The Acts of the Apostles

MIRACLES AND WORKS OF THE SPIRIT 149
witness, but he trustfully accepts them when they are
vouched for by this authority (or authorities).
Who was this authority, or who were these authori-
ties ? It may seem absurd even to propound this
question, and certainly it cannot be satisfactorily
answered on the basis of the material which is here
collected; yet perhaps some indication may present
itself that may help us to an answer. It is natural
to suppose, and indeed has been already conjectured
by several critics independently of one another, that
the authorities for chap, xix., which is so very distinct
in character from the rest of the narrative in the
second half of the book (vide supra), were the Gaius
and Aristarchus so abruptly mentioned in verse 29.
Aristarchus, moreover—and Gaius also according to
the conjecture of Blass
—
together with St. Luke meet
St. Paul again a few months later, and Aristarchus
also joins St. Paul and St. Luke on the voyage to
Rome. The abrupt mention of his name and that
of Gaius in xix. 29 receives its simplest explanation
on the hypothesis that these very men were here St.
Luke''s authorities. May we not now attempt to dis-
cover among the persons who are mentioned in chaps,
i.—XV. one or more who might also be claimed as
authorities for what is here recorded ? It must have
been, as has been already remarked, a person of im-
posing authority, one whom St. Luke followed with
confidence. The leading personalities in chaps, i.—xv.
are St. Peter, St. Barnabas, St. Stephen, St. Philip,
and St. Paul. Of these, according to his own testimony,
he had learned to know St. Philip (also St.
Paul). That he was also acquainted with St. Peter,