PAUL
The Apostle

JOHNWLIGON

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Paul the Apostle

Paul the Apostle

PIONEER MISSIONARY TO
THE HEATHEN WORLD

By
JOHN W. LIGON

New York Chicago Toronto
Fleming H. Revell Company
London and Edinburgh

Copyright, 191 6, by
FLEMING H. REVELL COMPANY

New York: 158 Fifth Avenue
Chicago: 17 North Wabash Ave.
Toronto: 25 Richmond Street, W.
London: 21 Paternoster Square
Edinburgh: 100 Princes Street

To
J. W. Hardy
who taught me the way of life, and
who encouraged me to become a
minister of Christ, this book is dedi
cated with a feeling more akin to
filial than fraternal regard ;: ,v

Introduction
FEW authors would attempt to add another
volume to the vast wealth of Pauline liter
ature already easily accessible to the reading
public. From both the critical and the practical
point of view, the subject has been treated by scholars
learned and pious.
Perhaps no character in history, save that of the
Nazarene carpenter, lends itself so satisfactorily to
the purpose of the biographer as that of the Apostle
Paul. Consequently the polemic and the irenic, the
Protestant and the Catholic, — men of every shade of
Christian faith — have undertaken to bring out in
strong relief the titanic and varied qualities of this
majestic hero.
The author of this volume, however, seeks to pre
sent the subject more fully than is done by the briefer
biographers, yet more succinctly than Farrar and the
rest of the voluminous writers. With the purpose
of supplying the manifest need of such a treatise, the
writer has given us this book. He has rendered very
attractive his accurate and trustworthy narrative by
invoking the power of a vivid imagination, a deep
and warm feeling, a pronounced human interest, and
a lucid style.
Sunday-school students and teachers, Christian
Endeavour societies, and missionary bands, as well as
7

8 Introduction
the larger group of readers of religious literature,
will find this book both helpful and fascinating.
It should serve as a large and valuable factor in
bringing Christian people into closer fellowship with
the greatest interpreter of Christianity the world has
known.
R. H. Gbossfield, Ph. D.
Transylvania College,
Lexington, Ky.

Preface
THIS volume is published in the interest of
the religion of Christ. I am fully aware
that there are many excellent books already
before the public, treating of the life and labours of
the Apostle Paul, yet it seems to me that there is a
place and a demand for another. In the course of
my life as a minister of Christ I have been called
upon frequently to recommend a book on Paul —
Something that a busy man would find time to read,
and which briefly treated all the known facts in the
apostle's life. Although somewhat familiar with the
works of a number of authors, I was not acquainted
with such a treatise. The larger works, so helpful
to the preacher and the scholar, are not adapted to
the young people of our Sunday-schools or the busy
men and women who constitute the largest element
of our churches.
On the other hand, the briefer works are too brief.
In them the career of the apostle is merely outlined.
They are intended for class use, and the instructor is
supposed to fill the outline. This volume is a con
tinuous narrative. Its brevity is such that all who are
interested can find time to read it, and it is intended
to be sufficiently comprehensive to furnish a living
picture of the apostle's life so far as that life can be
known. Every one must know that any one in writing such
9

10 Preface
a volume as this is of necessity more or less familiar
with the writings of others who have written on the
same subject. Where I have knowingly used the
exact words of others I have given proper credit ;
but I am conscious of the probability that one who
has a somewhat extended acquaintance with the
writings of others may unconsciously adapt the
language of others. This I have tried to avoid.
Should the reader find that I have used the words of
others without giving due acknowledgment, let it be
remembered that I have been very careful in my
endeavours to avoid so doing.
In preparing the manuscript of this volume I have
made use of every help available to me. Aside from
the Book of Acts and Paul's Epistles, I have used a
number of Lives of Paul and Commentaries on Acts.
I have kept a map of Paul's travels ever before me.
This book is intended to be practical rather than
critical. I am fully conscious that it is far from per
fect from the view-point of the scholar and critic.
It is hoped, however, that those who are familiar
with the more voluminous works on Paul may find
this volume useful as a means of briefly reviewing
the subject. May this book, the preparation of
which has been a labour of love, be the means of ad
vancing the interests of the Master by causing its
readers to become familiar with the chief events in
the life of His greatest servant, is my earnest prayer.
J. W. L.
Barbowrville, Ky.

Contents
I. Paul's Early Years . . . . 1 3
II. The Church Founded : Its Early Struggles 25
III. The Death of Stephen and the Dispersion
of the Church ....
IV. Saul Converted ....
V. Events in Antioch ....

VI. The First Missionary Journey Begun
Events in Cyprus ....
VII. The First Missionary Journey Continued
In the Uplands of Asia Minor
VIII. The Status of the Gentile Converts .
IX. The Second Missionary Journey Begun
From Antioch to Philippi
X. The Second Missionary Journey Continued
From Philippi to Corinth, and Thence to
Antioch .....
XI. The Third Missionary Journey Begun
From Antioch to Ephesus
XII. The Third Missionary Journey Continued
From Ephesus Through Macedonia to
Jerusalem .....
XIII. Jerusalem and C^esarea
XIV. From Cjesarea to the End . . .

11

43 54
69

7685
102112 "33
'57173 192
220

PAUL'S EARLY YEARS
THE Gospel of Christ is God's means to save
the human family. Wise Gentiles from
afar and plain unlettered shepherds in the
homeland knelt with true devotion in the presence
of the infant Saviour and gave Him the homage of
their hearts. The fact that the shepherds came first
faintly foreshadowed the divine arrangement that
the Gospel should first be offered to the Jews, and
then extended to the Gentiles. The Redeemer of
mankind came to the world by way of the Jewish
nation. " Salvation is of the Jews. " The prophets
of Israel had blazed the way for Him across the cen
turies. Divine wisdom had traced out clearly every
step of the way from Eden to Bethlehem and from
Eve to Mary.
In the tenth chapter of John, Jesus represents Him
self as coming to His nation as the shepherd enters
the fold. The nation of Israel was the fold, Jesus
the shepherd, and the door was the one opened for
Him by the prophets. We are assured that He is
the Good Shepherd by the fact that He came through
the right door. He declared that all who came be
fore Him were thieves and robbers. In this declara
tion He alluded to the false christs who came before
Him, but who could not prove their claims. They
had failed to enter through the door of prophecy and
had tried to climb up some other way, but the sheep
13

14 Paul the Apostle
did not hear them. They were identified as im
postors and came to naught.
Jesus included the whole world in His program.
His Gospel was intended for all men everywhere.
"Other sheep have I which are not of this fold:
them also I must bring and they shall hear my
voice ; and they shall become one flock, one shep
herd" (John x. 16). These other sheep were the
Gentiles. They were to receive the same considera
tion in the great plan of salvation as the Jews. God
is no respecter of persons. The Gospel was to begin
at Jerusalem and spread to the uttermost parts of the
earth ; and when the fullness of time came for the
word of life to be proclaimed to the Gentiles, a for
eign-born Jew with Gentile culture more or less ex
tensive was chosen to bear the message. This man
was Saul of Tarsus.
The date of his birth cannot be determined with
absolute certainty, but it can be brought within very
narrow limits. We know that at the time of Ste
phen's death he was a young man. The term " young
man " is indefinite. It may be used to describe a
man anywhere between eighteen and thirty-five
years of age. It is practically certain that, a short
time after Stephen's death, Saul was a member of
the Sanhedrin, and, if this be true, he was at least
thirty. No one was eligible to a seat in that august
body until he had attained that age. Moreover, in
the year 62 when writing from Rome where he was a
prisoner in bonds, the apostle referred to himself as
" Paul the aged." He was perhaps not quite sixty
at the time he wrote the Epistle to Philemon, in
which he made this reference to himself. It is prob-

Paul's Early Years 15
able that the suffering that he had endured, the ex
posure to the storms and shipwrecks through which
he had passed, had caused him to grow old before
his time.
Very little is known in regard to the ancestry of
Saul. His parents were Jews of the tribe of Benja
min, and, in religion, they were Pharisees. They
had for some reason migrated to Tarsus. Tradition
has it that they lived in the obscure town of Giscala
before they left the land of Israel. The Pharisees
were the most numerous and popular of the sects into
which the Jewish people were divided at the time of
Christ. They had succeeded in convincing them
selves that they were very religious. They were,
indeed, very scrupulous about keeping the letter of
the law in small things, even though they violated
both letter and spirit in larger things. Jesus de
nounced them as blind guides to a blinded people.
They were strict in religious observances, and proud
and pompous in their demeanour towards men. But,
with all their faults, they were the best people of the
time. Jesus chose His apostles from among them.
The main item of their teaching was the belief in
the resurrection of the dead, and the future life.
They held also to the tradition of the elders. This
tradition, so frequently mentioned in the New Testa
ment, was a mass of oral teaching handed down from
generation to generation, and held by those who ac
cepted it to be equal in authority to the law of Moses.
The sect came into existence between the close of the
Old Testament and the opening of the Christian era.
Their founder was one Pharez of whom little is
known.

16 Paul the Apostle
The Sadducees, founded by Sadoc, were the next
party to the Pharisees in strength and influence.
They held a negative position, denying the resurrec
tion and refusing to accept the tradition of the elders.
The law of Moses said nothing about a future life,
and they held literally to the" law. On matters of
doctrine, they and the Pharisees were the antipodes
of each other. It is not strange that the Pharisees
took more readily to the Gospel than did the Sad
ducees. Saul, being the son of Pharisees, was trained
from his infancy in the tenets of that party. His
father, in teaching the law, naturally interpreted it
with a Pharisaic colouring. Many years afterwards,
when it becai. » necessary for Saul to denounce the
entire Jewish system as an obsolete institution, the
knowledge that he had acquired from his father at
home, and from greater teachers elsewhere, was
turned to good account.
It is probable that Saul's parents left the land of
their nativity to seek a home among Gentiles in their
early married life ; and, if he was their first born, we
can admire their patriotism in bestowing upon him
a name common among their own nation. Still, we
do not see why a name made dishonourable in their
history by the evil conduct of the first king of Israel
should have been given by fond parents to their first
child ; but though the name had been dishonoured
by one who bore it, it was destined to shine with a
far more brilliant lustre than the name of any king
who ever reigned on earth, because of having been
borne by the greatest human character of the New
Testament. The city that had the honour of being the birth-

Paul's Early Years 17
place of Saul was Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia, a
small province in the southeast corner of Asia Minor,
and on the northern coast of the Mediterranean Sea.
The birth of Saul was the most important event that
ever occurred in Tarsus, and to that event it owes its
fame in the world. That is fame enough for any one
city. It was an important place at the time of the
birth of Saul. It is smaller and of less importance now.
The city stood on both sides of the river Cydnus a
few miles from the Mediterranean shore. Towards
the north and west, and in full view, the lofty Taurus
Mountains lifted their splintered peaks into the re
gions of everlasting snow ; and, as Saul played with
his sister in the streets of his native city, he could,
even in midsummer, see the sno.'/ glittering like
silver on the pinnacles and crags a few miles away.
The river brought down from the melting snows of
the mountains water of icy coldness.
A short distance above the city, the river plunges
down a declivity and forms a wild and picturesque
cataract, and thence flows onward unobstructed to the
sea. The Cydnus was navigable as far as the cata
ract, and the ships of many countries ascended to the
city for the purpose of trade. The site was favourable
to commerce. By means of the river it had an open
road to the sea, and through the noted mountain pass
known as the "Cilician Gates" the products of the
uplands beyond the Taurus were brought down to
Tarsus and thence passed out to the heaving bosom
of the Great Sea.
To us it is a matter of wonder that one so sensitive
and so observing as Saul could have spent his boy
hood in the midst of such surroundings without be-

18 Paul the Apostle
ing impressed with the natural beauty of the scenery,
but, if these embellishments on Nature's face made
the least impression on his mind, we have no hint of
it in any of his letters or addresses that have come
down to us. We know that he journeyed often amid
scenes of entrancing beauty and grandeur unsur
passed, but we look in vain for even a word of de
scription of such scenes, or even the briefest reference
to them. The probable reason for this silence lies in
the fact that the message he had for mankind bore so
heavily upon him that he could see no river but the
River of Life, and no other mountain than Calvary.
Tarsus was a free city, and noted in Saul's day as
an educational center. The law of Moses made it the
duty of the father to instruct his children in the his
tory and religion of Israel. Religion and history
were so blended in the Jewish nation that it was im
possible to study one and not become familiar with
the other. It has been truly said that without their
history they had no religion, and without their relig
ion they had no history. For secular education the
people of Tarsus depended upon the educational fa
cilities of the city. Happily, these were of the very
best. The University of Tarsus was known far and
wide, and the youth of many lands resorted thither
for instruction. Strabo, the traveller and writer,
who was born sixty -four years before Christ, is au
thority for the statement that Tarsus surpassed both
Athens and Alexandria as a seat of learning. Saul
was fortunate in having such unusual opportunities
in his boyhood, and in his later years he made good
use of the training he had received in his native city.
At what age Saul left Tarsus is unknown, but it

Paul's Early Years 19
was probably not later than his thirteenth year. A
Jewish boy at twelve years of age became a " Son of
the Law," and it is quite probable that Saul began
his special training at that age. If this probability
be true, he could not have possessed that high degree
of scholarship that many attribute to him. There is
no reason to accord to him any great familiarity with
pagan philosophy and literature. It is true that on
two occasions he did exhibit some knowledge of Gen
tile literature — once on Mars Hill and once in his
Epistle to Titus, — but to argue from this that he pos
sessed any deep knowledge of classic lore is but to
argue without premises. If we are approximately
correct in the conjecture as to his age on leaving Tar
sus, about all the knowledge of Gentile literature he
possessed was acquired before he reached his thir
teenth year. What other classic learning he possessed
was gathered up in his travels among Gentile peoples.
The conjecture as to his age cannot be far wrong.
He says himself that he was "brought up" in the
school of Gamaliel in Jerusalem. He was far from
grown when he entered the school of Gamaliel, else
he could not have said with any degree of propriety
that he had been brought up in it.
One more element of his earlier education must be
mentioned before we follow him in his further prog
ress as he pursues his studies in an institution of
learning devoted to religious instruction. We refer
to his industrial education. The rabbis required all
Jewish fathers to teach their sons some useful and
honourable trade. The purpose of this wise custom
was to render each man in the nation capable of self-
support, of providing for his own personal needs

20 Paul the Apostle
and of those dependent upon him. Any one thus
equipped was able to engage in useful labour if it
should become necessary. It was a wise precaution
against possible need. One of the wise men of the
nation had said, " He that hath a trade is like a
vineyard that is fenced." The rich and the poor
alike followed this custom of giving their sons this
industrial training. The poor needed it as means of
support. The rich might be reduced to poverty by
reverses and misfortunes, and tneY would have the
trade as a recourse to supply their daily needs.
The father of Saul observed this national practice
and taught him a trade. Saul became a tent-maker,
but had no thought of following that trade as a voca
tion. Tarsus was a manufacturing city. A heavy
haircloth, such as was used for making tents, was
made there. Such cloth was in great demand. Most
of the rural people lived in tents and moved from
place to place to find water and pasture for their
flocks and herds. They lived a nomadic life. The
trade of tent-making was an easy one for Saul to
learn, and it met the demands of the rabbis, who did
not select a special trade for each youth. Saul had
a good opportunity to become skillful and was soon
master of his art. When he was acquiring this skill
as an artisan, he never dreamed that he would ever
be compelled to resort to it for his living ; but before
we reach the end of our study of his life and labours,
we shall see that he was brought to the necessity of
performing daily labour for his daily bread. By means
of this trade he was enabled to reach men with the
Gospel and lead them to Christ, when, otherwise, he
might have failed.

Paul's Early Years 21
In the city of Jerusalem there was a celebrated
school under the management of the Pharisees, and
devoted to the education of young men who desired
to become rabbis. Having made up his mind to be
come a rabbi, Saul determined to enter this institu
tion. Leaving the parental home to begin life among
strangers is a trying ordeal to any one, and espe
cially trying to one so young as Saul, but the thought
that after a few years spent in college he would go
forth well equipped for his life-work gave him
strength to endure the trial.
With light heart the ambitious youth started on
his way to the Holy City. Could he realize it ? Was
he really to see Jerusalem, the city about which he
had thought and dreamed so many times ? Yes, he
was actually on his way thither, and better still, he
was to spend a term of years in the sacred city of his
fathers, and best of all, these years were to be spent
in studying the word of God, under the instruction of
the greatest and best teacher alive. This was the
great Gamaliel, known all over the Jewish world as
the profoundest and purest of all the doctors of the
law. Because of his extensive knowledge and deep
piety he was known to his generation as The Beauty
of the Law. He was not only an able teacher of the
law, but the same principles that he taught tc others
he applied to himself. He made the law beautiful
by striving to live up to its high demands.
Although Gamaliel was strictly loyal to the law of
Moses and the tradition of the elders, he was by no
means averse to Gentile culture. He wielded a
mighty influence over his students, and how much of
the success of Saul of Tarsus in after life was due to

22 Paul the Apostle
him we cannot tell. The apparently perfect knowl
edge of the Scriptures possessed by Saul was mainly
acquired in the school of Gamaliel. This familiarity
with the Old Testament was not confined to any por
tion of it. The apostle quotes with equal ease and
readiness from the law, prophecy, poetry and his
tory. The course of training for a rabbi was long and
toilsome. Two things were especially emphasized :
the Old Testament was thoroughly studied and much
of it memorized, and the students were made familiar
with the opinions, comments and criticisms of the
great teachers of the law, living and dead. Discussion
upon questions about which opinions differed was a
prominent part of the instruction given. Questions
were put forth by both teachers and students, and full
and free discussion served to enliven the irksome and
monotonous routine of daily study. Boys who in
tended to become rabbis entered such schools when
quite young, and were literally "brought up" in
them. To go forth from such a school with sufficient
equipment to enter at once upon the duties of rabbi
to a synagogue was the realization of many youthful
aspirations, but ho doubt many of these failed in real
life and, with sorrow to themselves and their friends,
sought other vocations. But, whatever may be said
in regard to others, Saul was not a failure. Had the
current of his life flowed onward uninterrupted in its
course, he would have equalled, if not surpassed, his
great teacher. But the wisdom of God called him to
other and better work. The wearisome years spent
under Gamaliel's instruction were not wasted. In

Paul's Early Years 23
his missionary journeys among the Gentiles he used
his knowledge of the Scriptures with good effect.
While his mission was primarily to the Gentiles,
he was not unmindful of his own nation. It was his
custom even in heathen cities where a sufficient num
ber of Jews could be found to build and maintain a
synagogue, to speak to the Jews first and through
them reach their Gentile neighbours. "To the Jew
first and also to the Gentile " was not only the divine
plan of evangelization, but it was Saul's plan of car
rying the divine plan into practical effect.
It is not probable that Saul was in Jerusalem as a
student during any portion of the ministry of Jesus.
He had, quite likely, finished his course in school
and returned to his home in Tarsus before Jesus be
gan His public ministry. The fact that he makes no
mention of any personal knowledge of Jesus until he
saw Him in the great vision on the way to Damascus
would naturally imply that he had no such knowl
edge. It is incredible that he could have been in
Jerusalem during the years that Jesus frequented
that city and not heard something about Him, or, if
he had such knowledge, it is equally incredible that
he would have said nothing about it. The fact that
such knowledge is not mentioned in any of his writ
ings is the best evidence that he did not possess it.
There is one more probability that is worthy of
notice, relative to his domestic life. It is really
more than a probability. Was he ever married?
People who have so long looked upon him as having
always been a single man will be slow to regard him
as otherwise. No one can speak with positive assur
ance. We all know that during his apostolic life he

24 Paul the Apostle
was not bound by family ties, but there are strong
reasons for believing that, at one time in his life, he
was a married man. In his masterly address before
King Agrippa Saul said that when Christian men
and women were put to death for their faith, he gave
his vote against them. These unfortunate victims of
enraged men were put to death by the vote of the
Sanhedrin, before which body they were formally
tried. Only those who were members of the Sanhe
drin had the right to vote on such occasions, and if
Saul cast his vote — and we have his word for it that
he did, — he was a member of that body. Jewish
scholars tell us that married men only were eligible
to seats in the Sanhedrin ; and, if this be true, Saul
was at that time a man of family.
When he had completed his course in school Saul
returned to his home and remained there for a few
years. We have no means of knowing how these
years were spent, but when he did emerge from ob
scurity he came forth a thunderbolt of persecution
against the inoffensive followers of Christ. Men,
women, and children were alike the objects of his in
satiable wrath against the innocent Christians. That
God should call such a man to become an apostle of
Jesus Christ and the boldest champion that ever ad
vocated New Testament Christianity remains one of
the greatest marvels of all time.

II
THE CHURCH FOUNDED : ITS EARLY
STRUGGLES
WHILE Saul was in obscurity many strange
things occurred in Jerusalem. Among
these were the public life of Jesus, His
death, burial, resurrection and ascension, followed
by the establishment of the church. That the church
was established on the day of Pentecost following
the resurrection of Jesus is a fact so well known and
so generally accepted by the Christian world that it
need not be argued. Before that day the church was
spoken of as something yet to be, and after that day
it is always referred to as an existing institution.
Before Pentecost the church was a matter of proph
ecy, but on that day it became a matter of history
and has been so regarded ever since. The circum
stances connected with the founding of the church
can be read in the second chapter of Acts.
The church had but fairly started on its career of
redemption when it encountered fierce opposition.
The character of the disciples as a body was above re
proach. They continued steadfastly in the apostles'
teaching and in the breaking of bread and prayers.
Their love for each other was strong and deep ;
and prompted by this love, those who possessed suf
ficient worldly goods to enable them to do so formed
a common relief fund for the benefit of the poor in
25

26 Paul the Apostle
the congregation. This act was both original and
voluntary. There had been no precedent in human
history, and the church consequently had no example
to follow. The plan for caring for the poor sprang
out of the hearts of men who were filled with the
Spirit of Christ. Those who gave to this fund were
not forced to do so, but gave freely and gladly to
those in need.
The brethren used the court of the temple as a
meeting place, and broke their bread from house to
house with gladness and good will. This brotherly
love, devotion, and sociability did not fail to attract
the attention of the better class of the people who
could not but admire the conduct of the disciples.
The church naturally grew in numbers, in strength,
and influence. The disciples had the good will of
the public, and men and women were turning to
Christ by hundreds and by thousands. Three thou
sand were added to the saved on the first day of the
church's existence, and soon after that day the num
ber grew to be about five thousand. The zeal of the
apostles and the unselfishness of the disciples had a
wholesome effect on the people of the city. Good
fellowship and good feeling prevailed.
This happy condition of things was abruptly ter
minated, and the worst side of human nature asserted
itself in an uprising of the religious leaders against
the disciples. The opposition that was aroused was
intense and resulted from one Christlike deed per
formed by Peter and John. In the city there was a
deformed man who had never been able to walk.
His feet and ankles were so weak that he could not
stand. He was poor and in the hands of his friends.

The Church Founded 27
They, knowing that people who frequent the house
of God were more benevolent than others, laid him
at the main entrance to the temple every day, where
he could beg assistance of those who went to worship.
Perhaps no two men ever differed in disposition
and temperament more widely than did Peter and
John, but they loved each other none the less on
that account. They went up to the temple and wor
shipped God together. As they were about to pass
through the gate called Beautiful, the helpless man
saw them and asked them for money, expecting to
receive a small gift. Peter answered him by saying,
"Look on us." The apostles did not look like men
of much means, but men of wealth are not always the
most liberal. Peter's words gave the poor man some
encouragement. The impotent man lay upon the
pavement gazing up at the two strange men who
stood over his prostrate form. Peter said, "Silver
and gold have I none ; but what I have that give I
thee. In the name of Jesus of Nazareth, walk."
The man made no effort to rise till Peter stooped
down and lifted him up. And when he felt the thrill
of new vigour in his feet and ankles, he leaped up and
began to shout for sheer joy. His delight was ec
static. Holding to these men with both hands, he
went dancing into the temple praising God with loud
exclamations. This was a strange scene to transpire
in the court of the temple, and it very naturally at
tracted the attention of the people. They came
crowding around Peter and John, filled with wonder
at what had come to pass. Peter took the advantage
of the occasion and preached the second great sermon
of his life. A synopsis of this sermon is found in the

28 Paul the Apostle
third chapter of Acts. It produced a profound effect
upon all who heard it. The sermon was never fin
ished. While Peter was speaking a mob broke into
a frenzy and put an end to the discourse. It was a
mob that had the semblance of law, but nevertheless
a mob. The attacking crowd was composed of the
priests and Sadducees and led by the officers in
charge of the temple. They were grieved because
the apostles preached through Jesus the resurrection
of the dead. It seems strange to us that such preach
ing would displease any man, and that men should
regard such preaching as a crime worthy of severe
punishment. The apostles were arrested like criminals and put
into prison where they spent the night. They were
destined to have many waves of persecution roll over
them, and were only getting a foretaste of what was
to become common in their lives as pioneers of the
Christian faith. The wearisome agony of their first
night in prison passed away and morning dawned
upon the excited city. At an early hour a meeting
of the leading men was called to deliberate, and the
question to be decided was what to do with Peter
and John. A prominent figure in the assembly was
the high priest. John and Alexander are mentioned
as beiug present. This is the only time their names
are mentioned in the New Testament, and we do not
know who they were or what positions they filled to
entitle them to a place among the leaders of the na
tion. They were doubtless well known to Theophilus
to whom Luke wrote the Book of Acts as a personal
letter. The high priest was, by virtue of his office, the

The Church Founded 29
chairman of the assembly. The Sanhedrin was
opened in form and the prisoners were called before
that body for trial. They were given seats in the
center of the half circle into which the body had
been arranged. The apostles, conscious of their own
innocence, faced the proud array without a tremor
of fear. They were strong in the grace that is in
Christ Jesus. The question asked them was this,
"By what power, or in what name have ye done
this ? " The question referred to the healing of the
deformed man at the Beautiful Gate. The question
was put to both of them, but Peter, being an older
man than John and having had more experience in
the ways of the world, gave the answer himself. He
responded by making this speech : "Ye rulers of the
people and elders, if we this day be examined con
cerning a good deed done to an impotent man, by
what means this man is made whole ; be it known
unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, in the
name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified,
whom God raised from the dead, even in Him doth
this man stand before you whole. He is the stone
which was set at naught of you the builders, which
was made the head of the corner. And in none
other is there salvation : for neither is there any
other name under heaven, that is given among men,
wherein we must be saved."
The speech was bold and daring, and characteristic
of the man who made it. The members of the San
hedrin were astounded at such a deliverance and
impressed with the dignified bearing of the prisoners.
They could see plainly that the apostles were not
men of the schools, and they could also see from the

30 Paul the Apostle
conduct of the apostles that they had been with
Jesus. The Master had left His imprint upon them
and they were readily identified as His followers.
Men may differ widely in matters of religious opin
ion, but nothing can be said against a good life. A
pure character is above criticism. The way Peter
and John conducted themselves before the Sanhedrin
showed that they had been much in the Master's
presence. They had seen Him under trial before this
same body ; they had observed His calm dignity and
self-possession, and they never forgot His meek ex
ample when they came to trial.
The lame man, now lame no longer, but in the full
vigour of healthy manhood, was standing in the crowd.
He had been led by sheer gratitude to follow his
benefactors into the council, and his presence there
served to give strength to the defense of the apostles.
The genuineness of the miracle could not be doubted
as long as the man on whom it was wrought was pres
ent. Seeing the man, they could not dispute the
miracle. They knew not what to do. Some one
temporarily relieved the strain of the situation by
suggesting that the prisoners be removed from the
presence of the court and that further consultation be
held. The deliberations were continued, and the insincer
ity of the body is easily seen in the conversation that
followed. Some one said : " What shall we do to
these men? for that indeed a notable miracle hath
been wrought by them is manifest to all who dwell
in Jerusalem ; and we cannot deny it." Why should
they want to deny it ? They were very anxious to
stop the spread of the Gospel among the people, and

The Church Founded 31
the only question was how to do it. After much delib
eration they reached the conclusion that they would
endeavour to intimidate the apostles by threatening
them with severe punishment, if they preached any
more in the name of Jesus. They did not know the
spirit of the men they were trying to silence through
fear. After reaching the conclusion to threaten them, the
apostles were called once more into the presence of
the council, and the chairmen announced to them
the result of the consultation. It was to the effect
that the present case would be dismissed on the con
dition that they would do no more preaching and
work no more miracles in the name of Christ. The
members of the Sanhedrin had no reason to hope that
the proposition would be accepted. They made it as
a desperate effort with little or no hope of success.
The apostles received the announcement with digni
fied disdain and said in reply: "Whether it be
right in the sight of God to hearken unto you rather
than unto God, judge ye ; for we cannot but speak the
things which we saw and heard."
This response hurled defiance at fhe whole Sanhe
drin and increased the perplexity of the fathers in
Israel still more. Peter was stronger then than he
had been a short time before, when in the presence
of the same body he denied his Lord and Master.
Peter's answer was clear and pointed, and the council
could say no more. The proposed threat was again
repeated, and the apostles were set at liberty. Peter
and John had broken no law, human or divine, in
healing the impotent man, and they could not be law
fully punished. They had the sympathy of the people.

32 Paul the Apostle
Only the leaders were opposed to them. The man
who was healed was more than forty years old and
well known in the city. All rejoiced at his having
been healed, except the priests and scribes, and they
were very much exercised. They feared that the new
teaching would supplant the old, and that their vo
cation would come to naught. They were jealous
even unto dishonesty in upholding their religious
system. The cause is indeed weak that tries to suc
ceed by means of hypocrisy.
When Peter and John were set at liberty they went
to their friends and brethren and told them all that
had transpired in the council. This information was
the occasion of the whole body kneeling before God
in earnest prayer. They had cause for thanksgiving
for the release of Peter and John, and they felt the
need of intercession in view of troubles yet to come.
They realized fully that God was with them and
blessing their labours. They prayed that the blessing
might continue with them and that thy might con
tinue to preach Christ to the people as they had done.
As an assurance that their prayers were heard and
their petitions granted, the place where they met was
shaken by a great earthquake, and all received a
fresh impact of spiritual power. The apostles were
not the least intimidated. They went on preaching
the Gospel with great boldness. The entire congrega
tion grew in grace and spirituality. .The enthusiasm
of the devotees of the new faith was boundless and
was manifested in many ways. They were of one
heart and soul, and in this particular the church in
Jerusalem furnished an example for all congregations
and for all time.

The Church Founded 33
No one regarded his property as his own exclu
sively, if others were in need of the necessaries of life.
No one suffered through lack of attention. Those
who had more land than was necessary sold their sur
plus and brought the money to the apostles to be
used for the benefit of the poor, and distribution was
made according to the needs of the people. This ar
rangement was not socialism as many believe. No
equal distribution was made. Only the needy re
ceived assistance, and they only to the extent of their
need. The inauguration of this practice of caring for the
poor of the church was the means of introducing to
the world one of the greatest among the early preach
ers of the Christian faith. A young man of the tribe
of Levi, Joseph by name, to whom admiring friends
gave the name of Barnabas, meaning Son of Exhorta
tion, owned a tract of land. Seeing the distress of
the needy members of the church, he sold the land
and donated the proceeds to them to aid them in pro
curing the necessaries of life. He brought the money
and laid it at the apostles' feet. The prominence
that he afterwards attained in the work of the church
doubtless prompted Luke, who wrote many years
after these events transpired, to introduce Barnabas
by mentioning this one incident in his earlier life.
The law of Moses had made sufficient provision for
the maintenance of the Levites, but at the time of
Barnabas the law was not observed in all of its pre
cepts. The restoration from the Babylonian captiv
ity was never complete. Israel was never fully re
organized. From the days of the restoration from
Babylon, or soon after that date, the Levites had been

34 Paul the Apostle
compelled to support themselves as did the other
tribes. Barnabas had either inherited or accumulated
this piece of property, and in either case he had the
right to dispose of it as he saw fit.
The next fact to be noted is almost a reflection
upon the human race, and is in strong contrast with
the liberality and unselfishness shown by the Levite.
He and many others had been justly and properly
honoured by the church on account of their benevolent
spirit. This merited applause aroused the desire of
two other members of the church to receive similar
honour. Ananias and Sapphira, his wife, owned some
land and, like Barnabas, they sold it. They had
previously agreed that they would give only a part
of the money to the poor, and that they would try to
make the church believe that they had given all.
They wanted the honour but were not willing to
make the sacrifice. One day while church was as
sembled for worship at the place of meeting in the
temple court, and Peter was leading the service,
Ananias walked deliberately to the front carrying
the money in his hand, and with much pomp and
pretense laid it at the apostles' feet. Outwardly he
had acted his part well, and no doubt he expected to
receive great praise for his generosity. The church
had honoured Barnabas, and why not applaud Ana
nias? After depositing the money he stood before
the apostle with apparent reverence, waiting for him
to speak the expected words of commendation. Peter
spoke but not to commend. The robe of apparent
righteousness was not thick enough to hide the wicked
ness of the heart of the hypocrite. Peter saw through
him and knew his motive, and thus addressed him :

The Church Founded 35
" Ananias, why hath Satan filled thy heart to lie to
the Holy Spirit, and to keep back part of the price
of the land ? While it remained, did it not remain
thine own ? and after it was sold, was it not within
thy power ? How is it that thou hast conceived this
thing in thy heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but
unto God. " At the conclusion of this brief speech
Ananias fell to the floor and instantly died. This
tragic event was a stunning surprise to all present
but it did not interfere with the service. Some young
men in the congregation arose, wound the body in a
sheet, and carried it out and buried it, and then re
turned to the temple.
Ananias was buried without his wife's knowledge
of his death, and three hours afterwards his widow,
but ignorant of the fact that she was a widow, came
into the assembly of worshippers. She did not have
time to be seated before Peter asked her if it was true
that they sold the land for so much, and she replied
that it was true. Then Peter said : "How is it that
ye have agreed together to try the Spirit of the Lord ?
behold, the feet of them that have buried thy husband
are at the door, and they shall carry thee out." She
instantly fell down and died. The young men who
had burled her husband were returning to the temple
after having performed that duty, and as they entered
the door they saw her dead body lying on the floor,
and in obedience to a command from Peter they took
up her dishonoured remains and bore them out arid
laid them by the side of those of her husband.
The entire church was appalled. The collide had
Sinned grossly. They had not been cOmpeliea to Sell
the land at all, aiid after it was sold, they Were

36 Paul the Apostle
not required to bring the money to the apostles.
Their sin was wanting the honour of giving all when
they were willing to give only a part. Their punish
ment was just, and it showed to all that God could
read the secrets of their hearts. The church moved
forward with a new impulse to holy living and the
membership increased rapidly. Great excitement
prevailed throughout the entire city. The sick were
carried into the streets and laid on mats in order that
Peter's shadow might fall upon them as he passed
and heal them. The report spread abroad from the
city, and many sick people from the towns and sur
rounding country were brought in and were healed.
The death of Ananias and Sapphira was followed
by a great revival in the church. Many miracles of
healing were wrought. These cures once more aroused
the resentment of the high priest and his supporters.
They were of the sect of the Sadducees. They caused
the apostles to be arrested again and thrown into
prison. The high priest expected to bring them to
trial on the following day, but an unexpected event
occurred that served to prevent it. In the silent hours
of the night when deep sleep had fallen upon the city,
an angel of Jehovah came and opened the door of the
prison and led them out and said to them, "Go ye
and stand and speak in the temple all the words of
this life." In obedience to this direction, the apostles
went to the temple about the break of day and re
sumed the work of preaching the Gospel of salvation.
Later in the morning the Sanhedrin met to consider
the apostles. An orderly was sent to bring the
prisoners to court for trial. He went after them but
soon returned and made the following report : " The

The Church Founded 37
prison-house we found shut in all safety, and the
keepers standing at the doors ; but when we opened
the door we found no man within.' ' This report made
no small stir in the assembly. The consternation of
the grave Sanhedrists can be easily imagined. How
could the wonder of the absence of the apostles be ex
plained ? The only thought that seemed to give the
high priest and his associates any concern was the
wonder to what proportions these demonstrations and
this new religion would grow.
In the midst of their perplexity they were further
astonished. Some one came in haste from the temple
and said, "The men whom ye put in prison are in
the temple standing and teaching the people." Upon
receiving this information the officer who had charge
of the soldiers that guarded the temple went and
brought the apostles into the presence of the council.
He treated them with kindness. The apostles had
many friends in the city and the officers feared an
uprising. Harsh treatment of them would have
aroused a mob, and the officers would have fared
badly at the hands of the enraged populace. The
apostles took their seats in silence and calmly awaited
the pleasure of the high priest. This dignitary thus
addressed them: "We strictly charged you not to
teach in this name : and behold ye have filled all
Jerusalem with your teaching, and intend to bring
this man's blood upon us."
The high priest had apparently forgotten the time
when some of his own party, in urging the crucifixion
of Jesus, said, " His blood be upon us and our chil
dren." Now they shudder at the thought of having
the blood of Christ upon themselves. The answer

