interview with the presbyters of the church of Ephesus which is recorded in Acts xx. 17-38. Passing the islands of Cos and Rhodes, the ship reached Patara on the coast of Asia Minor; where St. Paul and his company went on board another vessel which was bound direct for the coast of Phoenicia, and was on the point of sailing. The ship touched at Tyre; where the Apostle met some disciples, who, foreseeing by the spirit of prophecy the danger which awaited him at Jerusalem, endeavoured to dissuade him from continuing his journey to that place. This advice, however, St. Paul would not consent to follow; and, having taken an affectionate leave of the brethren, with prayer on the sea-shore, he pursued his voyage to Ptolemais (Acre). Having landed at Ptolemais, the apostolic company proceeded to Cæsarea, "where they entered into the house of Philip the Evangelist, which was one of the seven," and who now had in his family four unmarried daughters, who possessed the spirit of prophecy. During the Apostle's stay in the house of Philip "there came down from Judea a certain prophet named Agabus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to Jerusalem. Then Paul answered, What mean ye to weep to break mine heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus. And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done." (Acts xxi. 10-14.) The Apostle and his companions immediately packed up their luggage (Acts xxi. 15.) and proceeded to Jerusalem, where St. Paul was hospitably received in the house of a Cyprian convert of long standing, named Mnason. (Acts xxi. 16.)

ELEMENTARY AND GENERAL QUESTIONS.

and

1228. What was the twofold object of St. Paul in setting out on a third apostolic tour?

1229. From what place did he start?

1230. Whom, probably, did he take with him as his companions? 1231. State, generally, the course of this journey.

1232. Give the history of Apollos.

1233. How long did St. Paul stay at Ephesus? Relate his history during his sojourn in that city.

1234 Whither did Timothy proceed, leaving St. Paul at Ephesus? 1235. What intelligence was brought to St. Paul at Ephesus concerning the state of the church at Corinth, which was the occasion of his first Epistle to the Corinthians?

1236. Detail the circumstances which probably led to St. Paul's reEirement from Ephesus.

1237. Whom had the Apostle previously despatched on a mission to Corinth?

1238. To what place did St. Paul himself proceed from Ephesus? 1239. Who was the bearer of the Apostle's second Epistle to the Corinthians from Philippi?

1240. From what place, and for what purpose, did St. Paul address his Epistle to the Galatians?

1241. Who was the bearer of St. Paul's Epistle to the Romans, from Corinth?

1242. How long did the Apostle stay at Corinth the second time? 1243. Describe the course of St. Paul and his company from Corinth to Jerusalem.

1244. At what place does St. Paul appear to have been rejoined by St. Luke (of whom we have no intelligence during the interval which had elapsed since the imprisonment of Paul and Silas at Philippi)?

1245. Where, and under what circumstances, did St. Paul restore Eutychus to life?

1246. Relate the interview of St. Paul with the Ephesian elders at Miletus. (Acts xx. 17-38.)

1247. What befel the Apostle at Tyre?

1248. With whom did St. Paul and his associates take up their temporary residence at Cæsarea?

1249. Relate the prophecy of Agabus, and the circumstances attending St. Paul's final departure from Jerusalem.

1250. By whom was the Apostle hospitably received on his arrival at Jerusalem?

ADDITIONAL QUESTIONS.

1251. Where, probably, was Silas, when St. Paul set out on his third apostolic tour?

1252. Describe the situation and political importance of Ephesus. 1253. What are the chief topics of St. Paul's first Epistle to the Corinthians?

1254. State the principal subjects of the second Epistle to the same church.

1255. What is the main subject of the Epistle to the Galatians? 1256. Give an outline of the contents of the Epistle to the Romans.

424

CHAPTER LIII.

FROM THE END OF ST. PAUL'S THIRD APOSTOLIC JOURNEY TO HIS DEATH.

(Acts xxi. 17.; xxviii. 31. Various parts of St. Paul's Epistles.) On the day after his arrival at Jerusalem, St. Paul met the presbyters of that church assembled under the presidency of James, to whom he delivered the contributions for the poor, and then announced "what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his ministry." These tidings having been thankfully received, the Apostle was then told of the prejudice against him which existed in the minds of many thousand Jewish believers, to whom it had been reported that he was in the habit of persuading the Jews in various places to neglect the observance of circumcision and other Mosaic institutions*; and he was advised to rebut this calumny by associating himself with four Christian Jews who were about to complete a Nazarite vow, going with them to the Temple and "joining his offering with theirs," or (perhaps) bearing the expense of their ceremony of purification. The church of Jerusalem, he was told, still adhered to the decision that it was not necessary to enforce the Mosaic law upon Gentile converts; but it was deemed advisable that the Apostle should thus give his countenance to the observance of the law by Jews. To this St. Paul offered no objection; and on the next day he accompanied the Nazarites to the Temple, where he paid the expenses arising from the offering of the prescribed sacrifices when their hair was cut off and burnt upon the altar. (Num. vi. 1-18.) St. James and the proselytes may have hoped that this proceeding would suffice to allay the animosity against St. Paul which so largely prevailed amongst the Jewish Christians: but that animosity was too deeply seated to be so easily removed; it existed in the minds of Judaisers who would be satisfied with nothing short of imposing the Mosaic observances upon Gentile converts, with the

"This, we all know, was a misrepresentation. What he did teach was that the Gentile converts were not to have the obligation of the law forced upon them; and that, although the Jewish converts might observe the law if they thought fit, it was not to be taken as a ground of justification before God."-KITTO, Daily Bible Illustrations, vol. viii. p. 413.

