It is Paul Who Writes
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English Pages 524 Year 1956
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Father Ronald Cox's The Gospel Story contained
whole
the
story
the
of
Life of Christ told in the words of
the Evangelists, printed on the
hand pages;
his
left-
Commentary on
the
right-hand pages, directly opposite the Scripture text. Students immediately
saw the advantage ment: one book in
to
of this arrange-
work from, open
one place, no searching for
refer-
ences, etc.
This book
Story. It takes
ture
where
of the
a sequel to
is
up
The Gospel
at the point in Scrip-
that left
off,
at the
Descent
Holy Ghost. The arrangement
of the books
hand pages
is
the same: on the
of It Is Paul
Who
left-
Writes,
the text of the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline Letters runs continuously; directly opposite
Again
the
is
Scripture
Msgr. Ronald Knox alterations
A
the Commentary.
is
translation
used, with a
few
which he approved.
chronology of
St.
table of the Epistles for
Feast-days,
of
Paul's
life,
a
Sundays and
and three maps of
St.
Paul's journeys are provided.
$4.50
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SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY FTRST
T
FTTFR TO THF TTTFS^AT
100 ONTTANT^
SECOND LETTER TO THE THESSALONIANS SFPOTNin IVTTSSiTWARY
1
116 128
TOTTRMFY Continued
THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY
126 J
FIRST LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS
1/|.0
third X XXX XXX/ missionary J.VXliJUlv/li 11\ X TOiiRNFY L11I IX XX V7 x/ XXX XJ X continued
202
SECOND LETTER TO THE CORINTHIANS
204
third missionary journey continued
1AA TT
LETTER TO THE ROMANS
244
third missionary journey continued
308
ARREST AND IMPRISONMENT
316
LETTER TO THE HEBREWS
344
THE VOYAGE TO ROME
388
LETTER TO THE EPHESIANS
400
i
1
>
1
Xv
Contents
vi
LETTER TO THE COLOSSIANS LETTER TO PHILEMON
LETTER TO THE PHILIPPIANS
LETTER TO TITUS FIRST LETTER TO
TIMOTHY
SECOND LETTER TO TIMOTHY
CHRONOLOGY OF PAULAS LIFE
Maps PAGE paul's first and second journeys
FRONT ENDPAPER
paul's third journey and voyage
TO ROME paul's last journey
BACK ENDPAPER FRONTISPIECE
Introduction
This book
a sequel to
is
The GospeJ
point in Scripture where that
The
the Holy Ghost.
left
Stoiy; off,
it
takes
at the
layout of both books
is
up
at the
Descent of
the same: on
the left-hand page the text of the Acts of the Apostles and the
Pauline Letters runs continuously; on the opposite page there a
commentary, paragraph
attempt to explain
for paragraph.
difficult passages
on supplying the atmosphere
on following
his
main
they are
Paul wrote, and
I
have rearranged them so that
read in the order in which they were written;
the Letter to the first as
St.
arranges these letters according to
and importance.
now
which
in
have made almost no
but have concentrated
line of thought.
The New Testament their length
I
is
Romans
New
in the
is
in sixth place in this
Testament. Seven of these
book, not
letters
were
written during the course of St. Paul's missionary journeys as
recorded in the Acts;
Acts in order to
fit
I
have interrupted the narrative of the
in these letters
where they belong. The
remaining seven are grouped together at the end of the book; they were
written after the conclusion of the Acts.
all
For reasons of convenience rather than conviction located the Letter to the
date of writing ing
it
where
message.
I
The
is
Hebrews
uncertain, so
I
at Caesarea in
I
60 A.D.
have
The
have taken the liberty of plac-
think the reader will most easily appreciate events leading
up
to St. Paul's arrest
its
and im-
prisonment give the authentic background for the Letter to the Hebrews.
Monsignor Knox's version was made from the Latin Vulgate.
Introduction
X
The
slight variations in
my
from the
text arise
fact that
I
have
corrected his text in accordance with the original Greek; practically all of these corrections
Knox
meaning
Mgr. Knox's
Ward) most ;
St. Paul's
A New
thoughts
I
alter the
chronology of
am
greatly indebted
Testament Commentary (Sheed &
and many
of the paragraph headings
my commentary
in
do not
of the passage.
In interpreting to
were made by Monsignor
himself; in the majority of cases they
have come from
St. Paul's life I
source.
this
have followed
of the ideas
A
For the
Comreaders who
Catholic
mentary on Holy Scripture (Nelson). For those
wish to look up individual verses this book can be highly
recommended. But the two classic works on St. Paul are The Theology of St. Paul by Fernand Prat (Newman), and Paul of Tarsus by Joseph Holzner (Herder).
most profound study of more popular presentation
The two
large
Paul yet published.
of Prat are the
St.
Holzner
of the Life
is
a
of St. Paul against the
The theme cal
Body
background of
of St. Paul's Letters
his time.
the doctrine of the Mysti-
is
He never forgot his dramatic introducOn his way to Damascus, a bright light
blinded him, and a voice called to are
and Letters
of Christ.
tion to this truth.
why
volumes
him from above:
you persecuting me?' That
last
word
is
'Saul, Saul,
the important
one. Jesus Christ, seated in glory at the Father's right hand,
was complaining of personal persecution by Paul. The only conclusion Paul could reach was that Jesus identified himself
with each individual Christian. with Christ remained of his
The
identity of the Christian
St. Paul's central
doctrine for the rest
life.
r. j. cox HOLY CROSS COLLEGE
MOSGIEL iS
AUGUST 1956
N.Z.
SUNDAY AND FEAST-DAY EPISTLES Advent Second Advent Third Advent Fourth Advent First
Christmas Day I Christmas Day II Christmas Day III After Christmas
New
Year's
Day
294 300
Pentecost Sunday Trinity Sunday
448
Corpus Christi
150
Sacred Heart
454 456
Peter and Paul
344 84
Sixth Pentecost
454
Holy Name Holy Family Second Epiphany Third Epiphany Fourth Epiphany Fifth Epiphany Sixth Epiphany
294 428 116
Septuagesima Sexagesima
170 236
Quinquagesima First Lent Second Lent Third Lent Fourth Lent Passion Sunday Palm Sunday Easter Sunday
184 220
12
428 292
292
Fourth Pentecost Seventh Pentecost Eighth Pentecost
2
290 178 408 58
274 264 266
274
Ninth Pentecost Tenth Pentecost
172 180
Eleventh Pentecost Twelfth Pentecost Thirteenth Pentecost Fourteenth Pentecost
190 212 82
92
Fifteenth Pentecost
92
Sixteenth Pentecost
408 408
Seventeenth Pentecost Eighteenth Pentecost Nineteenth Pentecost
122
Twentieth Pentecost
412 88
Twenty-first Pentecost
Twenty-second Pentecost
366
Twenty-third Pentecost
440 *54
Twenty-fourth Pentecost Christ the King
142
412
414 418 436 446 420 422
IT IS
PAUL
WHO WRITES
'Cor Pauli cor Christi est**
—
ST.
JOHN CHRYSOSTOM
Text of Scripture on Left-Hand Pages.
Commentary on Right-Hand
Pages.
The Conversion When
of Paul
came round, while they were all all at once a sound came from heaven like that of a strong wind blowing, and filled the whole house where they were sitting. Then appeared to them what seemed to be tongues of fire, which parted and came to rest on each of them; and they were all filled with the Holy the day of Pentecost
gathered together in unity of purpose,
and began to speak
Spirit,
in strange languages, as the Spirit
gave utterance to each.
Among
those
who were
dwelling in Jerusalem at this time
were devout Jews from every country under heaven;
when
so,
the noise of this went abroad, the crowd which gathered was in bewilderment; each
own
language.
And
man
astonishment: 'Are they not
'How
is it
severally heard
they were all
that each of us hears
tongue? There are Parthians ites;
them speak
in his
beside themselves with
all
Galileans speaking?' they asked.
them
among
talking in his
us,
own
native
and Medes, and Elam-
our homes are in Mesopotamia, or Judea, or Cappadocia;
Pontus or Asia, Phrygia or Pamphylia, Egypt or the parts of
in
Libya round Cyrene; some of us are of us are Jews
and others
visitors
from Rome, some
proselytes; there are Cretans
and Arabians; and each has been hearing them
us too,
God's wonders in
So they were
his all
among tell
of
own language/ beside themselves with perplexity, and
asked one another, 'What can this mean?'
There were others who fill
said,
mockingly,
They have had their
of sweet wine.'
But and 'and
Peter, with the eleven apostles at his side, stood there
raised his voice to speak to all
you who are dwelling
them: 'Men of Judea,' he
in Jerusalem,
I
must
tell
you
said, this;
Palestine and Syria 30-44 A.D.
Descent of the Holy Ghost. his
On
this
promise made at the Last Supper:
and he
will give
fulfilled
will ask the Father,
you another to befriend you, one who
dwell continually with you for ever. It
day our Lord 'I
is
to
7
was a spring morning in Jerusalem; great crowds of Jews
were making their way to the temple for the Pentecostal ceremonies. Above the noise of talking and the sound of marching feet
came a mighty
sound
like a
roar in the sky above;
storm of wind; but the
Buttered, not a leaf
moved on
was a loud, rushing
it
was
air
still;
not a tunic
a tree. All eyes looked up; they
saw nothing but blue sky and bright sunlight. It
sounded perhaps
but
like a jet aircraft;
it
was to have
an incomparably more important effect on humanity. a
sound
in the sky, heralding the
coming
It
was
of the Third Person
of the Blessed Trinity.
When the Second Person had his birthday as man, there had been angels singing in the sky over Bethlehem. Today was a
new
birthday, the
coming of the Holy
dwelling in the 120 people in the upper
Supper.
Not one body
lehem, but a union of
only, like that of the
God
with
all
Spirit to
room
make
God-Man
at Beth-
the descendants of
scattered over the face of the earth.
his
of the Last
The 120 people
Adam in the
Cenacle were the beginnings of the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ in
its
infancy: a new, divine organism destined to
bring the fruits of redemption to
Peter's First
Sermon.
all
The crowds
nations.
surging into the temple
did not have to wait long for an explanation of the noise in the sky.
A
compact, united group of a
little
men and women were making their way
more than
a
hundred
through the west door,
Acts of the Apostles
4 listen to
what
suppose;
it is
I
have to
say.
These
2,
15-29
men
you
are not drunk, as
only nine in the morning. This
is
what was
fore-
God says, I will my spirit upon all mankind, and your sons and daughters will be prophets. Your young men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams; and I will pour out my spirit in those days upon my servants and handmaids, so that they told by the prophet Joel: "In the last times,
pour out
show wonders in heaven above, and signs on the earth beneath, blood and fire and whirling smoke; the
will prophesy. I will
sun
moon
be turned into darkness and the
will
into blood,
before the day of the Lord comes, great and glorious.
everyone
'Men
who
calls
on the name of the Lord
shall
And
then
be saved."
man
of Israel, listen to this. Jesus of Nazareth was a
duly accredited to you from God; such were the miracles and
God
wonders and signs which as
did through
him
in
your midst,
you yourselves well know. This man you have put to death;
by God's
fixed design
and foreknowledge, he was betrayed to
you, and you, through the hands of sinful men, have cruelly
murdered him. But
God
from the pangs of death;
raised it
have the mastery over him.
"Always
I
and
It
make me stand
rejoicing
on
him
again, releasing
is
in his person that
David
can keep the Lord within sight; always he
right hand, to heart,
him up
was impossible that death should
firm.
So there
is
says:
at
gladness in
is
my my
my lips; my body, too, shall rest in conmy soul in the place of death,
fidence that you will not leave
or allow your faithful servant to see corruption.
shown me the way in
of
life;
you
will
make me
You have
full of
gladness
your presence."
'My brethren,
I
can say this to you about the patriarch David
without fear of contradiction, that he did
and
his
tomb
is
among us
to this day.
die,
and was buried,
But he was
a prophet,
and
The Temple chanting the praises of psalms).
in Jerusalem
God
30 A.D.
(probably in words from the
But they were not speaking in Aramaic or Hebrew;
each person spoke in a different language, and tongues.
people,
5
They
many of
were most
all
were foreign
were surrounded hy an ever-growing crowd of these from lands outside Palestine. These
men
excited, as they recognized a voice in the apostolic
group chanting aloud in the dialect of their adopted country.
Many
crowd had often seen Jesus walking into this same temple, and had often listened to him speaking in the of the
covered porches. Today they were witnessing a of that
same Lord and Master: he had come hack
of his followers.
He no longer spoke with
his
spoke through their
now
lips.
He is
in the persons
own human
he used Peter and James and John instead; hut could
new approach
it
voice;
was he who
the head, they are his organs.
love with the hearts of
all
He
his followers, all 120 of
them (and soon many thousands more); the Ere of divine love, Holy Spirit himself, was the force and power making their lips move in praise of the Lord God. So Peter stood up to address the excited crowd milling round the apostolic band; he spoke with the authority that our Lord had conferred upon him, when he said to him: 'Feed my lambs, shepherd my sheep.' And like his Lord and Master, whom he now represented, he used the same technique that Jesus had so often used here in this same temple during his public life on
the
earth.
First of all
he took up what was
amazing
topical,
what they were
all
In practical commonsense fashion he disposed of an explanation that he had heard given by several voices in the crowd the charge of
interested in: this
gift of tongues.
—
drunkenness.
No Jew would
day before the morning nine o'clock.
dream
sacrifice,
of taking a drink
on
a feast
which was not celebrated
until
6
Acts of the Apostles
God had
he knew
30-42
promised him on oath that he would
upon
sons of his body
2,
his throne;
it
was
of the Christ
set the
he
said,
foreseeing his resurrection, that he was not left in the place of
and that
death,
body did not
his
see corruption.
we
has raised up this man, Jesus, from the dead; of
God, then,
are witnesses
it.
'And now, exalted his
at
God's right hand, he has claimed from
Father his promise to bestow the Holy
poured out that
Spirit, as
Spirit;
you can see and hear
and he has
for yourselves.
David never went up to heaven, and yet David has told us: "The Lord said to my Master, 'Sit on my right hand, while I
make your enemies 'Let
it
be known, then, beyond doubt, to
Israel, that
whom
a footstool under your feet.'
God
has
made him Master and
"
all
the house of
Christ, this Jesus
you have crucified/
When
they heard
this, their
consciences were stung; and
they asked Peter and his fellow apostles, 'Brethren, what must
we
do?'
'Repent/ Peter said to them, 'and be baptized, every one of you, in the
then you is
for
far
name
will receive the gift of the
you and
away,
of Jesus Christ, to have your sins forgiven;
whom
And he
used
for your children,
the Lord our
God
many more words
Holy
and
Spirit.
This promise
for all those,
calls to
however
himself/
besides, urgently appealing
to them: 'Save yourselves/ he said, 'from this false-minded
generation/
So
all
those
who had
taken his words to heart were baptized,
and about three thousand day.
souls
were won for the Lord that
These occupied themselves continually with the
apostles'
teaching and fellowship, and the breaking of bread, and
The Temple
Now
that Peter
in Jerusalem 30
had struck
a note of
ceeded to give the true explanation of 120 people
talking at once,
all
guage. Peter announced
Old Testament had foretold. Peter
s
it
A.D.
commonsense, he pro-
this
amazing spectacle of
and every one
in a different lan-
as the fulfilment of
prophecies;
it
was exactly
third point was to prove that Jesus
heaven.
He quotes psalm
first
name; he
certainly did die (his
and there
in Jerusalem),
is
But it is just the opposite with his tomb by Golgotha is empty.
First Converts.
and
15 in proof. David,
It
was only
Jesus: everyone
fifty
Even on Good Friday many
the crucifixion 'went
showed the
alive,
is still
comes from him,
first
own
home
this very city
of those present at
beating their breasts.'
signs of sorrow;
knows
days (Pentecost in
Greek) since our Lord had died on the cross in of Jerusalem.
Joel
body still lies in his tomb here no claim that he ever rose from the
dead.
The
pwphet
person, could not have been speaking in his
using the
that
one of the many
as the
that this Pentecostal outpouring of his Spirit
now enthroned in
7
Then they
on hearing Peters sermon
they gave themselves completely to God. It was the beginning of a steady stream of converts to the
Church which has never
ceased.
Nicodemus must have been
a
happy man
as
he watched the
Erst baptismal ceremony, the rite of initiation into the Mystical
Body of Christ. Now he would understand our Lords words to him that night at Bethany: 'Believe me, no man can enter into the kingdom of God unless birth comes to him from water, and from the Spirit' Christianity
The
life
is
not merely a
of the early
set of beliefs; it is a
Church was based on the
way
earthly
of
life.
life
of
Acts of the Apostles
8 prayers;
2,
43-3, 10
and every soul was struck with awe, so many were the
wonders and
signs
performed by the apostles in Jerusalem. All
the faithful held together, and shared
and
all
they had, selling their
means of livelihood, so as to distribute to all, as each had need. They persevered with one accord, day by day, in the Temple worship, and as they broke bread in this house or that, took their share of food with gladness and simplicity of heart, praising God, and winning favour with all the possessions
people.
their
And each
day the Lord added to their fellowship others
that were to be saved.
Peter and John were going up to the temple at three o'clock in the afternoon,
which
is
an hour of prayer, when a
was carried by who had been lame from was put down at what
is
birth.
Every day he
called the Beautiful
Gate of the
temple, so that he could beg alms from the temple
And he
man
visitors.
asked Peter and John, as he saw them on their way
into the temple,
if
he might have alms from them.
Peter fastened his eyes on him, as John did too, and said,
Turn
and he looked at them attentively, hoping would be given him. Then Peter said to him, 'Silver and gold are not mine to towards
us';
that something
give, I give
you what
I
name of Jesus Christ of taking him by his right hand, strength came to his feet and
can. In the
up and walk/ So, he him up; and with that ankles; he sprang up, and began walking, and went into the temple with them, walking, and leaping, and giving praise to God. All the people, as they saw him walking and praising God, Nazareth,
rise
lifted
recognized
him
for the
man who
used to
sit
begging at the
Beautiful Gate of the temple, and were full of
bewilderment at what had befallen him.
wonder and
And he would
not
The Temple
in Jerusalem 30
A.D.
9
our Lord: the close unity of a family with Peter and the apostles as leaders,
and the sharing of goods
common.
in
All
the time they were studying the living tradition of our Lord's
own example as handed down by the apostles. Our Lord had told his followers in the Sermon on the Mount: 'Do not think that I have come to set aside the law and the prophets; I have not come to set them aside, hut to them
bring
7
to perfection.
And
so the early Christians did not
break with Judaism; they continued to frequent divine worship in the temple.
A Lame Man Healed.
Peter and John were together because
when he
the Master himself had paired them that way, sent the apostles out to preach 'two living at the Cenacle, city,
which
and
two.' If they
Erst
were
in the southwest section of the
is
they should not have been entering the temple by the
eastern gate, called the Beautiful Gate.
Were
they doing so be-
cause that was the gate most used by the Master into the temple courts?
Or had
garden of Gethsemani, which
More
likely they
is
when he went
they been paying a
visit to
the
just outside the eastern gate?
were living at Bethany, where Jesus himself
used to stay with Lazarus and his two famous
sisters;
the
Cenacle would be a place of meeting, but not
all
would be living there. As they climbed up the marble
from the Court
of the Gentiles into the
steps leading
Women's
the footsteps of the Master;
the disciples
Court, they were walking in
more than
now would now
that, they
were
hands and feet of that Head of the Body; Jesus work his wonders of healing only through these limbs of his Mystical Body. that
The same compassion
had moved him
a year before,
for misery
and
suffering
to heal a cripple, just north of the temple
was now the force and power that made Peter
Acts of the Apostles
io let
go of Peter and John, so that
about them in what selves
called
11-23
all
the crowd gathered
Solomon's Porch, beside them-
with wonder.
when he saw
Peter,
'Men
is
3,
of Israel/
he
it,
addressed himself to the people:
'why does
said,
do you fasten your eyes on
us, as if
this astonish
Why
you?
we had enabled him
walk through some power or virtue of our own?
It
is
the
to
God
Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, the God of our forefathers, who has thus brought honour to his Son Jesus. You gave him up, and disowned him in the presence of Pilate, when Pilate's voice was for setting him free. You disowned the holy, the of
just,
and asked
the author of dead, and
we
for the
life.
But
pardon of a murderer, while you
God
has raised
him up
are here to bear witness of
man you
killed
again from the
it.
know by sight, who has put his faith in that name, and that name has brought him strength; it is the faith which comes through Jesus that has restored him 'Here
is
a
all
to full health in the sight of you
'Come
then, brethren,
acted in ignorance; but
was foretold by
all
I
know
God
that you, like your rulers,
has fulfilled in this way what
the prophets about the sufferings of his
Christ. Repent, then,
and turn back to him,
sins effaced; so shall the
refresh our hearts.
all.
to have your
day come when the Lord sees
Then he
will
send out Jesus Christ,
fit
who
to is
yours by promise, but must have his dwelling-place in heaven until the time
when
all is
restored anew, the time which
God
has spoken of by his holy prophets from the beginning.
"The Lord your God will raise up for you a prophet like myself, from among your brethren; to him, to every word of his, you must listen. It is ordained that every'Thus, Moses said:
The Temple
in Jerusalem 30
A.D.
11
turn at the sound of the beggars voice. All the wealth of
heaven was at Peters disposal; he was the vicar of Christ.
Peter Explains the Miracle.
The Master
always appealed to
reason and facts; he respected the gift of reason in ings,
and
so explained his conduct in such a
rational adherence to his
methods
way
human
be-
win a
as to
claims. Peter, ever mindful of the
same reasonable approach. In sight, and towering above the temple colonnades and porches, was the Fortress Antonia. Within its wails, hardly a hundred yards to the north, only a few months before, the of his Master, follows the
Jewish people had disowned Jesus, their only hope of salvation; so
it
now
was
The
Peter
this incident of Jesus' trial before Pilate that
spoke
of.
scene comes alive once more, as Peter recounts the
re-
action of the Passover crowd to Pilate's proposal that he release Jesus their king:
'We want
Barabbas released, not
this
man
—
Barabbasl Barabbasl*
When
PiJate tried a last time to have the Jews accept Jesus,
they completely disowned their king: 'Away with him, away
with him; crucify him, crucify him!
'What/
'We
PiJate said to them, 'shall I crucify your king?
7
have no king/ the chief priests answered, 'except 9
Caesar.
But Peter knows, as necessary to
With
win
as his
Master
their hearts
did, that to convert
by love
as their
men
minds by
it is
truth.
the same charity as that of Jesus nailed to the cross, he
excuses their guilt through ignorance: 'Father, forgive them;
know what it is they are doing.* The Jews were looking for a military leader to drive out the Romans; Jesus had come in the way of suffering to drive out they do not
Acts of the Apostles
12
one who
not
will
3,
24-4, 11
And
all
who
the prophets
from Samuel onwards, have foretold those heirs of the prophets,
with our fathers,
prophet
listen to the voice of that
lost to his people."
and
when he
You
days.
of the covenant
which
are the
race
earth shall receive a blessing through your posterity." It
you
God
of all that
first
whom
has sent his Son,
from the dead to bring you
a blessing, to turn
be
God made
Abraham, "Every
said to
shall
spoke to you,
he
is
on to
raised
away every one
of you from his sins/
Before they had finished speaking to the crowd, they were interrupted by the priests, the temple superintendent, and
the Sadducees. These, indignant at their teaching the people
and proclaiming the resurrection of Jesus from the dead, laid in prison (for it was already
hands on them, and put them
many
evening) until the next day. (Meanwhile,
had
listened to their preaching
that their
On
numbers had now
had joined the
risen to five
of those
who
believers, so
thousand men.)
the next day, there was a gathering of the rulers and
Annas was
elders
and
there,
and Caiphas, and John, and Alexander, and
scribes in Jerusalem; the high priest
who belonged
to the high-priestly family.
And
all
those
they had Peter
and John brought into their presence, and asked them, 'By what power, in whose name, have such men as you done this?'
Then
Peter was
filled
with the Holy
them: 'Rulers of the people, elders of If it is
is
and
said to
me.
over kindness done to a cripple, and the means by
which he has been here
Spirit,
Israel, listen to
news
for
restored, that
you and
for the
we
whole people
crucified Jesus Christ, the Nazarene,
the dead;
it is
through his
restored.
He
is
are called in question,
and God
name that this man
of Israel.
raised
You
him from
stands before you
that stone, rejected by you, the builders, that
The Temple
in Jerusalem 30
A.D.
13
That the Jews should have Mien into such an consequence of their explaining away, or ignoring, error was the
Satan and
sin.
what the prophets had
foretold.
Peter probably uses the prophecy of Isaias 53, and Psalm 21, to show that a suffering Messiah was foretold by God in the scriptures.
He
also quotes
come only through
that salvation can Jesus.
now
The time
from Moses and Abraham
to
show
the promised Messiah,
of blessing promised in the
Old Testament
is
a reality.
Peter and John in Prison.
The shadows lengthened
the sun set behind the west wall of the
temple courts; at
last
temple, and
Peter talked on.
still
across the
He must
have continued
speaking and answering questions for three hours or more. (This shows
how summary
are the records of discourses in the
Acts; only the highlights are given.)
The temple
could ignore him no longer; the evening
sacrifice
authorities
was ended,
and instead of going home the crowds increased around
The temple
Peter.
police were ordered to arrest the two apostles
and imprison them
for the night in
temple
and John must have
area. Peter
one of the rooms inside the recalled, in the long
night that followed, another night only a few months before,
when
they had waited in the courts of Caiphas' house while
Jesus was locked
up
inside.
Our Lord
in his
own human body
could no longer be imprisoned; but he could undergo, and was undergoing, the same treatment in the
members
of his Mystical
Body.
Next morning they were brought before the Jewish rulers, in the council chamber of the temple, just as the Master had been arraigned and tried in the house of the high priest: 'A disciple is no better than his master, a servant than his lord; enough that the disciple should fare like his master. This was 7
Acts of the Apostles
14
has
become the
12-24
chief stone at the corner. Salvation
be found elsewhere;
is
not to
names under heaven the one by which we must needs
this alone of all the
has been appointed to
be
4,
men
as
saved.'
Seeing the boldness of Peter and John, and discovering that
they were simple men, without learning, they were astonished,
and recognized them now
They could
find
as
no answer
having been in Jesus' company.
to make, with the
man who had
been healed standing there beside them; so they ordered
them out of the council-chamber, and conferred together. 'What are we to do with these men?' they asked. 'It is commonly known among all the people of Jerusalem that a notable miracle has been done by their means, and we are powerless to deny it. But the news must not spread any further; we must deter them by threats from preaching to anybody in this man's name again.' So they called them in, and warned them not to utter a word or give any teaching in the name of Jesus. At this, Peter and John answered them, 7 u ^§e f° r yourselves whether it would be right for us, in the sight of God, to listen to your voice instead of God's. It
we have
us to refrain from speaking of what
And
they, after threatening
them
is
impossible for
seen and heard.'
further, let
could find no means of punishing them, because
were praising
God
over what had befallen; the
this miracle of healing
them all
go; they
the people
man
in
whom
had taken place was more than
forty
years old.
Now
went back to their comthem all the chief priests and elders had said. And they, when they heard it, uttered prayer to God with one accord: 'Ruler of all, you who are the maker of heaven that they were set free, they
pany, and told
The Temple not a formal seventy;
trial like
was only
it
in Jerusalem 30
A.D.
out Lord's before the
15 full
council of
a preliminary enquiry into the incident
leading to their arrest the previous day. Peter again shows that
he
is
the accepted leader
The Council Warns
and spokesman.
Peter and John.
In the courts of the
temple in Jerusalem there was a school for the training of teachers in Israel. It was a course of studies similar to those in
our seminaries for the training of tested in
priests.
Each candidate was
knowledge of the law of Moses and the prophets he-
fore he was permitted to preach to the people in the syna-
gogues. Those officially approved were
Paul was one of the most
He may even
Jerusalem.
brilliant of
When
as rahhis. St.
such students trained in
have been present on
Our Lord was never trained in ment in these teachers when he of twelve.
known
this school;
this occasion.
he caused amaze-
visited the holy city as a
he began teaching in Jerusalem,
less
boy
than a
year before the incident recorded here, the Jews were astonished,
and asked: 'How does
He has never studied. would
a
man know how
to read?
and John caused as much amazement member of the Sunday congregation standing up
Such laymen as
this
7
as Peter
after the gospel at
Mass, and mounting the pulpit to deliver
the accustomed sermon to the people.
The Council probably remembered the difficulties they had caused themselves when they denied a similar miracle worked by our Lord on the blind
man
(Jn. 9);
this situation
more
The Church
Offers Public Prayer.
they decided to handle
adroitly.
It
was probably back in
the Cenacle that this gathering of Christians took place.
Church had emerged triumphant from hands of the Jews.
It
its
The
Erst testing at the
was not through any power of
its
own;
Acts of the Apostles
16
4,
25-37
and earth and the sea, and all that is in them. You have said through your Holy Spirit, by the lips of your servant David,
"What means
our father,
why do
of the earth stand in array,
against the
Lord and
how
people of Israel
rulers
its
his Christ."
Herod and Pontius
of ours,
Pilate,
True enough,
wisdom had
as of old; enable
cause against your
that your
all
Look down upon
decreed.
in this city
with the Gentiles and the
common
to aid them, made
holy servant Jesus, so accomplishing
now
among the nations; how the kings make common cause,
this turmoil
the people cherish vain dreams? See
power and
their threats, Lord,
your servants to preach your word con-
fidently, by stretching out your hand to heal; and let signs and miracles be performed in the name of Jesus, your holy
Son/
When
they had finished praying, the place in which they
had gathered rocked
to
and
fro,
and they were
all filled
with
God
with
the Holy Spirit, and began to preach the word of confidence.
There was one heart and soul lievers;
none of them
everything was shared in
which the apostles Jesus Christ,
None
of
them was to lay
sell it
have what share of
destitute; all
those
sold,
of be-
own,
the power with the Lord
man
who owned
at the apostles' feet, so that each could it
he needed. called Joseph, a Cypriot
name
of encouragement; he
by
birth, to
of Barnabas,
had an
and brought the purchase-money to
apostles' feet.
all.
farms or
them, and bring the price of what they
the apostles gave the fresh
means, the
he
common. Great was
testified to the resurrection of
There was a Levite,
whom
company
and great was the grace that rested on them
houses used to
had sold
in all the
called any of his possessions his
which
estate,
which
lay
at the
it
The Cenacle it
in Jerusalem 30
God on
was through divine help from
A.D. high that this
persecution was turned back. So the Mystical as their
earthly
Master and Head
17
Body
prayed,
had prayed so often during his
looking to and acknowledging the Father as
life,
only source of strength in times of
The prayer is based on Psalm
2, a
Messianic psalm, narrating
the victory of Christ over his enemies. It
attack on his Mystical scriptural basis with
Body on
is
applied to present
earth.
now
form
in the
the
This type of prayer
an application to present needs) has
classic prayer
its
trial.
circumstances: Erst the attack on Jesus himself, and
mained the
first
Church
(as in
(a re-
the collects
at Mass).
A
miracle similar to that of Pentecost Sunday then took
place;
it
was an obvious manifestation of divine power. Instead
of a rushing wind, there was an earthquake: his
power
in a great variety of ways.
power were meant primarily
These
God
can show
signs of
God's
to strengthen the faith of the
early Christians.
The Cenacle had been a he and his cousin John Mark
Death of Ananias and Sapphira. second
home
had become
to Barnabas; there
close friends, during the years that
he was a
student in the rabbinical school in the temple. In such close contact with the early Church, he was soon converted to the faith.
With no
loss of
time he returned to Cyprus (only 100
miles off the Syrian coast), and sold his property there.
mindful of the advice of the Master:
'Sell all that
He
was
belongs to
you, and give to the poor; so the treasure you have shall be in
heaven; then
Barnabas
is
come back and
follow me.
1
our Erst real link with St Paul, the hero of the
Church. They were probably students together at Jerusalem. Later, Barnabas would take the new convert Paul under
early
his care
and introduce him
to the Christian
community. To-
Acts of the Apostles
18
But there was a man
5,
1-15
who, with
called Ananias,
some
Sapphira, sold an estate, and kept back
of the
his wife
money,
with his wife's knowledge, only bringing a part of lay at the feet of the apostles.
how is
it
to
Peter said, 'Ananias,
that Satan has taken possession of your heart, bidding
you defraud the Holy
money
Whereupon
it
by keeping back some of the
Spirit
that was paid you for the land? Unsold, the property
was yours;
after the sale, the
what has put
it
money was
into your heart so to act? It
at your disposal; is
God, not man,
you have defrauded/ these words Ananias fell down and died; and a great came upon all those who heard it. So the young men rose up, wrapped him up and carried him out to burial. It was about three hours later that his wife came in, knowing nothing of what had happened; and Peter said to her,
At
fear
Tell me, was
it
'Yes/ she said, 'for
Then
much that you so much/
for so
'What
Peter said to her,
is
sold the estate?'
this conspiracy
between
Even now I who have been bury-
you, to put the Spirit of the Lord to the test?
hear at the door the footsteps of those
ing your husband; they will carry you out too/
And
all at
the young
once she
men came
fell
at his feet
in they
and
died; so that
when
found her a corpse, and carried
her out to bury her with her husband. Great fear came upon the
church and upon
And
all
there were
who heard
many
signs
apostles before the people.
accord in Solomon's Porch.
the story.
and miracles done by the
They used
No
one
else
to gather with one
dared to join them,
although the people held them in high honour, and the number of those still
who
believed in the Lord, both
men and women,
increased; they even used to bring sick folk into the
streets,
and
lay
them down
there on beds and pallets, in the
Jerusalem 30 A.D.
gether they would start
on the
off,
with John
19
Mark
The Mystical Body
of Christ
is
and
a continuation
Christians, consciously imitated his earthly life as
remembered by the possessions,
apostles.
was one of the
twelve. In leading this
Community
life,
life
it
was
a sharing of all
characteristics of Jesus
common
projec-
His members, the
tion in time of our Lord's earthly existence. first
company,
in their
missionary journey to Barnabas' homeland, Cyprus.
first
and
his
they acted freely, and
from the motive of complete dedication to God's
service.
The conamong the
In contrast to Barnabas are Ananias and Sapphira. tinuance of good and bad
the net, of weeds
fish in
The
wheat, was foretold by the Master himself. risy
was
by our Lord;
especially reprobated
Pharisees he
denounced again and
Peter by inspiration
detected in the
hypoc-
this vice of the
And
again.
sin of
this it
was that
of Ananias
lies
and
Sapphira.
The Holy
Spirit
is
the soul of the Church; that
is
why
Peter
used such strong language of condemnation. Punishment in such spectacular fashion was meant as a warning to others and a proof of
Gods
presses the view of
were not
moral law.
interest in the
most
authorities
when he
him
all
Augustine ex-
says that the
two
lost eternally.
Second Attempt to Silence the Apostles. to
St.
those
who were
'And they brought
in affliction, distressed with pain
and
sickness of every sort, the possessed, the lunatics, the paralytics;
and he healed
all
their diseases.'
That
of our Lord's ministry in Galilee.
he showed while on earth
still
stration through his Mystical
is
how
the gospels speak
That same loving care which
continues
its
Body; and he
charitable minialso
bequeathed
20
Acts of the Apostles
hope that even the shadow of fall
upon one
of
the
cities, too,
16-28
Peter, as
them here and
common
5,
he passed by, might
From neighbouring
there.
people flocked to Jerusalem, bring-
them the sick and those who were troubled by unclean spirits; and all of them were cured. This roused the high priest and those who thought with ing with
him, that
the party of the Sadducees. Full of indignation,
is
they arrested the apostles and shut them up in the gaol. But, in the night,
an angel of the Lord came and opened
the prison doors, and led
them
'Go/ he
out:
your stand in the temple; preach
message of true
said,
'and take
people the
fully to the
life/
So, at his word, they
went into the temple
began preaching. Meanwhile the high met, and
common
summoned
priest
the Council, with
dawn, and
at
and
his followers
the elders of the
all
Jewish people; and they sent to the prison-house to have them
brought
in.
When
they came to look in the prison, the
officers
could not find them there; so they went back and reported,
'We found
the prison-house locked
up with
the guards at their posts before the door; but it
there was
no one
At hearing priests
until
this,
were at a
to
all
due
care,
and
when we opened
be found within/
the temple superintendent and the chief loss to
an eye-witness told
know what had become them, 'The men you put
of them; in prison
are standing in the temple, teaching the people there/
So the superintendent and
his officers
went and fetched
them, using no violence, because they were afraid of being stoned by the people; and they brought them in and bade
them stand before the Council, where the high tioned them.
'We warned you
in set terms/
preach in this man's name, and you have
he
priest quessaid, 'not to
filled all
Jerusalem
Jerusalem 30 A.D.
21
the same power of miracles to Peter and
many
other
members
of the early Church.
The Jewish from the
start;
leaders
hut
it
him and he began
showed opposition
to our
Lord
right
was only when the crowds gathered round
to collect disciples that the Jewish leaders
understood that he was a threat to their people , and must be destroyed
if
own
leadership of the
they themselves were to
survive.
Exactly the same situation had
now
arisen for his Mystical
Body: the Jewish authorities came up with the same solution
had found
that they
The
for disposing of our Lord.
apostles
had been warned by the Master to expect such treatment:
'Men
will be laying
will give
hands on you and persecuting you; they
you up to the synagogues, and to prison, and drag
my
you into the presence of kings and governors on that will be your opportunity for
account;
making the truth known.'
7
So Peter took up Jesus task of proclaiming the truth. Instead of one trouble-maker to deal with, the high priest now tongue and
had to
silence five thousand: Jesus'
tiplied
by the number of his followers, by
his Mystical
all
lips are
the
mul-
members
of
Body.
made familiar from our Lord's own discourses: T have not come on my own errand; I was sent by one who has a right to send. I consult the will of him who sent me, not my own.' It is this acting with a Peter follows the same line of thought
mission to is
fulfil
that
makes Peter
indifferent to opposition;
not seeking to establish a personal reputation, he
for
and on behalf of
divine assistance, final victory
When
his
Master
in heaven.
and the truth of
He
his cause;
is
is
he
acting
conscious of
he knows that
aJways belongs to God.
our Lord was tempted by the devil in the desert,
Acts of the Apostles
22
5,
29-41
with your preaching; you are determined to lay this man's death at our door.' Peter and the other apostles answered, 'God has more right
men.
to be obeyed than
up
raised
God
God
was the
man you hung on a him up to his own who is to bring Israel
of our fathers that
Jesus, the
gibbet to die. It
mission of Spirit
On
God
Of
sins.
repentance, and
we are witnesses; we and those who obey him/
re-
the Holy
this,
gives to all
is
right hand, as the
that has raised
prince and Saviour
kill
It
hearing this they were cut to the quick, and designed to
them. But
named
lawyer
now one Gamaliel,
of the Pharisees in the Council, a
who was
them send the
people, rose and bade
then he said to them, 'Men of
mean
to
held in esteem by
all
apostles out for a
Israel,
the
little;
think well what you
do with these men. There was Theodas, who ap-
peared in days gone by and claimed to be someone of importance, and was supported by about four hundred
he was
killed,
to nothing.
and
And
all his
followers were dispersed,
him Judas the Galilean appeared
after
men;
and came in the
days of the registration; he persuaded the people to rebel
under
his leadership,
were scattered. to
but he too perished, and
And my
do with these men,
man's undertaking, will
it
advice
let
will
is still
them
be. If this
be overthrown;
have no power to overthrow
it.
all
his followers
the same: have nothing is
man's design or
if it is
God's, you
You would not
willingly
be found fighting against God.'
And
they
fell
in
with his opinion; so they sent for the
apostles and, after scourging them, let
them go with
a warning
that they were not on any account to preach in the Jesus.
And
they
left
name
of
the presence of the Council, rejoicing
that they had been found worthy to suffer indignity for the sake of Jesus' name.
And
every day, both in the temple
and
Jerusalem 30 A.D. 'angels
came and ministered
23
When he was in an agony
to him.'
Gethsemani, 'he had sight of an angel horn heaven t en-
in
couraging him.'
And
so
it is
with his followers; the angels of
heaven are at the service of his sorely tried members; they give to
them the help they need; help which an angel is quite com'What are they/ St. Paul asks about angels,
petent to give. 'all
of them, but spirits apt for service,
when
whom God
sends out
the destined heirs of eternal salvation have need of
them?'
God
Gamaliel Pleads for the Apostles.
and the most unlikely people, In
this
same Council of
spoken up for Jesus:
Israel, a
'Is it
the
without giving him a hearing is
about?'
He
So now Gamaliel
rabbi called
way
the liberal party
among
Erst,
rose to
means,
he
loves.
Nicodemus had
and Ending out what he defend Christ's members. Hillel, the
He
is
founder of
our second contact with
was trained, under Gamaliel,
of our ancestral law.' His
in exact
knowledge
was the most famous name in the
professorial faculty of the rabbinical school in Jerusalem,
he
is
remembered
His advice tian cause.
is
in Jewish history as
one of
that of prudence, not
In effect
it is:
sarily good advice on would be allowed to
man
the Pharisees; and was himself noted
knowledge of the law.
St. Paul: 'I
all
whom
of our law to judge a
was a grandson of the famous
for his
can use
to assist those
all
wait and
see.
sympathy
And
that
to the Chrisis
not neces-
occasions; otherwise error
flourish
and
their best lawyers.
unopposed. But
it
and
evil
gave some
short breathing space to the infant Church, before persecution
came
in real earnest
In the same unemphatic manner as that in which the gospels record our Lord's scourging ('Then Pilate took Jesus and
scourged him'),
St.
Luke mentions the punishment
of the
Acts of the Apostles
24
from house to house,
5,
their teaching
42-6, 12
and
their preaching
was
continually of Jesus Christ.
At
this
time, as the
number
of the disciples increased,
complaints were brought against those
by those who spoke Greek;
neglected in the daily administration of called together the general is
much
too
that
body of the
we should have
spoke Hebrew
you must find among you seven
relief.
were
So the twelve
disciples,
and
said, 'It
to forgo preaching God's
word, and bestow our care upon tables.
full of
who
their widows, they said,
Come
men who
then, brethren,
are well spoken of,
the Spirit and of wisdom, for us to put in charge of this
business, while
we devote
ourselves to prayer,
and to the
ministry of preaching/
This advice found favour with
man who was
all
the assembly; and they
and of the Timon, Parmenas, and Nicolas, who was a proselyte from Antioch. These they presented to the apostles, who laid their hands on them chose Stephen, a
Holy
Spirit,
Philip,
full
of faith
Prochorus, Nicanor,
with prayer.
By now the word of God was gaining influence, and the number of disciples in Jerusalem was greatly increasing; many of the priests had given their allegiance to the faith.
And
Stephen,
and power, performed great among the people. There were those who
full
miracles and signs
of grace
came forward to debate with him, some of the synagogue of the Freedmen (as it is called), and of the Cyreneans and Alexandrians, and of those who came from Cilicia and Asia; but they were no match for Stephen's wisdom, and for the Spirit with which he spoke. Thereupon they employed agents to say they had heard him speaking blasphemously of Moses, and of God. Having thus roused the feelings of the people,
Jerusalem 30 A.D.
25
apostles. It was 39 strokes of the rod, a Jewish punishment, not the appalling Roman torture inflicted on Jesus.
The Seven Deacons.
There
is
not yet question of Gentile
is between those native and those horn other lands (the Dispersion, as
converts; aJi are Jews. This distinction to Palestine
come
they are called). These latter had
to Jerusalem for the
feast of Pentecost.
This
how
the Erst apostolic ordination ceremony. It shows
is
the apostles adapted themselves to the circumstances of
the times.
The Mystical Body was growing fast;
needs to he met. There
own
ber with his
pressed
it
a hierarchy in the body;
special function to perform. St. Paul ex-
in this way: 'Are all of us apostles, all prophets, all
The body,
teachers?
is
new each mem-
there were
after
all,
consists
not of one organ but
of many.'
There
human
is
a divine side to the Mystical
side too
(remember the
The Hebrew
phira).
more attention
speakers,
to their
Body; but there
story of Ananias
who were
own than
is
a
and Sap-
in the majority, gave
to foreigners.
The Deacon Stephen on Trial. With the grace of the sacrament of Holy Orders still fresh upon him, Stephen emerged as an articulate champion of the Christian cause. Jesus now had a new mouth to speak the truth for him; and Stephen did it
with a
There
is
and power that resembled that of Jesus himself. that same deftness in turning an argument, that same skill
sureness in dealing with objections
and
difficulties
from ques-
tioners.
'Aiter this the Pharisees withdrew,
make him lowed
betray himself in his talk!
in the
and plotted together
The same
is fol-
came mostly from mentioned) who had their
attempt to entangle Stephen;
groups of foreign Jews (Eve are
pattern
to
it
26
Acts of the Apostles
and of the
him
put forward
8
they set upon him and carried him before the Council. There they witnesses, who declared, This man is never
and
elders
and
off,
6, 13-7,
scribes,
so brought false
tired of uttering insults against the holy place,
and the law.
We have heard him say that the Nazarene, Jesus, will destroy and
this place,
down
all
those
who
on him, and saw
Then
When
sat there in the
his face looking like the face of
the
God
still
in
Mesopotamia, before he took
Haran. "Leave your country," he
his dwelling in
was that he
Haran;
it
gave
space;
after his father's death that
him no
And
inheritance,
not so
this
is
said,
"and
direct you."
So
him, although at
what God
this
he was bidden
now dwell. There, much as a foot's
he only promised the possession of
his posterity after
I
the country of the Chaldeans, and lived in
left
was only
to remove thence into this land where you
God
Abraham,
of glory appeared to our father
your kindred, and come to the land to which it
an angel.
answered, 'Brethren and fathers, listen to me.
was while he was
up
Council fastened their
the high priest asked, 'Are these charges true?'
And he it
which Moses handed
to us/
And eyes
will alter the traditions
it
to
him and
time he had no
told him, that his descendants
live as strangers in a foreign land,
slaved and ill-used for four
to
child.
would
where they would be en-
hundred
years.
"But
I
will pass
judgment," the Lord said, "on the nation which enslaves
them; and at
me
here."
last
they will escape, and settle
Then he made
a covenant with
covenant that ordained circumcision. So the father of Isaac,
whom
down
it
to worship
Abraham, the
was that he became
he circumcised seven days
after-
wards, and Isaac of Jacob, and Jacob of the twelve patriarchs.
The
patriarchs, out of jealousy, sold Joseph as a slave,
The Temple
in Jerusalem
30 A.D.
27
synagogues in Jerusalem.
When
Christianity fall back
They show
on
their familiar 'frame-up' technique.
the same charge
little originality;
as that against
him
did with our Lord, the opponents of
this fails, as it
our Lord at his
say, "I will destroy this
trial
before Caiphas:
temple that
hands, and I will build another with no
me."
'
To
this
put forward
is
is
We heard
made with mens
hand
of
man
to help
they added the crime of opposing the law of
Moses; a familiar charge against our Lord during his public ministry.
Stephen's Speech: a spacious
Does God Live
in Palestine?
There was
room, to the south of the Holy Place in the temple
courts, called the council
chamber;
it
was there that special
business of the Council (Sanhedrin) was conducted. Stephen
was probably talking in one of the porches inside the temple area
when he was
arrested
and brought before the Council
The Council was
the nearby council chamber. to try this
The Owing
new
previous
in
ready, waiting
disturber of the established order in Israel. trial
before the Council was that of Jesus.
to special circumstances, notably the
need for
haste,
our Lord had been tried in the house of the high priest Caiphas. cil
at
And it was
Caiphas
still
who
presided over the Coun-
of seventy (at least twenty-three were required for a trial)
Stephens
trial.
Our Lord had been
silent at his trial.
because the charge brought against
He
him had
did not speak failed to secure
agreement of two witnesses: 'but even so their accusations did not
agree.'
Jewish law.
on the
Consequently the charge was null and void in
At Stephen's
specific
trial
at least
two witnesses did agree
terms of the charge; the Jewish leaders were
better prepared this time,
mistake that they had
and
made
so did not
fall
into the
at the trial of Christ.
same
Acts of the Apostles
28
to be taken to Egypt. In Egypt,
God
7,
9-25
was with him; he rescued
him from all his afflictions, and won him favour and a name for wisdom with Pharao, king of Egypt, who made him ruler over Egypt and over
famine came upon them,
till
all
the royal household.
Egypt and Canaan,
all
And now
a
cruelly afflicting
our fathers could procure no food. So Jacob, hearing
that there was corn in Egypt, sent out our fathers on their first
journey;
and on
their second journey Joseph
made him-
known to them, and Pharao learned about Joseph's Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob, and for his family, seventy-five souls in all; and Jacob went down into Egypt, where he and our fathers died. They were removed afterwards to Sichem; and it was in the grave which Abraham had bought for a sum of money from the sons of Hemor, the self
kindred.
man
of Sichem, that they were buried.
'And when the time drew near
God had made
promise which
to
for the fulfilment of the
Abraham, the people had
and multiplied in Egypt. And now a new king one who knew nothing of Joseph; this king treacherously with our race, using them so ill that they
increased
arose in Egypt, dealt
exposed their children, instead of rearing them.
It
was at
this
time that Moses was born, and, finding favour with God, was
brought up in his father's house for three months; then, when
he had been exposed, he was rescued by Pharao's daughter,
who adopted him
as her son.
Thus Moses was
in all the learning of the Egyptians;
speech and in of age,
it
of Israel.
came
act.
When
he was vigorous,
And now, when he had
into his
mind
too, in
reached forty years
to visit his brethren, the children
he saw one of them being unjustly used,
he came to the rescue and avenged the
by
well trained
killing the Egyptian.
He
man who was
wronged,
expected them to understand, but
they could not understand, that he was the means by which
The Temple
in Jerusalem
30 A.D.
In contrast to the silence of our Lord
29
the almost inter-
is
minable defence speech of Stephen. His purpose
He
the validity of the charge brought against him. historical approach: a
begins with the
uses an
resume of the history of the chosen
people from the time of their founder
He
to disprove
is
Book
Abraham
to king David.
of Genesis , chapter 12.
his discourse, as in Genesis, the careers of
great-grandson Joseph are highlighted.
And
Abraham and
in his
But the account of these
two individuals occupies only one-third of
point of
this first
Stephen's speech in defence of his teaching.
The is
third
found
and most important person
in the
Moses. His story
second book of the Bible, Exodus. Stephen
gives two-thirds of his it
is
words to the career of Moses, because
was part of the charge against him that he never
uttering insults against the law
and the
traditions
tired of
which Moses
had handed down. All the facts listed by Stephen in his resume of
Old
Testa-
ment history were familiar to his hearers; what he does is to give them a Christian interpretation instead of a Jewish one. A crisis had arisen in Jerusalem: was this new organization, the Christian Church, to remain a national Jewish institution, or was
it
to rise above national barriers
and become Catholic?
The Samaritan woman converted by our Lord the Jewish outlook that Stephen to our Lord: to worship
'You Jews
7
is
in Jerusalem.
woman, the time
is
is
arguing against She said
us that the place where
tell
To
expressed
men ought
her Jesus replied: 'Believe me,
coming when you
will
not go to Jerusalem
to worship the Father; the time has already
come when
true
worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth.'
That
God was
Palestine,
and
worshipped only in the small
particularly in the temple,
is
territory of
the Jewish thesis
Acts of the Apostles
30
God was
26-38
7,
them deliverance. Next day, he came in sight them were quarrelling, and tried to restore peace
to bring
when two
of
7
between them; "Sirs/ he inflict injury
"you are brethren; why do you
said,
on one another?"
'Whereupon the man who was doing his neighbour a wrong thrust him aside, asking, "Who made you a ruler and a judge over us? Are you ready to kill me, as you killed the Egyptian yesterday?"
'And of
Moses
at that
Madian;
and
fled,
lived as an exile in the land
was there that two sons were born to him.
it
came
'Forty years later, a vision
him
to
in the wilderness
mount Sinai; a bush had caught fire; and an among the flames. Moses saw it, and was
of
standing
and
at the sight;
ham, and
Isaac,
close; fear
is
holy ground.
The
you
God of your fathers, of AbraAnd Moses did not dare to look Then
tremble.
your
off
feet;
the Lord said to him,
the place on which you stand
affliction of I
to look, the voice of the
the
and Jacob."
eyes continually;
come down for
am
"I
made him
'Take the shoes
my
he drew near
as
Lord came to him,
angel was
astonished
my
people in Egypt
is
before
have heard their lamenting, and have
to deliver them.
Come
now,
I
have an errand
in Egypt."
same Moses, the man whom they had dis"Who made you a ruler and a judge over us?" that God sent to be their ruler and their deliverer, helped by the angel whom he saw there at the bush. He it was who led them out, performing wonders and signs in Egypt, and at the Red Sea, and in the wilderness, over a 'It
was
this
owned, and asked him,
space of forty years. 'It
was
this
Lord your
Moses who
God
will raise
said to the children of Israel,
up
for
you a prophet
from among your own brethren."
He
with the angel that spoke to him on
it
"The
like myself,
was who took part
mount
Sinai,
and with
The Temple
in Jerusalem
history does not substantiate that view.
own
details of his
funda-
its
not concerned with his personal
is
Erst phase of the history of
fate;
God's chosen people.
spoke to Abraham, called him out of his
new
begin a
happen in
Israel's
does not argue the
out to win converts to the Christian way of thought
Take the
God
He
he takes the matter back to
case;
mentals. Actually he is
31
by Stephen; he proposes to show that
as outlined
he
30 A.D.
life
Mesopotamia.
Did
of service to the Lord.
in Palestine?
Not
God
at
all,
says Stephen;
can talk to
own
country to
this revelation
was way out
it
men anywhere
in the
wide
world.
Take the case of the great hero of the Joseph the saviour of his people. favoured him with his
own
but in Egypt. Surely
men
worshippers of God;
all his
patriarchal period,
Where was it that God Not in Palestine,
divine revelation?
like
Abraham and Joseph were
true
promises and divine favours came
to Israel through them.
And
Moses, that
man whose name
why, he never set foot in Palestine. lived in the wilderness finally
He
an
exile
He
ever on your
was born
even from his
lips;
in Egypt;
own
people;
he accompanied them on the wanderings of the Exodus.
was the
first
to be told the divine
Yahweh. This happened, not
famous
desert, at the
three
is
men show
name
of
God, the name
in Palestine, but in the Sinai
vision of the burning bush.
clearly that
shipped outside Palestine?
God
can be
The whole
Do
not these
known and wor-
history of the race
one of migration, not of settled occupancy of
is
this small section
of the world. Particularly with regard to Moses,
and
to
some extent with
regard to Joseph and Abraham, Stephen emphasizes the rejection by their
that the
own
same
people. It seems as though he himself
fate awaits
him;
how could he hope
knows
to fare better
Acts of the Apostles
32
7,
39-50
our fathers, at the meeting in the desert. There he received
words of
life
to
hand on
to you;
and yet our
fathers
would
not give him obedience. They disowned him; they turned their thoughts towards Egypt,
and
gods, to lead our march; as for this Moses,
out of the land of Egypt, there of him." to
an
So they fashioned
"Make
us
who brought
us
said to Aaron,
no saying what has become at this time, making offerings
is
a calf
and keeping holiday over the works
idol,
of their
own
Whereupon God turned away from them, and gave
hands.
them over
to the worship of all the host of heaven; so
written in the
brought
me
it is
book of the prophets, "Is it true that you and sacrifices, you sons of Israel, for forty
victims
You carried about the tent of Moloch, Rempham, and worshipped them, your own fashioning. And now I will send you into
years in the wilderness?
and
the star of
images of exile
'In
your god
on the further
side of Babylon."
the wilderness, our fathers had the tabernacle with
them, to remind them of God's covenant; he
who spoke
to
Moses bade him fashion it after the model which had been shown him. And when God dispossessed the Gentiles, to make room for our fathers' coming, our fathers under Joshua brought this tabernacle, as an heirloom, into the land which they conquered. So
it
was
until the time of David. David,
who had won
favour in God's sight, longed to devise a resting-
place for the
God
of Israel, but in the
end
it
was Solomon
we are not to think that temples made by men's hands;
that built the house for him. Yet
the
most High dwells
the
in
my throne, and earth is the footstool under my feet. What home will you build for me, says the Lord, what place can be my resting-place? Was it not my hands that made all this?" prophet
says:
"Heaven
is
The Temple
in Jerusalem 30
A.D.
