Id. Diss. 2. p. 105, 10^
^ It may be objected, that upon the coins of the city of Phi-
lippi there is no evidence of its being tlie metropolis, as there is
upon the coins of other colonies which were so. Nor is there
any evidence of this kind upon the coins of Amphipolis, 0eoi;
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 339
From Philippi St. Paul and his companions passed
through Amphipolis and ApoUonia to Thessalonica,
and went thence to Beroea ". Apollonia ^, Thessa-
lonica S and Bercea ^, are all mentioned by Strabo as
cities in Macedonia. Amphipolis, as I observed be-
fore, is not taken notice of by him, at least not by
his epitomiser. This city however is spoken of by
Herodotus ^, Thucydides ^, and Scylax s the geogra-
pher, who all lived before Strabo ; by Livy '', his con-
temporary, and Pliny i, who flourished soon after
him. It is also mentioned in the It'merarium Anto-
nini ; and, comparing that Itlnerarium with what
Strabo has said of the Via Egnatia*^, (a Roman
causey or highway made from the seacoast opposite
to Italy quite through Macedonia to the river He-
brus, and afterwards to Constantinople,) it seems
highly probable that that way lay through five of
the cities we have been speaking of, i. e. from Pella
to Thessalonica, thence to Apollonia, thence to Am-
phipolis, thence to Philippi, and thence to Neapolis.
From Beroea St. Paul was conducted to Athens,
and went thence to Corinth ^ These are cities of
so great fame in antiquity, that it is almost needless
to observe that Strabo makes mention of both'", and
Kouaaf 'Ea^a.aToi;, and Oil the reverse, 'A^a^jTroXtT. Vid. Spanh. de
Usu et Praest. Num. Quarto, p. 416. et Hard. Not. in Plin. 1. 4.
§. 17. p. 436. n. 14.
^ Acts xvii. I. 10. ^ L. 7. p. 33 T, B. col. i.
^ P. 330, A. col. 2. ^ P. 330, B. col. 2. ^ L. 7. c. 1 14.
•^ L. I. p. 66. et 1. 4, p. 320. g TlepinXovi;.
'• L. 44. c. 45. et 1. 45. c. 29.
' L. 4. §. 17. p. 436, fin. V^id, Cell. Not. vol. 1. p. 675.
^ L. 7. p. 322, D. 323, A. B. C. D. et 329, D. col. 2.
' Acts xvii. 15. and xviii. i.
"' L. 9. p. 395, &c. 1. 8. p. 378, pr.
z 2
340 THE HISTORY OF
tells us, that although Corinth was destroyed by the
Romans under Lucius Mummius, it was restored by
Julius Caesar ". It is said that St. Paul sailed from
Corinth into Syria, having shorn his head at Cen-
chrea ; that he put in by the way at Ephesus, and
sailed thence to Caesarea ". Strabo informs us that
Corinth had two ports, one towards Italy, and the
other towards Asia ; that Cenchrea was the port
Av hich was towards Asia i- ; that Ephesus had a port,
and was seated in the peninsular Asia ^ ; and that
Stratonis Turris, which was the ancient name of
Caesarea, was in Syria, and had a station for ships ^.
§. 3. St. Paul set out a third time from Antioch,
and, having travelled over all tlie countries of Ga-
latia and Phrygia, came to Ephesus, and continued
disputing there in the school of Tyrannus by the
space of two years, so that all they which dwelt in
Asia heard the word of the Lord Jesus ^. It ap-
pears evident from Strabo, that a certain district
round Ephesus went by the name of Asia properly
so called ^
St. Paul went from Ephesus to IMacedonia, thence
to Greece, and through fear of the Jews returned
again to Macedonia, set sail from Philippi, and came
to Troas in five days. His companions took ship
liere, and sailed to Assos ; but he went thither on
foot. From Assos, having taken him on board, they
sailed to Mitylene ". That a ship might easily sail
from Philippi to Troas in five days, may be collected
" P. 379. pr. el 381. " Ch. xviii. 18. 19. 22.
p L. 8. p. 378, pr. et 380, pr. 1 L. 14. j). 641, C. fin.
■■ L. 16. p. 758, D. Vid. Joseph, .\ntiq. 1. 15. c. 9. §. 6.
' Ch. xviii. 22. t L. T2. p. 577, C
" Acts XX. I. 2. 3. 6. 13. 14.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 341
without difficulty from what Strabo has laid down "".
He also informs us that Assos was a seaport, and
places it not far from Troas > ; and that Mitylene
was a large city in the isle of Lesbos, having two
ports, the one north, the other south ; that from the
seacoast, which lies between Assos and Polymedium,
upon the continent, to Methymna in Lesbos, was but
sixty furlongs "".
Paul and his companions sailed from Mitylene,
and the next day came over against Chios, and the
next day arrived at Samos, and tarried at Trogyl-
lium, and the next day came to Miletus''. From
the island of Chios to the isle of Lesbos, Strabo tells
us, is four hundred furlongs'', which make not quite
forty-six of our statute miles. Samos, he informs
us, is an island opposite to Panionium and Ephe-
sus<^. He does not give us the distance between
that and Chios ; but, if we may make a conjecture
from the measurement he gives us upon the conti-
nent from Ephesus to Teos '', the distance is not
quite so great as it is from Chios to Lesbos. The
same author says that Trogyllium is the name both
of a promontory upon the Continent, and of an island
that lies before the promontory, and that from Sa-
mos to Trogyllium are but forty furlongs*^, i, e.
something more than four miles and a half of our
measure. It is probable the apostle and his com-
panions put in at Samos, but chose to lodge at Tro-
gyllium.
" L. 2. p. 124, C. et 1. 10. p. 457, D. Horn, ibi cit.
y L. 13. p. 581, CD. p. 610, B. C.
^ L. 13. p. 616, fin. 617, A. B. ^ Ch. xx. 15.
^ L. 14. p. 645, D. "^ L. 14. p. 639, B. C.
•^ L. 14. p. 643, C. D. •-' L. 14. p. 636, C. D.
z 3
342 THE HISTORY OF
It is added, Aiicl the next day came to Miletus ;
whence St. Paul sent for the elders of the church of
Ephesus, who came to him there ^. Strabo places
Miletus not far from Trogyllium, and says it had
four havens ^. He gives us the distance from Mile-
tus to the mouth of the river Mseander ^ but not
from the Maeander to Ephesus. From Magnesia,
which stood near the Mseander, to Ephesus, he
makes a hundred and twenty furlongs '. And I am
apt to think the common road from Miletus to
Ephesus lay through Magnesia ; for from Pyrrha to
the mouth of the Mseander he says was fens and
bogs ^. And the public road from Physcus to Ephe-
sus he describes as going through Tralles and Mag-
nesia'. The distance therefore from Ephesus to
Miletus, upon the common road, I should conjecture
to be about thirty Roman, or near twenty-eight of
our statute miles.
The sacred historian proceeds and says, After we
had launched^ that is, from Miletus, we came with
a strait course unto Coos, and the day following
unto Rhodes, and from thence unto Patara^.
Coos, Strabo tells us, is an island over against Ter-
merium, a promontory of the Myndians, and not far
from Cnidus, Ceramus, and Halicarnassus, cities in
Caria ". He places Rhodes near the turning of the
continent, where the shore runs to the north, whence
the strait course to the Propontis is by keeping in
f Ch. XX. 15. 17. s L. 14. 634, D. 635, A.
'' L. 14. p. 636, A. B. From Miletus to Pyrrha thirty furlongs,
thence to the mouth of the Mteander fifty.
' L. 14. p. 663, B. et 636, C. ' ^ P. 636, B.
' L. J4. p. 663, A. B. ^ Ch. xxi. x.
" L. 14. p. 656, A. B, et 657, B.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. iJ43
the same meridian ". From the few places he men-
tions on the continent between Coos and Rhodes, or
rather, I should say, between the places on the shore
opposite to these two islands, we may reasonably
conclude that they were not so far distant, but per-
sons might easily sail from the one to the other in a
day's time. Patara he describes to be a considerable
city of Lycia on the east side of the river Xanthus,
having a port for ships ''. And whoever will be at
the pains of observing Strabo's method in describing
these places, will easily see that Coos, Rhodes, and
Patara lay in the way from Miletus to Syria*!.
It is added by the sacred historian, And finding
a ship at Patara sailing unto Phoenicia, tve went
on hoard. Now when we had discovered Cyprus,
we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria,
and landed at Tyre "". That the island of Cyprus
lay between Patara and Syria, any one Avho will
compare together the descriptions which Strabo has
given us of Lycia, Cyprus, and Syria will presently
learn ^. The same learned author makes Phoenicia
a part of Syria ^ and places Tyre in Phoenicia. This
having been a maritime town of so great fame in
the world, I think I need not add that he says it
had two ports ".
The sacred historian further says, A^id when we
had take7i our leave of the hrethi'en of Tyre, we
took ship, and came to Ptolemais, and the next day
to Ceesarea ^. Ptolemais, formerly called Ace, is ac-
cordingly described by Strabo as a large city on the
° P. 655, D. pp. 666, A. '! Vid. p. 664, A. B.
^ Ch. xxi. 2, 3. ^ L. 14. p. 664, A. p. 681, D. 1. 16. p. 749.
t L. 16. p. 749, B. " P. 756, C. et 757, A.
>< Ch. xxi. 6, 7, 8.
z 4
344 THE HISTORY OF
seacoast of Phoenicia, south of Tyre y, between Tyre
and Caesarea, formerly named Stratonis Turris ^.
J. 4. In the account of St. Paul's voyage to Rome
it is said. They entered into a sh'q) of Adramyt-
tium, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia ^ Adra-
myttium is said by Strabo to be a considerable city,
having both a port and station for sliips ^', situate in
Troas, -^olis, or Mysia. For these three countries,
laying in the north-west part of the peninsular Asia,
he plainly proves were blended together by ancient
writers ^
It is added by the sacred historian. And the next
day we touched at Sidon '^. Sidon, Strabo informs
us, was a city and port of great antiquity, much ce-
lebrated by the ancients, and very famous in his own
times, situate in Phoenicia, north of Tyre, and that
the distance between Sidon and Tyre was not more
than two hundred furlongs ^. He has not indeed
told us the distance from Tyre to Caesarea. The
Peutingerian Tahle makes it sixty Roman miles ^
The Itinerarium Hierosolymitanum makes it sixty-
three ^ ; the Itinerarium Anfonini, seventy-six ^.
The whole distance from Ca?sarea to Sidon, accord-
ing to Ptolemy, is but one degree \ But if we take
it according to the largest computation, viz. that of
the Itinerarium Antonini, the whole distance is little
>' L. 16. p. 758, A. ' Ibid. D. ^ Ch. xxvii. i.
^ L. 13. p. 606, fin. et 614, A. B.
= L. 13. p. 583, A. p. 586, D. 1. 12. p. 564, B. 565, C. 571.
C. D. &c. 1. J 3. p. 613, D. ^1 Ch. xxvii. 3.
*= L. 16. p. 756, C. p. 757, C. D.
f Vid. Rel. Pal. 1.2. c. 4. p. 421.
s Reland. I'alaest. 1. 2. c. 4. p. 416, 417.
'' Ibid. p. 418. ' Il)id. c. 10, p. 457. 460. 465.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 345
more than thirty leagues, or about ninety-one and a
half of our statute miles. If Strabo informs us right,
the ancients would sail much further than this in
the space of twenty-four hours. He tells us, that
from Sammonium to Egypt was four days and four
nights sailing, computed at five thousand furlongs ^,
i. e. five hundred and seventy-three of our statute
miles. To sail this distance in four days and four
nights, they must sail each twenty-four hours a
hundred and forty -three of our statute miles, which
is about six miles an hour. Herodotus confirms the
same thing, telling us, a ship would sail in twenty-
four hours one thousand three hundred furlongs^,
i. e. very near a hundred and forty-nme of our sta-
tute miles. Aristides says, that with a fair wind a
shi[) would easily make one thousand two hundred
furlongs "\ i. e. a hundred and thirty-seven one-
third of our miles ; and Polybius denies that they
could sail two thousand furlongs in a day ".
The historian proceeds. And when we had
launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, he-
cause the winds were contrary \ and when we had
sailed over the sea ofCiUcia and Pamphylia, we
came to Myra, a city of Lycia°. They sailed be-
tween Cyprus and Cilicia, and then along the Pam-
phylian coast to Lycia. And that these countries
are thus situated may be easily seen from Strabo's
description of them p, who will also teach us that
" L. lo. p. 475, C. ' Melpom.
■" Vid. Casaub. not. in lib. i. p. 35. Strab. p. 23. col. i.
" Cit. Strab. 1. i. p. 25, D. Vid. Casaub. not. p. 17. col. 1, D.
et col. 2, A. ° Ch. xxvii. 4, 5. p L. 14. p. 681, D.
346 THE HISTORY OF
Myra was in Lycia, seated upon a high hill about
twenty furlongs from the sea i.
The sacred historian further says, And there the
centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing into
Italy ; and he put us therein. And when we had
sailed slowly many days, and scarce were come
oner against Cnidus^. Alexandria was the metro-
polis of Egypt, between which and Italy was carried
on a very great commerce, so that there were ships
frequently passing from the one to the other, which
is particularly taken notice of by Strabo ^ We have
already observed from the same learned author, that
Cnidus is a city in Caria nearly opposite to the
island of Coos. In a former voyage the apostle
seems to have sailed from Coos to Patara, a city of
Lycia, further east than Myra, in two days. They
were now many days at sea, and made less way.
It is added, the wind not suffering us, we sailed
under Crete, over against Salmone *. The wind
not permitting them to bear out to sea, they sailed
close by the Cretan shore, near to the eastern end of
it, called by Strabo Samonium ", by Pliny Sammo-
7iium ^, with two m's ; by Dionysius, Salmonis y,
with an /, as in the History of the Acts ; and it is
called Ca2yo Salomon at this day '"■.
It is further added, a7id, hardly passing hy it,
came to a place which is called the Fair Havens,
nigh ivhereunto was the city of Lasea ^. There is
no mention of these places in Strabo. Stephanus
1 L. 14. p. 666, A. ■" Ch. xxvii. 6, 7. ^ L. 1 7. p. 793, A.
' Ch, xxvii. 7. " L. 10. p. 474, D. * L. 4. §. 20,
> Ver. 1 10. ''■ Vid, Hard. not. in Plin. 1. 4. §. 20. n. 7. et
Cell. Not. Orb. Ant. vol. i. 1. 2. c. 14. p. 8i8. " Ch. xxvii. 8.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 347
has a name near akin to the former. He tells us
that KaAv? 'Aktv], i. e. the Fair Shore, was a city in
Crete ^ ; but he does not say in which part of the
island it lay, and it is impossible for us to determine
whether it were the same place which St. Luke calls
the Fair Havens. This is the first place we have
met with that we have not abundant authorities for
from other authors : and considering how few of the
ancient writers are come down to us, it is much
more to be admired that we have not found many
such, than that we have met with this one. Dio-
dorus Siculus the historian names two cities in Crete
that are found in no other historian or geographer *=.
Polybius does the same '^. And even in that very
succinct account of affairs given us by Velleius Pa-
terculus is mentioned a city in Crete taken notice of
by no other writer*^. This is more common among
the geographers. Scylax speaks of three ^, Pliny
four ^, Ptolemy four '\ and Stephanus twenty-seven
cities •, the names of which are in no other authors
now extant.
There were not a few who anciently wrote the
history and geography of Crete ^. Had they been
preserved we should have had a much more distinct
and full account of the several parts of that island
'' De Urbibus. '^ Coeno et Tripodus. Vid. Meiirsii Creta.
^ Orii, 1. 4. p. 319, C. This indeed Meursius takes to be Ole-
rii, and that very probably, Diatonium. Excerpt. Legat. c, 45.
^ Mycenie, cap. 1 . p. i .
f Baucas, Ormisda, Pan. Vid. Meiirsii Creta.
s Clatos, Elaea, Lasos, Pylorus. Harduin, it is true, by his
emendations, has reduced these to one, which is Lasos, 1. 4. §.20.
^' Innacherium, Pannona, Poecilasium, Rhamnus. Vid. Meursii
Creta. ' Apea, Alba, Alloria, Anopolis, Aulon, Axus, Bien-
nus, &c. Vid. Meur. Creta. ^ Vid. Meur. Cret. cap. i.
348 THE HISTORY OF
than we now have. Doubtless there were many-
places in it which are not taken notice of by any of
the geographers or historians that are come down to
us. It is well known that Crete was very early in-
habited; and having the happiness of good laws
and excellent governors, it soon became a most po-
pulous, potent, and flourishing island, and most of
the Grecian states received their polity and laws
from thence ^ It is called by Homer cAraTo/ATroA/^ "^,
as having a hundred cities in his time : and those
hundred cities, we are told, were particularly named
by Xenion, in his History of Crete". Many of these
cities were in ruins long before the Acts of the Apo-
stles was wrote. Strabo is so very brief in his ac-
count of the island, that I think he mentions but
fourteen or fifteen of the cities which were standing,
and five only of those which were destroyed. I am
apt to think that not a few of those which are
named ])y the other geographers were of the number
of the destroyed. Of this sort most evidently was
the city Lasea, spoken of by St. Luke : for after he
had mentioned the Fair Havens, he adds, nigh
wliereunto was the city of Lasea, rjv iroXig Aaaaia,
the very phrase made use of by Strabo with regard
to Phaestus, one of the ancient cities of Crete, which
was destroyed, dug up, and turned into fields by the
Gortynians °. It is not very improbable that the
Lasos mentioned by Pliny might be the Lasea of
' Vid. Shuckford's Connect, vol. 3. "' Iliad. 1. 2. v. 156.
" Tzetzes in Lycoph. cit. Meur. cap. i. p. 2.
" L. 10. p. 479, C. «I>a(aTO(; Se ^v wjtt,. Vid. et 1. 13. p, 6l2. 'A/x-
^izffioi 8' rjuav, spoken of Lyrnessus and Thebes, A. fin. 'H xpvau
1JV. C. fin. 'Ei/TctvOa, 8e 'ij>6e«4 'A-nokKuvot; ko.) ij Xpv-
(TTjK, C. fin.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 349
St. Luke. It might be called by both names, as in
the same island the city Pergamum p was also called
Pergamea^. And though it be reckoned by Pliny
as an inland city, yet possibly it might be nearer to
the Fair Havens than any other city was, and there-
fore described by St. Luke as nigh thereunto.
The Fair Havens not being a place fit to winter
in, the sacred historian informs us that the greater
part of the passengers advised to depart thence, that
they might attain to Phoenice, a haven of Crete,
lying towards the south-west and north-west ^. This,
as I take it, and Meursius is of the same opinion,
is mentioned by Strabo under the name of Phoenix
Lampei^ It is certainly named both by Ptolemy
and Stephanus, and was a bishop's see at the time
of the council of Nice *.
It is afterwards said, that a tempest arising, they
ran under a certain island which is called Clauda ".
This is not taken notice of by Strabo ; for he omits
almost all the islands that lay nearest to Crete ^.
Ptolemy speaks of it, and describes it as lying at the
west end of Crete. It is also mentioned in the
Notitia Ecclesice as having a bishop y.
After this St. Luke says, theij were driven up
and down in Adria ^. And Strabo more than once
P Veil. Paterc. pr. Plin. 1. 4. §. 20.
') Virg. .^n. 1.3. V. J32. Plut. Lycurgo. Scylax. Vid. Cell.N.O.
Ant. vol. 1. 1. 2. c. 14. p. 820. What renders it the more likely
is, that Piiny does not confine himself to cities then in being.
He mentions Phaestiis, destroyed long before his time.
' Ch. xxvii. 12. "^ L. 10. p. 475, A.
' Vid. Cell.N.O. Antiq. vol. i. 1. 2. c 14. p. 817. et Meurs.
Cret. p. 54 et 55. " Ch. xxvii. 16. " Compare Strabo,
1, 10. p. 484, C. with Pliny, Ptolemy, and Mela.
y Vid. Cell. N. O. A. 1. 2. c. 14. p. 826. ^ Ch. xxvii. 27.
350 THE HISTORY OF
tells us that the Ionian sea was in his days called
Adria ^. The same we learn from Ovid ^, Philo-
stratus'^, and Pausanias*^. It is evident also from
St. Jerom and Orosius that this name reached quite
to the Afric shore : for Hilarion, sailing from Parae-
tonium in Egypt to Sicily, is said to pass through
the midst of Adria *= : and the Tripolitan province is
said by Orosius to be bounded on the north by the
Adriatic sea^ The same author tells us that the
island of Crete is bounded on the south by the
Libyan or African sea, which they also call the
Adriatic s. And Procopius says that the islands
Gaulus and Melita divide the Adriatic and Tuscan
sea ^\
The sacred historian informs us that they were
at length shipwrecked, but that all the passengers
escaped safe to land upon an island called Melita i.
This is said by Strabo to lie opposite to Pachynum,
a promontory of Sicily, which is described by him
as pointing eastwards towards the Peloponnesus and
the passage to Crete •<.
From Melita, it is said, they sailed in a ship of
Alexandria to Syracuse '. Syracuse, Strabo tells us,
=^L. 2. p. 123, D. 1. 7. p. 3 17, pr.
^ Faster. 1. 4. v. 501. Trist. 1. 1. Eleg. 10. v. 4.
•= L. 2. Imag. in Polemone, prop. fin. et de Vit. ApoU. 1. 4. c. 8.
p. t8i, C. '' Eliac. p. 174. 1. 13. Arcad. p. 281. 1. 33.
e In Vit. Hilarionis.
* Tripolitana provincia — habet a septentrione mare Sicuiiini,
vel potiiis Adriaticum. L. i. c. 2. p. 19.
^ Insula Creta finitur — a meridie Lybico, quod et Adriaticum
vocant. Ibid. p. 20.
'' In Vandal. 1. i. cap. 14, fin. p. 212. ' Ch. xxviii. i.
^ L. 6. p. 277, C. et p. 265, D. ef I. 17. p. 834, B. C.
' Ch. xxviii. 12.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 351
is a city on that side of Sicily which makes the
straits, i. e. the straits between Italy and Sicily •".
From Syracuse they sailed to Rhegium ". This city
Strabo places among the Bruttii°, and describes as
situate upon the coast of the straits between Italy
and Sicily, and names the straits themselves from
tliis city P ; and says, that from hence it is fifty fur-
longs sailing to the promontory of Leucopetra \
which is the end or toe of Italy ^
It is added by the sacred writer, and after one
day the south wind blew, and we came the next
day to PiiteoU ^ This, Strabo tells us, was a city
in Campania, a place of great trade, and an excel-
lent port S and more particularly, that it was the
port used by the Alexandrian ships ". And whoever
will consider the situation of the several parts of
Italy, as described by him, will easily perceive that
a south wind was the fairest to fill the sails, and
convey a ship from Rhegium to Puteoli^. In the
Greek of St. Luke is levrepahi ^\6oy.ev. They waited
one day at Rhegium for a fair wind, and the next
day the wind turning south, they set sail ; and two
days after they had set sail (for that the word ^ev-
>" L. 6. p. 267, B. C. " Ch. xxviii. 13.
« L. 6. p. 257, A. fin. B. P Ibid. p. 265, D.
n P. 259, A. >■ L. 5. p. 211, D.
^ Ver. 13. ^L. 5. p. 245, CD.
" L. 17. p. 793, A. Omnis in pilis Puteolorum turba consistit,
et ex ipso genere velorum Aiexandrinas, quamvis in magna turba
navium, intelligit, &c. Sen. ep. yy, pr. Titus went this way from
Alexandria to Rome. Suet. Tit. c. 5. n 4, 5. Festinans inltaliam,
cum Rhegiiun, dehinc Puteolos oneraria nave appulisset, Romam
inde contendit.
^ Vid. 1. 6. p. 266, CD. p. 259, A. 1. 5. p. 210, et seq.
352 THE HISTORY OF
Tepa7ot properly >' signifies) they arrived at Puteoli,
which they might easily do.
It is added, that as they went towards Rome,
the brethren came to meet them as far as Appii
Foriwi, and the Three Taverns'^. These places
are not taken notice of by Strabo, but they are both
mentioned by Tully **, and the former by Horace ^,
and were on the famous Via Appia that led from
Rome to Brundisium. And by the computation of
the Itinerarlum Antonini the latter was twenty-
three, the former forty-one Roman miles from the
city of Rome.
We have now examined the journeys and voyages
of St. Paul and his companions ; and of the numer-
ous places named therein we find but seven which
are omitted by Strabo, the chief of the ancient geo-
graphers that are come down to us. The rest are
described by him in exact agreement with the His-
tory of the Acts. Of the seven omitted by him, five
are fully and clearly spoken of by other ancient au-
thors. There remain only two therefore of which
a doubt can be admitted whether they are mentioned
by any of the ancient writers now extant. And of
these two one was a city that had been destroyed *",
y Vid. Raphelii Annot, ex Herod, p. 406. et ex Xenoph. p. 137.
^ Ver. 15.
■^ Ad Attic. I. 2. ep. 10. He dates the letter from Appii Forum,
and says, he had sent another but a little before from the Three
Taverns.
I' Sat. 1. r. 5. V. 3.
'^ The seven are Lystra, Amphipolis, the Fair Havens, Lasea,
Clauda, Ai)pii Forinn, and the Three Taverns. The two are, the
Fair Havens and Lasea. Of which the former, it is probable, is
the KaX); 'Aktv; of Stephanus, the latter the Lasos of Pliny.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 353
and for that reason probably neglected by the his-
torians and geographers that have reached our age.
§. 5. Most of the other places mentioned in the
History of the Acts are also to be found in Strabo.
Philip is directed by an angel to go towards the
south unto the way that goeth from Jerusalem to
Gaza, which is desert ', in order to meet the Ethio-
pian eunuch, who was returning from Jerusalem to
his own country. Agreeably hereto, Strabo describes
Gaza as desert, and places it towards Egypt, con-
sequently south of Jerusalem, and in the way to
Ethiopia ^
St. Paul says to Lysias, / am a man which am. a
Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no
mean city ^ Strabo tells us that Tarsus in Cilicia
was so famous for learning that it exceeded Athens,
Alexandria, and every place where philosophy and
other learning was taught : that Rome itself was a
witness of the multitude of learned men it pro-
duced ; for it was full of Tarsians and Alexan-
drians ^. And Josephus says it was the most cele-
brated city of all Cilicia, being the metropolis •'.
Strabo informs us that Damascus ' was a famous
city of Syria, if not the most renowned of all the
cities that lay in that part towards the Persian do-
minions k. That Joppa ^ was a seaport, whence Je-
'' Acts viii. 26, 27, 28.
«= L. 16. p. 759, C. Vid. etJoseph.de Bell. Jud. I.4. c. 11. §. ult.
*" Acts xxi. 39. xxii. 3. and ix. 11.
g L. 14. p. 673, C. to p. 675, D.
'' Ta^trs^ yap Trap' aiirotc, rZv itoKtuv ij a^ioXcyuTdrfi jt/.v)Tj;oTro>i «? oitra.
Ant. 1. 1. c. 6. §. I. p. 17.
' Mentioned Acts ix. 2, 3, 10. ^ L. 16. p. 756, A.
' Mentioned At;ts ix. 36, 42, 43.
Aa
m,.
354 THE HISTORY OF
rusalem, the metropolis of the Jews, might be seen :
that it lay near to Jamnia, and between Caesarea ^
and Azotus ". Saron ", Eusebius, and Jerom tell us,
was a plain that reached from Joppa to Caesarea p.
This in the LXX. is called Drumus 'i, and both
Strabo ^ and Josephus ^ speak of part of it at least
under that name. Strabo makes mention also of
Samaria and Galilee K In the History of the Acts
Samaria is the name both of a city and country ",
and so it is in Josephus'' and other writers y. Lydda%
though omitted by Strabo, is mentioned by Pliny %
Josephus ^, and many other authors ^. It is said in
the History of the Acts to be nigh unto Joppa '^.
We have not the number of miles between these
two places transmitted down to us, but enough is
said to convince us they could not be far the one
from the other. Strabo has told us that Joppa was
near to Jamnia, and in the Itinerarium Antonini is
™ Mentioned Acts viii. 40. " L. 16. p. 759, A. B.
" Mentioned Acts ix. 35.
p Vid. Reland. Palaest. 1. i. c. 32. p. 188. et Cell. N. O. Ant.
1, 3. c. 13. p. 321. '1 Is. Ixv. 10.
"■ L. 16. p. 758, fin. et 795, A. prop. fin.
=* De Bell. 1. i. c. 13. §. 2. et Antiq. 1. 14. c. 13. §. 3. Vid. et
LXX. in 4to Reg. xix. 23. Is. xxxvii, 24.
* L. 16. p. 760, D. " Ch. viii. I, 5.
* De Bell. 1. 3. c. 3. §. 4, &c. 7. §. 32. Antiq. I. 14. c. 4. §. 4,
prop. fin. et c. 5. §. 3- et 1. 15. c. 8. §. 5.
y Hieron. de Locis Hebr. cit. Cellar. N. O. Ant. 1. 3. c. 13.
P- 313-
'- Mentioned Acts ix. 32, 35. " L. 5. §. 15.
'^ Antiq. 1. 13. c. 4. §.9. p. 569, pr. 1. 14. c. 11. §. 2. et de Bell.
1. 2. c. 19. §. I. et 1. 3. c. 3. §. 5. et 1. 4. c. 8. §. i.
" Vid. Cell. N. O. A. 1. 3. c. 13. p. 322. et Reland. 1. 3. p. 877,
878. '" Ch. ix. 38.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 355
put down twelve Roman miles between Lydda and
Jamnia ^.
It is said of the apostle Peter and his friends, that
they set out one day from Joppa and entered Cse-
sarea the next ^. We have no account in the Iti-
nerarium of the distance from Joppa to Caesarea ;
but from Lydda, which was near to it, we have
three accounts. The Itinerarium Hierosolymita-
num makes it thirty-six Roman miles e. The Iti-
nerarium Antonini in one place makes forty '\ in
another fifty-nine \ The numbers in this last place
are probably corrupted. An Arab writer, quoted by
the learned Reland, says that the distance between
Joppa and Caesarea was thirty miles ; and Ptolemy
makes the difference of latitude to be twenty-five
minutes ^.
Caesarea is in the History of the Acts distin-
guished from Judaea. It is said of Herod Agrippa,
that he went down J'rom Judcea to Ccesarea ^ In
like manner the prophet Agabus is said to have
come down from Jiidcea to Ccesarea ™. Agreeably
hereto Strabo places Caesarea in Phoenicia °, and so
does Josephus ^. The latter gives a reason why it
could not be in that which was j^roperly Judaea ;
because the Jews would not have suffered Herod to
have built temples and erected images in their coun-
try, these things being forbidden them ; he therefore
chose foreign countries and cities to adorn and beau-
^ P. 32. called there Laninia, as also in the Peutingeriau
Tables. Vid. Reland. Pal. 1. 2. p. 419.
f Ch. X. 23, 24. 'i P. 154. '' P. 32. i P. 43.
^ Vid. Reland Pal. 1. 3. p. 675. et 1. 2. j). 460.
'Ch. xii. 19. '" Ch. xxi. 8. 10. " L. 16. p. 758,0.
° Antiq. 1. 15. C. 9. §.6. Kenrat [iXv yocp ij noXn; (v ttj i'oiv'tKri.
A a 2
356 THE HISTORY OF
tify in this manner p. For Herod had built a temple
to Augustus in Caesarea, and had placed a coloss or
large image of his therein i. Accordingly the Sy-
rians which inliabited Caesarea, in the quarrel they
had with the Jews about preference, tell them, that
when the city went by the name of Stratonis Turris,
i. e. before Herod built and adorned it, there was
not a Jew dwelt in it •■. Notwithstanding this, Jo-
sephus himself, in another part of his works, calls it
a city of Judaea ^. When he calls it so, he means by
Judaea the ancient seat of the twelve tribes, which
is a sense that both he * and other writers " some-
times put upon the word ; but not Judaea strictly
and properly taken, as distinguished from Samaria
and Galilee.
Lysias the chiliarch, or tribune, ordered that two
hundred soldiers, threescore horsemen, and two hun-
dred spearmen, should be ready at the third hour
of the night, i. e. about nine o'clock at night, to
bring St. Paul safe to Caesarea ^. St. Luke after-
wards says, that f/ie soldiers, as it was commanded
them, took Paid, and brought him hy night to An-
tipatrisy. Some learned men understand this as
V Ilo'Xe;? T£ KTt^uv, Kcti vacihi; iyuprnv, ovk iv t^ tuv 'lov^aiuv, ovhe yap
av rjvfa^ovro, ruv toiovtuv a,isriyopeviA€va)v i}[Mv, w? ayaXiMtTu Kai Ttwou?
l/.€jxop(l)U]iA,iyov(; rif/.a.v irpcx; tw '^KK-^vikIv Tpoirov, tvjv S' e^u ^tipav, ko.) xa?
woA€(? oi/'tw? KaT€aKfvaC,€TO. Ibid. §. 5.
'i De Bell. 1. i. c. 21. §. 7.
■■ Antiq. 1. 20. c. (7. Iluds. but the) 8. in truth, §. y, pr.
^ De ]3ell. 1. 3. c. 8. §. i, pr.
' Antiq. 1. I. C. 6. §. 2. Xavaaw; rrjv vvv 'lovhatav KuMvf^ivviv
oiKyjO'cx.i, an ainov Xavava/av Tcpoavjyopevffe.
" Hieron. Euseb. &c. cit. Reland. Palaest. 1. i. p. 35, 36.
" Acts xxiii. 23. y Ver. 31.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 357
done the same night ^, but there is not the least ne-
cessity of so understanding it. The order given by
Lysias was, that they should travel in the night-
time, that St. Paul's going to Caesarea might be con-
cealed from the Jews, and there might be no insur-
rection or attempt made to murder him. This order
the soldiers obeyed, and brought him to Antipatris
by night, but it is not said they did this in one
night. They might probably reach Nicopolis the
first night, and, resting there all day, go to Anti-
patris the next night. So, when it is said in the
verse immediately following, on the morrow they
left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to
the castle, it is not necessary to understand this as
though the two hundred soldiers and two hundred
spearmen went back to Jerusalem in one day : no ;
on the morrow after they arrived at Antipatris,
knowing that their prisoner was now safe from any
attempt of the Jews % and needed not so great a
guard, they returned towards the castle of Antonia,
from whence they set out.
Antipatris, Josephus informs us, was a city built
by Herod the Great, in honour of his father ^. In
the Mishna it is said to lie in the way from Jeru-
^ Vid. Cell. N. O. Ant. 1. 3. c. 13. p. 324.
" Cestius Gallus in his retreat, or rather flight from the siege
of Jerusalem, was pursued by the Jews to Antipatris. The reason
is, because from Jerusalem to Antipatris was a mountainous^ hilly
country, and they had great advantages over him ; but from Anti-
patris to C^esarea was a plain. They came off the mountainous
into a hilly country indeed at Nicopolis ; but the mountains lay
close by them from Nicopolis to Lydda, and from Lydda to An-
tipatris. Vid. Jos. de Bell. 1. 2. c. 19. §. 7, 8, 9. et 1. i. c. 4. §. 7.
et c. 21. §. 9.
^ Antiq. 1. 16, c. 5. §. 2.
A a 3
358 THE HISTORY OF
salem to Galilee '^. That it was in the road from
Jerusalem to Ca?sarea fully appears from the Itine-
rarium Hierosolymitcmum, and is sufficiently evi-
dent from Josephus 'I We are told by the same
author, that from Jerusalem to Caesarea was six
hundred furlongs ^ about sixty-eight and a half of
our statute miles ; but he has nowhere given us the
distance from Jerusalem to Antipatris. The Itine-
rarium Hierosolymitamim makes it forty-two Ro-
man miles, i. e. something more than thirty-eight of
our statute miles, twenty-two Roman miles from
Jerusalem to Nicopolis or Emmaus, ten miles thence
to Lydda, and ten more from Lydda to Antipatris ^
The learned Cellarius, to whom the world is
greatly indebted for the indefatigable pains he has
taken in collecting and clearing up the ancient geo-
graphy, supposes an error in the first of these num-
bers, and that instead of twenty-two it ought to be
but eight % taking for granted that Nicopolis is the
same with the Emmaus ^ mentioned in St. Luke's
Gospel '\ and by Josephus '' as sixty furlongs from
Jerusalem. So that, according to him, from Jeru-
'^ Gittin. 7. in. 7. cit. Reland. Pal. I. 3. p. 569.
'' De Bell. 1. 2. c. 19. §. i. et 1. 4. c. 8. §. i.
'^ Antiq, 1. 13. c. 1 1. §. 2. et de Bell. 1. i. c. 3. §. 5.
' A clay's journey to some who ran was one hundred and fifty
Roman miles, according to Pliny. To walkers, a day's journey,
according to Herodotus, is two hundred and fifty furlongs, some-
thing more than thirty-one miles. From Athens to Megara, ac-
cording to Auliis Gelliiis, twenty miles; according to Procopius,
more than twenty-six miles. A day's journey in the Gemara is
forty Roman miles ; in the Misna, from Jerusalem to Acrabba,
Lydda, or Jordan. Vid. Reland. Palest. 1. 2. c. i. p. 400, 401.
8 N. O. Ant. 1. 3. c. 13. p. 323. " Ibid. p. 340, 341.
' Ch. xxiv. 13. k De Bell. I. 7. c. 6. §. 6.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 359
salem to Antipatris was but twenty-eight Roman,
or about twenty-five and a half of our statute miles.
Agreeably hereto, Joannes Damascenus says it is
eighteen miles from Jerusalem to Lydda ^ Cellarius
judges this account to be confirmed by the History
of the Acts, understanding that the soldiers which
conducted St. Paul performed their journey to Anti-
patris the same night they set out "\ But Reland,
who has with great industry and learning given us
the geography of Palestine in particular, has, I think,
quite removed the foundation on which Cellarius
builds, and fully proved that the Emmaus which
was afterwards called Nicopolis was not the same
with that mentioned by St. Luke and Josephus as
sixty furlongs distant from Jerusalem, but another
Emmaus in the tribe of Dan, beyond Beth-horon,
between that and Lydda, and in the direct road
from Antipatris to Jerusalem ".
It is said in the History of the Acts, that the
mount called Olivet was from Jerusalem a sabbath-
day's journey o. A sabbath day's journey is explained
in the Syriac translation to be about seven furlongs.
Epiphanius says it was but six furlongs ^\ Mount
Olivet is by Josephus placed five furlongs from Je-
rusalem ^. In another part of his works he tells us
that Titus ordered part of his army to encamp, when
they were six furlongs distant from Jerusalem, on
' Vid. Cell. p. 322. "' P. 324. pauIo post ined.
" L. 2. c. 6. p. 426, &c. Vid. Jos. de Bell. 1. 2. c. 19. §. i. 8.
et 1. 4. c. 8. §. I. Cellarius himself proves that Beth-horon was
one hundred furlongs, or twelve miles, distant from Jerusalem.
Ibid. p. 325-
° Ch. i. 12. P Haer. 66. cit. Reland. Pal. 1. 2. p. 398.
'1 Antiq. 1. 20. c. (7. Huds. but should be) 8. §. 6.
A a 4
#
360 THE HISTORY OF
mount Olivet '". No doubt the mount of Olives was
five, six, seven, or more furlongs distant from Jeru-
salem, according to the part of the city reckoned
from, or the part of the mount to which the reckon-
ing was made.
Many learned men think, though this is not said
in the History, nor is there any necessity of so un-
derstanding it, that the reckoning here began from
that part of the mount from which our Lord ascended
to heaven. St. Luke tells us in his Gospel, that that
was from Bethany ^ But the town of Bethany,
St. John informs us, was fifteen furlongs from Jeru-
salem \ They suppose therefore, that a certain part
of the mount, extending some furlongs upwards
from the town or village, was called by the name of
Bethany ^, which is a very easy and natural supposi-
tion, all villages at this day communicating their
name to the whole tract of ground that belongs to
them.
But were it certain that the place from which our
Lord ascended was close adjoining to the town or
village of Bethany, and that the sacred historian
understood by a sabbath day's journey, the distance
of that village, the Talmudists have given such an
account of things as would clear this matter up.
They say that a sabbath day's journey is two thou-
sand cubits "". This is explained by the Jews to be
a Roman mile y. They held it lawful for a person
■^ DeBell. 1. 5. c. 2. §.3. •■* Ch. xxiv. 50, 51. 'Ch.xi. 18.
" Light. V. I. p. 252. V. 2. p. 304. et 485. Vid. et Wolf. Cur.
in Matt. xxi. i .
" Seld. de Jure Nat. et Gent. 1. 3. c. 9. p. 314, &c. Light.
vol. I. p. 252. et vol. 2. p. 485, fin. Buxt. Lex. Talm. p. 2582.
>• lie!. Pal. I. 2. c. I. p. 396, 397.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 361
to walk as far as he pleased in any city. The reck-
oning of two thousand cubits did not commence till
he was out of the city. And if the learned Buxtorf
has represented their sense rightly, they included
the suburbs also under the name of the city ^, and
the suburbs were always two thousand cubits more.
These, put together, make a sabbath-day's journey
about two Roman miles from the walls of the city,
which is about the distance that Bethany was from
Jerusalem.
It is very certain the Talmudists have laid down
such rules for the measurement of their sabbath-
day's journey from any city or town, that they fre-
quently included large spaces beyond the utmost
houses of the town, sometimes two thousand cubits %
and thereby took in neighbouring towns or villages.
With regard to Jerusalem in particular, Bethphage,
which we learn from the sacred writers was situate
upon Olivet, and from others that it was a mile
distant from Bethany, is by the Talmudists reck-
oned as a part of Jerusalem ''. Hence, therefore, a
sabbath-day's journey reaches Bethany. St. Luke,
speaking in the Acts of the Apostles after the Jew-
ish manner, a sahhath-daifs journey, must be sup-
posed to reckon as they did, i. e. from Bethphage.
St. John, speaking after the Roman manner, reckons
from the walls of Jerusalem.
' Lex. Tal. p. 2583.
■' Light, vol. 2. p. 304. Seld. de Jur. Nat. 1. 3. c. 9, p. 317,
318,319-
'' Buxt. Lex, Tal. p. 1691. Light, vol. i. p. 252. vol. 2. p. 37,
39. 40-
THE HISTORY OF
CHAP. XI.
The principal facts confirmed.
HAVING considered the several incidental and
circumstantial things mentioned in the History of
the Acts, and seen how far they are confirmed by
other authors, I now proceed to the principal mat-
ters therein related, which are the propagation of
the Christian reHgion, and the miraculous means
made use of to accomplish it. The writer of this
History gives a plain narration of the fulfilment
which Christ made of his promise to endue his fol-
lowers with power from on high, and of their spread-
ing the gospel doctrine by their preaching, and the
wonders they wrought through some of the most
known parts of the Roman empire, together with
the opposition that was made to it ; but this so very
briefly, that it is evident he omits many more things
than he records. In endeavouring to shew how far
what he says is confirmed by other authors, I shall
begin with those who lived at the time when the
things themselves were transacted. Through the
good providence of God there are some pieces come
down to us which were written by the persons prin-
cipally concerned in the facts recorded. I mean the
Gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, and St. John, to-
gether with the Epistles of the holy apostles, most of
which were sent before the History of the Acts was
finished, and contain an ample confirmation of well-
nigh all the things therein related.
J. 1. In this History is frequent mention made of
the baptism of John, the forerunner of our Lord ^
" Ch. i. 22. xiii. 24. xviii. 25. and xix. 3, 4.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 363
John verily hapthed with the baptism of repent-
ance, saying unto the people, that they should be-
lieve on him which should come after him, that is,
on Christ Jesus ^. Accordingly we read in the Gos-
pel of St. Mark, that John did baptize in the wil-
derness, and preach the baptism of repentance '^.
And in all three of the Gospels we are told that he
referred to Christ, who should come after him. And
St. John expressly says, that the intention hereof
was, that the people might believe on him : He
came for a witness, to bear witness of the Light,
that all men through him might believe ^. Another
saying of John the Baptist is recorded in the Acts,
Whom think ye that I am f I am 7iot he. But, be-
hold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes of his
feet I am 7iot worthy to loose ^. And agreeably
hereto, in the Gospel of St. John, the Baptist is in-
troduced, saying, Ye yourselves bear me witness,
that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am
sent before him ^. And the other part of the saying,
Behold, there cometh one after me, whose shoes'
latchet I am not worthy to loose, is mentioned by
all the three evangelists ^.
It is represented in the Acts, that when our Lord,
immediately before his ascension, ordered his dis-
ciples not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for
the promise of the Father, he added. For John truly
baptized with water ; but ye shall be baptized with
the Holy Ghost not many days hence ''. And in
the Gospel of St, Mark, John the Baptist says, There
cometh one mightier than I after me, the latchet
t^ Ch. xix. 4. " Ch. i. 4. '" Ch. i. 7.
^ Ch. xiii. 25. ^ Ch. iii. 28. et i. 20.
g Matt. iii. 1 1. Mark i. 7. .John i. 27. '' Ch. i. 5. etxi. i6.
364 THE HISTORY OF
of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down to
unloose. I indeed ham hapt'med you with water,-
hut he shall hapthe you with the Holy Ghost'.
And much to the same purpose in the other two
Gospels ^\
It is said in the Acts, that the preaching of Jesus
began from Galilee, after the baptism which John
preached '. And thus it is represented in the three
Gospels : St. Matthew says, Now when Jesus had
heard that John was cast into 2)rison, he departed
into Galilee. From that time Jesus began to
preach, and say. Repent: for the kingdom of
heaven is at hand''\ And St. Mark: Now after
that John was put into prison, Jesus came into
Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of
God-.
§. 2. It is added in the Acts, that the word
preached by Jesus was 2mblished throughout all
Judcea °. And we read both in St. Matthew and
St. Mark, that Christ not only preached himself in
the cities of Judaea, but that he chose twelve, whom
he sent on the same errand i'. St. Peter is repre-
sented in the Acts as saying to the Jews that Jesus
of Nazareth was approved of God among them by
miracles, and wonders, and signs, which God did
by him in the midst of them, appealing to their own
knowledge of the fact, as ye yourselves also know 'J.
And in another place, to Cornelius and his friends,
Jesus of Nazareth went about doing goody and
' Ch. i. 7, 8. '' Matt. iii. ii. John i. 26, 27, 33,
' Ch. X. 36, 37. et xiii. 24. "" Ch. iv. 12, 17.
" Ch. i. 14. See also John i. 43, &c. et ii. i — 1 1.
" Ch. X. 37. P Matt. X. 5, 6, 7. Mark vi. 7. 1 2. 30.
'1 Ch. ii. 22.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 365
healing all that were oppressed of the Devil^'. And
that our blessed Lord went about from place to
place, both in Galilee and Judaea, not only preaching
repentance, and the gospel kingdom, but also heal-
ing the diseased and the lame, and performing the
greatest miracles, is the known subject of the three
Gospels.
It is said in the Acts, that he chose him apostles ;
and the names of the eleven, which were then living,
are recorded ^. His choosing twelve apostles is par-
ticularly related by St. Mark, and both St. Matthew
and St. Mark give us their names S all which, ex-
cepting one, are the same with those in the Acts.
The twelve are represented in the Acts as having
been with Christ from the beginning of his ministry,
or from John's baptism, and as his witnesses to the
people ". Accordingly, in St. John's Gospel, Jesus
says to the twelve. And ye also shall hear witness,
because ye have been with me from the beginning^.
In the Acts Jesus tells them, Ye shall be ivitnesses
unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, a?id
in Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the
earth y. And in the Gospels of St. Matthew and
St. Mark, he commissions them to go teach all na-
tions ^ : Go ye into all the world, and ptreach the
gospel unto every creature ^.
J. 3. The circumstances of our Lord's trial and
death, referred to in the Acts, agree exactly with
^Ch. X. 38. ^ Ch. i. 2. 13.
* Matt. X. I — 4. Mark iii. 14, &c. et vi. 30. See also John vi.
" Ch. i. 8, 21, 22. ii. 32. iii. 15. iv. 13, 33. v. 32. and xiii.31.
* Ch. XV. 27. y Ch. i. 8. ^ Matt, xxviii. 19, 20.
^ Mark xvi. 15,
366 THE HISTORY OF
the relation in the three Gospels. St. Paul is intro-
duced as saying, Those that dwell at Jerusalem^
and their rulers, though theij found no cause of
death m him, yet desired they Pilate that he shoidd
he slain ^ And both St. Matthew and St. Mark tell
us, that though the chief priests and Jewish council
sought for witness against Jesus, yet they found
none '^ : that, notwithstanding, they were urgent with
Pilate to crucify him'^: and this, though he declared
that he found no fault in him ^. The apostle Peter
is represented in the Acts as speaking to the Jews
in this manner concerning our Saviour ; Whom ye
delivered up, and denied him in the presence of
Pilate, when he was determined to let him go. But
ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired
a murderer to he granted unto you ^. Both St. Mat-
thew and St. Mark tell us, when the chief priests
and elders of the people had bound Jesus, they led
him away, and delivered him to Pontius Pilate the
Roman governor s. And St. John, When Pilate said
unto them. Shall I crmcify your King f the chief
priests answered, IVe have no king hut Ctssar^.