38 Paul the Apostle
that Peter made was worthy the man and the occa
sion : "We must obey God rather than men. The
God of our fathers raised up Jesus whom ye slew,
hanging him on a tree. Him did God exalt with his
right hand to be a prince and a Saviour, to give re
pentance to Israel and remission of sins. And we
are witnesses of these things ; and so is the Holy
Spirit, whom God hath given to them that obey
him. " This stubborn defiance increased the rage of
the council, and the first impulse was to put the
apostles to death without further delay. This would
have been done had it not been for one cool-headed
man whose influence prevented it. This was none
other than the great and wise Gamaliel who has been
mentioned heretofore as the teacher of Saul of Tar
sus. He was held in high esteem by the people, and
this exalted standing gave him a ready hearing.
With permission of the high priest he arose to speak,
but before he gave his advice in the case he made
the request that the prisoners be taken from the
room. They were accordingly taken out of hearing
and Gamaliel addressed the assembly as follows:
" Ye men of Israel, take heed to yourselves as touch
ing these men, what ye are about to do. For before
these days rose up Theudas, giving out himself to be
somebody ; to whom a number of men, about four
hundred, joined themselves : who was slain : and all,
as many as obeyed him, were dispersed, and came to
naught. After this man rose up Judas, of Galilee,
in the days of the enrollment, and drew away some
of the people after him ; and all, as many as obeyed
him, were scattered abroad. And now I say unto
you, Refrain from these men and let them alone : for,

The Church Founded 39
if this council or this work be of men, it will be
overthrown : but, if it be of God, ye will never be
able to overthrow it ; lest haply ye be found even to
be fighting against God "(Acts v. 35-39).
This is a model speech and shows the good sense of
the man who made it. The work of Theudas and
Judas came to naught ; they were fanatics whose
causes died with them. Gamaliel's advice was to
let these men alone. If they were not true men and
advocating the truth, they would run their course
and be forgotten ; but, if they were doing the work
of God, they would succeed, notwithstanding the
efforts of men to stop them. This wise and good ad
vice cooled the anger of the council and recalled their
judgment that had fled away. Upon reflection they
agreed with Gamaliel. They could see the wisdom
of his words. Order was restored. The apostles
were brought into the assembly again and were bru
tally beaten. It is not probable that Gamaliel ap
proved this cruelty. After receiving this beating
the apostles were charged to speak no more in the
name of Christ, and were set at liberty. They went
out rejoicing that they were counted worthy to suffer
pain and dishonour for the name of Jesus. The
charge that they should preach Christ no more was
nobly ignored. In the face of all this opposition and
all the threats made against them, they fearlessly
proclaimed theunsearchable riches of Christ. Moral
courage could not rise higher. Peter and John were
among the bravest of the brave.
Luke, the author of Acts, now turns from the ex
ternal opposition encountered by the church at the
hands of the Jews to give some information concern-

40 Paul the Apostle
ing the internal condition of things. In the member
ship of the congregation there were two elements, the
native Jews of Palestine and the foreign born Jews
called Hellenists or Grecians. We have alluded
heretofore to the plau that the church adopted for the
relief of the poor widows who were unable to sup
port themselves and had no children to care for them.
They received assistance from the congregation.
This relief was distributed every day. This system
atic way of providing for the poor widows, good and
benevolent as it was, led to the first discord that ever
disturbed the church. The Hellenistic element be
came dissatisfied with the distribution of supplies
and made complaint against the native Jews, accus
ing them of unfairness. They claimed that the
widows of foreign birth had been neglected by those
who had charge of the daily distribution. This was
indeed a serious accusation to make against honest
men. The apostles were the leaders in the church
and responsible for its management. The complaint
was a reflection on their honesty.
The Twelve called a meeting of the church to in
vestigate the charge, and if the allegation should be
sustained by the facts developed, to correct the evil.
The apostles had just ground to feel aggrieved.
They had done their best, and it was unpleasant to
be accused of partiality. They did not resign their
leadership in the church but they refused to be re
sponsible any longer for the daily apportionment of
food for the poor. They said to the church assem
bled that it was not proper for them to neglect preach
ing the Gospel in order to supply food for a few
people. Giving aid to the poor was necessary, but

The Church Founded 41
others could attend to that as well as the apostles
could. They suggested to the church to select seven
good, wise, and reliable men and place them in
charge of the fund for the relief of the poor. The
church acted on this advice and the men were se
lected. By reading the names of the men chosen to dis
charge this important trust we see that all of them
bore Greek names, and this is a strong indication
that they were chosen from among those who had
objected to the way the apostles had managed the
daily distribution. This shows the broad-minded
generosity of the Twelve. By this act they virtually
said: "You think that we have not accorded fair
treatment to your widows, and to show you our sin
cerity and also the full confidence we have in your im
partiality, we are willing to trust our widows to your
care. " This noble act of concession to the minority
peacefully settled the first disturbance that ever arose
in the church.
It is unfortunate that troubles sometimes arise in
the churches. These troubles show how weak Chris
tian people are ; but when all the churches reach the
high plane of Christian living occupied by the church
in Jerusalem, all such disturbances can be easily and
properly adjusted. As soon as the murmur from the
minority was heard, the majority made concessions
that fully satisfied them, and the harmony of the
church was restored. It was the larger element that
saved the church from strife and furnished an ex
ample to the churches for all time. It is not to be
accepted as true that the minority is always in the
right or that the majority should always make con-

42 Paul the Apostle
cessions, but the same kind of generosity shown here
by the apostles will find a way to settle all troubles.
The seven men chosen were all of high character
and good standing. Two of them at least became
powerful preachers of the Gospel. These were
Stephen and Philip. We know something of their
labours. However, the silence of the record must
not be taken as evidence that the other five were not
useful men in the church. The Book of Acts is not
a complete history of the church during the period it
covers. It was never intended to be such. Only a
few facts are given concerning Stephen and Philip,
and nothing in regard to the other five. Stephen
was the first man to give his life as a sacrifice on the
altar of Christ. Philip lived to be an old man, and
many years after the death of Stephen he was living
in comfortable circumstances in the city of Caesarea,
and tendered the hospitality of his home to Paul and
his companions when the apostle was on his way to
Jerusalem for the last time.

m
THE DEATH OF STEPHEN AND THE DIS
PERSION OF THE CHURCH
THE synagogue as an institution among the
Jews was not of divine appointment. It
was not provided by the law of Moses, but
was an expedient that resulted from the destruction
of the temple and the downfall of the Jewish nation.
Deprived of the privilege of the temple service, the
people felt the need of a place to worship God and
study the Scriptures together. The synagogue re
sulted. When the nation had been sufficiently re
stored to have the temple service resumed, the syna
gogue remained. In the New Testament period
almost every village had its synagogue, and in many
of the cities they existed in large numbers. It is not
mentioned in the Old Testament for the reason that
it did not exist till after the close of the period cov
ered by that portion of the Bible.
There were many synagogues in the city of Je
rusalem. The number has been estimated as high
as four hundred and eighty. The city was large,
and Jews in large numbers and from many lands
had gone thither to reside. When a sufficient num
ber of people from the same country to constitute
a synagogue became acquainted with each other, a
congregation was formed and a meeting place pro
vided. There was one synagogue whose members
43

44 Paul the Apostle
stood aloof from the others. It was composed of
liberated slaves and was known as the synagogue
of the libertines. It is difficult for ex-slaves to
gain social recognition from the higher classes of
society, but they can be a very congenial band
among themselves. For these reasons the people of
this class had a congregation and a meeting place
of their own. They would naturally have a fellow-
feeling for each other. They could be happier to
themselves. The Alexandrians, the Cyrenians, the
Cilicians, and Jews from proconsular Asia, each
class bound together by ties of natural sympathy and
esteem, constituted a synagogue. Saul having come
from the province of Cilicia, was a member of the
Cilician synagogue.
Each of these bands had its own organization
and government. When Stephen, full of grace and
power, began an aggressive campaign in the city, he
encountered the opposition of all the Jews. While
these various synagogues had their small differences
among themselves, they united to oppose the progress
of Christianity. Stephen held many discussions with
men who were put forward by these different syna
gogues. He more than held his own in these con
tests. "They were not able to withstand the wisdom
and spirit by which he spoke." He spoke the wis
dom of God and was guided by the Spirit
Beaten in public discussion and driven from the
field of argument, the Jews were not willing to re
linquish the victory and quit the contest. They re
sorted to desperate means to support their tottering
cause. They had but one ray of hope, and that was
to find some accusation under which they could

Death of Stephen 45
bring Stephen before the administrators of the law
and convict him and punish him as a criminal. He
could be thus arraigned only through deception and
fraud. It is probable that they employed men to act
the part of spies or detectives who listened to his
teaching and reported anything that he said which
could in any way be misconstrued and used as testi
mony against him. When the Jews thought that
they had worked up a strong case, they had Stephen
arrested and brought before the Sanhedrin for trial.
The case was stated as it had been made out, and
purchased testimony was given by false witnesses.
The charge reads thus : "This man ceaseth not to
speak words against this holy place and the law ; for
we have heard him say that Jesus of Nazareth shall
destroy this holy place and shall change the customs
which Moses delivered unto us. " This charge was
false in some points and true in others. The religion
of Christ was intended to abolish the entire religious
system of the Jews, and in that respect it was revo
lutionary in its teaching and purpose. Religion
under Christ was to become world-wide rather than
national as under Moses.
Those who sat in the council saw the naturally
handsome features of the prisoner illuminated with a
heavenly radiance as was the face of Moses when he
came from the presence of God. It was a memo
rable scene. The grave Sanhedrists, most of them old
men with flowing white beards and Stephen with the
vigour of youth still glowing within him, furnished a
scene for the painter. As the young evangelist faced
that august body, Jonathan, the high priest and pre
siding officer, asked him the formal question, "Are

46 Paul the Apostle
these things so?" A modern judge would have
asked, " Do you plead guilty or not guilty?"
Stephen, knowing that the supreme moment of his
life had come, made the supreme effort of his life in
reply. Instead of making a direct answer to the
question asked by the high priest, Stephen began a
speech in his own defense, which he was not destined
to finish. It was a masterpiece of eloquence, and the
Christian world must needs regret that it was never
completed. The real art of the speaker is seen in
the perfect order in arranging the historic matter
that he used as the foundation of his address. The
speech is found in Acts vii. 1-57.
The first eight verses of the chapter are devoted to
the introduction of a line of events that he expected
to trace. Let it be remembered that he was standing
before a body of men every one of whom was well
versed in the history of the Jewish nation. All
Jewish history was sacred. To give the history of
the nation was to give the history of the religion of
the nation. It was religion that made the nation
historic. Had it not been for religion the Jewish
people would have attained but little prominence in
the world, and their place in history would have been
small and obscure. To recount the most prominent
events in their history was to appeal to the Jews
through the two avenues of patriotism aud religion.
Stephen began his address by giving an account of
the origin of the Hebrew people. We shall notice it
in brief outline.
As the nation began with Abrani the speaker began
his defense by referring to the call that the patriarch
received from God to go to the land of Canaan and

Death of Stephen 47
begin life anew and under better conditions. On re
ceiving this call, Abram journeyed eight hundred
miles up the Euphrates River in a northwestern
direction, and for a time resided in Haran on one of
the tributaries of that stream. He went that way to
avoid the vast desert that lay between his native land
and the land to which he had started. It is very
probable that the age and infirmity of Terah, his
father, made it necessary for Abram to stop on the
way ; hence his residence in Haran.
The taper of Terah' s life burned out in Haran,
after which Abram turned towards the southwest
and journeyed six hundred miles to his first home in
Canaan. In this land his name was changed to
Abraham. Here Jehovah renewed His covenant
with him, promised the land to his posterity, pre
dicted the Egyptian bondage and also the deliverance
from it, and established the ordinance of circumcision.
The birth of Isaac and Jacob is next mentioned.
Such a recital of events was sure to hold the attention
of the members of the Sanhedrin, but they could not
see any connection between these events and the
charges made against the speaker. The wisdom of
Stephen is seen in his endeavour to gain their good
will before he applied these facts and others that
were to follow to himself.
The next one of the patriarchs noticed by the
speaker is Joseph. Many events are mentioned in
this paragraph : the sale of Joseph to the Ishmaelites
who, in turn, sold him to an Egyptian, his promotion
to honour and authority by the king of Egypt, the
famine that fell upon the land of Canaan, the journey
of the sons of Jacob to the Nile Valley to purchase

48 Paul the Apostle
grain, the second journey to the same place for the
same purpose, the revelation of Joseph's identity to
his astonished brethren, the removal of Jacob and his
family to Egypt where he died seventeen years later
at the age of one hundred and forty-seven years, his
burial in the ancestral necropolis in the land of
Canaan, — all this was but a review of a few events
that occurred in the glorious days of their early
history. The grave Sanhedrists listened with respect
ful silence and encouraging sympathy to these thrill
ing statements.
There is a difference between the record in Genesis
and the statement of Stephen in regard to the place
of Jacob's burial. It was Jacob who bought the land
at Shechem and Abraham who purchased the Cave
of Machpelah at Hebron. According to Genesis
Jacob was buried in the cave at Hebron, yet Stephen
says that he was buried in Shechem. This is a strange
discrepancy. How can it be explained ? Knowing
the other facts as thoroughly as Stephen did, it is
incredible that he could have been ignorant of these.
The only explanation is that the text of Stephen's
speech has been corrupted in this place by some one
who copied the speech at a later date. The state
ment as it stands, however, does no harm to the text.
The mistake in history can be corrected by the history
itself. In this division of the discourse, the cruel
sale of Joseph by his brothers is seen in contrast with
the salvation of the nation from death by famine,
which resulted from it. We can now begin to see the
use that Stephen expected to make of these facts, but
his hearers were still in the dark as to his purpose.
Glowing with intense enthusiasm, the speaker pro-

Death of Stephen 49
ceeds to discuss the career of Moses. He speaks of
his birth, his escape from death as an infant, his life in
the palace of the king, his crime and flight, his stay
in the land of Midian, his marriage and his family.
After the efforts of Moses to lead the Israelites out of
Egypt had been ungratefully rejected, the nation was
glad to welcome him as their deliverer. The speaker
continues. He speaks of the call that came to Moses
at the burning bush, and his commission to lead Israel
to liberty. Stephen's hearers are reminded of the
way God used the man that the oppressed nation re
jected in the interest of the nation.
When Moses killed the Egyptian and hid him in
the sand, he thought that the people would under
stand that the time had come for the exodus of the
nation and that he was to be their leader, but instead
of accepting him as their leader and following him
out of the country, they regarded him as an unworthy
man and a murderer. Forty years later God selected
him for the same service for which his people had
rejected him. Moses was a great prophet, yet he
predicted the coming of one who should be greater.
The Jews were guilty of gross ill treatment of Moses
when they refused to acknowledge him as their ruler
and judge, but their conduct towards him forty years
later, after he had led them out of Egypt, showed
still greater ingratitude. Proceeding with his defense,
Stephen reminds those to whom he spoke of the rep
rehensible conduct of their fathers as seen in their
further treatment of Moses.
They rejected him in the wilderness and longed for
the land of Egypt with its flesh pots, its onions, and
its garlic ; they lapsed into idolatry and made gods

50 Paul the Apostle
to go before them ; they engaged in idolatrous orgies
around a golden calf. This last sin was the greater
because of the positive knowledge they had that God
was in their midst. In verses 42, 43, there is a quota
tion from the prophet Amos in which is clearly fore
told the final rejection of the chosen people.
Stephen continues by making reference to the
tabernacle in the wilderness, and also to the temple
that was erected at a later period. He had been ac
cused of blasphemy against the temple. This he
neither admits nor denies. Proceeding with his
argument, he tells them what the true value of the
temple was. The tabernacle was movable and per
ishable. This was followed by a splendid and costly
temple, which was also destined to be destroyed.
" The Most High dwelleth not in temples made with
hands." No temple erected by man could be the real
dwelling place of God. Such a temple would serve a
few generations as a place of worship and then tumble
into ruins. The temple being a temporary structure,
there could be no blasphemy in saying that it would
be destroyed and its function cease.
In verses 51-53, the application thus far concealed
with great care is made known. Joseph, whom God
had selected to save the lives of his brothers and
their families, had previously been sold by them into
cruel slavery. All the prophets had been maltreated
grossly by the very nation in whose interests they
laboured. Now the greatest Prophet had come bring
ing God's latest and greatest message to mankind,
and had been wickedly murdered by the descendants
of those who had treated the former prophets with
brutal cruelty and gross ingratitude.

Death of Stephen 5 1
Stephen could not control his feelings longer. In
this connection a brilliant writer remarks: "It
was, I think, something in the aspect of his audience —
some sudden conviction that to such invincible obsti
nacy his words were addressed in vain — which made
him suddenly stop short in his review of history, and
hurl into their faces the gathered thunder of his wrath
and scorn. " 1 "Ye stiff necked and uncircumcised in
heart and ears, ye do always resist the power of the
Holy Spirit ; as your fathers did, so do ye. Which
of the prophets did not your fathers persecute ? and
they killed them who showed before the coming of the
Righteous. One : of whom ye have been the betrayers
and murderers ; ye who received the law ordained by
angels and have not kept it. "
These are burning words, and their effect was elec
tric. All order was suspended. The court became a
mob and the trial a murder. They were cut to the
heart by the piercing words of the young evangelist,
and, grinding their teeth in rage, they rushed upon
the courageous champion of the Christian faith, de
termined to take his life. He stood his ground with
out flinching and bravely looked into the face of
death. Lifting his eyes towards heaven, the vision of
the glorified Christ burst upon him in all the fullness
of diviue splendour. The scene was too inspiring for
him to withhold from his murderers. He cried out,
" I see the heavens opened and the Son of man stand
ing on the right hand of God. " As one man they
came. They dragged him outside the gate of the city
and stoned him till he was dead. The witnesses who
had testified against him hastily threw off their Outer
'Farrar,

52 Paul the Apostle
garments, leaving them in the care of a young man
whose name was Saul, and led in the work of murder.
As they began to hurl stones at the erect body of
Stephen, he knew that his time had come to die. He
called upon the Lord in prayer saying, " Lord Jesus,
receive my spirit." Then kneeling down upon the
ground, he prayed for his murderers saying, "Lord,
lay not this sin to their charge." Having thus
prayed for himself and his murderers, he expired.
This man's distinction is unique. He was the first
person in the world to give up his life, a martyr to
Jesus Christ. A great multitude that no man could
number have died for the same Christ since Stephen
died, and in doing this they have followed in the
footsteps of this worthy pioneer of Christian martyr
dom. His loss was great to the church, but his death
was an inspiration to the living. His example served
to strengthen the faith of the disciples in view of the
probability of similar murder.
In connection with Stephen's death, we see the dif
ference between the Jewish dispensation and that of
Christ. In 2 Chronicles xxiv. 20-22 we read of the
death of Zechariah who was a prophet of God and
who was stoned to death by the Jews because he had
rebuked their sins. As the prophet died he offered a
prayer relative to his murderers. His prayer was that
God would take vengeance on them for their crime.
Stephen, the New Testament prophet and representa
tive of the religion of Christ, died praying that God
would not lay the sin of his murder to the charge of
his murderers.
How can we account for the difference in the senti
ment of these two prayers? Was Stephen a better

Death of Stephen 53
man than Zechariah, or was either one of them out of
harmony with the religion of his respective time ?
The solution is easy. Zechariah lived and died under
the law of Moses, and that law was stern and merci
less. It was founded on justice alone. Stephen lived
and died under the gospel dispensation, and the Gos
pel tempers justice with mercy. Each man was true
to his religion. Zechariah acted in harmony with
the law and Stephen in harmony with the Gospel.
Jesus, when He was crucified, prayed for the forgive
ness of His executioners saying, " Father, forgive
them; for they know not what they do." When
Stephen died, he remembered the example of his
Master and followed it. Had he followed the ex
ample of Zechariah and prayed for the punishment
of his murderers, he would have shown himself to be
a Jew in religion rather than a Christian. Zechariah
was a product of the law of Moses, and Stephen of
the Gospel of Christ.

IV
SAUL CONVERTED
" A ND Saul was consenting unto his death."
/ \ In these words we receive our introduction
J_ j_. to the young man from Tarsus. The fore
going pages have been written in preparation for the
study that it is now our pleasure to begin. Stephen's
death was the signal for an onslaught upon the church.
A relentless persecution broke out and raged with
fury. A few devout men bore the remains of Stephen
to the tomb and, with many tears, gave them Chris
tian burial. Saul soon became the leader of the per
secution. The forces opposed to the church found in
him a worthy champion of their unrighteous cause.
The church was scattered. Men, women, and chil
dren fled in every direction to escape his wrath. Of
the many thousand disciples who composed the
church, only the apostles remained in the city.
This persecution was a great evil, but at least one
good result came from it. God, whose power can
make the wrath of man praise Him, exerted that
power on this occasion. The final instruction given
by Jesus to the apostles just before He ascended to His
heavenly throne was that they should preach the
Gospel to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. The
saving health of the Gospel should be known among
the nations, and the task of the church will not be
54

Saul Converted $$
complete till the glory of the Lord fills the earth as
the waters cover the sea. For some reason — or was
it for no reason — the apostles made no effort to preach
the Gospel beyond the walls of Jerusalem. But when
this persecution came and the church was scattered
like sheep without a shepherd, these plain disciples
began the work that the apostles had failed to do.
They went forth and preached the Gospel in compli
ance with the last command of the risen Saviour.
The eighth, ninth, and tenth chapters of Acts re
cord events that are closely connected in point of time.
In the eighth chapter there is a brief account of the
labours of Philip, one of the Seven. He was a man
of conviction and courage. He was brave enough to
disregard the prejudice of centuries, and carry the
message of salvation to the despised Samaritans.
This no apostle had dared to do. The Samaritans be
lieved Philip as he preached concerning the kingdom
of God and the Lord Jesus Christ, and were baptized
in large numbers. No one can preach Christ fully
and not preach the things concerning His kingdom.
Philip was directed of God to leave the city in
which he was turning many to righteousness by his
preaching, and to go into an uninhabited region in
southern Canaan. To human wisdom this appeared
to be a mistake. Apparently, there was no reason
for leaving a populous city and going into the desert
to preach the Gospel. Human judgment would have
directed him to remain where the multitudes could
hear the word of life, but Philip had too much faith
in God to hesitate. He arose and went. The result
of his going demonstrated the wisdom of God in
sending him. On the highway he overtook a way-

^6 ¦ Paul the Apostle
faring man from Ethiopia and brought him to Christ.
He baptized him in a certain water by the roadside
and sent him on his way to his distant home, rejoic
ing in the hope of the glory of God. This convert
to the Christian faith held a high position under the
queen of his country, having charge of all her treas
ures. We would gladly know more about him but
nothing more is told us.
On parting from this noted man, Philip passed to
Azotus, the Ashdod of the Old Testament, and
preached Christ as he had done in Samaria. Turning
northward, he preached in all the cities in the coast
plain till he came to Csesarea where he resided in his
old age. With this glimpse of the labours of Philip,
we turn to pursue the career of Saul of Tarsus.
The beauty that fades from the mother's face reap
pears in the faces of her children ; so the zeal and
consecration of Stephen reappear in the person of the
apostle to the Gentiles. It is safe to say that, had
Stephen lived, he would have performed a similar
service for Christ and the church to that rendered by
Saul. Divine wisdom took one of Stephen's mur
derers and put him into Stephen's place. Saul could
hardly have been what he was if he had not witnessed
the death agonies of the first martyr.
The church in Jerusalem had been scattered and
Judea had been terrorized. Saul was relentless in
his efforts to suppress the new religion and utterly
merciless to its devotees. Men, women, and children,
without regard to age or condition, were thrown into
prison and led out to death. Not satisfied with mak
ing havoc of the church in Jerusalem, the flaming
zeal of Saul in what he truly believed to be a right-

Saul Converted 57
eous cause led him to long for other fields of activity
and for other victories over the adherents to the
Christian faith. He could not rest as long as there
was a foe to the faith of his fathers breathing the
breath of life. He compelled the Christians to blas
pheme their Christ. When in his old age he re
viewed those days of cruelty and carnage, he said
that, in his early manhood, he had been so exceed
ingly mad against the followers of Christ that he had
persecuted them even unto foreign cities.
Only one of these foreign cities is mentioned in
Acts. The last city that he attempted to visit in his
mad career was Damascus, and on the way to that
city the whole current of his life was changed. Da
mascus is said to be the oldest city on the globe. It
is older than the history of Abraham. The most
trusted servant that the patriarch owned was from
that city (Gen. xv. 2). It is mentioned in the ac
count of the only military campaign in which Abra
ham participated. Lot and his family were carried
away as captives by the allied armies of Chedorlaomer.
One who had escaped from the enemy brought the
news to Abraham who took three hundred and eight
een men, his own servants, and pursued the retiring
army. He overtook the army and engaged it in bat
tle, defeated it and pursued the fugitives as far as
Hobah on the left hand of Damascus (Gen. xiv. 15).
The city is located in a fertile spot in the midst of a
vast desert. The oasis is formed by two small
streams which render the land fruitful. Viewed from
a distance, the white city, gleaming through a setting
of green, presents a beautiful and pleasing appear
ance. It is not mentioned in the New Testament ex-

58 Paul the Apostle
cept in connection with the conversion of Saul of
Tarsus. The road that Saul most probably travelled leads
northward from Jerusalem and passes through the old
city of Shechem, and thence, bearing to the right, it
enters the Jordan valley and crosses that stream over
a bridge the remains of which still stand a short dis
tance south of the Lake of Galilee. Thence the road
passes across the desert waste to Damascus. This
was the direct route from Jerusalem and it is reason
ably certain that Saul travelled it.
In some way unknown to us Saul learned that there
were some disciples of Christ in Damascus. They
had gone to that city for safety. Saul was determined
to wreak his vengeance on them. He accordingly
obtained letters from the high priest to serve to intro
duce him to the leading Jews of Damascus and began
his journey thither, breathing out threatenings and
slaughter. He was devoutly honest and deeply ear
nest. He was filled with that which he sincerely be
lieved to be a righteous zeal for the truth. He never
dreamed that he was unconciously fulfilling the
Master's words, "He that killeth you thinketh that
he offereth service unto God. " He was in high spirits
and buoyant hopes when he began his journey.
Those who composed his company were, like himself,
zealous for the law and proud to serve under such a
leader. The distance of one hundred and thirty-six miles
between Jerusalem and Damascus made it necessary
for Saul to spend about a week on the road. This
week of leisure gave him ample time and opportunity
for quiet and serious reflection. As he rode along

Saul Converted 59
the weary and monotonous way he had time to com
mune with his own thoughts undisturbed. He must
have meditated much on the terrible scenes of blood
through which he had but recently passed and in
which he had been the chief actor. He reflected on
the sublime faith of the Christians which enabled
them to meet death with calm resignation. A fresh
vision of the shining face of Stephen rose before him.
He beheld the heavenly radiance flashing from the
martyr's features and again he heard his dying
prayer. Did Stephen die foolishly and in a mad
man's cause? Was he deluded? Could it be possi
ble after all that the crucified carpenter was the real
Messiah? Such thoughts as these would naturally
force themselves upon his mind as he journeyed on
day after day, but when they came he drove them
away and thought of himself as the one chosen of
Jehovah to defend the law of Moses and maintain
the purity of the national religion.
Saul drew near to Damascus. The heat was in
tense, and the glare from the white sand was almost
intolerable. Most travellers in that land spend the
midday hours resting under tents sheltered from the
torrid heat ; but, in the distance, Saul could see the
city that was to be his destination, and pushed on
ward through the sweltering atmosphere. In the
midst of this heat and glare he had the greatest ex
perience of his life. Suddenly there shone round
about him and his company a light of greater bright
ness than that of the noonday sun. The oppressive
silence was broken by a voice speaking in the He
brew language and saying, "Saul, Saul, why perse-
cutest thou me ? " The fact that the Hebrew tongue

60 Paul the Apostle
was used in addressing Saul is stated in the twenty-
sixth chapter of Acts. Those who were with him
saw the light and heard the voice but were unable to
understand the words that were spoken. The He
brew was at that time a dead language, and Saul was
the only one in the party who understood that sacred
tongue. Saul trembling with astonishment answered, "Who
art thou, Lord?" The voice replied, "lam Jesus
of Nazareth whom thou persecutest. But arise, and
stand upon thy feet : for to this end have I appeared
unto thee, to appoint thee a minister and a witness
both of the things wherein thou hast seen me, and
of the things wherein I shall appear unto thee : de
livering thee from the people, and from the Gentiles,
unto whom I send thee, to open their eyes, that they
may turn from darkness to light and from the power
of Satan unto God, that they may receive remission
of sins and an inheritance among them that are sanc
tified by faith in me" (Acts xxvi. 15-18). Sanl,
quaking with fear, said, " What shall I do, Lord ? "
Jesus told him to go into the city and he would find
a man who would answer his question.
The Lord had left His cause in the hands of men
whom He had qualified to conduct its affairs, and
instead of answering Saul's question in a direct way
He sent him to a man who could give him the de
sired information. Jesus appeared to Saul to make
him a minister and a witness. It was to be Saul's
mission in life to preach the resurrection of Jesus to
the Gentile nations, and in order to qualify him to
give personal testimony to this fundamental fact it
was necessary for Jesus to show Himself to him after

Saul Converted 61
the resurrection had occurred. The resurrection of
Jesus thus became to Saul a matter of personal
knowledge. He had seen Him and heard Him, and
could preach the resurrection as a matter of fact.
His conversion resulted from his hearing, believing,
and obeying the truth. He surrendered himself
completely to his Lord. He was made an apostle
by this special revelation and the commission to
preach Christ to the Gentiles. The Lord needs no
more apostles, and, for that reason, there have been
no more such revelations and experiences as Saul
had. Blinded by the vision, he arose from the earth and
was led by the hand of one of his companions. He
passed inside the city in a condition quite different
from that in which he had expected to enter it. His
pride had vanished, and his bold and independent
spirit was humbled completely before the Christ,
risen and glorious. He was conducted to the home
of a Jew named Judas of whom nothing more is
known. This man's name is found in the New Tes
tament because he opened his door to receive the
blinded Saul. His hospitality has made him famous.
For three days Saul lay in darkness and agony,
waiting for the instruction that Jesus had told him
would be given him in the city.
There was a disciple in Damascus named Ananias.
He was a devout man, having high standing in the
estimation of the Jews of the city. To this man
came a message from God saying, "Arise and go
into the street that is called Straight and enquire, at
the house of Judas, for one Saul of Tarsus : for be
hold he prayeth. " Even with this direction and as-

62 Paul the Apostle
surance, Ananias did not feel free to go. We cannot
wonder that he hesitated. Like Moses at Mount Ho-
reb, when he was told that he was to deliver Israel
from slavery, he had an objection to offer and stated
it. He said, " Lord, I have heard from many of this
man, how much evil he did to thy saints at Jerusa
lem, and here he hath authority from the chief
priest to bind all that call upon thy name."
Ananias cannot be censured for not readily con
senting to go to Saul. The very name of Saul carried
terror to the hearts of the followers of Christ, and to
be ordered to go into the presence of this murderous
man was hard for Ananias to understand. The
Lord gave him further assurance in these words,
" Go thy way : for he is a chosen vessel to bear my
name before the Gentiles and kings and the children
of Israel ; for I will show him how many things he
must suffer for my name's sake." This cup of
prophecy was filled to the brim. Saul had caused
others to suffer unwillingly in the interest of the
Christian faith, and now he was destined to suffer
willingly in the same righteous cause.
Ananias went at once to the house of Judas and
enquired for Saul. He was conducted into the room
occupied by Saul and found himself in the presence
of the most unrelenting foe that the church ever had.
He had no words of censure for Saul's former course,
but addressed him by the endearing word, brotlier.
He said : "Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, who
appeared unto thee in the way which thou earnest,
hath sent me, that thou mayest receive thy sight and
be filled with the Holy Spirit. And nOw, why tftr-
riest thou ! Arise and be baptized and wash away

Saul Converted 63
thy sins, calling on his name. " At this instant his
sight returned, and then he received Christian bap
tism. With body, mind, and conscience at ease, he
took food and was refreshed.
We do not know how long Saul remained in the
house of Judas. It is probable, however, that as
soon as he was refreshed by a few days' rest he went
forth and began to preach the faith that he had tried
his hardest to destroy. He remained "certain days
with the disciples that were at Damascus. " When
he was converted to the Christian faith, his conver
sion was complete. He brought into the church the
same consuming zeal and enthusiasm that he had
exhibited when fighting against it. With intense
desire to preach the Gospel thrilling his heart and
mind he could not long be silent, and at his earliest
opportunity he went boldly into the synagogue and
proclaimed the Gospel of the Son of God. The dis
ciples of Christ at Damascus were greatly astonished
when they heard that the great persecuter who had
made havoc of the church in Jerusalem and who had
come to their own city, breathing out threatenings
and slaughter, had embraced the religion of Christ
and become a preacher of the Gospel. It seemed too
good to be true. But when Saul's strength had been
fully restored and he began to confound the Jews that
dwelt in the city, they were convinced that he was
indeed a disciple.
He remained in Damascus "many days." The ex
pression is indefinite, but when the time covered by
these words had passed, he left the city and did not
return for three years. In our efforts to obtain a
complete record of his movements at this period of

64 Paul the Apostle
his life, we can gain some information by the study
of one of his epistles. In Galatians i. 17 he says that
he went into Arabia, and in the eighteenth verse he
says that his visit to Jerusalem was three years after
his conversion. The larger portion of these years
was spent in Arabia. The name " Arabia " was in
definite. It is now limited to the peninsula between
the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf. Damascus was in
the Arabia of that day. We have no means of know
ing the exact place or places visited by Saul at this
time, but as the region around Mount Sinai was in
Arabia, it is not improbable that he withdrew to that
historic place. There Moses had seen the vision of
the burning bush ; there the mountain had burned
beneath the feet of the God of Israel ; there the Ten
Commandments had been given from the midst of the
thick darkness where God was, and there Elijah had
spent forty days in communion with Jehovah.
But why should we believe that Saul spent three
years in silent meditation I Some think that it took
him all this time to study out clearly his new relation
to God and the mission on which he was to be sent.
Why should we believe this ? There was too much
flaming zeal in the heart of Saul and too strong a
desire to preach the Gospel of salvation for him to
have been content to remain in silent obscurity for
three years. The hermit's life had no attraction for
him. The world lay in wickedness. He was not
long in retirement, and, like John the Baptist, he
came forth a voice for God.
We have no information concerning what Paul
did during these years spent in Arabia. The silence
of the Scriptures leaves him in darkness and we can-

Saul Converted 65
not lift the veil. Yet it is safe to say that he was
not idle. If we had a record of that period, we can
hardly doubt that it would be as full of the accounts
of sermons delivered, sinners converted and persecu
tions endured as the record in the latter part of Acts.
But Infinite Wisdom has left this portion of his life
shrouded in darkness and we cannot penetrate the
gloom. Saul returned to Damascus but his stay was short.
He began to experience at the hands of the Jews the
same kind of treatment that many innocent Chris
tians had experienced at his hands. Their anger was
greatly inflamed against him. There were two
reasons for this : they were hostile to the followers of
Christ in general, and, since Saul had allied himself
with the enemy, he was looked upon by them as a
traitor. He had not only deserted them but had
joined their adversaries. Deserters are ever regarded
with scorn and contempt by the champions of the
cause they desert. The Jews looked upon him as an
unworthy apostate and thirsted for his blood. No
one dared to assassinate him though all desired his
death. Men, in large bodies, will do deeds that they would
not do as individuals. The Jews held some secret
meetings to lay plans to rid themselves of Saul by
taking his life. They carefully plotted his murder
but tried to keep their design secret. Sentinels were
placed at the gates of the city to prevent his escape,
and this vigilance was kept up day and night. The
disciples became aware of the plot, and a counter
plot was formed. Saul's 'life seemed to depend upon
a question of strategy, but he passed safely through

66 Paul the Apostle
the danger. Some one who was well informed in
Jewish history probably thought of the way the spies
made their escape from Jericho (Josh. ii. 15), and
suggested that Saul might be saved in a similar man
ner. At night when every gate was securely guarded,
some zealous disciples let Saul down in a basket
from a window to the ground outside the city wall,
aid he stole away in the darkness.
It was exceedingly humiliating to Saul to be com
pelled to make his escape from the city in such a
criminal-like manner, but he was glad to find him
self a free man once more though in the desert and
alone. No human friend was near to speak a word
of sympathy and encouragement. It is not certain
that Saul had any definite plan of action before him,
but after gaining his liberty, he turned his face
towards Jerusalem and began his journey thither.
He tells us (Gal. i. 18) that his object in making this
visit to the Holy City was to become acquainted with
Peter. The incidents on the way between Damascus
and Jerusalem, if any occurred, are passed over in
silence. Nothing is said of Saul's emotions as he
drew near to the spot where Jesus had spoken to him
three years before and invested him with apostolic
authority. Our imagination must show to us the
throbbing breast, the drooping head, and the tearful
eyes of the solitary traveller as he listened in the
darkness for that voice again. The voice was not
heard, and all remained as silent as the deep dark
stillness of the peaceful night.
Saul needed no further instruction at this time,
and, receiving none, he pursued his lonely way. He
passed from that sacred spot feeling the thrill of the

Saul Converted 67
presence of the absent One, and when morning
dawned, he was well on his way, walking hastily
over the desert. Looking to the right he saw Mount
Hermon, resplendent with the first rays of the rising
sun and reaching to the clouds. Behind him in the
distance lay Damascus encircled by a fringe of green ;
to the left and in front of him, the barren expanse,
apparently without limit, stretched away to the
horizon. Upon reaching Jerusalem after a toilsome journey
of many days and weary and worn with travel, he
sought out a company of disciples and attempted to
join himself to them. To say the least, they were
suspicious of him ; and, calling to mind his former
attitude towards the church, they refused to recog
nize him as a disciple or admit him to their fellow
ship. For this he never censured them. He could
see plainly that they had good reasons for their
course. One of the most popular men in the Jeru
salem church was Barnabas. He has been mentioned
heretofore in connection with the benevolence of the
church in caring for the poor. He was personally
acquainted with Saul. They had been reared in
neighbouring provinces and had probably been fel
low-students in the same school. Barnabas knew the
facts concerning Saul's conversion and took it upon
himself to vouch for him as a Christian. Noted for
his powers of persuasion, he was not long in con
vincing the leaders of the church that Saul was no
longer a man to be dreaded by the Christians but a
thorough Christian himself. As soon as he was
recognized as a Christian he began to preach the
GOBpel Of Christ with great zeal and success.

