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APOSTLES'

the precise functions of those ministers who bear, in the Acts and in tlie Epistles, the various above-men- tioned names, chiefly the vpiafivrtpot aiul the (irlaKovoi. (priests and bisho|)s). (a) Some authors (and this is the traditional view) contend that the iiTiaKowoi of Apostolic times have the same dignity as the bishops of later times, and that the wp«rtiuT€poi of the apostolic writings are the .same as the priests of the second century. This opinion, however, must give way before the evident identity of bisliop and priest in Acts, XX, 17 and 28, Titus, i, 5-7, Clement of Rome to the Church of Corinth, xliv. (b) Another view recognizing this synonymous character esti- mates that these officers whom we shall call bishops- priests had never the supreme direction of the churches in Apostolic times; this power, it is main- tained, was exercLsed by the Apostles, the Prophets who travelled from one church to another, and by certain Apostolic delegates like Timothy. These alone were the real predecessors of the bishops of the second century; the bishops-priests were the same as our modern priests, and had not the pleni- tude of the priesthood. This opinion is fully dis- cussed and proposed with much learning by A. Michiels (L'originc do I'fipiscopat, Louvain, 1900). (c) Mgr. BatilTol (Rev. bibl., 189.5, and Etudes d'hist. et de thfol. positive, I, Paris, 1903) expresses the following opinion: In the primitive churches there were (1) some preparatory fimctions, as the dignity of Apostles. Prophets; (2) some Trpea^vrepoi had no liturgical function, but only an honourable title; (3) the ivrlvKoiroi, several in each community, had a liturgical function with the office to preach; (4) when the Apostles disappeared, the bishopric was divided: one of the bishojw became sovereign bishop, while the others were subordinated to him: these were the later priests. This secondary priesthood is a dimin- ished participation of the one and sole primitive priesthood; there is, therefore, no strict aifference of order between the bishop and the i^riest. — What- ever may be the solution of this difficult question (see BiSHor, Phiest), it remains certain that in the second century the general Apostolic atithority be- longed, by a succession universally acknowledged as legitimate, to the bi.shops of the Christian churches. (See Apostolic Succession.) The bishops have, therefore, a general power of order, jurisdiction, and magisterium, but not the personal prerogatives of the Apostles.

VII. The Feasts of the Apostles. — The mem- orable words of Hebrews, xiii, 7: "Remember your presidents who preached to you the word of God", have always echoed in the Christian heart. The primitive churches had a profound veneration for their deceased Apostles (Clement of Rome, Ep. ail Corinth, v); its first expression was doubtless the devotional reading of the Ajxistolic writings, the fol- lowing of their orders and counsels, and the imita- tion of their virtues. It may, however, be reason- ably supposed that some devotion began at the tombs of the Apostles as early as the time of their death or martyrdom; the ancient documents are si- lent on this matter. Eeasts of the Apostles do not appear as early as we might expect. Though the anniversaries of some martyrs were celebrated even in the second century, as for instance the anni- versary of the martyrdom of Polycarp, Bishop of Smyrna (d. 154-1.56), the .Apostles had at this time no such commemoration; the day of their death was unknown. It is only from the fourth century that we meet with feasts of the .Apostles. In the Eastern Church the feast of Saint James the Less and Saint John was celebrated on the 27th of ncccmber, and on the next day the feast of Saints Peter and Paul (ac- cording to St. Orcgorj' of Nyssa and a Syriac meno- logy). These commemonitions were arbitrarily fixed. In the Western Church the feast of Saint John alone

remained on the same day as in the Eastern Church. The commemoration of the martyrdom of Saint Peter and Saint P:tul was celebrated 29 June; originally, however, it was the commemoration of the translation of their relics (Duchesne, Christian Worship, p. 277). From the sixth century the feiist of Saint Andrew was celebrated on the 'MHh day of Novemlxjr. We know but little of the fesLsts of the other .\postles and of the secondarj' fe:usts €)f the great Apostles. In the Eastern Churches all these feasts were observed at the beginning of the ninth century. For additional de- tails see Duchesne, "(Christian Worship" (I.ondnn, 1903), pp. 277-283, and U. Zimmerman in ("abrol and Leclercq's Diet, d'arch^ol. et de lit. chr6t. I, 2631-35. (See also Apostolicity, Apostolic Suc- cession. Apocryph.^.)

