death of Peter and Paul in the twelfth year of Nero: part of which, as he says, fell in the year 65.

m

I am the more inclined to this date, because we do not find in the epiftles of the New Teftament any notice taken of the perfecution of the Chriftians at Rome, or of the devaftations in Judea, after the commencement of the war. If Peter and Paul had been in any of the provinces, and had furvived the terrible perfecution at Rome in 64, and 65, we fhould have had fome epiftle, or epiftles of theirs, concerning it, to the Romans, or to the Chriftians of fome other place.

I do not prefume to affign pofitively the year of the martyrdom of thefe two apoftles. I have mentioned the fpecious and probable arguments of two very of two very eminent chronologers, in favour of the year 65. Nor do I think the apostles furvived that year. But I cannot fay, whether their martyrdoms happened in the year 64, or 65. Pagi fays, that Peter and Paul were taken up and imprisoned in 64, and put to death in the year 65. But I know nothing of the imprisonment of the apoftles at this time. There may be in late and fabulous authors large and particular accounts of their imprisonment, juft before their martyrdoms. But there is little or no notice taken of it by the molt ancient writers. If Peter and Paul were come Rome before the city was fet on fire, and before the perfecution of the Chriftians began (which is not improbable) they might be taken up, and foon put to death, before the end of the year 64.

I. The Introduction. II. The two Epiftles to the Theffalonians. III. The Epifle to the Galatians. IV. The first Epistle to the Corinthians. V. The first Epistle to Timothy. VI. The Epistle to Titus. VII. The fecond Epistle to the Corinthians. VIII. The Epifle to the Romans.

Pars autem anni Neroniani duodecimi ad præfentem fpectat, utpote Octobris tertio et decimo incipientis. Bafn. an. 65. n. ix.

Præterquam quod, cum perfecutio adverfus Chriftianos anno

Ixiv. decreta fuerit, ac infequenti continuata, non dubium, quin priori anno Petrus et Paulus in carcerem conjecti fint, ac polteriori necati. Ann. 67. num. iii.

IX. The

IX. The Epistle to the Ephefians. X. The fecond Epistle to Timothy. XI. The Epiftle to the Philippians. XII. The Epistle to the Coloffians. XIII. The Epistle to Philemon. XIV. The Epistle to the Hebrews.

§ I. The INTRODUCTION.

I SHALL now endeavour to fettle the time of St. Paul's

a

epiftles, of which Origen faid: If = any man reads them with attention, I am perfuaded, he will admire the writer's abilities in expreffing great things in vulgar language: or, if he does not admire them, himself will appear ridiculous.' It cannot but afford fatisfaction, to know the order of time, in which they were written. It will not only be attended with pleafure, but will alfo contribute to the right understanding of them. For wrong dates have been the occafion of many mistakes. Baronius obferves, that fome have imagined the fhipwreck at Melita, related in Acts xxvii. to be one of the three, mentioned by St. Paul 2 Cor. xi. 25. not confidering, that the fecond epistle to the Corinthians had been written feveral years before. I have put the paffage in the margin, as quoted by Lewis Capellus. The author of the commentary upon thirteen of St. Paul's epiftles, in the fourth century, made the fame mistake, and

a See vol. II. p. 472.

Quantum juvet, quamque fit utile, certo tenere tempus, quo Pauli epiftolæ ab eo fuerunt fcriptæ, recte obfervavit Baronius ad A. C. 58. xlii. Sed hic, inquit ille, et illud neceffario monendum putamus lectorem, nonnullis accidiffe, ut temporum ignoratione in maximos errores incidant, putantes nimirum naufragium apud Melitam paffum, quod Lucas narrat A&t. xxvii. unum e tribus fuiffe a Paulo enumeratis 2 Cor. xi. non animadvertentes, fecundam iftam epiftolam ad Corinthios longe ante illud naufragium effe fcriptam. Quamobrem fcrupulofa, quæ videtur, in hiftoria temporum indagatio quantum conferat ad veram atque germanam Divinæ Scripturæ interpretationem, quifque facile judicabit. Hæc rectiflime Baronius.

Ita

que hac in parte operam noftram ejufmodi indagatione poft alios collocavimus. Lud. Cap. Append. ad Hift. Apost. p. 63. et die in profundo maris fui.] Hoc factum elt, quando miffus eft Romam, cum appellaffet Cæfarem. Tunc defperatione vitæ in alto, id eft, in profundo maris fuit, mortem ante oculos habens. Periculis in mari. Jam fuperius dixit: Ter naufragium feci, nocte et die in profunde maris fui. Quod aliud periculum fuit in mari. Sed hoc ett periculum, quando in mari, hoc eft, in navi, milites cogitaverant, omnes cuftodias occidere, ne quis enatans effugeret. Quod periculum centurio prohibuit inferri, ne Paulus occideretur, ut eum vivum Romam produceret. In 2 ep. ad. Cor. xi. 25, 26. p. 202. ap. Ambrof. in App. tom. II.

feveral

feveral others of a like kind, in explaining the paragraph of 2 Cor. xi. 25, 26.

Of St. Paul's fourteen epiftles, thirteen have been generally received by catholic Chriftians in all times. I therefore need not now allege the teftimonies of ancient chriftian writers, which may be seen in the preceding volumes of this work. But as the epiftle to the Hebrews has been fometimes doubted of, I fhall obferve the evidences of its genuineness. With regard to the others, I fhall do little more than fhow the time when they were written. And I would take it for granted, that they who are difpofed to examine the arguments in this chapter, have firft read the hiftory of St. Paul, in the preceding chapter: which will be of great use, and prevent the trouble of numerous references.