33
than the Master, before this same tribunal?
Stephen had
little
be wondered at
if
time to prepare his defence;
memory
his
fails
not to
it is
him here and there in The two notable dis-
tracing such a long period of history.
crepancies with the
Old Testament account
are (1) the burial
of the patriarchs at Sichem, (2) the quotation
'And now
I will
send you into
from Amos:
on the further
exile
side of
Babylon: (1) It is clear
from the Book of Genesis that the patriarchs
were buried in Hebron, not Sichem; the only exception being Joseph,
Amos
who was
ieads
buried at Sichem. (2)
Damascus
The
original text of
in place of Babylon; there
is
no
evi-
dence for Stephen's change of place name. Stephen was not inspired;
he could make mistakes,
like
any other man. Lukes
inspiration, in writing the Acts, consists in recording correctly
what Stephen
said,
even the errors in his discourse.
Stephen's Speech: Does holiest place
in Jerusalem; there, day
worship was offered to the Lord. But
a nation for a
The
Live in the Temple?
on earth was the temple
after day, true
had been
God
Israel
thousand years before the temple was
Did they not worship God in a manner pleasing to him during all that time? The tabernacle in the wilderness was made at Gods express command, as a place to offer sacrifice
built.
to
him.
when
And how
Israel
about the long period of Babylonian
worshipped
God
not in the temple
(it
exile,
had been
destroyed) but in a foreign land?
This should show them that God's presence cannot be stricted to a small building in a single city.
that which
comes from perfect love
'The greatest of them
all is charity.'
in a
True worship
man's heart and
reis
will:
Acts of the Apostles
34
7,
51-8, 4
and ears Holy Spirit,
'Stiff-necked race, your heart
you are did.
for ever resisting the
still
uncircumcised,
just as
your fathers
There was not one of the prophets they did not
cute;
it
whom
was death to
you
foretell the
in these times
coming
of that just
perse-
man,
have betrayed and murdered; you,
who received the law dictated by angels, and did not keep it/ At hearing this, they were cut to the heart, and began But he, on heaven, and saw
the Holy Spirit,
to gnash their teeth at him.
full of
fastened his eyes
there the glory of
and Jesus standing at God's right hand: ing/ he said, 'and the Son of of
God/ Then they
Man
'I
God,
see heaven open-
standing at the right hand
and put their fingers into their ears; with one accord they fell upon him, thrust him out of the city, and stoned him. And the witnesses put down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. Thus they stoned Stephen; he, meanwhile, was praying: cried aloud,
'Lord Jesus/ he said, 'receive
And count
my
spirit/
then, kneeling down, he cried aloud: 'Lord, do not this sin against
them/ And with that he
fell
asleep
in the Lord.
Saul was one of those
The church time,
and
all
in
who
gave their voices for his murder.
Jerusalem was
much
persecuted at this
except the apostles were scattered over the
countryside of Judea and Samaria. Stephen was buried by
who mourned greatly over him. Saul, meanmaking havoc of the church; he made his way into house after house, carrying men and women off and committing them to prison. Those who had been driven away spread the gospel as devout men,
while, was
Kedron Valley 30 A.D.
Martyrdom
He
of Stephen.
35
probably interrupted at this
is
point by shouts of abuse horn the onlookers. It
him
that a reasoned defence will
crowd with hatred
is
obvious to
make no impression on
in their eyes, intent only
on
this
his death.
So
he uses hard words of condemnation, reminiscent of the
lan-
guage used by Jesus himself of the hypocritical leaders
who
had failed their people and were leading them to ruin. Stephen would make it clear why he was dying: in defence of truth, and for the sake of Jesus Christ
At
this
climax of his
life,
he
Jesus standing (not sitting, as
come
to his aid,
and
ates the consolation
is
is
rewarded with a vision of
usual in scripture), ready to
in an attitude of
welcome. His face
he received from
radi-
this gracious gesture: 7
They saw his face looking like the face of an angel. Moved by rage at such blasphemy, the mob gave no thought to getting Roman permission to carry out the death sentence. They rushed Stephen out the east gate down into the Kedron, and there stoned him at a place not far from Gethsemani. A young rabbi with a genius for sizing up a situation, and with ability to lead and organize, took charge of the execution; his name in Hebrew was Saul. This is our third contact with the
man we know
as St. Paul;
soon he will take Stephen's place
in the Christian ranks.
Simon the
Sorcerer of Samaria.
The murder
of Stephen
was
the beginning of a general persecution of the Church. It was directed at the 5,000 Christian Jews living in Jerusalem; the
reason for excepting the twelve apostles was their high stand-
ing
among
had already
the ordinary people; the authorities in Jerusalem tried to silence the twelve with threats,
but with-
out success. It would be just as effective to destroy their lowers,
and so leave the apostolic
leaders without subjects.
fol-
Acts of the Apostles
36
8,
5-20
who had gone down to one of the cities of Samaria, preached Christ there. The people listened with general accord to what Philip said, as their own eyes and ears witnessed the miracles he did. There were many possessed by unclean spirits, and these came out, crying aloud; many, too, were healed of paralysis, they went from place to place; and Philip,
and
of lameness,
And city
and there was great
there was a
before
Philip
man
rejoicing in that city.
called Simon,
came
there,
who had been
in the
misleading the people of
Samaria with sorcery, and pretending to have great powers,
and low hung upon
so that high 'is
an angel called the great angel of
his sorceries, they continued to
This/ they said, God/ Long misled by
his words;
pay attention to him, until
came and preached to them about God's kingdom and the name of Jesus Christ. Then they found faith and were baptized, men and women alike; and Simon, who had found faith and been baptized with the rest, kept close to Philip
Philip's side;
signs
he was astonished by the great miracles and
he saw happening.
And now
the apostles at Jerusalem, hearing that Samaria
had received the word of God, sent Peter and John to visit them. So these two came down and prayed for them, that they might receive the Holy Spirit, who had not, as yet, come down on any of them; they had received nothing tism in the
Then
name
of the
Lord
so far except bap-
Jesus.
the apostles began to lay their hands on them, so
that the Holy Spirit was given them, and Simon, seeing that
the Holy Spirit was granted through the imposition of the apostles' hands, offered
'have such powers that will receive the
Whereupon
Holy
them money; 'Let me too,' he said, when I lay my hands on anyone he
Spirit.'
Peter said to him,
Take your
wealth with
you to perdition, you who have told yourself that God's
free
Samaria 30 A. D.
37
Our Lord had shown by his own conduct and his followers
should act in time of persecution:
cute you in one city f take refuge in another.'
teaching
how
they perse-
'If
Within one
day's
walk of Jerusalem, to the north, lay the Samaritan country; there the high priest and his fellow persecutors thority.
Those who were so fortunate
au-
as to get out of Jerusalem
made
before Saul called at their house
had no
way
their
to Samaria,
delaying only to collect a few personal belongings.
The Church and make
of
its
very nature must grow: 'You must go out
disciples of all nations.
produce a group of
7
This persecution did not
immediately
idle settlers in Samaria; they
Among
began to preach the gospel there.
the most successful
preachers was another deacon, like Stephen. His Philip,
and he operated probably
most ancient
when he
city of
arrived in the promised land),
Samaritan
Christianity.
of
woman
But
it
and the
real centre of
Sichem were not completely ignorant of
At the beginning
had spent two days that city
settled there
first
life.
The people
the
Sichem, the
in the city of
Samaria (Abraham had
name was
there,
at Jacob's well;
came
of his public ministry Jesus
on the occasion of
his
meeting with
and 'many of the Samaritans from
to believe in him.
7
was the presence of a dealer
in black
magic that gave
a dramatic touch to Philip's preaching in Sichem.
He watched
Philip with professional interest; he soon saw such wonders as
he could not match
—making the blind
to the deaf, casting out devils. It
see, giving
hearing
would seem that he became
a
Christian because of the miracles he saw, rather than to gain eternal
life.
Peter and John is
restricted to the
came
to administer confirmation (a deacon
sacrament of baptism); in those early days
of Christianity, the Pentecostal gift of tongues, the sound of
Acts of the Apostles
38
8,
can be bought with money. There
gift
you
in these doings;
God. Repent of
your heart
is
21-33 is
no
share,
no part
for
not true in the sight of
this baseness of yours,
and pray
to
God, in
the hope of finding pardon for the thought which your heart has conceived.
see plainly that a bitter poison has taken hold
I
you are the bondsman of iniquity/
of you;
answered, Tray for me to the Lord, that none harm you have spoken of may fall upon me/
And Simon of this
when they had borne
So,
and preached
their full witness
the word of the Lord, they began their journey back to Jerusalem, carrying the gospel into
commanded by an
while, Philip was
up,
and go south
to Gaza; this
is
many Samaritan
to
villages.
Mean-
angel of the Lord, 'Rise
meet the road which
leads
from Jerusalem
desert country/
So he rose up and went; and found there an Ethiopian. This
man was
a eunuch, a courtier of Candace, queen of
had charge of all her wealth; he had been up and was now on his way home, driving along in his chariot and reading the prophet Isaias. The Spirit said to Philip, 'Go up to that chariot and keep Ethiopia, and
to worship at Jerusalem,
close
by
And
it/
he ran up, heard him reading the prophet Isaias, and asked, 'Can you understand what you are reading?' r 'How could 1/ said he, 'without someone to guide me? Philip, as
And he The
entreated Philip to
'He was led away that
is
dumb
He was tell
come up and
like a
before
its
beside him.
sheep to be slaughtered; like a lamb
shearer,
brought low, and
he would not open his mouth.
all his rights
the story of his age? His
earth/
sit
passage of scripture which he was reading was this:
life is
taken away;
being cut
off
who
shall
from the
Bethlehem-Hebron Road 30 A.D. a loud rushing wind, in
39
and often the rocking of the building
an earthquake accompanied the conferring of the
When
ment.
Simon saw
as
sacra-
these amazing effects, he could not
conceal his eagerness to possess such power. Imagine what a
would have, could he produce such a spectacle/ this spiritual power with money has im-
success he
His attempt to buy mortalized his
known
is still
Philip
name
as
(like that of
Pontius Pilate); his crime
simony.
and the Ethiopian.
It is
probably
still
the same year,
30 A.D., as that of the Grst Pentecost, possibly the feast of Tabernacles in September.
A
rich
Sudanese (Ethiopia stands
for the headwaters of the Nile in Southern Egypt), the finance
minister of Candace (a royal
black skin, is
is
title like
Pharao), probably of
driving along the road south from Jerusalem; he
reading aloud in Greek the prophecy of
the jolting of the chariot, his
mind
is
Isaias.
Distracted by
unable to cope with the
deep mysteries of the book.
Had he
only
place of the
been
far
known
Man
it,
he had
just passed
through the birth-
he was reading about; he could not have
beyond Bethlehem when a running
figure overtook
the slow-moving chariot and jogged along beside
it,
obviously
its passenger. He kept on with his task of reading and then on a sudden Philip bent his head towards the
interested in Isaias;
open door and asked him
The
if
he needed
a skilled interpreter.
chapter of the prophet Isaias the Sudanese was reading
was the
classic text in the
Old Testament on the
suffering
Messiah. It was undoubtedly one of the texts interpreted by
our Lord in similar circumstances on the road to
on the
first
carrying
Easter afternoon. Philip
on the same teaching.
He
is
now
Emmaus,
the voice of Jesus,
probably quotes the words
Acts of the Apostles
40
And
whom
8,
34-9, 8
the eunuch turned to Philip, and said, Tell me, about
does the prophet say this? Himself, or some other man?'
Then
Philip began speaking,
and preached
to
him about
Jesus, taking this passage as his theme.
As they went on and the eunuch
came
their way, they
said, 'See, there
is
to a piece of water,
water here;
why may
I
not
be baptized?'
So he had the chariot stopped, and both of them, Philip
and the eunuch, went down into the water, and Philip bap-
him
But when they came up from the water, and the eunuch did not see him any longer; he went on his way rejoicing. As for Philip, he was next heard of at Azotus; and from there he went preaching all round the villages, until he reached tized
there.
Philip was carried off by the spirit of the Lord,
Caesarea.
Saul, with every breath ciples of the
he drew,
threatened the
still
Lord with massacre; and now he went to the
high priest and asked him for
letters of
commendation
synagogues at Damascus, so that he could arrest
men and women, who
found
there,
bring
them back
to Jerusalem.
he was nearly at Damascus, denly about him.
He
fell
saying to him, 'Saul, Saul,
Who
are you, Lord?'
And he
said,
and go into the work
dis-
'I
am
city,
those he
Way, and journey, when
belonged to the
Then, on
a light
his
from heaven shone sud-
to the ground,
why
all
to the
and heard a voice
do you persecute me?'
he asked.
Jesus,
whom
and there you
Saul persecutes; shall
rise
up,
be told what your
is.'
His companions stood in bewilderment, hearing the voice speak, but not seeing anyone.
he could
When
he rose from the ground
see nothing, although his eyes
were open, and they
The Road
when
of John the Baptist
out to his
away the
to
Damascus 30 A.D.
that herald of Christ pointed
disciples: 'Look, this is the
sin of the
41
Lamb
of
God, who
him takes
world/
After the baptism of the Sudanese, Philip was miraculously
removed from further finally
his presence.
His work finished, he was taken
Gaza to Azotus; he him again thirty years
up the Mediterranean coast from
came
to Caesarea,
where we find
later.
There are
at least three roads
have presumed to
from Jerusalem to Gaza.
that the chariot followed the
I
main south road
Hebron, and then west to Gaza. The point of the angel's
remark,
seems to be that he was
'this is desert country,'
re-
assuring Philip on the safety of his person in such territory;
was uninhabited country, and
far
it
from the danger zone of
persecution in Jerusalem.
The Conversion
of Paul.
The
small group of persecutors
under the leadership of SauJ was camped for the night on the hills to
the north of the lake of Galilee. Further north
the massive bulk of
mount Hermon,
south the lake lay smooth as
glass.
loomed
9,000 feet high; to the
The white houses
of
Capharnaum caught the last rays of the sun. But Saul had no eye for the beauty and grandeur of the view; his thoughts were on the Christians who had escaped from Galilee and taken refuge in Syria. Tomorrow he would be in Damascus, and he would hunt them out from their hiding places. In Saul's mind there was only one solution of the Christian problem plete extermination: the treatment that Stephen
As they approached the south
gate of
Damascus
a light brighter than the sun, as bright as that
from
Jesus' face at the Transfiguration
had at
—com-
received.
midday,
which had shone
on nearby Hermon,
Acts of the Apostles
42
9,
9-21
had to lead him by the hand, to take him into Damascus. Here for three days he remained without sight, and neither ate nor drank.
There was,
in
Damascus, a
disciple
named
him
Ananias; to
the Lord called in a vision, 'Ananias/
'Here
And
I
am, Lord/ he answered.
the Lord said to him, 'Rise up and go to the road
called Straight Street;
a
man
of Tarsus,
and enquire
named
Saul.
at the
house of Judas for
Even now he
is
at his prayers;,
and he has had a vision of a man called Ananias coming in and laying hands on him, to cure him of blindness/ At this, Ananias answered, 'Lord, many have told me about this man, and all the hurt he has done to your saints at Jerusalem; and he has priests to
imprison
But the Lord
man name
come here with authority from the all those who call upon your name/ 'Go on your errand;
said to him,
this
is
have chosen to be the instrument for bringing
I
a
my
before the heathen and their rulers, and before the
people of Israel too.
I
have yet to
ing he will have to undergo for
So Ananias he
chief
laid his
set out;
and
as
tell
my
him,
how much
suffer-
name's sake/
soon as he came into the house
hands upon him, and
said, 'Brother Saul, I
have
been sent by that Lord Jesus who appeared to you on your way as you came here; you are to recover your sight, and be filled
with the Holy Spirit/
And
with that, a kind of film
his sight
was recovered.
He
rose
now, when he had taken food,
away from his eyes, and up, and was baptized; and
fell
his strength returned to
For some days he lived with the
disciples at
him.
Damascus, and
he preached that Jesus was the Son of God. All those who heard it were amazed; 'Why/
from the
they said,
first,
'is
in the synagogues,
not
this
the
man who
brought ruin on
all
those-
Damascus 30 A.D.
43
enveloped the persecution party. As suddenly
as that, Saul
was changed horn a persecutor to an apostle. The face of Stephen, so persistently before SauYs eyes, suddenly became the face of Jesus; the compassionate, compelling eyes of the
Master looked deep into those of Saul, and claimed him for his own chosen instrument for the winning of the heathen world; from It
now on he
dedicated to the Christian cause.
is
was not Christians he was persecuting;
The basic him right at
self.
doctrine of the Mystical
to
the
words: 'Believe me,
when you did to
it
lesson in Christian living; his letters: 'All
you who
me.
it
7
will
.
.
There
There
is
is
Body was presented
one of the
Jesus'
least of
come up
again
and again
.
.
You
in
name
have been baptized in Christ's .
my
will never forget this Erst
are Christ's
body
nothing but Christ in any of us/ another aspect of the doctrine of the Mystical
Body: not only
is
the Christian, the other man, identified with
Christ, but Paul himself
He must
to
it
He
have put on the person of Christ .
was Christ him-
he had learned the meaning of
start;
brethren here, you did
it
must put on the person of
permit Christ to take
full possession of his
being; his mind, his will, his voice,
all his
Christ.
whole
actions are the in-
struments through which the Lord will influence the world
around him. The more perfect the instrument, the more Jesus can use this
new
disciple in the conversion of the world.
Our Lord summed up his own life, and the way of life for members of his Mystical Body, in the words: Tf any man has a mind to come my way, let him renounce self, and take up his cross and follow me!
all
All
meant
the
matters;
complicated procedure surrounding Ananias
is
show Saul that from now on it is only God's will that he must trample on self, his own plans and ambitions;
to
Acts of the Apostles
44
9,
22-33
who invoked this name, when he was in Jerusalem; the man who came here for the very purpose of arresting such people and presenting them
to the chief priests?'
But Saul was inspired with ever
who
lenced the Jews clearly that this
greater strength,
and
si-
Damascus by showing them
lived at
was the Christ.
So many days passed, and then the Jews plotted against his life. Saul was aware of the plot; and since they kept watch
make an end of him, his disciples contrived to let him down by night along the face of the wall, lowering him to the ground in a hamper. So he over the gates, day and night, to
reached Jerusalem, where he tried to attach himself to the disciples;
and
all
but they could not believe he was a true
avoided his company.
by the hand and brought him how, on
name
how
Whereupon Barnabas took him in to the apostles, telling them
he had seen the Lord and had speech
his journey,
with him, and
Damascus he had spoken boldly in the So he came and went in their company at
of Jesus.
at
name
Jerusalem, and spoke boldly in the
preached, besides, to the Jews
with them, as they
who
of the Lord.
talked Greek,
heard of
and put him on
this,
his
all
the brethren took
way
He
and disputed
they set about trying to take his
till
Meanwhile,
disciple,
him down
life.
As soon
to Caesarea,
to Tarsus.
through Judea and Galilee and Samaria,
the church enjoyed peace and became firmly established,
guided by the fear of the Lord; and the encouragement of the Holy
And now down
Peter, as
he
it
grew
numbers through
visited the saints everywhere,
came
who dwelt at Lydda. There he found a man who had not left his bed for eight years, being
to see those
called Aeneas,
in
Spirit.
SISTERS OF
mWi
10 MQNTCftES'i ftvft
TORONiO
0NTARI8
Jerusalem 33 A.D. his
food must be to do the
And his
the Lord's
members
is
own
will of
of his followers:
life.
special technique for the perfection of
must be equally prominent in the 'With Christ I hang upon the cross.'
It
was
30 A.D., the year of the crucibaptized at Damascus. But it was
when
not
three years later that he
St.
Paul
as a Christian. This first
was.
he
lives
still
fixion,
'My
rules his
life; it
Paul in Jerusalem.
16-18:
him who now
the cross. Calvary occupied the supreme place
in Jesus' mortal
till
45
tells
made
his first visit to Jerusalem
us in his letter to the Galatians
1,
thought was not to hold any consultations
human creature; I did not go up to Jerusalem to see who had been apostles longer than myself; no, I went off into Arabia, and when I came back it was to Damascus. Then, when three years had passed, I did go up to Jerusalem,
with any those
to visit Kephas,
This a
is
and
I
stayed a fortnight there in his company.
Luke
the visit here recorded by St.
in the Acts;
it
7
was
busy two weeks given to preaching the gospel mainly in
Greek
St bia')
to the Jews of the Dispersion.
Paul's three years in the desert east of
Damascus
('Ara-
served the same purpose as our Lord's forty days in the
desert: it
was a time of preparation for
his public ministry of
healing and teaching.
Peter Visits Aeneas and Dorcas. stop a persecution
is
The most
effective
way
to
to convert the persecutor. It began sud-
denly with the murder of Stephen, and died just as suddenly
and dramatically; with Saul
a Christian all enthusiasm de-
parted from the Jewish leaders. There could be no better
mony
to the
dynamic personality of Paul than
position he held both in Jewish
and
this
testi-
dominant
in Christian circles.
Acts of the Apostles
46 paralysed.
And
Peter said
sends you healing;
up came to
rose
rise
up,
and
34-10, 4
him,
'Aeneas,
and make your
at once. All those
see him,
to
9,
who
bed';
Jesus
Christ
whereupon he
dwelt at Lydda and Sharon
their hearts turned to the Lord.
And there was a disciple at Joppa called Tabitha, which means the same as Dorcas, a gazelle. She abounded in acts of charity and in almsdeeds; and it so happened that at this time she fell sick, and died, and they washed the body and laid it in an upper room. Since Lydda was close to Joppa, the disciples, hearing that Peter was there, sent two men to find him; 'Come to us/ they urged him, 'without delay/ So Peter rose and went with them; and when he came there they took him into the upper room, where all the widows stood round him in tears, showing him the coats and cloaks which Dorcas used to make while she was among them. Peter sent them all out, and went on his knees to pray; then, turning to the body, he said, Tabitha, rise up'; and she opened her eyes and looked at Peter, and sat up on the bed. So he gave her his hand, and raised her to her feet; and then, calling in the saints and the widows, he showed her to them alive. This became known all over Joppa, and many learned to believe in the Lord. He stayed in Joppa a number of days after this, lodging with a tanner whose
name was Simon.
There was,
at Caesarea, a centurion
longing to what
is
named
Cornelius, be-
called the Italian cohort, a pious
man who
God, like all his household, gave alms freely to the people, and prayed to God continually. He, about three o'clock in the afternoon, had a vision, in which he clearly saw an angel of God come in and address him by name.
worshipped the true
'What
And he
is it,
Lord?' he asked, gazing at
him
in terror.
answered, 'Your prayers and almsdeeds are recorded
Lydda Christianity
had not been
31 A.D.
at a standstill during the persecu-
made throughout
tion period; converts were being It is
47
Palestine.
not surprising to End converts in Galilee, seeing that our
Lord spent almost two years of
his public life preaching to
them. The Acts record no detail of their conversion, and only
mention of converts in Judea and Samaria (which
a passing
shows how fragmentary Peter
is
is
the record in Acts).
the shepherd, the vicar of Christ, the rock on which
the Church
only Etting that he should
is built; it is
visit
strengthen his Rock. But the real source of Christian
not
human
Holy
agencies; the
of the Church. St. Paul fashion:
but
it,
'It
it
was for
was
and
body; so
for
later
to put
it
in his
gave the increase.'
number of different organs goes to make up one
one, though
multitude of
it
has a
with ChristJ These words of
St.
Paul are well
by Dorcas, the Erst Sister of Charity. There
members
ity, as
and
all this
it is
illustrated
is all
was
power memorable
Spirit himself is the vital
to plant the seed, for Apollo to water
God who
'A man's body organs;
me
work
to
well as for the
raising the
is
need
menial and unnoticed duties of char-
at
more
dead to
and
life is
spectacular works of healing cripples
life.
An
Angel Appears to Cornelius. This Italian soldier knew nothing of Jewish religion until one day he came across a copy of their Sacred Writings, written in Greek.
contact with the
God
of the Hebrews,
According to the Jews he was the only
He made
whose name real
God;
all
is
his Erst
Yahweh.
the others,
so familiar to Cornelius, such as Jupiter, Mars, Venus, were
only invented by the imagination of men; in the world of reality they
did not exist
Yahweh
reigned alone.
Acts of the Apostles 10, 5-20
48
God's
in
And now he would have you send men to who is surnamed Peter; he
sight.
Joppa, to bring here one Simon,
lodges with a tanner, called Simon, whose house
close to
is
the sea/
So the angel visitor left him, and thereupon he summoned two of his servants, and one of the soldiers who were in at-
man
tendance on him, a
of piety; he told
and sent them on
passed,
Next
their
day, while these were
drawing near the
city,
noon, to pray there.
saw heaven opening, and
had
that
all
and were
their journey,
was hungry, and waiting it,
he
fell
for a meal;
it
He
into a trance.
a bundle, like a great sheet, let
four corners on to the earth; in
its
were
down
kinds of
all
and things that creep on the
four-footed beasts, all
on
them
to Joppa.
Peter went up to the housetop about
He
and while they were preparing by
way
earth,
and
the birds of heaven.
And
a voice
came
you and
to him, 'Rise up, Peter, lay about
eat/ 'It I
cannot be, Lord/ answered Peter; 'never in
my
life
have
eaten anything profane, anything unclean/
Then you to
the voice
call
came
to
him
a second time,
anything profane, which
God
has
'It is
made
not for
clean/
Three times this happened, and then the bundle was drawn up again into heaven. Peter was still puzzling in his mind over the meaning of his vision, when Cornelius' messengers, who had now found their way to Simon's house, were seen standing at the gate; where they called out and asked if Simon,
To
who was
Peter, as
the Spirit
said,
also called Peter, lodged there.
he was turning over the vision in his mind, 'Here are some men asking for you; rise and
go down, and accompany them without misgiving;
have sent them.'
it is I
who
Joppa
Yahweh
A.D.
49
all nations, not Jews only, with justice and was not capricious and unpredictable like the
ruled
He
charity.
31
Roman gods. He took a personal and loving interest in all men; man could return his affection by living according to the laws Yahweh had revealed; God had even told man the manner in
which he wished true worship to he offered to
come
Cornelius had
to
and submit
believe in
his
name.
his life
to
Yahweh.
Has
Peter
a Vision.
The
Noah's ark two by two
is
picture of animals marching into
not quite correct. There were two
camels and two donkeys, but fourteen sheep and a
like
num-
ber of cattle. Here are God's words to Noah: 'Take seven pairs of
the clean animals with you f male and female, and one
all
7
pair of all the animals that are unclean (Gen. y, 2).
This distinction of clean (kosher
is
the
Hebrew word) and
unclean animals was a continual reminder to the Jews that they were a people set apart, as the Lord apart
and above
all
God
heathen gods; they must not
himself was
let
themselves
be contaminated by eating food that was abominable for either sanitary or religious reasons. It
was
a call to perfection, just as
our Lord toJd his followers in the Sermon on the Mount:
Tou
are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father
The found
list
of kosher foods,
and the
is
perfect/
basis for the distinction,
is
in Leviticus 11. Five groups of living things are con-
sidered;
though only three of them are
listed in
Peters vision
in the Acts.
Quadrupeds that chew the cud and have cloven hoofs are kosher. This excludes the camel, which has an undivided hoof, and the pig, which does not chew the cud. Fish must have hns and
scales.
The distinction among
are clean; doves
and pigeons
birds
is
that non-carrion
are the principal kosher birds.
Acts of the Apostles 10, 21-33
50
So Peter went down to the men; 'Here
man you
The
are looking for;
what
is
centurion Cornelius/ they said,
God and
the true
I
am/ he
said, 'the
your errand?'
keeps his law, as
all
'a
man who
worships
the Jewish people will
has received a revelation from one of the holy angels;
testify,
he was to have you brought to you would say/
his house,
and
listen to
what
Thereupon Peter bade them come in, and made them welcome; and next day he set out with them, accompanied by some of the brethren from Joppa.
The day
after that, they reached Caesarea,
was awaiting them; he had gathered closest friends
about him.
And
he was met by Cornelius, who to him;
man
where Cornelius
kinsmen and
at his feet
and did reverence
but Peter raised him up; 'Stand up/ he
So he went
in, still
Jew
'that a
is
'I
am
a
conversing with him, and found a great
contaminated him; but
race, or visits
ought not to speak of
if
well
enough/ he told them,
he consorts with one of another
God has been showing me that we any man as profane or unclean; and
when I was sent for, I came without demur. why you have sent for me/ so,
And saw
Tell
me then,
Cornelius said, 'Three days ago, at this very time,
was making to
said,
like yourself/
company assembled. 'You know
I
his
soon as Peter had entered,
as
fell
his
a
my
man
afternoon prayer in
my
house,
I
when suddenly who said
standing before me, in white clothes,
me, "Cornelius, your prayer has been heard, your almsdeeds
have won remembrance in God's Joppa, and
he
Peter; sea."
I
is
lost
have done
summon
thence that
You are Simon who is sight.
to send to also called
lodging with a tanner called Simon, close to the
no time,
me
therefore, in sending for you,
a favour in coming.
Now you
and you
see us assembled
Caesarea 31 A.D.
The
51
only winged insects that were clean were those 'which
have the hinder legs longer, and leap from one spot to another.'
These are grasshoppers, the food of John the Baptist
on the
All 'things that creep
members
the main
The kosher on Friday
is
earth*
were unclean; snakes are
of this classification.
legislation
was familiar to every Jew,
to a Catholic.
He
was reminded of
he went to the market to buy food or reclined
just as fish
every time
it
at table for his
daily meals.
Peter Visits Cornelius.
Peter should have been used to work-
ing out the hidden meanings of visions and parables; he
been trained in
it
by Jesus himself. Actually,
of kosher regulations
Capharnaum,
had been
treated
this very
for the special benefit of the apostles: its
not into his heart, but into his belly? Whereas
makes
a
man
author of all
meat
The
St.
unclean.'
St.
all
it is
into a
it travels,
that
comes
that which
Peter (who was the original
Mark's Gospel) comments: 'Thus he declared
to be clean
ten
And
the heart, and
'Do you
way
man's mouth has no means of defiling him, because
mouth comes from
matter
by our Lord at
not observe that any uncleanness which Ends
out of his
had
men
(Mk.
y, 19).
walking the thirty miles up the plain of Sharon
from Joppa to Caesarea were making history. For the Erst time in the history of the Church, the faith was being brought directly to the Gentiles.
Caesarea was the headquarters of the still
Roman
procurator,
Pontius Pilate (presuming that this incident took place
before Pilate's recall in 36 A.D.). It was a
50 years
old,
soldiers,
and
with
Roman
in all its
buildings, a
ways and culture
Ene
modern port,
Roman
city,
only
about 5,000
to the core.
By
Acts of the Apostles
52 in
God's presence, ready to
listen to
io,
34-47
whatever charge the Lord
has given you/
Thereupon Peter began speaking; 'I see clearly enough/ he said, 'that God makes no distinction between man and man; he welcomes anybody, whatever his race, who fears him and does what piety demands.
them news
of Israel, giving is
Lord
of
all.
He
has sent his word to the sons
of peace through Jesus Christ,
You have heard
who
the story, a story which ran
through the whole of Judea, though
it
began
in Galilee, after
the baptism which John proclaimed; about Jesus of Nazareth,
how God
anointed him with the Holy Spirit and with power,
he went about doing good, and curing
so that
were under the witnesses of
Jerusalem.
on the
devil's tyranny,
he did
all
And
God
God
those
at his side.
in the country of the Jews,
they killed him, hanging
third day
clear sight of
with
all
raised
him up
him, not to the people at
him on
who
We are and
a gibbet;
in
but
again,
and granted the
large,
but to us the wit-
whom God
had appointed beforehand; we ate and drank in his company after his rising from the dead. And he gave us a commission to preach to the people, and to bear witness that he, and none other, has been chosen by God to
nesses
judge the living and the dead. All the prophets bear him this testimony, that everyone
who
mission of sins through his
has faith in
him
is
to find re-
name/
Before Peter had finished speaking to them thus, the Holy Spirit fell
faithful
on
all
those
who were
who had come
listening to his message.
The
over with Peter, holding to the tradi-
tion of circumcision as they did, were astonished to find that
the free gift of the Holy Spirit could be lavished upon the Gentiles,
whom
they heard speaking with tongues, and pro-
claiming the greatness of God. will
Then
Peter said openly,
'Who
grudge us the water for baptizing these men, that have
Caesar ea 31 A. D.
53
invading this Gentile stronghold, Peter was preparing for the capture of
The
Rome
itself.
Amidst the sound of marching feet on the cobblestones outside Cornelius' house, and the pounding of surf on the breakwater of the port of Caesarea, First Gentile Converts.
Peter began his
first
instruction class for the reception of
heathen converts. The family of Cornelius was made up of his wife
and
children, the domestic servants
and
his
batman.
The scene surely recalled to Peter the famous Domine, non sum dignus centurion of Capharnaum, whose servant Jesus had healed. Cornelius was of a similar type, and was worthy of the same praise which the Master gave to that other one: 'Believe
me,
I
have not found
1 am
said:
story of Jesus'
the way; I
am
and
truth
he was the Lord
life;
even in
life.'
So Peter told the
God (Yahweh)
Cornelius had only to believe in him, and eternal
As he searched on became the
earth,
Jesus' life later
Memoirs It did
was
his.
memory
he
began that selection of incidents which
for the outstanding facts of
basis of all Christian narrative
Gospel of
St.
down
about the
in the four gospels; par-
Mark, which
is
often called the
of Peter.
not include the Infancy Story, but began with John
the Baptist (the baptism of our of his public
life),
and
Lord was the
true beginning
finished with the Resurrection.
out what Peter said to Cornelius, St.
incarnate.
life
his
Master, and which was written ticularly the
Israel.'
was simple. The Master himself
Peter's plan of instruction
had
faith like this,
it is
To End
only necessary to read
Mark.
Peter was dramatically interrupted before he could conclude his instructions. Suddenly, unexpectedly, Cornelius
members
of his household were
on
their feet,
and the
ecstatically
Acts of the Apostles 10, 48-11, 13
54
received the Holy Spirit just as
we
And he gave orders name of Jesus Christ.
did?'
that they should be baptized in the
And
him
after this, they asked
on some days with
to stay
them.
And now the word of Peter
God had been
came up
given to the Gentiles.
to Jerusalem, those
who
of circumcision found fault with him; visit/
how And when
the apostles and brethren in Judea were told
they asked,
'to
men who
held to the tradition
'Why
did you pay a
and
are uncircumcised,
eat
with them?'
Whereupon
Peter told
the beginning; prayers,
when
I fell
like a great sheet,
four corners,
till
them the
was in the
'I
it
story point
city of
into a trance
by point from
Joppa/ he
and saw a
said, 'at
vision.
A
my
bundle,
came down from heaven, lowered by the reached me.
I
looked closely to find out
what it was, and there I saw four-footed creatures of earth, and wild beasts, and creeping things, and the birds that fly in heaven.
And
lay about
'So
I
I
heard a voice saying to me, "Rise up, Peter,
you and
eat."
answered, "It cannot be, Lord; nothing profane or
unclean has ever crossed
my
lips."
'And a second utterance came from heaven is
not for you to
call
anything profane, which
in answer, "It
God
has
made
clean."
'Three times this happened, and then again into heaven.
And
at that very
all
moment
peared at the door of the house where
we
was drawn up three
men
ap-
were, with a mes-
sage to me from Caesarea. The Spirit bade me accompany them without misgiving; so these six brethren came with me, and together we entered the man's home. There he told us how he had had a vision of an angel in his house; this angel
stood before him, and said, "Send to Joppa, and bid Simon,
Jerusalem 31 A.D. praising
God
in foreign tongues. It
festation all over again; the
55
was the Pentecostal mani-
Holy Ghost had come down upon
them, and that even hefoie they were baptized Christians.
Peter Justifies His Action.
Jewish way of
life
The
first
Christians kept up their
by frequenting the temple and assisting at
They had the Masters own example and express words to follow: 'Do not think that I have come to set aside the law and the prophets; I have not come to set them aside, but to bring them to perfection. Believe me, heaven and earth must disappear sooner than one jot, one flourish disappear from the law; it must all be accomplished.' But our Lord himself had observed that the new vitality of the Church could not be contained in the ancient observances the synagogue services.
of Israel; he hinted at this in his reference to patching
old garment with a piece from a
new wine
into old skins.
And
new
cloak,
and
up an
to putting
in the parable of the Prodigal
Son, Jesus pointed out the true solution of the Jew-Gentile
problem: both the older brother (Jewry) and the younger prodigal (Gentiles) were to live in amity in
the Fathers
house.
The Holy
Spirit
performed his part in
this
deeper under-
standing of Jesus' words, and their application to the
new
problems that confronted the infant Church. At the Last Spirit's function:
T
beyond your reach
as
Supper our Lord had outlined the Holy have
still
much
yet. It will
into
all
to say to you, but
it is
be for him, the truth-giving Spirit, to guide you
truth;
and he
will
make
plain to
you what
is still
to
come.'
The
vision at Caesarea left
definite guidance
no doubt
from the Holy
Spirit.
in Peter's
As head
mind;
of the
it
was
Church,
Acts of the Apostles
56
who
come
also called Peter,
is
message for you as
And
household."
to you.
He
will
have such a
you and to
will bring salvation to
fell
Then
I
I had set about speaking to upon them, just as it was with us was reminded of what the Lord
said to us: "John's baptism
was with water, but there
baptism with the Holy Spirit which you are to receive."
now,
when
to us
was
God has made them
if
At
the same free
gift,
then,' they said,
a
And
it,
who
I,
these words they were content, and gave glory to
Why
is
which he made
Lord Jesus had gone before to stay God's hand?'
faith in the
what power had
I,
your
all
when
then,
them, the Holy Spirit at the beginning.
14-26
11,
'it
seems
God
God;
has granted life-giving
repentance of heart to the Gentiles too/
Meanwhile, those who had been dispersed owing to the persecution that was raised over Stephen had travelled as far
away
ing the
word
of them, their
and Cyprus and Antioch, without preachanyone except the Jews. But there were some
as Phoenicia
way
to
men
of
Cyprus and Cyrene, who, when they found
to Antioch, spoke to the Greeks as well, preaching
the Lord Jesus to them.
And
the Lord's power went with
them, so that a great number learned to believe, and turned to the Lord.
The
story of this
came
to the ears of the
Church
at Jeru-
salem, and they sent Barnabas on a mission to Antioch.
he came there and saw what grace them, he was
God
was bestowing on
and encouraged them
all
to
remain
heart, like the
good
was, full of the Holy Spirit, full of faith; a great
num-
true to the
man he
full of joy,
When
Lord with steady purpose of
ber of people were thus
won
over to the Lord.
Tarsus, to look for Saul, and
He went on
to
when he found him, brought
him back to Antioch. For a whole year after this they were made welcome in the Church there, teaching a great multi-
Antioch 43 A.D. it
was
now Peters
office to see
understood and accepted
57
that the hierarchy of the Church decision, which had come from
this
God himself. It
was Peter who
laid
down
the principle; hut
it
was Paul
who played the dominant role in putting it into practice. This how he speaks of it to the Ephesians: 'It was never made known to any human being in past ages, as it has now been is
revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles it is this:
and prophets, and
that through the gospel preaching the Gentiles are
win the same inheritance, to be made part of the same
to
body, to share the same divine promise, in Christ Jesus.
he has bestowed
this privilege of publishing to the
plan of this mystery' (Ephes.
3, 5-9).
Paul and Barnabas at Antioch. ten years for a
more
man who
at
home
Three years in the
in Tarsus,
kingdom. Yet that
Paul: a period of preparation that life
is
is
what
and
surely based
and he must prepare
for his public life
prayer; because that
what Jesus
burning with
is
God
of our Lord. Paul was to be the greatest of
is
desert,
a long time of inactivity
is
has seen Jesus face to face and
zeal to spread his
On me
world the
planned for
on the earthly
all
missionaries,
by a long period of
did.
Antioch, the capital of the province of Syria, was the fourth city of the
Queen
Roman
empire; a city that has been rightly
of the East. It was the ambition of every
named
Roman
to
be posted to Antioch. Built on the river Orontes, surrounded by
wooded mountains, having a climate that would satisfy a modern Californian, it was as fashionable and pleasure-loving as Hollywood. The main street ran for over four miles, paved with marble and Rood-lit at night. There were race courses, theatres, night clubs,
swimming
pools, central heating,
and
plumbing.
The open-door
policy adopted at the conversion of Cor-
Acts of the Apostles
58 tude.
And Antioch was
the
first
11,
27-12, 9
place in which the disciples
were called Christians.
At this time, some prophets from Jerusalem visited Antioch; and one of these, Agabus by name, stood up and prophesied through the Spirit that a great famine was to come upon the
whole world,
Thereupon
it
as
it
did in the reign of the emperor Claudius.
was decided that each of the
disciples
should
contribute according to his means, to send relief to the breth-
who
ren
And
lived in Judea.
so they did;
the presbyters they entrusted
and
and
in sending
it
to
to the hands of Barnabas
it
Saul.
same time that Herod exerted his authority to persecute some of those who belonged to the Church. James, the brother of John, he beheaded, and then, finding that this was acceptable to the Jews, he went further, and laid hands on Peter too. It was the time of unleavened bread; and he imprisoned Peter, after arresting him, with a guard of It
was at
this
four soldiers, relieved four times a day; over,
he would bring him out
Peter, then,
when
in the presence of the people.
was well guarded
his behalf.
to bring
And now
him
but there was a
in prison,
continual stream of prayer going up to
on
paschal-time was
God from
the day was coming
out; that night, Peter
the church
when Herod was
was sleeping with two
chains on him, between two soldiers, and there were warders at the door guarding his prison.
Lord stood over him, and a
light
Suddenly an angel of the shone in his
cell.
Peter on the side, to rouse him; 'Quick/ he said,
thereupon the chains
Then on your
fell
from
He smote
'rise up';
and
his hands.
the angel said to him, 'Gird yourself up, and put shoes';
and when he had done
over you, and follow
this,
Throw your
cloak
me/
So he followed him
out,
unaware that what the angel had
Jerusalem 44 A.D. nelius
had
its first
59
great success at Antioch; the
Church there
It was the people of Antioch who new religion; the name that has lasted day. The Jews used the word Nazarenes,
was almost entirely Gentile. coined a
down
name
for this
to the present
the Christians themselves usually referred to each other
as-
saints, or brethren.
Paul's second visit to Jerusalem was a mission of relief; the
new
church at Antioch began
its
the key Christian virtue
charity.
—
with an expression of
life
At Rome in 41 A.D. the emperor Caligula fell dead with more than thirty dagger wounds in his body. In the confusion that followed, a young prince of the house of Herod was the person responsible for Peter Delivered from Prison.
placing on the throne the
was Agrippa
Herod ship
1,
Claudius. This prince
a grandson of the slayer of the
the Great.
of
new emperor
He
Palestine.
Holy Innocents?
was rewarded by Claudius with the king-
The
procurators
were withdrawn, and
Agrippa arrived at Caesarea to restore the splendours of his grandfather's kingdom.
no longer immune from persecution. The policy of permitting free access to their ranks on the part of the Gentiles had alienated Jewish popular opinion. And
The
apostles were
Agrippa, with the shrewdness that characterized the Herodian house, saw an opportunity of winning favour with his Jewish subjects.
The
first
martyr from the ranks of the twelve was James,
the brother of John. In the week before our Lord's death, the mother of these two apostles had made this request: 'Grant that in your kingdom one may take his place on your hand and the other on your left.' Our Lord granted
right
their
60
Acts of the Apostles
done
for
him was
true;
Thus they passed one
10-20
12,
he thought he was seeing a
reached the iron gate which leads out into the
opened
them
for
of
its
own
accord.
soon as they passed on up one
At he
this,
Peter
said, 'that
came
hoped
They came
street,
to himself.
the angel
'Now
I
can
and from
all
this
city;
and
out,
as
him.
left
certain/
tell for
the Lord has sent his angel, to deliver
of Herod's hands,
vision.
party of guards, then a second, and
me
out
that the people of the Jews
to see/
some thought, he made for the house belonging to Mary the mother of John, also called Mark. Here many had gathered for prayer; a girl named Rhoda came to answer, when he knocked at the porch door, and she, recognizing After
Peter's voice,
she ran
in,
was too overjoyed to open the gate
and told them that Peter was standing
'You are mad/ they told so;
and then they
her,
said, 'It
but she
must be
still
for
him;
at the gate.
insisted that
it
was
his guardian angel/
Meanwhile, Peter went on knocking; so they opened, and
found him
and stood astonished. Calling for silence them how the Lord had delivered him from prison; 'Give news of this/ he said, 'to James and the rest of the brethren/ And so he left them, and there,
by a gesture of his hand, he told
went elsewhere.
When day broke, there was a great to-do among the soldiers, know what had become of Peter. Herod, after searching for him without avail, questioned the warders and had them punished. Then he went down from Judea to Caesarea, and spent his time there. He was much out of humour with the to
people of Tyre and Sidon; and these, since their country de-
pended on the by
common
king's country for supplies, waited
upon him
consent, and tried (by winning over Blastus, the
Jerusalem 44 A.D. request, in symbolic language that
61
was beyond
their under-
standing at that time: 'You shall indeed drink of the cup I
am
and be baptized with the baptism
to drink,
The martyrdom
baptized with.'
of James
Much
fulfilment of our Lord's prophecy.
would come, when he was thrown into
Rome; but he was
oil in
was probably
It
to be
later
Johns turn
a cauldron of boiling a miracle.
and had
in gaol before
it.
The Church knew where her power to rescue Peter
members
am
Antonia that Peter was locked
up and securely guarded; he had been escaped from
I
regarded as the
unharmed by
delivered
in fortress
is
by breaking into the
lay.
There was no plan
fortress, instead, all the
community went down on
of the Christian
their
knees in prayer. Paul's metaphor of the body expresses this perfectly: 'If
one part
is
suffering, all the rest suffer
There was to be no want of unity parts of
it
with it
in the body; all the different
common
were to make each others welfare their
care!
Peter
St.
of the
made
Church
hiding or had
directly for the Cenacle, the headquarters
in Jerusalem. All the apostles left
was bishop of Jerusalem. Peter and,
it is
most
were either in
Jerusalem. James, the cousin of our Lord,
likely,
word
him
at the
Cenacle
to the security of the
Antioch
left
went north
for
community.
Death of Herod Agrippa
1.
The
big celebration at Caesarea
was probably to honour Claudius' conquest of Britain. The historian Josephus adds a as the
morning
macabre
rays of the
detail to Luke's account:
summer sun shone on
the silver
robes of Agrippa, suddenly an owl hooted in a nearby tree; this
was an omen of death.
After a reign of only three years, Agrippa died; he was the last
king of the Jews; procurators ruled again in Judea. Agrippa
62
Acts of the Apostles 12, 21-13, 8
make
on an appointed and sat down on a raised dais to harangue them; whereupon the people cried out in applause, 'It is no man, it is a god that speaks/ And immediroyal chamberlain), to
day,
Herod put on
their peace. So,
his royal finery
Lord smote him,
ately the angel of the
for not referring the
God; and he was eaten up by worms, and so died. the word of God grew strong and spread wide. Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem, their mission of
glory to
And
still
relief fulfilled,
and took John,
also called
Mark,
in their
com-
pany.
First Missionary The Church
Antioch had
at
as its prophets
who was
Barnabas, and Simon
Journey
called Niger,
and teachers
and Lucius of
Cyrene, and Manahen, foster-brother of Herod the tetrarch,
and
These were
Saul.
when the Holy
offering worship to
Spirit said,
God and
fasting,
1 must have Barnabas and Saul I have called them/ There-
dedicated to the work to which
upon they
fasted
and prayed and
so took leave of them.
Holy
Spirit,
for Cyprus.
went down
And
laid
hands on them, and
on their travels by the and from there took ship
they, sent
to Seleucia,
So they reached Salamis, where they preached
had John, too, to help them. And when they had been through the whole island up to Paphos, they encountered there a magician who claimed God's word
in the Jewish synagogues; they
to be a prophet, a Jew named Bar-Jesus. pany of the governor, Sergius Paulus, a
who had
sent for Barnabas
hear the word of God. his
And
name means when
He was in the comman of good sense,
and Saul and asked
if
he might
Elymas, the magician (that
is
what
translated), opposed them, trying to
turn the governor away from the faith.
Cyprus 45 A.D. left a
63
son of the same name, a boy of seventeen, and two
younger daughters, Bernice and DrusiJia. All three to the story sixteen years later,
when Paul
will return
a prisoner at
is
Caesarea.
The sudden and unexpected dramatic as the removal of the of the
Lord was
lifting of
first
persecution was as
persecutor, Saul.
The hand
certainly stretched out to protect the Mystical
Body. With the joy of gratitude in their hearts, Paul, Barnabas,
and John Mark, the future author
and the son
of
Mary of
of the
Second Gospel
the Cenacle, followed Peter to Antioch.
Cyprus and Galatia 45-47 A.D. Peter had just Rnished Mass when one of the congregation rose to his feet and spoke; it was the Holy Spirit manifesting the divine will through a
Paul and the Magician in Cyprus.
member
of the Mystical Body.
The message was
to inaugurate
the foreign missions of the Church; Barnabas and Paul were
new
selected to pioneer this
activity
which was
to convert the
world. Just visible
on the horizon, 100 miles out to
sea, are
the
mountains of the copper-mining island of Cyprus (the name is
Latin for copper). It was Barnabas' homeland; he was the
leader of the expedition.
They
arrived at the eastern port of
Salamis and covered the whole island from east to west, a distance of 60 miles along a paved road. Salamis was the
mercial capital; Paphos the centre of
At Paphos, Paul worked strated that Christianity it
has power to Jay
aJi
its spell.
his first miracle.
com-
administration.
By
it
he demon-
not a mere pale system of thought;
dust. Elymas represented and black magic which held the pagan
magic in the
that Oriental mysticism
world in
is
Roman
The man
to deal with
it
was Paul, not Barna-
Acts of the Apostles 13, 9-21
64
Then Spirit,
Saul,
whose other name
is
Paul, filled with the
versed in
all trickery
and cunning, enemy
of all honest dealing,
you never have done with trying to twist the
will
Holy
fastened his eyes on him, and said: 'Child of the devil,
straight
if the hand of the Lord does upon you now. You shall become blind, and see the sun no more for a while/ At this, a dark mist fell upon him, and he had to go about looking for someone to lead him by the hand. And now the governor, seeing what had happened, and overcome with awe
paths of the Lord? See, then,
not
fall
at the Lord's teaching, learned to believe.
After this Paul and his companions took ship from Paphos
and made
for Perge in Pamphylia; here
went back
to Jerusalem.
John
left
They passed on from
them, and
and
Perge,
reached Pisidian Antioch, where they went and took their seats in the
synagogue on the sabbath day.
of the law
and the prophets was
When
the reading
finished, the rulers of the
synagogue sent a message to them to
say, 'Brethren, if
you
have in your hearts any word of encouragement for the people, let us
hear
Then Paul
it/
stood up, and
made
a gesture with his
claim audience. 'Listen/ he said, 'men of
who
The God of this people made his people great at
when they were strangers in the land arm to deliver them from it. For
his
hand
and
worship the true God.
chose out our fathers, and
their
Israel,
all
to
you
of Israel
the time
of Egypt, stretching out forty years
he bore with
hard hearts in the wilderness; then he overthrew seven
nations in the land of Canaan, whose lands he gave
them
an inheritance. By now, some four hundred and
years
for
had passed; and
after this
to the time of the prophet Samuel. king,
fifty
he appointed judges over them, up
and God gave them
Then
they asked for a
Saul, son of Kish, a
man
of the
Pisidian Antioch 45 A. D. bas;
and that
him; from
For the
is
why we
now on time
first
from now on
it is
it is
St.
65
find the role of leader taken over by
always Paul
who
leads the way.
Luke abandons the Jewish name
always the
Roman
Saul;
civic name, Paul, that he
came spontaneously to PauYs lips when the governor asked him his name. It best expresses his position as apostle of the Gentiles. He is no longer a Hebrew, an alien in the uses. It
Roman
world; he belongs to
of the
Catholic Church; above
as a citizen;
it
all
he
divisions
is
a herald
of race
and
speech.
As the ship crossed the 60 miles of water between Cyprus and the mainland of Asia Minor (now Turkey), Paul could see the vast bulk of the Taurus Mountains lost in the clouds to the north. This range ran 500 miles from east to west, and rose up as high as 12,000 Paul Preaches at Pisidian Antioch.
feet It was familiar scenery to Paul; Tarsus it,
at
its
eastern end. Paul
he was now
to
make
rugged canyons, in the
Roman
With
lies
had often crossed
it
to the south of in imagination;
the hazardous 100-mile journey through
peril
from robbers, cold and hunger, to
capital of Galatia.
and main highways, Paul came to Pisidian Antioch on the main trade route from Ephesus to Syrian Antioch. Had not the Master said: 'What his instinct for big cities
has been whispered in your ears in secret chambers, you are to proclaim
was
off the
really
He
on the housetops'? Paul had sensed that Cyprus
map; here
Roman
in Pisidian
Antioch he was in
his Erst
city
opens his sermon in the same fashion
as
Stephen did
before the Council in Jerusalem; an apt beginning by one
has
now
to speak for
Stephen
as well as Jesus.
the history of the chosen people
till
He
who
summarizes
the time of David, listing
€6
Acts of the Apostles
tribe of
who
Benjamin,
13,
22-35
reigned forty years; but afterwards
dis-
To him, he son of Jesse, a man
possessed him, and raised up David to be their king.
gave this testimony, "I have found in David, after
my own heart, who will accomplish all that is my will."
'It is
made
out of this man's posterity, according to the promise
to him, that
tism in which
John
himself,
God way
liad prepared the all
by proclaiming a bap-
the people of Israel were to repent; but
when he was coming
am
course, told them, "I
rather for one
has brought us a Saviour, Jesus. John
for his coming,
end
to the
not what you suspect
who comes
me;
after
I
am
of his life's
me
to be; look
not worthy to untie
the shoes on his feet." 'Brethren, you
who
God,
fear
who
this
people at Jerusalem, like their for
Abraham, and you others
are sons of
message of salvation rulers,
sent to us.
is
The
did not recognize Jesus
what he was; unwittingly they fulfilled, by condemning him,
those utterances of the prophets which they had heard read,
sabbath after sabbath.
