside him on his way 
 The unseen Christ shall move, 
 That he may lean upon His arm and say, 
 ' Dear Lord, dost Thou approve ? ' " 
 
45 
 
 VIII. Title of the Book. 
 
 The title irpd^eLS tQp diroaToXojv is ancient, but 
 is supposed to have been added by sonne later 
 hand than the author's. In Acts i. i, Luke 
 calls his Gospel the former treatise. Perhaps 
 he would call the Book of Acts simply a treatise. 
 In the Codex Vatican us the title is " Acts of 
 Apostles." It is the same in Codex Bezae. 
 In the Codex Sinaiticus it is simply " Acts." 
 The title is thus in the oldest inanuscripts. 
 It must have been added very early in the 
 second or third century, for the most ancient 
 versions, the Coptic and the Syraic, retain the 
 Greek word unchanged. The fact that the 
 name was given by writers of these centuries 
 implies a long interval of previous reception. 
 
 Another evidence of the early date of this 
 name, is the fact that the title " Acts " was 
 given to some of the earliest and best known 
 Apochryphal books. Perhaps the rise of these 
 other Acts affords the explanation of the addi- 
 tion to the simple title irpd^ets of the words 
 TLou diroaToKojv. One of these Apochryphal 
 Acts was entitled the " Acts of Paul and 
 Thekla." The writer of it was an ancient 
 presbyter, who was deposed for the forgery, 
 showing the jealous care over the Scriptures 
 exercised by the early Church. The title of the 
 Book varies with different manuscripts. It is 
 "Acts of the Apostles," "Acting of Apostles," 
 "Acts of all the Apostles," "The Acts of the 
 Holy Apostles." 
 
46 
 
 The Book has been called also " The Gospel of 
 the Holy Ghost," "The Gospel of the Resur- 
 rection," " The Acts of the Holy Ghost." 
 
 The propriety of the title "The Acts of the 
 Apostles " has been questioned. 
 
 a. The Book does not record the acts of all 
 of the Apostles. 
 
 b. It does not record all the acts of some 
 of them. 
 
 V. It gives full notices of some, like Stephen 
 or Philip, who were not Apostles. 
 
 d. The acts that are recorded are often at- 
 tributed to the Lord Himself or to the Holy 
 Spirit. 
 
 Properly understood, it is the best title. The 
 Book is a record of acts. These acts were 
 done in the main, so far as human agents were 
 concerned, through the Apostles. 
 
47 
 
 IX. The Sources of Luke's Information. 
 
 What were his sources in the Gospel ? Is the case 
 differeiit with Acts ? 
 
 1 . Oral traditioi. 
 
 Luke was a Christian of some standing ap- 
 parently when he joined Paul at Troas, and 
 most of the events related in the first twelve 
 chapters must have been well known to all 
 Christians in Palestine. The Jerusalem Chris- 
 tians, especially, would remember those early 
 and striking scenes. The practised and reten- 
 tive memory of them and of other Hebrew 
 disciples, with whom Luke was brought in 
 contact, would be able to reproduce the speeches 
 of Peter and the accurate account of the early 
 days. 
 
 2. Written records. 
 
 It is no very hazardous assumption, nor one 
 at variance with the habits of antiquity, to sup- 
 pose that the more extended speeches and dis- 
 courses which Luke did not hear may have 
 been written down by others, and so preserved 
 as they were delivered, and introduced into 
 Luke's hands. At least, the letter sent by the 
 Jerusalem Council to the Gentiles (Acts xv. 
 24-29), and the letter of Claudias Lysias to 
 Felix (Acts xxiii. 26-30), might have been pre- 
 served. Luke's extensive travels, his literary 
 work, his influential position, would have given 
 him access to any written records. 
 
48 
 
 Personal intercourse zvith the actors. 
 
 To the close of his history, Luke lived in 
 constant intercourse with converts who had 
 been with Peter and the other Apostles, and 
 to whom everything about them had been mat- 
 ters of deepest interest. He must have met 
 Philip in Asia Minor. What could he have 
 learned from him ? When did he see Peter } 
 What could he have learned from him .-* Luke 
 and Paul were accompanied to Jerusalem by 
 Mnason of Cyprus, an old convert who enter- 
 tained them in his house. At the great feast 
 (Acts XX. 1 6) all the members of Mary's house, 
 the church of Jerusalem, and many Hebrew 
 converts would be present. Moreover, the stay 
 in CiEsarea would give time for securing in- 
 formation on all needed subjects. What, in 
 the first fifteen chapters, could Luke have 
 learned from Paul ? 
 
 Personal knozvledge and ol>se?-vation. 
 
 From Troas Luke and Paul were companions, 
 with the exception of the time that Luke spent 
 at Philippi (Acts xvii. 1-25). Paul could tell 
 him what happened then, and Luke saw all the 
 rest. 
 
 Did Liikc a7Jail himself of PauVs Epistles ? 
 
 a. Did he know of them .'' 
 
 Yes. It is impossible that he should 
 have been ignorant at least of those writ- 
 ten from the first imprisonment, for he 
 sends his greetings in the letter to the 
 
49 
 
 Colossians. From the subscription to 
 II. Corinthians, and from II. Cor. viii. i8, 
 what do yon learn of his connection with 
 that letter ? 
 
 /'. Did he use them ? 
 
 He had the writer of them ; that was 
 better than the Epistles. There are close 
 resemblances between the Acts and the 
 Epistles, but these are doubtless due to 
 the fact that their authors were closely 
 associated. Still, if Luke wished to use 
 the Epistles, some of them, at least, were 
 available to him. 
 
 There was the breath of inspiratioti on him. 
 
 The Holy Spirit was presiding over him, 
 guiding him to the choice of right materials, 
 preserving him from error in the use of them, 
 opening up new resources to him, and, over 
 and above him, preparing for the Church 
 through him, the record of the things which 
 the ascended Lord was continuirig to do and 
 to teach. 
 
so 
 
 X. The Credibility of the Acts. 
 
 The Tubingen school attacked the historic cred- 
 ibility of the Acts on the ground of the dis- 
 cordant positions of Peter and of Paul, and of 
 the enmity between the Jewish and Gentile 
 Christians. The root motive was antagonism 
 to the supernatural. With sources like those 
 just enumerated, the presumption is in favor 
 of the truthfulness of the record. Note fur- 
 ther: 
 
 1. 7 he testimony of the author. 
 
 The declaration at the beginning of the Gos- 
 pel, describing his method, applies to the Acts 
 as well. We learn there that it was his habit 
 to avail himself of every possible source of 
 information, in order to ascertain the certainty 
 of what he wrote. He was diligent in secur- 
 ing material, and careful in using it. Notice 
 the consistency of his use of the pronouns 
 " we " and " they." Acts xvi. 1 1 ; xvii. i ; 
 XX. 5. 
 
 2. Relation of the Acts to the Pauline Epistles. 
 
 a. Undesigned coincidences. Compare Gal. 
 i. 18; Acts ix. 28; xxii. 17, 18. Examine 
 Paley's Horae Paulinae. 
 
 b. Omissions in the Acts. Acts ix. 22-24 
 does not mention, neither does it preclude the 
 possibility of, the journey of which Paul speaks 
 in Gal. i. 17. 
 
 Seek other relations between the Acts and 
 the Epistles. Notice that they spring from the 
 
SI 
 
 truthfulness of the record, and not from acci- 
 dent or design. 
 
 The fundamental conception of those who 
 deny the credibility of the Acts, — that is, a 
 rivalry and antagonism between Peter and 
 Paul, — at least, so far as it is made an explan- 
 ation for the contents, character, and design 
 of the Acts, is controverted by the proved ob- 
 ject of the Book already considered. 
 
 Moreover, the writer cannot be striving to 
 exalt Peter, for he disappears shortly. He 
 cannot be exalting Paul, for Peter is plainly 
 given first place among the Apostles, and speci- 
 fies that the twelfth Apostle must be one who 
 " companied with us" during the whole minis- 
 try of Jesus since John the Baptist. Acts i. 
 
 21, 22. 
 
 It cannot be that Luke is striving to make 
 it appear that the whole Church was undis- 
 turbed by disagreement, since he tells of the 
 differences and quarrels. It cannot be that he 
 is aiming to represent this hostility as constant 
 with one side or the other holding the palm of 
 superiority, for the Council ends with agree- 
 ment. He is not presenting the Jewish side 
 (Acts xxviii. 28), nor the Gentile side (xxi. 20). 
 His object is simply to write truthful history. 
 
 The consistency of the Book loith contempo- 
 ra lie Otis testimony. 
 
 Social and religious customs of different and 
 distant nations. Acts xvii. 21. In Thucydides, 
 Cleon is represented as complaining of his 
 
52 
 
 countrymen that they were in the habit of 
 playing the part of spectators in displays of 
 oratory and listeners to the stories of what 
 others had done, and a like charge is made by 
 Demosthenes in his speeches on the vigorous 
 policy of Philip of Macedon, which he contrasts 
 with the Athenian love of talk and news. 
 
 Fluctuating affairs of Jews, Greeks and 
 Romans. Acts v. 34-39; xxiv. 27. 
 
 Political arrangements. Acts xvi. 20; xvii. 
 6; xix. 31-35; xxvi. 32. See on these pas- 
 sages the volume on Acts in the Cai?ibridgc 
 Bible for ScJwols and Colleges. 
 
 Commercial industries. Acts xvi. 14; xix. 24. 
 
 Study also with the same thing in mind, 
 viii. 9 ; xiii. 17; xvi. 12; xxii. 25-29; xxiv. 24, 
 27 ; XXV. 13; xxvii. i ; xxviii. 7. 
 
 Geography, xxvii. 7, 12, 28. Recent inves- 
 tigations have shown these soundings off Point 
 Koura, on the northeast side of Crete, to be 
 correct. 
 
 Moreover, all these points of contact witli 
 contemporaneous life and history arise natur- 
 ally in the course of the narrative. No unhis- 
 toric or unreliable writer would have risked so 
 many minute allusions or could have introduced 
 so many without error. 
 
 The speeihes of Paid, Peter, and fa??ies. 
 
 It is alleged that we have different views in 
 the mouths of these Apostles in their speeches 
 from those derived from their writings. What 
 would be the consequence if it were granted 
 
53 
 
 that the speeches bore in some sense the im- 
 press of Luke ? Would it destroy their accu- 
 racy or reliability ? The fact of the alleged 
 divergence, however, cannot be shown. 
 
 a. Paul. 
 
 Compare, by way of illustration, his 
 farewell address to the elders of Ephesus 
 at Miletus with his Epistles. Notice the 
 corresponding teaching in each. 
 
 (I.) Allusions to his .pastoral fidelity. 
 Acts XX. 18-21 ; I. Thess. ii. 10; II. Cor. 
 vi. 3' 4- 
 
 (II.) As an answer to calumnies and 
 an incitement to holy living. Acts xx. 
 31-35; II. Cor. i. 12; I. Cor. xi. i; Phil, 
 iii. 17. 
 
 (ill.) His tenderness and gentleness. 
 Acts xx. 31; II. Cor. ii. 4; x. i; I. Thess. 
 ii. 7; Eph. iv. 32; II. Tim. ii. 24; Gal. v. 
 22. 
 
 (IV.) His loving diligence. Acts xx. 20; 
 I. Thess. ii. 11 ; II. Tim. iv. 2. 
 
 (v.) His boldness in preaching and his 
 freedom from the fear of man. Acts xx. 
 27 ; I. Thess. ii. 4 (Is the Gospel a gift 
 or a trust .'' I. Cor. iv. i, 2 ; I. Tim. i. 1 1, 
 Romans i. 14, 15); II. Cor. iv. 2. 
 
 (VI.) He anticipates persecution in 
 Jerusalem. Acts xx. 22, 23; Romans xv; 
 
 31- 
 
54 
 
 (VII.) His estimate of his life. Acts 
 XX. 24; xxi. 13; Phil. ii. 17; II. Tim. iv. 
 6,7. 
 
 (VIII.) Presage of future dangers to the 
 Church. Acts xx. 29, 30; I. Tim. iv. i. 
 Does the Epistle to the Ephesians, written 
 subsequently, indicate that these fears 
 were fulfilled ? 
 
 (IX.) His commendation and blessing. 
 Acts xx. 32 ; Romans xvi. 25. 
 
 (X.) His manual labor. Acts xx. 33, 
 34; I. Thess. ii. 9; II. Thess. iii. 8; I. Cor. 
 iv. 12; I. Cor. ix. 12 ; II. Cor. ii. 8. 
 
 (XI.) Acts XX. 34, "these hands." It 
 would be just like Paul to stretch out 
 before them his hands worn rough by hard 
 toil. The Lord had held out His hands. 
 John XX. 20 ; Luke xxiv. 39. 
 
 (XII.) Moreover, the quotation of 
 Christ's words in Acts xx. 35, words not 
 recorded in the Gospels, is just like Paul. 
 
 Peter. 
 
 His Epistles and his speeches in the 
 Acts correspond : 
 
 (i). In their representations of our 
 Lord's olfice and person. 
 
 (ii.) In their use of prophecy, more 
 complete and circumstantial than the use 
 of the other New Testament writers. Acts 
 ii. 25 ; I. Peter ii. 6. 
 
55 
 
 " Peter and Paul agree in interpreting 
 the predictions and intimations of the 
 prophets from Moses to Samuel as having 
 a perfect fulfillment in Christ, but, for 
 proof of this fulfillment, Peter appeals 
 rather to the personal knowledge of him- 
 self and fellow disciples. I. Peter ii. 21. 
 On the other hand, Paul appeals rather to 
 the manifestations of power by the risen 
 Saviour. Romans viii. 35-37-" 
 
 (ill.) In their references to the Holy 
 Ghost. Acts ii. ;^2; I. Peter i. 12. 
 
 (IV.) In their reference to Christ as the 
 corner stone. Acts iv. 1 1 ; I. Peter ii. 6. 
 
 (V.) In their use of ^v\ou for cross. 
 Acts V. 30 ; X. 39 ; I. Peter ii. 24. This 
 word is used in the New Testament for 
 cross elsewhere only in Gal. iii. 13, which 
 is quoted from Deuteronomy xxi. 23. Paul 
 elsewhere uses aravpos. 
 
 James. 
 
 Only one speech. Only one Epistle. 
 These, however, correspond. 
 
 (I.) Compare Acts xv. 17 with James 
 ii. 7. 
 
 (II.) The Epistle is just such a letter as 
 we should expect from a man like James 
 in such a position. 
 
 (i) Protest against pride and hy- 
 pocrisy. James i. 26, 27; ii. i, 2; 
 iii. 17; iv. 6. 
 
56 
 
 (2) Condemnation of half hearted- 
 ness. James i. 6 ; iv. 4. 
 
 (3) Insistence upon works. James 
 ii. 17, 26. 
 
 (4) Citation of Old Testament 
 characters. James ii. 21, 25; v. 11, 
 
 (III.) The Epistle evinces no spirit con- 
 trary to the temper of James at the Jeru- 
 . salem council. James iii. 17. 
 
 6. The f.)ie delineations of character in the Acts. 
 
 " Peter, among his own people, in the pres- 
 ence of a mixed and at first in great part un- 
 sympathetic audience, before authorities bent 
 on suppressing his testimony and armed with 
 full power for his destruction, preaching, work- 
 ing, anxiously meditating, drawn onward to new 
 developments, at first reluctantly, with mental 
 struggles and perplexity, but, when once con- 
 vinced, acting promptly and decisively, meeting 
 persecution unto the death fearlessly, candid in 
 estimating the conduct, generous in supporting 
 the position, of an Apostie in whom a common 
 man would have recognized an opponent and a 
 rival. Paul, standing on the same level of 
 iiobleness, but gifted with transcendent mental 
 powers, with passions both before and after 
 conversion far more easily excited, called on 
 to bear witness to truth once hated before the 
 representatives of all that was evil or prejudiced, 
 ignorant or haughtily intellectual, sensual or ar- 
 
57 
 
 rogant, ignoble or noble, in the ancient world ; 
 in all circumstances showing the same funda- 
 mental character, stern, zealous, unshakable, 
 but adapting himself to all circumstances with 
 a versatility and power of adaptation so mar- 
 velous as to have supplied cavilers with their 
 most effective weapons of assault, but such as 
 supply candid and earnest students with ma- 
 terials for realizing a character unrivalled in 
 its influence upon all regions of spiritual life 
 and thought." This same truthful skill can be 
 seen in a study of the smaller characters : on the 
 one hand Elymas, Ananias, Simon, Demetrius, 
 Felix, the Herods, and on the other Barnabas, 
 Stephen, Philip, Apollos, James, Sergius Paulus, 
 Festus, Julius, and Publius. 
 
 7. The moral spirit of t lie Book. 
 
 No clearer or more impressive sermon 
 against falsehood has ever been preached than 
 the story of Ananias and Sapphira. The 
 writer of such a story, we cannot believe, would 
 have been guilty of the offence he so terribly 
 reproves. Everywhere " there is manifest 
 throughout the Book of Acts," says Prof. 
 Fisher, " a penetrating discernment of the 
 sacredness of truth and the obligation of 
 veracity." The Book furnishes a bracing moral 
 atmosphere for a student. 
 
 8. The question of credibility is not the same as 
 the question of inspiration. Waiving the latter 
 question, if only the Book of Acts is credible 
 
58 
 
 what is the consequence to each earnest, honest 
 
 man ? 
 
 a. To the non-Christian. If he reads it 
 candidly, he will feel the spell of — 
 
 " The unheard music whose faint echoes even 
 Make whosoever hears a homesick soul 
 Thereafter, till he follow it to heaven." 
 
 As long as he reads this Book he breathes 
 air fragrant with the presence of the living and 
 loving Lord. 
 
 h. To the Christian. Let the student stop 
 for a moment to think of a few of the practical 
 lessons from the Book, — the lesson of a sim- 
 ple, generous Christian life, in M'hich the Holy 
 Spirit is a vital, dominating power, which is 
 filled with an undimmed sense of the presence 
 of Christ, which seeks and occupies the place 
 to which Christ assigns it, and — 
 
 " Striveth not to please God more 
 (Which meaneth otherwise) than as God please." 
 
 Let the student read and adopt Waring's 
 hymn : 
 
 " Father, I know that all my life 
 Is portioned out for me." 
 
59 
 
 XI. Lan(;ltage, Style, and Text. 
 
 The Greek is purer than that of most other 
 Books of the New Testament, and purer in the 
 latter part and the preface than elsewhere. 
 The Hebraisms are almost always found in 
 the accounts of speeches. 
 
 The style is " clear, dignified, and lively." 
 Michaelis says, the writer " has well supported 
 the character of each person he has intro- 
 duced as delivering a public harangue, and 
 has very faithfully and happily preserved the 
 manner of speaking which was peculiar to each 
 of his orators." 
 
