The Acts of the Apostles

128 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
by similar instances of abruptness in the introduction
of persons as if they were already known ; and the
speaking in unison of St. James and the presbyters
of Jerusalem in xxi. 20 has several parallels in the
earlier parts of the book (St. Peter and St. John, iv.
19/., the whole congregation, iv. 24^., the Apostles,
i. 24/., and vi. 2/., St. Paul and St. Barnabas, xiii.
46 /. ; xiv. 14 ff.—quite a long discourse !—xiv. 22,
cf. xiv. 27; xv. 3, 4, 12). Only cursory reference is
made to the teaching and discourses of subordinate
characters {e.g. viii. 35 Philip ; xv. 32 Judas and
Silas ; ix. 27 Barnabas ; xviii. 26 Aquila and Priscilla,
&c.). The speeches—and they are by no means
few—that are attributed to Jewish and Gentile persons
in authority have for the most part one and the same
aim ; cf. the words of the Sanhedrin (iv. 15 ^.), the
speech of Gamaliel (v. 35 ^.), of Gallio (xviii. 14 /.),
of the Ephesian Grammateus (xix. 35 /), moreover
xxiii. 9 ; xxiv. 22 ff. ; xxv. 14 /". ; xxv. 24 ff. ; xxvi.
31 /, as well as the letter of Claudius Lysias (xxiii.
26 ff.). They are intended to bear witness to the
innocence of the Christians in general and of St. Paul
in particular.
In regard to the great speeches both the selection
of ideas and the arrangement in the book are worthy
of notice. The speech of St. Stephen (vii. 2 ^.), that
of St. Peter to Cornelius (x. 28 /.), those of St. Peter
and St. James at the so-called Council (xv.), and in-
directly the three apologies of St. Paul (xxii. 1 ff. ;
xxiv. 10 ; xxvi. 1
ff. ^.), as well as the shorter fourth
apology (xxviii. 17 all minister to
ff.\ the main theme
of the book : that the preaching of the Gospel, in