The Acts of the Apostles

150 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
St. Barnabas, and St. Stephen is almost certain in the
case of the first two persons, and quite certainly ex-
cluded in the case of the last. Moreover, of persons
belonging to the Primitive Community he knew St.
James, Silas, and St. Mark.^ St. James, however,
falls quite into the background in the book, and no
one would dream of him as St. Luke's authority. If
therefore this authority is to be sought among the
persons mentioned in the book we can only think of
St. Philip, St Mark, or Silas. That he is to be sought
among these persons is, in my opinion, overwhelm-
ingly probable ; for if St. Luke had the opportunity
of gaining information from these persons—what
could possibly have prevented him from seizing it ?
Of the three persons just named Silas is expressly
described as a prophet (xv. 32), St. Philip as a great
worker of miracles (viii. 6 /. 13), both of them thus
as imposing authorities, a thing which cannot be said
of St. Mark. The latter does not play a very
pleasing part in the book (xiii. 13 ; xv. 37 ff.).
This, however, is as far as we can go at present.
We must, however, now glance at the character of
the miracles narrated in the book. The question
occurs whether these rest upon first-hand information,
or whether they presuppose secondary or even tertiary
tradition. If we neglect the instances of vision, of
prophecy, and of other communications made by the
Spirit, which are not miracles in the strict sense of the
word, we are left in chaps, i.—xv. with six instances of
miraculous cure, six (seven) " singular " miracles, and
four realistic appearances of angels.
* He first learned to know St. Mark in Rome.