the apostles on this occasion not a word of their pro- claiming his own mission as the Messiah of the Jew- ish people; their preaching was at this time strictly of a preparatory kind, resembling that of John the Baptist, the Lord's forerunner.
Jesus early informed the apostles respecting the solemn nature, the hardships, and even positive dan- ger of their vocation (Matt, x, 17), but he never im- parted to them an j' esoteric instruction, nor even in- itiated them into any special mysteries, since the whole tendency of his teaching was practical ; but they constantly accompanied him in his tours of preaching and to the festivals (being unhindered by their domestic relations, comp. Matt, viii, 14 ; 1 Cor. ix, 5; see Euseb. Hist. Eceles. iii, £0; Schmid, De apostolis uxoratis, Helmst. 1704, Yiteb. 1734 ; comp. Deyling, Observ. iii, 469 sq. ; Pfaff, De circumduction*. soror. mulierum apostolica, Tubing. 1751 ; Schulthess, Neuest. theol. Nachricht. 1828, i, 130 sq.), beheld his wonderful acts, listened to his discourses addressed to the multitude (Matt, v, 1 sq. ; xxiii, 1 sq. ; Luke iv, 13 sq.), or his discussions with learned Jews (Matt. xix, 13 sq. ; Luke x, 25 sq.) ; occasionally (especially the favorite Peter, John, and James the elder) fol- lowed him in private (Matt, xvii, 1 sq.), and conversed freely with him, eliciting information (Matt, xv, 15 sq. ; xviii, 1 sq. ; Luke viii, 9 sq. ; xii, 41 ; xvii, 5 ; John ix, 2 sq.) on religious subjects, sometimes with respect to the sayings of Jesus, sometimes in general (Matt, xiii, 10 sq.), and were even on one occasion themselves incited to make attempts at the promulga- tion of the Gospel (Matt, vi, 7 sq. ; Luke ix, 6 sq.), and with this view performed cures (Mark vi, 13; Luke ix, G), although in this last they were not al- ways successful (Matt, xvii, 16). They had, indeed, already acknowledged him (Matt, xvi, 1C>; Luke ix, 20) as the Messiah (6 XpiVToe tov B£of»), endowed with miraculous powers (Luke ix, 54), yet they were slow in apprehending the spiritual doctrii.e and aim of their Master, being impeded by their weak perception and their national prepossessions (Matt, xv, 16; xvi, 22; xvii, 20 sq. ; Luke ix, 54 ; John xvi, 12), insomuch that they had to ask him concerning the obvious im- port of the plainest parables (Luke xii, 41 sq.), and, indeed, they themselves at times confessed their want of faith (Luke xvii, 5) ; nor even at the departure of Jesus from the earth, when for two or three years they had been his constant and intimate companions (Matt, xvi, 21), were they at all mature (Luke xxiv, 21 ; comp. John xvi, 12) in the knowledge appropriate to their mission (see Vollborth, De discip. Christi per fjradus ad dignitatem et potent. Apostolor. erect is, Gott. 1790 ; Bagge, De sapientia Christi in electione, institu- tione et missione Apostolor. Jen. 1754; Ziez, Quomodo notio de Messia in animis Apost. sensim sensimque clari~ orem acceperit lucem, Lubec. 1793; Liebe, in Augusti, N. theol. Blatt. II, i, 42 sq. ; Ernesti, De prceclara Chr. in Apost. instituendis sapientia, Gott. 1834 ; Ne- ander, Leb. Jes. p. 229 sq. ; comp. also Mafan, De via qua Apost. Jesu doctrinam divin. melius perspexerint, Gott. 1809). Even the inauguration with which they were privileged at the last supper with Jesus under so solemn circumstances (Matt, xxvi, 26 sq. ; Mark xiv, 22 sq. ; Luke xxii, 17 sq.) neither served to awaken their enthusiasm, nor indeed to preserve them from outright faithlessness at the death of their Mas- ter (Matt, xvi, 14 sq. ; Luke xxiv, 13 sq., 36 sq. ; John xx, 9, 25 sq.). One who was but a distant follower of Jesus and a number of females charged themselves with the interment of his body, and it was only his incontestable resurrection that gathered together again his scattered disciples. Yet the most of them return- ed even after this to their previous occupation (John xxi, 3 sq.), as if in abandonment of him, and it re- quired a fresh command of the Master (Matt, xxviii, 28 sq.) to direct them to their mission, and colle< t them at Jerusalem (Acts i, 4). Here they awaited in
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a pious association the advent of the Holy Spirit (John xx, 22), which Jesus had promised them (Acts i, 8) as the Paraclete (John xiv, 26 ; xvi, 13) ; and soon after the ascension of their teacher, on the Pentecost established at the founding of the old dispensation, they felt themselves surprised by an extraordinary phenomenon (see Schulthess, De Charismat.ib. Spir. Sancti, Leipz. 1818; Schulz, Geistesgaben der ersten Christen, Bresl. 183(J ; Neander, Planting, i, 11 sq.), resulting in an internal influx of the power of that Spirit (Acts ii) ; and thereupon they immediately be- gan, as soon as the vacancy occasioned by the defec- tion of Judas Iscariot had been filled by the election of Matthias (Acts i, 15 sq.), to publish, as witnesses of the life and resurrection of their Lord, the Gospel in the Holy City with ardor and success (Acts ii, 41). Their course was henceforth decided, and over much that had hitherto been dark to them now beamed a clear light (John ii, 22 ; xii, 16 ; see Henke, in Pott's Sylloge, i, 19 sq.). — "Winer, s. v.