Encyclopedia of sacred theology - pagina 491

Chap.

THE NEW TESTAMENT

II]

467

support was much more necessary for the tradition of what was program-like. Agreeably to this, we find that Christ Himself postulates

such a second Holy Scripture. This already appears from the charge given by Christ to John on Patmos: " What thou seest, write (jpdy^ov) in a book, and send it unto the Seven

Churches " (Rev. i. 11), in connection with the strong sense which the meaning of yeypa/Jifievov appears in the entire But since this <ypd'\^ov comes in too abruptlyApocalypse. mechanically, occurs in an avTiXeyo/jievov, and refers merely to one single book, we point rather to the position to which in

With respect to this, we see Jesus exalts the apostolate. that Christ indeed took measures to assure the durability of His work, by which to realize the end of His mission. No is found with Jesus of a spiritualistic-mystical laisser-

trace

alJer.

He

institutes the apostolate, attaches to

it

a definite

with a definite With respect to our present subject, this task is twotask. fold: (1) the appearing as witnesses of the manifestation which they had seen and (2) the proclaiming of things to come. This double task was imposed upon them, not merely with respect to those who were then alive, before whom they should stand and preach by word of mouth, but with referauthority,

and commissions

this apostolate

;

ence to "

all

nations," in those nations to

all believers,

and

Now

put

"to the end of the world."

for those believers

and how could the apostles bring this witness to all nations and through all ages, except either by not dying, or, since they died even very early, by the instru-

this together,

mentality of writing?

That Christ gave

a call to the apostolate not merely to bring

who were then alive, but to be until the end his authoritative witnesses to all believers, is already observable from John xvii. 20, where Jesus prays, not only for the apostles themselves, " but for them also that believe on him through their word." That this refers to all believers among all nations and of all ages lies in the nature of the

the Gospel to those

case, since the intercession of Christ applies to all his peo-

ple;

but

it

appears, moreover, very clearly from the connec-

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