 Text. It is not a very certain text. The fol- 
 lowing manuscripts of importance contain the 
 Book either in whole or in part : — 
 
 Codex Sinaiticus. 
 
 Codex Alexandrinus. 
 
 Codex Vatican us. 
 
 Codex Ephraemi Rescriptus. 
 
 Codex Bezae. 
 
 Codex Laudianus. 
 
 For a brief account of these manuscripts, 
 read the " Summary of Documentary Evi- 
 dence " in Westcott and Hort's Greek Testa- 
 ment. 
 
6o 
 
 XII. The Relation (^f the Acts to the 
 
 GOSI'ELS. 
 
 Let the student note the historic relations. The 
 presfent lesson is rather upon the spiritual and 
 doctrinal relations. The last chapter of the 
 Gospel of John seems to reach forward to the 
 Acts. " The miracle, which had already fore- 
 shadowed the work of the fishers of men, is 
 repeated, but with altered circumstances, typi- 
 cal of the change which was at hand. For 
 now the Lord is no longer with them in the 
 ship, but stands dimly seen upon the shore ; 
 yet from thence He issues His directions and 
 shows the presence of His power working with 
 them in their seemingly lonely toil. Then the 
 charge is left to feed His sheep; and, lastly, 
 the future destinies of the two chief Apostles 
 are suffered to be faintly seen." 
 
 I. Luke's Gospel was the account of what Jesus 
 began both to do and teach until the day in 
 which He was taken up after that He through 
 the Holy Ghost had given commandments 
 unto the Apostles whom He had chosen. 
 The first chapter of the Book of Acts includes 
 an account of the last days of Christ upon the 
 earth. 
 
 The Acts, therefore, overlaps the Gospels. 
 
 Matthew ends with Jesus risen. Matt, xxviii. 
 
 Mark ends with Jesus risen and ascended. 
 Mark xvi. 19. 
 
 Luke ends with Jesus risen, promising the 
 Holy Ghost, and ascended. Luke xxiv. 49-51. 
 
6i 
 
 John ends with Jesus risen and promising 
 the Holy Ghost and to come again. John xxi. 
 14; xiv. 16 ; xiv. 3. 
 
 The Acts begins with the Resurrection, the 
 promising of the Holy Ghost and of His re- 
 turn, and the Ascension. It is connected, there- 
 fore, with Matthew by the first, with Mark by 
 the first and fourth, with Luke by the first, 
 second, and fourth, with John by the first, 
 second, and third, — with all by the Great Com- 
 mission. The Acts meets each Gospel some- 
 where between the Cross and the Crown. 
 
 The most common emphatic testimony of the 
 Gospels is to the Resurrection and the Cruci- 
 fixion. These chords are repeatedly struck in 
 the Acts. 
 
 (7. The Crucifixion, 
 
 In the Gospels. Matthew xxvii. 35; 
 Mark xv. 25; Luke xxiii. ■^t,; John xix. 
 17, 18. The word crucify occurs in Matthew 
 eleven times, in Mark nine times, in Luke 
 six, and in John twelve. 
 
 In the Acts. Acts ii. 36; ii. 23; iii. 15; 
 iv. 10; X. 39. 
 
 f'. The Resurrection. 
 
 In the Gospels. Matt, xxviii. 16; Mark 
 xvi. 6; Luke xxiv. 6; John xx. 9. 
 
 In the Acts. i. 3, 22; ii. 24; iii. 15; iv. 
 10, T,2)'^ X. 40; xiii. 30; xvii. 3, 31 ; xxvi. 
 
62 
 
 Reminiscences in the Acts of the works a?id ivords 
 of Christ. 
 
 a. Acts X. 38. Compare Matt. iii. 16, 17*; 
 xi. 4, 5 ; John viii. 29. 
 
 b. Peter's vision and the parable. Acts x. 
 11-14; Mark vii. 15; Matt. xv. 15. 
 
 c. The Holy Ghost and John the Baptist. 
 Acts xi. 16; Matt. iii. 11 ; John i. 26, 2)3- 
 
 7yie Acts is a record of the fiilfillvieiit of prom- 
 ises made in the Gospels. 
 
 a. Of the Holy Spirit. 
 
 (I.) As a help in utterance. Matt. x. 
 19, 20; Mark xiii. 1 1. Fulfilled in Acts iv. 
 8-12; vii. 2-53; xxii. 3-21. Where else? 
 
 (II.) As an abiding power. Luke xxiv. 
 49; Acts ii. 1-4; viii. 19. 
 
 b. The endurance of suffering and shame. 
 Matt. v. II; xxiv. 9 ; Mark xiii. 3 ; Luke vi. 
 22; John XV. 18, 19; Acts v. 41 ; vii. 54; ix. i ; 
 xxii. 22. 
 
 The frequency and the maimer of the mention of 
 Galilee in the first part of the Acts. 
 
 Note the music of the names of places as- 
 sociated with Christ. Read the old hymn 
 " Sweet Galilee." The sweet memories of 
 Galilee seem to have lingered in the minds 
 of Christ's friends, and the word is recalled 
 often. Christ had been closely associated 
 with Galilee. The name occurs in Matthew 
 
63 
 
 seventeen times, in Mark twelve, in Luke fif- 
 teen, and in John seventeen. Look up the pas- 
 sages. It occurs in Acts i. 1 1 ; ii. 7 ; v. 37 ; ix. 
 31 ; X. 37 ; xiii. 31. It is not mentioned in the 
 rest of the New Testament. 
 
 (. Mention of John the Baptist, and that in the 
 most widely scattered places, shozoing ivhere the 
 ~ knowledge of the forcruinwr had gone. 
 
 a. By the risen Lord. Acts i. 5. 
 
 b. By Peter. Acts i. 22; x. 37; xi. 16. 
 
 c. By Paul. Acts xiii. 24, 25. 
 
 d. In connection witli Apollos. Acts xviii. 
 24, 25. 
 
 e. By the disciples at Ephesus. Acts xix. 
 2-4. 
 
 Pete)- is the link betjaeen the Gospels and the 
 Acts. 
 
 His character is developed to be sure, l)ut 
 some of the same root traits are manifest. 
 
 a. Boldness. Luke xxii. 54, 55 ; John xxi. 
 7 ; Acts iv. 13. 
 
 b. Leadership. Matt. xvii. 4 ; John xxi. 3 ; 
 Acts i. 15; ii. 14. 
 
 c. Faith. Luke v. 5 ; Matt. xiv. 28, 29. 
 Note Bengel's saying, " Mergere nos patitur 
 sed non submergere Christus." Acts x ; iii. 
 i-ii. 
 
 d. Self-will. Luke xxii. 2)3'^ John xiii. S; 
 Acts X. 13, 14. 
 
64 
 
 e. Teachableness. Luke ix. 20; xxii. 62; 
 Acts iv. 13; x; XV. 7-1 1. 
 
 The place of the Acts in the development of doc- 
 trine in the N^ew Testament. 
 
 Read Bernard's Progress of Doctrine. The 
 Acts is a continuance of the Gospels. They 
 relate what Jesus began, it what Jesus con- 
 tinued, to do and teach. The authority is the 
 same, the method of teaching different. Then 
 it was by the personal Christ, bodily present : 
 now through the Holy Ghost habitually dwell- 
 ing in them. This was an expedient change. 
 John xvi. 7. It was an advance. In the 
 former the teaching power is separated from 
 and external to the mind taught; in the latter 
 it is interfused and commingled with it. The 
 words in the one are divine announcements, 
 fitted to form the apprehensions of men ; in 
 the other, expressions of human apprehensions 
 already formed under divine agency. The facts 
 were all finished when Jesus was glorified. The 
 Acts must go on to the interpretation of the 
 facts, manifesting their effects in the world of 
 spirit and their results in human consciousness. 
 
 There is then an advance in doctrine. The 
 general character is shown in the declaration, 
 " They ceased not to teach and preach Jesus 
 the Christ." Acts viii. 5, 35; ix. 20; xi. 20; 
 xvii. 18. Compare this with the preaching in 
 the Gospels. Jesus comes preaching the King- 
 dom of God. Luke ix. 2; Matt. iv. 23; Mark 
 
6s 
 
 i. 14. So the disciples were sent out, charged 
 to tell no man that He was Jesus the Christ. 
 Matt. xvi. 20. They were forbidden even to 
 tell of the transfiguration until the Son of Man 
 should be risen from the dead. Matt. xvii. 
 9; John X. 24; Mark xiv. 61. The key-note 
 changes in the Acts. In Matthew we have the 
 idea of a kingdom, in John the idea of a per- 
 son, predominant. Acts combines them. Acts 
 viii. 12; xxviii. 23, 31. The character of the 
 preaching is changed. Acts. ii. 36. So also is 
 the effect changed. Compare the little company 
 of believers when Jesus went away (Acts i. 15; 
 I. Cor. XV. 6; Matt, xxviii. 17) with the large 
 numbers in Acts ii. 41, vi. 7, xxi. 20. These 
 were works wrought in fulfillment of Christ's 
 promise. John xiv. 12. The preaching in the 
 Acts was the preaching of Jesus and the Resur- 
 rection, and forgiveness of sins. It was the 
 idea of a Divine Person living in individual 
 lives which was impressed upon men, rather 
 than the idea of a kingdom, of an institution, 
 of a system. 
 
66 
 
 XIII. The Relation of the Acts to the 
 Epistles. 
 
 Its special relations can be studied best in connec- 
 tion with the lives of the men mentioned in 
 the Acts and the Epistles. View it now gen- 
 erally. 
 
 1. The Acts ftirnishes the setting of the Epistles. 
 
 a. Suppose the book of Acts did not exist. 
 What questions would the first verses of the 
 Epistle to the Romans raise in your mind ? 
 
 b. The Acts gives us a conception of the 
 general religious conditions of the time. 
 
 c. It gives us a better view of the historic 
 relations of the Epistles. 
 
 2. // helps to answer the questions raised in the in- 
 troduction to the Epistles, especially the questions 
 of time and place of writing. 
 
 Take the Epistle to the Romans as illustra- 
 tion : — 
 
 a. The place. 
 
 (i.) Romans xvi. i ; Acts xviii. i8. 
 (II.) Romans xvi. 23; I. Cor. i. 14. 
 (III). Romans xvi. 23; II. Tim. iv. 20; 
 Acts xix. 22. 
 
 /'. The time. 
 
 (I.) Paul had not yet been at Rome. 
 Romans i. 11. It was therefore before 62. 
 
67 
 
 (II.) He is still free and intending to 
 visit Rome after he has been at Jerusalem. 
 Romans XV. 23-25; Acts xix. 21. It was 
 before 59, therefore, because he was a 
 prisoner then. 
 
 (III). He is approaching the end of his 
 ministry in the East. Romans xv. 19. 
 He could not have written these words 
 until after his residence at Ephesus, which 
 terminated at Pentecost in the year 57. It 
 was written, therefore, between 57 and 59. 
 
 (IV.) He was apprehensive of harm on 
 his approaching visit to Jerusalem, which 
 was near at hand. Romans xv. 30-32. 
 What passages in Acts sound like this ? 
 
 (V.) When he wrote he had in his 
 hands a collection for the poor saints at 
 Jerusalem, whither he was bound. Ro- 
 mans xv. 26, 27 ; Acts xxiv. 17. 
 
 (VI.) It was written after I. Corinthians, 
 for I. Corinthians was written — 
 
 (i) At Ephesus. I. Cor. xvi. 8. 
 
 (2) Before the collection at Corinth 
 for the saints. 1. Cor. xvi. i. 
 
 (3) Before his journey to Corinth 
 via Macedon. I. Cor. xvi. 5. 
 
 (VII.) It was written after II. Corinth- 
 ians. 
 
 (i) II. Corinthians was written 
 from Macedonia. II. Cor. ii. 13. 
 
68 
 
 (2) At this time he did not have 
 the collection from Achaia. II. Cor. 
 ix. 1-6. 
 
 (VIII.) Since he had the offering of 
 Achaia when he wrote to the Romans 
 (Romans xv. 26), he must have reached 
 Corinth, whither he was journeying. 
 II. Cor. ix. 4; xiii. i. 
 
 (ix). "We learn from Acts xx. 3, that 
 'Paul was three months in Greece and left 
 to go to Jerusalem. The letter was written ^ 
 at this time, probably in the Spring of 59. 
 
 (X.) It was not later than this for — 
 
 (i) Paul was not again in Corinth 
 during the period covered by the Acts, 
 in which period Romans was written. 
 Romans i. 11. 
 
 (2) The Jews laid wait for him as 
 he was about to sail from Greece for 
 Syria. Acts xx. 3. He changed his 
 route, going back through Macedonia. 
 This treachery is not mentioned in 
 Romans xv. 31, where the enmity of 
 the Jews is spoken of. Romans was 
 probably written, therefore, before his 
 departure. 
 
 (XI.) Acts XX. 6. Paul and his com- 
 pany spent the days of unleavened bread 
 at Philippi, and must, therefore, have left 
 Corinth some time before the Passover, 
 
69 
 
 and yet after the winter was over and the 
 sea clear, for he had intended to sail for 
 Syria. 
 
 Acts corroborates the Epistles as they con-otmrate 
 the Acts. 
 
 See again Paley's Home Patdinae. 
 
 It is sufficient, by way of illustration, to note 
 the consistency of Acts and Epistles in their 
 representation of the source of the persecutions 
 to which Paul was subjected. From Gal. iv. 
 29, V. II, vi. 17, it appears that these persecu- 
 tions were from the hands or at the instigation 
 of the Jews ; that they were prompted, not by 
 Paul's preaching Christianity in opposition to 
 heathenism, but from his preaching it as distinct 
 from Judaism. This perfectly coincides with 
 what we learn from the Acts. Acts ix. 23 ; xiii. 
 50; xiv. I, 2, 19; xvii. 4, 5, 13; xviii. 12. 
 
 There are only two instances where Paul was 
 ever assailed by the Gentiles of their own 
 accoi-d, not stirred up by the Jews, and in these 
 two, the persons who incited the feeling against 
 him were moved by mercenary motives. Acts 
 xvi. 19 ; xix. 23-41. 
 
 The Resurrection in Acts and Epistles, 
 a. The Acts. 
 
 Find all the passages teaching the 
 Resurrection. Notice how the speeches 
 generally end with an assertion of the 
 Resurrection. 
 
70 
 
 b. The Epistles. 
 
 Romans i. 4 ; iv. 25; vi. 4, 5, 9; I. Cor. 
 XV. 12-23; I^- C<^^- "^-155 Eph. ii. 5; Phil, 
 iii. ID; Col. iii. i; I. Thess. i. to; II. Tim. 
 li. 8 ; I. Peter i. 3. What is the signifi- 
 cance of the Resurrection to you 1 
 
 Acts mid Epistles are consistent in their repre- 
 sentatioji of the manner of PauPs conversion. 
 
 Acts ix. 1-6; xxii. 5-13; xxvi. 12-18; I. Cor. 
 XV. 8, 9; Gal. i. 13; I. Tim. i. 13, 15. 
 
 The character of Paul. 
 
 The Acts is linked to the Gospels — the 
 past — by Peter; to the Epistles — the future 
 — by Paul. His Epistles show his character 
 more fully, but it is the same character, many 
 of whose noble traits are manifest in the Acts. 
 
 a. His tact and versatility. 
 
 Acts xvi. 27 ; xvii. 22-32 ; xxii. ; xxiv. 
 10; xxvi. 26-29. Notice it in the Epistle 
 to Philemon, and observe his own testi- 
 mony. I. Cor. ix. 20-22. 
 
 b. His sympathetic nature. 
 
 In the Acts. xx. 19; xxvii. 23-25, 33, 34 ; 
 xxviii. I 3. 
 
 In the Epistles. II. Cor. i. 7; ii. 13; 
 Phil. ii. 27, 28 ; I. Tim. i. 2 ; II. Tim. i. 2; 
 Philemon i. Observe especially Paul's ten- 
 derness, and the freedom with which he 
 
71 
 
 expressed his affection. Love saved him 
 from many blunders. It will save us. 
 Read Sill's " The Fool's Prayer." 
 
 c. Strict conscientiousness. 
 
 Acts xxiii. I ; xxiv. i6; xxvi. 9; II. Cor. 
 i. 12; II. Tim. i. 3; Philemon 18. 
 
 (i. His tenacity of purpose. 
 
 Acts XX. 24; xxi. 13; Phil. iii. 13, 14; 
 I. Cor. ix. 26; II. Tim. iv. 7. 
 
 Have you learned this lesson ? Have 
 
 you mastered this truth ? 
 
 " We rise by the things that are under our feet, 
 By what we have mastered of good and of gain, 
 By the pride deposed and the passion slain, 
 By the vanquished ills that we hourly meet." 
 
 Recall Sir T. Fowell Buxton's remark : 
 " The longer I live, the more certain I am 
 that the great difference between men, the 
 feeble and the powerful, the great and the 
 insignificant, is energy and invincible de- 
 termination, — a purpose once fixed, and 
 then death or victory. That quality will 
 do anything that can be done in this world, 
 and no talents, no circumstances, no op- 
 portunities, will make a two-legged crea- 
 ture a man without it." 
 
 e. Trace his utter unselfishness of life in both 
 Acts and Epistles, observing how fully he ex- 
 emplified the words of good Thomas Fuller : 
 " The good soldier begrudgeth not to get a 
 probability of victory by the certainty of his 
 own death, and fleeth from nothing so much as 
 
72 
 
 from the mention of flying ; and though some 
 say he is a madman, our soldier knoweth that 
 he shall possess the reward of his valor with 
 God in heaven, and also, making the world his 
 executor, leave to it the rich inheritance of his 
 memory.". 
 
 f. Faith in the Scriptures. 
 
 Acts .xvi. 13-41 ; xxiv. 14, (compare 
 Luke xxiv. 25); xxvi. 22; xxviii. 23; Rom. 
 iii. 2; iv. 3 ; xvi. 26 ; Gal. iii. 18 ; IT. Tim. 
 ' iii. 15-17- 
 
 g. Study carefully the representation of 
 Paul as an endurer of sufferings, both in the 
 Acts and in the Epistles. Reflect steadily upon 
 the lessons to be derived from such a study. 
 Notice the proof of Ugo Bassi's words : 
 
 "The vine from every living limb bleeds wine : 
 Is It the poorer for that spirit shed? 
 The drunkard and the wanton drink thereof; 
 Are they the richer for that gift's excess ? 
 Measure thy life by loss instead of gain ; 
 Not by the wine drunk, but the wine poured forth; 
 For love's strength standeth in love's sacrifice, 
 And whoso suffers most hath most to give." 
 
 The Acts forms a bridge between the Gospels and 
 the Epistles. 
 
