Peter and Paul and their friends; a manual for religious instruction

Front matter

AND THEIR FRIENDS gilt If .„

COEXRIGHX DEPOSIT.

PETER AND PAUL AND THEIR FRIENDS

PART I PETER AND SOME OTHER APOSTLES lesson

I. Geography and Scope of the Apostolic Age . . 17

II. Hope Dawns for the Bereaved Disciples ... 22

III. Pentecost 27

IV. The Beggar at the Beautiful Gate .... 32 V. "All Things in Common" 41

VI. The Martyrdom of Stephen 46

VII. Simon the Sorcerer 52

VIII. Philip and the Eunuch 59

IX. Peter's Vision Upon the Housetop 65

X. Peter Delivered from Prison 72

Part II Paul: Beginning To Be A Christian

XL Boyhood of Paul 79

XII. Conversion of Paul 85

XIII* Paul Takes up His New Life 92

XIV. About Gifts 102

XV. The Gift of Prophecy 107

XVI.

XVII.

XVIII.

XIX.

XX.

XXI.

XXII.

XXIII.

XXIV.

XXV.

XXVI.

XXVII.

XXVIII.

XXIX.

XXX.

XXXI.

XXXII.

XXXIII.

XXXIV.

XXXV.

XXXVI.

XXXVII.

CONTENTS

Part III Paul Doing His Work Page

The Call to Service 115

Journeys ''Under Marching Orders" .... 122

Acclaim and Persecution 130

WteAT Came of It 135

Women Who Befriended Paul . . . . . . 140

"All Things to All Men" 160

"Call to Remembrance the Former Days" . .166

PART IV "IN PERILS OFT" The Earthquake 177

In Chains at Jerusalem 193

A Prisoner in His Hired House 210

Paul's Idea of the Resurrection 218

"Whatsoever Things Are True" 236

PART V SOME CHRISTIAN PRINCIPLES "Use Hospitality One to Another" .... 243

Works and Faith 253

The Christian Church 64-100 a.d. and Later . 276

RULES THE TEACHER MADE FOR HERSELF

Being convinced that people grow up "in spots," and that the spots are never the same in any two individuals, the first rule made was to assume that teacher and pupils were of the same intellectual age, studying the lesson together. The answer of a clever Southern mother when complimented on the delightful manners of her fifteen-year old son at a tea party, furnished the text : " 0, he is charmed at being treated like a grown man. We always hid the candy when he came into the room. You are passing it to him ! 9 f

Rule number one, therefore, was : Treat the class as mental equals. Always pass the sweets instead of hiding them. If »an allusion missed fire, or it was evident that it had not been understood, a word of explanation was added; but the class was given the benefit of the doubt. An occasional opportunity for instruction may have been lost ; but it was more than balanced by quickened interest and the effort of the entire class to live up to the intellectual standard required of it.

Rule number two was: Make each pupil feel the importance of regular attendance. To this end, no textbook other than the Bible is provided for the class. This manual is for the teacher. The idea is

10 BULES THE TEACHER MADE

to portion out the lesson in such a way that each pupil brings to class something the others have not, thus adding an essential bit to the whole.

Loose-leaf notebooks of rather large size are suggested as a way of garnering these bits and making a permanent record.

Though the course must necessarily be considered as a whole and its general sequence should remain unchanged, some temporary or local happening may make it advisable to take a lesson out of the prescribed order. For instance : while she was conducting another course a few years ago, the problem of how to present the story of Christ stilling the waves caused the teacher no little trepidation in advance. A strong three-days' gale, plus a newspaper paragraph, read almost at the moment of starting for Sunday school, settled the matter. The paragraph stated that a certain estuary of the lower Potomac was behaving very much as the Red Sea behaved in Pharaoh's day. The lesson already prepared was temporarily thrust aside; a hasty glance through the Old Testament showed what a dramatic part wind had played in the lives of a nomadic people, and all led up to the trust and serenity displayed by Jesus when his terrified companions awoke him. The newspaper paragraph made a very convincing link between Bible times and our own day ; and the problem of getting all the pupils to take part was solved by having them read in turn the dramatic Old Testament incidents alluded to above.

