world by Bryennius, Metropoli~n of Nicomedia., a tract in Greek of the early Churcl;i which perhaps qualifies their import. This traet is entitled, 'Doctrine of the Twelve Apostles.' It is, in effect, a brief manual of moral instruction, and of 'dir_eotions as to the e.dministra.tion of the two sacraments, and a few other matters of Church regtifation, closing with 11, solemn reference to the second coming. The precise·date of its C?i;Ilposition is being debated; but it certamly was compiled very early, and not improbably &fore· the end of the first century. Iu this man nu.I, directions are given in chapter xi. ·as.· to the treatment of " apostles." The twelve are not mentioned ar referred to, except in ·the title heading-the tract. The passage is o.e follows: "Whosoever shall come and tea.oh yon ell the things before mentioned, reecive ye him. . . . As to the apostles and prophets, according t.o the rule lo.id down in the gospel, so do ye. Let every apostle coming' t.o you be received as the Lord; and he shall not rem.a.in a siugle day [only], but if there be need e. li000Ild also; but if he remain three, he is a sham prophet (t/!ev60,rp11</>f/T71s). Let the prophet when he goes forth receive nothing but a. loaf of bread (t.o last him]. till he reach his lodging for the nig:ht; but if he asks for money, he is a sham prophet.''·· Then fcilldw directions respecting" prophets." It is obvious, I,think1 that the ·o.poetles 1 he're spoken1ot e.nswer exootly to the account above given, founded·upon iudieations supplied by the New Testament, of itinerant missionaries of the gospel, holding- or- •professing :t.o hold a Chutc1l commission. The title given to them appears to seal beyond question.the extremely flll'ly do.te of the book; while, on the other hand, the directions given for their treatment currc,uorate most strongly what has been above written respecting. the "apostles 'tc,of 2 Corinthian& and of ;Rev. ii 3. DISSERTATION I. x.xxl
the title ae thus applied le probably that found in the meesago to the Ephesian Church !n Rev. ii. 3: "Thou canst not bear evil 11\en, and didst try them who say they are apostles [thnt is, authenticated envoys of Christ's own Church], and are not, and didst 6rld them false." • Bt. L_uke's applying the term" apostles" to Barnabas and Paul. The considerations above ildduced relative to a. secondary _form of apostolate engaged in eva.ngelistic la.hour enable us to 'understand, what otherwise appears a puzzling phenomenon-the use by St. Luke on t,wo occasions of the designation "apostles" with reference to Barnabas and Paul. Botlf·pa.ssages are found in the foutteenth chapter of the Acts. In ver. 4 we read, "•'l'he population of the city [Iconium] was divided; a.nd some sided with the Jews, and· some with the a.postles." And in ver. 14, the Lyc,t0nians of Lystra being about to offer sacrifioe: to them as gods, "When the apostles, Barnabas and Paul, heanl of it, they rent their·garments," etc. Now, very often· in the Acts does St. Luke introduce the term "apostles," but not in one instancll is there any reason for our understanding the term otherwise than mi reciting the twelve or some of the twelve; while in most of these passages the sequence or' the narrative mak~s it absolutely certain that it is the twelve that he has in his ·mind. • On the other hand, on no other occasion except in the two passages just cited <loes St>Luke give this designation either to St. Barnabas or, which is yet more remarkable, eve1l't0 ·St. Paul. • • ·Further, nowhere else in the New Testament is Barnabas so styled. Though in several passages he is presented as holding a position closely proximate to those who were apbstlesth the highest sense, yet nowhere is he called an apostle. Delegation of Barnabas and· I'aul from Antioch. ' In reading this section of St. Luke's narrative comprised 4t 'the thirteenth and fourteenth chapters, which records the evangelizmgjoirtnby made by Barnabas and Paul in company, we cannot fail to be struck with 1 the -especial stress which the writer lays upon the circumstance that this journey' Was under'takeri in obecliellce to an express commission which was given them "by the Holy Spiiit,';·,througl:l the prophets and te.-tchers and the brethren at Antioch- a· commissioh ii.pparei:itly "'setting them apart" for this particular act of service. So we read'in v'ers. 2--:-4, "As they [Bafnabas, Sym~ori Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaet1 Herod's. fost.er-brot!l.er; .and Saul] ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said; Separate me· Bairiabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them [to ,vit,:bj, inwardly moving tlieir own souls thereto]. '!'hen, when they had fasted and prayed·and laid their hands· on them, they let them depart. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, went down to Seleucia," etc. In conjunction with this ac~oun't of thei'r first being sent forth on this journey, we have to notice the terms in which its ·conclusion is' described. We read in Acts xiv. 26 thus: "And thence they sailed fo Antioch, from whence they had been committed [or,' delivered over'] to thti grace of Goel for the work which •they had completed." Viewihg these last words, "for the: work which they had completed (<ls .-b lp-yov fl l1rl\~pou;a.,1)," with those in Act~ xiii. 2,''',Sep~rate me. Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I he.ve calleu them (&,pop!a'a:re; .. els .-b tp-yov t, 1rpoa-1d1Cl\T1µ,a1 au-ro~s)," we are led to infer that the laying on of hand's mentioned in Acts xiii. 3 had respect, not to an investing of these two servants of Ch1%t with any permanent position in the Church, but simply to a com- mending of them to the Divine grace in the evangelistic journey on which they were sent forth. This ·particulnr' engagement took them probably a year, or e. year and a half, to fulfil. On their return to Antioch, however, it was at an end, and they were then free to rovert W' the cours~ of ministerial work with which they ha,d been xxxii 'l'IiE EPISTLE TO 'l'HE GALATIANS,