The Acts of the Apostles

16 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
cerning the duration of the longer visits to the chief
centres—
^presupposing careful investigation on the part
of St. Luke—we can only here and there, and that
inadequately, control its accuracy from the Epistles
of St. Paul.^ So far, however, as the test can be ap-
plied, all the chronological statements pass muster.^
All of them, or almost all of them, refer to the times
of the author's partnership with St. Paul in the
mission and to the periods lying between. In the
former he reckons by days, in the latter by years and
months ; elsewhere
—
i.e. in the whole first half of
the book—he almost entirely refrains from giving
dates. What condition of things could we wish for
that would inspire us with greater confidence in the
writer ? ^
1 Still less are we able to exercise control over the dates given
in the " we "-account ; however, their whole character is such as
to render control unnecessary.
* Some would conclude from the Epistles to the Thessalonians
that St. Paul must have stayed in the capital of Macedonia for a
longer time than is recorded in the Acts of the Apostles. But even
here there is no compelling reason for questioning the statement
of the Acts.
3 For completeness' sake let us cast another glance over the
reference to days and hours. The information that the events
recorded happened in the night was self-evident in the case of
visions in dreams, xvi. 9, xviii. 9, xxiii. 11, and xxvii. 23 (5tA t^j
vvkt6s, iv vvktI, Ty iirioday vvktL and ravry ry vvktL) ; in the case of
the miraculous occurrences in prison, v. 17, xii. 6, and xvi. 25, 33
(5iA T7]s vvKTdi, Ty vvktI iKelv-Q, Kara rb /xeaovvKTiov, and ej' CKelvy ry
wpq. rys vvkt6s) ; and in the case of the secret arrangements in
Damascus, ix. 25 {vvkt6s\ xvii. 10 in Thessalonica (5ta pvktos), and
xxiii. 23, 31 in Jerusalem {a.Trb rpir^j iopas ttjs wkt^s and 5id pvkt6s).
Elsewhere it is only in the " we "-account (the story of the shipwreck)
that mention is made of the fourteenth night and midnight
{xxvii. 27, Kara iiiaov t^s vvKrbs:), and that we are told concerning