And
although they could find no capital
charge against him, they petitioned Pilate for his death. So,
when
had been written about him, they took him down from the cross and laid him in a tomb. 'And God raised him from the dead. He was seen, over they had
fulfilled all that
by the men who had come up with
a space of
many
him from
Galilee to Jerusalem;
witness of
him
days,
before the people.
it
is
they
And this is made to
preach to you: there was a promise
and
this
promise
raising Jesus to
"You
how
are
my
God
life.
son;
he describes
I
has redeemed for
Thus,
it is
bear
the message
we
our forefathers,
us, their children,
by
written in the second Psalm,
have begotten you
raising
who now
him from the
to corruption again, "I will grant
this day."
And
this
is
dead, never to return
you the
privileges I
promised to David"; to which purpose he says
have
in another
Pisidian Antioch 45 A.D.
67
the four main periods, that of the Exodus, the Judges, Saul,
and David. His point seems
new
to be that
God
is
always making
departures in his care of his chosen people, thus preparing
them
for the
Jesus
is
new
Christian message.
There was a thousand years of history
the Messiah.
between David and Christ; hut Paul
not interested in
is
David represented the climax of the Old Testament; he at Israel's
this great king.
after David, the
them;
his
Even though
Messiah
is
there were
at him; his
many
kings
never referred to as son of any of
always Son of David. That
it is
lived
kingdom was the domithe Messiah would he the true
most prosperous period;
nant power in the Near East; son of
it.
name immediately
is
why Paul stopped
suggested that of the Mes-
siah.
Like Peter in his speech on Pentecost Sunday, Paul spoke
And
mainly of our Lord's crucifixion and resurrection.
the
words he used were almost identical with those of Peter, showing that at this early stage the story of our Lord's a set pattern, in
the gospels
(it is
was taking
it
have been written already; his Greek text came
The
life
would eventually he written down in possible that Matthew's Aramaic Gospel may
which
facts of Jesus'
later).
condemnation and death had already
spread throughout the Jewish world; but the details and vividness of Paul's narrative held his audience spellbound. Writing
same Galatians, Paul told them: 'With Christ hang upon the cross.' His daily meditation on the cruciEed
later to these
I
Lord, the hardships and sufferings of his missionary a vitality
and unction
to his words;
it
was
as
life,
gave
though the audi-
ence themselves were actually present at the death of Jesus.
To
prove that Jesus was not
still
lying in his grave, Paul
appealed to the witness of those apostles
who had
seen him,
68
Acts of the Apostles 13, 36-49
psalm,
"You
not allow your faithful servant to see corrup-
will
David saw corruption; he served God's purpose in his own generation, and then fell asleep, and rested with his fathers; but he whom God raised to life saw no corruption at tion."
all.
'Here sins
is
news
for you, then, brethren; remission of your
you through him. There are claims from
offered to
is
which you could not be acquitted by the law of Moses, and whoever believes
in Jesus
is
quit of
"Look upon
of incurring the prophet's rebuke: ful souls, I
am
and
lose yourselves in astonishment.
doing in your days, that
you would not believe him."
As they
all these.
left,
a
if
man
Beware, then,
you scorn-
this,
Such wonders
told you the story
'
they were implored to preach the same mes-
And when the synagogue broke many Jews and many who worshipped the true God as
sage there on the next sabbath. up,
proselytes followed Paul
and Barnabas; and they preached to
them, urging them to be true to the grace of God.
On
the following sabbath almost
all
the city had assembled
God's word. The Jews, when they saw these crowds, were full of indignation, and began to argue blasphemously to hear
against
all
them roundly, first;
Whereupon Paul and Barnabas told were bound to preach God's word to you
that Paul said.
We
but now, since you
reject
be
it so;
the Gentiles. This, after
all, is
unfit for eternal
life,
it,
we
you declare yourselves
will turn
our thoughts to
the charge the Lord has given
have appointed you to be a
us, "I
since
light for the Gentiles, that
you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth."
The word
Gentiles were rejoiced to hear
of the Lord;
who were
and they found
destined to eternal
spread far and wide
all
life.
this,
and praised the
faith, all
And
'
those of
them
the word of the Lord
through the country. But the Jews used
Pisidian Antioch 46 A.D.
69
spoken with him, and eaten with him. But for Jews,
it
was
primarily the witness of God's inspired word, the Holy Scriptures, that
then
so,
15
must be
it
(just as
had the strongest appeal true.
as proof. If
God
said
So, Paul argues mainly from Psalm
Tou will not allow your faithful servant When David wrote those words he could
Peter did): 7
to see corruption.
f
not have been speaking of himself; he was speaking of Jesus
who now reigns with the Father. The approach to God is now solely through
the Messiah,
only way of salvation. This
Jesus;
he
the theme of Galatians:
is
is
the
'It is
through faith in Jesus Christ, not by obeying the law, that a
man
is justified.'
Apostle of the Gentiles.
found lodging with
Paul was a tentmaker by trade; he
a family of this occupation
the crowds of converts
who came
to
and instructed
him while he worked, and
often long into the night; he followed this procedure for the
remainder of his missionary the time
The this
We toiled and laboured,
we were preaching Gods
and night so
Roman
life:
as
gospel to you, working day
not to burden you with expense.
7
majority of his converts were descendants soldiery
who had been
all
of the
settled here fifty years before;
was Rome's practical solution of the bandit problem on
the main highways of the empire.
To
used to dealing with cold
Paul's presentation of the
facts,
these levelheaded
men,
Lord Jesus appealed strongly. This Saviour, unlike the vague, shadowy gods they were used to, had lived in a part of the empire, only sixteen years before. Paul gave place and time for every incident of his crucifixion,
life.
And
had been acted out
the climax of his
in the presence of the
life,
his
Roman
governor of Palestine, Pontius Pilate.
The
reaction of the Jewish leaders of the synagogue was
Acts of the Apostles 13, 50-14, 12
70
women
influence with such
of fashion as worshipped the
God, and with the leading men
true
of their territory; so they shook off the dust
their feet as they left disciples,
Holy
on
and Barnabas and driving from
foot a persecution against Paul
them out
in the city, setting
them, and went on to Iconium.
meanwhile, were
filled
The
with rejoicing, and with the
Spirit.
While they were
at Iconium, they
went into the Jewish
synagogue together, and preached in such a way that a great
number both
of Jews
Jews who would not
and of Greeks found believe stirred
faith,
although the
up trouble among the
Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. For a long time, then, they remained there, speaking boldly in
the Lord's name, while he attested the preaching of his grace
by allowing the
signs
common
and wonders
to be performed
by
their
means;
some
folk of the city were divided in opinion,
taking part with the Jews, and
some with the
Then,
apostles.
when both Gentiles and Jews, in concert with their rulers, made a movement to assault and stone them, they thought it best to take refuge in the Lycaonian
cities,
Lystra and Derbe,
and the country round them; and they preached the gospel there.
There was a lame so that he
man
sitting at Lystra, crippled
had never walked, who
and Paul, looking
closely at him,
on your
upon he sprang up, and began to walk. The crowds, seeing what Paul had done, in
human
dialect, 'It
shape.'
is
the gods,
They
birth,
and seeing there was saving
faith in him, said aloud, 'Stand upright
Lycaonian
from
listened to Paul's preaching;
feet';
where-
cried out in the
who have come down
called Barnabas Jupiter,
to us
and Paul
Mercury, because he was the chief speaker; and the priest of Jupiter,
Defender of the City, brought out bulls and wreaths
Iconium and Lystra 46 A.D.
71
the same as that shown to the preaching of Jesus himself: they
had rejected his Master. Under the guiding influence of the Holy Spirit, Paul spoke strong words in his second sermon at Pisidian An tioch: 'We will turn our rejected Paul, just as they
thoughts to the Gentiles.' It was a dramatic and momentous decision that
would influence the
A Lame Man
Healed
rest of his life.
Iconium, the commercial
at Lystra.
centre of this region of Galatia r lay 65 miles south-east of Pisidian Antioch. It visited
hy Paul that
the only one of these Galatian cities
is
still exists.
Iconium was a
free
Greek
city y
Roman colonies. Roman city whom were probably
whereas Pisidian Antioch and Lystra were
The Jews
at Pisidian
Antioch had worked on the
fathers through their wives, a
Here
number
of
Iconium the Jews again opposed Paul; but this time they stirred up a genuine popular riot, in accordance with the democratic atmosphere of Iconium. of Jewish origin.
in
According to a very early tradition, Paul converted
woman
called Thecla
on
his Erst visit to
turesque and dramatic story of this
attempts to
make
girl saint,
a martyr of her, has
a
young
Iconium. The
pic-
and the various
come down
to us in
'The Acts of Paul and Thecla,' an historical novel of the second century.
It
is
of special interest because
earliest description of St. Paul:
'A
man
of
it
contains the
little stature, thin-
haired upon the head, crooked in the legs, of good state of
body, with eyebrows joining, and nose somewhat hooked, of grace; sometimes he appeared like a
had the
At
face of an
full
man, and sometimes he
angeV
25 miles from Iconium, Paul made a convert of a young man whose name far overshadowed that of Lystra, only
Thecla.
He
was Timothy, destined to be Paul's most intimate
Acts of the Apostles 14, 13-25
72
do
to the gates, eager, like the crowd, to
The
and both Barnabas and Paul ran aloud:
men
sacrifice.
when they heard of it; out among the crowd crying
apostles tore their garments
'Sirs,
why
are
you doing
We
all this?
too are mortal
whole burden of our preaching
like yourselves: the
is
must turn away from follies like this to the worship of the living God, who made sky and earth and sea and all that is in them. In the ages that are past, he has allowed
that you
Gentile folk everywhere to follow their so he has not left his
own
devices; yet even
you without some proof of what he
is: it is
bounty that grants you rain from heaven, and the seasons
which give birth to your
and comfort
crops, so that
to your heart's desire/
persuaded the people, not
you have nourishment
With words
easily, to refrain
like this they
from offering
sacri-
them.
fice to
But some of the Jews from Antioch and Iconium had followed them; these won over the crowd to their side, and they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, leaving him there for dead. But the disciples formed a ring about him, and soon he rose up and went back into the city; next day he left,
with Barnabas, for Derbe. In that city too they preached,
and made many
disciples;
then they returned to Lystra, Icon-
ium and Antioch, where they fortified the spirits of the disciples, encouraging them to be true to the faith, and telling them that we cannot enter the kingdom of heaven without
many
trials.
Then, with
presbyters for
them
them
fasting
and
prayer, they appointed
in each of the churches,
to the care of the
Lord
in
whom
and commended
they had learned to
and reached Pamand went down to Attalia, taking ship there for Antioch, where they had been committed to God's grace for the work they had now achieved. believe.
phylia.
So they passed through
They preached the word
Pisidia,
in Perge,
From Derbe
to Antioch 47 A.D.
His conversion was
disciple.
turbance in the
The
man which
and Mercury coming down
and being refused
by an old couple that
swamped
caused such a
dis-
city.
story of Jupiter
incognito,
more important than the mi-
far
raculous healing of the lame
73
who
alone were saved by them from a Rood
the country,
prompted the people
to earth
shelter until they were taken in
to
is
told in Ovid. This story
make such
is
what
a demonstration for Paul
and Barnabas. crowd takes up
Paul's speech to this pagan
gods are mere
fictional beings.
This does not
wanting in care for his children;
his divine
men, through the laws of nature
care of
this error: the
mean
God
that
is
Providence does take
—the
rain that
makes
their crops grow, the renewal of life in spring, the heat of
summer. Paul Returns to Antioch.
According to an early tradition,
Barnabas, Timothy, his mother, Eunice, and his grandmother, Lois,
went out
at night to carry
back the body of Paul; but the
Lord had more work, and more found him
sufferings too, for
him; they
still alive.
Thirty miles from Lystra, on the eastern border of Galatia,
was another
Roman
colony. There, to Derbe, the
Paul was taken, probably to the house of Gaius, of Paul
on
his missionary tours.
wounded
later a disciple
This seems to have been the
only place where he did not meet with trouble and opposition
from the Jews. Almost three years had passed since Paul had
left
on
this
Galatian journey; Tarsus was only 125 miles further on, and
Antioch not
far
beyond. But instead of taking this easy way
home, Paul decided ritory,
to return through the recently
won
ter-
over the wild, stony plain that stood almost 4,000 feet
above sea level
Galatians 1,1-10
74
On
Church
their arrival, they called the
the story of
he had
faith,
God had done
all
left a
and told
together,
and how, through
to aid them,
door open for the Gentiles.
And
they
stayed there for a considerable time with the disciples.
Letter to the Galatians Paul, an apostle not holding his commission
from men, not
God
appointed by man's means, but by Jesus Christ, and
who
Father
him from the
raised
greeting from
the brethren
all
the
dead, sends his greeting, and
who
are with him, to the
churches of Galatia. Grace and peace be yours from God, the Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
himself up for our
surrounds to
us,
him be I
sins, to
He
and
am astounded that you
who
has given
rescue us from the evil world that
according to the will of God,
glory for ever
it is
ever,
who
is
our Father;
Amen.
should have been so quick to desert
one who called you by the grace of Christ, and go over to another gospel; this can only mean, that certain people are causing disquiet
among
you, in their eagerness to pervert the
gospel of Christ. Friends, though it
it
were we ourselves, though
were an angel from heaven that should preach to you a
we preached to you, a curse upon warning we gave you before it hap-
gospel other than the gospel
him!
repeat
I
pened: dition
if
now
the
anyone preaches to you what
you received, a curse upon him!
man's favour, or God's, that
be all
is
told,
now, that
these years,
I
am
I
I
am
Do
trying to
you think
still
it
win now? Shall
courting the good will of
were
should not be what
I
contrary to the tra-
men?
If,
I
after
courting the favour of men,
am, the slave of Christ.
is
I
From Antioch 49 A.D. His main reason for
this
was
75
to appoint priests
and bishops
to govern the province conquered for Christ, to consolidate his
hard-won
victory.
Paul was not only a genius at winning con-
he was a master organizer as well; he was the perfect
verts,
missionary.
On
Christian
Freedom
Within twelve months of the mission to the Galatians, trouble had come upon these churches. Paul's anxiety mounted as traveller after traveller reported the turmoil in Pisidian AnIconium, Lystra, and Derbe. Paul was up to his eyes in
tioch,
work
at Antioch;
the near future.
he could not possibly
Under
inspiration
visit
these churches in
from the Holy Ghost, he
decided to solve their problems by means of a circular
So he began the
first
of fourteen letters that have
letter.
come down
to us.
Defection of the Galatians. days,
and a
dignation
People dictated
letters in those
scribe wrote as they spoke. Paul's anxiety
made him go
and
in-
straight to the point without spending
much
time on greetings; his thoughts came tumbling out one on top of the other. There was a Jewish element in the Church which did not
approve of Paul's free welcome of Gentiles as converts; these people thought that the heathen should go through a preparatory course of instruction in Judaism; that they should be
circumcised before they were baptized. These Christian missionaries,
Paul declares in strong terms, are perverting Christ's
true gospel. is
Judaizers.
He
coins a
One
new name
for them,
of their chief objectives
his apostolic office
and
his motives.
which has stuck;
it
was to discredit Paul,
Galatians
76
me
Let
you
is
that
I
you
tell
this,
1,
11-2, 2
brethren: the gospel
not a thing of man's dictation:
it
came
to
inherited or learned
it,
it
me
from Jesus Christ. You have been told how
my
Jewish days,
measure and
he who had
then,
and in
called
me
me, so that
My
my own
of
first
by I
man
I
by a revelation bore myself in
going further in
it,
my
zeal as a
age and race, so fierce a champion
handed down by my forefathers. And me apart from the day of my birth,
of the traditions
I
preached to
persecuted God's Church beyond
I
tried to destroy
Jew than many was
how
I
was not from
set
his grace,
saw
fit
to
make his Son known among the Gentiles.
could preach his gospel
thought was not to hold any consultations with any
human creature; I did not go up to Jerusalem to see those who had been apostles longer than myself; no, I went off into Arabia, and when I came back, it was to Damascus. Then, when but
three years
Kephas, and
visit I
had passed,
I
did go up to Jerusalem, to
stayed a fortnight there in his company;
I
did not see any of the other apostles, except James, the
Lord's brother. Such
is
my
God
history; as
ing you the plain truth. Afterwards, parts of the world, Syria
not even they only us
is
Cilicia;
I
me,
I
am
tell-
travelled into other
and
all
the time
known by sight to the Christian churches knew by hearsay, The man who used to
now
I
was
of Judea;
persecute
preaching the faith he once tried to destroy/ and
they praised
Then,
and
sees
God
after
for
what he had done
an interval of fourteen
in
years,
me.
once again
I
went
up to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and Titus also accompanied me. I went up in obedience to a revelation, and there I communicated to them (only gospel
I
I
men
of repute) the
among the Gentiles; was it possible had taken and was taking was useless? And
always preach
that the course
in private, to
From Antioch 49 A.D. Paul's Apostolate
from Christ.
77
Paul, said the Judaizers, does
not rank with Peter, John, James the Less, and the
rest of the
Twelve; he did not get his knowledge of Christ at
first
mere
hand,
up from others. And so he is unreliable, a of apostles; one has to go to the immediate fol-
he only picked discipJe
it
lowers of Jesus, to drink from the spring of knowledge at
its
source.
To
this
Paul replies that he
ing as Peter and the his letter.
earth;
is
rest: 'Paul
an apostle of the same stand-
an apostle'
how he
is
But he had not known our Lord during
how, then, could he make
starts oil
his life
on
this claim to apostleship?
To
prove his claim he narrates the story of his conversion; he saw Jesus Christ
have
I
on the Damascus Road: 'Am
not an apostle,
I
not seen our Lord Jesus?' Paul had fallen in the dust, not
only a convert hut an apostle with ferred there
powers, con-
full apostolic
and then by the risen Master; the same powers that
our Lord had given to the twelve when he called them by the
Lake of
Galilee.
To show
that his knowledge of the Christian revelation
came from Christ in Jerusalem,
directly,
and not through any
Paul explains that his
first visit
not to End out the truths of Christianity; courtesy lent,
visit to Peter.
among
it
was
was merely a
him by the Aramaic equivaformer persecutor, was not a welcome
(Paul calls
Kephas.) Paul, the
visitor
of the leaders
to Jerusalem
Christians.
Approval of the Apostles.
Paul did go a second time to Jeru-
salem; but this was not a journey of his
own
choosing.
prophet Agabus had received a revelation from
God
The
that a
famine was coming soon. (Agabus was
living at Antioch,
where
Paul was residing after his ten years at
home
A col-
lection
in Tarsus.)
was taken up for the mother church at Jerusalem; Paul
Galatians
78 it is
3-14
2,
my companion
not even true to say that they insisted on
Titus,
who was
a Greek, being circumcised;
we were
only
who had insinuated themcompany so as to spy on the liberty which we enjoy in Jesus Christ, meaning to make slaves of us. To these we did not give ground for a moment by way of obedience: thinking of those false brethren selves into our
we were
resolved that the true principles of the gospel should
remain undisturbed
your possession. But as for what
in
I
—
who were of some repute it matters little to what they were, God makes no distinction between man and man these men of repute, I say, had nothing to communicate to me. On the contrary, those who were reowe
to those
me who
or
—
puted to be the main support of the Church, James and
Kephas and John, saw
plainly that
I
was commissioned to
preach to the uncircumcised, as Peter was to the circumcised;
he whose power had enabled Peter to become the apostle of the circumcised, had enabled the Gentiles.
And
me, they joined
so,
me
to
become the
God had
recognizing the grace
their right
hands
apostle of
in fellowship with
given
Barnabas
and myself; the Gentiles were
to be our province, the cirOnly we were to remember the poor; which was the very thing I had set myself to do.
cumcised
theirs.
Afterwards,
when Kephas came
to Antioch,
openly; he stood self-condemned.
the Gentiles, until
we were
visited
I
opposed him
He had been
eating with
by certain delegates from
James; but when these came, he began to draw back and
hold himself aloof, overawed by the supporters of circumcision.
The
ciples;
Barnabas himself was carried away by their
So,
when
I
rest of
the Jews were no
less false to their prin-
insincerity.
found that they were not following the true path
of the gospel,
I
said to
Kephas
in front of
them
all,
'Since
From Antioch 49 A.D.
79
and Barnabas were chosen to cairy this gift. At that time, about 44 A.D., Agiippa's persecution was raging in Jerusalem; this persecution was directed mainly at
the apostles,
who went
handed over
to the presbyters (Acts 11, 27-30); this
into hiding.
So the monetary
gift
was
group of
non-apostolic rulers are here referred to by Paul as 'men of repute.' Paul did see three of the apostles briefly,
and they gave
their approval to his policy of receiving Gentiles
without oblig-
ing them to observe the Jewish law.
The
case of Titus
versaries as proof that
had been quoted
freely
by Paul's ad-
he was inconsistent, and so could not
be trusted: one day he preached that there was no need for circumcision,
and the next he had Titus circumcised. To
this
Paul replied that no one compelled him to circumcise Titus.
While
still
uncircumcised, this Gentile Christian had eaten
with the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem, and not one of them had objected. It this
was true that Titus had been circumcised since then. But was done
agitators, verts;
freely
by Paul for the sake of the Judaizing
without prejudice to the liberty of the Galatian con-
soon he would do the same to Timothy.
Peter and Paul at Antioch.
This incident probably took place
between Paul's return from the Galatian mission and the
writ-
ing of his letter to them. It was the most recent proof that Paul
had not altered his views about circumcision as a result of pressure from headquarters. Although conscious of his audacity in openly rebuking the prince of the apostles and the acknowl-
edged vicar of Christ, Paul
is
forced to bring the incident for-
ward because of the charge of inconsistency by the Judaizing agitators (Judaizer is the Greek word translated in the last Eve
80
Galatians
you,
who
way
of
15-3, 5
2,
are a born Jew, follow the Gentile, not the Jewish
by what
life,
right
do you bind the Gentiles to
live
like the Jews?'
We
are Jews
by right of nature, we do not come from the
we found out
guilty stock of the Gentiles; yet
We,
justified.
anyone
like
Jesus Christ, so that
that
through
it is
by obeying the law, that a
faith in Jesus Christ, not
had
else,
we might be
man
is
to learn to believe in
justified
by
faith in Christ,
not by observance of the law. Observance of the law cannot
win acceptance
By
human
for a single
rank as guilty creatures like the
That
Christ brings us guilt?
Through the
may
I
and yet
I
me. True,
my
we took our Does that mean that
live to
am I
real life
am
living,
the faith
me, and gave himself
God.
If
do
I
put
we can be
destroy
I
old self has
not
alive; or rather,
is
of;
and then rebuild? become dead to the law, so God; with Christ I hang upon the cross,
my
law,
rest.
not to be thought
is
when
myself in the wrong,
that
creature.
putting our hopes of justification in Christ,
I; it is
Christ that lives in
here and now, this mortal I
have
for
in the
me.
justified
I
Son
of
life;
but
God, who loved
do not spurn the grace of
through the law, then Christ's
death was needless.
Senseless Galatians,
before cross? it
whom Let me
is it
that has cast a spell on you,
be content with asking you one question:
from observance of the law that the
from obeying the
call of faith?
You and can you now right senses?
Was it
who
Jesus Christ has been exposed to view on his
it
seems
to it
dedicated your
Spirit
Are you so first
far
no purpose that you went through
out of your spirit;
outward things? so
much? Since
When God lavishes his
you and enables you to perform miracles, what
Was
to you, or
beginnings to the
find your completion in
was to no purpose.
came
is
Spirit
on
the reason for
From Antioch 49 A.D. words of Paul's speech,
To
Jive JiJce
81
the Jews').
During the past four years since Peter had come to Antioch from Jerusalem, he had been pleaching the gospel
in this
centre of Gentile converts. His vision and the reception of the
Gentile Cornelius into the Church had convinced
him
that the
Jewish observances were no longer part of the Christian way of life;
hut the Church was
still
and
in a transition stage,
it
was
part of Peters office as head to keep unity and peace. Paul, with his GaJatian experience still fresh,
part of the Christian leaders
saw that such
would endanger the
acts
on the
faith of the
Gentile converts.
The dogma
in danger
was basic to the Christian cause: the
our Lord's redemptive death.
efficacy of
Not
only the GentiJes,
but the Jews as well, including Peter and Paul, were
justified
by Christ on Calvary, not by observing the Mosaic law. The Jews outlawed the crucified Jesus; and since the Christians, as
members
of the Mystical Body, are united with their Head, the
Jewish law had no more claim on them: 'Well, brethren, you too have undergone death, as far as the Jaw
is
concerned, in
the person of Christ crucified/
Comes from Faith. A deadening gloom down on the Galatian churches with the arrival
Justification
has set-
tled
of
new
men had difmust follow precisely Moses; the kosher food regulations, the hand wash-
missionaries after the departure of Paul. These ferent ideas: even the Gentile converts
the law of
ings, the strict sabbath, isolation all
from
their
imposed as part of the Christian way of
pagan
friends,
were
life.
How Timothy longed to hear once more PauYs words about the crucified and risen Jesus; persecution and hardships had seemed of no account when undergone for love of the cruci-
82
Galatians
it?
Your observance
6-17
of the law, or your obedience to the call
Remember how Abraham put
of faith? it
3,
was reckoned virtue
You must
in
him.
Abraham's
recognize, then, that
are the children of his faith.
There
which, long beforehand, brings to
Through you
all
God, and
his faith in
real children
a passage in Scripture
is
Abraham
the good news,
the nations shall be blessed'; and that pass-
age looks forward to God's justification of the Gentiles by faith. It
those, then,
is
who
take their stand on faith that share
the blessing Abraham's faithfulness won. Those
on observance
their stand
'Cursed be everyone,' ing out
all
we
take
of the law are all under a curse;
'who does not
read,
book of the law
that this
who
persist in carry-
And
prescribes.'
indeed,
make a man acceptable to God is clear enough; 'It is faith,' we are told, 'that brings life to the just man'; whereas the law does not depend on faith; no, we are told 'it is the man who carries out the commandments that will find life in them.' From this curse invoked by the law that the law cannot
Christ has ransomed us, by himself becoming, for our sakes,
an accursed thing; we read
that, 'There
is
a curse
on the
man
who hangs on Abraham was
a gibbet.' Thus, in Christ Jesus, the blessing of
through
might receive the promised
faith,
to be imparted to the Gentiles, so that we,
Brethren, let
me
cannot afterwards be
ham and
it.
The
is
my
made by an
set aside;
common life. A ordinary human being
promises you
no one can make
know
his offspring; (it does not,
descendants,' as
your
the Spirit.
take an argument from
valid legal disposition
visions in
gift of
if it
meant
a
of were
made
by the way,
number
fresh pro-
say,
of people;
to Abra-
'To your
it says,
'To
meaning Christ). And this contention: The law, coming into being four hundred
offspring,' in the singular,
From Antioch 49 A.D. Eed Master. The supernatural
life
83
had come
them thiough
to
the redeeming death of Christ; the miracles of Paul and his converts, the Christians standing
ing
God
in foreign tongues,
had
up
and
in the assembly
all
come from
prais-
baptism, not
from carrying out the burdensome prescriptions of the law.
The
authentic words of Paul read out in the Christian meet-
ing places brought hope and joy once All could follow his Erst argument:
ence of each one of them.
argument
Paul's second
was directed
it
more
to the Galatians.
was based on the experi-
-
is
from the story of Abraham. This
at the Jewish section of the
community; Jews
looked to Abraham as the founder of their race;
all
prided
themselves on following closely in the footsteps of their father.
Our Lord made
reference to this same
Abraham's true children,
it is
for
filial
you
quality:
to follow
Tf you are
Abraham's
example.'
Instead of being the support of the Judaizing party, Paul
shows that Abraham
is
the classic example of his
own
teaching:
justiEcation by faith, not by the works of the law. This
from Genesis: 'Abraham put reckoned virtue in him.'
And
his faith in
in this,
he
is
God, and
it
clear
was
not only father to
the Jews but to the Gentiles too: 'Through you shall
is
all
the nations
be blessed.'
The Law
is
two persons
Inferior to the Promises. crystallize the
In the Old Testament
Jew-Gentile controversy; they are
Abraham and Moses (referred to in this paragraph as 'spokesman'). Abraham is the champion of the Gentiles; the promise made by God to him was that the Gentiles would be blessed, and so End salvation in the Messiah, the offspring of Abraham. Their way of entering into this promised blessing is through faith.
Galatians
84
3,
18-4, 1
and thirty years afterwards, cannot unmake the disposition which God made so long ago, and cancel the promise. If our inheritance depends on observing the law, then
it is
not the
inheritance secured to us by promise; that was promised to
Abraham as a free gift. What, then, is the purpose of the law? It was brought in to make room for transgression, while we waited for the coming of that posterity, to whom the promise had been made. Its terms were dictated by angels, acting through a spokesman; (a spokesman represents more than one, and there is only one God). Is the law an infringement, then, of God's promises? That is
not to be thought
of.
Doubtless,
that was capable of imparting for the
law to bring us
represents us as
all
life
if
it
had been given would have been
But
in fact Scripture
a law
to us,
justification.
under the bondage of
sin; it
was
faith in
Jesus Christ that was to impart the promised blessing to all
those
who
believe in him.
Until faith came,
we were
being kept in bondage to
all
the law, waiting for the faith that was one day to be vealed.
So that the law was our
tutor, bringing us to Christ,
to find in faith our justification.
we
re-
When
faith comes, then
no longer under the rule of a tutor; through faith in you are all now God's sons. All you who have been baptized in Christ's name have put on the person of Christ; no more Jew or Gentile, no more slave and freeman, no more male and female; you are all one person in Jesus Christ. And if you belong to Christ, then you are indeed Abraham's children; the promised inheritance is yours. Consider this: One who comes into his property while he is still a child has no more liberty than one of the servants, are
Jesus Christ
though
all
the estate
is
his;
he
is
under the control of guard-
From Antioch 49 A.D.
85
In contrasting Abraham and Moses, or faith and the law,
makes a point of chronology: the time lag between the two is a long period of 430 years. God would be going back on his promise to Abraham if, centuries later, he Paul
first
of all
demanded observance of a newly instituted law, of which Abraham knew nothing. The second point of contrast is the manner in which God made his promise to Abraham: it was direct and personal. In giving the law to Moses he did not intervene personally; he used his angels, and they, being numerous, could not all speak at once; so they used Moses as spokesman to promulgate the law to the chosen people.
The law was
only a secondary thought on God's part;
a temporary expedient until
Jesus Christ.
men
could End
life
by
it
The ten commandments, the essential part make men conscious that they were
of the
law, served to
transgressors of a positive law; they did not give
men
was
faith in
sinful
grace to
observe the law.
Galatians are God's Sons.
the
human
For
race before Christ
is
child undergoing the discipline
St.
Paul the entire history of
man's minority;
man
is
but a
and acquiring the knowledge
imparted in the schoolroom. The Messianic promises will one day belong to him; they are his inheritance held in trust until
he comes of
age.
Jew and Gentile
are alike in this, with
one
exception: the Jews have the law to prepare them. St. Paul looks
on the law
as a
combination of nurse, servant, and tutor;
can feed him, lead him by the hand to school, and impart some of the elementary lessons of a primary school. It cannot give him access to the Father s wealth; that can come from
it
Christ alone.
A
child's
change from boyhood to manhood was
when he put on grown-up
clothes (toga
virilis
was the
official
Roman
86
Galatians
and
ians
So
toiled
away
it
his
those childish days of ours
we
schoolroom tasks which the world gave
us,
was with
at the
2-16
he reaches the age prescribed by
trustees, until
father.
4,
us; in
Then God sent out his Son on a mission to us. He took birth from a woman, took birth as a subject of the law, so as to ransom those who were subject to the law, and make us sons by adoption. To prove that till
the appointed time came.
you are
sons,
God
has sent out the Spirit of his Son into our
hearts, crying out in us, 'Abba, Father.'
you a
slave,
No
longer, then, are
you are a son; and because you are a son, you
have a son's right of inheritance.
Formerly you had no knowledge of God; you lived of deities
who were
in truth
no
deities at
all.
recognized the true God, or rather, the true nized you.
How
it
is
Now God
as slaves
you have
has recog-
that you are going back to those old
schoolroom tasks of yours, so abject, so ineffectual, eager to begin your drudgery serve special days
am
over again?
and months,
anxious over you; has
been
all
You have begun
special seasons
the labour
I
and
to ob-
years.
I
have spent on you
useless?
Stand by me; you, brethren. I
all
I
have taken
You have
my
stand with you.
never treated
preached the gospel to you in the
me
first
amiss.
instance,
I
appeal to
Why, when it
was, you
remember, because of outward circumstances which were humiliating to me. Those outward circumstances of mine
were
a test for you,
which you did not meet with contempt
welcomed me as God's angel, as Christ Jesus. become now of the blessing that once was yours? In those days, I assure you, you would have plucked out your eyes, if you had had the chance, and given them to me. Have I made enemies of you, then, by telling you the truth? Oh, or dislike; you
What
has
From Antioch 49 A.D. name). Mankind attained
its spiritual
Christian clothes hut by putting
on
man
is
incorporated into the Mystical
ing organ. Christ
is
the Son
God;
of
87
majority not by putting
on
Christ.
Body
By baptism
of Christ as a
so the Christian
liv-
becomes
God too, with all the rights of inheritance that belong to a son. To go bade again to the observance of the Mosaic law would be the same as for a grown-up man to abandon his freedom and return to school and start at his sums again.
a son of
Until the coming of Christ the world was divided; there
were
racial
distinctions
(slave-freeman), is
no room
for
(Jew-Gentile),
and family
social
distinctions
distinctions (male-female).
There
any distinctions in a Christian world; by build-
men into his own body, the Church, Christ raised them to a new plane, a sharing in his own life of the Blessed Trinity. This is why men should no longer have the outlook of servants and slaves; they are sons of the divine family who address God the Father with the warm intimacy and spontane-
ing
all
ous affection of sons;
moved by
the indwelling Spirit, they
speak the words Tater Noster.'
Paul's
Motherly Anxiety.
affection
Paul here speaks with that tender
which our Lord himself expressed
Jewish people: 'Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
how
for the
misguided
often have I been
ready to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings.' It shows the gentleness and maternal affection of this fearless apostle; he attacks his opponents
and rebukes
his Rock,
but
it is
love
which moves him
to act so.
Paul contrasts the present coolness of his beloved Galatians with their affectionate reception
when he
Erst
came
to
them;
the opposition and persecution of the Jews in Pisidian Antioch,
Iconium, and Lystra did not deter them from listening to him
88
Galatians
4,
17-30
they are jealous over you, but for a dishonourable purpose;
aim
their
may be
is
when
Your
you see
gifts
am
I
travail over
you
in you! I wish I
you
you out from
jealous of them.
honourable only
to shut
I
little
who
am
You
Abraham had two
sons;
free
of God's promise. All that
is
its
in Arabia).
that
we
is
city,
child,
never
known
for the old dispensa-
(after
all,
Sinai
is
a
exists
here and
are slaves.
Whereas
which
whose children
the heavenly Jerusalem, a city of freedom. So
you barren
woman
that have never
break out into song and cry aloud, you that have travail;
she whose husband
the deserted one has is
It is you, brethren,
Isaac was.
stand
Agar has the same meaning in the
read, 'Rejoice,
borne
women
children to bondage, the dispensation
allegory as Jesrusalem, the Jerusalem
now; an enslaved
was
woman's, by the power
an allegory; the two
which comes to us from mount Sinai
it is
in
for his
child of the slave
two dispensations. Agar stands
which brings up
our mother
am
will find it written
one had a slave
born in the course of nature; the
mountain
I
are so eager to have the law for your
The
tion,
children,
bewildered at you.
mother, and one a free woman.
for the
for the
can see Christ's image formed
master, have you never read the law? there, that
be
of honour; always, not
were at your side now, and could speak to
in a different tone; I
Tell me, you
My
at your side.
afresh, until
jealousy should
man
in a
company, so that you
their
Now,
more children than
with her/ that are children of the promise, as
who was born in the course whose birth is a spiritual birth.
as then, the son
of nature persecutes the son
But what does our passage in scripture say? 'Rid yourself of the slave and her son; it cannot be that the son of a slave should divide the inheritance with the son of a free
woman/
From Antioch 49 A.D.
89
and being baptized into the Christian community. He now appeals to the Galatian Church not to listen
new
teaching of the Judaizers. Their purpose
is
to the
dishonourable:
they wish to exclude the Gentiles from the Church unless they agree to observe
The when he was
the prescriptions of the Mosaic law.
all
Galatians must be firm in Paul's absence, just as
present
Jewish Slavery and Christian Freedom.
It is hardly likely that
the Gentile converts of Galatia were familiar enough with the story of
and
21
lem. It
Abraham
to appreciate the details
from Genesis 16
which Paul here applies to the Jewish-Christian probrather
is
meant
as
ammunition
for his disciples in their
who would squirm in their seats own scriptural texts being turned
arguments with the Judaizers, as they listened to their
against them. It was not for nothing that Paul
had
sat at the
feet of Gamaliel in Jerusalem.
An
allegory
is
a story with a deeper,
hidden meaning, after
the style of our Lord's parables. Paul sees in the story of Abra-
ham's two wives, Sara and Agar, and
their sons, Isaac
and
Ishmael, a providential foretelling of the present relations be-
tween the slavery of Jewish observance and the freedom which Christianity brings. Ishmael represents the Jewish agitators in
bondage
to the law; Isaac the
sation, the true heir of the
freedom of the Christian dispen-
promise made to Abraham:
'All
the
races of the world shall find a blessing through your posterity.
7
Paul complicates the historical parallel by introducing two geographical details.
He links Ishmael with mount Sinai,
the law was given to Moses; Arabia
Ishmaelite slaves to law.
And
live,
because
it
is
where
the right place for the
was the cradle of the Mosaic
the present city of Jerusalem, the
home
of Jewish
Galatians
90
You
see, then,
Stand
let yourselves
of Paul
is
your warrant for
being circumcised, Christ
is
no value
of
would warn anyone who
I
is
in the
You who
to
you
at
for
Once
all.
all
the precepts of the
look to the law for your justification have can-
bond with
celled your
you are
this; if
accepting circumcision that
he thereby engages himself to keep law.
be caught again
slavery.
The word again
woman, won for us.
are sons of the free
the freedom Christ has
is
and do not
fast,
31-5, 14
we
brethren, that
not of the slave; such
yoke of
4,
our hope of justification
Christ, lies in
you have forfeited the
grace. All
on our
spirit; it rests
faith;
once we are in Christ, circumcision means nothing, and the
want of in love
Till it
means nothing; the
it
is all
now, you had been shaping your course
that has
come between you and your
Not he who It
faith that finds its expression
that matters.
called you; this pressure
takes but a
well;
who
comes from elsewhere.
leaven to leaven the whole batch.
little
fully confident in the
Lord that you
is
loyalty to the truth?
will
I
am
be of the same mind
with me, leaving the disturbers of your peace, be they
who
As
true
they may, to answer for
it.
for myself, brethren,
preach the need of circumcision,
that
I
If
did, the preaching of the cross
I
offence.
I
would rather they should
why am
I
if it is
persecuted?
would no longer give
lose their
own manhood,
these authors of your unrest.
Yes, brethren, freedom claimed you
Only, do not nature; you
let this
must be
spirit of charity.
in
After
one phrase, 'You
when you were
called.
freedom give a foothold to corrupt
servants all,
still,
serving one another in a
the whole of the law
shall love
your neighbour
is
summed up
as yourself; if
From Antioch 49 A.D. observance, an earthly true,
must not be confused with the
city,
heavenJy Jerusalem, 'that holy
Circumcision Repudiates Grace. cision of his disciple Titus
plea for circumcision.
was
It
clothed in readi-
city, all
who has adorned herself
ness, like a bride
91
to
meet her husband.'
seems that Paul's circum-
at the back of this Judaizing
They made
a distinction
between the
Mosaic law and circumcision, which originated with Abraham
and was the mark of ingly cised.
a
member
when he had Titus circumcompromise solution of the Jewof the Christian community: surely the mere
had admitted
this distinction
They now proposed
Gentile division
removal of
of the chosen race. Paul seem-
a
a small collar of skin
tion (circumcision)
was
from the male organ of genera-
a triviality
which ought not
to be
an
obstacle to Christian unity.
But Paul saw the
and danger of
subtlety
leaven working in the dough, tian doctrine of justification
and
finally
was
through faith in Christ; he knew
that such a
compromise only obscured the
—Moses or
Jesus.
eration leaving a
this error; it
changing the Chris-
real
point at issue
Circumcision was more than a surgical op-
mark on the body;
it
was an act by which a
person bound himself to observe the Mosaic law; for a Christian this
meant
denial of the efficacy of the grace of Christ.
pity such people did not use the knife further
A
and make them-
selves incapable of reproducing their kind.
Live by the Spirit in Charity.
As
this letter
the Galatian churches in city after
city,
was read aloud to
the reaction of the
Gentiles was one of elation; Paul had defended the cause of
freedom in masterly fashion; he was devastating in the way he exposed the errors of the Jewish agitators. They now had a
Galatians
92
15-6, 5
5,
you are always backbiting and worrying each other,
be feared you
me
Let there
is
wear each other out
will
say this: learn to live
no danger
and move in the spirit; then way to the impulses of cor-
The
spirit are at
war with one another; either
impulses of nature and the impulses of the
the other, and that is
by
is
is
why you cannot do
clean contrary to that your will
all
you that you
letting the spirit lead
yourselves from the yoke of the law. It effects
to
of your giving
rupt nature.
approves. It
it is
in the end.
is
easy to see
free
what
proceed from corrupt nature; they are such things as
adultery, impurity, incontinence, idolatry, witchcraft, feuds, quarrels, jealousies, outbursts of anger, rivalries, dissensions,
and debauchery.
factions, spite, drunkenness, I
have warned you before, that those who
will
I
warn you,
live in
not inherit God's kingdom. Whereas the
as
such a way
spirit yields
a
harvest of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faith,
No
gentleness, temperateness. these; those
who belong
law can touch
lives
such as
to Jesus Christ have crucified nature,
we live by the must spirit, let the not indulge be our rule of we in vain ambitions, envying one another and provoking one
with
all its
passions, all
its
impulses. Since
spirit
life;
another to envy. Brethren,
if
a
man
is
found guilty of some
fault, you,
show a spirit Have an eye upon yourself;
who
are spiritually minded, ought to
of gentleness
in correcting him.
you, too, will
perhaps encounter temptation. Bear the burden of one another's failings; then
The man who is
thinks he
worth nothing at
will is
all, is
of
be
fulfilling
the law of Christ.
some worth, when
in truth
he
merely deluding himself. Everyone
own conduct; then he will be able to take own worth; no need to compare himself Each of us, then, will have his own load to carry.
should examine his the measure of his
with others.
you
From Antioch 49 A.D. document
93
which would silence any further
in their possession
arguments that might he brought against their right to Christian Hie without
all
live the
those wearisome, burdensome obliga-
Mosaic law.
tions of the
But even
cannot look at the errors and faults of
a Christian
others without danger of complacency. Jesus had given a warn-
ing in his parable of the Pharisee and the Publican:
mon human
failing to see the sins of others
it is
a
com-
and be blind
to
one's own. It
is
an opponent
easier to defeat
complete Christian
life.
The
combat than
in
to live a
Galatians, both those of Gentile
and those of Jewish origin, must now take a look at themselves. They will End a twofold principle at work within their own souls;
what Paul
nature a
calls 'nature'
wounded by
weakened
will,
and
original sin:
and
'spirit.'
man
The
first is
with a darkened
a tendency to evil.
intellect,
The second
kind redeemed by Christ, raised to the supernatural grace, living a life of holiness, directed Spirit.
This
is
to live
by the
man
can
tell
cording to the
by their Paul
whether he spirit:
fruit that
you
is
'The will
lists fifteen fruits
man-
life
of
by the indwelling Holy
test
by which
living according to nature or ac-
test of the tree is in its fruit; it is
know
them.'
which proceed from nature, and nine
(of the twelve in the Vulgate, three are
which come from the
is
spirit.
In his Sermon on the Mount, our Lord gave a a
human
spirit;
double translations)
eight of the fifteen vices are
breaches of charity, six of the nine virtues are different aspects of charity.
Such emphasis
is
in accord with the Master's teach-
men will know you
ing:
'The mark by which
will
be the love you bear one another.'
all
for
my disciples
In his priestly prayer after the Last Supper, our Lord asked his Father: 'That they should all be one, as
we
are one.' This
Galatians
94
Your
A man
Make no
the
is
all
mistake about
what he sows;
will reap
ground, nature will give
ground
6-18
teachers are to have a share in
have to bestow.
God.
6,
him
spirit, it will
that their disciples
it;
you cannot cheat
nature
if
a perishable harvest,
him
give
his seed-
is if
his seed-
a harvest of eternal
life.
Let us not be discouraged, then, over our acts of charity; we shall reap
when
the time comes,
us practise generosity to
and above
all,
all,
who
to those
if
we
persevere in them. Let
while the opportunity
are of
is
one family with us
ours;
in the
faith.
Here hand.
is
some bold
Who
lettering for you, written in
are they, these people
circumcised?
They
are
men,
all
who
of them,
who
my own
on your being
insist
are determined
to keep up outward appearances, so that the cross of Christ
may not
bring persecution on them.
Why,
they do not even
observe the law, although they adopt circumcision; they are
you circumcised, so
for having
outward conformity.
God
as to
forbid that
make I
a display of your
should
make
a display
of anything, except the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through
which the world stands
crucified to
me, and
Circumcision means nothing, the want of there has been a
who
creation. Peace
I
to the world.
means nothing;
and pardon to
follow this rule, to God's true Israel. Spare me,
any further
on
new
it
my
anxieties; already
I
all
all
those
of you,
bear the scars of Jesus printed
body. Brethren, the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be
with your
spirit.
Amen.
From Antioch 49 A.D. divine unity of the
owing
Church was
95
in grave danger in Galatia
to the recent Jew-Gentile controversy.
ill-will,
Argument
led to
pride, and contentiousness; breaches of charity were a
too frequent result of the animated disputes that were raging in every
meeting of the Christian community. The only way
to peace
and harmony
in Galatia
was for each Christian to he-
have with kindness, consideration, and meekness: 'Order your lives in charity,
showed
of that charity
Agitators.
on peaceful terms with
their
This teaching on
he
is
it
perfectly understood Paul takes the
writes this last paragraph with his
more emphatic, he
how
to
opponents should not blind
the Gentiles to the errors of the Judaizers.
and
which Christ
you/
Warning Against
Last live
to
upon the model
To make
pen from
own
sure that
his secretary
hand.
To make
writes in large, block letters: under
no
circumstances must the cause of Christian freedom be com-
promised.
Paul was born a Jew, just as these agitators were. But he no longer prided himself on his Jewish blood and the circumcision
mark on his body. In the brief course of his missionary life he had acquired other marks, the scars of scourging and stoning; they were the brand on his body demonstrating that he now belonged to Jesus. If he wanted to boast of anything, it was this conformity to Christ crucified; for him the cross had ceased to be a symbol of shame;
it
was
his standard of victory.
The Decree on But now some
visitors
Tou
the brethren,
tell
Gentile Converts
came down from Judea, who began
to
cannot be saved without being circum-
cised according to the tradition of Moses.' Paul
and Barnabas
were drawn into a great controversy with them; and
it
was
decided that Paul and Barnabas and certain of the rest should
go up to see the apostles and presbyters in Jerusalem about this question.
So the church saw them on
their way,
and they
how
the Gen-
passed through Phoenicia and Samaria, relating
were turning to God, and so brought great rejoicing to
tiles all
When
the brethren.
they reached Jerusalem, they were
welcomed by the church, and by the apostles and presbyters; and they told them of all that God had done to aid them. But some believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees came forward and declared, 'They must be circumcised; we must call upon them to keep the law of Moses/
When about rose
and
from
the apostles and presbyters assembled to decide
this
matter there was
much
said to them, 'Brethren,
early days
it
disputing over
it,
until Peter
you know well enough how
has been God's choice that the Gentiles
should hear the message of the gospel from
my
lips,
and so
God, who can read men's hearts, has assured them of his favour by giving the Holy Spirit to them as to us. He would not make any difference between us and them; he had removed all the uncleanness from their hearts when he gave them faith. How is it, then, that you would now call God in question, by putting a yoke on the necks of the disciples, such as we and our fathers have been too weak to bear? It is by the grace of the Lord Jesus that we hope to be saved,
learn to believe.
and they no
less/
Jerusalem 49 A.D.
Visitors were tians
all
welcome
at Antioch.
The
from Jerusalem was treated with
small party of Chris-
warmth and
special
came from the very city where Jesus had died for all mankind and opened the door of salvation to the Gentiles. In contrast to the openhearted welcome at affection; after
all,
they
Antioch was the cold, disturbing message from Judea;
it
was
delivered with the definiteness of a dogmatic statement
Fortunately Paul, the hero of the Antioch community, was at
home
ments
to defend his beloved Gentiles.
at his finger tips;
he had
just set
ing in his Letter to the Galatians.
question settled once for Peter, the vicar of Christ,
all
He had
them
all
Now it was
all
the argu-
down
in writ-
time to have the
by the leaders of the Church.
was at the
moment
in Jerusalem;
both sides agreed to submit the matter to his judgment.
There were two
Peter Asserts the Liberty of the Gentiles.
sources of information from which Peter could draw in
mak-
ing a decision on the questions submitted to him: the words
and deeds of Jesus and the revelation of the Holy
Spirit since
Pentecost Sunday.
He chose
to base his
from the Holy
meant
Spirit
argument on the
some
vision
he had received
fifteen years before; it
expressly for such a crisis as this. It
had been
was that vision of
the unclean animals lowered from heaven in a sheet;
been followed by the conversion of the
first
it
had
Gentile, the cen-
turion Cornelius.
Peter was content with this one illustration:
came from faith in The only uncleanness
it
showed
clearly
that salvation
Christ, independent of the
Mosaic
that
law.
man
has to worry about
Acts of the Apostles 15, 12-24
98
Then
company kept
the whole
Barnabas and Paul describing
all
had performed among the Gentiles by
And when
and
silence,
listened to
God
the signs and wonders
means.
their
they had finished speaking, James answered thus:
'Listen, brethren, to
what
I
have to
say.
Simon has
told us,
the first time God has looked with favour on the Genand chosen from among them a people dedicated to his name. This is an agreement with the words of the prophets,
how for tiles,
where
it is
written: "Afterwards,
I
will
come
back, and build
up again David's tabernacle that has fallen; I will build up its ruins, and raise it afresh; so that all the rest of mankind
may is
says the Lord,
among whom my name who makes this known from all eter-
my
voice for sparing the consciences of
find the Lord, all those Gentiles
named,
And
nity."
so
those Gentiles to bid
them
I
give
who have found
abstain from
their
what
is
way
to
God; only writing
contaminated by
idolatry,
from fornication, and from meat which has been strangled has the blood in
he has been
it.
for
Moses, ever since the
earliest
or
times
read, sabbath after sabbath, in the synagogues,
and has preachers
Thereupon
As
it
in every city to
expound him/
was resolved by the apostles and presbyters,
with the agreement of the whole church, to choose out some of their
own number and
despatch them to Antioch with Paul
and Barnabas; namely, Judas who was Silas,
sent,
who were by
leading
men among
their hands, this
called Barsabbas,
the brethren.
message in writing:
To
And
and they
the Gentile
brethren in Antioch, Syria and Cilicia, their brethren the apostles
and presbyters send
our number
who
visited
greeting.
We
hear that some of
you have disquieted you by what
they said, unsettling your consciences, although
them no such commission; and
therefore,
we had
given
meeting together
Jerusalem 49 A.D.
99
not that uncleanness defined by the multitudinous prescriptions of the law; it is the grace of Christ that removes sin,
is sin,
and nothing
else matters.
Jerusalem was worlds apart from
James Proposes a Decree. Antioch; and
bishop, James the cousin of our Lord, was a
its
observer of the Mosaic Jaw, as were
strict
bers of his Rock. It
Judaizing party as their
what
a
aJJ
the other
mem-
he had been cited by the patron and as the shining example of
h'JceJy
is
good Christian should
that
be.
sition in the controversy; while
He
realized his delicate po-
defending the freedom of the
smooth the way to a better understanding and a more harmonious way of life between Jew and Gentile. To prove the truth of Gentile freedom, James quotes from the scriptures; the text he uses is from Amos, but he could have Gentiles, he tried to
chosen dozens in similar unity,
strain.
he suggests certain
Gentiles. There
is
But, for the cause of Christian
restrictions to
no need,
be observed by the
suggests James, to
remind Jewish
Christians of these obligations; they will not be likely to forget
them, seeing that they
Wording
listen to the
of the Decree.
After discussion this decree was
framed, under guidance of the Holy
Church
Spirit.
The
clearly stated that the Judaizing party
from them. They activity,
and
Though
Galatia
is
Mosaic law every week.
leaders of the
had no support
also gave full approval to Paul, his missionary
his doctrine is
not
sufficiently indicated
on the
specifically
liberty of Gentile converts.
mentioned
in the decree,
it
under the name
ditions prevailed in these
Cilicia. The same contwo provinces, which were alongside
each other; they were separated only by the Taurus Mountains.
The
Erst
two prescriptions of the decree deal with kosher
ioo
Acts of the Apostles 15, 25-38
common
with
purpose of heart,
we have
resolved to send you
chosen messengers, in company with our well-beloved Barnabas and Paul,
men who
have staked their
lives for
the
name
Lord Jesus Christ. We have given this commission to Judas and Silas, who will confirm the message by word of mouth. It is the Holy Spirit's pleasure and ours that no burden of our
should be laid upon you beyond these, which cannot be
what is sacrificed to idols, from blood-meat and meat which has been strangled, and from fornication. If you keep away from such things, you will have done your part. Farewell/ So they took their leave and went down to Antioch, where they called the people together and delivered the letter to them; and they, upon reading it, were rejoiced at this encouragement. Judas and Silas, for they were prophets too, said much to encourage the brethren and establish their faith; they stayed there for some time before the brethren let them go home, in peace, to those who had sent them. avoided; you are to abstain from
Second Missionary Journey
Paul and Barnabas waited at Antioch, teaching and preaching God's word, with
some
after visit
the brethren in
word was said,
many
others to help them;
days, Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us all
the
of the Lord, to see
cities
how
here was a
man who
Pamphylia, and took no part
not right to admit such a
where we have preached the
they are doing/
for taking John, also called
and then,
go back and
And
Barnabas
Mark, with them. But Paul
them when they reached with them in the work; it was
left
man
to their
company. So sharp
101
Jerusalem 49 A.D.
food regulations. They die meant to preserve unity and charity, to save
embarrassment when the mixed communities of Jews
and Gentiles
sit
down
to their
common
meal. It would he
adopt the Jewish methods of prepar-
easier for the Gentiles to
ing and eating food than for the Jews to change such venerable
customs.
The
third prescription, 'fornication/ seems completely out
of place alongside the other two. tion
is
that the
Greek
refers to
The most probable
explana-
an entirely different matter, to
marriage within the forbidden degrees of affinity and consanguinity, as set live
down
you must keep.
their observances. It
And it is
to betake himself to a
mate with
I,
the Lord,
woman who
her' (Lev. 18). It
local custom, that
are
Mosaic law: Tt
is
not for you to
by the customs of the Egyptians, or to imitate the
Canaan, and follow
is
in the
and what
is
is
who is
men
of
my laws, my decrees tell
you that no
man
near of kin to him, and
Jewish law, not
must guide Christians
Roman
law or
in determining
what
are not irregular relations in their marriage cases.