68 Paul the Apostle
His stay in the city was brief and his departure
hurried. He had been there but fifteen days when
the Jews conspired against him, and some features of
his departure from Damascus were reenacted. When
his friends heard that the Jews were about to kill
him, they took measures for his safety. He was as
sured by a vision in the temple that no immediate
harm should befall him. We shall take his own de
scription of this vision : " And it came to pass, that,
when I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed
in the temple, I fell into a trance, and saw him saying
unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of
Jerusalem : because they will not receive of thee testi
mony concerning me. And I said, Lord, they them
selves know that I imprisoned and beat in every
synagogue them that believed on thee : and when the
blood of Stephen thy witness was shed, I also was
standing by, and keeping the garments of them that
slew him. And he said unto me, Depart : for I will
send thee forth far hence unto the Gentiles ' ' (Acts
xxii. 17-21).
After this vision the brethren slipped him out of
the city and accompanied him as far as Csesarea, and
at this port he went aboard a ship and sailed away
over the Mediterranean Sea to his native city. At
home in Tarsus, we leave him for a while, where he re
mains among friends and amid the familiar scenes
of his boyhood.

EVENTS IN ANTIOCH
SAUL spent several years in or near his native
city, and there can be no doubt as to how he
spent his time. He was busy every day tell
ing the story of redemption to his friends and associ
ates of early days, and in evangelizing the surround
ing country.
In the meantime events of momentous interest had
occurred in the city of Antioch. The Gentiles, who
for thirteen centuries had been regarded as a people
unclean, unworthy, and undesirable, had been re
ceived into full fellowship of the church of Christ.
All national boundaries had been broken down and all
tribal distinctions abolished. This was a long stride
forward in the fulfillment of God's plan. The manner
in which this religious revolution was accomplished
is given in detail in the tenth chapter of Acts, but as
Peter and not Saul was the human agent in the enter
prise, we refer the reader to that chapter for the
facts. When the church in Jerusalem was scattered dur
ing the persecution that began with the death of
Stephen, some of the refugees went as far as Cyprus,
Phoenicia, and Antioch, preaching to the Jews only.
Cyprus is an island in the northeast corner of the
Mediterranean Sea, and Phoenicia, the birthplace of
letters and navigation, was a small territory border-
69

70 Paul the Apostle
ing on the eastern shore of the same sea. Antioch
was a splendid city on the Orontes River, once the
capital of the Greek kingdom of Assyria. It was
situated sixteen and one-half miles from the Mediter
ranean shore, and was surrounded by wild and rugged
scenery. Where the Lebanon range of mountains
running northward and the Taurus chain running
eastward meet in a bold and abrupt angle, the noted
city stands. It is situated partly on an island, and
partly on the levee on the south bank of the river,
and extends far up the rugged side of Mount Sulpius.
It figured largely in the history of the rise and prog
ress of Mohammedanism, and also of the crusades.
Fiction has wrapped its misty folds about it. While
the city is noted for many things, its greatest interest
to the Christian student is because of the fact that it
was at Antioch that the first great church was built
up in which the Gentile element was dominant. It
was the first Gentile church. When the preachers
from Jerusalem arrived in the city they disregarded
all national bounds and extended the blessing of the
Gospel to the Gentiles. God blessed their labours
abundantly and many were won to Christ.
The report of this work in Antioch reached Jeru
salem, three hundred miles to the south. The church
at the latter place had been fully prepared for such
tidings, having heard from Peter's lips how God had
opened a door of faith to the Gentiles. They rejoiced
at the good news from the northern city. Barnabas,
one of the most useful men in the Jerusalem church,
was sent to the Gentile metropolis to aid in confirm
ing the faith of the young converts and to make
proper inspection of the affairs of the church. The

Events in Antioch 71
desire of the brethren at Jerusalem was to see a strong
congregation established at Antioch, which would
serve as an evangelizing agency and center of opera
tions among the Gentiles. Barnabas was well suited
to the work committed to his hands. His description
furnished by Luke shows him to have been the ideal
minister of Christ. " He was a good man, and full of
the Holy Spirit and of faith." The natural results
of the labours of such a minister are stated in the
same connection, " and much people were added to
the Lord."
The coming of this excellent man was an inestima
ble blessing to the young church. They needed in
struction, and he was well equipped to lead them in
all good things. When he saw the genuineness of
their faith and the depth of their piety he was glad,
and exhorted them to cleave to the Lord. The church
in Antioch was being prepared to enter upon an
enterprise of the greatest importance, and it grew
rapidly in numbers and influence.
Barnabas soon saw the need of a competent man to
assist him in caring for the spiritual interests of so
many people, and, casting about for a suitable fellow-
worker, he thought of his friend Saul whom he had
introduced to the apostles at Jerusalem, and for
whose sincerity he stood pledged, when all others
were suspicious of him. Saul was at this time in
Tarsus whither he had gone in compliance with the
direction given him in the vision while praying in
the temple. Antioch and Tarsus were neighbouring
cities. Barnabas left the church for a time in the
care of others and went to Tarsus in search of Saul.
These two devoted friends had not met since the night

72 Paul the Apostle
the brethren in Jerusalem escorted Saul to Csesarea
and sent him forth to Tarsus. In going to Tarsus,
Barnabas could have travelled by land, passing around
the bay at the northeast corner of the sea, or he
could have sailed from Seleucia, across the open
mouth of the bay and up the Cydnus, landing at the
wharf in the heart of the city. He made his appear
ance, a strange man in a strange city, and enquired
for Saul. He found him and brought him to Antioch.
It would seem from the language employed that some
search was made before Barnabas found the apostle.
For a year these two great men continued to serve
the church in Antioch. They taught much people
and the work greatly prospered under their ministry.
It was at Antioch that the name "Christian" was
first used to designate the followers of Christ. Re
garding the origin of this name there has been much
unprofitable controversy. Some claim that it was
applied to Christ's followers as a term of reproach,
but this is not reasonable. The Jews looked upon
the term "Christ" as equivalent to "Messiah," and
consequently a name too sacred to be used in deri
sion. Furthermore, the Jews had a real term of re
proach, the name "Nazarene." It would be unrea
sonable to believe that they would use a sacred name
in derision when the derisive term was both current
and popular.
Others contend that the name was conferred by the
Gentiles, and still others that the disciples bestowed
this name upon themselves in honour of Christ. The
contention is also made that the name Christian was
given in fulfillment of the prophecy of Isaiah
(Isaiah lxii. 1-5). In this prophecy God declared

Events in Antioch 73
that, when the Gentiles accepted Christ, He would
give His people a new name which He would bestow
on them Himself. Antioch was the first great Gentile
church, and it is significant that the new name,
Christian, came into use there (Acts xi. 26). This
being a new designation for God's people and first
used at Antioch, would imply, if not more than im
ply, that it was the " new name " given by divine
authority and spoken by the mouth of the Lord.
Still, it must be admitted that a careful study of the
passage iu Isaiah does not make it absolutely certain
that the name Christian was the new name that God
promised to give His people ; yet a stronger argu
ment can be made for its divine origin than can be
produced to prove that it originated with men. But
whether it originated with God or with man is a
matter of little moment. It was recognized by the
friends and enemies alike as an appropriate name to
distinguish the followers of Christ, and has become
current throughout the world.
It is very unfortunate for the Christian religion
that divisive names ever came into existence, and
that the body of Christ ever came to be divided into
the numerous sects and parties of the present day.
To be a Christian is all that the Gospel demands,
and that is all one should be. The multiplicity of
denominations is not only needless but exceedingly
detrimental to the progress of the religion of Jesus
Christ. The lovers of Christ will be compelled to
unite before the world will believe on Him as the
Saviour. The first and greatest problem before the
church of this age is the union of Christians, and
when that is consummated, the conversion of the

74 Paul the Apostle
world will be an easy matter. With a solidly united
church, the world could be evangelized in a gener
ation. Some time during the year that Saul spent at An
tioch, a company of teachers and prophets from
Jerusalem made their appearance in the city. It
was a delegation from the parent church and sent for
the purpose of assisting Barnabas and Saul in caring
for the church and evangelizing the city. Agabus,
one of these prophets, made known the fact that a
famine was impending, and that it would extend all
over the known world. The Gentile Christians of
Antioch had a very tender feeling for their Jewish
brethren in Palestine. This feeling prompted them
to send some relief to Jerusalem to be used to help
the brethren through the period of scarcity. The
decision was unanimous, and every one gave as God
had prospered him. The amount contributed is not
stated. Barnabas and Saul were appointed to bear
the donation to Jerusalem. Because of the rein
forcement of the preaching force by these workers
from Jerusalem Barnabas and Saul could be spared
long enough to go upon this journey.
Luke devotes the twelfth chapter of Acts to events
that occurred in Palestine and chiefly in the city of
Jerusalem. He tells of another persecution of the
church. Herod Agrippa led the fight. By his
orders James, the son of Zebedee, was put to death.
Peter was rudely thrown into prison, and he fully
expected to meet the same fate, but was delivered
from death by an angel who led him out of the
prison and gave him his liberty. Herod met a well
deserved death by a stroke of divine judgment, and,

Events in Antioch 75
the tyrant out of the way, the word of the Lord grew
and multiplied.
Barnabas and Saul returned in due time and re
ported the result of their mission. They had been
well received by the Jewish Christians at Jeru
salem, and the relief had been accepted in the same
fraternal spirit that prompted the Gentile brethren
to send it. A strange young man from Jerusalem
accompanied them back to Antioch. This man was
John whose surname was Mark. He was a kinsman
of Barnabas and his mother lived in Jerusalem. It
was to her house that Peter went after the angel had
opened the prison and led him out. John Mark was
the man who wrote the gospel narrative that bears
his name. He is mentioned as laboring in the Gos
pel in different countries and in the company of dif
ferent fellow-labourers. His name will be often men
tioned in this book.

VI
THE FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY BEGUN :
EVENTS IN CYPRUS
FROM the thirteenth chapter of Acts to the
end of the Book, we journey in company
with Saul of Tarsus. This part of Acts
opens with a list of the leaders in the church at An
tioch. Their names are found in the opening verse.
Barnabas and Symeon, called Niger, Lucius of
Cyrene, Manaen, the foster brother of Herod, and
Saul. This was a great array of talent and consecra
tion to be confined to one congregation, and we are
not surprised that a great expansion in evangelism
was the next move.
God could use some of these men more advanta
geously elsewhere. The Holy Spirit said, "Separate
me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have
called them." We know that Saul was called to be
come a chosen vessel to bear the name of Jesus to
the Gentiles, and here we learn that Barnabas was
called for the same great purpose. The time had
now fully come for them to enter upon the mission of
their lives. Their lifelong task was to begin, and
no one could foretell what and where the ending
would be. They were to be the pioneers of the ages
in heathen missions, and the missionaries of all the
centuries since have but built upon the foundation
laid by them. 76

First Missionary Journey Begun 77
After a solemn and impressive service of prayer,
fasting, and the laying on of hands, the missionaries
started on their long and uncertain journey. It was
the most important and far-reaching enterprise ever
undertaken by man. It was the beginning of the
evangelization of the Gentile world, and was under
taken in obedience to the command of Christ and in
answer to the appeal of the nations. The isles had
long waited for God's law, and now they were to hear
it. Human history records nothing worthy to be
compared to the beginning of the glorious work of
preaching the Gospel to the children of men ; and
while the Gospel had been preached prior to this time,
the preaching was confined to the Jews only. The
traditional provincialism of the Jews was disregarded
by the church at Antioch, and under the impulse of
divine direction the Gospel was offered to all man
kind. The church has only one mission, and that is
to preach the Gospel of Christ all round the globe.
Its task will not be complete till all are brought to see
the Light that lighteth every man coming into the
world. The three men, Barnabas, Saul and Mark, who un
dertook the perilous task of preaching the*Gospel to
the Gentile nations, were actuated by the strongest
impulse that ever stirred the hearts of men. Their
purpose was to glorify God in seeking to save men.
They had lost self and found the race. Their field
was the world.
On leaving Antioch, they could have travelled by
boat down the winding river to the sea, but it is
probable that they went to Seleucia by land. If they
did this, they crossed the Orontes to its northern

78 Paul the Apostle
bank, turned westward and passed along the highway
leading thence from Antioch. The road passed
through large groves of palm and jungles of olean
der. Seleucia was a short distance north of the
mouth of the river, and was the port of Antioch.
The river was navigable for small vessels, but the
larger ships could not ascend to the city. These had
to unload in the harbour of Seleucia and send their
freight and passengers to Antioch in boats of lighter
draught. From Seleucia the missionaries sailed for Cyprus.
They were full of joy ; the whole heathen world was
before them and the Spirit of God was in their hearts.
This was the first voyage ever taken in the interest of
heathen missions. There has been a great change
since then. It is rarely, if ever, the case, in our
day, that a ship sails from a Christian land, in the
direction of any heathen land, that does not number
among her passengers the devoted missionary on the
way to help the nations shrouded in gloom.
There are some good reasons why these men went
to Cyprus to begin their labours as missionaries. It
was the nearest of all the foreign countries. On a
clear day the mountains of Cyprus can be distinctly
seen from Seleucia. There were many Jews in the
island, and some preaching had already been done
there, but to the Jews only (Acts xi. 19). But
perhaps the strongest reason for choosing that field
was that it was the native land of Barnabas, and he
wanted to take the message of life and love to his
own people. When Andrew found Jesus, he went at
once in search of his brother Simon and brought him
to the Master. That is all we know of the work of

First Missionary Journey Begun 79
Andrew, but if he did nothing else but bring Simon
Peter to the Lord he did a great work, and must ever
be regarded as an eminently successful man. Peter
was the chief speaker on the day of Pentecost, when
three thousand were added to the Lord's people.
Andrew is not mentioned in connection with the re
sults of Peter's sermon on that day, but we can see
him dimly in the background. This same love for
kindred and friends led Barnabas to Cyprus.
Mark was a young man. His mother was a sister
of Barnabas. This relationship was probably the
reason why he was selected to go on this journey in
company with his two seniors. They took him along
as an attendant. He was not probably an active
preacher at this time, but assisted in the work in any
way he could, and especially in administering the
ordinance of baptism. Saul was not at this time re
garded as the leader, the name of Barnabas always
being mentioned first.
The ship sailed away towards the southwest. Cy
prus is about one hundred miles from Seleucia, and,
with the wind favouring them, they could have trav
ersed the distance in a few hours. The horn of land
extending northeastward from the mainland of Cy
prus is known as Cape St. Andrea. This was the
first land to which they drew near. Sailing on by
this point, the southern projection came into view.
This is known as Cape Grego. Between these two
capes the ancient city of Salamis rose to view, and
the vessel was soon at the dock.
In this city a large number of Jews resided, and
met in a plurality of synagogues. The missionaries,
being themselves Jews, had the privilege of using

80 Paul the Apostle
these synagogues. Thus they came in contact with
the heathen people who attended the Jewish services.
In Salamis they " proclaimed the word of God in the
synagogue of the Jews." We do not know with
what success they preached, but from the silence of
the historian who reports no results, it would be
natural to infer that few, if any, accepted Christ.
Their success could not have been great.
We do not know how long the missionaries remained
in Salamis, or the manner in which they took their de
parture. They remained long enough to be convinced
that they could do more good elsewhere, and then
departed. It was not a little discouraging to achieve
little or no success in the first heathen city that they
attempted to evangelize. Could they expect better
success in other places ? They did not trouble them
selves by trying to forecast the future, but went
bravely forward, leaving the results with God. There
is a tradition to the effect that Barnabas met a martyr's
death in Salamis during the reign of Nero. This is
only a legend, yet it may be true. A church and a
cave, both near Salamis, were dedicated to his memory
and bore his name.
Luke is very brief in recording the movements of
the apostolic company. He hurries his readers along
unless he has reasons to pause. He merely says that
they left Salamis and came to Paphos, passing through
the island on the way. He does not inform us as to
any preaching on the way, or the road they travelled
on their journey. If any stops were made, nothing
occurred worth recording. The silence of the writer
tells the story. It is about one hundred miles from
Salamis to Paphos. The latter city was the principal

First Missionary Journey Begun 81
port on the western end of the island, and the seat
of the provincial government. The two cities were
connected by a well-paved and well-kept road, and it
is probable that the missionaries passed over it in
their journey. The trip could have been made in a
short time, and with comparative ease. Sergius
Paulus, the governor of the island, had his official
residence at Paphos.
When Saul and his two companions arrived in
Paphos, they found the city under the influence of a
powerful sorcerer who claimed to possess some kind
of magic power. He had a strong following, and
even the governor had been attracted to him. This
is not strange when we consider the times, and the
customs of the people. Many people of wealth and
high social standing kept such persons about them,
and held them in high esteem. The oracles were
consulted by them on important occasions, and, by
them, deep mysteries were supposed to be made plain.
This sorcerer in Paphos was a man of note. Perhaps
he was fortune-teller to the governor and lived in the
same house with him. He was a Jew and bore the
name of Bar- Jesus. He bore the name of Elymas also.
This name is Arabic and means "The Wise." He
had most probably bestowed this name on himself to
aid him in holding the attention of the public.
The missionaries had not been in the city very long
until they attracted the attention of the governor.
He was a man of understanding. He invited them to
come to the palace and tell him the strange story that
they had brought to the city. This invitation to tell
the story of Christ to the governor in his own home
came to the missionaries as a great surprise, and

82 Paul the Apostle
they made haste to comply with it. They rejoiced
at the opportunity to preach Christ to the ruler of the
island. They arranged a time for a meeting with
him, and, at the appointed hour, they stood in
the presence of the heathen ruler. It was a momen
tous occasion, and, to the missionaries, a thrilling ex
perience. To their extreme chagrin and disgust,
they found Elymas the sorcerer in the room with the
governor. They saw at once that they would meet
opposition in their efforts to win the governor to
Christ. They may have had more than one sitting
with him ; and Elymas, not willing to relinquish his
hold on him without a struggle, was ever present
with him, and ready to act in his defense.
On one of these occasions, as Saul was endeavour
ing to convince the governor of the truthfulness of
the Christian religion, the sorcerer thrust himself into
the conversation and sought to dissuade the governor
from listening, lest he should be convinced. For a
while Saul endured this interference with patience,
but he could see that a crisis must soon come. He
saw that the only way "to reach Sergius Paulus with
the truth was to break the spell under which he was
held by the impostor, and this he proceeded to do.
With eyes flashing with righteous indignation, Saul
turned to Elymas and said : " O, full of all guile and
all villainy, thou son of the devil, thou enemy of all
righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the
right ways of the Lord ? and now, behold, the hand
of the Lord is upon thee and thou shalt be blind, not
seeing the sun for a season." As Saul finished this
speech, the sight of the sorcerer began to fade out.
There came a glimmer before his eyes, appearing like

First Missionary Journey Begun 83
fine mist ; this grew thicker and thicker until the last
ray of light went out and darkness closed around
him. He began to call for some one to lead him by
the hand. This was a severe measure to which Saul
resorted, but it had to be done in order to save the
governor. The blindness of Elymas was only tem
porary, and it is supposed that when his sight re
turned he saw the spiritual light and walked in it all
the rest of his life.
When Sergius Paulus saw this miracle he was
astonished, and believed. Saul had fought a hard
battle and had won. The governor became a disciple.
Luke does not mention the baptism of the governor,
and this silence may indicate that he never com
pleted his obedience, but of this we are not certain.
We know that he believed, and the statement of that
fact implies that he obeyed. It is almost a matter of
regret that we do not know the history of this man.
We should be glad to know whether he clung to his
Christian faith or reverted to heathenism.
The readers of Acts note two changes in regard to
the name of Saul in connection with the conversion
of Sergius Paulus. Up to this time the name of
Barnabas is more prominent than that of Saul, being
mentioned first ; thenceforward, Saul's name is men
tioned first, and Barnabas takes second place. The
only exception is in Acts xv. 25. Not only do we see
this change in the relative positions of these names,
but Saul's name is itself changed. For the remainder
of his life he is called Paul.
There was some reason for these changes. Many
think that the apostle had borne both of these names
from childhood. But, if this be true, why should

84 Paul the Apostle
the change occur at this particular time ? We are
bound to see some connection between this change of
name and the conversion of Sergius Paulus. The
custom of the Romans to confer names on persons in
honour of their achievements is well known. Scipio
conquered Carthage, the dominant military power in
Africa, and in honour of this conquest was called
Africanus. When Caius Marcius captured the town
of Corioli, he received the name of Coriolanus ; and,
because of his hortatory powers, the apostles bestowed
on Joseph of Cyprus the name of Son of Exhorta
tion. In view of these well-known facts, it is most
reasonable to believe that the name Panl was given
to Saul at this time in honour of his achievement in
bringing Sergius Paulus to Christ. Saul had con
quered the governor with the Gospel, and, in honour
of this first great triumph among the heathen, the
name of the ruler was bestowed upon him. He be
came Paulus, or, in plain English, Paul. Hence
forth we are to refer to him by this name, for by it
he is known to the world.
"The city of Paphos was notoriously wicked. It
was the seat of the worship of Venus, the goddess of
love. She is said to have risen from the foam of
the sea and floated to the shore, " a laughing girl,"
landing at this spot. Her worship was performed
with the most revolting licentiousness. The moral
standard was very low, and religion was voluptuous
ness. The missionaries were ready to depart. They
had planted the seed of the kingdom of God hard by
the temple of Venus.

vn
THE FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY CONTIN
UED : IN THE UPLANDS OF ASIA MINOR
HAVING established the cause of Christ in
the provincial capital, the three devoted
heralds of the cross left Paphos for other
fields. They sailed from Cyprus, towards the north
west, and landed at Perga, a town in the province of
Pamphylia. We are not certain why this field was
chosen. Different considerations may have caused
the choice. It was a short distance by sail from
Paphos. It must be remembered that Paul had
preached the Gospel in Cilicia during his residence in
his native city, before Barnabas came and took him
to Antioch. The adjacent provinces were now to de
mand his attention. For some unknown reason,
John Mark left his older companions on the shore of
Pamphylia and returned to his home in Jerusalem.
Nothing is said in this place about Paul's feelings at
being deserted by his attendant, but we know that he
was greatly displeased on account of it. This we
learn from an unfortunate incident that occurred
later, which will receive attention in its proper place.
The city of Perga was situated on the river Cestrns,
seven miles from the sea. The river was navigable
for this distance, and the ship in which they sailed
had an open pathway to the city. The most conspic
uous object that met their gaze on landing was the
85

86 Paul the Apostle
temple of Diana. The city is now in ruins. The
traveller of to-day sees nothing but a shepherd's
camp amid the ruins of ancient splendour. The nat
ural beauty of the site and the numerous tombs are
all that remain to tell of departed glory.
North of the city the lofty Taurus Mountains with
their peaks capped with snow border the horizon.
These mountains with their dark and difficult passes,
dashing torrents and yawning chasms, had to be
traversed by the missionaries. The danger attending
such a passage was great, and it took men of courage
and determination to attempt the journey. In addi
tion to the natural perils to be encountered, there were
still graver dangers. The mountains were infested
with robbers. The Roman government, with all its
vigour and power, had failed to suppress these brig
ands. And should the mountains be safely passed the
land beyond was uninviting. Beyond the mountains
lay a broad elevated plain diversified with lakes and
rivers and rugged hills. The people were rude and
barbarous, and many languages were spoken. It is
probable that the knowledge of the hardships to be
met with in such a land and among the wild tribes
that inhabited it had much to do with Mark's aban
doning his companions and returning to Jerusalem.
Nothing is written of the experiences of these men
in crossing the mountains. Luke tells us with char
acteristic brevity that they passed through Perga and
came to Antioch in Pisidia. Many people from the
coast plain usually went up into the mountains to
escape the intense heat of summer, and it is probable
that Paul and Barnabas made the journey in com-

First Missionary Journey Continued 87
pany of one of the many parties that made this
annual migration.
Antioch was one hundred and twenty miles from
Perga, but there is nothing in the brief narrative to
indicate the distance. The city was built by Seleucas
Nicator, and named in honour of his father, Anti
ochus, who succeeded Alexander the Great as king of
Syria. Good roads led from all directions to the city,
making it the center of trade for a large territory.
The Jews, always and everywhere a commercial
people, had located there in large numbers, for the
purpose of trade. They had erected one synagogue,
if not more, and the Sabbath was regularly observed.
Upon arriving at Antioch the missionaries ascer
tained the locality of the synagogue, and when the
next Sabbath came, they went to the place of Worship
and went in quietly and sat down among the people
assembled for study and devotion. The regular
order of service was the reading of a lesson from the
law and also one from the prophets, and then fol
lowed an address based on the passages read. After
the reading of the lesson, the ruler of the synagogue
sent some one to these strange men with an invitation
for one or both of them to address the assembly.
This was common courtesy due to all strangers. The
probability is, however, that Paul and Barnabas had
previously sought an opportunity to become ac
quainted with some of the leaders and requested the
privilege to speak. They accepted the first oppor
tunity that was offered to them and spoke in the
name of Christ.
Paul arose to address the audience. He attracted
the attention of the people by beckoning with his

88 Paul the Apostle
hand, and having enlisted the interest of the people
by this uncommon gesture, which was a common one
with him, he began the address that it is now our
pleasure to briefly study.
The speech made by Paul on this occasion is strik
ingly similar to the one that Stephen delivered on
the day of his death. Paul heard that speech, and
he never forgot it. It was the model for this one.
Paul began by referring to the escape of the nation
from the Egyptian bondage. The exodus, the forty
years' wandering in the wilderness, the conquest of
Canaan under the leadership of Joshua, the division
of the land among the Twelve Tribes, — all receive
brief notice. The period of the judges is mentioned
next, with the information that this form of govern
ment existed for about four hundred and fifty years.
Samuel was the last of the judges, and, during his
term of office, the nation became dissatisfied and
asked for a king. This request was reluctantly
granted, and the form of government was changed.
Saul, the first king, reigned forty years. God was
displeased with him, and at his death the dynasty
was changed, though the monarchy continued.
David was the second king of Israel, and to him
Jehovah made oath that one of his descendants
should be the Christ and sit on his throne.
Having introduced the thought that one should be
raised up to occupy the throne of David, and whose
dominion was to be everlasting, the apostle referred
to Jesus as the promised One. God, according to
His promise, had raised up unto Israel a Saviour,
Jesus. Paul next refers to John the Baptist and his
testimony concerning Jesus, and then announced that

First Missionary Journey Continued 89
through Jesus the world could be saved. The Gos
pel of Christ was to be the means of salvation. He
told them that it was the will of God that the mes
sage of life should be delivered to the Jews before it
reached the Gentiles. They being the descendants
of Abraham, God gave them the glorious privilege
of hearing the Gospel first.
The apostle next spoke of the crucifixion of Jesus
as the fulfillment of prophecy, and made an excuse
for the men who were responsible for putting Him to
death. "They knew him not." Following the
record closely, Paul told his hearers that those who
insisted on putting Jesus to death found no cause in
him demanding such a penalty. He was murdered
without cause. The crucifixion, burial, and resur
rection are asserted. The statement that He had
been raised from the dead demanded proof. The
apostle proceeded to prove the statement by declar
ing that many who were His companions before His
crucifixion had seen Him and conversed with Him
after He arose from the dead. These men had been
with Him several times between His resurrection
and ascension. Forty days intervened, and these
friends of Jesus could not have been mistaken.
They had too many opportunities to identify Him
not to be certain of His identity.
With these facts before his hearers, Paul declared
that it was the mission of himself and Barnabas to
tell the glorious news to the world. The promise
made to the fathers had been fulfilled in the days
of their children, and the resurrection had made
plain the second Psalm. The real efficacy of the
death of Christ was announced in these words : "Be

90 Paul the Apostle
it known unto you, therefore, men and brethren,
that through this man is preached unto you the re
mission of sins ; and by him all that believe are
justified from all things from which ye could not
be justified by the law of Moses." With a few
words of exhortation, the service came to an end,
and the congregation was dismissed.
After the service, many Gentiles who were present,
numbers of them proselytes to the Jewish faith, came
to Paul and Barnabas and requested them to preach
again on the following Sabbath. Many Jews also
followed them eager to hear more of the new and in
teresting teaching. The missionaries were glad to
see the deep interest manifested by the people, and
exhorted them to continue in the grace of God.
Paul complied with the request of the people, and
announced that he would speak again the next Sab
bath. The appointment was well advertised, and on
the day set almost the entire population of the city
came to the synagogue to hear the word of God.
These men who had entered the city with such
modest and quiet dignity, and without the least
ostentation, by their simple bearing and the divine
message that they brought, had gained the good will
of the people, and were heard with gladness.
The Jews were filled with envy when they saw the
large gathering on the second Sabbath. Such crowds
were never known to attend the regular services, and
the fact that these strange men, with their strange
teaching, had come into the city and attracted sncb
large attention was more than they could stand.
They began to tremble for their own faith, and were
vigorous in their opposition to the teaching of Paul

First Missionary Journey Continued 91
and Barnabas. Prejudice prompted their conduct
and jealousy inflamed them. As Paul spoke he was
frequently interrupted by Jews in the audience.
They disputed his words, belittled the message, and
blasphemed the Christ.
It is exceedingly difficult for one to speak in the
face of such disturbance. The patience of the apostle
was sorely tried and finally exhausted, and, in a
burst of righteous indignation, he said: "It was
necessary that the word of God should have been
first spoken to you : but seeing that ye put it from
you, and judge yourselves to be unworthy of ever
lasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles." This change
did not frustrate the plan of God. Paul was called
for the special purpose of ministering to the Gentile
nations, and the effect of this announcement was joy
ful to the heathen, and they expressed their joy in
praise to the God of Israel who had included all
nations in His program of mercy. All who desired
salvation could be saved without respect to nationality.
The number of persons converted to Christ in Pisid-
ian Antioch is not given, but the statement that "the
word of the Lord was published throughout all that
region " suggests great numbers, and much activity
among the new converts.
The growing popularity of the new religion aroused
the anger of the Jews to a higher pitch of intensity,
and prompted them to make a desperate effort to
suppress it. They changed their plan of opposition
and called upon the women of high social and relig
ious standing to give them their aid and influence,
and, having succeeded in forming this alliance, they
were in proper condition to begin active opposition.

92 Paul the Apostle
Great indignation arose against the missionaries, and
they were expelled from the city. Following the in
struction of Jesus, they shook the dust from their feet
and departed.
Having been thus forced out of Antioch, Paul and
Barnabas went to Iconium. The disciples in Antioch
were not discouraged over the departure of their
leaders. Their faith was so firmly established that
they were able to continue in the grace of God with
out apostolic guidance.
Leaving Antioch, the missionaries followed a road
leading towards the southeast, in the direction of
Paul's birthplace. Beyond Antioch this road passed
over an extensive plain. Travelling over this plain
and crossing a range of mountains, they came to Ico
nium, ninety miles from Antioch. This city was one
of the most important in Asia Minor and is a flourish
ing city to-day. The name of the modern city is
Konieh, a corruption of the ancient name. Its walls
are two miles in circumference, but on the east and
south the city extends far beyond the walls. It is
noted in history as being the capital of the Seljukian
sultans, the founders of the Turkish empire.
The government and architecture have greatly
changed since Paul's time, but the physical features
of the city and the surrounding country remain the
same. High mountains enclose it on three sides —
north, west, and south. Towards the east the eye
ranges over a broad and extensive plain, irregular in
its surface. The city was a business center for a large
territory, and contained a synagogue. We have al
ready mentioned the custom of Paul in preaching in
the synagogue as opportunity afforded. The reg-

First Missionary Journey Continued 93
ular meeting-place of the people was the best point
from which to begin the evangelization of a city. The
people who were accustomed to attend the regular
services had opportunity to learn much of the law
and the prophets, and they were thereby better pre
pared to receive the Gospel than those who had not
the benefit of the information acquired in the syna
gogue. Paul and Barnabas went into the synagogue and
spoke to the people the word of life. They did this
probably in response to an invitation, such as they
had received at Antioch. They preached the Gospel
so earnestly and convincingly that a large number
turned to the Lord. This was probably the largest
number converted at one service since the day of
Pentecost. It was their most successful effort so far
among the heathen. The converts were of many
classes; among them were Jews, proselytes, and
heathens. For a brief period the disciples were pros
perous and the city peaceful. Trouble came, how
ever, and the ministry of the missionaries in the city
came to an end. The unbelieving Jews led the op
position, and instead of openly attacking the teaching
of Paul and Barnabas, they stirred up the Gentiles
and put them forward as the apparent leaders.
This opposition served to embolden the apostles and
caused them to stay longer than they otherwise would
have done. The statement that they tarried there a
" long time " shows that they did not leave the city
at the beginning of the opposition, but continued to
preach the unsearchable riches of Christ in the face
of probable death. We have no means of knowing
the exact import of the words, "long time," but the

94 Paul the Apostle
apostles remained no longer than was necessary to
establish the cause of Christ firmly ; and when they
saw that they could be more useful somewhere else,
they departed from the city. They were really forced
out of the city through the antagonism of the Jews.
The conditions that led to their departure are given
by Luke. He tells us that the Lord bore witness to
the word of His grace by working signs and wonders.
These signs and wonders were wrought to attest the
truth, and the Jews were really afraid to use violence
in their opposition. They worked under cover to ac
complish their designs, and after securing the good
will of the rulers, they laid a plan to assassinate the
missionaries. Some friend learned of this plot and in
formed Paul and Barnabas who, seeing that their use
fulness in the city was ended for the present, fled for
their lives. They could see no good purpose to be
accomplished in risking death so early in their career
as pioneers of the missionary enterprise. They could
serve God better by living than by dying, and that
was the best reason why they should preserve their
lives. The apostles continued to travel towards the south
east. Their course led them across a broad plain
towards the mountains. Near the base of " Kara-
Dagh," or Black Mountain, about forty miles from
Iconium stood the city of Lystra with Derbe not far
away. The site of the city has been identified in
recent times by Ramsay. The district of Lycaonia in
which these cities were located was north of the
Taurus Mountains and east of the district of Pisidia.
When the missionaries arrived in Lystra they were
greatly disappointed to learn that there was not a

First Missionary Journey Continued 95
synagogue in the city. At this place they came in
contact with phases of human life that they had never
encountered before. They found the people much
ruder than the people of Antioch or Iconium. Here
there was no moralizing influence of the synagogue,
and for the first time in life the missionaries were in
the midst of real heathenism, untouched by the relig
ion of the Jews. They were now to come in contact
with paganism in its Stronghold, and in its most
hideous and revolting form. For the lack of a more
suitable place, they chose the open space near one of
the gates of the city as the most convenient place to
speak to the people the message of life.
A large number, attracted more through curiosity
than anything else, gathered to hear the speakers,
and as Paul was delivering an address, he noticed a
deformed man in the crowd, who appeared to be
listening with deep interest. His feet and ankles
were so badly deformed that he had never been able
to walk. He was an object of pity. Seeing the op
portunity to do good to an unfortunate man as well
as to advance the cause of Christ, Paul said to him,
"Stand upright on thy feet." The man, taken by
surprise, leaped up and walked. When the multi
tude saw what had been done, they could not account
for it on any other ground than that the gods had
come down to earth in the likeness of men.
The people were astounded at the miracle. They
called Paul Mercury, and Barnabas Jupiter. The
latter was the chief deity of Lystra, and in' front of
the city stood a magnificent temple dedicated to his
service. In mythology, Jupiter was the father of gods
and men. The simple people believed that the gods

96 Paul the Apostle
often visited the cities under their special care. There
is a beautiful myth which describes a visit that Jupiter
and Mercury made to this same region. The story
of the two old people — Philemon and Baucis — as told
by Ovid, was located here. They entertained the
gods in their humble home, and in return for this
hospitality received a great blessing. That Paul
and Barnabas should have been, by these rude
people, regarded as gods, is not strange. From their
point of view it was a reasonable and natural con
clusion. The loud shouts of the people over the miracle
caused Paul to pause in his sermon and wait for them
to become quiet so he could proceed, but before he
resumed, some one from the throng slipped away un
observed and soon returned leading two bulls and
bearing a profusion of flowers to hang upon the horns
of the animals. He moved towards the temple of
Jupiter, intending to sacrifice the animals to the
humble missionaries of the cross as unto gods. The
priests were already preparing for the service. The
crowd began to surge towards the temple, and this
fact gave the apostles their first intimation as to what
was about to occur.
We cannot describe the feelings of these Christlike
men when they first realized that they were about to
be worshipped as gods. They were shocked beyond
measure. It was a new experience to them, and
utterly repulsive. It took quick action upon their
part to prevent the revolting service. When they
became aware of the real intention of the people,
they rent their garments in harmony with the oriental
method of expressing sorrow or indignation, and ran

First Missionary Journey Continued 97
into the midst of the excited crowd, vehemently pro
testing against such conduct. As soon as they could
be heard, they declared that they were men and only
men, and not gods as the Lystrians believed. They
endeavoured to assure the people that such sacrifices
should not be made to mere men.
They proceeded to explain why they had come to
the city. Their mission as stated by themselves was
to bring them the Gospel of Christ, and through
its pure precepts to turn them from such vanities as
that in which they were about to engage. The God
who had created the universe and fed the race by
means of fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with
food and gladness, is the only true God. It was after
much effort put forth by the apostles that the heathen
service was prevented. The excitement cooled down,
the crisis was passed, and the missionaries continued
to teach the way of Life.
The people were so low down in the scale of morals
and intelligence and so intensely heathen in their life
and thought that they could hardly be made to under
stand the Gospel. The report went out concerning
these men who had come to the city as strangers and
had been received as gods. The Jews of Antioch
and Iconium heard this report and came in hot haste
to Lystra where they stirred up the people and led
a great persecution against the missionaries and their
followers. The ignorant and unstable people were
not hard to persuade. A mob of large proportions
was formed, and the apostles came to grief. One of
the great crimes of history is here recorded in few
words. Paul was stoned, and was thought to be
dead. His body, like that of a dumb animal, was

98 Paul the Apostle
dragged outside the gate of the city and left unburied.
What was in Paul's mind as the stones began to fall
upon him ? He must have thought of Stephen and
his triumphant death, and, if he had fully learned
the lesson of the young martyr's death, he kneeled
down and prayed that his murderers might be for
given. Why or how Barnabas escaped similar treat
ment is not known.
As many weeping friends stood around the appar
ently lifeless body, indications of returning life were
seen in his prostrate form. He was soon able to
stand up and look around upon his devoted friends.
He was dazed. When he came to realize where he
was and what had been done to him, he calmly went
back into the city, assisted by the kindly hands of
his friends. The apostle referred to this bitter ex
perience in the last epistle that he ever wrote : " But
thou didst follow my teaching, conduct, purpose,
faith, long-suffering, love, patience, persecutions, suf
ferings ; what things befell me at Antioch, at Iconium,
at Lystra ; what persecutions I endured : and out of
them all the Lord delivered me " (2 Tim. iii. 10, 11).
In another epistle, while enumerating his suffer
ings, he merely says, "Once I was stoned" (2 Cor.
xi. 25).
The conjecture that Paul's experience in paradise,
recorded in the twelfth chapter of Second Corin
thians, occurred at this time is a matter of some in
terest. While his body lay upon the ground outside
the city wall, his spirit may have been in the third
heaven. It is a pleasing conjecture but extremely
uncertain. On the day following the stoning, Paul and Bar-

First Missionary Journey Continued 99
nabas left Lystra and went to Derbe. The site of
this city has not been identified beyond doubt.
The modern Divle, a town of considerable impor
tance on the road between Tarsus and Lystra, is
thought by many scholars to be the site of the an
cient Derbe, but no one can speak with certainty on
this point. It required a high degree of courage to
endure patiently all that these men endured. The
time they spent in Derbe, their labours there, and
the circumstances of their departure, are passed over
in silence, but, when they left that place, they re
visited Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, " confirming
the souls of the disciples and exhorting them to con
tinue in the faith." They appointed the necessary
officers in the churches. They had been persecuted
in all of these cities, but were willing to enter them
again for Christ's sake. In passing through the
scenes of their former labours, they preached the
Gospel without fear. Leaving Antioch, they came
to Perga, where they landed on entering Asia Minor,
and where Mark deserted them. They did not
preach at Perga at the time of their first visit, and
we know nothing of the results they achieved at this
time. After what seems to have been a brief stay in
Perga, they went on to Attalia, a city on the sea-
coast, sixteen miles distant in a southwesterly direc
tion. From this port these men, worn with toil and
suffering, embarked for Antioch in Syria. The
church from which these men went forth on this
journey among the heathen had probably not heard
from them since they left. The Only knOWn means
they had of hearing from them was through John

loo Paul the Apostle
Mark. If he passed through Antioch on his way to
Jerusalem, which is not probable, he could have told
of the incidents of the journey to the time he left
them on the Pamphylian shore. The only event
of importance was the conversion of the governor
of Cyprus. The most thrilling experiences that came
to Paul and Barnabas occurred after Mark left them.
Of the incidents of the tour in Asia Minor the
church at Antioch had heard nothing.
After an absence of about four years, these two
missionaries made their appearance unheralded in
the streets of Antioch. They had discovered a new
world and come home to report. They had finished
the most momentous journey ever undertaken by
man up to that time. They had seen heathenism in
fluenced by Judaism, as at Antioch in Pisidia ; they
had seen heathenism at home and untouched by ex
ternal influences, as at Lystra, and they had planted
the cause of Christ in many places throughout Cyprus
and Asia Minor.
Their return to the church that sent them away
was a great epoch in the history of the congregation.
As soon as they arrived, a special meeting of the
church was hurriedly called to welcome them home
and to hear their report of their labours among the
heathen. Luke's mention of the report is brief:
" They rehearsed all that God had done with them,
and how he had opened the door of faith unto the
Gentiles." Luke did not give the report. Had he
done so, he would have merely repeated the history
of the journey.
The labours of the missionaries on the journey
from which they returned in triumph had been full

First Missionary Journey Continued 101
of adventure from beginning to end. Their efforts
had been crowned with abundant success. No such
transformations of towns and cities had been known
before. The success of the Gospel among the Jews of
Palestine was more to be expected than among the
Gentiles. The law of Moses was intended to prepare
the Jews for the Gospel, but the heathen had no such
preparation. The great victories won among them
were the more astonishing. The journey had occu
pied about four years' time and the missionaries had
travelled fourteen hundred miles in accomplishing it.
Leaving us to imagine the joy that these tidings
brought to the church, the writer closes the account
of the first great missionary tour among the Gentiles.
Paul and Barnabas "abode long time" with the
church at Antioch. They enjoyed a well-earned va
cation with their home church.

