those who had been brought into contact with Judaism, had taken its teachings without its forms, and hence is called a 66 devout man. This was at least eight or ten years after the crucifixion, and yet Peter was the first of the Twelve to be brought into connection with the heathen. One has only to read this account in order to see how thoroughly Jewish they still were. The heathen were for them the common and unclean, with whom they could have absolutely no association. Peter was still so far from understanding the real character of the gospel that it required a great deal of supernatural machinery to bring him to preach to a heathen. He himself was surprised at the result of his preaching. The same extraordinary manifestations occurred here in the case of the heathen as had already taken place among the Jewish Christians. They received the Holy Spirit. But the Christians at Jerusalem were by no means pleased with Peter's conduct, for when he returned they rebuked him sharply for having associated with the uncircumcised. And it was only when Peter had told them the whole story, and showed them that God had made no difference between them and the Jews who believed, that they were quieted. We shall see that they were silenced by his arguments, but not convinced.

We have a brief account of another beginning that was made among the heathen. Peter seems to have gone no further along the new line of work opened before him in so mysterious a way. His

Jewish surroundings were too strong for him, and he drew back and remained the Apostle of the circumcision. If the mission to the Gentiles had depended on the Twelve, the Gentiles would have waited long and perhaps in vain. The honor of carrying them the gospel must be awarded to others, and not to the Twelve. According to Acts xi. 19–21, it belongs to some men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who had taken up the mission work in earnest. These, after traveling through Phonicia and Cyprus, had come to Antioch, but preaching only to Jews. The important change was made in Antioch, for it was here that they began to preach also to the Greeks. They met with great and unexpected success, for many believed and turned to the Lord. Under the influence of a fresh enthusiasm, born of the consciousness of great and new spiritual possessions, Jews and Greeks united here and associated as brethren. Ceremonial distinctions were forgotten, they seem to have fallen away of themselves. It is difficult for us to realize what a revolution that was. How powerfully Christianity must have taken hold of the hearts of these Jews, since they were able to break, at once and without pain, with all the strongest and dearest traditions of their lives.

The church at Jerusalem, it is said, heard of this, and sent Barnabas down to Antioch to see what they were doing. He understood the situation at once. He saw that Christianity among the heathen was a success. He recognized that in

that great city there was a fine field for work, and that there was need of an able man to carry it on. So he went to Tarsus to fetch Paul, who had now for some years been working there. Undoubtedly Barnabas knew of his work and felt that he was the man for the place. From this time on we have Paul as the most able representative and defender of this mission work among the heathen. The truth is proclaimed that the gospel is for all who believe in Jesus as the Messiah.

Again it must be noted that this was probably ten or twelve years after the death of Jesus. In all this time only one of the Twelve had come into contact with the heathen, and he had been opposed by some of the Christians at Jerusalem. In these twelve years there had been no spontaneous movement on the part of the Twelve and of the mother church at Jerusalem toward the heathen. They had not comprehended Christianity in its freedom and universality. They were not at all committed to the universal proclamation of the gospel. "Laymen" had begun the work among the heathen, the Twelve had only reluctantly followed. They had not inaugurated the new move

ment.

Every idea that is to become universal and overcome all opposition must have a leader who will in a sense be its personification. In him it will come to its full self-consciousness. He will give it a fixed form and the best statement possible. Such a leader must be a man of genius, of

broad culture, and of consecration. He must make it the one work of his life to bring all the world to accept his truth. And that is what Paul was to this new and liberal movement in Christianity. He was the embodiment of the idea of the universalism and freedom of the gospel. He saw that it was for all, both Jew and Gentile, regardless of race or ritual. He perceived that Judaism had done its work, and was now superseded by something higher and better.

Like all new and liberal movements, this was sure to be opposed. Hence it had to have a home. It could not live "in the air." It needed a stronghold, a place where it could establish and develop itself independently of all opposition. It must have a kind of headquarters for carrying on the work of propagating itself. And this is what Antioch was to the young Gentile Christian church. Over against the mother church at Jerusalem, whose members were now and for many years to come "zealous for the law," we have another mother church of the Gentile Christians at Antioch. It was planted by laymen, and trained by Paul and Barnabas. The character of its teachers, its rapid growth, its location in a great and busy city, and its distance from Jerusalem, all made it impossible for the Jewish mother church to control its development. Some of the most important questions that arose in the early church were first agitated and settled in this congregation.

Antioch was the third city in size and importance

in the world. It was cosmopolitan in character. It had great wealth, and was noted for its commerce, schools, literature, and general culture. It was there that Christianity really made its first bow before the heathen public and entered as a great fact and factor on the stage of the world's development and civilization. By establishing itself in Antioch, Christianity challenged the attention of all classes, and it had there far wider opportunities than at Jerusalem. It was there that Christianity really broke with Judaism and came to its full selfconsciousness. It was no longer a part of Judaism, a kind of appendage or complement to it, but separate and independent. "The disciples were called Christians first in Antioch" (Acts xi. 26). The people saw that they were not merely a Jewish "Christian" was probably a nickname, but it was a good one, for it indicated the position which Jesus occupied in their thought and speech. Their distinguishing characteristic was that they believed that Jesus was the Christ.

sect.

Antioch became the centre of a great missionary activity. Until about 51, Paul seems to have been connected more or less closely with this congregation, beginning and ending his missionary travels there. According to Acts xiii. 1 ff., Antioch may be regarded as the home of foreign missions, for it was here that they received their first great impulse. Conscious of itself, its powers, and its purpose, Christianity began its conquest of the world at Antioch. From this time on, there is systematic