I. His History before his Converfion, and his general Character. II. The Time of his Converfion. III. Obfervations upon his Converfion, and the Circumstances of things at that time in Judea. IV. His age at the Time of his Converfion. V. When he was made an Apofle. VI. The Hiftory of his Travels, and Preaching: particularly, from the Time of his Converfion and Apoftleship, to his coming from Damafcus to Jerufalem, the first time, after his Converfion. VII. From his coming first to Jerufalem to his being brought to Antioch by Barnabas. VIII. To bis coming up to Jerufalem with the Contributions of the Christians at Antioch. IX. To his coming to the Council at Jerufalem about the year 49. X. To his coming to Jerufalem with Contributions of divers Gentile Churches, in the year 58, when he was apprehended, and imprisoned. XI. To the End of his imprisonment at Rome. XII. To the time of his death.

I. SAUL, called alfo PAUL, by which name he was generally called, after his preaching in gentile countries, and," particularly, among Greeks and Romans, a defcendant of the patriarch Abraham, one of God's ancient chofen people of Ifrael, of the tribe of Benjamin, was a native of Tarfus, then the chief city of Cilicia. He was alfo by birth a citizen of Rome. How he became entitled to that privilege, has been diftinctly shown in another place. His father was a pharifee, and himself was of the fame fect. He had a fifter, whofe fon was a Chriftian, and a

с

a Acts xiii. 9. Then Saul, who also is called Paul Eauλos de o nai Пauλos. Id eft, qui ex quo cum Romanis converfari cœpit, hoc nomine, a fuo non abludente, cœpit a Romanis appellari. Sic qui Jefus Judæis, Græcis Jafon: Hillel, Pollio. apud Romanos Silas, Silvanus, ut notavit Hieronymus. Grot. in Act. xiii. 9.

Hoc primum loco cœpit Apoftolus a Lucâ Paulus dici, quem ubique antea Saulum vocavit. Nec deinceps alio, quam Pauli nomine ufquam vocabit. Alii igitur apoftolum jam inde ab initio binominem fuiffe putant, ut ex altero homine Judæus, ex

altero Romanus civis effe intelligeretur. Alii cum religione nomen eum mutaffe putant, cum ex Pharifæo fieret Chriftianus.-Sunt demum qui a Sergio Paulo Proconfule ad Chrif tum converfo hoc cognomen adeptum effe putent.Ac facile mihi quidem perfuadeo, primum a Proconfulis Romani familiâ ita vocari cœpiffe. Bez. Annot. in A&t xiii. 9. See likewife Dr. Doddridge's Family Expofitor, vol. III. p. 198. note (k) or upon Acts xiii. 9.

Acts xxi. 39..xxii. 3. © Acts xvi. 37, 38. xxii. 25-29. xxiii. 27. 4 See vol. I. p. 229. xxiii. 6. xxvi. 5. Philip. iii. 5.

e Acts

difcreet

difcreet perfon, who was of great fervice to his uncle Paul, when a prifoner at Jerufalem. His conduct cannot be thought of without admiration and gratitude. Some others of his relations are mentioned by him in his epiftle to the Romans, who alfo were believers in Jefus, and several of them had been so before himself: which may be reckoned a proof of the virtue and piety of this family. Their names are Andronicus, and Junia, whom he calls his kinfmen, oʊyyɛveis μ8. Rom. xvi. 7. By which he must mean fomething more than their being his countrymen. He fpeaks in the like manner of Herodian, ver. 11. and alfo of Lucius, Jafon, and Sofipater, ver. 21. It may be reckoned very probable, that (A) he was educated in Greek literature in his early life at Tarfus. It is certain, that he was for a while under the inftructions of Gamaliel, at Jerufalem, a celebrated Jewish Rabbi, and that he made great proficiency in the study of the law, and the traditions, much efteemed by that people. He feems to have been * a person of great natural abilities, of quick apprehenfion, ftrong paffions, and firm refolution, and thereby qualified for fignal fervice, as a teacher of fuch principles, as he should embrace, whatever they were. He appears likewise to have been always unblameable in his life, and strictly faithful to the dictates of his confcience, according to the knowledge,

Acts xxiii. 16-22. & Cognatos upon Acts xvii. 27, 28. in this manfucs, id eft ejufdem fecum generis ner, I have faid enough in my vocat, ut multi exponunt, quia Julaft, to fhow the fitnefs and perdai erant, quemadmodum fupra ix. tinence of the apoftle's difcourfe 3. de Judæis in univerfum dixit, qui -and that he did not talk at funt cognati mei fecundum carnem : et ' random, but was thoroughly acfic eum loqui, ut Judæorum quiquainted with the feveral humours Romæ erant gratiam fibi conciliet. Verum quia multi Romæ erant Judæi Chriftiani, et proinde hac generali ratione Paulo cognati: idcirco putant alii, cognatos hic dici magis proprie, ut qui fuerint Paulo contribules, id eft, de tribu Benjamin: aut forte etiam propriore fanguinis vinculo conjuncti. Eft in Rom. xvi. 7.