VIII
'THE STATUS OF THE GENTILE CONVERTS
WHILE Paul and Barnabas were in Antioch
resting after their first journey among
the Gentiles, an unfortunate controversy
arose in the church. Certain men came from Jeru
salem, presumably from James, who was recognized
as the leader of the mother church, and taught that
all Gentiles who accepted Christ should submit to
the rite of circumcision. They even demanded this
submission as a condition of salvation. Paul and
Barnabas resisted these teachers and boldly defended
the freedom of the Gentile Christians from bondage
to the law of Moses. The church of Christ was in
grave danger of being narrowed down into a Jewish
sect. Paul had been chosen as a special apostle to
the Gentiles, and he was fully conscious that what he
and Barnabas had done among them was according
to the will of God ; but these men from Jerusalem
were supposed, by the people of Antioch, to express
the sentiment of the Jerusalem church on the point
at issue.
In order to settle the question, a committee was
appointed to go to Jerusalem and consult the apostles
and elders, and report their decision. In doing this,
Paul did not surrender his prerogative as an apostle.
Had he been left to his own choice, he would not
have gone. He went in obedience to divine direo-
102

Status of the Gentile Converts . 103
tion (Gal. ii. 2). He knew that the apostles and
elders would approve his course, and that when they
did this, the controversy would be settled in the
minds of all who regarded apostolic authority as
binding. All who should persist in preaching the
essentiality of circumcision after the apostles had
spoken would be guilty of disregarding the author
ity given to the apostles by the Master (Matt.
xxviii. 18). He was, himself, anxious that the Jeru
salem church should state her position. Paul and
Barnabas, with others whose names are not given,
were appointed to go to Jerusalem, state the case,
and report the action of the church.
Paul and his companions, en route to Jerusalem,
passed through Phoenicia and Samaria and made
known to the churches the conversion of the Gen
tiles. The Samaritans were not so strongly preju
diced against the Gentiles as were the Jews. The
Phoenicians were mainly Jews but lived in intimate
relationship to the Gentiles in both social and busi
ness life. The news that salvation had been offered
to the Gentiles and that many of them had accepted
it caused joy in all the churches. The journey was
not made in haste, and probably much preaching
was done on the way.
In due time Paul and his companions arrived in
Jerusalem. Here Barnabas had many friends and
acquaintances. Paul was not so well known. In his
earlier years he had many friends in the city, but
they were chiefly among the opponents of the church.
He had visited the city only twice since he left it to
go to Damascus on his last mission of persecution.
Both of these visits were short. He came from

104 Paul the Apostle
Damascus to Jerusalem, three years after his con
version, and remained fifteen days, and when the
church at Antioch sent relief to the famine-sufferers
in Judea, Paul and Barnabas carried the donation.
His present visit was his third since his conversion.
Many knew him personally, and more by reputation.
Peter was the only apostle that Paul knew personally
at this time. It is true that he had met James, but
that eminent man was not an apostle. On the pres
ent occasion he became acquainted with many breth
ren that he had never met before.
The reception of the brethren from Antioch was
kind and fraternal. At the first meeting, which
seems to have been called more for the purpose of be
coming acquainted than for any other reason, Paul
and Barnabas took occasion to recount their adven
tures among the Gentiles, giving facts with which the
reader is already familiar. It was an astounding re
cital that they gave, and the audience listened with
sympathetic attention.
There were some men in the congregation, how
ever, who thought that the instruction given to the
Gentiles that had accepted Christ was incomplete.
These strongly contended that all converted Gentiles
should be required to submit to circumcision. The
men who took this position were Pharisees who had
accepted Christ but still clung to many of their
former notions. After many years, when Paul had
learned more about this class of men, he called them
false brethren (Gal. ii. 4). It was their hope to keep
the church subject to the law of Moses. They first
tried to destroy the church by attacking it from with
out; and, failing in this, they formally became

Status of the Gentile Converts 105
Christians and worked to the same end from within.
They were the real leaders in this contention, and the
men who had disturbed the church at Antioch were
of their class.
Before the next public meeting, Paul and Barnabas
had a private conference with Peter, James, and
John. James, although not one of the Twelve, was
perhaps the most prominent man in the church, and ¦
was regarded by all as one of the best and wisest of
men. He was the Lord's brother, but, in the only
epistle that we have from him, he modestly calls him
self "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus
Christ." Paul arranged for this meeting with the
apostles in private, that they might let him know
how they stood on the question to be decided. He
expected them to endorse him and believed that they
would do so, but he wanted to be certain as to their
position. If he had found them on the side of the
Pharisees he would have lost his contention, and the
church would have been thrown backward into
Judaism. Paul and Barnabas were glad, though not
surprised to find that Peter, James, and John held the
same view as themselves. Paul knew that he was in
the right even before he left Antioch ; and long after
this, he wrote that Peter, James, and John imparted
nothing to him (Gal. ii. 6).
Having arrived at an understanding with these
"pillars," as Paul called them in his Epistle to the
Galatians, he was ready to bring the subject once
more before the assembled congregation. Another
meeting was called and the discussion reopened.
The apostles permitted the Judaizers to present their
side of the case first. Their speeches and arguments

106 Paul the Apostle
are not given, but in reply to them, whatever they
were, Peter, Paul, Barnabas, and James each had
something to say. After the Judaizers had stated
their case, Peter spoke in reply :
"Brethren, ye know that a good while ago God
made choice among you, that by my mouth the
Gentiles should hear the word of the gospel, and be
lieve. And God, who knoweth the heart, bare them
witness, giving them the Holy Spirit, even as he did
unto us ; and he made no distinction between us and
them, cleansing their hearts by faith. Now there
fore why make ye trial of God, that ye should put a
yoke upon the neck of the disciples which neither
our fathers nor we were able to bear ? But we be
lieve that we shall be saved through the grace of the
Lord Jesus, in like manner as they." When he had
thus spoken, he sat down.
Barnabas spoke next and was followed by Paul.
These speeches are not recorded. They were of con
siderable length, and gave the account of the won
ders that God had done by them among the Gentiles.
If Luke had recorded these speeches, he would have
but repeated the history found in the thirteenth and
fourteenth chapters of Acts. He was wise to omit the
repetition. God had approved the admission of
Gentiles into the church, in the home of Cornelius.
He had also enabled Paul and Barnabas to work signs
and wonders among the Gentiles, thereby showing
His endorsement of these men. He would not have
given them power to do anything out of haimony
with His will ; consequently, what they did met His
approval. James was the next speaker. He followed a dif-

Status of the Gentile Converts 107
ferent line of argument, discussing the question in
the light of the Old Testament. He showed that the
salvation of the Gentiles was contemplated in the
program of Jesus, as shown forth by the prophets,
and that they had equal rights with the Jews to the
fellowship of the church, and to eternal life as well.
He spoke as follows :
"Brethren, hearken unto me: Symeon hath re
hearsed how first God visited the Gentiles, to take
out of them a people for his name. And to this agree
the words of the prophets ; as it is written, After
these things will I return, and I will build again the
tabernacle of David, which is fallen ; and I will build
again the ruins thereof, and I will set it up : that the
residue of men may seek after the Lord, and all the
Gentiles, upon whom my name is called, saith the
Lord, who maketh these things known from of old.
Wherefore my judgment is, that we trouble not them
that turn from among the Gentiles to God ; but that
we write unto them, that they abstain from the pollu
tions of idols, and from fornication, and from what is
strangled, and from blood. For Moses from genera
tions of old hath in every city them that preach him,
being read in the synagogue every Sabbath."
Luke, in introducing the last speaker, tells us that
James " answered." He met the opponents of Chris
tianity by quoting Amos ix. 11, 12. The answer was
complete. The other persons who participated in
these deliberations concurred in the recommenda
tion offered by James, and the troublesome question
was harmoniously settled. The only unfinished busi
ness before the body was to adopt a plan by which
the suggestion of James could be carried out.

108 Paul the Apostle
The plan adopted was to send a written decree to
the church at Antioch, and also to send two of their
own brethren, Judas and Silas, with Paul and Bar
nabas, to report verbally the decision of the apostles
and elders. They sent the following letter which was
intended to circulate among the churches :
"The apostles and elders, brethren, unto the
brethren who are of the Gentiles in Antioch and
Syria and Cilicia, greeting : Forasmuch as we have
heard that certain who went out from us have troub
led you with words, subverting your souls ; to whom
we gave no such commandment ; it seemed good to
us, having come to one accord, to choose out men and
send them unto you with our beloved Barnabas and
Paul, men that have hazarded their lives for the
name of our Lord Jesus Christ. We have sent there
fore Judas and Silas, who themselves shall also tell
you the same things by word of mouth. For it
seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us to lay
upon you no greater burden than these necessary
things : that ye abstain from things sacrificed to
idols, and from blood, and from things strangled, and
from fornication ; from which if you keep yourselves,
it shall be well with you. Fare ye well" (Acts
xv. 24-29).
This has been declared by Neander to be the first
public document of the Christian church, and the
statement is worthy of acceptance. We are abso
lutely certain that it is older than any of the apos
tolic epistles, and there is much reason to believe
that it was written before any of the gospel narra
tives. This decree of the apostles and elders circulated

Status of the Gentile Converts 109
among the churches as a separate communication till
it was made a part of the written history of the
early church, and incorporated into the Book of Acts.
The inspiration of the document is shown by the fact
that the Holy Spirit guided the men who framed it.
Many have erroneously regarded this meeting in
Jerusalem as a general council of the church. Grave
historians have called it the first church council.
The fact is that it was not in any sense a church
council. All the messengers were from the one con
gregation at Antioch, and there was no general repre
sentation of the churches. At this time Samaria,
Phoenicia, Cyprus, and large portions of Asia Minor
are known to have been evangelized. Many congre
gations had been established in these countries, and
not one of them had a representative in the meeting
in Jerusalem.
It is needless to add that Paul was pleased with the
result of the conference. The course that he and
Barnabas had followed among the Gentiles had been
endorsed by the apostles, with the entire congrega
tion concurring. The Holy Spirit had guided the
deliberations. This decision fixed the status of the
Gentiles in the Christian church.
The messengers, accompanied by Judas and Silas,
returned to Antioch. A meeting of the church was
called and the epistle was read to the assembled con
gregation. All rejoiced to hear the decision. From
the second chapter of Galatians we learn that Titus,
a Gentile, went with Paul on this mission to Jeru
salem, and that the Judaizers made a strong effort to
force him to submit to the rite of circumcision. We
do not know how Titus received this suggestion, but

1 10 Paul the Apostle
Paul refused to permit the rite to be performed. The
apostle thus won a victory for the liberty that is in
Christ. The church sustained Paul, and Titus was
not forced to submit. The decision settled the ques
tion as to its legality, but it did not stop the work of
the Judaizers. They gave Paul much trouble in after
years by following him from place to place and try
ing to counteract his influence.
Judas and Silas remained for a while. They were
prophets of great power and efficiency, and their
presence was a blessing to the church. Paul and
Barnabas also tarried a while in the city. They had
laboured hard for more than four years, and a period
of comparative ease and rest was necessary. During
the time that Paul spent in Antioch, after his return
from Jerusalem, Peter's visit to the Gentile city
most probably occurred. This episode is not men
tioned in Acts, but Paul discusses it in the second
chapter of Galatians. A controversy, omitted by
Luke, is mentioned by Paul as having occurred at
Antioch, and it must have taken place at this time.
The controversy did not involve any of the points
passed upon by the church in Jerusalem and em
bodied in the decree that was issued. The conten
tion at Antioch was over a question of social inter
course between Jews and Gentiles, and not the
religious rights of either. Peter would not recognize
the Gentile Christians socially, and stood aloof from
them. Paul was much displeased at Peter's conduct,
and gave him a public rebuke for it ; but the ques
tion of the social relation of the Jews and Gentiles
had not been discussed in Jerusalem, ahd nothing
bearing on it had been embodied in the decree.

Status of the Gentile Converts 1 1 1
Although Peter's conduct was not expedient, it did
not in any way violate the provisions of the decree
to which he had assented in Jerusalem. He had only
refused to live in free social intercourse with the
Gentiles. His act was not necessarily sinful, but, to
say the least, very inconsistent.
Judas returned to Jerusalem, but Silas preferred to
remain in Antioch. As matters turned out, it was
very fortunate for him that he decided to remain.
He became one of the most useful and best known
companions of Paul. Failing to return to Jerusalem
gave him his opportunity. He was with the apostle
in many bitter experiences and shared his toils
through many years ; and in him Paul reposed the
fullest confidence. This confidence was never shaken,
but remained firm to the end.

IX
THE SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY BE
GUN : FROM ANTIOCH TO PHILIPPI
A GREAT period of prosperity was enjoyed by
the church in Antioch. The many excellent
men who were present and at work caused
the influence of the church to become widely extended ;
and, in the midst of this growth and good feeling,
Paul was planning larger things. He could not be
content to see so many strong preachers concentrating
their labours in one church, when the mission stations
that he and Barnabas had planted among the heathen
were in such great need of competent instructors. To
strengthen these mission churches was the motive for
the second tour among the Gentiles.
Paul proposed that they should revisit the places
where they had preached the Gospel, and look into
the condition of the cause of Christ in the various
churches. To this Barnabas readily consented, and
they prepared to begin their journey. It was under
stood between them that this was to be a revisitation
of the churches already established, but circumstances
made it expedient for them to extend their labours
far beyond the remotest point visited on their first
tour. When the time came to start, the deplorable diffi
culty between Paul and Barnabas occurred. Barna
bas wanted to take Mark along with them, but to this
112

Second Missionary Journey Begun 1 13
Paul was strongly opposed. The fact that Mark was
a kinsman of Barnabas would cause the latter to de
sire bis presence and assistance on the journey, but
Paul remembered that Mark had deserted them in
Pamphylia on the previous journey, and was not
willing to trust him a second time. Mark had been
tested and found wanting. Each contended to have
his own will, and neither was willing to submit to the
other. They had "sharp contention" and parted in
anger. This shows that they were men. The com
radeship of years was abruptly broken.
Barnabas had done much for Paul. It will be re
membered that when Paul came to Jerusalem after his
escape from Damascus, it was Barnabas who came to
his assistance and induced the brethren in that city to
receive him into their full confidence as a brother.
They had refused to recognize Paul as a disciple, but
the brotherly deed of Barnabas overcame their fear ;
and when Paul first came to Antioch, Barnabas
brought him. They had been companions in joy and
sorrow, success and failure, prosperity and persecu
tion. Barnabas had reason to regard Paul as un
reasonable at this time in denying him the pleasure
that the presence of his kinsman would afford.
On the other hand, Paul loved Barnabas as a
brother, and felt deeply grateful to him for his many
acts of kindness, but he was not willing to trust a
man who had once been tested and found unreliable.
An agreement was never reached. Barnabas pre
ferred to separate from Paul rather than from his own
relative, and, accordingly, took Mark and sailed for
Cyprus. With this act this great and good man dis
appears from history.

1 14 Paul the Apostle
Paul's feeling towards Barnabas many years later
was kind and brotherly. He mentioned his name in
the First Epistle to the Corinthians (1 Cor. ix. 6).
We learn also that Paul's confidence in Mark was
afterwards fully restored (2 Tim. iv. 11). God
makes the wrath of man to praise Him. The parting
of Paul and Barnabas was apparently unfortunate,
but really the separation resulted in good, although
the manner of it was deplorable. Barnabas and Mark
visited some of the churches that were included in
Paul's plan, and Paul himself went to the rest of
them. It is believed that Barnabas lived and died in
Cyprus. Reference has already been made to his
traditional burial place near Salamis.
Paul chose Silas, also called Silvanus, who had
come from Jerusalem with him and Barnabas, when
they returned from the conference, and being solemnly
commended to the favour of God by the brethren,
they began the second great missionary journey.
They passed through Syria and Cilicia, and strength
ened the young and struggling churches. They went
through the pass known as the " Syrian Gates," into
the country beyond the mountains, and Paul's native
province was revisited.
In previous years Paul had preached in this dis
trict and also in Syria (Gal. i. 21). This preaching
was done between his departure to Tarsus (Acts
ix. 30) and arrival at Antioch (Acts xi. 25). He
was among his old friends. About four years had
elapsed between his arrival in his home city and his
first appearance in Antioch, whither he went in com
pany with Barnabas who had come to Tarsus seeking
for him. These years were spent in his own province

Second Missionary Journey Begun 115
and those adjacent to it. He had done much work
that is not recorded. His friends and acquaintances
in the churches which he visited at this time were
glad to see him and hear him again. It was a happy
time to all.
No details are given regarding the ministry of Paul
and Silas in these districts. Luke seems to hurry us
on to other persons and events of more prominence.
They made a brief stop at Derbe, and passed on to
Lystra. Nothing is said by Paul or Luke about the
bold and beautiful scenery through which they
journeyed. They passed through the mountain gap
known as the Cilician Gates to the uplands beyond
the Taurus. Emerging from this gateway, they
turned towards the west and travelled in that direction
till they came to Lystra. This was the place where
Paul had been stoned on his first visit a few years be
fore. The brethren were pleasantly surprised at this
unexpected visit, and no doubt many of them en
quired about Barnabas, and where they both had
been and what they had done since their former
visit. The most interesting and important fact that oc
curred on the present visit was the discovery of Timo
thy. He was evidently converted on the occasion of
the previous visit, though the fact is not mentioned in
recounting the incidents of it. Paul ever regarded
Timothy as his son in the Gospel. Timothy had been
reared under favourable circumstances. His mother
and grandmother were both devoutly religious, and
they left the impress of their character upon him.
They had taught him the Scriptures from his infancy.
He was hardly beyond childhood wheti he was con-

1 16 Paul the Apostle
verted to Christ. His father was a Gentile. Timothy
had grown in every way during Paul's absence. He
was noted for his Christian character, and it is prob
able that he had already begun to preach. He not
only had a good reputation at home, but as far away
as Iconium he was well known and highly esteemed.
Paul's discerning eye was quick to detect in this
youth the elements of genuine manhood. Being so
well pleased with his improvement since he saw him
last, Paul chose him as an associate and took him
along with him as a fellow-worker. Timothy's
father being a Gentile, the circumcision of the son
had been neglected. Paul performed this rite for him
in order that the Jews might have no occasion to ob
ject to him as a religious teacher. The apostle has
been accused of inconsistency on the question of cir
cumcision. When in Jerusalem he had refused to
allow Titus to be circumcised when many of the Jew
ish Christians demanded it, and in Lystra he cir
cumcised Timothy because of the Jews who were in
those parts.
The fact that he did not allow Titus to be circum
cised was to carry the point that submission to the
rite was not to be demanded of Gentile converts.
Titus was a Gentile. Had Paul submitted to the
demands of the Judaizers, the principle would have
been established that "except ye be circumcised
after the manner of Moses, ye cannot be saved."
The Gospel would have been bound by fetters of steel,
and the liberty that is in Christ would never have
been enjoyed by the Gentile Christians. We can see
clearly why Paul took a firm stand. The case of
Timothy was vastly different from that of Titus.

Second Missionary Journey Begun 117
His mother was a Jewess, and circumcision was a
Jewish rite. Moreover, the decree issued from Jeru
salem, under the guidance of the Holy Spirit, had
settled the question that circumcision should not be
required of Gentile converts. It is well known that
Paul regarded circumcision as nothing and uncir-
cumcision as nothing, but he was willing to make a
harmless concession to a popular sentiment when
there was no principle involved. He was all things
to all men, when to be such best served God. It was
purely a question of expediency, and, in no sense,
one of law.
After Timothy had joined himself to Paul and
Silas in the work of the ministry, the three went on
together among the churches, giving them the decree
that was issued from Jerusalem, fixing the status
of the Gentiles in the church of Christ. When the
question became fully understood, the churches were
much encouraged, and men and women turned to
God in large numbers. By virtue of the decree, the
Gentiles and the Jews could mingle together in the
fullness of Christian fellowship, and God's people
were one.
From Lystra the missionaries continued their west
ward course through the highlands of Asia Minor.
Phrygia and Galatia were evangelized. We have
reason to believe that the Gospel won greater vic
tories in the latter province than anywhere else in
the peninsula. In Paul's Epistle to the Galatians
we learn that it was because of an infirmity that
came upon him while passing through their country
he had preached the Gospel to them at first. Over
taken with some kind of illness, he was forced to dis-

1 18 Paul the Apostle
continue his labours for a while. During his conva
lescence, and for some time thereafter, he preached
throughout that region. The Galatians were the
descendants of some wild tribes from Gaul. They
had wandered eastward and settled in Asia Minor
before the time of Christ, and had become firmly
fixed in their new home.
Having finished their work in Galatia, Paul and
his two companions started to go into the province
of Asia, the small district in which the city of Ephe
sus was located ; and for the first time since his con
version, the apostle found his plans out of harmony
with the plan of God. He was not permitted to
enter Asia, for the reason that God could use him
and his associates to better advantage elsewhere.
The Holy Spirit interposed and turned him back
from the border of the province. The small district
of Bithynia lay to the north, and Paul's next move
was in that direction. Again he met divine oppo
sition, and was forced to turn back. He seemed to
be at a standstill. He had evangelized the countries
behind him, and was forbidden to turn either to the
left or to the right. If he moved at all, he must go
forward. The apostolic company accordingly kept
onward towards the northwest till they reached the
iEgean Sea at Troas, near the site of the ancient city
of Troy. The sea forming a natural barrier to fur
ther progress, they were compelled to halt and wait
for a favourable opportunity to continue their labours
— but they did not have to wait long.
Some time during the first night at Troas, Paul had
a vision in which he received divine direction for his
movements. In his dreams he looked across the sea

Second Missionary Journey Begun 119
to the European shore, saw a man of Macedonia, and
heard him say in pleading tones, "Come over into
Macedonia and help us." The apostle was thus
bidden to cross the sea and carry the glad tidings
of salvation to the nations beyond. This vision
made a deep impression on Paul, and, on the fol
lowing morning, he related it to his companions.
They all reached the conclusion that the Lord had
called them to preach the Gospel in Macedonia.
They interpreted the vision as an indication of God's
desire, and acted in accordance with it.
It is worthy of note that the author of the Book
of Acts was with Paul at this time. We learn this
by the use of the pronouns "we" and "us." It is
evident that Luke joined the party some time after
they left Galatia, most probably at Troas. Let it be
remembered that Paul and Silas left Antioch in Syria
together, that they found Timothy at Lystra and
took him along with them, and that Luke joined
them as they were about to start for Macedonia.
Troas was a place of great historic interest, near
the mouth of the Hellespont. It would be interest
ing to linger here long enough to gather up some of
the facts and legends connected with the place, but
as these are in no way connected with the life of
Paul, we forbear in order to follow him and his com
panions over the sea. As soon as these four men
reached the decision to invade Europe as the ad
vance guard of the Lord's army, they made their
arrangements to continue the journey. They went
to the dock and found a ship just ready to sail to
Neapolis, on the Macedonia shore. Without losing
any time, they went aboard and sailed away towards

120 Paul the Apostle
the sunset. This was Timothy's first sea voyage.
He was farther from home than he had ever been
and going farther still.
At this time they did not know God?s plan concern
ing themselves. They were conscious, however, that
they were hastening to the West for the glory of
Christ, and that was all they knew. We learn in
cidentally that the wind favoured them, and that it
was unusually strong. They made the voyage in
two days. Paul and his company, on the last jour
ney to Jerusalem, sailed over this route, in the oppo
site direction, and it took them five days to accom
plish the passage (Acts xx. 6). This shows to us,
more clearly than the missionaries could see at the
time, how God was directing their movements.
A few devout women were praying in Philippi,
and God was hastening to answer their prayers by
means of these men. The missionaries could look
back, after the sequel became known, and see the
guiding hand of God in all their movements. They
could see why they were turned back from the
borders of Asia and Bithynia, and why they had but
one night's rest in Troas. It was also made plain to
them why they found a ship just ready to put to sea,
and why the wind favoured them ; but, as yet, they
did not understand the reasons that controlled their
movements. Their first day's sail brought them to Samothrace,
an island in the iEgean Sea, about midway between
Troas and Neapolis. Under the rugged shore of this
island they passed the night, and on the next day,
late in the afternoon, they landed at Neapolis.
George R. Wendling has said that the greatest event

Second Missionary Journey Begun 121
that ever occurred in Europe was the landing of Paul
upon her shores. To this we cheerfully agree. That
event began the evangelization of Europe, and that
involved the evangelization of America, and that,
still further, involves the evangelization of the world.
Philippi was ten miles from Neapolis towards the
northwest, and without halting at the point where
they landed, they pushed on to that inland city. It
may have been that they passed the night in Ne
apolis, and left for Philippi early on the following
morning, or they may have gone to the latter place
on the same day they landed, and arrived after night
fall. In either case no time was lost on the way.
They passed over a high ridge and down into the
plain through which the River Gangites winds its
way, and, in approaching the city, they crossed this
stream. It was at Philippi, ninety-four years before this,
that the final struggle between the republican and
imperial armies of Rome occurred. Brutus was de
feated by Octavius ; the republic fell and the empire
was established. Brutus took his life after the battle,
and Octavius was made emperor, assuming the title
of Caesar Augustus. These soldiers of the cross
passed over the battle-field as they drew near to the
city. They had come to conquer, but not with the
weapons of carnal warfare. They had come in the
interest of no human tyrant, or to oppress their fel
low men. Their mission was one of service to the
Prince of Peace.
In this city there lived a woman whose name was
Lydia. The name indicates that she was a Gentile,
but we cannot be certain as to her nationality. It is

122 Paul the Apostle
probable that she was a Gentile who had been made
a proselyte to the Jewish religion. One thing is
certain : she was devout in her life and faithful to the
demands of the law of Moses. Her native city was
Thyatira, the site of one of the Seven Churches of
Asia. She had located in Philippi for business rea
sons, and was engaged in selling purple cloth. She
did an extensive business, and had in her employ a
number of other women of like faith and character.
The Sabbath was unobserved and unknown in
that heathen city. But, when the sacred day came
around, her store was closed, and all the trade for
that day went to her competitors in business. She
and a few other women kept the day in harmony
with God's commandment. Her conduct shows her
to have been a woman of exalted character. There
was no synagogue in the city, the Jews being too few
in numbers to maintain one. But, out on the bank
of the river, in a retired spot, was a prosuecha, or
prayer-place, and to this these godly women went
every Sabbath for the purpose of prayer. God
heard the prayers of these women, and answered
them. When He determined to answer them, the
women who needed the gospel light, and the men who
were to take it to them, were widely separated.
Lydia and her friends were in Europe, and Paul and
his companions in Asia. We have already traced
the manner in which Paul and his associates were led
to Philippi, and the rest of the story is soon told.
We have no means of knowing the day of the week
on which the missionaries arrived, but they remained
in the city till the following Sabbath, and then found
no synagogue in which to worship. However, they

Second Missionary Journey Begun 123
saw a few women, modest and plain-looking, going
in a body towards the river, and supposed that there
must be a prayer-place in that direction, and not
far away. They followed the women and came to
the spot.
When the women were seated and the meeting
opened, these four strange men walked up, and
quietly took their seats among them. The women
were neither frightened nor displeased, but gave
them a cordial welcome. Paul either asked permis
sion to speak or was invited by them to do so. The
apostle gratefully accepted the opportunity to preach
Christ to them.
We do not know what Paul said, and even his line
of argument is not mentioned ; but when we consider
Lydia' s spiritual and intellectual condition, in con
nection with Paul's mission to her, we can surmise
with almost absolute certainty his theme and also
his line of thought. She held to the Jewish idea of
the Messiah and looked for Him yet to come. Paul's
purpose was to show her that the one she expected
had already come, and that her faith was obsolete.
He would naturally endeavour to convince her that
the prophecies found in the Old Testament were all
fulfilled in the life of Jesus of Nazareth. His life,
death, resurrection, and ascension were explained in
the light of the Scriptures. He made an effort to
convince her that the Messiah for whom she longed
and looked was none other than the lowly Galilean
whose life he had described.
The Lord opened her heart by using Paul as an
inspired instrument to bring her to the knowledge of
the truth, and when she saw the truth she was quick

124 Pau^ tne Apostle
to comply with its demands. When the full light
broke into her mind it came with such force as to be
irresistible. She believed on Jesus as the Son of
God, and was baptized with all her household. The
place of baptizing was doubtless the river on the
bank of which was the place of prayer. Who com
prised her household is unknown. The reference
may be to her slaves, her assistants in business, or to
her children. To dogmatize would be to no profit.
The silence of the Scriptures should teach us to be
silent. After she was baptized she invited the men
to make her house their home while they remained
in the city. This tender of hospitality shows that
Lydia was a woman of more than ordinary means,
and living in a house sufficiently commodious to
afford room for four men besides her own household.
They accepted the invitation, and Christianity found
a home in Europe. It is worthy of note that the first
person converted to Christ in Europe was an Asiatic.
The question of demoniacal possession is one of
profound mystery. There is not enough said about
it in the Bible to enable us to understand it. In
Philippi there was a female slave possessed of a spirit
of divination, whatever that may have been. By
working on the credulity of the people she brought
much gain to her masters. Most heathen people
regard the ravings of crazy persons with veneration.
With them a sacredness is connected with lunacy.
The owners of this unfortunate girl had, in her, a
great source of income. The heathen people believed
that the oracles that were given out from Delphi were
inspired by a serpent called a Python. This girl was
believed to possess the spirit of this serpent, and to

Second Missionary Journey Begun 125
have ability to explain all mysteries. It is not sup
posed that Luke, in giving this account, endorses
this belief. He merely refers to it as being held by
the people of the city. A modern diagnosis of the
case of the slave would be that she was insane.
As Paul and his associates went daily to the prayer-
place on the bank of the river, this crazy girl followed
them along, proclaiming with loud voice, "These
men are the servants of the Most High God that pro
claim unto you the way of salvation." At first they
appeared not to notice her, but this annoyance con
tinued from day to day, and Paul was very much
grieved. He had deep sympathy for the afflicted
girl ; and, besides that, he did not want the people of
the town to get the idea that the Gospel was in any
way dependent on the recommendation of an evil
spirit. He turned with compassion and healed the
girl. With her mental powers fully restored, she
was rendered valueless to her owners. We do not
know what became of her, but it is reasonable to sup
pose that the few Christians in the city cared for her
tenderly till a permanent home was found for her,
and that she continued in the faith that is in Christ
Jesus. When the owners of the slave saw that she was
restored to her reason, they were full of indignation
against the apostles. Their income had ceased, and
their anger was extreme. In each Roman colony the
supreme power was vested in two officials who were
called duumviri, but who are called magistrates in
the English Bible. The missionaries were brought
before these men charged with troubling the city and
teaching customs contrary to the Roman law. The

126 Paul the Apostle
real charge was not preferred against them, but a
false one was presented in its stead. This fictitious
charge was sufficient to inflame the anger of the
magistrates, who, without even the form of law, tore
the clothing from the prisoners and commanded the
lictors to beat them with rods.
These brutal officials, ever ready to do the bidding
of their superiors, "laid many stripes upon them."
Only Paul and Silas were thus treated. By what
means Timothy and Luke escaped similar treatment
is not known. Evidently they were not present
when their fellow-labourers were arrested ; yet it must
have been known throughout the city that they were
all engaged in the same work, and had come to the
city for the same purpose. After Paul and Silas had
been severely beaten, they were committed to the
prison for the night, and the jailer was given special
charge to keep them in safety. This unusual order
led the jailer to believe that they were guilty of some
unusual crime, and he took special pains to insure
their safety. He had them placed in the inner prison
and their feet made fast in the stocks. When they
had thus been disposed of for the night, escape by
ordinary means was impossible.
The prisoners were in a pitiable plight. They had
been charged with crime, yet they had done only a
Christlike deed ; they had been shamefully beaten ;
and now, with their backs bruised and bleeding,
they had been abruptly thrown into prison, and
fettered like the worst of criminals. For a few hours
they were unable to think of anything but their own
sufferings. They were human beings with feelings
common to all men.

