n into its midst of a book, which, if everything is not
deceptive, had formerly been only in private use, namely, the Acts of
the Apostles, which some associated with an Epistle of Peter and an
Epistle of John, others with an Epistle of Jude, two Epistles of John,
and the like. There were now (1) writings of the Lord which were at the
same time regarded as [Greek: apomnemoneumata] of definite Apostles; (2)
a book which contained the acts and preaching of all the Apostles, which
historically legitimised Paul, and at the same time gave hints for the
explanation of "difficult" passages in his Epistle; (3) the Pauline
Epistles increased by the compilation of the Pastoral ones, documents
which "in ordinatione ecclesiasticae disciplinae sanctificatae erant." The
Acts of the Apostles is thus the key to the understanding of the
Catholic canon and at the same time shows its novelty. In this book the
new collection had its bond of cohesion, its Catholic element (apostolic
tradition), and the guide for its exposition. That the Acts of the
Apostles found its place in the canon _faute de mieux_ is clear from the
extravagant terms, not at all suited to the book, in which its
appearance there is immediately hailed. It is inserted in place of a
book which should have contained the teaching and missionary acts of all
the 12 Apostles; but, as it happened, such a record was not in
existence. The first evidence regarding it is found in the Muratorian
fragment and in Irenaeus and Tertullian. There it is called "acta omnium
apostolorum sub uno libro scripta sunt, etc." Irenaeus says (III. 14. 1):
"Lucas non solum prosecutor sed et cooperarius fuit _Apostolorum_,
maxime autem Pauli," and makes use of the book to prove the
subordination of Paul to the twelve. In the celebrated passages, de
praescr. 22, 23: adv. Marc. I. 20; IV. 2-5; V. 1-3, Tertullian made a
still more extensive use of the Acts of the Apostles, as the
Antimarcionite book in the canon. One can see here why it was admitted
into that collection and used against Paul as the Apostle of the
heretics. The fundamental thought of Tertullian is that no one who fails
to recognise the Acts of the Apostles has any right to recognise Paul,
and that to elevate him by himself into a position of authority is
unhistorical and absolutely unfounded fanaticism. If the [Greek: didache
ton dodeka apostolon] was needed as an authority in the earlier time, a
_book_ which contained that authority was req