Literature.— F. J. A. Hart, Judaistic Christianily, 1894, p. 73; W. R. Smith, RSi. 1S94, pp. 343, 417; J. G. Frazer, Golden BntiqKi, 1900, ii. 319, 416 ; J. B. Ligrhtfoot, Caloasians and Philemon, new ed., 1879, pp. 88-90. For another view, W. J. Conybeare and J. S. Howson, The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, new ed., 1889, p. 172. ShERWIN SiVJITH.
STREET.— The only street referred to by name in the apostolic writings is the street in Damascus which is called 'Straight' (Ac 9"). The word employed {pv/j-ri, 'lane' or 'alley') hardly applies to this instance, for it was a broad, straight street on the Greek model, flanked by colonnades, on the further side of which foot-paths extended. The modern equivalent, which still retains the name, and forms the principal thoroughfare of the city, is in reality only the northern foot-way of the ancient street. The proof of this is given by the East Gate, the central and southern archways of which are now closed up ; also by fragments of columns, found in houses and courtyards con- tiguous to the present street.
The same word is found in 12", applied to one of the streets or lanes of Jerusalem, probably in the heart of the city, to which it appears to be appropriate (cf. art. Gate). The use of ?rXarf?a in 5" is somewhat surprising ; if taken in conjunction with Kara followed liy ace. plur. it forcibly suggests alleys or lanes in which it was necessary to arrange the sick in lines. But it has to be noted that Kal eis is now read, following XABD, which seems to correspond better with the likely situation. The sick were brought from narrow ways into the ' broad places.' A comparison with Mk 6°' (^f rarj dyopaU ; D reads irXareiais) is instructive : applied to villages and countrj', no less than to cities, this would seem to denote no more than ' open spaces,' perhaps as opposed to courtyards. Such open spaces in cities came to be used as business centres, and were put to other uses (see especially Ac 17").
If we keep in view the smallness and the extreme irregularity of ancient cities, as revealed by recent excavation in Palestine, it seems best to equate livfir) to ' street,' and wXareTa to ' square,' in the
modern city. The diflerence is greater than the similarity, however, for the average Hebrew city could boast of only one ' broad place,' and that was at the gate. An exception must be made for the Apostolic Age in favour of recent cities, built according to Gneco-Koman designs (cf. Damascus above). Whether a city was ancient or modern would have an important bearing on its plan.
wXarela alone is used in Itev., notably always in the singular (11* 2P' 2-2'). The Grfeco-Roman model seems to be before the writer's eye. Here TrXarela is not a broad place or square, but rather a broad street running from gate to gate. Had the symmetry been detailed there would have been found a corresponding TrXaTem intersecting the lirst at right angles. Within the walls the city would thus be divided into four segments which were built over, whose streets and lanes would be dwarfed by the spaciousness of the two irXareiat. This principle is carried further in the description of the Holy City, New Jeru.salem, in corre.spond- ence with the number of gates (twelve).
H. B. Swete {T/ie Apocalypse of St. John', London, 1907, p. 299) takes exception to the division of the verses in 22'- ''RV, andfollows AV and RVm. ' The picture presented is that of a river flowing through the broad street which intersects the city, a row of trees being on either bank.' In 11' the corpses cast out into the principal street (now generally tinderstood of the earthly Jerusalem), and left without burial, were a purposed insult to the martyred witnesses, which was speedily avenged (vv."''^). Such deiilement stands in marked contrast to the later picture of purity and life (water and tree). W. Ceuickshank.
STRIFE. — It was not unnatural that strongly marked varieties of character and opinion should appear in the living Apostolic Church, for the proverb ' many men, many minds' had its applica- tion tliere as elsewhere.
1. Party-spirit (?pt!, ipiOeia), which was stimu- lated by the free institutions of the Hellenic city- States, soon invaded the equally democratic Chris- tian communities. The result was a species of religious warfare which no doubt attbrded a certain evidence of the vitality of the primitive faith ; but the last thing which St. Paul, Apollos, and Cephas desired was that they sliould be constituted leaders of rival sects and acclaimed by eager partisans. In his First Letter to the Corinthian church St. Paul gravely rebukes a divisive, quarrelsome spirit, and endeavours to divert the strong currents of religious life into better channels (1 Co l'""'^).
2. But St. Paul himself was compelled, like Jeremiah (15'"), to be a man of strife. Against Jews and Judaizers he had to fight the battle of spiritual freedom. His gospel inevitably created antagonisms wherever he preached it. ' Fightings {/xdxai.) without ' as well as ' fears within ' were his appointed lot (2 Co 7°). In things indirt'erent he was the most yielding of men (1 Co 9"'--), but on matters of principle he would not give place to any one for an hour (Gal 2'). He withstood even St. Peter to the face (2"). And, when he had largely succeeded in exorcizing the legal spirit from the Church, he was obliged, in his old age, to sharpen his weapons once more, and begin an entirely new battle with an incipient Gnosticism (see Colossians).