St. Luke returns to the phrase ' the Kingdom of God,' and though in general outline the idea of the Kingdom is the same as in the two prior Gospels, there are one or two suggestions that St. Luke was beginning to realize that a consideralde period of history might precede the coming of the Son of Man to inaugurate the Kingdom. Jerusalem is to be trodden down by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (21-^). And there is a hint of the idea which was soon to overshadow the anticipation of the near approach of the Son of Man, that in a very real sense the Kingdom was already present (17-\ 'within' or 'among you').
2. References in other NT books. — References to the Kingdom occur in St. JNIark some 16 times, in St. Matthew some 52 times, and in St. Luke about 43 times. By contrast with tliis the comparative paucity of references to the Kingdom in the remain- ing books is very striking. In the Fourth Gospel it occurs only 5 times, and in all these passages the conception is that of a spiritual Kingdom which might be conceived of as now present. In Acts it occurs 8 times, 6 of them being references to sjieak- ing or preaching about the Kingdom. In the whole of St. Paul's Epistles it occurs only 13 times, in the Catholic Epistles only twice (Ja 2^, 2 P I'l), in Hebrews only twice (1^ 12^**), in the Apocalypse 5 times (1«- 9 5'" 11'-" 12'").
3. References to Christ as King.— Outside the Gospels tiiere is also a very infrequent reference to Christ as King except in so far as this was involved in tlie title ' Christ' or ' anointed.' In the Gospels such references occur almost entirely in connexion with the events of the last few days of the Lord's life (entry into Jerusalem, trial before Pilate). The exceptions are Mt 2- (where the Magi inquire after the one who has been born King of the Jews), 25^'' (where the term ' king' is placed in the mouth of Jesus as descriptive of the Son of Man sitting upon the throne of glory), Jn l-*** (where Nathanael addresses Him as ' King of Israel '), and 6'^ (where it is said that the multitudes wished to make Him a king). Nowhere in St. Paul, in the Catliolic Epistles, or in Hebrews is the term applied to Clirist. But in Ac 17'' the accusation is made against Christians that they acted contrary to the decrees of Caisar, saying tliat there was another king, one Jesus. Lastly, in the Apocalypse tiie exalted Lamb, and the Rider on the Avhite horse, titled ' the Word of God,' are called ' King of kings and Lord of lords' (H'** 19^'' ; see preceding article).
4. Reasons for paucity of references in apostolic literature. — If we now ask why the idea of king- ship as applied to Christ finds so little space in the literature of the Epistles, the answer must be mani- fold. (1) The conception of kingship found partial expression in the terms 'Christ' and 'Lord.' (2) The avoidance of the term ' king ' was an obvious precautionary measure. Ac 17'' is significant in this respect. The early Christian teachers had enough dilliculties to contend with without invit- ing the accusation that they were guilty of treason against the State. Apart from Matthew, which w-as probably intended originally for circulation amongst Jewish Christians, the only writing of the NT wliich in so many words assigns the title ' King' to Jesus is the Apocalypse, a book written at a time when State persecution had driven the writer to an attitude of definite hostility to the
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Roman Empire, and had induced him to throw over the cautious attitude of a previous generation towards the State. (3) It was soon felt that the teacliing of Christ was many-sided and capable of more than one interpretation. Roughly, there were two ways of thinking about the Kingdom. It might be thought of eschatologically as a Kingdom to be founded when Christ returned. This is per- haps the view winch prevails in the NT. It is difficult to prove this, because the passages which speak of the Kingdom are not brouglit into im- mediate connexion with those which speak of the Second Coming of Christ. And it is therefore often open to question whether the Kingdom referred to is a Kingdom to be established when He comes, or a Kingdom of wluch the Christian disciple feels himself even now to be an actual member by virtue of his relationship to God througli Christ. But the eschatological sense is probable in 1 Th 2'^, Avhere St. Paul prays that his converts may walk worthily of God, Avho calls them ' to his kingdom and glory,' and in 2 Th P, ' that you may be accounted worthy of the kingdom of God, on belialf of which you suffer.' The same may be said of 2 Ti 4', ' his appearance and his kingdom,' and 2 Ti 4^^, ' shall save me into his eternal kingdom.' This eschato- logical sense ai)pears also in 2 P V^, ' an entry shall be granted unto us into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Saviour,' and less certainly in He 12-*, 'receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken.' But the word ' kingdom ' here may perhaps rather mean that Christians even now become members of a spiritual kingdom which will remain unshaken even during the final catastrophe which will cause the dissolution of the material universe. The passages which speak of Ciiristians as inheriting a kingdom may refer to the Kingdom in the eschato- logical sense, or, less probably, to the Kingdom conceived as present (cf. 1 Co G'-*- "* 15^", Gal 5-', Eph 55, Ja 2%