And all three relate, that when Pilate would have
released unto them Jesus, the Jews asked Barabbas',
who, St. Mark says, had been guilty of sedition, and
had committed murder ^. St. John further adds, that
Pilate sought to release Jesus, hut the Jews cried
^ Ch. xiii. 28. <" Matt. xxvi. 59, 60. Mark xiv. 55.
'' Matt, xxvii. 22, 23. Mark xv. 13, 14.
^ Matt, xxvii. 24. John xviii. 38. and xix. 4.
* Ch. iii. 13, 14. S5 Matt, xxvii. i, 2. Mark xv. i.
'' Ch. xix. 15.
' Matt, xxvii. 17, 18, 20. Mark xv. 9, 10, 1 1. John xviii. 39, 40.
^ Ch. XV. 7.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 867
out. If thou let this man go, thou art not Ccesar's
friend^. St. Peter, in the History of the Acts, says
to the Jews concerning our Lord, Whom ye have
crucified "' ; whom ye slew, and hanged on a tree ".
And in another place more fully. Him ye have
taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and
slain °. And all the three Gospels relate, that it was
wholly at the instigation of the Jews that Pilate
crucified Jesus.
^. 4. The same apostle, addressing himself to the
disciples, asserts, that Judas, who was numbered
with us, and had obtained part of this ministry,
was guide unto them that took Jesus p. In all the
three Gospels it is said, that Judas betrayed Jesus "^ ;
and that the manner in which he betrayed him was
by being guide to the officers who were sent to ap-
prehend him \ And both St. Matthew and St. Mark
expressly affirm, that this Judas was one of the
twelve apostles, whom he had chosen ^. St. Peter
further adds, Now this man 'purchased afield with
the reward of iniquity ; and falVmg headlong, he
burst asunder in the midst, and all his bowels
gushed out. And it was known unto all the dwell-
ers at Jerusalern ; insomuch as that field is called
in their proper tofigue, Aceldama, that is to say,
the Field of Blood K St. Mark tells us, that the
chief priests promised to give money to Judas for
the betraying of Jesus ". St. Matthew is more par-
'Ch. xix. 12. '" Ch. ii. 36. and iv. lo. " Ch. v. 30. andx. 39.
°Ch. ii. 23. P Ch. i. 16, 17.
'1 John xiii. 2, 10, 11, 21, 26.
«■ Matt. xxvi. 47, 48, 49. Mark xiv. 43, 44, 45. John xviii. 2, 3.
s Matt. X. 4. Mark in. 19. ' Acts i. 18, 19.
" Ch. xiv. 10, II.
368 THE HISTORY OF
ticular, and says they contracted with him for thirty
pieces of silver^. He informs us afterwards, that
this sum was actually paid him y ; that a field was
purchased with it ^ ; and that it was called the Field
of Blood''; and that Judas made a bad end^.
^. 5. St. Paul is introduced in the Acts as saying,
A.7id when they had fulfilled all that was written
of him, they took him down from the tree, and laid
him in a sepulchre "". The taking down the body
of Jesus from the cross, and laying it in a sepulchre,
is related by all three evangelists ^. And that he
was buried is particularly mentioned by St. Paul in
his First Epistle to the Corinthians *^. The resur-
rection of Christ from the dead is frequently insisted
on in the Acts of the Apostles ^ And it is said, that
he was seen by, and conversed with, his disciples
many days after he arose ^, to whom he shewed
himself alive after his passion hy many infallible
proofs '\ The resurrection of Christ is particularly
related in each of the three Gospels, as also that he
was seen by and conversed with his disciples for a
considerable time '. The same thing is also con-
firmed in the Epistles : St. Paul says to the Corinth-
ians, that Christ rose again the third day, and
was seen of Cephas, then of the twelve. After that,
he was seen of above five hundred brethren at
once; after that, he was seen of James ; then of
^ Matt. xxvi. 15. > Ch. xxvii. 3, 5. ^ Ch. xxvii. 7.
•' Ver. 8, '' Cli. xxvii. 5. " Ch. xiii. 29.
'^ Matt, xxvii. 59, 60. Mark xv. 46. John xix. 40, 41, 42.
'^ Ch. XV. 4.
f Ch. i. 22. ii. 24, &c. iii. 15. iv. 10, 33. v. 30. and xvii. 31.
R Ch. xiii. 31. and i. 3. '' Ch. i. 3.
■ Matt, xxviii. Mark xvi. John xx. and xxi.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 369
all the apostles^. And St. John informs us, that
when the other disciples had seen Jesus, Thomas
not being with them, he declared, that except he
should see in his hands the print of the nails, and
put his finger into the print of the nails, and
thrust his hand into his side, he would not believe :
and that our Lord coming again to his disciples,
when Thomas was with them, did accordingly sa-
tisfy him : Reach hither thy finger, and behold
my hands ; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust
it into my side ^ To which also the same apostle
probably refers in the beginning of his First Epistle,
when he says. And our hands have handled of the
Word of life. St. Peter is represented as saying to
Cornelius and his friends. Him God raised up the
third day, and shelved him openly ; not to all the
peojjle, but unto witnesses chose^i before of God,
even to us, ivho did eat and drink with him after
he rose from the dead^^. St. Mark says, tliat after
his resurrection he appeared to the eleven as they
sat at meat ". And St. John naming eight of his dis-
ciples, among whom was Peter, who went a fishing,
Jesus shewed himself to them ; and having prepared
broiled fish and bread, invited them to come and
dine with him ^.
^. 6. There is a particular relation in the Acts of
his being received up into heaven in the view of his
apostles P. St. Stephen also is represented as seeing
him in heaven standing on the right hand of God ''.
And we read in the Gospel of St. John, that he not
^ I Cor. XV. 4 — 7
See
Rom.
i. 4
. iv.
25
. vi
• 5-
and
viii.
II.
Cor. vi. 14.
2 Cor.
iv.
14.
Phil, i
lii. 1
[O.
1 V
•et.
i. 3.
and
iii.
21.
' John XX.
24. 25.
27
"-• Act
S X.
40,
41
"
(h.
xvi.
14.
° Gh. xxi. )
[. 2. 9. 1
13-
!■ Ch. i
• 9'
10.
n
Acts vii.
55.
5^^-
Bb
370 THE HISTORY OF
only foretold the manner of his death and his resur-
rection, but liis ascension into heaven *". Go to my
hrethren, and say unto tJiem^ I ascerid unto my
Father and your Father. And St. Mark tells us, He
was received up into heaven^ and sat on the right
hand of God ^. The same thing is frequently as-
serted in the Epistles. St. Peter says, He is gone
into heaven^ and is on the right hand of God;
angels arid authorities and powers being made
subject to him I And St. Paul says, He is passed
into the heavens^; is made higher than the hea-
vens " ; is ascended up far above all heavens y ;
where he sitteth at the right hand of God ^ ; far
above all principalittj , and power, and might, and
dominion, and every name that is named, not only
in this world, but also in that which is to come *.
^. 7. We read in the History of the Acts of the won-
derful effusion of the Holy Ghost upon the disciples
after our Lord's ascension to heaven ^ ; that the apo-
stles were enal)led to confer the miraculous gifts of
the Spirit on others by laying their hands on them ^ ;
and that the apostle Paul in particular bestowed
these extraordinary endowments '^ In exact agree-
ment herewith, the apostle Paul says in his Epistle
to the Ephesians, that ivhen Christ ascended on
high, he gave gifts unto men^; describes what
those gifts were, and how they were divided and
distributed, in his First Epistle to the Corinthians ^ ;
'^ Ch. XX. 17. and xvi. 16. 28. See vi. 62. and iii. 13.
* Ch. xvi. 19. '^ I Pet. iii. 22. " Heb. iv. 14.
* Heb. vii. 26. y Eph. iv. 10. ^ Col. iii. i.
" Eph. i. 20, 21. See Rom. viii. 24. Heb. i. 3. viii. i. x. 12.
and xii. 2. '^ Ch. ii. ^ Ch. viii. 17, 18. '' Ch. xix. 6,
'^ Eph. iv. 8. f Ch. xii. xiii. and xiv. See al.so ch. i. 5, 6, 7.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 371
makes mention of them in his other Epistles s, and
professes his desire of imparting them to the Ro-
mans •'. We read also in this History, that many
among the Christian converts were prophets, and
enabled to foretell things to come '. Agreeably here-
to, we find in St. Paul's Epistles, that prophesying
was one of the extraordinary gifts bestowed liy
Christ on his followers ''.
We read in the Acts, that the apostle Peter gave
strength and soundness to the lame ^, healed the pa-
ralytic "*, raised the dead " ; and that by the hands
of the apostles ivere many signs and wonders
wrought among the people; insomuch that they
brought forth the sick into the streets, and laid
them on beds and couches, that at least the shadow
of Peter passifig by might overshadow some of
them. There came also a multitude out of the
cities round about unto Jerusalem, bringing sick
folks, and them which were vexed with unclean
spirits, and they were healed every one°. It is
also said of Stephen the protomartyr, that, full of
faith and power, he did great miracles among the
people P ; and of Philip, one of the seven deacons
chosen with Stephen, that the people of Samaria
gave heed unto the things which he spake, hearing
and seeing the miracles which he did. For un-
clean spirits, crying with a loud voice, ca^ne out of
*=' Rom. viii. 23. and xii. 6, 7, 8. 2 Cor. i. 22. and v. 5. Gal. iii.
2. 5. Eph. i. 13. and iv. 30. Heb. vi. 4.
'' Rom. i. I [. See Whitby on the place.
' Ch. xi. 27, 28. xiii. i. and xxi. 9, 10, 11.
'' Eph. iv. 1 1. I Cor. xii. 28. and xiv. 29, &c.
' Ch. iii. 2. viii. 8. ^ Ch. ix. 33, 34. " Ver. 40.
'^ Acts V. 12. 15. t6. p Acts vi. 8.
B b 2
372 THE HISTORY OF
mamj that were jwssessecl: and many taleen ivith
pah'ies, and that ivere lame, were healed'^. In
agreement herewith it is written in the Epistle to
the Hebrews, How shall we escape, if we neglect
so great salvation ; ivhich at the first began to he
spoken hij the Lord, and teas confirmed unto us hy
them that heard him ; God also bearing than wit-
ness both with signs and wonders, and ivith divers
miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according
to his own wilP'^ And in the conclusion of the
Gospel according to St. Mark, So then, after the
Lord had spoken unto them, i. e. the eleven apo-
stles, he teas 7'eceived up into heaven, and sat on
the right hand of God. And they ivent forth, and
preached every where, the Lord working with
them, and co7ifirming the word with signs fol-
lowing ^
^. 8. Many and great miracles are related in the
History of the Acts to be wrought by St. Paul and
his fellow-labourers in their preaching the gospel to
the Gentiles \ And agreeably hereto, St. Paul says
in his Epistle to the Corinthians, Truly the signs
of an apostle ivere ivr ought amongst you i?i all
patioice, in sig?is, and wonders, and mighty
deeds''. And in that to the Romans, / will not
dare to speak of any of those things which Christ
has not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obe-
dient hy word and deed, through mighty signs and
ivonders, by the power of the Spirit of God ; so
that from Jerusalem, and round about unto Illy-
ricum, I have fully preached the gospel of Christ^.
'! Ch. viii.6. 7. 13. ' Ch. ii. 3, 4. '^ Ch. xvi. 19, 20.
' Ch. xiii. II. xiv. 3. 8. xv. 12. xvi. 18. xix. 11, 12. xx. 10, 1 i.
and xxviii. 5. 8. 9. " 2 Cor, xii. 12. ^ Ch. xv. 18, 19.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 373
I make not the least doubt but the apostles wrought
miracles in every city where they came with a view
to preach the gospel, and make converts. St. Luke
is so very succinct in his History of the Acts, that
he often omits them. He gives us an account only
of a miracle or two wrought at Philippi in his whole
relation of St. Paul's second journey from Antioch
to the west, when he converted a great part of Ma-
cedonia and Achaia ; though it is evident, from St.
Paul's own Epistle already quoted, that he at that time
did many signs and wonders at Corinth. And that
he did the same at Thessalonica is not obscurely in-
timated in his First Epistle to the Thessalonians y.
We read nothing in the Acts of the Apostles of
what St. Paul did in Galatia the first time, more
than that he went through it ^ And all that is
added the second time he was there is, that he ivent
over all the country of Galatia, strengthening all
the discijiles ^. Which indeed is an intimation, that
the first time he was there he preached the gospel
among them, and made converts. But from his
Epistle to the Galatian churches it is fully evident
that he wrought miracles among them, and con-
ferred on them the gifts of the Holy Spirit. For
he asks them, He that ministereth to you the
Spitit, and worketh miracles among you, doth he
it by the works of the law, or by the hearing of
faith^f
J. 9. We are told in the Acts, that great oppo-
sition was made by the unbelieving Jews to the
V Ch. i. 5. ^ Acts xvi. 6. ^ Ch. xviii. 23.
'' Gal. iii. 3.5. That he means himself, is evident from the
whole tenor of the Epistle. See ch. i. 6. and iv. 11. 13. 14. 19.
B b 3
374 THE HISTORY OF
spreading of the gospel, and that a severe persecu-
tion was raised against the disciples of Christ in
Judaea, such which occasioned their dispersion ^. Of
this persecution particular notice is taken by St.
Paul in his Epistles. He says to the Thessalonians,
F^or 1/e, bref/ire?i, hecame followers of the churches
of God which in Judaea are in Christ Jesus : for
ye also have suffered like things of your own coun-
trymen, even as they have of the Jews '^. And he
exhorts the Hebrews in his Epistle to them, Call to
rememhrance the former days, in which, after ye
were illuminated, ye endured a great fight of af-
flictions; partly, whilst ye ivere made a gaiiing-
stoch both by repi'oaches and afflictions ; and
j)artly, whilst ye became companions of them that
were so used^. St. Paul himself is represented in
the History of the Acts as having been forward,
zealous, and active in this persecution f. He fre-
quently affirms the same thing in his Epistles, say-
ing to the Galatians, Ye have heard of my conver-
sation in time past in the Jews' i^eligion, how that
beyond measure I persecuted the church of God,
and wasted it^ ; and telling the Corinthians, that
he was the lea^t of the apostles, and not meet to be
called an apostle, because he had persecuted the
church of God ^\
J. 10. He is introduced into the History as say-
ing, that he was broitght up at Jerusalem at the
feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the per-
fect manner of the law of the fathers, and in the
^ Acts viii. I. and xi. 19. ''1 Thess. ii. 14.
« Heb. X. 32, 33. ^ Ch. vii. 58. viii. i. ix. x, 2. xxii. 4, 5.
and xxvi. 9, 10, 1 1. « Ch. i. 13.
'' 1 Cor. XV. 9. 8ee Gal. i. 23. Phil. iii. 6. i Tim. i. 13.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 375
most straitest sect of their religion lived a Pha-
risee \ Agreeably hereto, in his Epistles he de-
clares, that he jwojited in the Jews' religion above
many his equals in his own nation^ being more
exceedingly zealous of the tradition of his fathers,
and as touching the law was a Pharisee ^. In the
History is an account of Christ's appearing to him
in his way to Damascus ^ The same is plainly al-
luded to in his Epistle to the Galatians "^, in which
also he mentions two of his journeys to Jerusalem " ;
and both of them are related in the History of the
Acts : that, three years after his conversion, when
he escaped from the Jews of Damascus ° ; and the
other, fourteen years after his conversion, when he
went up with Barnabas from Antioch to consult the
apostles and elders whether the believing Gentiles
were to be circumcised p.
St. Luke has omitted the relation of his journey
into Arabia, and his reprehension of the apostle
Peter at Antioch, both mentioned by himself in his
Epistle to the Galatians 'J ; as also the severe suffer-
ings he enumerates in his Second Epistle to the
Corinthians, Of the Jews jive times received I
forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with
rods, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a
day have I been in the deep ■■. These things it is
likely might happen the first nine or ten years after
St. Paul's conversion, during which time he preached
the gospel in Arabia ^ Syria, and Cilicia '. For of
' Acts xxii. 3. xxiii, 6. and xxvi. 5. *>' Gal. i. 14. Phil. iii. 5.
' Acts ix. 3, &c. xxii. 6. and xxvi. 12. '" Ch. i, 15, 16, 17.
" Gal. i. 18. and ii. i. " Acts ix. 26. p Ch. xv. 2.
^ Ch. i. 17. and ii. 1 1, &c. ^ Ch. xi. 24, 25. « Gal. i. 17.
t Gal. i. 21.
Bb4
376 THE HISTORY OF
this part of his life the book of the Acts gives us a
very brief history, probably because St. Luke was
not then with him. We are told indeed in the Acts,
as well as in his Epistle to the Galatians, of his
spending part of this time at Tarsus in Cilicia ", and
of his preaching a whole year at Antioch in Syria ^.
We learn from the History, that f/ie Jews at
Damascus took counsel to kill kim, and watched
the gates day and night to that e?id ; but their
lying in wait being known, the disciples took him
by nighty and let him down hy the wall in a
basket^. The same providential escape is related
by himself in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians ^
He is represented in the Acts as telling the people,
that while he jwayed in the temple at Jerusalem,
he was in a trance, and saw the Lord^. The same
heavenly vision is referred to by him in his Second
Epistle to the Corinthians ^. There is frequent men-
tion made in the Acts of his mission to the Gentiles
in particular. Thus, while he was in the trance we
have just now spoken of, the Lord says to him, De-
jjart, for I will send thee far hence to the Gen-
tiles ^. He dwells upon the same very often in his
Epistles, calling himself the apostle of the Gen-
tiles '^5 magnifying his office as such, the minister of
Jesus Christ to the Gentiles^, the teacher of the
Gentiles ^
" Ch. ix. 30. and xi. 25, 26. "* Ch. xi. 26.
> Acts ix. 23, 24, 25. ' Ch. xi. 32, 33.
-' Ch. xxii. 17, 18. '' Ch. xii.
'^ Ch. xxii. 21. See Acts ix.15. xiii. 2. and xxvi. 17, 18.
'' Koni. xi. 13. '^ Rom. xv. 16.
' 2 Tim. i. 1 1. See Gal. i. 15, 16. and ii. 8. Eph. iii. 1 — 8.
I 'J'im. ii. 7. IMiil. ii. 17.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 377
That St. Paul preached the gospel both at Phi-
lippi and Thessalonica, cities of Macedonia, we are
particularly informed in the History of the Acts s.
And that he did so, is fully evident from the Epistles
yet extant, which he wrote to the churches in those
two cities ''. We are told in the Acts, that St. Paul
and his fellow-labourer Silas were stripped, scourged,
imprisoned, and their feet made fast in the stocks at
Philippi \ He gives a plain, though brief hint of
these his sufferings in his Epistle to the Philip-
pians^. He speaks of them more largely in his First
Epistle to the Thessalonians : Even after that we
had suffered before, and were shamefully entreated,
as ye know, at Philippi, we were hold in our God
to speah unto you the gospel of God^. Hence it is
also evident that he preached first at Philippi, and
afterwards at Thessalonica, according as is related
in the History of the Acts'". Which is likewise
confirmed by the latter part of his Epistle to the
Philippians : Now, ye Philippians, know also, that
in the beginning of the gospel, when I departed
from Macedonia, no church communicated with me
concerning giving and receimng, hut ye only. For
even in Thessalonica ye sent once and again unto
my necessities ".
It is said in the same History, that the unbeliev-
ing Jews at Thessalonica, moved with envy, took
s Ch. xvi, i2,&c. xvii. i.&c.
'' Phil. i. 30. I Thess. i. 5, 6, 7. ii. i, 2, 3, &c. and iv. i,&c.
2 Thess, iii. 7, &c. See Polycarp's Epistle to the Philippians,
who mentions Paul's having preached there, and his writing an
Epistle to them.
' Ch. xvi. 22,23, 24. ^ Ch. i. 30. ' Ch. ii. 2.
"1 Ch. xvi. and xvii. " Ch. iv. 15, 16.
378 THE HISTORY OF
unto them certain lewd fellows of the baser sori^
and gathered a company^ and set all the city on
an uproar, and assaulted the house of Jason, and
sought to bring them (i. e. Paul and Silas) out to
the people. And when they found them not, they
drew Jason and certain brethren unto the riders
of the city, crying. These that have turned the
world upside down, are come hither also; whom
Jason hath received : and these all do contrartj to
the decrees of CcBsar, saying that there is another
king, one Jesus. And they troubled the people,
and the rulers of the city, when they heard those
things. And wheti they had taken security of Ja-
son, and of the others, they let them go°. St. Paul,
in his First Epistle to the Thessalonians, wrote not
long after he had left them, upon the account of
these troubles, referring to them, says, that they re-
ceived the word in much affliction p ; and tells them,
that he had sent Timothy to them to establish them,
that no man should be moved by these afflictions ;
adding, I^or verily, when we were with you, we
told you before that we should suffer trihidation ;
even as it came to pass, and ye know ^. The ma-
gistrates, having taken bail of Jason and other bre-
thren, it is probable, soon after brought them to a
trial for the crimes laid to their charge, and set a
severe fine upon them. Thus much seems intimated
by the apostle when he says in this Epistle, For ye,
brethren, became followers of the churches of God,
ivhich in Judaea are in Christ Jesus ; for ye also
have suffered like things of your own comitrymen,
even as they have of the Jews'. And one part of
" Acts xvii. 5 — 9. 1' (;h. i. 6. 'i Ch. iii. i — 4. "■ Ch. ii. 4.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 379
their sufferings, he tells us, in his Epistle to the
Hebrews, was the spoiling of their goods ^. And in
his Second Epistle to the Thessalonians he highly
commends the Thessalonians for their patient bear-
ing these afflictions, as matter of great praise and
glory : So that we ourselves glory in you in the
churches of God for your 'patience and faith in all
your persecutions and tribulations that ye endure *.
We are told in the Acts, that the unbelieving Jews
of Thessalonica followed St. Paul to Beroea, stirred
up the people against him, and drove him from
thence also ". And indeed it appears from that His-
tory, that it was the constant practice of the unbe-
lieving Jews in every place to oppose the apostle
and his companions in preaching the gospel, and to
stir up the people and magistrates against them ".
And this is no other than what the apostle himself
fully declares in his First Epistle to the Thessalo-
nians, where, speaking of the Jews, he says, Who
both lulled our L,ord Jesus, and their ow7i pro-
phets, and have persecuted us, and please not God,
and are contrary to all men: forbidding us to
speak to the Gentiles that they might he savedv.
He represents it as their general practice to hinder
him and his companions from preaching to the Gen-
tiles the great things of their salvation.
J. 11. We read in the History of the Acts, that
St. Paul preached in the city of Corinth z. This is
fully confirmed to us by the two Epistles he wrote
* Heb. X. 34. ' Ch. i. 4. " Ch. xvii. 13, 14.
" See Acts xiii. 50. xiv. 5. 19. xviii. 12. and xix. 9.
> Ch. ii. 15, 16. ' Ch. xviii.
380 THE HISTORY OF
to the Corinthians ^ We find also in the same His-
tory, that Apollos, a convert from among the Jews,
an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, did
for a time teach at Corinth, after St. Paul had
planted the gospel there ^. This is confirmed by St.
Paul's First Epistle to the Corinthians : JJ^io then
is Paul, and who is Ajmllos, but ministers hy
wJiom ye believed^ even as the Lord gave to every
man f I have planted, Apollos watered^. Apollos
was with St. Paul at Ephesus when he wrote this
letter ''. And many years after he orders Titus to
bring him on his way ^. Crispus, the chief ruler of
the synagogue, is mentioned in the Acts as one of
St. Paul's converts at Corinth *'. And in his First
Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul acknowledges
that he had baptized Crispus ^.
Sosthenes, another chief ruler of a synagogue,
(whether he succeeded Crispus when he became a
Christian, or was chief ruler of another synagogue
in the same city ; for probably there were several
synagogues in so large a city,) is spoken of in the
Acts as having been beaten by the Greeks before
the judgment-seat ''. The learned differ in their in-
terpretation of this passage. Some take Sosthenes
to have been at this time an enemy to the apostle
Paul, and his accuser, though afterwards a convert
to him ; and that he was beaten by the unbelieving
Greeks, in consequence of the opinion given by the
■' I Cor. iv. 15. ix. i, 2. xi. 2. 23. and xv. i. 2 Cor. i. 15. xii.
14. and xiii. 12.
'' Acts xviii. 27. and xix. i. '^ Ch. i. 12. and iii. 4, 5, 6.
'' 1 Cor. xvi. 12. *' Tit. iii. 13. f Ch. xviii. 8.
^ Ch. iv, 14. '' Ch. xviii. 17.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 381
judge, and because he had troubled the proconsul
with so impertinent a cause'. Others think, that
he at this time favoured Christianity, and suffered
for that reason, the Greeks beating him at the insti-
gation of the unbelieving Jews ^. However it were,
he afterwards joined with St. Paul in sending the
First Epistle to the Corinthians : Paul, called to be
an apostle of Jesus Christ, and Sosthenes our bro-
ther ^ unto the church of God which is at Corinth"^.
We are informed in the Acts that St. Paul was
bred to a handicraft trade, and exercised it both at
Corinth and at Ephesus ''\ That he wrought at his
trade in the city of Corinth, to the end he might
not be burdensome to the new converts, and there-
by prevent the success of the gospel, he more than
once intimates in his Epistles to the Corinthians ".
That he did the same at Ephesus, is also evident
from his First Epistle to the Corinthians, where he
says. Even unto this present hour we labour, ivork-
ing with our own hands°. For he dwelt at Ephe-
sus when he wrote that Epistle p ; and it was cus-
tomary for him to do the same thing in other cities,
as appears from his Epistles to the Thessalonians 'i.
f 12. We read in the Acts that St. Paul lived a
considerable time at Ephesus, preaching the gospel
there, and that with very great success ; and that a
tumult being raised by Demetrius, he and his com-
panions were in no little danger of being torn to
' Beza, Grotius, &c. ^ Martyrologia, Chrysostom, Basnage,
Ann. p. 654, pr. et fin. ' i Cor, i. i.
"' Ch. xviii. 3. and x.\. 34.
" 1 Cor, ix. 6. 12. 15. 18. 2 Cor. xi. 7. 9. and xii, 13.
" Ch. iv, II, 12. P See i Cor. xvi. 8. 19.
'i I Thess. ii, 9. 2 Thess. iii, 8.
382 THE HISTORY OF
pieces by the multitude, or thrown to the wild
beasts ^ In agreement herewith he says in his First
Epistle to the Corinthians, / will tarry at Ej)hesus
until Pentecost. For a great door and effectual is
opened unto me, and there are mamj adversaries ^.
And the tumult happening soon after he had sent
away this Epistle, he informs them of it in the be-
ginning of the Second : JVe would not^ t)rethren,
have you ignorant of our troiible which came to us
in Asia, that we were pressed out of measure, above
strength, insomuch that ive despaired even of life *.
We learn from the Acts that St. Paul went
through the region of Galatia ". That he did not
travel there as an idle spectator, but that he
preached the gospel to the inhabitants, and made
many converts, is evident from what is said in the
same History upon his coming there a second time,
that he went over all the country of Galatia and
Phrygia in order, strengthening all the churches ".
Agreeably hereto, St. Paul writes in his Epistle to
the churches of Galatia, Ye know how through in-
firmity of the flesh I preached the gospel unto you
at the first. And my temptation, ivhich ivas in my
flesh, ye despised not nor rejected; hut received
me as an angel of God, even as Christ Jesus
For I hear you record, that, if it had heen pos-
sible, ye would have pinched out your own eyes,
and have given them to me y. That St. Paul and
his companions were at Troas, and that upon his
arrival there another time in his return from Mace-
donia, a church of Christians assembled on the first
■■ Ch. xix. I. 9. 10. 19. 20. 29. 30. '^ Ch. xvi. 8, 9.
' Ch. i. 8. " Ch. xvi. 6. '= Ch. xviii. 23.
> Ch. iv. 13, 14, 15, and see ch. i. 6.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 383
day of the week to break bread, and hear him preach,
is related in the History of the Acts ^ And he him-
self says in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians,
Furthermore, wlieyi I came to Troas to preach
Chrisfs gospel, and a door was opened unto me of
the Lord, I had no rest in my spirit, because I
found not Titus my brother : but tahing my leave
of them, I ivent from thence into Macedonia ^.
This happened when he left Ephesus upon the ac-
count of the tumult, and was upon his road to Ma-
cedonia. His calling there at this time is omitted by
St. Luke ^. It is probable he might make some few
converts the first time of his being there. He had
far greater success the second ; for now he says a
door was opened mito him; and upon his third
coming, in his return from Greece and Macedonia,
we read of a church of Christians assembled on the
first day of the week.
f. 13. We have a large account in the Acts, that
St. Paul, being apprehended by the Jews in the
temple at Jerusalem, was rescued out of their hands
by the chief captain Lysias. And being detained
in prison more than two years in Judaea, was at
length sent by Festus the governor to Rome, and
lived there as a prisoner two years ^. His imprison-
ment in Judaea is mentioned by himself in his
Epistle to the Hebrews; For ye had compassion
of me in my bonds ^. His imprisonment at Rome
is very frequently spoken of in his Epistles to Phi-
lemon ^, the Colossians ^, the Ephesians ^, the Phi-
'^ Ch. xvi. 8. and xx. 6, &c. ^ Ch. ii. 12, 13.
'' See Acts xx. i. •^ Ch. xxi. and xxvii. <• Heb. x. 34.
^ Ver. 9, 10, 13. f Ch. iv. 3.18.
s Ch. iii. I. iv. I. and vi. 20.
384 THE HISTORY OF
lippians ^. In this last he says, 31// bonds i?i Clunst
are manifest in all the jmlace, and in all other
places '. And afterwards in the same chapter. Unto
you it is given in the hehalf of Christ, not only to
believe on him, but also to suffer for his sake ;
having the same conflict which ye saw in me, and
now hear to be in me^. Whence it appears that
part of the church of Philippi were at this time in
prison for the sake of the gospel. For this is the
conflict, these are the sufferings, which they had
seen the apostle undergo w^hen he was among them
at Philippi ; and this is the conflict or sufferings
which they now heard he underwent at Rome. And
at the conclusion of the same Epistle it is said, All
the sai?its salute you, chiefly they that are of Ccb-
sar's household ^
^. 14. St. Paul is represented as saying in his de-
fence before the Roman governor Felix, Now after
many years I came to bring alms to my nation, and
offerings '". This is abundantly confirmed in his Epi-
stles. Therein he gives directions to the churches that
their alms may be ready, writing to the Corinthians
thus : Now concerning the collection for the saints,
as I have given order to the churches of Galatia,
even so do ye. Upon the first day of the week let
every one of you lay by him in store, as God hath
prospered him, that there be no gatherings when
I come. And when I come, ivhomsoever you shall
ajyprove by your letters, them ivill I send to bring
your liberality unto Jerusalem. And if it be meet
that I go also, they shall go with me. Now I will
'' Ch. i. 7. and iv. 61. ' Ch. i. 13. ^ Ver. 29, 30.
' Phil. iv. 22. '" Acts xxiv. 17.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 385
come unto you, when I shall pass through Mace-
do7iia '^, After this, that he might raise the emula-
tion of the wealthy Corinthians, he sets before them
the great readiness and cheerfulness which the poor
Macedonians shewed in making their contributions
when he came to them : Moreover, brethren, ive
make known unto you the grace of God bestowed
on the churches of Macedonia ; how that hi a
great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy
and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches
of their liberality. For, to their power, I bear re~
cord, yea, and beyond their power they were will-
ing of themselves ; praying us unth much entreaty
that we woidd receive the gift, and take upon us
the fellowship of the ministering to the saijits ".
And in his Epistle to the Romans declares, he
was just then setting out from Corinth on his jour-
ney to Jerusalem on this errand : But ?iow I go
unto Jerusalem to minister unto the saints. For
it has pleased them of Macedonia and Achaia to
make a certain contribution for the poor saints
which are at Jeruscdem p.
^. 15. There is not the least mention of the cities
of Coloss or Laodicea in the History of the Acts,
which History leaves St. Paul prisoner at Rome for
the first time. During this imprisonment he wrote
his Epistle to the Colossians. And in that declares,
that he never had been either with them or at Lao-
dicea. For thus he writes ; / woidd that ye knew
what greed conflict I have for you, and for them
at Laodicea, and for as many as have not seen my
" I Cor. xvi. I — 5. " 2 Cor. viii. !■ — 4. See also ch. ix. i — 5.
P Ch. XV. 25, 26. See Gal. ii. 10.
C C
386 THE HISTORY OF
face hi the flesh ''. There is no account in the Acts
of St. Paul's having been in Italy or at Rome till
he was carried there a prisoner from Judaea. It is
. said indeed of him the last time he was at Ephesus,
Paul imrposed in the spirit^ when he had passed
through Macedonia and Acha'ia, to go to Jeru-
salem, saying, After I have been there, I must
also see Rome '", This is exactly agreeable with what
he writes in his Epistle to the Romans, which, as
we observed before, was sent from Corinth when
he was just entering upon his journey to Jerusalem
with the collection for the poor saints. In the be-
ginning of the Epistle he tells them, it was his de-
sire and prayer to come to them ; that he longed
to see them ; that he had often pmrposed to come ;
and that, as much as in him lay, he teas I'eady to
preach the gospel to them that are at Rome also ^.
And at the end of the Epistle says, it was his reso-
lution to come to them immediately after he had
been at Jerusalem : Jf^ienever I take my jotirney
into Spain, I will come to you hut noiv I go to
Jerusalem to minister unto the saints When
therefore I have performed this, and have sealed
unto them this fruit, I will come hy you into
Spain ^
In the same Epistle he says, From Jerusalem,
round about to Illyricum, I have fully jircached
the gospel of Christ '^. Which is a general confir-
mation of the whole history of his travels in the
book of Acts. For in that History he is said to
have gone through Syria, Cilicia, and most if not all
'' Ch. ii. I. "^ Acts xix. 21. ^ Rom. i. 10 — 15.
' Ch. XV. 24 — 28. . " Rom. XV. 19.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 387
the countries in Peninsular Asia, to have come over
into Europe, and to pass through Macedonia into
Greece. Now Beroea, the last city in which St. Paul
is said to have preached in Macedonia, could not be
far from Dessaretia, which was part of the ancient
Illyricum ^. At the same time I must own, it does
not seem at all improbable to me, that St. Paul
might, in one of his journeys through Macedonia,
(for St. Luke relates his passing through Macedonia
three times,) make an excursion into some of the
nearer parts of Illyricum, and plant the gospel
among them, though not taken notice of in the
History of the Acts y. It is certain, however, that
during St. Paul's life the gospel was preached even
in the remoter parts of Illyricum, and not impro-
bably by the apostle himself after his release from
his first imprisonment at Rome. For in his Second
Epistle to Timothy, written when he was a second
time prisoner in that great city, he informs him
that he had sent Titus to Dalmatia ^'.
St. Paul says, in his First Epistle to the Corin-
thians, Unfo the Jews I hecame as a Jew, that I
might gain the Jews ''. Of this we have three in-
'^ Vid. Cellar. N. O. Ant. 1. 2. c. 13. vol. i. p. 656— 660.
y All that St. Luke says of his second journey is this : And
when he had gone over those parts, and had given them much ex-
hortation, he came into Greece. Acts xx. 2. All that is said of his
third journey is, that whereas he intended to have sailed from
Greece into Syria, knowing that the Jews laid wait for him, he
changed his mind, and passed through Macedonia. Ver, 3, &c.
At either of these times might he make an excursion into Illyri-
cum, but most probably in his second journey.
'"' 2 Tim. iv. ro. ^ i Cor. ix. 20.
c c 2
388 THE HISTORY OF
stances in the Acts of the Apostles ; his circumcising
of Timothy ^, his shaving his head at Cenchrea ^, and
purifying himself in the temple with those four men
which had a vow on them 'I
^ Ch. xvj. 3. " Ch. xviii. j8. "^ Ch. xxj. 24. 26.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 389
CHAP. XII.
A further confirmation of 'principal facts.
THROUGH the good providence of God there
are some pieces yet extant, written by the persons
concerned in the facts recorded in the History we
are treating of, which contain an ample confirma-
tion of ah.iost all the things related therein, as I
have already in great part made appear to you. I
would now further observe the agreement there is
between the Acts and the Epistles in the names
and descriptions of St. Paul's fellow-labourers and
converts.
\. \. In the History of the Acts, Barnabas is
joined with St. Paul in the commission given him
to preach the gospel to the Gentiles ^ And St. Paul,
writing to the Galatians, says, When James, Ce-
phas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, per-
ceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave
to me and Barnabas the right hand of fellowship ;
that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto
the circumcision^. It is related in the Acts, that
Paul and Barnabas having preached to the Gentiles,
and being returned to Antioch, after some time spent
there, went up to Jerusalem to the apostles and elders
to consult them whether it were necessary to circum-
cise the Gentile converts*^? This journey is mentioned
by St. Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians : Then
fourteen years after (i. e. after his conversion) /
'• Ch. xiii. 2, 3, 4. ^ Gal. ii. 9. Vid. 1 Cor. ix. 6.
<^ Acts xiv. 26. 28. and xv. 2.
c c fi
390 THE HISTORY OF
went up again to Jerusalem with Barnahas, and
took Titus with me also. And I went up hy reve-
lation, and communicated unto them that gospel
which I preach among the Gentiles. And adds
afterwards, that he would not suffer Titus, being a
Greek, to be circumcised'^.
When Paul and Barnabas were sent to the Gen-
tiles, they took with them John, whose surname
was Mark, to be their minister ^ ; who left them
after they had passed through the island of Cyprus ^
When they were setting out a second time to preach
to the Gentiles, and visit the churches they had
planted, Barnalias determined to take Mark again
with them ; but Paul thought it not proper, because
he had so soon quitted them, and went not with
them to the work. Upon which they parted, Bar-
nabas taking Mark, and sailing to Cyprus &. Mark
is several times named in the Epistles. In one of
them he is said to be sister's son to Barnabas^*,
which may explain to us the reason why Barnabas
was so much set upon taking him with them. The
apostle Peter, speaking of him, calls him my son i ;
probably because converted by him to the Christian
faith. He was with St. Paul at Rome during his
first imprisonment there, and had by that time fully
regained his esteem. For both in his Epistle to
Philemon "", and in that to the Colossians, he calls
him his fellow-lahonrer ^ ; and desires of the Colos-
sians, that if he came among them, they would give
him a kind reception. That, notwithstanding his
Gal. ii. I, 2, 3. <^ Acts xii. 25. and xiii. 5.
Ch. xiii. 13. s Acts xv. 36, &c. '' Col. iv. 10.
I Pet. V. 13. ^ Ver. 24. ' Ch. iv. 1 1.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 391
quitting Paul and Barnabas, he afterwards travelled
over a great part of Asia Minor, or what is now
called Anatolia, in order to establish the churches
in the faith, and was thereby personally known to
them, seems probable from the salutations sent from
him to them by St. Peter in his Epistle ™. And the
great value that St. Paul retained for him even to
the last, is expressed in his Second Epistle to Ti-
mothy : in which, not long before his martyrdom,
and when all had forsaken him, he writes to Ti-
mothy thus : Tahe Mark, and bring him with thee;
for he is profitahle to me for the ministry '^.
When Paul and Barnabas parted, it is said in the
History of the Acts, that Paul tooJe tvith him Silas^,
who is described as a chief man among the bre-
thren P. There is frequent mention made of him as
a companion of St. Paul in this his second journey
to preach to the Gentiles ^ : and he is said to have
been with him particularly at Corinth ^ and at Thes-
salonica ^. This doubtless is the same person who in
the Epistles is named Sylvanus ; for Silas is no other
than a contraction of the Latin name Sylvanus,
which manner of contraction is usual among the
Greeks ^ St. Paul, in his Second Epistle to the
Corinthians, expressly says, that the Son of God was
preached among them hy him and Sylvamis'^. Syl-
vanus is also joined with St. Paul in the two Epistles
directed to the Thessalonians, which were sent to
them from the city of Corinth the first time of St
'^ I Pet. V. 13. "2 Tim. iv. ii. " Ch. xv. 40
P Ch. XV. 22, 32. '1 Acts xvi. 19. 25. 29. aud xvii. 10. 14. 15
■" Acts xviii. 5. * Acts xvii. 4.
^ Vid. Wolfii Curaj in Act. xv. 27. and in Rom. xvi. 8. 14,
Grot, in 2 Cor. i. 19. and Act. xiii. 9. " 2 Cor. i. 19
C C 4
Sd'2 THE HISTORY OF
Paul's being there '''. Sylvanus is likewise named by
St. Peter as the person by whom he sent his EpistleJ';
which Epistle is directed to the Christian converts
in Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia, Bithynia ^.
That Silas accompanied St. Paul through the region
of Galatia, we are expressly informed in the History
of the Acts '\ Jt is highly probable he afterwards
went through the other countries here mentioned,
making of converts, and establishing them already
made ; for he is described by St. Peter as a faithful
brother unto them'\
The next person mentioned in the History, as
St. Paul's companion, is Timothy, a certain disciple
whom he met at Lystra, well repo7'te(l of hy the
brethren there ; him would Paul have to go forth
with him '". And we read of him as accompanying
St. Paul in various places '^. Agreeably hereto, St.
Paul in his Epistles styles him his work fellow^:
for he worhetli the worh of the Lord, as I also
do^. Our brother and minister of God, and our
fellow-labourer in the gospel of Christ ^. And says
to the Philippians, Ye hiow the proof of him, that,
^ I Thess. i. I. 2 Tliess. i. i. Compare i Thess. iii. i. 2.6. with
Acts xvii. 14, 15. and xviii. 5. >' i Pet. v. 12.
^ I Pet. i. 1. chiefly to the heathen converts. See i Pet. ii. 10.
and iv. 3. \'id. Wolf. Cur. in i Pet. i. i. •' Ch. xvi. 6.
'' A faithful brother unto you, as I suppose. 1 Pet. v. (2. The
words ui 'MylZ,ojjt.oi.i, translated as I suppose, do not signify any
doubt, but a judgment passed upon full evidence. Vid. Raphael.
Annot. Xenoph. ]). 202. Albert! Observ. p 302. Rom. iii. 28.
and viii. 18. Peter went through these coimtries preaching the
gospel, and probably Sylvanus might accomj)any him. Vid. Hier-
onyni. de Scriptor. Eccles. c. i. and Epiph. H«r. 27. n. 6.
^ Acts xvi. I, 2,3. •' Acts xvii. 14. xviii. 5. xix. 22. and xx. 4.
'^ Rom. xvi. 21. ' I Cor. xvi. to. '- 1 Thess. iii. 2.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 393
as a son with the father^ he hath served with me in
the gospeV\ In other places he calls him his son.
In his Epistle to the Corinthians, My beloved son,
and faithful in the Lord\ And in the Epistles he
writes to him, My own son in the faith, my dearly
beloved soti ^. We read in the History of the Acts,
that Timothy was with St. Paul the first time he
preached at Corinth ^ The same thing is confirmed
by St. Paul in his Second Epistle to the Corinthians"^
We read also, that he was with him at Ephesus ".
And the same appears from St. Paul's First Epistle
to the Corinthians °. We are told in the Acts, that
he sent Timothy from Ephesus into Macedonia i'.
And we learn from St. Paul's Epistles, that he was
several times employed by him as his messenger to
the churches ^1; and particularly, that at the same
time he was sent from Ephesus to Macedonia, he
was to go also to Corinth '". We learn from St. Paul's
Second Epistle to the Corinthians, that he was with
him, whatever part of Macedonia or Greece he was
in, when he wrote that letter ^ : and that he accom-
panied him thence to Corinth, seems plain from his
Epistle to the Romans ^ And, agreeably hereto, we
find him in the History of the Acts attending St.
Paul from Greece into Asia, together with the other
trustees, for the collection made for the poor saints
in Judaea ". He was afterwards with St. Paul at
'' Ch. ii. 22. ' I Cor. iv. 17. "^^ i Tim. i. 2. 2 Tim. i. 2.
^ Acts xviii. 5. ■" Ch. i. 19. " Acts xix. 22.
° Ch. iv. 17. This Epistle was written from Ephesus, as you
may see ch. xvi. 8, 9. p Acts xix. 22.
^ I Thess. iii. 2. Phil. ii. 19. 23. 1 Tim. i. 3.
' I Cor. iv. 17. -2 Cor. i. i. ' Ch. xvi. 21.
'■' Ch. XX. 4.
394 THE HISTORY OF
Rome % was a prisoner about the time St. Paul was
released, but soon after set at liberty >\
The next persons we read of in the History as
St. Paul's companions, were Aquila and his wife
Priscilla, wlio came from Rome, and settled at Co-
rinth ; in whose houSe at Corinth St. Paul took up
his lodging, and wrought with them at their trade
of tentmaking ^ , They afterwards accompanied St.
Paul to Ephesus, and being left by him there, in-
structed Apollos in the doctrine of Christ more fully
than he had been before taught it, and recommended
him to the brethren at Corinth'*. In agreement
herewith St. Paul, when the second time at Ephesus,
writing his First Epistle to the Corinthians from
thence, sends their salutations : Aquila and Pris-
cilla salute you much in the JLord^ with the church
that is in their house^. Not long after they re-
turned to Rome : for when St. Paul was at Corinth
the second time, and wrote thence his Epistle to the
Romans, he says, Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my
helpers in Christ Jesus, who havejbr my life laid
down their own nechs ; unto whom, not only I give
thanks, but also all the churches of the Gentiles.
Likewise greet the church that is in their house '^.
They had, it is probable, a considerable number of
servants to carry on their trade ; these doubtless
were taught by them the Christian faith, by which
means they had a church in their own house where-
'' Phil. i. I. Col. i. I. rhilem. i. v Heb. .\iii. 23.
' Ch. xviii. 2, 3. '^ Ibid. ver. 18, 19. 24 — 27.
^ Ch. xvi. 19.
•= Rom. xvi. 3, 4, 5. It is not unlikely they might expose their
lives to preserve that of St. Paul in the tumult made at Ephesus,
or when he fought with the wild beasts there.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 395
ever they settled. They were removed to Ephesus
again, when St. Paul was a second time prisoner at
Rome : for he sends his salutations to them in his
Second Epistle to Timothy '^.
It is said in the History of the Acts, that St. Paid
sent into Macedonia, J'rom Ephesus, two of them
that ministered unto him, Timothy and Erastus^.
In St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans is mention made
of Erastus as chamberlain of the city of Corinth ^.
And in his Second Epistle to Timothy he writes,
E7'astus abode at Corinth p. We read in the His-
tory, that Demetrius, and his workmen at Ephesus,
seized upon Gains and Aristarchus, men of Mace-
donia, Paul's companions in travel'^. Agreeably
hereto St. Paul, in his Epistle to Philemon, calls
Aristarchus his fellow-labourer '\ The same Ari-
starchus is said in the History to have accompanied
St. Paul from Greece into Asia '% and afterwards
from Judaea to Rome '. And that he was with St.
Paul in his first imprisonment at Rome, appears
from his Epistles : for he sends his salutations thence
both to the Colossians and to Philemon ; and in his
Epistle to' the former calls him his fellow-2)riso7ier^.
There is a Gains also mentioned by St. Paul in his
Epistles. In his First Epistle to the Corinthians he
says that he baptised Gains " ; and in his Epistle
to the Romans, which was written from Corinth, he
calls him his host ; Gains mine host, and of the
whole church, saluteth you °. This Gaius, from the
•' Ch. iv. 19. ^ Ch. xix. 22. 'Rom. xvi. 23.
e Ch. iv. 20. '' Acts xix. 29. ' Ver. 24.
^ Acts XX. 4. ' Acts xxvii.2.
t" Philemon 24. Col. iv. 10. " Ch. i. 14.
° Rom. xvi. 23.
896 THE HISTORY OF
description here given of him, seems to be the same
person to whom St. John directs his Third Epistle p.
But whether he be the same spoken of in the Acts
is wholly uncertain, because it is a name that was
very common at that time. And whether St. Luke
meant the same person by the Gains whom he de-
scribes as a Macedonian *i, and the Gaius which he
says was of the city of Derbe ^ is equally uncertain.
I am inchned to think they were two persons,
though some have imagined that he might arise
from a family in Derbe, be born or bred at Thessa-
lonica, and have his settled habitation at Corinth ^ ;
a conjecture or invention arising wholly from an
unwilHngness to allow that there were two persons
of the same name among St. Paul's companions,
whereas it is certain there were more than one
couple of the same name among the twelve chosen
by our Lord ^
We read in the History of the Acts, that Sopater
of Beroea accompanied St. Paul from Greece to Asia".
