Church History, Volume 1 (of 3)Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
Religion
Church History, Volume 1 (of 3)
Kurtz, J. H. (Johann Heinrich)
Church history
But the fact that the brothers of Jesus are all and always
expressly distinguished from His twelve Apostles, and form a
group outwardly and inwardly apart from them (Matt. xii. 46;
Mark iii. 31; Luke viii. 19; John ii. 12), tells decidedly against
that idea. In John vii. 3, 5, they are, at a time when James
son of Alphæus and Judas brother of James were already in the
Apostolate, described as unbelieving, and only subsequently to
the departure of the Lord, who after His resurrection appeared
to James (1 Cor. xv. 7), do we meet them, though even then
distinguished from the twelve, standing in the closest fellowship
with the Christian believing community (Acts i. 14; 1 Cor. ix. 5).
Besides, in accordance with Matt. xxviii. 19, none of the twelve
could assume the permanent presidency of the mother church, and
Hegesippus not only knows of πολλοὶ Ἰάκωβοι, and so surely of
more than two, but makes James enter upon his office in Jerusalem
first μετὰ τῶν ἀποστόλων.
§ 16.4. =The Later Legends of the Apostles.=--The tradition that
after the Lord’s ascension His disciples, their number having
been again made up to twelve (Acts i. 13), in fulfilment of
their Lord’s command (Matt. xxviii. 18), had a special region
for missionary labour assigned by lot to each, and also the other
tradition, according to which, before their final departure from
Jerusalem, after a stay there for seven or twelve years, they
drew up by common agreement rules for worship, discipline and
constitution suited to the requirements of universal Christendom,
took shape about the middle of the second century, and gave
occasion to the origin of many apocryphal histories of the
Apostles (§ 32, 5, 6), as well as apocryphal books of church
order (§ 43, 4, 5). Whether any portion at all, and if so, how
much, of the various contradictory statements of the apocryphal
histories and legends of the Apostles about their mission
fields and several fortunes can be regarded as genuine tradition
descending from the Apostolic Age, must be left undecided. In any
case, the legendary drapery and embellishment of casual genuine
reminiscences are in the highest degree fantastic and fabulous.
Ancient at least, according to Eusebius, are the traditions
of Thomas having preached in Parthia, Andrew in Scythia, and
Bartholomew in India; while in later traditions Thomas figures
as the Apostle of India (§ 32, 5). The statement by Eusebius,
supported from many ancient authorities, that the Apostle Philip
exercised his ministry from Hierapolis in Phrygia to Asia Minor,
originated perhaps from the confounding of the Apostle with the
Evangelist of the same name (Acts xxi. 8, 9). A history of the
Apostle Barnabas, attributed to John Mark, but in reality dating
only from the fifth century, attaching itself to Acts xv. 39,
tells how he conducted his mission and suffered martyrdom in his
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