From Antioch
to Corinth
50-51 A.D.
As soon as the snow began to melt on the Taurus Mountains and the passes were open to traffic after the winter, Paul was anxious to be on his way into Galatia; he wanted them to know the contents of the Jeru-
Paul and Barnabas Separate.
salem Decree.
Seemingly Paul objected to taking Mark, as one who had abandoned the missionary expedition at the sight of the rugged mountains and unexplored tracks into Galatia on the first journey; he
had no time
for such weaklings.
Mark
eventually
Acts of the Apostles 15, 39-16, 12
102
was
their disagreement, that they separated
Barnabas took Mark with him, and sailed Paul chose
Cyprus, while
companion and went on
Silas for his
commended by
from each other;
off to
the brethren to the Lord's grace.
elled all through Syria
and
his journey,
And he
trav-
churches
Cilicia, establishing the
in the faith.
So he reached Derbe, and Lystra. Here he met a
named Timothy, son Gentile father.
of a believer
He was
who was
disciple,
a Jewess
and
a
well spoken of by the brethren at
Lystra and Iconium, and Paul resolved to take
him
as a
com-
panion on his journey. But he was careful to circumcise him;
he was thinking of the Jews living in those parts, who all knew that Timothy's father was a Gentile. As they passed
from
city to city,
they recommended to their observance the
decree laid down by the apostles and presbyters at Jerusalem. They found the churches firmly established in the faith, and their numbers daily increasing. Thus they passed through the Phrygian region of Galatia; the Holy Spirit prevented
them from preaching the word in Asia. Then, when they had come as far as Mysia on their journey, they planned to enter Bithynia; but the Spirit of Jesus would not allow it. So they crossed Mysia, and went down to the sea at Troas. Here Paul saw a stood by donia, sail
him
in entreaty,
and help us/ That
for
Macedonian 'Come over into Mace-
vision in the night; a certain
and
said,
vision
once seen, we were eager to
Macedonia; we concluded that
there to preach to them. So
straight course to Samothrace,
Thence we reached
Philippi,
God had
we put out from
and next day
which
is
a
called us
Troas,
made
to Neapolis.
Roman
colony and
the chief city in that part of Macedonia; in this city
mained
for
some
days, passing the time.
On
a
we
re-
the sabbath day
From Antioch
won back
Paul's esteem;
to Philippi 50
A.D.
103
Roman
he was with him during both
imprisonments Finally he became bishop of Alexandria in .
Egypt Barnabas spent the
rest of his life
preaching the gospel in
Cyprus, his homeland; his work there has earned him the
title
of apostle of that island.
Timothy minds us
The
Joins Paul.
They
disciple St. John.
out eleven of
St. Paul's
my thoughts as
Lord and
re-
his beloved
are closely associated during the next
seventeen years. Timothy
shares
two
friendship between these
of the friendship between our
is
mentioned eighteen times through-
fourteen
letters:
T have no one
he does; he has shared
my
else
who
task of preach-
ing the gospel like a son helping his father.'
Although Timothy had been baptized only a couple of years earlier,
by Paul on his
first
journey to GaJatia, he was probably
ordained a priest at Lystra before setting out with Paul and Silas (see 1
and
2
Timothy).
'With the Jews
I lived like a Jew, to
win the
Jews.'
That
is
the basic reason for the circumcision of Timothy. It wouJd win the good will of the Jews everywhere and
make Timothy
ac-
ceptable in their synagogues; otherwise his assistance to Paul
would have been
Luke
Paul had not planned to
Joins the Expedition.
to Troas;
nally
restricted.
it
was the Holy
Spirit
who
directed
him
come
there. Origi-
he intended to follow the highroad through GaJatia west
to Ephesus;
when God
told
him
to take the road north
from
Pisidian Antioch, Paul thought of going into the rich province of Bithynia; but at
Dorylaeum
his steps
were directed west to
Troas.
This beautiful city was the port for Europe: only a few miles inland across the
flat
plains were the ruins of Troy, im-
Acts of the Apostles 16, 13-24
104
we went out beyond the city gates, by the riverside, a meetingwe were told, for prayer; and we sat down and preached to the women who had assembled there. One of those who place,
were listening was a
woman
from
called Lydia, a purple-seller
the city of Thyatira, and a worshipper of the true God; and the Lord opened her heart, so that she was attentive to Paul's preaching. She was baptized, with
was urgent with in the
us;
Lord/ she as
'come to
said,
and she would take no
And now,
all
her household; and she
'Now you have decided
my
that
I
have faith
house and lodge
there';
denial.
we were on our way to the place of prayer, we girl who was possessed by a divining spirit;
chanced to meet a
her predictions brought in large profits to her masters. This girl
used to follow behind Paul and the rest of
These men
are the servants of the
most high God; they are
And when
proclaiming to us the way of salvation/
done
number
this for a
there
of her, in the
and then
Her
it
she had
by
it;
command you
to
of days, Paul was distressed
he turned round and said to the
come out
us, crying out,
name
came out
who saw
spirit:
of our
'I
Lord Jesus
Christ';
and
of her.
had them off to justice in the market-place. When they brought them before the magistrates, they said, These men, Jews by origin, are disturbing the peace of our city; they are recommending masters,
that
all
their
hopes of
profit
vanished, took hold of Paul and Silas and dragged
customs which
admit or to
it is
impossible for us, as
observe.'
The crowd
Roman
citizens, to
gathered round, to join in
the accusation; and the magistrates, tearing their clothes off
them, gave orders that they should be beaten; then, when they had inflicted
many
lashes
on them, put them
and bade the gaoler keep them structed,
he put them
in safe custody.
in the inner ward,
in prison,
Thus
and secured
in-
their
Philippi 50 A.D.
105
moitalized by the poet Homer. Paul was about to
make an
on Europe: he was leaving the oriental atmosphere of Asia and Jewry for the home of Graeco-Roman culture. The
assault
God's guidance had been preparing him for this and finally a vision settled any doubts left in his mind. details of
Luke, the author of the Acts and the Third Gospel,
step;
tells his
story in the third person; but here, for the Erst of three times,
he breaks into the are called);
it
announces
Tradition has disciple of
first
that
it
to
his arrival
on the scene.
he was a brother of
Paul but not with him at
natives of Antioch;
known
person plural (the 'we-sections' they
Luke was
Titus, already a
this time.
Both were and well
already a Christian,
Paul (possibly he even studied at Tarsus).
He may
have been practising his profession of doctor in Troas when Paul arrived there. tion with Paul,
He
who
Greek seamen
sailed
Timothy in close associahim 'my beloved Luke, the physician!
ranks next to
calls
by landmarks and travelled only by day.
would take two days to Philippi, with the island mountain peak of Samothrace as a guide.
It
Freed By district
through a like
An Earthquake. When
of Samaria, his
first
woman who came
our Lord entered the pagan
contact with the people was
to
draw water
manner, Paul made contact with
verts
at Jacob's well. In
his first
European con-
through a wealthy widow by the riverside at Philippi. She
was not a Jewess but observed the Jewish law like the
centurion Cornelius.
Two
other
as a proselyte,
women, Evodia and
Syntyche, are Jcnown to us from Paul's Letter to the Philippians; they
were probably members of the same prayer group
as Lydia.
When
Paul drove the
evil spirit
out of the possessed
he hit the representatives of paganism where in their pockets.
They fought back
fiercely.
it
girl,
hurt most
—
Their technique
106
Acts of the Apostles 16, 25-37
At midnight, Paul and Silas were at their God, while the prisoners listened to them.
feet in the stocks.
prayers, praising
And
once there was a violent earthquake, so that the
at
all
foundations of the prison rocked; whereupon every door
opened, and every man's chains were undone.
who had been awakened, saw sword
his
The
as if to kill himself,
thinking the prisoners had
escaped; but Paul cried with a loud voice, 'Do
we are all here/ when he had
yourself;
And in
and
so,
as
called for a light,
the feet of Paul and
fell at
he asked,
he led them out, 'what
'Have faith/ they said to him, salvation for you,
Then
and
for your
Silas, all
am
'in
no hurt
them away
night, took
delay he and
he came running trembling; 'Sirs/
to do, to save myself?'
I
the Lord Jesus; there
lies
household/
all his
to
and
he, there
wash
their
and then,
at
dead of
wounds, and without
were baptized. So he led them to his
home, where he put food before them, and he and all household made rejoicing at having found faith in God.
When
day came, the magistrates sent their
men
'Those
to
they preached the word of the Lord to him, and to
that were in his house;
all
gaoler,
the prison doors open, and drew
are to be discharged/
And
his
officers to say,
the gaoler reported
the message to Paul: 'The magistrates have sent ordering
your discharge;
it is
time you should come out, and go on
your way in peace/
But Paul lic,
without
prison,
them, 'What, have they beaten us in pub-
said to trial,
Roman
citizens as
and now would they
serve; they
person/
let us
we
are,
and sent us to
out secretly? That will not
must come here themselves, and fetch us out
in
Philippi 50 A.D.
was the same
employed
as that
107
at Pisidian Antioch,
and
for
new Roman colony with an the emperor. They saw Chris-
the same reason: Philippi was a
exaggerated show of loyalty to
tianity as a threat to established order.
Paul and
Silas, as
Roman
were exempt from the
citizens ,
Maybe
jurisdiction of local magistrates.
the confusion of a
crowd gave them no chance to make this fact known; possibly Paul made no attempt, knowing that he had to endure much suffering in order to establish the kingdom of noisy, shouting
God. Scourging and imprisonment only made him more
like
the Master himself.
The earthquake was
Locks in those days were mere wooden bars
let into sockets
good shake would swing the doors wide open.
in the doors; a
The
God.
a providential intervention of
chains would
faJJ
from the gaping holes
in the walls.
The
gaoler preferred suicide to execution; he was responsible for prisoners with his
own
life,
Paul, the zealous missionary, wasted
no time
the gaoler and his family. In the early
summer
in instructing
around
light,
the fountain in the courtyard, he baptized them. Full instruction
would be given
later
by Luke,
who was
left
here as bishop
of Philippi.
Paul
Demands An Apology.
Roman
rule.
he insisted on of his
trial
Justice
was the symbol of
Paul was not acting in an unchristian his rights.
The Master
the soldiers struck Jesus, he said: Tf there was
strike
what was harmful
in
when
before him, on the night
When
before Caiphas, had done the same.
I said, tell us
spirit
it;
if
harm
not,
one of
in
what
why do you
me?'
Lydias house became the Erst church in Philippi. Luke was left in
charge as
years, rejoining
its
Erst bishop;
he remained there for seven
Paul towards the end of his third missionary
Acts of the Apostles 16, 38-ij, 9
108
When
the officers gave this message to the magistrates, they
Roman
came and pleaded with them, urging them, as they brought them out, to leave the city. On leaving the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they saw the brethren and gave them were alarmed by
this talk of
encouragement; then they
They continued
set
citizenship; so they
out on their journey.
their journey through
Amphipolis and
Apollonia, and so reached Thessalonica. Here the Jews had a
synagogue, and Paul, as his custom was, paid there.
them
a visit
Over a space of three sabbaths he reasoned with them
out of the scriptures, expounding these and bringing proofs
from them that the
and his rising from the Christ/ he said, 'is none other
sufferings of Christ
The am preaching
dead were foreordained; than the Jesus
whom
I
were convinced, and threw in their a great
number
lot
Some
of
them
with Paul and
Silas;
to you/
who worshipped
too, of those Gentiles
the
God, and not a few of the leading women. The Jews were indignant at this, and they found confederates among the riff-raff of the market-place, to make a disturbance and throw true
the city into an uproar. Jason's house, in the
Then
hope
they
made
a
of bringing Paul
sudden descent on
and
Silas
out into
the presence of the people; but, as they could not find them,
they dragged Jason and some of the brethren before the city council, crying out, 'Here they are, the
the world upside down; they have has given
them
are turning
too;
and Jason
hospitality. All these folk defy the edicts of
Caesar; they say there
and the
men who
come here
city council
manded bail from them go.
is
another king, Jesus/ Both the crowd
took alarm at hearing
this,
and they
Jason and the others before they would
delet
Thessalonica 50 A.D. journey. pians;
Clement
is
mentioned
109
in the Letter to the Philip-
he was piobably Luke's chief
assistant in establishing
the Church; scholars dispute whether this was the Clement
who became
Philippi was his favourite;
and
it
Rome. Of
fourth pope of it
all
Paul's foundations,
never caused him the least worry,
alone contributed to his material needs.
The Jews
Stir
Up
to Thessalonica
a Riot.
-
The 100
miles west from Philippi
was easy going along the most famous road
yet trodden by Paul. It was called the Egnatian
the main artery linking Greece with lippi to
Dyrrachium;
brought the to
a short journey
traveller to Brindisi 7
Rome, with
a
still
Rome.
Way and
It ran
was
from Phi-
by ship across the Adriatic
and there the road continued
more famous name, the Appian Way.
Thessalonica was an important commercial port; and so
had
a large colony of Jewish traders
population had increased by a large
earlier its
expelled from
was
Rome
lighted to
is
meet and
number
by the emperor Claudius.
a Christian, Jason.
There
and merchants.
As
a convert of Peter
s,
A
it
year
of Jews
Among them Jason was de-
give hospitality to the apostle Paul.
always noise in any busy
city;
but the convert
class
assembled in Jason's house was alarmed at the shouting and yelling outside in the street this
Paul's
name
summer
afternoon. It was
they picked up Erst, then the dangerous word,
As Paul was directed to a hiding place upstairs, he must have recalled how the pattern of Jesus' life was taking treason.
his. His mind went back to the trial scene before on Good Friday morning, and the shouts of another crowd: 'We have no king ... no king, except Caesar.'
shape in Pilate
no
Acts of the Apostles 17, 10-21
Thereupon the brethren sent Paul and
Silas
away by night
to Beroea; where, as soon as they arrived, they
way
to the Jewish synagogue.
made
These were a better breed than
the Thessalonians; they welcomed the word with ness,
and examined the
whether
all this
was
believe, as certain
men
their
all
eager-
Scriptures, day after day, to find out
many
true; so that
of
them learned
Greek women of fashion
did,
to
and not a
But now some of the Thessalonian word of God had been preached by Paul at Beroea too, came on there, to upset and disturb the minds of the people; whereupon the brethren sent Paul away, few of the
as well.
Jews, hearing that the
to continue his journey
mained there
up
to the coast; Silas
and Timothy
re-
still.
Those who were escorting Paul on his journey saw him as far as Athens, and then left him, with instructions for Silas and Timothy to rejoin him as soon as possible. And while Paul was waiting for them in Athens, his heart was
moved within him idolatry,
to find the city so
and he reasoned, not only
much
given over to
in the synagogue with
Jews and worshippers of the true God, but in the marketplace, with all he met. He encountered philosophers, Stoics
and Epicureans, some of be,
this
whom
asked,
'What can
his drift
would appear to because he had preached to
dabbler?' while others said, 'He
be proclaiming strange
gods';
and Resurrection. So they took him by the sleeve and led him up to the Areopagus. 'May we ask/ they said, 'what this new teaching is you are delivering? You intro-
them about
Jesus
duce terms which are strange what may be the meaning of or stranger visiting
it,
to our ears; pray let us it/
(No townsmen
know
of Athens,
has time for anything else than saying
something new, or hearing
it
said.)
Athens 51 A.D.
111
That night the three missionaries moved out under cover of darkness, escorted by two converts, Aristarchus and Secundus. They left the Egnatian Way and went southwest to an out-of-the-way town, Beroea, a distance of
fifty miles. It
was
some weeks before the malevolent Thessalonian Jews found out their hiding place.
presumed that Paul went by ship
It is usually
Knox
Athens. But Mgr. itinerary; it is
directly to
has put a brilliant case for a different
based mainly, on Paul's two Letters to the Thes-
salonians. Paul
doubled back to the Egnatian Way, journeying
'up to the coast' at Dyrrachium; that
not the Aegean Sea.
He
is,
he went to the Adriatic
intended to go back to Thessalonica
but was prevented. It was several months before he arrived at Athens.
Paul At Athens.
Athens was the second
surpassed only by
Rome
itself.
It
beautiful city in
which Paul had yet
lectual,
and
artistic,
Though no equal self
its
glory
city of the
Empire,
was the richest and most set foot. It
religious centre of the
was the
Roman
intel-
world.
had faded when Paul
in intellectual leadership;
visited it, it still had no Roman considered him-
educated unless he had studied at Athens.
The
city
was dominated by the Acropolis, a vast bulk of
rock which rose up hundreds of feet above the buildings in the centre of the
city.
And on
top of the Acropolis stood the
cream-coloured Parthenon, a temple in the sky, poised lightly as a bird after Bight.
And
rising high
above the Parthenon
was the great wooden statue of Athena, the goddess of wisdom. It
was seventy feet high and covered with ivory and gold plates
that shone
and flashed
Athena's spear was the
in the sunlight; the gilded point of
first
thing sailors saw, coming into port.
112
Acts of the Apostles 17, 22-34
So Paul stood up
'Men
of Athens, wherever
religious.
them, tion,
view of the Areopagus, and
in full
I
Why,
in
look
I
I
you scrupulously
examining your monuments
found among others an
altar
"To the unknown God." And
of your devotion that
made
find
the world and
I
all
am
as I passed
which bore the
it is
said,
by
inscrip-
unknown object The God who God who is Lord
this
revealing to you.
that
is
in
it,
that
and earth, does not dwell in temples that our hands have made; no human handicraft can do him service, as if he stood in need of anything, he, who gives to all of us life and breath and all we have. It is he who has made, of one single stock, all the nations that were to dwell over the whole face of the earth. And he has given to each the cycles it of heaven
was to pass through and the
fixed limits of
its
habitation, leav-
them to search for God; would they somehow grope their way towards him? Would they find him? And yet, after all, he is not far from any one of us; it is in him that we live, and move, and have our being; thus, some of your own poets ing
have told if
we
us,
"For indeed, we are
are the children of
his children."
the divine nature can be represented in gold, or
carved by man's art and thought.
God
these passing follies of ours; now,
just
he
silver,
he has appointed
of us,
by
When
raising
for that
him up from
resurrection
that
or stone,
calls
upon
all
men,
when he
judgment on the whole world. And the
whom
then,
has shut his eyes to
everywhere, to repent, because he has fixed a day
pronounce
Why
God, we must not imagine
will
man
end he has accredited to
all
the dead/
from the dead was mentioned, some
We
must hear more from you about this/ So Paul went away from among them. But there were men who attached themselves to him and learned
mocked, while others
said,
Athens 51 A.D.
113
There were many temples and buildings on the Aciopolis; an open-air auditorium on the Paul's Speech to the Philosophers.
western slope not far from the Parthenon was
Areopagus;
it
known
as the
was the meeting pJace for the university educa-
tion board. It was before this ruling body,
and many under-
graduates, that Paul delivered his speech.
The
Christian attitude to idols
to the Corinthians: 'A false
of things; there
ever gods
all
is
in the order
of as existing in heaven or
only one God, the Father
who
is
on
earth,
the origin of
and the end of our being; only one Lord, Jesus
things,
Christ, the creator of
The
given in Paul's First Letter
one God, .and there can be no other. What-
is
may be spoken
for us there
is
god has no existence
all
things,
who
is
greater part of Paul's speech
our way to him.'
is
concerned with the
nature of God, particularly his qualities of creator and father.
Both these
with his or her aloof
and
Paul spirit,
were absent from the pagan picture of
qualities
the supreme being.
They had
own
restricted Held of activity; these
up
skilfully builds
seen by
human
men, since
all
eyes.
all are
The
a different picture:
God
made
God
all
earth.
a pure
is
the matter which makes up the world is
interested in
to his
descended from one man. of that
were
what happened among men on
indifferent to
the creator of
a vast collection of gods, each
God
image and is
and
cares for all
likeness,
and
are all
the only true father worthy
name. great vice of the Athenians
was
intellectual pride. This
audience expressed the reaction of the city to the Christian message. Athens was almost the last city in the to accept Christ;
and
it
Roman Empire
took almost 500 years for
it
to
become
Christian.
According to an early legend, Dionysius became bishop of
Acts of the Apostles 17, 35-18,
114
among them Dionysius
to believe, a
woman
called Damaris,
Athens
11
the Areopagite; and so did
and others with them.
and went to Corinth. Here he met a Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, who, with his wife Priscilla, had lately come from Italy, when Claudius Paul
left
decreed that a visit:
all
after this,
Jews should leave Rome.
He
then, since they were brothers of the
paid them
same
craft
(both were tent-makers), he stayed and worked with them.
Every sabbath he held a disputation in the synagogue, trying to convince Silas
both Jews and Greeks. Just at the time when
and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was much
occupied with preaching, while he bore witness to the Jews
But they set their faces against it and talked blasphemy, until he shook the dust out of his garments, and said to them, Tour blood be upon your own that Jesus was the Christ.
heads;
So he
I
am
left
clear of
it; I
will
go to the Gentiles henceforward.'
them, and went to the house of one Titius Justus,
a worshipper of the true
God, who
lived next door to the
synagogue. But Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, learned to believe in the Lord,
now many
were baptized.
'Do not be
and so did
all his
of the Corinthians listened
And
afraid,
household; and by
and found
faith,
the Lord said to Paul in a vision at night,
speak out, and refuse to be silenced;
with you, and none shall come near to do you harm; great following in this
and
six
and
I
I
am
have a
city/ So he remained there a year
months, preaching the word of
God among
them.
Corinth 51 A.D. Paris
and
115
martyrdom
the patron of that city, having suffered
is
there for the faith.
Paul At Corinth.
Forty miles to the west of ancient,
phisticated Athens was
Corinth. For Paul
the
modern cosmopolitan port
was a journey into another world
it
leaving Oxford one day
and being
so-
of
(like
in Port Said the next).
Corinth had been built a hundred years before on a narrow
neck of Jand extending between the Adriatic and the Aegean seas; the
vessels
bulk of east-west trade passed through this port. Light
were dragged the few miles overland to the eastern port
of Cenchrae; or else the cargo was unloaded
and transported
by waggon from one port to the other. This saved vessels the dangerous two hundred mile detour around the dreaded Cape
Malea.
Among
the refugees from
Rome
was a Christian couple,
Aquiia, an Asiatic Jew, and his Gentile wife, the Priscilla
We
shall
finally
back
friends outside the intimate group of his disciples.
them
find
Roman
(Paul calls her Prisca); they became Paul's closest
later at
Ephesus, then at Rome, and
at Ephesus. It
work
took a vision to convince Paul that in this corrupt city of Corinth;
back to his Macedonian converts, to
him
— back
at Troas.
Corinth; from these
God wanted him
whom God
Later, Paul will write
we know
a
dozen of the
by name and can learn more of their way of
any other early document.
to
he was anxious to get
two
had
called
letters
to
first
Christians
life
than from
First Letter to the Thessalonians
Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church assembled at Thessalonica in
God
the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,
grace and peace be yours.
We
give thanks to
God
always
making mention of you continually in our prayers; such memories we have of your active faith, your unwearied love, and that hope in our Lord Jesus Christ which gives you endurance, in the sight of him who is our God and Father. Brethren, God loves you, and we are sure that he has made choice of you. Our preaching to you did not depend upon mere argument; power was there, and the influence of the Holy Spirit, and an effect of full conviction; you can testify what we were to you and what we did for you. And on your side, you followed our example, the Lord's example. There was great persecution, and yet you welcomed our message, rejoicing in the Holy Spirit; and now you have become a model to all the believers throughout Macedonia and Achaia. Yes, the Lord's message has echoed out from you, and not only in Macedonia and Achaia; your faith in God has overflowed everywhere, so that we do not need to for all of you,
speak a word; our friends themselves journey,
and how we
how you have God, so
first
tell
came among
the story of our
you.
They
describe
turned away from idolatry to the worship of
God, a God who really exists, and the appearing of his Son from heaven, Jesus, whom
as to serve a living
to wait for
he raised from the dead, our Saviour from the vengeance that
is
to
come.
Yes, brethren, you yourselves can testify that arrived
among
had been
ill
you,
treated
it
proved to be no
and
insulted, as
when we
fruitless visit.
you know,
We
at Philippi,
Persevere under Persecution
A
Model
othy and
Roman
to All Believers. Silas
It
afternoon
late
(Paul always refers to
equivalent of Silas)
of AquiJa. Six
was
made
their
months had passed
him way
when Tim-
as Silvanus, the
to the
since Paul
had
workshop last
seen
these two disciples of his; that had been a hurried fareweJJ at night in Beioea as Paul escaped
much
from the Jews. So they had
to talk of, mostly the state of the church in ThessaJonica.
The ThessaJonian
converts had undergone a savage perse-
cution from the Jews there; they had hoped day after day for
and champion Paul,
to return to their aid. Paul
a visit in the near future
was impracticable; the con-
their father
saw that verts
f
were crowding round him in great numbers.
stay at Corinth; but as
he had done
he would write a
Timothy and
owed
Silas as to himself t
its
existence as
much
to
Paul includes them not only
opening salutation but throughout the
'we' occurs
other
letter of consolation,
in similar circumstances to his GaJatians.
Seeing that this church
in the
He must
letter;
the plural
65 times in the course of the letter. In all his except the two to the Thessalonians, Paul uses
letters,
the Erst person singular as his normal
mode
It is a tender, intimate letter of a father
these children of his. charity, their
He
thanks
God
of address.
who
is
proud of
for their faith, hope,
and
endurance under persecution, and their zeal for
the conversion of others.
Paul's
Memories of His
underlies this
Visit.
A
note of defence clearly
whole paragraph. Paul's enemies,
in this instance
the Thessalonian Jews, had spread an insidious slander about
n8
1
but our to
God
Thessalonians 2,2-15
gave us courage to preach the divine gospel
you amid much opposition. Our appeal to you was not
based on any false or degraded notions, was not backed by cajolery. fit
We
have passed God's scrutiny, and he has seen
work of preaching; when we speak, we would earn God's good opinion, not God who scrutinizes our hearts. We never
to entrust us with the
it is
with this in view;
man's, since
it is
used the language of
nor was
it,
God
you
flattery,
out in that,
will bear us
knows, an excuse for enriching ourselves;
have never asked for
human
praise, yours or another's,
we al-
we might have made heavy demands on you. No, you found us gentle in your midst; no nursing mother ever cherished her children more; in our great longing for you, we desired nothing better than to offer you our own lives, as well as God's gospel, so greatly had we learned to love you. Brethren, you can remember how we toiled and laboured, all the time we were preaching God's gospel to you, working day and night so as not to burden you with expense. Both you and God can witness how upright and honest and faultless was our conduct towards you believers; it is within your knowledge that we treated every though, as apostles of Christ,
one of you
as a father treats his children,
encouraging you,
comforting you, imploring you to lead a the
God who now
This
why we
is
invites
life
you to the glory of
give thanks to
God
worthy of
his
kingdom.
unceasingly that,
when we
delivered the divine message to you, you recognized
what
who lieve.
of
it
is,
God's message, not man's;
it
God,
is
it
for
after
all,
manifests his power in you that have learned to be-
You took
God which
Christ.
for
your model, brethren,
are assembled in Judea in the
You were
treated
the
churches
name
of Jesus
by your fellow countrymen
those churches were treated by the Jews, the
men who
the Lord Jesus and the prophets, and persecuted
us;
as
killed
the
men
From Corinth
51 A.D.
119
the reason for Paul's not returning to his ThessaJonian foundation. Paul, so the
Jews
said,
was a
man who
Joved to be
made
he sought only praise and adulation. Consequently
a fuss of;
treatment by the converts at Thessalonica had displeased
his
him; they had not played up to his love of
flattery.
Paul was intent only on making money.
He had come
the rich port of Thessalonica only for the sake of gain.
to
When
he found that no substantial payments were being made him, he soon
left
them and went elsewhere
to
more
profitable fields.
That was the substance of the Jewish accusation: Paul had not come back to a place where he had received neither praise nor pay.
To of
his
life,
them
six
conduct and his motives, when he
months
before. Like his
man's/
He had
will,
acted toward
'to
staff that is
them with the tender
one
his
a father:
'He
love of a
not
will
already crushed, or put out the wick that
smoulders/ as the prophet
On
came among
earn God's opinion, not
mother and the firm guiding hand of snap the
first
Master before him,
r
God s
concern was to do
still
way
disprove this slander, Paul recalls to his converts his
Isaias foretold of Jesus.
the question of support, Paul was most sensitive.
insisted
on working
at his trade of
tentmaker
(as
He
he was doing
moment in Corinth), so as not to be a burden on his converts. He wiJJ later recall to the Corinthians his touchiness on this same point The only exception he made was to accept money from Philippi (probably at the insistence of the
at the
dominant Lydia), during but twice, when
I
his stay at Thessalonica: 'not
once
was at Thessalonica, you contributed to
my
needs.'
Paul was acutely aware of the animosity of the Jews. personal knowledge of Christians; he
had
it
from
his
own
He had
days of persecuting
just experienced it again here in Corinth.
120
who
i
displease
kind,
God and show
when they
to the Gentiles. of their sins, fallen
Thessalonians
try to
2, 16-3,
themselves the enemies of man-
hinder us from preaching salvation
They must always be
and now
9
it is
God's
filling
final
up the measure
vengeance that has
upon them.
Finding ourselves separated from you, brethren, even for a
while, though only in person, not in spirit,
little
we
con-
ceived an overwhelming desire to
was our longing
for you;
visit you in person, such and we planned a journey to you,
more than once; but Satan has put obstacles or delight have we, what prize to boast of before our Lord Jesus when he comes, if not you? All our pride, all our delight is in you. At last we could not bear it any longer, and decided to remain at Athens by ourI
myself, Paul,
What hope
in our way.
while
selves,
we
sent our brother Timothy,
who
exercises
God's ministry in preaching the gospel of Christ, to confirm your resolutions, and give you the encouragement your faith needed. There must be no wavering amidst these
trials;
you
know well enough that this is our appointed lot. Indeed, when we visited you we told you that trials were to befall us; now you can see for yourselves that it was true. That was my reason for sending him, when I could bear it no longer, to make sure of your faith; it might be that the tempter had been tempting you, and that all our labour would go for nothing. Now that Timothy has come back to us from seeing you, and told us about your faith and love, and the kind remembrance you have of us all the while, longing for our company as we long for yours, your faith has brought us comfort, brethren, amidst all our difficulties and trials. If of souls
only you stand firm in the Lord,
What
thanks can
the joy
we
we
return to
feel in rejoicing over
it
brings fresh
life
to us.
God
for you, to express all
you
in the presence of our
From Corinth It
was an implacable hatred
51
A.D.
121
at the sight of Gentiles being ac-
cepted as the true heirs of Abraham; in punishment
God had
allowed them to become hardened in their unbelief; that
'Gods
final
is
vengeance that has fallen upon them.'
The Mission
of Timothy.
Contrary to the Jewish picture of
an indifferent Paul, unconcerned with what was happening to the Thessalonian foundation,
we
see
him here
herd anxious and worried over the
as a loving shep-
fierce persecution of his
flock at ThessaJonica. In this section
he gives an account of
the difficulties that he encountered every time he planned to return to Thessalonica. It covers a period of about six months,
which Luke has passed over in silence
in his record in the Acts.
When Paul left Beroea, he was uncertain of his future movements. as
soon
He would come as
back and collect
he could. As
obstacles put in his
it
way by
Silas
and Timothy
turned out, he was prevented by Satan; this was
most probably the
opposition of his Jewish enemies from Thessalonica; they did
not relax their watch over his movements even for a single day.
While
Silas
and Timothy remained
PauYs return any day, he continued gospel along the Egnatian
his
in Beroea, expecting
work of preaching the
Way to Dyrrachium. From
there he
went north into Illyricum (he mentions this in Rom. 15, 19); then, Ending the Thessalonian Jews still keeping an eye on him, he doubled back south to Apollonia and Nicopolis. On his arrival at Athens,
more, he sent
where the Acts take over the story once
off his
Macedonian
guides, Aiistarchus
and
Secundus of Thessalonica and Sopater of Beroea. They were to tell
Timothy
salonica; as
soon
them from Beroea to ThesTimothy found out the state of the church
to return with as
122
i
God,
Thessalonians
we pray more than
10-4, 11
3,
and day, for the opporand making good whatever your faith still lacks? May he himself, our God and our Father, may our Lord Jesus speed us on our journey to you; and as for you, may the Lord give you a rich and an ever richer love for one another and for all men, like ours for you. So, when our Lord Jesus comes with all his saints, may you stand boldly as
ever, night
tunity of seeing you face to face,
before the presence of God, our Father, in holiness unreproved.
And now, to
you
brethren, this
in the
name
how you ought
tern of
that pattern,
what we
Lord
and make more of
of the
Lord
ask, this
Jesus.
We
we have handed on Jesus.
What God
you should sanctify yourselves, and keep
Each
of
God;
you must learn to control
his
live
by
You have not
than ever.
it
our appeal
is
gave you a pat-
to live so as to please
forgotten the warnings
command
is
of the
you by the
to
asks of
you
is
that
clear of fornication.
own
body, as some-
thing holy and held in honour, not yielding to the promptings of passion, as the heathen
None
of you
is
to
commit
brother in this matter. For
do
all
such wrong-doing
punishment; we have told you so already,
The it
is
life
a
to
life
which
God has called
us
is
God
exacts
solemn warning.
in
not one of incontinence,
and to despise
of holiness,
God. and defraud his
in their ignorance of
transgression,
it
is
to despise, not
man, but God, the God who has implanted his Holy Spirit in you. As for love of the brethren, there is no need to send you any message; you have learned
for yourselves
God's lesson
about the charity we ought to show to one another, or you could not practise
it
as
you do towards
We
all
the brethren
would only ask you, brethren, to make more of it than ever. Let it be a point of honour with you to keep calm and to go on looking after your
throughout Macedonia.
From Corinth at Thessalonica,
Athens. But
51 A.D.
he was to pick up
when
123
Silas
and
rejoin Paul at
these two did arrive at Athens, Paul
already gone oft to Corinth;
had
there that the meeting takes
it is
place.
Timothy
s
report brought comfort to Paul: they were stand-
As
ing up courageously under persecution.
a true disciple of
Paul had warned them that they must expect such
Jesus,
trials:
when men revile you, and persecute you, and manner of evil against you falsely, because of me/
'Blessed are you
speak
On
all
Purity, Charity,
and Honest Work.
sion to the heathen world around
them
The is
Christian mis-
clearly defined
by
our Lord himself: 'Your light must shine so brightly before
men
good works, and glorify your Timothy brought back to Paul a
that they can see your
Father
who
is
in heaven.'
report on some aspects of Christian showed that they were not giving
Jife
in Thessalonica
a good example to
which their
pagan neighbours. Sexual morals were low in
all
pagan communities; but in
and Corinth the standards were the Empire. Paul had need to remind
seaports like Thessalonica
notoriously the worst in
both communities
(1
Cor. 6) of the gravity of sins of sexual
indulgence; there was always the danger of poorly instructed converts returning to pagan ways. Possibly the earthquake at Philippi
many
in that region; in
had been only one
tunity for practical charity to people in poverty Paul's
of
any case there was plenty of oppor-
and
distress.
mention of the extent of the charity practised by the
Thessalonians
shows that a considerable time must have
elapsed since their conversion.
The earthquake and near panic social upset: a
in
disasters
had
left
an atmosphere of anxiety
Macedonia. This had led to one very serious
number
of Christians considered
it
frivolous to
124
i
affairs,
Thessalonians
4, 12-5,
working with your hands
life will
as
7
we bade
you; thus your
win respect from the world around you, and you
will
not need to depend on others.
Make no
mistake, brethren, about those
to their rest;
who have gone
you are not
to lament over them, as the rest no hope to live by. We believe, after
of the world does, with
when
that Jesus underwent death and rose again; just so,
all,
comes back,
Jesus
God
back those who have found
will bring
through him. This we can tell you as a message from the Lord himself: those of us who are still left alive to greet the Lord's coming will not reach the goal before those who rest
have gone to their
from heaven to
rest.
No, the Lord himself
summon
us,
will
come down
with an archangel crying aloud
and the trumpet of God sounding; and first of all the dead will rise up, those who died in Christ. Only after that shall we,
who
are
still left alive,
away
to
meet the Lord
pany.
And
so
we
be taken up into the clouds, be swept in the air,
and they
will bear us
be with the Lord for
shall
ever. Tell
comone
another this for your consolation.
There
is
no need, brethren,
times and the seasons of in
mind, without being
come
all this;
like the
doom
pangs that come to a
be no escape from
it.
day;
you are
we do not belong
not sleep on, then,
and keep
you are keeping
is
all
will fall
woman
in travail,
born to the
to the night
is
clearly
Lord
will
and there
brethren, are not
day to take you by surprise,
and
its
light,
born to the
darkness.
like the rest of the world,
sober; night
it
when men are saying, upon them suddenly,
just
Whereas you,
living in the darkness, for the like a thief; no,
you about the
told, that the day of the
like a thief in the night. It
'All quiet, all safe/ that
will
to write to
We must
we must watch
the sleeper's time for sleeping, the
drunkard's time for drinking;
we must keep
sober, like
men
of
From Corinth
51 A.D.
125
be working, when the end of the world might come at any moment. Far better to look to the good of their souls, to be engaged in prayer when the Lord Jesus came in judgment.
The Dead Will of
what
will
meagre; God's revelation on this point
deed: 'He
Our knowledge
Rise At Christ's Coming.
happen when the woild comes
shall
come
to
very
is
contained in the
is
to judge the living
an end
and the
The
dead.'
extent to which the detail provided in Matthew 24, 2 Peter and Thessalonians is meant to be a description of things
3,
as
they will actually happen
is not agreed on by the experts. would seem that the trumpet, archangel, and clouds are only scenic properties meant to provide an atmosphere of awe
It
in the presence of divine intervention in
probably at
come from God's
human
they
affairs;
manifestation of power and majesty
Mt Sinai, as recorded in the Book of Exodus; our Lord used
the same terminology in describing the
fall
of Jerusalem
(Mt
24, 29-31).
The Thessalonians probably
pictured the return of Christ
at the end of the world as similar to the triumphal procession
of the emperor on a state
worrying them:
Would
visit to their city.
not those
One
who had
matter was
died miss the
pageant of Christ's triumphal return? It would
all
be over
before they rose again from the grave. This was the question sent back by Timothy.
In answer, Paul quotes words of Jesus unrecorded elsewhere in Scripture:
This
The
resurrection will precede the last judgment.
satisfied the Thessalonians,
but
it
has raised two more
problems for modern readers.
Did Paul mean
that those
who would
be alive on the
last
day would be glorified without Erst undergoing death? Yes. In 1
Corinthians 15, 51 he states it explicitly: but we shall all be changed.'
fall asleep,
'We
shall
not
all
JL26
i
and
God
5,
8-28
We must put on our breastplate, the breastplate
the daylight. of faith
Thessalonians
love,
our helmet, which
is
the hope of salvation.
has not destined us for vengeance; he means us to win
Lord Jesus Christ, who has died
salvation through our
waking or
sakes, that we,
on, then, encouraging
sleeping,
may
for our
find life with him.
Go
one another and building up one an-
other's faith.
we would ask you to pay deference to those who work among you, those who have charge of you in the Lord, and give you directions; make it a rule of charity to hold them in special esteem, in honour of the duty they perform. Maintain unity among yourselves. And, brethren, let us make this appeal to you: warn the vagabonds, encourage Brethren,
the faint-hearted, support the waverers, be patient towards
all.
nobody repays injury with injury; you must aim always at what is best, for one another and for all around you. Joy be with you always. Never cease praying. Give thanks upon all occasions; this is what God expects of you all in See to
it
that
Christ Jesus.
Do
not
stifle
the utterances of the Spirit, do
not hold prophecy in low esteem; and yet you must scrutinize it all
carefully, retaining only
that has a look of evil about sanctify
you wholly, keep
to greet the
coming
The God who fail
spirit
of our
called
you
what
is
good, and rejecting
it. So may the God of peace and soul and body unimpaired,
Lord Jesus Christ without reproach. is true to his promise; he will not
you. Brethren, pray for us. Greet
the kiss of saints. that this letter of our
is
I
all
all
the brethren with
name to see brethren. The grace
adjure you in the Lord's
read out to
all
our
Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
From Corinth
51 A.D.
127
Did Paul think he would Jive until judgment day? No. He knew no more of the time of Christ's coming than any other human being: Tt is known to none, not even to the angeJs in heaven' (ML 24, 36). But with his Mystical Body outlook he couJd identify himself with those Christians
who would
he
the Master had identified himself with those
ah've, just as
had been persecuting:
Christians Paul
'Saul, Saul,
why do you
persecute me?'
Directions
To Church
Authorities.
leader of the Thessalonian
Jason was probably the
community; together with the other
and deacons he would be the recipient of PauYs letter, delivered by some Christian making the journey from Corinth.
priests
It
was
flock
duty to see that
his
and
to
make
this letter
provision for
its
was read publicly to
his
advice to be carried out.
There is no close sequence moves from one point to another, giving
in this final paragraph. Paul
conduct.
Most
practical counsels of
of these are concerned with the
two main
lines
of thought already treated: the persecution raging against the
Christians
and
their anxiety over the return of the Lord.
Paul
warns them against the danger of despondency; they must be strong not faint-hearted in face of persecution.
They must
not be vindictive against their persecutors.
His reference to 'utterances of the
Spirit' indicates that
Thessalonian church enjoyed these special
Ghost, such
as
gifts of
the
the Holy
speaking in foreign tongues, reading
mens
and miraculous powers of healing, which we find recounted in great detail later in the Corinthian church (1 Cor.,
hearts,
12-14).
^ au
^
warns them that Satan can disguise himself as an
angeJ of light
Second Letter to the Thessalonians Paul and Silvanus and Timothy, to the church assembled at Thessalonica in
God
our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ;
from God, our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, grace be yours and peace.
We
owe
God, brethren, on your
a constant debt of thanksgiving to
faith thrives so well,
exceeds
measure; our
of
all
God,
is
own
trials
proof of the just award
God, the is
suffer.
for the
visit
the churches
faith
amidst
all
the
It will
you worthy
makes,
rest
when he
kingdom
Or do you doubt
with that
it,
one another
God
which
for
finds
who
will
be a
which you are
that there
to repay with affliction those
afflicted,
we
and your
reason for
for
which you have to endure.
of a place in his kingdom, the
pared to
and your love
boasting, as
of your perseverance
persecutions and
we have good
behalf;
when your
justice
is
afflict
pre-
with
you, and you,
be ours too? But that
day when the Lord Jesus appears from heaven, with
angels to proclaim his power; with
fire
flaming about him, as
he pours out vengeance on those who do not acknowledge
God, on those who Jesus.
The
refuse obedience to the gospel of our
Lord
presence of the Lord, and the majesty of his power,
condemn them to eternal punishment, when he comes show how glorious he is in his saints, how marvellously
will
to
he has dealt with
all
the faithful, that our witness should have
reached you Gentiles, and found tice
when
that day comes. It
is
belief! Yes, there will
with
always praying for you, praying that of your vocation,
doing,
all
and ripen by
this in
be
jus-
view that we are
God may
find
you worthy
his influence all your love of well-
the activity of your faith. So
may
the
name
of our
Lord Jesus be glorified in you, and you glorified in him, through the grace given by our God and by the Lord Jesus Christ.
as
But there is one entreaty we would make of you, brethren, you look forward to the time when our Lord Jesus Christ
The Second Coming God's Justice
On
of Christ
Paul had not remained in
Judgment Day.
Coiinth after writing the First Letter to the Thessalonians.
He set off to
the north to
and Dyrrachium.
lonia y
visit
It
the churches of Nicopolis, Apol-
was probably about three months
He had kept away from Thesmore violent outburst from the
before he returned to Corinth. salonica, so as
not to
He
Jews there.
stir
up
a
surely did not expect to find such perturbing
news of that church awaiting him at Corinth. Communication between Corinth and Thessalonica was quent both by land and
sea.
Some
back from Thessalonica and
just
fre-
Corinthian merchants were
lost
no time
in
informing Paul
of the disturbing picture there: Christians were sitting
round
expecting the end of the world at any moment. They had become so despondent over the persecution that they had almost lost faith in a just judge who would redress their wrongs. It is this last point that Paul takes up Erst: he describes what idle,
will take place at the last Jesus: 'Will
not
God
crying out to him, day
with their wrongs? I
judgment. His teaching
give redress to his eJect,
is
that of
when they
are
and night? Will he not be impatient
tell
you, he will give
them
redress with
7
speed.
all
A
modern audience would expect
ticular eral
judgment
a reference to the par-
more remote gen-
at death, rather than the
judgment. PauYs line of thought shows
how
preoccupied
the world was with expectancy of the end of the world;
the
mood
of the
lived;
Why
was
moment. The emphasis was on the corporate
existence of the Mystical Body, not vidual. It
it
on the
fate of the indi-
was the atmosphere in which people of those times
with us the emphasis has shifted to personal retribution.
the Second
champion
Coming
of wickedness/
is
is
Delayed.
better
known
Paul's
rebel,
'the
as Antichrist (a title
2 Thessalonians
130
1-12
come, and gather us in to himself.
will
out of your senses
by any to
2,
close at hand. astray.
us,
the rebel
is
any message or
not
let
name, above
all
terrified
letter
purporting
who that
is
first,
to
men
is
anyone find the means of leading
come
apostasy must
wickedness must appear
This
not be
which suggests that the day of the Lord
Do
The
Do
and thrown into confusion,
at once,
spiritual utterance,
come from
you
all
lift
first;
the champion of
destined to inherit perdition.
up
his
head above every divine
hold in reverence,
till
he en-
at last
thrones himself in God's temple, and proclaims himself as
Do
God. left
not you remember
my
telling
this,
before
I
is
what I mean) which holds him in show himself before the time appointed the conspiracy of revolt
checks
it
now
will
is
be able to check
and the Lord Jesus
himself;
to him; meanwhile,
already at work; only, he
from the enemy's path. Then
it is
it,
until
he
is
removed
that the rebel will
will destroy
who show
him with the breath
mouth, overwhelming him with the brightness of
of his
presence.
He
will
come, when he comes, with
fluence to aid him; there will be feit signs
and wonders; and
no
ship in
all
is
letting loose
his
Satan's in-
lack of power, of counter-
his wickedness will deceive the
doomed, to punish them for refusing that the truth which would have saved them. That
souls that are
God
you of
a power (you know check, so that he may not
your company? At present there
among them
fellowis
why
a deceiving influence, so
that they give credit to falsehood; he will single out for judg-
ment
all
those
who
refused credence to the truth, and took
their pleasure in wrong-doing.
We must always give thanks in your name, brethren whom the Lord has so favoured. fruits in
God
has picked you out as the
first-
the harvest of salvation, by sanctifying your spirits
and convincing you
of his truth;
he has called you, through
From Corinth found only ber
world; here
'Many
and John's Apocalypse, present hut out Lord, and Johns Epistles, have appeared in the
false teachers
the deceiver you were warned against, here
is
Antichrist' (2 Jn. 7;
think Paul
is
he personifies Sin in Romans
The all its
But
Bible
personifying a thing
evil perpetually at
the imagery of war runs through
pages; the victory of Christ over sin
imagery
this biblical
So
Church.
his
full of battles,
is
13, 22).
is
6), that Antichrist is
merely the personification of the forces of
war with Christ and
ML
Jn. 2, 18-22; 4, 3;
1
many commentators
(just as
whose num-
13). Paul,
Antichrist as an individual, as a collectivity:
that
131
in John's Epistles), the beast of the sea
666 (Apoc.
is
51 A.D.
is
is
not to be taken
pictured as a battle. literally;
That
victory will be spiritual not material.
our Lords
this final battle is
not imminent, Paul proves by a reference to some obstacle
which was well known to the Thessalonians; but we today are uncertain,
and can only guess
at its identity.
Holzner takes the obstacle to be
Roman
law and order
checking the rebel and his revolt. Prat thinks that the archangel Michael of Satan.
is
Knox
the power in the path of Antichrist, the tool
holds that the obstacle in the way of Christ's
Coming is
the unbelief of the Jews. In favour of this
ii f 25-26,
where Paul
before Christ returns. It
is
far the
now
Faith.
end of the world,
all
by the
raging there shows
Jews are from conversion to the
The Grace Of
Romans
a condition easily verifiable
Thessalonians: the Jewish persecution
how
is
Jews must be converted
states that the
faith.
This rather frightening picture of the
the discussion about the proximity of the
day of judgment, has given a wrong emphasis to the Thessalonians' spiritual
life.
So Paul here
recalls
them
to the mes-
2 Thessalonians 2, 13-3, 14
132
our preaching, to attain the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Stand firm, then, brethren, and hold by the traditions you have learned, in word or in writing, from
us.
So may our
Lord Jesus Christ himself, so may God, our Father, who has shown such love to us, giving us unfailing comfort and wel-
come hope through
his grace, encourage your hearts,
and
confirm you in every right habit of action and speech.
And now,
brethren, let us have your prayers, that the
Lord may run
word
of the
as
does with you; and that
it
its
course trimphantly with us,
we may be
preserved from
malicious interference; the faith does not reach
all
hearts.
But the Lord keeps faith with us; he will strengthen you, and keep you from all harm. We are sure of you in the Lord, sure that you are doing and will do as we bid you; may the Lord direct you where the love of God and the patience of Christ
show you the way.
Only, brethren,
we
charge you in the
Jesus Christ to have nothing to
name
of our
Lord
do with any brother who
a vagabond life, contrary to the tradition which we handed on; you do not need to be reminded how, on our visit, we set you an example to be imitated; we were no vagabonds ourselves. We would not even be indebted to you for our daily bread, we earned it in weariness and toil, working with our hands, night and day, so as not to be a burden to any of you; not that we are obliged to do so, but as a model lives
own behaviour; you were to follow our example. The charge we gave you on our visit was that the man who refuses to work must be left to starve. And now we are told that there are those among you who live in idleness, neglecting their own business to mind other people's. We charge all such, we for your
appeal to them in the Lord Jesus Christ, to earn their bread
by going on calmly with
their work.
For yourselves, brethren,
From Corinth
51 A.D.
133
sage he originally preached to them; he puts things in their right proportion again.
Christian picture of
The
reaiJy
life is their belief
has chosen them out, the Erst of the world;
supply
God's divine
And
it is
it is
in a loving Father
among
all
pagans in
the gifts of faith, hope,
and motivation
to their souls,
life
important element in the
and
who
this part
charity that
to act according to
will.
not a healthy sign for them to he always thinking
of themselves to stand firm
and the
trials
they are undergoing.
The power
under assault comes from Christ, who was patient
when insulted; it does not depend on their own strength. As members of the Mystical Body they should have the welfare of other churches in their prayers. By this appeal for prayers, Paul takes their minds off their own trials and encourages them to assist the Corinthians, now under assault from the Jews.
Go On
Calmly With Daily Work.
This strike
Christian dockworkers of Thessalonica usual in history. that
it
The
space given
among
the
must be the most un-
by Paul seems to indicate
it
was widespread: workmen in every trade were
idle,
waiting for the day of judgment to dawn; they were a drain
on the community. taught his followers tion,
but there
is
Spiritually
how
was worse
it
to endure
no Christian way
and
profit
just as
is
own
he took the labouring Carpenter of Nazareth
as
own
their
conduct on
also a realist;
eat; let the
saner view of things.
his
life.
and he
gives
two
of restoring these idlers to their right senses.
anything to
persistent toil
of
the pattern of his
Paul
from persecu-
way
in their midst; they are to life,
our Lord
of sanctifying idleness.
Paul reminds these stop-workers of his
model
still:
practical
Do
means
not give them
pinch of hunger bring them back to a
Show
displeasure at their conduct by
Acts of the Apostles
134
never weary of doing good.
If
18,
12-18
anybody
refuses to listen to
what we have said avoid his company
in
him
not treating him as an enemy.
our
till
like a brother,
letter,
he
is
he
ashamed
the Lord of peace grant you peace at
the Lord be with you
Here which
The
to be
found
marked man;
to be a
of himself, correcting
all
And may
times and in
all
ways;
all.
Paul's greeting in his
is
is
is
in all
my
own hand;
letters; this is
the signature
my
grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you
handwriting. all.
Second Missionary Journey continued
Then, when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a concerted attack on Paul, and dragged him before the judg-
ment
This fellow/ they said, worship God in a manner the law seat.
'is
persuading
men
to
forbids/ Paul was just
opening his mouth to speak, when Gallio said to the Jews,
would be only
'It
patience,
right for
me
to listen to
we had here some wrong
if
you Jews with
done, or some malicious
contrivance; but the questions you raise are a matter of words
and names,
You must
of the law
see to
it;
I
which holds good among yourselves.
have no mind to
try
such cases/
And
he drove them away from the judgment seat. Thereupon there was a general onslaught upon Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue,
but
all this
who was
beaten before the judgment
seat;
caused Gallio no concern.
Paul stayed on
many
days yet, then took leave of the
brethren and sailed off to Syria; before he
left
Cenchrae he
shaved his head, since he was under a vow.
He
took
Priscilla
From Corinth cutting
them
of social
life
wake them
off
own
135
and contact with normal Christian
may
living
up to the folly of their present line of conduct Silas
and added the
last
few
lines
handwriting; this was his usual custom at the end
more necessary in this the spurious documents being circulated in
of his letters. It was
cause of
A.D.
from the Christian community; the absence
Paul took the pen from in his
to Jerusalem 52
the
all
From Corinth
eyes the growing Christian it
from
his
name.
to Jerusalem 52 A.D.
The Jews watched with
Paul Dragged Before Gallic.
Rowing into
letter, be-
Church
all classes
hostile
at Corinth; converts
were
of society, but especially from
the dockworkers. Paul's enemies waited patiently for the op-
portune
moment The
right time to close in
arrival of a
new governor seemed
on Paul and present him
as
the
an opponent
of religion.
Gallio was a cultured
Roman
gentleman, a brother of the
famous Seneca, then tutor to Nero, the next emperor. the Jews did not
know was
dislike for the Jewish race.
The
extra
of Jews at Corinth since their expulsion from
The
had caused tension
number
Rome
two
in the Jew-Gentile situation.
Gentiles took this opportunity to
by beating up the leader of the Jews.
we End him
s
So the attack on Paul misfired and
turned into an anti-Semitic demonstration.
years before
What
that Gallio shared his brother
show
their
It did
a disciple of Paul before long.
resentment
him good
too;
136
Acts of the Apostles
18, 19-19, 1
them behind when he reached Ephesus. He himself went to the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews, who asked him to make a longer stay. But he would not consent; he said, as he took leave of them, 'I will come back to you again, if it is God's will/ and departed and Aquila with him, but
from Ephesus by
left
sea.
Third Missionary Journey On
landing at Caesarea, he went up from there to greet
the church, then went
spent some time; he
down
left
it
again to Antioch, where he to
make an
orderly progress
through the Phrygian region of Galatia, where he established the disciples in the faith.
Meanwhile a Jewish visitor came to Ephesus, Apollo by name; he was born in Alexandria, and was an eloquent man, well grounded in the scriptures. He had had instruction in the way of the Lord; and, with a spirit full of zeal, used to preach and teach about the life of Jesus accurately enough, although he knew of no baptism except that of John. So he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue, whereupon Priscilla and Aquila, who had been listening, made friends with him, and explained the way of God to him more particularly. He was meaning to continue his journey into Achaia; in this the brethren encouraged him, and wrote asking the disciples there to welcome him who had had the grace to believe. His visit was a welcome reinforcement to the believers; he spared no pains to refute the Jews publicly, proving from the scriptures that Jesus was the Christ. It
was while Apollo was away
at
Corinth that Paul finished
From Antioch Paul
left for
to
Ephesus 53-54 A.D.
