The Acts of the Apostles

192 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
if, moreover, we take into account those peculiar traits
in the character of St. Philip which remind us of the
« Christian Scientist " (traits which were inherited by
his daughters), and compare therewith the super-
natural colouring of this source, and if we lastly con-
sider that St. Luke himself was a Christian Scientist,
and that therefore this man of the Primitive Community
must have appeared to him specially worthy
of reverential trust—if we take all these facts into
consideration it is surely not too bold an hypothesis
to suppose that the body of tradition we have called
A was derived from St. Philip, or from him and his
daughters.^ Together with them we may and indeed
must also think of St. Mark and Silas; for they
were both natives of Jerusalem, and St. Luke for a
time lived and perhaps worked with both of them.
It is also strongly in favour of St. Mark that St.
Luke has taken his work as the basis of his own
gospel; and, in fact, the story of the miraculous
release of St. Peter from prison (chap, xii.) in its
1 The mention of the daughters in xxi. 9 is very remarkable.
Papias expressly tells us (Eus., Hist. Eccl. III. 39, 9) that they
transmitted traditions connected with the Gospel history—among others
a story of one who was raised from the dead. " A " also contains an in-
stance of raising from the dead (ix. 36/.) ; such fanciful tales are,
however, very rare in the most ancient tradition ; St. Paul says
nothing about them. St. Luke may well have again met with these
daughters in Asia, and have then first heard of these accounts {vide
" Luke the Physician," pp. 153/.). Besides, it must be remembered
that St. Luke must have seen St. Philip himself a second time,
namely, in the days before his voyage with St. Paul from Csesarea
to Eome. We do not know how long during that visit he was in
touch with St. Philip, the most notable member of the Church
in Csesarea ; it may have been days, but it may also have been
months.