The Universalist. [volume] (Chicago [Ill.]) 1884-1897, 1895-05-25


ledge. He probably found his ma
terial for this, as we'll as for the in
cidents of the life of Jesus, during
his long residence at Jerusalem and
in the vicinity, in the two years and
more of the Apostles Imprisonment
at Cesarea. For the Eve" pronoun
ceases on the arrival of Paul and his
companions at Jerusalem, and begins
again when they set sail for Italy.
The phrase used in the last passage
seems to show that the writer was
one of the party of Paul, and under
restraint with him. At all events, he
had the opportunity, during these two
years, of obtaining material for the
first part of the work. 1t gives such
details in regard to Paul's speeches
as show that he was probably present
as spectator and nearer, as he would
naturally have wished to be. Some
| of Paul's speeches he may have
learned from himself, during his voy
age. The abrupt conclusion of the
work is best explained by the prob
able intention of the writer to make
a continuation, which he was pre-
vented from doing, possibly, by his
own sudden death. The book is so
far written with tendency, that it
shows the natural feeling of partial
| ity for Paul, which must have been
felt by friend and companion. 1t
is so far book to conciliate the Jews
as it comes from an educated man,
and with the historic onimus of i'm
Partially. From such a writer you
would hardly look for a polemic
against the Judaizers, like that of
Galatians; since no such polemic ap
pears in Paul's other writings, not
even in Romans or Corinthians. But
if the book was written in the second
century with the purpose of inventing
history about Paul and his oppo
nents, it is incredible that the adroit
writer should have made no use of
Paul's epistles, in order to give local
color to his story.
see unanswerable objections, then,
to the theory that the Book of Acts,
is ga quasi Historical romance" or "a
we'll meant effort of later period to
heal party differences by exhibiting
the two great party leaders in friend
ly co operation" To make out such
theory, Baur and his successors
have been obliged to force their as
sumptions upon the facts. When
the documents describe Peter and
Paul as agreeing with each other,
then the accounts are called forger
les written for that purpose; when
they bring out any instance of disa-
greement, then they are not consid-
cred to be forgeries, but accepted as
reliable statements. When either of
the documents omits fact mentioned
by the other, it is supposed to prove
the writer to have been ignorant of
what he ought to have known; but
when both mention it, it becomes
plain that one must have copied from
the other. By such process any
thing can be proven, and anything
disproved. This may be criticism,
but it is not impartial inquiry.
Zeller, to show that the Book of
Acts is tendency work, tells us that
there is remarkable harmony be-
tween the first part, which is devoted
to Peter and the older apostles, and
the last part, which gives the career
of Paul. Both apostles perform SINH
lar miracles, endure like sufferings,
and are compensated by similar tri-
uinphs. AS Cornelius worships Peter,
the people of Lystra worship Paul.
AS Peter Furnishes Ananias and Sap
phira, SO the demoniac Furnishes the
false exorcists. Zeller, however, meets
with this difficulty. Why does the
book suspend its narrative before
telling of the martyrdom of Paul.
when the elder apostles, James and
Stephen, attained this high glory?
And why does it omit the trials and
sufferings which Paul himself relatesi
Because, says Zeller, this would cause
the merits of Paul to outweigh too
greatly those of Peter and his COM
panions, and the writer's purpose was
to keep them exactly even.
This sort of criticism is evidently
too ingenious. When there is par
alel between the labor and suffer
ings of the leaders of the two great
parties, it is supposed to show pur-
pose of keeping UP tie equilibrium.
But when the martyrdom on the one
side is told, and that on the other
studiously suppressed (for Zeller is
certain that the writer of Acts knew
OF the death of Paul. then this indi-
Gates the same purpose of keeping up
an ecu librium. But how impossi-