(A) This may be argued from the place of his nativity, Tarfus, which was celebrated for polite literature, and from St. Paul's quotations of feveral Greek poets. Acts xvii. 28. 1 Cor. xv. 33. Tit. i. 12. Dr. Bentley begins his third fermon at Boyle's Lecture, which is the fecond

and opinions of his auditors. And, as Mofes was learned in all the wifdom of the Egyptians, fo it is manifelt from this chapter alone, if nothing elfe had been now extant, that St. Paul was a great mafter in all the learning of the 'Greeks' h Acts xxii. 3. i Acts xxii. 3. xxvi. 5. Gal. i. 14. fecta Pharifæum, excellenti magnoque ingenio præditum, literarum Judaicarum imprimis peritum, nec Græcarum expertem. J. L. Mafhem. de Reb. Chriftian. ante Conftantin. fect. 1. n. xv. p. 80.

k

which he had. Of this all must be perfuaded, who observe his appeals to the Jews, upon this head, when they were greatly offended with him: and from the undiffembled fatisfaction, which he expreffeth upon a ferious recollection of his former and later conduct. For fome while, after the first appearance of Chriftianity in the world, he was a bitter enemy, and furious oppofer of all who made profeffion of it. Nevertheless he perfifted not long in that course: but was in a very extraordinary manner converted to that faith himfelf: and ever after he was a fteady friend, and zealous advocate for it, and very fuccessful in defending and propagating it, diligently improving the gifts and qualifications extraordinarily vouchfafed him for that purpose. These things are recorded in thofe writings, which are in the highest esteem, and reckoned facred among Chriftians, and indeed are well known to all the world.

II. I am defirous to do my best to fettle the time of St. Paul's converfion. If we can do that with fome good degree of probability, we fhall attain to a near knowledge of the time of St. Stephen's martyrdom: concerning both which events there have been very different opinions in former and later ages. Valefius, in his Annotations upon Eufebius's Ecclefiaftical Hiftory, mentions divers opinions of ancient writers about the time of St. Stephen's death. As the paffage may be acceptable to fome, I have placed it below.

Among moderns, Cave thought that Stephen was stoned, and Paul converted in the year of our Lord's afcenfion, the year 33, or the beginning of the year following. Pearfon fuppofeth that Stephen was ftoned in 34, and Paul converted

1 Acts xxiii. 1. xxvi. 4, 5. Philip. iii. 6. 1 Tim. i. 13. 2 Tim. i. 3.

Quo anno Stephanus martyrii coronam adeptus fit, non convenit inter omnes. Alii eodem anno, quo paffus eft Chriftus, lapidatum illum volunt. Ita diferte fcribitur in Excerptis Chronologicis, quæ cum Eufebii Chronico edidit Scaliger. pag. 68. Et hæc videtur fuiffe Eufebii fententia, ut ex hoc loco apparet.

Alii vero triennio poft Chrifti mortem martyrium Stephani retulerunt. Ita fcribit in Chronico

Georgius Syncellus. Multi etiam ulterius procefferunt, et Stephanum anno ab ordinatione fua feptimo paffum effe fcripferunt. Inter quos eft Evodius apud Nicephorum, et Hippolytus Thebanus, et auctor Chronici Alexandrini, qui anno Claudii primo martyrium Stephani adfignat. Valef. Annot. in Eufeb. 1. 2. cap. i. • ad fidem Chrifti converfus, difcipulus fit et Apoftolus A. C. 33. exeunte, vel faltem ineunte proximo. Hift. Lit. T. I. in S. Paulo. P Annal. Paulin. p. 1-4.

in 35, near the end of the year. Having been three years in Arabia, and at Damafcus, he came to Jerufalem, near the end of 38; in which year, or the beginning of the following, he went to Tarfus; where, and in Syria, he was four years, that is, 39, 40, 41, 42. Which appears to me a long space of time. In 43, he came to Antioch. And having spent a year there, he came to Jerufalem in 44. So Pearfon.

Frederic Spanheim, who also has bestowed great pains in examining this point, placeth a the converfion of Paul in the year 40, the laft of Caius Caligula: and was inclined to defer it to the firft of Claudius, the year 41. Him Witfius follows. And J. A. Fabricius declares his affent to the fame opinion.

Г

Lenfant and Beaufobre, in their general preface to St. Paul's epiftles, place his converfion in the year 36, and his first coming to Jerufalem after it in 39; which opinion I believe to be nearer the truth than any of the foregoing.

