evangelization of the heathen. The principle is recognized that the gospel of Jesus needs nothing from Judaism to make it complete. The door into the Messiah's kingdom is open to all, and it is not necessary to pass through Judaism to reach it. The law had been but the preparation for Christianity. It was not of itself holy. It had done its work, and hence was no longer binding.

That seems to us a very simple truth, but it was a staggering and incomprehensible doctrine to the Jews and Jewish Christians. When we remember that they were brought up to regard the law and the temple as the most holy objects on earth, we are not surprised that they refused to listen to it. For them, Christianity was but the complement of Judaism. They could not believe that Christianity was to displace it. So from this time, we have two lines of missionary work, the one, Jewish Christian, confining itself largely to the Jews, or at least requiring the heathen to observe a part of the Mosaic law; the other, entirely free from all such burdensome requirements; Jews and Gentiles meeting together on an equal footing, and regarding each other as brethren and fellow-citizens in the new kingdom of God.

Of this Jewish Christian mission work, we know very little except that it existed. Up to the year 51, Peter had undoubtedly been working along this line; for in Gal. ii. 7, Paul says that the "pillars" in the church at Jerusalem recognized that Paul had been intrusted with the gospel to the

Gentiles, as Peter with that to the Jews. But when we ask where Peter had labored and with what success, we get for an answer only a few vague notices of his work. From Acts ix. 32 ff., we learn that "as Peter went throughout all parts he came to Lydda and Joppa, and from there went to Cæsarea. And we find him very soon again in Jerusalem, whence he was compelled to go "to another place," because of the persecution of Herod (Acts xii. 17). This was in the year 44. Six years later he was again in Jerusalem. Soon after we learn that he was in Antioch, where he began to associate with the Gentile Christians. From this time he seems to have entered a wider mission field and to have traveled as a missionary among the heathen, imitating Paul and Barnabas.

In relating the agreement that was made between the "pillar" apostles and himself and Barnabas, Paul says that James and Peter and John gave them the right hand of fellowship that "we should go unto the Gentiles and they unto the circumcision." That implies that John and James also engaged in this mission work, but we have not the slightest notice of their travels.

In speaking of his meeting with the apostles at Jerusalem in the year 50 or 51, Paul mentions only Peter and John of the Twelve. James the brother of John was already dead, having suffered martyrdom in the year 44. But where were the other nine? We have not the slightest information about them. We can only say that it is probable

that they were engaged in work, perhaps in Pales tine, or among the Jews in the East, or Paul may have mentioned only the three that were the most prominent. They may, indeed, have been in Jerusalem at that time, but it is more probable that they were not. From 1 Cor. ix. 5 we may certainly infer that at least some of the disciples as well as some of the brothers of Jesus were at that time (about 56 or 57) traveling as missionaries, but still there is no hint as to where they were. That this mission had been very successful we learn from Acts xxi. 20, where it is said that thousands of the Jews believed, and that they were all still zealous for the law. It is clear, then, that this type of Christianity actually spread among the Jews in Palestine and perhaps in the East, but we are left without much definite information about it.

We get more light from Paul's letters to the Galatians and to the Corinthians. From these we learn that at least one branch of these Jewish Christians had entered the field as determined and outspoken opponents of Paul and the free gospel which he was preaching. They had begun to undo his work by carrying on a most vigorous propagation of the law in the free Gentile congregations which he had founded. At first, they met with success, but Paul vigorously defended himself and his doctrine, and in the end was victorious.

We are much better informed about a part of the work among the Gentiles, but even here we get only glimpses of the work and of the workers;

for of all that engaged in this, only one group is well known. The head and leader of this was Paul. He gathered about him a large number of young missionaries who worked with him and for him, serving him as special messengers and helpers. By means of these he kept in touch with his various congregations, and through their labors he became the spiritual father of many other churches, for they all followed his principles and preached his gospel. A long list of these might be made. There were Timothy and Titus, Erastus and Silas, Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus and Gaius, Tychicus and Trophimus. Luke and Mark were with him at least a part of the time. In all his letters, we find others mentioned incidentally in such a way as to show that they were also engaged with him in the work.

Aquila and Priscilla also formed a part of this circle of Paul's friends and helpers, at least for a time. They labored with him in Corinth and in Ephesus, but afterwards returned to Rome where they continued the work, although independently of Paul.

In this connection the last chapter of the Epistle to the Romans 1 is exceedingly interesting, for it

1 Many learned men think that the 16th chapter of Romans does not really form a part of the original letter, but is rather a letter of introduction for Phoebe to the church at Ephesus. In support of this, they call attention to the fact that the last verse of the 15th chapter really forms a very appropriate ending for the letter. Besides this, there are several things in the 16th chapter that seem to point to the church at Ephesus rather than to that of Rome. For instance, Aquila and Priscilla had recently

gives us a most surprising hint of the remarkable activity of these early missionaries. In this chapter Paul greets by name more than twenty persons, most of whom he seems to have known personally. If this be the case, he must have made their acquaintance in the East, for at this time Paul had not been in Rome. Several of these seem to have been connected with him in the work, and were united to him by the closest ties of friendship. Not only the common faith, but also fellowship in work and danger had bound them together. Some of them he greets as independent missionaries and evangelists who were traveling and laboring in the interests of the gospel. This chapter, then, gives us a most interesting glimpse of the missionary activity and travel of the period, since it shows that so many of those that had been in the East were now in Rome. For it is not to be supposed that we have here the names of all that were engaged in this work. In fact, we know that these were by no means all the workers. We learn of others who labored entirely independently of Paul and his company, although they seem to have fol

been in Ephesus, and there is no hint anywhere else that they had returned to Rome. Epænetus is called "the first fruits of Asia unto Christ." Then they say that it is impossible that Paul should have known so many people in a city in which he had never been. That, however, is easily explained if the letter were addressed to the church at Ephesus where Paul had just spent three years. But Lightfoot has most ably refuted these arguments and shown that there is really nothing in the way of accepting this as a part of the original letter written by Paul to the Romans.