1
37
Jerusalem by ship from the eastern port of
We
Corinth, called Cenchrae.
know
name
the
one
of only
person there, a devout church worker, Phoehe. Paul would carry part of the hair of his shaven
burnt on the
vow (Num.
altar there; it
head up
to Jerusalem to he
was the fulfilment of a Nazirite
6).
From Antioch
Ephesus 53-57 A.D.
to
Apollo Instructed About Baptism.
Although the name of
no Caesarea. De-
Jerusalem does not occur here in the narrative, there
doubt that Paul went there from the seaport of
spite flourishing Christian foundations in Galatia,
and Achaia, Paul
still
is
Macedonia,
venerated the mother church of the
Cenacle; not only the place but the Jewish community
who
worshipped the Lord there ranked high in Paul's esteem.
WhiJe waiting out
the winter in Antioch, Paul
made some
rearrangements in the group of disciples to accompany him
on
his third missionary journey. Silas, a
former disciple of
Peter, rejoined the prince of the apostles; ten years later he is still
with Peter at
Rome
(1 Pet. 5, 12).
by Titus, a brother of Luke
Luke never mentions
Philippi.
Acts;
it
whom
was bad
literary
form
his
His place was taken
Paul had
own name
left in
charge at
or Titus in the
for a writer of those times to
speak of himself or his family. Timothy stayed with Paul as his right
Gaius It
He
at
hand and closest disciple. The group was joined by Derbe, on the road to Ephesus.
was probably not could not have
till
Jeft
54 A.D. that Paul arrived at Ephesus. Antioch till about June (the passes
over the Taurus Mountains were closed until early summer);
Acts of the Apostles
138 his journey
disciples there
and asked them, 'Was the Holy
when you
Spirit given to you,
learned to believe?'
they said, 'nobody even mentioned to us the ex-
istence of a
Holy
Spirit/
'What baptism,
And
2-13
through the inland country, and came to Ephesus.
He met some
Why/
19,
then, did you receive?' Paul asked.
they said, 'John's baptism/
So Paul told them, 'John baptized to bring
men
to re-
pentance; but he bade the people have faith in one
was to come
On
after
hearing
him, that
is,
in Jesus.'
they received baptism in the
this,
who
name
of
when Paul laid his hands upon them, came down on them, and they spoke with
the Lord Jesus; and the Holy Spirit
tongues, and prophesied. In in
all,
these
men
were about twelve
number.
And now he went
into the synagogue,
and
for three
months
spoke boldly there, reasoning with them and trying to convince
them about the kingdom
some who hardened
Way
ing the
withdrew
since there were
their hearts
and refused
belief, discredit-
in the eyes of the people,
own
his
God; but
of
disciples,
he
left
them, and
holding disputations daily in the
school of Tyrannus. This lasted for two years, so that the Lord's word
came
to the ears of
all
those
who
lived in Asia,
both Jews and Greeks. And God did miracles through Paul's hands that were beyond all wont; so much so, that when handkerchiefs or aprons which had touched his body were
taken to the spirits
they got rid of their diseases, and evil
sick,
were driven out.
Some
of the wandering Jewish exorcists took
selves to invoke the
were possessed by in the
name
name
of the
evil spirits,
of Jesus, the
it
upon them-
Lord Jesus over those who 'I conjure you
with the words,
name
that
is
preached by Paul.'
Ephesus 54-56 A.D. it
would take the
He had
1
39
rest of the year to visit his GaJatian churches.
not to search for lodgings in Ephesus; Aquiia and
him a warm welcome. him of a most unusual and who had come in one day on a ship from
Piiscilh were waiting, ready to give
They couJd hardly wait distinguished visitor
to tell
Alexandria in Egypt, and had
name was
ApoiJo.
A pity Paui
now gone on
to Corinth. His
had missed him; he was
a
most
learned gentleman.
Paul soon came across some results of Apollo's work in
Ephesus
—twelve poorly instructed converts.
The
incident
is
given at length because of the Apollo-Paul factions in Corinth.
Luke wished
to
show
that Paul was justified in rehaptizing 7
Apollo's converts; 'Johns baptism was not the Christian sacra-
ment
at all
PauPs Victory Over Black Magic.
Paul's
Ephesus
his missionary centres.
his longest stay at
is
any of
three
years
at
It corresponds in Paul's life to the Galilean ministry of
our
Lord: large crowds, miracles, continual preaching, and a
stra-
even more than the lake of Galilee,
tegic location. Ephesus,
was on the crossroads of the world.
It
was the capital of Asia,
Roman
the most populous province in the
branched out from
this
Empire; roads
busy port to more than 500
cities
and
towns of Asia.
For the
homes
Erst time in his career, Paul
of his converts were inadequate to hold the crowds that
were streaming in for instruction. His enetus, 'the
first
offering Asia
he was the herald of the
found that the private
kingdom
a
made
first
convert was Epa-
to Christ
7
(Rom.
mighty army that forced
at Ephesus.
To cope
with
this,
its
16, 5);
way
into
Paul gave public
classes of instruction in the hall of a philosopher convert,
Tyrannus.
An
early tradition says
he lectured daily from
just
Acts of the Apostles 19, 14-22
140
Among
these were the seven sons of Skeva, one of the Jewish
And
chief priests.
Paul
I
know
the evil spirit answered, 'Jesus
well enough; but you,
man who was
that, the
them and got the
what
I
are you?'
recognize,
And
with
possessed by the evil spirit ran at
better of them, defying the
power of both;
from the house naked and wounded.
so that they fled
This came to the ears of every Jew and Greek living at Ephesus; fear Jesus
fell
upon them
all,
was held in great honour.
and the name of the Lord
Many
believers
came forward,
confessing their evil practices and giving a full account of
them; and a number of those their
who
followed magic arts
made
books into a heap and burned them in public; the value
of these
was reckoned up, and proved to be
silver pieces. So, irresistibly,
fifty
thousand
the word of the Lord spread and
prevailed.
When
all this
was
to go to Jerusalem,
over, the
first
thought in Paul's heart was
travelling through
Macedonia and
'When I have been there/ he said, 'I must go on and Rome/ And he sent on two of those who ministered to
Achaia: see
him, Timothy and Erastus, into Macedonia, but waited for a while himself in Asia.
First Letter to the Corinthians
whom
God has called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, and Sosthenes, who is their brother, send greetings to the church of God at Corinth, to those who have been Paul,
the will of
sanctified in Jesus Christ,
who
invoke the
pendency of
name
theirs,
from God, who
is
and
of our
and so
called to
be holy; with
all
those
Lord Jesus Christ, in every deGrace and peace be yours
of ours.
our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
Ephesus 57 A.D. before
midday
worked
all
until mid-afternoon;
through the daily
Ephesus was It
was the
which means that he
siesta period.
also a holy city y like
home
141
and
of Asiatic magic,
Athens and Jerusalem. all
the vice and mystery
went with the magic of the Orient
that
Jesus
and Paul became
An
incident
is
re-
how
powerful the names of both
in the
war with demons and black
corded by Luke to show
magic. It eventually led to a public burning of
much
of the
occult literature of Ephesus.
In writing to the Corinthians from Ephesus Paul
tells
them
and of the fierce opand promising opportunity
of both his amazing success for Christ
position he encountered:
4
A
great
lies
open to me, and strong
my
side/ His flourishing congregation in Asia will
into the picture of his
life
forces oppose
in
represent
home ters
him
he
will
is
1
daily at
come back
Eve of his remaining
Ephesians, Colossians, Philemon,
Roman imprisonment
me; death
letters
and 2 Timothy. After
—
his
send his favourite disciple to
at Ephesus. This city
is
also
famous
as the
of St. John the apostle, in his later days; his three Let-
and the Fourth Gospel were written
here.
Problems of Christian Living There was no convert PrisciJJa
a table,
Holy
Spirit
that he
class
tonight at the
home
of Aquila
and
on the Ephesian waterfront. Sosthenes was seated at pen in hand, as Paul paced up and down the room; the was there
would
dictate
mind only what God wanted him too, enlightening the
of Paul so to tell the
church at Corinth. This was not the Erst
letter to
Corinth; Paul had sent off a
142 I
Corinthians
i
1,
3-18
my God continually in your name God which has been bestowed upon you
give thanks to
grace of
Christ; that
you have become
rich,
through him, in every
way, in eloquence and in knowledge of every the message of Christ established there
is
no
which you are
gift in
for that in Jesus
sort; so fully
among
itself
lacking;
still
to look forward to the revealing of our
has
And now
you.
you have only
Lord Jesus Christ. He so that no charge
will strengthen
your resolution to the
will lie against
you on the day when our Lord Jesus Christ has called you into the fellowship of his
last,
The God, who
comes.
Son, Jesus Christ our Lord,
faithful to his promise.
is
Only I entreat you, brethren, as you love the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, use, all of you, the same language. There must be no divisions among you; you must be restored
mind and
to unity of
my
brethren, from Chloe's household,
among
sions 'I
The account
purpose.
am
for Paul, I
Christ/
was
you; each of you,
am
What, has
that there are dissen-
mean, has a cry of
I
for Apollo, I
am
for Kephas,
Christ been divided up?
crucified for you?
Thank God
baptized?
is
Was I
it
in Paul's
name
Crispus and Gaius; so that no one can say
I
do not know that
Christ did not send
Was
it
his I
own,
am
for
Paul that
that you were
did not baptize any of you except
you were baptized. (Yes, and Stephanas;
have of you,
I
me
it
was
in
my name
did baptize the household of
I I
baptized anyone
to baptize;
he sent
else.)
me
to preach
the gospel; not with an orator's cleverness, for so the cross of Christ their
who
own are
might be robbed of ruin, the
its
force.
To
message of the cross
on the way to
salvation,
it is
is
those
but
who
court
folly; to us,
the evidence of God's
From Ephesus previous note
(1
Cor.
but
5, 9),
57 A.D.
it
143
come down
has not
to us.
Actually he wrote four letters to Coiinth; a second Jost letter
seems to be referred to in 2 Corinthians
two surviving
Jetters are
4 and
2,
7, 8.
The
reahy the Second and Fourth Letters
to the Corinthians.
Sosthenes
is
probably the same
man who
persecuted Paul
most likely he is a convert of ApoJJo, at this moment also in Ephesus. Paul associates Sosthenes with himself to show that there is no real rivalry between himself and Apollo. The reason why he does not use ApoJJo's name is
in Corinth;
probably that ApoJJo was unco-operative; he would not sub-
mit to Paul's authority. Rival Parties of Paul and Apollo.
Our
Lord's final prayer at
the Last Supper was that his Church should manifest the same unity as that possessed by Father, Son, and Holy Ghost: 'That
they should life
all
be one, as
we
are
one/
of the Corinthian church as
it
It
was
as essential to the
was to the
of the
life
Blessed Trinity.
The
seamless robe of Christ was split right
in Corinth; there
down
the middle
were the converts of Paul and the converts
of ApoJJo, and they were Jike two parties at war with each
other instead of brothers living in peace and unity.
The
Pauli-
nes had a second champion in PauJ's brother apostle, Peter (Paul refers to of
ApoJJo,
him by
not
to
his
be
Aramaic name, Kephas); the party
outdone,
claimed
Christ
as
their
champion.
With his not mention ApoJJo by name
Preaching of Paul and Apollo Contrasted. like charity
Paul does
paragraph; but there seems
little
doubt that
sentation of Christianity that he opposes
human wisdom and
philosophy. There
is
it is
Christin this
ApoJJo's pre-
when he
speaks of
only one gospel, and
144
Corinthians
1
we
power. So
'I
19-2, 2 will
confound the wisdom
men, disappoint the calculations of the prudent/ become of the wise men, the scribes, the philos-
of wise
What
read in scripture,
i9
has
ophers of this age
we
Must we not
live in?
has turned our worldly wisdom to folly? us his wisdom, the world, with
way
its
all its
our preaching, to save those
who
God
showed
wisdom, could not find
God; and now God would use a
to
say that
When God
foolish thing,
will believe in
it.
Here are
the Jews asking for signs and wonders, here are the Greeks intent
on
their philosophy;
but what we preach
but to us
who have been
Christ cruci-
men
Jew and Gentile alike, Christ wisdom of God. So much wiser
God's foolishness; so
is
folly;
called,
the power of God, Christ the
than
is
the Jews, a discouragement, to the Gentiles, mere
fied; to
much
stronger than
men
is
God's weakness. Consider, brethren, the circumstances of your
not
many
you are
of
powerful, not
world holds
many
own
calling;
wise, in the world's fashion, not
well born.
foolish, so as to
many
No, God has chosen what the
abash the wise,
God
has chosen
what the world holds weak, so as to abash the strong. God has chosen what the world holds base and contemptible, nay, has chosen what is nothing, so as to bring to nothing what is now in being; no human creature was to have any ground for boasting, in the presence of God. It is from him that you take your origin, through Christ Jesus,
be
all
our wisdom, our
justification,
whom God
our atonement; so that the scripture might be
anyone So
it
gave us to
our sanctification, and fulfilled,
'If
him make his boast in the Lord/ brethren, that when I came to you and preached
boasts, let
was,
God's message to you,
I
did so without any high pretensions
to eloquence, or to philosophy.
I
had no thought of bringing
you any other knowledge than that of Jesus Christ, and of him as crucified. It was with distrust of myself, full of anxious
From Ephesus 57 A.D. it is
145
centred on the historical fact of the crucifixion. If any-
one tampered with
this essential
no uncertain terms: 'Though
it
message, Paul spoke out in
were we ourselves, though
it
were an angel from heaven that should preach to you a gospel other than the gospel
we preached
to you, a curse
upon him!'
Apollo was not a heretic, but his language and ideas were
borrowed from the Jewish scriptures and Greek philosophy. His picture of Christ was coloured by the Old Testament
and Jerusalem;
rather than the happenings in Galilee
was presented
as a victorious king,
not a crucified redeemer.
The atmosphere
of his sermons
Pilate's palace, it
was that of Psalm 109:
your empire spring up
like a
was not the shouting
son, born like the
dew
he
down
will pass sentence
For Paul, the living:
crucified
'With Christ
I
and
glorious;
before the day-star
hand, the Lord will beat ance:
The Lord
branch out of Sion.
princely state shall be yours, holy
Jesus
rises.
mob
in
will
make
From
birth
you are
At your
my
right
kings in the day of his venge-
on the nations/
Master was the model of Christian
hang upon the
cross.'
ApoJIo was
in-
clined to neglect the cross and present Christianity as an easy
way
of
life.
Take the problem
of food offered to idols, in
ApoJIo would solve the problem by saying that an
chapter
8.
idol has
no
real existence; the
food offered to
it is
no
different
from any other food. Where ApoJIo made an ingenious tion,
distinc-
Paul saw the person of Christ in the scrupulous Christian:
When
you
sin against
ful consciences,
you
The Corinthians
your brethren, by injuring their doubt-
sin against Christ'
were, for the
most
part, slaves
and dock-
workers; such people were hardly the right material to be into philosophers by Professor Apollo.
Not
made
that this should
bother them, seeing that our Lord's followers were simple
146
i
Corinthians
my
approached you;
fear, that I
2,
3-16
preaching,
my
message de-
pended on no persuasive language, devised by human wisdom, but rather on the proof I gave you of spiritual power. God's power, not man's wisdom, was to be the foundation of your faith.
wisdom which we make known it is not the wisdom of this world, or of this world's rulers, whose power is to be abrogated. What we make known is the wisdom of God, his secret, kept hidden till now; so, before the ages, God had decreed, reserving glory for us. (None of the rulers of this world could read his secret, or they would not have crucified him to whom all glory belongs.) So we read of, Things no eye has seen, no ear has heard, no human heart conceived, the welcome God has prepared for those who love him/ To us, There
among
then,
there
to be sure, a
is,
those
God is
not find
who
made
has
no depth it
the man's
are fully grounded; but
in
a revelation of
out.
Who
own
spirit that
know God's
through the
else
can is
know
is
no
spirit of
that comes from God, to
Spirit;
Spirit can-
a man's thoughts, except
within him? So no one else can
And what we
thoughts, but the Spirit of God.
have received
us; gifts
it
God's nature so deep that the
worldly wisdom;
make
it is
the Spirit
us understand God's gifts to
which we make known, not
in such
words
as
human
wisdom teaches, but in words taught us by the Spirit, matching what is spiritual with what is spiritual. Mere man with his natural gifts
cannot take in the thoughts of God's
Spirit;
they seem mere folly to him, and he cannot grasp them, because they
man who
demand
a scrutiny which
has spiritual
gifts
is
spiritual.
Whereas the
can scrutinize everything, without
being subject, himself, to any other man's scrutiny. entered into the
him?'
And
mind of the Lord, mind is ours.
Christ's
Who has
so as to be able to instruct
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
men and women,
147
human wisdom.
with no pretensions to
Christian greatness does not
come from
with Christ crucified; he
himself the source of
is
union
learning, hut by
and knowledge, surpassing and reducing
all
wisdom
all
human
learning
to nothing.
True Divine Wisdom. philosophers, defined
and
first
causes. It yielded
its
as the
knowledge of principles
who engaged
secrets only to those
arduous process of reasoning;
in a long,
gave an imperfect
it
knowledge of the Deity through the study of created
But
did not bring
it
Greek
Aristotle, the greatest of all
wisdom
man
to
union with God, that
result of intellectual activity; that
things.
is
not the
comes only through
charity,
the unifying love that springs from
mans
wisdom, a Christian philosophy of
life
This
will.
is
true
surpassing the
far
worldly wisdom of the Greeks.
A man wisdom;
does not have to he learned to acquire this Christian it is
accessible to slaves
and
stevedores,
of the Corinthians were. Understanding of
from the indwelling of the Holy sanctifying grace.
the
Holy
inspires
But the
great secret of divine
that
man
Trinity,
and
and
principles.
wisdom, not revealed to any-
shares in the
life
God
of
him-
by membership in the Mystical Body of Christ. Our
Lord's still
is
gift of
to the Christian,
in the expression of divine truths
one in past times, self
wisdom
comes
secrets
through the
As the Third Person of the Blessed
Spirit reveals divine
him
Spirit,
its
which most
life
on
this earth
did not end with his Ascension; he
speaks with the tongues of his followers, heals with the
touch of their hands, and sees the things of their eyes. lect alone;
imitation;
The
Christian
he has the use of Christ's mind it is
this
no longer thinks with
a real living of Christ's
own
too. It life.
world with
his
own
is
intel-
not mere
148
Corinthians
i
3,
1-15
And when I preached to you, I had to approach you as men with natural, not with spiritual thoughts. You were little
children in Christ's nursery, and
meat; you were not strong enough for
enough
for
rivalries,
alive,
of
it
even now; nature
these dissensions
gave you milk, not
I it.
still lives
You
are not strong
in you.
Do
not these
among you show that nature is still human standards? When one
that you are guided by
you
says,
'I
am
and another,
for Paul/
human
'I
am
for
Apollo/
Why, what is Apollo, what is who have brought you faith, brought it to each of you in the measure God granted. It was for me to plant the seed, for Apollo to water it, but it was God who gave the increase. And if so, the man who plants, the man who waters, count for nothing; God is everything, since it is he who gives the increase. This man plants, that man waters; it is all one. And yet either will receive his own wages, in proportion to his own work. You are a field of God's tilling, a structure of God's design; and we are only his assistants. With what grace God has bestowed on me, I have laid are not these
thoughts?
Paul? Only serving-men,
a foundation as a careful architect should; else to build
careful is
upon
how he
it.
it is left
Only, whoever builds on
for
someone
it
must be
The foundation which has been laid lay; I mean Jesus Christ. foundation different men will build in gold, silver, builds.
the only one which anybody can
But on
this
precious stones, wood, grass, or straw, and each man's work-
manship
will
will disclose fire will test
be plainly seen. it,
since that day
is
the day of the Lord that
to reveal itself in
the quality of each man's workmanship.
receive a reward, if it is
It is
if
burnt up, he
fire,
and
He
will
the building he has added on stands firm; will
be saved, though only
as
and yet he himself
will
are saved by passing through
fire.
be the
men
loser;
From Ephesus Teachers Only Lay
judgment
The
57 A.D.
Foundations.
are abJe to profit
149
Only men
ophical presentation of Christian truths. Paul
how
strates
now demon-
unsuitable such an approach would be to the
Corinthians, seeing that they of children.
of mature
by a highly intellectual and philos-
The importance
still
have the immature outlook
they have assigned to himself and
Apollo shows that they do not possess a true sense of proportion; they have
way of
jumbled up and distorted the true Christian
life.
What makes Apollo;
it is
the Christian live
a vital
is
not the teaching of Paul or
power communicated
a sharing in the life of the Trinity.
to
him from God,
Paul vividly presents the
doctrine under the metaphor of a growing plant:
on the part of teachers
is
only secondary;
it is
effort
all
God who makes
the plant grow.
To
illustrate
two other aspects of Christian
life,
changes his metaphor from agriculture to building. sential to the
permanence of any structure that
foundation; and Paul has clearly
shown
Paul
It is es-
have solid
it
in his preaching to
the Corinthians that the Christian ediEce, the Church, has
no foundation but Christ. Any attempt
to build
on worldly
wisdom could only raise a tottering structure that would fall when 'the rain feJJ and the floods came and the winds blew.' And finally, the Christian himself must make his contribution; man must use the grace put at his disposal by God. This he does by good works, by building up his own personal life in the society
well each
man
where divine providence has placed him. builds will be tested
on judgment day:
How
just as
Ere tests the materials of a house, so God's scrutiny will test
mans
deeds. If his spiritual
rewarded with heaven;
if it
life
stands the
does not, he
test,
may
he
will
be
escape hell by
passing through the purifying flames of purgatory.
150
i
Do
Corinthians
3,
16-4, 7
you not understand that you are God's temple, and
that God's Spirit has his dwelling in you?
temple of God,
crates the is
God will bring him to ruin. It God which is nothing other
a holy thing, this temple of
You must not
than yourselves.
deceive yourselves, any of
you, about this. If any of you thinks he
so as to be folly.
own
truly wise.
So we read
is
wise, after the
must turn himself
fashion of his fellow-men, he
into a fool,
This world's wisdom, with God,
in scripture,
'I
will entrap the wise
is
but
with their
And again, The Lord knows the thoughts of how empty they are.' Nobody, therefore, should
cunning.'
the wise, and
repose his confidence in men. Everything it
anybody dese-
If
is
for you,
be Paul, or Apollo, or Kephas, or the world, or
or the present, or the future; Christ,
and Christ
for
it
is
all for
life,
whether or death,
you, and you for
God.
That is how we ought to be regarded, as Christ's servants, and stewards of God's mysteries. And this is what we look for in choosing a steward; we must find one who is trustworthy. Yet for myself, I make little account of your scrutiny, or of
any
my own
human
audit-day;
conduct.
me; but that
is
My
I
am not even
at pains to scrutinize
conscience does not, in
not where
my
justification lies;
fact, it is
reproach
the Lord's
scrutiny I must undergo. You do ill, therefore, to pass judgment prematurely, before the Lord's coming; he will bring to light what is hidden in darkness, and reveal the secrets of men's hearts; then each of us will receive his
due award
from God. All this, brethren,
but
it
is
meant
our example
is,
I
have applied to myself and to Apollo,
for you.
The
not to go beyond what
one slighting another out of all,
friend,
who
lesson
is it
you must learn from is
partiality for
laid
down
someone
for you,
else.
that gives you this pre-eminence?
After
What
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
151
A temple is not a private
Dissension Destroys Church Unity.
house but a community building where
the people assemble
all
its members and their come horn the divine Being whose dwelling temple is. By theii disputes over Paul and Apollo the
God. Both the holiness of
to woiship
unity as a society place the
human
Corinthians have so concentrated on the
Church that they have
the
elements in
lost sight of its divine nature. In-
stead of a society united by the bonds of divine charity, they
have made
it
into
two factions on Christ
Paul's sermons
at enmity.
courses on Christian living, are only to lead
them through Christ
tian temple, the
when
it is
To God.
its
true function only
Paul has not come to the people
own name; he
is
merely a servant of Christ;
Christ's voice preaching divine truths. All his gifts
from God, the source of it is
means put at their disposal life of God. The Chris-
into the
Church, can carry out
of Corinth in his is
God
to
dis-
centred on God.
Leave Judgment he
eloquent
crucified, Apollo's
all
his
power
to
win
come
their souls;
and
alone that he must give an account of his steward-
ship.
In correcting the division that has sprung up at Corinth,
he has been forced to compare his own preaching of the gospel with that of Apollo. This does not ing to win really
them away from Apollo
wants
source of
is
mean
that
to follow himself;
that they shall learn to look to
all their
natural
and supernatural
gifts.
day they will appear before the divine judge; to
him
that
is
he has been
it is
what he
God
On
try-
as the
judgment
their relation
important, not their adherence to the party of
either Paul or Apollo. It
is
time the Corinthians examined their consciences and
saw the error of their ways. Their partisanship over Paul and
152
i
Corinthians
4,
8-19
And
if
boast of them, as
if
powers have you, that did not come to you by they came to you by there was
no
gift in
why do you
gift,
gift?
question?
Well, you are already
you have grown
fully content; already
you have come into your kingdom, without wait-
rich; already
ing for help from us. Would that you had come into your kingdom indeed; then we should be sharing it with you. As it is, it seems as if God had destined us, his apostles, to be in
the lowest place of
We
angels alike.
we are
so helpless,
while
we
we
Still,
are
still
himself well rid of
my
speak
ill
of us,
in Jesus Christ,
am
when
example, then,
why
I
Some
I
not writing
and
I
to
shame you;
this to
would bring you
I
to
I
it
was
I
that begot
preached the gospel to you. Fol-
entreat you.
mine
in the Lord;
tread in Christ, the lessons of
fall
have sent Timothy to you, a faithful and
dearly loved son of of the path
and we
you may have ten thousand school-masters
my
alike.
it,
blessing, persecute us,
but not more than one father;
low
is
it,
the world's refuse; everybody thinks
us. I
you
That
in honour,
write,
I
dearly loved children,
a better mind. Yes, in Christ,
you are so wise;
we go hungry and we have no home to working with our own hands.
as
and we answer with a
and we make the best of
We
men and
creation,
are mishandled,
are hard put to
revile us,
you are
sentence of death; such
you so stout of heart; you are held
are despised.
entreaty.
men under
are fools for Christ's sake,
and naked; we
settle in,
Men
like
do we present to the whole
a spectacle
thirsty
all,
he I
will
give to
remind you all
churches
you have grown contemptuous, thinking that
would never come to visit you. But I shall be coming to see you soon, if the Lord is willing, and then I will test, not the I
fine
words of those who hold
me
in
contempt, but the powers
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
153
Apollo has Jed them into pride and uncharitable criticism: a true Christian should he concerned only with
how he
stands
with God.
A
Father Corrects His Children.
had
The
Christians at Corinth
a high opinion of the healthy spiritual condition of their
young and
had made
flourishing church. According to the report they
in a letter to Paul, they
were
'rich in
eloquence and
7
in
knowledge of every sort This
specifically the gift of
is
a reference to spiritual gifts,
tongues and wisdom; some spoke foreign
tongues in spiritual ecstasy, others stood up and translated these words into Greek, others
had an amazing
stand and expound the deepest mysteries
they considered these
gifts a sign of
(1
ability to under-
And
Cor. 12-14).
the spiritual well-being of
the church.
To
correct this error, Paul goes back to his favourite theme,
Body of Christ. There must be unity in the body: members must live the same life as that of their head, and they must not be at variance among themselves. The self-satisfied picture of a rich, highly honoured and esteemed community the Mystical
painted by the Corinthians suffering, humiliation,
just the opposite to the life of
is
and danger
of death that
Paul and most of the Christian world. predict comfort a
mind
to
and honours
come my way,
his cross daily,
for his followers: Tf
let
and follow me.
is
the lot of
The Master
him renounce
self,
any
did not
man
has
and take up
7
These words come from the paternal heart of Paul; the Corinthians are his wayward children; his one concern
win them back to the imitation of is
is
to
their father in Christ;
he
not a harsh schoolmaster; his words are inspired by his love
for them.
But
his love does
not blind him to their
faults;
and
154
1
they can show. It
is
Corinthians
4,
20-5, 11
power that builds up the kingdom
not words. Choose, then;
am
I
to
come
to
you rod
of
God,
in hand, or
lovingly, in a spirit of forbearance?
Why,
man
among you, and such among the heathen; a
there are reports of incontinence
incontinence as
is
not practised even
taking to himself his father's wife.
have been contumacious over expelling the
man who
it,
I
am
with you in
spirit;
it
seems, it,
and
Call an assembly, at which
I
will
the power of our Lord Jesus, and
am
I
not with you in
and, so present with you,
have already passed sentence on the
Jesus,
you,
has been guilty of such a deed from
your company. For myself, though person,
And
instead of deploring
man who
be present so, in
hand over the person named
the
I
has acted thus.
in spirit, with all
name
of our
Lord
to Satan, for the overthrow
of his corrupt nature, so that his spirit
may
find salvation in
the day of the Lord. This good conceit of yourselves
is
ill
grounded. Have you never been told that a little leaven is enough to leaven the whole batch? Rid yourselves of the leaven which remains over, so that you may be a new mixture, still uncontaminated as you are. Has not Christ been sacrificed for us, our paschal victim? Let us
keep the
not with the leaven of yesterday, that was chief,
all
feast, then,
vice
and mis-
but with unleavened bread, with purity and honesty
of intent. I told you to avoid the company meaning everyone in the world around you who is debauched, or a miser and an extortioner, or an idolater; to do that, you would have to cut yourselves off from the world altogether. No, my letter meant that if anyone
In the letter
I
wrote to you,
of fornicators; not
who
is
counted among the brethren
is
debauched, or a miser,
or an idolater, or bitter of speech, or a drunkard, or an ex-
From Ephesus 57 A.D. he would be unfaithful to if
his trust
155
and paternal obligations
he did not threaten to use the stick on those
who
hold
still
out against his apostolic authority.
A Public bers
Sinner Excommunicated.
and
to preserve
its
For the good of
Loid gave
unity, our
the authority to exclude unworthy members: listen to the church,
then count him
and the publican.'
is
the
name
of
this
all
he
will
not
one with the heathen
formal act of excommunication in
and with the power of Christ that Paul now pro-
nounces with
As well
It
Church
to his 'If
mem-
its
the weight of his apostolic authority.
all
as a
punishment
for his crime against the marriage
laws of the Church, the sentence was also meant as a cor-
by exclusion from the graces of the Mystical Body,
rective;
the sinner would learn by experience the need his soul has for
union with Christ, the head, and that Satan cannot
And
his spiritual needs.
return to his true
The crime
for
home,
so
he would be moved to repent and
just as the Prodigal
Son
did.
which he was being punished was an offence
against the marriage laws of affinity: he
mother
satisfy
had married
was probably dead). In the
(his father
lax
his step-
moral atmos-
phere of Corinth, Paul saw danger to the young Christian com-
munity
in tolerating this scandal.
from the current
feast of Easter,
He
took a topical illustration
when
all
leaven (yeast) was
put out of the houses; leaven was a symbol of corruption.
There
is
a link with the preceding chapters in Paul's
to the church authorities in Corinth; they
apostolic authority
when he had
rebuke
had disregarded
his
written, in a previous letter,
ordering the expulsion of the public sinner from the church.
He
also corrects a
wrong
interpretation of his words;
some
156
i
tortioner,
Corinthians
you must avoid
who
those
his
Why
at table with him.
sit
are without?
12-6, 11
company; you must not even
should
No,
own number,
within your
5,
it is
leaving
claim jurisdiction over
I
you to pass judgment
for
God
to judge those
who
from your company.
are without. Banish, then, the offender
Are you prepared to go to law before a profane court, when one of you has a quarrel with another, instead of bringing it
before the saints?
who
will pass
You know
well
enough that
judgment on the world; and
if
it is
the saints
a world
is
to
abide your judgment, are you unfit to take cognizance of
You have been told that we will sit in judgment on angels; how much more, then, over the things of common life? What, when you have these common quarrels to decide, would you appoint as judges men who go for nothtrifling
matters?
ing in the Church?
you
really
That
not a single
own
brother?
you.
it,
a defect in
you
wise enough to decide
Must two brethren go
at the best of times, that
among you
at
up with wrong,
you commit wrong, you
all.
How
is it
God's kingdom.
it is
you should have
that you do not prefer
prefer to suffer loss? Instead of that inflict loss,
and
at a brother's expense.
Yet you know well enough that wrong-doers bauched, the
What, have
and before a profane court? And indeed,
to law over
to put
humble
man among you
a claim brought by his
quarrels
say to
I
Make no
mistake about
idolaters, the adulterous, it
it;
is
will it is
not inherit not the de-
not the sinners
against nature, the misers, the drunkards, the bitter of speech,
the extortioners that will inherit the kingdom of God. That is
what some
you once were; but now you have been washed
now you have been sanctified, now you have been justiname of our Lord Jesus Christ, by the Spirit of God we serve.
clean,
fied in the
the
of
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
157
thought he meant that they should avoid the company of sinners,
whether Christian or pagan. But such
and function of the Church; to
is
not the nature
must mix with pagans
it
influence and convert them: T have come
all
in order
to save the world,
not to pass sentence on the world.'
The
Lawsuits Before Pagan Courts.
reference to judging, at
the end of the previous paragraph, leads Paul to mention here
another scandal in Corinth.
Body: a Christian his activities.
lives
He
he dies with him, sits
finds the solution of this prob-
litigation in the doctrine of the Mystical
lem of Christian
all
He
with the
of Christ
life
and shares
not only hangs with Christ on the
rises
again with him, ascends with
in
cross;
him and
enthroned with him above the heavens. At his Second
Coming, our Lord living
will
demonstrate his authority to judge the
and the dead, both men and
member
duty to exercise
and not submit Christian
it,
judgment of heathen
But Paul
is
Christian as a
as 'saints'
among
and 'brethren).
and want
it
is
his
cases to the
courts.
not content to leave
cause of these quarrels
interest
The
angels.
of Christ also enjoys this judicial power;
He
there;
it
Christians traces
(whom he
it all
of the virtue of charity.
he goes to the refers to
back to their
self-
They have forgotten
the teaching of their head and master: 'Blessed are the patient; blessed are the merciful; blessed are the peace-makers, they shall
be counted the children of God.
.
.
If a
man
strikes
you
on your right cheek, turn the other cheek also towards him;
he
is
ready to go to law with you over your coat,
have
it
and your cloak with
if
who
hate you; bless those treat
you
7
insultingly.
it.
.
.
Do
good
let
to those
curse you, and pray for those
him
who who
158
Corinthians
i
6, 12-7,
5
'I am free to do what I will'; yes, but not everything can be done without harm. 'I am free to do what I will/ but I must not abdicate my own liberty. 'Food is meant for our
animal nature, and our animal nature claims enough, but then,
God
will bring
its
food'; true
both one and the other to
an end. But your bodies are not meant for debauchery, they are
meant
for the Lord,
God,
just as
great
power
and the Lord claims your bodies. And
he has raised our Lord from the dead, by will raise us
up
too.
Have you never been
And am
that your bodies belong to the body of Christ?
take what belongs to Christ and
God
forbid.
Or
make
it
his
told I
to
one with a harlot?
did you never hear that the
man who
unites
himself to a harlot becomes one body with her? 'The two/
we
are told, 'will
become one
own
gift to you,
A
body. Surely you
Holy
are the shrines of the
God's
other sin a
body untouched, but the fornicator
crime against his
is
Any
then, of debauchery.
leaves the
masters.
Whereas the man who spirit with him. Keep
Lord becomes one
unites himself to the clear,
flesh/
Spirit,
so that
price was paid to
who
know
man is
commits,
committing a
that your bodies
dwells in you.
And he
you are no longer your own
ransom you;
glorify
God
in
your
bodies.
As
man
does well
commerce with women. But,
to avoid
for the questions raised in your letter; a
to abstain
from
all
the danger of fornication,
let
every
man
keep his own wife,
and every woman her own husband. Let every man give his wife what is her due, and every woman do the same by her husband; he, not she, claims the right over her body, as she, not he, claims the right over his.
Do
not starve one another, unless
perhaps you do so for a time, by mutual consent, to have more
freedom
for prayer;
come
together again, or Satan will tempt
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
Not Mean
Liberty Does
pion of Christian
Paul was the great cham-
Licence.
liberty.
159
In the Letter to the Galatians, he
defended the freedom of his Gentile converts horn the
monial prescriptions of the Mosaic Jaw, particularly the
cere-
rite of
Tou see, then, brethren, that we are sons of woman, not of the slave; such is the freedom Christ has won for us.' But some of his converts in Corinth pushed circumcision:
the free
his teaching too far; they considered that they
moral
all
law at
restraint, that
they were no longer
They even quoted
all.
In correcting
this error,
human
free
from
hound by any
Paul's words to prove
it.
Paul does not appeal to the sanctity
and permanence of the moral of the
were
law;
he argues from the sanctity
body. At the Incarnation, 'the
Word
was made
UesK; the Second Person of the Trinity was not united to a
human
soul only,
he took a human body
needed human organs, such
and heal with, so out
whom
it
as well. Just as
he
as a tongue and hands, to preach
his Mystical
Body
made up
is
of
men, with-
could not come into contact with and convert
mankind, and these
men
have bodies
whole physical and emotional
life
as well as souls.
of a Christian
to Christ; all his actions are Christ's
own
now
The
belongs
actions:
he must not
this point,
Paul begins
profane the body of Christ.
Marriage
Is
Right and Natural.
his reply to the Corinthian letter
At
brought to him at Ephesus
by Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus. The a
number
letter
contained
of problems, mostly to do with Christian Irving,
which are answered in the
rest of this First Letter to the
Corinthians (probably carried back to Corinth by the same three).
The
Erst question was: Is marriage part of the Christian
scheme?
A
rather unexpected question from the lax mora]
i6o
Corinthians
1
weak
you,
you
as
are. I say this
not imposing a rule on you.
I
6-17
7,
by way of concession;
wish you were
all in
I
am
the same
but each of us has his own endowment from God, one to live in this way, another in that. To the unmarried, and to the widows, I would say that they will do well to remain in the same state as myself, but if they have not the gift of continence, let them marry; better to marry than to state as myself;
feel the
heat of passion. For those
the precept holds which is
must
either
If
(if
she has left him, she
remain unmarried, or go back to her own husband
again), and the husband
those others,
give
I
is
not to put away his wife.
my own
instructions, not the Lord's.
any of the brethren has a wife, not a
content to
married already,
the Lord's precept, not mine; the
not to leave her husband
wife
To
is
who have
live
with him, there
put her away, nor
is
is
believer,
there any reason for a
her husband, not a believer,
if
who
is
well
no reason why he should
he
is
woman
to part with
content to live with
The
unbelieving husband has shared his wife's conseand the unbelieving wife has shared in the consecraof one who is a brother. Were it otherwise, their offspring
her.
cration,
tion
would be born under the other hand,
them
if
the unbelieving partner
is
has
come
to you.
wife, will save your
holy.
On
for separating, let
It is in a spirit of
There
is
peace that God's
husband, whether you, the husband, will
No, the part which God has
vocation which
God
That
churches.
is
is
no knowing whether you, the
save your wife.
case.
it is
separate; in such a case, the brother or the sister
under no compulsion. call
a stain, whereas in fact
has bestowed,
the direction which
I
is
am
assigned, the
to be the rule in each
giving
all
through the
From Ephesus 57 A.D. atmosphere of Corinth; hut
well
it is
161
known
and
that laxity
rigorism can flourish side by side.
on Christian marriage
Paul's sublime teaching
as a sacra-
mental union based on that of Christ and the Chuich in
Ephesians
Tou who
5:
are husbands
must show
is
given
love to
7
youi wives, as Christ showed love to the Church. But here,
he
to the Corinthians,
two vocations
Both
in the
is
content to point out that there are
Church: the married
and each has
are good,
activities of the
body of
its
Christ.
life
and the
celibate.
function to perform in the
The
state in life
chosen by
each individual depends on the graces given him by God; the fact that Paul himself state of marriage
Social Status
is
and
not a Christian institution.
new
lived.
Christianity.
world; he became a
practices that set
which he had
unmarried does not mean that the
Unchanged By
convert entered a liefs
is
him
By baptism new man with
the be-
apart from the pagan world in
Paul himself expressed the decisiveness
Tou must not consent to be yokefellows with unbelievers. What has innocence to do with lawlessness? What is there in common between light and of the break with heathenism:
darkness?'
Applying
this general principle to the family,
some Corin-
thians thought that a convert should leave his heathen wife
and
family. In reply, Paul points out that both wife
and
chil-
dren are in close contact with the supernatural graces enjoyed
by the believing husband: there
is
usually a
good chance of
their conversion.
Starting from this marriage case, Paul proceeds to lay a general principle:
The primary
objective of the
to save souls, not to change their social condition.
and
social distinctions,
such as slavery, which
down
Church
The
men
is
racial
think so
162
man
If a
already circumcised
is
to disguise
if
it;
he
is
circumcision. There
the want of
called; let
Do
slave?
is
no
become
not
own
his
him keep
to
let it trouble
free,
make
18-32
when he
all
A
is
it.
of
God
that
Have you been
called as a
you have the means
you; and
if
more use
of your opportunity. If
the
he
is
called,
is
Christ's freed-
becomes the
slave
was paid to redeem you; do not enslave
price
human
yourselves to
not to undergo
vocation, in which he has
man, when he
just as the free
of Christ.
not
called,
commandments
a slave is called to enter Christ's service,
man;
he
is is
virtue either in circumcision or in
keeping the
it; it is
7,
uncircumcised, he
Everyone has
signifies.
been to
Corinthians
1
Each
masters.
you
of
is
to remain,
brethren, in the condition in which he was called.
About give
virgins, I
my
you
command from the Lord; but I one who is, under the Lord's mercy,
have no
opinion, as
a true counsellor. This, then,
such times of to be in.
that this
stress,
hold to be the best counsel in is
the best condition for
Are you
free yourself.
Not
free of
that you
wedlock? Then do not go about
commit
sin
she marries, has the virgin committed
who do
if
is
so will
you marry; nor, only that
sin. It is
meet with outward you your freedom. Only, brethren, I would those
men
Are you yoked to a wife? Then, do not go about to
to find a wife. if
I
distress.
But
I
leave
say this; the time
who have who weep
drawing to an end; nothing remains, but for those
wives to behave as though they had none; those
must forget their tears, and those who rejoice their rejoicing, and those who buy must renounce possession; and those who take advantage of what the world offers must not take full advantage of
And
I
married
it;
the fashion of this world
would have you is
free
is
soon to pass away.
from concern.
He who is unhow he is
concerned with the Lord's claim, asking
From Ephesus 57 A.D. important in daily the
life
life,
163
are only of secondary importance in
A
of the Chuich.
slave can he united to Christ
hy
membership in his Mystical Body, just as easily as a free man; the Jewish mark of circumcision, of which he is so proud, does not help him at all in putting on the person of Christ. Paul's statement, ating, let it is
'If
the unbelieving partner 7
them
separate,
known
is
is
for separ-
as the Pauline Privilege;
canon 1120 of the Code of Canon Law. In virtue of between pagans can he dissolved
privilege, a marriage
if
this
one
them is converted and the other party refuses to live peaceably. The privilege hears Paul's name, because he promulgated it by act of apostolic authority, and not as originating from our Lord during his life on earth. of
Virginity Better
Than
Marriage.
When God
chose a virgin
mother of his Son he did so with a purpose: he was making known to the world that the state of virginity is to be the
superior to that of marriage.
the accepted standards of
known
a Jewish sect
By
all
this preference
as the Essenes); for the pre-Christian
world, marriage was the superior state of perfect
life
he went against
antiquity (with the exception of
life.
Through the
Mother and Son, God wished to rebetween soul and body; fallen manhe reminded that union with God, the perfect
of a virgin
store the right proportion
kind was to act of love,
The
is
in
mans
state of virginity
ity of spiritual
soul,
not in his body.
not only reminds
over material things,
set of conditions in
it
men
of the superior-
also provides a better
which the Christian can devote himself
entirely to the service of
God. By freeing him from the
of wife and family, he has opportunity for a
more
meditation; he
is
home, and can
give himself
suited to missionary
more
life
of prayer
ties
and
work away from
fully in charitable
and edu-
164
i
Corinthians
7,
33-8, 2
man
to please the Lord; whereas the married
with the world's claim, asking
and thus he
is
is
intent on holiness, bodily
is
am
I
is
concerned
to please his wife;
woman who
is
free
concerned with the Lord's claim,
and
spiritual;
whereas the married
how she own interest
concerned with the world's claim, asking
to please her husband.
when I
is
is
So a
at issue with himself.
of wedlock, or a virgin,
woman
how he
I
am
not that
say this. It is
thinking of what
is
thinking of your I
would hold you
suitable for you,
in a leash;
and how you may
best attend on the Lord without distraction.
And
if
anyone considers that he
towards the is
now
girl
who
is
on the ground that she
in his charge,
is
past her prime,
and there
behaving unsuitably
no way of avoiding
is
it,
let him please himself; there is nothing sinful in it; let them marry. Whereas, if a man remains fixed in his resolution, and makes up his mind to keep the girl who is in his charge unwed, although there is no necessity for it, and he is free
why,
to choose for himself, such a
man
is
man
well advised to give his
well advised. Thus, a
is
ward
in marriage,
and
still
better advised not to give her in marriage.
As if
for a wife, she
her husband
is
is
yoked to her husband
dead, she
have
the Spirit of
And now ship.
We
all
in
is,
marry anyone she will, But more blessed is she, if
judgment; and
I,
too, claim to
about meat that has been used in idolatrous wor-
know, to be
building together. it
lives;
God.
knowledge only breeds edge,
my
he
free to
is
so long as she marries in the Lord.
she remains as she
as long as
If
sure,
what
is
self-conceit, it
the truth about
is
it:
but
charity that binds the
anyone claims to have superior knowl-
means that he has not
yet attained the
knowledge
From Ephesns 57 A.D. good of the community. In
cational woiks for the
and
celibate life can he selfish
dedication to the Loid
is
what
in the life of the Mystical
Out Loid
made
himself
special vocation: 'It
only by those to
some
to adopt a celibate
raises it to
itself
a
motive of
ill-spent; a religious
such a high position
Body. it
clear that a life of virginity
is
a
cannot he taken in by everybody, but
who have
trouble to
165
make
the
gift'
(Mt.
19, 11).
his teaching clear:
life; it is
Paul also goes
no one
forced
is
a matter of counsel, not of obli-
gation.
There ity;
is
a
background of
he writes
as
peril to Paul's advice
though there were
difficult
about
virgin-
times ahead for
the Christians of Corinth; and the dangers he visualizes seem to be
beyond the normal problems of Christians
society.
He
in a
pagan
seems to share that sense of expectancy of the
closeness of the
Second Coming that was so prominent
Christian circles; a
man
unfettered by family
ties
in early
would be
better able to cope with the trying days soon to come. It
would seem that many of the Corinthian
unmarried for
community
this very reason.
They were
fast
remained
becoming a
of old maids. Since husbands were chosen for girls
by their parents in ancient times, these parents
what they should do about
to act as they wish; but virginity
Meat
Sacrificed to Idols.
This
is
is
preferable.
it
was a daily worry
went about her shopping. The joints and pork on display in the butchers' shops up to one of the various heathen gods in the
to the housewife as she
offered
enquired
the second moral problem
submitted to Paul by the Corinthians; of mutton, beef,
now
their aging daughters. Paul allows
them
had been
girls
166
Corinthians
i
which
God
true knowledge;
is
it is
8,
3-9, 2
when
only
man loves God
a
that
acknowledges him. About meat, then, used in idolatrous
we can be
worship,
no
sure of this, that a false god has
istence in the order of things; there
is
ex-
one God, and there can
be no other. Whatever gods may be spoken of
as existing in
heaven or on earth (and there are many such gods, many such lords), for us there origin of
is
only one God, the Father
and the end
things,
all
Jesus Christ, the creator of
But
it
those
who
not everybody
is
who
still
all
who
of our being; only
who
things,
is
the
is
one Lord,
our way to him.
has this knowledge; there are
think of such meat, while they eat
it,
as
some-
thing belonging to idolatrous worship, through being ac-
customed to
false gods; their
incurs guilt.
And
it
not what
is
standing in God's sight;
we
ing by abstaining;
for
it
conscience
is
we
is
not
easy,
and so
eat that gives us our
gain nothing by eating, lose noth-
you to see that the
liberty
you
allow yourselves does not prove a snare to doubtful con-
any of them
sciences. If
down
sitting
conscience,
sees you,
all
uneasy as
eating idolatrously?
thus, through your enlightenment,
When
you
your brother, for whose sake
lost;
thus sin against
you
juring their doubtful consciences,
then, I
if
a
mouthful of food
will abstain
occasion of
Am I
I
are better instructed,
be emboldened to approve of
it is,
And
the doubting soul will be Christ died.
who
to eat in the temple of a false god, will not his
from
flesh
my brother's
is
an
meat
your brethren, by
sin against Christ.
occasion of sin to
to
sin.
not free to do as
in the
you
I
will?
Am
I
not an apostle, have
I
To
may not be an
my
achieve-
apostle,
but
am; why, you are the sign-manual of
my
Lord?
at least
Why
my brother,
perpetually, rather than be the
not seen our Lord Jesus? Are not you yourselves
ment
in-
others
I
From Ephesus 57 A.D. local temples before being
put up for
167
food.
Only
a small portion of the
and then
in the
all
meat used
meat was burnt
the rest of the carcass was either eaten at a there
market; this
sale in the
was the general custom of the pagans with
for
in sacrifice;
sacrificial
banquet
temple of the god or sold to one of the
butchers for the public market
Apollo had probably been asked about
With idol
his philosophical approach,
was not a
wood
real being;
meat
offered to a piece of painted
or carved marble was not changed by such an act;
was exactly the same piece of beef as it
same matter.
this
he had pointed out that an
was before.
A
different position better:
after the
heathen
it
sacrifice
Christian with such knowledge was in a
from the ignorant heathen who knew no
and so he could eat the
sacrificial
meat with
a clear
conscience.
While admitting approve of charity,
it
the truth of this argument, Paul does not
as a guide to Christian conduct; for
not reason alone, that decides
how he
him
acts.
it is
Among
the slaves and dockers of Corinth there would surely be some
who would not
follow Apollo's reasoning on the non-existence
of heathen gods.
conscience is
enough
is
to
Even
if
there
is
only one Christian whose
troubled by eating such
make Paul
give
up
sacrificial
food, that one
his liberty to eat,
and even
become a vegetarian for the rest of his life. Paul always remembered his first instruction in the mystery of the Mystical Body on the road to Damascus: any hurt done to a Christian to
is
an attack on Christ himself.
Paul's Right to Maintenance.
Paul has not Enished with
the subject of meat sacrificed to idols.
no mention of
some other
it
in this
subject.
He
is
Even though he makes paragraph, he has not gone on to illustrating a principle of
conduct
i68
1
Corinthians
apostleship in the Lord. This
who
call
me
woman who
is
a
3-17
the answer
is
I
make
to those
Have we not a right to be provided have we not the right to travel about
in question.
with food and drink; nay, with a
9,
sister, as
the other apostles do, as the
Must I and Barnabas, alone among them, be forbidden to do as much? Why, what soldier ever fought at his own expense? Who would plant a vineyard, Lord's brethren do, and Kephas?
and not
live
on
its fruits,
or tend a flock,
milk which the flock yields? This vention; the law declares
Moses, 'You
shall
live
on the
not a plea of man's
is
When we
it.
and not
in-
read in the law of
not muzzle the ox that treads out the corn/
must we suppose that God is making provision for oxen? Is it not clear that he says it for our sakes? For our sakes it was laid down that the ploughman has a right to plough, and the thrasher to thrash, with the expectation of sharing in the crop. it
Here
much
are we,
who have sown we should
to ask, that
harvest in return?
If
in
you a
spiritual harvest;
is
reap from you a temporal
others claim a share of such rights over
And yet we have never availed ourselves of those rights; we bear every hardship, sooner than hinder the preaching of Christ's gospel. You know, surely, that those who do the temple's work live on the temple's revenues; that those who preside at the altar share the altar's offerings. And so it is that the Lord has bidden the you, have not
we
a better claim
still?
heralds of the gospel live by preaching the gospel. Yet
not availed myself of any such I
am
wise;
I
When
have
I
right.
not writing thus in the hope of being treated other-
would rather die than have I
preach the gospel,
under constraint;
it
choice; but
take
no
I
taken from me.
credit for that;
would go hard with
not preach the gospel.
my own
I
this boast
me
indeed
if
can claim a reward for what
when
I
act under constraint,
I
I
I
act
I
did
do of
am
only
From Ephesus 57 A.D. set
down
to give
169
in the last paragraph: a Christian
up some of
In this illustration, from his
own
life,
Paul gets
of idolatrous meat; but his digression instruction
on the need
must he prepared
good of
his rights for the
is
his neighbour.
the subject
off
part of the general
for charity in Christian conduct.
Paul never deviated from his policy of working for his keep.
At
Thessalonica, Corinth, and Ephesus he worked daily at
weaving goat hair for to
you for our
tents:
daily bread,
'We would
we earned
it
not even be indebted in weariness
working with our own hands, night and day, so a
as
and
toil,
not to be
burden to any of you/ But some Corinthians put a different
interpretation
on Paul's
policy; they said
he had to work be-
cause he was not an apostle, and so did not share in the apostolic privilege of being supported by the churches. is
why Paul shows
so
much
tions; the opposition at
That
indignation at these false accusa-
Corinth touched him on a tender spot.
The preachers of the gospel had the example of our Lord's own conduct and his express words as well in support of their right to receive
women
maintenance from
A
their converts.
group
and 'min-
and them with the means they had.' Our Lord handed on the same right to his disciples when he told the twelve: of
travelled with Jesus
his followers,
istered to
'The labourer has the right to his maintenance' (Mt. 10,
10).
Paul elaborates this main argument by seven additional proofs of his thesis.
He
soldier, vinedresser,
shepherd, ploughman, harvester, priest
covers a wide range of ways of
life
— —
and adds the example of the ox, quoting from the Mosaic law which prohibited the muzzling of the beasts trampling the ears of
wheat on the threshing
from taking a mouthful
floor that
as they
worked.
would prevent them
God
is
much more
concerned with the welfare of his children than with the of his creation, as our
Lord
told his followers: Tf
rest
God
so
170
i
Corinthians
What
executing a commission.
Why,
when
that
9,
18-10, 4
title
have
preach the gospel
I
then, to a reward?
I,
should preach the
I
gospel free of charge, not making full use of the rights which
Thus nobody has any claim on me, have made myself everybody's slave, to win more
gospel preaching gives me.
and yet souls.
I
With
the Jews
who keep
with those
win the Jews; one who keeps the law
lived like a Jew, to
I
the law, as
(though the law had no claim on me), to win those
who
the law; with those of the law (not that
one who
bound me),
With
the scrupulous,
it
I
behaved myself I
all
I
do,
I
do
win myself a share
when men run is
some
for the sake of the gospel promises, in
them. You know well enough that
in a race, the race
is
for
but the prize
all,
for one; run, then, for victory. Every athlete
all his
like
and every means.