 Without it, open Romans and read " Paul 
 ■AW Apostle * * * * to all that be in Rome." 
 The questions would at once arise, with no 
 means of answering them: Who was Paul.'' 
 How did the Gospel get to Rome ? But what 
 is the doctrinal relation between the Acts and 
 
73 
 
 the Epistles ? The discourses in the Acts, save 
 Paul's speeches at Miletus and Jerusalem, are 
 addressed to those who were not Christians. 
 But how were men taught after they had 
 believed ? The design of the Book of Acts did 
 not include an answer to that. " The facts of 
 the manifestation of Christ have been com- 
 pleted and have been testified in all fullness and 
 certainty by the witnesses chosen of God. 
 They have not only testified of the facts. 
 They have summed them up, have announced 
 their scope and purpose in the councils of God, 
 as effecting the redemption of the world, and 
 have called men to partake in the fruits of 
 that redemption by believing and being bai> 
 tized. They have given this testimony, not as 
 of themselves, but with the Holy Ghost sent 
 down from heaven. Thus a Holy Church is 
 formed which proves itself Catholic, expansive, 
 but unified. Within it arises a communion of 
 saints ; and, in one faith, its members believe 
 they have found the forgiveness of sins, the 
 resurrection of the body and the life everlast- 
 ing." 
 
 The creed is complete. Here the Book 
 of Acts leaves us. But this was a new world 
 of thought to the Christians. " Into it they 
 carried all the tendencies and perversions of 
 our nature, and revealed truth had to settle 
 itself in lasting forms, find adequate expression 
 and have its moral and social consequences 
 deduced under influences uncongenial to itself." 
 So critical a period, on which the whole future 
 
74 
 
 of the Gospel hung, cried aloud and not in 
 vain for the continued action of the living 
 word of God. The Spirit, therefore, spoke in 
 the Epistles. The point to note now, however, 
 is that the Acts is the absolutely essential link 
 between the Gospels and the Epistles. A link 
 is an incompleteness and the Acts in itself is 
 incomplete. It is a Book a large part of whose 
 mission was the preparation for larger things 
 to come after. It is like some men whose 
 chief glory is that they prepare the way for 
 other men and help in their development, with- 
 out whom they "should not be made perfect." 
 
75 
 XIV. The Chronology of the Acts. 
 
 Critics are disagreed upon the subject. Let the 
 student investigate for himself and fix some of 
 the more important dates 
 
 I. The dates of the four following events are more 
 or less certain : — 
 
 a. xi. 28. The famine in the days of Claud- 
 ius, 44 and 45 A.D. 
 
 b. xii. 23. The death of Agrippa I., 44 A.D. 
 
 c. xviii. 2. The decree for the expulsion of 
 the Jews from Rome, 49 A.D- Although Pear- 
 son makes it 52 A.D. 
 
 d. xxiv. 27. The recall of Felix, 60 A.D. 
 
 .2. Contemporaneous chronology. 
 a. The Roman Emperors. 
 
 Make a list of them, and memorize the 
 list with the dates of their reigns. 
 
 /;. Procurators. 
 
 Pontius Pilate, 26-37 A.D. 
 Claudius Felix, 53-60 A.D. 
 Porcius Festus, 60-62 A.D. 
 
 c. Kings. 
 
 Herod Agnppa I., 39-44 A.D. Acts 
 
 xii. I. 
 
 Agrippa II., King of Chalcis, 48 A.D. 
 advanced to the Tetrarchies of Philip and 
 Lysanias subsequently. 
 
76 
 
 d. High Priests. 
 
 Caiaphas, 25-37 A.D. 
 Jonathan, 37-38 A.D. 
 Theophilus, 39-42 A.D. 
 Simon, 42 A.D. 
 Matthias, 42 A.D. 
 Elionaeus, 43-45 A.D. 
 Joseph, 45-47 A.D. 
 Ananias, 47-59 A.D. 
 Ishmael, 59-61. 
 Joseph Cabi, 61 A.D. 
 
 3. What were the dates of the ei'ents recorded in 
 Acts i. g, ii. ^, 77'/. ^8-60 ? 
 
 4. Chronology of main e7<e)tts in PauPs life. 
 
 Conversion, ix. 1-20. 36 A.D. 
 
 First ministry in Antioch. xi. 25-30. 44, 
 45, A.D. 
 
 First missionary journey, xiii., xiv. 45 A.D. 
 
 Second missionary journey, xv. 36 - xviii. 
 22. 51-54 A.D. 
 
 Second ministry in Antioch. xiv. 28 - xv. 
 35. 46-51 A.D. 
 
 Apostolic council, xv. 6-29. 50 A.D. 
 
 Third missionary journey. xviii. 23 - xxi. 
 16. 54-58 A.D. 
 
 Last visit to Jerusalem, xxi. 17-xxiii. 35. 
 58 A.D. 
 
 Imprisonment in Csesarea. xxiv.-xxvi. 58- 
 60 A.D. 
 
77 
 
 Voyage to Rome, xxvii - xxviii. 15. 60-61 
 A.D. 
 
 First imprisonment at Rome, xxviii. 16-31. 
 61-63 A.D. 
 
 i;. Other events. 
 
 What were the dates of the conversion of 
 Cornelius, the founding of the Antioch Church, 
 and the martyrdom of James .'' 
 
78 
 XV. The Geography of the Acts. 
 
 1. M^hat countries are referred to ? 
 
 ii. 9- II (What was the land of Elim .'* Com- 
 pare Genesis x. 22; Isaiah xi. 11 ; xxi. 22 
 Daniel viii. 2); viii. 27; xi. 19; xv. 23; xvi. 9; 
 xviii. 2, 12. Locate all these. 
 
 2. T/ie seas. 
 
 What seas were included in that part of the 
 ' world in which the events recorded in the Acts 
 occurred ? 
 
 2. T/ie islands. 
 
 ii. it; iv. 36 ; xvi. 1 1 ; xx. i 5 ; xxi. i ; xxviii. 
 
 I, 12, 16. 
 
 4. The proz'inces of Palestine. 
 
 What were they? Where are they named 
 in the Book .'' 
 
 5. Provinces of Asia Minor. 
 
 vi. 9; xiii. 13, IJ ; xiv. 6; xv. 23; xvi. 6, 7; 
 xviii. 2 ; xxvii. 5. 
 
 What provinces are not named in the Book.'' 
 
 6. 71ie mountains of Palestine. 
 
 Become familiar with their names and asso- 
 ciations, and locate them, not forgetting the 
 following: Olives, Zion, Ebal, Gerizim, Tabor, 
 Lebanon, Gilboa, Hermon, Carmel. 
 
79 
 
 7. The plains of Palestine.. 
 
 Locate the following: Phoenicia, Sharon, 
 Philistia, Esdraleon, the Negeb, Hauran, the 
 Jordan Valley. 
 
 8. The tcmms of Palestine. 
 
 Study the more familiar ones in each of the 
 three divisions of the land. Add to the follow- 
 ing list: ii. 22; iv. i6; viii. 26, 40; ix. 32, 35, 
 
 43- 
 
 9. Other eities. 
 
 ii. 10; vi. 9; ix. 2, 30; xi. 20; xii. 20; xvi. 
 14 ; xxvii. 2. 
 
 ID. The dimensions of Western Palestine. 
 
 Its area was 6,600 square miles, less than 
 the area of Massachusetts. 
 
 From Dan to Beersheba was 180 miles; 
 from Gaza to Sidon, coastline, iSo miles; 
 from Dan to the Mediterranean Sea, 25 miles; 
 from the Dead Sea to the Mediterranean, pass- 
 ing Gaza, 60 miles. The Jordan Valley, from 
 Dan to the Dead Sea, was 134 miles long. 
 
 1 1 . JVatnral divisions of Palestine. 
 
 a. The Maritime Plain, 8 to 20 miles wide. 
 
 b. The Shephelah, foot hills, 300 to 500 feet 
 high. 
 
8o 
 
 c. The mountain region, 2,500 to 4,000 feet 
 high. 
 
 d. Jordan Valley, 2 to 14 miles wide, 600 to 
 1,000 feet below the sea level. 
 
 e. The Eastern table land. 
 
 12. PanTs fnissionary journeys. 
 
 Be sure to master the geography of these, so 
 that you can repeat from memory his route on 
 each journey. 
 
 a. The first journey, starting from Antioch. 
 xiii. 4 — xiv. 28. 
 
 b. The second, starting from Antioch. xv. 
 36 - xviii. 22. 
 
 c. The third, starting from Antioch. xviii. 
 23-xxi. 15. 
 
 d. The voyage to Rome, xxvii. i-xxviii. 
 16. 
 
8i 
 
 XVI. Some Summaries. 
 The discourses of tJie Acts. 
 
 ti. Peter. 
 
 i. 15-22; ii. 14-40; iii. 12-26; iv. 8-12; 
 
 iv. 19, 20; V. 3, 4; V. 29-32; viii. 20-23; 
 
 -^'- 34-43; -^i- 5-17; x^'- 7-1 1- 
 /'. The Twelve. 
 
 vi. 2-4. 
 
 c. Gamaliel. 
 
 V- 34-39- 
 
 d. Stephen. 
 
 vii. 2-53. 
 
 <f. James. 
 
 XV. 13-21. 
 / Paul. 
 
 xiii. 16-41; xiii. 46, 47; xiv. 15-17; 
 xvii. 22-31 ; XX. 7; xx. iS-35 ; xxii. 1-21 ; 
 xxiii. 1-6; xxiv. 10-21 ; xxv. 10, ll; 
 x.wi. 1-23; xxviii. 17-20, 25-2S. 
 
 j;;: Tertullus. 
 xxiv. 2-S. 
 
 k. Festus. 
 
 ' xxv. i4-2t, 24-27. 
 
 /. James and the elders. 
 xxi. 20-25. 
 
 JMirnc/es. 
 
 i. 3, 9, II; ii. 1-4 ; iii. i-io ; iv. 31 ; v. I-I I, 
 12-16, 19; vi. 8 ; viii. 13; viii. 39, 40; ix. 1-9, 
 33^ 34» 36-41 ; X. 46; xi. 28; xii. 1-19; xiii. 2, 
 
12; xiv. 3, 8-10; xvi. 16-lS, 25, 40; xix. 6, II, 
 12, 15, 16 ; XX. 6-12 ; xxviii. 3-6, 8. 
 
 With regard to each of these miracles, let 
 the student ask the following questions- 
 Where wrought ? By whom ? When? How? 
 With what result ? With what spiritual mean- 
 ing and significance ? 
 
 3. Giiidatice by visions. 
 
 V. 19-21; vii. 55; viii. 26; ix. 3, 10-16; 
 X. ;5-6, 11-16; xii. 7; xvi. 9; xviii. 9, 10; xxvii. 
 
 23. 24. 
 
 Study each one of these discriminatingly, 
 noticing the subjective condition of the person 
 guided, and the divine purposes in the guid- 
 ance. 
 
 What general spiritual lesson is there for us? 
 
 4. Cojiversioits. 
 
 ii. 41, 47; iv. 4; V. 14; vi. I; viii. 6, 26-39; 
 ix. 1-20, 31, 35, 42; X. 24, 44; xi. 21; xii. 24; 
 xiii. 12, 43, 48; xiv. I ; xvi. 5, 14, 15, 30; xvii. 
 4, 14, 34; xviii. 8; xix. 8; xxviii. 24. 
 
 Regarding each conversion, notice by what 
 human agent it was wrought. What means 
 were used? What part did personal testimony 
 and the Scriptures play ? What seems to have 
 been the argument which had the greatest 
 influence ? How far were apologetics used ? 
 What did the converts do? Where and v/hen 
 did the conversion take place ? Was the con- 
 vert Jew or Gentile ? Note the points of 
 
83 
 
 interest, especially the intense earnestness of 
 the early Christians in leading men to Christ. 
 They knew the value of the human soul. They 
 knew the love of Christ for that soul, and they 
 wanted each soul to find its true dwelling place 
 in Him as Head. 
 
 " For sadder sight than eye can know, 
 Than proud bark lost or seaman's woe, 
 Or battle fire, or tempest cloud, 
 ( )r prey-bird's shriek, or ocean shroud. 
 The shipwreck of a soul." 
 
 c;. Letters. 
 
 XV. 23-29 ; x.\iii. 26-30. 
 
 6. Assaults, personal abuse, aud persecution. 
 
 V. 41 ; viii. i, 3; xix. I, 2, 23, 29; xi. 19; xii. 
 3, 4, 5; xiii. 45, 50; xiv. 2, 5, 19; xvi. 20, 23; 
 xvii. 5; xviii. 12; xix. 29; xx. 3; xxi. 27 ; xxii. 
 25 ; xxiii. 2, 10, 12. 
 
 Who instigated these attacks? Who made 
 them .•' What was the motive ."* What was the 
 result ? " Truth, like a torch, the more it's 
 shook, the more it shines." 
 
 7 . ///// ; '/ji iiuiiejit. 
 
 iv. 3; V. iS; xii. 3, 4. 5 5 ^^'i- -3 ? -^'^i"- 'O- 35J 
 xxiv. 27 ; xxviii. 16, 30. 
 
 Inquire who was imprisoned. By whom and 
 where ? For what offences and how long ? 
 What was their attitude during their imprison- 
 ment and how were thev liberated .? 
 
H 
 
 8. J/arfyrs. 
 
 vii. 54-60 ; xii. 2. 
 
 Eusel)ius relates, from a work of Clemens, 
 who received it from tradition, that the accuser 
 of James was converted by the confession which 
 James made, and went with James to martyr- 
 dom, having been first kissed by him, with the 
 words, " Peace be to thee." 
 
 9. Trials or Jwarings. 
 
 a. Before Jewish councils. 
 
 iv. 6; V. 21-27 ; ^^- I-; xxii. 30; xxiii. 
 
 b. Before Roman magistrates or rulers of 
 cities. 
 
 xvi. 20; xvii. 6; wiii. 12; x.\ii. 24; 
 xxiv. I ; XXV. 6, 23. 
 
 c. Before irresponsible heathen. 
 
 xix. 29. 
 
 10. Svnai^Pi^itcs 7LiJicrc the Gospd 7vas preachciL 
 
 Let the student get from some good book, 
 such as Conybeare and llowson's " Life of 
 .Paul," a true idea of the conditions of the Jews 
 at the time, understanding the centralizing 
 tendencies of Palestinian Judaism and the 
 centrifugal tendencies of the Diaspora with the 
 Septuagint and the synagogue. Note how the 
 break came gradually between Judaism and 
 
85 
 
 Christianity, and how for a long time the 
 Gospel was preached first to the Jew. 
 
 Observe, first of all, that the Apostles con- 
 tinued to go to the temple, iii. i, ri; v. 21, 
 42. Observe, further, Paul's course of action, 
 xiii. 5, 14; xiv. i; xvii. I, 2, 10, 17; xviii. 4, 
 26; xix. 8. The Jews, with the little company 
 of proselytes gathered around them, offered a 
 field in which the Gospel story was first told in 
 every city. Strabo declared, " Already a Jew- 
 ish population has entered every city, and it is 
 not easy to find a place in the habitable world 
 which has not received this race and is not 
 possessed by it." Paul began his Christian 
 service this Way (ix. 20), following in the foot- 
 steps of One who had " taught in the syna- 
 gogues, being glorified in all." Luke iv. 1 5. 
 Compare Matt. iv. 23; ix. 35; xiii. 54; Mark 
 i. 2r, 39; vi. 2; Luke xiii. 10; John .xviii. 29. 
 
 II. Coiimils of C/iristiaiis. 
 
 i. 13, 15; ii. i; v. 2; vi. 2; xi. 2; xii. 1 2 •, 
 xiv. 27 ; XV. 4-30; XX. 17 ; xxi. iS. 
 
 Having carefully studied these and the spirit 
 which marks them, how far are you prepared 
 to agree with Lightfoot's words, " However 
 great may be the theological differences and 
 religious animosities of our own time, they are 
 far surpassed in magnitude by the distractions 
 of an age which, closing our eyes to facts, we 
 are apt to invest with an ideal excellence".'' 
 
86 
 
 1 2. Disputations. 
 
 vi. 9; ix, 22, 29; xvii. 17; xviii. 28; xix. 9; 
 xxviii. 17-29. 
 
 Observe in each case the persons, the circum- 
 stances, the spirit, and the issue. 
 
87 
 
 XVII. The Substance of the Chapters. 
 
 Chapter I. Introduction. Last days of Jesus. 
 His ascension. The ffrst prayer meeting. The 
 choice of the twelftli Apostle. 
 
 Chapter XVIII. Paul leaves Athens and goes to 
 Corinth ; from there to Ephesus ; and thence 
 to Caesarea, Jerusalem and Antioch. The ap- 
 jiearance of Apollos. 
 
 Analyze each chapter in this way, summariz- 
 ing results, so that the substance of the whole 
 Book is at your tongue's end. Be able to tell 
 in which chapter any given event occurs, and 
 what events are contained in any given chap- 
 ter. 
 
 Pick out some one verse in each chapter which 
 is the best representative verse. Compare the 
 Revised Version with the King James Version, 
 and, if you are able, with the Greek. Constantly 
 repeat these verses. They will help in the 
 mastery of the Book, and in your own practi- 
 cal life. 
 
88 
 
 XVIII. The Characters of the Acts. 
 
 I. Simon Peier. 
 
 a. His life. 
 
 (I.) His life as recorded in the Book of 
 Acts. - 
 
 Study the following events in their 
 order : — 
 
 (i) i. 13. Notice the position of 
 his name in the list of Apostles. He 
 is first. Compare Matt. x. 2 ; Mark 
 ill. 16 ; Luke vi. 14. 
 
 (2) i. 15-22. 
 
 (3) ii- M-39- 
 
 (4) iii. 1-26; iv. 1-4. 
 
 (5) i\-- 5---- 
 
 (6) V. T-II. 
 
 V. 1 
 
 (S) V. 18-33. 
 
 (9) ^i- 1-4- 
 
 (10) viii. 14-17. 
 
 (11) viii. 18-24. 
 (i 2) viii. 25. 
 
 (13) ix. 32-43. Is anything implied 
 here as to Peter's habit of itinerating? 
 
 (14) X. 1-48. 
 
 (15) xi. 1-18. 
 
 (16) xii. 3-19. 
 
 (17) XV. 7-1 1. With this he dis- 
 appears from the Book of Acts. 
 
 (II.) Subsequent references to him in 
 the New Testament. 
 
89 
 
 He is mentioned in I. Peter i. J ; 
 11. Peter i. i; Gal. i. i8; ii. 11-21; 
 I. Cor. i. 12; iii. 22; ix. 5. Enrich 
 your account of his life with whatever 
 you can gain from these sources. 
 
 (III.) His life after the Book of Acts 
 leaves him. 
 