§ II. The Two EPISTLES to the THESSALONIANS.

d

The first and fecond epiftles to the Theffalonians are now generally allowed by learned interpreters and chronologers to be the two firft written epiftles of St. Paul. The time and place of writing them may be deduced from the epiftles themselves, and from the hiftory of St. Paul's travels in the book of the Acts. Some have thought, that the first at leaft, if not alfo the fecond, was written at Athens. But I fuppofe it to be now generally allowed, that both these epiftles were written at Corinth: whereby we are also affured of their time. For it was formerly fhown to be probable, that St. Paul came to Corinth before the end of the year 51, and ftayed there till the beginning of the year 53.

e

In the Synopfis afcribed to Athanafius, the first epistle to the Theffalonians, is faid to have been written at Athens, and the fecond, very abfurdly, at Rome.

Theodoret, as before quoted, faw these to be the two first written epiftles of the apoftle. The first he supposed to have been written at Athens, and the fecond not long after, either at Athens or Corinth. For he does not seem to fay diftinctly, at which of these two cities the second was

et 6.

4 Ante Pauli vincula omnium p. 11-13. Mill. Proleg. num. 4. prima fcripta eft ad Theffalonicenf See before, p. 279, 280. fes utraque. Scriptæ autem om- Synopf. S. S. n. 66. ap. Athan. nino videntur duæ ifte epiftolæ T. II. p. 196. h Num. 67. ib. Athenis. Lud. Cap. Hift. Ap. p. p. 197. i Vol. V. p. 193. 63. Pearfon, Ann. Paulin. * Praf. in. Ep. Pauli. T. III. p. 3. written.

written. Nevertheless I fuppofe it may be fhown that they were both written at Corinth. St. Paul came from Theffalonica to Berea: which place he left in hafte, because of the violence of the Jews, who came thither from Theffalonica, and stirred up the people, Acts xvii. 10-13. And then, immediately, fays St. Luke, the brethren fent away Paul, to go as it were to the fea. But Silas and Timothy abode there ftill. And they that conducted Paul, brought him unto Athens. And receiving a commandment unto Silas and Timothy to come to him with all speed, they departed, ver. 14, 15. Accordingly, as we may fuppofe, Silas and Timothy did foon come to him. And Paul, having great concern for the Theffalonians, whilft he was at Athens, fent Timothy to them. As he fays, 1 Theff. iii. 1, 2. Wherefore, when we could no longer forbear, we thought it good to be left at Athens alone. And fent Timothy, our brother and minifter of God, and our fellow-labourer in the gospel of Chrift, to establish you, and comfort you, concerning your faith. From Athens Paul went to Corinth, where he ftayed a year and fix months. There Timothy came back to him from Theffalonica. Comp. Acts xviii. 5. and 1 Theff. ii. 6. And Silas, or Silvanus, and Timothy are joined with the apoftie in the infcription of the epiftle.

Near the end of this epiftle, ch. v. 27. are these remarkable words: I charge, or adjure, you by the Lord, opis vas TOV Kupov, that this epiftle be read unto all the holy brethren. It is likely, that from the beginning all chriftian affemblies had readings of the fcriptures of the Old Teftament. Paul, knowing the plenitude of the apoftolical commiffion, now demands the fame refpect to be paid to his writings, with thofe of the ancient prophets. This is a direction fit to be inferted in the first epiftle written by him. And the manner, in which it is given, fuggefts an argument that this was his firft apoftolical epiftle.

The fecond epiftle to the Theffalonians appears to have been written foon after the firft, and at the fame place. And Silvanus and Timothy are joined together with the apoftle in the infcription of this epiftle, as well as of the

former.

Thefe two epiftles therefore I fuppofe to have been written at Corinth, in the year of Chrift 52. Which is alfo the opinion of Mill, and others. But by whom thefe epiftles were carried to the Theffalonians, we do not perceive.

Some objections have been made against the abovementioned date of thefe two epiftles. But the point is fo clear, that I do not think it worth the while to prolong this argument in examining them. They who are curious, may fee thofe objections well anfwered by Dr. Benson, in the fecond edition of his hiftory of the first planting the chriftian religion.

§ III. The EPISTLE to the GALATIANS.

THE epiftle to the Galatians is infcribed after this manner: Paul, an apostle,- -and all the brethren which are with me, unto the churches of Galatia. Upon which Jerom obferves: In other epiftles Softhenes and Silvanus, and fometimes alfo Timothy, are mentioned at the beginning: but in 'this, for adding the greater weight and authority, are put all the brethren: who, perhaps too, were believers of the 'circumcifion, and not despised by the Galatians. And the ⚫ confent of many is of great ufe to fatisfy people. To the 'churches of Galatia. Here alfo, as he proceeds, it is to be 'observed, that in this place only, Paul writes in general, 'not to the church of one city only, but to the churches of ' a whole province: and that he calls them churches, whom afterwards he reproves as corrupted with error. Whence 'we learn, that a church may be understood in a two-fold 'manner: both of that which has no spot, or wrinkle, and is indeed the body of Chrift: and of that which is affembled in the name of Chrift, without complete and perfect 'virtues.'

Tertullian feems to have thought this one of St. Paul's

n