In short, instructing a class is very like making a

RULES THE TEACHER MADE 11

water-color sketch. Unforeseen accidents are sure to happen. It is up to the teacher to take advantage of these, and make good use of them.

There is another way in which the rules of the graphic arts are helpful in this adventure of instructing a class. Not only is it necessary to keep the sequence of the whole course in mind, with its historical setting, its introduction, its climax, and its conclusion ; each lesson in itself should be regarded as a similar unit, though forming part of the greater whole. Every successful picture has its centre of interest toward which the eye is inevitably though often insensibly led. In like manner, each lesson, to " carry' ' well, must be built around one central idea which remains from the first clear and distinct in the mind of the teacher.

A third rule, applicable alike to the making of pictures and to interesting minds old or young, wise or foolish, may be summed up in three words : Keep them guessing. To look at a whole roomful of pictures painted in the same key invites weariness. A whole book of short stories written in the same vein becomes tiresome. To conduct lessons in exactly the same way for thirty-seven consecutive Sundays would be little short of a crime.

The suggestions given are based upon the assumption that the class consists of eight pupils, which may be considered an average number. If the class becomes larger, some of the questions may be given to two pupils, and a friendly rivalry thus fostered, to see which can bring in the better answer.

12 EULES THE TEACHER MADE

The outline for each lesson is given in merest skeleton, to be clothed and made alive by the teacher, with the help of the pupils themselves.

As few or as many hours may be devoted to the work of preparation as other demands upon the time of the teacher permit. The more the better, and — we say it fearlessly though with reverence — the merrier. Since cheerfulness is one of the Christian virtues, smiles and laughter need not be banished from the classroom.

If remembrance >of the class be carried permanently in a convenient mental niche, near at hand, but never obtrusively in the way, an astonishing number of incidents and bits of reading will be found to fit in with the needs of one lesson or another in the course of the year. Half a dozen large envelopes, suitably inscribed, into which such miscellaneous treasure-trove — references, quotations, notes to recall personal encounters or experiences, bits of poetry, pictures — may be thrust at the moment of discovery to wait " until called for," will appreciably reduce the labor of preparing the lessons.

Obviously it is a great thing to become acquainted with the pupils ; and if the teacher can afford time for outside meetings with the class, such events will be found mutually helpful. The writer has personally solved the problem by setting aside the first Saturday afternoon in each month for a class party. Sometimes the class meets at her home for a marshmallow roast, or to prepare for some church fes-

EULES THE TEACHER MADE 13

tivity. Sometimes all foregather at a museum or similar place of interest, and after a prowl among its treasures adjourn to a convenient spot for "tea," which is usually spelled i-c-e c-r-e-a-m on the order blank, the guests being young and fond of sweets. The danger is that such parties may become a tax upon the purse, since the temptation is ever present to do "nice" things. The subjugation of this des're is not a bad moral exercise for the teacher. As for the young people, bless them, ingenuity and good fellowship have a value in their eyes far above cash.

"While the object of such parties is purely social, some of the most successful have proved helpful in the lessons also. One, deliberately arranged for that purpose early in the season in which this course of lessons was given, was devoted to reading aloud the greater part of Bulwer's Last Days of Pompeii, condensed and arranged beforehand. Only one member of the class was familiar with it, and it thrilled all, as romantic tales thrill at that age, while it depicted in masterly fashion the region and period and kind of life into which Paul, the chief hero of the winter's study, was time and again to penetrate. More than once a reference to some description or incident in the story called up a mental picture which rendered unnecessary ten minutes of explanation. And minutes are so few, in the lesson periods, for all we want to crowd into them !

14 CHIEF EVENTS OF APOSTOLIC AGE

CHIEF EVENTS OF THE APOSTOLIC AGE

(Taken from A Short History of Christianity in the Apostolic Age by George Holley Gilbert.)

27 or 30 a. d. Death of Jesus. Pentecost 32 a. d. Conversion of Paul 32-35 a. d. Paul in Arabia and Damascus 35-44 a. d. Paul in Syria and Cilicia 44 a. d. Planting of the church in Antioch 45-47 a. d. Paul's first missionary journey 48 a. d. The conference at Jerusalem 49-51 a. d. Paul's second missionary journey 52-56 a. d. Paul's third missionary journey 56-58 a. d. Paul's two years' imprisonment in

Caesarea 58-59 a. d. Paul's voyage to Rome 59-61 a. d. Paul's two years' imprisonment in

Rome 64 a. d. Death of Paul

The death of Peter probably occurred

about this time.