All that to
was
have been
everything by turns to everybody, to bring salvation to
by
free
win those who were
to
scrupulous, to win the scrupulous.
is
one
recognized no divine law, but
I
the law of Christ that free of the law.
are free of the law, like
who kept
appetites under control;
that fades, whereas ours
is
and he does
it
imperishable. So
I
to
must keep
win a crown
do not run
my
man in doubt of his goal; I do not fight my battle like a man who wastes his blows on the air. I buffet my own body, and make it my slave; or I, who have preached to others, may myself be rejected as worthless. course like a
Let
me
hidden,
all
remind you, brethren, of
this.
of them, under the cloud,
of them, through the
sea; all alike, in
Our
and found a path,
all
all
the cloud and in the sea,
were baptized into Moses' fellowship. They prophetic food, and
fathers were
all
ate the
same
drank the same prophetic drink,
watered by the same prophetic rock which bore them com-
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
171
clothes the glasses of the field, will he not he
men
to clothe you,
of
much more ready
JittJe faith?'
In giving up this light to maintenance, Paul
good of
of the
souls; his
motive
is
ing closely in the footsteps of his Master
did not others,
come
and
good
is
he
ransom
follow-
is
'The Son of
:
Man
to serve
for the Jives of
many/
of Jesus going about through Palestine doing
the pattern of Paul's
life
among
Ephesians, Galatians, and Thessalonians. himself to the people with
way of Jew and
whom
he
erate of their
life,
how
Gentile, and he
to treat
thinking only
done him; he came
to have service
to give his life as a
The example
is
chaiity. In this
their ideas
is
the Corinthians,
He accommodates
dealing;
he
is
consid-
and outlook: he knows is
tender and gentle in
adapting himself to the scruples of his latest convert.
The Danger still
The
of Apostasy.
food sacrificed to
subject under discussion
Paul
idols.
is
engaged
is
in the task of
forming a Christian conscience in his converts at Corinth. In the previous paragraph, he emphasized the part played by charity in determining treats of the virtue of
own
welfare.
there
is
When
how
a Christian
should
act;
here he
prudence, of the need to look to one's
dealing with things used in pagan worship,
danger of a Christian falling back into pagan ways, of
being contaminated by the heathenism he has renounced.
He
takes an illustration
first
from
athletics
—running and
boxing, sports familiar to the Greeks (the people
inated the Olympic Games). athlete to
make
his
appetites so that
it
body
A
orig-
Christian can learn from an
his slave, to mortify
will carry
who
him
to victory;
and control
its
he must avoid
anything that stands in the way of his objective, the imperishable crown that does not fade.
172
Corinthians 10, 5-19
i
pany, the rock that was Christ. pleased with most of them; see wilderness. It
We
we
is
were not to
hearts,
And for all that, God was ill how they were laid low in the
that were foreshadowed in these events.
our hearts, as some of them set their
set
on forbidden
You were not
things.
to turn idolatrous,
them did; so we read, The people sat down to drink, and rose up to take their pleasure/ We were not to commit fornication, as some of them committed fornication, when twenty-three thousand of them were killed some eat and as
of
in
one day.
some
of
We
them
were not to
tried
it,
the
were you to complain,
as
men who some
destroying angel slew them. it
try the patience of the Lord, as
When
was a symbol; the record of
whom
to us, in
means of a
that he
So
fall.
far,
of
it
were
slain
by serpents; nor
them complained, till the all this happened to them, was written
history has reached
its
as a
and
it
who thinks he stands firmly should beware no temptation has befallen you that is beyond
man's strength. Not that
God
will play
you
he
false;
allow you to be tempted beyond your powers.
temptation
warning
fulfilment;
he
itself,
will ordain the issue of
it,
will
With
not the
and enable
you to hold your own.
Keep
far
speaking to you as
We
yourselves.
my well beloved, from idolatry. I am men of good sense; weigh my words for
away, then,
have a cup that we
bless;
is
not
this
cup we
we The one bread makes
bless a participation in Christ's blood? Is not the bread
break a participation in Christ's body? us one body, though is
shared by
all.
Or
do not those who eat the altar of sacrifice? really
be
existence;
we
are
many
look at
in
Israel,
number; the same bread God's people by nature;
their sacrifices associate themselves with I
am
not suggesting that anything can
sacrificed to a false god, or that a false I
mean
that
when
god has any
the heathen offer sacrifice they
,
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
The second lesson
illustration is
horn the Exodus
from a
173
different world;
it
is
a
Old Testament. Paul presumes
in the
that his Corinthians are familiar with this scripture story. It
was probably *a
man
a scene well
known from
the preaching of Apollo,
well grounded in the scriptures.
7
This was the type
of instruction favoured by that eloquent Alexandrian; Paul
demonstrates his
skill in
the same
medium
of
Old Testament
typology.
The Exodus is a lesson in Christian living. The Jews on the way out of Egypt received unusual divine favours that foreshadowed the two great sacraments of Baptism and the Blessed Eucharist; the water of the
manna and water from food and
drink.
But
Red
Sea symbolized Baptism, the
the rock symbolized the Eucharistic
men and women
these favoured
down
fell
in worship to the golden calf at Sinai; they incurred the divine
anger and failed to reach the Promised Land.
can happen to baptized communicants;
if
The same
thing
the Corinthians
presume on divine grace and consider themselves secure from all
danger of contamination from pagan
fall
from divine
but a prudent
Practical Rules his
grace.
man
will
About
Thank God
has not happened yet;
heed the warning of Sacrificial
Food.
tical
instructions
when
occasions
problem of at the
says Paul,
on conduct.
now
He
a Christian could
all,
banquet following the actual is
a
prudent estima-
proceeds to give prac-
a formal act of idolatry,
face to face with the in the
temple of the
sacrifice.
To
eat there
and so forbidden.
not right for a Christian, united to Christ by Holy
munion,
to share in a sacrificial
a heathen sacrifice really
is
—
down
considers three different
come
sacriEcial food. First of
history.
After laying
two principles of charity to others and
tion of the dangers to oneself, Paul
god
it
they can
sacrifices,
meal with
devils; that is
devil worship.
It is
Comwhat
Corinthians 10, 20-11, 2
174
1
are really offering
it
I
and not to a God
to evil spirits
at
have no mind to see you associating yourselves with
To drink the Lord's
spirits.
cup, and yet to drink the cup of evil
and
to share the Lord's feast,
spirits,
evil spirits, is
all.
evil
to share the feast of
impossible for you. Are we, then, to provoke
Have we powers greater than his? 'I am free to do what I will'; yes, but not everything can be done without harm. 'I am free to do what I will,' but some things disedify. Each of you ought to study the wellthe Lord to jealousy?
being of others, not his own. market, then you
may
When
things are sold in the
eat them, without
open
making any enquiries
This world and all that is in it some unbeliever invites you to his
to satisfy your consciences:
belongs to the Lord.'
and you consent
table,
If
to go, then
to satisfy your consciences,
you.
But
someone
if
you need not ask questions
you may eat whatever
says to you, 'This has
is
put before
been used in
idolatrous worship,' then, for the sake of your informant,
you must refuse to eat conscience,
should
let
my
conscience.
should
I
I
I
it;
it
is
freedom be called
in
incur reproach for that over which
glory.
I
it;
why
say grace? In
you do, do everything
as for
Give no offence to Jew, or to Greek, or to God's
church. That
my own
is
rule, to satisfy all alike,
the general welfare rather than salvation.
no reason why I question by another man's is
can eat such food and be grateful for
eating, in drinking, in all that
God's
a matter of conscience; his
mean, not yours. There
Follow
my
my
own, so
example, then, as
I
as to
studying
win
their
follow the example of
Christ.
I
must needs
praise
you
for your constant
for upholding your traditions just as
I
memory
handed them on
of
me,
to you.
From Ephesns 57 A.D.
175
In contrasting the Blessed Eucharist to pagan and Jewish sacrifices,
Paul quite clearly assumes that the Mass
He
sacrifice.
a true
is
Communion means union with common union with Christ; it is the
also teaches that
each othei through our
sacrament of unity in the Mystical Body. Christians at Corinth
and
at
Ephesus
all
eat of the
changed into the body of Christ
unless the bread has been are all
one
Much
in Christ because
of the
meat
one same biead; an impossibility
we
by his
all live
sacrificed to the
We
life.
gods eventually finished
at the butchers' to be sold to the general public. Christians
may buy and
eat this without scruple of conscience;
away from the
The
idol,
and
is
third case considered by Paul
dine with pagan friends. served, unless the food
is
offering; in this case alone charity.
A
is
earlier, at
taken
Christian
that of invitations to
may
eat whatever
is
specified as having been an idol-
he must abstain on the principle of
To eat would be to give scandal
Eight years
it is
once more the property of the Lord.
to his unbelieving
host
the Council of Jerusalem, the apostles
had decided against Gentiles eating sacrificial food: Tou are to abstain from what is sacrificed to idols' (Acts 15, 29). Paul was present on that occasion, and actually promulgated the decree at Antioch; yet he does not even mention Corinthians.
The
reason he acts so
is
it
to the
that the conditions in
Corinth were completely different from those visualized in the decree.
The
Jerusalem decree was only temporary and dealt
with the Jew-Gentile problem in Syria and GaJatia.
Women Must Not ters,
Pray Unveiled.
In the next four chap-
Paul corrects some abuses that have crept into the
Jitur-
176
And
here
a wife
man
is
united
is
11,
y-ij
something you must know. The head to which
united
is
united
is
Corinthians
i
is
is
her husband, just as the head to which every
head to which Christ
Christ; so, too, the
God. And whereas any
is
man who
keeps his
head covered when he prays or
utters prophecy brings shame shame upon her head if she uncovers it to pray or prophesy; she is no better than the woman who has her head shaved. If a woman would go without a veil,
upon
why
his head, a
woman
brings
does she not cut her hair short too?
woman
is
disgraced
when her
A man
hair
is
she admits that a
If
cut short or shaved,
has no need to veil his head;
then
let
he
God's image, the pride of his creation, whereas the wife
is
is
her go veiled.
the pride of her husband. (The
woman
takes her origin
man from the woman; and indeed, it man that was created for woman's sake, but woman man's.) And for that reason the woman ought to have
from the man, not the was not for
(Not that, in the Lord's service, woman has her place apart from man, or man his apart from woman; if woman takes her origin from man, authority over her head, for the angels' sake.
man
equally comes to birth through
woman. And indeed
things have their origin in God.) Judge for yourselves; fitting that a
woman
Does not nature to a
man
long,
it is
to
wear
itself
should offer prayer to teach you that, whereas
his hair long,
when
a
an added grace to her? That
been given her to take the place of a
woman is
And
is
found among
here
is
us, or in
a warning
I
all it
God
unveiled?
it is
a disgrace
grows her hair
because her hair has
And if anyone is know that no such
veil.
prepared to argue the matter, he must
custom
is
any of God's churches.
have for you.
praise for holding your assemblies in a
way
I
can give you no
that does harm, not
From Ephesus 57 A.D. gical life of the
the status of
Corinthian church.
women
sweeping prohibition: utterance
is
first
of these concerns
in public worship. In 14,
34 he makes a
Women are to be silent in the churches;
not permitted to them.
paragraph, but in a
The
177
more
he
is
He
does the same in this
manner. By forbidding
tactful
to cast aside their veils,
7
women
them from yashmak still worn by
in fact preventing
speaking; the heavy oriental veil (the
Moslem women) hanging down
over the face was an efficient
barrier to clear speech in public.
In his diplomatic approach to this explosive problem of lencing
women, Paul
Eve
tries
thought in
lines of
to demonstrate the secondary status of rative of Genesis
makes
it
woman.
man was
clear that
attempt
his
(1)
si-
The
nar-
created Erst;
Eve was not an independent creation of God; she was made from Adam to help and complete him in founding the human race. Man is the head and primary being of God's created universe. (2) ship,
The
angels,
who
are the guardians of divine wor-
woman
were the only witnesses of the creation of
in her subordinate status; reverence for
women
them should make
retain the veil as a sign of subordination to their hus-
bands. (3) St. Paul sees a mystic parallel between the creation of Adam and Eve and the Incarnation: Christ came from God,
but his divinity
is
veiled or hidden in our Lord; so too
came from man, but the humanity is veiled wear veils to honour the Incarnation of their natural symbolism of hair: the veil
is
in her.
woman
Women
Saviour. (4)
natural to
The
woman
as
the extension of her long hair (only slaves and courtesans
The custom
wore
their hair short). (5)
dom
prohibits this novelty.
Charity and the Blessed Eucharist. less
of the rest of Christen-
This
letter
was written
than thirty years after the death of our Lord Jesus Christ
178
i
Corinthians n, 18-34
From the first, when you meet in church, there are diamong you; so I hear, and in some measure believe it. Parties there must needs be among you, so that those who are true metal may be distinguished from the rest. And when you
good.
visions
assemble together, there
is
no opportunity
to eat a supper of
the Lord; each comer hastens to eat the supper he has brought for himself, so that
one
man
goes hungry, while another has
drunk deep. Have you no homes to eat and drink
in,
that you
should show contempt to God's church, and shame the poor? Praise you?
The on
There
tradition
to you,
is
no room
which
I
for praise here.
received from the Lord, and
that the Lord Jesus, on the night
is
handed
when he was
being betrayed, took bread, and gave thanks, and broke
it,
and said: This is my body, given up for you. Do this for a commemoration of me/ And so with the cup, when supper was ended: This cup/ he said, 'is the new testament, in my blood.
Do So
this, it is
whenever you drink
eat this bread fore, if
it,
for a
commemoration
of
me/
the Lord's death that you are heralding, whenever you
and drink
anyone
this cup, until
he comes; and there-
eats the bread or drinks the
cup of the Lord
unworthily, he will be held to account for the Lord's body and
A man
must examine himself first, and then eat of the bread and drink of the cup; he is eating and drinking damnation to himself if he eats and drinks, not recognizing the Lord's body for what it is. That is why many of your number want strength and health, and not a few have died. If we recognized blood.
our
own
fault,
we should not
incur these judgments; as
the Lord judges us and chastises us, so that as this
we may not
it is,
incur,
world incurs, damnation.
when you assemble to eat together, wait those who are hungry had best eat at home,
So, brethren,
one another;
for for
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
179
Mass had become a familiar and essenEach Saturday night at Corinth the faithful assembled in the house of one of their number (there were no dedicated buildings at this early date) for the celebration of Mass. It had not yet taken its present form but was based closely on the Last Supper; essentially this was a Within tial
that period, the
pait of Christian worship.
banquet, which culminated in the consecration of the bread and wine. The banquet was usually protracted till midnight,
because that was the accepted time for the sacrifice of the
Mass
to
The
commence.
followers of Paul
no community
factions, the
and the followers of Apollo, showed two
at this sacred ceremony; the
between rich and
was the
community manifested This state of
itself
was
affairs
itself
parties kept apart; there
no sharing of food. And
spirit,
the division
teries.
two
division of the church at Corinth into
was
a worse abuse
poor; that social division in
even at the Christian mys-
directly
opposed to the nature
of the Blessed Eucharist, the sacrament of fraternal charity
and unity
in the Mystical
Body
of Christ.
Paul reminds them of the sacredness of the act they per-
form
at
Mass by
the Crucifixion. as that used
identifying
It
is
and wine into
different in
of Christ
with both the Last Supper and
of celebrating
Mass
by our Lord at the Last Supper (that
cration of bread
Though
it
The manner
on the
manner,
cross that
is
his
it is
is
is,
the same the conse-
own body and
blood).
really the sacrificial
commemorated
at each
death
Mass.
fitting that the Corinthians prepare for the coming Lord and Master by mere bodily eating and drinking;
not
of their
they should see that they have right dispositions of soul, particularly
charity.
The
abuses here corrected by Paul were
eventually responsible for the abolition of the banquet in the
i8o fear that your
meeting should bring you condemnation. The
other questions
And now you
Corinthians 12, 1-13
1
I
when
I
spiritual gifts;
I
will settle
about
doubt about
in
these.
come.
would not
While you were
you can remember well enough, you wherever
men would
willingly leave
still
let yourselves
heathen, as
be led away
lead you, to worship false gods that gave
no utterance. That is why I am telling you of this. Just as no one can be speaking through God's Spirit if he calls Jesus accursed, so it is only through the Holy Spirit that anyone can say, 7 esu s is the Lord'; and yet there are different kinds of gifts, though it is the same Spirit who gives them, just as there are different kinds of service, though it is the same Lord we serve, and different manifestations of power, though it is the same God who manifests his power everywhere in all of us.
The
revelation of the Spirit
the best advantage of
the power of the
it.
One
is
imparted to each, to make
learns to speak with
wisdom, by
another to speak with knowledge,
Spirit,
with the same Spirit for his
rule; one,
through the same
Spirit, is
given faith; another, through the same Spirit, powers of healing;
one can perform miracles, one can prophesy, another can one can speak in different
test the spirit of the prophets;
tongues, another can interpret the tongues; but
work of one and the same will to
Spirit,
who
all this is
the
distributes his gifts as
he
each severally.
A man's body organs;
and
body; so
is all
all this
it is
one, though
it
has a
number
of different
multitude of organs goes to make up one
with Christ.
We too, all of us, have been baptized
body by the power of a single Spirit, Jews and Greeks, slaves and free men alike; we have all been given
into a single
drink at a single source, the one Spirit.
The
body, after
all,
con-
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
181
fourth century; they also played a part in introducing the fast before
Communion.
Holy
Spirit
tion,
our Loid promised his apostles: 'Where believers go,
Author of All
Spiritual Gifts.
After his resurrec-
these signs shall go with them; they will cast out devils in
name, they will
will
speak in tongues that are strange to them; they
up serpents
take
and drink poisonous their hands upon the
in their hands,
draughts without harm; they will lay sick
and make them
gifts
came
recover.'
to the infant
These spectacular, miraculous
Church
at Pentecost; they flourished
newly founded Christian communities.
in all
To
my
the heathen, for the most part illiterate and unacquainted
with the Jewish scriptures, they were a powerful apologetic;
any pagan could see for himself the divine power that worked in the Christian
Church. The pagan
deities,
Paul reminds his
Corinthian converts from paganism, were separate and divided gods; they contradicted and opposed each other in their teach-
ing and objectives. In Christianity there that
is
because the Holy Spirit
The Church
is
is
is
unity and harmony;
the origin of
all
these
gifts.
one precisely because the three persons of the
Blessed Trinity are one God; the different manifestations of divine power,
come from if it
now
appearing in the Corinthian assemblies,
the same source.
None
of these gifts
is
all
authentic
denies the divinity of Christ.
Harmony Among Members were a passing phase of the
of the Body. life
These strange
gifts
of the early Church; they were
Church in new and they did not help the individual become holier.
special spiritual helps given to establish the territory,
For the sanctity of each Christian, grace
and the
virtues that
God
accompany
it;
provides sanctifying for building
up the
182
i
not of one organ but of many;
sists
am it
Corinthians i2 7 14-30
not the hand, and therefore
say,
the body/
am
'I
it
less for that. If
not the eye, and therefore
the power of hearing be,
eye?
Or
God
has given each one of them
the power of smell,
he would.
own
less for that.
the body were
if
the body were its
the ear
all ear?
As
all
it is,
position in the body,
the whole were one single organ, what
If
would become
if
*l
do not belong to
I
does not belong to the body any the
Where would
we have
of the body? Instead of that,
tude of organs, and one body. 'I
the foot should say,
if
do not belong to the body/
does not belong to the body any the
should
as
I
The
a multi-
eye cannot say to the hand,
have no need of you/ or the head to the
feet,
have no
'I
need of you/
On
the contrary,
those parts of our body which seem
it is
most contemptible that
we surround with
in our bodies,
which
special seemliness that
which
is
harmony
which needed the body;
all
welfare their
with
it
first,
care. If
one part
Are
all
es-
honour to that
is
it
were to make each other's
one part
suffering, all the rest
is
treated with honour,
all
the rest
of
it
depending upon each
positions in the church;
then prophets, and thirdly teachers; then come
of affairs,
of us apostles,
miraculous powers, or tongues, can
Thus God has
it.
it.
miraculous powers, then
management
whereas that
most. There was to be no want of unity in
And you are Christ's body, organs other. God has given us different apostles
in us,
in the body, giving special
common
find pleasure in
what seems base
special honour, treating with
the different parts of
it; if
it;
unseemly
seemly in us has no need of
is
tablished a
suffer
are necessary to
all
gifts of healing,
works of mercy, the
and speaking with all
prophets,
gifts of
interpret?
all
healing?
different tongues.
teachers?
Can
all
Have
all
speak with
From Ephesus
57 A.D.
183
Christian community, he provided an extra help through these
They
spiritual gifts.
natural
and
are defined by Prat as: 'Gratuitous, super-
transitory giits, conferred for the general
for the building up of the Mystical
In the previous paragraph, Paul the end of this paragraph he
lists
Body lists
good and
of Christ.'
nine of these
eight; four
from the
at
gifts;
Erst
list
are repeated in the second, leaving a total of thirteen. This just half of the total
Pauline
letters.
The
number thirteen
(twenty-seven) found in
all
is
the
mentioned here may be divided
into three groups. (1) Graces for those holding office: apostles,
prophets, teachers.
Strikingly miraculous
(2)
powers: faith
move mountains), healing, miracles, tongues. (3) Powers to enable ordinary duties to be carried out in a more (that can
perfect way: wisdom, knowledge, works of mercy,
management
of affairs, testing prophets, interpreting tongues.
The second
group, particularly the gift of tongues, was rated
highest in Corinthian circles. So party system of Paul
champions; they despised else at their assemblies
unity and pride
harmony
much
and ApoJJo took all
other
so that the familiar
sides for their respective
gifts;
they wanted nothing
but the spectacular gift of tongues.
The
of the Corinthian church was endangered;
and jealousy were dominating
their spiritual
life.
Paul recalled them to their senses by comparing the Church to a
human
welfare
body; the various organs are
and harmony of the body, hands
as well as hearing.
gans of treats
ered.
So
member all
sex,
it
necessary to the
as well as feet, sight
Far from despising the inferior organs
which Paul
them with
all
special
calls
base and contemptible),
(or-
man
honour by always keeping them cov-
should be with the Mystical Body of Christ: every
has
its
own
are necessary for
special function in the its
completeness.
harmonious whole;
184
Corinthians 12, 31-14,
i
1
Prize the best gifts of heaven. Meanwhile,
a
way which
tongue that
is
better than any other.
men and
angels use; yet,
may
I
if I
can show you
I
speak with every
lack charity,
I
better than echoing bronze, or the clash of cymbals.
am no may
I
have powers of prophecy, no secret hidden from me, no knowledge too deep for me;
move mountains; yet if may give away all that
I
may have
utter faith, so that
count for nothing.
I
lack charity,
I
have, to feed the poor;
myself up to be burnt at the stake;
if I
can
I
I
may
I
lack charity,
it
I
give
goes for
nothing.
Charity
is
patient,
is
kind; charity feels
no envy;
charity
never boastful or proud, never insolent; does not claim
cannot be provoked, does not brood over an
rights,
takes
no pleasure
is
its
injury;
wrongdoing, but rejoices at the victory of
in
truth; sustains, believes, hopes, endures, to the last.
The time
come when we shall outgrow prophecy, when come to an end, when knowledge be swept away; we shall never have finished with charity. will
speaking with tongues will will
Our knowledge, our and these glimpses
prophecy, are only glimpses of the truth;
will
filment comes. (Just child,
I
became
we
when
I
was a
child,
I
are looking at a confused reflection in a mirror; then,
then,
I
Make
now,
shall recognize
while, faith,
them
ful-
talked like a
had the intelligence, the thoughts of a child; since I a man, I have outgrown childish ways.) At present,
shall see face to face;
of
be swept away when the time of
so,
hope and
I
God
we
have only glimpses of knowledge; as
he has recognized me. Mean-
charity persist, all three;
but the greatest
all is charity.
charity your aim, the spiritual gifts your aspiration,
and, by preference, the gift of prophecy.
The man who
talks
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
The
Charity the Greatest of All Gifts.
summed up
in
one phrase:
Tou
.
.
the Head,
it
must
of Christ
as
same estimation
that
various activities; to live the
its
is
God
and your neighbour
.
The MysticaJ Body must keep
of the importance of
life
shah Jove the Lord your
with the Jove of your whoJe heart yourseJf.'
185
see things with the eyes of Christ.
life
The
of
spirit-
uaJ gifts, so vaJued by the Corinthians, are aJJ vaJueJess without
the theological virtue of charity. PauJ iJJustrates his thesis by taking five of the most important
tongues, prophecy,
gifts:
knowledge, faith and works of meicy.
Next he
qualities of charity.
lists fifteen
particuJar aspects of the virtue,
community
he has
final section,
them
the love of
spiritual gifts pletely,
into loss of temper,
is
God
evils
Paul no longer
of the neighbour; he passes ity,
on the Christian
and jealousy over the
angry words, feelings of revenge. If charity domi-
nated their assemblies, none of these In the
his eye
at Corinth; theii disputes
possession of spirituaJ gifts have led ill-feeling,
In choosing these
on
himself.
evident:
it
and permanently;
wouJd be
present.
concerned with love
to the primary objective of char-
The supremacy
unites
all
is
man
to
of charity over
God
directly,
com-
other gifts yield only indirect, in-
complete, and transitory contacts with God. In the fulfilment of his destiny in the beatific vision, gift
—
man
shall possess
charity; aJJ the rest wiJJ cease at death.
glimpses of God's
own
inner
of knowledge, prophecy,
and
life
only one
The obscure
obtained through the
gifts
faith are like dull reflections in
a piece of polished metal.
When
the HoJy
followers of Jesus
on Pente-
Tongues Less Valuable Than Prophecy. Spirit
came down upon the 120
186
Corinthians
i
in a strange tongue
is
understands him, he
own
spirit;
is
God, not to men; nobody
talking to
holding mysterious converse with his
whereas the prophet speaks to
to comfort his fellow
man may
2-14
14,
men. By talking
strengthen his
own
faith;
strengthen the faith of the church.
speaking with strange tongues, but
I
I
edify, to encourage,
in a strange tongue, a
by prophesying he can would gladly see you all would rather you should
man who
prophesy, because the prophet ranks higher than the speaks with strange tongues.
It
would be
different
if
he could
translate them, to strengthen the faith of the church;
things are, brethren, talking to
you
what good can
I
but
as
do you by coming and
in strange languages, instead of addressing
you
with a revelation, or a manifestation of inner knowledge, or a prophecy, or words of instruction? Senseless things vocal, a flute, for example, or a harp;
must be
there
how If a
distinctions
may be
but even with these,
between the sounds they
can we recognize what melody flute or harp
is
give, or
playing?
trumpet, for that matter, gives out an uncertain note,
who
arm himself for battle? So it is with you, how can it be known what your message is, if you speak in a language whose accents cannot be understood? Your words will fall on empty air. No doubt all these different languages exist somewhere in the world, and each of them has its significance; but if I cannot understand what the language means, the effect is that I am a foreigner to the man who is speaking, and he is a will
foreigner to me. So the case stands with you. Since you have set
your hearts on spiritual
gifts,
ask for
them
in
abundant
measure, but only so as to strengthen the faith of the church; the
man who
can speak in a strange tongue should pray for
the power to interpret them. If I
use a strange tongue
when
I
offer prayer,
my
spirit is
From Ephesus 57 A.D. cost Sunday, 'they
187
began to speak in strange languages, as
all
the Spirit gave utterance to each.' This was the same gift of tongues,
now
so popular
here attempts to restrain.
among the Corinthians, which Paul The speakers did not understand the
language in which they spoke. They were not preaching to the
people either; they were proclaiming God's wonders in a form of ecstatic prayer.
For preaching the
inspired Peter to stand
up and
their native tongue, Aramaic.
talk to
He
Holy Spirit the assembled crowd in
gospel, the
proved the divinity of Christ
from the Resurrection, and so converted 3,000 people. And that is the real distinction between tongues and prophecy: in tongues the inspired utterance
prophecy
it is
addressed to men. This
Tongues: The supernatural
is
addressed to God, in
how Prat defines
them.
ability to pray or to praise
an enthusiasm bordering on
in a strange language with
Prophecy: Any
is
God
ecstasy.
unpremeditated utterance in the
inspired,
language of the congregation for their supernatural guidance.
To prove
the superiority of prophecy over tongues, Paul con-
siders their value to
each of four divisions of the Corinthian
and the unbelievers. (1) The faithful are the Mystical Body at Corinth; the value of any gift one of their members possesses must be decided in terms of its usefulness to the whole body.
assemblies: the faithful, the speakers, the catechumens,
Prophecy certainly gifts; it
builds
fulfils
up the
the essential purpose of
faith of the church:
to edify, to encourage, to
'The prophet speaks
comfort his fellow
on the other hand, unless they are
all spiritual
men/ Tongues,
translated, are
mere empty
sounds; the faithful cannot receive spiritual help from words
they cannot understand; a foreign language serves in the country
spoken
all
where
it is
over Corinth.
A
spoken, but Greek foreign tongue
is
its
purpose
is
the tongue
no
better than
188
I
If
my
drift?
14,
15-26
my mind reaps no advantage from it. What,
then,
Why,
when
praying, but is
Corinthians
i
offer prayer, use
mean to use mind as well mind as well as spirit when I
you pronounce a blessing
one who takes
his place
He
your thanksgiving?
as spirit I
sing psalms.
in this spiritual fashion,
among
the uninstructed say
cannot
tell
what you
how
can
Amen
to
saying.
are
You, true enough, are duly giving thanks, but the other's faith
not strengthened. Thank God,
is
I
can speak with
tongues more than any of you; but in the church, rather speak five words which struction, than ten
my mind
utters, for
I
would
your
in-
thousand in a strange tongue. Brethren,
do not be content to think childish thoughts; keep the innocence of children, with the thoughts of grown men. in the law,
will
'I
speak to this people with an
We read unknown
tongue, with the lips of strangers, and even so they will not
me,
listen to
tongue
is
says the
Lord/ Thus, talking with a strange
a sign given to unbelievers, not to the faithful;
meant for the faithful, not for unbelievers. And now, what will happen if the uninstructed or the unbelievers come in when the whole church has met together, and find everyone speaking with strange tongues at once? Will they not say you are mad? Whereas, if some unbeliever or some uninstructed person comes in when all alike are prophewhereas prophecy
is
sying, everyone will read his thoughts, everyone will scrutinize
him,
all
that
so he will
is
fall
fessing that
What am
kept hidden in his heart will be revealed; and
on
God I
is
his face
indeed
and worship God, publicly con-
among
you.
urging, then, brethren?
Why, when you meet
together, each with a psalm to sing, or
some doctrine
part, or a revelation to give, or ready to
tongues, or to interpret them, see that
all
to im-
speak in strange is
done to your
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
189
random notes without melody played on
a flute, harp, or
trumpet.
The
(2)
speaker sometimes spoke his prayer to God, some-
times chanted
it
after the Christian
custom of singing the
psalms; in either case he was raised to a state of ecstasy.
He
did not understand a word of what he was saying; the divine
impulse
('spirit')
utter his praise of
be
far better if
was working within him, moving him to
God, but
mind was
his
inactive. It
would
he could interpret what he was saying; then
both his mind and his spirit would (3) The catechumens are called
God.
join in worshipping 'the uninstructed.'
These
the prayer coming from
people were unable to participate in
the hps of the speaker in strange tongues; instead of voicing
by saying Amen, they had to
their approval
lated
—hardly
a satisfactory preparation for
sit Jost
and
membership
iso-
in the
Mystical Body!
The
(4)
seem
to be
unbeh'evers are pagan enquirers.
more important
to
Tongues would
them than prophecy; but even on
here, Paul contends, they are inferior to prophecy. Just as
Pentecost Sunday, tongues excite the curiosity of the unbelievers
but do not convert them; they lead the pagans to the
Christian meeting-place;
and wins them
it is
for Christ.
that prophecy was sometimes it
then that prophecy takes over
From
Paul's
argument
more than an
it is
ciear
inspired utterance;
took on a miraculous quality by manifesting knowledge of
secret thoughts
Rules
for
Stephanas,
hidden away in the conscience of unbelievers.
Orderly
Procedure
Fortunatus,
Achaicus,
at
Meetings.
Crispus,
Sosthenes f
Gaius,
Lucian,
Jason, Sosipater, Tertius, Quartus, Erastus, Chloe: those are thirteen Corinthians
mentioned
in
PauYs
letters. Just
imagine
190
Corinthians 14, 2j-i$ y 2
i
spiritual advantage. If there
is
speaking with strange tongues,
more than two speak, or three at the most; let each take his turn, with someone to interpret for him, and if he can find nobody to interpret, let him be silent in the church, conversing with his own spirit and with God. As for the prophets, let two or three of them speak, while the rest sit in judgment on their prophecies. If some revelation comes to another who is sitting by, let him who spoke first keep silence; there is room for you all to prophesy one by one, so that the whole company may receive instruction and comfort; and it do not
is
let
for the prophets to exercise control over their
God
gifts.
And women tells
them:
their
husbands
if
the
all
it.
are to be silent in the churches; utterance
not permitted to them;
let
them keep
their rank, as the
they have any question to at
home. That
heard in the church Tell me, was
it
is
a
woman
raise, let
should
it
has reached?
If
voice
anybody claims
him prove
recognizing that this message of mine to you If
them ask
make her
not seemly.
to be a prophet, or to have spiritual gifts, let
commandment.
is
law
from you that God's word was sent out?
Are you the only people
he does not recognize
it,
is
it
by
the Lord's
he himself
shall
no recognition.
Set your hearts, then,
my
brethren, on prophesying;
for speaking with strange tongues,
Only
spiritual
the author of peace, not of disorder;
is
churches of the saints give proof of
receive
own
let us
do not
and
interfere with
as it.
have everything done suitably, and with right
order.
Here, brethren,
is
an account of the gospel
I
preached to
you. It was this that was handed on to you; upon this your faith rests; through this (if
you keep
in
mind the
tenor of
its
From Ephesus 57 A.D. the confusion
Chloes house; is
them spoke would he a babel
if all
it
of
191
at
once in the assembly at
of
competing
voices.
the situation Paul has to deal with here. His solution
That
is
that
the spiritual advantage of the whole church must be their
primary concern, and not a demonstration of each individual s personal eminence in the possession of spiritual
Two new facts about spiritual gifts come graph. First,
some
gifts.
to light in this para-
of the gifts were not genuine; there were
bogus speakers in tongues, and prophets too. Second, these gifts
were subject to the control of the speaker; he could stop
at will, or even resist the impulse to speak in the Erst place.
Paul gives
conducting their meetings
five practical rules for
in an orderly fashion. (1)
Only one person
to speak at
is
one
time; they are to take turns in addressing the congregation.
Not more than half a dozen are to speak at each meeting. The gift of tongues is not to be exercised unless there is
(2) (3)
someone present was
to translate the
message into Greek; there
a special gift of interpreting tongues. (4)
to be allowed to speak without
Prophets are not
some control on the genuine-
ness of their utterances; there was also a special gift for testing
the authenticity of prophets. (5) Women are not to speak at all; this is a more direct prohibition than that contained in their veiling (11, 5-6).
The
Corinthians, so rich in spiritual
gifts,
should be able
to recognize these prescriptions as coming from the Lord himself
through his minister Paul.
Evidence for Christ's Resurrection. trated
on three events of our Lord's
and second coming. Just
Paul's preaching concenlife,
his death, resurrection,
as Peter based his first
sermon on
192
i
Corinthians 15, 3-19
preaching) you are in the way of salvation; unless indeed
your belief was to you, as
and then,
The
chief message
I
handed on
was handed on to me, was that Christ,
it
had
scriptures
founded.
ill
as the
foretold, died for our sins; that he was buried,
as the scriptures
had
foretold, rose again
on the
That he was seen by Kephas, then by the twelve and afterwards by more than five hundred of the
third day. apostles,
brethren at once, most of
some have gone then by
whom
are alive at this day,
Then he was
to their rest.
the apostles; and last of
all
all,
I
too saw him, like
the last child, that comes to birth unexpectedly. apostles,
I
am
the least; nay,
apostle, since there
of
God;
by God's
only,
he has shown harder than of
God
theirs as
was
me
all
grace,
am
I
I
that
is
it is
fit
to
Of
all
the
be called an
persecuted the church
am what
of them, or rather,
will;
I
has not been without
working with me. That
you
not
when
a time
though
seen by James,
I
am, and the grace
fruit; I
was not
I,
have worked
but the grace
our preaching, mine or
the faith which has
come
to you.
what we preach about Christ, then, is that he rose from the dead, how is it that some of you say the dead do not rise If
If the dead do not rise, then Christ has not risen either; and if Christ has not risen, then our preaching is groundless, and your faith, too, is groundless. Worse still, we are con-
again?
God; we bore God witness that he had raised Christ up from the dead, and he has not raised him up, if it is true that the dead do not rise again. If the dead, I say, do not rise, then Christ has not risen either; and if Christ has not risen, all your faith is a delusion; you victed of giving false testimony about
are back in your sins. It follows, too, that those to their rest in Christ have
been
lost.
If
who have gone we have
the hope
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
193
Pentecost Sunday on the resurrection of Christ, so Paul began his instructions to
new
converts by proving that Christ had
risen from the dead; it was the main apologetic and the foundation of the Christian faith.
The
of the apostles,
evidence for our Lord's resurrection was factual;
given hy
men who had
it
was
actually seen the risen Master, talked
and eaten with him. All four gospels follow the same pattern of proof. Paul here presents six witnesses; only three of these
mentioned
are
in the gospels, Peter (Kephas)
The 500
appearances to the apostles.
and the two
brethren incident prob-
it may be the scene menMatthew 28, 16. Paul selects these witnessses, rather than Mary Magdalen and the two disciples of Emmaus, be-
ably took place by the lake of Galilee;
tioned in
cause they were people he had personally All these saw our sion;
Paul saw him
Lord between
much
later
met
his resurrection
and ascen-
on the road to Damascus
(Acts 9, 3-6); it gave him the right to add his voice to the witness of the other apostles.
Our
Resurrection Depends on Christ's.
For converts from 7
paganism, the hardest doctrine in the Apostles Creed was the
T believe in the resurrection of the body.' Theoretically they knew that man has an immortal soul which survives death;
article:
but for most of the ordinary people this was a vague, shadowy sort of existence,
man would hands was it
somewhat
after the
see again with his eyes,
a fact so
hard to take
new and
manner
of a ghost.
That
and touch things with
startling that their
his
minds found
it in.
PauVs audience of intellectuals at Athens had openly laughed at
him when he mentioned
this doctrine; so
he was used to
Gentile reaction to the resurrection, and he had developed a
1
194
Corinthians
15,
20-34
learned to repose in Christ belongs to this world only, then
we
unhappy beyond all other men. But no, Christ has from the dead, the firstfruits of all those who have fallen
are
risen
man had
asleep; a
brought us death, and a
us resurrection from the dead; just as so with Christ
all will
all
be brought to
man
should bring
have died with Adam,
But each must rise and after him follow
life.
own rank; Christ is the firstfruits, who belong to him, when he comes. Full completion comes after that, when he places his kingship in the hands in his
those
of God, his Father, having
first
dispossessed every other sort
of rule, authority, and power; his reign must continue until 'he has put all his enemies
under his feet/ and the
enemies to be dispossessed in subjection
made them
under his
death.
is
feet';
that
is,
all
subject to him, except indeed that
And when
his subjects.
last of
'God has put
all
things have been
power which made
that subjection
is
complete, then
the Son himself will become subject to the power which all
things his subjects so that
God may
those
things
be
made
all in all.
what can be the use of being baptized for the dead, if the dead do not rise again? Why should anyone be baptized for them? Why do we, for that matter, face peril hour after hour? I swear to you, brethren, by all the pride I take in you in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that death Tell me,
is
my side. When I fought against beasts at Ephesus my strength, of what use was it, if the dead do not
daily at
with rise
all
again? 'Let us eat and drink, since
row/
Do
not be led into such
corrupt noble minds/
Come
minded men, and
no
your shame,
who
sin
errors:
we must die tomor'Bad company can
back to your
senses, like right-
longer; there are some,
lack the knowledge of
God.
I
say
it
to
From Ephesns 57 A.D. line of
why
argument best suited
first
of
all
from the dead;
deny the
is
is
a denial
the very basis of the Christian
But the fact of Christ's resurrection proves only that from the dead. How about us?
faith.
is
Jesus' resurrection
possibility of resurrection
of an historical event that
That
to convince the sceptics.
he established the fact of
to
195
he,
Christ, rose
Paul here introduces his favourite doctrine, the Mystical
Body of Christ. Just as resurrection was the completion of our Lords historical existence, so it must be the final perfection of his
how
members.
We
are organs belonging to a glorified head;
could such a body be perfect
if
the organs did not share
that glory?
To what
clinch the argument, Paul compares
Adam
lost for the
human
Adam and
Christ:
death
race, Christ regained;
from Adam's transgression; so our Lord mankind bodily immortality as well as sanctifying grace. This right to glorification of the body will not be realized for mankind until the Second Coming of Christ; when that day comes, the Mystical Body will have grown to full perfection; there will be no longer a Church militant on earth, only the Church triumphant of gloriEed humanity in heaven.
as well as sin resulted
won back
for
Paul's final appeal
one from
is
to
two concrete
their experience, the other
realities of daily life,
from
his.
The
first is
the
Corinthian practice of a friend's receiving baptism on behalf of
an unbaptized catechumen; the second to death amidst the perils of Ephesus.
is
Paul's indifference
These two
facts
do not
prove a belief in resurrection, only a belief in survival after death. Paul
is
probably thinking
now
thought that only those living at the
of a second error:
last
some
day would be gloriEed;
those already dead would miss the resurrection.
196
Corinthians 15, 35-51
i
But perhaps someone will ask, 'How can the dead rise up? kind of body will they be wearing when they appear?' Poor fool, when you sow seed in the ground, it must die
What
before full it
can be brought to
it
body that
may
cording to his
Nature
not
is
one day to be,
is
some other
be, or
life;
is
not the
it is
only bare grain, of wheat,
it is
for
God
to
embody
ac-
it
each grain in the body that belongs to
will,
one;
all
crop;
and what you sow
men have one nature,
the birds another, and fishes another;
it.
the beasts another,
so, too,
there are bodies
that belong to earth and bodies that belong to heaven; and
heavenly bodies have one kind of beauty, earthly bodies an-
The sun
other. stars
have
beauty. So
sown
has
one
theirs, it is
own
its
even
star
moon
beauty, the
has hers, the
from another
differs
with the resurrection of the dead.
corruptible, rises incorruptible;
what
is
in its
What
is
sown unhonoured,
rises in glory;
what
what
a natural body, rises a spiritual body. If there
is
sown
is
is
sown
in weakness,
raised in power;
is
such a thing as a natural body, there must be a spiritual
body
too.
Mankind
scripture tells us,
who
has
'a
become
begins with the living soul';
it
Adam who
is
a life-giving spirit. It
of spiritual life that
came
first;
fulfilled in
became, the
as
Adam
was not the principle
natural
life
came
first,
then
man who came first came from the earth, fashioned of dust, the man who came afterwards came from heaven. The nature of that earth-born man is shared by his spiritual life; the
earthly sons, the nature of the heaven-born
enly sons; and
it
remains for
earth, to bear the is
this;
us,
who once
stamp of heaven.
the kingdom of
God
What
man, by
I
mean, brethren,
cannot be enjoyed by
blood; the principle of corruption cannot share a is
his heav-
bore the stamp of
flesh
life
and
which
incorruptible.
Here
is
a secret
I
will
make known
to you:
we
shall
not
From Ephesus 57 A.D. Bodily Resurrection Jesus' death,
23). is
A
Against Reason.
few days before
some Sadducees confronted him with
soluble case of the
They
Not
197
woman
their in-
(ML
with seven husbands
22,
visualized life in the resurrected state exactly as life
here on earth: a resurrected body exactly the same as that of
Lazarus come back from the tomb.
Our Lord
corrects this mis-
representation of glorified bodies by pointing out they are
immortal; marriage will be unnecessary once death has been destroyed.
Paul here demonstrates the reasonableness of Christian ceaching on the resurrection. First he illustrates from the world of nature. In vegetable
life
there
is
a close parallel with
body: the vast difference between a grain of wheat and
development into
stalk, leaf,
must undergo the corruption perfection.
The
and
ear;
mans
its final
man
both wheat and
of death before rising to a
new
variety of bodies in the animal world, the shin-
moon and
ing brilliance of the sun by day, of the
prepare man's imagination for a
new kind
by night,
stars
of body, the glorified
beauty of a resurrected body.
In addition to immortality, Paul
lists
four other qualities
of a resurrected body: incorruptibility, glory, power, uality. Just
how
resurrection
our Lords
and
all
they will affect the way of
on the life
last
life
of
men
after his resurrection.
He
was
free
he ate with his apostles to convince them of the
him
at first sight;
after the
it difficult
from pain
and
sleep;
reality of his
body, not to satisfy his hunger. In his face there was a
nize
spirit-
day can best be seen by examining
physical needs, such as the need for food
and beauty, which made
and
new glory
for his followers to recog-
he possessed the power to move from
place to place just by willing to be wherever he wanted to go;
and he could pass through miraculous manner.
solid objects, such as doors, in a
198 all fall asleep,
a
Corinthians
i
moment,
but we
15,
$2-16, 7
be changed.
shall all
It will
an eye, when the
in the twinkling of
happen
sounds; the trumpet will sound, and the dead will free
from corruption, and we
life,
this corruptible nature
come death,
is
wears
incorruptible garment, this
its
is
swallowed up in victory.
your victory; where, death,
that gives death
its sting, just
as
power; thanks be to God, then,
is
your
Where
sting?' It
is
sin
the law that gives sin
who
gives us victory through
my beloved
immovable
full
in
then,
it is
our Lord Jesus Christ. Stand firm, then,
in the task the
when
immortality, the saying of scripture will
its
'Death
true,
changed;
mortal nature with immortality. Then,
this
mortal nature
rise again,
shall find ourselves
nature of ours must be clothed with incor-
this corruptible
ruptible
in
trumpet
last
your resolve, doing your
its
brethren,
share continually
Lord has given you, since you know that your
labour in the Lord's service cannot be spent in vain.
And now
about the collection which
saints; follow the
plan which
I
is
being
made
for the
have prescribed for the Gala-
Each of you should put aside, on the first day of the week, what he can afford to spare, and save it up, so that there may be no need for a collection at the time of my visit; and when I am with you I will despatch your envoys, with letters of recommendation from you, to convey your tian churches.
charity to Jerusalem. If
I
find
it
worthwhile to make the
journey myself, they shall travel with me. to
you
mean
as
soon as
to go
I
on
my way
shall
be coming (I
round Macedonia), and perhaps stay with you or
even pass the winter with you;
sion for a
I
have made the round of Macedonia
to
my
it
be for you to put
will
next stage, whatever
mere passing
visit to
you;
I
it
be. This
hope
to
is
me
no occa-
spend some
From Ephesus 57 A.D.
Adam,
199
and head of the human race. The first Adam was made of nothing from the dust of the earth; the second Adam, incarnate in time, had Christ
is
the Second
the representative
To the memown life: 'He
existed eternally in the glory of his divine nature.
bers of his Mystical Body, he
communicates
his
humbled body
of ours anew,
moulding
will
form
this
it
into
the image of his glorified body/
In his treatment of resurrected bodies, Paul of the good, not of the
damned.
consoling those Christians
is
thinking only
seems at times that he
It
who thought
is
that only the living
would share in Christ's triumph on the last day, and that the dead would not rise from the tomb. He had reassured the Thessahnians on this same matter (Thess. 4, 12-17).
He
leaves
no doubt,
15, that death has
in this final section of 1
Corinthians
been conquered: 'He leaps and tramples
on the prostrate form of death, singing aloud the song of triumph.
7
Final Directions and Future Plans.
Paul has Enished the
body
to conclude with
of his letter; his usual practice
is
practical advice, personal information,
paragraph
Paul to
is
and
greetings.
in the nature of a postscript. It
come down from
on the resurrected body
is
some So this
no trouble
for
the heights of mystical speculation
to the routine matters of finance.
Twelve years before, he and Barnabas had brought a monetary contribution from the Christians at Antioch to the
mother church
at Jerusalem (Acts 11, 27-30).
start of his first
from the Gentile churches and sending
to Jerusalem. It
mother church,
Body and
the
missionary journey to Galatia he began the
practice of collecting
money
And from
was an act of charity to the poorer
a sign of unity of the
a standing proof that his
members
of the Mystical
championing of the Gen-
200
i
time with you,
if
Corinthians 16, 8-24
the Lord will let me. Till Pentecost,
I shall
be staying at Ephesus; a great and promising opportunity
open to me, and strong
forces
oppose me.
If
Timothy comes,
be sure to make him free of your company; he Lord's work as
I
am.
He
is
me
safely; I
him here with the brethren. As for our brother have urged him strongly to accompany the brethren
awaiting
Apollo,
on
doing the
not to be treated with disrespect;
is
put him on his way in peace so that he reaches
am
lies
I
their journey to you;
but no, he
will
not consent to
visit
yet, he will come when he has leisure. Be on the watch, stand firm in the faith, play the man, be
you
full of
courage.
And
let
everything you do be done in a spirit
of charity.
This appeal, brethren,
must make
I
the household of Stephanas was the
to you.
first
You know
that
Achaia gave;
offering
you know how they have devoted themselves to supplying the needs of the saints; you persons, to everyone I
am
to such
shares in the labours of our ministry.
glad that Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus are
made up
for your absence, bringing relief to
as well as yours.
Such men deserve your recognition.
here; they have
my mind
A
who
must show deference
greeting to you from
greetings, in the Lord's
all
the churches of Asia, and
name, from Aquila and
many
Priscilla, as
well as the church in their household. All the brethren greet
you; greet one another with the kiss of saints. greetings in
who Lord
my
my own
handwriting,
has no love for the Lord, is
coming.
The
love be with you
let
PAUL.
If
I
send you
there
him be held
is
my
anyone
accursed; the
grace of the Lord Jesus be with you; and all in
Christ Jesus.
From Ephesus 57 A.D. tiles
him
did not cut
velops
this
Corinthians
off
from
201
Paul de-
his Jewish heritage.
thought in his moving charity sermon in
2
8-9.
Paul had been three years at Ephesus, the longest time he ever stayed in the one
city.
Corinth was only three hundred
miles west across the Aegean Sea; boats were going and com-
ing daily. Seemingly he had thought of a quick voyage to
Corinth several times, but was prevented by the demands of his apostolic ministry at Ephesus.
that he will
make
a longer stay
through Macedonia,
So now he makes
a
when he does come
later in the year. Actually
promise overland
he did eventu-
spend the winter of 57-58 A.D. at Corinth, where he wrote the Letter to the Romans. In the meantime he tells them of ally
Timothy
s
expected arrival in the near future (he and a Co-
were on their way through Macedonia, Acts Timothy had been only a boy when he was at Corinth with Paul five years before; they must remember that he is now a mature missionary and is to be treated with due reverrinthian, Erastus, 19, 22).
ence.
Stephanas, Fortunatus, and Achaicus had probably brought the Corinthian letter to Paul; with Sosthenes,
PauYs secretary for Paul's reply. Paul loyal
followers
distressing
party
1
who
had high hopes that the influence would help solve the problem spirit
served as
Corinthians, they would carry back
in
Corinth.
It
of these
of
the
would seem that
Paul wanted Apollo to accompany them; he, however, had not yet acquired full Christian perfection
and would not co-operate
with Paul in putting an end to the divisions in the Corinthian
community. AquiJa and for
some time
Priscilla are
at
mentioned because they had
Corinth (Acts 18,
2).
lived
Third Missionary Journey continued
It
was
just at this
time that the
Way
was the cause of a
notable disturbance. There was a silversmith called
who
Deme-
make silver models of Diana's temple, and employment to the craftsmen. And now he called a meeting of these, and of the workmen who were in the same trade, and spoke thus: 'Friends, you all know that our prosperity depends upon this business of ours. And you can see and hear for yourselves that this Paul has persuaded trius,
used to
so gave plentiful
a whole multitude to change their allegiance, not only at
Ephesus but over most of Asia, by
temple of the great goddess Diana will
them
telling
made by men's hands are no gods at all. It we are in danger of finding this work of ours will
is
that gods
not only that
discredited.
The
count for nothing, she
be shorn of her greatness, the goddess
whom
Asia and
all
the world reveres/
At
these words, they were
to shout: 'Great
whole
city, as
all
overcome with
rage,
Diana of Ephesus.' The uproar
they ran by
common
and began filled
the
consent to the theatre,
who were comPaul from Macedonia. When Paul had a mind to
carrying with
panions of
is
them Gaius and
Aristarchus,
show himself before the people, his disciples tried to prevent it; and some of the delegates of Asia, who were his friends, sent a message to him, imploring him not to risk his life in the theatre.
Meanwhile some cried this, some that; the meeting was confusion, and most of them could not tell what had brought them together. The Jews thrust Alexander forward, and some of the crowd brought him down with them; so Alexander made a gesture with his hand, and tried to give an all in
account of himself before the people; but as soon
as they
From Ephesus
Every four years the month of
Riot of the Silversmiths.
was a public holiday
to Philippi 57 A.D.
at Ephesus.
There were
May
sacrifices daily in
the temple of Diana, athletics in the amphitheatre, processions
through the
came one
streets,
hig
fair;
and dancing
month. The whole of
for a
at night.
The whole
there was a spirit of celebration Asia, the
city be-
and
revelry
most populous province Games,
of the Empire, sent delegates, particularly to the
which were the biggest
in Asia.
The normal population
of
35,000 increased to at least a million people in the city of
Ephesus for the Diana
festival.
This was the 'great and promising opportunity' that Paul told the Corinthians he was waiting for. Earlier during his stay at Ephesus,
he had won a notable victory over black
magic by having most of the books on licly
burned.
He had
missionary centres.
this occult science
pub-
stayed on, despite urgent calls to other
The
vast concourse of people that
assemble at Ephesus for this big
festival
meant
would
a heaven-sent
opportunity to preach the gospel to the heathen.
Paul knew the
difficulties
and dangers of the
was opposing paganism in one of holiest city.
me/ On
He had told
its
He
situation.
strongest centres
and
its
the Corinthians: 'Strong forces oppose
this occasion it
was one of the wealthy merchants
engaged in the production of statuettes of Diana that caused trouble. His
name was Demetrius, and he spoke
for the thou-
sands of silversmiths engaged in the statue trade. In his speech
he
cleverly
mixed appeals
to the motives of gain, religion,
and
patriotism.
The went
fanatical
crowd that soon gathered
in search of Paul. Fortunately he
Aquila and
Priscilla (he
in
the temple
was not at the home of
was probably instructing converts in
°f the Apostles 19, 34-20,
204
1
found out that he was a Jew, a single cry came from every mouth, and for some two hours they kept on shouting: 'Great is
Diana
of
Then
the town clerk restored quiet
Ephesus/
'Ephesians/ he said,
know
that the city of Ephesus
and of the image that
among the crowd: who does not
there were anyone
'as if
fell
is
the acolyte of the great Diana,
down from
the sky! Since this
is
beyond dispute, you had best be quiet, and do nothing rashly. These men you have brought here have not robbed the temhave not used blasphemous language about your
ples; they
goddess.
And
if
Demetrius and
his fellow craftsmen
charge to bring against them, why,
we have
we have our
settled
court days, If,
on the
raise, it
can be
proconsuls; let the two parties go to law.
other hand, you have any further question to
by lawful assembly.
for today's proceedings,
have any
We may easily be called to account
and there
enable us to account for this riot/
no grievance which
is
With
will
these words he broke
up the meeting.