And we find by the Epistle to the Romans, that
Sosipater (which doubtless is the same name) was
with St. Paul at Corinth, when he was setting out
on that journey ^. Tychicus went also with St. Paul
from Greece into Asia >, and probably accompanied
him in his voyage to Rome : for he is sent by St.
Paul from Rome, when prisoner there the first time,
with the Epistles to the Ephesians and the Colos-
sians : J^uf that ye also may know my affaires, and
how I do, Tychicus^ a beloved brother, and faith-
fid minister in the Lord^ shall make knotvn to you
1' Vid. ver. 5, 6. 'i Acts xix. 29. ^ Acts xx. 4.
•> Vid. Benson in loc. ' Matt. x. 2, 3, 4. " Ch. xx. 4.
^ Ch. xvi. 21. > Acts XX. 4.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 397
aU things, wJiom I have sent unto you for the same
purpose, that ye might know our affairs, and that
he might comfort your hearts^. Trophimus was
another who went with St. Paul out of Greece into
Asia^ and is mentioned in the History as being
with him at Jerusalem ''. All that we find of him
in the Epistles is, that he was with St. Paul in the
island of Crete after his release from his first impri-
sonment at Rome. For he tells Timothy in his
Second Epistle, Trophimus have I left at Miletum
sick •=. It is evident from the style, that St. Luke,
the author of the History of the Acts, accompanied
St. Paul from Greece into Asia ^, and afterwards
from Jerusalem to Rome'^. And we accordingly
learn, from the Epistles to the Colossians and to
Philemon, that he was with him at Rome : for he
sends his salutation to both, styling him in the one
Epistle the beloved physician \ in the other hhfel-
low-lahourer s. He was also with St. Paul during
his second imprisonment at Rome : for he writes to
Timothy in his Second Epistle, Only Ltike is with
me ^\
§. 2. St. Peter is represented in the History of the
Acts as saying to the Jews, Unto you first God,
having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to Itless
you, in turning away every one of you from his
iniquities i : and St. Paul, It was necessary that the
word of God should have been first spoken unto
you : but seeing ye put it from you, lo, we turn to
'• Eph. vi. 2 1, 22. Col. iv. 7, 8. ■' Acts xx. 4.
^ Acts xxi. 29. " Ch. iv. 20.
'' Acts XX. 5, 6, 13. and xxi. i, &c. ^ Acts xxvii. i, &c.
f Col. iv. 14. e Philem. 24. '' Ch. iv. 1 1.
' Ch. iii, 26.
398 THE HISTORY OF
the Gentiles "^ ; and in another place, Your blood be
upon your own heads ; I am clean : from hence-
forth I ivill go 2into the Gentiles ^ And our Sa-
viour is introduced as saying to his disciples, But
ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost
is come upon you : and ye shall be witnesses unto
me both in Jeimsalem, and in all Judcea, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth"^.
Agreeably hereto, we find in the Gospel of St. Mat-
thew, that the first conimission given by our Saviour
to his disciples was restrained to the Jews : Go not
into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of
the Samaritans enter ye not : but go rather to the
lost sheep of the house of Israel". After his resur-
rection the commission was extended to all nations^.
And St. Paul, in his Epistle to the Romans, alluding
hereto, says, / am not ashamed of the gospel of
Christ: for it is the jmwer of God unto salvation
to every one that believeth ; to the Jew first, and
also to the Greek p.
In the History of the Acts our Saviour says to
his disciples, that they should be ivitnesses unto him
unto the uttermost part of the earth ^ : and St. Paul
to the Athenians, Hut now God commandeth all
men every where to repent '^ : and unto the Jews at
Antioch in Pisidia, L,o, ice turn to the Gentiles:
for so hath the Lord commanded, saying, I have
set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou
shotddst be for salvation to the ends of the earth ^
And, agreeably hereto, we find in the Gospels of St.
k Ch. xiii. 46. ' Ch. xviii. 6. "' Ch. i. 8.
" Matt. X. 5, 6. See also ch. xv. 24. " Matt, xxviii. 19.
P Ch, i. 16. 1 Ch. i, 8. ' Acts xvii. 30.
' Acts xiii. 46, 47.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 399
Matthew and St. Mark, that the disciples were en-
joined by our Lord to go teach all nations *, to go
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every
creature'^. And St. Mark informs us that they
actually did so : Theij ivent forth and preached
every where ^. We learn the same also from the
Epistles of St. Paul, who writes to the Romans, that
the sound of the gospel preachers was gone into
all the earth, and their words unto the end of the
worlds. And in another place, that the gospel mys-
tery is made known to all nations ^. And to the
Colossians, that the gospel was preached to every
creature which is under heaven ^.
That the gospel was spread through Pontus, Ga-
latia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, St. Peter is
witness, who directs his Epistles to the Christians
inhabiting those parts ^. That it had also reached
Babylon, is evident from the salutation of that
church which he sends to the Christians to whom
his Epistle is directed ^. Tacitus the Roman histo-
rian, a heathen, informs us, that at the time when
Nero burnt the city, i. e. about the time when St.
Peter and St. Paul were put to death, or, it may be,
a year or two before, there were many Christians at
Rome, ingens multitudo, a large multitude were in-
formed against as being Christians '^. Clemens Ro-
manus, mentioned by St. Paul in his Epistle to the
Philippians as his feUow-lahourer , ichose name was
written in the hook of life ^, not long after the apo-
stle's decease, sent an epistle in the name of the
' Matt, xxviii. 19. " Mark xvi. 15. ^ Ver. 20.
y Ch. X. 18. ^ Ch. xvi. 25, 26. ^ Ch. i. 6. 23.
•' T Pet. i. I. •= I Pet. V. 13. ■' Ann. 1. 15. c. 44.
^ Ch. iv. 3.
400 THE HISTORY OF
church of Christ at Rome to the church of Corinth,
in which he says, that " St. Paul preached both in
" the east and in the west, taught the whole world
" righteousness, and travelled to the utmost hounds
" of the west '^." And in another epistle to the same
church intimates that the Christians were become
more numerous than the Jews ^. Ignatius, bishop
of Antioch in Syria, who was sent by the emperor
Trajan to Rome, in order to be exposed to the wild
beasts, in his way thither was met by the bishops,
elders, and other messengers of various churches.
The epistles which he wrote upon this occasion to
the churches at Ephesus, Magnesia, Tralles, Rome,
Philadelphia, and Smyrna, are yet extant. In that
to the Ephesians he speaks of bishops as appointed
unto the utmost bounds of the earth''. PHny, a
heathen author, who was governor of Bithynia, a
Roman province under the emperor Trajan, writing
to the emperor, informs him, " that there were many
" Christians of every age, of every rank, and of l)oth
' sexes, in the province ; that the Christian religion
" was spread not only in the cities, but through the
" villages and countries ; that their temples were
" forsaken, their sacred solemnities omitted, and
" that there was seldom found any one to buy their
" sacrifices '."
Justin Martyr, who wrote his Apology for the
Christians about the year of Christ 140, in his Dia-
logue with Trypho the Jew, says, " that there is no
" sort of men whatsoever, whether Barbarians or
" Greeks, or by what names soever they are called,
' §. 5. -' §. 2. 'Ewej eprj/jLOt; ihoKfi ehai aito Toil @eov o Xaoi;
'^ ^. 3, fill. i L. 10. ep. 91.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 401
" whether they be such as are said to dwell in wag-
" gons, or without houses, or are such as dwell in
*' tents, and feed cattle, there is no sort among whom
*' prayers and thanksgivings are not offered to the
" Father and Maker of all things through the name
" of the crucified Jesus ^." Irenaeus, who flourished
not many years after, and had, when a youth, been
a hearer of Polycarp, who was ordained bishop of
Smyrna by the apostles^, speaks of the Christian
church as spread through the whole world to the
utmost ends of the earth ^. " Neither," says he,
" have the churches which are seated in Germany
" received or delivered down any other faith, neither
" the churches which are in Spain, nor those which
" are in France, nor those in the east, nor those in
" Egypt, nor those in Libya, neither those which
" are placed in the midst of the world "." Again ;
" The vineyard is not now fenced in, but spread
" through the whole world, the church is renowned
" every where, the winepress is dug in all places,
*' and there are in every place those who receive the
*' Spirit"." And fully intimates that there were
Christians in Caesar's court v.
Clemens Alexandrinus, who flourished in the same
century, and received the Christian doctrine from
those who immediately succeeded the apostles^,
speaks of the knowledge of Christ as being spread
■* P. 345, C. ' Iren. 1. 3. c. 3. §. 4. Euseb. H. E. 1. 3.
c. 36, pr. "^ L. I. c. 10. §. I. " Ibid. §. 2.
" L. 4. c. 36. §. 2.
P Ibid. c. 30. §. I, Quid autem et hi, qui in regali aula sunt,
fideles, nonne ex iis, quae Csesaris sunt, habent utensilia ?
n Strom, 1. i. p. 322. Euseb. E. H, 1. 6. c. 13.
D d
402 THE HISTORY OF
through the world swifter than the sunbeams "^ : and
says of the Christian faith, " There is not a place
" where it is not ^" And again ; " The doctrine of
" our Master did not continue in Judaea alone, as
" philosopliy in Greece, but was spread through the
" whole world, persuading whole houses, and every
" one singly of those who hearkened to it in every
" nation and town, and in every city both of Greeks
" and Barbarians, bringing over to the truth not a
" few of the philosophers themselves ^"
Tertullian, who flourished at the same time, in
the Apology which he makes for the Christians, ad-
dressed to the Roman powers ", says, " We are but
" of yesterday, notwithstanding we have filled all
" things that belong to you, your cities, your isles,
" your forts, your municipia, your councils, the camp
" itself, your tribes, your decuries, the jDalace, the
" senate, the forum ; we have left you only your
" temples. Had we broke off from you, and gone
" to some remote part of the world, you would have
" been confounded at the loss of so great a number
" of subjects, and our very forsaking you would have
" been a punishment. Without doubt you would
" have been affrighted at your own solitude, at the
" cessation of business, at the silence and astonish-
" ment thence arising, and would have been to seek
" for persons whom you might gov^ern '^." In an-
other place he speaks of Christians as being almost
■■ Cohort, ad Gentes, p. 3. 1. 17. p. 86. 1. 10, &c.
=* Strom. 1. 2. p. 445. 1. 8. ' Strom. 1. 6. p. 827. 1. 10.
" Si non licet vobis, Romani imperii antistites, in aperto et
edito, in ipso fere vertice civitatis praesidentibus ad judicandum,
palam dispicere, &c. * C. 37.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 403
the major part of every city in Africa, more parti-
cularly of Carthage ; and intimates, that persons
even of the highest rank in that city were Chris-
tians y. And in his book against the Jews, " In
" what other person have all nations believed, unless
" in Clnist, who is already come ? Whom else have
" the nations believed ? The Parthians, the Medes,
" the Elamites, the dwellers in Mesopotamia, Ar-
" menia, Phrygia, Cajypadocia, and the inhahitants
" ofPontus, Asia, and Pamphylia, those who live
" in Egypt, and the country of Afric heyond Cy-
" rene ; and the strangers of Rome, and the Jews
" then at Jerusalem, and the rest of the nations.
*' As now the different sorts of the Getuli, the many
" coasts of the Mauri, all the countries of Spain, and
" the several nations of Gaul, and the places of the
" Britons, inaccessible to the Romans, but subject to
" Christ, and of the Sarmata?, and of the Daci, and
" of the Germans, and of the Scythians, and of
" many nations added to them % and of many pro-
" vinces and islands unknown to us, and which we
" cannot enumerate. In all which places the name
" of Christ, who is already come, reigns." And a
little after, " The name and reign of Christ is ex-
'' tended every where ^"
Origen, who succeeded Clemens Alexandrinus in
the catechetical school at Alexandria, and flourished
in the beginning of the third century, writing against
> Ad Scapulam, c. 2, prop. fin. et 5.
''■ In Pamelius it is, Et abditarum multarum gentium ; but in
Rigaltius, additarum, which I think the better reading of the two.
" Jdv. Judaos, c. 7. Christi regnum et nomen ubique porrigi-
tur, ubique creditur, ab omnibus gentibus supra enunieratis coli-
tur, ubique regnat, ubique adoratur.
D d 2
404 THE HISTORY OF
Celsus, tells him, " That the whole world almost un-
" derstands the Christian doctrine much better than
" the opinions of the philosophers. For who is ig-
" norant that Jesus was born of a virgin, and was
" crucified, and rose again ? Who is ignorant of the
" judgment preached, which will punish sinners, and
" reward the righteous, as they have deserved ?
" Even the doctrine of the resurrection, though
" laughed at by those who believe not, is commonly
" known ^" And again ; " We see that the voice
" of the apostles of Jesus is gone out into all the
" earth, and their words to the end of the world '^."
And again ; " Who will not be astonished, that, go-
" ing back to the gospel history, hears Jesus, when
" on earth, teaching and saying. This gospel shall
" be preached hi the ivhole world foi' a testimony
" to them, and to the Gentiles ; when he sees, ac-
" cording to what was foretold by him, the gospel
'■'■preached in every part under heaven, both to
" Greeks and Barbarians, to the wise and the
" unwise ? For the word, being spoken with power,
" hath vanquished the whole human nature, nor is
" there any sort of men which have not received
" the doctrine of Jesus 'V It were easy to proceed,
and bring more testimonies of this sort, but these
shall suffice ®.
'^ L. I . p. 7 . 2%eSov 'navTo(; toZ Koa-fAOv iyvcoKoroi; to K-^pvyj^a Xpio-Tia-
vuv fMiXKov '/) la, ro7q (piXoao(poti apiayj'^-va: ilva. -yap, k. t. K.
<^ P. 48, fin. et 49, pr.
'^ L. 2. p. 68, fin. 69, pr. Ovk ea-n n yivai; i^uv avdpdirui/, 0 e/cwe-
mortem obeas considerate composite,&c. De Rebus su is, 1. 11. §.3
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 411
I shall therefore mention but one passage or two.
Clemens of Alexandria, who had a thorough know-
ledge of what the philosophers taught, than whom
no one was better read in the Greek learning, says,
" Should any magistrate forbid the Greek philoso-
" phy, it would immediately vanish. But our doc-
'• trine, even from the first preaching it, both kings
" and tyrants, and tetrarchs and governors, together
" with all their guards, and infinite numbers of men
*^ forbad, warring against us, and endeavouring what
" in them lies to cut us off; but it flourishes even
" the more. For it does not die away as a human
" doctrine, but remains as what cannot be hin-
" dered '^." Celsus, having compared the danger
which Christians underwent to that which befell
Socrates, Origen answers, " that the Athenians im-
" mediately repented of what they had done to So-
" crates. And as to Pythagoras, there was no grudge
" retained against him after his death, and the Py-
" thagoreans had their schools for a long time in
" Magna Graecia. But as for the Christians, the
" Roman senate, the emperors, the army, the peo-
" pie, and the relations of those who believe, made
" war against the Christian doctrine, and would
" have suppressed it, vanquished by the onset of so
" great a number, had it not by a divine power kept
" up its head, and gained ground, so as to overcome
" the whole world, which rose up against it ^."
^ Strom. 1.6. p. 827. 1. 16. •= L. i. p, 5, fin. et p. 6.
412 THE HISTORY OF
CHAP. XIII. «
A further confirmation of principal facts.
IT is related in the History of the Acts, that our
Saviour went about doing good, and healing all
that were oppressed of the Devil ^ ; that he was
approved of God hy miracles, ivonders, and signs,
which God did hij him in the midst of the Jewish
nation ^ : that after his ascension to heaven, he con-
ferred the Holy Ghost on his disciples, and enabled
them to do the greatest works <^ ; that according to
the commission he had given them, they went forth
to preach the gospel, and usually wrought signs and
wonders wherever they came, and communicated
the miraculous gifts of the Spirit to their converts.
These things, I have already shewn, are fully con-
firmed by the Gospels of St. Matthew, St. Mark, and
St. John, and by the Epistles of the apostles Paul,
Peter, and James. It remains, that I shew how far
they are confirmed by other writers.
That such gifts as these were certainly exercised
in the first ages of Christianity, we have as many
witnesses as there were converts to the Christian
religion. For can it be imagined that persons
would forsake the religious customs and practices
they had been educated in, and embrace the Chris-
tian tenets, and this with the loss of all that was
dear to them, and with the utmost hazard of their
lives, if they had not seen the wonders wrought
which we are speaking of? We have also the ex-
" Ch. X. 38. "Ch. ii. 22. ^ Ch. ii. 33.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 413
press testimony of most, if not all the Christians,
who have left any thing in writing behind them.
St. Barnabas, who was the companion of the apostle
Paul, in that short Epistle of his, which yet re-
mains, speaking of Christ, says, " And finally teach-
" ing the people of Israel, and doing many signs
" and wonders among them, he preached to them,
*' and shewed the exceeding great love which he
*' bare towards them <^," Quadratus, in an Apology
which he made for the Christians, and presented to
the emperor Adrian, affirms, "that our Saviour's
" works were real and durable ; that the persons
" who were healed and raised to life by him con-
" tinned living and well, not only during his life,
" but after his decease, for a long space of time, so
** that some of them have reached even to our
" days ® ;" i. e. to the first part of the life of Quadra-
tus, if not also of the emperor Adrian. Justin Mar-
tyr, in the Apology he offered for the Christians to
the emperor Antoninus, and the Roman senate, says,
" And that our Christ should heal all manner of
" diseases, and raise the dead, was prophesied. Hear
*' ye the words : At his coming the lame shall leap
" as the stag, and the tongue of the dumb shall be
" eloquent; the blind shall receive their sight, and
" the lepers shall be cleafised, and the dead shall
" be liaised, and shall walk. And that he did these
" things, you may learn from the memoirs or regis-
" ters of what happened under Pontius Pilate ^."
Tertullian, in his Apology, directed to the Ro-
man magistrates, says of Christ, " that he by a
«' §. 5. e Euseb. E. H. 1. 4. c. 3.
' Apol. 2. p. 84, b. c. Vid. et p. 76, c.
414 THE HISTORY OF
" word's speaking cast out devils, gave sight to the
" blind, cleansed the lepers, healed the paralytic, re-
" stored the dead to life by a word ; made the ele-
" ments themselves obedient, calming the storms,
" and walking upon the seas." He afterwards adds,
" that all these things did Pilate make known to
" Tiberius Caesar &." Lucian the martyr also boldly
appeals to the Roman Annals in the speech which
he made to the emperor Maximinus at Nicomedia
concerning the miraculous appearances at our Lord's
crucifixion^. Clemens of Alexandria makes frequent
mention of the miracles performed by our Saviour
and his disciples. In one place he says, " A proof
" that the Son of God was our Saviour, are the pro-
" phecies which went before, proclaiming him ; also
*' the testimonies concerning him which accompanied
" his birth. Moreover, after his ascension, his mira-
" culous powers both preached and openly shewn ^ :"
in another place, having enumerated from the apostle
Paul the gifts of the Holy Spirit, asserts of the apo-
stles, " that they were filled with all these gifts '^."
Origen, in his book against Celsus, says, "that
" persons were at the beginning made Christians by
" miracles, being induced more by the wonders they
" saw wrought to leave the religious customs and
" tenets they had been educated in, and make choice
s C. 2 1. p. 20, B. et fin. Vid. et c. 5. p. 6, C.
'' Vid. Iluet. Dem. Evang. p. 30, C. This speech is preserved
in Ruffinus.
' Strom. 1. 6. §. 15. p. 801. 1. 17.
^ Strom. 1. 4. §. 21. p.625. 1. 13. Vid. et Paed. 1. i. c. 2. p. loi,
pr. etc. 10. p. 15 I. 1. 31. et Strom, 1. 2. §. 11. p. 454. 1. 32. et
1. 4. §. 5. p. 575. 1. 23. et 1. 6. §. 6. p. 762. 1. 31. et p. 764. 1. 19.
et p. 827, pr. et Prophet. Eclog. p. 993. §. 15, 16.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 415
" of others quite foreign from their own, than by
" teaching and exhortation : for if it behove us to
" use the appearance of reason concerning the first
" gathering of the Christian church, we shall say,
" that it is not credible, either that the apostles of
" Jesus, being private and illiterate persons, should
" have the boldness to preach to men the Christian
" rehgion any other way than by the miraculous
" works bestowed upon them, and the gift of ut-
" terance, that they might open and explain its doc-
" trines and institutions in an easy and intelhgible
" manner ; or indeed that those who heard them
" should be changed from their own country man-
" ners and customs, which had been practised among
** them for many ages, to others so foreign and dif-
" ferent from the opinions which they had been
" educated in, v/ithout some very great power and
" miraculous operations moving them thereto ^"
Arnobius, writing to the heathen, who imputed our
Saviour's miracles to art magic, says to them, " Can
" ye shew, can ye point out any one of all the ma-
" gicians that ever were in tlie world who has done
" any thing like to Christ, even the thousandth
" part ■" ?"
The Christian writers of the first ages not only
thus mention the wonderful works wrought by our
Saviour and his apostles, but they assure us also,
that the extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit were
continued down to them, and that many great and
miraculous works were performed in their time.
' L. 8. p. 408, paulo infra mecl.
™ Poteslis aliquem nobis designare, monstrare ex omnibus illis
niagis, qui unquam fuere per saecula, consimile aliquid Christo
millesima ex parte qui fecerit ? 1. 1. p. 25.
416 THE HISTORY OF
Clemens Romanus sufficiently intimates that these
gifts were in the church of Corinth at the time he
wrote to them ^. Ignatius plainly signifies the same
thing of the church of Smyrna in the Preface of his
Epistle to them". Ignatius himself p and Poly-
carp *i were both endued with the spirit of pro-
phecy : and so was Quadratus ^. Justin Martyr, in
his Dialogue with Trypho the Jew, says, " With us
" the prophetical gifts remain even to this day ^."
And a few pages after, " With us are to be seen
" both men and women having gifts from the Spirit
" of God ^" And in one of his Apologies presented
to the Roman emperor and senate, he says, " that
" Jesus Christ came into the world for the benefit
" of those who believe, and for the destruction of
" demons, you may even now learn from those
" things which happen under your view. For many
" of our Christians, adjuring the demons by the
" Ep. 1 . §. 48. Vid. Wake's Prsef. p. 1 16.
° 'EXerii^evri iv navTi yjx.^'i(j\t.a-vi avvcnep'/iTcp ova-rj icavToi; ^apia-fJM-
TO?.
1' Vid. Philfid. §. 7. Trail. §. 5. Martyr. Sancti Ignat. and
Wake's Praef. p. 1 19, fin.
'! Polycarp. Martyr. §. 12. Euseb, E. H. 1. 4. c. 15. p, 107, D.
'' "^Ov ai/.cc raTf ^iKiirirov 6vyaTpa.' speak also of
demoniacs as exorcised and cured by Christians in
their days.
Irenaeus, the disciple of Polycarp, writes thus :
" The true disciples of Jesus, receiving favour from
" him, perform works for the benefit of other men,
" as every one hath received the gift from him. For
" some cast out demons truly and really, so that
*' oftentimes the persons, who were cleansed from
" those evil spirits, have themselves believed, and
" are in the church. Others have the knowledge
" of things future, and visions and prophecies.
" Others, by the laying on of their hands, heal the
" sick, and restore their health. Also, as we have
" before said," (for he had spoken of this but just
before, c. 31. }. 2.) "even the dead are raised, and
" have continued with us many years. And indeed
" the miraculous gifts are not to be numbered which
" the church throughout all the world hath received
" P. 45, A. "" Ad Autol. 1. 2. p. 87, C.
y Contra Graecos, p. 155, C. D. " There are diseases and coni-
" motions of the matter which is in you. The demons ascribe
" the causes of these to themselves, when they happen, entering
" when the disease takes you. Sometimes also they shake the
" habit of the body by a storm of their own madness : who, being
" rebuked by the word of God's power, depart affrighted, and the
" diseased person is cured."
E e
418 THE HISTORY OF
" of God, and daily exerciseth for the benefit of the
" nations, in the name of Jesus Christ, who was cru-
" cified under Pontius Pilate, neither deceiving any,
" nor taking money of any z." And in another place
he says, " We have heard many brethren in the
" church, who had the gift of prophecy, and spake
" all manner of languages by the Spirit, and revealed
" the secrets of men for public good, and expounded
" the mysteries of God ^."
Tertullian frequently speaks of the power that the
Christians in his time had over the demons, and of
their dispossessing persons who were tormented and
distempered by them. In a treatise of his concern-
ing the public sports and recreations of that time,
written with an intention to prevent the Christians
from attending them, he says, " What greater plea-
" sure than that thou treadest under foot the gods
" of the nations, that thou castest out demons, that
" thou dost cures, that thou obtainest revelations,
" that thou livest to God ^ ?" In his book directed
to Scapula the Roman governor, he says, " We not
" only reject demons, but we convict them ^ and
" bring them daily to open shame, and expel them
" out of men, as is known to very many ^.'' In the
same book he tells the governor, that the notary of
a certain advocate, that the near kinsman and young
son of two other advocates were relieved from the
possession of demons by Christians. He then adds,
" And how many men of note and rank (for we
* L. 2. c. 32. §. 4. " L. 5. c. 6. §. I.
^ De Spectac. c. 29.
■^ That is, by making them confess themselves demons, and not
deities. Vid. Apol. c. 23, D.
'• C. 2. p. 69, C.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 419
" speak not of the vulgar) have been delivered from
" demons, or cured of diseases ! Even Severus himself,
" the father of Antoninus, was mindful of the Chris-
" tians ; for he diligently sought out Proculus, a
" Christian, who was surnamed Torpazion, who had
" formerly cured him by anointing him with oil.
*' And he had him in his palace to the day of his
" death, whom Antoninus also very well knew '^."
The Severus and Antoninus here spoken of were
L. Septimius Severus and Antoninus Caracalla his
son, two Roman emperors in TertuUian's time. In
the Apology which he makes to the Roman powers,
he calls upon the magistrates to make trial of the
power which the Christians had over the heathen
deities : " Let any one, who is known to be pos-
" sessed by a demon, be brought into your courts of
" judicature, that spirit, being commanded by any
" Christian to speak, shall as truly confess himself a
" demon, as he elsewhere falsely professed himself
" a god. Let there be also one of those produced
*' who are thought to be inspired by some deity,
" who, breathing upon the altars, receive the deity
" from the smell of the sacrifices, who with ructa-
" tion attempt, and with panting predict ; that very
" heavenly virgin herself, who promises rain ; that
" very jEsculapius the inventor of medicines ; unless
" they confess themselves demons, not daring to lie
" to a Christian, spill ye there the blood of that
" most insolent Christian V
^ C. 4. p. 71, A.
^ C. 23. p. 22, D. Vid. et p. 23, C. et c. 27, prop. fin. et c. 37,
prop. fin. et c. 43. et c. 46. p. 35, C. de Spectac. c. 26. de Idolo-
lat. c. It, prop. fin. de Coron. Mil. c. 11. p. 117, C. de Anima,
c. I. p. 264, C. et c. 57. p. 305, fin.
E e 2
420 THE HISTORY OF
Origen, in his book against Celsus, speaking of
the arguments for the Christian religion, mentions
prophecies and miracles. The last, he says, "are
" proved to have been performed, as from many
" other things, so from that the footsteps of them
" still remain among those who live according to
" the will of Christ"." In another place, Celsus
having objected to the descent of the Holy Ghost in
the form of a dove, Origen answers, " that a proof
" of the truth of this were the miracles done by our
" Saviour, and those which were done after by his
" apostles. For without wonders and miracles they
" could not have persuaded their hearers to leave
" the religious customs they were educated in, and
" receive with hazard, even that of their lives, new
" doctrines and new systems. Moreover the foot-
" steps of that Holy Spirit, which was seen in the
" form of a dove, are yet preserved among Chris-
" tians. They cast out demons, and perform many
" cures, and have visions of things future, according
" to the will of Christ '\" In another part of the
same work he says, " It is evident, that since the
" coming of Christ the Jews are entirely forsaken,
" and have none of those things which were an-
" ciently esteemed by them venerable, nor have they
" any proof that the Deity is among them. For
" there are no more any prophets nor any miracles
" among them : of which there are large footsteps
" found among Christians. And if we, who say it,
" may be believed, we have ourselves seen them^"
Again he says, " We can shew an unspeakable num-
" ber of Greeks and Barbarians who believe in Je-
K L. 1 . p. 5, ])rop. fin. '' P. 34, fin. ' L. 2. p. 62. 1. 16.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 421
" sus, some of whom give proofs, that by their faith
" they have received a wonderful power, in those
" they cure ; calling over those, who need healing,
" no other than the supreme God, and the name of
" Jesus, Avith his history. For by these things have
" we seen many freed from grievous diseases, and
" distractions of mind, and madness, and ten thou-
" sand other evils, which neither men nor demons
" have cured '\"
Octavius, a Christian, is represented in Minucius
Felix as saying to Caecilius, a heathen, " All these
" things the most of you know, that the demons
" themselves confess of themselves, as often as they
" are by us driven out of the bodies they possess, by
" the torture of words, and the burning of prayer ;
" Saturn himself, and Serapis, and Jupiter, and all
" the demons you worship, being overcome with
" pain, speak out what they are. Nor is it to be
" thought they lie, to their own disgrace, especially
" when some of you are standing by. Believe their
" own testimony, that they are demons : believe
" them confessing the truth of themselves. For,
" being adjured by the true and only God, they un-
" willingly continue ' in the miserable bodies they
" possess, and either immediately depart, or leave
" them by degrees, according as the faith of the
^ L. 3. p. 124, paulo post med. Vid. et 1. i. p. 7, paulo post
initium ; et p. 20. 1. 13. et p. 53. 1. 1 1. et 1. 2. p. 80. 1. 40. et
1.3. p. 127. 1. 25. et 1. 7. p. 334. 1. 18. et p. 337. 1. 27. etp, 376,
prop. fin. et 1. 8. p. 417, pr.
' Some copies here have inhorrescunt instead o\' inhcerescunt, and
miseri for miseris : " They miserably shake for fear, against their
" wills, in the bodies they possess."
E e 3
422 THE HISTORY OF
" sufferer assists, or the miraculous power of the
" person who cures enforces ™."
Cyprian, bishop of Carthage, who suffered mar-
tyrdom in the year of Christ 258, makes use of the
very words of Minucius Felix, who also was an
African orator, and probably flourished not many
years before Cyprian. In one of his treatises Cy-
prian, speaking of demons, has these words : "These,
" being adjured by us, immediately yield, and con-
" fess, and are compelled to go out of the bodies
" they possess. You may see them, through our
" words, and the operation of a hidden power, beaten
" with scourges, roasted with fire, racked by the ad-
" dition of an increasing punishment, howl, groan,
" deprecate, confess whence they came, and when
" they depart, even those who worship them stand-
" ing by, and hearing them. And they either go
" out of the bodies they possess immediately, or for-
" sake them by degrees, as the faith of the patient
*' assists, or the miraculous power of him that cures
" enforces "." In his Epistle to Magnes he says,
" Even at this day the Devil is scourged and burnt
" and racked by our exorcists by means of human
" words and the divine power °." In another piece
of his, written to Demetrian, a heathen judge,
^ P. 89. ed. Oxon. 1631. Lugd. Bat. 1672, p. 252, &c. In this
and the like following passages is a plain allusion to the methods
of bringing persons to confession by the question or torture. The
three usual instruments of torture were the wheel, the fire, and
the scourge. Prohinc tormentis Veritas eruenda. Nee mora,
cum ritu Graeciensi ignis et rota, turn omne fiagrorum genus in-
feruntur. Jpul. Metamorph. 1. 3- p. 48, fin. Vid. Pricaei Not.
" De Idol. Van. p. 14. ° P. 187, fin.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 4^3
greatly imbittered against the Christians, he says,
" O that you would hear and see them when they are
" adjured by us, and tortured with spiritual scourges,
" and by the torment of words cast out of the bodies
" they possess, when howling and groaning, through
" human words and the divine power, feeling scourges
" and stripes, they confess a judgment to come. Come
" and know that the things which we speak are
" true." And a little after, " You shall see stand
" bound, trembling, and captive, under our hands,
" those whom you admire and adore as gods p."
Arnobius, who flourished soon after Cyprian, in
the decline of the third century, in his dispute
against the heathens, addresses them thus : " Was
" he a mortal, or one of us, whose name being heard
" chases away the evil spirits, imposes silence on the
" heathen prophets, renders the soothsayers uncon-
" suited, frustrates the performances of the proud
" magicians, not, as ye say, with the horror of his
" name, but by a superior power ^ ?"
Lactantius, who was scholar of Arnobius, speak-
ing of the demons, says, " They fear the righteous,
" that is, the worshippers of God, by whose name
" being adjured they depart out of the bodies they
" possess. Being scourged by the words of the
" righteous, as with whips, they confess not only
" that they are demons, but also declare their names,
" those names which in the temples are adored :
" which thing they most frequently do before their
" worshippers, not so much to the disgrace of reli-
" gion, as of their own honour, because they are not
" able to lie either to God, by whom they are ad-
P P. 191. Vid. ad Donat. p. 4. ^ L. i. p. 27, med.
E e 4
424 THE HISTORY OF
" jured, or to the righteous, by whose words they
" are tortured. Therefore oftentimes with the most
" dismal bowlings they cry out that they are scourg-
" ed and burnt, and will immediately depart"^." In
another place, speaking of these evil spirits, as insi-
nuating themselves into the heathen, and stirring
them up to persecute the Christians, he adds, "When
" tliey possess the bodies of men, and vex their
" souls, being adjured by the righteous, they are
" chased away by the name of the true God ; Avhich
" being heard, they tremble, cry out, and declare
" that they are burnt and scourged ; and being in-
" terrogated, confess who they are, when they came,
" and how they stole into the man. Thus racked
" and tortured are they banished by virtue of the
" divine name ^"
These are some of the proofs we have of the mi-
raculous works which were performed in the first
ages of Christianity by the effusion of the Holy
Ghost. Such who became Christians after the times
of the apostles, and had not been present at the
great things done by them, besides the many un-
doubted testimonies they received of the truth of
these facts, had also the satisfaction of seeing large
remainders of the same power continued in the
church. This was so convincing an evidence of the
truth of what is related concerning the miraculous
gifts conferred by Christ in the Gospels and Acts
and Epistles, as could leave no room for hesitation.
Christ had not only exercised this amazing power
■^ L. 2. de Orig. Error, c. 15. p. 253, fin.
' L. 5. p. 622. Vid. et Euseb. Demonst. 1. 3. p. 132, D. ct
T33, a. et contra Hieroclem, p. 514, pr. Firmicum de Error. Prof.
Kelig. p. 29, fin. ct p. 30. ct p. 61, paulo post med.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 425
himself, and communicated it to his immediate dis-
ciples, but had promised that those also who should
believe on him through their preaching should be
enriched herewith. When persons were eyewitnesses
that this promise was fulfilled, could they have a
more clear proof of the truth of Christ's prophetic
character? Could they at all doubt of the fulness of
that power in Christ, of which they saw so many
instances like rivulets streaming from him ? Such
a faith, which removed all doubting, the Christians
at that time needed, to support them under the ca-
lumnies, reproaches, and persecutions raised against
them ; under the infamy, losses, imprisonments, tor-
tures, and deaths they suffered. All the world was
against them : far the greatest part not a little en-
raged at them : and if the great facts related in the
Gospels were not true, they had no foundation for
hope, they were wholly without comfort.
It pleased God therefore to continue sensible
proofs of the truth of Christianity till the earthly
powers were changed, the Roman emperors became
Christians, and there was not so unequal a weight
pressing against the profession of the religion he
had revealed. The authors I have quoted to prove
this are such against whose testimony no reasonable
objection can lie : they have all the marks of sin-
cerity and integrity. Nor could they conspire to-
gether to deceive us herein, because they lived at
different times, and in distant countries ; some in
Europe, some in Asia, some in Africa : some at the
latter end of the first century and beginning of the
second, some in the middle of the second, some at
the close of the second and commencement of the
426 THE HISTORY OF
third, some in the middle, and others at the decline
of the third century.
These things are said by them, not among them-
selves only, but to their professed, avowed enemies ;
not in their private vi^ritings only, but in their public
Apologies. These things are asserted by them be-
fore the Roman magistrates, not only the inferior
judges and governors of provinces, but the emperors
themselves, and the Roman senate. They not only
speak of these things as what they had seen done
themselves, but they tell their enemies that they
had been very frequently performed also in their
presence. They proceed yet further, and desire that
an experiment may be made, call aloud for an open
trial, and offer willingly to die, if this miraculous
power be not manifestly shewn.
These were men not only of eminence in the
church, but had been so, many of them, among the
heathen ; had been philosophers, lawyers, orators, or
pleaders, and distinguished as such ; were wonder-
fully skilled in all the heathen learning ; understood
in the greatest perfection the heathen theogony and
mythology, as well as philosophy. Few of them
were educated Christians. Far the most of them
became such in their riper years : and in their writ-
ings, directed to the heathens, acknowledge that
they were formerly under all the same prejudices
which now possess them, and believed all the same
infamous reports spread concerning the Christians
which they are now apt to object as so many argu-
ments against the truth of this religion. These are
the men whose testimonies I have alleged. And
since we have the concurring testimony of such
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 427
writers for three centuries together, can there be a
greater confirmation of the principal facts related in
the Acts of the Apostles ?
It may possibly be asked, But what do the ene-
mies of Christianity say to these things ? Are there
none but Christians that take notice of these won-
derful events ? It is much, if there were such amaz-
ing things performed, that they should not be re-
corded either by Jews or heathens. To this I an-
swer, That the enemies of Christianity also plainly
concur in confirming these facts. It is related in
the Gospels, that the Pharisees said of our Saviour,
He casteth out devils hy Beehehub the prince of
devils * ; the meaning of which is, that he had by
a superior skill in art magic obtained the assist-
ance of the most powerful of demons. The succes-
sors of the Pharisees say the same thing in the Tal-
mud". Even Celsus the Epicurean, when he in-
troduces a Jew discoursing against Christ, says of
him, " that through poverty being obliged to serve
" for hire in Egypt, he learnt certain powers on
** which the Egyptians pride themselves, (meaning
" the magic art,) and returned entertaining great
" sentiments of himself by reason of these powers,
" and because of them proclaimed himself a god "."
This is a fair acknowledgment of the great facts
done by our Lord, though it is imputing them to a
wrong principle. The heathen philosophers were
divided in their opinions concerning the reality of
' Matt. ix. 14. and xii. 24. Mark iii. 22. Luke xi. 15.
" Quoted by Huet. Dam. p. 30. §. 6. Vid. et p. 497. §. i. Bab.
Schab, f. 104. 2. Sanhed., f. 107. 2. quoted by Light, vol. 2. p.
Orig. adv. Cels. 1. t. p. 22, prop. fin. Vid. et p. 34, prop. fin.
428 THE HISTORY OF
magic. The Epicureans derided it. The Pythago-
reans were fond of it. Celsus, though a professed
Epicurean, and though he had wrote several books
against magic y, yet is so inconsistent with himself,
that even in his own person he imputes the miracles
of Christ and his followers to this art '. He says in
one place, *' The Christians seem to prevail by the
" names and enchantments of certain demons * :"
which is a clear evidence that the Christians of his
time had the reputation of doing some great and
wonderful works.
Porphyry ascribes the miracles of Christ and his
followers to the same''. Hierocles, another bitter
writer against the Christians, does the same ^. Julian
the Apostate says of Jesus, " That he did nothing
" worthy of fame while he lived, unless one sup-
" poses the curing the lame and the blind, and ex-
" orcising demons in the towns of Bethsaida and
" Bethany, to be the greatest of works ^" The
proof of these facts was too strong to be withstood,
otherwise we should not have had so candid an
acknowledgment of their truth from so bitter an
enemy. He says of the apostle Paul, " that he was
" the greatest of all the deceivers and wizards that
>' Vid. Orig. adv. Cels. p. 8. 32. 53. et 407.
^ Ibid, 1. I. p. 7. 1. 21. -^ Ibid. 1. i. p. 7. 1. 5.
^ Hieron. Op. t. 2. p. 160. cit. a. Basnag. Ann. vol. 2. p. 439.
•^ Euseb. contra Hieroc. p. 512, B.D. And that this was the
usual account given of our Lord's miracles by the heathen, we
learn from Arnobius, 1. i. p. 25, prop. init. Occursurus forsitan
riirsiis est cum aliis multis, calumniosis illis et puerilibus vocibus :
Magus fuit, clandestinis artibus omnia ilia perfecit. ^gyptiorum
ex adytis angelorum potentium nomina, et remotas furatiis est
disciplinas.
'^ Cyril. Alex, contr. .lul. 1.6. p. jqi.E.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 429
" ever were at any time in any place ^ :" and asserts
of all the apostles in general, " that after their Mas-
" ter's death they practised the magic art, and taught
" it to their first converts f."
Another method taken by the enemies of Chris-
tianity in the first ages was to set up some great
and eminent magician in opposition to Christ, and
to attempt to shew that their works equalled, or
even exceeded, those of Christ. Thus, in particular,
they compare Apollonius Tyanaeus and Apuleius
with Christ ^. Philostratus the Athenian took not
a little pains in writing the Life of Apollonius ; but
notwithstanding all his art and learning, it is ob-
vious to every one who reads it, that he had the life
of Christ before him, and that he makes Apollonius
but awkwardly mimic the miracles of Jesus. How-
ever, this is another certain evidence that the great-
est men among the heathen philosophers, who op-
posed Christianity, could not get over the notoriety
of facts on which it was founded. The making such
comparisons is a clear proof that they could not
'^ L. 3. p. 100, A.
•^L. 10. p. 340, pr. It was doubtless with a view to this ac-
cusation that the Christian religion is called by Suetonius super-
stitio malefica, Ner. c. 16. n, 3. Vid. Pitisci Notas, n. 15. And by
Tacitus, exitlahilis superstiiio. The magic arts were esteemed
mischievous, destructive, poisonous. And these are the Jlagitia
mentioned by him in the same place, Ann. 1. 15. c. 44.
8 Lactant. 1. 5. c. 3. p. 540, fin. Marcellinus Augustino epist. 4,
cit. ibi in Not. Euseb, contra Hieroc. Vid. et Arnob, 1. i. p. 31.
Philostratus and Hierocles deny that Apollonius was a magician
or impostor; but that he was esteemed such is fully evident from
Lucian's Alexander or Pseudoinantis, who makes Alexander to be
the scholar of one of the followers of Apollonius, p. 862.
430 THE HISTORY OF
deny but that our Saviour had performed many
great and wonderful works.
I may add yet further, that had there come down
to us any Jewish or heathen books, in which the
miracles of Christ and his apostles had been recorded
in a plain and simple manner, without any malicious
turn and invidious reflection accompanying the nar-
ration, they would have been esteemed of no worth,
and cried out upon as Christian forgeries. This is
the case with regard to a known passage in Jose-
phus, who describes Jesus as a performer of wonder-
ful works. The objection is, How the writer could
remain a Jew, after having given Jesus the cha-
racter of being the Christ foretold by the prophets ?
as if it were necessary that the principles and prac-
tices of persons should always agree. Is it then so
uncommon a thing for men to act against the con-
viction of their own minds ? We are informed by
several of the ancient Christian writers, that Phle-
gon, the freedman of the emperor Adrian, recorded
the darkness which happened at our Saviour's cru-
cifixion. The truth of this has been warmly dis-
puted by some modern critics, and as fully defended
by others. Origen in his book against Celsus says,
that the same Phlegon, in the thirteenth or four-
teenth book of his Chronicles, " ascribes the fore-
" knowledge of certain future events to Christ, con-
" founding the master with his apostle, putting the
" name of Peter instead of that of Jesus, and testi-
" fies that the events answered the prediction '\"
Thus have I shewn how far the several things
'' L. 2. p. 69.
THE ACTS CONFIRMED. 431
related in the Acts of the Apostles are confirmed by
other authors. And upon the whole I may venture
to affirm, that there is no History extant in the
world, the several circumstances, incidental facts,
and principal matters whereof are so strongly con-
firmed by a variety of other authors as this is.
4152 ST. LUKE THE AUTHOR OF
CHAP. XIV.
That the History of the Acts was written hy
St. Luke.
I PROCEED now to the third general head
proposed, which is, to lay before you the plain and
direct proofs there are that the History of the Acts
was written by St. Luke, and was owned and re-
ceived by the Christians in the first ages as a sacred
book, and the arguments tlience arising for the truth
of the facts therein related.
That the Gospel which is ascribed to St. Luke
and the Acts of the Apostles were written by one
and the same author, is evident from the manner in
which they begin. They are both directed to Theo-
philus, and the latter makes express mention of the
former as written by the same author and to the
same person.
All the manuscript copies of the Gospel ascribed
to St. Luke have his name prefixed to them, not
only the more modern ones, but the most ancient.
Even the copies extant in Tertullian's time had it
so. It is not indeed probable that the evangelists
put their own names to them, at least it does not
seem credible that they should have done it in that
uniform manner in which they now appear. There
can be no doubt, however, but that they were pre-
fixed by those who first copied them, and well knew
the writers. When there was more than one Gospel
published, it was necessary that the names should
be set to them, in order to distinguish one from the
other.
THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS. 483
Tertullian, who wrote his book against Marcion
the heretic in the year of Christ 208=', says, that the
Gospel which Marcion used was not to be owned,
because it had no title, and was ascribed to no au-
thor. This heretic received no other Gospel than
that of St. Luke, and even that he curtailed and cor-
rupted as he thought fit, in order to make it agree,
as well as he could, with the romantic doctrines he
taught ; but he prefixed no name to it. Tertullian
argues that it ought not to be acknowledged, not
having the name of the author before it ^. This is a
plain evidence that all the Gospels which were owned
and received by the catholic church at that time
had the names of the authors prefixed to them ; and
particularly that the copies of St. Luke's Gospel
had his name placed before them, at least all which
Tertullian had seen ; and it is very probable he
might have seen copies which were above a hundred
years old, that is, some of the first copies that were
transcribed after the Gospel was published. We that
have manuscript copies now extant six or eight
hundred years old, cannot think it strange that
there should be copies of St. Luke's Gospel of a hun-
dred and ten, or a hundred and twenty years, pre-
served at that time, if not in the churches of Africa,
at least in the church of Rome, which was a place
frequently visited by Tertullian '^. There are several
manuscript copies of the Acts also, which have St.
^ Vid. Tertulliani Vitam per Pameliiim, ad an. 208.
^ Non agnoscenduni opus, quod uon erigat frontem, quod nid-
lani fidem reproniittat de plenitudiiie tituli et protessione debita
auctoris, 1. 4. p. 414, C.
*: Vid. Tertull. Vit. per Paniel. ad an. 205, fin. 206, fin. 209,
pr. 210, pr.
Ff
434 ST. LUKE THE AUTHOR OF
Luke's name prefixed to them^. And the reason
why his name is not universally set before this book
is, because it is evident from the work itself that it
belongs to the same author which wrote the Gospel,
and that both the Gospel and the Acts are esteemed
as two parts of one and the same work ^.
Whoever was the author, it is certain from the
style that he was the companion of the apostle Paul
in his travels, and particularly, that he sailed with
him from Judaea to Rome, when St. Paul was sent
thither by Festus the Roman governor, upon his
appeal to Caesar. And it is fully evident from the
salutations sent from Rome by St. Paul in his Epi-
stles to the Colossians, and to Philemon, when he
was the first time a prisoner there, that St. Luke
was with him. In the one he calls him the beloved
physician^, in the other hi?, fellow-labourer^.
The ancient fathers, that had the certain means
of knowing who was the author of the History of
the Acts, unanimously ascribe it to St. Luke. Thus
does Irenseus '\ Clemens Alexandrinus ', Tertullian ^
Origen ^ Eusebius "\ and those who came after. And
indeed I know not that any one person ever enter-
'• Vid. Sim. Crit. Hist, de N.T. c. 14. p. 152.
^ Iren. 1. 3. c. 15, pr. Grabe's Spicil. vol. 1. p. 34, pr.
*■ Col. iv. 14. B Philem. 24.
^ L. I. c. 23. §. I. 1. 3. c. 14, throughout 5 1. 4. c. 15. §. i.
' Strom. 1. 5. c. 12, tin. p. 696. and Ilypotyp. quoted byEuseb.
E. H. 1. 6. c. 14, pr.
•^ De Jejun. c. 10. p. 549, B. Cum in eodem commentario
Lucas et tertia hora orationis demonstretur.
' Adv. Cels. 1. 6. p. 282, fin. vol. i. in Matt. p. 382, D. vol. 2.
in Joan. p. 23, D. Euseb. E. H. 1. 6. c. 25, fin.
""• E. H. 1. 3. c. 4, pr. et nied. c. 31, D. 1. 2. c. 1 1, pr. et c. 22,
B.D.
THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS. 435
tained a doubt, or made the least hesitation concern-
ing the author of the Acts. It is true, there were
heretics who rejected it " : but they did not reject it
because they were in any suspense about the author ;
they well knew it was wrote by St. Luke, and at the
same time made use of no other Gospel than his,
though they both took from and added to it as they
pleased °. These were men that pretended to a more
exalted degree of knowledge than most of the apo-
stles were endued M'itli p, and therefore might very
consistently reject the Gospels of St. Matthew and
St. John, though they knew and acknowledged the
authors to be apostles.
I shall give you a brief character of the fathers I
have mentioned, and shew you how they had the
certain means of knowing who was the author of
the History of the Acts. Irenaeus was a man of
great prudence, learning, and piety, much esteemed
both by those of his own time, and those which fol-
" Cerdo, Marcion, and their followers, and the Severians, a
sect of the Encratites, who were also originally from Marcion.
Vid. Tertull. de PrEescript. Haer. c. 51. p. 222, fin. Adv. Marcion.
p. 463, A. Euseb. E. H. I.4. c. 29. p. 121, fin. et 122, B.
" Vid. Iren. 1. i. c. 27. §. 2. et 1. 3. c. 12. §. 12. et c. 14. 4.
Tertull. adv. Marcion. 1. i. c. i. et 1. 4. c. 2 — 5. De Carne Christi
c-3- P-309'B.
P Vid. Iren. 1. i. c. 27. §. 2. et 1. 3. c. 12. §. 12. Putaverunt
semetipsos plus invenisse quani apostoli Et apostolos quidem
adhuc quae sunt Judseorum sentienles, annuntiasse evangelium, se
autem sinceriores et prudentiores apostolis esse. Unde et Mar-
cion, et qui ab eo sunt, ad intercidendas conversi sunt scripturas,
quasdam quidem in totum non cognoscentes, secundum Lucani
autem Evangelium, et Epistolas Pauli decurtantes, haec sola legi-
tima esse dicunt, qua; ipsi minoraverunt. Et Tertull. de Praescript.
c. 22.
F f 2
436 ST. LUKE THE AUTHOR OF
lowed. He gives us this account of the four Gos-
pels : " Matthew published his Gospel among the
" Hebrews in their own language at the time that
" Peter and Paul preached at Rome, and founded a
" church there. After their departure, Mark, the
" disciple and interpreter of Peter, delivered to us
" in writing the things which were preached by
" Peter. And Luke the follower of Paul wrote in a
" book the Gospel jireached by him. Afterwards,
" John, the disciple of the Lord, who leaned upon
" his breast, published also a Gospel, while he lived
'' at Ephesus in Asia ^." A few pages after this,
having observed that Paul in his Epistle to the Ga-
latians, and Luke in the Acts of the AjDostles, agree
in the narration of the same fact '", he adds, " that
" this Luke was inseparal^le from Paul, and his fel-
" low-labourer in the Gospel, he himself shews, not
" boasting, but compelled by the truth ^" He then
relates from the Acts of the Apostles a brief account
of Luke's travels with St. Paul, and concludes thus :
" But if Luke, who always preached with Paul, and
" is called beloved by him, and performed the office
" of an evangelist with him, and was intrusted to
*' relate to us the Gospel, learnt nothing else from
" him, as we have proved from his words ; how
" comes it to pass that these men, who never were
" in Paul's company, or joined to him by any degree
" of friendship, boast that they have learnt hidden
" and ineffable mysteries ' ?" A little after, he says,
" But if any reject Luke, as not knowing the truth,
" he will be convicted of rejecting the Gospel, of
1 L. 3. c. I. §. I. "^ L. 3. c. 13, fin.
" Ibid. c. 14, pr. ' Ibid. §. i, fin.
THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS. 437
" which he vouchsafes to be a disciple " ;" because
the heretics he is here speaking of received no other
Gospel than that of St. Luke. He proceeds in the
next words to shew, that Luke relates many parti-
culars which are not found in the other Gospels ;
which particulars were owned and received by the
heretics he is spe^aking of. He then adds, " It is
" necessary that they receive also the other things
" said by him, or reject these. For it will not be
" permitted them by persons of sense to receive
" some of those things which are related by Luke
" as though they were true, and to reject others as
" though he knew not the truth """ This he says,
because the Marcionites cut off some things from
Luke's Gospel, and rejected the Acts of the Apostles.
A little after, he goes on thus : " We say the same
" thing also to those who acknowledge not the apo-
" stle Paul, that either they ought to reject, or not
" make use of, the other particulars of the Gospel,
" which are come to our knowledge by Luke only ;
" or if they receive all those particulars, it is neces-
" sary they receive also that testimony of his con-
" cerning Paul." And then quotes tM'O passages
from the Acts of the Apostles relating to St. Paul >'.
And a few lines after, proceeds thus : " Perhaps for
" this reason God has caused that very many parti-
" culars of the Gospel history, which all are obliged
" to use, should be related by Luke, that all, receiv-
" ing the subsequent narration which he gives of
*' the acts and doctrine of the apostles, and so hav-
" ing the rule of faith uncorrupted, might be saved."
Irenaeus, speaking of the revelation made by St.
" L. 3. c. 14. §. 3, pr. " Ibid. §. 4, pr. y C. 15. §. i.
Ff 3
438 ST. LUKE THE AUTHOR OF
John, says, " It was seen not long ago, and almost
" in our own age, at the end of the reign of Domi-
" tian ''■ :" and more than once informs us, that the
apostle John lived to the times of the emperor Tra-
jan ''^. And in agreement herewith, Clemens Alexan-
drinus has given us a brief account of this apostle's
conduct at Ephesus, and the neighbouring coun-
tries, after his return from the isle of Patmos, in the
reigns of Nerva and Trajan ^\ Irenaeus also tells us
that Polycarp was ordained bishop of Smyrna by the
apostles '^ : and in his letter to Victor bishop of Rome
says, that Polycarp had lived familiarly, not only
with the apostle John, but with others also of the
apostles ^. Eusebius expressly tells us, that before
John wrote his Gospel, the other three Gospels were
in the hands of all, and that the apostle John con-
firmed the truth of them by his testimony ^. Had
not Polycarp then the means of knowing exactly
who was the author of each of the four Gospels and
of the History of the Acts ? Must he not have been
fully informed of these facts by the apostle John,
and those other apostles with whom he conversed ?
Irenaius was in his younger days acquainted with
Polycarp^; and though very young at that time,
yet says, " he had a more perfect remembrance of
" the things which then happened, than of things
" which fell out much later ; so tliat he could give
" an account of Polycarp's manner of life, and the
" discourses which he made to the people, and how
* L. 2. c. 22. §. 5. et 1. 3. c. 3. §. 4, fin.
^ Quis Dives Salvetur? p. 959, pr. "- L. 3. c. 3. §. 4, pr.
«' Euseb. E. II. 1. 5. c. 24. p. 157, B.
"= E. II. 1. 3. c. 24. p. 76, C. f L. 3. c. 3. §. 4, pr.
THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS. 439
" he related the conversation which he had had with
" John and others, who had seen our Lord, and how
*' he mentioned their sayings s." Can it be imagined
that among the things which Irenaeus learnt from
this great man, he received not information from
him concerning the authors of the four Gospels and
the History of the Acts ?
St. Jerom tells us, that after Polycarp's death Ire-
naeus was under the instruction of Papias bishop of
Hierapolis'\ This Papias wrote five books, some
remains of which are still preserved in Eusebius,
wherein he tells us, " That he diligently inquired
" after the sayings of the apostles, and other disci-
" pies of our Lord, what Andrew, what Peter, what
" Phihp, what Thomas, what James, what John,
" what Matthew and the other disciples of our Lord
" said \" He had been a hearer of Aristion and
John the presbyter, two of our Lord's disciples^".
Irenaeus himself mentions these books of Papias, and
adds, moreover, that he was Polycarp's friend ^
Might not Irenaeus learn from this bishop who were
the authors of the four Gospels and the Acts of the
Apostles ? That Papias had received information
concerning the Gospels is sufficiently plain from a
little fragment of his preserved by Eusebius, con-
taining a relation of what John the presbyter said
of the Gospels according to St. Matthew and St.
Mark "\
s Euseb. E. H. 1. 5. c. 20. p. 152, fin.
h In Catalog, et ep. 55. al. 29. ad Theod.
' Euseb. E. H, 1. 3. c. 39. p. 89. *^ Ibid. p. 90, pr.
' L. 5. c. 33. n. 4.
"' E. H. 1. 3. c. 39. p. 90, tin. et 91. The title of Papias's books
was, An Exposition of the Oracles of our Lord.
F f 4
440 ST. LUKE THE AUTHOR OF
Irenaeus not only mentions Polycarp and Papias
by name, but speaks frequently of elders or aged
men, who had seen both John and others of the
apostles, as persons who had given him information".
But, had he been acquainted with no other than
Pothinus bishop of Lyons, how easy was it for him
to have obtained a certain account of the authors of
the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles ? Po-
thinus suffered martyrdom at Lyons in the year of
Christ 177°, when he was above ninety years of agei'.
He was more than thirteen years old therefore when
the apostle John died. Might not he easily learn
from many, who had conversed with John and seve-
ral otiier apostles, who were the authors of the four
Gospels and the Acts ? Irenaeus was a presbyter of
the church of Lyons under this bishop, and suc-
ceeded him in the bishopric^. If therefore he had
not received a full account of this matter before,
which, I think, no reasonable man can doubt but he
must have done, most certainly he could not fail of
having it from him.
But supposing we had been wholly ignorant of
the great advantages which Irenaeus had from his
acquaintance with Polycarp, Papias, and Pothinus,
and the other ancient men mentioned by him ; we
might easily conceive that at the time he lived there
could be no difficulty in learning who were the au-
"L. 2.C. 22. §.5. 1.4. c. 27. §. I. c. 30. §. I. c. 31. §. i.et32.
§. I. 1. 5. c. 5. §. I. c. 17. §. 4, fin. c. 33. §. 3. et 36. §. i, 2.
° Vid. Dodwell, Dissert, in Iren. 4. §. 3. p. 294. Fabr. Biblioth.
in Iren. Massuet. Vit. Iren. p. 80.
1' Euseb. E. H. 1. 5. c. I. p. 129, D.
"I n)id. c. 4, pr. et c. 5. p. 138, li. et Ilieron. in Catal.
THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS. 441
thors of the four Gospels and the Acts of the Apo-
stles. Although there is a great variety of opinions
among learned men concerning the time when Ire-
nseus was born, they are generally agreed that he
was made bishop of Lyons in the room of Pothinus,
about the year of Christ 177 or 178. The learned
Dodwell places it ten years sooner, in the year 168.
The question is. What was his age at this time ?
Massuet the learned Benedictine, who gave us the
last edition of Irenseus's works, fixes his birth much
later than any other writer I have met with. He
places it as low as the year of Christ 140, which is
very hardly to be reconciled with the account Irenaeus
gives us of himself. The most place it at least
twenty years sooner. However, we will at present
take it for granted that Massuet's calculation is
right, and that he was but thirty- seven or thirty-
eight years of age when ordained bishop of Lyons ;
and though from his earliest years instructed in the
principles of Christianity, yet we will also suppose
that he began not his inquiry concerning the authors
of these books till he was twenty years of age.
Was it not an easy thing in the year of Christ 160
to learn in the several churches of Christians dis-
persed through the world how they came in posses-
sion of these books, of whom they received them,
and upon what authority ? more especially in the
churches founded by the apostles themselves. Had
he at this time made inquiry in the church of Ephe-
sus, (and Ephesus was not far from Smyrna, where
he had received some of his first instructions,) was
there no person then living of eighty or upwards,
who had been a Christian, and lived in that city
from his youth? If there was, that person must
442 ST. LUKE THE AUTHOR OF
have been twenty years of age at least when the
apostle John died, and probably must have been
known to him. For the apostle spent the last part
of his time in that city. But persons of sixty, or
fifty, nay of forty years of age, in that city, must
have known many, very many, that had been long
acquainted with the apostle John. And persons of
seventy, or even of sixty, must have known those
that remembered the apostle Paul himself, who
founded this church. For the year of Christ 56, and
a great part of 57, St. Paul spent at Ephesus. Could
it then be any difficulty for Irenaeus to inform him-
self by what authority they received the four Gos-
pels and the Acts of the Apostles, and who wrote
them ? Or, had he at this time made inquiry in the
church of Rome, persons of sixty, or even of fifty
years of age, must have been acquainted with very
many who inhabited that great city when the apo-
stles Peter and Paul suffered martyrdom there,
which was in the year of Christ 68.
I the rather insist upon this, because it is an argu-
ment made use of by Irenaeus himself to prove the
trutli and genuineness of the books received by the
church against the heretics. He says in one place,
" If there should a dispute arise upon any little
" matter, ought not recourse to be had to the most
" ancient churclies in which the apostles themselves
" were conversant ? And ought we not to learn
" from them what is clear and certain upon the
" question moved ^ ?" Intimating, that much more
ought it to be done in matters of great moment.
Can we then think that if Irenaeus had had any the
■■ L. 3. c. 4- §. I, prop. fin.
THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS. 443
least scruple upon his mind concerning the authors
or authority of the four gospels, he would not have
taken this method to be satisfied? For could there
be a question of greater moment in his sense of
things, who expressly says, " they were written that
" they might be the foundation and pillar of our
" faith ?" In another place he asserts, " that the
" churches founded by the apostles had preserved
" the scriptures entire without falsifying or corrupt-
*■ ing them ^" meaning among the rest the four Gos-
pels and the Acts of the Apostles. For he not only
quotes each of these, and that frequently, as scrip-
ture ; but this is spoken in direct opposition to those
heretics, who, as he before tells us, rejected some of
these books, and corrupted the other '^. From what
has been said, it appears beyond all contradiction,
that Irenaeus had the certain means of knowing who
were the authors of the Gospels and the Acts of the
Apostles.
The next person I mentioned as ascribing the
Acts of the Apostles to St. Luke, is Clemens Alexan-
drinus, who had been educated in the heathen reli-
gion and learning^. And perhaps no man ever had
a more extensive knowledge in both. When Pan-
ta?nus went to preach the gospel to the Indians,
Clemens was made master of the catechetical school
at Alexandria in his room y, as it is thought, about
■^ L. 3. c. I, pr. ^ L. 4. c. 33. §. 8.
" L. I. c. 27. §. 2. et 1. 3. c. 1 I. §. 7. 9. et c. 12. §. 12.
^ Euseb. Prajp. Evan. 1. 2. c. 2, fin. p. 61.
> Euseb. E. H. 1. 5. c. 10. et 1. 6. c. 6. Eusebius supposes him
to have succeeded after the death of Pantaenus ; but this could
not well be, because Origen was acquainted with Pantaenus.
Euseb. E. H. 1. 6. c. 14. p. 176, pr. Vid. Tillemont. Fabric, et
Dodwell.
444 ST. LUKE THE AUTHOR OF
the year of Christ 189 ^ Rewrote his book called
Stromateis after the death of the emperor Commo-
dus. For he therein computes the years from our
Saviour's birth to the death of Commodus to be
194 *. We have no account what his age was when
he became a convert to Christianity, or when he
was fixed at the head of the Alexandrian school.
Eusebius represents him as saying, " that he was
" next in time to those who succeeded the apo-
" sties '" ;" i. e. that there was one generation of men
between him and those who lived and conversed
with the apostles. This he tells us himself, " that
" in various parts of the world he met with those
" who preserved the true tradition of the blessed
" doctrine, received by succession immediately from
" Peter, and James, and John, and Paul, the holy
" apostles, as a son receives from his father ^"
If we suppose that Clemens was a Christian
twenty years before he was intrusted with the
school of Alexandria, which is no unreasonable sup-
position, it is probable he began his travels about
the year of Christ 170. For that he had been in
Greece, Italy, Coelcsyria, Palestine, Egypt, and met
in those places with such persons as gave him satis-
faction in the things he desired the knowledge of,
he fully intimates to us '^ And it is certain at this
time persons of seventy or eighty years of age might
have conversed witli many who knew the apostles,
not only the apostle John, but James, Peter, and
Paul. Narcissus in Palestine was about this age at
"■ Vid. Fabric. Biblioth.
' Strom. 1. I. p. 407. Vid. et 403. ct 406.
^E. U. 1.6. c. 13, fin.
' Slroin. 1. 1. 1). 322. Euseb. E. II. I. 5. c. 11. '' Ibid.
THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS. 445
the time we are speaking of, and lived afterwards
to complete a hundred and sixteen years ^. How-
easy was it for Clemens to have certain information
who were the authors of the four Gospels and the
Acts of the Apostles from those ancient Christians
which he made it his business to search for in so
many different parts of the world. That they did
relate to him several particulars concerning the Gos-
pels is evident from his own words. For he gives
an account from them of the order in which the
four Gospels were written, and of the providential
occasion of St. Mark's writing the Gospel ascribed
to him, and how St. John was prevailed with and
inspired to write the Gospel which goes under his
name ^. In the same work Clemens tells us, that
the Epistle to the Hebrews is St. Paul's, written to
the Hebrews in the Hebrew tongue ; but that St.
Luke, carefully interpreting it, published it to the
Greeks ; whence it comes to pass that there is found
the same appearance of style both in this Epistle
and in the Acts". This account also no doubt he
received from some of his ancient acquaintance,
though it be not expressly mentioned by him.
TertuUian is another person I have mentioned as
ascribing the Acts of the Apostles to St. Luke. He
lived at the same time with Clemens Alexandrinus ;
a man of a sharp wit, wonderful learning, and ad-
e Euseb. E. H. 1. 6. c. 1 1. It is a remarkable providence, that
notwithstanding the severe persecutions there were so many Chris-
tians preserved to an old age at the beginning of Christianity, to
satisfy persons from their own knowledge of the facts, concerning
which they would be naturally led to inquire.
'Euseb. E. H. 1. 6. c. 14, C. D. ^ Ibid. B.
446 ST. LUKE THE AUTHOR OF
mirably skilled in the Roman laws ^. He also had
been a heathen, and in what year he was converted
to Christianity is uncertain ^ Pameliiis, who took
not a little pains to collect all the notices of time
that are any where dropt in his works, has fixed it
to the year of Christ 196''. Our learned country-
man Dr. Cave has placed it eleven years sooner, in
the year of Christ 185. Perhaps the truth may lie
in the mean between both. That he wrote his first
book against Marcion in the fifteenth year of the
emperor Severus, that is, about the year of Christ
207 or 208, is sufficiently evident from his own
words ^ And that he had written many of his
works before this, several of them before the year of
Christ 200, will appear to any one who will give
himself the trouble to examine "'. Tertullian, though
born at Carthage", and for the most part resident
there ", yet no doubt was sometimes at Rome. There
was so great a commerce jjetween Afric and Rome,
and it was so easy a passage from one to the other,
that it would be unreasonable to think he did not
visit that great city. Eusebius tells us that he was
a person of note and eminence there i". And we
know from his own words that he was there i.
Was it not an easy matter for him in that great
'' Euseb. E. H. 1. 2. c. 2. p. 32, B. Hieron. in Calal,
' Vid. Apol. c. t8. p. 17, C. ^ De Vit. Tertull.
' L-T- c. 15. p. 372, C.
'" Vid. Paniel. de Vit. Tertull. Cave. Basnage in Ann. 200. §. 3.
et 4.
" Apol. c. 9, p. 9, B. fin. et de Pallio, c. 1. p. 1 12, B. fin. Hie-
ron. in Catal.
° Hieron. in Catal. i' E. H. 1. 2. c. 2. p. 32, B. nied.
'" De Cultu Foeni. c. 7. p. i52,C.
THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS. 447
city to find out persons who could give him certain
information concerning the authors of the four Gos-
pels and the Acts of the Apostles ? Had he admitted
any the least doubt concerning them, we may be
sure from the warmth of his temper that he would
leave no method untried by which there was hope
of obtaining satisfaction. In his book, which he calls
De Prcescriptione, wrote against the heretics in ge-
neral, he has this exhortation : " Come on, you that
" have a mind to exercise your curiosity in the af-
" fair of your salvation ; run through the apostolic
" churches, in which the chairs of the apostles still
" preside in their room, in which the authentic let-
" ters themselves of the apostles are read, uttering
" the voice and representing the countenance of each
" one. Is Achaia nearest to you ? You have Co-
" rinth. If you are not far from Macedonia, you
" have Philippi, you have the Thessalonians. If
*' you can go into Asia, you have Ephesus. If you
" lie near Italy, you have Rome, whence also au-
" thority is near at hand for us. This, how happy
" a church ! to which the apostles poured forth the
" whole doctrine of Christ together with their own
" blood ; where Peter underwent a like suffering
" with our Lord ; where Paul was crowned with
" the death of John the Baptist ; where the apostle
" John, after he had been immersed in scalding oil,
" and suffered nothing from it, was banished to an
" island. Let us see what this church learnt, and
" what it has taught '"."
If TertuUian had entertained any the least scruple
concerning the authority of the four Gospels, or the
■^C. 36. p. 215, A.
448 ST. LUKE THE AUTHOR OF
Acts of the Apostles, would he not have pursued
the method which he here directs others to ? could
he have rested till he had found the satisfaction he
desired? In one of his books against Marcion, who
received only the Gospel according to St. Luke, re-
jecting the other three, and corrupting even that, he
argues thus : " In fine, if it be plain that that Gospel
" is the truer which is the first ; that the first which
" is from the beginning ; and that from the begin-
" ning which is from the apostles ; it will be equally
" plain, that that was delivered by the apostles
" which has been held sacred in the churches of the
" apostles. Let us see what milk the Corinthians
" drew from St. Paul, by what rule the Galatians
" were reformed, what the Philippians, Thessalo-
" nians, and Ephesians read, what the Romans, who
" are very near us, sound forth, to whom Peter
" and Paul left the gospel sealed with their own
"■ blood. We have also the churches fostered by
" John. For though Marcion reject his revelation,
" yet the series of bishops in those churches, reckon-
" ed back to their beginning, will rest upon John as
" the author. In the same manner the oiiginal also
" of other churches is known. I say, therefore, that
*' that Gospel of Luke which we defend has been
" approved and established in those churches from
" the time it was first published ; and not in the
" apostolic churches alone, but in all those which
" are joined in communion with them ; but that
" that of Marcion is unknown to most of them, and
" known to none that do not condemn it. That
" Gospel also has churches ; but they are peculiar to
" it, both of a late standing, and adulterate, whose
*' original, if you inquire into, you shall more easily
THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS. 449
*' find them apostate than apostolic, Marcion being
" their founder, or some one out of his swarm.
" Wasps also make honeycombs, and Marcionites
" make churches. The same authority of the apo-
" stolic churches will also patronise the other Gos-
" pels, which are equally conveyed down to us by
*' them, I mean those of John, Matthew, and Mark.
" Concerning these Marcion is to be asked, Why,
" omitting these, he has insisted upon that of Luke ?
" As though these also were not in the churches
" from the beginning, as well as that of Luke ^"
He has more to the same purpose, which would
take up too much of your time to transcribe. His
account of the authors of the four Gospels is in brief
this : " That two of them were written by the apo-
" sties Matthew and John, and two by apostolic
" men * ; the one the follower of Paul, the other of
" Peter : that St. Mark wrote the Gospel preached
" by Peter, and St. Luke the Gospel preached by
" Paul ", and confirmed by the other apostles ^."
From these passages it is abundantly evident that
Tertullian had not been wanting in his inquiry to
know upon what authority the churches received
the four Gospels, and that he was fully persuaded
they were received upon the authority of the apo-
stles themselves ; in particular, that the Gospel of
St. Luke was so ; and if the Gospel, the Acts of the
Apostles also, which was but "^einepo^ Xoyoq, the se-
cond treatise, of that whereof the Gospel was irpccTogi
the first. That this was his real sentiment, though
he has not here expressed it, is evident from other
* Adv. Marc. 1. 4. c. 5, pr. p. 415. ' Ibid. c. 2. p. 414.
" Ibid. c. 5. p. 416, pr.
" Ibid. c. 2. p. 414, D. et 1. 5. c. 3, pr. p. 463, V>.
Gg
450 ST. LUKE THE AUTHOR OF
passages of his works, as particularly in his book
lie Prcescriptione Hcereficorum. Cerdo the here-
tic, and Marcion his scholar, rejected the Acts of
the Apostles, as well as three of the Gospels y. Ter-
tullian, having shewn that the scriptures were in
the possession of the apostolic churches ^-^ afterwards,
in answer to an objection of the heretics, that the
apostles did not know all things, introduces those
words of our Saviour, When the Spirit of truth
shall come, he shall lead you into all truth ; and
then adds, " He shews that they were ignorant of
" nothing, because he promised that they should ob-
" tain all truth by the Spirit of truth, and he indeed
" fulfilled his promise ; the Acts of the Apostles
" proving the descent of the Holy Ghost. Which
" scripture (i. e. the Acts of the Apostles) they who
" receive not cannot be of the Holy Ghost, because
" they cannot know that the Spirit is yet sent down
" on the disciples : neither can they defend the
" church, not being able to prove when, or by what
" beginnings, that body was instituted "." These
heretics received some of the Epistles of St. Paul,
and particularly that to the Galatians, and quoted
some passages from it to support their impious opin-
ions '\ TertuUian, before he answers to the passages
cited by them, makes this preface : " We may here
" also say to those who reject the Acts, of the Apo-
" sties, It is necessary that you first shew who is
" Paul, and what he was before an apostle, and how
" he became an apostle. It is not enough that he
> De Piaescript. c. 51. p. 222, fin.
' Ibid. c. 15, fin. et c. 19. p. 208, C.
■' Ibid. c. 22. p. 209, fin.
•' Iren. 1. i. c. 27. §. 2. Tertull. adv. Marcion. 1. 4. c. 3.
THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS. 451
" professes himself an apostle from a persecutor,
" since our Lord gave not testimony of himself.
" But let them believe without the scriptures, (i. e.
" without the Acts of the Apostles,) as they believe
" things in direct contradiction to the scriptures *^."
Origen is another of the persons I have men-
tioned. He was a prodigy of industry and learn-
ing. It is almost impossible to think or speak of
him without the utmost admiration. Clemens being
driven away from Alexandria by the severe persecu-
tion that happened there, about the year of Christ
202 or 203, Origen was placed at the head of the
catechetical school in his room, at eighteen years of
age**. He was acquainted with Pantaenus^ who
had been master of the same school before Clemens
as well as with Clemens, and probably had received
instructions from both. The fame of his great
knowledge and most exemplary life soon spread
abroad in the world ; which as it occasioned his
being sent for by princes and other eminent per-
sons ^, so it gave him an opportunity of conversing
with the most knowing men of the age he lived in ^.
He spared no pains to make himself master of all
that was written before his time, whether by hea-
thens, Jews, or Christians ; whether orthodox Chris-
'^ De Prsescript. c. 23. p. 210, a. Vid. et adv. Marcion. 1. 5.
c. I, 2.
'• Euseb. E. H, 1. 6. c. 3. p. 165, fin. p. 166, C. fin.
•^ See the Letter of Alexander bishop of Jerusalem, Euseb. E.H.
1.6. c. 14. p. 176, pr. Vid. et c. 19. p. 179, fin.
f Ibid. c. 8. p. 170, B. He was sent for by an Arabian prince,
c. 19. p. 180, H. by Mamniaea, the mother of Alexander the em-
peror, c. 21, C. fin. by several bishops, c. 27. He also wrote let-
ters to the emperor Philip and his empress, c. 36, D.
3 Ibid. c. 18, D. et c. 19. p. 179, D.
Gg2
452 ST. LUKE THE AUTHOR OF
tians or heretics. He travelled into various parts of
the world, was at Rome ^, was in Greece ', Syria '',
Palestine ^ and Arabia'". And it is certain that
there must, even in his time, be many living who
could look back to the disciples of the apostle John.
Not only Narcissus bishop of Jerusalem, who lived
till Origen was thirty-one years of age, and whom
we have mentioned before, but much younger per-
sons than he was, even those of eighty, or seventy-
five, might with ease be able to do this.
That he would not fail to make such an inquiry
after the authors of the four Gospels and the Acts
of the Apostles as would give him entire satisfac-
tion, we may be very sure, from the immense pains
he took in explaining the scriptures both of the Old
and New Testament. What vast fatigue did he
undergo in collecting the several interpretations of
the books of the Old Testament, and writing com-
ments upon them ! What laborious comments did
he publish on the four Gospels and most of the
Epistles " ! He wrote also Homilies on the Acts of
the Apostles °. That he actually did make inquiry
concerning the four Gospels, is evident from what
he says in the first book of his Exposition on the
Gospel of St. Matthew, where he tells us, that he
had " learnt from tradition, concerning those four
'■ He desired to see apxaioruT^v '?u(Aalm iKKX7)crlav, and came
there under Zephyrinus. Euseb. E. H. 1. 6. c. 14. p. 176, A.
' Ibid. c. 16. p. 177, pr. c. 23. et c. 32. p. 187, fin.
^ Ibid. c. 2 I, D.
' Ibid. c. 19. p. J 80, B. et c, 23, D.
^ Ibid. c. 19. p. 180, B.
" Ibid. 1. 6. c. 16. 23. 24. 25. 33. 36. Vid. et Fabric. Biblioth.
Graec. " V'id. Phiiocal. c. 7.
THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS. 453
" Gospels, which alone are without contradiction in
" the whole church of God under heaven, that that
" according to Matthew, who was once a publican,
" and afterwards an apostle of Jesus Christ, was
" written first : that he published it for those who
" believed of the Jewish nation, being composed in
" Hebrew : that the second was that according to
" Mark, who wrote it as Peter dictated to him ;
" whom therefore, in his catholic Epistle, he
" avouches for his son, saying, The church ivhich
" is in Bahylon, elected together with you, scdut-
" eth you, and so does Marcus my son. And the
" third is that according to Luke, the Gospel com-
" mended by Paul, written for those who were con-
" verted from among the Gentiles. The last of all,
" that according to John p." And in his Homilies
upon the Epistle to the Hebrews, after having said
that the sentiments in that Epistle are those of the
apostle Paul, but the diction that of some disciple of
his, adds, that " the ancients have not without cause
" delivered it down as St. Paul's ; and the history of
" this matter, which is come to us, is this : Some
" say that Clemens, who was bishop of Rome, wrote
" the Epistle ; others, that Luke did, who wrote the
" Gospel and the Acts "^ ;" meaning, that one of
these two was that disciple of St. Paul who put his
sentiments into their own language '". I have cited
this passage to shew that Origen was not wanting
in his diligence " to find out the authors of the se-
" veral parts of scripture in the New Testament."
Eusebius is the last person I mentioned. He was
P Euseb. E. H. 1. 6. c. 24. p. 184, A. fin.
'1 Ibid. p. 184, fin. et 185, A. B. ■■ V^d. 1. 3. c. 38.
Gg3
454 ST. LUKE THE AUTHOR OF
born about the year of Christ 270, and departed this
life not long after the death of Constantine the
Great, about the year 340 ^ He was first a pres-
byter of the church of Caesarea in Palestine, and
afterwards bishop of the same church ; a man of
great learning, and in high esteem not only with his
brethren the bishops, but with Constantine himself
He wrote many things admirably well against the
enemies of Christianity, both heathens and heretics.
But that which we are the most indebted to him
for is his Ecclesiastical History, wherein he has re-
lated a great variety of facts, which we must have
been wholly ignorant of, and transcribed many pas-
sages from ancient authors, which otherwise we
should never have seen. It was with no little pains
and difficulty he read over the writings of the Chris-
tians that went before him, and thence composed his
History. He expressly tells us, that the four Gos-
pels and the Acts of the Apostles were scriptures
of the New Testament universally received by the
church of Christ *, and that without any contradic-
tion ". It is true they were not received by some
heretics, as he himself informs us " ; but these were
never esteemed part of the Christian church, nor in-
deed deserved the name of Christians. As to the
most of them, they might be called philosophers, or
romancers, but forasmuch as they denied the very
'' Vid. Cave's Hist. Literar. el Fabric. Bibl. Graec.
' E. H. 1. 3. c. 25.
" Kal TOVTo. [A.ev iv 0[xoAoyoviji.fiion;. Tuv ?>' wi'TfAe'yojiAtVct'v, 8iC. Ibid.
J). 78, A. ^laKpivacvrii; rd^ re Kara tyjv €KKKyj(7ia.r)-
6etq Koi aiiKda-TOVi ko.) d>uuoXoyoviJi.i>/a,i; ypaipctt,, kolI rut; aXXa^ itapa, rat-
tac;, oCiK ivhaO-^KOVf ji*6V, dXKd koI ai/T^Xfyo^eVa,;. B. fill. C.
" L, 4. c. 29. p, 122, B.
THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS. 455
fundamental principles of the Christian religion, and
had a faith of their own invention, the mere fruit of
imagination, without any the least foundation either
in reason or scripture y, they could in no sense be
allowed the name of Christians z.
Eusebius further says, that these books " were
" delivered down by the church as true and uncor-
" rupted, and acknowledged by all from the begin-
y Non erit Christianus, qui earn negabit, quam confitenUir
Christian! ; et his argumentis negabit, quibus iititur non Christia-
nus. Aufer denique ha;reticis, quae cum ethnicis sapiunt, ut de
scripturis solis qusestiones suas sistant^ et stare non poterunt.
Tertull. de Resur. Carnis, c. 3. p. 327, C.
^ KaJ 'X.ptaTiavciVi iavroiii; Xeyovcrtv "ov Tpoicov ol iv ro7<; e6veut;, |). 78, C.
THE ACTS A SACRED BOOK. 457
CHAP. XV.
That the Acts of the Apostles was owned and re-
ceived by the Christians in the first ages as a
sacred booh.
HAVING laid before you the proofs there are
that St. Luke wrote the History of the Acts, I pro-
ceed now to shew that it was received by the Chris-
tians in the first ages as a sacred book. And in
doing this I shall invert the method I before used,
shall begin at the time of Constantine the Great,
and go backwards. Eusebius, who had with great
pains perused the writings of those who went before
him, who well knew what their sense of this matter
was, and expressly undertakes to represent it % says,
" Luke, born at Antioch, by profession a physician,
" who was mostly with Paul, though he conversed
" not a little with the other apostles, has left us, in
" two divinely inspired books, samples of the art of
" healing souls, which he learnt from the apostles,
" that is, in the Gospel which he declares to have
" written, as those who from the l)eginning were
*' eyewitnesses and ministers of the Word delivered
" it to him, all of whom he professes to have fol-
" lowed from the beginning ; and in the Acts of the
*' Apostles, which he composed not as he received by
" hearsay from others, but as an eyewitness ^."
•'• Ylfo'i(iV(T'fi(; Se t-^^ laTopicii, itpovpyov 'nor^o'Of/.ctt alv rocit; 8 P. 382, D. ' P. 4, A. H.
' P. 4. 5. 6. 8. '' Vid. Clem. Rom. Ep. i. c. 47. Not, 7.
' Uifi ivxtii, p. 20. 60. ^G. 158. Adv. C'els. p. 56. 57. 58. 81.
A SACRED BOOK. 463
milies upon the Acts of the Apostles, as well as
upon other parts of the sacred writings ^^
Tertullian wrote most of his tracts between the
years of Christ 200 and 212. He divides the scrip-
tures also into those of the Old and those of the
New Testament ^ ; and he divides those of the New
Testament into Evangelica and ApostoUca : under
the former are contained the four Gospels; under
the latter, the Acts of the Apostles and their Epi-
stles. Thus in his book de Resurrectione Carnis,
having brought his proofs from the Old Testament,
he says, Satis hcBC iwophetico instriimento, ad Evan-
gelica nunc provoco ; " Enough has been said from
" the Prophets, I now appeal to the Gospels ^" Hav-
ing finished his proofs from the Gospels, he proceeds
thus : Resurrectionem apostoUca qiioque instru-
menta testantur ; " The apostolic instruments also
" prove a resurrection :" and begins his proofs under
this head from the Acts of the Apostles ; mention-
ing the profession which Paul made before the Jew-
ish sanhedrim, and again before Agrippa, and what
he preached to the Athenians s. He does the same
thing in his book de Pudicitia. Having despatched
the question so far as related to the Gospels ^, he
says, " Well, now let them teach from the apostolic
86. 98, 117. 164. 386, pr. Com. vol. i. p. 32, D. 74, D. 104, B.
218, C. 244, B, 332, E. 408, B.C. vol. 2. p. 23, D. 13, C. 15, A.
fin. 155, B. 182, fin. 183, pr. 212, A. 260, B. fin. 304, C. fin.
360, A. "^ Philocal. p. 32.
^ Adv. Marcion. 1. 4. c. i. p. 413, A. B. C. D. c. 6. c. 22. p. 437,
A. B. DeJejun. c. 11, pr. p. 550, B. De Pudicit. c. 1. 1)-555,A.
Apol. c. 47. p. 36, D. p. 37, A. fill.
'■ <^'- 32. p- 345. A. ^ C. 39. p. 348, C.
'' C. 10, fin. p. 563, B.
464 THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS
" instrument :" and presently after, " We salute the
" form of the old law also in the apostles ;" and im-
mediately begins his proofs from the Acts of the
Apostles '. The same division of the books of the
New Testament is also made byOrigen^: for having
said, " It becomes us to l)elieve that the sacred writ-
" ings have not one tittle empty of the divine wis-
" dom ; for he that commands me, a human crea-
" ture, saying, TJioii shalt not appear before me
" empty, most certainly will not himself utter any
" thing that is empty ;" presently adds, " And there
*' is nothing in the Prophets, or the Law, or the
*' Gospel, or the Apostles, which is not of his ful-
" ness ^" In another place also he says, that " the
" oracles of God are contained in the Law and the
"' Prophets, and in the Gospels and the Apostles "'."
As the Law and the Prophets are here put for the
Old Testament, so the Gospel and the Apostles in-
clude the New. All which, he plainly tells us, are
the word of God, derived from, and savouring of his
fulness. And this division of the New Testament is
continued down in the liturgies of the church to
this day".
' C. 12. p. 563, C. '" Pbilocal. p. 12, prop. tin. c. 6.
J). 31. c. II. p. 39. in Matt. p. 216, A. et p. 220, D.
' Philocal. c. I. p. 19, fin.
'" Horn. 10. in Jer. vol. i. p. 107, pr. The same division is
made by Irenaeus, 1. i. c. 3. §. 6. p. 17, fin. and by Clemens Alex.
Strom. 1. 7. p. 890. 1. 28. p. 892. 1. 13. and by Euseb. E. H. 1. 2.
c. 17. p. 44, B. fin. and Ileraclitus wrote E;\- 'Attc/'o-toXov, i.e. as I
suppose, Commentaries on the Acts and the Epistles. Euseb.
E. H. 1. 5. c. 27. And Marcion the heretic had his Apostolicum
as well as his Evangelicnm. Vid. Ittigii Ilaer. p. 153. et Pamel.
Not. in Tertul. adv. Marc. 1. i. n. 2. p. 755.
" Vid. Leo Allatius in Fabr. Bibl. vol. 5. p. 242 et 244.
A SACRED BOOK. 465
There is no one who has read Tertullian, but
must be convinced that he was fully in the opinion
that the writings both of the Old and New Testa-
ment were inspired. In his Apology he has these
words : " You that think we are unmindful of the
" health and safety of the Caesars, look into the
" word of God, our scriptures, which we conceal
" not ourselves, and which many accidents have put
" into the hands of strangers. Know ye, that we
" are therein commanded, even to an excess of good-
" will, to intercede with God for our enemies, and
" to pray for good things to our persecutors. Who
" are the enemies and persecutors of Christians more
" than those by whose majesty and authority they
" are convened to answer for their lives ? But God
" in his word says also openly and expressly. Pray
" yejbr kings, and princes, and potentates' ."
As he in this and other parts of his works speaks
of the whole scripture as the word of God, and di-
vine 1', so very frequently, when he mentions par-
ticular books, he speaks of them as inspired 'i. He
calls the Acts of the Apostles instrumentum Acto-
rum *", which seems to be a favourite name fixed
upon by him to signify the inspired writings ^ Thus
<' C. 31. p. 27.
P Inspice Dei voces, literas nostras. Vox Divina ad Uxor. 1. 2.
c. 2. p. 168, pr. Sacrosancto stylo, de Resiirr. Carnis, c. 22.
p. 337, 338. Scripturae divinae, adv. Judteos, c. i. p. 184, A. and
c. ir. p. 198, A. Apol. c. 20. p. 18, C. Vid. et c. 18. et de Cultu
Foem. c. 3. p. 151, B.
'i Majestas Spirltus Sancti in ipsa ad Thessalonicenses Epistola
suggerit. De Resurr. Carnis, c. 24. p. 339,0. Vid. adv. Marcion,
1.5. c. 7, pr. Ad Uxor. 1. 2. c. 2. p. 167,0. et de Coron. Mil.
c. 4. p. 103, A. ' Adv. Marcion, 1. 5. c. 2. p. 463, A.
^ Vid. adv. Marcion, 1. 4, pr.
Hh
466 THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS
he calls the Old Testament vetus instrumentum ^ ;
the Prophets, instrumentum proj)heticum " ; the
four Gospels, instrumentum evangelicum, ^ ; and
the Acts of the Apostles, together with the Epistles,
instrumenta apostolica y, and instrumentiim apo-
stoUcnm^ I the Revelation of St. John, instrumen-
tum Joannis ''. He very frequently cites the Acts of
the Apostles in proof of what he is maintaining, in
the very same manner as he does the other inspired
writings ^ ; I have already shewn you that he does
so in his book de Pudicitia, and in his proof of the
resurrection.
He also informs us that the churches of Christ
esteemed the books of the Old and New Testament
to be the fountain and foundation of their faith.
For after having directed his reader to the apostolic
churches, in the place I have quoted in the fore-
going chapter, and having mentioned the church of
Rome as near to the African churches, and holding
communion with them, he adds, " She acknowledges
" one God the Creator of the universe, and Christ
" Jesus, of the Virgin Mary, the Son of the Creator,
" and the resurrection of the body. And she mingles
^ Evangeruini ut siipplementum Instrumenti Veteris adhibebo.
Adv. Hermog. c. 20. p. 240, D. et de Monogamia, c. 7. p. 528, D.
Vid. Apolog. c. 18, 19. 21. p. 17, B. p. 18, A. B. D. Adv. Jud.
p. 184, A. de Prescript, c. 38. p. 216, A. Adv. Marcion, 1. 5. c. 13.
p. 477, C. De Resurr. Carnis, c. 63. p. 365, pr.
" De Resurr. Carnis, c. 33, pr. p. 345, A.
" Adv. Marcion, 1. 4. c. 2. p. 414, B.
y De Resurr. Carnis, c. 39 p. 348, C.
^ De Pudic. c. 1 2. p. 563, C.
" De Resurr. Carnis, c. 38. p. 348, B.
'' De Resurr. Carnis, c. 22, 23, 24. De Carne Christi, c. 15, 24.
Scorpiace, c. 15. p. 499. De Idololat. c. 9. p. 90, &c. &c. 8ic.
A SACRED BOOK. 467
" the Law and the Prophets with Evangelica and
" ApostoUca, the Gospel and the Apostles, and thence
" drinks her faith ''." This is all said in opposition
to the heretics, against whom he writes. For they
held another God besides the Creator, and said that
Christ was not the Son of the Creator, denied the
resurrection of the body, and rejected the Law and
the Prophets. When he says that " she mingles the
" Law and the Prophets with the Gospel and Apo-
" sties," he means that all these were received and
publicly read in the church of Rome; and probably
also, that they were mixed in their reading, so as
that part of the Old Testament, part of the Gospel,
part of the Acts, or of the Epistles, were all read at
one and the same time of their assembling, much in
the same manner as it is at this day in our establish-
ed church. Having said that " she mingles" these,
he carries on the metaphor, and adds, " she thence
*-' drinks her faith," i. e. takes her faith from those
writings. It is abundantly evident from the con-
text, that what he here asserts of the church of
Rome, he would have understood of all the churches
founded by the apostles. The Law and the Pro-
phets, the Gospel and the Apostles, that is, the
scriptures of the Old and New Testament, were the
fountain whence they received their faith. And I
have already fully proved to you, that under the
name of ApostoUca, Tertullian includes the Acts of
the Apostles, and that in agreement with the church
of Rome, and the other apostolic churches, he drew
his faith of the resurrection of the dead, and other
De Praesciipt. Haer. c. 36. p. 215,6.
H h 2
468 THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS
doctrines, from thence, as well as from other parts
of scripture.
Another thing which demonstrates that he held
the Acts of the Apostles as a sacred and inspired
book, and part of the rule of faith to Christians, is
the argument he makes use of against the heretics
who rejected it. The Marcionites admitted the Epi-
stle of Paul to the Galatians, though they rejected
the Acts of the Apostles. Tertullian having shewn
that the Epistle to the Galatians and the Acts of
the Apostles agree in the narration of the same
facts, and that the very subject-matter of that Epi-
stle is recognised by the Acts, adds, " But if the
" Acts of the Apostles agree herein with Paul, it
" now plainly appears why they reject the Acts ;
" and that is, because they preach no other God
" than the Creator, nor Christ the Son of any other
" than the Creator ; nor can it be proved that the
" promise of the Holy Ghost has been fulfilled any
" otherwise than by the instrument of the Acts *l"
Which last words are agreeable to what you may
remember I quoted from him before, where he says,
" that they who receive not the Acts of the Apo-
" sties cannot be of the Holy Ghost, because they
" cannot know that the Spirit is yet sent down on
" the disciples ; neither can they defend the church,
" not being able to prove when, or by what begin-
" nings, that body was instituted ^" Hence, you see,
Tertullian esteemed the Acts of the Apostles to be
an essential part of the sacred writings, absolutely
'' Adv. Marcion, 1. 5. c. 2. p. 463, A.
*= De Praescript. Haer. c. 22. p. 209, fin.
A SACRED BOOK. 469
necessary to prove the descent of the Holy Ghost,
and rise of the Christian church.
To give you some notion what was the sense of
the Christians who lived at the same time with Ter-
tullian, about the inspiration of the holy scriptures,
I shall transcribe a passage from an anonymous
writer, preserved by Eusebius. He was author of a
book against the heresy of Artemon, who had much
the same notions of Christ with our modern So-
cinians. He charges them with corrupting the sa-
cred writings, and appeals to the copies which they
called corrected or amended, as differing not only
from those preserved in the churches, but also from
one another. He then adds, " This is a sin of so
" audacious a nature, that it is not probable they
" can themselves be ignorant of it. For either they
" believe not that the sacred scriptures were indited
" by the Holy Ghost, and are unbelievers ; or they
*' esteem themselves wiser than the Holy Ghost, and
" are mad or possessed. For they cannot deny that
" this is their own doing, because the books are
" written with their own hands, and they received
" not such books from those by whom they were at
*' first instructed in the Christian religion, nor can
" they shew the copies from whence they transcribed
" them ^" Hence, you see, that at this time all who
did not believe the inspiration of the sacred writings
were ranked among unbelievers.
Clemens succeeded Pantaenus in the catechetical
school of Alexandria, as I have already observed,
about the year of Christ 189 ; and wrote those works
of his which are come down to us within a very few
' E. H. 1. 5. c. ult. prop. fin.
H h 3
470 THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS
years after. That part of his writings which would
have given us most light into his sentiments con-
cerning the holy scriptures in general, and the Acts
of the Apostles in particular, is unhappily lost. It
contained eight books, 'TiroTvuaa^av, of Institutions,
and was, as Eusebius informs us, a brief exposition
of all the scriptures, both of the Old and New Tes-
tament s, consequently of the Acts of the Apostles.
For we are very sure that the History of the Acts
is, in the style of Eusebius, one part, evdiaQrjKov ypa-
yii, being expressly said by him to be a book of the
New Testament ^.
There are, however, writings of Clemens pre-
served sufficient to give us the most ample satisfac-
tion that he firmly believed the scriptures of both
Testaments to be divinely inspired. He not only
calls them sacred books \ and divine writings ^, but
f^ E. H. 1. 6. c. 14, pr. Vid. Vales. Not. ibi, et in 1. 5. c. m.
Pantasnus, his predecessor, had wrote something of the same kind
before him. Vid. 1. 5. c. 10, fin. et 1.6. c. 13. p. 174, A. Clemens
divides the scriptures into those of the Old and of the New Tes-
tament. Strom. 1. 5. p. 697. 1. 24. Psedag. 1. i. p. 133. 1. 17.
Strom. 1. 7. p. 899. 1. 15. et 1. 5. p. 669. 1. 2. et 1. 2. p. 444. 1. 29.
et p. 454. 1. 3. et 1. I. p. 342. 1. 30. Qiiis Dives Salvetur, c. 3.
p. 937. 1. 26. He divides the New Testament also into the Gos-
pel and Apostles, "Ej^o/acv ja.f tvjv afy-qv T^? StSaar/caXia? tqv Kvpiov, Sia
T€ tZv T[po(p7jTuVf 8' Petit.
'' Dodwell indeed siip|)oses that Potiiinus was martyred in the
year 167, and that Irenaeus then succeeded hiio. Dissert, in Iren.
p. 294.