Second Missionary Journey Begun 127
It was midnight before their drooping spirits suf
ficiently revived for them to be able to think of God
who gives His servants " songs in the night." And
when the reaction came, they lifted their voices to
God in heartfelt praise. Before they sang, they
prayed. In answer to their prayer their hearts were
made glad, and they sang to express their joy. As
the trembling voices of these men of God sounded
through the gloomy prison, the other inmates heard
them. They were aroused from slumber by the
strange occurrence, and lay awake, listening. That
was the first song of praise to the true God ever
heard within those walls. It was indeed a strange
sound to the attentive prisoners.
In the midst of the song there came an earthquake
of sufficient violence to shake the doors of the prison
from their fastenings. The power of God broke the
shackles from the feet of those who were bound.
The jailer was aroused from his sleep, and his first
thought was of his prisoners. Looking towards the
prison and seeing the doors open, he very naturally
supposed that all the prisoners had escaped. He
knew too well that, if they had made their escape,
he would be put to death for neglect of duty.
It was a well-known trait of Roman character to
prefer death by one's own hand to public execution,
or even disgrace. To commit suicide was more
honourable than to be put to death by process of law.
The history of the city in which the jailer lived
furnishes some striking examples of this. Here
Cassius, after his defeat, practically took his own life
by commanding one of his freed men to strike the
deadly blow. Here also, after the same battle,

1 28 Paul the Apostle
Brutus took leave of his friends, saying, " Certainly
we must fly, yet not with our feet, but our hands. "
Before the battle he wrote : "If I am victorious, I
shall restore liberty to my country : if I am defeated,
I shall escape the curse of slavery ; my condition is
fixed ; I run no hazard." The battle went against
him, and his friend Strato held a sword, and the
defeated general threw himself upon it, and, as he
believed, put an honourable end to his life. His wife
took her life by swallowing coals of fire. This all
shows that suicide was a point of honour with the
Romans. This same national feeling caused the jailer
to draw his sword and prepare to take his life. But,
before he fell upon the deadly blade, the voice of Paul
rang out from within the dark prison-cell, saying,
"Do thyself no harm : for we are all here."
Being thus assured that the prisoners were safe, the
jailer dismissed all thoughts of self-destruction. He.
called for a light and rushed for the prison. He fell
before Paul and Silas, like Dagon before the ark of
the Lord, and then arose and led them out of the
prison. After he brought them out he asked them
the greatest of all questions, " Sirs, what must I do
to be saved?" The missionaries had for "many
days " preached salvation to the people of the city,
and some had been brought to light. Late on the
previous evening the jailer thought nothing and
cared nothing about salvation. He had rudely cast
the men of God into prison without the least sym
pathy. Without even the smallest touch of pity, he
had made their feet fast in the stocks : but after the
earthquake and the refusal of the prisoners to make
their escape, his feelings towards them had com-

Second Missionary Journey Begun 129
pletely changed. He had come to regard them as
messengers of God, and out of an awakened con
science which had long slumbered, he made earnest
enquiry for the way of life. Their answer was plain
and pointed, " Believe on the Lord Jesus and thou
shalt be saved, thou and thy house " (Acts xvi. 31).
The keeper of the prison was a heathen, and knew
nothing of revealed religion. If he had listened to
Paul and Silas as they preached in the city, he would
have known what to do to be saved ; but not having
done this, he was grossly ignorant of the plan of sal
vation as revealed by Christ and preached by the
apostles. Paul's answer to the jailer's question was
explicit. The heathen were familiar with "gods
many and lords many," but there was only one Lord
Jesus, and there could be but one meaning in the
apostle's language. This meaning could not be mis
understood. Paul and Silas spoke the word of the Lord to all
that were in the jailer's house. This being true, it
follows that all who were in his house were able to
hear and understand that which was preached to
them ; and this eliminates the supposition that there
were infants in his household. Without delay, the
jailer took these men to some suitable place for the
purpose, washed the bloqd from their bodies, and re
ceived baptism at their hands. As soon as he saw
his duty clearly, he performed it. All earnest en
quirers should imitate his example and learn the
lesson of promptness from this heathen man who
accepted the first invitation ever extended to him to
become a Christian.
After the sacred rite of baptism had been per-

130 Paul the Apostle
formed, the jailer brought the missionaries into his
own house, fed them at his own table, and rejoiced
with his entire household in their new-found faith.
We learn from the words, " brought them out," that
they went from the prison to some other place. They
were not washed, neither was the jailer baptized, in
the jail. The words, "took them," also show that
they went elsewhere, and the statement that, after
the baptism had been performed, " he brought them
up into his house," shows clearly that he was not
baptized in his house. The ordinance was admin
istered between their leaving the prison and their
entrance of the jailer's house. This is perfectly
clear ; and the further statement that the jailer and
his entire household rejoiced, believing in God, fur
nishes additional proof that his home contained no
persons that were not able to believe for themselves,
and to rejoice in the promises of the Gospel.
The report of the events that had transpired in the
precincts of the prison spread over the city before
daylight, and in the early morning the magistrates
sent messengers to the jailer with the command to
release the prisoners. He reported to Paul and Silas,
and advised them to leave the city at once, but this
did not satisfy them. Had they consented to that
kind of release, they would have appeared to the
public as pardoned criminals, and the report that
would have gone out would have injured their stand
ing in other places where they expected to preach
the Gospel.
Paul resolved to stand on his dignity and claim
his rights as a Roman citizen. He said to the jailer :
" They have beaten us openly and uncondemned,

Second Missionary Journey Begun 131
men that are Romans, and have cast us into prison ;
and do they now cast us out privily ? nay verily ;
but let them come themselves and bring us out."
The officers that had been sent by the magistrates
with orders to release the prisoners returned and
reported to them what Paul had said ; and when
they heard that the men in custody were Romans,
they were afraid and came gladly to the prison and
asked them to depart from the city. It was a crime
to scourge a Roman citizen before he was condemned,
and that is what had been done to these men. The
officers were anxious to make the best of a bad con
dition by being especially courteous, and by getting
rid of them on the easiest possible terms. The
honour of the missionaries was thus vindicated, and
they were ready to depart.
It is worthy of remark that the first home in Europe
into which ministers of Christ were received and in
which they found the most hospitable welcome and
generous entertainment was that of a woman. On
the day that Lydia became a Christian she threw the
doors of her house wide open to Paul and his com
panions and told them to make themselves at home.
It is needless to say that this offer was gladly accepted.
From that day till they left the city they were inmates
of Lydia's house. Only one night was spent outside
of that home and that was the night that they spent
in the jail, their last night in the city.
The church in Philippi was the first Christian con
gregation established in Europe. In the First Epistle
to the Thessalonians, which is the earliest of all of
Paul's epistles, he referred to his experience at
Philippi in these words: "But even after that we

132 Paul the Apostle
had suffered before, and were shamefully treated as
ye know at Philippi, we were bold in our God to
speak unto you the Gospel of God with much conten
tion." These words were written soon after Paul and
Silas left Philippi, while the impressions made there
were still deep and fresh in his mind. He did not
need the power of his inspiration to recall them to
his memory. This church sent material contributions
to Paul while he was in Thessalonica (Phil. iv. 16) ;
and when he was a prisoner in Rome, this same
church sent him relief for his needs by the hands of
Epaphroditus (Phil. ii. 25, 26), who was detained in
Rome by a severe attack of illness. Paul ever re
garded this church with tender affection, and in the
Epistle to the Philippians there is not a word of
censure.

THE SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY CON
TINUED : FROM PHILIPPI TO CORINTH,
AND THENCE TO ANTIOCH
IMMEDIATELY after leaving the prison Paul
and Silas went to the house of Lydia, in which
they had made their home ever since she and
her household were baptized, to pay a final visit and
take formal leave. They saw the brethren and left
the city. The missionaries had spent " many days"
in the city before they were imprisoned, and the
" brethren " mentioned had been baptized during that
time. The seventeenth chapter of Acts begins by the
writer's using the pronoun of the third person. This
fact shows that when Paul and Silas left Philippi,
Luke remained behind to continue the work that all
four had begun. Timothy also remained with Luke
to assist him in completing the organization of the
church and deepening its spiritual life. At the time
Paul wrote the Epistle to the Philippians, the con
gregation was fully organized, with the proper of
ficiary (Phil. i. 1). These officers were probably
appointed after Paul left the city.
On leaving Philippi, Paul and Silas travelled a
day's journey of thirty-three miles to the city of
Amphipolis. This was a beautiful place and beauti
fully situated. It stood near a small lake three miles
133

134 Paul the Apostle
from the sea, and the river Strymon bordered it on
three sides. The name " Amphipolis" means "The
City Surrounded by Water. ' ' Just south of it there is
a range of hills. It was a great city in Paul's day,
and was formerly called "Nine Ways," because that
number of excellent roads centered there. The site
is now occupied by the Turkish village of Jeni-Keni,
or New Town. There was no synagogue in the city,
and Paul and Silas made no stop there, unless it was
merely to pass the night and resume their journey
the next morning.
Thirty miles to the southwest from Amphipolis
stood Apollonia. The name is derived from Apollo,
one of the gods of ancient mythology. The exact site
of the town is not known, but there is no difficulty in
locating its vicinity. In going from Amphipolis to
Apollonia, Paul and Silas passed through a country
of picturesque beauty. The road lay along the
Strymonic Gulf, where the vision had a wide sweep
over the water to their left, and on the right high
wooded hills, interspersed with small valleys, added
diversity to the view. The measured beat of the surf
against the shore sounded in their ears for many
miles along the way, but the plain, unembellished
record before us in Acts merely tells us that "they
passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia." Thirty
miles is a good day's travel, and it is reasonable to
suppose that they reached Apollonia at the close of a
toilsome day, and there spent the night.
Finding no synagogue in the city, they left early
in the morning and travelled due westward thirty-
seven miles to Thessalonica. This was another good
day's journey, if, indeed, they made it in one day.

Second Missionary Journey Continued 135
They had now arrived at another noted city. It was
located at the head of the Thermaic Gulf. Cassander
had changed the name from Therma to Thessalonica
in honour of his wife who was a sister of Alexander
the Great. In Strabo's time it was the most popular
city in Macedonia. The modern name is Saloniki
and it is the most important city in European Turkey
except Constantinople.
The missionaries found a synagogue in this city.
It was probably the first one that they had found
since leaving Antioch in Pisidia. They were glad to
find a large number of Jews, and, entering the syn
agogue, they preached Christ to the people. Using
the Old Testament as a base from which to advocate
the religion of Christ gave them a ready hearing.
They followed the same plan they had adopted in
other cities, proving the claims of Jesus from the law
and the prophets. Thus they "reasoned with them
from the Scriptures." For three Sabbath days they
continued to open the Scriptures, and to show that
the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus fulfilled
them. In doing this they made good the claims of
Christ. During the time that Paul spent there, he
laboured day and night for his own support, in order
not to burden his friends (1 Thess. ii. 9). He received
some assistance from Philippi but not enough to
supply his needs, and those of Silas (Phil. iv. 15-17).
It seems that almost, if not all, the preaching done
by these men was done on the Sabbath, but it is to be
supposed that they had many special appointments
to confer personally with men and women in quest
of truth, and that their labour was not without fruit.
Large numbers were added to the Lord, men and

136 Paul the Apostle
women, Jews and Gentiles. We learn this from one
of Paul's epistles, in which he reminds his readers
that they had once been idolaters, but had turned to
serve the true God (1 Thess. i. 9).
The Jews were greatly displeased to see the Gentiles
turn to God so readily, and being influenced by prej
udice and anger, they began to oppose the further
progress of the Gospel. This opposition was open
and violent. They began by taking into their con
fidence the lowest and vilest men of the city, and
putting them forward as leaders of a mob intended to
put down the new heresy. With such a class in the
lead the city was soon in an uproar. The missionaries
had been making their home in the house of a man
named Jason, and this fact was known to those who
had caused the disturbance. When the mob got
beyond the control of the civil authorities, they
rushed to the home of Jason, expecting to force an
entrance, capture Paul and Silas, and bring them
before the court, charged with crime. But, failing
to find them, they laid hold on Jason and some other
brethren and dragged them before the rulers of the
city, saying : " These men that have turned the world
upside down are come hither also ; whom Jason hath
received ; and these all act contrary to the decree of
Csesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus."
This charge implies that Jason had been guilty of
treason by extending the hospitality of his home to
men who were regarded as dangerous to the authority
of the emperor. The rulers of the city were troubled
at hearing this charge against these men, and at the
implied guilt of Jason. Reports of what these men
had done in Philippi and other cities reached Thes-

Second Missionary Journey Continued 137
salonica. The Jews of Thessalonica had heard of
the violence done to them in other places, and with
out knowing the facts, laid all the blame on them.
The only charge against Jason was easily sustained.
He had received and entertained these men in his
home. This he did not deny. There was no crime
in entertaining them as he did. His was only an act
of generous hospitality to two strange men. He was
released, of course, but they required him to give
bond to keep the peace, and in this bond he probably
stood surety for the good behaviour of Paul and Silas.
Seeing that their usefulness in the city was over for
the present, and fearing to remain longer lest their
lives should be endangered, Paul and Silas made
haste to get away from so many enemies. They were
brave in the face of danger, but it was not good judg
ment to throw their lives away to no purpose when
the world needed them so badly. They wisely took
their departure, making their escape by the aid of
the brethren, who contrived to send them away from
the city by night. Paul had, long before this, made
his escape from Damascus by night, and his flight
from Thessalonica could not but recall melancholy
memories of that lonesome journey through the
desert. When these two messengers of Christ left Thessa
lonica, they continued to follow the well-paved mili
tary road over which they came to the city. This
broad highway, leading to the west, furnished them
an easy means of escape. They followed it for several
miles, but in order to reach Berea, they left the main
thoroughfare and travelled a less frequented road
leading more to the southwest. Berea is about sixty

138 Paul the Apostle
miles from Thessalonica, and the travellers must have
spent at least two days on the journey. Nothing is
said about intervening points. Evidently no stop
was made. The road all the way traversed a beauti
ful level country through which many sparkling
streams made their way. Berea was situated on the
eastern slope of the Olympian Range. It had many
natural advantages, and it is now regarded as one
of the best towns in Macedonia. Its gardens are
shaded with plane trees, and through its streets flow
streams of water. Its modern name is Kara-Veria,
which is easily recognized as a corruption of the
ancient name.
Paul and Silas were glad to find a synagogue in
Berea, and, in keeping with their usual custom,
they went to the place of meeting and preached the
Gospel. A further cause for joy was the fact that
they found the Jews ready to hear the word of God.
To find Jews open-minded and without prejudice was
such an unusual thing that the author of Acts saw
proper to make a record of the fact. Their attitude
towards the Scriptures is stated in these words:
" The Jews of Berea were more noble than those of
Thessalonica in that they received the word with all
readiness of mind, examining the Scriptures daily,
whether these things were so." This favourable
attitude of the Jews made it easier to reach the
Gentiles with the truth.
Many Jews were converted to Christ, and a great
number of Gentiles, both men and women, followed
their example. This was the first place visited by
Paul and Silas where the Jews were favourable to
the religion of Christ. There was no prejudice to

Second' Missionary Journey Continued 139
encounter and overcome ; the door was wide open*
To meet with such a reception was a new experience
to these men, and they were very much encouraged
as to the present, and hopeful as to the future. Their
bright hopes, however, were soon blasted and scat
tered to the winds. They were to drink the bitter
waters of persecution and anguish in this city as they
had often done in other cities. Again they were
assailed from the rear. Paul had encountered the
same kind of opposition at Lystra, and such conduct
of the enemies of Christ was not new to him.
When the success of the Gospel in Berea became
known in Thessalonica, Jews from that place hurried
over the sixty miles of road that separated the two
cities, in order that they might oppose the work of
the missionaries. The details of the persecution are
not given, but the brethren in Berea thought that the
situation was too dangerous for Paul to remain, and
without delay they sent him away from the city.
His plan seems to have been to go to the sea, a
distance of sixteen miles, and await the arrival of his
companions. Timothy had joined him some time
since leaving Philippi, but where or when we do not
know. For some reason Silas and Timothy were left
in Berea for a while. Paul, being the most prominent
and aggressive, was in the greatest danger, and he
left the city in compliance with the judgment of his
friends. When he reached the sea, for some reason,
his plans were changed.
Those who had him in charge and felt responsible
for his life believed him to be in great danger jlji">
and were not willing for him to remain with^ slxteen
miles of so many enemies. They urp-^ tim to £°

140 Paul the Apostle
further away from Berea. To this he agreed. Ac
cordingly, they took him aboard of a ship and went
with him to Athens. The indications are that Paul
was in feeble health at this time ; otherwise, we can
see no reason why the men who took him to the sea
shore at Dium should have gone on to Athens with
him. It has been surmised that he had a weakness
of the eyes, and for this there is some reason. It has
also been surmised that he was subject to attacks of
epilepsy, and for that reason disliked to be alone.
We have never been able to find the slightest reason
for the latter conjecture, although so eminent a
scholar and critic as F. W. Farrar gave it his en
dorsement. Arriving at Athens, he sent the men
who had accompanied him back to their own homes,
and by them he sent a message to Silas and Timothy
directing them to make haste and join him in that city
where it was his intention to await their coming.
No description of Athens will be attempted. To
do so would require too much space. The city is
described in all cyclopedias, Bible dictionaries, and
in many books of travel, and the reader is referred
to such works. Athens was the center of Gentile
culture, and the site of many heathen temples. It
was the home of the fine arts, and known as "The
mother of arts and eloquence." The streets were
ornamented with the images of many gods and god
desses. These aroused Paul's indignation and pro
voked his spirit beyond measure. Renan, who was
^mself hostile to Christianity, asserts that Paul in
bis %iorance mistook these masterpieces of statuary
for idols, xyjfl railed against them for lack of knowl
edge. We a*^ jef(j i0 choose between the statement

Second Missionary Journey Continued 141
of Paul who saw what he denounced, and the opinion
of the brilliant Frenchman who lived from 1823 to
1892, and who was too strongly opposed to the re
ligion of Christ to deal justly with it.
Paul waited for Silas and Timothy, but not in idle
ness. He found a synagogue, and began to preach
Christ and Him crucified. He reasoned with the
Jews in the capital of the Greeks, and they heard
him with respect. In the Agora, the market-place,
the people freely approached him and engaged him in
conversation. He was ever ready to give a reason for
his hope, and to press the claims of Christ upon all
willing listeners. These conversations often developed
into hot discussions. They were all informal, and
held in the open. Many people listened to them.
After much effort extending through' many days,
Paul attracted the attention of the public and secured
a hearing. He encountered the philosophers of many
different schools ; the two most prominent of these
were the Stoics and the Epicureans. The Stoics de
rived their name from the stoa, or colonnade, in
which Zeno, their founder, delivered his lectures
about the year 308 b. o. Zeno and the school of
philosophy that he founded taught that total indiffer
ence to both the joys and sorrows of the world would
bring the greatest good in life. The Epicureans,
founded by Epicurus, taught that happiness was the
true aim of life, and that this springs from peace of
mind resulting from proper conduct. They put no
limit on the passions and taught no responsibility as
to one's life, holding that a free and prudent gratifi
cation of every passion was life's true aim.
Both of these sects, though differing widely from

142 Paul the Apostle
each other in the fundamental principles of their re
spective philosophies, united in denying the resur
rection and the future life. In opposition to the hard
and unsympathetic tenets of the Stoics Paul taught
that all men should rejoice in the happiness of others,
and weep with them in their sorrows and misfor
tunes ; and, in opposition to the indulgence of every
passion as practiced by the Epicureans, he taught
that men should deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,
live in a spiritual atmosphere, and think pure
thoughts. The one point at which Paul antagonized both of
these parties was that human life would issue in
eternity, and that the righteous would enjoy everlast
ing life. In this great and populous city of Athens,
this splendid, yet heathen city, most people with
whom the apostle came in contact treated him with
cold indifference and supreme contempt ; but he
succeeded in gaining the attention of a few open
minded people, and towards these he directed his
efforts. The apostle was made glad by receiving an invi
tation to speak in the Areopagus. " Mars Hill," as
it is still called, is a long low ridge extending along
the northern side of the Agora. It is about thirty
feet in height, and slopes towards the west for about
a quarter of a mile, and descends to the level of the
plain. From the Agora, a flight of steps cut into the
solid rock leads to the summit of the hill. On the
top of this hill, and in the open air, sat the court of
the Areopagus. It was the function of this court to
consider and settle all religious controversies, and
also to try and condemn criminals. Paul" was not

Second Missionary Journey Continued 143
before the court. The people in the market-place
had invited him to speak to them of the new doc
trines and to explain to them the " strange things "
that he had brought to their ears. Some of the
Athenians had expressed themselves freely in regard
to the apostle and his teaching. By some he was
called a babbler, and others ventured the opinion
that he was a proclaimer of foreign gods ; and now
the opportunity had presented itself, and Paul was
glad to be able to explain fully the object of his mis
sion to the city.
With the market-place in full view and thronged
with a noisy multitude that cared neither for Paul
nor his teaching, the great sermon on Mars Hill was
delivered ; and, in preaching, the apostle had to con
tend with the confused and mingled sounds that came
from the crowd a few steps away. Paul spoke under
difficulties. The people of Athens were noted for
their desire to hear and tell new things, and now
they were to hear something new.
The first thing that the speaker did was to pay a
high tribute to the religious fervour of the people.
He told them that he could see that they were very
religious. Their many altars erected to many gods
gave proof of this, but there was nothing in all this
to appease their heart-hunger for something better.
Back of all their known gods was the Unknown God,
and they had erected an altar to him, even though
they knew not his name or character. Paul saw that
altar, and told them that he had come among them
to make known the Unknown God. They worshipped
Him in ignorance, and it was the apostle's mission to
enable them to serve Him intelligently. He told them

144 Paul tne Apostle
of the works of the Unknown God, and declared that
God did not dwell in temples erected by man.
The apostle declared that God had overlooked
what men had done in ignorance, but would do so no
longer, that He now commands all men everywhere
to repent. As a motive to repentance the apostle
announced that God had appointed a day in which
He would judge the world in righteousness by the
man who had been ordained for that purpose. The
resurrection of Jesus is the assurance to all men that
He will judge the world. The resurrection made
the judgment as certain as the power and immutabil
ity of God can make anything.
At the reference to the resurrection some laughed
in derision. The Greeks looked upon the doctrine of
the resurrection as foolishness (1 Cor. i. 23). Some
expressed more interest, and asked that they might
hear more of the Gospel, but if Paul made any prom
ise to address them again, the record does not show
it. Still we know that it would not be like Paul to
go away and leave men pleading for further instruc
tion in the Gospel. It is probable that he addressed
them again. At the close of the sermon, a few
persons accepted the new faith. One of these was
Dionysius, a member of the court of Areopagus,
and another was Damaris, a well-known woman of
the city.
This address, of which we only have a synopsis,
was one of the most eloquent ever delivered by Paul,
and, in point of results, it amounted to less than
most of his sermons. He founded no church in
Athens, we have no Epistle to the Athenians, and we
know the names of only two persons who were con-

Second Missionary Journey Continued 145
verted on Mars Hill. It is true that the apostle
failed to establish a congregation of Christians in the
center of Greek culture, but he did not fail to preach
the Gospel of Jesus Christ. There was nothing lack
ing on his part. The same Gospel with which he had
won multitudes in other cities and which was destined
to accomplish even greater things in days to come,
failed to impress the people of Athens ; and for this
Paul was not the least responsible.
On leaving Athens Paul must have reflected seri
ously on his work in that city, and he almost ac
knowledged that he had made a mistake in his man
ner of preaching. Some of his own words indicate
this, and help us to understand the apostle's opinion
as to why he failed to establish a church of Christ
in the Grecian capital. We know that at Athens the
apostle descended to the arena of controversy in the
market-place. He disputed daily with the philoso
phers. There is only one power to save men and
that is the Gospel of Christ. When the preacher
turns aside from that great theme to discuss philoso
phy with the philosophers, he will fail. Even an
apostle could learn by experience, and this episode
was helpful to Paul.
He left Athens with fixed determination that he
would not pursue the same course in Corinth. He
would preach Christ and nothing but Christ in that
city. After his first work in Corinth he wrote to the
great church that had resulted from his labours there
describing his first appearance among them in these
words: "And I, brethren, when I came unto you,
came not with excellency of speech or of wisdom,
proclaiming to you the testimony of God. For I de-

146 Paul the Apostle
termined not to know anything among you save Jesus
Christ and him crucified" (1 Cor. ii. 1, 2). With
this determination he entered Corinth, and the great
success that followed his preaching showed the wis
dom of his course. The comparative failure at Athens
shows the weakness of philosophy and the phenomenal
success at Corinth shows the power of the Gospel.
It will be remembered that Paul sent word back by
his friends who accompanied him to Athens to Silas
and Timothy, who had remained behind at Berea, to
join him at their earliest opportunity. The record in
Acts does not inform us whether they overtook him
in Athens or not, but in the first Epistle to the Thes
salonians, written soon after leaving Athens, we learn
that Timothy joined him in that city.
Silas had probably remained at Berea to continue
the work of instructing the church. Timothy, on
joining Paul, was sent to Thessalonica, as is seen in
these words : "When we could no longer forbear, we
thought it good to be left in Athens alone and sent
Timothy, our brother and God's minister in the Gos
pel of Christ, to establish you and comfort you con
cerning the faith " (1 Thess. iii. 1, 2). We are not
informed as to the purpose of this mission, but some
thing that Paul regarded as urgent made the journey
necessary. Paul was much depressed during his stay
in Athens, and when he took leave of that wicked
and idolatrous city, he was a melancholy, disap
pointed man. His failure in Athens cast a gloom
over his spirit, and it took some time for him to re
cover from the depressing effects of his disappoint
ment. The change of scene and environment aided
him to overcome his despondency.

Second Missionary Journey Continued 147
Taking a sorrowful departure from Athens, the
city that he never visited again, Paul passed on to
Corinth. The Corinth of Paul's day was a new city
bearing the old name, and built among the ruins of
its predecessor. It is forty miles from Athens in a
due west course. Paul in journeying thither must
have sailed to Cenchrea, a port on the Saronic Gulf,
on" the eastern side of the Isthmus of Corinth which
connects the southern peninsula of Greece with the
mainland to the north. The distance from Cenchrea
to Corinth was only eight miles, and Paul doubtless
made the journey on foot. The chief landmark of
Corinth was the lofty citadel known as the Aero Co-
rinthus. It rises to the enormous height of two thou
sand feet, and its dark shadow reaches far out over
the sea. As Paul walked along the highway, this
towering peak was in full view all the way from the
time he left Cenchrea. The city was situated on the
western side of the isthmus and at the head of the
Gulf of Corinth. The location was favourable to com
merce, and because of this fact, many Jews _esided
there. Cenchrea gave them an outlet towards the
east, and the Gulf of Corinth on the west made
connection with the Adriatic Sea. This put the im
portant ports of the west into close commercial rela
tion with Corinth. Paul was alone when he left
Athens, and alone he entered Corinth. He was with
out money and without friends, but not without
means of support. The industrial training that he
received in his boyhood served him well in this time
of need. The first effort he made was not to convert
men to Christ, but to find employment at his trade
of tent-making. He was thrown on his own re-

148 Paul the Apostle
sources, and was compelled to earn his own expenses.
He was fortunate in becoming acquainted with a man
and his wife, who were ever afterwards among his
best and dearest friends. These were Aquila and
Priscilla, also written Prisca. They were Jews like
himself. Aquila was a native of Pontus, a province in Asia
Minor, touching the south shore of the Black Sea.
He and his wife had migrated to Rome, but had been
driven out of that city by an imperial edict banish
ing all Jews from Italy. Not being allowed to locate
anywhere in Italy, they journeyed to Corinth, and
had been there but a short time when Paul arrived.
They had some means of their own, and were con
ducting a business which seems to have been prosper
ous. Tent-making was their business, and their out
put was all made by hand. Having learned this trade
when a boy, Paul applied to them for employment.
We know that he abode with them and worked with
them, and it is natural to suppose that he received a
stipulated price for his labour. Let us not think less
of Paul because he was a hired labourer. Jesus was
a carpenter. There can be no disgrace in honest toil.
Labour has been dignified in the life of the Master,
and of Paul, His chief minister. We are not in
formed whether Aquila and Priscilla were Christians
or not when Paul met them. The probability, how
ever, is that they were not till their hired man taught
them the way of the Lord and led them to Christ.
For a while Paul was so low spirited that he was
not very aggressive in his mission work. He had
not yet recovered from the depression of spirits that
overcame him at Athens. The first of all of Paul's

Second Missionary Journey Continued 149
letters is the First Epistle to the Thessalonians, which
was written soon after he arrived in Corinth ; and,
in that document, we learn much of his inward feel
ing at this time. In writing to the brethren in Cor
inth, he reminded them that he had been with them
in weakness, fear and much trembling (1 Cor. ii. 3).
During these days of weakness and fear, he laboured
in the shop of the tent-maker through the week and
preached in the synagogue on the Sabbath. His
preaching was not very successful at first, and there
is reason to believe that the despondency of the apos
tle had much to do with his lack of visible results.
A man who is down-hearted and discouraged is not
at his best Paul was below his own level at this
time. This period of discouragement was happily ter
minated by the arrival of Silas and Timothy from
Macedonia. It is probable that Luke was at Phi
lippi still. The indications are that he remained near
that place for many years. These brethren, Silas and
Timothy, brought Paul reports from the churches
and kind messages from his friends in Macedonia.
This refreshed him. Timothy came from Thessalo
nica and Silas from Berea, and from them Paul learned
the general condition of affairs in the churches in
Macedonia. After the arrival of his friends, Paul
began to preach with more zeal and energy than
had characterized his labour up to that time. He
once more became aggressive, and was his old self
again. When he argued that Jesus was the Christ, many
Jews opposed him. Their opposition increased till
they became angry and began to blaspheme. Paul

150 Paul the Apostle
was not a man to waste time in casting pearls before
swine. He turned from the Jews to the Gentiles,
and found the latter willing hearers. His parting
message to the Jews was this, "Your blood be upon
your own heads ; I am clean : from henceforth I will
go unto the Gentiles." Having said this, he deliber
ately walked out of the synagogue, followed by a few
devoted friends. Titus Justus, one of these friends,
owned a house that stood next door to the synagogue,
and he generously tendered Paul the use of it as a
preaching place. This man was a Gentile proselyte.
It is not known that he ever became a Christian, but
most probably he did.
One of the men who walked out of the synagogue
when Paul led the way was Crispus. He was a
ruler, but he did not permit his popularity in the
synagogue to keep him out of Christ. His family
became Christians along with him. "Many of the
Corinthians, hearing the word, believed and were
baptized" (Acts xviii. 8). Two of the converts,
whose names are not given in the narrative, were
Gaius and Stephanas (1 Cor. i. 15, 16). Timothy and
Silas did most of the baptizing. Paul could not re
member whether he baptized any except the parties
mentioned in the above citation. Paul was ac
customed to have one or more assistants with him,
and when it became necessary for him to be left
alone for a while, he was always downcast. The fact
that the ruler of the synagogue embraced Christianity
shows that all Jews were not controlled by prejudice.
The fact that he united with the disciples is not so
remarkable as is the fact that he renounced a high
position to follow his convictions. Not every man

Second Missionary Journey Continued 151
would be willing to make such a sacrifice. His con
duct is very much to his credit, and we should like
to know more about him.
When Timothy arrived from Macedonia and re
ported to Paul the condition of the church in Thes
salonica, the apostle immediately wrote his first
epistle to that congregation. By studying the
epistle, we learn much about the church to which
it was written. Timothy had just come when Paul
wrote (iii. 6). Paul rejoiced when he heard of their
joy (iii. 6-8). It is not our purpose to examine the
contents of this epistle, but the letter should be
studied in connection with Paul's first visit to
Corinth. The contents show why it was written and
the conditions it was intended to meet. Timothy
remained in Corinth but a short time, and was dis
patched to Thessalonica to bear the epistle. Silas
remained with Paul.
About the time that Timothy went to Thessalonica,
Paul received a vision that gave him much encourage
ment. The Lord who had appeared to him in Jeru
salem many years before and directed him to leave
the city, appeared to him in Corinth and told him to
continue to preach the Gospel without fear. Being
thus assured that no harm would come to him per
sonally and that his labours would be abundantly
fruitful, he continued to preach the Gospel with
greater power and effect than he had done. He
preached in the city for eighteen months, which was
the longest time that he had spent at any one place
since Barnabas found him in Tarsus and took him to
Antioch. This protracted stay was for a twofold
purpose ; he not only laboured to convert sinners to

152 Paul the Apostle
Christ, but also to develop the spiritual life of the
congregation. The principal work that he did during
the latter part of his ministry there was to lead the
converted heathen into the fuller light and life of the
Gospel. Affairs went well for a while ; but the unbelieving
Jews, inflamed with jealousy and rage, arose with
one accord against Paul and brought him before the
proconsul of the district, under the charge that he
taught men to worship God contrary to the law.
This proconsul was Gallio, a brother of Seneca, the
famous philosopher and moralist. Seneca has thus
described the character of Gallio, "No mortal man
is so sweet to any single person as he is to all man
kind." " Even those who love my brother Gallio to
the uttermost of their power do not love him enough. "
It is unpleasant to record that both of these brothers
committed suicide.
Gallio is famous for his good judgment, mild
temper, and kindly disposition. He had but recently
come into the province to assume the reins of power,
and the Jews, hoping to enlist his sympathy and in
fluence on their side of the controversy, made haste
to bring the apostle before him. The law that Paul
was charged with breaking here was the Jewish law,
and for this law the Romans cared nothing. The
Jews were no longer a nation with their own govern
ment and code of laws, but were tributary to the
Roman Empire and subject to its laws. The au
thorities of the empire permitted the Jews to practice
their own laws so far as it applied to religious ob
servances. They hoped for a favourable decision
from Gallio, supposing that he would forbid a Jew to

Second Missionary Journey Continued 153
violate the laws of the Jews. The proconsul, how
ever, was a different type of man from some officials
before whom Paul had been arraigned in other cities.
He listened to the statement of the case with ap
parent interest and real respect, and as Paul was
about to speak in his own defense, broke out with a
speech of his own. He was indignant that a matter
so trivial should be brought to his attention. His
keen perception enabled him to see, at a glance, the
malice that actuated the Jews, and he was determined
that no such procedure should be recognized in his
jurisdiction. He said : "If indeed it were a matter
of wrong or wicked villainy, O ye Jews, reason would
that I should bear with you ; but if they are ques
tions about words and names and your law, look to
it yourselves ; I am not minded to be a judge in these
matters." At the conclusion of this short speech,
Gallio drove the Jews from his presence. His office
was that of governor of the province, and he had no
time to waste in trying to adjust such matters. The
charge against Paul was too trifling for consideration.
The proconsul was a real heathen, but wise in
matters of State. His speech to the Jews shows that
he was pitiably ignorant of the Christian religion.
To him the trouble was over words and names,
nothing more. The majority of the people present
approved the wisdom of Gallio in dismissing the
case. Sosthenes, who was appointed to the office
of rUler in the synagogue to fill the vacancy made
when Crispus became a Christian, was the leader
of the Jews ; he had brought the case before Gallio
and made the speech of accusation ; and when the
people saw how the governor had disposed of the

154 Paul tne Apostle
charge, they rushed upon Sosthenes and administered
to him a severe beating, immediately before the judg
ment seat, and in the presence of the proconsul.
Gallio could plainly see that the majority sympathized
with Paul. He did not try to restrain the mob,
knowing that Sosthenes richly deserved the castiga-
tion. Before Paul left Corinth, Timothy returned from
Thessalonica. The report that he brought from that
church made it necessary for Paul to write another
epistle to correct the misapprehensions of the first
one. Both of the Thessalonian epistles were written
within a few months of each other, in the year 52.
Paul remained in Corinth for some time after the
incident before the judgment seat of the proconsul,
and then closed his labours there for the time
being. Here we lose sight of Silas. From this time
forth his movements are unknown. Some think that
he remained in Corinth till Paul made his third mis
sionary journey, and this conjecture is plausible.
When Paul left the city, he left behind him many
true and devoted friends, but the two to whom he
was most devoted accompanied him on his journey.
These were Aquila and Priscilla, the first friends he
made in Corinth, the friends who had given him
employment in time of need, and who had been his
helpers in the Gospel for one year and six months.
They had passed through trying scenes together, and
were destined to be much together in the future.
They passed across the isthmus to Cenchrea, and
from that port sailed away towards the east. Before
Paul sailed from Cassarea, the time of a vow that he
had taken upon himself expired. He had allowed

Second Missionary Journey Continued 155
his hair to grow long as did those under the Nazarite
vow of the Jewish law. At Cenchrea he had his hair
cut and resumed the ordinary course of life.
When Paul arrived at Ephesus, on the eastern
coast of the iEgean Sea, he went into the synagogue
and delivered a sermon. The Jews who heard him
were much pleased, and earnestly requested him to
remain longer. He did not consent to stay, but left
a promise to visit them in the future, if God should
so will. He remembered that once before he had his
face turned towards that city, and that the Holy Spirit
had turned him back, and he thought best to make
the promise to visit the city in the future subject to
God's will. He lived to fulfill the promise and to
work wonders among the people. His stay this time
was brief, and when he departed to go into Syria, he
left his two companions behind him. We can well
believe that the separation from Aquila and Priscilla
was solemn and affecting, but Ephesus was so ripe
for the harvest that Paul thought it best to leave his
faithful helpers there to prepare the people for his
return. Once more we find the apostle a solitary
traveller. There were others in the ship, it is true,
but he was alone, a strange man among strange men.
There is no mention made of any landing between
Ephesus and Csesarea. The ship passed near Cyprus
en route and landed at Csesarea, where Peter had
opened the door of the kingdom to the Gentiles many
years before.
There is some uncertainty as to Paul's movements
after landing at Csesarea. It is said that he "went
up and saluted the church." Some understand this
to refer to the church in Csesarea, and others con-

156 Paul the Apostle
tend that he visited the church in Jerusalem. The
Twentieth Century New Testament sustains the latter
contention. "On reaching Csesarea, he went up to
Jerusalem and exchanged greetings with the church,
and then went down to Antioch " (Acts xviii. 22).
We can imagine the feelings of the apostle as he
entered Jerusalem. He had been there many times,
and was among familiar scenes. Many changes had
taken place since he first saw the city, and the greatest
of these changes was in himself. He gave the church
a glowing account of his work among the Gentiles.
Jerusalem was the home of Silas whom Paul had left
at Corinth, and many of his friends no doubt enquired
about him. Paul's stay was short. He hurried away
to Antioch, to the church from which he and Silaa
had gone out about three years before. He had trav
elled on this tour about 3,200 miles, and was glad to
have time for a needed rest.