Pharisaic view of justification by means of legal ceremonies and obedience; and these were the men who had already sent emissaries to various places in which St. Paul had preached the Gospel in order to counteract his influence and to thwart his designs. This Judaising party soon found an opportunity of venting its malice against the Apostle. It was now the feast of Pentecost, when Jerusalem was filled with Jews from all parts of the world: and St. Paul was recognised in the Temple by certain zealous Jews from Asia (i.e. most probably, from Ephesus and the neighbourhood, where Paul had so long taught), who immediately raised a tumult against him, “crying out, Men of Israel, help; this is the man that teacheth all men everywhere against the people, and the law, and this place; and further brought Greeks also into the Temple, and hath polluted this holy place"-a charge not unlike that in which Paul himself had formerly joined against Stephen. Roused to the utmost pitch of fury, the zealots dragged the Apostle down from the Court of the Women (where the gates of Corinthian brass, probably the Beautiful Gate, were immediately shut behind them) into the Outer Court, or Court of the Gentiles, and were engaged in beating him, with the design of putting him to death, when their intentions were frustrated by the appearance of a body of military under the command of Claudius Lysias, the tribune of the Roman cohort stationed in the neighbouring fortress of Antonia. Subdued by the presence of the soldiers, the Jews "left beating of Paul;' whom the Roman governor secured and caused to be conveyed to "the castle; i.e. either the tower Antonia itself, or the soldiers' quarters or barracks connected with that tower. St. Paul was borne up the steps, leading to the fortress from the cloisters in the Temple area, by the pressure of the crowd which followed him, crying, "Away with him!" Here the Apostle, having addressed Lysias in Greek, explaining his birth and his privileges as a "citizen of no mean city," obtained from him permission to speak to the multitude; when, standing upon the stairs, and beckoning with his hand to the people, he obtained silence, and began to address them in Hebrew-i. e. in Syro-Chaldaic, which was at that time the vernacular language of the Jews. He spoke of his Jewish parentage, his early zeal for the law, his persecution of the Christians, his mission to Damascus, and his conversion by the vision on the road. And thus far his speech was patiently received; but, when he proceeded to declare his apostolic mission to the Gentiles, a storm of indignation again arose, and Lysias found it necessary to convey him to the place of

99

his destination, leaving behind the shouts of the multitude, "Away with such a fellow from the earth, for it is not fit that he should live!" Not having understood the language in which Paul had addressed the people, Lysias determined to extract from him by the scourge a confession of the cause which so exasperated the Jews against him; but from the infliction of this torture the Apostle saved himself by pleading his rights as a Roman citizen. On the next day, Lysias commanded the Sanhedrim to assemble, and set the prisoner before them. Here Paul began to plead his cause, when, having suffered some indignity and interruption*, he set the assembly at variance with itself by proclaiming himself a Pharisee, and deelaring that he was about to be judged for his hope of the resurrection of the dead. The Pharisees in the Sanhedrim now took part with Paul against the Sadducees: and a scene of confusion ensued, which induced Lysias immediately to recall his prisoner, and lodge him again securely in the fort. Here, in the course of the following night, it pleased the Apostle's heavenly Master to encourage him with a vision of peace: the Lord stood by him, and said, "Be of good cheer, Paul; for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome." St. Paul's enemies were also active; and on the following day no less than forty Jews formed a plot for assassinating him, binding themselves by oath to the execution of their design. Their plan, however, was defeated; information of it was conveyed to Lysias, by Paul's sister's son; and, in order to avoid further disturbances, the commandant immediately sent away his prisoner to Cæsarea, under escort of a strong military detachment †, consisting of 200 heavy-armed foot-soldiers, 70 cavalry, and 200 light-armed troops, called spearmen or lancers. From Antipatris the foot soldiers, and probably also the spearmen, returned to Jerusalem; leaving the cavalry to proceed with the Apostle to Cæsarea. Thus terminated the visit of St. Paul to Jerusalem. (Acts xxi. 1723. 32.)

The officer in charge of St. Paul was the bearer of an explanatory letter from Lysias to Felix, the Roman procurator of

* In the course of this affair, St. Paul said to Ananias, "God shall smite thee, thou whited wall;" a prophecy which was fulfilled a few years after, when, at the outbreak of the Jewish war, Ananias was assassinated by the Sicarii.

Three Roman legions, consisting of about 6000 men each, with auxiliaries, were stationed in Judea; namely, the fifth, tenth, and fifteenth, at Cæsarea, Ptolemais, and Jerusalem.