The Acts of the Apostles

164 THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES
In the face of this negative result our inquiry into
the first half of the book must approach the question
from other starting-points—from the scenes and
persons with which the narrative is concerned. All
historical traditions are attached to persons or places
they are either local or personal or both together.
St. Luke was necessarily dependent upon tradition.
The scene, upon which the primitive history of the
Church was enacted, was far removed from him, the
Hellene, not only in time and space, but also in
temperament and spirit. And yet it is on the other
hand most important to recollect that he had been
in Palestine—even though probably only on a flying
visit—; that he had learned to know the Christian
communities of Jerusalem, Caesarea, and some churches
on the eastern shores of the Mediterranean ; that in
company with St. Paul he had worked with Silas of
Jerusalem, and in Rome with St. Mark, another
native of Jerusalem ; that he even came into personal
contact with St. James, the Lord's brother ; and that
he had stayed in the house of St. Philip the Evangelist
(vide supra, pp. 149/!).^ There is surely com-
1 His acquaintance with, or fellowship in labour with, St. Paul's
Hellenic fellow-workers, does not concern us here. The circum-
stance that Titus is not mentioned in the Acts would only present
a difficulty if Titus were so constantly with St. Paul, and so intimately
bound up with his ministry as was Timothy and, for a
period of time, Silas. But in all probability he was as independent
as St. Luke himself, and only temporarily placed himself at the
disposal of the Apostle. He is, moreover, probably included in the
words " Kal nvas dWovs " of Acts xv. 2, and perhaps also in xv. 35
{fiera Kal €T^p(j3v toWuv). By mentioning the aXXoi St. Luke salves
his own conscience as an accurate historian, and clearly enough
informs ns that he does not wish to suppress anything, though he
;