XI
THE THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY BEGUN:
FROM ANTIOCH TO EPHESUS
IN describing the time spent at Antioch on this
occasion Luke is very brief and indefinite.
He merely says that the apostle spent "some
time" there, and in few words mentions a journey
that it took several months to accomplish. It reached
across at least six hundred miles. He passed through
Galatia and Phiygia, and in order to do this, he
passed through Syria and Cilicia. Once more, pass
ing through the Cilician Gates, he again reached the
highlands of Asia Minor. On his first visit to these
countries Barnabas was with him, on his second tour
Silas was his companion, and from Lystra onward
Timothy was his fellow-worker also. And now at
the time of which we write, he was making his third
tour alone. He no doubt visited Lystra, Derbe, and
the Pisidian Antioch, all of them scenes of his former
labours. He found many old acquaintances among
the churches.
At Lystra many questions were doubtless asked
about Timothy. Had he made good? Where was
he labouring at that time ? It was a good report that
Paul was able to make to Timothy's kindred and
friends in his home town. The young evangelist had
proved himself worthy to be the companion and
157

158 Paul the Apostle
co-labourer of the apostle. Paul made no long stops.
Ephesus was his objective point.* There he had left
Aquila and Priscilla to labour in the Gospel and there
he had an appointment that he made while on his
way to Jerusalem, to return and preach the unsearch
able riches of Christ. He was hastening to meet his
friends and fill his engagement.
Before the apostle reached Ephesus, events of much
moment had transpired there. Apollos, a learned
and eloquent Jew from Alexandria in Egypt, had
come to the city to preach. He was mighty in the
Scriptures ; but the work that he did was imperfect
for the reason that he had been imperfectly taught.
He told all he knew, but he did not know enough.
He had learned nothing of the Gospel except John's
baptism. His knowledge of the Gospel extended no
farther than the teaching of John the Baptist, and we
can readily see that his conception of Christ and the
Gospel was sadly defective. He looked for Christ
yet to come. Aquila and Priscilla went to hear him
preach, and seeing that he was very much in need of
instruction, took him into their confidence, gained his
good will, and taught him the way of the Lord more
perfectly. They did this very delicately so as not to
make him feel sensitive. They were too late in their
instruction, however, to prevent an occurrence that
otherwise would have been avoided. He had al
ready baptized twelve persons to whom he had im
parted his imperfect knowledge of Jesus Christ.
What Apollos could have done, had his matchlesB
eloquence been coupled with a full knowledge of the
Gospel, can be estimated by what he did later in the
resplendent light of perfect teaching.

Third Missionary Journey Begun 159
Having learned the real truth of the Gospel, Apol
los did not tarry long in the city. Either of his own
accord or upon the advice of his friends who had led
him into the light, he passed over to Corinth on the
western side of the iEgean Sea. There was a large
and flourishing congregation of Christians in Corinth,
and there the cause was well established. We have
already seen how it had been founded by Paul and
how it was nurtured by Silas, after the apostle had
left the city on his voyage to Syria. Apollos bore
letters of commendation from the brethren in Ephesus,
and was given a glad welcome in Corinth where
Aquila and Priscilla had many friends. This en
dorsement served to introduce him and give him a
commanding influence from the start. He did not
have to spend much time getting acquainted with the
people. Under his preaching the church was greatly
strengthened. A short time after Apollos left Ephesus, Paul made
his appearance in that city. He had passed through
the uplands of Asia Minor and come down to
Ephesus, approaching the city from the interior.
There is no record of the incidents of the journey till
he reached Ephesus. This city became the third
capital of Christianity. The teaching of Jesus began
in Jerusalem, spread to Antioch, and passed on to
Ephesus — all within a period of something like
twenty years. Numerous intervening points of less
importance had been revolutionized by the Gospel.
The country was ablaze with the fire from heaven.
Ephesus was situated one mile from the Icarian Sea,
an arm of the iEgean, on a low swampy plain through
which the river Cayster winds its way. The haven

160 Paul the Apostle
had been one of the best on the coast of Asia Minor,
but in Paul's day it had deteriorated on account of
neglect. It had been filled up in part by silt deposits,
but was still thronged with trading vessels from many
lands. The city was large, and many different nations
and tribes were represented among its inhabitants.
It was the site of one of the Seven Churches of Asia.
It was rich in wealth and resplendent with beauty.
The calamity predicted in Revelation ii. 5 has long
since become a fact, and by it we are furnished with
a melancholy testimony to the truthfulness of the
Master's words. The candlestick has been removed
out of its place, and a desolate ruin is all that re
mains to mark the location of this once splendid
city. The most notable feature of the city was the temple
of Diana. It was four hundred and twenty-five feet
long, and one hundred and twenty feet wide ; a row
of marble columns extended all around it, standing
less than two feet apart. There were one hundred
and twenty of these columns, each one of which had
been given by a king. The temple contained a stair
way that had been made from a single vine from the
Island of Cyprus, and the interior was magnificently
decorated with sculpture and painting. The inner
sanctuary contained a coarse image of a woman with
many breasts. This was perhaps to symbolize two
ideas — fruitfulness in human propagation, and the
fact that the streams of physical life have their
source in the breasts of nature. This image was be
lieved to have been made by Jupiter and dropped
down from heaven as a special gift to the city.
Ephesus was known far and wide as the site of this

Third Missionary Journey Begun 161
temple and the custodian of this image, but even the
guardianship of Jupiter was not sufficient to secure
the temple and the city from destruction.
On the night that Alexander the Great was born,
Herostratus, an Ephesian, set fire to the magnificent
temple and it was burned to the ground. The man
who did this evil deed wanted to make a name in
history, but was incapable of doing anything good by
which to be remembered, and resorted to incendi
arism. It must be remembered, however, that this
temple was destroyed long before Paul's time. It was
rebuilt on a still more splendid scale, if possible, and
it was this rebuilt temple that Paul saw. It was
plundered by the Goths, when the avalanche of
invasion rolled over the nations of the south, and
soon afterwards it became a neglected ruin. Some
of the material of this temple has been worked into
other buildings. The green jasper columns that sup
port the dome of the mosque of St. Sophia in Con
stantinople were once in the temple of Diana, and in
many of the cathedrals scattered throughout southern
Europe other fragments of this celebrated structure
can be found.
When Paul arrived at Ephesus he found the twelve
persons who had been baptized by Apollos, and in
order to test their knowledge of the religion of Christ,
he asked them if they had received the Holy Spirit
since they believed ; the manner in which they an
swered him was sufficient to convince him that their
knowledge was woefully incomplete. They had not
so much as heard of the Holy Spirit. And when the
apostle asked them as to their baptism, they said that
they had received only the baptism of John. Apol-

] 62 Paul the Apostle
los who taught them knew nothing but the teaching
of John, and gave them no information beyond the
statement that the Messiah was yet to come. They
had accepted all the truth they had heard, and were
anxious to learn more. This shows their sincerity.
All people are not so consistent. Paul explained to
them that John baptized in water, preparing those
who accepted his baptism to receive the Christ who
should come after him. He also told them that the
promised one had come since the time that John an
nounced His coming. As soon as he explained to
them that the Christ had already come they saw their
error and accepted the full Gospel. They received
Christian baptism, after which Paul laid his hands
on them and conferred upon them power to speak
with tongues and prophesy. This was the beginning
of the church in Ephesus. There were other disciples
in the city, but they were few in number. The
planting of the church there must be dated from
Paul's second visit to the city.
The rebaptism of the twelve teaches us that John's
baptism was not valid after the day of Pentecost.
We know that it was accepted before that time. The
apostles, chosen by Jesus and commissioned to preach
the Gospel to the whole creation, had received John's
baptism, and no other was required of them. The
baptism authorized by Jesus was first administered
on the day of Pentecost, and from that time forward
the baptism of John was not recognized. The case
of the twelve persons in Ephesus was a test case, and
is the only one on record as occurring after the intro
duction of the baptism ordained by Christ.
When Paul had corrected the errors of his prede-

Third Missionary Journey Begun 163
cessor by completing his unfinished work, he went
into the synagogue and for three months fearlessly
preached the Gospel of Christ. Many accepted the
message, and many also rejected it. Others not only
refused to accept it but openly denounced it as false.
When the apostle saw that some viewed his preach
ing with derision, he showed a high degree of cour
age and independence. He withdrew his followers
from the synagogue and found another meeting place.
The Christian congregation in that city was not
henceforth to be regarded as a part of the number
comprising the synagogue, but as an independent
and separate organization. The brethren met in a
Bchoolhouse. Tyrannus, who conducted a school of philosophy
or rhetoric, was probably among the number con
verted to Christ by Paul's preaching, and was will
ing to allow Paul the use of his lecture hall as a
place to preach. Whether the disciples rented the
hall or whether Tyrannus donated the use of it, we
are not told. We do know that the relationship of
the apostle and the teacher of the school was pleasant
and fraternal. The arrangement, whatever it was,
was satisfactory to both, and for two years Paul con
tinued to occupy the schoolroom. During this
time, he saw the church grow from a small and
weak congregation to a power that revolutionized
the social and religious life of the entire city. Two
years of faithful labour wrought great wonders.
The apostle's influence was not confined to the
city, but "All that were in Asia heard the word
of the Lord, both Jews and Greeks." No doubt he
had many helpers who laboured under his direction.

164 Paul the Apostle
The work greatly prospered, and many out-stations
were established. Congregations were formed in the
different villages throughout the country. It could
not have been otherwise if all Asia had been evangel
ized. " God wrought special miracles by the hand
of Paul," and the work grew greater still. From
the apostle handkerchiefs were taken to those that
were too sick to be brought to him, and all the sick
were healed. Even the demons fled out of those
possessed of them at the mention of the name of
Jesus, and the demoniacs were restored to their rea
son. Everything that occurred served to help the
church. Paul had never met with such astounding
success in all his previous experience.
In Ephesus there lived some men who professed to
be exorcists. They claimed that they had the power
to cast out demons. One of these men, whose name
was Sceva, a Jewish chief priest, had seven sons who
boasted of this power. They knew that Paul had
relieved many demoniacs, and supposed that the
name of Jesus possessed some magical charm. And,
as Paul had used this name in casting out demons,
they decided that they would adopt the apostle's
method and endeavour to work it themselves. They
were not willing to make a public attempt until they
had made a private test of their ability. Accord
ingly, they decided to make a test. Two of these
impostors enticed a demoniac into a private room
for the purpose of experimenting on him. He was
caused to stand before them, and one of them said,
"I adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth;"
but, instead of the evil spirit's going out of the man,
as it would have done before Paul, the demon re-

Third Missionary Journey Begun 165
plied, "Jesus I know and Paul I know; but who
are ye?" The man, possessed of the evil spirit, was
enraged by the demon within him, and rushed fran
tically upon the pretenders, tearing and biting them
with such fierceness that they ran out of the house
with their clothing torn to tatters and their bodies
bleeding with many wounds. By this humiliating
experience these impostors were taught that the
name of Jesus was too sacred to-be used by the jug
gler and the humbug.
The secret could not be kept. The people of the
city laughed, and the impostors fell into disfavour.
Fear fell upon all, and the name of Jesus was magni
fied. The Gospel made great gains, and the pre
tended magicians continued to lose ground. Their
hypocrisy had been exposed, and the people no
longer honoured them. Some of them were con
strained to confess their duplicity. They came to
Paul and declared their deeds. They showed how
they had managed to delude the people and hold
sway over them. However, they never confessed
their deeds till they had first confessed Christ.
Many of them who had formerly practiced on the
credulity of the people, and who had accumulated
large libraries treating of magic and legerdemain
brought their books together and burned them in a
public place. The value of these books is stated at
fifty thousand pieces of silver. In American money
this would amount to more than eight thousand dol
lars. The tricks of the magician and the juggler
have no interest to the man who has found Christ.
The confession of these tricksters and the burning
of the books gave further impetus to the cause of

166 Paul the Apostle
Christ. "So mightily grew the word of the Lord
and prevailed." It grew upon the will and the
affections of the people ; it grew mightily ; it pre
vailed. The religion of Christ became the greatest
power in the city, and the church the most popular
institution. The strength of the church became such that Paul
began to think of other fields that were white for the
harvest. He planned journeys that it would have
taken him several years to complete. He intended
to go through Macedonia and Achaia to Jerusalem,
and thence to Rome. He sent Timothy and Erastus,
who had been with him some time in Ephesus, into
Macedonia, expecting to follow them himself in the
near future. The plan was carried out, but in a way
far different from that which Paul expected. He did
go through Macedonia to Jerusalem and on to Rome,
and it will be our pleasant task, at the proper time,
to follow him all the way, and note the incidents of
the journey.
Timothy had been sent as far as Corinth (1 Cor-
iv. 17); and as that city was the home of Erastus,
who had accompanied him from Ephesus through
Macedonia, and who had long been absent from
home, it is probable that they both went on to Cor
inth together. At a later period, Erastus was treas
urer of the city, and it is not improbable that he
held that office at this time (Rom. xvi. 23). Because
of some statements in 2 Corinthians, some think
that Paul had, previous to this time, visited Corinth
and returned to Ephesus.
We have now come to the time and place of the
writing of the First Epistle to the Corinthians. In

Third Missionary Journey Begun 167
1 Corinthians xvi. 8, 9, the apostle writes, "I will
tarry at Ephesus till Pentecost ; for a great and effec
tual door is opened to me and there are many adver
saries." This door was opened by the book burning
already mentioned. The epistle was written during
the period of prosperity that followed the victory
over the magicians. It is not the first epistle that
Paul wrote to the church in Corinth, notwithstand
ing the title it bears. An earlier and, perhaps, a
much shorter epistle had been written to that church,
and is mentioned by Paul in 1 Corinthians v. 9.
This letter has been lost. The document that we
know as the First Epistle to the Corinthians was
written about the time that Timothy and Erastus left
Ephesus to go into Macedonia, and it is almost certain
that one of these men bore the epistle to its desti
nation. The epistle was called forth by certain sinful prac
tices that were rife in the church in Corinth, where
many kinds of sin and disorder prevailed. By
studying this letter we obtain much knowledge of the
internal condition of the church at the time the
apostle wrote. The object of the communication was
to correct the disorders that it rebukes. Paul ob
tained his information as to the condition of the
church from some members of the household of Chloe,
and who were members of the Corinthian church
(1 Cor. i. 11). He thus learned that the congrega
tion was divided into parties (i. 12 ; iii. 1-4) ; that
some of the brethren were going to law with each
other before heathen judges (vi. 1-18) ; that adultery,
and even the worse crime of incest, were openly
practiced (v. 1-13) ; that some of the members of the

168 Paul the Apostle
church denied his authority as an apostle (iv. 1-6 ;
xiv. 21) ; that some of the Corinthian women were
violating the common rules of modesty and decency
in the public meetings of the church (xi. 1-16) ; that
there was much confusion arising from jealousy in
regard to spiritual gifts (Chapters xii., xiii., xiv.) ;
that the sacred institution of the Lord's supper had
been grossly perverted by those who should have
known better than to practice such sin (xi. 17-34) ;
and further still, that he had received letters from
certain persons in the church asking him about mar
riage and divorce, and eating meat offered to idols
(vii. 1 ; viii. 1).
All of these questions are answered and all of
these sins rebuked in the epistle. The language is
sometimes severe in tone. The condition of the
church was deplorable, and the apostle felt impelled
to rebuke with harshness. The church had cost him
much pain, labour and sorrow. He never wrote any
thing in his first epistle to indicate the deep feelings
and emotions that he experienced when writing, but
in his second epistle he wrote, "Out of much afflic
tion and anguish of heart, I wrote to you with many
tears " (2 Cor. ii. 4). He was evidently overflowing
with grief when he plaoed that epistle in the hands
of Timothy or Erastus to be delivered to his erring
but beloved brethren of Corinth.
Soon after these two brethren had been sent away
on the mission to Macedonia, serious trouble arose in
Ephesus. A riot occurred in the city, and Paul was
involved in it. He had denounced idolatry in the
strongest terms, and the guild of silversmiths arose
against him, and accused him of injuring their busi-

Third Missionary Journey Begun 169
ness. These adversaries (mentioned in 1 Cor. xvi. 18)
became very aggressive. A man named Demetrius
was their leader. He and several others of the same
craft had their income from making silver images as
souvenirs to supply the demands of the tourists who
visited the temple of Diana. These images were im
itations of the one within the temple. Calling his
fellow-craftsmen together, Demetrius delivered an
inflammatory address to them and roused them to
active opposition. He told of the falling off in the
sale of "shrines," and very properly attributed the
decrease in business to the preaching of Paul. The
apostle had said in Ephesus what he had said in
Athens, and still earlier at Lystra, that there were no
gods made with hands. Demetrius quoted him cor
rectly. If the people should believe Paul, the temple
would be deserted and the market for shrines des
troyed, and the city, known throughout the world
as the seat of the most splendid of all temples, would
lose its prestige. Should the temple fall into dis
favour, the city would diminish in pppularity and
importance. The silversmiths were filled with intense anger,
and raised a cheer for their favourite goddess, saying,
" Great is Diana of the Ephesians." The enthusiasm
of the artisans spread to the populace, and the tumult
increased. Two of Paul's companions, Gaius and
Aristarchus, men of Macedonia, were seized and
dragged into the theatre, followed by a throng of
angry men. The theatre was made in the natural
rock, open to the sky, and large enough to accommo
date thirty thousand men. The frenzied mob took
Gaius and Aristarchus thence in order to find room

170 Paul the Apostle
for the large number that had gathered under the ex
citement of the moment. Paul was not present when
his companions were Seized, and it is perhaps fortu
nate that he was not ; but when he heard that they
had been forcibly dragged into the theatre, and fear
ing that they would be murdered, he endeavoured to
go to their rescue. He could not think of being safe
himself when the lives of his friends that he loved
and trusted were in danger, but he had other friends
who persuaded him not to risk his life in that way.
It is probable that Paul refers to this exciting experi
ence in 2 Corinthians i. 8-10.
After telling how Paul's life was saved, Luke pro
ceeds to record what took place inside the theatre.
Excitement ran high, some cried one thing and some
another, and many did not know the cause of the
gathering. Alexander, a Jew, was put forward by
the Jews and began to address the assembly. They
knew him, and being aware that he and Paul were
both Jews, refused to hear him speak in behalf of the
latter's friends. They howled him down with the
familiar exclamation, "Great is Diana of the Ephe
sians." They kept up a continuous roar of shouting
for two hours. The Jews as a class feared the mob.
They opposed idolatry as did Paul, and expected to
be classed with him as opposed to the temple and its
service. If Alexander had been permitted to finish
his speech, he probably would have said that Paul
was a degenerate, an apostate from the faith of Israel,
and that the orthodox Jews should not be held ac
countable for his conduct. It may be that the mob
saw the point he was trying to make and refused, on
that account, to hear him further, drowning his

Third Missionary Journey Begun 171
speech in a torrent of tumultuous noise. This is one
of the ways a coward meets argument.
After two hours of excitement and shouting, the
town clerk arose, and with a few well chosen words
put an end to the riotous scene. The speech can be
read in Acts xix. 35-41. He stated what his hearers
regarded as facts, that all men knew that Ephesus
was temple-keeper for Diana, that all men believed
that the image within the temple had fallen down
from Jupiter, and that these facts were too well
known to be disputed. He exhorted them to act
with calmness and deliberation, and to do nothing
rash. He declared that Paul and his friends were
neither robbers of the temple nor blasphemers of the
goddess, and that Demetrius had access to the civil
courts where any grievance that he might have
against the Christians could be easily adjusted.
Then he reminded the people that the city was in
danger of incurring the wrath of the Emperor for
allowing such a riot to occur, there being no reason
that they could give for such an outbreak.
At the conclusion of the address, the assembly
quietly filed out of the theatre, and the turbulent
scene ended and quiet was restored. Gaius and
Aristarchus, who had been so near to death at the
hands of the angry populace, made their escape, and
for many years laboured in the Gospel. Both of
them afterwards made the journey with Paul from
Corinth to Jerusalem (Acts xx. 3, 4) ; Aristarchus
was with him on the voyage to Rome as a fellow-
prisoner (Acts xxvii. 1, 2). He was also with him
during at least a portion of the time of his first im
prisonment in Rome (Col. iv. 10). Gaius returned

172 Paul the Apostle
to Corinth after the riot in Ephesus, and it is almost
certain that Aristarchus went with him. When
Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans a few months
after leaving Ephesus, he was in the home of Gaius
in Corinth (Rom. xvi. 23) ; and when he started to
Jerusalem soon after writing the epistle, both Gaius
and Aristarchus were his companions on the journey
(Acts xx. 3, 4).

xn
THE THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY CON
TINUED : FROM EPHESUS THROUGH
MACEDONIA TO JERUSALEM
PAUL remained longer in Ephesus than in any
other city in which he laboured during his
entire ministry, unless his imprisonment in
Rome covered a longer period. His long stay in
Ephesus was brought to an abrupt close by the up
rising of the silversmiths. The apostle passed unin
jured through the perils of that day, but such strong
feeling had been aroused against him as to render it
unsafe for him to remain. The great and effectual
door did not stand open long. His many adversaries
had won the victory over him and closed the door in
his face, thus forcing him to leave the city.
He gathered a few of his friends about him, took
leave of them, and departed for Macedonia. The
parting was sorrowful. With deep emotion the
apostle turned his face towards the north and began
his journey. He went alone to Troas where he ex
pected to meet Titus. The latter had been for some
time at Corinth, and Paul was anxious to meet him
and hear from the church there. In this expectation
he was disappointed, and how keenly he felt the dis
appointment is pathetically told in his own words :
" When I came to Troas for the Gospel of Christ,
173

174 Paul the Apostle
and when a door was opened to me in the Lord, I had
no relief for my spirit because I found not Titus my
brother ; but taking leave of them, I went forth into
Macedonia" (2 Cor. ii. 12, 13). This was the only
time in Paul's life that he was so overwhelmed by a
feeling of despondency that he was unable to enter an
open door to preach the Gospel. He had looked for
ward to the presence of Titus to cheer him in his
gloom, and failing to meet him at Troas, he went on
alone, hoping to meet him somewhere in northern
Macedonia. This hope was realized. The two
friends met. Titus brought good news from the
church in Corinth, and this raised Paul's drooping
spirits and put new life and zeal into his work.
In the Second Epistle to the Corinthians, written
soon after he met with Titus, Paul wrote: "Never
theless he that comforteth the lowly, even God, com
forted us by the coming of Titus ; and not by his
coming only, but also by the comfort wherewith he
was comforted in you, while he told us of your long
ing, your mourning, your zeal for me ; so that I re
joiced yet the more" (2 Cor. vii. 6, 7). His joy was
late in coming, but it was great when it did come.
He had not been troubled so much on his own ac
count as on behalf of his children in the Gospel.
Paul learned from Titus that the epistle written
from Ephesus had been well received by the church
in Corinth, and that many of the sins he had con
demned had been forsaken. They had withdrawn
fellowship from the man guilty of incest (2 Cor.
ii. 5-11) ; they were zealous in preparing to make an
offering for the relief of the poor saints in Jerusalem
(ix. 1, 2). Titus furthermore informed the apostle

Third Missionary Journey Continued 175
that certain men in the church in Corinth were trying
to discredit his apostolic authority, and had refused
to heed the admonition given in the epistle (x. 1-11 ;
xi. 13-15). For the purpose of counteracting the
influence of these "ministers of Satan," to strengthen
the faith and increase the zeal of those who remained
true, and to maintain the dignity of his apostolic
office, he wrote another epistle and sent it by Titus
and two other brethren whose names are not given
(viii. 16-24). There can be no doubt as to the date
of the Second Epistle to the Corinthians. Paul had
recently come from Asia into Macedonia (i. 8 ; vii. 5) ;
he wrote from Macedonia as he was about to leave that
country to make a visit to Corinth (ix. 3, 4 ; xii. 14 ;
xiii. 1). This fixes the date in the summer of 57.
The First Epistle to the same church was written a
few months earlier, in the spring of the same year.
Paul passed through Macedonia and came into
Greece where he spent three months urging the
churches in Macedonia and Achaia to make a liberal
contribution for the relief of their suffering brethren
in Jerusalem (1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2 ; 2 Cor. viii. 1-15).
It was not the apostle's wish to take the money to
Jerusalem himself. He wrote, " Whomsoever ye
shall approve them will I send with letters to carry
your bounty unto Jerusalem : and if it be meet for me
to go also, they shall go with me " (1 Cor. xvi. 3, 4).
It became expedient for Paul to go on this mission
of mercy to his own nation, and he went. As he
was about to leave Corinth for Jerusalem he wrote :
" Now I beseech you, brethren, by our Lord Jesus
Christ, and by the love of the Spirit, that ye strive
together with me in your prayers for me ; that I may

176 Paul the Apostle
be delivered from them that be disobedient in Judea,
and that my ministration which I have for Jerusa
lem may be acceptable to the saints; that I may
come unto you with joy through the will of God and
together we may find rest " (Rom. xv. 30-32). We
shall see that this prayer was answered. He was de
livered from the disobedient in Judea, his offering
was acceptable to the saints, and he was enabled to
make the long-desired journey to Rome.
During the three months spent in Corinth, the
winter of 57 and 58, the apostle wrote two of his
most important epistles, Romans and Galatians ; and
the fact that they were written about the same time
and under similar circumstances accounts in a large
measure for the similarity of their contents. In
Romans the apostle states that he was to leave for
Jerusalem with contributions from the churches in
Macedonia and Achaia (Rom. xv. 25, 26). He was
in the home of Gaius in Corinth at the time of writ
ing (Rom. xvi. 23 ; 1 Cor. i. 14). Phoebe was a
member of the church in Cenchrea and bore the
epistle (Rom. xvi. 1). Paul had made a second
visit to the province of Galatia (Gal. iv. 13) ; and
his Epistle to the Galatians was written soon after
this visit (Gal. i. 16). The fundamental teachings
of this epistle and that to the Romans are the same ;
the doctrine of justification by faith rather than by
the law of Moses is the central truth in both of them.
The argument in both of them is directed against the
Judaizing teachers who claimed that one could not
be saved without circumcision after the manner of
Moses. These two epistles having been written and dis-

Third Missionary Journey Continued 177
patched, and the messengers from the scattered
churches having come together, Paul was ready to
start on his journey to Jerusalem ; but at this junc
ture he heard of a plot that had been laid by the
Jews perhaps to waylay him and rOb him of the
money that he was bearing to Jerusalem. The Jews
who formed this plan of robbery were not of the
better class. All nations are infested more or less
with robbers.
It seems that the plot was to have been executed
somewhere on the road between Corinth and Cen
chrea, but the apostle, being made aware of this,
changed his plan and avoided passing over that road.
Instead of taking ship at Cenchrea as he had intended
to do, he made the much longer journey through
Macedonia, retracing the route he had followed in
coming into Greece. His party was composed of
Sopater of Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus of Thes
salonica, Gaius of Derbe, Timothy of Lystra, Tychi-
cus and Trophimus of Asia, and Luke of Antioch in
Syria. This journey was made long before the day
of bank drafts, foreign exchange, or letters of credit.
The money was all coin, and was usually carried in
belts worn around the body beneath the outer cloth
ing. One person could not carry a very large
amount of money in this manner. It had to be
kept concealed to avoid robbery. The large number
of men was necessary to carry the money with any
degree of safety.
All of them except Luke went on before Paul. It
is known that Luke was a physician and that Paul
was not a strong man physically. It is highly prob
able that the physician remained behind to assist the

178 Paul the Apostle
apostle in caring for his health, and to administer
medical treatment if necessary. We have reason to
believe that Luke and Paul met at Philippi. Luke
had been left there by Paul on the first mission
ary tour of Macedonia about seven years before,
and there is much probability for the belief that
he had remained there all these years. These two
men, the medical missionary and the tent-making
apostle, followed on and overtook the advance party
at Troas where they were waiting for them. Paul
and Luke sailed away from Neapolis, the port of
Philippi, where they with Silas and Timothy had
landed seven years before, and after a voyage of five
days, reached Troas and joined their companions.
It will be remembered that when Paul sailed over
that same route on his first journey to Europe he
made. the trip in two days.
It was at Troas that Paul had received the vision
directing him to go into Macedonia with the Gospel.
This was his second visit since that memorable night.
On the visit preceding this, a great door was opened
to him, but he was too much dejected by his recent
experience in Ephesus to enter it, and hurried over
into Macedonia to meet Titus, leaving the door open
(2 Cor. ii. 12, 13). He was now ready to enter the
door. The seven brethren who had gone before him
had been there several days, and the reasonable sup
position is that they had put in their time preaching
the Gospel of Christ ; and when Paul and Luke
came, the entire company spent seven days in the
city. It was the greatest week in the history of
Troas, already noted as an historic place. The last
day of the seven was the first day of the week, or the

Third Missionary Journey Continued 179
Lord's day. The early disciples observed the Lord's
Supper on the first day of the week. The disciples
in Troas observey this universal custom of the
church. Paul and his companions were present at
the Supper in memory of the Master, and the apostle
preached to the congregation assembled ; and as he
expected to leave them on the morrow with little
prospects of ever seeing them again in the flesh, he
was exceedingly earnest and tender in his speaking.
The solemnity of the occasion caused him to be in
tensely interested in his theme, and so profoundly in
teresting to his hearers, that he continued his speech
till midnight.
The meeting place was in the third story of a
building, and at midnight a young man named Euty-
chus, who was sitting in a window, became overcome
with sleep, and fell backward to the ground outside
of the building and was taken up dead. This tragic
event caused a recess in the service. Paul ceased
speaking long enough to go down to the dead man
and restore him to life. The service for which the
meeting was held had not taken place at the time
of the death of Eutychus. The Lord's Supper had
not been observed. After the young man had been
restored to life, the disciples once more climbed to the
third story and the memorial feast was spread. After
the Supper, Paul resumed his discourse and continued
till morning dawned ; then, bidding farewell to his
brethren, he continued his journey to Jerusalem.
All the party except Paul went on board the ship
and sailed away. The apostle, preferring to walk
across the isthmus to Assos, was left behind. Troas
is on the northern side of a peninsula and Assos on

180 Paul the Apostle
the southern side. The distance around by water is
at least forty miles, but it is only about twenty miles
across the isthmus. This gave Paul ample time to
walk the distance while the ship sailed around Cape
Lectum,the point of the peninsula. It is strange that
Paul, who had spent a sleepless night in Troas and
was weary with hard work, preferred this lonely and
laborious walk twenty miles through a strange coun
try, to resting at ease in the ship with his compan
ions. The wonder grows when we call to mind the
fact that the apostle was at least fifty-five years of
age, and by no means a strong man.
There must have been some reason for this prefer
ence. He had left many friends behind him and he
knew that there was trouble ahead. He was not cer
tain that the offering that he was taking to Jerusalem
would be accepted by the saints, and this uneasiness
bore heavily upon his mind. He had been assured
repeatedly that bonds and afflictions awaited him.
He was so weighed down with burdens and oppressed
with gloomy forebodings that he longed for solitude
that his tears might flow freely and unobserved, and
that nothing might disturb his communion with the
Father. He could not even enjoy the presence of his
friends who deeply sympathized with him, and who
were anxious to share his sufferings. This sad and
downcast man taking this lonely walk of several
hours, through an unknown country, forms a picture
in the mind not easily forgotten. With all his great
ness and goodness, the apostle was a man and needed
to be alone with God. There could not have been
much difference between the time that Paul reached
Assos and the arrival of the ship. He rejoined his

Third Missionary Journey Continued 181
companions at the appointed time and place and the
ship continued on her voyage.
The vessel reached Mitylene the next day. The
entire day was spent sailing among the picturesque
islands that lie near the eastern shore of the iEgean
Sea. Mitylene was situated on the eastern shore of
the Island of Lesbos. A town bearing the same
name occupies the site at the present day, and is a
place of some importance. They anchored the next
day over against Chios. This is a small island sepa
rated from the mainland by a narrow strait running
north and south. In passing through this strait the
ship was going a due south course. Somewhere in
this narrow channel they passed the night with the
ship riding at anchor.
Early next morning the sails were spread and the
voyage resumed. During the day the ship passed
near Ephesus without entering the harbour. No
doubt Paul would have been glad to risk himself in
the city again, believing that the anger that expelled
him a few months before had measurably passed
away ; but no landing was made, and he had no op
portunity to visit his friends. He was only a pas
senger booked for Syria, and had no control of the
ship's movements. The vessel was not expected to
stop at Ephesus, and Paul experienced no disap
pointment. The next landing was at Miletus, and
between the mouth of the harbour at Ephesus and that
place, the ship passed within sight of the Isle of Pat-
mos, famous as the scene of the wonderful visions
described in the Book of Revelation. Miletus was on
the coast of Asia Minor about thirty miles south of
Ephesus. The distance by water was slightly greater.

182 Paul the Apostle
A small Turkish village called Melas now stands
near the ancient city.
Paul was very anxious , to reach Jerusalem in time
for the observance of the day of Pentecost, but for
some reason not given the ship lay in the harbour at
Miletus at least three days. Time was precious to
Paul and his companions, but the delay was unavoid
able and they had to make the best of it. As soon as
Paul learned the length of time to be spent in the
port, he sent to Ephesus for the elders of the church
to come to him at Miletus for a conference. They
came at once. The touching conversation that the
apostle held with the elders is found in Acts xx.
17-38. The address to the elders is the most tender
of all of Paul's speeches. He felt a deep interest in
the church at Ephesus, and gave these men much
tearful instruction as to its future. The close of the
interview was especially pathetic. They all kneeled
down and prayed together, after which the elders one
by one fell upon Paul's neck and kissed him while
their tears fell in showers. It was a strong cord that
bound them together — stronger than any human tie.
The one thing that caused the elders such deep sorrow
was that Paul, in the course of his remarks, had said
that they should see his face no more. This broke
their hearts and unsealed the fountain of their tears.
Paul did go to Ephesus several years after this inter
view ; but, at this time, he never expected to go
there again. The fact that he did not foresee his
own future does not affect his inspiration. Many in
cidents in his life confirm this.
When they arose from prayer they saw indications
that the ship was about ready to sail, and after this

Third Missionary Journey Continued 183
touching leave-taking, the men from Ephesus went
with Paul and the others to the vessel. They saw
their beloved friend and father in the Gospel go
aboard, the cable loosed, and the ship sail away.
They looked longingly after the departing craft till
they saw it fade away into the distant blue where sea
and sky meet ; and then with hearts subdued and
warmed into deeper devotion to the Christ, they
solemnly turned their faces towards home.
Under ordinary conditions Paul's separation from
his friends would have been sorrowful ; but this being
what he thought was his last separation from them,
and his future pathway being overhung with clouds,
dark and angry, made the parting exceedingly touch
ing and pathetic. He turned from his friends and
towards that future so big with mystery and antici
pated dangers, and moved forward to an unknown
destiny. Like the Master, he set his face steadfastly
to go to Jerusalem.
After leaving Miletus, the ship kept close to the
shore for a considerable distance. The graphic ac
count given by Luke informs us that they came with
a straight course unto Cos. This was their first day's
sail from Miletus, and the distance covered indicates
that conditions for sailing were good. Cos is an
island near the southwestern corner of Asia Minor.
The next day the ship sailed fifty miles to the city of
Rhodes, in the harbour of which they passed the
night, with the boat at anchor. This city was on the
Island of Rhodes, and was a place of importance.
Here once stood the famous Colossus, one of the seven
wonders of the ancient world. It was a human figure
made of brass, or imitation of brass, and was one

184 Paul the Apostle
hundred and twenty-five feet in height. It was a
statue of Apollo. The statue was shaken down by
an earthquake in the year 224 B. o. The island was
known for its clear skies and healthful climate.
There was a popular saying that the sun shone every
day in Rhodes.
The next stop was at Patara. This was in the prov
ince of Lycia, and was the port of Xanthus ten miles
from the seashore. This point being the destination
of the ship in which Paul and his companions had
made voyage from Neapolis, it became necessary to
find other means of completing the journey to Syria.
They were fortunate in finding a vessel ready to sail
to Tyre, one of the principal ports on the Syrian
coast. The distance from Patara to Tyre is three
hundred and forty miles. With the favourable wind
that usually prevails in the Levant during the spring
season, this portion of the voyage could have been
made in two days and nights. In following Paul's
movements from Troas to Patara we have been skirt
ing the coast, seldom out of sight of land for more
than a few hours at a time ; we have passed through
narrow channels, under the shadow of great moun
tains, and between picturesque islands. The scenery
has been entrancing. We must now leave the coast
and follow the ship across the open sea.
The only land seen on the way, of sufficient im
portance for Luke to mention, was the Island of
Cyprus. They passed within sight of it, leaving it to
the left, the ship passing near the southern shore of
the island. It must be kept in mind that Cyprus
was the first mission field entered by missionaries
sent out from Antioch, and that Paul and Barnabas

Third Missionary Journey Continued 185
were the first missionaries. As Paul stood upon the
deck, looked out over the white-capped waves, and
beheld Cyprus in the distance, rising from the blue
surface of the sea, he must have thought of his early
labours there and wondered if Barnabas were still in
the island, and, if so, what success had crowned his
labours. The voyage from Patara was made in the silver
hght of a full moon. By referring to Acts xx. 6, we
learn that Paul left Neapolis, the port of Philippi,
after the days of unleavened bread. This means
that they started seven days after the full moon. To
this we must add the five days spent in sailing to
Troas. Thus we have twelve days ; and to this period
must be added the seven days spent with the brethren
at Troas, making nineteen days since the full moon.
They spent four days between Troas and Miletus, and
from the latter place they sailed to Patara in three
days (Acts xx. 13-15 ; xxi. 1). This makes twenty-
six days. They must have spent at least three days
in Miletus. Paul had time to send thirty miles to
Ephesus for the elders and they had time to come to
him for a conference. This would make twenty-nine
days since the last full moon, and bring the full moon
again. Out in the deep open sea they could sail day
and night, thus avoiding the delay of anchoring each
night, as they had been compelled to do during the
moonless nights, when sailing among the islands
along the western and southwestern coasts of Asia
Minor. The vessel landed at Tyre, a well-known com
mercial city in Phoenicia. It is often mentioned in
the Bible, and fills a prominent place in profane

186 Paul the Apostle
history. At the present time it is a city of consider
able importance. Paul probably enquired if there
were any Christians in the city, and having learned
that there was a congregation, he found it and spent
seven days with the brethren. There was now no
reason for haste in his journey. He saw that he
would reach Jerusalem in time for the Pentecost,
and the rest of the journey was leisurely made. He
was a stranger to the brethren in Tyre, having never
been in that city since the cause of Christ was planted
there. The men who were with him were likewise
strangers. The week spent by Paul and his company in
Tyre was the greatest week in the history of the church
in that city. For such a company of men, led by such a
man as Paul, to spend a week with a mission church
in a heathen city meant much to the permanency of
the cause and the prosperity of the congregation.
The brethren of Tyre all knew Paul by reputation,
and were glad of the opportunity to become person
ally acquainted with him. They learned from him
that he and his companions were on their way to
Jerusalem, and knowing something of the personal
danger that would attend the visit, begged him to
change his purpose and not set foot in the city. He
could have sent the money to the poor by the hands
of others and remained in safety among his friends ;
but for some reason not given, he preferred to brave
the dangers that awaited him and go on to Jerusalem,
risking the consequences.
When the seven days were passed, there was en
acted another scene of pathos and tears. This week
had served to bind Paul and his party to the brethren
at Tyre with the strongest ties of Christian love.

