These quotations may suffice to show how thoroughly the practice of intercession was carried out by the primitive Church.
(d) Aristides in his Apology says: 'I have no doubt that the world stands by reason of the inter- cession of Christians' (ch. 16).
(e) In the Martyrdom of Polycarp (A.D. 155), viii., it is recorded how the aged Martyr remem- bered ' all who at any time had come in his way, small and great, high and low, and all the Uni- versal Church throughout the world.*
(/) A little later Tertullian wrote these beautiful •words (de Orat. 29) : ' [Christian prayer] has no delegated grace to avert any sense oi suflering ; but it supplies the suffering, and the feeling, and the grieving, with endurance : it amplifies gi'ace by virtue, that faith may know what she obtains from the Lord, understanding what — for God's name's sake — she suffers. . . . Likewise it washes away faults, repels temptations, extinguishes per- secutions, consoles the faint-spirited, cheers the high-spirited, escorts travellers, appeases waves.
makes robbers stand aghast, nourishes the poor, governs the rich, upraises the fallen, arrests the falling, confirms the standing.'
Literature.— A. J. Worlledge, Prayer, 1902 ; W. H. Frere and A. L. lUingworth, Sursum Corda, 1905 ; W. E. Chad- wick, The Pastoral Teaching of St. Paul, 1907 ; see also under
peateb. a. E. Burn.
INTERMEDIATE STATE.— See Eschatology.
INTERPRETATION. — This -word is used in ditt'erent senses by Christians in the Apostolic Age. (1) St. Paul applies it to that spiritual ' gift ' which enabled one to expound the unintelligible utterance known as ' tongues' (e/);tt77i'ela[l Co 12^" 14-''], diepfiTjve^u [1 Co 12»» 14"- I's- 27], di€p/jLwevr-/is [1 Co 14^8]). (2) Later writers 'interpret' a foreign word by giving its Greek equivalent (ipfir/veijto [Jn l'*^ 9', He 7*], 8i.epix7)v- eijoi [Ac 93«], fieeep/xv^eiw [Mt 1^ Mk 5^ 1522- 34, Jq 138. 41^ xc 43« 138]). When Papias calls St. Mark St. Peter's interpreter (ipfiTjvevrris [Euseb. HE in. 39]), he may be supposing that St. Peter preached in Aramaic (or Hebrew) and that St. Mark translated the sermon to the Greek audience. This is histori- cally improbable, however, and possibly Papias means only that St. Mark, since he composed his Gospel on the basis of St. Peter's sermons, is there- by St. Peter's ' expounder.' (3) In the sense of Scriptural exposition, the word 'interpretation' is rarely used in the NT. The meaning of ' private interpretation ' in 2 P l^" (ISLas iviXijcTeus) is doubt- ful, though, in view of what follows, it seems to signify the prophet's complete subordination to God's will. In Lk 24" (diep/xijveiiu) direct reference is made to Christian interpretation of the OT books — a practice which was very general and very important in the apostolic period.
The OT occupied a unique place in the life and thought of the first Christians. St. Paul pre- supposed his readers' acquaintance with its writ- ings, which he assumed to be the final court of appeal in all argumentation. ApoUos, whom certain Corinthians set up as St. Paul's rival, was also 'mighty in the scriptures' (Ac IS*''). OT language and thought are frequently appropriated by the NT writers. According to H. B. Swete (Introduction to the OT in Greek, Cambridge, 1900, p. 381 f.), there are 78 formal quotations in St. Paul, 46 in the Synoptists, 28 in Hebrews, 23 in Acts, 12 in John, and about a dozen in the remain- ing books. Even where formal quotations are lacking, OT phraseology is sometimes frequent (e.g. Rev.). The early Christians, like the Jews, believed in the Divine origin and authority of Scripture. In spite of his breach with Judaism, St. Paul still held the Law and the Commandments to be holy, righteous, and good (Ro 7^"), and he repeatedly affirmed that these things were written ' for our sake' (Ro 4^'- 15\ 1 Co 9«^- W- "). Here he found a clear revelation of God's purposes and an infallible guide for Christians in matters of conduct and doctrine (cf. Ro P 3^- '''<'■ 4^^- 8^^ 9«ff- 106ff. ipf. 26 1311 i59ff. 21^ 1 Co 618 98- 13 1018 ll"- 1421-8* 153. 45. 64^ 2 Co po 3i3ff- Q^^«- 815 99, Gal 38- 1«- 22). The Evangelists saw in the OT foreshadowings of Jesus^ career and proof of His Messiahship (e.g. Mt P- 26.16.23 414 8" Il7ff-i2i' 13^ 2P, Mk 1^'- 4i"- IP^-
1210£. 36 1427^ Lk 421 727 24^*, Jn 12^8 15-S I7I2 192*- 28- 36).
For Matthew OT prophecy is virtually a 'source' of information about Jesus' career, as when Mk 111-'' is made to conform to the first evangelist's interpretation of Zee 9^ (Mt 211-^ ; see also Mt 1^^'- 25f.i5i7f. etc.).
OT language serves other important purposes in the Gospels. God speaks in this language at Jesus' Baptism, and again at His Transfiguration ; it is used in the conversation between Jesus and Satan ; and it furnishes phraseology for some of Jesus
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most forceful and solemn pronouncements, where sometimes the sound of Holy Writ seems to be prized above perspicuity (e.g. Mt lO^*"^-, Mk d'''^ joas 153^). Tlie history of the early community is also Scripturally authenticated (Ac 1"" 2""i'- 4'-^«'-)- Thus the NT writers derived not only incidental and descriptive details, but on occasion more im- portant features of their narratives from the OT. This was only natural, since these sacred books were believed to be inspired of God, protitable for teaching, reproof, correction, and instruction, and able to make men ' wise unto salvation ' (2 Ti 3'^'- ; cf. 2 P I'^s--)- Christians gave to the OT all the prestige it had in Judaism, believing that they, througli their faith in Christ, iiad come into possession of the only key to all true interpretation.