 Almost everything is traditional, and the 
 traditions are not well founded. We are 
 told that from 35--^o he was Bishop of 
 Antioch, that he went to Rome in 40 and 
 was bishop there for twenty-five years, 
 leaving occasionally for missionary jour- 
 neys. During the Neronian persecutions 
 he is said to have yielded to the prayer 
 of the Christians and to have gone out to 
 escape from Rome, but as he was depart 
 ing from the Porta Capena a little way, he 
 met the Lord carrying His cross and said 
 to him, " Lord, whither goest thou ? " "I 
 go to Rome," said Jesus, " to be crucified 
 again for thee." Peter turned back and 
 was imprisoned in the TuUianum, converted 
 the jailer, baptising him from a miracu- 
 lously provided spring. He was executed 
 the same day as Saint Paul, crucified or. 
 the top of the Janiculum, parting from 
 Paul on the Ostian road. By his own 
 request he was crucified head downward, 
 because, Jerome says, " he asserted he wa> 
 unworthy to be crucified in the same 
 manner as his Lord." 
 
90 
 
 Regarding all this it is to be said : 
 
 (i) The notion that Peter Avas 
 Bishop of Antioch from 33-40 is in- 
 consistent with clear statements in the 
 Acts, by which Paul and Barnabas are 
 shown to us as the leaders and virtual 
 founders of the Church at Antioch. 
 
 (2) If Peter had ever been at 
 Rome before 64 it is inconceivable 
 that neither in the Book of Acts nor 
 in any Epistles do we find any refer- 
 ence to it. 
 Can we infer from I. Peter v. 13 that 
 Peter had preached in Babylon ? Some 
 think the term symbolical, but it is doubt- 
 less the real Babylon to which he refers. It 
 has been noted that the provinces named 
 in I. Peter i. are named in proper geograph- 
 ical order from east to west, as though 
 he began with those nearest to him and 
 lifted his eyes and his heart to the prov- 
 inces, in their order, which lay l:>eyond. 
 
 (iv.) Peter was probably married. I. 
 Cor. ix. 5 implies it, and Clemens of Alex- 
 andria says, " Peter and Philip had chil- 
 dren, and both took about their wives, 
 who acted as their coadjutors in minister- 
 ing to women at their own homes," 
 
 (\'.) The student is familiar with the 
 connection between Peter and Mark. 
 
 (1) Papias, who was a direct 
 hearer of John, says, "This, also, the 
 
9^ 
 
 elder used to say, Mark having become 
 Peter's interpreter wrote accurately 
 all that he remembered (or that Peter 
 mentioned), though he did not (record) 
 in order that which was said or done 
 by Christ." 
 
 (2) The connection between Mark's 
 
 Gospel and Peter is very interesting. 
 
 (a) Peter is mentioned by Mark 
 
 where his name is omitted by the 
 
 other Evangelists. Mark i. 36; 
 
 ix. 21 ; xiii. 3 ; xvi. 7. 
 
 {d) Peter's name is omitted by 
 Mark where it is mentioned by 
 the other Evangelists. 
 
 Compare 
 
 Mark vii. 17 : Matt. xv. 15. 
 
 Mark vi. 50, 51: Matt, xiv.* 
 28-31. 
 
 Mark ix. 1,3 '■ Matt. xvii. 24-29. 
 
 Mark ii. 29, 30 : Matt. xvi. 
 17-19. 
 
 Mark xiv. 13: Euke xxii. S. 
 Luke xxii. 31, 32. 
 
 (c) Mark's Gospel contains 
 some things humiliating to Peter. 
 Mark viii. 2^; xiv. 72. He does 
 not say that Peter "wept bitterly," 
 as in Matt. xxvi. 75, and he shows 
 the greatness of Peter's offence, 
 in that he represents the cock 
 as crowing twice. Moreover, he 
 
92 
 
 gives to Mary Magdalene the 
 honor of being the first to see 
 Jesus after His Resurrection. 
 Mark xvi. 9. 
 
 (VI.) Of Peter's end we do not clearly 
 know, but it is probable that he was cruci- 
 fied. Tradition relates it. The prophecy 
 of Jesus in John xxi. 18 maybe understood 
 to indicate it, and Peter evidently construed 
 it as a prophecy of his death. II. Peter 
 i. 14. 
 
 (VII.) Some special points. 
 
 (i) His prominence among the 
 Apostles. 
 
 {(i) He is spokesman of the 
 Twelve, i. 15; ii 14.; iv. 8; v. 
 29. 
 
 {/>) In ii. 37, X. 29, his name 
 alone of the Apostles is men- 
 tioned. 
 
 ((■) He possessed no special 
 authority, however. 
 
 The other Apostles sent him 
 to Samaria. viii. 14-17. The 
 church at Jerusalem indignantly 
 calls him to account for haxing 
 baptized and eaten with Cor- 
 nelius and his family, xi. 1-17. 
 At the Jerusalem council he did 
 not preside, and he neither called 
 nor dismissed the council.- His 
 
93 
 
 advice was not based on any per- 
 sonal or official authority, but 
 only on undoubted facts, xv. 7, 
 {tf) Testimony of Paul. Gal. 
 ii. 9, 11-13- 
 (2) When was he at Rome > 
 The traditions are profuse and dis- 
 cordant. The statement that he came 
 to Rome in the reign of Claudius in 
 42 is first found in Eusel^ius three 
 centuries afterwards, and cannot be 
 reconciled with Paul's letters and the 
 Acts. 
 
 {a) xii. 17. We know Peter 
 left Jerusalem for a time after 
 the death of James, but this was 
 44 A.D., and he was at Jerusalem 
 at the council in 50. 
 
 (/;) Peter was not at Rome in 
 59 when Paul wrote to the Rom- 
 ans, for no salutations were sent 
 to him. He was not there when 
 Paul came as prisoner, or Luke 
 would certainly have mentioned 
 it. He was not there 61-63, for 
 no salutations are sent from him 
 to those to whom the four letters 
 written then by Paul were sent. 
 He was not there in 66, 67, when 
 Paul wrote his last Epistles. 
 
 (c) If he was ever there, and 
 such unanimity of tradition ap- 
 
94 
 
 pears to indicate that he was, it 
 
 must have been at the close of 
 
 his life, for a short while only. 
 
 (3) His relation to Paul. There is 
 
 no intimation of any opposition in. 
 
 the Acts. From Gal. ii. ii-2[, it is 
 
 plain there was dissension at Antioch. 
 
 From Acts xv. 7-1 1, it is evident, 
 
 however, that Peter saw clearly, and 
 
 agreed with Paul. 
 
 (VIII.) His personal appearance. 
 
 It has been surmised that he was 
 " a man of much larger and stronger 
 form than Paul's, as his character was 
 harsher and more abrupt. The quick 
 impulses of his soul betrayed them- 
 selves in the flashes of a dark eye. 
 The complexion of his face was pale 
 and sallow, and the short hair, which 
 was described as entirely grey at the 
 time of his death, curled black and 
 thick around his temples and his chin, 
 when he stood at Antioch with Paul 
 twenty years before his martyrdom." 
 
 b. The speeches of Peter. 
 
 (I.) His three missionary sermons. 
 
 ii. 14-40; iii. 12-26; X. 26-48. Note 
 the occasion, the quotations from the 
 Old Testament, the line of thought, 
 his adaptation to the prejudices of 
 the hearers, his appeal to his own 
 personal knowledge, and his coura- 
 
95 
 
 geoLis personal application of the truth. 
 Analyze these sermons, and notice 
 how each one of them leads up to 
 Christ. 
 
 (II.) Shorter speeches before the San- 
 hedrim. 
 
 iv. 8-12, 19,20; V. 29-32. Notice 
 the boldness of the preacher, his care- 
 lessness of personal harm, his neglect 
 of shame, his loyalty in preaching 
 Christ, and the results. 
 (III.) Utterances within the Church. 
 
 (i) Prayers, i. 24, 25; iv. 24-30. 
 Did Peter's voice offer these prayers .'' 
 
 (2) Brief addresses, i. 16-22 ; v. 
 3-9; vi. 2-4; vii. 20-23; xi. 4-iS; 
 XV. 7-17. What was the occasion of 
 each of these addresses, and what 
 elements of Peter's character did 
 they display ? 
 
 The teaching of these speeches. 
 (I) x\bout God. 
 
 (i) His attributes. 
 
 Omniscient, i. 24. 
 Truthful. V. 4. 
 Jealous, iv. 19. 
 Forgiving, viii. 22. 
 (2) His relations. 
 ((/) To men. 
 
 Revealed Himself to them 
 by the prophets. Acts ii. 17; 
 iii. 18, 21. 
 
96 
 
 Supreme in His claims, iv. 
 19. 
 
 Impartial, x. 34. 
 {d) To Christ. 
 
 He approved Him. ii. 22. 
 Anointed Him. x. 38. 
 Raised Him from the dead, 
 ii. 30, 32 ; V. 30 ; x. 40. 
 
 He exalted Him. ii. 36; 
 V. 31; iii. 13. 
 
 Note also iii. 20 ; x. 42. 
 (r) To the Jews. ii. 13, 25. 
 (</) To nature, iv. 24. 
 (/') To His Church, v. 4; v. 
 32; xi. 17. 
 
 (/') To the Apostles, i. 24; x. 
 
 40,41- 
 
 {x) To the Holy Spirit, xv. 8. 
 
 (//) And to events, ii. 23; iv. 
 27, 28; X. 4r ; XV. 7. 
 
 (11.) Al)out Christ. 
 
 (1) His person. 
 
 ((/) True son of (lod. ii. 36; 
 iii. 13, 15; iv. 27. 
 
 (/>) True Son of Man. i. 21; 
 ii. 22 ; iii. 22 ; iv. 27 ; x. 41 
 
 (2) His work. 
 
 {(i) What was He as to His 
 work.'' ii. 36; iii. 22; iv. 27. 
 
 {/>) What He was to do. iii. 
 26; V. 31 ; ix. 34; X. 38.1 - 
 
97 
 
 (3) His death. 
 
 {a) Crucified. ii. 23, 36 iii. 
 10; V. 30; X. 39. 
 
 {/?) Light in which His death 
 was regarded. 
 
 {(■) Some steps in His work. 
 
 (i) Pre-determined by God. 
 ii. 23; iv. 27, 28. 
 
 {2) None the less, those who 
 slew him were guilty, ii. 23 ; 
 iii. 13-15. 
 
 (3) As suffering to Him. iii. 
 18. 
 
 (4) His Resurrection. 
 
 i. 22 ; ii. 24 ; iii. 15 ; iv. 10; 
 V. 30 ; X. 40. 
 
 (5) His exaltation. 
 
 i. 22; ii. 33; iii. 13; i^'- ^'J ^'-3^; 
 X. 36. 
 
 (6) His second coming. 
 
 iii. 19-21; X. 42. 
 
 (in.) About the Holy Ghost. 
 
 (i) How did He come ? ii. T^y, v, 
 32 ; X. 2^- 
 
 (2) What does He do ? 
 
 {a) Fills the Church, v. 3. 
 {/;) Witnesses, v. 32. 
 [c) Qualifies for service, vi. 3; 
 X. 38. 
 
 {(f) Directs, xi. 12. 
 
98 
 
 (3) How may I obtain Him ? 
 (a) A gift. XV. 8. 
 {/>) Conditions, ii. 38 ; v. 32. 
 
 (IV.) About the Apostles. 
 
 (i) Any order among them? xii. 
 
 I/- 
 
 (2) Qualifications, i. 21, 22. 
 
 (v.) About salvation. 
 
 (i) How secured to men? ii. 36; 
 iv. 12 ; XV. 1 1. 
 
 (2) For whom secured? ii. 21,39; 
 V. 31; X. 35, 43- 
 
 (3) Upon what conditions obtained? 
 
 {a) Repentance, ii. 38; iii. 19; 
 V. 31; viii. 22. 
 
 {d) Change, iii. 19; viii. 22, 23. 
 
 (c) Faith, iii. 16; x. 43; xi. 17; 
 XV. 7, 9. 
 
 In what? xi. 14. Study the 
 use of "Name." ii. 21, 38; iii. 
 6, 16; iv. 10, 12, 30; X. 43. 
 
 (VI.) About the means of grace. 
 
 (i) Baptism, ii. 38; x. 47 ; xi. 16. 
 
 (2) The word. i. 16; iii. 18; iv. 25. 
 
 (3) Preaching. 
 
 (a) Of the word. vi. 2, 4; xv. 7. 
 
 (d) Of the Resurrection. 
 Preaching was a witnessing to 
 
99 
 
 this. i. 22; ii. 32; iii. 15; iv. 13, 
 20; V. 32; X. 39, 42. 
 
 (c) Of Christ, iii. 20. 
 
 {c/) Of peace, x. 36. 
 
 (VII.) About sin. v. 1-12; viii. 23. 
 But it can be removed, ii. 2^; iii. 19; v. 31. 
 
 (VIII.) About prophecy. Study Peter's 
 quotations from the Old Testament. Ob- 
 serve the following and add to this list: 
 i. 16-20; ii. 17-21, 25-28, 30, 34, 35; iii. 
 18, 21-24; i^'- ii> 25, 26. 
 
 d. His character. 
 
 (i) Boldness, iv. 13, 
 
 (11.) Leadership, ii. 14. 
 
 (III.) Faith, iii. i-ii. 
 
 (IV.) Self-will. X. 13, 14. 
 
 (v.) Teachableness, iv. 13. 
 
 (VI.) A man of prayer, iv. 24-30; viii. 
 15; ix. 40. 
 
 (VII.) Obedience, x. 
 
 (VIII.) Generosity, xv. 7-11. 
 
 (IX.) Forgiving. Compare what you 
 learn from Acts with Gal. ii. ii; II. Peter 
 iii. 15. In their lives these two were 
 friends, and in their deaths they were not 
 divided. See Stanley's Sermons and Essays 
 on the Apostolical Age. 
 
lOO 
 
 Barnabas. 
 
 The key to his character is found in xi. 24. 
 
 a. First mentioned in iv. 36. 
 
 (I.) His name. Not Barsabas, i.23, but 
 Barnabas, literally " son of exhortation." 
 xi. 23. 
 
 (11). His tribe. He was a Levite, yet 
 he owned land. How do you account for 
 this .? 
 
 (ill.) His country ? 
 
 (IV.) His generosity .'' 
 
 (V.) Did his act have any influence in 
 Cyprus ? Might it not have commended 
 the Gospel to some of his old neighbors ? 
 Acts. xi. 12-20. 
 
 b. Second mention of his name in Acts ix. 
 27. 
 
 c. Barnabas at Antioch. xi. 22. Contrast 
 his attitude toward the Gentiles with Peter's, xi. 
 25, 26; xi. 27, 30; xii. 12. Were Barnalias and 
 Saul in this prayer meeting? xii. 25; xiii. i. 
 This last reference names Barnabas first and 
 Saul last. Study each one of the events indi- 
 cated in these passages in detail. Where else 
 in the Bible does the word "Christian " occur.'* 
 
 d. The missionary journey. Acts xiii., xiv. 
 Trace their course on the map. Notice 
 where the name Saul changes to Paul. Where 
 does Mark leave them .-* Where does the order 
 Barnabas and Saul give place to I'aul and 
 Barnabas .-' Why is the order Barnabas and 
 
lOI 
 
 Paul used in Acts xv. 12, 25 ? What does the 
 mistaking of Barnabas for Jupiter and of Paul 
 for Mercury imply as to their personal appear- 
 ance ? 
 
 e. The council at Jerusalem, xiv. 28 ; xv. 
 1-31. What was the result? Who were sent 
 back to Antioch ? How did the Antioch 
 Christians regard the message from Jerusalem? 
 
 f. Paul and Barnabas separate. Acts xv. 
 35-41. What was the result of the quarrel as 
 to the amount of missionary work done ? What 
 was the cause of it ? Who was right ? Had 
 Gal. ii. 13 anything to do with the dissension? 
 Did Paul and Barnabas ever meet again ? The 
 quarrel is a commentary on Acts xiv. 15, and 
 James v. 17. The Greek word for contention 
 indicates a brief, violent altercation not lasting 
 long. At any rate Paul kept a high opinion of 
 Barnabas. In Col. iv. 10 he commends Mark 
 because of his relationship to Barnabas, and in 
 the end he accepts Barnabas's view of Mark. 
 n. Tim. iv. Ti; Philemon 24. In I. Cor. ix. 6 
 he makes honorable mention of Barnabas, and 
 one can imagine that he pointed out Cyprus to 
 Luke and Aristarchus on his way to Rome 
 (xxi. 3), and told them lovingly of the good 
 man who had been as a father to him as he 
 began his service of Christ. 
 
 g. Traditions. 
 
 Eusebius and Clemens Alexandrinus say 
 that Barnabas was one of the seventy. 
 Luke x. I. Some say that he became 
 
I02 
 
 Bishop of Milan ; others, that he preached 
 in Rome and converted Clemens ; still 
 others, that he died a martyr in Cyprus. 
 
 h. His character. 
 
 (i.) He counted the interests of his 
 cause greater than his personal interests, 
 iv. 36. 
 
 (II.) He had a good judgment of men 
 rather than of issues. He was like Andrew 
 somewhat. Andrew brought Peter to 
 Jesus ; Barnabas brought Paul and Mark 
 into larger service. 
 
 (ill.) He was of slow and gentle tem- 
 per and yielded the first place to Paul 
 without a murmur of dissent. Perhaps it 
 was this assumption of the first place by 
 Paul which was the cause of Mark's 
 leaving them. 
 
 * 
 (IV.) He was calm, sympathetic, and 
 
 conservative, rather than enthusiastic and 
 progressive. Thus, he would have com- 
 promised at Antioch under the infiuence 
 of Peter's dissimulation. He stood firm, 
 however, at Jerusalem. And he was lib- 
 erally broad minded. 
 
 (V.) He was a good man. There is 
 more in being good than most college men 
 think. 
 
 (VI.) Full of faith. He had faith in the 
 goodness that there was in man and he had 
 
I03 
 
 faith in God, so great that he gave all his 
 means of support away for His service. 
 
 (vn.) And the Holy Ghost filled him. 
 Acts ii. 24. 
 
 The epitaph of " Chinese " Gordon 
 might have been written over Barnabas, 
 changing the name : " Here lies the body 
 of Gen. Chas. Gordon, who everywhere 
 and at all times gave his strength to the 
 weak, his substance to the poor, his sym- 
 pathy to the suffering, and his heart to 
 God." 
 
 Stephoi. 
 
 He was one of the formative characters of 
 the early church. He was a deacon, but he 
 shot far ahead of his fellow deacons and of his 
 office too. 
 
 a. vi. 3. 
 
 /'. His work. vi. 7— ro. With what syna- 
 gogues did he dispute ? 
 
 c. The accusation, vi. 11-13. Where was 
 the trial ? Was the accusation true ? 
 
 d. Stephen's appearance, vi. i 5. 
 
 e. The trial. It was before the Pharisaic 
 party, for they were now in the majority, v. 
 34; vii. 51. Compare vii. i with Mark xiv. 
 60-63. 
 
 f. Stephen's defence. 
 
