The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1915-03-06
CONTINUED from page -
THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

at this date in concealment. In fact
he sent out letters at this time from
| Babylon" under which name 1t is adj
mitted on all sides, that he designated
Rome. But Acts, which tells so much
about his early labors, is completely
reticent about his last ones and par
| ticularly about his Roman sojourn.
This reticence does not mean q lack
of knowledge since Mark, the nearer
of Peter and writer of Peters Gospel,
is in frequent converse with st. Luke
and St. Paul. Again we see the
shadow of this dark cloud in what st.
Peter writes at this time foretelling
from other signs than the prophecy
of our Lord G Peter 1-14) his APP
preaching death. Perhaps this ominous
shadow is seen in what st. Paul writ
ing to the Ephesians and again to the
Colossians from his prison tells them.
He says that the bearer, Tychicus, will
tell them all things concerning him
SELF He puts only doctrine in his
letters. He, too, never mentions Peter,
the fugitive from prison, and for
whose blood there were Jews still liv-
ing, who thirsted.
But, If there is a shadow lowering
over the scanty literature Of this
period, there is reflected from it the
radiance Of lasting and profound
friendship and sympathetic accord be-
tween the apostles. Perhaps it was
not always thus. In reading the
epistle to the Galatians we find that
st. Paul took st. Peter to task before
all; in reading the Acts we shall see
that st. Paul had a vehement dispute
with Barnabas, on account of Mark,
whom st. Paul blamed. But now, as
the curtain is about to fall on the
deeds of the great actors of the apos-
tolic stage, we find perfect amity
among them all while they all vie with
one another in proclaiming one an
others worth.
In fact, st. Peter writing at this
time, speaks of st. Paul in the most
affectionate terms and cOmmends all
the letters of st. Paul e Peter III-15)
among them the one, in which he him.
self was severely censured, CGal. III
14) and he SO words his commentator
that he just misses saying that he has
had full conference with st. Paul on
these letters. Apparently they had
worried him much, as he says that
they were the occasion of shipwreck
in faith to the unlearned and unsta-
ble On his part st. Paul speaks
highly of Mark, ''the cousin-german
of Barnabas." He places Mark
among the helpers "who have been
a comfort to me" (Colos. IV-10). It
was no passing fancy. Sometime
later, when all except Luke deserted
him in his last trial, the Apostle
writes to Timothy ito bring on Mark
The reference to Barnabas is full of
respect. Apparently st. Paul urges on
the Colossians the acceptance of
Mark because he is cousin-german to
Barnabas.
Now, it was at this time precisely,
we repeat, when all the personages of
Acts are bound together in bonds
of an1ity and mutual esteem, and when
these bonds are drawn Still closer by
the torrent of persecution from the
synagogue. and the imminent danger
of death from the gentiles, that the
book of Acts saw the light. We shall
not, therefore, look upon Acts as a
work designed to bring together
warning elements i'm the infant church.
When Acts was written there were no
warning elements within. The war
henceforth was to be from without
Luke surveying the whole past of the
Church and seeing all, who created
that past, united in the charity of God,
could untrammeled and unembarrassed
set down the historic truth as he
found it. The rationaIists of Tubin-
gen, therefore, Numbered, when they.
called Acts a Tendenz-Wrfting that is,
a work, in which historic truth is sub
ordinated to design.