Here we have the 'head of the Apostolic College,' the 'primate' of
the Twelve, on whose supposed primacy--which is certainly not a
'rock'--such tremendous claims have been built, laying down the
qualifications and the functions of an Apostle. How simply they
present themselves to his mind! The qualification is only personal
knowledge of Jesus Christ in His earthly history, because the
function is only to attest His Resurrection. Their work was to bear
witness to what they had seen with their eyes; and what was needed,
therefore, was nothing more than such familiarity with Christ as
should make them competent witnesses to the fact that He died, and to
the fact that the same Jesus who had died, and whom they knew so
well, rose again and went up to heaven.

The same conception of an Apostle's work lies in Christ's last solemn
designation of them for their office, where their whole commission is
included in the simple words, 'Ye shall be witnesses unto Me.' It
appears again and again in the earlier addresses reported in this
book. 'This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses.'
'Whom God hath raised from the dead, whereof we are witnesses.' 'With
great power gave the Apostles witness of the Resurrection.' 'We are
His witnesses of these things.' To Cornelius, Peter speaks of the
Apostles as 'witnesses chosen before of God, who did eat and drink
with Him after He rose from the dead'--and whose charge, received
from Christ, was 'to testify that it is He which was ordained of God
to be the Judge of quick and dead.' Paul at Antioch speaks of the
Twelve, from whom he distinguishes himself, as being 'Christ's
witnesses to _the people_'--and seems to regard them as specially
commissioned to the Jewish nation, while he was sent to 'declare unto
you'--Gentiles--the same 'glad tidings,' in that 'God had raised up