 Notice its consummate tact, its resemblance 
 to Hebrews xi. 
 
I04 
 
 Two latent principles seem to have governed 
 his selection of facts. 
 
 (r.) Even in previous Jewish history 
 the presence and favor of God had not 
 been confined to the Holy Land or to the 
 temple at Jerusalem, vii. 2, 4, 5, 6, 8-13; 
 20-22, 29, 30-33, 36, 44, 45, 47-5^- Com- 
 pare John iv. 2 1 -2d. 
 
 (ir.) From the earliest times there was 
 a tendency toward the narrow and ungrate- 
 ful spirit now characterizing the Jews, as 
 seen in their jealousy and rebellion against 
 their benefactors, vii. 9, 27, 39, 40, 42, 
 43. All this was aggravated by God's 
 goodness and grace to them all the while, 
 vii. 5, 10, II, 25, 34, 45. 
 
 This is the same charge which Jesus 
 made. Matt, xxiii. 29-35.' 
 
 It has been alleged that the speech contains 
 the following variations from the Mosaic his- 
 tory. The careful student will probably be 
 able to satisfy himself about them all. 
 
 (I.) Call of Abraham, vii. 2. : Gen. 
 xii. I. 
 
 (II.) Death of Abraham's father, xii. 
 4 : Gen. xi. 32. 
 
 (III.) The number of Jacob's company, 
 vii. 14 : Gen. xlvi. 27. 
 
 (\y.) Description of Moses. vii. 20.: 
 Ex. ii. 2. 
 
 (\'.) Early training of Moses, vii. 22. 
 Ex. iv. 10. 
 
lO! 
 
 (VI.) His secular greatness, vii. 22 : E.\. 
 ii. 10. 
 
 (VII.) Chronology. Stephen gives three 
 periods of forty years. vii. 23, 30, 36 : 
 Ex. xvi. 45. 
 
 (VIII.) Terror of Moses at the bush, 
 vii. 32. Ex. iii. 3. 
 
 (IX.) Intervention of the angels in the 
 giving of the law. vii. 53 : Ex. xix. 16. 
 
 (x.) Burial of the Patriarchs at Shechem. 
 vii. 16: Ex. i. 6; Josh. xxiv. 32. 
 
 (XI.) Purchase of tombs, vii. 16; Gen. 
 xxiii. 1 5. 
 
 His condemnation. 
 
 He suddenly breaks off his calm ad- 
 dress. His purpose has been fulfilled. 
 He knows their hearts, vii. 51, 53. What 
 was the effect on them ? What visions 
 does he have ? vii. 55, 56. He sees Jesus 
 standing. [Elsewhere in the new Testa- 
 ment He is represented as sitting. Col. 
 iii. i; Heb. i. 3; x. 12; Rev. iii. 21.] 
 Chrysostom says He was standing as 
 though He had risen to receive Ste- 
 phen. Stephen calls Him the " Son of 
 Man." This is the only place in the New 
 Testament where the title is applied to 
 Jesus except by Himself, save Rev. xiv. 14. 
 
 His martyrdom. 
 
 vii. 57, 58. They had nearly stoned 
 Jesus once. John viii. 59. Those must 
 take the lead who had assumed the re 
 
io6 
 
 sponsibility of denouncing Stephen. Com- 
 pare John viii. 7 ; Deut. xvii. 7. One of 
 the promhient leaders of the transaction 
 was deputed by custom to signify his con- 
 sent by taking the clothes of those who 
 did the deed into his custody. Saul of 
 Tarsus performed this office. xxii. 20. 
 Had he met Stephen in the synagogue of 
 the Cilicians ? vi. 9. 
 
 One volley of stones brought from Ste- 
 phen the prayer, " Lord Jesus, receive my 
 spirit." Compare Phil. i. 23 ; Psa. xxxi. 
 5 ; Luke xxiii. 46. A second volley brings 
 him to his knees with a loud dying shout, 
 " Lord, lay not this sin to their charge." 
 Matt. V. 44 ; Luke xxiii. 34. And he fell 
 asleep. 
 
 The early Christians were made of 
 heroic stuff. Polycarp, as he stood on 
 the funeral pile, April 6, 166, prayed, 
 " Lord, God Almighty, Father of Thy be- 
 loved and blessed Son, Jesus Christ, by 
 whom we have received the knowledge of 
 Thee, the God of angels and powers, and 
 of the whole creation, and of all the race 
 of the righteous who live before Thee, I 
 bless Thee that Thou hast counted me 
 worthy of this day and this hour, that I 
 should have a part in the number of Thy 
 witnesses, in the cup of Thy Christ." And 
 it is related of Pionius, a martyr in Smyrna, 
 that he was heard supplicating from the 
 flames of the pyre for the Emperor, for his 
 
I07 
 
 judges, and for all the heathen. When 
 an audible " Amen " was on his lips, the 
 flames smote together above him and 
 ended his life. 
 His burial. 
 
 viii. 2. These were Jews, not Chris- 
 tians. The death of the martyr must 
 have been the conviction of many a be- 
 holder. Tradition makes the date of his 
 martyrdom December 26 of the same year 
 as the crucifixion ; and so Augustine says, 
 putting the days together, that men would 
 not have had the courage to die for God 
 if God had not become man to die for 
 them. 
 His character and place. 
 
 (I.) He was the first great Christian 
 ecclesiastic. He is not called a " deacon " 
 in the Bible. Do deacons now measure 
 up to Stephen .'' 
 
 (II.) He was the forerunner of Paul. 
 Basil of Seleucia calls him TIavXov 6 StSdc- 
 
 KoXos. 
 
 (i) The influence of his martyrdom 
 on Paul. The blood of the first mar- 
 tyr was the seed of the greatest Apos- 
 tle. Augustine says, "The Church 
 owes Paul to the prayer of Stephen." 
 
 " Si Stephanus non orasset 
 Ecclesia Paulum noii haberet." 
 
 Compare xxii. 4; xxvi. 10; 
 Phil. iii. 6; I. Tim. i. 13. 
 
io8 
 
 There is a picture by Vicent Joannes, 
 founder of the Valencian school, of 
 " Stephen conducted to the place of 
 execution, representing Saul as walk- 
 ing by his side with melancholy calm- 
 ness. He consents to Stephen's death 
 from a sincere, though mistaken, con- 
 viction of duty, and the expression of 
 his countenance is strongly contrasted 
 with the rage of the baffled Jewish 
 doctors,'and the ferocity of the crowd." 
 Literally the conception is untrue, 
 considering Paul's immediate conduct 
 and his words, spoken later, about 
 himself at this time. Poetically the 
 conception is true, throwing on the 
 persecutor's face the shadow of his 
 coming repentance. 
 
 (2) Stephen anticipated the Paul- 
 ine view of Christianity. Broader 
 than any subordination to local wor- 
 ship, he saw the spiritual side of Jew- 
 ish history and treated it as Paul did. 
 He used the historical method, as 
 Paul did at Antioch in Pisidia. 
 
 Compare — 
 
 vii. 48, 51 : xvii. 24; Rom. ii. 29. 
 
 vii. 53 : Oal. iii. 19. 
 
 vii. 2 ; xxii. i. 
 
 vii. 5-8 : Rom. iv. 10-19. 
 
 vii. 2-4: C.al, iii. 7; Rom. iv. 9. 
 
1 09 
 
 (III.) He was a Bible student. His 
 whole sermon is from the Old Testa- 
 ment. 
 
 (IV.) He was the first Christian martyr. 
 The word "martyr" is first applied to him 
 by Paul. xxii. 20. Read Heber's hymn, 
 " The Son of God goes forth to war," and 
 John Keble's " St. Stephen's Day," in 
 The Christian Year. 
 
 4. A poll OS. 
 
 a. xviii. 24-27. 
 
 (r.) Name, nation, and city. 
 
 (II.) Character. Eloquent, mighty in 
 the Scripture, fervent in spirit, diligent, 
 bold, teachable, missionary. 
 
 (III.) He knew only John's baptism. 
 Did he know of Christ at all, or did he 
 know all but the coming of the Holy 
 Spirit ? 
 
 b. He went to Corinth. 
 
 xviii. 27, 28; xix. i. ApoUos remained 
 at Corinth some time, thoroughly confut- 
 ing the Jews and watering where Paul had 
 planted. I. Cor. iii. 6. His presence, 
 however, led to some division. He must 
 have been a winning man, for a sect took 
 his name. Probably he presented a more 
 intellectual and gnostic type of Christianity 
 than Paul's. This did not interfere with 
 the cordial relations existing between 
 Apollos and Paul, for they were together 
 
no 
 
 when Paul wrote I. Corinthians, and Paul 
 urged him to go back to Corinth. I. Cor. 
 xvi. 12. ApoUos refused to go, however, 
 perhaps disgusted by the dissensions. It 
 may even have been through Apollos that 
 Paul learned about these divisions. 
 
 c. The only other reference to him is in 
 Titus iii. 13. 
 
 d. Study these brief references carefully. 
 Apollos is one of the most interesting figures 
 in these most interesting times. 
 
 A q nil a and Priscilla. 
 
 a. We meet them first at Corinth. Acts 
 xviii, 1-3. 
 
 (I.) Who were they.'' Jews from 
 Pontus, evidently, living at Rome. There 
 were at least 8,000 Jews there. Jews 
 were numerous in Pontus, too. Acts ii. 9; 
 I. Peter i. i. 
 
 (ri.) When did they become Christians? 
 (i) Before meeting Paul.'' 
 
 {a) Their subsequent conver- 
 sion and baptism are not referred 
 to. 
 
 (/') Paul joined himself to them. 
 
 (11.) After meeting Paul 'i 
 
 They are called "Jews," not 
 " disciples," as they would prob- 
 ably have been called were they 
 Christians. Paul joined them 
 because of their trade. 
 
Ill 
 
 (in.) Why did they leave Rome at the 
 order of Claudius ? 
 
 Suetonius says, "Judaeos impulsore 
 Chresto assidue tumultuantes Roma ex- 
 pulit." Was Chrestus some ringleader, or 
 a misreading of " Christus," and was it a 
 persecution of Christians which led to the 
 expulsion, the Romans making no distinc- 
 tion between the Christian Jews and the 
 others ? 
 
 (IV.) What was their business? 
 
 (v.) They and Paul lived together all 
 the week working (xx. 34 ; I. Cor. iv. 1 1 ), 
 and he preached in the synagogue on the 
 Sabbath. 
 
 b. They leave Corinth with Paul, and we 
 meet them next at Ephesus. xviii. iS. The 
 order of names is reversed now. From Ephe- 
 sus Paul writes I. Corinthians, and they are 
 there with him then. How do you know .'' 
 How long they stayed we do not know. They 
 were there when Apollos came, xviii. 26. Which 
 of the two taught Apollos 1 There is a mono- 
 graph of the date 1709 entitled, " De Priscilla, 
 Aquilae uxore, tamquam feminarum e gente 
 Judaica eruditarum specimine." 
 
 After Apollos went to Corinth and Paul 
 returned to Ephesus they were there. I. Cor. 
 xvi. 19. Perhaps they employed a large 
 number of workmen who constituted this 
 Church. 
 
I 12 
 
 c. They leave Ephesus soon and go back to 
 Rome, for Paul salutes them in Romans xvi. 
 
 (I.) The reign of Claudius ended in 54. 
 Romans was written in 59. The business 
 of Aquila and Priscilla was a movable one, 
 and this leaves abundance of time for 
 them to go back to Rome. 
 
 (II.) They have evidently been of some 
 special help to Paul. 
 
 (i) He calls them his helpers in the 
 Lord. 
 
 (2) They had risked their lives for 
 him. When was this — xviii. 12 or 
 xix. 30, 31 ? 
 
 (3) It was known to the Gentile 
 Christians, and they, too, thanked 
 Aquila and Priscilla for it. 
 
 (III.) They again have a church in their 
 house. Compare I. Cor. xvi. 19; Col. iv. 
 15; Philemon 2. As late as the middle 
 of the second century there was no fixed 
 place of general assembly at Rome, but 
 there were several churches in houses. 
 Compare Acts xii. 12. 
 
 d. They have gone back to Ephesus again 
 in the year of Paul's martyrdom, when he 
 writes to Timothy. II. Tim. iv. 19. 
 
 (I.) Prisca is the same name as Pris- 
 cilla. The wife is placed first again, as in 
 xviii. 18; Rom. xvi. 3. Compare xviii. 2, 
 
113 
 
 26; I. Cor. xvi. 19. Was she the more 
 energetic character of the two ? She must 
 have been a great help to young Timothy 
 in his work as the Bishop of Ephesus, in 
 helping him carry out Paul's advice about 
 the women. 
 
 (II.) Tradition relates that they were 
 beheaded. 
 
 6. James. 
 
 a. James, the brother of John. i. 13; xii. 
 I, 2. 
 
 h. James, the son of Alphasus. i. 13. 
 
 c. James, the Just. What relation was he 
 to Christ? xii. 17. xv. 13-21. Notice the 
 dignity, generosity, scripturalness, and accept- 
 ableness of his speech, xxi. 18-25. 
 
 7. The cipher Apostles. 
 
 a. John. i. 13; iii. i-i i ; iv. 13, 19; viii. 14; 
 xii. 2. 
 
 b. i. 13. 
 
 c. Judas, i. 16-20, 25; iv. 23. 
 
 d. Matthias, i. 23. Is he recognized after- 
 wards as an Apostle.'' ii. 14; v. iS, 29; vi. 2. 
 
 8. Philip. 
 
 He was one of the deacons, not the Apostle 
 Philip, or it would not have been necessary 
 to send Peter and John to Samaria to look 
 after things. 
 
114 
 
 a. vi. 5. He is next to Stephen in the list 
 of deacons. Are they arranged in order of 
 prominence, or in the order in which they re- 
 ceived votes ? Stephen and Philip are the only 
 two we hear from again, unless Rev. ii. 6 con- 
 tains a reference to Nicolas. 
 
 /;. vi. 3. He doubtless met these condi- 
 tions. 
 
 c. viii. 1-4. The persecution which arose 
 upon the death of Stephen would probably fall 
 heavily upon Philip, who had been associated 
 with him ; so he went to Samaria. It must 
 have been a joy to him to have a chance of 
 spreading the Gospel among the Samaritans. 
 What was their religious position ? 
 
 d. viii. 5-8. He preached Christ to them. 
 What was the result ? 
 
 e. viii. 19, 13. Even Simon the Sorcerer 
 was touched. 
 
 f. What was the substance of Philip's preach- 
 ing ? viii. 5, 12. It was attested by signs, viii. 
 
 13- 
 
 g. His meeting with the Eunuch, viii. 26- 
 39. The Eunuch was probably a proselyte of 
 the gate. 
 
 He had been to Jerusalem to do his 
 duty there, and, returning, was reading 
 aloud, according to the rules of the Rabbis 
 and from his own desire for knowledge. 
 Study this passage carefully, observing the 
 parties, the meeting, the introduction, the 
 passage of Scripture, the question, the con- 
 
115 
 
 versation, the conversion, the baptism, the 
 parting, the result. 
 
 viii. 40. Philip immediately went to 
 Azotus, and from there to Cassarea. It 
 may have been there that he told Luke 
 about this scene. 
 
 //. We lose sight of him now. Probably he 
 remained at Caesarea, or made it a center from 
 which he went out on his missionary journeys; 
 for in xxi. 8 we find him there. 
 
 (r.) This must have been a good meet- 
 ing. Paul and Philip had the same sym- 
 pathies. Doubtless they talked much to- 
 gether about Stephen. Had they met in 
 Caesarea before, when young Saul was sent 
 from Jerusalem to Tarsus to escape the 
 Grecians ? ix. 29, 30. 
 
 (II.) Philip is called the '-Evangelist." 
 To whom else in the New Testament is 
 that title applied.? II. Tim. iv. 5; Eph. 
 iv. II. 
 
 (III.) He had four consecrated daugh- 
 ters. Compare ii. 17. 
 
 (IV.) The importance of Philip's posi- 
 tion here where he would reach the men 
 of all nations. Caesarea was the port of 
 Jerusalem. 
 
 9. Some missionary helpers. 
 
 (I. John Mark. 
 
 xii. 12, 25; xiii. 4, 5, 13. XV. 37-39. 
 
ii6 
 
 h. Timothy. 
 
 (i.) Paul meets him at Lystra aud 
 likes him. xvi. 1-3. 
 
 (II.) He forthwith accompanies Paul 
 until he is left temporarily at Berea (xvii. 
 14), but he joins him soon at Athens 
 (xvii. 15). 
 
 (III.) He is sent to Macedonia on some 
 errand, and returns to Corinth, xviii, 5. 
 
 (IV.) We lose sight of him now, but 
 presently he is sent from Ephesus into 
 Macedonia, xix. 22. 
 
 (V.) And he was one of the company 
 of friends who went before Paul when he 
 left Achaia finally, and tarried for him at 
 Troas. xx. 4, 5. 
 
 c. Silas. 
 
 (I.) First appearance, xv. 22. 
 
 (II.) Silas liked Paul and Antioch. xv. 
 32-34. Verse 34 is omitted from the Re- 
 vised Version. The teaching regarding 
 Silas's attachment to Paul, however, is just 
 the same. xv. 40. If Silas went away, he 
 must have returned. 
 
 (III.) He accompanied Paul on his sec- 
 ond missionary journey, .xvi. 19-40. 
 
 (IV.) At Thessalonica. xvii. 4, 10. 
 
 (V.) Left at Berea. xvii. 14. 
 
117 
 
 (VI.) Received a command to join Panl. 
 xvii. I 5. 
 
 (VII.) He was with Paul at Corinth, 
 xviii. 5; I. Thess. i. i ; II. Thess. i. i ; II. 
 Cor. i. 19. 
 
 (VIII.) He is not mentioned again in 
 the Acts or by Paul. Probably he returned 
 to Jerusalem and worked there, as he had 
 done before meeting Paul. Timothy took 
 his place with the great missionary. Silas 
 had been deeply esteemed by Paul. The 
 order is always Silas and Timothy, never 
 Timothy and Silas. He was a man of 
 broad views, deep devotion, and lowly 
 spirit. 
 
 (IX.) He carries the first Epistle of 
 Peter. I. Peter v. 12. Peter esteemed him 
 as highly as Paul did. And he was known to 
 these Asiatic churches. We see him last, 
 as we saw him first, laboring for the 
 spread of the Gospel. 
 