70 a. d. Destruction of Jerusalem

64-100 a. d. A period of relative obscurity. The

gospels, Revelation, and several

New Testament letters were written ;

but of external events little is known.

PAETI PETER AND SOME OTHER APOSTLES

LESSON I

GEOGRAPHY AND SCOPE OF THE APOSTOLIC AGE

The first two or three Sundays must necessarily be devoted to getting acquainted, and to settling down to work. The first lesson period cannot be put to better use than in showing the pupils, with the aid of a map and our table of contents, just what the winter's course of study proposes to cover.

Lay stress on the romance of this first century of the Christian era, a time of brave men and savage deeds.

Compare the tiny territory of Palestine with the extent of the then known world. Eecall how Palestine was a subject province of powerful and mighty Rome ; and how, in Palestine, the Christians were only a small, weak and despised handful of people whose leader had been executed as a common criminal. Yet, in a few short years — half a lifetime if we use the Psalmist's measure of three-score years and ten — the truths Jesus taught were heard on practically all the shores of the Mediterranean, which was a much larger proportion of "the world' * then than now.

We are to study the way in which this came about. It makes a wonderful continued story full of thrilling adventure. Peter is the hero of the first part of the tale : Paul of the second part.

The hints which follow show the wide range of fact and legend from which we may choose in presenting our hasty survey of a field thirty-five years long and two thousand miles broad. Any good encyclopaedia or "golden treasury" can extend it indefinitely. School work in Latin and history has already given these young people a wholesome conception of the power of Rome and the culture that came from Greece. It would be neglecting opportunity if we failed to call these to our aid. We should dwell even more upon the picturesque, courageous lives of these men who followed the dictates of their conscience, regardless of Convention, or Power, or half a dozen other, worldly dragons whose names are spelled with capital letters, — and who "won out," with the help of God, against amazing odds.

The winter's work should be presented as the study of a great and romantic adventure.

The Ministry of Jesus was limited to an area 100 miles north and south by 50 east and west. It was limited in time to two or three years at most.

The Ministry of the Apostles covered an area 2000 miles east and west by 700 north and south, and

GEOGRAPHY AND SCOPE 19

occupied a little more than thirty years; approximately the length of Christ's whole life.

It moved along the Mediterranean coast north toward Antioch, west and northwest to Troas and Philippi, and south to Corinth. That of which we have record is confined chiefly to four large cities: Ephesus, Corinth, Jerusalem, and Antioch on the River Orontes. (Antioch was a common name for towns of Greek origin. There were five in Syria alone.) Record has also come down to us of the work in seven lesser cities of which four were in Asia Minor. These were Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe. The other three were in Greece: Philippi, Thessalonica, and Beroea. From these spots Christianity spread into the surrounding regions. (Acts 14: 6-7 and 19: 10)

Chkist's Disciples. Very little is known about their after history. The Bible does not even mention the greater part of them again. It tells us much about Peter, the mos»t famous of them all, but the New Testament contains no record of his death. Nor indeed does it contain a syllable about the death of Paul. Tradition places both these events in the time of the persecution of the Christians under Nero, 64-67 a. d. Tradition puts the death of John later, under Trajan; he probably died under Nero or soon after.

Asia was at that time the name of a comparatively small territory, the first Roman province east of the ^Egean Sea. It had been left to Rome by the will of Attalus Third in 133 b. c.

Antioch. From its epithet ' i the Golden" we may infer that it was a wonderful and wealthy city, It considered itself the rival of Alexandria. West of it lay the far-famed sacred grove of Daphne. It was at Antioch that the name Christian first came into use.

Crete. An island of snow-covered mountains, orange trees, caves, and deep ravines. Fabled home of the Minotaur, which fed on a yearly tribute of youths and maidens from Athens. Crete also was the reputed birthplace of Zeus. The island's freedom from venomous serpents was "a privilege popularly ascribed to the intercession of Titus, companion of Paul." Geographically, Crete has been called the "natural stepping-stone between Greece and Egypt."

