'Prim
Doctrine of Ii-Lp.' ; in Hagenbach's Hist, of Doctrine ; and in Sanday's Bampton Lectures. Lutheran teaching is represented and traced in Huitertts Jtcdivivus, and Anglican in Fitzjames Stephens' Defence of the Bev. Rowland WUliams (1862).— From the mass of literature one or two representative booI<B may be named: The Imp. of Holy Scrip., by WUliam Lee, 185-1; The Nature and Extent of Divine Insp., by Rev. C. A. Row, M.A., 1864 ; Plenary Insp. of Holy Scrip., by Gaussen ; Itisp. and the Bible, by R. F. Horton ; A Tenable Theory of Insp., by Professor Wood ; ct. also the present writer's The Bible : its Origin and Hature. Schleiermacher's interesting statement of his views occurs in Der christliche Glaube, iv. §§ 12S-13'2. Weiss gives an excellent specimen of moderate opinion in Die Religion
d. NT, p. 31 ff. Marcus Dods.
INSURRECTION {a-rdais, Mk 15', and Lk 2S^^- == w^here AV gives 'sedition') is defined by Plato {Rep. V. 470 B) thus: ^irl yap tj toO oUelov Ix^pc/i ffrdffi! KeKKrjTai, iirl di tJ tQv aWorpiuv irdXc/ios. Its use in these passages is important as showing that Barabbas was not merely a robber (Xt/ctt^s, Jn IS'*"), b)it also a leader in one of those fierce fanatical outbursts which were so common in the last years of the Jewish nation, especially from the
of Herod. Josephus tells of notable leaders such as Ezekias, his son Judas, and his four grandsons, :ill of whom were put to death {Ant. xiv. ix. 2, x\il. X. 5, XVIII. i. 1; BJ II. iv. 1, viii. 1, xiii. 5, etc. ; cf. Ac 5^"'- 2P"). Josephus in his account of tlie final troubles uses fjjXwr^s and Xtjo-t^s almost as convertible terms. Nothing further is known of this particular o-Ttto-is, unless, as Ewald (HI vi. 67 f.) suggests, it may have arisen on account of the aqueduct which Pilate had built with money taken from the Temple treasury (Josephus, BJ II. ix. 4; cf. Lk 13*). Barabbas may have been moved by patriotic ideas at the first, becoming an outlaw and notorious robber when his rising was suppressed ; oi he may have used aspirations after freedom merely as a cloak for brigandage (see Westcott, Some Lessons of the Revised Version of the NT, p. 74 f.).* He was 'lying bound with them that had made insur- rection' {aTaaiaarCiv, v.l. <TvaTa<7LaaTC>v, Mk 15'), including probably the two robbers who were crucified ; for him the third cross may have been intended. Such men had a deep hold on the popular sympathy, which goes to explain the strong demand of the people for the release of their hero, and the interest which the priests showed on behalf of Barabbas, notwithstanding their pretence to holiness. But the hollowness of their new- found zeal for Caesar was thereby exposed, seeing that Barabbas was admittedly guilty of the crime which they alleged against Jesus. See, further, Barabbas.
Literature.— Edersheim, Lifeand Timesof Jesus the Messiah, ii. 670 fF. ; Trench, Studies in the Gospels (No. 15).
W. H. DUNDAS.
INTERCESSION (the act of one who goes be- tween) is generally taken to mean that part of prayer in which we approach God on behalf of others. The corresponding -svord in NT, Ivrev^is, which occurs only at 1 Ti 2' 4', does not neces- sarily mean what we now understand by inter- cession, but rather, as its connexion with ifrvyxiyu implies, drawing close to God in free and familiar prayer (see Trench, Syn. p. 190, -where, however, it is added, ' In justice to our translators it must be observed that intercession had not in their time that limited meaning of prayer for others which we now ascribe to it').
Intercession has always been regarded as a char- acteristic duty and privilege of believers in Christ. There is no fact or aspect of prayer more dis- tinctive of the Christian religion than this, in which the Christian heart, rising above all con- sideration of self, expands with a Christ - like benevolent desire for the welfare of every living soul, and prays for all mankind. Accordingly, we find that from the beginning intercession has been looked upon as a specific and characteristic part of the vocation of the Christian Church as a whole as well as of its individual members. The practice was enjoined by Christ, He Himself setting the example to His disciples. As prayer, in the general sense of the word, is essential to the Christian life, so intercessory prayer has always been looked upon as an essential part of Christian prayer.
Christ, when on earth, prayed for His followers, and still continues to plead for them beyond the eil, though in thinking of this aspect of His intercession it is a mistake to confine it merely to prayer. This has been admirably and convincingly pointed out by Milligan in The Ascension and Heavenly Priesthood of our Lord (pf). 149-153), and though this aspect of Christ's intercession belongs to a subsequent heading (§ 2 below), yet, because the intercession of Christians must always be based upon the Lord's intercession, it may be * There is no reference to the insurrection in the Sin. Svr. Gospels : see lira. Lewis in Exp. Times, .\ii. (1901), pp. 118, 2'7L
INTERCESSION
INTERCESSION
jn-eraised here that in the intercessions we offer to God the idea is wider than mere petition on belialf of others. ' Intercession and giving of thanks ' are to be made for all men (1 Ti 2'). It is a com- monplace that prayer is more than mere petition ; and so even in prayer on belialf of others mere asking of benefits for them cannot be the whole of prayer. Intercession, then, would appear to em- brace thanksgiving for benefits bestowed on others as well as imploring favours for them. Further, intercession also seems to imply that in praying for others, if Sve pray sincerely, we place ourselves with our means and our energies at God's disposal for His purposes of grace towards those for whom we pray. Intercession thus leads up to and neces- sitates self-dedication. In proceeding now to ex- amine our Lord's teaching, we note :