 10. What civil o)' political officials are mentioned ? 
 
 viii. 27-39; X. I ; xii. 1-22; xiii. 7; xvi. 20, 
 -3' 35; xvii. 8; xviii. 2, 12; xix. 31, 35; xxi. 31, 
 32; xxii. 25; xxiii. 23, 26; xxiv. 27; xxv. 11, 13, 
 21,- xxvii. I; xxviii. 16. • 
 
 1 1 . M'i)ior characters. 
 
 i. 23; iv. 6; V. 34, 36, 37; viii. 9-24 ; ix. ro-17, 
 33-35' 36-4^,43; xi. 28; xii. 12, 13; xiii. 6- 11 ; 
 xiv. 13; XV. 22; xvi. i, 14, 30; xvii. 34; xviii. 8, 
 
ii8 
 
 17; xix. 9, 14, 24, 29, 33; XX. 9; xxi. i6, 29; xxiv. 
 1,24; XXV. 13; xxviii. 7. 
 Study the four Herods. 
 
 a. Herod the Great, the founder of the 
 family, who murdered the innocents of Beth- 
 lehem. Died B.C. 4. 
 
 b. Herod Antipas, his son. B.C. 4 to A.I). 
 39. He murdered John the Baptist. 
 
 c. Herod Agrippa the first, grandson of 
 Herod the Great. A.D. 37-44. He murdered 
 James. 
 
 d. Herod Agrippa the second, great grandson 
 of Herod the Great. A.D. 50-100. Before 
 him Paul appeared, xxvi. 28. 
 
 12. Paul. 
 
 Next to Christ, he is perhaps the most im- 
 portant figure in history, both because of his 
 work and because of his character, though the 
 former has overshadowed the latter too much. 
 His life was extraordinarily broad. The study 
 of it here must be limited to what can be 
 learned from the Acts. 
 
 a. His life. 
 
 (i.) Before his conversion. 1-36 A.D. 
 • (i) We first meet him at Stephen's 
 martyrdom, vii. 58; viii. i, 3. 
 
 (2) He was a native of Tarsus. 
 
 xxn. 
 
 J- 
 
 (3) And was of the tribe of Benja- 
 min. Phil. iii. 5. 
 
IK 
 
 (4) Inherited from his father the 
 rights of Roman citizenship. xxii. 
 
 27, 28. 
 
 (5) He learned a trade in Tarsus.* 
 xviii. 3. This was a wholesome Jew- 
 ish custom, and did not imply that the 
 family was in needy condition, or that 
 Paul was not also receiving an educa- 
 tion in higher things. Tarsus was a 
 rival of Athens and Alexandria as a 
 place of learning and research. Per- 
 haps he gained here his unfailing 
 urbanity, his skill in using Greek, his 
 acquaintance with heathen literature, 
 xvii. 28 ; xxvi. 1-2. 
 
 (6) He removed at an early age to 
 Jerusalem and was educated there, 
 xxii. 3. 
 
 (7) He was in deadly earnest in 
 his support of Judaism. xxii. 3-5. 
 Was he a member of the Sanhedrim .'' 
 In xxvi. 10 he speaks of h'v^ vote. See 
 the Greek. 
 
 (II.) His conversion. 36 A.D. 
 
 It was on the errand mentioned in xxii. 
 3-5 that God changed the current of his 
 life. The persecutor was to become the 
 propagator. There are three accounts of 
 his conversion, ix. 1-18; xxii. 5-16; xxvi. 
 12-23. 
 
 (i) The place. 
 
I20 
 
 (2) The light, ix. 3 ; xxii. 6 ; xxvi. 
 
 13- 
 
 (4) His position and that of his 
 
 companions, ix. 4; xxii. 7 ; xxvi. 14. 
 
 (4) What was said ? ix. 4 ; xxii. 
 7, 8, 10 ; xxvi. 14. 
 
 (5) Who heard what was said and 
 saw the light ? ix. 7 ; xxii, 9. These 
 are reconcilable. 
 
 (6) What followed? ix. 8-18; 
 xxii. 1 1 -16. 
 
 (7) What did Paul see when he 
 was stricken down .^ ix. 17 ; xxii. 14; 
 I. Cor. XV. 8. 
 
 (III.) At Damascus and Jerusalem. 
 36-38 A.D. 
 
 (i) At Damascus he broke his 
 three days' fast (ix. 9), and was 
 ^ baptised (xxii. 16). 
 (2) ix. 20-25. 
 
 {(t) How long was Paul in 
 Damascus ? 
 
 a. Gal. i. 18. These three 
 years probably dated from 
 his conversion. Did he spend 
 them all in Damascus ? No. 
 
 The Jews would not have 
 tolerated him so long. 
 
 The Christians at Jerusa- 
 lem would not have been 
 
121 
 
 afraid of him if he had been 
 so long tried at Damascus. 
 
 b. Where else did he go ? 
 Gal. i. 17. 
 (/;) Why did he flee ? ix. 23 ; 
 II. Cor. xi. 32. 
 
 (3) From Damascus he goes to 
 Jerusalem, ix. 22, 26-30. On what 
 grounds did Barnabas vouch for him ? 
 
 (4) ix. 30. 
 
 (IV.) At Antioch. 44, 45 A.D. 
 Where was he from 38-43? Gal. i. 21. 
 (i) xi. 20-24. 
 
 (2) xi. 25, 26. 
 
 (3) xi. 2S-30. 
 
 (4) xii. 25. 
 
 (5) xiii. I, 2. They had trained 
 native workers. 
 
 (V.) The first missionary journey. 45, 
 46 A.D. 
 
 The Church at Antioch was largely a 
 Gentile Church. Hundreds of hearts 
 must have been asking, " Is the Gospel to 
 stop with us ? It has pressed out of 
 Judea and vSamaria. Shall it not go, as 
 He bade, to the uttermost parts of the 
 earth ? " And as they were serving, the 
 Lord sent His answer. 
 
 (i) The choice of the missionaries, 
 xiii. 2. Notice that it was a separa- 
 
122 
 
 tion by the Holy Ghost to a definite 
 work, which must have been indefinite 
 in a measure to them, and which yet 
 in its essential character was specific, 
 for instinctively they preached the 
 word of God. The Holy Ghost called 
 them not so much to a new kind as to 
 a new field of work. 
 
 (2) The starting point, xiii. 1-4. 
 Antioch was the missionary centre. 
 
 (3) The spirit of the departure, 
 xiii. 3. 
 
 {4) The journey and its incidents, 
 xiii. I - xiv. 28. Make an analysis of 
 the journey, taking it up place by 
 place, and study the events which 
 happened in each place, writing the 
 whole out carefully. 
 
 (5) What was their work ? 
 
 (a) Visited first of all the 
 synagogue. 
 
 {d) Preaching the word at all 
 opportunities. 
 
 {() Ordained elders in every 
 Church, xiv. 23. 
 
 {d) Commending them to the 
 Lord, 
 
 a. As an object of faith. 
 
 b. With prayer and fasting 
 
123 
 
 (6) Home once more. 
 
 {a) xiv. 26. They had been 
 upheld by this consciousness and 
 the assurance that the Christians 
 at Antioch were praying for them. 
 
 {/>) xiv. 27. 
 
 (7) xiv. 28. Here Paul remained 
 from 46-51, with the exception of his 
 visit to the council at Jerusalem. 
 
 (VI.) The Apostolic council. 50 A.D. 
 
 (i) The origin of the trouble, xv. 
 I, 2. 
 
 (2) The question at issue. Must 
 the Gentile converts be circumcised ? 
 
 (3) The mode of settlement. Com- 
 pare Gal. ii. 
 
 ((/) The delegates appointed. 
 XV. 2. 
 
 {/}) Their journey to Jerusalem. 
 XV. 3. 
 
 (f) The council called. xv. 
 4-6. 
 
 {d) The proceedings. 
 
 a. Much disputing, xv. 7. 
 
 b. Peter's speech, xv. 7- 
 II. 
 
 c. Barnabas and Paul heard 
 XV. 12. 
 
 d. James's speech, xv. 13- 
 21. 
 
124 
 
 e. The decision. 
 
 Legates, xv. 22. 
 Letters, xv. 23-29. 
 {e) The harmony of the pro- 
 ceedings. XV. 25, 26, 29. 
 
 (/) Luke's account in accord- 
 ance with Paul's in Gal. ii. i-io. 
 
 (4) Return home. xv. 30, 31. 
 
 (5) Paul and Barnabas remain in 
 Antioch. xv. 35. 
 
 (6) Peter comes down and gets into 
 trouble. He was fickle. Paul was 
 firm. Gal. ii. 11-21. 
 
 (VII.) Second missionary journey. 51- 
 54 A.D. 
 
 ( 1 ) His starting point, — Antioch, as 
 usual. XV. 35, 40. 
 
 (2) The design conceived, xv. ^6. 
 Who proposed the journey ? 
 
 (3) A dissension arose, xv. 37-39. 
 
 (4) Which results in a division, xv. 
 39, 40. Consider the good and the 
 evil of this quarrel. 
 
 (5) The journey and its incidents. 
 
 Make a list of the places visited 
 in order. Take these up one at 
 a time, and study each by itself, 
 and then in its relation to the 
 others. The volume on Acts in 
 
125 
 
 the Cambridge Bible for Schools 
 and Colleges -.vill be found help- 
 ful. XV. 41 -xviii. 22. 
 
 (VIII.) Third missionary journey. 54- 
 58 A.D. 
 
 (i) Starting point, xviii. 23. 
 
 (2) From Antioch and Ephesus. 
 xviii. 23- xix. i. 
 
 {3) Ministry in Ephesus. xix. 54- 
 56 A.D. The first Epistle to the 
 Corinthians vk^as written now; perhaps 
 also the Epistles to the Galatians. 
 
 (4) From Ephesus to Corinth. 57 
 A.D. XX. I, 2; II. Cor. ii. 12. The 
 Second Epistle to the Corinthians was 
 written on this journey. 
 
 (5) Ministry in Achaia. xx. 3. The 
 Epistle to the Romans was written 
 now. 
 
 (6) From Corinth to Jerusalem. 
 Study his route. Notice when Luke 
 joins him, and what other companions 
 he had. Study carefully his farewell 
 speeches on this journey. 
 
 (7) His fifth and last visit to Jeru- 
 salem, xxi. 15, 16. When had he 
 been there before ? 
 
 (IX.) His first imprisonment. 58-62. 
 (i) Arrest at Jerusalem. 
 
 («) Visit to James and the eld- 
 ers, xxi. 18, 19. 
 
126 
 
 {d) Their advice to him. xxi. 
 '0-2 5. 
 
 (r) He accepts it. With what 
 result .'' xxi. 26-36. 
 
 (d) Paul asks an opportunity 
 to speak to the people, xxi. 27- 
 41. And does so in Hebrew, 
 xxii. I -2 1. When did they in- 
 terrupt him .'* 
 
 {e) Paul kept in the castle, 
 xxii; 22-29. 
 
 {/) Before the Jews again, xxii. 
 30 - xxiii. ID. 
 
 (£■) His vision, xxiii. 11. 
 
 (/?) Plot to kill Paul, xxiii. 12 
 -22. 
 
 (2) Detention at Caesarea. 
 
 (a) Sent there by Claudius Ly- 
 sias. xxiii. 23-33. 
 
 {d) Governor Felix receives and 
 keeps him. xxiii. 33-35. 
 
 (c) The hearing, xxiv. 1-22. 
 
 {d) Still a prisoner, xxiv. 23. 
 
 {e) The prisoner on exhibition, 
 xxiv. 24-26. 
 
 (/) Change of governors. No 
 change in Paul's condition. Why ? 
 xxiv. 27. 
 
 {£■) Fresh charges, xxv. 1-3. 
 
 {//) Trial before Festus. xxv. 
 4-12. What led to the appeal 
 to Caesar.'' Why did not Paul 
 
127 
 
 accept the change of venue pro- 
 posed in XXV. 9. 
 
 (z) A visit. XXV. 13-22. 
 
 (y) On exhibition again, xxv. 
 23 - xxvi. 29. Paul loses no op- 
 portunity to preach Christ. 
 
 (/{•) To Rome. xxvi. 30-32. 
 
 (3) The voyage. 
 
 (a) The company, xxvii. i, 2. 
 (d) The ship, xxvii. 2. 
 {c) The course, xxvii. 3-xxviii. 
 16. Study it step by step. 
 
 (4) Imprisonment in the city of the 
 Caesars. 
 
 (a) Not rigorous, xxiii. 16. 
 
 (d) His interviews with the chief 
 Jews, xxviii. 17-29. 
 
 (c) The way he spent his time, 
 xxviii. 30, 31. Epistles to the 
 Philippians, Philemon, the Colos- 
 sians, and the Ephesians were 
 written during his first imprison- 
 ment. 
 
 (x.) His later life. After two years' 
 imprisonment Paul was tried and released, 
 and •continued his labors for the spread of 
 Christianity. 
 
 (i) He first went eastward to Phil- 
 ippi and Ephesus. Phil. i. 25, 27; 
 Philemon 22; I. Tim. i, 3; I.Tim, 
 iii. 14; iv. 13. From this it is plain 
 
128 
 
 that he was expectmg to return to 
 Ephesus. I. Timothy was written at 
 this time. From Macedonia he evi- 
 dently reached Ephesus and spent 
 some time there. II. Tim. i. i8. 
 Conybeare and Howson hold that 
 Paul went to Spain in 64 (compare 
 Romans xv. 28), and returned to 
 Ephesus in 66. 
 
 (2) He paid a visit to Crete and 
 left Titus there to organize churches. 
 Titus i. 5 ; iii. 12. 
 
 (3) He traveled by Miletus (II. Tim. 
 iv. 20), Troas (II. Tim. iv. 13), 
 Corinth (II. Tim. iv. 20). 
 
 (4) We find him at last, once more 
 at Rome in bonds as an evil doer, 
 expecting death. II. Tim. ii. 9; iv. 6, 
 9-12, 16. He was all alone save for 
 Luke, and desires Timothy to come 
 quickly to him. His treatment now 
 differed from his treatment during his 
 preceding imprisonment. 
 
 (5) At the first hearing he vindi- 
 cated his cause and was remanded to 
 prison. II. Tim. iv. 16-17. It was 
 now that the II. Epistle to Timothy 
 was written. He was ready to go 
 home (II. Tim. iv. 6-8), and he had 
 not long to wait, for about the begin- 
 ning of June 68 A.D. he was led out 
 to die. He was a Roman citizen, and 
 
129 
 
 so was beheaded, not crucified. What 
 has been said of Charles Kingsley is 
 but a part of what might be said of 
 him, that he was — 
 
 "A righteous man 
 Who loved God and truth above all things; 
 A man of untarnished honor — 
 Loyal and chivalrous — gentle and strong — 
 Modest and humble — tender and true — 
 Pitiful to the weak — yearning after the 
 
 erring — 
 Stern to all forms of wrong and oppression — 
 Yet most stern towards himself — 
 Who, being angry^, yet sinned not. 
 Who lived in the presence of God here, 
 And, passing through the grave and gate of 
 
 death, 
 Now liveth unto God forevermore." 
 
 Dying like the brave servant of God that 
 he was, he still lives on, and " wheresoever 
 the Holy Church throughout all the world 
 doth acknowledge God, there Paul of Tar- 
 sus is revered as the great teacher of a 
 universal redemption and a catholic relig- 
 ion, the herald of glad tidings to all 
 mankind." 
 
 h. Speeches. 
 
 (i.) To the Jews. 
 
 Always to them first. 
 
 (r) Discourses, xiii. 16-47; ^^ii. 
 1-21 ; xxviii. 17-20, 23-29. 
 
 (2) Brief notices of other addresses. 
 ix. 20, 22 ; xiii. 9-1 1, 43 ; xv. 12 ; xxiii. 
 1-6. Notice the tact and skill of the 
 
I30 
 
 speaker, his adaptation to the preju- 
 dices of his hearers, the use he made 
 of his materials, and his boldness and 
 
 strength. 
 
 (II.) To the Gentiles, xiv. 15-17; xvi. 
 31; xvii. 16-31; xxiv. 10-21, 24; xxvi. 
 1-29. Notice the way he puts himself 
 in their place, occupying their point of 
 view. Observe his openheartedness, his 
 skill in debate, his consciousness of right. 
 
 (ill.) To the Church, xiv. 22-27 ; xv. 
 12; XX. 7-10, 18-35. Notice the substance 
 of these speeches, their tenderness, timeli- 
 ness, and discernment. 
 
 (IV.) In self defence. 
 
 (i) At Jerusalem. 
 
 (a) Before the people. xx. 
 
 1-21. 
 
 {d) Before the Sanhedrim, 
 xxiii. 1-6. 
 (2) In Caesarea. xxiv. 10-21, 24; 
 xxvi, 1-29. Notice the circumstances 
 of each speech, the way Paul presents 
 the issue, allaying prejudice, until the 
 time for the bold and necessary stroke. 
 The teaching of his speeches. 
 (I.) About God. 
 
 (i) His relation to nature and man. 
 xiv. 15-17; xvii. 24-26, 27-30. 
 
 (2) He is the Actor in the spread 
 of the Gospel, xiv. 17; xv 12. . 
 
131 
 
 (3) His relation to Paul, xviii. 21 ; 
 xxii. 5-21 ; xxiii. I. 
 
 (II.) About Jesus. 
 
 (i) His Davidic descent, xiii. 23. 
 
 (2) Who was He ? 
 
 {a) The Son of God. ix. 20. 
 {d) The Christ, ix. 22 ; xvii. 
 3 ; xviii. 5. 
 
 [c) Lord. xvi. 31 ; XX. 35; xxi. 
 
 13- 
 
 {(/) Saviour, xiii. 23. 
 
 (3) His death on the cross, xiii. 
 27-29 ; xvii. 3 ; xxvi. 23. 
 
 (4) His Resurrection, xiii. 30, 31, 
 33-37 ; xvii. 3, 31 ; xxvi. 23. 
 
 (III.) About the Jews. 
 
 xiii. 17-22; xxii. 3; xxiii. 6; xxvi. 6, 
 7 ; xxviii. 20. 
 
 (IV.) The Gospel. 
 
 (1) What is it? xiii. 32, 33. 
 
 (2) For whom is it ? xiii. 39, 47. 
 
 (3) Its source, xiii. 38, 39. 
 
 (4) Conditions. 
 
 (a) Faith, xiii. 39, 41 ; xvi. 31 ; 
 xxvi. 18. 
 
 {d) Repentance, xvi. 15; xvii. 
 30; XX. 21. 
 
 (5) Its essence, xiii. 26, 38, 39 ; 
 xiv. 15. 
 
132 
 
 (v.) Some of Paul's doctrines. 
 
 (I 
 XX vi 
 
 (- 
 
 (3 
 
 (4 
 
 (5 
 
 (6 
 xxiii 
 
 Sin. xiii. lo, 11,38; xxii. 16; 
 18. 
 
 Sanctification. xx. 32. 
 Consecration, xx. 24; xxi. 13. 
 Giving, xx. 35. 
 A coming judgment, xvii. 31. 
 