Cyprus. Rich in copper and silver. Was coveted for that reason, and calmly annexed by Rome, on the pretence that its ruler connived at piracy.

Courage of the Apostles. Note the splendid courage of the men who carried the gospel of Jesus into strange lands. In a way it requires more courage to be an apostle than the founder of a new faith.

Conviction that one is right as a spur to effort.

GEOGRAPHY AND SCOPE 21

" Never knew I so high adventure' ' -From introduction to King Arthur's Adventure.

LESSON II

HOPE DAWNS FOE THE BEEEAVED DISCIPLES

The opening chapter of this marvelous continued story is one of sorrow, written in a minor key, which changes even while we watch and listen.

Christ had been crucified between thieves, the throng jeering, the Eoman soldiers on guard at the place of execution mocking him, a little knot of stricken women watching afar off. His faithful friends were denied even the comfort of performing the last sad offices for the dead. (Ask the members of the class to imagine themselves present on that dreadful day. "You as So-and-so, you as This-one, you, a little lame boy Christ had helped." It will not require all the amplifications of the picture developed by later story-tellers to make the class realize the sadness and despair which shut down upon the disciples.) There seemed to be absolutely nothing left of a beautiful friendship and a wonderful hope, except sorrow and broken promises.

The small band of followers returned to their homes and took up their old tasks, trying to fill their

HOPE DAWNS FOR THE DISCIPLES 23

days and nights as they had been filled before Jesus came into their lives. Soon they found this to be impossible. They were reminded of him at every turn. They seemed to see him in the places where he had taught. The homely articles he had immortalized in story and parable spoke of him. Even the prosaic act of taking food to sustain life had gained now dignity and sanctity through the use he made of it. They began to realize that one so constantly with them could not be dead. Some were even persuaded that they saw him with their bodily eyes and heard his voice, receiving new commands from him. Let us refresh our memory by turning to the last chapters of Luke and John. (The class may be called upon to read aloud the different instances recorded in Luke 24: 13-51 and in John 20 : 19-29 and 21 : 1-4.)

What the friends and disciples of Jesus really saw with their bodily eyes is of little moment. They had learned the great spiritual truth that he was as much alive as he had ever been: that death, which had claimed his body, had not touched him. As Peter said, (Acts 2 : 24) "It was not possible that he should be holden of it."

Much comforted, they reasoned that since he was not dead, it behooved his disciples to act as though he were still with them, and to do everything in their power to carry out his wishes. By talking and praying together the little band in Jerusalem gained renewed confidence ; and Peter, practical and impulsive, suggested that they strengthen and perfect their organization by choosing a new apostle to fill the place made vacant by Judas. He was persuaded that if they did this and waited trustfully for guidance their next step would be made plain to them. (Read in class Acts 1:15-26.) Choice was made by the good old-fashioned Jewish method of casting lots, after asking God to indicate his will.

Choice of Matthias. G. H. Gilbert says, "This act showed that the bereaved disciples had regained their presence of mind, and realized they had a mission to perform."

Both Matthias and Joseph Justus had been members of the band that companied with Jesus and his Twelve during his lifetime. Though neither of them has been mentioned by name in the Bible before, it is evident both were men of tried worth. Late and wholly fabulous tradition ascribes the authorship of several books to Matthias, and places the scene of his activity in "the city of Cannibals" in Ethiopia, Clement of Alexandria quotes two sayings from the books ascribed to him. The first, "Wonder at all things before you," suggests not only that wonder is the first step toward acquiring knowledge, but that the author had the trustful, loving, interested mind of "a little child" that Jesus so highly commended. The other saying, "If an elect man's neighbor sin, the elect man has sinned," is very modern in its recognition of personal and

HOPE DAWNS FOR THE DISCIPLES 25

civic responsibility. One might imagine it a new utterance, printed in one of the journals devoted to social work.

Photogkaphs of famous old pictures of the crucifixion, the entombment, the miraculous draught of fishes, etc., may be shown in class; and if practicable, smaller copies obtained for pasting in the notebooks. The great libraries have fine collections of large photographs, which may be borrowed, just as books are, to be shown on a given day.

