LiTERATTjRE. — The present writer ia not aware of any work dealing specifically with the apostolic conception of Inspiration and Revelation ; but on the general subject reference may be made to artt. 'Bible' and 'Bible in the Church' in ERE, vol. ii. ; to B. Jowett, on 'The Interpretation of Scripture' in Essays and Reviews, London, 1860 ; G. T. Ladd, What is the
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INTERCESSION
INTERCESSION
Bible?, New York. ISSS ; C. A. Briggs, The Bible, the Church, and the Reason, Edinburgh, 1S92; R. F. Horton, Revelation and the Bible, London, 1892 ; W. Sanday, Inspiration^ {Bampton Lectures for 1893), do. 1896; B. B. Warneld, artt. "'It says'': "Scripture says": "God says,"' in Presb. and Ref. Review, x. [1899] 472 ff., and '"God-inspired Scripture," 'in ib. si. [1900] 89 £f. ; F. Watson, Inspiration, London, 1906; J. Orr, Revelation and Inspiration, do. 1910; A. S. Peake, The Bible, do. 1913; W. Koelling, Proleijomena ziir Lehre von der Theopneustie, Breslau, 1S90; H. Cremer, art. 'Inspiration,' in PRE^ ix. [Leipzig, 1901] ; M. Kahler, Wissenschaft der christl. Lehre, Leipzig, 1905; H. VoUmer, art. 'Inspiration,' in RGG iii. [Tubingen, 1911]; also, on the nature of Inspiration, H. Gunkel, Die Wirkungen des heiligen Geistes-, Gottingen, 1899 ; H. Weinel, Die W irkumjen des Geistes und der Geister, Frei- burg i. B., 1899; P.Volz, Der Geist Gottes, Tubingen, 1910.
W. Sanday.
INTERCESSION.— The word ^vtcv^is, translated ' intercession ' (1 Ti 2^ 4*), means literally ' drawing close to God in free and familiar intercourse.' But the modern use of the word, which limits the meaning to prayer for others, need not obliterate the original meaning. It is in proportion as the person praying for others is able to enlarge his owm intercourse with God that he can be, like Moses, Samuel, Elijah, able to uphold others.
In the NT human capacity for this work is seen to be immeasurably increased through the examjsle and teaching of the Lord Jesus, and by the co- operation of the Holy Spirit, who intercedes ' with groanings which cannot be uttered' and 'according to the wiU of God' (Ro 8-"- ^'). We may expect, therefore, to find that the work of intercession will grow as the Church grows, with great widen- ing of experience and influence. The enlarged teaching of St. Paul in his later letters corresponds with the facts narrated in the Acts, where inter- cessory services are quoted at all great crises. The apostles and brethren pray for guidance in the appointment of a successor to Judas (Ac 1-^), as when they appoint the Seven (6^ ; cf. 13^), or pray for the deUverance of St. Peter from prison (12^ j. The farewell prayers with the elders of Ephesus ('20^*), and the whole congregation of Tyre (21^-^), are tj'pical in all probability of many similar services.
The teaching and the practice of the mother Church in Jerusalem are reflected in the Epistle of James (5^^), where the prayers of the elders of the Church on behalf of the sick are definitely en- joined ; nor is sickness of the soul forgotten in prayer for forgiveness (5^^).
1. The Epistles of St. Paul help our imagination to go further in reproduciiiL; the method of inter- cession in the Apostolic Cliurch. Intercession is continually linked with thanksgiving. Making mention of the Thessalonians in his prayers, he refers to their faith, hope, and love (1 Th 1^- ^), and their acceptance of his message as the Word of God (2"), 'praying exceedingly that he may see their face and may perfect that which is lacking in their faith' (3i"). So in 2 Th l^^ he prays that God may count them worthy of His calHng and the name of the Lord Jesus Christ be glorified in them. In response he asks for their intercession that ' the word of the Lord may run and be glori- fied,' and he himself may be delivered from un- reasonable and evil men (3''). There is a striking phrase in 2 Co 1^^, when he has received the good news from Corinth, and pictures their prayers for his deliverance from peril: *Ye also helping together on our behalf by your supplication ; that, for the gift bestowed upon us by means of many, thanks may be given by many persons on our behalf.' J. A. Beet {ad loc.) translates 'from many faces,' a graphic word-picture of the up- turned faces of the whole congregation.
To the Roman Christians, whom he has not yet seen, St. Paul writes that he makes mention of them unceasingly (Ro 1^"^^), praising God for their faith, and praying that he may be enabled to come
and impart to them some spiritual gift of grace. They can help him by mutual encouragement.
In Eph 1^^^-, rejoicing, as always, in what is fairest in the character of his friends, he prays that they may have 'a spirit of wisdom and revela- tion,' growth in that knowledge of God which alike proves our efficiency and increases it in our use of His revelation, when our eyes are opened to see the wealth of the glory of Ilis inheritance in the saints, and the greatness of His power. He speaks from his own experience of knowledge issuing in power.
In his next prayer (Eph 3*- "-") St. Paul puts the need of Divine power first as ' a condition of abiHty to apprehend "the whole range of the sphere in which the Divine wisdom and love find exercise'" (Chad wick, p. 290). His social teach- ing here is noteworthy. Every family is enabled to live its common hfe in proportion as the in- dividuals hve up to their personal ideal. So he prays that Christ may dwell in each heart, for the strength of Clu-ist is conveyed only to those who are fully strong enough to know the love of Christ.