 The resurrection of the dead. 
 6; xxiv. 15, 21 ; xxiii. 8. 
 
 (7) Foreordination. xiii. 48. 
 
 (vi.) Paul's preaching. 
 
 (i) The substance of it. 
 
 (a) The word of God. xiii. 44, 
 49; xvi. 32; xvii. ir. What was 
 Paul's attitude toward the Old 
 Testament ? 
 
 a. He believed it. xxiv. 
 14; xxvi. 22, 23; xxviii. 23. 
 Compare Luke xxiv. 25. 
 
 b. He quoted it. What 
 were the following quota- 
 tions.? xiii. 22, 33-35, 41 ; 
 xxviii. 26, 27. 
 
 {fi) Christ, ix. 20, 22 ; xvii. 3 ; 
 xviii. 5 ; xxviii. 31. 
 
 {c) Comfort, xiv. 22. 
 
 {(/) The kingdom of God. xix. 
 8; XX. 25; xxviii. 23, 28. 
 
 ((f) The Gospel, xx. 20, 21, 
 
 27' 
 
(2) The spirit of it. 
 
 Boldly, ix. 29 ; xix. S. 
 Confidently, xxviii. 31. 
 Unreservedly, xx. 27. 
 Sympathetically, xx. 31. 
 With personal testimony, xiii. 
 31 ; xxvi. 16. 
 
 d. The Epistles of Paul. 
 
 In an exhaustive course those Epistles 
 of Paul which were written during the 
 period covered by Acts should be taken 
 up here and studied in connection with 
 the history. The following were written 
 prior to the close of the Book : 
 
 (I.) The First Epistle to the Thessal- 
 onians, at Corinth in 52 or 53. 
 
 (II.) The Second Epistle to the Thes- 
 salonians at Corinth, not long after the 
 ■ First Epistle. 
 
 (III.) The First Epistle to the Corin- 
 thians, written at Ephesus toward the close 
 of his long stay there. 
 
 (IV.) The Second Epistle to the Corin- 
 thians, written on his third missionary 
 journey, somewhere in Macedonia. 
 
 (v.) The Epistle to the Galatians, writ- 
 ten either in Ephesus 54-56, or in Achaia, 
 or Macedonia in 57 or 58. 
 
 (VI.) The Epistle to the Romans, writ- 
 ten at Corinth in the spring of 5:9. 
 
134 
 
 (VII.) The Epistle to the Colossians, 
 written at Rome during his first imprison- 
 ment. 
 
 (VIII.) The Epistle to Philemon, written 
 at the same time and place. 
 
 (IX.) The Epistle to the Ephesians, writ- 
 ten at the same time and place. 
 
 (X.) The Epistle to the Philippians, writ- 
 ten at the same time and place. 
 
135 
 
 XIX. The Teaching of the Acts. 
 
 Review the teachings of the speeches of Peter and 
 Paul, already considered. 
 
 T, The Creed. 
 
 Take each article of the Apostles' Creed, 
 and find proof texts for it in the Book. 
 
 a. I believe, ii. 44; iv. 4 ; viii. 12, 13; ix. 
 42; X. 43; xi. 17, 21; xiii. 12, 39, 48; xiv. i, 
 23; XV. 5, 7, II ; xvi. 31, 34. Add at least one 
 from each other chapter if possible. 
 
 b. In God, the Father almighty, maker of 
 Heaven and earth, iv. 24; xiv. 15-17; xvii. 
 24, 25. 
 
 c. And in Jesus Christ, ii. 36; iii. 20; x. 
 36 ; xvii. 3 ; xviii. 5, 28. 
 
 d. His only Son. iii. 13; ix. 20 ; xiii. -t^t^. 
 
 e. Our Lord. i. 21 ; ii. 36; iv. 33; vii. 59; 
 viii. 16; ix. 5, 17, 29; X. 36, 48; xi. 20; xix. 5, 
 10, 13, 17 ; XX. 24, 35; xxi. 13. Where are the 
 expressions, "The Lord Jesus Christ," "Our 
 Lord Jesus Christ," used ? 
 
 f. Who was conceived by the Holy Ghost, 
 born of the Virgin Mary. i. 14. 
 
 g. Suffered under Pontius Pilate, ii. 13, 23; 
 iv. 27 ; xiii. 28. 
 
 h. Was crucified, ii. 23, 36; iii. 15; iv. 10; 
 V. 30; vii. 52 ; X. 39; xiii. 28, 29. 
 
 /. Dead and buried, ii. 24 ; xiii. 29. 
 j. He descended into Hell. ii. 31 ; xiii. 34. 
 
136 
 
 /'. The third day He rose again from the 
 dead, i. 22; ii. 24; ii. 32; iii. 15; iv. 10; v. 
 31 ; xiii. 30; xvii. 3, 31; xxvi. 23. Find the 
 single verse which asserts that it was the third 
 day. 
 
 /. He ascended into Heaven, i. 11, 22. 
 
 m. And sitteth on the right hand of God, 
 the Father Almighty, ii. 25, '^t^\ v. 31; vii. 
 55' 56- 
 
 n. From thence He shall come to judge the 
 quick and the dead. i. 1 1 ; iii. 20, 21 ; x. 42; 
 xvii. 31. 
 
 o. I believe in the Holy Ghost. 
 
 (I.) Promises, i. 4, 5; ii. 16-1S. 
 
 (II.) The promises fulfilled. ii. 1-4. 
 And subsequently — 
 
 (i) At Jerusalem, iv. 31. 
 
 (2) In Samaria, viii. 15-17. 
 
 (3) In Ccesarea. x. 44, 45. 
 
 (III.) His work. 
 
 (i) In relation to Jesus. i. 2; ii. 
 
 zz ; •^- 38- 
 
 (2) In relation to the Old Testa- 
 ment Scriptures, i. 16; xxviii. 25. 
 
 (3) In relation to the Church. 
 
 {a) Empowered, i. 8 ; iv. T^y 
 {h) Emboldened, iv. 13. 
 {c) Comforted, ix. 31. 
 {d) Witnessed with their testi- 
 mony, v. 32 ; vii. 51. 
 (6') Guided. 
 
^37 
 
 a. Positively, viii. 29, 39 
 X. 19; xi. 12; xiii. 2, 4; XV 
 28 ; XX. 28. 
 
 b. Negatively, xvi. 6, 7 
 {/) Filled. vi. 3, 5 ; xiii. 9 
 
 This fullness always manifested 
 itself, ii. 2; iv. 8, 13; vii. 55; 
 ix. 17, 18 ; xi. 24 ; xiii. 52. 
 
 {g) In a sense, the Holy Ghost 
 was identified with the Church. 
 V. 3 ; XV. 28 ; XX. 28. 
 
 {/i) At any rate, He gave the 
 power of tongues and of proph- 
 ecy, ii. 4; X. 46 ; xi. 28; xix. 6; 
 XX. 23 ; xxi. 1 1. 
 
 (IV.) How to get the Holy Ghost. 
 
 (i) A gift. ii. 38; x. 45; XV. 8. 
 
 (2) Cannot be bought, viii. 18-24. 
 
 {3) Conditions of obtaining. 
 (<?) Repentance, ii. 38. 
 {/>) Obedience, v. 32. 
 {c) Prayer and unity, i. 14; ii. 
 i; iv. 31. 
 
 />• The Holy Catholic Church, ii. 39, 47 ; 
 XX. 28. 
 
 (I.) Meaning of the word church. The 
 Greek word eKKXifjaia in its primary and 
 civil sense means any assembly called to- 
 gether for any purpose ; e.^-., xix. 32. In its 
 appropriated and religious sense it means 
 a society of Christians. The New Testa- 
 
138 
 
 ment applies it to any society of Chris- 
 tians, large or small. Col. iv. 15; Acts xi. 
 22; vii. 38; Heb. ii. 12; I. Cor. xii. 28; 
 Eph. V. 25; Acts ix. 31. (Revised Ver- 
 sion.) Notice the different sizes of the 
 society in these passages. 
 
 (II.) The principles governing the Apos- 
 tolic Church. 
 
 The Church is a kingdom. John xviii. 
 36. Every kingdom has a king, subjects, 
 and lavv^s ; also, officers subordinate to the 
 king. Heb. xiii. 17. 
 
 (i) What officers were there in the 
 Apostolic Church .'' 
 
 (a) Apostles, i. 2. 
 
 Choosing an Apostle, i. 
 13-26. 
 
 (/') Evangelists. xxi. 8; II. 
 Tim. iv. 5. 
 
 {c) Elders and Bishops, xx. 
 
 17- 
 
 Choosing an Elder, xiv. 
 
 2;^. The Greek literally 
 means, "and when they had 
 elected Elders in every church 
 by a show of hands." 
 
 The office of Bishop was 
 identical with that of Elder 
 or Presbyter. 
 
 ((/) Deacons, vi. 1-6; Phil.,i. i. 
 
139 
 
 (2) Now what principles were 
 observed ? 
 
 Let the student determine for 
 himself from a study of the Acts 
 alone what was the form of gov- 
 ernment of the early Church. 
 
 q. The communion of saints, ii. 44-47 ; iv. 
 34-35; vi. i; XX. 35. 
 
 r. The forgiveness of sins. ii. 38; v. 31 ; 
 xiii. 38; xxvi. 18; x. 43. 
 
 s. The resurrection of the body. iv. 2 ; 
 xxiv. 15. 
 
 /. And the life everlasting, v. 20; xi. 18; 
 xiii. 46, 48. 
 
 2. About Pj'ayer. 
 
 i. 14, 24; ii. 47 ; iv. 24-30 ; vi. 6; vii. 59, 60; 
 viii. 22-24; ix. 40; X. 2, 9; xii. 5, 12, 13; xiii. 3; 
 xiv. 23; XV. 40; xvi. 13, 16, 25; XX. 36 ; xxi. 5; 
 xxii. 17; xxviii. 8. Regarding each prayer, 
 notice who prayed, for what, where, and when, 
 the substance of the prayer and the spirit of it, 
 with what result, in whose name, and in what 
 circumstances of special interest. 
 
 3. About Baptism. 
 
 a. The two baptisms contrasted, xix. 2-6. 
 
 b. Who are to be baptized, ii. t^^, 41 ; viii. 
 12; X. 47; xvi. 15, ;i^i^\ xviii. 8; xxii. 16. 
 
 c. Manner, i. 5 ; viii. 38 ; x. 48. 
 
140 
 
 4- About t/ie "■ IVord:' 
 
 a. The doctrine concerning the attainment 
 through Christ of salvation in the Kingdom of 
 God. ii. 41; iv. 4, 29; vi. /\; viii. 4; x. 44; 
 xi. 19; xiv. 25; xvi. 6; xvii. 11. 
 
 b. " The word of God," the substance of all 
 their preaching, iv. 31 ; vi. 2, 7 ; x. 36 (see 
 Westcott & Hort's Greek Testament) ; xi. i ; 
 xii. 24; xiii. 5, 7, 44, 46; xvii. 13; xviii. i ; xix. 
 
 20. 
 
 c. "The word of the Lord." viii. 25; xiii 
 48,49; XV. 35, 36; xvi. 32. 
 
 d. The " word " in other connections, xiii. 
 26; xiv. 3; XV. 7; xix. 10; XX. 32, 35. 
 
 5. Old Testament pi'ophecies wJiich were fulfilled. 
 
 i. 16, 20; ii. 17-21, 25-28, 30, 31, 34, 35, 39; 
 iii. 22, 25, 26; iv. ri, 25, 26; viii. 32, t^t^; xiii. 
 ZZ^ 34» 36, 41, 47» 49; XV. 16; xxviii. 26, 27. 
 Add any others, and compare the quotation 
 with the original passage. 
 
 6. Heathen 7-eligioiis beliefs. 
 
 xiv. 11-18; xvii. 18, 23; xix. 24-29; xxviii. 
 4-6, IT. 
 
 7. The student can find many interesting themes 
 for special study in the Book. The two fol- 
 lowing will serve as illustrations merely. 
 
 a. The communism of the early church, ii. 
 44» 45 ; iv. 32-35. 
 
141 
 
 (I.) Cause. 
 
 (i) Did the hope of His coming 
 have any influence ? i. 1 1. 
 
 (2) In answer to Christ's prayer. 
 John xvii. 21 ; Psa. cxxxiii. i. 
 
 (II.) Limitation. 
 
 There was a common fund, just as 
 there had been with Christ. Luke 
 viii. 3; John xii. 6; xiii. 29. There 
 was no community of goods as touch- 
 ing the right or title to full possession 
 of the same. Compare Peter's words 
 to Ananias, v. 4. There was scope 
 also for such alms-deeds as those of 
 Dorcas, ix. 36. Mark's mother owned 
 a house (xii. 12), and Mnason had pri- 
 vate lodgings (xxi. t6). Compare also 
 L Cor. xvi. 2; I. John iii. 17; Rom. 
 XV. 21. There was no denial there- 
 fore of the right of private property. 
 This communism was only a unity of 
 spirit manifesting itself in a unity of 
 life. 
 (III.) Plato's Republic and More's Utopia 
 place this among their regulations. Such 
 love, Christ had foretold, would be a mark 
 of His disciples. John xiii. 35. Such a 
 social condition requires perfection of un- 
 selfishness in the social unit. 
 
 (IV.) This common life was not without 
 its effect, iv. 2i3 finds its explanation in 
 iv. 34. See the Greek. John xvii. 23. 
 
142 
 
 b. Burials in the Acts. 
 
 (I.) Ananias, v. i-io. 
 
 (i) By whom? The young men. 
 Were they anticipations of the dea- 
 cons, or were they just servants, 
 chosen from the young because of 
 their strength ? Luke xxii. 26. It was 
 not an office, because they are called 
 by different names in the sixth and 
 tenth verses. See Greek. 
 
 (2) How? 
 
 \a) Wound it up. There were 
 no coffins in the east. The limbs 
 were just wrapped in a body cloth. 
 Luke xxiii. 65. John xx. 5-7. 
 
 (/') Carried it out, beyond the 
 walls of the city. 
 
 (3) When ? At once. 
 
 {a) Graves were always ready. 
 Compare Joseph's tomb in which 
 Christ was laid. They were merely 
 caves with stones over the en- 
 trance. John xi. 43 ; Luke xxiv. 
 
 2,3- 
 
 {/'') It was a hot climate, and 
 decomposition was speedy. Thus 
 Lazarus was buried on the day of 
 his death. John xi. 17, 39. Com- 
 pare II. Kings ix. 34. 
 
 {c) Contact with a corpse was 
 defiling. Sepulchres were white- 
 
143 
 
 washed to warn people off. Num. 
 xix. 11-16; Deut xxi. 23. 
 
 (ii.) Stephen, viii. 2. 
 
 (i) Bywhom.'' Devout men, — Jews. 
 Luke ii. 25; Acts ii. 5; xxii. 12. 
 
 (2) "Carried him." Word includes 
 the whole rite, with all preparations 
 for burial. 
 
 The Ashkenazic prayer books 
 say, " These are the works of 
 which a man reaps the interest 
 in this world, and the capital en- 
 dures in the world to come : the 
 honoring of the father and mother, 
 the doing of acts of mercy, the 
 bearing forth the dead, the recon- 
 ciliation of a man to his neigh- 
 bor ; but the study of the Torah 
 is above them all." Gen. xxiii. 
 2; 1. 9, 10; Mark xvi. 10. 
 
144 
 XX. Analysis of the Acts. 
 
 1 . Introduction. 
 
 Dedication, i. i. 
 
 Post-Resurrection history of our Lord. i. 
 
 2-1 1. 
 
 Choice of Matthias, i. 12-26. 
 
 2. Founding of the CJiw'ch at Jerusalem. ii.— vii. 
 
 a. Pentecost, ii. 1-40. 
 
 The descent of the Holy Ghost, ii. 1-13. 
 
 Peter's sermon, ii. 14-36. 
 
 The results, ii. 37-41. 
 
 Social relations of the converts, ii. 42-47. 
 
 b. The first miracle, iii. 
 
 The scene, iii. i-r i. 
 
 Peter's second sermon, iii. 12-26. 
 
 c. The first opposition, iv. 1-33. 
 
 The motive, iv. 1-4. 
 The council, iv. 5. 
 Peter's words, iv. 8-12. 
 The issue, iv. 13-33. 
 
 The threatening, iv. 13-22. 
 
 The prayers, iv. 23-32. 
 
 d. Social relations emerge again, iv. 34-v. 11. 
 
 The sincere, iv. 34-37. 
 The insincere, v. i-ii. 
 
 c. Progress, v. 12-42. 
 
 (I.) In belief, v. 12-16. 
 
145 
 
 (II.) In opposition, v. 17-42. 
 
 First imprisonment, v. 17-18. 
 First deliverance, v. 19-25. 
 The second council, v. 26-42. 
 
 The reproof, v. 26-28. 
 
 Peter's fourth speech, v. 29-32. 
 
 Gamaliel, v. 33-39. 
 
 Discharged, v. 40-42. 
 
 /. Deacons chosen, vi.-vii. 60. 
 
 The choice. The men. Their work, 
 vi. I -7. 
 
 Stephen, vi. 8 - vii. 60. 
 Invincible, vi. 8-10. 
 The trial, vi. i i-vii. i. 
 The speech, vii. 2-53. 
 His death, vii. 54-60. 
 
 g. The Church spreading as a result, viii. i -4. 
 
 The Church wihiessiiig in /iidea and Samaria. 
 viii. 5-9. 
 
 a. Philip preaching, viii. 5-40. 
 
 Pentecost in Samaria, viii. 5-17- 
 
 Simon, viii. 18-25. 
 
 The Eunuch, viii. 26-40. 
 
 If. Saul persecuting, ix. 1-32. 
 
 To Damascus, ix. 1-2. 
 Persecutor converted, ix. 3-18. 
 And turns propagator, ix. 19-31. 
 
 c. Peter healing, ix. 32-43. 
 
 Ananias, ix. 32-35. 
 Dorcas, ix. 36-43. 
 
146 
 
 The Chu7'ch going forth to the uttermost parts 
 of the earth, x-xxviii. 
 
 a. The calling of the Gentiles, x.-xi. 18. 
 
 A double conversion. 
 
 Cornelius, x. 1-6, 21-44. 
 
 Peter, x. 7-44. 
 The Gentile Pentecost, x. 44-48. 
 Peter's defence of his course, xi. 1-18. 
 
 b. The choice of the Gentile centre, xi. 19-30. 
 
 The Antioch revival, xi. 19-21. 
 Through Barnabas, xi. 22-30. 
 
 Sent. xi. 22-24. 
 
 Chooses the great missionary, xi. 25. 
 
 Selects Antioch. xi. 26. 
 
 Visits Jerusalem with Paul. xi. 27-30. 
 
 c. Afflictions and deliverances, xii. 
 
