The Acts of the Apostles

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
apostles; St. Barnabas in particular was an apostle
(Acts xiv. 4, 14 ; 1 Cor. xv. 7 ; 1 Cor. ix. 5, 6)}
(9) St. Peter and St. John stand out from the
number of the Twelve Apostles (Acts iii. Iff. ; viii.
Uff. ; Gal. ii. 9).
(10) The real head, however, is St. Peter (Acts ii.
37, &c. ; Gal. i. 18 ; 1 Cor. xv. 5).
(11) He is also commissioned to be the head of the
Mission (among the Jews), and as such makes journeys
(Acts vv. 11.; Gal.ii. 78; Gal. ii. 11).
^ We can discern both in the Acts and in the writings of St. Paul
the twofold character of the twelve Apostles—as "the Twelve"
they were the leaders, but they also possessed the apostolic
character which of itself had nothing to do with the number twelve
(the term apostle is applied in the Acts to an individual or to in-
dividuals in pairs) ; but the process of limitation of the conception
of apostleship to " the Twelve " is much further advanced with St.
Luke than with St. Paul. St. Paul and St. Barnabas alone appear
as apostles side by side with the Twelve (xiv. 4, 14). In the second
half of the book the word apostle is entirely wanting— probably
accidentally, or because there was no occasion to use it. In the
first half the use is in general quite unambiguous, i.e. the Twelve
Apostles are the ruling body. Yet it must be pointed out that the
wider use of the word, as well as the term ^' ol 5c65e/ca" (without
dirdaroXoi), is found only in the Antiochean source, while on the
other hand it is only in the source B that the phrases " Peter and
the rest of the Apostles" (ii. 37), or "Peter and the Apostles," are
to be found.
Moreover, it is only in the Antiochean source that ol trpea^vTepoL
are found side by side with ol airbaTokoi in Jerusalem (xv. 2, 4, 6,
22, 23 ; xvi. 4), while previously in xi. 30 (thus in the same source)
they are introduced without the Apostles. It is probable that we
have here a very accurate representation of events. When St. Paul
and St. Barnabas came to Jerusalem from Antioch the Herodian
persecution had begun and the Apostles had taken flight. In their
place St. James, at the head of a college of presbyters, had taken
over the leadership of the Church of Jerusalem (xii. 17), and this
arrangement established itself (xx. 18) : the rule of " the Twelve"