St. Peter, His Name and His Office, as Set Forth in Holy ScriptureAllies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Religion
St. Peter, His Name and His Office, as Set Forth in Holy Scripture
Allies, T. W. (Thomas William)
Peter, the Apostle, Saint
countenance, whether he were thin or stout, with nose straight or
twisted, covered with hair, or as Clement, in the Periods, will have
it, bald. It was not, I conceive, in the gravity of an Apostle, that
after so long as three years' preparation, he could wish to see
anything human in Peter. But he gazed on him with those eyes with
which now he is seen in his own letters. Paul saw Cephas with eyes
such as those with which all wise men now look on Paul. If any one
thinks otherwise, let him join all this with the sense before
indicated, that the Apostles contributed nothing to each other. For
even in that he seemed to go to Jerusalem, in order that he might
see the Apostle, it was not to learn, as having himself too the same
author of his preaching, but _to shew honour to the first
Apostle_."[13] Our own S. Thomas sums up all these in saying, "the
doctor of the Gentiles, who boasts that he had learnt the Gospel,
not of man, nor through man, but instructed by Christ, went up to
Jerusalem, conferred concerning the faith _with the head of the
Churches_, lest perchance he might run, or had run, in vain."[14]
These last words lead us attentively to consider the passage which
follows in S. Paul. At a subsequent period the zealots of the law
had raised against him a report that the Gospel which he preached
differed from that of the Twelve. At once to meet and silence such a
calumny, he tells us that "after fourteen years, I went up again to
Jerusalem, with Barnabas, taking Titus also with me. And I went up
according to revelation, and," assigning the particular purpose,
"conferred with them the Gospel which I preach among the Gentiles,
but apart with them who seemed to be something; lest, perhaps, I
should run, or had run, in vain." Then, having proved the identity
of his doctrine with that of those who "seemed to be something,"
that is, Peter, James, and John, though to him they "added nothing,"
he specifies Peter among these, and proceeds to draw a singular
parallel between, on the one hand, Peter, as accompanied by James
and John, and himself, as working with Barnabas and Titus. If we set
the clauses over against each other, this will be more apparent:--
When they had seen that As to Peter was that of
to me was committed the Gospel the circumcision,
of the uncircumcision,
For He who wrought in Wrought in me also among
Peter, to the Apostleship of the Gentiles,
the circumcision,
[15]James, and Cephas, and Gave to me and Barnabas
John, who seemed to be the right hand of fellowship;
pillars,
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