ACTS OF THE APOSTLES.

This Book professes itself to be a continuation of St. Luke's Gospel; its style is the same. Irenæus, and many other fathers, quote it as written by Luke. It is a history of the progress of Christianity for about thirty years; but by no means a general history of the Church during that time. Some of the principal things related are, Matthias being chosen in the room of Judas; the descent of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost; Stephen's death; Paul's conversion; Cornelius the first Gentile convert; first Gentile Church at Antioch; believers first called Christians there; preaching of Paul and Barnabas to the Gentiles, by command of the Holy Spirit; circumcision and other rites declared not necessary for Gentile converts, by a decree. The latter part is confined to the travels of Paul and Luke.

As the history is not continued after Paul's two years' imprisonment at Rome, most probably it was published soon after his release, about A.D. 64. The place of publication is doubtful, but probably it was in Greece.

ST. PAUL.

St. Paul was born at Tarsus, the capital of Cilicia, and was a Jew and a citizen of Rome. He was of the tribe of Benjamin, and a Pharisee; by trade a tent-maker *; he studied the law at Jerusalem, under Gamaliel.

Paul's name first occurs in the Acts †, at the account of Stephen's death: he was a violent persecutor of the Christians. In this account his name is given as Saul, which he afterwards changed to the Roman name Paul, probably out of compliment to his first Roman convert Sergius Paulus .

He was miraculously converted in his journey from Jerusalem to Damascus (whither he went for the purpose of seizing upon the Christians there,) and was supernaturally qualified to become a preacher of the Gospel §. He commenced his ministry at Damascus, and then went to Jerusalem, but was obliged to flee from persecution there. He preached next in Syria and Cilicia, confining his teaching to Jews. After the conversion of Cornelius, he and Barnabas preached to the Gentiles at

* Among the Jews it was an usual practice to instruct all in some trade.

† Acts viii. 1.

Ibid. xiii. 7.

§ Acts ix.

Antioch, where the first Gentile Church was established. He and Barnabas were then specially set apart by the direction of the Holy Ghost, to preach the Gospel to the Gentile world*. For this purpose St. Paul made what are generally termed three apostolical journies.

The first apostolical journey was from Antioch to Salamis and Paphos, in Cyprus +; to Perga, in Pamphylia; to Antioch, in Pisidia; and to Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, in Lycaonia; from whence they returned to Antioch, in Syria, by nearly the same route. The time of this first journey was about two years. Sergius Paulus was converted in the course of it. Between this and the next journey Paul and Barnabas went up to Jerusalem, to be present at a council held respecting the circumcision of the Gentiles, which was at length declared not to be necessary.

The second apostolical journey was for the purpose of visiting different Churches which they had founded. Before it commenced Paul and Barnabas separated. Paul chose Silas as his companion, and travelled from Antioch through Syria and Cilicia, Derbe, Lystra, Phrygia, and Galatia: being forbidden by the Spirit to go into Asia Proper, he went

Acts xiii. 2.

+ Acts xiii. 4.

into Mysia; forbidden to go into Bithynia, he went to Troas, Samothracia, Neapolis, and Philippi, of Macedonia; through Amphipolis and Apollonia, to Thessalonica; to Berea, and to Athens. Here Paul was accused by the Stoics and Epicureans in the Areopagus. Dionysius and Damaris were converted here. From Athens he went to Corinth, where he staid preaching the Gospel for a year and a half; from thence he went into Syria, to Ephesus, to Cæsarea, and to Jerusalem, just before the feast of Pentecost. After that he went to Antioch. During part of this journey Luke and Timothy were also with St. Paul.

The third journey was through Galatia and Phrygia, to Ephesus, where he staid two years, preaching with great success; thence to Troas; into Macedonia; to Corinth. He intended to have gone into Syria, but, on account of the Jews, passed through Macedonia, and sailed from Philippi to Troas in five days; by land to Assos; by sea to Mitylene; to Miletus; to Tyre; to Cæsarea; Agabus, at this place foretelling his sufferings if he went to Jerusalem, where he arrived in the year 58, just before Pentecost.

Here ends the third apostolical journey. Paul was received with great joy on account of his success in preaching the Gospel. But soon afterwards a tumult was excited against him by some Asiatic

Jews, and the mob were on the point of killing him, when he was rescued by Lysias, a Roman officer. Next day, after an altercation in the Sanhedrim concerning him, Lysias, knowing that he was a Roman citizen, and finding that an attempt was on foot to assassinate him, sent him to Felix, the Roman governor at Cæsarea. Paul was accused before him by Ananias, the high-priest, and Tertullus, an orator, and then made his defence. Nothing, however, was done further in the business, and Paul was kept as a prisoner at large upwards of two years, Felix wishing to obtain a sum of money as a bribe for his release. At the end of this time Felix was succeeded by Festus, before whom Paul was brought and accused again by the Jews. Here he found it necessary to avail himself of a Roman citizen's privilege, to appeal to the Emperor Cæsart. He was, therefore, sent to Rome for the purpose of being heard at Cæsar's tribunal. After many dangers in a long voyage, and after being wrecked upon the island of Melita, or Malta ‡, he at last was conducted safely to Rome. It does not appear whether he was ever tried, and there are contradictory opinions on this point. He was, however, allowed to dwell by himself, with a soldier as a guard, and he was fully oc

* Acts xxiv.

+ Acts xxvi.

↑ Acts xxvii.