The Acts of the Apostles

THE SOURCES AND THEIR VALUE 185
mony before the people and the Council and after
his own imprisonment and deliverance this miracle
resulted in the " Outpouring of the Spirit " (and the
birth of the Church into active life). That this
" Outpouring " should have shaken itself free from its
connection with this miracle and should have made
its appearance as an independent event is very intel-
ligible, and indeed the whole description in B, in
every trait and every detail of the transformation, is
best explained as the next stage after A in the pro-
cess of legendary development. Here again the proof
may with perfect confidence be left to the reader. It
is most noteworthy that in B St. Peter, in his dis-
course, mentions repara, which were bound up with
the " Outpouring," though nothing had been said of
these in the foregoing narrative. In A, on the other
hand, we find the earthquake !
According to A on the night preceding the out-
pouring of the Spirit St. Peter was cast into prison,
and on the next morning released by the religious
authorities ; according to B the Apostles were cast
into prison after the " Outpouring," but were released
^ By combination of the two accounts A and B concerning the
" Outpouring," taking A as oar foundation, we arrive at the follow-
ing historical picture : After the cure of the lame man, the public
witness of St. Peter (before the people and the Council) and his
suffering as a confessor, we learn that the resulting ecstasy of the
little company of believers was assisted and confirmed by an earth-
quake. This created public amazement ; St. Peter then delivered
a discourse, explaining this '* outpouring " as being also the initial
stage of the " Day of Judgment." By this the listeners were cut
to the heart ; and under this influence many joined the new community.
The great majority of them were Hellenists ; while the
natives of Jerusalem held themselves aloof.
^