PART FIFTH.

LATER APOSTOLIC HISTORY.

§ I. LATER HISTORY OF PAUL'S LABORS.

1. RELEASE FROM FIRST ROMAN IMPRISONMENT.

Evidence:
(1) Implied in his confident expectation of it.
(2) Implied in journeys and incidents mentioned in Epistles to Timothy and Titus, for which there is no place in Acts. See following notes.

2. HE REVISITS EPHESUS AND MACEDONIA AND WRITES
I. TIMOTHY, I. Tim. i. 3.

• How reconcile the return to Ephesus with Acts xx. 25?
• When did Timothy come to Ephesus? Heb. xiii. 23.
• Why again in Macedonia? See Ph. ii. 23, 24.
• What his next purpose? I. Tim. iii. 14.
• Did he make the promised visit to Philemon? Phil. 22.

3. OTHER HISTORICAL ITEMS IN I. TIMOTHY.

(1) Teachers of strange doctrines now in Ephesus, i. 3-7.
• What prediction thus fulfilled? Acts xx. 29, 30.
(2) How these teachers were to be dealt with, i. 3; 18-20.
• Why [75] the elders not sufficient for this?
• What prophecies concerning Timothy? 18.
• Connection of faith and a good conscience? 19.
• In what way delivered to Satan? 20, cf. I. Cor. v. 2-5.
(3) Timothy's gift by the laying on of hands, iv. 14.
• What prophecy? Cf. i. 18.
• What gift, when bestowed? and by what eldership?
(4) A change in regard to compensation of the elders, v. 17, 18, cf. Acts xx. 33-35.
• What the distinctions here made between elders? 17.
(5) Timothy's health not good, v. 23.
• Why not restore his health miraculously?

4. HE PREACHES IN CRETE, LEAVES TITUS THERE, AND ON
HIS WAY TO NICOPOLIS WRITES THE EPISTLE
TO TITUS, Ti. i. 5; iii. 12.

• Did these labors precede or follow the visits to Ephesus and Macedonia?
• What the most probable route from Crete to Nicopolis? See map.
• What the condition of the churches in Crete? i. 5; 10-14.
• Who to take the place of Titus, and why? iii. 12.
• What of Zenas and Apollos? iii. 13.

5. SECOND ROMAN IMPRISONMENT, II. Tim. i. 8, 16, 17.

• What mark of difference between this and the first [76] imprisonment? i. 8, 12, 16, 17; ii. 8, 9.
• Where was Timothy? and in what condition had Paul left him? i. 4, 18.
• What journeys had Paul made since leaving Timothy? iv. 13, 20.

6. INCIDENTS OF PRISON LIFE.

(1) Deserted by brethren in Asia, but befriended by Onesiphorus, i. 15-18.
• How could those "in Asia" turn away from him? 15.
(2) His thoughts on the approach of death, iv. 6-8.
• In what sense was he "already" being offered? 6, cf. 16.
• Why the figures of "a fight" and "a course"? 7.
(3) Movements of his companions, iv. 9-12, 16.
• Meaning of the reproach cast upon Demas? 10.
• Is it meant also for Crescens and Titus?
• What ministering could Mark now do? 11.
• Why send Tychicus to Ephesus? 12.
(4) His experience at his "first defense," 16-18.
• What message proclaimed? and to whom? 17. Cf. Farrar's Life of Paul.
• What lion? 17.
(5) His personal wants, 13, 21.
• Why want the cloak before winter?
• What use for the books and parchments?
(6) Salutations and remarks about friends, iv. 19-22. [77] 
• Where Priscilla and Aquila now? 19.
• When had he left Erastus in Corinth? 20, cf. Titus iii. 12.
• When Trophimus left at Miletus? 20.
• Why leave him sick instead of healing him?
• Who the brethren mentioned in 21?
• Where was the main body of the Roman Church? See account of Nero's persecution. Tacitus, Annals, xv. 44.
(7) His death. Beheaded by Nero in 13th or 14th year of his reign; i. e., in 67 or 68, A. D.
• When the epistles to Timothy and Titus written?
• Within how many years were all his epistles written?
• How long was his ministry?

§ II. LATER HISTORY OF PETER.

• When last seen in Acts, and when in Paul's Epistles? Acts xv. 7; Gal. ii. 11.

1. WRITES AN EPISTLE FROM BABYLON TO THE CHURCHES IN
ASIA MINOR. I. Pet. i. 1, 2; v. 13.

• Why in Babylon?
• Why write to churches planted by Paul?
• What indication in this as to date of the epistle?

2. HISTORICAL ITEMS IN THE EPISTLE.

(1) The churches addressed were suffering persecution, [78] 12-19.
(2) The epistle sent by Silvanus, or Silas, v. 12.
• When had he joined Peter? Cf. Acts xviii. 5; II. Thess. i. 1.
(3) Mark with Peter, and his son in the gospel, v. 13.
• When last seen with Paul? Col. iv. 10.
• When again with Paul? II. Tim. iv. 11.
• At what interval, then, with Peter?

