The apostles, after the great events last narrated, gave themselves
with new zeal to the work which was now so vastly extended by the
opening of the wide field of the Gentiles. Others of the refugees from
the popular rage, at the time of Stephen’s murder, had gone even beyond
the boundaries of Palestine, bringing into the sphere of apostolic
operations a great number of interesting subjects, before unthought of.
Some of the bold, free workers, who had heard of the late changes in
the views of the apostles, respecting the characters of those for whom
the gospel was designed, now no longer limited their efforts of love
to the children of the stock of Abraham, but proclaimed the faith of
Jesus to those who had before never heard his name. The gospel was
thus carried into Syria and Cyprus, and thence rapidly spread into many
other countries, where Macedonian conquest and Hellenic colonization
had made the Greek the language of cities, courts, commerce, and, to
a great extent, of literature. The great city of Antioch soon became
a sort of metropolis of the numerous churches, which sprang up in that
region, beyond the immediate reach of Jerusalem, now the common home of
the apostles, and the center of the Christian, as of the Jewish faith.
Grecians as well as Jews, in this new march of the gospel, were made
sharers in its blessings; and the multiplication of converts among
them was so rapid as to give a new importance, at once, to this sort
of Christians. The communication of these events to the apostles at
Jerusalem, called for some systematic action on their part, to confirm
and complete the good work thus begun by the random and occasional
efforts of mere wandering fugitives from persecution. They accordingly
selected persons especially fitted for this field of labor, and
despatched them to Antioch, to fulfil the duties imposed on the
apostles in ♦reference to this new opening. The details of the
operations of these new laborers, will be given in their lives
hereafter.
♦ “refereuce” replaced with “reference”
In performing the various offices required in their domestic and
foreign fields of labor, now daily multiplying, Peter and his
associates had continued for several years steadily occupied, but
achieving no particular action that has received notice in the history
of their acts; so that the most of this part of their lives remains a
blank to the modern investigator. All that is known is, that between
the churches of Syria and Palestine there was established a frequent
friendly intercourse, more particularly between the metropolitan
churches of Jerusalem and Antioch. From the former went forth preachers
to instruct and confirm the new and untaught converts of the latter,
who had been so lately strangers to God’s covenant of promise with his
people; while from the thriving and benevolent disciples of Antioch
were sent back, in grateful recompense, the free offerings of such aid
as the prevalence of a general dearth made necessary for the support
of their poor and friendless brethren in Jerusalem; and the very men
who had been first sent to Antioch with the commission to build up and
strengthen that infant church, now returned to the mother church at
Jerusalem, with the generous relief which gratitude prompted these new
sons to render to the authors of their faith.