The Acts of the Apostles

156 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
should take this form in dependence upon the story
of Elijah (for the « cloud " cf. St. Mark ix. 7 ; xiii.
26; xiv. 62; Rev. xi. 12; xiv. 14 /.). The most
interesting points are the localisation on the Mount
of Olives, and the term of forty days. The localisa-
tion need not necessarily have taken form in Jeru-
salem ; yet it is overwhelmingly probable that this
trait had its origin in that city, for such localisations
are wont to be assigned in the place itself. Moreever,
there can be no doubt that the Primitive Com-
munity very soon began to embellish the story of the
last days of our Lord with local legends, according
to their own taste, and with a view to their own
glorification. This accretion of legend was facilitated
hy the fact that after twelve years the Apostles left
Jemsalem and only returned thither on short visits.
The Church there stood under the leadership of St.
James, who did not belong to the Twelve. Perhaps
it was only after his death that the legends arose that
our Lord first appeared to him, that the women (or
one woman) saw Him at the empty tomb, and that
accordingly the appearances in Galilee were preceded
by appearances in Jerusalem (the former were then
persistently ignored). At the time when St. Luke
was with St. Paul in Jerusalem these stories could
scarcely have been current. The stories that were
told at that time we learn from 1 Cor. xv. and the
genuine St. Mark, and from St. Matthew. The dis-
persion of the Apostles after twelve years, and the
dispersion of the Christians of Jerusalem during the
Great War, gave the opportunity for such a luxuriant
growth of semi-doctrinal legends concerning the appear-