In the absence of comprehensive and trustworthy special works on this subject the reader may consult, apart frora the works quoteil at>ove. Kencral historical treatises on the New Testament am! the Apostolic Age, e. p. the English translations of the works of Kouahd. Tlje theological manuals De Ecclffid usually supply much information on these tiues- tions. — ,.\rnong modern New-Testament commentaries may be mentioned those of Rishop I.iciilTFoOT (Anglican) on Saint Paul's Epistles to the Philippians and the Galatians (I.ondon. 189(1). The commentaries on the Acts of the Apostles ought always to be consulted. — .\niong the encyclopedia articles on these and the cognate topics, see in KircnenUx. (2d ed., Frei- burg. 1.S82) Poi.zi.. Apoatel, and Sciief-bkn. ApoaUtlat und Epis- kopat: l.E Camus in Vio., Diet, de la Bible (Paris); ScilMinr in Hauck'h Real~encyclop(idie fiir protcslanluche Theologie wid Kirche {'Ad ed., Leipzig); Gwatktn in Hastingh. Diet, of the Bible (Edinburgh. 1904). s. v. Apostle; especially the article of Bainvki, in Diet, de thiol, cath. (Paris, 1901). I. 1647-00; Batifkoi.. VApc>$tolat in Revite Bibliqiu (1900). 520-32; Har- KKCK.Die Mitnon und Auibreitunff dea Christenthums iheio' zig. 1902).

HoNORfi COPPIETERS.

Apostles' Creed, a formula containing in brief statements, or "articles," the fundamental tenets of Christian belief, and having for its authors, according to tradition, the Twelve .\postIes.

I. Origin or the Creeu. — Throughout the Middle Ages it was generally believed that the Apostles, on the day of Pentecost, while still under the direct inspira- tion of the Holy Ghost, composed our present Creed between them, each of the Apostles contributing one of the twelve articles. This legend dates back to the si.xth century (see Pseudo-.\ugustine in Migne, P. L., XXXIX, 2189, and Pirminius, ibid., LXXXIX, 1034), and it is foreshadowed still earlier in a sermon attributed to St. Ambrose (Migne, P. L., XVII, 671; Kattenbusch, I, 81), which takes notice that the Creed was "pieced together by twelve separate workmen ". About the same date (c. 400) Rufinus (Migne, P. L., XXI, 337) gives a detailed account of the composition of the Creed, which account he pro- fesses to have received from earlier ages (tratlunt majores nostri). Although he docs not explicitly assign each article to the authorship of a separate Apostle, he states that it was the joint work of all, and implies that the deliberation took place on the day of Penteco.st. Moreover, he declares that "they for many just reasons decided that this nile of faith should be called the Symbol", which Greek word he explains to mean both indicium, i. e. a token or p;LSSword by which Christians might recognize each other, and cottatio, that is to say an offering made up of separate contributions. A few years be- fore this (c. 390), the letter addressed to Pope Siri- cius by the Council of Milan (Migne, P. L., XVI, 1213) supplies the earliest known instance of the combination S'jmbottim A postolorum ("Creed of the .Vpostles ") in these striking words: "If you credit not the teachings of the priests ... let credit at least be given to the Symbol of the .\postles which the Roman Church always preserves and maintains inviolate." The word Si/mbolum in this sense, standing alone, meets us first about the middle of the third century in the correspondence of St. Cyprian and St. Firmilian, the latter in particu-