A SACRED BOOK. 473
down to us, within a few years either before or after
that time '.
It cannot but be a thing obvious to any one who
has looked into his writings, that he was firmly per-
suaded the scriptures both of the Old and New Tes-
tament "^ were inspired, and proceeded from God.
He not only calls them scripturce divince, scripture
Dominicce^, the divine scriptures, and our Lord's
scriptures, but expressly asserts that both the Old
and the New Testament have one and the same
Author, i. e. the Word of God '". In another place
he calls them, "the scripture given us by God":"
and in the same chapter says, " The scriptures are
" perfect, being spoken by the Word of God and
" his Spirit °." By the Word of God he means the
Logos, the divine nature of Christ; and by the
scriptures there it is fully evident from the context
that he means the writings both of the Old and
New Testament p. It is very certain also, from
many other places in his works, that what I have
before shewn to have been the opinion of Clemens
Alexandrinus, Irenaeus has frequently declared to be
his ; tliat is, that the Law and the Prophets, as well
as the Gospel, were the words of our Saviour ^i ; and
' Pearson de Success, p. 277. Grabe, Proleg Dodwell, Dissert.
in Iren. 4. c, 33, 34. 44, fin. Massiiet. Dissert. ]). 97.
•^ He divides the scriptures into those of the Old and those of
the New Testament. L. 4. c. 15. n. 2. et c. 16. n. 5. et ubique.
' L. 2, fin. 1. 3. c. ig. n. 2.
™ L. 4. c. I 2. n. 3. c. 13. n. 3, 4. " L. 2. c. 28. n. 3.
" Scripturae quidem perfectae sunt, quippe a Verbo Dei et Spi-
ritu ejus dictee. Ibid. n. 2.
V Vid. c. 27. c. 30. n. 6. c. 35. n. 2. 4.
'1 L. 4. c. 2. n. 3. c. 5. n. T, 2. c. 6. n. 6. Utraque Testamenta
uuus et idem Paterfamilias produxit, Verbum Dei, Dominus noster
474 THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS
that the writers of the holy scriptures, both those of
the Old and those of the New Testament, were
under tlie direction of the Holy Spirit in what they
wrote ■'.
He not only cites the Acts of the Apostles under
the express name of scripture ^ but he has produced
passages from it which amount to a great, I know
not whether I may not justly say, the greatest part
of that book, as authoritative proofs against the
heretics with whom he disputes. He affirms, that
" the gospel was by the will of God delivered to us
" in writing to be the foundation and pillar of our
*' faith ^" And it is very plain that he puts the
Acts of the Apostles and other writings of the New
Testament upon the same footing. For having
brought arguments against the heretics from the
beginnings of the four Gospels, he passes on to the
other part of the New Testament in this manner :
" Having therefore examined the opinion of those
" apostles who have delivered to us the gospel from
" the beginnings themselves of those Gospels, let us
" go on to the other apostles, and inquire their opin-
" ion concerning God "." And then he quotes the
words of Peter, Philip, Paul, Stephen, James, and
of the whole assembly of disciples, as related in the
Acts of the Apostles. And arguing against those
heretics who rejected the Acts of the Apostles, he
Jesus Christus. C. 9. n. i. c. 1 1. n. i. c. 20. n. 4. 7. j i, fin. c. 35.
n. 2. med. c. 36. n. 8, prop. fin.
■■ L. 3. c. 6. n. I. 5, fin. c. 7. n. 2. c. 10. n. 2, prop. fin. n. 4,
med. c. 16. n. i, prop. fin. n. 2, prop. fin. n. 3, fin. n. 9, parenth.
c. 21. D. 4. 9, prop. fin. 1. 4. Pr;ef. n. 3. c. 2. n. 4. c. 20. n. 8.
* L. 3. c. 12. n. 5, pr. et n. 9, fin. ' L. 3. c. i, pr.
" L. 3. c. 1 1, fin. Vid. n. 7, pr. el c. 10, n. iilt.
A SACRED BOOK. 475
asserts that either they ought to renounce all that
was written by Luke, or to receive all. I have al-
ready cited several passages to this purpose ^ : I shall
now add the sequel of one of them : " And truly if
" the disciples of Marcion renounce all that is said
" by Luke, they will have no Gospel at all ; for, cur-
" tailing the Gospel which is according to Luke,
" they boast that they have the Gospel. And if the
" disciples of Valentine do this, they will cease from
" the most of their vain talk. For from hence they
" receive many occasions of their subtle discourse,
" daring to give an ill interpretation to those things
" which are by him well spoken. But, if they shall
" be compelled to receive the rest of what Luke has
" said, they ought, applying their minds to an en-
" tire Gospel, and to the doctrine of the apostles, to
" exercise repentance, that they may be safe from
" the danger they are in >'." By the doctrine of the
apostles, he here means the History of the Acts,
which is the name he gives it also in another pas-
sage that I have before cited from him ; where he
says, " Perhaps for this reason God hath caused that
" very many particulars of the gospel history, which
" all are obliged to use, should be related by Luke,
" that all receiving the subsequent narration which
" he gives of the acts and doctrine of the apostles,
" and so having the rule of faith uncorrupted, might
" be saved ^" Hence I think it is very evident, that
according to his sentiments, those who received not
the Acts of the Apostles had not an uncorrupted
rule of faith.
'^ In the preceding chapter. > L. 3. c. 14. n. 4.
^ Ibid. c. 15. n. I.
476 THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS
In the beginning of the same chapter he makes
the Acts of the Apostles a continuation, or a part of
the gospel. These are his words : " We say the same
" thing also of those who own not the apostle Paul,
" that they ought either to renounce the other say-
" ings of the gospel, which are come to our know-
" ledge by Luke alone, and not to use them ; or, if
" they receive all those^to receive also his testimony
" concerning Paul." So that Luke's account of Paul
in the Acts of the Apostles is plainly ranked with
the sayings of the gospel : and it is very clear upon
the whole, that he places the History of the Acts
upon the same footing with the gospel, which, him-
self tells us, was committed to writing that it might
be the foundation and pillar of our faith. I have
the longer insisted upon what is said by Irenaeus,
because it is certain that from his acquaintance with
Pothinus, Polycarp, and other ancient Christians,
some of whom had conversed with the apostles
themselves, and others of them with the immediate
disciples of the apostles, he could not but well know
what regard was to be paid to the writings of St.
Luke.
Justin Martyr suffered death for the profession of
Christianity about the year of Christ 163 ', and is
thought to have presented his first Apology to the
emperor Antoninus Pius about the year ISO''. He
had wrote a book against the heretics before this ^ :
and Ircnajus quotes some passages from a work of
" \'i(l. Basnage, Annal. vol. 2. p. 120. §. 5. and Grabe in Spicil.
Basnage himself is of opinion that it was in the year 165.
'' Basnage, Ann. vol. 2. p 85. §. 5. Grabe puts it as late as 152.
' .liistin. Mart. Apol. ]). 70, B.
A SACRED BOOK. 477
his against Marcion ''. It is our unhappiness that
these books are lost ; nor does it appear that Euse-
bius himself ever saw them ' . In these, it is highly
probable, he must have urged the heretics with
the authority of the books of the New Testament,
and therefore must have spoken distinctly of them,
more particularly of those written by St. Luke, be-
cause Marcion had corrupted his Gospel, and re-
nounced the Acts. We lament also the loss of the
works of Philip f, of Modestus s, of Musanus ^\ of
Bardesanes \ of Rhodon '% of Theophilus ^ who all,
as Eusebius informs us, wrote against Marcion, and
that not long after Justin Martyr.
Those works of Justin which are come down to
us, being written chiefly against the heathen or the
Jew, there was no occasion to say much of the scrip-
tures of the New Testament, or to insist upon their
inspiration. However, it is sufficiently evident, even
from these, that he believed the inspiration of both
Testaments. To lead the emperor into a notion of
the Christian faith, and how the truth of it is to be
proved, he gives him a brief account of the inspired
men who wrote the Old Testament, and of the pre-
dictions of Christ contained therein •". He frequently
appeals to the same prophecies in his dispute with
<> L. 4. c. 6. n. 2. et 1. 5. c. 26. n. 2.
~ For he quotes both these passages from Irengeus. E. H. 1. 4.
c. 18, fin. fE. H. 1. 4. c. 25. slbid.
'' L. 4. c. 28. ' L. 4. c. 30. '^- L. 5. c. 13.
I L. 4. c. 24, fin.
"^ "Avdpancot ovv t»v£? iv 'lovSa/oj? yeytv/ivTai ©toD irpocjyiiTut, Si' wv 7:po(f>Yj-
TtKov TTVtu/xa wpoeKijpi'le to. 'y€v^(Tta-6at,i jtAeXXoi/ra 'iip)v t) jevea-Qcci. Apol.
p. 72,B. &c. p. 75, C. p. 78,C.D. 79, 8o,B. 81, B. 82, B. 84,0.
86, 88, B. C. 92, C. 93, B. HveZf^a, (zyiov hicc tZv iipocpvirZv irpotK-tipv^e
TO. KixTO. TO!/ '\-t]crovv Tcdvia. P. 94, D. 95, C. 96, B.
478 THE HISTORY OF THE ACTS
the Jew"". He therein also fully proves that the
New Testament, or the new Law given to Chris-
tians, was foretold in those prophecies " ; conse-
quently, this new Law, wherever it be found, must
come from God ; and he himself directs us to find it
in the commentaries of the apostles p, that is, the
writings of the New Testament. In relating to the
emperor the Christian manner of worship, he tells
him that the commentaries of the apostles and the
writings of the prophets were read in their assem-
blies every Sunday "i. As the writings of the pro-
phets are there put for the whole Old Testament,
so no doubt the commentaries of the apostles are to
be understood of all the books of the New Testa-
ment : for in the same page, when he speaks of the
" 'D.<; Sia rov 'Haalov ^oS to ayiov tivHi^a. Dial. p. 242, B. Ka»
aXKov "^aXiz-oZ ru Aa^iS inco rov dy'tov irvevuccroi elf^f^evov ava/^y/jaoj^ca*.
P. 25i,B. p. 254,D. 255, CD. 262, A. 274, B. C. 275, B.C.
277, B. C. 298, D. 299, D. 302, D. 303, A. EtVo'i/TO? 8 C. 310, A.B.
That our Saviour Christ, or the divine Logos, spake by the pro-
phets, is his opinion also ; as well as of Irenaeus, and the other
fathers : ''Ot* Se ouSevt aKKw 6to(popovvTai oi "KpocpvjTtvovTei tl (m] Xiyu
Bua>, Ka\ vjAei^, uf uTrsAajtAjSavo), (jy^atTe. Apol. p. 75, C, 76, C. 77, C.
" Nuvi Sf, aveyvuv yap, u> Tpv(j)uv, cti faoiTo koI -rey^ivraToi vifM^, Koii
Zia6^K7j KvpiuraTVi TcaaSiv, t[v vZv Se'ov .oyog, or the second
part, entitled. The Acts of the Apostles.
It is the opinion of some very learned men, that
the first Epistle of Clemens Romanus Avas written
before the destruction of Jerusalem, because it speaks
of the temple as then standing, and of the sacrifices
and services as at that time performed^. And in
one paragraph of that Epistle have we what may be
called a brief epitome of the Acts of the Apostles ;
which, according to the translation of our late
learned archbishop, is thus : " The apostles having
" received their command, and being thoroughly as-
^ Luke xxi. 20.
^ Ov yap Vfj rci^ ainov '\rj' Acts xiii. 6, &c. ''■ Acts xiv. 3.
A PROOF OF THE FACTS RELATED. 497
oxen and garlands to the gates of the house where
they lodged, in order to have done sacrifice to them ;
and it was with no small difficulty they were pre-
vented. Howbeit afterwards, by the pei-suasion of
the Jews who came from Antioch and Iconium, they
so far changed their opinion, that they stoned Paul,
and drew him out of their city, leaving him for
dead: that notwithstanding, when the multitude
was dispersed, he rose up unhurt, and returned into
the city ^ Could any thing be more open and pub-
lic than this is related to have been ? Must it not,
if true, have been well known to every person in
Lystra? Could any events strike them deeper, or
make a more lasting impression on their minds ;
especially on those of the younger people ? Must
there not have been living evidence of these facts
very many years after? And is it possible that a
book relating these facts could gain any credit at
Lystra, had not their truth been most notorious?
Or is it conceivable, that the Christian churches in
Antioch, in Iconium, in Derbe, (for from the rela-
tion it is evident that these cities also must have
been well apprised of the same facts,) any more than
in Lystra, would have held this book sacred ? And
as to Iconium, I have already observed, it is ex-
pressly said, miraculous works were performed
there.
Let us next pass on to Philippi in Macedonia :
how surprising are the events, how extraordinary
the circumstances, which are said to have happened
in that city ! The conversion of Lydia : the casting
out the spirit of divination : the tumult raised by
•'' Acts xiv. 8, &c.
498 THE SACREDNESS OF THE BOOK
the masters of the damsel : the rashness and seve-
rity of the magistrates : the imprisonment of Paul
and Silas : the miraculous opening the prison doors
without one prisoner's making his escape : the con-
version of the gaoler : the remorse of the magistrates
for what they had done, and their honourable dis-
mission of Paul and Silas ^. If these things were
so, must they not have been notoriously known, not
only to every person in Philippi, but in the country
and towns round about ? And for many years after
must there not have been found the clearest evidence
of these facts, not only in the gaoler's family, but
many other families of the city of Philippi?
Did the Christian church in that city receive the
Acts of the Apostles as a sacred book, or did they
not ? If any credit may be given to the writings of
the ancients, it is a certain fact that they did. But
is it possible to conceive they should, had it not
been well known that the events related therein, as
having fallen out in that city, were true ? What
otherwise could they propose to themselves in so
doing? Must it not have put an entire stop to the
progress of Christianity both there and in all the
country round it ? For when converts came to per-
ceive that such notorious lies were received for sa-
cred truths, would they have remained Christians?
and that under all the disadvantages which Chris-
tians at that time suffered ? Would they endure the
loss of all things, and even hazard their lives, when
they found themselves so strangely imposed upon ?
Is it at all probable ? is it like human nature ?
It was about the year of Christ 51 or 52 that St.
'' Acts xvi. 14, &c.
A PROOF OF THE FACTS RELATED. 499
Paul was at Philippi : and it was but twelve or
thirteen years after these things are said to have
happened that the History of the Acts was pub-
lished. It is highly probable therefore that this
book was received by the Christian church in that
city when all things were recent, and in every one's
memory. But should we suppose, for argument's
sake, that it was not received by them till sixty or
seventy years after the events related are said to
have fallen out : at which time it is abundantly evi-
dent that it was in the hands of all, both Christians
and heretics, and held by them as sacred, and in-
deed had for a long time been esteemed so : how
easy was it to look back, and examine the truth ?
If there were no persons living who were eyewit-
nesses of the facts, (of whom, if true, it is probable
there must have been some,) there must however
have been hundreds that had received an account
thereof from those who were eyewitnesses. And if
the converts to Christianity did not find a plain, clear,
and full tradition in that city, and the country round
about, that these things were so, must they not have
concluded that they were imposed upon ?
It is related of St. Paul afterwards, that he
preached at Thessalonica, Beroea, and Athens *^.
Must not the Christian churches in those cities well
know whether St. Paul was their founder? It is
said, that at Thessalonica there was a tumult raised,
and an assault made upon the house of one Jason,
because he had received the apostle ; and that they
drew Jason and other Christians before the magis-
trates of the city, who took security of them ''. Must
■=■ Acts xvii. '• Ver. 5 — 9.
K k 2
500 THE SACREDNESS OF THE BOOK
not these things have been well known? Must it
not hav^e appeared even in the records of the city
itself whether the magistrates took security of Ja-
son and his friends ? Must not St. Paul's preaching
at Areopagus have been a thing most public ? And
must it not be well known, if a person of such emi-
nence as Dionysius the Areopagite became his con-
vert ^ ?
St. Paul's stay at Corinth is represented as consi-
derable ; that he lodged in the house of one Justus
adjoining to the synagogue; and that Crispus the
chief ruler of the synagogue became his convert
with all his family ; and that many of the Corin-
thians believed and were baptized, so that he had
there a very large harvest ; that the Jews made an
insurrection, and brought him before Gallio the pro-
consul of Achaia ; and that Sosthenes the chief ruler
of the synagogue was beaten openly in the presence^
of the judge. It was but ten or eleven years after
these things are said to have happened that the Acts
of the Apostles were published. If true therefore,
these things must have been fresh in every one's
mind when this book first came to Corinth ; and if
false, must have been most easily confuted. The
apostle in his Epistles to the church of Corinth
acknowledges that Crispus was baptized by him,
and Sosthenes joins with him in writing the First
Epistle. He says also, that signs and wonders and
mighty deeds were wrought amongst them ^, and
that the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit were
conferred on and divided among them ^. These
Ver. 19. 22, &c. f Acts xviii. s 2 Cor. xii. 12,
I Cor. xii. and xiv. 26, &c.
A PROOF OF THE FACTS RELATED. 501
Epistles were written not above three years after he
is represented in the Acts as having lived with them,
and founded their church. Is it possible to think
that they would have received his Epistles, and held
them as sacred, had they not well known things to
have been as he there represents them ? The first
of these Epistles is expressly mentioned and referred
to by Clemens Romanus in his first Epistle to the
same church ', written before the destruction of Je-
rusalem ^, and soon after the Acts of the Apostles
were published, or, as some think, in the reign of
Domitian, and a few years before the close of the
first century ^
At Ephesus St. Paul is represented as having con-
ferred the miraculous gifts of the Holy Spirit on
twelve men that had known only the baptism of
John. It is said that he disputed in the synagogue
three months, and in the school of Tyrannus two
years, so that all the people dwelling in the district
of Asia round about heard the word of the Lord
Jesus, both Jews and Greeks ; and that God wrought
special miracles by his hands, so that from his body
were brought unto the sick handkerchiefs or aprons,
and the diseases departed from them, and the evil
spirits went out of them ; that seven sons of one
Sceva a Jew, and chief of the priests, attempting to
cast out an evil spirit in the name of Jesus, whom
Paul preached, the man, in whom the evil spirit was,
leaped on them, and overcame them, so that they
fled out of the house naked and wounded. And it
is expressly added, that this was known to all the
' §. 47, pr. ^ See Wake's Discourse, §. 15, 16, 17.
' Cotelerius.
K k 3
50U THE SACREDiNESS 01' THE BOOK
Jews and Greels also dwelling at Ephesus. Many
also, who used magical arts, becoming converts to
the Christian religion, burnt their books, which were
of a considerable value, publicly before all men.
After this a tumult^ being raised by Demetrius and
his craftsmen against Paul, was with difficulty sup-
pressed by the town clerk '".
Ephesus was one of the most noted cities in Asia
Minor '^, large and populous, had a good port, and a
great trade. The things related are spoken as pub-
licly done, and known to all. They were also of
such a nature as must necessarily excite men's cu-
riosity and attention, beget much talk, and spread
themselves wide. And they fell out not above seven
or eight years before the Acts of the Apostles was
published. Is it possible to conceive, that the Chris-
tian church at Ephesus could receive a book relat-
ing such events, had they not been well known
facts ? It is a thing with me beyond doubt, that the
Acts of the Apostles was no sooner written than it
was dispersed throughout the churches. There is
not so much as a shadow of a reason to be offered
against this, and many strong reasons to incline us
to believe it. And if the church of Ephesus re-
ceived this book within eight years after these
things are said to have happened, is not the conse-
quence obvious? Must it not have put an entire
stop to Christianity in all that country, had not the
facts related been most notoriously true, and known
to all? But should we, to allow scope for argument,
'^ Acts xix.
" The proconsul of Asia was obliged lo go to his province by
sea, and to put in first at the metropolis of Ephesus, i. 4. §. 5. ff.
de Offic. I'roc.
A PROOF OF THE FACTS RELATED. 503
suppose it was sixty years after the event before
this book was brought to that church, aud received
by them as sacred ; and we well know, that before
that time it was in the hands of both Christians and
heretics, and of established authority as a sacred
book ; if these events were true, must there not
have been many persons living at that time who re-
membered them ? What ! not many persons who
could look back sixty years in so large a city as that
of Ephesus ? Possibly there might be some living
whom Paul healed : but if there were not, it is
most certain there must have been many, very
many, who knew them, and conversed with them.
Could things of so strange and surprising a nature
be so soon forgot? If there remained no footsteps of
them in so short a time after, is it to be thought
there could be found many persons who would give
credit to them, and this when it was so contrary to
their interests, when they were exposed to so many
hardships, and even to the hazard of their lives, for
professing themselves Christians ?
St. Paul's raising Eutychus at Troas " must have
been a thing well known to the Christians there ;
otherwise would they have received this book ? His
appeal to Caesar, his being sent to Rome, his ship-
wreck at Melita, his being unhurt by the viper
which had fastened on him, his healing the father
of Publius, the chief man of the island, of a bloody
flux, and his curing others which had diseases in
the island P, were things all of them public, and
some of them very surprising, and happened but
about three years before the Acts of the Apostles
" Acts XX, 9 — 12. P Acts xxvii. and xxviii.
K k 4
504 THE SACREDNESS OF THE BOOK
was published. Would the Christians in Melita
have received such a book, had not these facts been
well known to them ?
It is further said, that St. Paul having been
brought a prisoner to Rome, continued there two
years preaching the gospel in his own hired house '^
The Christians at Rome had opportunity also of in-
forming themselves in most of the great events re-
lated in the History of the Acts : for that, being the
seat of the empire, was the centre to which persons
flocked from all parts of the world. And it was
easy to inquire of those who came from Judaea, from
Philippi, from Thessalonica, from Corinth, from
Ephesus, from Troas, from Melita, what truth there
was in the things that are said to have happened in
those places. And had they not been fully con-
vinced of their truth, would they have held this
book as sacred ?
The sum of the evidence is this : The Acts of the
Apostles, containing an history of thirty years, was
published soon after the time in which it ends. Ire- ^
nreus tells us the Gospel of St. Luke was published
after the departure of Peter and Paul. Most under-
stand herejjy, after their decease : others, I think,
with more reason, understand it of their departure
from the city of Rome, i. e. about the year of Christ
63, at which time the History of the Acts ends;
and very proljably it was soon after, or about the
year of Christ 64, that Luke published the Acts of
the Apostles. Otherwise we might reasonably ex-
pect that it should have proceeded further with the
account of St. Paul's travels.
T Acts xxviii. 30, 31.
A PROOF OF THE FACTS RELATED. 505
This History giving a clear and distinct narration
of the wonderful descent of the Holy Ghost on the
day of Pentecost, and the amazing effects thereof;
the planting of Christian churches in Judaea, Syria,
Asia Minor, Macedonia, Greece, and other parts,
together with the miraculous means made use of to
accomplish it, naming places, persons, circumstances,
sometimes persons of the higiiest rank in the great-
est and most populous cities ; and being received by
those very churches, whose history it relates, whilst
all things were yet fresh in every one's memory,
had not the facts contained therein been most noto-
riously true, must certainly have put an entire stop
to the progress of Christianity, and in a short time
have wholly ruined it. For is it to be thought, that
persons newly converted could with any patience
bear that a book full of the most palpable falsehoods
should be held sacred, and read in their assemblies ?
It is not easy to suppose that any Christians should
receive such a book. What end could it serve?
But certainly, when new converts came to be let
into this secret, it would shock them to a high de-
gree, and give them the greatest aversion to the
Christian religion.
Ancient writers agree that this book was unani-
mously received by the Christian churches from the
beginning. The Gospel of St. Luke, which is the
former part of this work, is cited by Clemens Ro-
manus"", and by Barnabas^: and certain passages in
the Acts of the Apostles are also alluded to by them,
which is a demonstration that it was published about
^ 1 Epist. §. 13. 17. 2 Ep. §. 4, fin. 6, pr. et 8, fin.
^§.19, prop, fin.
506 THE SACREDNESS OF THE BOOK
the time I have mentioned, or very soon after. At
the beginning of the second century it is most plainly
alluded to by Ignatius, by his -fellow-travellers and
companions, in the account they give of his martyr-
dom, and by Poly carp, who wrote at latest about
the year of Christ 116. And indeed it had been
now long esteemed a sacred book, and of established
authority. What else could induce the heretics of
this time to acknowledge it as such, or to forge
other books under the like name * ?
Should any one, at the time these heresies were
first published, have made an inquiry, it was no dif-
ficult matter to learn whether the facts related in
this book were true or not. Let us suppose one to
have looked back so late as from the year of Christ
1 20, might it not have been known from many then
living at Rome, whether St, Paul dwelt at Rome,
and preached the gospel in his own hired house,
during the years of Christ 62 and 63 ? Can it be
thought, that in so immense a city as Rome was,
there were not very great numbers who could look
back fifty-seven or fifty-eight years ? Might it not
also have been known from many then living in the
isle of Melita, whether St. Paul had been ship-
wrecked upon that island, healed the father of Pub-
lius the chief man of the island, and many other
diseased persons, in the year of Christ 61, that is,
fifty-nine years before ? Might it not have been
^ Such as the Acts of Peter, Euseb. E. H. 1. 3. c. 3; and the
Acts of Andrew, John, and the other apostles. Ibid. I. 3. c. 25.
The Acts of Paul seem to have been written, like the Gospel ac-
cording to the Hebrews, by some uninspired person, containing
many truths, and is not reckoned among the heretical. Ibid. c. 3.
p. 57, fin. Vid. Grab. Spicileg.
A PROOF OF THE FACTS RELATED. 507
known at Ephesus, whether the wonderful things
reported in this book were performed in that" city in
the years of Christ 56 and 57, that is, sixty-three
years before ? And might it not have been known
at Philippi, whether the things said to have hap-
pened there in the year 54, that is, sixty-six years
before, so fell out or not ? What was more easy than
to have confuted these stories, even at that distance
of time, had they not been undeniably true ?
But let us descend further, to the time of Irenasus,
who was made bishop of Lyons in the year of Christ
177. In his works are very many direct and ex-
press quotations from the Acts of the Apostles, and
an abstract of a large part thereof. Fie represents
this book as equally necessary to be received with
the Gospel, and avers the truth of the things which
are related in it ". And had he not the certain
means of knowing whether they were true or not ?
Unquestionably he had. He had been some time
presbyter under Pothinus, who died for the testi-
mony of Jesus at above ninety years of age. Po-
thinus therefore was born in the year of Christ 86.
Might not he, in his younger days, have learnt from
innumerable persons the truth of these facts ? The
churches of Lyons and Vienna joined in writing a
letter to the churches of Asia and Phrygia, giving
an account of the martyrdom and sufferings of Po-
thinus, and many of their brethren. And it is evi-
" Omnibus his cum adesset Lucas, diligenter conscripsit ea, uti
neque mendax, neque elatus deprehendi possit, eo quod omnia
haec constarent, et seniorem eum esse omnibus, qui nunc aliud
decent, neque ignorare veritatem, 1. 3. c. 14. §. i. Neque Lucam
mendacem esse possunt ostendere, veritatem nobis cum omnidili-
gentia annuntiantem, c. 15. §. r.
508 THE SACREDNESS OF THE BOOK
dent from this Epistle, that the martyrs and confess-
ors of those two Gallic churches had before their
eyes the example of the protomartyr Stephen, as
related in the Acts of the Apostles ''. But would
they have had any regard to such an example, had
they not been fully persuaded of its truth? Or is it
in the least credible, that they should be encouraged
to suffer imprisonments, racks, tortures, and the
most cruel, lingering, painful deaths, for the sake of
the Christian religion, had they not been first fully
satisfied that the facts reported in this book, which
was held sacred among them, were true ?
Irenaeus, in his younger days, was under the in-
struction of Polycarp, ordained bishop of Smyrna by
the apostles. Must not Polycarp well know whether
the events recorded in the Acts of the Apostles were
true or not ? He had conversed familiarly, not only
with the apostle John, but others also of the apostles.
Smyrna was not so far from Ephesus but Polycarp
went frequently thither to visit the apostle John,
when he resided in that city. Most certainly then
he must be well acquainted at least with what is
said to have happened there, and with all those oc-
currences in which the apostle John is represented
as having any part. Is it to be thought that he
would have suffered martyrdom for the sake of the
Christian religion, as it is certain he did, had he not
been well assured that the things reported in the
Acts of the Apostles were true ? Irenaeus was also
acquainted with other ancient Christians who had
conversed with the apostles, from whom he might
learn the truth of this History. And when he was
^ Vid. Eiiseb. E. H. 1. 5. c. 2. p. 135, C.
A PROOF OF THE FACTS RELATED. 509
at Smyrna with Polycarp, how easily might he have
gone to Ephesus, and have satisfied himself of the
truth of those things which are related to have hap-
pened there ? Quadratus, in his Apology to the em-
peror Fladrian, asserts that there were persons living
even to his time, who had been healed by our jjlessed
Lord y. It is possible there might some live to the
time of Irenaeus, who had been cured by the apostle
Paul at Ephesus. However, it is unquestionable,
there must have been many of their acquaintance
then living, from whom he might receive a very
clear and certain information of the truth of the
facts. Though doubtless that which most fully con-
firmed Irenaeus, and the other ancient fathers, in
the belief of this History, and left no room for he-
sitation, were the remains of the same miraculous
gifts continued in the church in their time. They
saw things of the same wonderful nature performed
with their own eyes, as I have already shewn you
from their writings.
But to give infidelity the greatest scope possible,
let us suppose that the Christians of the first ages
were such fools to hold this book as sacred, although
they knew the facts contained therein were not true,
and that they willingly exposed themselves to the
loss of all things, and of life itself, under a pretence
of believing these and the like facts, knowing them
to be false. It is certain, this is little else than an
impossible supposition. However, for argument's
sake, let us at present suppose it. What were the
enemies of Christianity all this while doing ? How
came it to pass that they did not publish this to the
y Euseb. E. H. 1. 4. c. 3.
olO THE SACREDNESS OF THE BOOK
world, and lay open the knavery and folly of Chris-
tians ? Was their enmity towards them so little that
they would have spared them if they had known
this? If so, why did they persecute them, harass
them, fine them, imprison them, torture them, and
put them to the most cruel deaths ? or was this kept
a secret from their enemies ? But is it likely that a
book which was in the hands of so many could be
long concealed ? Were there no half Christians, no
false brethren, to betray such a secret ? How many
were there from time to time who fell off from the
Christian religion ! Would none of them discover
this book ? How many heretics had it in their pos-
session, who professed it as their principle, that they
ought not to suffer for their religion ! Would none
of them shew it ? It is a thing indeed next to im-
possible to suppose that this book was not in the
hands of many, both Jews and heathen, within a
few years after it was published.
TertuUian in his Apology calls upon the Roman
powers to look into the books held sacred by the
Christians. And at the same time that he says
many accidents had put them into the hands of the
heathen, he also affirms that it was not the way of
the Christians to conceal them ^. And we very plainly
see that Trypho the Jew % and Celsus the Epicurean'',
had read them : and no doubt many of the enemies
of Christianity long before their time had perused
^ Inspice Dei voces, literas nostras, quas neqiie ipsi siipj^rimi-
mus, et plerique casus ad extraneos transferunt. C. 31, pr. p. 27,
C. fin.
•'■ Vid. Just. Mar. Dial. p. 98, a. et 227, B. et 235, D.
^ Vid. Orig. adv. Cels. 1. i. p. 1 1, pr. 1. 2. p. 77. 1. 5. p. 273.
1. 6. p. 275, 276. 286, m. 1. 7. p. 343.
A PROOF OF THE FACTS RELATED. 511
them. Would not they have confuted the things
herein related, when it might have been so easily
done, had they not been true? Was not this the
sure method to suppress the growth of Christianity,
and wholly overthrow it ?
But supposing, which is indeed almost an impos-
sible supposition, that no enemy of Christianity had
seen the Acts of the Apostles till Trypho and Celsus:
might not they have shewn the falsity of the facts
related therein, had they not been true ? They both
lived in the time of the emperor Hadrian ; but we
will suppose they began not an inquiry into the
truth of these things till the beginning of the reign
of the emperor Antoninus Pius, or about the year
of Christ 137. Might they not at that distance of
time have easily satisfied themselves of the truth or
falsity hereof? Trypho was both at Corinth and at
Ephesus. It was but fourscore years before, that
St. Paul is reported to have done his miraculous
cures in the city of Ephesus. And should we allow
that there were none then living who were St. Paul's
converts, or had been cured by him, yet what num-
bers of their immediate descendants, how many that
had seen and conversed with them must there have
been living at that time ! How strong must have
been the tradition of the wonders performed !
In fine, had either Trypho or Celsus, or any other
of the enemies of Christianity in their time, made it
appear to the world, that, upon a strict scrutiny into
the facts related, there was found little or no tra-
dition of them remaining in the places where they
are said to have happened, they had done much
more to the overthrow of the Christian religion
512 THE SACREDNESS OF THE BOOK, &c.
than by all the other arguments they made use of,
or methods they employed. But forasmuch as they
did not make this appear, is it not a clear case that
they could not, and a convincing proof of the truth
of these facts ?
ON THE TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 513
CHAP. XVII.
The evulence of the truth of Christianity arising
from the principal matters related in the His-
tory of the Acts.
I PROCEED now to the fourth general head,
and shall lay before you the incontestible evidence
these facts afford of the truth of Christianity. The
facts are, that Jesus Christ, after a long course of
miracles wrought for the benefit of mankind, was
put to death at the instigation of the Jewish rulers ^;
that he arose from the dead, was seen of, and con-
versed with his disciples forty days ^ and then
ascended into heaven in their sight ^ ; that before
he ascended he ordered them to wait in Jerusalem
for the promise of the Father, which was, that the
Holy Ghost should come upon them, and endue
them with power to be his witnesses, not only in
Jerusalem, Judaea, and Samaria, but to the utter-
most parts of the earth ; and that this promise
should be fulfilled within a few days '' ; that his dis-
ciples being accordingly met together in Jerusalem
on the day of Pentecost, that is, about ten days after
his ascension, the Spirit of God descended on them
in a most astonishing manner, enabling them to de-
clare the wonderful works of God in a great variety
of languages, which they had never learnt^. This
was not only foretold by our Saviour, but had been
long before prophesied of, and promised by Joel^
^ Acts ii. 22, 23. V. 30. and x. 38, 39.
^ Acts X. 40, 41. ii. 24. 32. and i. 3. c fi^^,^^ \ 2,9^ &c.
<' Acts i. 4, 5, 8. "^ Acts ii. i — t 2. •" Acts ii. 16. &c.
Ll
514 EVIDENCE OF THE
And in consequence of these miraculous gifts, the
disciples courageously proceeded in executing the
commission given them by their Master, bearing
witness of his resurrection, not only before the com-
mon people of the Jews ^, but before the Jewish ma-
gistrates themselves^, openly declaring that they had
crucified their Messiah. They confirmed the testi-
mony they gave to the resurrection of Jesus, both
among Jews and heathens, by the performance of
the greatest wonders', such as restoring decayed
limbs'^, healing the sick, curing the paralytic ^ and
raising the dead'". And they conferred the like
wonderful powers on others by laying on them their
hands ".
For my part, I cannot persuade myself that there
ever was that man in the world who believed these
facts, and was not at the same time convinced in his
own mind of the truth of the Christian religion.
Whatever men may pretend or say for argument's
sake, if once they assent to these facts as true, I
make not the least doubt but the conclusion thence
arising in their own breasts is, that the Christian
revelation is divine. I am not now speaking of a
partial belief of the facts related, such as many, both
Jews and heathen, might entertain, who imputed
them to art magic ; but I am speaking of those who
have read, considered, and give credit to the whole
narration.
I think it scarce possible but that the faith of
every man who believes the facts here related must
^ Acts ii. and iii. 15. '' Acts iv. 10. and v. 30, 31.
' Acts iv. 33. V. 12, &c. viii. 7. xiv. 3. and xix. 11, 12.
^ Acts iii. 7. and xiv. 10. ' Acts ix. 34.
"^ Acts ix. 40. and xx. 9. 1 2. " Acts viii. 15. 17. and xix. 6.
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 515
at least carry him thus far, that the blessed Jesus,
who did such great things for the benefit of mankind
when on earth, and after his ascension to heaven
empowered his disciples to do the like, is abundantly
able to do for his followers all that he has promised,
that is, raise them from the dead, receive them to
himself, and make them happy. If we believe that
he gave health to the diseased, strength to the weak,
motion to the paralytic, reason to the lunatic, and
life to the dead, when conversant here on earth ; if
we believe that he arose himself from the dead, and
for a long course of years after his ascension per-
formed the same beneficial works for mankind by
his followers, not only curing the sick and lame, but
also raising the dead ; what should hinder us from
believing that he is still able to perform the same,
and that according to his promise he certainly will
raise all the dead, and bestow rewards and punish-
ments suitable to the behaviour of each one in the
present life ?
When he was here upon earth, and had performed
some great and eminent cures, it begat in the people
a firm persuasion that he was able to do more of the
same kind. This occasioned so great flocking after
him, and their bringing from all parts diseased,
maimed, and paralytic subjects to him. They made
no doubt but what he had done he was still able to
do, and we never find that he once disappointed
them. Ought not the same reasoning to prevail
with us ? is it not easy ? is it not natural ? If we
believe that he raised the dead, when living upon
earth, that he arose himself from the dead, and that
he continued to raise the dead long after his ascen-
sion to heaven by the powers he communicated to
L 1 2
516 EVIDENCE OF THE
his followers, have we not the justest reason to con-
clude that he is now able to raise the dead, and that
according to his promise he certainly will do it ?
Some one may indeed say, " There is no necessary
" connection between what he has done and what
" he is now able to do : his power may, for what we
" know, be lessened, or wholly ceased." But unless
it can in fact be proved to be so, the presumption is
wholly on the other side, that his power continues
the same it ever was. When he was here on earth
did the people argue in this manner ? or was it na-
tural they should ? " It is true, he cured many dis-
" eased persons yesterday, and the day before ; but
" there is no necessary connection between what he
" has done and what he is now able to do : his
" power may, for what we know, be much lessened,
" or wholly ceased. To what purpose therefore
" should we bring our sick friends to him to-day ?"
Had the people reasoned in this manner, would
there have been such crowds following him, bring-
ing from all parts the lame and distempered to him?
No, certainly. It is evident therefore they believed
that what they had seen him do yesterday, he was
able also to perform to-day ; and for this reason pre-
sented to him the maimed and diseased, and had no
apprehensions of a disappointment.
There is not that man perhaps in the world, who
from seeing the sun daily rise and set, has not con-
cluded that it will continue so to do : or from hav-
ing observed the several seasons of the year, does
not expect each in its turn. It is most certain there
is no necessary connection between these two things,
that because the sun rose yesterday, and the day
before, &c. it will rise to-morrow ; and that because
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 517
we have had spring, summer, autumn, and winter
the last and foregoing years, therefore we shall have
them this and the following. Notwithstanding, is
there that man upon earth that does not form the
conclusion, and firmly believe it will be so? or is
there any one that thinks it unjustifiable and blame-
worthy so to do ? In like manner I am persuaded
there is no one who really believes the facts related
in the History of the Acts, but fully concludes that
the same Jesus who raised the dead when here upon
earth, who arose himself from the dead, and after
his ascension empowered his disciples to raise the
dead, will, according to his promise, at length raise
all the dead, and render to them according to their
deeds. He that amended human nature, and cured
its defects; he that restored lost health, withered
limbs, and decayed reason, has he not evidently the
power of finishing our natures, and making us
happy? Is it not also reasonable to conclude that
he can as easily inflict pains, diseases, griefs, and
whatever other evils he pleases ? Have we not then
just reason to conclude that he will reward the
righteous and punish the wicked as he has declared
he will? He that was so punctual in the perform-
ance of all his promises, why should we mistrust
that he will not perform this ? H:e that so exactly
foretold his disciples what would happen to them,
and faithfully fulfilled his engagements to them in
giving them such miraculous powers, and so un-
daunted a resolution ° to bear witness to his resur-
rection, and spread his doctrine through the world ?
Is it not a reasonable presumption, that a person
° Luke xxi. 15. Acts vi. 10.
L 1 3
518 EVIDENCE OF THE
who has been always faithful to his word will con-
tinue to be so ? Is it not upon this foundation that
commerce and business is carried on ? Is there any
one scruples to trust a man who is well known to
keep his word? and should this way of reasoning
once fail, must there not be an entire and immediate
stop put to trade? Persons may here also say,
" There is no necessary connection between what a
" man has done and what he will do : it is true, he
" has always kept his word very punctually hitherto ;
" but it does not thence necessarily follow that he
" will do it for the future," What must be the con-
sequence of such reasoning, but an entire diffidence
in one another, and a total stop to all commerce ?
If it be thought unreasonable to argue in this man-
ner in the common affairs of life, and matters where-
in our worldly interest is concerned, is it not equally
or indeed more so with regard to the business of the
other life, and our eternal interests ? Christ has al-
ways hitherto faithfully performed every thing that
he has promised. Is it not a most reasonable thing
thence to conclude that he will continue so to do ?
and particularly, that he will, according to his pro-
mise, raise the dead, judge the world p, and render
to all according to their behaviour and conduct
here ?
Should we proceed no further than this in our
reasoning, this surely is enough to make us Chris-
tians. This alone is sufficient to shew us that Christ
is our Master, our Prince, and our Judge, and that
P He gave sufficient proof of his qualification for this office by
his knowledge of men's hearts when here on earth, and by com-
municating this knowledge to his disciples when he ascended into
heaven. John i. 47. ii. 24, 25. and vi, 64. Acts v. 4, &c.
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 519
it is both our duty and interest to submit wholly to
him, learning what he teaches, and obeying what he
enjoins. But a very little reflection will carry us on
to consider, that this eminent Person, who did such
great things, must either himself be more than man,
or must have been assisted by some one far superior
to the human race. We are very sure that it is not
in the power of man by a word's speaking to restore
decayed limbs or lost reason, much less to raise the
dead. How much less yet, to arise himself from the
dead, and to grant this power of healing the dis-
tempered, and raising the dead, to others, and to
enable them to confer it still on others ! All these
are so like the works of him that made us, that the
most natural conclusion is, that the person who per-
formed them was no other than our Creator, who
appeared in human flesh under the name of Jesus.
Is it easy to conceive that any other than he who
first made us should be able to rectify the disorders
of our nature by a word's speaking ? Who can renew
the powers of reasoning and of self-motion, but he
who first bestowed them ? Who can restore life, but
he who gave it ? Who can order that the like won-
derful effects should follow when others speak in his
name, and that these, by laying on their hands,
should convey the like miraculous power to others
also, but he who has the disposal of all events ? As
this is the most natural conclusion, so it well agrees
with what is said of Christ by his disciples, that lie
was in the heginning with God, and that he is God;
that all things were made hy him, atid that without
him was there not any thing made that was made^^.
n John i. 3. Col. i. 16, 17. i Cor. viii. 6,
Ll4
520 EVIDENCE OF THE
But should wc admit that he effected these great
and wonderful things by the direction and through
the assistance of the almighty Creator and Governor
of the universe, it is the very representation that he
himself has given us : / came down from heaven,
7iot to do mine own will, hut the will of him that
sent me \ The works which the Father hath given
me to finish, the same works that I do, hear witness
of me, that the Father hath sent me^. And when
he was about to cure the man who was blind from
his birth, he says, / must work the ivorhs of him
that sent me, while it is day^. Again he says, If 1
do not the ivorhs of my Father, helieve me not ;
hut if I do, though ye helieve not me, helieve the
works: that ye may know, and helieve, that the
Father is i?i me, and I in him ".
I have chosen this way of reasoning, because it is
free from all metaphysical subtlety, and open to the
capacity of the meanest. It proceeds upon these
two presumptions : that what Christ has done, he is
still able to do ; and that forasmuch as he has al-
ways hitherto been faithful to his word, he will con-
tinue so to be. This is a way of reasoning allowed
to be good in the affairs of life : and indeed, if per-
sons were not governed in their belief by such rea-
soning as this, the business of the world would be
immediately at a stand. It is true, this way of rea-
soning does not always prove infallible in matters
merely human : a mere man may of a sudden be
disabled from doing what he before did with the
greatest facility ; or he may so change, as not to per-
"^ John vi. 38. " John v. 36. Vid. cb. v. 17. 19, 20.
' John ix, 4. ••' John x. 37, 38.
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 521
form what he has promised, although never known
to fail of his word before. However, these failures
are not so frequent but the way of reasoning still
justly prevails, and men are universally governed,
both in their belief and practice, by it. Now if men
believe and practise agreeably to this way of reason-
ing in the business of life, wherein they know that
it sometimes does fail them, how much more ought
they to believe and practise agreeably to it in a case
wherein they have not the least ground to suspect
that it can or will deceive them ! Christ, whose
ability and fidelity is in this case to be trusted, has
given sufficient demonstration that he is more than
man, and that he acted under the direction and in-
fluence of the almighty Creator and Governor of the
universe. Can the Almighty fail, and deceive us ?
Most certainly there is a necessary connection be-
tween his word and the fulfilment. Has he spoken,
and shall it not be done ?
The author of the last attempt against Christianity
asserts, " that the power of working miracles has no
" connection with the truth of the doctrines taught
" by such miracle-workers : that false prophets, and
" the most wicked seducers, might and did work
" miracles, which they could not have done, had mi-
" racles been any evidence or proof of truth and
" sound doctrine : that whatever certainty God may
" convey to a man's mind by inspiration, or imme-
" diate revelation, the knowledge of any such truth
" can go no further upon divine authority ''. He
" could not convince any other man, not thus in-
" spired, that he had any such revelation from God ;
^ Moral Philosopher, p. 8i, 82.
5^2 EVIDENCE OF THE
" but whosoever should receive it from him, must
" take his own word for it, and depend properly
" upon his authority, and not upon the authority of
" God, unless he covild make it appear that he was
" both infallible and impeccable in the case, and
" that he could neither be deceived himself nor de-
" ceive others ; and this is so much the prerogative
" of God alone, that I doubt it will never be proved
" of any other y. They who in the apostolical times
" had these extraordinary gifts and powers, were
" left at liberty to exercise them upon the common
" principles of reason and human prudence ; and
" from hence we find that some made a right use of
" them for edification, while others employed them
" only to serve the purposes of emulation and strife,
" which introduced great confusions and disorders
" among them. And this is an evident proof that
" tlie persons invested with such extraordinary gifts
" and powers were neither infallible nor impeccable,
" i. e. they were not hereby made incapable either
" of deceiving others or of being themselves de-
" ceived ^"
This, it must be owned, is a specious way of talk-
ing, and is possibly as much as can be said on that
side the question, but is far from coming up to the
point, in opposing eitlier the revelation which God
was pleased to make to his ancient people the Jews,
or that which he has made to us by his son Jesus
Christ. God was pleased to reveal the most material
part of his will to the whole multitude of the Israel-
ites immediately from Mount Sinai by an audible
voice. And to make them the more attentive, it
y Moral rhilosopher, p. 83. " Ibid. p. 81.
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 523
was preceded with thunders and lightnings, and an
earthquake. There was a cloud and thick darkness
covered the mountain, and afterwards the appear-
ance of fire and the sound of a trumpet. It was not
possible that these things could be a deception. I be-
lieve it will be readily granted, that it was not in
the power of any man to cover the face of the hea-
vens with clouds and darkness, and speak to more
than three millions of people at once with an audible
voice, so that each one should distinctly hear what
was said. And should we suppose that any being
inferior to the almighty Creator and Governor of the
universe had it in his power to have exhibited such
an appearance as this, we are sure that he could not
do it without the divine permission. But is it con-
sistent with the wisdom and goodness of the great
Governor of the world to permit a people to be thus
inevitably deceived and imposed upon ? To this in-
deed it may be replied, " Has he not suffered many
" great and large nations to be deceived by Ma-
" hometan delusion ? and have not great numbers
" been misled by pretended miracles in popish coun-
" tries ?" But these cases are by no means parallel.
Mahomet wrought no miracles : his disciples be-
came such through fear. It was merely the want of
courage made so great a part of the world submit to
his doctrine, for it was propagated wholly by war
and conquest. And as to the pretended miracles
among the papists, they are impositions which might
easily be discovered by men's own natural faculties :
and it is entirely owing to their own sloth, careless-
ness, and negligence, that they suffer themselves to
be so egregiously deceived. But in the case before
us, it was not in the power of man to discover the
524 EVIDENCE OF THE
imposition. There were clouds and darkness, thun-
ders and lightnings, and a voice personating the
great Ci'eator of all things, and giving forth the
most just and reasonable laws, and this in the open
air in the daytime, to upwards of three millions of
people. How was it possible that any man should
suspect a fraud, or entertain a thought that God
would permit an inferior invisible power to act thus
without an express order and commission from him-
self ? The Israelites were so terrified by this appear-
ance, that they desired for the future that God would
speak to them by Moses, and not any more imme-
diately to themselves. The rest of their laws there-
fore were at their own request delivered to them
from God by Moses.