Third Missionary Journey Continued 187
The parting was heartrending to all. There is no
speech recorded, such as Paul made to the elders who
came from Ephesus to meet him at Miletus, but the
unembellished description of the parting scene is ex
tremely touching. All the men of the church, with
their wives and children, followed Paul out of the
city ; they kneeled together on the sands of the beach
and prayed, while the rhythmic waves of the surf
dashed against the shore. After the prayer came the
final scene. Paul and his companions bade the
friends of Tyre an affectionate farewell, which was
responded to by them with equal fervour, and went
on board the ship. The brethren of Tyre returned
in deep dejection to their homes. The influence of
this visit must have been felt for a long time in the
church in Tyre.
Setting sail, the ship stood out to sea and turned
towards the south, skirting the eastern coast of the
Great Sea. One day's sail brought them to Ptole-
mais, the modern Acre. This is an old city ; it was
known as Accho before the advent of the Jews
into Palestine, while it was yet in the hands of the
Canaanites. The name of the city was changed by
Ptolemy, the founder of a line of Greek kings in
Egypt. The original name was restored at a later
date, and, with slight change, remains to the present
day. Paul found Christians here as he had done at
Tyre and spent a day with them. Ptolemias was on
the northern cape of the Bay of Acre. Haifa, on the
southern cape near where Mount Carmel butts against
the sea, opposite the present city of Acre, is a more
important city, being one of the few cities in Pales
tine with the convenience of railway service.

188 Paul the Apostle
Thirty-five miles to the south from Ptolemias is the
city Csesarea. This is the place where the Gospel
was first preached to the Gentiles, Cornelius and his
household being the first converts. This was the
next stopping place of this party of pilgrims. It is
believed that they left their ship at Ptolemias and
made the rest of the journey by land. They passed
around the Bay of Acre and along the road that runs
between the bold and precipitous front of Mount
Carmel and the sea, and on down the coast road to
Csesarea. It was in this city that Paul and his company met
a man that they had all known by reputation for
many years, and perhaps some of them knew him
personally. This man was Philip the evangelist,
"one of the Seven." This description given by
Luke identifies him as the man whose evangelistic
labours are briefly noted in the eighth chapter of
Acts. We learn from the last verse of that chapter
that, after sending the eunuch on his way rejoicing
to his own benighted people, Philip preached in all
the cities of the coast plain till he came to Csesarea.
It is probable that this city was the place of his resi
dence, and that his stay in Jerusalem was but tem
porary. He had a permanent home in Csesarea, and
lived in a house of sufficient capacity to enable him
to entertain Paul and his nine companions without
embarrassment. One fact in connection with Philip's home and
family deserves special mention : he had four unmar
ried daughters, and all of them were prophetesses.
Paul had, in his writings, prohibited certain women
in Corinth and Ephesus to speak in the open meet-

Third Missionary Journey Continued 189
ings of the church. They were recent converts from
heathenism, and, consequently, their knowledge of
the Christian religion was limited and imperfect.
They had no qualifications for leadership ; but Philip
had reared his daughters in a Christian atmosphere,
and from their infancy they had been trained in the
work and worship of the church. They knew no
other religion than the Gospel of Christ, and the fact
that they were daughters instead of sons did not dis
qualify them for religious service. They had the
knowledge of the Gospel and the ability to impart it,
and these qualities gave them much power for good.
Paul has said that to prophesy, in the New Testament
sense of the word, means to speak unto men to edi
fication, exhortation, and consolation (1 Cor. xiv. 13).
Thus we see that the prophets' work was to strengthen
the weak, exhort the wavering, and console the sor
rowing. Philip's daughters did this, and their in
spired 'father permitted them to do so, and nO doubt
encouraged them in it. He allowed his daughters to
do the very thing that Paul refused to permit the
women of Corinth and Ephesus to do. The reason
for this is seen in the fact already mentioned that
those women who were not given the privilege of
speaking in the public meetings of the church were
new converts from heathenism. Paul made no ob
jection to the public teaching done by Philip's daugh
ters. He never would have commanded any conse
crated and cultivated woman who knew what to say
and how to say' it to keep silent in the church.
This, however, is no endorsement of the popular
notion in modern times that the pulpit and ministry
are as well filled by women as men.

190 Paul the Apostle
While Paul was visiting in the home of Philip,
merely to rest and resume his journey, he was once
more warned against going on to Jerusalem. The
warning was given this time by a prophet from
Judea, whose name was Agabus. He had predicted
the famine in Canaan many years before (Acts
xi. 28). That prediction was the occasion of the
brethren sending relief to the disciples in Judea by
the hands of Barnabas and Saul. Now the same
man comes into the presence of Paul, and, true to the
symbolism of the Old Testament prophets, he de
livered his message in a very impressive manner.
He took Paul's girdle and bound his own hands and
feet with it and delivered his warning : " Thus saith
the Holy Spirit, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind
the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver
him into the hands of the Gentiles." This prediction
was too clear to be misunderstood.
After the company had taken sufficient time to
reflect on the import of the message of the prophet,
all present made a strong effort to induce Paul to
change his mind and not visit the city ; but the com
bined influence of his travelling companions and the
brethren in Csesarea was not sufficient to cause him
to make the least change in his plans. They even
wept over him, entreating him with many tears, but
to no avail. His friends were exceedingly anxions
for him to escape from the hands of his enemies in
Jerusalem. In the reply of Paul to the entreaties of
his friends we see heroism reaching its sublimest
height. His words are these : " What do ye weeping
and breaking my heart ? for I am ready not to be
bound only but also to die at Jerusalem for the name

Third Missionary Journey Continued 191
of the Lord Jesus." The man had lost himself com
pletely in the importance of his mission. When they
saw that they had no effect on him with their plead
ings, they ceased their importunities, and became
reconciled to anything that might come. In their
sadness, they meekly said, " The will of the Lord be
done." Soon after the message of Agabus had been deliv
ered, Paul and his company set forward on their
journey to Jerusalem and towards that future, un
known and mysterious to them all. Some brethren
from Csesarea accompanied them, among whom was
Mnason, who had been associated with the Chris
tians a long time, perhaps from the day of Pentecost.
This old man owned a house in Jerusalem in which
it had been arranged for the entire party to lodge
while in the city. They were in time for the feast,
having been forty-three days on the way. They had
fifty days in which to make the trip. This gave
them time for their short stay in Csesarea, if they
counted with the same accuracy that we do. It is well
known, however, that the Jews counted each fraction
of a day as a whole day, and in this way several days
could have been gained en route. The long and tire
some journey was over ; and Paul, now growing old,
found himself once more in the Holy City. Here he
had spent his youth and much of his early manhood ;
hither he had come at irregular intervals during his
mature life ; and now, after a journey of almost two
months, he had come on what proved to be his last
visit to the city.

xm
JERUSALEM AND C^SAREA
DURING the long journey to Jerusalem, Paul
had been very uneasy. It was not certain
that his Jewish brethren would accept the
offering that he and his friends were bearing to them,
and this uncertainty gave him much concern. He
had earnestly prayed that his service might be ac
cepted, and that he might be delivered from unbe
lievers in Judea (Rom. xv. 31). Upon reaching the
city his mind was set at rest. He met a glad recep
tion, and though he said nothing about it, we know
that the contribution was gratefully received. When
he had delivered the money to the proper persons,
the purpose of his mission to the city was accom
plished. However, he did not hurry out of the city.
The next day he and Luke, and perhaps the entire
company that came with him from Europe, called
upon James, who was the recognized leader of the
Jerusalem church, and were fortunate in finding all
the elders present. Probably some important mat
ters concerning the affairs of the church were being
considered. Paul took advantage of the occasion to
tell James and the elders about the great work that
God had done among the Gentiles through his min
istry and that of his fellow- workers ; and all rejoiced
together. At this meeting James suggested to Paul the pro-
192

Jerusalem and Csesarea 193
priety of the latter's performing a work of policy and
expediency, in order to prevent the anger of the Jews
rising against the Christians. Paul, who was willing
to become all things to all men when the interests of
the cause of Christ demanded it, was quite willing to
comply with the request of James. James reminded
Paul of the large number of Jews who had accepted
Christ, but who still regarded, with reverence, the
law of Moses. He also told Paul that the Jewish
Christians believed that Paul taught always and
everywhere doetrines contrary to the laws and cus
toms of the Jews. The suggestion made by James
was intended, when acted upon, to convince the be
lieving Jews that Paul, though an apostle of Christ,
had no objections to their observing the ordinances
of the law.
There were four men in the city who were under
one of the vows of the Jewish law, probably the
Nazarite vow, which is described in Numbers vi. 2-12.
The time of the vow had about expired, and the
ceremonial cleansing was to be performed. James
advised Paul to go into the temple with these men,
and pay the expenses incurred by all of them, and go
through the ceremonies of purification with them.
There was always some cost attached to the temple
service. Paul followed this advice. The next day
he went through the service and paid the entire cost
of the sacrifices that were made in connection with
the purification of the men. In doing this the apos
tle made no compromise of conscience. He was
never opposed to the Jewish Christians clinging to
the law, if they so desired. His contention was that
they were not bound to keep the law ; and when the

194 Paul the Apostie
Judaizers from Jerusalem came to Antioch teaching
that circumcision was necessary to salvation, he op
posed them boldly and with all his power ! His
conduct in Jerusalem was only a harmless concession
to the imperfect knowledge of the Jewish Chris
tians. Neither James nor Paul attached any im
portance to the law ; but they were willing that the
Jews who had accepted Christ should keep it till a
fuller knowledge should enable them to see that Moses
had been superseded as lawgiver by Jesus of Nazareth,
and that the sublime teachings of the Man of Galilee
had become the means of divine rule among men.
It took seven days to complete the purification,
though the ceremonial part of it could have been
performed in a few minutes. The time had almost
expired, when some Jews from Asia saw Paul in the
temple, raised an outcry, and had him arrested. The
charge brought against him was that he had taught
all men everywhere against the people, the law, and
the temple. This charge was absolutely false, and is
plainly seen to be such by Paul's course in the temple
in company with the men who had been under the
vow. The weakness of the charge must have been
apparent to those who made it. They brought for
ward another. The second accusation was that Paul
had defiled the temple by taking Gentiles into it.
This charge was also false, though the Jews were
honest in believing it to be true. They had seen him
walking in the streets of the city with Trophimus, a
Gentile from Asia, whose home was in Ephesus. The
Jews knew that Trophimus had come to the city with
Paul's party, and they supposed that Paul had taken
him into the temple.

Jerusalem and Csesarea 195
The Jews who led this movement against Paul were
from Asia. The Jews from Asia had caused Paul
much trouble before this (Acts xx. 19). Believing
that Trophimus had been taken into the temple,
they wanted to stir up the people in the quickest
manner possible, and cause Paul to fall into the
hands of his enemies. They laid hold on him and
made the outcry, "Men of Israel, help." Great ex
citement followed. They forced Paul out of the
temple, shut the door, and began to beat him in the
temple court. His life was in actual peril. Some
one saw that the civil authorities of the city were
either unable or unwilling to protect the apostle, and
notified the commandant of the military post quar
tered in the Tower of Antonia. The Jews were dis
satisfied with Roman rule, to which they were sub
ject, and, to insure the peace of the province, a
military post was maintained in Jerusalem. The
commandant, hearing of this disturbance in the
court of the temple, ordered out a sufficient number
of soldiers, and, with himself at their head, marched
down to the scene of the trouble. The sight of the
soldiers in uniform and the commander wearing the
insignia of his authority caused the ruffians to cease
beating Paul. The commander, called the chief cap
tain, thinking that Paul was a noted criminal, took
him out of the hands of the would-be murderers, and
gave orders that he should be bound with two
chains. After securing the prisoner the chief captain tried
to find out from the crowd who he was and what he
had done, but was unable to obtain any reliable in
formation. Some cried one thing and some another.

196 Paul the Apostle
Seeing that he could gain no information from the
people, excited as they were, he directed that the
prisoner be carried into the castle and there confined
till his case could be investigated. The command
was obeyed with military promptness. The castle to
which he was borne was the Tower of Antonia.
When the soldiers came to the stone stairway leading
into the tower, they lifted Paul to their shoulders
and began the ascent. The crowd, filled with vio
lence, .followed yelling, " Away with him." The
soldiers worked with speed and energy to save the
apostle out of the hands of his enemies, and literally
carried him to a place of safety.
As he was being borne up the stairway, Paul said
to the officer in command, "May I speak unto the
people ? " The captain was surprised to hear Paul
speak Greek, and asked if he were not an Egyptian
outlaw who had, at one time, gathered an army of
four thousand murderers and led them out into the
wilderness. The captain must have thought that the
notorious freebooter had ventured into the city, and
that the popular indignation against him was assert
ing itself. He saw the rough manner in which the
mob was dealing with the apostle, and his conclusion
was very natural. The reply of Paul was such as to
convince the captain that his prisoner was not the
leader of a band of assassins, but a man of high cul
ture and good breeding. In reply to the captain's
question, Paul said : \" I am a Jew, of Tarsus in
Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city : and I beseech thee,
give me leave to speak unto the people."
Upon receiving the desired permission, he stood on
the steps cut into the solid rock and addressed the

Jerusalem and Csesarea 197
people who stood on the level of the temple court a
few steps below him. A synopsis of this address is
found in the twenty-second chapter of Acts. It is a
review of his own life, and the way he was brought to
a knowledge of salvation. The story of his conversion
is told three times in the Book of Acts. It is told by
Luke as a part of the history of the rise and progress
of the church. (Acts chapter ix.) It is told twice
by Paul — once as he spoke from the stairway in
Jerusalem to people below (Chapter xxii.), and once as
he stood in the presence of King Agrippa in the city
of Csesarea (Chapter xxvi. ) . It is not necessary to study
this speech in detail ; we will notice a few points
only, mentioned here, but omitted by Luke. Paul
tells us here that it was about noon when he received
the vision, that his companions heard the voice, but
not being familiar with the Hebrew language, they
did not understand the words that were spoken, and
that the command to go to Damascus was given in
response to his question, " What shall I do, Lord ? "
He fails to mention the fasting and prayer, and what
took place at the house of Ananias before he and
Ananias met, but he does mention the high esteem in
which the latter was held by the Jews of the city.
He omits some of the speech made by Ananias as
given by Luke. The complete address of Ananias to
Saul is found by putting together what Luke gives in
the ninth chapter, and what Paul gives in his speech
from the stairway. The reason for the postponement
of baptism on the part of Saul was unknown to Ana
nias at the time, hence his words, ' ' Why tarriest thou ?
arise and be baptized and wash away thy sins, calling
on his name.' ' The apostle next gives a brief account

1 98 Paul the Apostle
of his call to his work of preaching Christ to the Gen
tiles ; he refers also to the death of Stephen, and his
own part in the tragedy. He did not finish his ad
dress ; when he reached the point in the narrative,
describing the direction that he received to go to the
Gentiles with the Gospel, the Jews who heard him,
and who had been awed into silence by the presence
of the soldiers, were thrown into a frenzy of excite
ment. They raised a loud shout, which made it im
possible for Paul to continue his speech.
They could not endure the thought that God had
any kind of blessing for the Gentiles. In extreme
rage, they vociferously demanded his death, on the
ground that any man who would advocate so absurd
a thing as the salvation of the Gentiles was not fit to
live. They expected a riot, threw off their outer
garments, and cast dust into the air. Seeing that
Paul could not finish his address in the midst of such
excitement, the captain had him taken inside the
Tower and ordered him to be whipped till he told why
the people were so enraged against him.
When he was being stripped of his garments in
preparation for the cruel ordeal of scourging, and
when his arms were being bound with thongs, Paul
took advantage of the protection to which he was en
titled by virtue of his Roman citizenship. He said
to the centurion who commanded the soldiers de
tailed to punish him till he made confession, "Is it
lawful to scourge a man, that is a Roman and uncon-
demned ? " This, of course, stopped the preparation.
The centurion hastened to Lysias, the chief captain,
with the information that the man about to be
scourged was a Roman. That official was aware that

Jerusalem and Csesarea 199
to scourge such a man before he had been condemned
would be a violation of the law. He went at once to
the prison to interview Paul, in order to be certain
how to proceed. On coming into his presence, the
chief captain asked the apostle if he was a Roman and
received an affirmative answer ; the chief captain re
plied that his own citizenship had been purchased at
a high price, and Paul responded that he himself was
a Roman born. Hearing this, the chief captain sent
away those who had been ordered to perform the
scourging, and Paul was kept in prison till the next
day. The Sanhedrin was assembled the next morning by
order of the chief captain, and Paul was to appear
before the body to undergo an examining trial. When
this grave and dignified body was duly opened and
ready for the dispatch of business, Paul was brought
down from the Tower and presented to the court.
The assembly was probably held in the court of the
temple known as the Court of the Gentiles. Instead
of bringing formal charges against Paul, he was per
mitted to state his own case.
Bravely facing that august body, he began his de
fense by saying, "Brethren, I have lived before God
in all good conscience unto this day." This declara
tion evidently means that all his conduct in the past,
both as a Jew and as a Christian, had been conscien
tious. He never contended that he had been in the
right in all that he had done ; he was fully conscious
that his earlier life had been wrongly spent ; he did
claim, however, that he had always done what he be
lieved at the time to be right ; his motives had been
pure and his convictions honest. This assertion was

200 Paul the Apostle
more than the high priest could bear and not resent.
Forgetting for the moment the dignity of his exalted
station, he commanded a man who stood near to smite
Paul on the mouth. We are not told that the blow
was given, but it is probable that it was promptly de
livered. It was theu Paul's time to be indignant.
How he kept from smiting the man who had ordered
him to be smitten is a wonder ; and, with all his self-
control, he could not keep from talking back to the
Jewish dignitary. With flashing eyes and tone full
of resentment, the apostle said: "God shall smite
thee, thou whited wall ; and sittest thou to judge me
according to the law, and commandest me to be smit
ten contrary to the law ? ' ' The high priest was plainly
playing the hypocrite, and Paul was brave enough to
tell him so. No sooner had the apostle uttered these
stinging words than some one present said, " Revilest
thou God's high priest ? " Paul then showed the true
manliness of his character by saying, " I knew not,
brethren, that he was the high priest ; for it is writ
ten, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy peo
ple." He did not admit that the rebuke was unde
served. His language implies that he would not have
spoken as he did, had he known that Ananias was the
high priest. His respect for the office was as great
as his contempt for the time-server who filled it. It
was somewhat of an apology to the assembly, but not
to the unscrupulous man he had rebuked. This high
priest was one of the worst of men, and his iniquitous
career was ended by assassination.
Paul was conscious of the fact that his bitterest
enemies were the Sadducees, and he had good reason
to believe that they had been the leaders in stirring

Jerusalem and Csesarea 201
up the present trouble. Looking over the assembly,
he observed that the larger number present were
Pharisees, and declared himself a Pharisee. It is
well known that the Pharisees believed in the resur
rection and the future life, and that the Sadducees
denied both of these points of belief. In declaring
himself to be a Pharisee and the son of a Pharisee,
he enlisted the sympathy of the larger portion of the
council. All that Paul meant by the declaration was
that he agreed with the Pharisees on those points
whereon they and the Sadducees disagreed. It was
known to all present that Paul was a Christian.
When he proclaimed himself a Pharisee, there came
a division of sentiment in the assembly. Division
grew to discussion ; discussion led to excitement ;
excitement became clamour. The Pharisees con
tended that there was no fault in Paul, and that, if
he had received any revelation from angel or spirit,
he should be heard with respect. The excitement
became so intense that the chief captain, fearing that
Paul would actually lose his life in the melee, ordered
soldiers to go at once to his rescue. They took him
out of the excited assembly and conducted him back
to the Tower from which he had been brought at the
opening of the session. Lysias had learned the facts
in regard to Paul's case, and had found that his ene
mies had made no real charge against him.
Paul was very much dejected to find himself once
more within the gloomy walls of the prison. To him
it looked like an impossibility to obtain justice at
the hands of his own nation. Weary in body and
mind, he lay down to rest and refresh himself in
order to have sufficient strength to meet new troubles

202 Paul the Apostle
on the morrow. He awoke with a serene counte
nance, and heart and mind at ease. This was not so
much the result of the rest he had obtained as of
what he had experienced in his dreams. The Lord
stood by him in the darkness of the night and en
couraged him with these words, " Be of good cheer ;
for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must
thou also bear witness of me in Rome." This was
positive assurance that, in some way unknown as
yet, God would deliver him out of the hands of his
enemies and direct his course to the city on the
Tiber. He had long desired to visit Rome, and had
so expressed himself in his epistle to the church in
that city (Rom. x. 1-13) ; but when this desire was
to be realized, it would be under circumstances quite
different from what he had anticipated.
Early in the morning following the night in which
Paul had received the vision, a conspiracy was
formed to assassinate him. More than forty men,
goaded by anger and desperation, had bound them
selves with a solemn oath that they would neither eat
nor drink till they had taken his life. To carry out
their gruesome design, they endeavoured to secure
the service of the chief priests and elders, telling
them of the vow they had made and of the strength
of the oath that bound them. They made the request
of the priests and elders to have the Sanhedrin called
together again, ostensibly, to reconsider Paul's case,
to have the prisoner brought to the temple court as
though he were to be tried, and that they would as
sassinate him between the Tower and the place of
trial. It was a bold, daring, and well planned scheme.
We do not know in what spirit the chief priests re-

Jerusalem and Csesarea 203
ceived the suggestion, but it is not probable that they
approved -it, though it is possible that they did.
Most of them had doubtless been guilty of crimes as
great. But whether they were favourable or un
favourable to the plan does not concern us. It was
never carried out.
In treating of the childhood of Paul in his native
city, we spoke of his sister and said that she was
casually mentioned later in his life. She probably
lived in Jerusalem at the time of Paul's arrest. Her
son, whose name is not given, heard of the plot to
murder his uncle, and with promptness commendable
in one of his age, went to the prison and laid the
matter before Paul. Upon receiving this informa
tion, the apostle called a centurion and requested
him to conduct the young man to the chief captain.
The official promptly complied with the request of
the prisoner, and the youth soon stood in the presence
of the commanding officer. In presenting the young
man, the centurion said that Paul had asked him to
do so, and that the youth had a message to deliver to
the chief captain in person.
Lysias, thinking that the information might be of
a military character, took the young man aside pri
vately and asked him what he had to tell. The
youth unfolded the whole plot to murder Paul, and
advised the captain to refuse to allow him to be taken
from the Tower. This advice was unnecessary. A
military man is supposed to know his duty in such a
crisis, and to perform it with promptness. That the
young man presumed to advise the professional
soldier as to his duty can be accounted for on the
grounds of youth and inexperience. The chief cap-

204 Pau^ tne Apostle
tain seemed to understand the situation fully, and,
without a word of reproof, dismissed him, telling him
to keep the matter secret.
The chief captain is to be commended for his con
duct towards Paul. He was ever courteous in his
demeanour, and, in many ways, showed himself to be
a man of delicate taste and good judgment. He
knew that the young man's life would be endangered
by the mob, if it should become known to them that
he possessed their secret, and took proper means to
protect him, by having everything done with mili
tary secrecy. Lysias called two centurions to him
and ordered them to make ready a company of four
hundred and seventy soldiers to go to Csesarea, to
provide the necessary animals for Paul and his com
panions, and to be ready to start by nine o'clock that
night. Csesarea was the provincial capital and the
place of residence of the governor. To save Paul's
life Lysias sent him away under a strong military
guard that protected him till he was placed under
the official protection of Felix, the governor.
Lysias wrote a letter of committal to Felix and
sent it by one of the officers in charge of Paul and
his friends. We give the letter in full : " Claudius
Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix, greet
ing : This man was seized by the Jews and was
about to be slain by them, when I came upon them
with soldiers, and rescued him, having learned that
he was a Roman. And desiring to know the cause
wherefore they accused him, I brought him down to
their council : whom I found to be accused about
certain questions of their law, but to have nothing
laid to his charge worthy of death or of bonds.

Jerusalem and Csesarea 205
And when it was shown to me that there would be a
plot against the man, I sent him to thee forthwith,
charging his accusers to speak against him before
thee." One point in this letter is a serious reflection upon
the otherwise good character of Lysias. He tried to
make the impression on the governor that the reason
that he rescued Paul from the mob was that he had
heard that the apostle was a Roman. The fact is
that he ran down and took him out of the hands of
the ruffians, thinking that he was an Egyptian out
law. He did not know that Paul was a Roman until
he was about to have him scourged after his arrest.
Lysias claimed more credit than was due him. He
evidently desired to retain the good will of the gov
ernor, and this led him to colour his official report to
his own credit. The statement that he had ordered
Paul's accusers to prosecute him before the governor
was virtually but not actually true, at the time he
wrote the letter. The fact is that Paul was slipped
away from the city at night, without the knowledge
of his accusers ; but, in the letter, Lysias anticipated
what he intended to do on the following morning.
He expected to tell Paul's accusers that they would
have to go to the provincial capital, if they wished
to press the case.
The centurion in charge of Paul performed his
duty in good faith. Early in the morning, perhaps
before the dawn of day, he arrived with his charge
at Antipatris. This town was situated in the Plain of
Sharon, at the foot of the mountains, on its eastern
border, and about midway between Jerusalem and
Csesarea. The original name of the place was Caphar-

206 Paul the Apostle
saba, but it had been rebuilt by Herod the Great, and
named in honour of his father, Antipater. It was
thirty and one-half miles from Csesarea. The centu
rion probably went no further than Antipatris, but
putting the apostle in the hands of a trusted subor
dinate, sent him on to the capital, under the guard
of two hundred men, returning to Jerusalem himself
to report to his superior.
Upon arriving at Csesarea on the afternoon of the
second day, Paul was handed over to the governor,
and the letter of committal presented. Felix read
the letter, and learning from it that Paul was a Ro
man, asked him of what province he was ; and, being
informed that he was of Cilicia, he assured him that
his case would be heard when his accusers should
come down and file charges against him. The pris
oner, in the meantime, was to be kept in Herod's
palace. The governor's mansion bore this name.
Paul was committed to the guard-room. He was
tired and sore from his long ride on horseback, not
being accustomed to that mode of travel. The
night's rest, though within prison walls, was a pleas
ant experience. He had ridden continuously for
about eighteen hours, and was in condition to appre
ciate any kind of resting place, and any kind of bed
upon which to rest.
Five days were spent in waiting for the trial.
Ananias, the high priest, came down from Jerusalem,
bringing with him an able lawyer named Tertullus.
This man was an educated Roman, and well skilled
in his profession. He came as the paid attorney of
the high priest, and was to conduct the prosecution
against the prisoner. Felix, the governor of the

Jerusalem and Csesarea 207
province, was himself a man of notorious character.
In his early life he had been a slave to Agrippina,
the mother of Claudius, the emperor. He became a
favourite with the emperor, who gave him his freedom
and made him the governor of a province. His rise
in life is commendable, but that is about all there is
in his life worthy of praise. He possibly possessed
some good traits which caused the emperor to think
well of him. Shortly after he assumed the duties of
governor, he became acquainted with Drusilla, the
wife of Aziz, king of Emesa. The dominion of this
monarch was a very small territory, between Pales
tine and the eastern desert. Drusilla was a member
of the notorious Herod family, being the oldest child
of Herod Agrippa, some of whose deeds and whose
death are recorded in the twelfth chapter of Acts.
She was a sister of Herod Agrippa II, before whom
Paul made his memorable defense found in the
twenty-sixth chapter of the Book of Acts. Felix fell
in love with her, and used the influence of one
Simon, a sorcerer from Cyprus, to induce her to leave
her husband, and then took her for his own para
mour. She had one son by Felix, Agrippa by name,
who perished with her in the eruption of Mount
Vesuvius, August 25th, 79 A. v. Nineteen years
later Felix incurred the ill will of the emperor, and
vanished into obscurity. The time and place of his
death are not known, but it is believed that he met
his end in Gaul.
The court was formally opened and the case was
called for trial. The attorney for the prosecution
arose, and, with suitable dignity, proceeded to state
the case. We think best to give the synopsis of the

208 Paul the Apostle
opening speech as given by Luke : but, before we do
this, let us note the wisdom and policy displayed by
Tertullus. He began by complimenting the gov
ernor, and paying a high and flattering tribute to his
ability to meet the demands of the exalted position
he occupied. He was very anxious to make a favour
able impression on the governor. He said : "Seeing
that by thee we enjoy much peace, and that by thy
providence evils are corrected for this nation, we ac
cept it always and in all places, most excellent Felix,
with all thankfulness. But that I be not further
tedious unto thee, I entreat thee to hear us of thy
clemency a few words. For we have found this man
a pestilent fellow, and a mover of insurrection among
all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader
of the sect of the Nazarenes : moreover, he assayed
to profane the temple ; on whom we laid hold ; from
whom thou wilt be able, by examining him thyself, to
take knowledge of all these things whereof we accuse
him." This was the formal statement of the charges
against the prisoner. The Jews who were present,
all controlled by Ananias, said that these allegations
were true. It will be seen that the general charge
was that the apostle was a "pestilent fellow."
There were three specifications under this charge s
stirring up the people and endeavouring to raise an
insurrection, being a ringleader of the Nazarenes,
and trying to profane the temple. If any one of
these three specifications could be sustained by reli
able testimony, the charge would be made good.
Paul had no idea what the charges against him
would be till he heard them read in open court ; he
had no one to testify in his interest, and no time to

Jerusalem and Csesarea 209
prepare an address in his own defense. He relied
solely on the promise of God (Luke xxi. 15) and
that was sufficient. The promise was kept.
Tertullus had shown much tact in his attempt to
win the governor over to his side of the case, but
Paul was more than equal in skill to the trained and
eloquent lawyer pitted against him. We give the
synopsis of his reply : " Forasmuch as I know that
thou bast been for many years a judge unto this na
tion, I do cheerfully make my defense : seeing that
thou canst take knowledge, that it is not more than
twelve days since I went up to worship at Jerusalem ;
neither in the temple did they find me disputing
with any man, or stirring up a crowd, nor in the
synagogue, nor in the city. Neither can they prove
the things whereof they now accuse me. But this I
confess unto thee, that after the Way which they call
a sect, so serve I the God of our fathers, believing all
things which are according to the law, and which are
written in the prophets : having hope towards God
which these also themselves look for, that there shall
be a resurrection both of the just and the unjust.
Herein do I exercise myself to have a conscience void
of offense towards God and men always. Now, after
many years, I come to bring alms to my nation, and
offerings : amidst which they found me purified in
the temple, with no crowd nor yet with tumult : but
there were certain Jews from Asia who ought to have
been here before thee, and make accusation, if they
had aught against me. Or else let these men them
selves say what wrong-doing they found when I stood
before .the council, except it be for this one voice,
that I cried standing among them, Touching the

210 Paul the Apostle
resurrection of the dead, I am called in question be
fore you this day."
A careful study of this speech reveals the fact that
Paul made a complete answer to every specification.
He denied being a sectarian, but confessed that he
was what they called such. He declared his faith in
the Old Testament.
The case was not decided at this hearing. Felix
saw proper to continue the case till Lysias, the chief
captain, who was an important witness, should come
down from Jerusalem, at which time the apostle
would be given another hearing. He gave orders
that Paul should be kept in prison, but should be al
lowed certain liberties, and that any of his friends be
permitted to visit him who should desire to do so.
While they were waiting for Ananias to come
down, Felix and Drusilla desired to hear Paul
concerning the Christian faith, and had him brought
into their presence for that purpose. The fact that
Drusilla was a daughter of the Herod whose death is
recorded in the twelfth chapter of Acts has already
been mentioned. She was six years old when her
father died in the year 44, and this incident occurred
in 58 ; she was, therefore, only twenty years of age at
this time. She is said to have been a very beautiful
woman. We have already referred to the fact that
Felix was once a slave, and had become governor
through the generosity of his former master. Tacitus
says that Felix "exercised the authority of a king
with the temper of a slave." In speaking to this
wicked pair concerning the faith, the apostle had a
wide field from which to choose a subject. He was
free to select his own theme. He was not on trial at

Jerusalem and Csesarea 211
this time, but was to preach by the invitation of the
governor. Instead of selecting some profound sub
ject of doctrinal character, he took aim at the best
loved sins of his hearers and let drive ! Only a brief
outline of the sermon is given. He discussed three
points : 1, Righteousness ; 2, Self-control ; 3, Judg
ment to come. This couple were exceedingly wicked,
hence the exhortation to righteousness ; they fol
lowed the promptings of their unholy passions, and
the exhortation to self-control was timely ; condemna
tion at the day of judgment is certain to all who fol
low such sinful practices as did the governor and his
paramour. Paul must have pictured the punishment
of sin in horrid colours. Such preaching is calculated
to arouse the consciences of all people who are hot too
far gone in sin to be aroused by anything that could
be said or done.
Felix trembled from head to feet with fear, and or
dered Paul to go from his presence, telling him that
at some suitable time he would call for him again.
This was merely an excuse for the moment ; he had
no intention of calling him again ; he desired to hear
no more such preaching. Felix was afterwards de
posed and banished. He died in obscurity, misery,
and sin. He was within reach of salvation only one
time in life. He rejected the opportunity, and was
lost. As we have already remarked, Drusilla was a
member of the notorious Herod family, and she was
probably too hard-hearted to be touched with the sub
lime message of the Gospel.
Felix showed his real character in his further deal
ings with Paul. He kept him in prison for two years,
hoping that a large bribe would be paid by him to

2 1 2 Paul the Apostle -a
secure his liberty. He sent for him often but not to
hear him preach ; he suggested many plans by which
he hoped to secure a large amount of money from his
illustrious prisoner. It is needless to add that Paul
would not encourage such crime. He preferred hon
ourable imprisonment to fraudulent liberty. He chose
to remain in prison with a clear conscience rather than
to go free with a guilty one. Felix thought that Paul
had much wealth or many wealthy friends who would
come to his relief if he should call upon them. He
remembered that the apostle had said that his mission
to Jerusalem at the time of his arrest, was to bring
alms to his nation ; and, not knowing the source
whence he obtained his money, he naturally supposed
that more could be had if necessary. The two years'
imprisonment was only a long and fruitless effort on
the part of the corrupt governor to extort money for
his own enrichment. Graft in official life is not a new
sin. When Porcius Festus succeeded Felix as governor,
he found Paul still in prison. Festus assumed his
official duties in the year 60. The two years spent in
prison in Csesarea were the most inactive years of
Paul's life ; he wrote no letters, and it is not proba
ble that he did any preaching. Festus, on assuming
the duties and responsibilities of his high station,
made an official visit to Jerusalem, which was the
metropolis of the province, that he might become ac
quainted with the leading men among the Jews ;
and while he was in the city, some of the prominent
men of the nation requested him to send Paul back to
them for trial. They had laid a plan to assassinate
him on the way, if the governor should consent to

Jerusalem and Csesarea 213
gratify their desire. They knew that Festus had not
been in the province long enough to know the bitter
feeling of the Jews against Paul, and hoped that he
would allow him to be brought back to Jerusalem.
Festus was wise enough to move with caution. He
told the men of Jerusalem that Paul was still a pris
oner in Csesarea, and that he himself would return to
that city within a few days. He suggested also that
those who had charges to make should go with him
to the provincial capital, and that the case would be
heard there. This decision of Festus was a sore dis
appointment to Paul's enemies and a protection to his
life. The governor remained in Jerusalem for nearly
or quite two weeks, and, when he departed, several
of the leading Jews went down to Csesarea with him,
and the case that had been deferred for two years was
called for trial. Festus acted promptly. On the day
following his arrival, he sat down on the judgment
seat and ordered the prisoner to be presented before
him. The Jews, who had come from Jerusalem, made
many serious charges against the apostle, but they
were all baseless, and were not sustained. In his
defense the apostle made a speech very much like
the one he made in reply to the cbarges made by
Tertullus two years before; and this would imply
that the same old charge of being a "pestilent fellow "
was made before Festus. Paul declared that he had
broken no law, Jewish or Roman. Festus, having
so recently assumed the reins of government, was
very anxious to give a peaceful and satisfactory ad
ministration to the province, and he knew that he
could not accomplish his desire unless he had the

214 P-u^ ^e Apostle
good will of the Jews. He was, therefore, willing to
show them any favours he could consistent with his
duty as an impartial ruler. He knew also that a
prisoner accused of crime had certain rights and
privileges that those who administered the law were
bound to respect. Personally, he was willing to try
the case in Jerusalem, but was not willing to force
Paul to submit to such a trial without his full con
sent. He, accordingly, decided to leave the matter
to the prisoner himself, and be governed in his own
conduct by his decision.
The governor was ignorant of the plot to assassinate
the apostle. He asked Paul if he would go up to
Jerusalem and be tried before him there. Paul's
reply shows his idea of propriety. He said : "I am
standing at Csesar's judgment seat where I ought to
be judged ; to the Jews I have done no wrong as
thou very well knowest. If I am a wrong-doer, or
have committed anything worthy of death, I refuse
not to die ; but, if none of these things are true,
whereof they accuse me, no man can give me up
to them. I appeal unto Csesar." This is sublime.
The statement that he ought to be judged at Csesar's
judgment seat was his objection to going to Jeru
salem. By what had come to light at the trial,
Festus learned that Paul was innocent, and that the
Jews were persecuting rather than prosecuting him,
and doing this through malice. He felt glad and
relieved when the prisoner claimed the right of every
Roman citizen and appealed his case to the Imperial
Court at Rome. He readily acknowledged Paul's
right to take the appeal, and told him that it would
be granted.