A modern pen-picture of the old subject may be found in Josephine Preston Peabody's poem, The Fishers. It opens with a description of the night of fruitless toil;

"Yea, we have toiled all night. All night

We kept the boats, we cast the nets. Nothing avails; the tides withhold,

The sea hears not — and God forgets."

The speaker is one of the fishers, who does not at first recognize the one who questions him; who indeed resents his interference; and burst out:

"Thou Wanderer from land to land,

Say who Thou art to bid us strive Once more against the eternal sea,

That loves to take strong men alive.

Lo, we stand fast, and we endure,

But trust not Thou the sea we know —

Mighty of bounty and of hate —

Slayer and friend, with ebb and flow.

Thou hast not measured strength as we

Sea-faring men that toil and yet —

Once more — once more — at Thy strange word — Master, we will let down the net ! ' '

Influence of the absent. A mother's influence does not cease when she leaves the room.

Eecall the scene in The Bluebird when the dead awake and live again as often as the living think of them.

Responsibility for our neighbors.

1 i There are no dead ! ' '

— Maeterlinck, The Bluebird.

LESSON III

PENTECOST (Acts 2:1-42)

Open the lesson with an account of the three great Jewish feasts, Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles, at which every man of the nation was expected to appear before the Lord with thanksgiving and not to come empty-handed.

Jesus had observed every ordinance of the Jewish religion, and had gone to his death rather than absent himself from Jerusalem at the time of the Passover. He never tried to found a new religion ; what he wished to do was to simplify and make beautiful the old one. His followers considered themselves good Jews ; so, when the feast of Pentecost, or First Fruits, came round, fifty days after his death, all who were within reach gathered at Jerusalem for the festival, as good Jews should. While it was doubtless hard for some of them to revisit the scene of Christ's triad, so soon, it was made very much easier by the assurance they had received that his spirit was still alive and potent. Luke tells us (24:53) that they were "continually in the temple, praising and blessing Grod." They

also had private gatherings for prayer. The former was the act of devout Jews. In the latter and more intimate way, they met as followers of Jesus.

It is easy to imagine the company, simple, earnest, and devout,— and expectant. In choosing Matthias to be one of the apostles, and in comforting and encouraging each other they had done all they could do by themselves ; now they were waiting for direction as to what to do next. Acts 1 : 15 gives the number of people thus gathered as a hundred and twenty.

Good old Isaac Watts wrote that "Satan finds some mischief still for idle hands to do." There is a good deal of truth in it ; but it is quite as true that God will supply work for hands eager and waiting to take it up.

To this day the Catholic and Episcopal churches celebrate, fifty days after Easter, a festival which they call Whitsunday. It is the season for baptism, for white dresses, signifying purity; and in Catholic churches, particularly in Europe, for quaint mediaeval customs, such as letting down a dove, or balls of fire, or a shower of rose leaves in front of the altar. These are all very childish things in themselves, but are beautiful and poetic when used as symbols of the wonderful thing which happened.

What did happen? Let us read Acts 2:1-42, picturing in our minds the devout, expectant band.

No wonder that after this whirlwind revelation of enthusiasm and latent power, Peter jumped to his feet and made his great speech, as a result of which

PENTECOST 29

a large number (Acts says about three thousand) of those who heard him were baptized.

Passover was held in the early spring. It commemorated the escape of the Israelites from Egypt.

Pentecost or the Feast of Weeks came seven weeks or fifty days later. It also commemorated the escape from Egypt ; and in addition was supposed to be held on the anniversary of the day upon which Moses received the tablets of the Law; but its main significance was as a feast of first fruits, coming when the first corn was ready for the sickle.

Tabernacles, the third great Jewish festival, held under tents or green arbors, to commemorate the forty years' wandering in the wilderness, was celebrated as is our Thanksgiving, after the harvest had been safely garnered.

Christ 's Death had occurred at the time of the first festival. This manifestation came at the second. Do not overlook the beauty and symbolism of this. Quote Paul (1 Cor. 15: 20) that Christ became the first fruits of them that slept.

