Thecla's case is exceptional on account of her two- fold martyrdom ; being left by Paul and the adherents to his teaching, and being in periciilo mortis, she bap- tizes herself, using the Christian formula. According to the whole narrative, Paul cannot make any objection, because God has made himself known in delivering her,
TIIECLA AND PAUL
313
TIIECLA AND PAUL
and the action of a martyr cannot be prescriptive as to otliers. Besides, tlie aiitlior brings belure us a time in whicli ecclesiastical att'airs had not yet taken a definite form, and there is not the kast evidence tliat the object of tile author of tiie Acts was to support Montanistic doctrines, and to establish the same by the authority of the apostle Paul. The only object which the author could have liad in view was to describe the apostolic time, in wliicii he succeeded only in part. It is a time when the Cliurch commences to ilevelop herself. But, using' his own judgment in this respect, it becomes fa- tal, since the autiior connects the person of an apostle
with deeds and doctrines which in this comiection must lie detrimental to the order of the Church. Such a writing could only be a great hindrance to tlie leaders of the Church; and in ortlcr to render it of no efFeet.it was severely criticised, and its author caHed to account and deposed. Yet tiie possibility of a historical sub- stratum in the Acts is not precluded, although it is dif- ficult to say where history ends and legend commences. IV. iSourc^s of the A cts. — We liave already stated that the Acts contain not a single direct citation from the New Test., yet the student cannot fail to discover many instances in which tlie New Test, has been used. Tlius :
Matt, iii, 17, comp. with Acta P. I't Th.
v. S, 7, " " '■
viii, 1!», " " " X, 42,
xii, 45, " " "
xvii, 5, " " "
xxi, 9, " "
xxvi,47, 55, " " "
xxvii, 13, " " "
Mark vi, 20, " " "
vi,34, " " "
xiv, 71, " " "
XV, 26, " " "
Luke vii, 3S, " " " X, 39,
xiv, 33, " " "
xviii, 7, " " "
xviii, 43, " " "
xxiii, 18, " " "
John i, 14, " " "
iv, 51, " "
V, 24, " " "
vi, 51, 5S, " "
xvii, 9, " " "
xix, 20 sq. •' " "
Acts i, 24, "■ " " ii, 11,
ii, 42, "
iii, 26, " " "
iv, 27, 30, iv, 9,
V, 17, vi, 1.5, vii, 55,
vii, .--.S, ix. 7, xi, 24, 26, xiii, 12, xiii, 34, xiii, 50,
xiv, 15, xvi, 15, xvi, 17, xvi. 20, xvii 22, xvi, 26, xvi, 34, xvii, 2.5, xviii, 13, xxil, 7, xxiv, 20, xxvi, 10,
Rom. viii, 17, viii, 21,
1 Cor. i. 7,
iii, 10, 17,
iv, 1, vii, 29, X, 13, XV, 53, 51,
2 Cor. i, 8,
X, 15, Gal. ii, S,
Eph. i, 6, Phi), i, 11, 2 Thess. i, 7, Hel). xi, 5, 6, James iii, 18,
v. 12, 1 John ii, 22, 24, Rev. xii, 9,
xiv, 11,
ch. xxxvii, V, vi, xvi.
sv,
xvi,
XX,
xxi,
xxvi,
xxviii,
xviii,
xviii,
v,
xvii,
xxxviii,
XX,
iii, xxxix,
vi, xvii,
xsix, xxxvii
xxiv,
xxxvii,
xxiv,
i, xviii,
V,
xvii,
XXIV,
xvii,
XV,
iii, xxi,
xxi, xxvi, i,
XV,
ix,
XX, XXV,
xi,
xvii, xxiv, iv,
xxix, ix,
XV,
xxxviii,
xxvi,
xvii,
xiv,
xiii,
xvii,
iii,
V,
xvii, iii,
V,
V, XXV,
xxxviii, xxiv, xviii, xl,
i,
xxxvii.
XVll,
vi, xvii.
£11 ov tiuf>,'tK.ncT(v oeeoc v'lov tiinov (com]), also Miitt. xii, 18 : xvii, 5). where tlie Beatitudes are formed according to those of Matt. aiio\ovii]<Tu) aoi onov 6' uv iiopevri (COnip. also Luke ix, 57). ovK u7roAt(roi'(T(i/ tov fiia^ov. fii] uWor ae 7reipao-;ic')s \>;\\ifTai x^'po'l' rnv irpwTOV (Comp. also
Malt, xxvii, 64 ; John v, 14 ; 2 Pet. ii, 20). I'e^eAi) uKoSrei/ e7re<TKiu<rci/.
oil -/tip /tiiKptus- <rov KaTiTopoT'aif (COTlip. also Mnrk XV, 4).
i,<5ko9 6e t)Koi/ei' 6 UvSiuTra-os: tou nai'AoK (colllj). also xii_, 37).
ii 6e (»)C ufxi^o? ty tptj^w ireptaKoTTGi tov TTot^iriu.
o\>K oi6a Ttiv juvaiKa, riv \fc7e(?
aiTia Til? e7ri7pa(^rj9.
KaTu<pi\o{'<rri^ T(t &e<7fjL(t auTOV.
Ku^ttrafTa TTopt't TOf? TTiJda? uvTov i'lKovev K. T. \.
uTTOTu^rilJievoi TiZ Koauu) (comp. ix, 61).
6 fc>er')9 ililliH>]a£ul\J.
uTrtdajKui/ cLLVov T(p Qeui. a'.pt u^t6i/._ X'JpiTof Ti\i]pt\^.
OT( TO TtKl/Of JUOU ^fj.
OVK o\\fovrtxi iii-ii-poii Kpi(T€(t)^ \ 'iva fxriKfTi vtto Kpiaiv ucriv {Comp. also James v, 12).
OTl at] ttTTO/.
r't]v fti'iji' TavTt}v GeKAav tfe(9 el? tov e/ioy tottov.
Gee KapHioimara (Conip. XV, 8).
T t (ue7aAei(i tov \pi<nov, lesp. tov Oeov (Lnke i, 49).
KX«ir,9 iipTuv (comp. XX, 7 ; Luke xxiv, 35. a. o. in N. T.).
6c6 ewefj.\l/e\/ ((Uie Codex, I'tTito-TeiAei/) 6 Bco? toij (-clvtov TraTda, ov e-/w euaY7eA(^ojuat Kac ()t6d(7iiui (rv tKetvuj t'xen' rijv iiXntda toi'V uvS'pwTTov: (comp. V, 4, 2 ; xvii, 3 ; xxiii', 6 ; Rom. viii, 24, a. o. inN. T.).
6 TOV aytou aov Trat^n? TraTtip.
61 e^fii aifiepov ciiuKpiio/^iai ti iiiaaua) k. t. X. (comp. Xxiv, 21 ;
xxiii, 6). ■n-XiicrSeis C'/'^ou Kai ^yp.ov (comp. xiii, 45; Lnke iv, 2S).
ti77iAou Tipoaunrov eixev (COIup. Gal. iv, 14).
knjSXt^tKTa e»v TOV ox^ov 'id^v toi' Kvpiov Ku^ij^evov . . . 66e ei?