When
the tumult was over, Paul
to rally their spirits
and bid them
summoned
farewell,
and
his disciples, set
out on his
journey to Macedonia.
Second Letter to the Corinthians From
Paul, by God's will an apostle of Jesus Christ,
Timothy, who is
at
is
their brother, to the
Corinth and to
all
Church
of
and
God which
the saints in the whole of Achaia;
grace and peace be yours from God, our Father, and from
the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be the
Lord Jesus
God and Father of our God who gives all
Christ, the merciful Father, the
encouragement.
He
it is
who
comforts us in
all
our
trials;
and
From Ephesus
A.D.
to Philippi 57
the school of Tyrannus). So the
mob
205
picked up two of his
Gaius and Aristaichus, and swept on through the
disciples,
Jewish quarter to the theatre, with
seating capacity of
its
25,000.
The Jews, wishing tians,
to disassociate themselves
from the Chris-
persuaded one of their number, Alexander, to speak to
the crowd; hut they shouted ing, the
him down. After two
crowd was exhausted. The town
city's representative
opportunity and
clerk,
hours' shout-
who was
the
before the imperial authorities, seized the
made
a
common-sense appeal
to reason
and
self-interest.
Sadly Paul decided to leave Ephesus,
visit
some
of the
churches of Asia, continue north to Troas, and cross by sea to Philippi.
With him were
Titus, soon to be sent with an-
other letter to Corinth, Gaius and Aristarchus.
In 431 A.D. a general council of the Church was held at Ephesus. On that occasion the doctrine that Mary is the
Mother
of
God
was defined
an
as
article
of faith. Paul's
gospel at last found acceptance at Ephesus: in the city that
shouted for Diana, Mary was acclaimed.
Conflict Without, Anxiety Comfort
in Suffering with Christ.
Ephesus in
Paul went by land from
a northerly direction, possibly to
ably spent several
months
north to Troas; Sardis,
Within
visiting the
Smyrna; he prob-
churches on the road
Pergamum and Adrumetum all had But again he met with
flourishing Christian communities.
persecution, probably at the hands of the Jews in these cities; this is the
Asian
trial
he
refers to.
Added
to his recent experi-
2 Corinthians
2o6 this
it is
1,
4-15
encouragement we ourselves receive from
God which
enables us to comfort others, whenever they have
own. The sufferings of Christ,
their
our
lives;
but there
it is
of
trials
true, overflow into
overflowing comfort, too, which Christ
is
Have we
makes
for
your
encouragement, for your salvation. Are we comforted?
It is
brings to us.
so that
endure?
trials to
It all
you may be comforted. And the
in your willingness to
effect of this appears
undergo the sufferings we too undergo;
making our hopes of you all the more confident; partners of our sufferings, you will be partners of our encouragement too. Make no mistake, brethren, about the trial which has been befalling us in Asia;
beyond our
strength, so that
for ourselves
we could
would have us learn raises
was something that overburdened us
it
the dead to
we
find
despaired of
life itself.
no outcome but death; so God
It is
he who has preserved
to have confidence that he will preserve us
must help us with your
by many on our behalf, and
God
for the favour
It
is
made
our boast,
behaved
in all
name
in the
has shown to
still.
of
and
is
learned
Only you,
will
be given
many
persons,
So thanks
prayers.
us,
we have
preserving us, from such deadly peril; and
too,
him who
to trust, not in ourselves, but in
life.
Indeed,
us.
good conscience, that we have
and towards you
especially,
with a
holiness that was sincere in God's sight, not using
human
in the world,
wisdom, but the letters
nothing
light of
stand us to mean. us better, as you do chief pride, as
I
And we mean by
our
will come to understand some measure; are we not your
hope that you already in
you are our chief
Lord Jesus comes?
had made up
God's grace.
than what you read in them, and under-
else
It
was with
my mind
pride, in the day
this
when our
confidence in you that
I
to give you a double opportunity of
From
Philippi 57 A.D.
ence at Ephesus, during the
overburdened the
Even
riot of the silversmiths, it
human powers
progresses. It
is
almost
of the strong-willed Paul.
in this first paragraph there
not well at Corinth; the
207
details will
is
he
a hint that all filled in as
was
the letter
the second element that contributed to Paul's
mental anxiety: he not only had to endure opposition in Asia,
he had
also to
cope with the disloyalty of some of the
Corinthian converts. These two sources of worry give the tone
and theme of the Second Letter to the Corinthians. It is the most personal and autobiographical of Paul's letters and has been caJJed the Epistle of Paul's Passion.
With ings,
his Mystical
Body
outlook, Paul sees in these suffer-
both physical and mental, his
own
likeness to the suffer-
ing Head. Like our Lord in the garden of Gethsemani, Paul looks to the Father as the source of strength to endure
conquer.
A
favourite
word
to express this
is
'comfort'
and and
is the Greek word familiar to us as the Holy Ghost, Paraclete the Comforter. It
'encouragement.' It
new name
—
of the
occurs nine times in this paragraph, and 28 times in Second Corinthians;
it is
not used nearly so frequently in any other
letter. It expresses Paul's
reaction to the situation.
Paul Refutes Charge of Inconsistency. preached the gospel in Corinth,
When
Paul
six years before, his
first
pagan
converts enjoyed the freedom of God's children for the
first
T am free to do what I will' were familiar But when he wrote the First Letter to them from Ephesus, earlier this year, he severely criticized their time in their
words on
lives;
his lips.
abuse of Christian freedom.
man
quoted three examples: the
married to his father's wife, lawsuits before pagans, and
food offered to a
He
man who
said
idols.
Their reaction was:
one thing to your
face,
How
could you trust
then contradicted him-
2 Corinthians
208 spiritual profit,
coming
to
16-2,
1,
you
4
then passing through
first,
Corinth to Macedonia, and so from Macedonia back to you;
and you were
to put
me on my way
made up my mind, do you suppose
me
be said of
human 'No,
I
that the plans
prudence, so that will
delivered to you
No.
It
it
not/ with me? As is
When
to Judea.
did
I
thus
Can
lightly?
it
I
it
form are formed by motives of
I
'Yes,
first,
is
God
will/
I
and then,
message we
faithful, the
is
not one which hesitates between Yes and
was Jesus Christ, the Son of God, that
I,
that Silvanus
and Timothy preached to you; and that preaching did not between Yes and No; in him all is affirmed with cer-
hesitate
him all the promises of God become certain; that why, when we give glory to God, it is through him that we say our Amen. It is God who gives both us and you our certainty. In is
tainty in Christ;
who
it is
he who has anointed
us, just as it is
he
has put his seal on us, and given us the foretaste of his
Spirit in our hearts.
With my if I
soul as the forfeit
did not, after
all, visit
you
I
call this
God
at Corinth,
it
to witness that
was to give you
(Not that we would domineer over your faith; we would help you to achieve happiness. And indeed,
a fresh chance. rather, in
your faith you stand firm enough.)
in
my own
mind, that
a sad errand.
Was
sorrow on those
I
who
I
to are
make you
my own
if
it
meant
this
sorry? It
you happy
and
all, I
knew
too.
When
distress of
was resolved
that I
what made
I
wrote:
I
would not
I
felt
I
might
confidence
me happy would make
wrote to you,
mind, with many
on
meant bringing
finding cause for sorrow where
have expected to find cause for happiness. in
I
a second visit
best source of comfort. Andl
those were the very terms in which
come,
On
would not pay you
I
you
wrote in great anguish
tears. I
did not wish to bring
sorrow on you, only to assure you of the love
I
bear you, so
From self
when he wrote
Philippi 57 A.D.
from
later
209
a safe distance?
Such actions
were signs of inconsistency and even cowardice. His change of travel plans was another
Yes today and
No
come
He had
illustration of this
tomorrow attitude. During Paul's threeyear stay at Ephesus, he had promised to make the short few days' voyage across the Aegean to Corinth; hut he had not to them.
gone hack on
he coming to you as soon as
shall
Macedonia'
Cor. 16
(1
his first
end of
casual notification in writing at the I
promise by a
his First Letter:
*I
have made the round of
5).
,
In reality travel plans are not so important; the person of
our Lord
is
what
When
thoughts.
really matters;
and he
is
Paul preached to them, when he wrote to
them, his teaching was about Jesus
room
never far from Paul's
for changing views
crucified.
There
and opinions about the Son
no God;
is
of
Paul's teaching has always been a constant affirmation of un-
changing truth.
Man
Disciplined
Restored
assumed with Mgr. Knox that Paul letter written
that
Timothy
between arrived
1
and
there;
and
1
some
Deeply
in Corinth
insult
Corinthians
assaulted by this
when
by
after the riot at cities.
Paul's First Letter arrived
and
disciple
he had been
on the part of the man corrected by 5.
Possibly he
man, who belonged
distressed
here referring to a lost
one of the nearby Asian
in
as Paul's closest friend
subjected to
Paul in
is
have
I
2 Corinthians. I have surmised
from Corinth shortly
Ephesus and joined Paul
Timothy had been
Fellowship.
Full
to
physically
to the rival Apollo party.
this incident,
stinging rebuke to the Corinthian
had been
Paul wrote a short but
community; from
his
own
description of this letter
it is
often called the Epistle of Tears.
He
off
this
immediately sent
new
letter
with
Titus
as
210
2 Corinthians 2, 5-17
abundantly. Well,
someone has caused
if
so that
all
of you,
must not be too hard on him. This punishment is punishment enough
I
on him by so many of you
inflicted
for the
not
distress, it is
myself that he has distressed but, in some measure,
man
speak
I
of,
and now you must think rather of
showing him indulgence, and comforting him; you must not let
him be overwhelmed by excess of grief. Let me entreat you, him assurance of your good will. The reason why
then, to give
wrote to you, after
I
all,
whether you would obey to anybody, so
do
I
too;
was to
me I
your loyalty, by seeing
test
in full. If
you show indulgence
myself, wherever
have shown
I
indulgence, have done so in the person of Christ for your sakes, for fear that Satan should get the
we know
well
enough how resourceful he
went to Troas, then, to preach found a great opportunity open to I
advantage over
Christ's gospel there,
me
us;
is.
and
in the Lord's service;
had no peace of mind, because
had not yet seen my brother Titus; so I took leave of them all, and pressed on into Macedonia. I give thanks to God, that he is always exhibiting us as the captives in the triumph of Christ, and but
still I
through us spreading abroad everywhere,
knowledge of himself.
I
like a
perfume, the
We are Christ's incense offered to God,
making manifest both those who are achieving salvation and those who are on the road to ruin; as a deadly fume where it finds death, as a lifegiving perfume where it finds life. Who can prove himself worthy of such a calling? so
many
others, adulterate the
all its purity,
as
God
presence in Christ.
gave
it
word
of
We
do
not, like
God, we preach
to us, standing before
it
in
God's
From messenger
(2
Philippi 57 A.D.
Cor. 7 seems to require
211
this).
He demanded
strong measures to be taken against the offender; they were to carry out the original sentence of
excommunication; he ap-
pealed to their loyalty to him as their apostle to right the
wrong done. Writing later,
from
2 Corinthians
months
Philippi, five
Paul has heard Titus' report on his Corinthian
visit:
the Epistle of Tears had been well received and the sinner disciplined.
He must now
be restored to
full
rejecting
city.
God, and
Jesus
wept because
were
his people
true Saviour; Paul
their only
life.
weeping over Jerusa-
Paul's tears recaJJ the Master himself
lem, his beloved
sacramental
saw the
Corinthian rebellion as a rejection of apostolic authority,
which comes from God. Our Lord
felt
because he loved them so much;
was love not revenge that
moved Paul
to act as
Christ's Apostles
he
it
did.
Are His Heralds Everywhere.
to explain the circumstances of his latter s return
sorrow for his people
Paul begins
meeting with Titus, on the
from Corinth; then suddenly breaks
geographical description.
The
reader will
off his
have to wait until
j,
5 before Paul takes up again the story of his meeting with Titus.
The Corinthians had his
travel
plans
without divine guidance; seeing himself
running into a similar Paul breaks toJate.
already accused Paul of changing
difficulty over his
off the narrative
The image
is
from
and
journey to meet Titus,
gives a
homiJy on the apos-
a triumphal procession; Paul
captive led here, there, everywhere by Jesus.
Then he
is
is
a
in-
cense on the coals of the thurifers in the procession, wafted
about by every wind. The
on
effect
he has on
his hearers
depends
their dispositions; let the Corinthians look into their con-
sciences.
2 Corinthians 3, 1-14
212
You will say, perhaps, recommend ourselves
we
that
are
making
a fresh attempt
What, do we need letters of recommendation to you, or from you, as some others do? Why, you yourselves are the letter we carry about with to
us, written in
open
are an
our hearts, for letter
God, with human through Christ,
God. Not
is
all
to recognize
ink,
but
since
law to men.
law
the confidence in which
know how stone,
we all
he who has enabled us
It
is
Such,
it.
we make our
are able to
appeal
frame any
our ability comes from to promulgate his
new
a spiritual, not a written law; the written
death, whereas the spiritual law brings
inflicts
us; a
in the Spirit of the living
that, left to ourselves,
it is
You
to read.
hearts, instead of stone, to carry
thought as coming from ourselves;
God,
and
from Christ, promulgated through
message written not in
to
to your favour.
life.
that sentence of death, engraved in writing
was promulgated to
men
We
upon
in a dazzling cloud, so that
the people of Israel could not look Moses in the face, for the brightness of
How much which the
it,
although that brightness soon passed away.
more
dazzling, then,
spiritual
law
is
must be the brightness
promulgated to them!
If
there
in is
must be our acquittal; and
a splendour in the proclamation of our guilt, there
more splendour yet in the proclamation of indeed, what once seemed resplendent seems by comparison resplendent no longer, so much does the greater splendour outshine it. What passed away passed in a flash of glory; what remains, remains instead in a blaze of glory.
Such
is
the ground of our confidence, and
boldly enough.
Moses
It
is
veiled his face.
not for us to use veiled language, as
He
might not go on gazing was passing away. But
we speak out
did
it,
so that the people of Israel
at the features of the old order,
which
in spite of that, dullness has crept over
From
Philippi 57 A.D.
Glory of the Christian Ministry.
213
There are three
distinct
and the next paragraph: (1) Moses, the minister of the Old Covenant; this image serves as the theme which unites both paragraphs. (2) Paul's mystic outlook on the lines of
thought in
this
grandeur of the ministry of the
New
Covenant.
(3)
The
Corin-
and accusations against Paul's what these charges were has to be surmised from
thian background of insinuations
conduct; just
Paul's reply. Paul can talk truths,
and
moment
one
of sublime spiritual
in the next descend to practical matters.
Possibly
Apollo returned to Corinth after the iiot at
Ephesus; the comparison of Paul and Moses sounds very like his style of
Old Testament
allegory.
The
much
dazzling cloud,
symbol of the divine presence on mount Sinai when Moses
re-
Ten Commandments, was a scene far surpassing in grandeur Paul's own personal meeting with the Lord on the road to Damascus. The purpose of the comparison was to put Paul in his rightful position of inferiority among Gods minceived the
isters.
Paul's reply trate
is
to neglect the persons
concerned and concen-
on the message preached by them. The glory of
a minister
New
Covenant far surpasses that of the Old for three The New Law is spiritual, the Old was material. That is, the Old was written on stone tablets, the New comes directly from Christ to the hearts of believers. (2) The New brings acquittal from sin, the Old only made men more aware of their guilt. (3) The New lasts forever, the Old has passed
of the
reasons: (1)
away.
Gospel Preachers
Do Not Veil
the Light.
Paul knew his Old
Testament even more thoroughly than did ApoJJo.
He now
proceeds to take up their Mosaic comparison and turn against them.
Moses, the
He
veil
introduces a
worn over
new
detail
it
from the story of
his face (Exod. 34, 29-35).
^or a
2 Corinthians 3, 15-4, 9
214
and
their senses,
to this day the reading of the old law
muffled with the same
no
veil;
To
has been abrogated in Christ.
law of Moses
is
this day, I
read out, a veil hangs over their hearts. There
must be a turning
The
taken away.
is
them that it say, when the
revelation tells
to the
and where the Lord's
Lord
first,
and then the
we have been speaking
Spirit
Spirit
is,
there
is
of
veil will
freedom.
to us, all alike, to catch the glory of the
Lord
be
the Lord;
is
It is
given
as in a mirror,
with faces unveiled; and so we become transfigured into the
same likeness, borrowing from that Lord enables us.
glory, as the Spirit of the
Being entrusted, then, by God's mercy with
we do not
play the coward;
we renounce
all
this ministry,
shamefaced con-
cealment, there must be no crooked ways, no falsifying of
God's word;
it is
we recommend as in
God's
by making the truth publicly known that
ourselves to the honest
Our gospel is those who are on
sight.
a mystery to
judgment of mankind,
a mystery, yes, but
it is
only
the road to perdition; those
whose unbelieving minds have been blinded by the god
this
world worships, so that the glorious gospel of Christ, God's
them with the rays of its illumination. not ourselves we proclaim; we proclaim Christ
image, cannot reach After
all, it is
Jesus as Lord,
and ourselves
The same God who bade
as your servants for Jesus' sake.
light shine out of darkness has
kindled a light in our hearts, whose shining his glory as
We
he has revealed
to
make known
in the features of Jesus Christ.
have a treasure, then, in our keeping, but
in ourselves, that gives
are being
its
shell
is
it
must be God, and not anything
it its
sovereign power. For ourselves,
of perishable earthenware;
we
it
is
hampered everywhere, yet
breathe, are hard put to
it,
still
but never at a
have room to
loss;
persecution
does not leave us unbefriended, nor crushing blows destroy
From
moment Paul
is
veil: it
light of the gospel; the
bandage over their
trast:
from
distracted
symbolism of the
For the
Philippi 57 A.D. his
215
argument
as
he
recalls the
represents Jewish blindness to the
Jews are
walking round with a
still
eyes.
rest of this
paragraph he develops a twofold con-
he compares the veiled features of Moses and the un-
and secondly he
veiled face of Christ at the Transfiguration;
compares the veiled Moses with his own open, unveiled, straightforward language. Paul's basic doctrine of the Mystical rally to
that
think of our Lord.
comes
parallel
mind
is
Body
and
mount
Sinai.
The
members and
of Christ
reflecting it in
in their preaching of the gospel truths.
Paul's preaching
the message from that Paul gave to
must not be considered apart from
Christ;
God, delivered through Christ, is the same the Corinthians. There is no veiling of this
message, no subterfuge, no dishonesty; straightforward as Christ himself.
among
life
Second Person of the Blessed Trinity shone out
are like mirrors catching that divine light
is
natu-
the Transfiguration, because of the
Jesus' face at the Transfiguration; the
their lives
him
leads
incident of Jesus' mortal
with Moses' dazzling features on
glory of the
on
to
The
the listeners; those
and understand; those who
who
The
it
is
open and
all
the trouble
and
sincere see
cause of
are honest
as
are badly disposed are blinded by
Satan ('the god this world worships') and oppose the truth.
Paul Undaunted by Mortal Dangers.
The
opposition party
of ApoJJo at Corinth put forward a plausible explanation of Paul's change in teaching: he
was afraid of the Jews; he was a coward who would not stand up to his principles when pressure was applied. When he Erst preached at Corinth, he proclaimed the gospel of freedom from the burdensome prescrip-
2i6
2 Corinthians 4, 10-5, 6
we
us;
carry about continually in our bodies the dying state
power of Jesus may be manifested
of Jesus, so that the living in our bodies too.
up
Always we,
we
alive as
may be makes
being given
are, are
to death for Jesus' sake, so that the living
power
of Jesus
manifested in this mortal nature of ours. So death
itself felt in us,
the scripture, 'with
minds with
full
ing that he
and
life in
raised the
and summon
sum
spoke
confidence/ and
full
for your sakes, so that grace
increase the
'I
confidence, sharing that
who
raise us, too,
you.
mind,' says
too speak our
faith,
and know-
Lord Jesus from the dead
us, like
you, before him.
made manifold
of gratitude
we
same
my
which
is
in
many
will
It is all
lives
may
offered to God's glory.
No, we do not play the coward; though the outward part of our nature is being worn down, our inner life is refreshed from day to day. This light and momentary affliction brings with
it
a reward multiplied every way, loading us with ever-
lasting glory;
if
only
we
will fix
our eyes on what
is
unseen,
see. What we can see, lasts but for a moment; what is unseen is eternal. Once this earthly tent-dwelling of ours has come to an end, God, we are sure, has a solid building waiting for us, a dwelling not made with hands, that will last eternally in heaven. And indeed, it is for this that we sigh, longing for the shelter of that home which heaven will give us, if death, when it comes,
not on what we can
is
to find us sheltered, not defenceless against the winds. Yes,
if
we
tent-dwellers here go sighing
and heavy-hearted,
it
not because we would be stripped of something; rather,
is
we
would clothe ourselves afresh; our mortal nature must be swallowed up in life. For this, nothing else, God was preparing us,
when he gave
us the foretaste of his Spirit.
then, continually, since
we
We take heart,
recognize that our spirits are exiled
from the Lord's presence so long
as they are at
home
in the
From
He
217
Mosaic Jaw; but when he wrote
tions of the
distant places, he gave
cution.
Philippi 57 A.D.
way cravenly under
and imposed
retracted his doctrine of freedom
restrictions such as Jewish marriage laws
outmoded kosher food
them from
to
fear of Jewish perse-
Cor. 5) and Jewish
(1
regulations (1 Cor. 8-10).
In reply Paul appeals to the constant opposition and persecution of the Jews wherever he set foot. If he were trying to please the Jews by his teaching,
continually? It
is
why
true that Paul
is
treasure of Christ's revelation in his
frame.
But
trials
and
did they persecute
human; he frail,
carries
him the
perishable, mortal
troubles, instead of crushing
and cowing
him, only serve to remind him of his membership in the Mystical Body.
The two
on earth
essential acts of Jesus' life
were his death on the cross and his resurrection; Paul knows that
it is
through suffering that each
relive the Passion of
our Lord;
into the resurrected
life.
life
A
this
member must
dying state
passing
trial is
is
imitate
and
the only entry
rewarded by eternal
with God.
The Feast for a
of Tabernacles
whole week Paul and
Lydia's comfortable
home
was held each year in October; his disciples
had moved out of
to live in tents, just as the chosen
people had done during the Exodus (Lev. 23, 34-44). The contrast between these two standards of living supplied Paul, the tentmalcer, with a picturesque illustration of his sublime
thoughts on
life
and death. For most men there
danger than death. But that death
is
is
not
how
merely giving up the cold, unpleasant
no
is
Paul sees
it;
life
greater
for
him
in a tent
out in the open for the warmth and comfort of a stone house, such as Lydia's. the
life
The temporary
of an eternal, heavenly
When
Paul
is
summoned
exile
on earth
is
exchanged for
home.
before the divine judge, there are
2 Corinthians 5, 7-19
2i 8
body, with
We
I
and have
say,
from the body, and
home
guide our steps.
faith, instead of a clear view, to
take heart,
at
home
mind
a
rather to be exiled
with the Lord; to that end, at
or in exile, our ambition
to
is
win
his favour. All of us
have a scrutiny to undergo before Christ's judgment each to reap what his mortal
seat, for
has earned, good or
life
ill,
ac-
cording to his deeds.
It
we
what we
we
win men over by persuasion; are,
and
so, I
we
are showing
of us, to those
God
recognizes us for
hope, does your better judgment. No,
recommend
are not trying to
afresh;
minds that
then, with the fear of the Lord before our
is,
try to
ourselves to your favour
you how to find material
who have
so
much
for boasting
to boast of outwardly,
and
Then take them as Or sober sense? Then take them as adto yourselves. With us, Christ's love is a compelling and this is the conviction we have reached; as one
nothing inwardly. Are these wild words? addressed to God. dressed
motive,
man
died on behalf of
he died
for us
all,
living with our
then
all,
all
thereby became dead men;
so that being alive should
own
life,
but with
his life
no longer mean
who
died for us
we do not human fashion; even if we used to think of Christ in a human fashion, we do so no longer; it follows, in fact, that when a man becomes a new creature
and has
risen again;
and
therefore, henceforward,
think of anybody in a merely
in Christ, his old life has disappeared, everything has
become
new about him.
he who,
This, as always,
is
God's doing;
it is
through Christ, has reconciled us to himself, and allowed us to minister this reconciliation of his to others. Yes, in Christ, reconciling the
God was
world to himself, establishing in
our hearts his message of reconciliation, instead of holding
men
to account for their sins.
From two
he
possibilities:
Philippi 57 A.D.
may
still
219
be in his tent
Second Coming), or he may be shipped of
The
dead).
already been
at the
were constantly thinking of the
early Christians
likelihood of their survival
(alive
his tent (already
till
mentioned twice
the end of the world;
has
it
in Paul's letters (1 Thess. 4, 15;
Cor. 15, 51). In either case Paul will welcome his homecoming to the vision of God and the glorification of his body. 1
The Ambassador
The thought
of Christ.
ment, about which Paul has
just
been
of death
writing,
and
judg-
the link with
is
the previous paragraph. These considerations should be
suffi-
cient guarantee to the Corinthians that Paul does not act
despotically without thinking of the divine Judge, his
words of correction are uttered
in sincerity,
and that
all
without subter-
fuge.
But
fear
is
not the dominant motive in PauYs
from the highest of
all
life;
he
acts
motives, love; and he cannot speak of
Lords exmake use of
love without speaking of Christ. In quoting our
ample,
some
it is
rather surprising that Paul does not
of the incidents in the Gospels; Jesus correcting his
would have served him admirably in this context. But Paul is interested in only one incident of our Lord's life, and that is his death. By baptism a Christian
disciples, especially Peter,
undergoes a mystical death with Christ; the energy with
which he
lives,
the breath he breathes,
is
the
life
of Christ.
is the power and vitality of this new life that it is called new creation; all distinctions between individuals disappear; no man is superior or inferior to another when all have been
Such a
raised
up with Christ.
Probably Paul
is
thinking of the taunt of the opposition
party in Corinth, that he was not an apostle like the (1
Cor.
9).
So he
replies that
Twelve knowing our Lord personally dur-
2 Corinthians 5, 20-6,
220
We
14
and God appeals to Christ's name, make your
are Christ's ambassadors, then,
you through
us;
we
entreat you in
knew sin, and God made him for us, so that in him we might be turned into the of God. And now, to further that work, we entreat
peace with God. Christ never into sin
holiness
you not to
offer
God's grace an ineffectual welcome.
answered your prayer/ he says, brought you help
in a
('I
a time of pardon,
'in
day of salvation/
of pardon; the day of salvation has
And
come
here
is
I
have
have
the time
already.)
We
are
we should bring God's ministers, we must do acceptable. We have to show
careful not to give offence to anybody, lest
on our ministry;
discredit
everything to
make
as
ourselves
great patience, in times of affliction, of need, of difficulty;
under the
lash, in prison, in the
are tired out, sleepless,
and
midst of tumult; when we
We
fasting.
have to be pure-
minded, enlightened, forgiving and gracious to others; we have to
rely
on unaffected
love,
on the
on the power of God. To
right
and to
on the Holy
truth of our message,
Spirit,
we must be armed with innocence, now honoured, now now traduced, now flattered. They call us deceivers, and we tell the truth; unknown, and we are fully acknowledged; dying men, and see, we live; punished, yes, but not doomed to die; sad men, that rejoice continually; beggars,
left
slighted,
that bring riches to many; disinherited, and the world
We
are speaking freely to you, Corinthians;
hearts wide open to you. It
your
own
affections, that
us back in the
same coin
is
not our
you (I
What
is
fault, it is
the fault of
there
You must not
my
consent
What has innocence to in common between light
be yokefellows with unbelievers.
do with lawlessness?
we throw our
speaking to you as to
children); open your hearts wide too. to
ours.
constraint with us. Pay
feel
am
is
From ing his earthly
life
Philippi 57 A.D.
human
a
('in
superiority; in the Mystical
company; Christ
live in Christ's
It
Body
221
fashion)
no claim
is
a Christian does not merely
lives in
and
acts through
was Christ's death on the cross that won
mankind;
redemption from
this
membership
to
comes
sin
to
him.
this life for
men
through
Body. In God's plan, our Lord
in his Mystical
did not remain on earth to bring the fruits of his redemptive
human
death to the
And
race;
he
that to his ambassadors.
left
in this official capacity Paul
is
appealing to his erring
Corinthians to allow free entry to the grace of ing to
them through
his ministry; this
God now com-
demands immediate
attention. Finally, in a
most moving and eloquent
in the picture of the ideal ambassador. plural, it is quite clear that
he
is
make up
help the Corinthians to
The emphasis
Master
in chapter 11).
(a
it
will
minds whether Paul or
name
is
the true ambassa-
on Paul's humiliations,
is
the most certain sign that he his crucified
uses the
speaking of himself; their
the opposition party under Apollo's
dor of Christ.
passage, Paul Ells
Though he
surely
following in the footsteps of
is
matter he will develop at greater length
His closing
list
of criticisms
is
selected
from the
accusations and charges of the Corinthian opposition; they are the very things that
might have been brought up by the
Jews against Jesus.
Idolatry
wrong
Must Be Shunned.
in the Corinthian
throughout
this letter.
of the subject that
wrong
there.
He
There was something
community; Paul betrays
But he
is
his anxiety
so cautious in his treatment to decide just
what has gone
seems afraid of making the situation worse
by speaking out too openly. In
why he
is
it is difficult
radically
this
paragraph he gives a clue
writing so circumspectly: he was confronted with the
2 Corinthians 6, 15-7, 8
222
What harmony
and darkness?
How
between Christ and
God
the temple of
have any commerce with
Belial?
How
can a believer throw in his lot with an infidel? idols?
can
And we
God; God has told us so: 'I will live and move among them, and be their God, and they shall be my people. Come out, then, from among them, the Lord says, separate yourselves from them, and do not even touch what is unclean; then I will make you welcome. I will be your father, and you shall be sons and daughters to me, says the Lord, the Almighty/ Such are the promises, beloved, that await us. Why then, let us purge ourselves clean from every are the temple of the living
defilement of flesh and of
spirit,
achieving the work of our
God. Be generous with us; it is not as if any of you could say that we had wronged him, or done him harm, or taken undue advantage of him. I am not
sanctification in the fear of
when
finding fault
I
say this;
I
have told you before now, we
hold you so close in our hearts that nothing in
or in
life
death can part us from you.
With what in you!
I
confidence
am
full of
I
speak to you, what pride
encouragement, nay,
myself for happiness, in the midst of
all
take
I
cannot contain
I
these
trials
of mine.
By the time we had reached Macedonia, our human weakness could find no means of rest; all was conflict without, all was anxiety within. But there is one who never fails to comfort those
who
are brought low;
Titus came.
that courage he
longed for pened,
my
not sorry for I
saw how
gave us comfort, as soon as
had derived from you.
presence;
how you
rejoiced. Yes,
God
was not only that he came; he inspired us with
It
even it.
my
if
how you
my
took I
I
told us
grieved over till
I
how you
what had hap-
was more than ever
caused you pain by
Perhaps
letter
part,
He
was tempted to
my
letter, I
feel sorry,
am
when
had caused you even momentary pain,
From
A.D.
Philippi 57
223
danger of a return of his Corinthians to paganism.
Most of the friends and relatives community were still pagans; they
of the
where problems of adjustment arose
daily.
asked Paul about in
1
young Corinthian
lived in a
One
pagan society that they
Corinthians 8-10 was the question of
eating food offered to idols. It seems quite likely that of the Corinthians
many
had not been impressed by Paul's warn-
ing against the danger of idolatry; they had continued to
quent the temple banquets, and the pagan It
is
way
of
had
life
this
fre-
had led them back into
they had abandoned for Christ.
with the paternal love of a father for his wayward
them of the grave danger of such conduct; there can be no compromise between Christ and Satan ('Belial'). If only they would acknowledge their guilt and repent, the constraint they now feel would immediately disappear, and they would once again be on friendly children that Paul again warns
terms with their apostle.
Paul's Joy at this letter,
Good News Brought by
Titus.
In chapter 2 of
Paul began to discuss the return of Titus to him at
Philippi after delivering the lost Letter of Tears.
matters took his
mind
off this subject,
and
it is
But other
only here
(five
chapters later) that he comes back to Titus. This Letter of
Tears had been sent by Paul shortly after leaving Ephesus;
it
months since Titus had departed with it for Corinth. Paul in the meantime had arrived at Philippi, and there was still no news of Titus. When he did arrive, and brought good news of the Corinthian acceptance of his re-
was almost
buke
six
in the Letter of Tears, all Paul's anxiety vanished;
he was
overjoyed at the success of Titus' mission.
The
satisfaction Paul displays in this paragraph
to the anxious tone of the rest of the letter.
is
The
in contrast
general im-
2 Corinthians 7, 9-8, 3
224
now
but
am
I
but glad of the
glad; not glad of the pain,
repentance the pain brought with
it.
Yours was a supernatural
remorse, so that you were not in any
way the
losers
through
what we had done. Supernatural remorse leads to an abiding and salutary change of heart, whereas the world's remorse what devotion has been bred in you now how you disowned the guilt; the indignation you felt, the fear that overcame you; how you missed me, how you took my part, how you righted the wrong done. You have done everything to prove yourselves leads to death. See
by
this supernatural remorse;
free
from
letter,
guilt in this matter. So, then,
and
it
I
had written you a
was neither the wrongdoer nor the injured party
that was to be the gainer by
it;
it
was to have the
showing you your devotion to our welfare
was
this that
we had felt,
still
in
God's
brought us comfort; and besides
effect of sight. It
this comfort,
greater cause for rejoicing in the joy
which Titus
with his heart refreshed by the welcome you
all
gave
I had boasted to Titus of the confidence I felt in you, and you did not play me false; no, the boast I had made to Titus proved true, as true as the message which I had de-
him.
livered to you.
He
bears a
of the submissiveness you
which you received him. full
most
all I
affectionate
memory
of you,
showed, of the anxious fear with
am
rejoiced that
I
can repose such
confidence in you.
And now, brethren, we must tell you about the grace which God has lavished upon the churches of Macedonia: how well they have stood the test of distress, how abundantly they have rejoiced over it, how abject is their poverty, and how the crown of
them. to
do
I
all
can
all this
has been a rich measure of generosity in
testify that of their
own
accord they undertook
they could, and more than they could; they begged
From
Philippi 57 A.D.
225
pression left on the reader of 2 Corinthians
and that Paul
well at Corinth, at the
is
not
all is
danger signs only too obvious in the community there. this
seeming contiadiction
that Paul goes out of his
way
to praise his eiring converts
one matter, because
it is
the only bright spot in the
in this
whole
picture. In praising their ready obedience,
be able to coax them mind concerning the
Quite
clearly
2, 9:
The
reason
and more repentant frame of
rest of their
wayward conduct.
tells
why
why he waited
failed in
this,
doomed; the of that
into a saner
I
them
wrote to you, after
all,
was to
me
your
for Titus' return with such anxiety;
he
if
then his authority over the Corinthians was
rival
ApoJJo party would take complete control
The spontaneous
as that of
Christ's Mystical
Shepherd
from the
joy manifested by Paul springs
our Lord at the repentance of the
prodigal son, or the return of the lost sheep; as a
that
test
fulV That
in
community.
same source
of the
test case
so explicitly in 2 Corinthians
by seeing whether you would obey
loyalty,
he hopes to
Paul had made the Letter of Tears a
of his authority; he
is
that
most displeased and saddened
Piohahly the true explanation of is
is
member
of
Body, Paul shares the compassionate love
for the strayed sheep:
'He
rejoices
more over
one than over the ninety-nine which never strayed from
him.*
The
Collection for Jerusalem.
Twelve
years before, Paul
had
gone up from Antioch to Jerusalem, in company with Barnabas; they were carrying a gift of to the
mother community
money from
the Gentile churches
in /udea (Acts 11, 27-30).
right at the beginning of Paul's missionary First Journey into Galatia.
made
it
a practice to
He
life,
This was
just before the
never forgot this incident, and
send back monetary assistance during
226
2 Corinthians 8,
most
us,
urgently, to allow
supply the needs of the
meant, as
God
and
own
power of utterance,
by
Christ was;
he was so poverty.) ter;
be reminded
how he
am
he had begun,
already, in faith,
truth, in devotion
in you;
sure that your charity
how
gracious our Lord Jesus
you might become
only giving you
you can claim that
as
my
rich through his
advice, then, in this mat-
your due, since
remains for you
readiness of the will
your means allow.
this
say this, not to lay any
I
make
it
was you who led
the way, not only in acting, but in proposing to as last year. It
may
impoverished himself for your sakes, when
rich, so that I
which
able to ask Titus
you about the eagerness of others. (You
telling
to
much
we have awakened
gracious excellence be yours too.
do not need
we were
excel in so
injunction on you, but only to
went beyond
services to the Lord,
knowledge of the
in
of every kind, in the love
rings true
their gift
finish this gracious task
You
as part of his mission.
privilege of helping to
And
willed, to us; so that
to visit you again,
in
them the
saints.
our hopes; they gave their
4-17
now
to complete your action;
must be completed by
We
act, as early
deeds, as far as
value a man's readiness of will ac-
cording to the means he has, not according to the means he
might have, but has not; and there
is
no intention that others
should be relieved at the price of your
distress.
No,
a balance
and what you can spare now is to make up what they want; so that what they can spare may, in its turn, make up for your want, and thus the balance will be redressed. So we read in scripture, 'He who had gathered much had nothing left over, and he who had gathered little, no lack/
is
to be struck,
for
I
thank
God
for inspiring the heart of Titus, your repre-
sentative, with the vitation;
same
eagerness.
He
has accepted our
but indeed, of his own choice he was eager to
in-
visit
From
Philippi 57 A.D.
227
the whole course of his missionary journeys.
was not merely an act of charity from rich to poor;
it
was
a
matter of great dogmatic importance to Paul. For him
it
was
a
demonstration of the unity of
It
Body;
all
members
showed that the Church was
it
of the Mystical
catholic. This
was of
great importance at this period of the Church's existence,
because there was a widening gap between Jews and Gentiles.
As the apostle
of the Gentiles, Paul was regarded with hostility
by a great number of the Jewish converts. These collections served to tighten the bonds of unity; they were a continual
reminder of the charitable interest the scattered Gentile churches had for the mother church at Jerusalem. It
would seem from
Paul's approach that the Corinthians
were rather slow in taking up the collection. So Paul emphathe generous
sizes
way
was writing from the their collection. It
is
that the
Macedonian churches (he
capital city 7 Philippi)
were undertaking
an appeal to the natural instinct in
not to be outdone by others; emulation can be
motive moving stood
when
to act
men
powerful
otherwise they would have
idle.
But to a
men
a
that
much
himself.
He
is
only a natural motive. Paul raises their minds
— the
higher reason for giving
example of Christ
speaks of the Incarnation as a gracious act by
which the Second Person of the Trinity, possessing the riches of a heavenly existence, yet life.
The
stable at
embraced the poverty of human
picture of the divine baby in the poverty of the
Bethlehem
is
a powerful
inthians to give generously;
Titus Will Take
Up
it is
motive to inspire the Cor-
a sharing in
the Collection.
God's own
There was
charity.
a critical
minority in Corinth eager for any opportunity to discredit Paul.
That
is
why he
takes such care to avoid suspicion of
2 Corinthians 8, 18-9, 5
228
And we
you.
won
has
are sending with
the praise of
the gospel; he, too,
all
is
him
that brother of ours
who
the churches by his proclamation of
man whom
the
the churches have ap-
pointed to be our companion in this gracious ministry of ours, to further the glory of the
They were anxious us,
that
Lord himself and our own
resolve.
no suspicion should be aroused against
with these great sums to handle;
not only in the Lord's
it is
but in the sight of men, that we have to study our
sight,
behaviour. And, to accompany these,
we
are sending a brother
of whose eagerness we have had good proof, in many ways and upon many occasions; now he is more eager than ever, such is the confidence he feels in you. As for Titus, he is my partner and has shared my work among you; as for these
brethren of ours, they are the envoys of the churches, the
them proof, then, of your charity, and the good reason we have to be proud of you, for all the
glory of Christ: give of
churches to
And
see.
indeed, to write and
tell
you about the collection for
the saints would be waste of time;
which has made
ness,
me
Achaia has been ready ever since of yours has stirred
sending the brethren,
made
I
know
last year,
up others besides it
is
well your eager-
boast to the Macedonians that
and
this challenge
yourselves. If
am
I
only for fear that the boast
of you should prove false in this particular; as
I
we
told
would have you quite ready; or else, when some of the Macedonians come with me and find you unprepared, we,
you,
I
and you too
for that matter, will
confidence of ours. That
is
why
to ask the brethren to visit you offering
Only
be put to the blush over I
have thought
first,
you have already promised
it is
to
be a
free offering,
is
and
it
this
necessary
see that the free
prepared beforehand.
not a grudging tribute.
I
would
From
Philippi 57 A.D.
229
dishonesty in handling the relief fund for Jerusalem; he appoints not one or two, hut three Christians of repute to
money.
collect the Corinthian
According to an early tradition, the
companions of Titus
is
his brother
bishop of Philippi (these verses are the
Mass
for his feast day).
tation of the
word
But
it is
first
of the
unnamed
Luke, at that time the
still
used as the epistle of
based on a faulty interpre-
'gospel'; in the text
the word refers to
preaching the good news, rather than to a written
document
Luke had not yet written his Gospel. Most modern commentators think that Paul did name the
Actually at this time
two companions of Titus (there would be no point
in giving
a character reference to two nameless persons), but that their
names were faith.
stricken out because of later defection
Demas
is
one of Paul's (2
Tim.
The
suggested as one of the names; he
disciples that
we know
from the
is
the only
to have lost the faith
4, 9).
Open-Handed Generosity. The headcommunity at Philippi was the home of Lydia, a rich and generous convert made by Paul seven years before. The Philippian community was the only church that contributed money to PauYs needs during his Blessings
of
quarters for the Christian
missionary journeys (Phil.
4,
15-17).
In such surroundings
Paul couJd not help comparing the generous Philippians with the difficult Corinthians; though there was
members
Corinth, the part with
it.
It is also
Corinth had
made
more wealth
of that church were not so eager to
probable that the opposition party at
insinuations about PauYs
handling of
money; he shows great indignation and touchiness on point
(1
That
is
Cor.
in
this
9).
why he
studiously avoids mentioning
money
in these
2 Corinthians
230
remind you of
he who sows
He who
this:
sows sparingly
he has formed
will reap sparingly;
Each
freely will reap freely too.
carry out the purpose
any painful
6-10, 3
9,
of
you should
in his heart,
God
effort; it is 'the cheerful giver
not with
loves/
God
has the power to supply you abundantly with every kind of blessing, so that, with all your needs well supplied at all times,
you may have something to spare
So we
'He has spent
read,
on
charity lives
for ever/
largely,
He who
hand, and gives us food to multiply will
it,
work of mercy. to the poor; his
puts grain into the sower's
eat, will
and enrich the harvest
supply you with seed and
of your charity; so that
have abundant means of every kind for
which
remember, of
it
yields, besides, a rich harvest
God. This administration makes men
for the spirit of obedience
you
that generosity
does more than
this public service
supply the needs of the saints; of thanksgiving to
all
God. The admini-
gives proof of our gratitude towards
stration,
God
for every
and given
which you show
praise
in confessing
the gospel of Christ, and the generosity which you show in sharing your goods with these and with
on your behalf,
will intercede, too,
all
as the
men; and they
abundant measure
which God bestows on you warms their hearts towards Thanks be to God for his unutterable bounty to us. you. of grace
And now,
here
is
he meets you face to distance,'
man who
Paul, 'the face,
and
making an appeal
to
What
to deal boldly with
you when we meet.
ask
so diffident
when
you at a
you by the gentleness and
courtesy of Christ.
I
is
deals so boldly with
is,
me my own grounds
that you will not force I
have
and with these I may well be counted a match who think we rely on merely human powers. Human indeed we are, but it is in no human strength that we fight for confidence, for those
.
From
Philippi 57 A.D.
must be the most unusual
two chapter
(2
seimon ever
deJivered: fifteen times
Cor.
231
8-9). It
he
charity
refers to the cohection,
but not once does he mention the very thing about which he is
writing
—money. In the Greek
text there are seven different
words used by Paul in referring to the
A
collection.
study of
these seven words reveals four different lines of thought in Paul's appeal for funds for Jerusalem.
The word most gracious ministry
frequently used .
.
is
'grace
.
gracious excellence':
.
.
favour granted by God.
By
.
gracious task
.
.
a privilege, a
it is
contributing to the needy in Jerusa-
lem, the Corinthians are sharers in God's gracious act of taking
our poverty on himself by the Incarnation; they also share in
Gods own
creative act of providing
goods so necessary for
human
life
on
and
distributing material
this earth.
It is a 'public service/ a liturgical act of divine worship,
Mass. It
as in the
mercy
.
.
members
who
lem,
.
is
an act of 'charity
also
.
.
.
work of
sharing'; it contributes to the well-being of other
members
of the Mystical Body, the needy in turn will pray for the donors.
And
in Jerusa-
finally it is a
makes their giving a meritorious way Paul relates the collection to
'free offering': this it is that
act in God's sight. In this
God,
to the neighbour,
and
to the donors themselves.
The next
Paul Threatens the Agitators.
four chapters are
Part Three of 2 Corinthians; this section shows Paul in a most
and
stern
forceful
mood.
It is a stinging attack
core of opposition in Corinth; Paul full
power of
it is
determined to use the
his apostolic authority in order to destroy this
rebellious minority. In this
acted;
is
on the hard
he
is
acting as the Master himself
he has appealed to them with gentleness and persuasion;
only after they have rejected his appeal that he decides
2 Corinthians 10,
232
The weapons we
our battles.
4-15
with are not
fight
human
weapons; they are divinely powerful, ready to pull down
we can
strongholds. Yes, barrier of pride
which
pull
down
sets itself
the conceits of men, every
up against the true knowl-
edge of God; we make every mind surrender to Christ's ice,
and
are prepared to punish rebellion
once your own submission
is
serv-
from any quarter,
complete.
Wait and see what happens when we meet. There may be someone who takes credit to himself for being the champion of Christ; if so, let him reflect further that we belong to Christ's cause
no
of the powers
I
so as to build
up your
and
than himself; and indeed,
try to
I
people
might boast
I
not so as to crush your
overawe you when
say, 'are
I
me
spirits,
must not be thought write. 'His letters/ some It
powerful and carry weight, but his presence
in person lacks dignity,
who
faith,
should not be put in the wrong.
I
that
less
have, powers which the Lord has given
speak thus that,
he
is
but a poor orator/
when we which our
belie the impression
visit
I
warn those
you, our actions will not
letters
make when we
are at
a distance.
It is
not for us to intrude, or challenge comparison with
who
others
take credit to themselves, content to take their
own measure and compare
themselves with their
ard of achievement. As for us,
we may
ing will not be disproportionate;
the province which as far as you.
you
lie
all
orbit;
the
it
will
be
own
stand-
but our boast-
in proportion to
has assigned to us, one which reaches
Nobody can
beyond our
gospel took us
God
boast,
way
say that
we
are encroaching, that
our journeys in preaching Christ's to you. Ours, then,
is
no dispropor-
tionate boasting, founded on other men's labours; on the contrary,
as your faith bears increase,
we hope
to attain
still
From
Philippi 57 A.D.
233
them with the divinely powerful weapon given him by the Lord.
of au-
to threaten thority
This
final
his letter.
outburst of Paul
The
natural place for
is it
unexpected at
this stage of
would have been
in the first
seven chapters. For this reason some authors think that
does
it
not belong to 2 Corinthians, which would Enish more naturally
with the Charity Sermon. They suggest that
lost Letter of Tears, written before 2 Corinthians,
accidentally tacked
on
is
and
fresh information arrived
later
letter at
chapter
9,
when
from Corinth, indicating
ately decided on an all-out attack
on
a de-
moved, Paul immedi-
terioration in the situation there; deeply
his enemies,
and
so wrote
these last four chapters as an appendix to the letter.
more
temperament
likely Paul's mercurial
tion of this last attack
over his
letter,
cided to
make
the
here. Others are of the opinion that
Paul had really finished writing the
some
it
is
But
sufficient explana-
on the rebellious minority; reading
he saw that
it
was not forceful enough; he de-
a stronger attack,
and so bring
his
enemies to
repentance.
Paul Claims to be the Apostle of Corinth.
In the preceding
paragraph, Paul addressed his words directly to the rebellious
element at Corinth; for the to the rank
and
rest of the letter,
hie, the majority in the
he
is
speaking
community who were
wavering in their allegiance to him because of the specious
arguments directed against his authority. Corinth was a of slogans it
and
rival parties, as is clear
from
1
Corinthians
city 1-4;
would seem that the group united round the name of ApoJJo
are the rebels attacking Paul, against
whom
he
is
arguing in
these chapters.
To
appreciate the point of PauYs reply
it is
necessary to
End
2 Corinthians 10, 16-11, 12
234
beyond our
further vantage-points through you, without going
province, and preach the gospel further afield, without boast-
ing of ready-made conquests in a province that belongs to
who boasts, should make his boast in the Lord'; man whom the Lord accredits, not the man who
another. 'He it
the
is
takes credit to himself, that proves himself to be true metal.
my
you would only bear with
If
patient with me; after jealousy of
God
all,
himself;
my
I
vanity for a
jealousy
little!
Pray be
on your behalf
the
is
have betrothed you to Christ, so
that no other but he should claim you, his bride without spot,
and now
I
am
anxious about you.
with his cunning; what
and
spirit
to you; he brings us, a
you would do
so in
my
I
less
is
yours in Christ?
way
spirit
other than the
be patient with me.
in speaking,
truth; everybody
but
I
was penniless when
am
I
them
I
preached
Why,
I
so as to
visited you,
I
not
you think
God's gospel to you at no charge to yourselves? poverished other churches, taking pay from
I
knows what we
to you. Unless perhaps
did wrong to honour you by abasing myself, since
at your service.
re-
than the very greatest of the
may be unexperienced in every
you a
well, then, to
knowledge of the
have been
which
gospel other than the gospel you
claim to have done no
apostles.
Eve
serpent beguiled
preaches to you a different Jesus, not the
you had from
ceived;
The
your minds should be corrupted,
lose that spotless innocence
Some newcomer one we preached
I
if
im-
be
but
I
would not cripple any of you with expenses; the brethren came from Macedonia to relieve my necessities; I would not, and I will not, put any burden on you. As the truth of Christ lives in
me, no one
this boast of
you?
mine.
God knows
I
in all the country of
Why have.
is
Achaia
that? Because
No,
I
I
shall silence
have no love for
shall continue to
done, so as to cut away the ground from those
do
as
I
have
who would
From
Philippi 57 A.D.
out what argument of the adversaries he
Paul
is
is
replying
Since
to.
demonstrating his sole right to he called the apostle of
Corinth,
it
seems that the Apollo party were arguing from
Paul's long absence
of interest in
them?
from Corinth. Did
first
argument
not prove a Jack
this
was hardly the conduct to he expected
It
from one who claimed to he Paul's
235
is
their sole guardian
and
protector.
to go back to his original visit to
Corinth: he came there to an entirely pagan
field,
sent directly
by God to found the Corinthian church. Even though he has moved elsewhere to preach the gospel, no one can take from him the demonstrable historical fact that he founded the church in Corinth. This gives him a right and an authority above
other teachers and preachers; this
all
is
the basis of his
claim to be Corinth's apostle.
What
annoys Paul most of
all
is
that these newcomers,
intruders in the field of his labours, are not preaching the true spirit of Christianity (he
is
probably thinking of their
emphasis on Greek wisdom instead of on the person of Jesus, 1
Cor.
not their want of allegiance to his
1). It is
that worries him;
it is
want of
their
own
person
allegiance to Christ, their
bridegroom. As the bridegroom's friend, he feels anxiety at their consorting with the
enemies of Christ. This image of
marriage between the Lord and his chosen race in the
Old Testament;
it
is
frequent
reminds Paul of another scriptural
incident that had such disastrous effects on the whole race
— the
fall
from grace of our
when tempted
to sin
by the
first
parents,
Adam and
Eve,
devil.
Paul's only interest in Corinth, said the rebels there,
extracting
human
money from them.
Instead of a personal
was in
visit,
he
merely wrote, or sent envoys to coJJect their hard-earned savings. Is that the action of a loving father, of their
apostle? In reply, Paul again reminds
them
own
special
of the details of his
2 Corinthians 11, 13-26
236
no
gladly boast that they are
are false apostles, dishonest Christ.
And no and
of light,
different
men
from myself. Such
workmen, that pass
for apostles of
wonder; Satan himself can pass for an angel
have no
his servants
end
servants of holiness; but their
difficulty in passing for
will
be what their
life
has
deserved.
Once more let
me
confidence,
Lord;
it is
am
me a my
give
so,
boast a I
hearing in spite of
too.
You
it
I
boast with such
not delivering a message to you from the
my
part of
find
When
turn.
little in
vanity
if
you
boast of their natural advantages,
you who are so
me vain; my vanity,
appeal to you, let none of you think
must be
or, if it
and
I
I
will. If so
many
must be allowed
others
to boast
easy to be patient with the vanity of others, full of
good
sense.
Why, you
other people
upon you, take advantage
tyrannize over you, prey
vaunt their power over you, browbeat you! taking credit to myself,
let
say
I
it
as
if
I
of you,
say this without
we had had no power
—here my vanity speaks—
claim
that others claim. Are they Hebrews? So
all
they Israelites? So
am
am
to
I
can
I.
Are
play such a part; yet in fact
Are they descended from Abraham?
I.
am I. Are they Christ's servants? These are wild words; am something more. I have toiled harder, spent longer days
So I
in prison,
been beaten so
face. Five times the
one lash I
cruelly, so often
in the forty; three times
was stoned;
I
I
was beaten with
have undertaken, in danger from
robbers, in danger
Gentiles; danger in
the
sea,
danger
me
rods,
have been shipwrecked three times,
spent a night and a day as a castaway at I
looked death in the
Jews scourged me, and spared
from
my own
cities,
among
sea.
rivers,
What in
but once
I
have
journeys
danger from
people, in danger from the
danger in the wilderness, danger in
false brethren!
I
have met with
toil
From visit to
they
all
Philippi 57 A.D.
them, seven years before (Acts 18, can
verity,
237
1-11).
These are
facts
and which most of them should remember
fiom personal experience.
He
lived with AquiJa
and
Priscilla
and worked at this tentmakers trade together with his hosts. When he needed money, it was Philippi (Macedonia) not Corinth that supplied his needs. ApoJIo was a
Paul Boasts of His Humiliations.
man
imposing appearance, an eloquent orator, learned in the
scrip-
tures, and highly skilled in the philosophy of the Greeks.
party in Corinth
who claimed him
as their
of
The
champion boasted
of these outstanding qualities of his, so superior to those of
the unimpressive Paul: 'His presence in person lacks dignity,
he
is
hut a poor orator'
success was based
(2
Cot. 10, 10). Their estimation of
on merely human standards of excellence;
number
such things as Jewish blood, the
of converts, the
spectacular gift of tongues were the tests they applied to de-
cide
who was
the most authentic apostle of Jesus Christ.
