MINNI

ministration.' But, as the local Churches grew In size and Church life became more complex, other needs arose. There was the need of government and discipline, of pastoral counsel and comfort, of stated instruction by regular teachers as well as of occasional visits from wandering apostles and prophets. In the 'helps' and 'governments' of 1 Co 122« we have a reference to some of these needs. And by and by we find that to meet the necessities of the situation the local ministry has blossomed out into two separate forms, (o) First there is the presbyter or elder, otherwise known as the bishop or overseer (for the substantial identity between the presbyter and the bishop, see art. Bishop), whose duties are to feed the flock and help the weak (Ac 20"- 28. s5_ X p 52)^ to visit and pray for the sick (Ja 5"), to rule and teach (1 Ti 3^- '). (6) Next there are the deacon, and his companion the deaconess (Ph 1', 1 Ti 3*-"), whose duties are not clearly defined, but the description of whose quaUfications suggests that their work lay largely in visitation from house to house and ministration to the poor (1 Ti 5*-"). The local ministry, it thus appears, came to discharge some of the functions that had originally belonged to the general ministry of Apostles and prophets. The latter, however, was still recognized to be the higher of the two. St. Paul sunmaons the presbyter-bishops of the Church in Ephesus to meet him at Miletus, and addresses them in a tone of high spiritual authority (Ac 20"-"). And even in the Didache, wtiich belongs probably toTabout the end of the 1st cent., we find that when a wandering prophet visits a Church and is recognized as a true prophet, precedence is given him over the resident bishops and deacons (Did. x. 7, xiii. 3). See, further. Apostle, Bishop, Deacon, Evangelist, Laying on of Hands, Prophet in NT. J. C. Lambert.

MINNI. — A people named in Jer 51" along with the Armenians ('Ararat') and Scythians ('Ashkenaz') as coming assailants of Babylon. They are the Mannai of the Assyrian inscriptions, who dwelt between the lakes Van and Urmia. J. F. M' Curdy.

MDfNITH marks the direction in which Jephthah pur-sued the defeated Ammonites from Aroer (Jg ll''), i.e. "Aroer which is in front of Rabbah' (Jos 13^5). The site has not been recovered. That indicated in the Onomasti-con, 4 miles from Heshbou on the way to Philadelphia, seems too far to the south. The place appears to have been famous for the high quality of its wheat (Ezk 27", cf. 2 Ch 27*). It must be added that in both passages there are strong reasons for suspecting the correctness of the text. W. Ewing.

MINT (Gr. hMyosmon, Mt 23^8, Lk 11«).— One of the trifles which were tithed; primarily, perhaps, peppermint (Mentha piperita), but including also alUed plants, such as the horse mint (Af. sylvestris), which grows wild all over Palestine. E. W. G. Mastebman.

MTPHKAD. — A gate somewhere near the northern end of the East wall of Jerusalem, as may be deduced from the one reference to it (Neh 3" AV 'the gate Miphkad,' RV 'the gate of Hammiphkad') describing its restoration after the Exile. Many attempts have been made to identify it more exactly; but as the course of this part of Nehemiah's wall has not been revealed by excavation, and consequently the positions of its gates are not known with certainty, such attempts are mere guesswork. See the note on the gates in art. Jerusalem, II, § 4. R. A. S. Macalister.

MIRACLES. — 1. The narratives. — (a) In the Gospels Jesus is recorded to have cast out devils (Mt 8^8 15™ 1718, Mk 12S), restored paralytics (Mt S'* 9«, Jn 5«), revived the withered hand (Mt 12i8), released from the spirit of infirmity (Lk 13'^), stanched an issue of blood (Mt 9^), cured dropsy (Lk 14^), aUayed fever with a touch (Mt 8'5), given speech to the dumb, hearing to the deaf, and sight to the blind (Mt 9» I222, Mk T^,

MIRACLES

Mt 9" 20«, Mk 8«i, Jn 9»), cleansed leprosy (Mt 8», Lk 17"), and even raised from the dead (Mt 9^5, Lk 7", Jn 11"). Besides these miracles of healing there are ascribed to Him other extraordinary acts, such as the Stilling of the Storm (Mt S"), the Feeding of Five Thousand (Mt 14") and Four Thousand (158«), the Walking on the Sea (14"), the Change of Water into Wine (Jn 2'). The blasting of the Fig Tree (Mt 21"), and the finding of the Coin in the Fish's Mouth (17"), may possibly be figurative sayings misunderstood. The Two Draughts of Fishes (Lk 5' and Jn 21«) may be variant traditions of one occurrence, and, like the recovery of the Nobleman's Son of Capernaum (Jn 4"'), may be regarded as proof of superhuman wisdom, and not of supernatural power. These miracles are presented to us as the acts of a Person supernatural both in the moral character as sinless and perfect, and in the reUgious consciousness as alone knowing and re veaUng the Father. It was the universal conviction of the early (Christian Church that after three days He rose from the dead (1 Co 15'), and was universally present in supreme power (Mt 28"- 20).

Regarding the miracles of Jesus the following general considerations should be kept in view, (a) It is impossible to remove the records of miracles from the Gospels without tearing them to pieces, as these works of Jesus are so wrought into the very texture of His ministry. (6) The character of the miracles is absolutely harmonious with the power of Jesus; with only two apparent ex-ceptions they are beneficent. The blasting of the fig tree (Mt 21"), even if the record is taken hterally, may be explained as a symbolic prophetic act, a solemn warning to His disciples of the doom of impenitent Israel. The finding of the coin in the fish's mouth (Mt 17") would be an exception to the rule of Jesus never to use His supernatural power on His own behalf, and the narrative itself allows us to explain it as a mis-understanding of figurative language, (c) The miracles were not wrought for display, or to prove His claims. Jesus rejected such use as a temptation (Mt 4fi- '), and always refused to work a sign to meet the demands of unbeUef (Mt 16*). He did not highly esteem the faith that was produced by His miracles (Jn 4"). The cure of the paralytic, which He wrought to confirm His claim to forgive sins, was necessary to assure the sufferer of the reality of His forgiveness (Mt 9"). The miracles are not evidential accessories, but essential constituents of Jesus' ministry of grace, (d) While faith in the petitioner for, or recipient of, the act of heaUng was a condition Jesus seemingly required in all cases, while He was prevented doing His mighty works, as at Nazareth, by unbehef (Mt 13*8), while the exercise of His power was accompanied by prayer to God (Jn 11"- ''), His heaUng acts were never tentative; there is in the records no trace of a failure, (e) In view of one of the explana-tions offered, attention must be called to the variety of the diseases cured; nervous disorders and their con-sequences did not limit the range of His activity.

(6) In the Acts the record of miracles is continued. The promise of Jesus to His Apostles (Mt 10*, cf. Mk 16"- ") is represented as abundantly fulfilled. In addition to the charisms of tongues and prophecy (wh. see), there were signs and wonders wrought by the Apostles and others (Ac 2« 5"- " 6' 8"). Miracles of which further details are given are the restoration of the lame man at thegate Beautiful (3'), and of the cripple at Lystra (14'), the cure of the palsied .lEneas (9'*), the expulsion of the spirit of divination at Philippi (16"), the healing of the father of Publius in Melita (28=), the restoration to life of Dorcas (9«) and Eutychus (20", the narrative does not distinctly affirm death). This supernatural power is exercised in judgment on Ananias and Sapphira (S'- "), and on Elymas (13") — acts the moral justification of which must be sought in the estimate formed of the danger threatening the Church and the gospel, but which do present an undoubted

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