 Death of James, xii. 1-2. 
 
 Peter's imprisonment and release, xii. 
 
 3-'9- 
 
 Fate of the oppressor, xii. 20-23. 
 The result : growth as usual, xii. 24. 
 
 d. The foreign field occupied, xiii.-xxviii. 
 
 (I.) The first journey, xiii.-xiv. 
 
 The missionaries chosen, xii. 25- 
 . xiii. 3. 
 
 The route, xiii. 4-xiv. 26. 
 Home and rest. xiv. 27, 28. 
 
 (11.) The great missionary problem. 
 XV. I -3 1. 
 
147 
 
 Origin of the dissension, xv. i. 
 The settlement, xv. 2-31. 
 
 Visit to Jerusalem, xv. 2, 3. 
 Statement of trouble, xv. 4, 5. 
 The council, xv. 6. 
 Peter, xv. 7-1 1. 
 Barnabas and Paul. xv. 12. 
 James, xv. 13-21. 
 The decision, xv. 22-29. 
 Satisfaction, xv. 30, 31. 
 
 (III.) The second journey. xv. 34- 
 xviii. 22. 
 
 The inception and trouble, xv. 
 
 34-39- 
 
 The missionaries, xv. 39, 40. 
 The route, xv. 41-xviii. 22. 
 
 (IV.) The third journey, xviii. 23-xxi. 
 18. 
 
 Antioch to Ephesus. xviii. 23-xix. i. 
 In Ephesus. xix. 
 Ephesus to Corinth, xx. 1-2. 
 Ministry in Achaia. xx. 3. 
 Corinth to Jerusalem, xx. 3-xxi. 16. 
 
 (V.) Last stay at Jerusalem, xxi. 18- 
 xxiii. 35. 
 
 The . council of elders and Paul's 
 vow. xxi. 18-26. 
 
 Antagonism of the Jews. xxi. 27- 
 
 32. 
 
 Arrest, xxi. 33-40. 
 
 .Address to the Jews. xxii. i- 
 21. 
 
148 
 
 Effect of the address, xxii. 22, 
 
 23- 
 Imprisonment, xxii. 24-29. 
 
 Before the Jews again, xxii. 30 - 
 
 xxiii. ID. 
 
 Remanded to prison, xxiii. 11-22. 
 
 (VI.) Sent to Caesarea. xxiii. 23- xxvi. 
 Letter and envoy, xxiii. 23-35. 
 First hearing, xxiv. 1-22. 
 Second hearing, xxiv. 23-27. 
 Paul and Festus. xxv. 
 Before Agrippa. xxv. 23 - xxvi. 
 
 (VII.) To Rome, xxvii. - xxviii. 
 
 The voyage, xxvii. -xxviii. 10. 
 The city, xxviii. 17-51- 
 
149 
 XXI. Some Other Phases of the Book. 
 
 1. A Book of beginnitigs. 
 
 a. First Apostolic conference, i. 1 5. 
 
 b. First church prayer meeting, i. 14; ii. 
 I ; xii. 12. 
 
 c. First religious suicide of the new dispen- 
 sation, i. 19. 
 
 d. First Apostolic sermon, ii. 
 
 e. First Apostolic miracle, iii. i-ii. 
 
 f. First ecclesiastical organization, vi. 
 
 g. First imprisonment, v. 18. 
 //. First martyr, vii. 
 
 /. First persecution, viii. 1-4; xi. 19. 
 
 J. First Gentile convert, viii. - x. 
 
 /'. First missionaries, viii .- xiii. 
 
 /. First heresy, viii. 18-24. 
 
 VI. First European church, xvi. 12. 
 
 The Acts is a Book of startings, of inceptive- 
 ness, of setting things going. 
 
 2. A viissionary Book. 
 
 The student will already have noticed many 
 missionary problems upon which light has been 
 thrown. Let him note the following methods 
 of work : 
 
 a. Personal effort, viii. 26-40 ; x. ; xiii. 7 ; 
 xviii. 24-28; xxviii. 16. 
 
150 
 
 b. Co-operation. 
 
 (I.) Between churches, viii. 5-17 ; xi. 
 19-22; XV. 1-31, 32. 
 
 (II.) Between individuals. Notice how 
 frequently the work was done by "twos." 
 Compare Luke x. i ; Acts iii. i ; viii. 14; 
 ix. 38; x. 7 ; xi. 12; xi. 25, 30; xii. 6, 255 
 xiii. I, 2; XV. 32, 40; xvi. 1-4; xvii. 15; 
 xix. 22 ; XX. 4 ; xxiii. 23 ; xxvii. 2. 
 
 c. Reaching men by the living voice. 
 
 There is only one Christian letter in the 
 book. Emphasized the " word," the spoken 
 word. The disciples preached Christ. No- 
 tice the use of the human voice, viii. 26- 
 40 ; xiii. 6-11 ; xx. 17-38; xxii. 
 
 Their preaching was not the delivery of 
 sermons, but living teaching, v. 42 ; xv. 
 35; xvii. 1-3, 17; xviii. i-ii ; xix. i-io; 
 xxviii. 30, 31. Compare also Acts xiii. i ; 
 I. Cor. xii. 28, 29; Eph. iv. 11 ; Rom. xii. 
 7 ; Col. i. 28 ; iii. 16. 
 
 d. The use of the Scriptures. 
 
 Evidenced by the use of prophecy. 
 They found among the Jews an open av- 
 enue for appeal here. xiii. 27 ; xv. 21. 
 
 e. Conformed to the customs of the people 
 among whom they worked, xvi. 3. 
 
 Yet this did not prevent them from 
 being perfectly faithful in their preach- 
 ing, xvi. 21. This was a false charge, 
 
made because the hope of gain was gone, 
 but it shows how unflinching these dis- . 
 ciples were in their proclamation of the 
 new truths. 
 
 This desire not to rouse antagonism 
 which would prevent the Gospel from 
 having a fair hearing, is seen in the adap- 
 tation of the Gospel to the peculiar preju- 
 dices and modes of thinking of the people 
 addressed, xiii. 15-48; xiv. 15-17; xvii. 
 18-32; xxii. I -2 1. 
 
 /. They trained native workers, xiii. i ; 
 xiv. 23 ; XX. 17. 
 
 It is evident that the missionaries exer- 
 cised careful oversight over the churches. 
 XV. 36. What were the Epistles ? 
 
 g. They aimed at great cities : 
 
 Jerusalem, Antioch, Corinth, Rome. xix. 
 21. 
 
 Some sigjiificant lessons from the Book. 
 
 a. Judicious and honorable compromise in 
 religion. 
 
 (I.) ii. 46; iii. I. 
 (II.) xi. 18 ; xxi. 20. 
 (III.) xvi. 3. 
 
 b. Generosity and charity. 
 
 (I.) The instinct and habit of giving to 
 the poor and oppressed, ii. 45; iv. 37 ; x. 
 29, 30; xxiv. 17. 
 
152 
 
 (II.) The unselfish spirit of the new 
 
 Christians, xix. 19; xx. 35. Notice it 
 
 displayed in the history of Barnabas and 
 Paul. 
 
 (III.) Even the heathen are represented 
 as gracious and kind. x. 2; xxiv. 23; xxiii. 
 20-22; xxvii. 3, 43; xxviii. 2, 7, 10. 
 
 (IV.) The inner life of the Church 
 began to realize at least a little the idea 
 which Christ had for it. " They love each 
 other without knowing each other," said 
 a pagan in amazement. The heathen 
 proverb had been, " man is a wolf to a man 
 he does not know." Christ's message was, 
 *' Thou shalt love thy neighbor as thyself," 
 and his definition of neighbor was not 
 narrow. 
 
 Tertullian declared, in vindication of 
 the Church : " Our compassion gives 
 more in the streets than your religion in 
 the temple." And when, after the martyr- 
 dom of Bishop Sixtus, his deacon was 
 required to point out and surrender the 
 treasures of the Church, he called all its 
 poor together and showed them to the 
 prefect of the city with these words : 
 "These are the treasures of the Church." 
 
 c. The necessity and glory of single eyed 
 unceasing devotion, iv. 13, 19-20; v. 29, 41— 
 42;ix. 29; xx. 22-25; xxi. 13 ; xxvii. 23. These 
 early Christians had their eyes upon Christ 
 
153 
 
 " We would see Jesus — for the shadows lengthen 
 Across this little landscape of our life ; 
 We would see Jesus, our weak faith to strengthen 
 For the last weariness, the final strife. 
 
 We would see Jesus, the great rock foundation 
 Whereon our feet are set by sovereign grace ; 
 Nor life, nor death, with all their agitation. 
 Can thence remove us, if we see his face." 
 
 d. Unity of doctrine in essentials, xiii. 38, 
 39; XV. 9-1 1. 
 
 The Book of Acts shows us the Gospel just 
 taking hold of the world, the new ideas just 
 beginning to sway and to mould the thoughts 
 and the lives of men. The fullness of time had 
 come. Men were ready for a revelation. 
 Plato's words had indicated a dim longing for 
 it: " We must lay hold of the best human 
 opinion in order that, borne by it as on a raft, 
 we may sail over the dangerous sea of life, 
 unless we can find a stronger boat or some 
 word of God which will more surely and safely 
 carry us." The ideas which the new message 
 contained were new to the world, but they 
 came from and were filled with divine power. 
 Read Uhlhorn's Conflict of Christianity with 
 Heathenism. 
 
 a. The Gospel taught a complete regeneration 
 of life, even of the lowest and meanest life, by 
 the grace of God, through the life blood of His 
 Son. Contrast with this, as certain aspects of 
 it are presented in Phil. ii. i-ii, such words as 
 Seneca's: " Give your whole mind to philosophy, 
 be absorbed in it, cultivate it, and you will far 
 
154 
 
 surpass all other men and be little inferior to 
 the gods." "Admire only thyself." Or those of 
 Celsus : " Let us hear what kind of persons 
 these Christians invite. Everyone they say 
 who is a sinner, who is devoid of understand- 
 ing, who is a child, him will the kingdom of 
 God receive. They assert that God will receive 
 the sinner if he humble himself on account of 
 his wickedness, but that He will not receive a 
 righteous man, although he look up to him 
 with virtue from the beginning. It is manifest 
 to everybody that no one by punishment, much 
 less by showing mercy, could wholly change 
 those who are sinners both by nature and 
 custom." 
 
 b. The Gospel taught the unity of mankind 
 and the organization of the entire race in 
 nations, xvii. 22-32. Any true conception of 
 humanity is the product of Christianity, and 
 this strictly Christian conception has been the 
 condition of all large progress. 
 
 c. The Gospel taught the dignity of labor- 
 Paul, Aquila, and Priscilla wrought at their 
 trade with their own hands. The spokesman of 
 the Apostles and the disciple of tenderest love 
 had both been fishermen. Contrast with this 
 the heathen notion. Plato deemed it right to 
 despise men whose employment did not permit 
 them to devote themselves to their friends and 
 to the state. According to Aristotle, all forms 
 of labor which required physical strength were 
 degrading to a freeman. Cicero says: "A 
 
155 
 
 mechanic's occupation is degrading. A work- 
 shop is incompatible with anything noble." 
 Yet our Lord Himself was a carpenter's son. 
 The Book of Acts breathes the hearty spirit of 
 honest toil. 
 
 d. Plato represents a state as wholly disor- 
 ganized where slaves are disobedient to their 
 masters and wives are on an equality with their 
 husbands. Aristotle characterizes women as 
 beings of a lower kind. Socrates asks one of 
 his friends, " Is there a human being with 
 whom you talk less than with your wife .'* " 
 The Gospel brought no such message. It had a 
 word of joyful emancipation for tvoman. It 
 made her free from servitude, that she might the 
 more freely serve. So Libanius exclaimed, 
 " What women there are among these Chris- 
 tians!" Read the Book of Acts through and 
 observe in it the place assigned to women. 
 
 e. The Gospel made no terms with impurity. 
 It demanded unqualified uprightness of life. 
 The heathen world scarcely knew such a thing. 
 Seneca wrote: " All things are full of iniquity 
 and vice. More crimes are committed than can 
 be remedied by force. A monstrous contest of 
 wickedness is carried on. Daily the lust of sin 
 increases ; daily the sense of shame diminishes. 
 Casting away regard for what is good and 
 honorable, pleasure runs riot without restraint. 
 Vice no longer hides itself. It stalks before 
 all eyes. So public has iniquity become, so 
 mighty does it flame up in all hearts, that 
 
■56 
 
 innocence is no longer rare, it has ceased to 
 exist." 
 
 Lucian wrote later : " If any one loves wealth 
 and is dazed by gold ; if any one measures 
 happiness by purple and power ; if any one, 
 brought up among flatterers and slaves, has 
 never had a conception of liberty, frankness, 
 and truth ; if any one has wholly surrendered 
 himself to pleasures, full tables, carousals, 
 lewdness, sorcery, falsehood, and deceit, — let 
 him go to Rome." And Livy wrote, more 
 soberly : " Rome has become great by her vir- 
 tues till now, when we can bear neither her 
 vices nor their remedies." Compare with this 
 Matt. V. 48, I. John iii. 3, Titus ii. 12, and the 
 spirit of absolute innocence and childlike purity 
 which marks the Christian life in the Acts. 
 
 f. When Stephen died, he " fell asleep." 
 Paul had no fear as he looked forward to 
 the end. He was ready, not only to be bound, 
 but also to die for his Lord Jesus. It meant 
 only a meeting with Him whom his soul loved. 
 The Gospel was a message of hope for dying 
 men. Heathenism was hopeless. Witness the 
 inscriptions on its sepulchres : " To eternal 
 sleep." " To eternal rest." " I was not, and 
 became. I was, and am no more. This much 
 is true, whoever says otherwise does not speak 
 the truth, for I shall not be." " So long as I 
 lived, I gladly drank. Drink ye who live," 
 on the tomb of a veteran of the fifth legion. 
 " Eat, drink, make merry, come." And Pliny 
 
57 
 
 declared : " What folly is it to renew life after 
 death ! Where shall created beings find rest, 
 if you suppose that shades in hell and souls in 
 heaven continue to have any feeling. You rob 
 us of man's greatest good — death. Let us 
 rather find in the tranquillity which precedes 
 our existence, the pledge of the repose which 
 is to follow it." The Book of Acts speaks 
 with a glad confidence of the world to come. 
 
 ^^. But the Gospel was a message, not alone 
 of hope in death, but of joy in life. The 
 Greek word x'^P'^ occurs in Acts seventeen 
 times, and the verb x°-9'^^^l^°-^ three times. See 
 ii. 26, 46; v. 41 ; vii. 41 ; viii. 8, 39; xi. 23; xii. 
 14; xiii. 48 ; XV. 3 ; xvi. 34; xiv. 17; xiii. 52 ; 
 XV. 31 ; XX. 24. The life of the early converts 
 was one of endless, joyous song. It was not so 
 with heathenism. Sophocles wrote in CEdiptis 
 at Colomis — 
 
 " Happiest beyond compare 
 Never to taste of life : 
 Happiest in order next, 
 Being born, with quickest speed 
 Thither again to return 
 From whence we came." 
 
 Seneca wrote : " The aim of all philosophy 
 is to despise life. Seest thou yon height .-^ 
 Thence is the descent to freedom. Seest thou 
 yon sea, yon river, yon well } Freedom sits 
 there in the depth. Seest thou yon low with- 
 ered tree.'' There freedom hangs. Seest thou 
 thy neck, thy throat, thy heart .-' They are 
 ways of escape from bondage." 
 
158 
 
 Heathenism's only word was, " Patet exitus," 
 — the way out of life lies open. 
 
 //. Heathenism was often agnostic. The 
 Christianity of the Acts was nothing if it was 
 not certain. It came with a clear claim of 
 assured truth. This was what angered 
 Caecilius. He declares that one can know 
 nothing with certainty. " Human mediocrity 
 is so inadequate to the exploration of things 
 divine, that it is not granted us to know, nor 
 is it permitted to search, nor is it just to 
 force, the things v/hich are upheld suspended 
 in the heavens above us, nor those which are 
 sunk deep in subterranean abysses." Compare 
 I. Tim. i. 12 ; Phil. i. 6; Acts ii. 36. 
 
 /. Get a firm grasp on the beliefs of the men 
 of those days, about man, about life, about 
 the world, and about God. Feel the influence 
 of them on your individual spirit. Perceive them 
 as moulding, world-swaying forces. Count not 
 your life dear to yourself, so that you may fin- 
 ish your course with joy, and the ministry you 
 have received of the Lord Jesus to testify the 
 Gospel of the grace of God. And do not 
 narrowly think that the kingdom of God is 
 national, or sectional, or racial ; but believe 
 that it is what Christ said it was and the 
 early Church believed it to be. Men who 
 have learned the lessons of those early days 
 are needed in these days. Let the student be 
 numbered among them, and take to himself 
 whatever is true in John Milton's words : 
 
159 
 
 " Every true and free-born spirit feels that 
 he is a born leader, and does not need either 
 the gilt spear or the laying of the sword upon 
 his shoulder to send him forth as a knight to 
 rescue all that is innocent and oppressed." 
 
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 326. Studies in Jeremiah. Wilbert W. White. Price, 
 
 paper, twenty cents; cloth, thirty cents. 
 
 327. Studies in the Parables of Jesus. William H. 
 
 Sallmon. Price, paper, fifteen cents; cloth, twenty- 
 five cents. 
 
 328. Studies in the Life of Jesus. William H. Sallmon. 
 
 Price, paper, twenty-five cents; cloth, forty cents. 
 
 329. The Secret Prayer Life. John R. Mott. Also 
 
 issued by the British College Christian Union. Price 
 five cents. 
 
 330. Bible Study for Spiritual Growth. John R. 
 
 Mott. Also issued by the British College Christian 
 Union. Price five cents. 
 
 331. Studies in the Life of Christ, by H. B. Sharman. 
 
 Price, paper, forty-five cents; cloth, seventy-five 
 cents. 
 
 Pamphlets priced at 40 cents, hi quantities of one dozen 
 or more, will be sold at $4 00 per dozen ; fifty or more, 
 $SJ 00 per hundred; those sold at jO cents, one dozen or 
 more, $j 00 per dozen ; fifty or more, $23.00 per hundred ; 
 at 23 cents, one dozeft or more, $2. JO per dozen ; fifty or more, 
 $20-00 per hundred; at /j cents, $1-30 per dozen; fifty or 
 more, $12.00 per hundred ; at 10 c fits, $1.00 per dozen, $8.00 
 per hundred ; at 3 cetits, 30 cents per dozen, $4-00 per hun- 
 dred. Ititernational Committee of Young Me?i^s Christian 
 Associations, J IVest Twenty-Ninth Street, New York. 
 
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 DATE DUE 
 
 GAYLORD 
 
 PRINTED IN U.S.A. 
 

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