And that God himself was the conductor of this
people from the time of their leaving Egypt to their
settlement in the Holy Land, is as plain as history
and words can make it. And it is as evident from
the same history, that if Moses was not directed by
God in his marches from Egypt, and through the
wilderness, and had not an entire dependance on his
immediate interposition to assist and provide for
them, he was the weakest man that ever undertook
the command of a people, and must certainly have
failed of his end. He and all tlie people with him
must have perished, either at the Red sea or in the
wilderness. And is not every Jew we meet with in
our streets an evidence of the truth of the Mosaic
revelation ? Is it not expressly foretold by Moses,
And the Lord s/tall .scatter thee among all jyeople,
from the one end of the earth even unto the other ;
and there thou ahaJt .serve other gods, ivhich nei-
ther thou nor thi/ fathers have known, even ivood
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 525
and stone ^. How comes it to pass that there are
any left who profess themselves Jews ? Is it not
a most astonishing tiling, that, after so many dread-
ful slaughters that have been made of that people,
after so many severe persecutions which they have
undergone, and the contempt that is thrown upon
them in all nations, there should yet remain any
who call themselves by that name ? Is it owing
to their great and singular virtue ? Are they not as
vicious, at least, as any other people ? And in Spain
and Portugal do they not at this day comply with
all the rites and ceremonies of the Popish religion,
and bow down before images of wood and stone? Is
it any thing less than a miracle of Providence that
can preserve such a people distinct from the rest of
the world ? There seem to be prophecies both in the
Old and New Testament relating to this people yet
unfulfilled ; and it is very probable that they are
thus miraculously kept a distinct people for their
accomplishment.
The coming of Christ into the world was foretold
by Moses and the succeeding prophets. He is de-
scribed by them as one that should be more than
human ; that he should be born of a virgin ^ ; that he
should be without sin *^ ; that he should be Immanuel,
or God with us '^ ; that he should be called the Mighty
God*^; that one should go before him in the spirit
and power of Elias ^, who should cry in the wilder-
ness. Prepare ye the ivay of the Lord, make his
paths straight s. The conception of John the Bap-
tist, and that of Christ, were foretold by an angel •'.
=" Deut. xxviii.64. Vid. et 37, ^' Isaiah vii. 14.
<^ Is. liii. 9. I Pet. ii, 22. '' Is. vii. 14. ^ Is. ix. 6.
f Mai. iv. 6. Luke i. 17. " Is. xl. 3, 4. '' Luke i. 19. 26.
5^6 EVIDENCE OF THE
By a vision of angels was the birth of Jesus made
known to certain shepherds, who immediately vi-
sited the new born Son of God ^ Wise men, con-
ducted from the east by a miraculous appearance in
the heavens, came and made their offerings to him''.
Simeon and Anna, by a prophetic spirit, received
and owned him as the Messiah, when brought an
infant to the temple to be presented to the Lord^
and spake of him to all them who looked for re-
demption in Israel '". John the Baptist, prophesied
of as his forerunner, pointed him out to the jjeople
as one far greater and more worthy than himself,
who should baptize them with the Holy Ghost ", as
the Lamb of God, whicli taketh away the sin of the
world °, as the Son of GodP, and Judge of the
worlds. Twice was it said of him by a voice from
heaven, This is my beloved Son, in ivJiom I am
well pleased"^ . And he was demonstrated to be the
Son of God with power by his resurrection from the
dead ^ In his discourses to the Jews, he more than
once appeals to the great and mighty works wrought
by him, as a clear proof that the Father had sent
him^ And it is most certain that these things
could not have been performed without the permis-
sion and consent of the great Author and Governor
of all things. But is it to be conceived, that an all-
wise and gracious Being would give his consent
' Luke ii. 8, &c. 17. And they made known abroad the saying
which was told them concerning this child.
'''Matt. ii. I — II. ' Luke ii. 22. 25. 26, &c. 36, &c.
'" Ver. 38. " Matt. iii. 12. John i. 15. 27. " John i. 29.
»' John i. 18. 24. 'I Matt. iii. 13.
^ Matt. iii. 17. and xvii. 5. ^ Rom. i. 4.
t John V. 36. and .x. 25. 37. 38.
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 527
that mankind should be thus unavoidably deceived ?
Would he suffer a person to do such works in his
name, and as by his authority, in express proof of
his coming from him, of being his Son, and bring-
ing his message, if he were not truly the person he
represented himself to be. When the Jews sought
a sign of him, he often referred them to his resur-
rection. He said. Destroy this temple, and in three
days I ivill build it up again ". And at another
time, An evil a7id adulterous generation seeheth
after a sigfi ; and there shall no sign he given to
it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas : for as Jonas
was three days and three nights in the whale's
belly ; so shall the Son of man be three days and
three nights in the heart of the earth ^. When he
had thus rested the whole proof of his divine mis-
sion on his rising from the dead the third day, is it
to be thought that the great Governor of the world
would have allowed him to rise on that day, unless
he had indeed sent him ? Would he also have taken
him up into heaven in the sight of all his disciples ?
Would he have permitted him to have fulfilled his
promise in pouring forth the Holy Ghost on the day
of Pentecost ? Would he have suffered him to en-
due his apostles and followers with such wonderful
powers, and enable them to do such astonishing
works, and thereby spread his gospel in so short a
time through the then known world, according to
his prediction and promise ? I say, would the Fa-
ther and Maker of all things have allowed this, had
not Jesus been what he declared himself to be, the
Son of God, and Saviour of the world ? Most cer-
" John. ii. 19.
^ Matt. xii. 39, 40. Vid. Matt. xvi. 4. Luke xi. 29.
528 EVIDENCE OF THE
tainly he would not. It is utterly irreconcileahle
with the divine attributes.
In the Christian revelation therefore, it is no other
than the Son of God himself, he who is both God
and man, that has made known the mind of God to
us. He is both infalHble and impeccable >'. He
neither can be deceived himself, nor deceive any
one. He taught his disciples the will of his Father
in the most familiar manner for the three years that
he lived with them : and after his resurrection was
often with them, and instructed them in the pro-
phecies of the Old Testament concerning himself^.
And for the security of those who should come after,
he assured them that the Holy Spirit, which he
would give them, should lead them into all truth,
and bring all things to their remembrance, whatso-
ever he had said unto them '\ So that we have a
clear and full promise, that in their representing his
doctrine to us they should not deceive us. And
these very disciples, to whom he fulfilled this pro-
mise, and gave his Holy Spirit, not only taught his
sayings by their preaching, but have also left them
us in writing. The apostle Paul indeed was not a
disciple while Jesus was conversant here on earth,
and was a most bitter persecutor of all his followers
for some time after his ascension into heaven. His
miraculous conversion, and bold appearing for the
cause of Christ in the synagogues of the Jews, where
he had apprehended and scourged the Christians, was
an additional proof of the truth of Christ's mission.
And although it is true, that he received his know-
> Is. liii. 9. 2 Cor. v. 21. Fleb. vii. 26. i Pet. ii. 22. 1 .lolin
iii. 5. 1 Pet. i. 19. ' Luke xxiv. 27. 44. 45, &c.
*' John xvi. 13. and xiv. 26.
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 529
ledge of the Christian doctrine by inspiration, or im-
mediate revelation, yet the exact agreement there is
between his writings and those of the other apostles
is a confirmation of the truth of Christianity.
You may now plainly see, that the arguments of
the author I have cited come not up to the point in
opposing either of the revelations which we are con-
cerned with. The most material part of the revealed
truths 4n the first were taught the people immedi-
ately by God himself from mount Sinai, and the rest
at their own desire by the mediation of Moses. All
the truths of the gospel were taught by Jesus, who
is both God and man : and both revelations were
committed to writing, the former immediately from
the mouth of God, the latter by persons who were
eye and ear witnesses of what they wrote, and were
under the direction of that Spirit who was to guide
them into all truth, and bring all things to their re-
membrance, whatsoever Christ had said unto them.
Had all the disciples who have communicated to us
the doctrine of Christ received it by inspiration
alone, as did St. Paul, there would have been more
appearance of weight in the words I have cited from
this author ; but forasmuch as they received it from
Christ's own mouth when here on earth, or by im-
mediate tradition from those that heard him, the ar-
guments he has brought are quite wide from the
purpose. And since the doctrine left us by St. Paul,
who received it by immediate revelation or inspira-
tion, is so exactly consonant with that which comes
to us from the other disciples, it is a great confirma-
tion that we are not imposed upon and deceived.
When the author I have cited says, " that they
" who in the apostolic times had these extraordi-
M m
530 EVIDENCE OF THE
" naiy gifts and powers were left at liberty to exer-
" cise them upon tlie common principles of reason
" and human prudence, and from hence we find,
" that some made a right use of them to edification,
" while others employed them only to serve the pur-
" poses of emulation and strife, which introduced
" great confusions and disorders among them ;" we
readily allow the truth of all this. And it is nothing
more than what our Lord himself foretold : JMany
will say unto me in that day, Lord, Lord, have we
not prophesied in thy name f and in thy name have
cast out devils f and in thy name done many won-
derful worhs ? And then will I profess unto them,
I never hneiv you : depart from me, ye that work
iniquity^. This is so far from being an objection
to the truth of the Christian religion, that it con-
firms it, plainly demonstrating, that our Lord had
the knowledge of things future. But if the author
means to insinuate that our faith depends on such
men as these, who abused the extraordinary gifts
communicated to them, his insinuation is utterly
false and groundless.
Our faith depends on Christ alone, who is both
God and man. He taught his doctrine to his fol-
lowers : and they, to whom he promised to lead
them into all truth, and to bring to their remem-
brance all things whatsoever he had said unto them,
first preached it to the world, and then committed
it to writing. And if we believe that he rose from
the dead, ascended into heaven, and thence gave
forth miraculous powers to his disciples, can we ad-
mit the least douljt whether he fulfilled this pro-
'' Matt, vii, 22, 23.
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 531
mise ? Should we admit that this promise was con-
fined to his immediate disciples, such only as were
conversant with him here on earth ; and should we
suppose that both Mark and Luke were not of that
number ; (though the contrary be asserted by some
of the ^ ancients ;) yet, since they wrote their Gospels
from the preachings of the apostles Peter and Paul,
and both were approved by tlie apostle John, we are
very secure they contain nothing but what is true.
The author indeed in some parts of his work
boldly asserts, that there was a wide difference be-
tween the doctrine taught by St. Paul and that
taught by the other apostles '^ ; but the difference
assigned by him is entirely the fiction of his own
fruitful brain, without any the least foundation either
in scripture or history. He acknowledges that when
St. Paul went up to Jerusalem by revelation, and
communicated to the apostles there the gospel he had
preached to the Gentiles, they approved it, and gave
him the right hand of fellowship ^ ; yet affirms, in
express contradiction to history ^ and this apostle's
own writings 8, that afterwards he preached against
the decree of the council at Jerusalem, and would
not have the Gentile converts to comply with it '\
That the apostle Peter approved the doctrine taught
by St. Paul, is sufficiently evident from tlie commen-
dation he gives of his Epistles, as you may see,
2 Pet. iii. 15, 16. Even as our heloved brother Paul
also according to the wisdom given unto him hath
written unto you ; as also in all his epistles, speak-
'^ Epiphan, et Dial, contra Marcion. quoted in Basnage, Annal.
Vid. Marc, et Luc. in Ind.
^ Moral PhiK p. 74 — 80. 363. 364. ^ Ibid. p. 362.
f Acts xvi. 4. "^ I Cor. x. 21. '' Mor. Phil. p. 79. 363.
Ji m 2
532 EVIDENCE OF THE
ing in them of' these thifigs ; in which are some
things hard to he understood, ivhich they that are
unlearned and unstable wrest, as they do also the
other scriptures, unto their own destruction. Al-
though the apostle Peter was guilty of dissimulation
at Antioch^ through fear of the Jews which came
down from Jerusalem, this is no evidence that he
did not approve of the apostle Paul's doctrine ; on
the contrary, his former practice sufficiently demon-
strates that he did approve it ; and indeed it was no
other than what himself had publicly defended be-
fore the Christians at Jerusalem, when he was ac-
cused by them of going in to men uncircumcised,
and eating with them ^. This indeed fully proves
that the apostles were not impeccable ; nor did our
Saviour promise that they should be. The servants
of God have sometimes failed even in those graces
for the exercise of which they have been most emi-
nent. Job betrayed impatience : and Peter, not-
withstanding his natural courage and undaunted
spirit, and his great zeal, boldness, and forwardness
to profess Christ, twice fell through mere cowardice :
he denied his Master, and dissembled with the Jew-
ish Christians at Antioch. Our Saviour did not pro-
mise that his disciples should not fall into sin, but
that in teaching his doctrine he would lead them
into all truth. And accordingly in this very point
Peter boldly maintained and defended the truth
against the Jerusalem Christians, who accused him
for what he had done at Ca^sarea '.
I shall add a brief and plain answer to each of
the assertions I have quoted from this author, and
' Gal. ii. ii,&c. '^Actsxi.31. 'Ver. 17.
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 533
conclude this discourse. He says, " that false pro-
" phets, and the most wicked seducers, might and
" did work miracles, which they could not have
" done, had miracles been an evidence or proof of
" truth and sound doctrine." In answer to this, I
would ask, of what sort were the miracles wrought
by false prophets and seducers ? Were they for the
manifest benefit of mankind, or were they preju-
dicial? Were they not always to be distinguished
from those wrought by true prophets ? It is certain
there is come down to us but a very slender account
of any particular miracles wrought by false prophets
and seducers. If the Egyptian magicians be reckon-
ed of that number, how few things were they able
to perform ! and those rather noxious than of any
advantage. They turned rods into serpents, water
into blood, and produced frogs, but could proceed
no further. When the dust of the land became lice,
they acknowledged this was the finger of God. And
when the ashes of the furnace were sprinkled up
towards heaven, and became a boil, breaking forth
with blains, the magicians were no longer able to
stand before Moses, because the boil was upon them
as well as the other Egyptians. And althougli they
produced frogs, we find not that they could remove
them, any more than any other of the plagues in-
flicted by Moses ™. We read that Simon Magus had
of a long time bewitched the Samaritans with his
sorceries. There is no account of any particular
wonder wrought by him ; but, in the general, that
he had by his practices so worked himself into the
esteem of the people, that they looked upon him as
"^ Exod. viii. 8.
M m 3
534 EVIDENCE OF THE
the great power of God. Nevertheless, no sooner
did Philip the deacon appear in Samaria, and per-
form miracles of real and acknowledged benefit to
mankind, than Simon is forsaken, is equally asto-
nished with the rest of the people, and professes
himself a convert. Now whatever were the signs
and miracles wrought by false prophets and se-
ducers, if they were clearly distinguishable from
those performed by true prophets, the latter might
be a proof of the truth of doctrines taught, when
the former were not.
But, says the same author, " the power of work-
" ing miracles has no connection with the truth of
" doctrines taught by such miracle- workers." That
it has no physical connection is readily granted ;
but that it may have a moral one is without diffi-
culty proved, so that a Providence be allowed. Mo-
ses went to the Israelites, and told them, that the
God of their fathers had appeared to him, and would
dehver them from that heavy bondage they groaned
under. And although at first he shewed few other
signs than what Pharaoh's magicians also performed,
yet afterwards he inflicted a great variety of plagues
on the Egyptians, of which the Israelites, who dwelt
among them, felt nothing. Now when they saw
their enemies thus annoyed, while at the same time
themselves were free, was not this sufficient to con-
vince them that God had really appeared to him,
and sent him to be their deliverer, and that it was
the will of God they should put themselves under
his conduct ? And were they not abundantly justi-
fied herein, when by killing the passover, according
to his direction, their firstborn were saved alive,
though all the firstborn of the Egyptians were slain ?
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 535
Could any reasonable man think that God would
bring these plagues upon the Egyptians at the word
of Moses, and at the same time secure the Israelites
from them, unless he designed their deliverance, and
employed Moses to that end? When Korah, Da-
than, and Abiram rebelled against Moses in the wil-
derness, was not the immediate miraculous punish-
ment of these men, together with all who adhered
to them, a sufficient indication of the mind of God ?
Would he have caused the earth to open her mouth
and swallow them alive, would he have sent forth
fire from his presence, and have consumed them, had
they not knowingly and wilfully transgressed his
will?
He further says, " Whatever certainty God may
" convey to a man's mind by inspiration, or imme-
" diate revelation, the knowledge of any such truth
" can go no further upon divine authority. He
" could not convince any other man not thus in-
" spired that he had any such revelation from God.
" But whoever should receive it from him must
" take his own word for it, and depend properly
" upon his authority, and not upon the authority of
" God ; unless he could make it appear that he was
" both infallible and impeccable in the case, and that
" he could neither be deceived himself nor deceive
" others ; and this is so much the prerogative of
" God alone, that I doubt it will never be proved
" of any other." Moses comes to the Israelites, and
tells them God had appeared to him, and would de-
liver them. If they believed him upon his bare as-
serting this, it is very certain they depended on his
authority, and so far it was a human faith only.
But when it pleased God afterwards to afflict the
M m 4
536 EVIDENCE OF THE
Egyptians at the word of Moses with plague after
plague, while at the same time the Israelites were
exempted ; if they believed what Moses said upon
conviction from so extraordinary and miraculous a
providence, it was a divine faith. They well knew
that Moses by his own power could not produce
such plagues, nor exempt the Israelites from them.
They were fully assured that these things could not
be accomplished but by the power or permission of
the great Creator of the universe ; that herein there-
fore God himself spake to them, and that as clearly
as he did to Moses from the burning bush. There
was no manner of necessity for Moses to prove that
he was either infallible or impeccable ; for God him-
self, by the miracles wrought at the word of Moses,
gave the Israelites most convincing proof that he
designed him to be their deliverer.
Did not God speak loudly and clearly by the pu-
nishment of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram ? Was not
the doctrine taught by Moses with regard to the
family and function of the priests hereby fully con-
firmed? and all usurpation of the priesthood con-
demned ? and was not the Israelites' belief of this
a divine faith ? a faith in God, speaking clearly to
them in his providence ? We have this author's ac-
knowledgment however, that when the person to
whom the revelation is made is infallible and impec-
cable, he may communicate it to others, and it still
continues a divine faith. Is not this evidently tlie
case of all those who receive their faith from Christ ?
He also says, " They who in the apostolic times
" had these extraordinary gifts and powers, were
" left at liberty to exercise them upon the common
" principles of reason and human prudence ; and
TRUTH OF CHRISTIANITY. 537
" from hence we find that some made a right use
" of them for edification, wliile others employed
" them only to serve the purposes of emulation and
" strife, which introduced great confusions and dis-
" orders among them. And this is an evident proof
" that the persons invested with such extraordinary
" gifts and powers were neither infallible nor impec-
" cable, i. e. they were not hereby made incapable
" either of deceiving others or being deceived them-
" selves." Our Saviour, who taught the Christian
revelation, was both God and man, infallible and
impeccable, incapable of deceiving others or being
deceived himself. And his immediate disciples,
though not in all things infallible and impeccable,
yet had this promise made to them by him, that the
Holy Spirit should bring all things to their remem-
brance whatsoever he had said unto them, and
should lead them into all truth. This is our secu-
rity, that in all things which they taught or wrote
as the doctrine of Christ, they were infallibly di-
rected, and neither could be deceived or deceive.
And if we proceed further, to those who were con-
verted by them, and on whom they conferred the
gifts of the Spirit by laying on their hands, there is
no doubt but whatever revelations were made to
them were of great use and service at that time in
the church, and carried with them sufficient convic-
tion of their truth ; but, as they are not come down
to us, they noways concern us, nor can be the sub-
jects of our faith. The imprudences and irregulari-
ties for which some of these persons in the church
of Corinth were reproved by St. Paul cannot in the
least affect or hurt us. Does our faith depend upon
any revelation made to them ? or do we receive any
538 EVIDENCE OF THE TRUTH &c.
doctrine because delivered by them ? To what pur-
pose therefore this is added, unless to confound and
mislead the reader, I know not. The extraordinary
and miraculous gifts, while the exercise of them con-
tinued in this church of Corinth, and other churches,
were a standing proof of the power of Christ, and a
great confirmation to the faith of all who received
him as their Prince and Judge. But as to the par-
ticular ends for which revelations were made to any
in this church, (for doubtless they had plain, obvious,
and useful ends at the time when made,) history
does not inform us.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 539
CHAP. XVIII.
The ohjections raised hy Rahhi Isaac hen Abra-
ham answered.
I PROCEED now to the last thing proposed,
which is, to answer all the objections that I can find
have been at any time started, either with regard to
the authority of this book, or the truth of any of the
facts related in it. And herein I have in some mea-
sure prevented myself, by having obviated various
objections, as they came in my way, in the preced-
ing chapters. I shall begin with those raised by
Rabbi Isaac the Jew, in his Chhzouk Emoimah, or
Munimen Fidei, published and translated by the
learned Wagenseil, and at large confuted by Gusse-
tius, who was professor of philosophy in the univer-
sity of Groningen.
The first objection is taken from Acts i. 6, 7.
Whe7i they therefore were come together, they
ashed qfhirn, saying. Lord, wilt thou at this time
restore again the kingdom to Israel f And he said
unto them, It is not for you to know the times or
the seasons, which the Father hath put in his own
power. " The persons who ask, you see, do by this
" their question acknowledge that the kingdom of
" Israel was some time hereafter to be restored, con-
" trary to the opinion of Christians : but he that
" answers, does by his answer declare that he is not
" the expected Messiah which his followers take
" him for, since he does not say that he is the re-
" storer of the kingdom. He at the same time de-
" clares, that it cannot be that any man should
540 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
" know when this captivity will have an end, be-
" fore the time of the end itself comes ; and that
" God alone, of whose understanding there is no
" searching, knows it V This objection arises in
part from the mistaken apprehensions of the apo-
stles, in part from a wrong interpretation of our
Saviour's answer, as also from the false idea which
the Rabbi entertained of the Messiah's kingdom.
We readily acknowledge that the disciples at that
time expected a temporal kingdom to be erected.
For which reason our Lord in his answer adds, But
ye shall receii^e 2^oiver, after that the Holy Ghost
is come upon you, and ye shall he witnesses unto
me both in Jerusalem^ and in all JudcEU, and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost parts of the earth ;
intimating, that in a short time they should be fully
instructed in the nature of his kingdom, and the
powers they were to exercise. In the words quoted
by the Rabbi he plainly reproves their curiosity, as
having other business before them than that of a
temporal kingdom, or the time of erecting it. It is
7iotfor you to know the times or the seasons ; there
is business of another kind and nature lies before
you. At the same time our Lord does not say that
God had reserved the knowledge of the times and
seasons to himself; for he had in some measure re-
vealed these by the prophets ; but what he says is,
that he had put them in his own power, that they
were in truth under his direction ; and was as much
as to say, that the disciples were to perform their
duty, and leave all events entirely to God, because
he alone had the power of disposing them.
•' Chiz/ouk Emounali, par. 2. cap. 59.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 541
It is plain that Rabbi Isaac entertained the same
mistaken notion of the Messiah and his kingdom, as
did the disciples before they were enlightened by
the descent of the Holy Ghost. They thought, that
when the Messiah came he was to put an end to
the subjection of the Israelites, and grant them a
glorious monarchy over the heathen nations. The
answer of Jesus, says he, implies in it, that the time
was not yet come that the subjection or captivity of
Israel should have an end, that this time was known
only to God, consequently that he was not the Mes-
siah ; for whenever the Messiah comes, the captivity
is to have an end, and the kingdom to be restored.
But tlie Jew ought to have remembered, that our
Saviour himself declared before Pilate, that his king-
dom was not of this worlds and that the prophecies
concerning the Messiah's kingdom are understood
by Christians in a spiritual sense.
The observation made by the Rabbi in the next
chapter contains no objection to the Acts of the
Apostles, but his answer to an argument for the
truth of the Christian religion taken from the words
of Gamaliel ^, which was urged upon him by some
Lutheran of high rank ^. This argument is however
set in a clear light, and well defended, by Gusse-
tius ^.
There follow several objections taken from the
speech of the protomartyr Stephen, Acts vii. The
first is taken from the words in the fourth verse.
But that the matter may appear in the clearest
light, I shall repeat his words from the beginning :
'' Acts V. 34, &c. '- Chiz. Em. p. 2. c. 60, et p. 1, c. 4.
'' Veritas salutifera, p. 15-
542 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
The God of glory (qypeared unto onr father Abra-
ham, when he wan in Mesoiiotamia, before he dwelt
in Charran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and come into the
land ivhich I shall shew thee. Theti came he out
of the land of the Chaldceans, and dwelt in Char-
ran ; and from thence, when his father was dead,
he removed him tojhis land, wherein ye now dwell.
This is represented as a flat contradiction to the
history of Moses in the eleventh and twelfth chap-
ter of Genesis, where it is said, that Terah lived
seventy years, and begat Abraham, Nahor, and Ha-
ran ^. And the days of Terah were two hundred
and five years : and Terah died in Haran ^. And
Abraham was seventy and five years old ivhen he
departed out of Haran. Hence, says the Rabbi, it
is evident that Terah lived, after Abraham ^ left
Haran, sixty years. Terah was Ijut seventy years
old when Abraham was born, and Abraham but
seventy-five when he departed from Haran. These
together make no more than one hundred and forty-
five, whereas Terah lived to be two hundred and
five, that is, he lived sixty years after Abraham
went from Haran. But St. Stephen affirms, that
Abraham went not from Haran till after his father
Terah's death '\ This is the objection.
To me, I must own, the more fully I consider
this matter, the more clearly it appears that St. Ste-
phen's words are so far from being contradictory to
those of Moses, that they give us the true explica-
tion of them, and a more distinct account of this
*• Gen. xi. 26. ^ Gen. xi. 32. ^ Gen. xii. 4.
'' Clii/. Em, p. 2. c. 61.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 543
part of history than we should otherways have been
masters of. It is observable, first of all, that St.
Stephen informs us, that God spake to Abraham
while he was yet at Ur of the Chaldees, calling him
to leave his country. Of this Moses takes no no-
tice, and the words differ from those recorded by
Moses which were spoken to Abraham at Haran.
In the former he is commanded to leave his country
and kindred ; in the latter, also his father's house.
He left not his father's house when he went from
Ur to Haran, because his father and all his house-
hold went with him. And that there was such a
double call, is acknowledged by the Jews them-
selves '. 2dly, It is also observable, that in the book
of Genesis the account of the death of Terah pre-
cedes the history of Abraham's second call, and his
departure out of Haran. It is said, And the clays
of Terah were two hundred aiid five years : and
Terah died in Hara7i. Then immediately follows
the account of Abraham's call and departure. Why
was the death of Terah inserted in this place, if it
were not designed to let us know that he died be-
fore Abraham left Haran ? It is remarkable, that
Moses has said nothing of the deaths of the fore-
going patriarchs from Shem to Terah : why should
he insert this here, unless for the reason assigned ?
What Moses has thus more obscurely intimated St.
Stephen clearly expresses : And from thence, when
hisfiither was dead, he removed him into this land,
wherein ye now dwell. The Rabbi, aware of this,
says, " It is usual for the scripture to finish one bu-
" siness before it proceeds to another. Thus it men-
' Aben Ezra on Gen. xii. i. quoted by Lightt'oot, vol. i. p. 780.
544 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
" tions the death of Abraham before the birth of
" Jacob and Esau, although they had completed
*' their fifteenth year before Abraham died. And
" thus it mentions the death of Isaac before the sell-
" ing of Joseph, though Isaac was then living." I
may, I think, safely leave it to any one's considera-
tion to determine whether these cases are parallel.
But it will be here asked, How is St. Stephen's
account reconcileable with what Moses has laid down
concerning the ages of Terah and Abraham ? I an-
swer. Very easily ; if we will but allow ourselves to
consider, and rightly interpret his words. He says,
Terah lived seventy years, and hegat Abraham^
Nahor, and Haran. There is no one, I suppose,
understands it that these three were born to him in
the same year. It is most reasonable to conclude
that two of them were born either before he was
seventy, or after it. The matter in debate is, which :
if the meaning be, that Terah lived seventy years
before he begat the eldest of his three sons, and
afterwards begat the other two, there remains no
difficulty; nor is there any the least shadow of a
reason to be alleged against this interpretation. Te-
rah was seventy years of age before he had any son ;
after that, were born unto him Abraham, Nahor,
and Haran '\ And that this is the true construction,
is fully evident from the use of the same phrase in
Gen. vi. where it is said. And Noah ivasfive hun-
dred years old, and Noah begat Shem, Ham, and
Japhet. It is certain this must be understood, that
Noah then begat the eldest of the three : for it is
expressly said of Shem, that he ivas one hundred
^ Vid. Synop. Crit. et Pair, ii) Gen. v. 32. et xi. 26.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 545
years old, and hegat ArpJiaxad two years after
thejlood^. Noah was six hundred years complete
before the flood went off "\ Hence it appears that
Shem was not born till Noah was five hundred and
two years old.
The next thing to be considered is, which was the
eldest of Terah's sons. Abraham, it is true, is named
first ; but it by no means thence follows that he was
the eldest. It is no uncommon thing with the sacred
writers, to name first, not the eldest but the most
worthy ". Thus is it in naming the sons of Noah,
Shem, Flam, and Japhet ; Shem was the more wor-
thy, but Japhet was the elder <^. And it is indeed
acknowledged by several of the Jews themselves,
that Abraham was the youngest son of Terah i'. If
Sarah, Abraham's wife, was the daughter of Haran,
as is generally believed both by Jews and Christians,
and is expressly related by the historian Josephus 'J,
it is demonstrable that Abraham must have been
many years younger than his brother Haran. For
Abraham was but ten years old when Sarah was
born '■j and Milcah the wife of Nahor, it is probable,
was elder than Sarah ^ : so that Haran was a father
before Abraham was nine years of age. Now it is
but supposing that Haran begat his daughters about
the same time of life that his father Terah begat
him, that is, when he was sixty-nine and seventy
' Gen. xi. lo. "^ Gen. vii, ii. and viii. 13.
" Vid. Gen. xxv. 9. et xlviii. 20. Exod. vi. 27. et vii. 6, 7, 10.
Josh. xxiv. 4. T Chron. i. 28. et ii. 2. ° Gen. x. 21.
P Sanhed. fol. 69. 2. qiioted by Lightf. vol. 2. p. 666. et Men.
ben Israel in Gen. by Kidder, Dem. vol. 2. p. 225.
^ Antiq. 1. i. c. 6. §. 5. p. 21. 1.6. et c. 7. §. i. pr.
f Gen. xvii. 17. '^ Vid. Gen. xi. 28, 29. et Jos. ubi supra.
N n
546 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
years of age, and the whole history is plain, and ex-
actly consistent both with itself and the speech of
St. Stephen. For then it appears that Abraham was
sixty years younger than his brother Haran, was
born when his father was one hundred and thirty,
and departed not from Haran till after his father's
death. This I take to be the matter of fact, and we
are indebted to St. Stephen for the clearing it up
to us.
There are, I confess, learned men who understand
by these words, Terah lived seventy years, and he-
gat Abraham, Nahor, and Haran, that the young-
est of his three sons was born to him by that time
he was seventy years of age *. But forasmuch as
they produce no example of this construction, I
think it ought to be rejected. Some of them have
attempted to remove the difficulty which lies upon
them from their thus interpreting the words, by the
signification of the word ^fxcoV/o-ev. They readily
acknowledge that Terah was not dead till Abraham
had left Haran sixty years ; nor, say they, does St.
Stephen assert that he was. But what he affirms is,
that God did not [xeToiKi^eiv, did not grant him a set-
tled habitation in this land, w/ierein ye now dwell,
that is, in the land of Judaea, strictly so called, till
after his father's death. And according to their
computation, it was about sixty years after his de-
parture from Haran that he led an unsettled life,
sometimes in Egypt, sometimes among the Philis-
tines, sometimes in Judaea, before he was fixed at
Hebron ".
In the next chapter, rabbi Isaac asserts in the
* Vid. Wolfiii Cur. in loc. " Vid. Gussetii Ver. Sal. p. 333.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 547
general, that " the apostles of Jesus, and authors of
" the Gospels, were unskilful in the Law and the
** Prophets :" and brings for instance the words cited
by St. Stephen, Acts vii. 7. And the nation to whom
they shall he in hondage, will I judge, saith God ;
and after that shall they come forth, and serve me
in this 'place. " These words," says he, " are not
" found in the Law. For in Gen. xv. it is written
" only. And the nation to ivhom they shall be in
" bondage ivill I judge, and afterwards shall they
" come otit with great substance. But this writer,
" through want of skill, hath confounded half of this
" saying with half of another saying, adding, And
*' after that, shall they come forth, and serve me in
*' this place, which is taken from the words of Moses
"in Exod. iii. When thou hast brought forth the
" people out of Egijpt, ye shall serve God upon
" this mountain ; as is plain to all who will look
** into those places ''."
Had the learned Jew shewn, either that God did
not speak the words, or the sense of the words here
cited, or that they were not spoken of the Israelites,
it might have carried the face of an objection. But
since, in both the places of the Law referred to, it
is both God that speaks, and the Israelites that are
spoken of, what unskilfulness does there appear in
joining these two places together ? Are no two pas-
sages of the Law or of the Prophets to be joined to-
gether in quoting scripture, although they never so
emphatically express or illustrate what they are
brought for ? If the Jew asserts this, he herein con-
demns Moses himself, and the most eminent writers
of his own nation. Moses, in repeating the laws he
=< Chiz. Em. p. 2. c. 62.
N n 2
548 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
had delivered to the Israelites in the book of Deut-
eronomy, frequently joins together things which, ac-
cording to his own account, were spoken to him at
different times y. And the learned Surenhusius has
laid together a great number of quotations from the
Talmudic, and other noted Jewish writers, proving
that they do the same \ It is doubted by some ^
whether St. Stephen took the last part of the words
from Exod. iii. and it is very evident that the sense
of what is there said is abundantly expressed by God
himself in many parts of the Law ''.
The rabbi raises another objection from the four-
teenth verse : Thoi sent Joseph^ and called his
father Jacob to him, and all his kindred, three-
score and fifteen soids. " This," he says, " is an
" error : for it is written in Gen. xlvi. that all the
" souls of the house of Jacob which went down into
" Egypt were threescore and ten ; and in this
" number of seventy is comprehended Joseph with
" his two sons. Likewise in Deut. x. Thij fathers
" went down into Egypt, threescore and ten per-
" sons '^." I answer. These different numbers depend
wholly upon the manner of computation. There are
two different ways of computing in Gen. xlvi. The
one includes those descendants of Jacob only who
went down with him into Egypt, and then the
number is sixty-six. The other includes himself,
together with Joseph and the sons which were born
to him in Egypt, and then the number is seventy.
y Deut. V. 15. Deut. xiv. i. 3. compared with Lev, xix. 28. and
xi. Deut. xvi. comp. with Exod. xii. and xxiii. Vid. Deut. xxii.
and xxiv. ' B//3X6« KarccKKay^^. Thes. 7. p. 45, &c.
^ Vid. Whitby in loc. ^ V^id. Exod. xxiii. 25.
'^ Chiz. Em. p. 2. c. 63.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 549
In the LXX translation of this place the number is
seventy-five ; and if we may suppose that St. Stephen
made his quotation tlience, it is an easy matter to
say how the computation arises to that number. For
in the LXX translation are added a son and grand-
son of Manasseh '^, two sons and a grandson of E-
phraim ^. Now although it should be allowed that
St. Austin's opinion is true, that Jacob's descent into
Egypt comprehends in it the seventeen years that
he lived there ^, yet is it no more than barely pos-
'^ Machir his son, and Gilead his grandson.
^ Sutalaam and Taam sons, and Edom a grandson.
^ Quoted by Patr. in Gen. xlvi. 12. The reason of it is, the dif-
ficulty of accounting for the sons of Pharez. If Judah married
not till after Joseph was sold, it is not possible Pharez should
have two sons when Jacob descended into Egypt. Compare Gen.
xli. 46. and xxx. 25. and xxxvii. 2. and xxxviii. i. Some suppose,
among whom is archbishop Usher, that Jacob was married before
he had served the first seven years ; and although this seems con-
trary to the express words of Gen. xxix. 20, 21. 27. 30. yet the
difficulty there is, to conceive how so many children could be
born in the order in which they are said to have been born, in
seven years' time, has compelled them to make that supposition.
The thing however may be conceived thus : Leah had her first
four children in forty months' time. She then remained without
conception fifteen months. Dan was born one month after the
forty were expired, and Naphtali ten months after him. Gad was
born one month after Naphtali, and Asher about ten or eleven
months after Gad. Issachar was born one month or two after
Asher. Ten months after was born Zebulon, and ten months
after, Dinah. This, it must be owned, is quick work ; (but we
have not wanted examples of the like in our own times 3) and
the computation makes seven years.
40 months Leah had her four first children,
15 months without conception,
9 months after had Issachar,
10 months after had Zebulon,
10 months after Dinah.
84 months, or seven years.
550 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
sible that these five persons, descended from Ma-
nasseh and Ephraim, should have a right to be in-
cluded in this reckonings. I cannot therefore per-
suade myself that St. Stephen took this number from
the LXX. Both the calculations I have mentioned
exclude Jacob's sons' wives ; for they are expressly
excepted in the twenty-sixth verse. It appears
highly probable to me that St. Stephen in his calcu-
lations takes them in : for his words are, that Joseph
sent and called his father Jacob to him, and all his
kindred ^ ; which kindred amounted to threescore
and fifteen souls. It is sufficiently evident from the
expression, that Joseph and his two sons, as well as
his father Jacob, are here excluded. The number
without these is, as you have heard, sixty-six. Now
if we only suppose that four of the patriarchs had by
this time lost their wives, which is no unreasonable
supposition, for we read that Judah's wife was dead ;
s Joseph was but fifty-seven years of age when his father died.
He married not till after thirty, Gen. xli. 46. 50. Supposing that
he had Manasseh at thirty years of age and ten months ; and ten
months after had Ephraim ; that Ephraim had a son at twelve
Years and nine months old, and his son also had a son at twelve
years and nine months : these, added together, make fifty-seven
years and two months. And to admit this, we must suppose that
which is very highly improbable, viz. that Manasseh and Ephraim,
and their two eldest sons, were all married at about twelve years
of age.
'' The word a-ir^evdav, here made use of, will very well bear
this signification : for in the LXX translation, a father's brother's
wife is called o-i^yyev^?. Lev. xviii. 14. and xx. 20. And thus kin-
dred by affinity, and particularly sons-in-law, are termed by 3o-
sephus ; of which you may see various instances in Kidder's Dem.
vol. 2. p. 230. So that there is not the least need of the remark
of Gussetius, that Jacob's sons might possibly follow the senti-
ments of Abraham, Isaac, and Rebecca, and take them wives from
those who were their relations by consanguinity.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 551
and it is not improbable that Reuben's being with-
out a wife was the occasion of his committing incest
with his father's concubine; I say, if we suppose
that four of them had buried their wives, there were
seven now living to accompany Jacob into Egypt ;
to which if we add the wife of Pharez the son of
Judah, and the wife of Beriah the son of Asher \
these nine, added to the sixty-six, amount to the
seventy-five persons computed by St. Stephen. Or
if we take it for granted that Hezron and Hamul
the sons of Pharez, were not born till some time
after Jacob's arrival in Egypt, which is the opinion
of many learned men, and that upon no unreason-
able grounds ^^; the number of persons proceeding
out of Jacob's loins, which actually went down with
him into Egypt, were sixty-four; to which if we
add the ten wives of Jacob's sons, (Judah's wife be-
ing dead,) and the wife of Beriah the son of Asher,
this makes the number of persons who were Jacob's
kindred, and went down with him into Egypt, se-
venty-five ; as is asserted by St. Stephen. And that
Joseph sent and called the wives of his brethren, is
evident from the history in Genesis, where it is ex-
pressly said, that Pharaoh coiumanclecl Joseph to
take waggo7is for the little ones, and the wives of
his brethren, and that Joseph acted accordingly ^
' Because Pharez and Beriah are said to have two children
each, which are numbered in the list of names, Gen. xlvi.
^ If these were born before Jacob's descent into Egypt, we
must suppose that, quite contrary to the usual practice of those,
and indeed of all times, Judah himself, and his two sons, Er and
Onan, as also his son Pharez, were married at the age of about
twelve or thirteen years.
' Gen. xlv. i8, 19. 21. and xlvi, 5.
N n 4
552 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
The learned Surenhusius has justly observed that
additions to and subtractions from genealogies are
not uncommon in the Old Testament, and that the
very same reasonings whereby the Jews themselves
account for these alterations will perfectly well an-
swer such as are found in the New Testament ™.
There are several objections made to the words
immediately following verses 15, 16. So Jacob went
down into Egijpt^ and died, he and ou?' fathers,
and were carried over into Sichem, and laid in the
sepulchre that Abraham bought for a sum of money
of the sons of Emmor the son of Sichem. Rabbi
Isaac charges these words of St. Stephen with no
less than five mistakes. He asserts, " that Jacob
" was not buried in Sichem, but in the cave of Mac-
" pelah, which is in Hebron : that the fathers, that
" is, the heads of the tribes, were buried in Egypt,
" Joseph only excepted, who was buried at Sichem,
" in part of the field which Jacob bought of Hamor
" the father of Sichem for one hundred pieces of
" money : that Abraham bought not Sichem, but
" only the cave of Macpelah, which is in Hebron ;
" and that he bought it not of the sons of Hamor
" the son of Sichem, but of Ephron the Hittite :
" that it was Jacob who bought part of the field
" which is in Sichem, and not Abraham. And
" whereas it is said he bought it of the sons of Ha-
" mor the son of Sichem, it ought to be said, of the
" father of Sichem. All which things are manifestly
" deduced from the twenty-second, thirty-third, forty-
" ninth, and fiftieth chapters of Genesis, and the
" end of the book of Joshua." He adds, " All this
f" Vid. B/^. KUToK. de Genealog. Thes. x. and in Matt. i. 17.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 553
" shews the unskilfulness of the disciples and apo-
" sties of Jesus in the words of the Law and the
" Prophets "."
But it will be very obvious to any one, upon the
least consideration, that four out of the five objec-
tions here made are without all manner of founda-
tion. First of all, St. Stephen does not affirm that
Jacob was buried at Sichem ; and, secondly, there
is not the least proof that the fathers, or the heads
of the tribes, Avere buried in Egypt. Rabbi Isaac
says it ; but we have no more than his bare assertion
for it : and had he given us proof of it, he must also
have shewn that they were not afterwards taken up
and carried into the land of Canaan, together with
the bones of their brother Joseph. For is it not
most reasonable to believe that they had each of
them the same desire of being carried into the land
of Canaan, as had their father Jacob, and their bro-
ther Joseph? The Jewish historian Josephus ex-
pressly tells us that they were buried in the land of
Canaan «. So does rabbi Solomon Jarchi, a noted
Jewish writer p ; as also does the author of the Life
of Moses, another Jew ^ ; and the Talmud itself'';
and St. Jerom speaks of their sepulchres as what
were to be seen near Sichem in his time ^ Again,
thirdly, St. Stephen does not affirm that Abraham
bought Sichem, but a sepulchre. Nor, in the fourth
place, does he say that Emmor was the son of Si-
" Chiz. Em. p. 2. c. 63.
.° Antiq. 1. 2. c. 8. §. 2. et de Bell. 1. 4. c. 9. §. 7.
P Vid. Whitby in loc.
^ Quoted by Gusset. Ver. Sal. P. i. p. 335. n. 70.
"■ Hieros. Sotah, fol. 17, 3. et Gloss, in Bavakama, fol. 92, i.
cited by Liglitf. vol. 2. p. 668. ' Epitaph. Paulae.
554 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
chem. On the contrary, the Greek words are very
rightly rendered by our translators, the father of
Sichem. The Jewish rabbi, it is probable, was here-
in deceived by some translation, wherein it was mis-
takenly rendered son of Sichem.
The only difficulty to be accounted for is. Where-
fore is it said that Abraham bought the sepulchre of
the sons of Emmor, the father of Sichem, when it
appears from the history that he bought it of Ephron
the Hittite ? In answer to this I would observe to
you, that it was usual with the Hebrews, when re-
citing the history of their forefathers to their bre-
thren, to do it in the briefest manner, because it
was a thing well known to them. For which reason
they made use of frequent ellipses, that is, defective
speeches, and gave but hints to bring to their re-
membrance what they aimed at ^ This is the case
in the verses before us ; and as nothing is more easy
than to supply the words that are here wanting, so,
when supplied, the narration is exactly agreeable to
the history delivered in the Old Testament : Jacob
went down into Egypt^ and died, he and our fa-
thers ; and our fathers were carried over into Si-
chem, and they were laid, that is, some of them ",
' Vid. Lightf. vol. I. p. 781, 7S2. vol. 2, p. 668. and Surenhus.
in loc.
" This sentence is to be taken distributively. Of such sen-
tences there are frequent instances in the Old Testament. Thus
Neh. xiii. i, 2. 1/ was found written, that the Ammonite and the
Moabite should not come into the congregation of God for ever ;
because they met not the children of Israel with bread and with
water, but hired Balaam against them, that he should curse them :
whereas, according to the history, it was the Moabite alone that
hired lialaam. See Numb. xxii. 5. Josh. xxiv. 9. So Jer. xxi, 7.
/ will deliver Zedekiah king of Judah, and his servants, and the
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 555
Jacob at least, in the sepulchre thai Ahraham
bought for a sum of money ; and some of them,
Joseph at least, in the sepulchre bought of the sons
of Emmor^ the father of Sichem ^. There want
only those three small words in the Greek, koi a tw,
in English, a7id iti that, to have made this sense
clear and obvious to every one : which words doubt-
less, or rather what is answerable to them in the
Hebrew language, in which probably they were
spoken, were easily understood and supplied by those
to whom St. Stephen addressed himself J". The de-
fects to be supplied are of such words as go before
and are to be repeated from them ; a thing not un-
common in the Old Testament. Thus in Numb.
xxvi. 4. Take the sum of the people or congrega-
tion, is necessarily to be repeated from the second
verse. And thus, Ps. cxxxiii. 3. the words literally
translated are. As the dew of Hermon, that de-
scended upon the mountains of Zion. But it is
well known that Hermon and Zion were at too
people, into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and into
the hand of their enemies, and into the hand of those that seek their
life: and he shall smite them with the edge of the sword; that is,
he shall smite some of them , for Zedekiah himself and many of
the people were saved alive, and carried captives to Babylon. See
Jer. xxxix. 7, 8. 9. 2 Kings xxv. 7.
^ Josh. xxiv. 32. If we compound the matter between Jo-
sephus and Jeroni, we may suppose one half of the twelve patri-
archs to be buried near Hebron, the other half near Sichem. Yet
there are no contemptible reasons to incline us to believe they
were all buried at Sichem. See Lightf. vol. i. p. 782. and vol. 2.
p. 688. Some have endeavoured to make it appear probable that
the field, even at Sichem, was first purchased by Abraham. See
Lightf. vol. 2. p. 669, 670.
y See Lightf. vol. i, p. 782, prop. fin.
556 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
great a distance for the dew to descend from the
one to the other: therefore are the words as the
deiv to be repeated; As the clew of Hermon, and
as the dew that descended upon mount Zion. Thus
in the verse before us are the words iii the sepul-
chre to be repeated ; in the sepidchre that Ahra-
ham bought for a sum of money, and in the sepul-
chre bought of the sons of Emmor the father of
Sichem.
The rabbi raises another objection from the forty-
third verse, complaining that the words of the pro-
phet Amos are misquoted. But it will immediately
appear to any one who will give himself leave to
compare the words together, that St. Stephen has
given a most just interpretation of the prophet's
words ^. I shall not therefore now spend your time
in mentioning the particulars. The two next re-
marks =* made by this rabbi are not against the book
of Acts in particular; and therefore I shall pass
them over, and proceed to what he says against the
words of St. Paul, Acts xiii. 21. And when they
ashed a king, he gave them Saul the son of Cis, of
the tribe of Benjamin, who reigned forty years.
" You see Paul mistaken in this saying; for Saul
'■ Vid. Gussetii Ver. Sal. P. 2. p. 416, 417.
