PRIMITIVE CHRISTIANITY IN PALES TINE AND SYRIA § CXLVI. THE ORIGIN OF THE JERUSALEM CHRISTIAN COMMUNITY of the to Now when the disciples entered Jerusalem they went Return to the upper room where they were in the habit of staying. There were Peter, John, James, Andrew, Philip and Thomas, ciples Bartholomew and Matthew, James the son of Alphæus, JeruSimon the Zealot, and Judas the son of James. All these salem men continued with one mind in earnest prayer, together 13-14) with the women, with Mary the mother of Jesus and his brothers. (Acts suc to Now during those days Peter, standing up in the midst of Choice the brothers there was a crowd of about one hundred and of a twenty persons all together-said, Brothers, it is necessary cessor that the scripture be fulfilled which the Holy Spirit spoke Judas beforehand by the mouth of David in regard to Judas, who of (15-16, acted as guide to those who seized Jesus. For it is written 20-26) in the Book of Psalms also Desolate be his habitation, Let another man take over his office. Therefore it is necessary that of the men who have been associated with us, one should join us as a witness to his resurrection. So they put forward two men, Joseph, called Barsabbas (surnamed Justus), and Matthias. And they prayed, O Lord, who knowest well the hearts of all, do thou show clearly which of these two men thou hast chosen to take the place in this apostolic ministry from which Judas, through transgression, fell away, in order to go to his own Iscari ot The spiri mani festation on the Pente day of place. Then they cast lots for them and the lot fell upon Matthias, who was assigned the place with the eleven apostles. Now when the day of Pentecost came, they were all totual gether, when suddenly there came a sound from heaven like a violent rushing blast of wind which filled the whole house where they were seated. And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them to express themselves. Now when this sound was heard the multitude gathered; 6, 12, 13) and they were all amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, What can it mean? But some others said sneeringly, They are brimful of new wine! cost Peter's nation action But Peter stood up along with the eleven, and raising his expla- voice addressed them: Men of Judea and residents of of the Jerusalem, let each of you understand this and listen atof the tentively to what I say: these men are not drunk as you suppose, for it is only nine in the morning! Rather this is what was predicted by the prophet Joel: dis ciples (14-21) Jesus' death (22, 23) And it shall be in the last days, saith God, And your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, And they shall prophesy. And I will display wonders in the heavens above, And signs on the earth below, Blood, fire, and vapor of smoke; The sun shall be changed into darkness, And the moon into blood, Before the great, illustrious day of the Lord comes. And every one who calls upon the name of the Lord shall be saved. Men of Israel, hear these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man accredited to you by God through miracles, wonders, and signs which God performed by him in your midst, as JESUS' DEATH AND RESURRECTION you yourselves know, this Jesus, delivered up in accordance with God's settled purpose and foreknowledge, you by the hand of wicked men nailed to the cross and slew. resurrection But God raised him to life by checking the pangs of death His because it was not possible for him to be held by death. For David says of him: I saw the Lord constantly before me, For he is at my right hand lest I be shaken. For this reason my heart is glad and my tongue exults, Because thou wilt not leave my soul in the grave, Thou hast made known to me the ways of life, Brothers, I can speak freely to you about the patriarch David: he died and was buried and his tomb is with us to this day. Being a prophet and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him that he would seat one of his descendants on his throne, he spoke with prophetic foresight of the resurrection of the Christ when he said that he was not left forsaken in the grave nor did his flesh suffer decay. This Jesus God raised to life as we all can bear witness. Exalted then by God's right hand, and having received from the Father the promised Holy Spirit, he hath poured on us this which you now see and hear. For it was not David who ascended to heaven, but David himself says, The Lord said to my Lord, 'Sit at my right hand, Therefore let all the house of Israel know beyond doubt that God hath made him both Lord and Christ, this very Jesus whom you have crucified. (24-32) His extion alta to a position of divine author ity (33-36) The of upon Now when they heard this they were stung to the heart; effect they said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, Brothers, Peter's what are we to do? And Peter replied, Repent and be address baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, in his order that your sins may be put away; then you will receive hearers (37-41) the gift of the Holy Spirit. For the promise is intended for you and for your children and for all who are far off, for as many as the Lord our God may call to himself. And with many more appeals he solemnly warned and entreated them, saying, Save yourselves from this crooked generation! So those who accepted what he said were baptized and on that day about three thousand souls were added to them. I. The Return of the Disciples to Jerusalem. "Jesus lives and reigns on high" is the triumphant note with which the Gospels end and the history of the Apostolic Age begins. However the underlying historical facts may be conceived or psychologically interpreted in the light of the widely varying records, the vivid consciousness of Jesus' presence is one of the great impelling forces throughout the apostolic period. At every point this consciousness explains what is otherwise inexplicable. It is the only sufficient answer to the question of why Jesus' disciples, who according to the oldest gospel record (cf. V, 298, 304) had fled to Galilee, terrified and heart-broken, suddenly returned, accompanied by over a hundred of his followers, to take up their permanent abode in Jerusalem. Their homes, their friends, and their occupations were all in Galilee; while Jerusalem was the centre of that Judaism which had rejected their Master and the home of the Pharisees who had hunted him out of Galilee. Here the Sadducean leaders, whose intrigues had placed him on the cross, ruled all but supreme. In returning to this city of tragic memories the followers of the crucified Nazarene had reason to expect only penury, peril, and persecution. Luke gives no direct explanation of their heroic action, for he follows the later traditions which overlook the humiliating fact that they had at first fled. Many have been the explanations offered by modern historians; but three closely related reasons appear to have influenced the disciples to take this perilous but important step. The first and chief reason was their absolute conviction that their Master was still living and in their midst. Paul declares that Jesus appeared not only to Peter and the Eleven but also to five hundred disciples. This statement is supported by the important incidental testimony of Acts 123. Joseph and Matthias, in the days preceding the memorable feast of Pentecost, are selected as apparently only two of the many who were witnesses of Jesus' resurrection, and Stephen and Paul appear to be the last to share these visions. No fear of danger could deter men into whose eyes the light of heaven had shone from |