5. Corresponding to the foregoing use of Svofjia as expressive of the revealed character of God, is tiie constant employment of the word, not only in the Gospels, but throughout the whole of the NT, to denote the character, dignity, authority, and even the very Personality of Jesus Christ. This is tlie use made of it by the First Evangelist (INIt 12'-") when he applies to Jesus the words of Deutero- Isaiah according to the LXX re<ading, ' And in his name shall the Gentiles hope' (Is 42''). The mean- ing of the author of Acts is similar when he writes, 'The name of the Lord Jesus was magnified' (19'''). When our Lord speaks of those Avho 'receive a little child in my name' (Mt 18^ ||), or gives a gracious promise to the two or three who in His name are gathered together (v.^"), or assures us that whatso- ever we shall ask in His name the Father will bestow (Jn 16'-'^*), He is certainly not speaking of the use of His name as a species of magical formula — nothing could be further from the mind of Christ (cf. Mt 7^'"') — but of a service and worshii) and prayer undertaken for His sake or inspired by faith in His Person. And when in the Johaiinine writings the very same blessings are assured to those who 'believe on his name' (Jn l'^ 2-^ y», 1 Jn 3^3 5'=*) and to those who believe on Himself (Jn S'*' 6^", 1 Jn 5'"; cf. esp., as occurring in close juxta- position, Jn 3'^ with V.18, and 1 Jn 5'" with v.^^), it seems plain that by ' the name of Jesus ' is meant the Personality of Jesus as that has been summed up in 'the name' — the name, above all, of ' only-begotten Son of God ' ( Jn S^», cf. 1 Jn 5^^).
6. There are certain phrases in which ' the name of Christ ' occurs that call for more particular consideration. (1) Persccittion for the name. — When our Lord said to His disciples that they should be hated and persecuted ' for his name's sake' (Mt 10^2 24", Mk 13'3, Lk 6^2 2V'" ^^) ; when ' for his name's sake ' shame and suflering actually fell upon the Apostles and the early Church (Ac 5^' giii J5&) . g^jjjj M'hen St. Paul expresses his readiness not to be bound only, but also to die ' for the name of the Lord Jesus ' (21'3) — what are we to under- stand by these expressions ? No doubt in several of these cases ' name ' is practically synonymous with Person ; and so to suffer for Christ's name is equivalent to suflering for His sake — an alternative phrase which is also employed (Jn 13*''-38, 2 Co 12'", Ph 1'-"). But sometimes it seems more natural to think of the primary meaning of ' name ' as an external designation. The expression iiir^p rod dvbfxaTos used in Ac S'" (RV ' for the Name ') and 3 Jn'' (RV 'for the sake of the Name') suggests that 'the Name,' like 'the Way' (Ac 9^ 19"), was a technical term, and that to suffer for ' the Name ' meant to ' suft'er as a Christian' (1 P 4'"), i.e. as one who bore the name of being a disciple of Christ. It is true that the name ' Christian ' (wh. see) does not appear to have been originally used by Christ's followers themselves. But at all events it was employed by outsiders (Ac IP^ 26^*), and came to be employed especially by enemies (1 P 4'®). And if the name XpKXTLavoi Avas not current within the Church, there was a party in Corinth that claimed to be distinctively 'of Christ' (XpiaTov, 1 Co V^), while St. Paul not only protests, with reference to this claim, 'Is Christ divided?'
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(v. ^2), but says a little further on in the Ep., -with regard to the whole Christian body, 'Ye are of Christ' (iifj.ei'i 5^ Xpiarov, 3'-"). When, again, St. Peter writes, ' If ye are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are ye' (1 P 4"), it is evident that the reproach is brought not so much against the name of Christ itself as against those who bear it (of. v.^'"). And this view is confirmed wlien we Hnd St. James speaking of ' the honourable name which was called upon you' (Ja 2'^ RVm), the reference being apparently to Christ's name as a designation that came to be applied to His people — probably from the fact that His name had been invoked over them at the time of their baptism.
(2) Working of miracles in the name. — In the Gospels references to the working of miracles (esp. the casting out of evil spirits) with the use of the name are found in Mt 7-^, Mk g^s'-^Lk O^^'-, Lk 10^'', and in the Appendix to JNIk.'s Gospel, where, before His Ascension, Jesus is represented as assur- ing His disciples that those who believe shall have the power of casting out demons in His name (16*^). In Ac 38ff- (cf. V.16 410-30) gt. Peter cures the lame beggar at the gate of the Temple by commanding him in the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth to walk. In 16'^ St. Paul, with the invocation of the same name, casts the spirit of divination out of the slave-girl at Philippi. In IQ^^*^- certain vaga- bond Jews, exorcists, take upon themselves to call over those possessed by evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, and the sons of Sceva in particular do this to their own confusion ; but the imi)lication of the narrative evidently is that the ' special miracles' which had just been wrought by St. Paul himself were accomplished with alike invocation (cf. vv."- ^^ with V.13). In Ja 5^'* the elders of the Church are told to pray over the sick man, ' anointing him with oil in the name of the Lord.'