3. WRITES A SECOND EPISTLE TO THE SAME CHURCHES,
II. Pet. iii. 1, cf. I. Pet. i. 1.

• General purpose of both epistles?

4. HISTORICAL ITEMS IN THIS EPISTLE.

(1) Peter's expectation concerning himself, i. 13-15.
• What words of Jesus referred to? See Jno. xxi. 18, 19.
(2) Peter's knowledge and appreciation of Paul's Epistles, iii. 15, 16.
• To which of them does he refer?
• What implied in the expression, "the other Scriptures"?
• What indication here as to the date of this epistle?
• Of Peter's death nothing is known except a doubtful tradition that he was crucified in Rome the year of Paul's death, and crucified with his head down at his own request. [79]

§ III. LATER HISTORY OF JAMES AND JUDAS.

• When James last seen in Acts? Acts xxi. 17, 18.

1. DEATH OF JAMES. JOS., ANT. 20, 9. 1.

• This was A. D. 62. (See another tradition, Eus., Ec. Hist. ii. 23.)

2. EPISTLE OF JAMES.

(1) By which James written? i. 1.
• Most commonly ascribed to James, the Lord's brother.
(2) The communities addressed, i. 1.
• Were they believers or unbelievers? i. 18; ii. 1.
(3) Its date.
• Before his death in 62; after Jewish churches had long existed, iv. 1, 2; v. 7-11. Probably 60-62.

3. JUDAS AND HIS EPISTLE.

• What Judas is the writer? 1, 17, cf. Luke vi. 16.
• Brother of what James? Cf. Mark vi. 3.
• Special purpose of the epistle? 3, 4.
• What date indicated? 4, 17, 18.

§ IV. LATER HISTORY OF JOHN.

• Where last seen in Acts? Acts viii. 14, 25.
• Where in Paul's Epistles? Gal. ii. 9. [80]

1. His Writings.

(1) Revelation written in his name, 1, 2, 4.
(2) Date given by Irenæus as A. D. 96. Cf. "Text and Canon."
• How long after the death of Jesus?
• How long after the Destruction of Jerusalem, A. D. 70?
• What John's probable age?
(2) I., II., III. John, ascribed to him by all believers.
• Dates, later in his life. I. Jno. ii. 1, 18; v. 21; II. Jno. i.; III. Jno. 1, 4.
(3) John's Gospel also ascribed to him, and never disputed till recent times. (See Text and Canon, pp. 115-117.)

2. Historical Items in the Epistles.

(1) Many antichrists had appeared, I. Jno. ii. 18, 19, 22.
• Meaning of the word?
• Was a special one yet to come?
(2) Many false prophets had appeared, iv. 1-3.
• What the point in regard to Jesus coming in the flesh? 2, 3.
(3) An Elect Lady and her children warned against entertaining these deceivers, II. Jno. 1, 7, 10, 11.
• Meaning of "lady"?
• Why the warning?
• With what materials did John write? 12.
(4) A rebellious elder rebuked, III. Jno. 9, 10.
• What brethren was he refusing to receive? See 5-8. [81]

3. Historical Items in Revelation.

(1) How the Revelation made? and to whom written? i. 1, 2, 4.
(2) John's banishment to Patmos, i. 9.
• Where this island, and what its character?
• When did John come into Asia?
(3) The Lord Jesus appears to John, i. 10-20.
• Meaning of "in the Spirit," and what "the Lord's day"? 10.
• What fulfilled in this coming of the Lord? See Jno. xxi. 18, 19.
• Were these seven all the churches in Asia? 11. cf. Col. iv. 13.
• Meaning of "one like the Son of man"? 13.
• Why churches symbolized by golden candlesticks? 20.
• Who the "angels" of the churches? 20, cf. Luke vii. 24, 27; ix. 52 in the original.
• Why symbolized by stars in his right hand?
(4) Experience and condition of the church at Ephesus, ii. 2, 3; 4, 5; 6.
• What prediction fulfilled in these false apostles? 2, cf. Acts xx. 29.
• What meant by leaving first love? 4.
• What the remedy? 5.
• What the "works of the Nicolaitanes"? 6.
• What kind of discipline had this church maintained?
• How long since Timothy was there? II. Tim. iv. 9.
• Present condition of Ephesus?
(5) Condition and prospects of the church [82] at Smyrna. ii. 9, 10.
• Who established this church?
• Who its chief enemies? 9.
• Present condition of Smyrna?
(6) Past and present of the church at Pergamum, ii. 13, 14, 15.
• What the teaching of Balaam? 14, cf. Num. xxxi. 16; xxv. 1-9.
• Contrast with church at Ephesus.
(7) Fault of the church at Thyatira, ii. 20-23.
Who was this Jezebel?
(8) Fault of the church at Sardis, iii. 1.
• Meaning of this?
(9) Condition and prospects at Philadelphia, 9, 10.
(10) Fault of the church at Laodicea, 15-17.
• How so deceived about their condition?
• State the relative positions of all these cities.
• Which are in ruins? and what the condition of the others? L. of B. 575-594. [83]

[CNSH4 75-83]