There is an event mentioned in the Acts, about which we may receive light from external hiftory. I mean, the rest of the churches throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, Acts ix. 31.

t

In the former part of this work it was fhown to be very probable, that this reft of the churches of Chrift was owing to the state of things in Judea, when Petronius, prefident of Syria, publifhed the orders which he had received from Caius, to erect his ftatue in the temple of Jerufalem, in the year of Chrift 39, or 40. Which account was afterwards followed by Dr. Benfon in his " Hiftory of the first planting the chriftian religion. Dr. Doddridge * likewife declared his approbation of it.

When I formerly argued, that this reft of the churches. was occafioned by the above-mentioned order of the emperor Caius; I did not know that any one had affigned that as the occafion of it. But fince, I have perceived, that S. Bafnage

9 in anno converfionis Pauli, quam non anteriorem effe Caii ultimo, audacter pronunciamus. De Converfion. Paulin. Epocha. num. xix. Opp. T. II. p. 321.

De Vita Pauli. Sect. ii. n. zz. ap. Miletem. Leyd. p. 34. Tantum noto in præfenti, me fequi eorum rationes, qui Paulum conver

fum effe exiftimant anno quarto five ultimo Caii. ann. 40. et capite truncatum A. C. 68. Neronis xiv. Fabr. Bib. Gr. T. III. p. 151. (ƒ).

See vol. I. § xii. p. 86-100. especially near the end of that fection. See of that work B. I. ch. 9. fect. iii. at the end. x Family Expofitor, vol. II. p. 147. Mira hæc,

Bafnage had thought of it, and spoke to it very well. I was led to my obfervations by reading Philo, and Jofephus from whom I formed the argument, and overlooked the just mentioned ecclefiaftical historian.

b

I fuppofed, that Petronius publifhed his order in the year 39, or 40. Bafnage and Tillemont fay, in the year 40. By whom I am not unwilling to be determined.

с

It is allowed, that Petronius was fent governor into Syria. by Caius in the third year of his reign, A. D. 39. And it is fuppofed by them, that Petronius came into the province about autumn in the year 39. And Jofephus fays, that Caius, greatly incenfed against the Jews for not paying him the fame refpect that others did, fent Petronius governor into Syria, commanding him to fet up his ftatue in the temple: and if the Jews oppofed it, to march into the country with a numerous army, and effect it by force.' Whenever Petronius publifhed that order, whether in the year 39, or 40, I think it was the occafion of the tranquillity of the churches of Chrift, fpoken of by St. Luke. I perfuade myself, that most people will readily be of the fame opinion.

And

We will now take a paragraph or two in the Acts, ch. ix. 26-31. And when Saul was come to Jerufalem, be affayed to join himself to the disciples. And he was with them, coming in, and going out, at Jerufalem. And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jefus, and difputed against the Grecians. But they went about to flay him. Which when the brethren knew, they brought bim down to Cafarea, and fent him forth to Tarfus. Then bad

hæc, et præter omnium expectationem exorta rerum viciffitudo fuit. Cui non minimum contulit infelix Judæorum ftatus, quibus a Caligulà vexatis, timentibufque templi violationem Petronio mandatam, Chrifti difcipulorum perfecutioni vacare non licuit. Cum enim conftituendæ ecclefiarum paci fæpenumero Dei fapientia occafionibus utatur, atque humanis auxiliis; probabilis utique afertur conjectufa, eo fopitum fuiffe Judzorum furorem, quia propriis preffi miferiis ab inferenda Ecclefiæ calamitate prohibebantur. Nec inopinatæ tranquillitatis aptior ulla ratio reddi poteft. Ann. 40. num. xvi.

2 See the place referred to above at note (t). a Ubi fupra num. v.

b Ruine des Juifs. art. xviii. xix. Hift. des Emp. tom. I. • Sed ex Jofephi hiftoria conftat, illum in provinciam anno tertio Caii adveniffe, circa autumnum. Norif. Cenot. Pifan. Diff. 2. p. 371. Conf. Uffer. Ann. 39. - Γαιος δε εν δεινώ φέρων, εις τοσον δε υπο ιεδαίων περίωφθαι μόνων, πρεσβευτην επι συρίας εκπεμπει πετρώνιον— κελεύων χειρι πολλῇ εισβάλλοντι εις την ισδαιαν, ει μεν έκοντες δέχονται, σαν αυτον ανδριαντα εν τω ναω τα θεά ει δ' αγνωμωσυνη χρωντο, πολεμε κρατήσαντα τ8το ποιειν. Antiq. 1. 18. cap. ix. n. 2, al. cap. xi.

the