^ The first of these, contained in chap. Ixv. is taken from Acts
viii. 9. where we have an account of the arts of Simon Magus,
and the effect they had upon the people. " Hence," says he,
" may an argument be drawn against the miracles of Jesus,
" which were performed by the magic art ; and therefore the
" silly people who followed him believed him also to be a god,
" as we see it happen at this day." The next in chap. Ixvi. is
taken from the vision of Peter, Acts x. 1 1. In opposition to which
he endeavours to shew that a distinction of meats, and of things
clean and unclean, are necessary to holiness.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 557
" reigned not so long : for before he committed the
" offence in the affair of the Amalekites, he reigned
" only two years, as it is written 1 Sam. xiii. And
" Saul was the son of one year iclien he began to
" reign, and he reigned two years over the Israel-
" ites. The sense of which is, From the time that
" Saul was anointed by Samuel, till the government
" was given to him by all the Israelites, was one
*' year, and then he chose three thousand men of
" Israel. Then he reigned two years with the con-
" sent of all Israel, before he offended in the affair
" of the Amalekites. From that time he was esteem-
" ed as a man dead ; for the Spirit of God troubled
" him, and therefore the years of his reign are not
" computed. For which reason Samuel the prophet
" lamented him, and at the same time God sent him
*' to anoint David to be king ; nor could it be that
" David should be much under the twentieth year
" of his age when he was anointed : for the scrip-
" ture immediately after describes him to us as a
" grown man : 1 Sam. xvi. 18. Behold, I have seen
" a son of Jesse the Bethlehemite, that is cunning
" in plaijing, and a mighty valiant man, and a
" man ofivar, and prudent in matters, and a come-
" ly person, and the L,ord is with him. But, be-
*' hold, David, when he took upon him the govern-
" ment after the death of Saul, was no more than
" thirty years of age, as is expressly written 2 Sam. v.
" It follows from this calculation, that Saul reigned
" not even ten years to the day of his death : and
" it may be that he reigned a less time, as writes
" the learned author of the book Ikkarim ^."
'' Chiz. Em. p. 2. c. 67.
558 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
This is the objection made by the Jew. But, first
of all, it is so far from being certain that St. Paul
affirms, as the Jew here represents him, that Saul
reigned forty years, that it is disputed among the
learned whether that be his meaning or not ; and I
think a great part, if not the generality of learned
men, have determined that in the forty years men-
tioned he intended to include the government of
Samuel as well as that of Saul. And, secondly, sup-
posing he had expressly affirmed this, is there any
thing advanced by the rabbi which proves the con-
trary ? That Saul reigned two years only with the
consent of all Israel, before he offended in the affair
of the Amalekites, is an interpretation put upon an
obscure passage of scripture without any the least
foundation ; nor is it possible that in so short a time
the things related to be done by Saul should have
been performed. See 1 Sam. xiv. 47. It is a much
more probable sense which is put on the words by
our late learned bishop Kidder : " After the Philis-
*' tines were subdued by Samuel, a year past, when
" Saul began to reign. And after this he reigned
" two years free from their yoke." After this, as the
subsequent history in 1 Sam. fully informs us, Saul
was brought under by them, and his people in slavery
to them. When this yoke was broken by the victory
over the Philistines begun by his son Jonathan, it is
said. So Saul took the kingdom over Israel, that is,
he recovered it again •=. For before the Israelites
were wholly under the power of the Philistines, in-
somuch that they suffered not a smith throughout
all the land of Israel, or a sword or a spear to be in
"^ I Sam. xiv, 47. See Kidder's Demonstr. vol. 2. p. 240.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 559
the possession of any. And after he thus recovered
the kingdom, it is immediately added, that he
fought against all his enemies on everij side,
against Moah, and against the children of Am-
mon, and against Edom, and against the kings of
Zobah, and agaiyist the Philistines : arid whither-
soever he turned himself he vexed them. So that
from the end of the two years here mentioned to
his committing the offence in the affair of the Ama-
lekites must have intervened the space of many
years. He was doubtless some years under the
yoke of the Philistines. It must have been a work
of time to have made so entire a reduction of the
Israelites as not to suffer a smith, or a grindstone,
or a sword, or spear to be found among them. And
when freed from this yoke, to obtain so many con-
quests over the several nations around him as are
afterwards mentioned, must certainly have been the
work of not a few years. All therefore that the
Jew adds concerning Samuel's anointing David, and
the age of David when anointed, and his age when
he took upon him the government after the death
of Saul, are foreign to the purpose, because it is
most evident that Saul's offence in the affair of the
Amalekites, and the anointing of David, which was
subsequent to that offence, did not happen in the
beginning of Saul's reign, as the Jew would have us
believe without any shadow of proof, but when he
had now been king many years.
I add further, in the third place, that Josephus
the Jewish historian expressly relates that Saul
reigned forty years, eighteen years during the pro-
phet Samuel's life, and twenty-two years after his
560 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
death ^. And that he certainly reigned much longer
than the ten years assigned him by rabbi Isaac, is
fully evident from the history of the Old Testament.
For we are therein told, that his youngest son Ish-
bosheth was forty years of age at the time of his
father's death ^. And yet his father is said to be but
a young man when he was first inaugurated by Sa-
muel ^ Had Saul reigned no more than ten years,
his youngest son must have been thirty years old
when he began to reign. Could a person who had
several sons, the youngest of which was thirty years
of age, with any propriety be said to be a young
man ? It is much more probable he should begin his
reign about the time his youngest son was born.
'^ Antiq. 1. 6. c. 14. §.9. ^2 Sam. ii. 8, 10, ^ i Sam. ix. 2.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 561
CHAP. XIX.
Further objections of the rabhi answered.
THE next objection raised by the Jew is to St.
Paul's alleging those words of the second Psalm,
Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee,
to prove that Jesus is the Son of God, Acts xiii. 33.
*' For David," says he, " by the inspiration of the
" Holy Ghost, spake that whole Psalm of himself
" about the beginning of his reign, when he heard
" that the nations had gathered themselves together
*' against him ; as it is written, 2 Sam. v. But when
" the Philistines heard that they had anointed Da-
" vid king over Israel, all the Philistines came up
" to seek David^r As he brings no argument to
make good this assertion that David spake this
Psalm of himself, so it is very little he says in an-
swer to those things which shew that it was spoken,
not of David, but of the Messiah. Nor does he so
much as take notice of the concluding expression in
the Psalm, which fully proves that it belongs to the
Messiah, and to him only, that is, Blessed are all
they that put their trust in him. This clearly
evinces that the person spoken of must be God. For
how often are we in the sacred writings, and parti-
cularly in the Book of Psalms, cautioned against
putting our trust in man, even the greatest of men !
Psalm cxlvi. 3. Put not your trust iti princes, nor
in the son of man, in whom there is no help"". Nay
a curse is denounced by the prophet Jeremy on those
'^ Chiz. Em. p. 2. cap. 68.
^ See Psalm Ixii. 8, 9. and cxviii. 8, 9. Is, ii. 22.
o o
562 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
who do so, Jer. xvii. 5. Cursed he the man that
trusteth in man^ and mahetli flesh his arm, and
ivhose heart departeth from the Lord. On the
other hand, we are constantly directed to make God
alone our refuge and trust ^, and tlie man who does
so is pronounced blessed, Jer. xvii. 7. Blessed is the
man that trusteth in the Lord, whose hope the Lord
is. And to the same purpose in many places of the
Psalms '^ and Proverbs ^. It is also said in the sixth
verse of the second Psalm, / have anointed my king
upon my holy hill of Zion. This passage is taken
notice of by the rabbi, and all he says in answer to
it is, that " Zion was the royal city, and is also
" called the city of David ;" but never attempts to
prove that David was inaugurated there. David,
though anointed king three times, was not once
anointed upon Zion ; nor indeed was the fortress of
Zion as yet subdued by him, nor under his domin-
ion, even when anointed the last time at Hebron.
And how very little do agree to David those words
of the seventh verse. Ask of me, and I shall give
thee the heathen for thine inheritance, and the iit-
termost parts of the earth for thy possession. The
conquests which David made upon the Philistines,
the Moabites, the Edomites, the Ammonites, and
other neighbouring nations taken notice of by the
rabbi, can never surely be thought to come up to
these expressions. Besides, the ancient Hebrew
doctors themselves, such as Aben Ezra, Raschi,
Kimchi, interpret this Psalm of the King Messiah,
' Ps. iv. 5. 8. xviii. 30, 31, 32. xxxvii. 3. 5. 39. 40. Ixii. 2. 5—
8. Jind cxv. 9, 10, II.
•* Ps. xxxiv. 8. xl. 4. cxxv. i. and cxlvi. 5. "^ Prov. xvi. 20.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 563
and acknowledge that the sense is much more clear
and plain when applied to the Messiah, than when
applied to David ^.
Another objection is taken from Acts xiii, 35, 36,
37. where St. Paul cites those words of Psalm xvi.
Thou shalt not suffer thine Holy One to see cor-
ruption ; and to prove that this must belong to
Christ, adds, that David after death did in his
hody see corrnption ; but Jesus, whom God raised
from the dead, saw no corruption. In opposition
to this the rabbi alleges, that the Hebrew word
schachath, there used by the Psalmist, " does not
" signify corruption in the sense in which St. Paul
" takes it^." But, first of all, this Hebrew word
was so rendered by the Jews themselves long before
St. Paul's time. For the Greek word, from which
St. Paul argues, is the very word by which the
LXX translated it. And so it was afterwards ;
rabbi Kimchi quotes from Midrash, or an interpre-
tation of the Psalms, this sentence : " The Psalmist
" here teaches, that after death the worms should
" not destroy him ^^ ;" which is exactly the same in-
terpretation as is put on the words by St. Paul,
adly. It is sufficiently evident from the root, whence
the word proceeds, that this is its true and proper
signification. The root signifies to destroy, to cor-
rupt, and is used concerning the girdle of the pro-
phet Jeremy, to express to us that it was marred or
putrefied *. And, 3dly, the word itself is to be taken
' Vid. Surenhusii /3«;3, KcnaX. p. 406. 592.
s Chiz. Em. p. 2. cap. 69.
'' Vid. Sinops. Crit. in loc. el Bitlmeri Lyra Propli.
' Jer. xiii. 7.
o o 2
564 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
in this sense in other parts of holy writ, particularly
Job ix. 31 k. Ps. Iv. ult \
The next objection is taken from the beginning
of Acts XV. But as this relates to the Christian re-
ligion in general, which he falsely accuses of being
more difficult to be observed than the law of Moses,
and contains nothing in particular against the Acts
of the Apostles ^, I shall pass it by. There is an-
other taken from Acts xv. 17. wherein he charges
the apostle James " with altering the words of the
"prophet Amos in order to prove his religion"."
But first of all the apostle James quotes those words
as they were translated by the Jews themselves long
before his time : for it is the translation of the
^ We have translated it, Thou shall plunge me in a ditch ; but
the true meaning is, Thou shalt cause my body so to corrupt and
putrefy, that my own clothes shall abhor me.
' In our translation, Shalt bring them down into the pit of de-
struction. The pit of the pit, according to the rabbi's interpre-
tation of this word, would be a strange expression. The truth is,
it is the pit of corruption, the pit in which their bodies shall de-
cay, corrupt, and putrefy.
"" He represents these words of St. Peter, Wherefore do you
put a yoke upon the disciples, which neither we nor our fathers
were able to bear ? But we believe, that through the grace of our
Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved, as contradicting the advice
given by our Saviour to the rich man. Matt. xix. which was to
keep the commandments: Thou shalt do no murder. Thou shalt
not commit adultery. Thou shalt not steal, Thou shalt not bear
false witness, Honour thy father and thy mother, and. Thou shalt
love thy neighbour as thyself. " In these words," says the rabbi,
" Jesus teaches, that no man can obtain salvation without keep-
" ing the commands of the Mosaic law." Chiz. Em. p. 2. c. 70.
To this I shall have occasion to speak hereafter.
" Chiz. Em. p. 2. c. 71.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 565
LXX which is here used°. And, 2dly, it is also
evident that, take the words either according to the
letter of the Hebrew text, or according to the
LXX, they fully prove what they are produced for
by St. James, that is, the intention of the Almighty
to extend his favour to other nations as well as the
Jews. And, 3dly, the Talmudic p and other Jewish
writers i interpret this passage of the prophet Amos,
of the kingdom of the Messiah. And, 4thly, it is
very clear that rabbi Isaac, by his interpretation,
oversets the plain, natural, grammatical sense of the
words. For what is in the Hebrew spoken of the
heathen nations, he confines to the Jewish. What
is in the Hebrew, And all the nations that are
called hy my name"^^ he renders thus; "And the
" Israelites shall possess all nations, because they,
*' that is the Israelites, are called by my name."
In the next chapter he observes, that Christians
are not obedient to the apostolic decree, which for-
bids the eating of things strangled, and of blood ^
And in the chapter following accuses the chastity of
Timothy's mother, because, being a Jewess, she mar-
ried an uncircumcised Greeks But these things
° It is sufficiently plain that the LXX read the Hebrew some-
thing differently from what it is in our present copies. Vid. Gus-
set. Ver. Sal. p. 2. p. 425. and Surenhus. ;S*/3. kcl-v. p. 433. What
St. James did is uncertain, because St. Luke, in relating, might
make use of the LXX version. Vid. Lightfoot, vol. 2. p. 694. and
p. 810, fin.
P Sanhed. fol. 69, 2. cited by Lightf. vol. 2. p. 694, pr.
1 Aberbinel, cited by our most learned bishop Chandler in bis
Defence of Christianity, p. 174, who there says, that the Jews are
pretty unanimous in saying this is a prophecy of the Messias.
*■ Vecol hagoiim asher nikra shemi aleiheni.
* Chiz. Em. p. 2. c. 72. ^ Ibid. c. 73.
o o 3
566 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
noways affecting the history of the Acts, I shall
pass them over. The next objection is taken from
Acts xvi. 3. wherein it is related that St. Paul cir-
cumcised his disciple Timothy. This he represents
as "an overthrowing the Christian religion, by
" which it is believed that circumcision was a tem-
" porary command, to endure only to the coming of
" the Messiah. But," adds he, " you here see that
*' Paul circumcised Timothy, even after the death
" of Jesus. Moreover Paul did this in direct con-
" tradiction to his own sayings : for in his 1 Cor.
" vii. 18. he says, He that is uncircumcised, let him
" not become circumcised. If this be right, where-
" fore does he circumcise his uncircumcised disciple ?
" He says also in his Epistle to the Galatians, ch. v.
'* 2, 3. Behold, I Paul say unto you, that if you he
" circumcised, Christ shall lyrojit you nothing. For
" / testify again to every man that is circumcised,
" that he is a dehtor to do the whole law. If this
" be true, wherefore does he circumcise him, since
" Christ was to profit him nothing? But since he
" certainly did circumcise him, wherefore did he not
" enjoin liim to keep all the Mosaic precepts ? Be-
" hold, even Paul himself also was circumcised :
" wherefore then did not he perform the precepts
" of the Mosaic law ? Nay, but he persuaded others
" that they should not perform them. Wherefore
" also did he initiate Timothy his disciple by the
" precept of circumcision, if, as they will have it,
" the season or time of observing it was already
" past " ?" Another Jewish writer charges St. Paul
with hypocrisy and meanness of spirit noways be-
" Chiz. Em. c. 74.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 5G7
coming a person inspired, in that he circumcised
Timothy for fear of the Jews ^.
In order to clear the apostle Paul from these
heavy accusations, and to shew that he was guilty
of no hypocrisy, no meanness of spirit, no incon-
sistency, no unsteadiness in this affair, it will be
necessary to consider more fully, first, what he has
said upon the subject of circumcision ; and, secondly,
the reason that induced him to circumcise Timothy.
By comparing these together, it will be no difficult
matter to form a judgment whether he is deserving
of the censures passed upon him by the Jews or
not.
His opinion of circumcision is reducible to these
three things : first, that after the death of Christ
the command enjoining circumcision was no longer
obliging, nor was any person from that time bound
to submit to it as a divine institution. For he was
fully persuaded that the whole ceremonial law was
abolished by the death of Christ, that Christ had
blotted out the handwriting oj' ordinances that was
against us, which was contrary to us, and took it
out of the way, nailifig it to his cross, as he writes
in his Epistle to the Coloss. ii. 14. Having abo-
lished in his death the enmity, even the law ofcom-
mandme7its contained iti ordinances ; for to make
in himself of twain one new man, so malmig peace,
as he writes to the Eph. ii. 15.
2. That circumcision, considered in itself, and not
as enjoined by God, is a thing indifferent, and that
neither the performing nor omitting it can recom-
mend us to God. This is clearly laid before us in
=* Kidder's Demonst. vol. 2. p. 245.
o o 4
568 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
his 1 Cor. vii. 18, 19. Circumcisio?i is nothing, and
uncircumclsiou is nothijig, hut the keeping the com-
mandments of God; that is, if circumcision be not
considered as a divine command, it is of no manner
of significancy, it is altogether indifferent. There-
fore in the verses immediately preceding, he advises
the Corinthian Christians to be wholly indifferent
about it. Is amj man called heing circumcised^
let him not become uncircumcised. Is any man
called in uncircumcision ? let him not become cir-
cumcised. He had the same opinion of all the ce-
remonial injunctions of the Mosaic law : since by
the death of Christ they were abrogated, and there
was now no divine command either enjoining or for-
bidding them, it was a thing wholly indifferent whe-
ther they were performed or neglected. But,
3. Whoever of the Christian converts submitted
to circumcision, as being necessary to salvation, was
obliged to perform the whole Mosaic law, and could
expect no benefit from the death of Christ. This
he has fully declared in his Epistle to the Gal. v.
1 — 4. Standfast therefore in the liberty wherewith
Christ has made us free, and be not entangled
again ivith the yoke of bondage. Behold, I Paul
say unto you, that if ye be circumcised, Christ
shall profit you nothing. For I testify again to
every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor
to do the whole law. Christ is become of no effect
unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the
law ; ye are fallen from grace. That this passage
must be understood of those who sought for and ex-
pected salvation from their being circumcised and
observing the law of Moses, is fully evident from
the words themselves : Whoever of you are justified
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 569
hy the law, that is, whoever of you depend on justi-
fication from your performance of the Mosaic law,
2je are fallen from grace. The same is also to be
learnt from other passages of this Epistle, He
speaks, in the second chapter, o^ false brethren, who
would have compelled Titus to he circumcised.
And, ch. vi. 12. says, As many as make a fair shew
in the flesh, they constrain you to be circumcised.
What was this compulsion or constraint, but their
teaching that it was necessary to salvation ?
It appears also very fully to have been St. Paul's
opinion, that no person whatsoever could be justified
or saved by his observing the Mosaic precepts. For
this he often inculcates both in his Epistle to the Ro-
mans iii. 20. and ix. 31, 32, and in that to the Gal.
ii. 16. and iii. 10 — 13. Nor was St. Paul singular in
this his opinion. No ; the whole body of the apostles
and elders were of the same mind, as appears from
the decree made by the council held at Jerusalem.
For there were certain of the sect of the Pharisees
who, becoming converts to Christianity, taught the
believing Gentiles, that except they ivere circum-
cised, and kept the laiv of Moses, they coidd not
be saved. Acts xv. 1. 5. 24. But the apostles and
elders, convened on purpose to give their sentiments
on this subject, unanimously agree to send messen-
gers to the Gentile converts with a letter, wherein
they not only deny that the persons who taught this
doctrine had any authority from them so to do, but
call it a subverting their soids. Which amounts to
the same sense with the phrases used by St. Paul in
his Epistle to the Galatians, their falling from,
grace, and Christ's profiting them nothing. It is
therefore, you see, the unanimous sense of the apo-
570 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
sties and elders, and of the whole church assembled
at Jerusalem, that the law of Moses was not obli-
gatory on the Gentile converts, and that the preach-
ing up circumcision, and the observance of the law
of Moses, as necessary to salvation, was subverting
the souls of the hearers. The apostle Peter con-
cludes his speech in that assembly with these words :
Now therefore why tempt ye God to put a yoke
upon the neck of the disciples, which neither our
fathers nor we were able to hear? that is, they
were not able so to perform the precepts of the Mo-
saic law, as thereby to obtain justification and life.
He therefore adds, But ice believe, that through the
grace of our Lo?'d Jesus Christ we shall be saved
even as they. It was St. Peter's judgment there-
foi'e, and no doubt the other apostles were of the
same mind, that no man could be justified by the
works of the law of Moses, but by the grace of
Christ.
Having thus considered the opinion of St. Paul
and of the other apostles concerning circumcision,
let us next attend to the motive which induced him
to circumcise Timothy. It is related, Acts xvi. Ti-
mothy being ivell 7'e ported of by the brethren at
Ijystra and Iconiuni, him ivould Paid have to go
forth with him ; that is, to assist him in the min-
istry ; and took him and circumcised him, because
of the Jews which ivere in those quarters : for
they all knew that his father was a Greek. It is
well known that the Jews would not converse freely
with those who were uncircumcised. And although
our Saviour had given an express commission to his
disciples to go teach all nations, baptizing them in
the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 571
Holy Ghost, yet St. Peter had a vision to teach him
to call nothing common or unclean, before he durst
venture to keep company with, or come to one of
another nation, Acts x. 28. And when Peter after
this came to Jerusalem., they ivho were of the cir-
cumcision contended with him, saying. Thou went-
est in to men uncircumcised, and didst eat with
them, Acts xi. 2, 3. Of what service then do you
think could Timothy have been to St. Paul among
the Jews, had he not been first circumcised ? It was
St. Paul's custom, wherever he came, to make the
first offers of the gospel to the Jews : how could Ti-
mothy have been assisting to him herein, had he not
been circumcised? Who among the Jews would
have conversed with him ? The reason why St. Paul
circumcised Timothy is said to have been, because
of the Jews which were in those quarters : not for
fear of the Jews, not from hypocrisy and meanness
of spirit, as one of the objecting Jews would have
it ; but that the Jews might not shun his company,
he might have opportunities of conversing freely
with them, and instilling into them the Christian
doctrine, and by that means assist St. Paul in con-
verting them to the Christian faith. This was the
true reason of his circumcising him. Though his
mother was a Jewess, they all knew that his father
was a Greek ; and therefore would have avoided his
society, had it not been known that St. Paul circum-
cised him.
Having thus considered both St. Paul's opinion of
circumcision, and the reason which induced him to
circumcise Timothy, let us compare them together,
that we may see if there be any the least inconsis-
tencv between them. Circumcision was now, ac-
572 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
cording to his opinion, become a thing indifferent,
that might be performed, or might be omitted, with-
out any offence to the divine Being : he uses it as
such in order to compass a beneficial end. He did
not circumcise Timothy as judging it any ways ne-
cessary to his salvation, but as a proper means to
accomplish the salvation of otliers. As none but
Jews could converse freely with Jews, and so be in
a capacity to convert them to the Christian faith, it
was absolutely necessary that all who were employed
in that office should be circumcised, and observe the
law of Moses. For the same reason the apostle
Paul, when conversant with the Jews, punctually
observed the ceremonies of the Mosaic law, as he
himself informs the Corinthians, 1 Ep. ix. 20. Unto
the Jews I became as a Jew, that I might gain
the Jews. Knowing these things to be indifferent,
he either observed or omitted them, as was most
for the good of others. When among the Gentiles
therefore he neglected the use of these ceremonies,
that he might the more freely converse with them,
as he also writes to the Corinthians : To them that
are without law, that is, without the law of Moses,
as without law, {not being ivithout law to God, but
under the law of Christ,) that I might gain them
that are without law. Thus was he made all things
to all men, that he might by all means save some.
Indeed when he was in the land of Judaea there
was a further reason for his observing the law of
Moses. It was the law of the country to all who
were born Jews, and they were obliged to submit to
it as such ; which doubtless was one reason why the
apostles, and other immediate disciples of our Lord
and their successors, so punctually observed it in the
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 573
land of Judaea to the time of the destruction of Je-
rusalem. They were to be subject to the higher
powers y and to submit to every ordinance of man
for the Lord's sake. Although these ceremonies
were now become things indifferent, and were no
longer the ordinances of God in the strict and im-
mediate sense, yet, as they were required and en-
forced by the higher powers, they were to be com-
plied with ; and in this remote sense might still in
the land of Judaea be called the ordinances of God.
But although St. Paul, being born a Jew, himself
willingly complied with all the ceremonies of the
Mosaic law in the land of Judaea, yet when some
would have imposed the same upon Titus, who was
a Greek, and not under the same obligation, he
would not permit him to yield to it.
There was a wide difference between the cases of
Timothy and Titus. Timothy, being born of a
Jewess, had a right to circumcision from his in-
fancy, and wanted nothing but the performance of
that ceremony to admit him to the freest conversa-
tion with the Jews : St. Paul therefore, needing his
assistance among the Jews in Asia, circumcised him.
Titus had no claim to circumcision, nor could Paul
want his assistance among the Jews in Judaea. The
Pharisaic Christians would have prevailed with him,
and indeed with all who were converted from among
the heathen, to be circumcised, and keep the law of
Moses, teaching them that it was necessary to their
salvation. These St. Paul resolutely opposed, be-
cause a yielding to it would have been a recognising
and encouraging their doctrine, a doctrine which
overthrew the whole scheme of Christianity, and
rendered Christ's death vain and needless. Although
574 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
therefore circumcision, and other cerennonies of the
law, were, in his esteem, things indifferent, and he
could either use or neglect them as he saw fit ; and
accordingly did circumcise Timothy, to render him
the more useful to himself in the ministry among
the Jews which dwelt in Asia Minor ; yet when cir-
cumcision was imposed as necessary to salvation, he
firmly withstood it, and would by no means give
way to the performing it, where it countenanced
and encouraged so pernicious a doctrine ; and this
was in exact compliance with the decree of the
apostles and elders. Whoever will be at the pains
to read the Acts of the Apostles, and St. Paul's
Epistles, will find not only a perfect consistency be-
tween his doctrine and practice, but a great steadi-
ness and constancy in both.
It is the easiest thing imaginable now to answer
each of the queries put by rabbi Isaac. The first
is, " Wherefore did Paul circumcise Timothy, since
" Christ was to profit him nothing ?" Had St. Paul,
in circumcising Timothy, done it as a thing neces-
sary to his salvation, the rabbi might well have
asked this question. But since it is most apparent
that St. Paul did it not with this view, but only as
a thing indifferent, in order to facilitate the conver-
sion of the Jews, what room is there for this ques-
tion ? St. Paul well knew that Christ would not
profit Timothy the less for his being circumcised,
when he submitted to it as a thing indifferent, and
did not depend on it for his salvation.
The second query is, " Since Paul did circumcise
"• Timothy, wherefore did he not enjoin him to keej)
" all the Mosaic precepts, when Paul testifies to
" every man that is circumcised, that he is a debtor
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 575
" to do the whole law ?" It is very clear the apostle
understands it of those only who submitted to cir-
cumcision as a thing necessary to their salvation.
Now, forasmuch as St. Paul did not circumcise Ti-
mothy with any such view, he might well leave it
to his discretion to observe the precepts of the cere-
monial law, so far as he thought proper; though
doubtless, when conversant among the Jews, he so
carefully observed it, as to make himself acceptable
to them, which was the very end of his being cir-
cumcised.
A third query is, " Behold, even Paul himself was
" circumcised: wherefore then did he not perform
'• the precepts of the Mosaic law ?" It was not St.
Paul's opinion that every man who had been cir-
cumcised in his infancy was a debtor to perform the
whole law of Moses, but only those who underwent
it, or depended on it as necessary to salvation, and
this after they had professed a belief of the Chris-
tian doctrine. St. Paul, no doubt, while a Jew,
thought himself obliged to perform the precepts of
the law of Moses, and was very careful in observing
them. But when he became a Christian, he learnt
that the ceremonial law was abrogated by the death
of Christ, and for this reason persuaded the Chris-
tian converts from among the Gentiles, that there
lay no obligation on them to comply with it.
The last query is, '•' Wherefore did he initiate his
" disciple Timothy by the precept of circumcision,
" if, as the Christians will have it, the season or
" time of observing the law of Moses was now
" past?" He did not initiate Timothy because he
thought he was under any obligation from the law
of Moses so to do : the time or season of observing
576 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
that, as made necessary by the divine command, he
truly thought was over and gone : but he did it as
a thing indifferent, in order hereby the more easily
to convert those of the Jewish nation.
Another objection is made from Acts xvi. 30, 31.
where the gaoler asks of Paul and Silas, IVhat he
must do to he saved f The answer returned is, Be-
lieve on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt he
saved, and thy house. " You see here, that these
" disciples agree not in their exhortations with the
" doctrine of Jesus. For when a rich man asked
" advice of Jesus how he might obtain salvation, he
" did not enjoin him to believe in himself, but com-
" manded him to keep the precepts described in the
" law of Moses, as you will find Matt. xix. 16.
" Mark x. 17- Luke xviii. 19^'." This is an objec-
tion that, I think, may be safely trusted with every
reader : for is there any contrariety, any inconsist-
ency between these two things, believing in Jesus,
and obeying the commandments of God ? are they
not both necessary ? When the rich man applied to
Jesus for instruction in so great a point as that of
obtaining his salvation, it might well be taken for
granted that he did believe in him as a teacher sent
from God : it would have seemed therefore very un-
seasonable to urge this upon him. Our Saviour, who
knew the hearts of all men, took a much more per-
tinent and suitable method to lay open his defects
both of belief and practice. He saw plainly, not-
withstanding his boasted obedience to the divine
law, that money was his god : he therefore puts
him upon the trial which he would choose, God or
> Chiz. Em. p. 2. cup. 75.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 577
the world. This man could not find in his heart to
give up the world, took that as his portion, and be-
trayed his want of faith and obedience. But the
Jew will have it, that the direction of Jesus to this
man is, that he should keep all the precepts of the
law of Moses, and that it is hence incumbent on
every Christian so to do, in order to his being saved.
See part 1. ch. 49. n. 2, 3. and part 2. ch. 19-
Whereas the instances given by our Lord in this
place are all commands of a moral nature, and taken
from the second Table. But had he been as explicit
in his injunction to this man to keep the whole ce-
remonial law as the rabbi makes him, could it be
inferred from thence that Christians are now bound
to keep that law? It is certain, that during our
Lord's life that law was in force, and every Jew
was obliged to keep it in order to his being saved :
it was not abolished but by his death : and our Lord
plainly foretold the abrogation of it to the woman
of Samaria.
The last observation made by rabbi Isaac on the
book of Acts is on ch. xxviii. 3, &c. When Paul
shook off the viper that had fastened on his hand,
and the Barbarians saw no harm come to him, f/iey
said that he was a god. "You plainly see here
" that the foolish people, who erred concerning Je-
" sus, fell into the same mistake concerning Paul,
" and called him also God '^." This sure was written
by the Jew in a very great hurry, or he could not
have been guilty of so egregious a blunder. Did he
ever hear of or meet with Christians in any part of
the world who held that Paul was God ? It is here
' Chiz. Em. p. 2. c. 76.
Pp
578 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
expressly said that they were Barbarians, that is,
natives of Melita, who had never before seen St.
Paul, nor as yet heard one word of Christ ; these,
astonished at St. Paul's miraculous escape, believe
him to be one of their deities, as, some years before
this, did the people of Lystra upon his having healed
a cripple there. A like injudicious remark the rabbi
makes upon the history of Simon Magus, related
Acts viii. to which also he here refers. It is said
that Simon had so prevailed on the Samaritans by
his sorceries, as to be esteemed by them the great
power of God. " Hence," says the Jew, " may be
" drawn an argument against the miracles of Jesus,
" which were performed by the magic art ; and
" therefore the silly people that followed him be-
" lieved him also to be God ^." Should any one
argue, that because Pharaoh's magicians turned a
rod into a serpent, water into blood, and produced
frogs, therefore all the wonderful works of Moses
were wrought by the magic art, and were no proof
of the power of God assisting him, would the rabbi
allow the consequence ? The very answer which he
must return to this will be our answer to him.
' Chiz. Em. p. 2. c. 65.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 579
CHAP. XX.
Other ohjections answered.
HAVING answered the several objections raised
by rabbi Isaac, I shall next consider all other ob-
jections that I can recollect either to have heard or
read started against any part of this sacred book.
It is said that the Acts of the Apostles and the
Gospel of St. Matthew agree not in the relation of
the death of the traitor Judas. In the one it is re-
lated, that Jie we7it and hanged himself^: in the
other, that, falling headlong, he hnrst asunder,
and all his hoivels gushed oiit^. These accounts
are represented as inconsistent the one with the
other. It is urged, " that if he hanged himself he
" did not die by a fall, and the gushing out of his
" bowels. And if his falling headlong was the cause
" of his death, it was not his hanging himself.''
Before I proceed to give a direct answer to this ob-
jection, I would observe to you, that different cir-
cumstances, mentioned by two or more persons in
relating the same facts, by no means affect the credit
of the relators, or destroy the credibiHty of the facts,
unless they are plainly contradictory the one to the
other ; because they may each have their course or
season, and be all true.
Should several persons be called as witnesses, who
saw a man travelling in the road between London
and Northampton ; and one should affirm, that he
saw him on foot without any retinue; another
^ Matt, xxvii. 5. '^ Acts i. 18.
p p 2
580 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
should say, that he saw him in a coach drawn with
six horses, attended with a great number of ser-
vants ; another, that he saw him on horseback with
one servant only ; might it not be objected exactly
in the same manner as it is to the holy writings?
These circumstances are inconsistent : if he was on
foot, he was neither in a coach nor on horseback ;
and if he was in a coach, he was not on foot. One
declares he had no attendants ; another, that he had
many; and a third, that he was followed by one
servant only. How can these things agree toge-
ther ? If these witnesses be further examined, and
it appears that they each of them saw this man in
different parts of the road; that the one saw him
walking on the road towards IsHngton, the second
in a coach and six between Islington and St. Al-
ban's, and the third on horseback near Dunstable,
the testimonies of these persons are very consistent.
Nor is it any thing improbable, that a person should
walk to Islington, go thence in a coach and six to
St. Alban's, there mount his horse, and ride to Dun-
stable in his way to Northampton.
If we make but the same allowances to the sacred
writers, that is, if we suppose the different circum-
stances mentioned by them not to have happened
the same moment of time, but to have followed one
the other, nothing can be more clearly consistent
than are the different circumstances they relate.
St. Matthew says, Judas ivent and hanged himself.
This he thought sufficient to say of the traitor, with-
out adding the other circumstances of his death
which followed. St. Peter mentions those circum-
stances only which followed after he had hanged
himself; that Jailing with his face to the ground.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 581
he hurst asunder in the midst ^ and all his bowels
gushed out. He hanged himself, and whether the
cord with which he did it shpped or broke, or that
to which it was fastened gave way, or some person,
seeing him hanging, hastily cut him down, he fell
with his face to the ground, and the violence of the
fall burst his belly, so that his bowels gushed out ;
which, if he was a corpulent and heavy man, or was
so swollen, as many of the ancients represent him to
have been, might easily happen.
That which I apprehend has chiefly misled per-
sons in making this objection, is their mistaking the
meaning of the words which we have rendered Jcdl-
ing headlong, Trp-^v)]? yevoixevo<;. They take it, that
they must needs signify a person's throwing himself
headlong from a house, a precipice, or some high
place. And were this the proper signification of the
words, there would be two different ways of death
mentioned by the two historians : for a person's
hanging himself, and throwing himself off from the
top of a house or a precipice, are two different
deaths. And although it is possible a person might
first fasten a halter to a tree, and put the noose
about his neck, and then throw himself off from an
adjoining precipice, (which indeed would be making
sure work, because if the one did not take effect, it
is likely the other would ; and this, if ever practised,
might best suit the horrid state of the traitor's
mind,) yet, as we read not of any such example, it
may not seem to all so probable.
The words which are in our translation rendered
falling headlong, signify properly falling or lying
with the face to the ground. The learned Raphe-
P p 3
582 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
lius% who lias made great search into Greek au-
thors, with a particular view of thereby explaining
the New Testament, affirms that he never once met
with this phrase, where it signifies a man's throwing
himself off from a precipice, or any high place. Nor
could I ever see an example of it produced by those
who put this signification upon it. Now if the
words TTpYivrjg yevofj-evo? never signify a man's throwing
himself from a high place or precipice, there is not
so much as the least pretence left that two different
deaths are related, but only different circumstances
attending the death of Judas. St. Matthew relates
the main circumstance of his death, that he hcmged
himself, St. Peter mentions some circumstances
which followed ; He fell with his face to the
ground, hurst asunder in the midst, and all his
bowels gushed out. For it ought to be observed
that St. Luke in the Acts is not relating the history
of the death of Judas, but the words of St. Peter ;
and that the persons to whom St. Peter spoke well
knew all the circumstances of the death of that trai-
tor. The holy apostle had no intention therefore to
give a punctual account in what manner he de-
stroyed himself, but only to bring to the minds of
his hearers the more affecting circumstances attend-
ing it, such which it might be supposed more fully
shewed him an example of God's vengeance.
Several ancient writers affirm ^ that Judas lived
'^ Not. Pulyb. p. 103, 109, fin.
'' Gicumen. in Act. ii. Theophyl. in Matt, xxvii. 5. Euthymius
in Matt, xxvii. 5. Cedrenus in Compend. Histor. p. 162. Theo-
phanes, Horn. 27. p. 202. the two last cited by Suicer, Thesaur.
toni. T. p. 407.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 583
some considerable time after he had hanged himself:
that either the tree, to which he had fastened the
rope, gave way ^, or the cord broke ^, or some person
cut him down before he was suffocated S: that it
pleased God hereby to grant him space for repent-
ance, which he not improving became greatly dis-
eased, was swelled to an enormous degree, was
racked with grievous pains, was an eminent example
of divine justice, and at length fell down with his
face and belly to the ground, burst asunder in the
midst, and his bowels gushed out. Were there suf-
ficient authority to support this, doubtless learned
men would have readily acquiesced in it. But as
there is no more than a slender foundation for this
piece of history, that is, that Judas so long survived
the halter, the most easy and natural method of
placing the several circumstances mentioned, as it
appears to me, is that I have laid before you. Epi-
phanius, I think, is singular in his opinion, who sup-
poses that Judas first shed his bowels, and then put
an end to his life by hanging himself ^.
Many among the moderns have taken a different
way in their exposition of these passages of holy
writ. Tliey interpret the word used by St. Matthew,
d^-^y^uTo, not that Judas hanged himself, but that he
suffered so severely from the anxiety of his mind for
what he had done, that he fell into a deep melan-
choly, and died of a suffocation from griefs Thus
Dr. Hammond explains it. He says, " That which
«' the words most easily and promptly bear, and
" which they might possibly mean by those words
•^ Theophyl. ^ Theophaiies. e Euthyniiiis.
^ Tom. 3. Hser. 38. p. 126.
' Grotius, Price, Suicer, Perizonius, &c.
P p 4
584 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
" which we interpret hang'mg, is this ; that he fell
" into a violent suffocating fit of sadness or melan-
" choly, and grieved so excessively as to wish him-
" self dead ; and then suddenly fell flat on his face,
" and then burst '^." It has, I think, been fully
proved by Perizonius, that the word aTryjy^aro bears
this sense in the best Greek writers ^ Others, who
put much the same construction on the word avr^-y-
l^arOi and who understand Trpyjvrjf ytvofxevog to signify
a being thrown headlong from some high place, con-
ceive that he was, by his melancholy and despair,
driven to this method of self-murder. They are not
of opinion that he died immediately of a suffocation
proceeding from grief, but that such was the anxiety
and torture of his mind, that he threw himself from
some house or precipice, and so made an end of his
wretched life "\ But I think it has been nowhere
yet proved that the words 7rpvjVY]<; yevoixevoi will bear
that signification.
If the words could be shewn to carry that sense,
I should understand it to be done, not by Judas him-
self, but by others, after he had hanged himself".
A man's hanging himself was esteemed as a most
odious and infamous death both by Jews and hea-
thens °. Josephus tells us that it was the custom
with the Jews to cast aside those who had murdered
^^ In Matt, xxvii. 5.
' Vid. Raphel. Observ. Polyb. p. 102. 104. 106. et Alberti Ob-
serv. p. 219.
"" Saldeni Otia Theolog, 1. 2. Exercit. 8. §. 20. p. 389.
" Thus Raphelius in Observ. Polyb. p. 106.
° Vid. Basnage, Annal. p. 385. §. 95. et Virgil, ^n. 1. 12. ver.
602. Serv. in loc. Virg. cit. Apuleium, Met. 1. 6. p. 130. aliosque
ibi cit.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 585
themselves, and leave them unburied till the even-
ing p. This throwing them aside might not impro-
bably be the throwing them down some precipice ;
for they had many such in and near Jerusalem ^.
If then the words would admit of that signification,
I should think it most likely that those who found
Judas hanging, and cut him down, threw him off
some precipice ; there to remain a spectacle to all
who passed by, till evening.
There are still other learned men among the mo-
derns, that put the same interpretation upon the
words TTprivrig yevo^j.^vog, as is most usually put upon
the word anYiylaTo, and hereby make St. Matthew
and St. Peter to say one and the same thing, that is,
that Judas hanged himself •■. Alberti has shewn
great ingenuity in bringing together several pas-
sages of the ancient Greek writers to make this
sense of the words appear probable ^ I cannot say
that his arguments amount to demonstration : this
however, I think, may be justly observed, from what
has been said in answer to the objection before us,
that when there are so many ways whereby the dif-
ferent circumstances attending the death of Judas,
related by St. Matthew, and mentioned by St. Peter,
may be shewn fairly consistent, that person must
have a good-will to cavil at the sacred writings who
makes this difference an objection against them.
There is a second objection formed from the words
of the same verse; in the beginning of which St.
Peter is represented as saying, Now this man, speak-
P De Bell. 1. 3. c. 8. §. 5, prop. fin.
1 Vid. Joseph, de Bell. 1. 5. c. 4. §. i, fin, Zacharias, when
slain, was thrown down one. De Bell. 1. 4. c. 5. §. 4, prop. fin.
■■ Erasmus, Castalio, &c. ^ Observ. p. 2 [9.
586 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
ing of Judas, purchased a field with the reward of
iniquity : whereas St. Matthew informs us, that Ju-
das cast down the pieces of silver in the temple,
and went and hanged himself i and that the chief
priests took the silver ftieces, and bought with them
the potter's field to hiirij strangers in *. The ob-
jection is, How can it with truth be affirmed that
Judas purchased this field, when it appears from
St. Matthew that the high priests purchased it after
his death ? In answer to this I would observe, first,
that St. Matthew does not say that the high priests
purchased it after the death of Judas. Some of the
ancients were so far from understanding the words
of St. Matthew in this sense, that they were of opin-
ion that Judas made his exit in this very field which
they had purchased " ; and the learned Grotius in-
clines to this opinion ^.
2. Judas was certainly the occasion of this pur-
chase. It was bought with the money he had re-
ceived from the high priests. Had he not brought
back these unjust gains, and restored them to the
high priests, this field had not been purchased. Now
it is not unusual with the sacred writers, as well as
other authors, to put the occasion for the causey.
Thus is it said, that a gift hlindeth the wise, and
perverteth the words of the righteous '■. It is true,
a bribe may be a temptation, or the occasion of a
man's shutting his eyes against justice, but it is not
* Matt, xxvii. 5, 6, 7. " GCcuiri. in Act. ii.
" In Acts i. 18.
y Then shall ye brmg down my grey hairs with sorrow to the
grave. Gen. xlii. 38. And how often is it said of Jeroboam, that
he made Israel to sin? 1 Kings xiv. 16. and xv. ult. &c.
^ Exod. xxiii. 8.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 587
the efficient cause ; for that is the man himself. In
like manner, though the high priests were the proper
purchasers, the efficient cause, yet forasmuch as Ju-
das was the occasion of it, is he also said, in a figur-
ative sense, to purchase it. And let it be observed
further,
3. That the word eKTYjaaTo, which is the Greek
word in this place, is very frequently used by Greek
authors in this figurative sense '\ Thus is it said by
the son of Sirach of him that lends his money, that
he has purchased to himself an enemy ^. And in
the Proverbs we are exhorted not to purchase to
ourselves the reproaches of evil 7nen^. It may be
urged, that it was not the intention of Judas to buy
a field, it was accidentally only purchased with his
money. In like manner it is not the intention of
the lender to make the borrower his enemy ; but so
it too often happens, and therefore is he said, ktti-
aaa$txi, to have purchased to himself an enemy. It
is not the design of any person to bring disgrace and
infamy upon himself by his conduct ; yet this being
the event of an ill-spent fortune, such a one is said
to have purchased infamy to himself. Thus with
regard to Judas, forasmuch as the buying the field
was the event upon his restoring the money, there-
fore is he said to have purchased the field with the
reward of his iniquity, which field was, is, and will
be, an eternal monument of his infamy '\
Another objection is raised from the verse follow-
ing, that is, the 19th. And it ivas known unto all
^ See Whitby in loc. i^ Ch. xxix, 8. cchiji ^i.
'^ Judas hunc agruin acquisivisse dicitur, non tanquani rem
suam, sed lanquaiu cetenuiiii infamise monumentum. Grot, in
Matt, xxvii. 8.
588 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
the dwellers at Jerusalem, insomuch as that field
is called, in their proper tongue, Aceldama, that
is to say, the Field of Blood. This is represented
as what could not be spoke by St. Peter. It is al-
leged, that it is not probable he should tell his bre-
thren, who could not but know this as well as him-
self, that the circumstances of the death of Judas,
or the buying of the field, were things notorious at
Jerusalem ; much less, that he, who was a Jew, and
talking with Jews in their own language, should
teach them the name of the field in the Jewish lan-
guage, and interpret it for them into Greek.
My answer to this is, first, that it is very difficult
for us to judge what it might be proper for St. Peter
to say to the audience which then heard him. There
might be several, it may be, the greater part present,
who were strangers at Jerusalem, and who did not
talk the language then used there. How far the
Galilean dialect differed from that at Jerusalem we
cannot now judge ; but that they did differ is evi-
dent, because St. Peter was known by his speech to
be a Galilean '^. Nor can we say with any certainty,
secondly, that these are the words of St. Peter.
Several learned men think that this whole verse
contains the words of St. Luke, and that they ought
to stand in a parenthesis. Nothing could be more
proper than that St. Luke should inform his readers
that these facts were notorious at Jerusalem, and
should add, as a proof of that notoriety, the name
put on the field purchased with the price of Christ's
blood, and should interpret that name into the
Greek, which was the language in which he wrote.
'^ Matt. xxvi. 73. Mark xiv. 70. Acts ii. 7.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 589
If we take these therefore to he the words of the
historian St. Luke, there is not the shadow of an
objection remaining. And if I mistake not, most
learned men judge those words, in their proper
to7igue, and the interpretation into the Greek, to be
an addition made by the historian to the words of
St. Peter, as being necessary to explain what St.
Peter said to a Greek reader. And the other part,
concerning the notoriety of the fact, might be very
properly mentioned, if part of his auditors were
strangers at Jerusalem.
It is said, Acts iv. 6, that Annas was high priest ;
whereas, if we give credit to the historian Josephus,
the high priest of the Jewish nation at this time was
Joseph, called also Caiaphas. To this it has been
already answered, that the name of high priest was
given to all those who had once performed that
office. Annas, the father-in-law of Caiaphas, had
executed that high office for many years together ;
and although he did not now perform it, he bore the
name of high priest, as is fully evident from the his-
tory of Josephus. To this answer it may be ob-
jected, that St. Luke in his Gospel means otherwise,
and that he ought to be his own interpreter. For in
marking the particular time when John the Baptist
began his ministry, he names the fifteenth year of
the reign of Tiberius, and describes it further thus ;
that Pontius Pilate was then governor of Judaea,
Herod tetrarch of Galilee, Philip tetrarch of Ituraea,
Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, and Annas and Caia-
phas high priests. Annas, say the objectors, was
doubtless high priest in the same sense as Pontius
Pilate was governor of Judaea, as Herod was te-
trarch of Galilee, Philip tetrarch of Ituraea, and Ly-
590 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
sanias of Abilene ; that is, he was the person then
exercising that high office. And if this be St. Luke's
meaning here, why should it be interpreted other-
wise in the Acts of the Apostles ? Who can better
explain the words of St. Luke than himself? To this
place in St. Luke's Gospel they also object, that there
are two persons named as executing the office of
high priest at one and the same time ; whereas it is
evident from the History of Josephus, that in Judaea
there was but one high priest in office at one time.
So that they charge St. Luke with two errors : the
first is, his asserting that there were two high priests
in office at one time ; the second is, affirming that
Annas was high priest during the government of
Pontius Pilate.
The whole force of these objections lies in one
single point; and that is, the necessity of under-
standing St. Luke to speak of Annas in these places
as the high priest of the Jewish nation then in office.
If there be no necessity of understanding him in
this sense, the objections entirely vanish. And that
there is no such necessity, is very evident, because
there is another good and sufficient reason to be
given why Annas is named by him, and why he is
placed before Caiaphas. The truth of the case is
this : Caiaphas had the name of high priest, but
Annas had the authority. Caiaphas was named by
the Roman governor, and was the person then in
office ; but he was wholly under the influence of his
father-in-law Annas, who had the chief power and
credit with the people. Agreeably hereto, we are
told by St. John in his GosjDel, that the band, and
the captain, and the officers of the Jews, when they
had taken Jesus, and bound him, led him away to
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 591
Annas first, and then Annas sent him bound to Caia-
phas the high priest ^.
To confirm this to you the more fully, I need
only read the character which the historian Jose-
phus gives of this Annas in his book of Antiquities.