Tongues of Flame. If the literal-minded in the class are disturbed by this, it is a good place to sound the note which must be struck again and again : that the Bible is the literature of an Eastern race given to poetic imagery of expression; and to point out that we, ourselves, practical as we are, can only express mental or spiritual experiences by using words whose literal meaning is very different. For example, we assert that something "opened our eyes" yet nobody for a moment thinks that we had been running around before that with our physical eyes closed.

Speaking with Tongues will have to be dealt with, but should not be dwelt upon. Let it be reserved and treated more at length in Lesson 14. Possibly the best application and explanation in a few words is to call to mind the quickening power of enthusiasm which we have all observed and felt. We see and hear an animated person full of his subject. He may be a foreigner, speaking in his native tongue, but his enthusiasm and kindling eye, and the glow upon his face, make us feel that we fully understand him despite the barrier of language, though we comprehend his words very imperfectly.

SUBJECT FOR DISCUSSION

Modern Instances of Such Quickening Power. One of the most striking is Lincoln's famous "Lost Speech' ' delivered at Bloomington, 111., in 1856, before a convention called to organize a new political party opposed to slavery. Many speeches had been made before he rose. He stood a moment silent, a curious introspective look in his eyes ; then he began to speak, slowly, almost hesitatingly at first, in a voice somewhat shrill. Soon however his words

PENTECOST 31

began to flow steadily and smoothly on. His tones came under perfect control. His eyes flashed and glowed. With his head thrown back, his great frame towering to its full height, his face, full of emotion, illumined as though by a lamp from within, he looked like a man inspired. And like a man inspired he carried his audience with him as he denounced the evil they had to fight, ending in an impassioned appeal to all who loved justice to

1 1 Come as the winds come when forests are rended, Come as the waves come when navies are stranded"

and unite to put down this great wrong.

It was Lincoln's touch of pentecostal flame. Before that day he had held honorable place in his party. After it, he was the destined leader of a great nation, the liberator of an oppressed race.

This thing happened in our own country, within memory of men still alive. Remembering it, we feel very near to the gathering in Jerusalem, and very sure that God still works his miracles, using for them earnest men and women who desire to do his will.

LESSON MOTTO "Priests, by the imposition of a mightier hand."

— Macaulay.

LESSON IV

THE BEGGAR AT THE BEAUTIFUL GATE (Acts 3:1-11)

Soon the Apostles had proof that the power which came upon them on the day of Pentecost was no mere evanescent enthusiasm, but a very real and holy thing.

Use as the lesson the third chapter of Acts and so much of the fourth chapter as is necessary to make the picture complete; for example, verse 22. Devote most of the time to Acts 3 : 1-11, but dwell at the end upon Peter's quick wit in seeing and seizing upon this as the psychological moment for another sermon; upon his kindly way of interpreting the events which led up to Christ's death (Acts 3: 17) and to the fearlessness of the answer he and John made when the authorities forbade them to teach in the name of Jesus. (Acts 4:18-20)

What the writer meant by "this miracle of healing" (Acts 4:22) deserves consideration here, and also what the class members might mean if they used the word. Do they think the writer meant that some unusual power was given to Peter and John? Where did that power come from? Does anything

BEGGAR AT BEAUTIFUL GATE 33

like this seem to happen now? Is the difference really in what happens, or in the way people think and talk about events?

Perhaps it will be easier to understand our Bible, if we learn to wonder more over great achievements in our own time. A thousand cripples are healed today where one was then, and we almost forget to be surprised that the skill of man may learn and apply the laws of God in so wonderful a way.

The temple, in which the scene of this lesson is set, was the center of the community life as well as the religious life of the city of Jerusalem. Set on a high hill, it looked from the city streets "like a mountain covered with snow." At one end of the great Court of the Gentiles was the Royal Porch, a broad covered arcade with columns; at right angles to it was Solomon's Porch, almost a thousand feet long, where the learned rabbis used to meet their pupils for lectures and instruction. Inside this great enclosure was the temple proper, rising in steps and marble terraces. The balcony had carved upon its low wall notices in Greek warning Gentiles to go no farther on pain of death. The Women's Court came next; and beyond, up fifteen steps, the Inner Court for the men of Israel. Beyond that again, still higher, was the part of the temple reserved for the priests alone.