Jerusalem and Csesarea 215
A short time after Festus took charge of the pro
vincial government, Herod Agrippa II, with his
sister Bernice, came to Csesarea to pay a congratu
latory visit to the new governor. He was the only
son of Herod Agrippa I (Acts xii. 1, 2). He was a
youth of seventeen when his father died in the year
44, was regarded as too young to succeed to the throne
of the entire kingdom, and was given the small dis
trict of Chalsis, east of the Jordan, for his dominion,
with the title of king. He was thus deprived of the
larger part of his political inheritance, but was con
soled by being recognized as king, and being per
mitted to exercise regal authority in a small way.
When Festus came to rule the province in the year
60, Agrippa was only thirty-one years old. His sis
ter Bernice, like bis other sister, Drusilla, is said to
have been a very beautiful and attractive woman ;
and however revolting it may appear to us, her rela
tion to her brother with whom she lived was not
above suspicion. In her girlhood she became the
wife of her uncle, the former king of Chalsis, but, at
this time, she was a widow and lived in her brother's
palace. Drusilla was her younger sister. The king
and his sister spent many days with the governor,
who took special pains to furnish them many kinds
of entertainment ; and we may be sure that no pains
were spared to contribute to the pleasure of the royal
guests. We have already said that Festus had learned at
the trial of Paul that the apostle had committed no
crime against the law ; and, as the prisoner had ap
pealed to Csesar, it was the duty of the governor to send
a statement of the charge laid against him along with

216 Paul the Apostle
the appellant. Festus was in an embarrassing posi
tion. He did not know what kind of letter to write,
as he was unable to say for what cause the prisoner
was put on trial. He mentioned his embarrassment
to Agrippa, and said that it seemed to him unreason
able to send a prisoner to be tried, and not, at the
same time, send a statement as to the charges against
him. Agrippa expressed the desire to hear Paul tell
his own story, and Festus promised him that a part
of the entertainment on the next day would be a
speech from the prisoner. The governor was very
v anxious for the king to hear Paul state his own case.
By listening closely to what the apostle had to say,
Agrippa might be able to detect some lawlessness that
Festus had overlooked, and the two together might
be able to formulate a charge to be considered before
the supreme court of the empire.
At the appointed time the next day, Paul was
once more called before Festus. He appeared with
the fetters of the felon upon his hands, to state his
case in the presence of both the governor and the
king. This was the first time, and, perhaps, the
only time that Paul ever preached the Gospel to a
king. Festus opened the proceedings by making a
formal speech to the king and his attendants : "King
Agrippa and all men who are present with us, Ye
behold this man about whom all the multitude of the
Jews made suit, both in Jerusalem and here, crying
that he ought not to live any longer. But I found
that he had committed nothing worthy of death ; and
as he himself appealed to the emperor, I determined
to send him, of whom I have no certain thing to
write, unto my Lord. Wherefore I have brought

Jerusalem and Csesarea 217
him before thee, King Agrippa, that after examina
tion, I may have somewhat to write. For it seemeth
to me unreasonable in sending a prisoner and not
withal to signify the charges brought against him."
This speech of Festus shows his dense and gross
ignorance of the Christian religion, which had, at
that time, spread over most of the Roman Empire.
The Christian faith had penetrated even to the city
of Rome, and a strong church existed there, the
church to which Paul's greatest epistle was written.
Agrippa had better knowledge. He knew of the
rise and progress of the Christian religion. It was
his great-grandfather who attempted to murder Jesus
as an infant ; it was his great-uncle who had mur
dered John the Baptist ; it was his father who be
headed the apostle James, and who had Peter thrown
into prison expecting to put him to death the next
day, and who miserably perished in Csesarea (Acts
xii. 1, 2). It must have been a mystery to the king
how the governor should have known so little about
the Christian religion, which faith was so well known
in the empire.
Paul's speech before Agrippa is one of the most elo
quent extant. It is frequently used by teachers of
oratory as an exercise by which to drill their stu
dents. Paul was not by nature either eloquent or
graceful ; he was criticized as a man of weak bodily
presence and contemptible speech by some of his
contemporaries, but on this occasion he was at his
best, and did his best. Circumstances were favour
able ; before him sat the governor, and near the gov
ernor sat the visiting king and his royal sister. It
was a momentous occasion. These two royal audit-

218 Paul the Apostle
ors were members of a family that, through four
generations, had fought the religion of Christ with all
possible zeal. The crimes of this family against
Christ and His cause have already been mentioned.
This was the second time in life that Paul ever
spoke to members of that family. Two years before
he had spoken to Drusilla, but to no effect. Now,
the apostle had the opportunity to speak to the king,
the only male Herod who ever heard the Gospel. We
shall not quote the speech. All can read it in Acts
xxvi. It is very probable that Luke heard the ad
dress. It was delivered just before Paul started to
Rome as a prisoner, and Luke was with him on the
voyage. It was a personal experience, an autobiog
raphy epitomized. He told of his career as a perse
cutor of the church, of his vision and call to the
apostleship, and of his career as an apostle of Jesus
Christ. It was in substance the same story that we
have studied twice heretofore as we have read the
record of his life and deeds.
Jesus did not appear to Paul, primarily, to convert
him. (See Acts xxvi. 16-18. ) That could have been
done without a vision. Lydia, the jailer of Philippi
and the Ethiopian eunuch, were all converted, yet
they saw no vision. All must become Christians in
the same way ; they must hear the truth, believe the
truth, and obey the truth, and in this there is no place
for a miracle. In Paul's case, there was more than a
conversion ; he was called to the apostleship. The
one supreme fact that Paul was to make known to
the world was the resurrection of Christ, and, in
order for him to do this, it was necessary for him to
know beyond doubt the certainty of that fact ; and

Jerusalem and Csesarea 219
the only way that he could possess such knowledge
was to see Him and hear Him after He had been
raised from the dead.
At the conclusion of the address, the king, Bernice
and the governor quietly left the room, with Paul
still standing on the floor. When out of hearing,
they freely expressed themselves in regard to the
apostle, and their opinion was that he had done
nothing worthy of death or imprisonment. Agrippa
said that the prisoner might have been acquitted
before this, had he not appealed to the Imperial
Court. It is not probable that he knew how hard it
was for Paul to secure a fair trial in the courts of the
province. Jewish influence was too strong there for
the apostle to get justice.
Neither the king nor the governor could detect any
crime in Paul, and Festus was forced to do what he
tried to avoid. He sent Paul to be tried, and sent no
charge against him.

XTV
FROM CiESAREA TO THE END
IT was not long after Paul appealed his case to
Csesar till he began his long-desired journey to
Rome. For many years he had cherished the
hope of making this journey, and now this hope was
to be realized. Festus delivered him and some other
prisoners, who were to be arraigned before the same
court, into the hands of a centurion whose name
was Julius. Two of Paul's dearest and most trusted
friends had the pleasure of making this journey with
him : one of these men was Luke, whom the apostle
called the "beloved physician," and the other was
Aristarchus, one of the two men for whom Paul was
willing to risk his life in the theatre at Ephesus.
Paul had languished in prison for two years, and his
body, naturally frail, had grown weaker and more
subject to ailments of different kinds by reason of
his long confinement. The presence of the skillful
physician as his companion in travel was a blessing
highly esteemed. We have no information as to
where Luke aud Aristarchus spent the two years that
Paul spent in prison ; but, as they were both with
him when he visited Jerusalem at the time of his ar
rest, and both made the journey with him from
Csesarea to Rome, we can reasonably infer that they
were not very far from him during the period of im
prisonment. They must have remained near enough
220

From Csesarea to the End 221
to assist him in any way that he might need their
services. Julius, into whose hands the prisoners were in
trusted, was a man of kindly heart and obliging dis
position. The voyage was begun in the autumn, a
stormy time for seafaring. In those days travelling
was necessarily slow and uncertain. The traveller
had to depend upon the movements of the ships of
the day, and these were very irregular as to the time
of arrival and departure. There was no vessel to be,
found going from the Syrian coast to Italy, but the
centurion thought best to take passage on the first
one going in that direction, go as far as he could on
it, and then make the best possible arrangements to
complete the journey. He, accordingly, embarked
with his prisoners on a ship bound for Adramyttium,
on the western coast of Asia Minor. Perhaps Julius
thought that he would probably find a vessel in some
port along the south or west coast, and thus be able
to continue the voyage.
The first day out was favourable and they made
good time. The vessel arrived in Sidon the next
day, having run 'sixty-seven miles. At this place
the centurion gave Paul permission to go ashore and
refresh himself among his friends. These friends
were probably unknown to Paul in person. There
is no record that he was ever in Sidon before this.
They all knew him by reputation, and perhaps a few
brethren there had met him elsewhere. There was
some special reason why Paul needed rest and re
freshment after only one day's sailing. He was
naturally weak from his long period of confinement ;
it has also been surmised with much plausibility that

222 Paul the Apostle
he suffered from seasickness, and that the humane
centurion gave him an opportunity to recover from
the attack.
The length of time spent in Sidon is not stated ;
but when they put to sea again, they continued their
northward course till they passed the Island of
Cyprus, when they turned westward, leaving that
island to the south. There is at the present day a
strong current running towards the west, between
Cyprus and the mainland of Cilicia towards the
north ; and if this same current ran there at that
time, the accurate nautical knowledge of the ship
master is seen by his choice of that route. The
natural flow of the water facilitated the progress of
the ship. No landing was made till they reached the
city of Myra on the coast of the province of Lycia.
At this place the centurion found a ship from Alex
andria, in Egypt, loaded with grain and bound for
Italy. The entire company under the command of
Julius, soldiers, prisoners, Luke and Aristarchus,
were transferred from the ship bound for Adramyt
tium to that of Alexandria, en route to Italy.
This appeared to be a stroke of good fortune, but
we shall see that it proved to be otherwise. The
autumn storms began to sweep the sea, and naviga
tion became difficult and dangerous. The gale ap
pears to have been from the west, and raging with
such fury that many days were spent in going from
Myra to Cnidus, a distance of one hundred and thirty
miles. Had the weather been propitious, a day and
night would have been ample time for the voyage.
Finding it impossible to advance beyond Cnidus, the
master of the ship turned her prow to the southwest,

From Csesarea to the End 223
and held in that direction till they passed the eastern
end of the Island of Crete, when once more the ship
was turned towards the west, keeping close to the south
ern shore of the island. They coasted along for some
time, protected from the storm by the island. This
slight protection, however, was not sufficient to re
move the danger. The progress of the ship was
slow, and the peril of all on board was great. With
much labour and anxiety they arrived at a place
called Fair Havens.
They had spent more time on the voyage thus far
than they had anticipated. Time was now precious
and pressing. Paul, though a prisoner, volunteered
to offer the captain some advice. The apostle had
been much on the sea ; he had been in many storms
and shipwrecks, and had spent a day and night
struggling in the surging waters, clinging to bits of
wreckage and driftwood. In some way unknown to
us, he had been rescued after this bitter experience.
The only information we have of this episode in his
eventful life we obtain from a modest reference in
his own writing (2 Cor. xi. 25). Paul advised the
captain to spend the winter in the port of Fair
Havens. The captain would not listen to this ad
vice, but had reason to regret afterwards that he did
not. Fair Havens was not a desirable place to spend
the winter, and this was the ostensible reason that the
captain did not take Paul's advice. The majority of
the crew and passengers agreed with the captain that
they push on to the harbour of Phcenix and there
spend the winter. This port was thirty-four miles
from Fair Havens, and to reach it they would have
to pass Cape Matala. The wind changed to the south,

224 Pau^ tne Apostle
and they weighed anchor. They had but fairly
started till a more severe storm than any they had
yet encountered swooped down upon them from the
mountains of Crete, and put them in still greater
peril. The ship was caught in the gale. It was im
possible to steer or control the vessel, and they had
to let her scud before the blast.
After running twenty-three miles before the gale,
they came to the small island of Clauda, and took
shelter under its lee. With this small protection
they succeeded in lifting the ship's life-boat to the
deck. It had probably been allowed to drag behind
the ship, and the captain, knowing that he was
likely to need t any hour, took pains to hoist it to
the deck, and thus save it from being crushed against
the sides of the ship and destroyed. After they had,
with much difficulty, secured the boat, they took the
further precaution to undergird the ship. This was
done by passing strong cables under the bow and
drawing them back more towards the center, and
tightening them around the hull. The timbers were
already strained almost to parting, and the cables
were intended to reenforce them.
On the northern coast of Africa, far to the south
west, were the quicksands known to the mariners as
the Syrtis ; and, fearing that the ship would be
driven into this by the long continued and furious
hurricane, they took down all sails that were left,
and once more drifted helplessly upon the tumbling
billows of the main. After battling all night with
the wind and waves, as the dawning light appeared,
they began to lighten the load of the ship by throw
ing the cargo overboard, and on the third day they

From Csesarea to the End 225
cast out all the tackling and appliances of the vessel
that were not absolutely necessary to keep her afloat.
The storm continued to rage around the apparently
doomed ship for many weary and anxious days;
neither sun, moon nor stars appeared, and all hope
was abandoned. The tempest grew in severity, and
terror seized upon the captain and the crew.
All had been a long time without food. The
great danger that surrounded them, and the intense
mental strain to which they were subjected, had ban
ished all desire for food. In the midst of all this
dejection and terror, Paul stood forth before the
excited throng and endeavoured to ; aim their fears
by that same power of personality th ^'restored quiet
to the Lystrian mob many years before. He re
minded the captain and the crew that they had made
a great blunder in sailing away from Crete contrary to
his advice to spend the winter in the harbour of Fair
Havens. He had no censure for them, but attributed
the loss that would come to the owners of the ship to
the fact that the captain had not taken his advice.
He had something more to say, and had reason to
believe that they would receive it gladly. He
assured them that no life would be lost, but that the
ship was destined to go to pieces. . It had been
revealed to him in a vision during the night that the
ship would be dashed against a certain island and
destroyed, but that all would escape with their lives.
This announcement relieved the dejection of all on
board. We cannot think of this perilous adventure
on the stormy sea and not recall the vivid descrip
tion of such a scene furnished us by the poet of Israel :
" They that go down to the sea in ships, they that do

226 Paul the Apostle
business in the great waters ; these see the works of
Jehovah and his wonders in the deep. For he com-
mandeth and raiseth the stormy wind, which lifteth
up the waves thereof. They mount up to the
heavens, they go down again to the depths : their
soul melteth away because of trouble. They reel to
and fro and stagger like a drunken man, and they
are at their wits' end. Then they cry unto Jehovah
in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their
distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the
waves thereof are still" (Psalm cvii. 23-29). The
ship on which Paul and his fellow-travellers sailed
was doomed to loss, but God had promised Paul to
save the passengers and crew.
The storm continued to rage with unabated fierce
ness for more than fourteen days, and the ship was
helplessly tossed about in the angry sea. About
midnight, on the fourteenth day after leaving Clanda,
a sound was heard, which the skilled seamen recog
nized as the roar of the surf beating against the shore
not far away. This sound caused fresh fear to take
possession of the sailors. They dropped the lead to
sound the depth of the water, and found it to be one
hundred and twenty feet ; a few minutes later they
made another sounding and found that the depth had
diminished to ninety feet. This indicated that they
were fast approaching land. The night was in
tensely dark, and they did not want to drift any nearer
to the unknown shore lest they should be wrecked
against the beach. They cast four anchors out of the
stern of the ship, and wished for day. While thus
waiting in suspense for the coming dawn, the sailors
attempted to make their escape in the life-boat.

From Csesarea to the End 227
They had already lowered the boat to the water and
were about to embark. Paul saw them, and reported
to the centurion, who stood near, and said that if
they went away all would be lost. We have seen
that this man had been very considerate of Paul
throughout the voyage thus far, and when the apostle
told him that unless the sailors remained in the ship
all would be lost, he assumed authority, and without
asking permission from the captain of the ship,
ordered some soldiers to cut the ropes. The order
was obeyed with promptness, and the boat drifted
away in the darkness.
About daybreak, Paul, who alone had remained
tranquil throughout the entire storm, advised all on
board to take some food. They had fasted fourteen
days, and consequently were weak and emaciated.
Food had now become an actual necessity ; and to
encourage them to eat, Paul took bread, and after
thanking God for it, began to eat. This act encour
aged the others, and they all took food and were re
freshed. Paul assured them that all would be saved.
After eating they lightened the ship further by throw
ing the last of the freight into the sea.
When day dawned, they found themselves anchored
near the shore of an unknown island. The storm had
blown them so far out of their course as to carry the
sailors into strange regions. They saw a small bay
on the coast, and after holding a consultation, decided
to make an effort to run the ship into it. They cut
the cables that held the anchors, hoisted the fore
sail to the wind, and made for the beach. The prow
drove into the mud and stuck fast. The rear portion
of the ship began to break to pieces under the beat-

228 Paul the Apostle
ing of the waves. The soldiers advised that the
prisoners should be killed to prevent their escape,
but Julius would not allow such brutal conduct. He
had many reasons for wishing to save Paul and no
reason to murder the others entrusted to his care.
Paul was now the unofficial commander both of the
ship and of the soldiers, and all listened to him.
When Julius had forbidden the soldiers to murder
the prisoners, Paul took it upon himself to command
all who could swim to cast themselves into the sea
and make for the shore. They obeyed with alacrity,
and were soon safe on land, filled with joy at their
great deliverance. Those who could not swim availed
themselves of planks and other things from the ship,
to aid them in remaining above water till they could
be washed ashore by the waves. The climax of the
thrilling account is given in these words, "And it
came to pass that they all escaped safe to land."
They had come four hundred and seventy-six miles
from Clauda, and the storm had been upon them all the
way. We have no means to estimate the distance trav
elled in the zigzag voyage through the storm.
The island against which the vessel stranded was
Melita, the modern Malta. The landing of so many
strange people on the shores of the island naturally
attracted the attention of the natives. The people
of the island were of Phoenician origin, but many
Greeks were scattered among them, all being under
the dominion of Rome. The natives showed much
kindness to the unfortunate men from the ship. They
gathered a large amount of wood and made a fire to
dry the clothes and warm the shivering bodies of
the strangers who had struggled through the chilling

From Csesarea to the End 229
waters to the shore. The morning was cold for that
climate ; and though the fury of the storm had some
what abated, the rain was still falling. Paul was
busy with the others in gathering brushwood for
the fire. He gathered an armful of sticks, and after
throwing them on the fire, remained for a short time
holding his hand over the blaze. As he thus stood
warming his hand, a deadly serpent, benumbed by
the cold, and which was in the bundle of brush that
the apostle had gathered and thrown upon the fire,
being warmed by the heat, came out of the blaze and
fastened its poison fangs in the flesh of his hand.
The islanders could see that Paul was a prisoner,
and they supposed him to be a murderer and the bite
of the serpent to be a just punishment for his crime.
Paul shook the serpent from his hand and it fell back
into the flames and perished. The apostle experi
enced no inconvenience from the bite. The islanders
watched him, expecting to see the hand swell, and
to see the apostle fall dead as a result of the poison ;
but when they saw no evil effects, they changed their
minds and said that he was a god. This was the
second time in the life of the apostle that he had
been regarded by heathen people as a superior being.
The other occasion was on his first visit to Lystra.
The residence of the governor of the island, was
near the place where the ship went to pieces. The
town is now called Alta Vecchia, and the indentation
on the shore where the ship stranded is still known
as St. Paul's Bay. Julius, the centurion, being a
person of considerable prominence, the governor in
vited him and the prisoners under his care to share
the hospitality of his home. He did this as a matter

230 Paul the Apostle
of official courtesy, and was rewarded for his kind
ness in a way of which he had not even dreamed.
The father of the governor was very ill of fever and
dysentery, a malady common in the island at that
season of the year. If Luke tried his medical skill
for the relief of the patient, he failed to make a cure ;
at any rate, Paul's miraculous power was brought to
bear on the case and the man was healed. This won
the gratitude of the governor. The entire company
remained in the island during the months of Novem
ber, December and January, and while they were
there the afflicted people from all over the island
came to Paul and obtained relief from their diseases.
This great benevolence exhibited by Paul caused
many honours to be heaped upon him and his com
panions, and when they departed, about the first of
February, the natives of the island provided them
with the comforts necessary for the rest of the journey.
As soon as the sea was open for navigation another
corn ship from Alexandria, which had wintered in
the island, made ready to sail into Italy. This ship
was known by its figurehead as the Castor and Pollux,
or the Twin Brothers. Julius, anxious to reach Rome
as early as possible with his prisoners and to be re
lieved of further responsibility, arranged to take pas
sage on this vessel. We do not know what became
of the crew from the vessel that had been wrecked.
The first port reached by the, Castor and Pollux,
after leaving the Island of Melita, where they had
spent three months, waiting better conditions of
weather, was Syracuse, on the eastern shore of the
Island of Sicily. This city is eighty miles from Alta
Vecchia, and was probably reached in one day's saiL

From Csesarea to the End 231
In the first chapter of this book reference was made
to the fact that Paul made no allusion to the beauty
of the scenery through which he passed in his jour
neys, and now we have a conspicuous example of it.
During the first day out from Malta, he looked for the
first time on the volcano of Etna ; he had never be
fore beheld such a sight. It was then active and
sending forth its fiery belches from the interior of the
earth, and yet no mention is made of it either by Luke
or Paul.
The ship was detained at Syracuse for three days
on account of contrary wind ; then, with the wind un
favourable they put to sea, and, by hard sailing,
reached Rhegium, the modern Reggio. Here they
spent a day waiting for the wind to favour them, and
when the south wind sprang up, they made good
speed through the straits of Messina, with mountains
covered with snow on either side of them. The wind
was not only from the south, but it was strong. In
one day the ship sailed from Rhegium to Puteoli, a
distance of one hundred and eighty miles. At the
latter place Paul found a small congregation of Chris
tians, and remained a while with them. He had not
been among Christian brethren, except the few who
made the journey with him, since he left Sidon about
five months before. He longed for the fellowship of
brethren. Puteoli was probably the destination of
the Twin Brothers. The rest of the journey was per
formed by land.
We have already noticed the kindness with which
the centurion treated Paul. The storm, and the apos
tle's conduct during those trying days, the shipwreck,
and the months spent together in the island among

232 Paul the Apostle
the barbarians, had served to heighten the esteem
that Julius had for his favourite prisoner. Julius
was in haste to reach Rome, but in order to accommo
date Paul, he waited seven days at Puteoli to allow
him the opportunity to enjoy the hospitality of his
brethren and to confirm them in their Christian faith.
We admire this great-hearted man ; heathen though
he was, he knew how to be courteous.
On the eighth day after reaching Puteoli, Paul be
gan his land journey to Rome, one hundred and forty
miles distant. The first recorded stop on the way
was at Appii Forum, the Market of Appius, within
forty miles of the city. The disciples in Rome had
heard of Paul's coming, and a reception committee
from the church came these forty miles to meet him.
They doubtless would have met him further out from
the city, but they did not know certainly what road
to take.
Ten miles beyond Appii Forum, at a place called
The Three Taverns, another party of Christians met
him ; and when the apostle saw their love for him as
expressed in their coming to meet him so far out
on the road, he thanked God and took courage. These
brethren from Rome had read, or heard read, the
greatest of all Paul's epistles. They had learned to
love him through his writings, and were filled with
joy at meeting him face to face. They continued with
Paul, Luke, Aristarchus, and Julius, the centurion,
till they all arrived in Rome. Here the long and
pleasant companionship of the soldier of the empire
and the soldier of the cross terminated. Julius turned
the prisoners over to the proper authorities, and his
journey of more than five months was complete.

From Csesarea to the End 233
They arrived in Rome in March, A. »., 61. We
should be glad to know what effect, if any, the long
term of association with Paul had on Julius, whether
he became a Christian or died a pagan ; but here,
again, the veil is drawn and we cannot part its folds.
Although Paul was a prisoner, he was allowed more
liberty than prisoners usually enjoy. There were two
reasons for this : first, there was no charge against
him in the letter that Festus sent along with the legal
forms of appeal ; and, secondly, Julius had doubtless
told the authorities in Rome of the good conduct of
the prisoner during the long voyage from Csesarea.
Instead of being incarcerated in the common prison,
the apostle was permitted to rent a house for himself,
and to receive all friends who desired to visit him.
The rental for the house was probably supplied by
his friends in the different cities in which he had
preached the Gospel and established churches.
In his epistles written during this imprisonment,
Paul often refers to the assistance that different friends
had given him. He was doomed to wait long before
being called to trial. The case could not be tried till
his accusers arrived from Judea, and that would make
a delay of several months necessary. We have seen
that he reached Rome in the spring of 61, and we
know that his accusers did not come along with him ;
and, as the navigation of the sea for the winter closed
soon after Paul set out from Csesarea, they could not
have left Palestine till the following spring ; and, if
they started as soon as the sea was open for travel,
they began their journey about the time that Paul
arrived in Rome. They could not have reached Rome
until the latter part of the summer, or the early fall

234 Paul the Apostle
of 61, if everything favoured them ; and, in those days
of slow movement and deliberate action, much more
than the necessary time was probably consumed.
For some reason it was more than two years before
the apostle was called to trial. During this time he
was in military custody, having a Roman soldier
chained to him all the time, but was freely permitted
to preach to all who came to hear him. The soldiers
who guarded him by turns heard the Gospel from him.
He took delight in telling the story of Christ to each
one. In the Epistle to the Philippians, written during
his imprisonment, the apostle writes, "My bonds are
manifest in Christ throughout the whole prsetorian
guard, and to all the rest" (Phil. i. 13). The guard
mentioned was a band of Roman soldiers bivouacked
outside of the walls of the city, whose function it was
to protect the life of the emperor and guard the pris
oners who were being held for trial before the court
of Nero. As these soldiers sat around the camp-fire
when off duty they would naturally speak of the
strange and interesting prisoner, and the new and
wonderful story that he told them of Jesus of Naz
areth. Thus, in a short time, the gospel story be
came known to all the soldiers in the camp.
Many friends from a distance visited Paul during
his period 'of imprisonment, and some epistles were
written to churches and individual brethren remote
from Rome. At least four letters were written from
Rome while the apostle was a prisoner — Ephesians,
Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. The author
ship of Hebrews is uncertain and will not be dis
cussed here. The first three of these epistles were
written to churches, and the other is a letter to a per-

From Csesarea to the End 235
sonal friend. We learn irom Paul's writings that
Tychicus was the bearer of the Epistle to the Ephe
sians, and also -the one to the Colossians, and that
Onesimus bore the Epistle to Philemon. We learn
further that these messengers travelled together.
That Onesimus carried the Epistle to Philemon is
seen in verses 8-12 of that document ; that Tychicus
bore the Epistle to the Ephesians is seen in Ephesians
vi. 21, 22, and that he was the bearer of the Epistle
to the Colossians also is confirmed by Colossians
iv. 7, 8. And Colossians iv. 8, 9 shows that Tychicus
and Onesimus travelled together. These three were
the earliest of his epistles written from Rome. In
both Ephesians and Colossians he makes request that
his brethren pray for him that he might have boldness
to preach the Gospel in its fullness.
During his imprisonment, the apostle had been in
strumental in converting a Greek slave to Christ.
The name of this slave was Onesimus. He was
owned by Philemon, but had run away from his
master and found his way to Rome. Philemon was a
friend and a convert of Paul's, and resided at Co-
lossse. This slave had been worthless to his master.
It is implied in the epistle that the slave had
wronged his master in some way. Some think that
he had robbed him, and then escaped. He had
robbed him of the service due him as his master, if
nothing worse. He was brought to Christ by Paul and
sent back to Philemon, bearing a letter from the
apostle. In this brief epistle Paul hints strongly at
the propriety of Philemon's emancipating Onesimus
on his arrival home. Whether or not Philemon
acted in harmony with the suggestion is left unre-

236 Paul the Apostle
vealed. Paul'was generous enough to say to Phile
mon that, if the latter had lost anything by the con
duct of Onesimus, he himself would repay it.
The Epistle to the Philippians was written later
than the others. In this epistle we learn that Paul
looked forward to his trial in the near future, and
that he expected to be acquitted, and be a free man
once more. We learn also that his confinement had
given him the opportunity to evangelize the whole
prsetorian guard in whose custody he was, and that
there were saints in Csesar's household. The royal
palace had been invaded in the interest of the King
of kings ; and, when we bear in mind that the
Csesar then on the imperial throne was the merciless
Nero, the statement that there were saints in his
household is astounding. He could throw Christians
to the lions and send apostles to the execution block ;
he could saturate the clothing of both men and
women with oil and set them on fire, that, in their
anguish, they might run blazing through the streets
and serve to illuminate the city, but he could not
prevent the Gospel from finding its way into his own
palace and making converts in his own household !
(Phil. iv. 22).
Paul was not alone though a prisoner in chains.
Some of his best earthly friends were with him, at
least a portion of the time of his confinement. He
speaks of Aristarchus and Epaphras as his fellow-
prisoners (Col. i. 4 ; Philem. 23). It may have been
that Aristarchus was arrested in Judea about the
time that Paul was sent to Rome. We know that he
made the journey to the imperial capital in company
with the apostle, although it is not intimated by Luke

From Csesarea to the End 237
that he was a prisoner. We know nothing of the
arrest of Epaphras, nor the charge brought against
him. Mark, who was once rejected by Paul as an
unfit companion, had been fully restored to his con
fidence and esteem, and was with him in his trouble
(Col. iv. 10). Demas was still faithful to him,
though we read the humiliating statement that he
deserted him later and went to Thessalonica (Col.
iv. 14 ; 2 Tim. iv. 10). Luke, who had come all the
way from Csesarea with him and Aristarchus, was
still with him in close brotherly companionship.
The New Testament tells us nothing about the re
sult of Paul's appeal to Csesar, but we have reason
to believe that he was acquitted, and that he did
much valuable work in the Gospel after his release.
This reason appears in the journeys mentioned in the
epistles to Timothy and Titus. He left Timothy at
Ephesus to oppose the false teachers who were troub-
. ling the church there, and went into Macedonia him
self (1 Tim. i. 3). This is not mentioned in Acts.
He left Titus in Crete to instruct the new converts,
and to appoint elders in all the churches (Tit. i. 5).
Acts tells us nothing about Paul's ministry in Crete.
He made a visit to Miletus where he left Trophimus
sick (2 Tim. iv. 20). This item is unrecorded in
Acts. He made ,a journey towards Nicopolis, and
expected to spend the winter there (Tit. iii. 12).
This is not mentioned in Acts. The entire term of
his Roman imprisonment is unknown. At the close
of the record in Acts, Paul had been a prisoner two
full years, and was still waiting for trial. We have
seen that he arrived in Rome in the spring of 61, and
he could not have been set at liberty before the

238 Paul the Apostle
spring of 63. The last statement in the Book of Acts
is that Paul lived two whole years in his own rented
house, and that he preached the kingdom of God to
all who came to him, no man forbidding him.
From passages in his epistles written later than the
year 63, and which we have noted in the preceding
paragraph, it is almost absolutely certain that the
apostle stood before Nero and stated his case so clearly
and forcibly that the young emperor, tyrant though
he was, gave him his liberty. In describing the
meeting between Paul and Agrippa, we said that that
was probably the only time in life the apostle ever
stood before a king. Yet it is reasonably certain
that he stood before Nero. In doing this he stood
before an emperor and not a king. The emperor was
a king of kings, and many crowned heads bowed in
submission to his will.
By means of some of Paul's epistles we can trace
out some of his movements after his release. During
his prison life he cherished the hope that he would
be released (Philem. 22 ; Phil. i. 25). After his ac
quittal he Went into Macedonia, and from there wrote
to Timothy at Ephesus that he expected to visit
him shortly (1 Tim. ii. 14, 15). From Ephesus he
probably visited Philemon at Colossse, and realized
the hope expressed in the letter sent to him by the
hand of Onesimus the slave (Philem. 22). We know
that he was at Miletus (2 Tim. iv. 20) ; and it is very
probable that he sailed from this point to Crete, in
company with Titus, whom he left in the island to
perfect the organization of the churches there (Tit.
i. 5). The Epistle to Titus seems to have been writ
ten while the apostle was on his way to Nicopolis,

From Csesarea to the End 239
where he expected to spend the winter (Tit. iii. 12).
The most probable supposition is that it was written
from Corinth in the year 65. By reference to the map
it can be seen that what is known of the geography of
the journey tends to add strength to this supposition.
We know that the apostle had, long before this,
planned a tour to the southwestern peninsula of
Europe. When he was about ready to leave Corinth,
with contributions for the relief of the poor saints in
Jerusalem, he wrote the Epistle to the Romans, in
which we have a statement from him that he expected
to go into Spain with the Gospel, and that his plan
was to visit Rome on the way (Rom. xv. 24, 28).
Whether he made this journey or not is another ques
tion that has no Scriptural answer. It is a matter
of tradition, however, that he did go to Spain. One
thing is certain : if he ever made the journey as he
had it planned, he did so after the first imprisonment
in Rome. There is no record of such a journey in
the New Testament. Had he made the journey be
fore the imprisonment, it would have been a matter
of record. As the Book of Acts closes with Paul in
prison, awaiting his first trial, there is no place in
that Book for the record of any of the events that
occurred after his trial and release.
When, where, and upon what ground the apostle
was arrested the second time we have no informa
tion. Many are of the opinion that his second arrest
occurred at Nicopolis some time during the year 65,
and this is probably correct. We are certain, how
ever, that he once more experienced the horrors of im
prisonment in Rome, and that during his last period
of confinement in that city he wrote his last epistle.

240 Paul the Apostle
This was his Second Epistle to Timothy ; and in it
we read his last message to one of his dearest and
best friends. The feeling that had once haunted him
that he might be rejected after having spent his life
in preaching to others had long since vanished (1 Cor.
ix. 27). His faith had risen to the sublimest height
to which faith can rise. As he realized that death
was near, he expressed his feelings in these words so
full of faith and resignation : "I am already being
offered, and the time of my departure is come. I
have fought a good fight, I have finished the course,
I have kept the faith : henceforth there is laid up
for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous Judge, shall give to me at that day ; and
not to me only, but also to all them that have loved
his appearing " (2 Tim. iv. 7, 8). In these words he
describes his present condition, reviews his past, and
takes a sweeping survey of the future. This is as far
as we can follow him in the light of history. The
early tradition of the Church is that he was put to
death by the order of Nero. That he fully expected
death we know ; and, as the time of his departure
had come when he wrote his last message to Timothy,
we can readily accept the tradition. We are reason
ably certain that soon after writing the words of the
last quotation he was led out to death. Although
we cannot follow him to the place of execution and
witness his last agonies and death, we can heed his
exhortation to follow him as he followed Christ ; and
by doing this, we are assured that we can follow him
through the Gates into the City.
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