Having related that that son of his who bore his
name was made high priest, he adds, " The eldest
" Ananus, they say, was a most fortunate man ; for
" he had five sons, and it happened that all these
" executed the office of high priest to God, he him-
" self having before enjoyed that honour for a very
" long time §^." Josephus writes his name Ananus ;
in the Hebrew it is Hanan. It is an indifferent
thing in the Greek language which way it be ter-
minated, whether by «$• or o$-, whether his name be
read Annas or Ananus. When the war broke out
with the Romans, Ananus and Josephus, the son of
Gorion, were chosen governors of Jerusalem, as Jo-
sephus informs us in his book of the Jewish Wars \
In another place of the same book he tells us that
he was " the eldest of the high priests, a most pru-
" dent man, and perhaps had saved the city if he
" had escaped the hands of those who had laid wait
" for his life '."
'' Ch. xviii. 13. 24.
g 'Ett* TrXero-Tov. L. 20. C. 8. §. I.
'' L. 2. C. 20. §. 3. et C. 22. §. I, 2.
' L. 4. C.3. §. 7. I take it here for granted that the Ananus
spoken of, Antiq, lib. 18. c. 2. §. i, 2. et 1. 20. c. 9. §. i. and the
Ananus mentioned, de Vit. §.38. and 39. and de Bell. 1. 2. and
1. 4. is the same person ; because I cannot easily persuade myself
that there were two persons living together of the same name,
both of tliem high priests, and both of such very great eminence
and authority. Fran. Lucas Brugentius, in Luc. iii, 2. is of the
same opinion. That it might be so, is fully evident thus : Ananus
592 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
In the same book he tells us, that his murderers
upbraided him with his kindness and benevolence to
the people '' ; and a little after proceeds thus : " I
*' should not swerve from the truth, should I affirm
" that the beginning of this city's being taken was
" the death of Ananus ; and that the wall was over-
" thrown, and the affairs of the Jews ruined from
" that day in which they saw the high priest, who
" presided over their safety, slain in the midst of
" the city. For he was indeed a man venerable,
" and most just in other respects, but delighted in
" parity. Notwithstanding the eminence of his birth
" and dignity, and the honour he attained to, he
" liked that there should be an equality of honour
" even to the meanest. He was a lover of liberty
" to excess, and an admirer of democracy, always
" preferring the public good to his own private ad-
" vantage, and esteeming peace above all things.
" For he knew that the Romans were invincible,
was made high priest in the thirty-seventh year after the Actiac
victory. Antiq. 1. 18. c. 2. §. i.
Augustus reigned 57 years 6 months and two days.
Take away 14 years which Antony reigned with him,
And there remain 43 years 6 months and two days.
Take away 37
There remain 6 years 6 months and 2 days.
Tiberius reigned 227 7
Cains 3 8
Claudius 13 8 20
In Nero's 12th Ananus was killed.
"58" ~J~ ~W
ir we suppose him thirty when made high priest, (and he
might have been younger,) he could be but in his eighty-ninth
year when slain.
•* C. 5. §. 2, prop. init.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 593
" and foresaw that the Jews must necessarily perish
" in the war, unless they dexterously made up mat-
" ters by a peace. And to say all in one word, had
" Ananus lived, matters had certainly been made up,
" and a peace concluded : for he was a skilful orator,
" and able to persuade the people, and had now got
" the upper hand of those who put obstacles in his
" way, and were for the war. How very long would
" the Jews have protracted the war, and what im-
" mense trouble would they have given the Romans,
" under such a leader ! To him was joined Jesus \
" inferior indeed, when compared with him, but ex-
" celling all the rest. And I cannot but think that
" God, having condemned the city to destruction, as
" being polluted, and having determined that the
" sanctuary should be purged with fire, cut off those
" who adhered to it, and had an affection for it.
" They therefore who but a little before were clothed
" with the holy vestments, and presided over the
" public worship, and were adored by those who
" came from all parts of the world to the city, were
" seen to be cast forth naked, to become the food of
" dogs and of wild beasts. Methinks Virtue herself
" must have groaned over these men, lamenting that
" she was herein so signally vanquished by Vice."
The principal part of the character of Ananus,
you see, is his benevolence towards the people, his
love of parity and of the public good. It was for
this he seems to have been chosen high priest by the
Romans. For Josephus expressly says, that Quirinus
the Roman governor, finding the people seditiously
' This was another wiio had been high priest, and was next in
age to Ananus. See 1. 4. c. 4. §. 3.
Qq
594 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
disposed towards Joazarus, who was his immediate
predecessor in the high-priesthood, took the office
from him, and conferred it on Ananus '" ; and no
doubt it was for the same reason that the high-
priesthood was continued so long in his family. He
executed that office himself, Josephus says, 67r< irkeT-
arov, a very long time. I judge it to have been
about fifteen years, which, as things were then man-
aged, was a very long time. Soon after it was given
to his son Eleazar ", who enjoying it one year, it was
held by another for the year following, and then
conferred on Caiaphas, son-in-law to Ananus ", who
held it, as I judge, about eleven years; then was
given to his own son Jonathan p, after that to his
son Theophilus % and then, having been enjoyed for
some space by another person '", was offered again to
his son Jonathan, who refusing it, and recommend-
ing his brother Matthias, it was, according to his
desire, conferred on Matthias ^.
'" Jos. Autiq. 1. i8. c. 2. §. I. " Ibid. §. 2, prop. fin.
" Ibid. I' Ibid. c. 4. §. 3, fin. '' Cap. 5. §. 3, med.
' Autiq. 1. 19. c. 6. §. 2.
*^ Ibid. §. 4. And some time after this on his son Ananus, 1. 20.
c. 9. §. I. so that, as Valesius rightly observes, from the time he
was appointed high priest by the Romans, he may be said to
have been perpetual high priest to the end of his lifej for such
he was by his authority with the people, and the influence he had
over those who succeeded him. Nam cum Annas socer esset Caia-
phae, et paulo antea pontificatum gessisset, summauKjue inter Ju-
dseos auctoritatem obtineret, merito cum Caiapha conjungitur a
Luca, non in Evangelio solum, sed in cap. iv. Actuum Apostolo-
rum. Quippe hie Annas vir fuit sui temporis celeberrimus ac po-
tentissimus, et quasi quidam perpetuus pontifex. Ex quo enini
summus sacerdos factus est a Quirinio, ipse deinceps reliquo vitae
tempore aut per filios aut per generos suos sacerdotium admini-
stravit, ut testatur Josephus, qui ilium seaiper Ananum nominat.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 595
Nothing, I think, can shew a more perfect know-
ledge of the times, and be more expressive of what
was the true state of the case, than are the words
of St. Luke, Annas and Caiaphas hemg high
priests. Annas had executed the office of high
priest many years, and thence retained the name.
Josephus himself from that time gives him the name.
Thus, when he mentions Eleazar's being made high
priest, he calls him Eleazar the son of Ananus the
high priest ^ In the same manner, when his bro-
ther Jonathan had that high office bestowed on him,
he calls him Jonathan, the son of Ananus the high
priest ". Caiaphas, it is true, was the high priest
now in office, but doubtless was both made and con-
tinued such by the interest of his father-in-law Ana-
nus, who before this had power sufficient to bring
in his son Eleazar, and after this, four other sons.
It may therefore, I think, be easily allowed that
Caiaphas was under the influence of his father-in-
law ; that although Caiaphas had the name, Annas
was in truth the governing high priest. There is no
room then to admire, that St. Luke, in reckoning up
the high priests and their kindred, who met together
in council, should name Annas first, as being far the
most considerable and powerful of all who convened;
or that in enumerating the several princes and go-
vernors in and near Judaea, when John the Baptist
Cum igitur tunc temporis tola sacerdotii auctoritas penes Annam
resideret, niirum non est, si cum Caiapha pontifex nominatur a
B. Luca. Vales, not. inEuseb. E. H. 1. i. c. lo.
' 'EKeal^apcv tIv ' Avdvov rov apy^iepiac, vllv aTta^elKvvartv ap)(^i€p(a. Lt. iS.
C. 2. §. 2.
" '\uvuB-»iv Ka.Blcrrfiaiv 'Avavou rot! ccpy^ieptcx; vlov. Ibid. C, 4. §. 3.
Q q 2
596 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
began his ministry, he should say, Annas and Caia-
phas heing high priests.
Nor was this method wholly unpractised in the
Old Testament ; for in reckoning up the great of-
ficers under king David, Zadok and Abiathar are
said to be the priests ; and although Abiathar was
the high priest then in office, yet is Zadok always
named before him"; because, as I take it, though
Zadok was not the high priest at that time in office,
yet was he much the more eminent person of the
two. This I take to be the most easy and natural
account of the matter before us, and therefore the
true one.
Learned men have various other conjectures, some
of which I will lay before you. Selden y, Saubert %
and some others, think that Annas presided over the
great council of the nation, and Caiaphas under him;
or, as the Jews express it, that Annas was prince of
the sanhedrim, and Caiaphas father of it ; that there-
fore these two are joined together by St. Luke, and
Annas placed first. Nor can there be the least doubt
made, but that a man of such power and interest as
Annas must have enjoyed the chief posts in the
Jewish government. Accordingly we find, when the
war broke out with the Romans, he and Josephus
the son of Gorion were made governors of Jerusa-
lem. Whether he was Nasi, that is, prince of the
sanhedrim, we cannot certainly say, because history
does not inform us. And if credit may be given to
^ 2 Sam. XX. 25. XV. 35. xvii. 15. and xix. x i. i Chron. xv. 11.
>■ De Success, in Pontif. 1. 2. c. 12.
^ Jo. Saubertus de Sacerdotio Hebraeorum, p. 647. cited Wolf.
Cur. in Luc. iii. 2. See also Hammond on Luke iii. 2.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 597
the Jewish writers, it was Gamaliel who at that time
filled up this post ^
The learned Samuel Basnage and others are of
opinion, that Annas and Caiaphas were high priests
that executed the office annually by turns. This is
founded chiefly on the words of St. John, that Caia-
phas ivas high priest that year ^, which may signify
no more than that Caiaphas was at that time high
priest. But they understand St. John to mean, that
he was the high priest of the year current : that as
he succeeded Annas in the high-priesthood at the
beginning of that year, so at the end of it was he to
resign it to him ^. But of the truth of this inter-
pretation there is very little probabiHty ^. It is in-
deed evident from Josephus, that the two high
priests who preceded Caiaphas were each in that
office one year only ^. But that Annas and Caiaphas
executed the high-priesthood annually and alternate-
ly, he is wholly silent. All that Josephus says of
Caiaphas is, that he was put into the high-priesthood
by Valerius Gratus, and turned out of it by Vitellius ;
whence it is concluded, and that very justly, that
Josephus understood he was high priest during the
whole of that interval.
Casaubon ^, Scaliger ^, Grotius '^ Reland ', and
^ See Lightf. vol. i. p. 2009. ^ John xi. 51.
•^ Annal. vol. i. p. 232. §. 1 1.
^ Nor does it solve the difficulty ; for if they were alternately
high priests, they were not so together.
^ Antiq. 1. 18. c. 2. §. 2, prop. fin. ^ Exercit. p. 216.
g Proleg. Euseb. '' In Luc. iii. 2.
' Antiq. Heb. p. 154. See also Lightf. vol. i. p. 911, 912. et
Quandt. Dissert, de Pontificis magni Suffraganeo, p. 55. cit. Wolf.
Cur. in Luc. iii. 2,
Q q 3
598 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
others, think that the one of these was the high
priest, and the other his Sagan, as the Jews call it,
or suffragan. It is evident from Josephus, that in
case of pollution another was appointed to officiate
in the high priest's stead ^. But whether this per-
son was properly the Sagan mentioned in the
Mishna^, remains a dispute both among Jews and
Christians™. There is frequent mention made of
the Sagan of the priests in the old Jewish writ-
ings". They describe him as next to the high
priest both in dignity and authority "", so that he
was much the same to the high priest as in after-
times was the suffragan to the bishop. If there
were such an office as this at the times we are
speaking of, (and we have no reason to make a
doubt of it,) it is not in the least improbable but
that it was Annas who now executed it. He hav-
ing been high priest so many years himself, and
having so great weight with the people, who so
likely as he to have a place of that dignity con-
ferred on him ?
It has been objected by Porphyry of old p, and by
a Jewish writer of later days ^, that Ananias and
Sapphira, whose history we have, Acts v. were un-
^ Antiq. 1. 17. c. 6. §. 4, mentioned also in the Geniara, cited
Selden de Success, in Pontif. 1. i. c. 1 1. §. i. and Lightf. vol. 2.
P- 397-
' loma, c. 3. §. 9. Shekalim, c. 6. §. i.
■" See Lightf. vol. 2. p. 397.
" Vid. Buxtorf. Lex. Tal. in voc. Segan ; Selden. de Success, in
Pontif. 1. 2. c. I ; et de Syned. 1. 3. c. 8. §. 6.
° See Lightf. vol. i. p. 911, 912. vol. 2. p. 397. et 608. et Seld.
de Syn. 1. 3. c. 8. §. 6.
P Hieronymi Ep. 8. et August, contra Parmenianum, 1. 3.
'I Kidder's Dcni. vol. 2. j). 220.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 599
justly and cruelly treated. But this objection arises
wholly from the want of considering the great hein-
ousness of their guilt, and the necessity there was of
such an example of punishment. These two persons,
though they had seen the wonderful effects of the
effusion of the Holy Ghost on the disciples, yet ima-
gined that they were able to deceive the apostles, and
the Holy Spirit, by which they were guided. Having
sold their land, and professing to bring the whole
price, and lay it at the apostles' feet, they brought
but part, and reserved part to themselves. Herein was
a great complication of crimes. The first was pride,
ostentation, or vainglory. For there was no law
obliging them to sell their estates, and surrender
the money into the apostles' hands : this was left
wholly to their own choice. The next was avarice.
They would have appeared to the world to have
brought their all ; but such was their love of money,
they secretly retained part, and would have thence-
forth lived upon the common stock, as though they
had divested themselves of all, which would have
been a constant robbery both of God and man. And
whence should arise this covetousness, but from a
secret distrust of God's providence ? They were afraid
to commit themselves wholly to the divine care. To
conceal this, they are guilty of dissembling and ly-
ing : and to whom do they lie ? Not to the apostles
only, but to God. They vainly hope that their ava-
rice and hypocrisy are unknown to God himself, and
that they might securely make profession of offering
him their all, when in truth they offered but part.
This also was sacrilege, and in effect denying the
omnipresence and omniscience of the divine Being.
Therefore St. Peter says to Sapphira, Why i.s it that'
Q q 4
600 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
ye are thus agreed together to tempt the Spirit of
the Lord, that is, to distrust his knowledge, and
make trial of it ?
Was it not highly fitting, that in the first rise of
Christianity such aggravated and complicated guilt
as this should be exemplarily punished, that all
might hear and fear ? Was it not indeed necessary
that the holy Spirit of God, under whose direction
were the apostles, should at such a time as this dis-
cover his knowledge of the most secret crimes, in
order to assert his own omniscience, establish the
authority of the apostles, and give clear demonstra-
tion of the truth and certainty of the doctrines they
preached? Was it not in the same manner at the
beginning of the Mosaic institution, in order to con-
firm the power of Moses and Aaron, and more fully
prove that Moses spake from God, that Nadab and
Abihu were devoured by fire*? that Dathan and
Abiram were swallowed up by the earth ^ ? and that
Korah and his companions perished *.
Another objection is taken from the speech of
Gamaliel, which is in Acts v. 36, 37. where he is
represented as saying, Before these days rose up
Theudas, hoasting himself to he somehody ; to
whom a number of men, about four hundred,
joined themselves: who was slain; and all, as
many as obeyed him, were scattered, and brought
to nought. After this man rose up Judas of Ga-
lilee, ill the days of the taxing, and drew away
much people after him : he also jierished ; and all,
as many as obeyed him, were dispersed. To this
is opposed the History of Josephus, who relates,
"■ Lev. X. I, 2. ' Numb. xvi. 32. ' Numb. xvi. 35.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 60i
" that when Fadus was procurator of Judaea, Theu-
" das prevailed on a very great multitude to take
" with them their wealth, and follow him to the
" river Jordan. For he gave out himself to be a
" prophet, and said, that the river, dividing at his
*' command, would afford them an easy passage :
" and by these sayings he deceived many. Fadus
" suffered them not long to enjoy their madness,
" but sent a body of horse against them, which,
" falling upon them unexpectedly, killed many, and
" took many alive. They took also Theudas him-
" self, cut off his head, and carried it to Jerusalem ''."
This, Josephus expressly tells us, happened during
the administration of Fadus, who was made procu-
rator after the death of king Agrippa, in the fourth
year of the emperor Claudius, and many years after
the speech is said to be made by Gamaliel. It is
therefore urged, that words are put into the mouth
of Gamaliel by St. Luke which he never spoke ; that
he is represented as relating an event which it was
impossible he should at that time have any know-
ledge of, having in truth happened many years
after.
The whole force of this objection rests upon this
single supposition, that the Theudas mentioned here
by Josephus, and the Theudas of whom Gamaliel is
represented as speaking, is one and the same person.
And this is attempted to be proved from the same-
ness of the name, and the similitude of circum-
stances. Each boasted himself to be somebody, had
a number of followers, and was slain. But these
being circumstances which are common almost to
" Antiq. 1. 20. c. 5. §. i.
602 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
all impostors who raise a rebellion, they by no
means prove the point for which they are brought.
On the other hand, there are also circumstances
mentioned in which they widely differ : first in
point of time. The Theudas Gamaliel spoke of, he
expressly says, was before Judas of Galilee, who
rose in the days of the taxing. Whereas the Theu-
das of Josephus was under the procuration of Fa-
dus, so that there was about forty years distance of
time between them, if not more. In the next place,
the Theudas of Josephus gathered together a much
greater body of men than the Theudas of Gamaliel.
Josephus says, irXuaTov oyXov, a verij great multi-
tude: whereas Gamaliel says, a number of men,
about four hundred. Of the very great multitude
gathered by Theudas, Josephus asserts, many were
killed, and many were taken alive. Whereas Ga-
maliel affirms, that his Theudas being killed, all his
followers were scattered.
The great difference of time therefore, and other
circumstances, make it plainly appear to demonstra-
tion that they are two different persons. Nor is
there any argument to the contrary to be drawn
from the name, because Theudas was a name at
that time very common among the Jews ^, and is
thought by not a few learned men to have been the
same name with Judas y. Origen' and others of
the ancients ^ agree that there was a Theudas who
" Vid. Grot, in loc.
y See Usher's Annals, p, 797. Syn. Crit. in Matt. x. 3.
''■ 0€uSai; Trpo t^? yevecrew? ^\t\a(!v yiyovi tj^ Tictfa, 'lofSa/oj^. Adv. Cels.
1. I . p. 44. et 1. 6. p. 282, fin.
* Chrysostom. Q^lciimen. Theopliyl. in loc. aliique cit. Whitby
in loc.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 603
made an insurrection before the taxing under Cyre-
nius. And Josephus himself affirms, that at the
time when Archelaus went to Rome to be confirmed
in his kingdom, there were very many insurrections,
in relating several of which he gives us the names
of the leaders ; but it is abundantly evident from his
words that he omits more than he names ^. At this
time therefore it is probable the Theudas of Gama-
liel rose. The learned archbishop Usher thinks, that
Judas the son of Ezechias, who, as Josephus relates,
at this time raised a rebellion, and would have
gotten the government into his hands, was the
Theudas mentioned by St. Luke ^ ; but this is un-
certain.
Before I quit this head, I would observe in the
general, that the silence of Josephus in any parti-
cular point of history is no good argument against
the truth of it, because his History is so very brief,
in many places passing over a number of years with-
out relating any remarkable fact. He says not one
word of the death of Judas the Galilean, or of
the dispersing his followers ; and yet sure no one
ever doubted of these facts because he hath not as-
serted them. He has expressly told us that Judas
excited the people to rebellion, and had many fol-
lowers '^. And he afterwards tells us, that his two
sons were put to death by Tiberius Alexander the
^ Antiq. 1. 17. C. to. §. 4 — 8. 'Ev tovto) 8e nai 'irepa f^vpta. 6opv^o}v
upiAyjiMvcoy, mentioning afterwards only three by name.
•^ Annals, p. 797.
•' De Bell. 1. 2. c. 8. §. i. Antiq. 1. 18. c. i. §. i. Ka) ravTrn
ipaazuv tintoprjQevTe!;.
604 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
Roman procurator ®. He does not so much as men-
tion the crimes for which they were executed,
though I suppose every one who reads him takes
it for granted that it was treading in the steps of
their father, and raising a mutiny among the people
to propagate his doctrine. Hence some have ima-
gined, that the Theudas spoken of by Josephus
might not improbably be the son of the Theudas
mentioned in Gamaliel's speech ^, it having been no
unusual thing for children to follow the example of
their parents.
Another objection arises from comparing Acts ix.
7. with Acts xxii. 9- In the former place it is said,
Aiid the men which journeyed imth Paul stood
speechless, hearing a voice, hut seeing no man. In
the latter. And they that were with Paul saw in-
deed the light, and were afraid; hut they heard
not the voice of him that spake to him. This may
be represented as contradictory; but is easily ex-
plained to us by what is related, John xii. 28, 29.
where it is said. Then came there a voice from
heaven, sayiiig, I have hoth glorified it, and will
glorify it again. The jieople therefore, that stood
hy, and heard it, said, that it thundered : others,
said, An angel spalce unto him. Many of the by-
standers heard only a noise like thunder, but heard
not the particular words spoken. So it was with
St. Paul's companions : they heard a sound, proba-
bly like that of thunder ; but heard not the parti-
cular words spoken. It must also be observed, that
the word aKovuv signifies to understand as well as to
hear, and that almost as frequently. St. Paul's com-
^ Antiq. 1. 20. c. 4. §. 2. ^ See Lightf. vol. i. p. 766.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
605
panions heard a voice, but did not hear it so per-
fectly as to understand what was said.
There is one objection more taken from Acts xiii.
20. where St. Paul says. And after that he gave
unto them judges about the space of four hundred
and fifty years, until Samuel the prophet. This is
represented as inconsistent with 1 Kings vi. 1. in
which it is said, that Solomon's temple was begun
to be built in the four hundred and fourscore year
after the children of Israel were come out of the
land of Egijpt. But forasmuch as the four hun-
dred and fifty years mentioned by St. Paul are the
exact computation of the numbers set down in the
Book of Judges, and the First Book of Samuel ^, the
s The Israelites were under
Chushan-Rishathaim
Othniel ....
Eglon king of Moab
Ehud
Jabin
Deborah
The Midianites
"" Gideon . .
Abimelech .
Tola . .
Jair . . .
The Philistines
Jephtha
Ibzan . .
Elon . .
Abdon . .
The Philistines
Samson .
Eli ... .
Judges Years.
Ul. II
iii. 14
iii. 30
iv. 3
V. 31
VI.
viii.
ix.
X.
X.
X.
xii.
xii,
xii.
xii.
xiii.
XV1.31.
I Sam. iv. 18.
Total
It is highly improbable, if not next to impossible, that these
numbers should so exactly coincide by chance only.
40
18
80
20
40
7
40
3
23
22
18
6
7
10
8
40
20
40
450
606 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
difficulty lies between the Book of. Kings and those
books ^. And this doubtless was seen by rabbi
Isaac ; otherwise, we may be sure, he would not
have overlooked such an objection as this.
^ Nothing more easy than a mistake in transcribing numbers.
Many learned men are of opinion, that the number, i Kings vi. i .
falls short of what it ought to be. And I am apt to think more
would be of that mind, if it were not for the few Hves which fill
up far the greatest part of that time in the lineage of David, viz.
Booz, Obed, and Jesse. This difficulty has occasioned some to
feign, that there were three of the name of Booz, who succeeded
one another, being grandfather, father, and son. The first the
son of Salmon by Rahab, and the third the father of Obed. Vid.
Usserii Chron. Sac. p. 200, fin. Even they who judge the num-
ber, I Kings vi. i. to be right, are driven by this difficulty to sup-
pose that Rahab was sixty-two when she was brought to bed of
Booz, and that Jiooz was a hundred and two when he begat Obed,
and that Obed was a hundred and eleven when he begat Jesse,
and that Jesse was a hundred and eleven when he begat David.
Vid. Usserii Chron. Sac. p. 200., Why may we not suppose that
Booz was a hundred and seventy when he begat Obed, and that
Obed was about the same age when he begat Jesse, and that
Jesse was a hundred and forty when he begat David ? This will
fill up the whole time required, according to the computation of
the Book of Judges, and the First Book of Samuel. And if we
recollect that it was not long before this that the life of man was
shortened, can we wonder that there should be many more in-
stances of longevity at that time than are now to be found ? The
last century affords us two instances even in our own country of
persons who lived to be upwards of a hundred and fifty. The
one was Thomas Parr, of Shropshire, brought to London, and
presented to king Charles the First in the year 1635, when he
was a hundred and fifty-two years old, and some months over.
Vid. Usserii Chron. Sac. p. 202. The other was Henry Jenkins,
of Yorkshire, who died in the year 1670, being a hundred and
sixty-nine years of age. See Eachard's History of England. It is
remarkable, there are no less than eight lives to fill up much
about the same space of time, from E)leazar to Zadok, in the
genealogy of the high priests, 1 Chron. vi.
OBJECTIONS ANSWERED. 607
I have now answered all the objections that I
have met with. If I had read or heard of more,
I should willingly have put them down, and repre-
sented them in the strongest light I was able. For
I am fully persuaded, that the book I am defending
stands not in need of partiality, favour, or affection,
but must and will approve itself true and genuine
to all considerate, upright judges. I will not say
that none have escaped my search. I cannot pre-
tend to have read all things, nor is it possible for
any man to say what some persons may esteem ob-
jections. Of those I have laid before you, several
are mean and trifling enough. Others, that upon
the first view, from an artful representation, may
seem to carry some force with them, upon a very
small explication totally vanish. Some few, it must
be owned, contain real difficulties, arising from our
imperfect knowledge of the history of those times,
or it may be from a want of a more thorough skill
in the Greek language, or possibly from a mistake
made by some early transcriber. But what are
these difficulties, when compared with the numerous
arguments brought for the truth of the things re-
lated in this book? The most that can be said of
them is, that there is a difficulty or two not easily
to be accounted for at this distance of time, (and
may we not well wonder that there are not many
more such ?) but no argument of weight against it,
none that bears any proportion to the force of those
many which have been produced for it. And I dare
be bold to say, there is not that book extant in the
world which has so much evidence of its truth, and
so little to be urged against it, as this book has ;
and that if we deny our assent to the truth of the
608 OBJECTIONS ANSWERED.
things related in this History, we may as reasonably
renounce' the belief of every thing that is past of
which we have not ourselves been eyewitnesses.
And were the generality of the world thus incre-
dulous, there must be an immediate stop put to
business; there could be no commerce carried on
between persons at a distance ; there could be little
or no justice administered, nor any polity exercised ;
and we must bid a final adieu to the comfort and
pleasure of society.
INDEX.
Abraham, youngest son of
Terah, 545. '
Ace, vide Ptolemais.
Adramyttiuni, a city and port,
344-
Adria, part of the Mediterra-
nean so called, 349.
Adrian, vide Hadrian.
Adultery, the woman taken
herein, 144, 221.
.Egyptian impostor, 63.
^lius, one of Caesar's procu-
rators in Asia, 283.
^Emilias Paulus settled the go-
vernment in Macedonia, 155,
337-
^sculapius, Great is ^scula-
pius, 276. Slaves exposed on
the island of ^sculapius,
129, note '1.
Agrippa, vide Herod.
Agrippajun. 46, 197.
Agrippa, the Roman, friend of
the emperor Augustus, kind
to the Jews, 168, 169.
Albinus, procurator of Judsea,
193, &c. dismissed malefac-
tors for money, 203.
Alexander the Great, 295.
Alexander, a person of princi-
pal account among the Jews,
7-- .
Alexandria, the metropolis ot
Egypt, great commerce be-
tween that and Italy, 346.
Alexandria, vide Troas.
Altar to the unknown God, 294.
Alytarch, 279.
Amphipolis, a city of Macedo-
nia, 337.
Amphitales, 279.
Ananias the high priest, 64.
was sent to Rome, 66. guilty
of great injustice, 65, mur-
dered, 71.
Ananus sen. high priest, called
also Annas, his character and
influence, 590, &c. his speech,
180.
Ananus jun. high priest, son of
the former, a Sadducee, put
to death James the brother
of our Lord, 193, 212.
Ancile, preserved at Rome, as
what fell down from heaven,
281.
Antigonia, vide Troas.
Antioch, a city in Syria, 334.
was free under the Romans,
147. a city in Pisidia, 333.
Antipas, vide Herod.
Antipatris, a city in Judaea, 356.
Antiphihis receives fair speeches
and money of the governor
of Egypt for being falsely
imprisoned, 323.
Antoninus Caracalla gave the
citizenship of Rome to all
the free-born subjects of the
empire, 122, 209.
Apollonia, a city in Macedonia,
339- .
Apollonius Tyanteus set up in
opposition to Christ, 429.
Apollos with St. Paul at Ephe-
sus, 380.
Ap])eals to Caesar usual, 329.
Appii Forum, 352.
Apuleius compared to Christ,
429.
K r
610
INDEX.
Aquila, 394.
Archelaiis went to Rome to
obtain the kingdom, 170.
was banished to Vienna, 178.
Archisynagogi were ord.iined el-
ders and judges, and saw
their sentences executed in
the synagogue, 109, 1 10.
Areopagus, 292.
Areopagites, 297.
Aristarchus, St. Paul's compa-
nion, 276, 395.
Artabanus, king of Parthia, 209.
Ascension of Jesus into heaven
from Bethanj-, 360, 369.
Asia Propria, 335, 340 •
Asiarchs, what their office, 277.
more than one, were kind to
St. Paul, 278.
Assembly of Asia, what, 285.
Assos, a city and port, 341.
Athenians, curious and inquisi-
tive, 291. changeable, 289.
make leagues of friendship
with the Jews, 296.
Athens, full of idols, 290.
Atilius Regulus took Melita,
62.
Attalia, a city and port, 334.
Augustus, the emperor, kind to
the Jews, X75. his decree,
241.
Augustal cohort, 302.
Barnabas, an ordained elder,
247.
Basilides, a heretic, 488.
Bernice, sister to Agrippa jun.,
Beroea, a city in Macedonia,
339-
Bethany, 360.
Bethphage, 361.
Bither had four hundred syna-
gogues, 109.
Caesar, Julius, made a decree,
giving power to Hyrcanus,
the high priest, to determine
all religious differences a-
mong the Jews, 237.
Csesarea, called before Strato-
nis Turris, a free city, 147,
340. distinguished from Ju-
d«a, 355. ^
Caius, the emperor, 37. gave
orders to set up his image in
the temple at Jerusalem, 3 10.
Candace, the usual name of the
queens of Ethiopia, 64.
Captain of the temple, 106, &c.
Capua, the duumviri of this city
called themselves pretors,
317-
Carpocrates, a heretic, 480,
488.
Castor, 298.
Celer, procurator of Caesar, to-
gether with J^Llins, 283.
Celsus, an Epicurean, inconsist-
ent with himself, 427.
Cenchrea, the eastern port of
Corinth, 340.
Cerdo, a heretic, 480, 488.
Chief man of Melita, the Ro-
man governor so called, 62.
Chios, an island, 341.
Christians of the first ages knew
well how to distinguish be-
tween frauds and real pos-
sessions 274
Churches of Lyons and Vienna
send an epistle to the churches
of Asia and Phrygia, 507.
Cilicia Aspera and Campestris,
334. 345-
Clauda, an island, 349.
Claudius, the emperor, 37.
commanded the Jews to de-
part from Rome, 61.
Claudius Lysias, 63, 217.
Clemens Romanus, 399, 483,
484.
Clemens Alexandrinus, 401,
443-
Cnidus, a city in Caria, 346.
Cohorts legionary, 300. inde-
j)endent, 304. made out of
the legions, and more ho-
nourable, 310.
INDEX.
611
Colonies, differed from nmni-
cipia, 1 20, 121.
Coloss, St. Paul had not been
there, 385.
Coos, an island, 342.
Coponius, the first procurator
of Judaea, 179.
Corinth, 339. St. Paul's stay
there, 500.
Cornelius, the centurion, 302,
495-
Crete, an island, 346. had an
hundred cities, 348. and
many who wrote its history,
347.'
Cumanus, procurator of Judeea,
309. would have screened
the soldier, 190. took money
of the Samaritans to protect
murderers, 203. was for this
reason banished, 66.
Cuspius Fadus, procurator of
Judsea, did nothing contrary
to the Jewish customs, 203.
Cybele, her image fell down
from Jupiter, 280.
Cyprian, bishop of Carthage,
'459-
Cyprus, an island, 332, 343.
Demoniacs, frequent both among
Greeks and Romans, 258, &c.
Damascus, 234. had many syn-
agogues, 108. a conspiracy
to kill all the Jews there, 78.
David was not anointed king in
Zion, 562.
Dearth, vide Famine.
Decuriones, what, 317.
Demetrius, the silversmith, 274,
&c. prisoner with Antiphi-
lus, 323.
Demosthenes, his opinion of
the Athenians, 291.
Derbe, a city in Lycaonia, 333.
Diana's temple at Ephesus, 275,
277. little models hereof were
made, 275, Great is Diana! a
customary cry, 276. her image
usually made after the form
of that at Ephesus, 282.
Diana Taurica, her image said
to fall down from heaven,
281.
Dora, a free city, 147.
Drusilla left her husband Azi-
zus, and, contrary to the
Jewish laws, was married to
Felix, procurator of Judaea,
43-
Duiuiiviri, who, 317.
Egnatia Via, 339.
Egypt, vide /Egypt.
Elders, Jewish, who, 98.
Eleazar, a Jew, dispossessed
demoniacs in the presence of
the emperor Vespasian, 257.
Ephesus, 340. the citizens were
wardens of the temple of
Diana, 280.
Ephesian enchantments, 267.
Epictetus blames the Christians
for laying down their lives,
as guilty of rashness and ob-
stinacy, 410.
Erastus, St. Paul's companion,
395-
Essenes, exact in their judicial
proceedings, 198. bound
themselves by horrid oaths
to observe their peculiar
rites, 254.
Eusebius, 453.
Eutychus, 503.
Excommunication, 254. the
Jews did not excommunicate
their elders or doctors, 246.
Exorcists, 257, 501.
Fair Havens, in Crete, 346.
Famine, under Claudius, 56, 60.
Feet, scholars sat at their mas-
ter's feet, 103, &c.
Felix, procurator of Judaea, 38.
was so many years, 41. his
ingratitude, 44, 68. his in-
justice, 45. encouraged pri-
vate murder, 203, 256.
Festus, procurator of Jud^a, 38,
45. 46.
612
INDEX.
Flavia Domitilla, niece of the
consul Clemens, banished to
the isle of Pontia, 407.
Floriis Gessius, procurator of
Judeea, 313. shared the booty
^vith robbers, 204.
Fulvia, a Roman matron, a pro-
selyte to the Jews, 78.
Gains, St. Paul's companion, 395.
Galatia, 334, 340, 382.
Gallio, proconsul of Achaia, 52.
brother to Seneca, 53. would
not interfere with the Jews in
their religious controversies,
and sit as jndge of them, 55.
Gamaliel, president of the coun-
cil, 71, 102, 215. had many
scholars, 82. and it was usual
for the presidents so to have,
102.
Gaoler was to suffer the same
punishment as was due to
the malefactors who made
their escape, 320.
Garlands, used in sacrificing,
287.
Gaulus, an island, 350.
Gaza, a free city, 147. had been
desert, 353.
Gazith, the room in which the
sanhedrim sat to hear capital
causes, 204, 205. the san-
hedrim moved from thence
forty years before the destruc-
tion of Jerusalem, 205. this
their removing a voluntary
thing, and they did some-
times return, ib.
Gessius, vide Florus.
Gospel, preached first to the
Jews in every place, 397.
widely spread, 398.
Gospel of St. Luke, vide Luke.
Governors of provinces had
their council, 329. often sent
persons to be tried at Rome,
330. had full business, 158.
Granianus, proconsul of Asia,
409.
Greek cities, both in Europe
and Asia, free, 145.
Hadrian, the emperor, com-
passionate to slaves, 129. just
to Christians, 409. surprised
that any ancient municipia
should desire to be made co-
lonies, 120.
Helena, her charity, 56.
Hellenists, who, 78.
Heretics, in the ancient church,
were not Christians, 45 4, 469.
Herod the Great built a temple
to Augustus, 356.
Herod Agrippa, his remarkable
death, 38. was zealous for
the Jewish rites, 48. his letter
to the emperor Caius, 183.
Herod Antipas, 74, 229.
High priests, who so called, 95.
not to go into the holy of
holies more than once a year
upon pain of death, 183.
Historians descend not so low
as to the execution of ordi-
nary criminals, 199. nor to
minute particulars, 211.
Hyrcanus, ethnarch and high
priest of the Jews, 237. was
constituted judge of all dif-
ferences that should happen
about the Jewish institution,
ib. patron of the injured Jews
in all parts of the Roman
empire, 239.
Jacob's descent into Egypt, 548,
&c.
Jaddus, the high priest, meets
Alexander the Great, 295.
James, the brother of our Lord,
put to death, 193.
Iconium, 333.
Jerusalem, 357. had four hun-
dred and eighty synagogues,
109.
Jews washed their hands before
prayer, 253. said theirprayers,
and built synagogues, near
the sea or some river, 252.
INDEX.
613
allowed all persons to speak
in their synagogues, 247. ex-
communicated both them-
selves and others, 254. in-
terpreted the Law and the
Prophets as they read them,
79. persecute the Christians
every where, 378. have an
aversion to the Greek learn-
ing, 81. petition for liberty,
242. had a court in every
city where they lived, 237.
sent money to Jerusalem, 236.
were too favourable to mur-
derers, 206. many of their
customs confirmed, 264.
lUyrians enjoyed their own laws,
146,
Imperium merum et mixtum, 1 16.
John Baptist, forerunner of
Christ, 362.
John the apostle lived at Ephe-
sus, 438.
John, a person of great note
in the Jewish nation, 72.
Jonathan the high priest pro-
cured the government of Ju-
daea for Felix, and was basely
murdered by him, 44, 68.
Joppa, a free city, 147. a sea-
port, 353.
Irenaeus, 435, 44o> 472-
Isauria, 333.
Italic cohort, 303.
Judas the traitor, 367, 579, &c.
Judas the Galilean, author of a
new sect, 186. his opinion
madness, ib.
Julius, vide CcEsar.
Jupiter, Kara^drvit;, 286. TloXieli;,
287. oxen usually offered to
him, ib.
Justin Martyr, 400.
Lacedaemonians, a free people,
149.
Lasaea, a city in Crete, 348.
Laws, the Roman and Jewish
laws contrary the one to the
other, 189.
Lazarus, the rulers of the Jew-
ish nation consulted to put
him to death, 227.
Legates, ten were usually sent
by the Romans to assist the
general in settling the go-
vernment and laws of the
countries they conquered, 155.
Legions, 300, 309.
Lesbus, an island, 341.
Libertines, 94.
Liberty, granted by the Ro-
mans to the nations they
conquered, a precarious thing,
162.
Lictors, 318. tore the clothes
off" from those they scourged,
ib.
Luke was with St. Paul when
first a prisoner at Rome, 434.
his Gospel and the Acts, two
parts of one and the same
work, ib. his Gosjjcl pub-
lished before the reign of
Nero, 483.
Lucian, the dialogist, speaks of
the readiness of Christians to
lay down their lives, 410.
and of their having all things
common, ib. note '.
Lycaonia, 333.
Lycia. 343, 345.
Lycians, a free people, 150,
Lydda, 354. the distance thence
to Caesarea, 355. thence to
Antipatris and Jerusalem, 35 8.
Lydia, formerlycalled Asia, 335.
Lysias Claudius, 62, 217.
Lystra, 333.
Macedonians left free by the
Romans, 146, 154.
Magic practised both by Jews
and heathen, 265. our Lord's
miraclesimputedthereto,428,
&c.
Magistrates had reason for fear
when they had scourged a
Roman, 324.
Magnesia, 342.
614
INDEX.
Manaen, 73, &c.
Marcion the heretic, 448, 450,
480, 488, 489.
Marcus Antoninus, the empe-
ror and philosopher, blames
Christians for their readiness
to lay down their lives, 409,
410.
Mark, 390.
Massilia, a free state, 148.
Made, Joseph, his doubts re-
solved, 257, &c.
Melita, an island, 62, 350, 503.
Menedemus the philosopher,
289.
Mercury attended Jupiter, 286.
Miletus, how far distant from
the Maeander and Ephesus,
342.
Miracles continued in the church,
415. till the Roman empire
became Christian, 425.
Models of the temple of Diana,
275-
Modestus wrote against Mar-
cion, 477.
Moses conducted by Providence,
524. .
Municipia, of three kinds, 119,
&c.
Murder, vide Self-murder.
Murderers, vide Jews.
Musanus wrote against Mar-
cion, 477.
Myra, in Lycia, 345.
Mysia, 334!
Neapolis, a city of Macedonia,
335-
Nemausus, a free state, 149.
'NewKopoi, what, 278, 280.
Nero, the Roman emperor, 37.
New Testament, divided into
Gospel and Apostle, 463, 470,
note g.
Nicodemus, 226.
Oracles, the priests in giving
forth oracles, inspired by their
gods, 260.
Origen, 403, 451.
Ostia, cohorts were placed there
for the prevention of fire,
300, 308.
Oxen were offered to Jupiter,
Pachynum in Sicily, 350.
Palladium, 281.
Pamphylia, 334.
Pantcenus, 443, 451.
Paphos in Cyprus, 333.
Papias, 439.'
Patara in Lycia, 343.
Paul the apostle, had been a
pharisee, 375. a persecutor,
374. had letters to Damas-
cus, 234. was in Arabia, 375.
many things concerning him
omitted in the Acts, 373,
375. miracles wrought by
him, 372. was a Jewish elder,
and probably a judge, 245.
why scourged and not ex-
communicated, 246. why sub-
mitted to be scourged by the
Jews, being a Roman, 246.
why he did not plead his privi-
lege at Philippi before his be-
ing beaten, 321. how he found
credit, 325. works at a trade,
249, 381. made converts in
Galatia, 382. and at Troas,
ib. 383. collected alms for
the saints, 384. had not been
at Coloss or Laodicea, 385.
preached in lUyria and Dal-
matia, 386. became all things
to all men, in what sense,
387-
Perga, 333.
Petronian law, 129.
Petronius, governor of Syria,
310.
I^hsestus, an ancient citvin Crete,
348.
Pharisees, 84.
Philippi, 335.
Philosophers encouraged self-
murder, 320.
Phoenice, in Crete, 349.
INDEX.
615
PhcEnicia, 343.
Phrygia, 334. had its own laws
continued by ihe Romans,
147.
Pilate, Pontius, procurator of
Judaa, 38. a bad governor,
203. removed by Vitellius,
208. the wicked king, who
made the sanhedrim remove,
207.
Pisidia, 333.
Piso, proconsul of Macedonia,
157-
Plato was at no small pains to
understand magic, 267. as-
serted all things to be full of
demons, 260.
Pliny jun. his evidence, 400,
407.
Pollux, 298.
Polycarp, 438.
Pompey settled the states of
Asia,_ 155.
Possessions believed by the an-
cient philosophers, 273.
Pothinus, bishop of Lyons, 440,
507-
Prsefectus Prsetorio had the
charge of prisoners, 331.
Prsefectus Vigihim put a slave
to death, 128.
Preturs, the magistrates of co-
lonies so called, 318.
Priest's daughter burnt, 200.
Priests oppressed by the high
priests, 65, 70.
Priests, vide High Priests.
Priscilla, 394.
Prisoners bound to a soldier
with one chain, or to two
soldiers with two chains,
327. sent to Rome to be
tried, 330.
Privileges allowed the Jews,
164, 182.
Proconsuls of Asia, why more
than one named, 282.
Proculus cured the emperor Se-
verus, 419.
Proselytes of two sorts, 76.
Provinces of the Romans were
very much lessened when the
Roman law was universally
imposed, 209.
Ptolemais, a city in Phoenicia,
343-
Pythagoras, 260, 267.
Pythia, 269.
Python, 269. the name of Del-
phi, ibid.
Pythonissa, 269, &c.
Puteoli, a city in Campania,
351. a port for the Alexan-
drian ships, ibid, a cohort
placed there for the preven-
tion of fire, 300, 308.
Question, or examining persons
by torture, part of the Ro-
man law, 326.
Quirinus, proconsul of Syria,
settled the government of Ju-
dasa, 156, 1 78,
Rabban, a higher title than that
of rabbi, 71.
Rabbi, doctor or teacher among
the Jews, 249.
Resurrection, 85.
Rhegium, a city in Italy, 351.
Rhodes, an island, 342. a free
state, 149.
Roman, unlawful to beat him
with rods, 322.
Roman procurators did not exe-
cute the Jewish laws, 187.
put none to death but for
treason or rebellion, 200.
Roman soldier tore the sacred
books, ibid.
Romans made not the same set-
tlement in ail the places they
conquered, 176. forbad the
introducing strange worship,
316.
Romans, such who pleaded the
privilege of being Romans,
and were not so, severely
punished, 326.
Sabbath day's journey, 360.
616
INDEX.
Sailing, how far the ancients
could sail in a day, 345.
Salamis, a city in Cyprus, 333.
Salmone, a promontory in Crete,
346;
Samaria, a country and city,
354-
Samos, an island, 341.
Samothracia, an island, 335.
Sanhedrim, or Jewish council,
98, 210. were afraid of the
people, 227. and therefore
accused our Lord before Pi-
late, 231. would have put
the apostles to death, 214.
Sardinia used its own laws, 146.
Saron, a plain country, 354.
Saturninus, a favourite of the
emperor Tiberius, 78.
Saul, king of Israel, a demo-
niac, 262. reigned forty
years, 558.
Scholars sat at their master's
feet, 103.
Scribes, who, 98.
Seleucia, a free city, 147. a
port in Syria, 332,
Self-murder encouraged by the
ancient philosophers, 320.
Seneca, the philosopher, bro-
ther to Gallio the proconsul,
53-
Sergius Paulus, proconsul of
Cyprus, 51.
Severus the emperor kind to
Christians, 419.
Sicarii, 256.
Sicily had its own laws, 146,
187.
Si don, a free city, 147. and
port, 344. Caesar's decree
sent thither, 238.
Silas, St. Paul's companion, 317,
Simeon, son of Gamaliel, 72,
82.
Simon the sorcerer, 75, 265.
Slaves of all professions, 314.
divining slaves rare, ibid.
masters might put them to
death, 128.
Soldier tore the sacred books,
190.
Solomon composed enchant-
ments, 257.
Sopater, St. Paul's companion,
396.
Sorcery or magic, 265.
Stephen the protomartyr, his
trial, 211.
Stocks, what, 319.
Stoning, a punishment among
the Greeks, 288.
Strangers, passing the bounds in
the temple, put to death, 182,
191, 218.
Suetonius, witness of the per-
secution the Christians suf-
fered, 405.
Synagogues built near some ri-
ver, 252. persons scourged
in them, 11 1.
Syracuse, a city in Sicily, 350.
Tacitus describes the sufferings
of the Christians, 405.
Talmudists believe a transmi-
gration, 85.
Tarsus, 150.
Taurica Diana fell down from
heaven, 281.
Teachers among the Jews, how
distinguished, 248.
Temple of Diana, a most mag-
nificent edifice, 274.
Tertidlian, 402, 418,445.
Tertullus the orator's speech,
215. agrees with what St.
Paul says, 216.
Thales affirmed all things were
full of demons, 260.
Thessalonica, 339, 499.
Theudas, a common name a-
mong the Jews, 600. the
same with Judas, 601.
Tiberias had thirteen syna-
gogues, 109.
Tiberianus, his letter to Trajan,
408.
INDEX.
(ill
Tiberius Alexander, procurator
of Judeea, did nothing in pre-
judice to the Jewish laws,
203.
Timothy, 392.
Titus ; why Timothy was cir-
cumcised, and not Titus,
566, &c.
Titus the emperor, his speech,
181, 184.
Trajan, his decree in favour of
the Christians, 408.
Transmigration, 85.
Tres Tabernae, 352.
Troas called Antigonia and
Alexandria, 503.
Trogyllium, a promontory and
island, 341.
Trophimus, St. Paul's compa-
nion, 397.
Tychicus, 396.
Tyre, 343.
TyrC;, a free city, 147. the dis-
tance from Tyre to Caesarea,
344-
Van-Dale acknowledges that
the Pythagoreans and Pla-
tonists believed possessions,
273-
Varus, president of Syria, 171.
Verres, governor of Sicily, 156.
Vespasian the emperor saw a
demoniac dispossessed, 257.
Vitellius, governor of Syria, sent
Pilate to Rome, 208. yielded
to the entreaties of the Jews,
309-
Unknown God, probably meant
the God of the Jews, 295.
Zelotse, 256.
THE END.
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DATE DUE
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The history of the Acts of the holy
Princeton Theological Semmary-Speer Library
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