So Paul takes them up on their own ground; he will play the actor on the stage and boast of his own qualifications as an apostle. But for Paul there
is a mans likeness to Christ. The scene mind was Golgotha: 'With Christ I hang (Gal. 2, 19). The Master himself, both by
and that
cellence,
always in Paul's
upon the
cross'
word and example, great: 'If
nounce
only one standard of ex-
is
any
self,
man
left
no doubt what
has a
and take up
mind
to
it is
that
come my way,
his cross,
makes men let
him
and follow me' (Mt.
re-
16,
24).
Paul had
now been
a follower of Christ for 27 years, en-
gaged in preaching the gospel in Cyprus, Galatia, Asia, Macedonia,
and Greece
for the past 12
years.
Here, he briefly
summarizes the sufferings and humiliations he underwent for
2 Corinthians 11, 27-12, 6
238
and weariness,
been
so often
hungry and
sleepless,
often denied myself food, gone cold and naked.
over and above something else which
the burden
my
carry every day,
I
all this,
do not count;
I
I
anxious care for
churches; does anybody feel a scruple?
am
thirsty; so
And
I
share
mean
all
the
anyone's
it; is
must needs boast, I will boast of the things which humiliate me; the God who is Father of the Lord Jesus, blessed be his name for ever, knows that I am telling the truth. When I was at Damascus, the agent of king Aretas was keeping guard over the city of the Damascenes, intent upon seizing me, and to escape from his hands I had to be let down through a winconscience hurt?
dow
If
will
I
ablaze with indignation. If
along the wall, in a hamper.
we
are to boast (although boasting
is
a
man
I
know who was
in Christ, fourteen years since;
cannot
tell.
Was
it
heaven.
I
can only
was
tell
least,
I
which, not
which
whom
I
I
cannot
body?
tell;
I
God
you that
this
man, with
from
his spirit in
his body,
God knows
was carried up into Paradise, and heard myster-
man
is
not allowed to
will boast; I will
you of
mind
I,
his spirit in his
was carried up into the third
his body, or with his spirit apart
a
out of place),
carried out of himself
apart from his body?
knows. This man, at
tell
is
go on to the visions and revelations the Lord has granted
me. There
ies
I
my
utter.
That
is
the
man
about
not boast about myself, except to
humiliations. It
to boast about such a
would not be
man
as that;
I
vanity,
if I
had
should only be
But I will spare you the telling of it; I have no mind that anybody should think of me except as he sees me, as he hears me talking to him. And indeed, for fear that telling the truth.
these surpassing revelations should
given a sting to distress
my
make me proud,
I
was
outward nature, an angel of Satan
From the
name
of Jesus. His
Of
in the Acts.
list
Philippi 57 A.D.
how
shows
239
incomplete
the record
is
the details here narrated by Paul, only three
have been told in the Acts: the stoning at Lystia (Acts 14,
Roman
the beating with iods by the
18),
authority at Philippi
and the escape over the waJJ in a hamper (Acts Luke will teJI of another shipwieck, making four in all; we have no details of any of the three ship(Acts 16, 22),
9, 23-25). In Acts 27,
wrecks Paul mentions here. This paragraph Pauline
the most impassioned outburst in the
is
letters; it gives
of Paul. It shows
what
those days of the
first
close as a
and
man
an insight into the intimate thoughts a strain the life of a missioner
preaching of the
person with
like ourselves, a
was in Paul
faith. It brings
human emotions
feelings.
Paul's Visions
and
held spiritual
gifts in
a
Constant Humiliation.
part of Paul's
rivals.
high esteem
some claim
greatly impressed by
Cor. 12-14); they were
(1
to divine revelations
So Paul was forced
on the
to boast of his visions.
Five such are recorded in the Acts, and the ecstasy mentioned here
The Corinthians
it is
quite likely that
the same as that of Acts 22,
is
17-18. This was probably the occasion of his
recorded in Acts n, 27-30 and GaJatians
visit to
2, 1;
Jerusalem
the date would
be 44 A.D., fourteen years before the writing of 2 Corinthians. Paul does not like having to boast, and he tries to hide his identity in the phrase 'there
doubt that
it is
Paul
who
is
a
man
I
know'; but there
to have been an almost direct contemplation of
most
Jikely
But
it is
accompanied by bodily
no
God, and
ecstasy.
humiliations that are the real badge of Christ.
So Paul mentions
and
is
experienced this revelation. It seems
his
most
trying cross, something
persistent throughout his
ward nature/ The Vulgate
life:
permanent
'A sting to distress
my
out-
translation 'stimulus carnis' en-
2 Corinthians 12, 7-19
240
sent to rebuff me. Three times
me
to rid
my
of
it;
strength finds
ever, then,
made me
it
but he told me, 'My grace
entreat the
is
enough
scope in your weakness/
its full
am
I
I
am
weakest, then
am
I
strongest
all.
have given way to vanity;
you ought to have given them. No,
I
apostleship signs
among
I
as
Forgive me,
have
made
to cripple
if
I
choice,
I
say, that I
trials I
of miracle.
have undergone, by
What
injustice did
there.
make myself This
is
it is
what
I
claim
is
a
I
do not intend
yourselves, not
the parents that should save for
spend and be spent on your
may
me
be;
I
burden?
the third time
not the children for their parents. For
will gladly
but
knave
the
refused to
I
you with expenses:
though you should love
self,
have earned the character of
I
all
preparations for visiting you, and
their children,
Ah, you
it;
than the very greatest of the
wronged you
anything you can give;
I
to
compared with the other churches, except that
my own
to you, of
me
credentials, instead of asking for
am;
you, by
was you that drove
it
less
and wonders and deeds
do you,
part,
me
have done no
apostles, worthless as
I
me.
the persecutions, the times of difficulty
undergo for Christ; when
I
I
itself in
well content with these humiliations of mine, with the
insults, the hardships,
of
More than
delight to boast of the weaknesses that humiliate
I
me, so that the strength of Christ may enshrine I
Lord
for you;
too
little for
my own
souls' behalf,
loving you too well.
did not lay any charge on you my-
preyed upon you by roundabout means, like the
am. What, those envoys
I
sent you, did
I
take advan-
tage of you through any of them? I asked Titus to visit you, and there was the brother I sent with him; did Titus take any advantage of you? Did we not all follow the same course, and in the same spirit? You have been telling one another, all this while, that we
From
Philippi 57 A.D.
couiaged the opinion that
this
this is a false Tendering of the
mentators understand as a
it
as
241
was sensual temptation. But
Greek; and most modern com-
some chronic
physical ailment, such
nervous disorder, malaria, or an eye disease (Gal.
Chrysostom, followed hy Knox, held that
15). St.
continual persecution of Paul hy his Jews. Biblical language
(Num.
own
flesh
it
4,
13-
was the
and blood, the
33, 55) supports this interpreta-
f
l
tion of sting.
Defence of Past Conduct and Coming
money; the prominence given
to the question of in 2
Paul returns
Visit.
to this topic
Corinthians indicates that Paul's enemies at Corinth
were making quite
a noise
about
the three occasions in the past
it.
So Paul here enumerates
when
his
conduct in money
matters aroused annoyance amongst his Corinthian adversaries.
When to take
Paul first came to Corinth in 50 A.D. he refused any monetary assistance from his new converts. This
was not owing to any Jack of affection for or confidence Corinthians;
it
was
a basic principle of
in the
PauYs not to be
a
burden on the churches he founded; children should not have to support their parents.
He
repudiates the charge that his
disinterestedness with regard to
money was
only a pretence,
that he was but preparing the ground for a later grand collection.
The envoys he
sent with First Corinthians,
Titus with the Letter of Tears, did not collect any take back to Paul; they merely
own envoys
Paul
is
to the Jerusalem
are living
money
and
shown
to be sent
by
community.
not looking forward to his coming
2 Corinthians he has
to
reminded the Corinthians of
their expressed intention of collecting
their
and then
money
visit.
Throughout
his anxiety over the
their attitude to himself.
Right
way they
at the beginning
242
2 Corinthians 12, 19-13, 8
are defending our
conduct to you. Rather, we have been
utter-
ing our thoughts as in God's presence, in Christ; yet always,
beloved, so as to build up your faith. perhaps, hosts,
when
reach you,
I
and you
be dissension,
me
in
rivalry,
humour,
gossip, self-conceit, disharmony.
new
visit
my God
meet; that
shall
I
tears to
and unrepentant, with a wanton living. be the third time
will
you. 'Every question/ of
we
my
I
that there will
second
shed over tale of
I
I
backbiting,
factiousness,
have the fear that on
many
me when we
of you, sinners
my way
absent, the
still
have told you before, and
you now, both those who have sinned already and of you, that
will
I
to see
be settled by the voice
give you now,
visit; I
this
impure, adulterous and
have been on
read, 'must
two or three witnesses/
warning of
you unwelcome
visitor;
has humiliation in store for
have
of old
This
have the fear that
shall find in
I
an unwelcome ill
I
show no leniency next time
I
all
tell
the rest
come. Must
it is Christ who speaks through me? In him at least you will find no weakness; he still exerts his power among you. Weakness brought him to the cross, but the power of God brought him life; and though it is in our weakness that we are united to him, you will find us too, as he is, alive with God's power. It is your own selves you should be testing, to make sure you are still true to your faith; it is your own selves you must put to the proof. Surely your own con-
you have proof that
science will
tell
somehow, you
we have not from wrong, desire
seem
is
you that Jesus Christ
fail
at the
test; I
failed at ours. it is
When we
not that we
that you should do
to have failed.
is
alive in you, unless,
think you will recognize that
pray
God
to keep
you
wish to prove successful; our
what
is
right,
even though we
The powers we have are used in support
of the truth, not against
it;
and we
are best pleased
when we
From of
Corinthians
1
factions at
he drew
(1-4),
work
Philippi 57 A.D.
in Corinth;
it
243
their attention to the rival
would seem from
eight vices in this paragraph that the disunity
Corinthians was
the
still
main
evil to
that Jesus prayed for (Jn. 17) was far
The second
the Corinthian church.
both
letters,
was the danger of
his list of
among
from being realized
evil,
who had
5),
Paul's disciple,
Warning
Last
pagan ways. This
a return to
Timothy
(2
Cor.
I
to the Unrepentant.
naturally
have followed
to
make
second
The commentators
Knox
in
Corinthians 1-2
proposed visit
Paul
his base at Philippi
is
visit. is
So
about
really his
took place seven years before). Though he
had twice made preparations forced
this
assuming that the
from
are
Corinth during his
visit to
he did not make
if
to Corinth
(his Erst
(1
2).
three years at Ephesus. His language in 2
more
man
already figured prominently in an attack on
divided as to whether Paul paid a
reads
in
already mentioned in
was emphasized by the conduct of the incestuous Cor.
the
he remedied; the unity
him on both
for a visit, circumstances
had
occasions to change his plans.
Paul's Jong absence has been in great part the consequence of the evils prevailing at Corinth, especially the rebellious ele-
ment opposed self,
to his apostolic authority. Like the
but the time has
he
Master him-
Paul has patiently endured the attacks of his enemies;
will
now come, when,
like the resurrected Christ,
demonstrate his power. Jn his dealings with the Cor-
inthians he has been imitating Christ crucified; but from
on he
will act
with the power of the risen Christ.
for leniency has passed; unless they set their will this;
come but
all
it is
their spiritual
sternness
the only life.
and
severity.
means
left to
Not
now
The time
house in order, he
that he likes doing
destroy evil
and build up
Acts of the Apostles 20, 2
244
have no power against you, and you are powerful yourselves.
what we pray for, your perfection. I write this in absence, in the hope that, when I come, I may not have to deal severely with you, in the exercise of that authority which the Lord has given me to build up your faith, not to crush your
That
is
spirits.
Finally, brethren, listen to
peace
the appeal
among
we wish you all joy. Perfect your lives, we make, think the same thoughts, keep
yourselves;
and the
God
of love
be with you. Greet one another with the send you their greeting.
saints
Christ, Spirit
The
and peace
will
kiss of saints. All the
grace of the Lord Jesus
and the love of God, and the imparting of the Holy
be with you
all.
Third Missionary Journey continued
He
passed through
all
that region, and gave
much
encourage-
ment; then he entered Greece.
Letter to the It
is
Paul
who
his apostle,
gospel,
writes; a servant of Jesus Christ, called to
and
set apart to
be
preach the gospel of God. That
promised long ago by means of his prophets in the
holy scriptures, his
Romans
human
tells
birth,
us of his Son, descended, in respect of
from the
line of David,
but in respect of the
marked out miraculously as the Son of God by his resurrection from the dead our Lord Jesus Christ. It is through him we have received the grace of apostlesanctified spirit that
was
his,
—
From
Philippi to Corinth 57 A.D.
245
Paul uses the word 'power' to express the action he will take against the unrepentant. It of
excommunication
(as
is
most probably both
Cor. 5) and a miraculous infliction of
ment, such
a formal act
passed on the incestuous
as the blindness inflicted
man
in 1
some physical punishon EJymas in Cyprus
(Acts 13, 8-11).
In Paul's
final greeting
he wishes them peace: union of mind
and heart amid the dissension and ing the Corinthian church. is
the one
was Jesus'
life
division that
The only
was destroy-
source of such union
Holy Ghost This Church, and it is PauYs last
possessed by Father, Son, and prayer for his
last
wish for Corinth.
From
Philippi to Corinth 57 A.D.
Paul spent the months of October and
November
visiting
Thessalonica and his other nearby foundations.
Salvation to All Paul Salutes the first
Roman
Church.
It
Believe
was early December, the
when Paul came to Corinthians had moved
of the winter months,
Second Letter
to the
brethren to repentance; he found
second (his
Who
visit
to this port.
Priscilla,
had gone back to Rome,
from Ephesus about the same time
for Philippi).
those erring
quiet and peaceful on his
This time he lodged with Caius
former hosts, Aquila and
sailing
all
Corinth. His
as
Paul
left there
While waiting out the winter months, before
Romans
246
ship; all over the world,
name by paying him them, you, who are to
the
i,
5-18
men must be taught to honour his homage of their faith, and you among
called to belong to Jesus Christ.
wish
I
Rome whom God loves and has called to be holy, and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord
those at
all
grace
Jesus Christ.
And
first,
world.
offer
I
for all of you,
The God
to
faith
whom
I
constantly
make mention
am
may be
I
preach the gospel of his Son,
my
at
through Jesus Christ
renowned throughout the
so
is
granted at
to see you, in the
last
my
is
God's Providence,
in
an opportunity of
hope that
I
how when
witness
of you, never failing to ask,
somehow,
prayers, that
my
address the inner worship of
I
heart, while
I
my God
thanks to
you whose
visiting you.
may have some
I
long
I
spiritual gift to
share with you, so as to strengthen your resolve; or rather, so
we
that the faith
brethren, I
if
you and
find in each other,
me
encouragement to you and to you were
left in
as well.
I
I,
may be an
should be
sorry,
doubt that (although hitherto
have always been prevented)
I
have often planned to
visit
some harvest among you, as I I have the same duty to learned and simple; and for my own
you, and to be able to claim
among
can all,
the Gentiles elsewhere.
Greek and barbarian,
part
I
am
eager to preach the gospel to you in
Rome
as
I
have to others. I
am
not ashamed of
this gospel. It
God's power, that brings salvation to
Jew
first
and then Greek.
us, faith first
brings
life
and
last; as
It reveals
is
all
an instrument of
who
believe in
God's way of
the scripture says,
'It is
it,
justifying faith that
to the just man.'
God's anger
is
being revealed from heaven; his anger against
the impiety and wrong-doing of the
men whose
wrong-doing
From Corinth 58 A.D.
247
he could take ship back to Jerusalem, Paul's thoughts turned to
Rome. His work
major
in the East
was
now
completed;
all
the
had nourishing churches. But Christ's kingdom in the West. Paul was thinking
cities
had not yet been established of the cities of this
Gaul and Spain; the obvious headquarters
for
venture was the very capital of the Empire, the city of
Rome. Peter had founded the
and
it
had been
mans
a
Roman
church sixteen years before,
point of honour with Paul never to enter
labour (Rom. 15, 20). Even to write a letter to such a community was a new departure for him.
another
It
field of
would seem then that Paul was asked
himself; that
is
why he
The
do so by Peter
does not bully the Romans, as he did
the Corinthians, but treats
monious formality
to
them with reverence and
cere-
in his letter.
expulsion of the Jews from
Rome
by the emperor
Claudius in 50 A.D. had given the Gentile converts a majority in the
Roman
church.
Even though the Jews had restill uppermost. The friction
turned, the Gentile element was
between Jew and Gentile in the Christian churches was the outstanding internal problem of the time. Paul, as champion of Gentile freedom, ject.
So he
famous
was asked to write
a treatise
called in Tertius, his secretary,
on
this sub-
and dictated
this
letter.
In the
last
Eve
lines of this paragraph,
God's way of salvation for
all
Paul states his
thesis:
men, both Jew and Gentile.
He
develops this in four main divisions. 1-4: the need of Christian faith. 5-8:
the grounds of Christian hope. 9-11: the rejection
of the Jewish people. 12-16: the practice of Christian charity.
Corruption of the Pagan World.
In the
first
four chapters
Paul demonstrates the need of faith in Jesus Christ, because
Romans
248 denies his truth to their minds;
himself has
the foundations of the world invisible nature, his eternal
are
known through
19-32
The knowledge of God is clear made it clear to them; from
scope.
its full
God
1,
men
have caught sight of his
power and
his creatures.
his divineness, as they
Thus
there
is
no excuse
for
them; although they had the knowledge of God, they did not
honour him or give thanks to him
and
tastic in their notions,
nighted; they,
who
as
God; they became
exchanged the glory of the imperishable tions of perishable is
man,
of bird
God
why God abandoned their lustful hearts own bodies among for a
fools,
and
for representa-
and beast and
of dishonouring their
had exchanged God's truth
grew be-
their senseless hearts
claimed to be so wise, turned
fan-
reptile.
That
to filthy practices
themselves.
They
reverencing and wor-
lie,
shipping the creature in preference to the Creator (blessed is
he
for ever,
Amen);
and, in return,
God abandoned them
to passions which brought dishonour to themselves. Their
women exchanged men, on
natural for unnatural intercourse; and the
their side, giving
up natural intercourse with women,
were burnt up with desire for each other; ness with their fellow-men.
men
Thus they have
practising vile-
received a fitting
retribution for their false belief.
And
as they scorned to
keep
God
has abandoned them to a frame of that prompts
them
to disgraceful
in their view, so
God
mind worthy of all scorn, acts. They are versed in
every kind of injustice, knavery, avarice, and
ill-will; spiteful,
murderous, contentious, deceitful, depraved, backbiters, slanderers, tive
in
God's enemies; insolent, haughty, vainglorious; invenwickedness,
disobedient to
their
parents;
without
prudence, without honour, without love, without pity. Yet,
with the just decree of
God before
their
minds that those who
From Corinth of the failure of both Gentile
God. The great it
many
notorious for
him
of
its
its
famous
degrading
Man is
his will,
and inclined
Writing from Corinth,
cities.
vices,
capable of union with
and
race was original sin;
he had only to look around
which pagans had been reduced.
to see the sad fate to
of intellect
human
was no stranger to the pagan world; he had
to evil. Paul
lived in
to attain union with
weakened
intellect,
249
and Jew
disaster for the
mans
darkened
him
58 A.D.
God
through the two faculties
will; his intellect seeks truth, his will seeks
goodness. Paul proceeds to castigate the heathen for their
abuse of these two faculties.
The
intellect is able to reason
from the harmony and beauty of the created universe to the existence of an eternal, powerful,
and divine Being. In theory
they did arrive at this conclusion, but in practice they did not
pay
God
the honour due to him; instead they
made
idolatrous
images of God's creatures and served them.
The consequence wills
of this abuse of their
did not seek goodness but
lost the art of right living.
natural sexual vice which
evil.
minds was that
their
The pagan world had
This was most apparent in the un-
had not only become
a part of their
personal lives but was also practised as a religious act in their temples. It was not merely an act performed in a
moment
of
passion that was in question, but a cold-blooded dedication to
Paganism had
evil practices.
Paul city
lists
21
common
such as Corinth.
in sinfulness.
Two
justly
sins
The
merited God's anger.
obvious to any visitor to a pagan
entire life of a
pagan was submerged
of these particularly characterized paganism,
'without love, without pity.' It was a cold, harsh world in
which the heathen society,
and
slaves
lived;
slavery
were regarded
was an
as so
much
essential part of
merchandise, not
Romans
250
1-13
2,
commit such
so live are deserving of death, they not only
So, friend, is
you,
left
if
you can see your neighbour's
whoever you
are;
faults,
no excuse
blaming him, you own
in
same
yourself guilty, since you, for all your blame, live the
We know that God passes unerring judgment upon
life as he.
such
acts,
who commit them.
but countenance those
and do you,
lives;
friend, think to escape
God's judg-
who blame men for living thus, and are guilty same acts yourself? Or is it that you are presuming on
ment, you of the
that abundant kindness of his, which bears with you and waits for you?
Do
you not know that God's kindness
inviting
is
you to repent? Whereas you, by the stubborn impenitence of your heart, continue to store up retribution for yourself against the day of retribution, tice of his
acts
will reveal the jus-
man what who have striven
judgments. 'He will award to every
have deserved'; eternal
glory,
when God
life to
those
and honour, and immortality, by perseverance
in
his
for
doing
who are conand paying homage to
good; the retribution of his anger to those tumacious, rebelling against truth wickedness.
There
will
be
affliction
then and distress for every
stance,
but the Gentile too; there
and peace first
for everyone
who
regard to the law will be
who have been
doomed without
is
no claim
pref-
sinners without
regard to the law;
sinners with the law for their rule will
be judged with the law for their
obey the law that
There are no human
Those who have been
erences with God.
read out
Jew be glory and honour
has done good, the Jew in the
instance, but the Gentile too.
those
will
human
in the first in-
soul that has practised wickedness, the
rule.
To
those
who
be acquitted, on that day when
God
to acceptance with
will
have heard the law
God;
it is
From Corinth as
58 A.D.
251
human beings with lights like other men. men with each other and with God.
Charity alone can
unite
Impartial
and made
right,
that I
am
commit
not
adultery.
Jew
thank you, God,
and cheat and
That parable of our Lord
gives the exact
to the
pagan world in which he
the Pharisee in the parable, the
lived; like
Jew had nothing but criticism he would only turn his
for the heathen. If
eye on himself he would see that he himself was guilty
many
of the sins he
condemned
Paul's
aim
in this paragraph;
verted
Jew
is
no better
when God
light
who
steal
the rest of men, 7
and condemnation of
Pharisee stood up-
this prayer in his heart: "I
like 77
attitude of a
critical
The
Judgment For All Men.
off
he
in the pagans.
is
And
that
is
proving that the uncon-
than the pagan. This will
come
to
judges mankind.
In this and the next paragraph, Paul changes from the third person to the second; he
He
next paragraph is
is
addressing an imaginary audience.
picks out one person; 'friend it is
7
is
what he
calls
him. In the
quite clearly an unconverted Jew that he
talking to; but at this stage he does not wish to antagonize
such people, so he leaves uncertain the identity of the imagin-
manner of approach has something of the Nathan lulling David into a false security of the ewe lamb (2 Kings 12, i-g), then at the moment pointing the finger at him with the
ary objector. This
dramatic in
it,
with his story psychological
words:
Tou
like
are that man.'
Paul pictures the Jews listening to his condemnation of the
pagan world, nodding their heads in agreement. to focus their eyes
on themselves.
He
takes their
He
proceeds
minds from
7
God s kindness and Exes it
will
it
to Israel throughout the course of their history,
on the judgment scene
at the
not be race that will count but
how
end of time. Then a
man
has observed
)
Romans
252
(according to the gospel
14-28
2,
preach), will pass judgment,
I
through Jesus Christ, on the hidden thoughts of men. (As for the Gentiles,
though they have no law to guide them,
when
there are times
they carry out the precepts of the law
unbidden, finding in their
own
natures a rule to guide them,
and
in default of any other rule;
this
shows that the obliga-
tions of the law are written in their hearts; their conscience utters
its
own
when they
testimony, and
other they find themselves condemning
You
this,
approving that.
claim Jewish blood; you rely on the law; tell what is moment, because the law has taught
your boast; you can are of
dispute with one an-
confidence in yourself as one
who
admonishing the
their darkness;
God
what
his will, discern
is
all
things
You have
you.
leads the blind, a light to
fool, instructing the simple,
because in the law you have the incarnation of
all
knowledge
and all truth. Tell me, then, you who teach others, have you no lesson for yourself? Is it a thief that preaches against stealing,
an adulterer that forbids adultery?
who
you,
Do
shrink from the touch of an idol?
you rob temples,
Your boast
the law; will you break the law, to God's dishonour?
name of God/ says the scripture, 'has become among the Gentiles, because of you/ Circumcision, to be sure,
the law; but its effect.
if
And
is
he,
who
a reproach
of value, so long as
if
you keep
one who has never been circumcised observes it
not follow that he, though
uncircumcised, will be reckoned as one
will
in
you break the law, your circumcision has lost
the conditions of the law, does
That
is
The
who
is
circumcised?
keeps the law, though uncircumcised in body,
be able to pass judgment on you, who break the law,
though circumcised according to the
letter of it?
To
be a Jew
not to be a Jew outwardly; to be circumcised is not to be circumcised outwardly, in the flesh. He is a Jew indeed who is
is
From Corinth 58 A.D. God; Jews
the Jaw of
will
253
be judged according to the Mosaic
law, Gentiles according to the natural law.
God's revelation to guide them; give
them
In actual
less
fact,
The Jews have
this privileged position will
excuse than the Gentiles for their sinful
commandments
the ten
lives.
are their basic moral
code; with the exception of sabbath observance, these com-
mandments are founded on the known to the Gentiles as well as
The Test Of Lord gave
A True Jew.
know them by 7
him
is
in its fruit It
pleasing to
God;
and
so were
In the Sermon on the Mount, our
a simple test to determine
bad: 'You will the tree
natural Jaw,
the Jews.
whether a
how he
it is
is
good or
the fruit they yield; the test of
not what a
is
man
man
lives.
thinks that
makes
His own opinion of
himself does not count; the possession of knowledge and truth,
even the privileged status conferred on him by God, are
valueless
if
his behaviour does
The Jews
of Paul's time, just like those in the Gospels,
an entirely different
test of their friendship with
not to deny their
careful
not conform to them.
privileges;
had
God. Paul
is
but he takes up two of
them, the Mosaic law and circumcision, and shows that the Jews were unfaithful in observing the consequent obligations of both these divine favours.
Paul chooses three the seventh, sixth,
commandments from
and
Erst (in that order).
the Mosaic law,
The Jews prided
themselves on their superiority over the Gentiles in these three
commandments. By robbing idol of silver or gold, they to
God
reality
in that they
pagan tempJe and stealing an
were preventing idolatrous worship; in
they were offending
idol in their possession.
law.
a
thought they were doing a favour
God
by stealing and by having an
They were doubly
transgressing God's
Romans
254
29-3, 13
2,
one inwardly; true circumcision cording to the
spirit,
not the
not
man's approval.
for
Of what
use
is it,
I
sure,
value was there
answer, in every respect; chiefly be-
cause the Jews had the words of
be
What
then, to be a Jew?
Much,
in circumcision?
to
achieved in the heart, ac-
is
letter of the law, for God's,
God entrusted
showed unfaithfulness on
to them.
their side;
Some,
but can we
God
suppose that unfaithfulness on their part will dispense
from
his promise? It
is
not to be thought
true to his word, though
Tour
written,
all
God
on your
God's integrity to
human
side.'
light.
deceitfulness has
it?
if
prove
false; so it is
you are called
Thus our
in
fault only
(Does that mean that Impossible again, even
would mean that God would mean that because
standards; that
has no right to judge the world;
my
and
does wrong in punishing us for
according to our
God must
should play him
dealings were just,
question, you have right serves to bring
men
of;
it
promoted God's glory by giving scope to
on my side do not deserve to be condemned why should we not do evil so that good may That is what we are accused of preaching by some
his truthfulness,
I
as a sinner. If so,
come
of
it?
of our detractors;
Well
and
their
condemnation of
it is just.)
then, has either side the advantage? In
no way. Jews
we have before alleged, are alike convicted of sin. Thus, it is written, There is not an innocent man among them, no, not one. There is nobody who reflects, and searches
and Gentiles,
for
God;
as
all alike
are
on the wrong course,
all
are wasted lives;
not one of them acts honourably, no, not one. Their mouths are gaping tombs, they use their tongues to flatter.
Under
their
From Corinth
58 A.D.
255
Paul has a pJay on the meaning of circumcision. This mark of friendship with is
more
far
God
was made by cutting with a knife;
God
pleasing to
to cut out sin
from one's
it
life,
than merely to cut the body.
Jewish Unfaithfulness
Is
Inexcusable.
Another divine favour
enjoyed exclusively hy the Jews was the promise of a Redeemer to
come, the Messias. The 140 Messianic promises contained
OJd Testament
in the
God
.
.
.
his promise.'
privileges possessed
are here caJJed
He
by Paul, 'the words of
probably intended to
by the Jews
(as
he does in
contents himself with just one, because
it
Jist
a series of
9, 4-6);
served to
but he
show up
dearly the great sinfulness of the Jewish race.
By
rejecting
come a
means the unbelief of the Jews in the Messias (our Lord Jesus Christ) when he did
unfaithfulness he
to
them; their crucifixion of Jesus was the culmination of
whole history of crime: 'There was not one of the prophets
they did not persecute.'
The
fact that
it
had
a
happy sequel (the admission of the
Gentiles to the universal Church) does not excuse them; otherwise
God would
be unable to condemn any sinner, seeing that
he can bring good from conclusion: evil to
evil.
condemn
Common
sense leads to the same
the teaching that
it is
lawful to do
achieve good.
Human hard
all
Sinfulness Is Universal.
realities,
Paul has been arguing from
not from religious speculations. First of
all
he
proved the need of the Gentile world for a redeemer by his devastating picture of pagan sinfulness.
Then he proceeded
with his indictment of the Jewish people; this he did most carefully
by gradually building up his case from the observable
behaviour of the Jews. They are even more guilty than the
Romans
256 lips
venom
the
curses
of asps
is
3,
14-29
hidden. Their talk overflows with
and calumny. They run hot-foot
and ruin follow
in their path; the
way
them. They do not keep the fear of
So the law
meant
says,
to shed blood;
of peace
God
own
subjects;
it is
unknown
to
before their eyes/
and we know that the words
for the law's
is
havoc
of the
law are
determined that no one
shall
have anything to say for himself, that the whole world
shall
own
itself liable to
God's judgments.
No human
creature
can become acceptable in his sight by observing the law; what the law does
is
to give us the full consciousness of sin.
But, in these days, God's way of justification has at last been
brought to
light;
one which was attested by the law and the
prophets, but stands apart from the law; God's
meant
tion through faith in Jesus Christ,
has faith. There alike are
is
no
distinction; all alike
unworthy of God's
praise.
And
way
of justifica-
for everybody that
have sinned,
justification
all
comes to
us as a free gift from his grace, through our redemption in Jesus Christ.
God
him
has offered
conciliation, in virtue of faith,
Thus God has
vindicated his
to us as a
means
ransoming us with
own
holiness,
of re-
his blood.
showing us why
he overlooked our former sins in the days of his forbearance; and he has also vindicated his holiness, here and now, as one who is himself holy, and imparts holiness to those who take their stand
upon
your pride?
No room
faith in Jesus.
The principle which depends on which depends on by
justified
the
God
too?
Of
has become, then, of it.
On
what
principle?
observances? No, the principle
from the observances of
man is the law. Is God
he not the God
of the Gentiles
faith;
faith apart
What
has been left for
our contention
of the Jews only? Is
the Gentiles too, assuredly; there
is
is,
that a
only one God,
who
From Corinth
58 A.D.
257
heathen, in that they possess a revealed code of conduct in
more divine favours they possess, the more answer for when God comes in judgment
the Mosaic law; the will they
have to
For the benefit of the Jewish reader, Paul now brings forward his final and decisive proof: God himself in the inspired
Old Testament convicts all men, especially the Jews, of sin. The scripture quotation is a series of statements from five psalms and Isaias ('the law here stands for the Old Testament in general). Such a testimony horn the mouth of God is the final word on the sinfulness of Jew and
writings of the
1
Gentile alike.
Justification in
Through Faith In
Christ.
Just 28 years before
an eastern province of the Empire, outside the city walls
of Jerusalem, a
detachment of
Roman
soldiers crucified a
Jewish criminal on orders from the governor. In heaven above,
God
down with
the Father looked
satisfaction
on
this scene;
the victim crucified on Golgotha was his only Son, the
Second
Person of the Blessed Trinity, by that very act bringing back
mankind
not been thought up by men; the initiative
God
had had come from
to divine friendship. This plan of reconciliation
himself, a free gift of his divine grace.
This act was the most important ever to happen in the long history of the
more powerfully
human
for
race; the
blood of Christ cried out
pardon than the blood of Abel for venge-
Jew and Gentile alike now had a means of approach to God. But God's friendship did not come automatically from
ance.
Christ's death; sacrifice
by
justification.
man had
faith; that
He
to
was
come
in contact with the atoning
his contribution to
of
could change from his sinful state to God's
friendship by accepting Christ his redeemer, his
Gods way
whole personality to the divine
and surrendering
will in Christ Jesus. Faith
Romans
258
man
will justify the circumcised
30-4, 12
3,
he learns to
if
believe,
and the
Gentile because he believes.
Does that mean that we are using faith to rob the law of its No, we are setting the law on its right footing. What,
force?
for instance, shall
descent?
What
servances that
we
Abraham, our forefather by human If it was by ob-
say of
kind of blessing did he win?
Abraham
attained his justification, he, to be
But it was not so in God's sight; what does the scripture tell us? 'Abraham put his faith in God, and it was reckoned virtue in him/ The reward given sure, has
to
something to be proud
one who works to earn
it is
When
of.
not reckoned as a favour,
man's
reckoned
as his due.
him,
not because of anything he does;
it is
faith, faith in
too,
the
God who makes a
David pronounces
cepts,
a
his blessing
faith
it is
reckoned virtue in
is
it is
because he has
man of the sinner. So, on the man whom God acjust
without any mention of observances: 'Blessed are those
who have all
their faults forgiven, all their transgressions buried
away; blessed
is
the
man who
is
not a sinner
reckoning/ This blessing, then, does
it fall
in the Lord's
only on those
are circumcised, or on the uncircumcised as well?
Abraham's of things
faith
was reckoned virtue
in
was that reckoning made?
And
him.
Was
who
We saw that in
what
state
he circumcised or
uncircumcised at the time? Uncircumcised, not circumcised yet.
Circumcision was only given to him as a token; as the seal
of that justification
he was
still
those who,
which came to him through
uncircumcised. still
And
thus he
is
the father of
who
are circumcised, as long as they
their stand
all
uncircumcised, have the faith that will be
reckoned virtue in them too. Meanwhile, he those
his faith while
on circumcision, but follow
is
the father of
do not merely take
in the steps of that
From Corinth 58 A.D. in Christ
was the
first
Abraham Was
Gods
laws, of
was the
friendship;
doing things first
do
I
7
common it
day in Bethany a Jew
to inherit eternal life?
Jewish outlook on
them
that
down
Gods it
in the
Mosaic
new way
how
to
chosen people.
law. Circumcision
by which a boy
acts
And now
was an interior disposition of
man
not observances, that made a strate that the
That
was entirely a matter of observing
and most important of these
was initiated into telling
set
One
Faith.
must
question represents the gain
of sanctifying grace.
life
By
Justified
What
becoming holy,
step in the process of
of sharing in the divine
asked our Lord:
259
pleasing to
Paul was soul, faith
God. To demon-
of justification was not contrary to the
old revelation, Paul here
tells
the story of
Abraham.
Paul had already quoted the example of Abraham to the Galatians
(3, 16-18).
Every Jew prided himself on being a true
son of Abraham, the father and founder of the chosen race;
To him mark and badge of the him above all other peo-
they could do no better than follow in his footsteps.
was given the
rite of
circumcision, the
Jew distinguishing him and ples.
Paul freely admits
ture (Gen. 17). story; it cised.
But there
comes before
And from
setting
this fact; it is narrated in
another incident in the Genesis
is
(in
Abraham was circumclear that Abraham was
chapter 15)
this incident it
admitted to the friendship of
The
God
is
before he was circumcised.
incident in Genesis that Paul refers to
is this:
peared to Abraham and told him that he would dren as numerous as the stars in the heavens.
promise to a
who had
man who was
as yet
no children
act of faith in the truth of
Sacred Scrip-
make
A
God
ap-
his chil-
tremendous
nearing his century in age, and at
all.
Gods
Abraham's reaction was an promise.
He
accepted
God
Romans
260 faith
4,
13-25
which he, our father Abraham, had before circumcision
began.
was not through obedience to the law, but through faith justifying them, that Abraham and his posterity were promised It
the inheritance of the world.
If it is
who obey
only those
law that receive the inheritance, then his faith was
and the promise has been annulled. (The only to bring God's displeasure upon us; it is
becomes
a law that transgression
then,
must come through
promise
is
made good
posterity of his his faith.
of him,
'I
to
faith
all
is
The
(and so by free
dead to
raise the
no Abraham, then,
became the
is
inheritance,
gift); thus
the
not only that
posterity,
which keeps the law, but that which imitates
have made you the father of
being, as
law
only where there
We are all Abraham's children; and so
his children in the sight of
can
founded,
effect of the
possible. )
Abraham's
ill
the
if it
life,
God,
in
many
it
was written
nations.'
We are
whom he put his faith, who
and send
his call to that
which has
already were. believed,
father of
many
'your posterity shall be.'
hoping against hope; and thus
nations; 'Like these,'
There was no wavering
even though he fully realized the want of
he was
told,
in his faith,
life in his
own body
(he was nearly a hundred years old at the time), and the deadness of Sara's
womb; he showed no
hesitation or
God's promise, but drew strength from his God's power,
fully
convinced that
God
faith,
doubt at
confessing
was able to perform
what he had promised. This, then, was reckoned virtue in him; and the words, 'It was reckoned virtue in him,' were not written of
him
only: they were written of us too. It will
we
believe in
God
be reckoned
having raised our Lord
virtue in us,
if
Jesus Christ
from the dead: handed over to death
sins,
and
as
raised to life for our justification.
for our
From Corinth 58 A.D. at his woid,
when God
and
in return
says a
man
was reckoned virtue in him.'
'it
virtuous,
is
261
he
is
thereby
made
And
holy.
The Jews hid an exclusive claim to Abraham: We have Abraham for our father.' But this was not what God had planned for him: T have made you the father of many nations.' The bJood of Abraham did Abraham Father Of
All Believers.
not run in the veins of the converts horn paganism; in what way, then, could they he called the posterity of Abraham?
There
only one way, says Paul, and that
is
Abraham's friend; it
faith. It
is
by
was by
faith that the Jew,
enters into the divine
To Abraham and of the world'; this this
faith that
life
than the Gentile,
Jess
Church.
was promised
'the inheritance
many
the same as 'father of
come
nations.' If
into existence until 430 years after
(Gal. 3, ly), then not only was
God
thing
is
was going back on unthinkable
was never meant
commands and
is
Abraham's
Abraham
faith ill-founded,
That such
his original promise.
obvious from the role of the law;
to bring life
prohibitions
and grace
to
made men
it
men; by
its
a it
positive
not only of
guilty
but of formal transgression as well.
sin
When Abraham at
no
promise was conditional on the carrying out of a law that
did not
but
by sharing in
Abraham became God's
in the Christian
his posterity
is
is
all;
believed God's promise he had
a posterity as
numerous
not come into being unless he had at his
name. Paul
Isaac's birth; it
sees a
was a
of an eighty-year-old as a
tomb
to
produce
no children
as the stars in the sky least
one son
on
hidden meaning in the manner of
rising to life
woman life.
The
from the dead. The
could be counted birth of Isaac
womb
as powerless
from such
of death foreshadowed the resurrection of Christ
dead on Easter Sunday.
could
to carry
a place
from the
Romans
262
Once
justified,
1-14
on the ground of our
then,
God
peace with
5,
faith,
through him that we have obtained access, by grace in which
we
through our Lord Jesus Christ, as
we
stand.
We are confident in
enjoy
it
was
faith, to that
the hope of
at-
God; nay, we are confident even over our knowing well that affliction gives rise to endurance,
taining the glory of afflictions,
and endurance gives
of
ground
God
Nor does
for hope.
own appointed
we were find
still
it
hope delude
the love
us;
But
will die
may be
here, as
hope
if
on behalf of
vain,
why
did Christ,
a just
is
hard enough to
man, although
per-
who will face death for one so deservGod meant to prove how well he loves us,
those
was while we were
still
sinners that Christ died for us. All
the more surely, then,
now
through his blood,
we be
displeasure.
that
time, undergo death for us sinners, while
powerless to help ourselves? It
anyone who
haps there ing.
this
a proved faith
has been poured out in our hearts by the Holy Spirit,
whom we have received. Were in his
and
gives proof of our faith,
shall
that
we have found
saved, through him,
justification
from God's
Enemies of God, we were reconciled
to
him
through his Son's death; reconciled to him, we are surer than ever of finding salvation in his Son's
life.
And, what
is
more,
we
can boast of God's protection; always through our Lord Jesus Christ, since
it
is
through him that we have attained our
reconciliation.
12
man that guilt came into the world; came owing to guilt, death was handed on to 13 all mankind by one man. (All alike were guilty men; there was guilt in the world before ever the law of Moses was given. It
was through one
and, since death
Now,
it is
only where there
is
a law to transgress that guilt
is
14
and yet we see death reigning in the world from Adam's time to the time of Moses, over men who were not imputed,
themselves guilty of transgressing a law, as
Adam
was.
)
In
this,
From Corinth 58 A.D.
263
Our Lord described the purpose Good Samaritan. He himself is the Good Samaritan, mankind the wounded man by the roadside. Jesus not only rescued him fiom his miserable condition of original sin (Rom. 1-4), he also provided a home Our
Life After Justification.
of his coming, in the parable of the
Church) for man, where he could be nursed back to
(the
health; there
him (Rom.
all
the treasures of divine grace are provided for
5-8).
This paragraph
new
begins a
showed how
is
the beginning of chapter 5; here Paul
section of his letter. In the Erst four chapters he
man comes
a
into contact with the redeeming
death of Christ by faith; this
from
sin to grace,
Paul
is
glory with
God
in
calls salvation; it is is
the divine
to
endure a
of hope, by
He
life
In the next four
to
now
of the Blessed Trinity.
Jong way from justiEcation to salvation, and
It is a
life
life,
show man how to live a centred on his Enal goal, heaven for all eternity. This is what Paul a sharing in Christ's life, which ultimately is
His attention
life.
step in the Christian
calls justiEcation.
chapters (5-8), his purpose Christian
first
of afflictions.
which he puts
his
The
man
has
Christian needs the virtue
conEdence
in divine goodness.
has three motives for hope: the love of the Father, the
indwelling of the Holy Spirit, and the redemptive death of the Son.
Grace
Is
inal sin. all,
Ours In Superabundance.
Why did he not deal with it earlier in
original sin
was the basic cause of
both heathen and Jewish. ter
Most
because he wanted to show
that
Adam
of the
Paul here
likely
how
sinned: the grace that
Second
Adam
was out of
treats of orig-
the letter? After
all evil in
he
the world,
left it till this
fortunate
it
chap-
was for
man
came from the atoning death all
proportion to original
sin.
Romans
264
Adam
5
was the type of him who was to come.
which came one man's
more
5, 15-6,
fault
free gift
was out of
Only, the grace
proportion to the fault.
brought death on a whole multitude,
he made us
16
all
If this
the
all
was God's grace, shown to a whole multitude, that
lavish
Christ.
to us
15
The
man's guilty
in the grace
extent of the gift
act;
brought by one man, Jesus is
not as
followed one
if it
the sentence which brought us condemnation
arose out of one man's action, whereas the pardon that brings
began
more
reign through
its
fruitful
bids
men
18
Well
still is
17
And
if
death
one man, owing to one man's
fault,
us acquittal arises out of a multitude of faults.
the grace, the gift of justification, which
enjoy a reign of
life
through one man, Jesus Christ.
man commits a fault, and it demnation upon all; one man makes amends, and then, one
all justification,
ceptable to
God
that
is,
life.
19
A
through one man's obedience,
law intervened, only to amplify our 21
that so, where guilt held
it
brings to
multitude will become ac-
tude, through one man's disobedience,
amplified, grace has been
brings con-
just as a multi-
became
fault; but, as
guilty.
The
our fault was
more amply bestowed than its
20
ever;
reign of death, justifying grace
should reign instead, to bring us eternal
life
through Jesus
Christ our Lord.
Does it follow that we ought to go on sinning, to give still more occasion for grace? God forbid. We have died, once for all, to sin; can we breathe its air again? You know well enough that we who were taken up into Christ Jesus by baptism have been taken up, all of us, into his death. In our baptism, we have been buried with him, died
like
him, that
so, just as
Christ was raised up by his Father's power from the dead,
too might
live
and move
in a
new kind
of existence.
we
We have
to be closely fitted into the pattern of his resurrection, as
we
From Corinth 58 A.D. Paul has three lines of thought
(1)
In verses 13-14 he proves
the existence of original sin (translated
argument between
is
historical:
Adam and
men
265
by Knox). His
'guilt'
died during the thousands of years
Moses; death
God
is
punishment
a
for dis-
2, 17); but until the Mosaic law there were no such Jaws punishing disobedience
obedience to a positive law of
by death; therefoie in the person of 12, 14
is
is
Adam,
died because they were disobedient
the representative man. (Death in
w.
bodily death, in
between
(2) ParaJJeJ
There
men
15, 17, 21
Adam and
a close relation
manhood, the
(Gen.
act each
Christ, verses 12, 18, 19, 21.
Adam and
between
one
did,
and
for
that in their different ways each
upon
is
all.
is
Christ, in their
mankind.
result for
its
One man Adam — disobedience—death Christ— obedience— Adam life
w.
it is spiritual.)
ah:
One man
a type of Christ in
the head of the
human
race.
(3) Difference between Adam and Christ, verses 15, 16, ij, 20. First, the effects of Christ's atoning death far surpass what
man would have tion brought
God down
mate sharing
in the divine
for the
down
one
Adam
possessed had
sin of
Adam
to
men, and
life.
not
fallen; the Incarna-
them
raised
to
an
inti-
Second, Christ atoned not only
but for
all
the actual sins of
mankind
the ages.
We Rise From Sin At Baptism. When John the Baptist baptized our
Lord
in the Jordan,
head; he plunged again.
And
Church
him down
he did not pour water over
into the water
how
baptism was carried out in the early
— by immersion.
This action of baptizing symbolized
that
is
death; the sinner
went down into the water,
as if
descending
into his grave; there he left his old sinful nature,
up
a
his
and drew him up
new
personality, with the
tifying grace.
new
and rose
vital principle of sanc-
Romans
266
6,
6-19
have been into the pattern of his death; we have to be sure of this,
that our former nature has been crucified with him, and
we
the living power of our guilt annihilated, so that
no
slaves of guilt
who
if
we
to believe that
now he
longer. Guilt
And
dead.
is
we have
are the
makes no more claim on a man
we have faith know that Christ,
died with Christ,
shall share his life.
We
has risen from the dead, cannot die any more; death
has no more power over him; the death he died was a death,
once for
towards God. to sin,
and
he now
to sin; the life
all,
And
alive
must think
you, too,
with a
lives is a life that looks
of yourselves as
that looks towards
life
dead
God, through
Christ Jesus.
You must
not, then, allow sin to tyrannize over your perish-
able bodies, to
make your
make you
subject to
bodily powers over to
its
sin, to
God,
to
life
again;
be the instruments of
men who have been
make your
bodily powers over to
be the instruments of right-doing. Sin
therefore to
And fall
will
not be able
you any longer; you serve grace now,
to play the master over
not the law.
You must not
as
harm; make yourselves over to God, dead and come to
appetites.
if it is
into sin?
we serve, are we You know well enough
grace, not the law,
God
forbid.
that wherever you give a slave's consent, you prove yourselves
the slaves of that master; slaves of slaves of obedience,
marked out
sin,
marked out
for death, or
for justification.
And
you,
thanks be to God, although you were the slaves of sin once, accepted obedience with
all
your hearts, true to the pattern of
teaching to which you are
from the bondage of instead.
I
am
cause nature
sin,
now
engaged.
and became the
speaking in the language of
is still
Thus you escaped
slaves of right-doing
common
strong in you. Just as you once
life,
made
be-
over
From Corinth 58 A.D.
By baptism a Body of Christ;
Christian
267
incorporated into the Mystical
is
the very process of receiving the sacrament
symbolizes his sharing in the death and resurrection of his
Our Lord
redeemer.
same
stated the
apostles after the Last Supper:
'I
fact
am
when he
told his
the vine, you are
its
branches.'
Paul pictures Jesus dying on the cross on Calvary, his eyes closing
on
a sin-ridden world;
when he opened them
again
on Easter Sunday morning, he saw only a world redeemed.
And
that
what baptism does
is
world atmos-
for us; the old
phere of sinfulness gives way to a
which
life
is
immersed
the person of Christ; the whole purpose of our lives
is
in
now
turned Godwards.
Serve this
God
paragraph
mans
The theme running through
Whole-Heartedly. is
slavery.
Paul keeps up a close parallel between
before and after justification, without any mention
life
God. At the moment his thoughts on the big decision each Christian has to make serve God or sin. Our Lord put the same clear
of the liberty of the sons of are centred
—
either to
decision to his followers: 'A
man
cannot be the slave of two
masters at once; either he will hate the one and love the other, or other.
he
will
You must
devote himself to the one and despise the serve
God
or
money; you cannot
Instead of money, Paul speaks of
sin. It is a
serve both.
harsh,
demand-
ing master, a tyrant whose wages are spiritual death. nature, corrupted by the Fall, serves sin with
and
faculties; it has totally
dedicated
its
all its
whole
7
life
Human powers to sin;
wickedness has become a second nature to unredeemed man.
Paul has already given, in the
Romans,
a
coming of
first
gloomy picture of the Christ. It
was based on
life
three chapters of the of
mankind before the
his personal observance of
Romans
268
6,
20-7, 7
your natural powers as slaves to impurity and wickedness, all
till
was wickedness, you must now make over your natural
At the time had no claim upon you. And what harvest were you then reaping, from acts which now make you blush? Their reward is death. Now that you are free from the claims of sin, and have become God's slaves inpowers
as slaves to right-doing,
when you were
you have a harvest
stead,
ward
the slaves of
eternal
is
eternal
life as
right-doing
gift,
and your
in your sanctification,
Sin offers death, for wages;
life.
a free
sanctified.
till all is
sin,
God
re-
offers us
through Christ Jesus our Lord.
You must surely be aware, brethren I am speaking to men who have some knowledge of law), that legal claims are only binding on a man so long as he is alive. A married woman, for (
instance, is
is
bound by law
widowed, she
is
to her
husband while he
quit of her husband's claim
be held an adulteress
if
tery.
and can give
is
dead she
herself to another
man
lives; if
is
man
is
during
quit of the
without adul-
Well, brethren, you too have undergone death,
the law
she
her; she will
she gives herself to another
her husband's lifetime, but once he law's claim,
on
as far as
concerned, in the person of Christ crucified, so that
you now belong to another, to him who rose from the dead.
We yield increase to God, whereas, when we were merely our natural selves, the sinful passions to which the law
worked on our natural powers, so death. to that in a
Now we
bound
are quit of the law's claim, since
we have died
which hitherto held us bound, so that we can do
new manner,
according to the
us
as to yield increase only to
spirit,
service
not according to the
letter as of old.
Does
God
this
forbid
mean that the law and guilt are the same thing? we should say that. But it was only the law that
From Corinth
among whom he
people
horn the
city in
When
269
and took on
lived,
which he wrote the
letter,
special vividness
Corinth the corrupt.
the Christian died to sin in baptism, he pledged him-
new
self to a
58 A.D.
a dedicated
him, just as
life
of service to
God; from that moment he was
man. Holiness must become evil
had been
before.
To do
a second nature to
this
he must give over
his entire nature to the guidance of Christ; his
mind must be
supernaturally enlightened by the teachings of our Lord. Obe-
dience to this benign Master
proportion to his services; this
is
rewarded by
a gift
out of
all
gift is eternal life.
We Are Quit Of The Law's Claim.
The
previous paragraph
was directed mainly to the converts from paganism; in
this
paragraph Paul directs his words chiefly to the converts from
He
what he has already told the Galatians (3-4), that a Christian is freed from the Mosaic observances. But to the Romans he proves the fact of their freedom from Judaism.
repeats
the legal principle that death cancels
Rome
was famous
appeals to the legal-minded
He
previous engagements.
Romans
in their
own
Paul
terminology.
has already stated that a Christian dies with Christ at
baptism; this frees of the
all
as a centre for the study of law; so
Mosaic law
him not only from as well.
sin
but from the claims
In illustrating this truth, Paul takes
the example of marriage legislation; a wife's obligations to her
husband cease on
The
wife
second
is
whoever
is
his death; she
a convert; the
first
husband or
free to
husband
Christ. In actual fact dies,
is
it is
Romans, Paul
the Mosaic law, the
the wife
who
dies;
but
wife, death cancels the bond.
The Law Only Gave Knowledge Of in
is
marry another man.
writes in the
first
Sin.
For the
person singular.
first
time
The most
Romans
270
me my
gave
knowledge of
concupiscence for what shall
me
I
was
sense of sin found
new
life,
which was meant to bring ban
of sin, with the law's
and by that means holy; the
it
was
make
ban
is
holy,
sin that
for
and
we know,
as
thing which
I
hate.
have no wish to do,
I
self;
I
my will
me, using
is
good
this
unawares,
something
and No,
thing,
say that.
good thing to
made more
sinful
than
spiritual; I
not what then,
my of
a thing of
actions
wish to do, but some-
I
what
if
am
My own
slavery of sin.
I
do
is
action does not
good dwells
in
something
I
worthy of
is
come from me,
me. Of
this
me, that
is,
I
in
am my
my way to the performance of them; it is not but the evil my will disapproves, that
prefers,
find myself doing. it
And
if
cannot be
what I
about the law, that is
I
do
something
is
that bring
sinful principle that dwells in
what
ban,
praiseworthy intentions are always ready to hand,
the will to do,
to do
in
A
we should
sinful principle that dwells in
cannot find
the good
and good.
forbid
sure,
thereby admit that the law
no principle
certain, that
natural
is
Why I
honour; meanwhile,
but from the
but
do
I
me
foothold, caught
something
is
The
died.
I
it.
and blood, sold into the
bewilder me; what
that,
proved death to me; the sense
right,
produced death
its
With-
At first, without came with its ban, the
the law
appear as sin indeed, sin
itself
The law,
all
its
God
ever by the ban imposed on
flesh
with the law's ban for
me. The law, to be
killed
prove death to me?
it
sin,
and with
life,
Tou
a dead thing.
is
when
alive; then,
known
the law had not told me,
every sort of concupiscence.
out the law, the sense of sin the law,
8-22
should not even have
sin; I
it is, if
not covet.' But the sense of
foothold, produced in
did
7,
it
about,
me. This, then,
evil is close at
my
praiseworthy. Inwardly,
I
side,
it is
I
have not
must be the what I find
when my
will
is
applaud God's disposi-
From Corinth
common
interpretation of this
is
58 A.D.
271
up
that he takes
his
own
life
before conversion as typical of the Jewish race before Chris-
he speaks of
tianity. First
sin was;
instruction in the
Mosaic
his first introduction to
do.
his infancy, before
he knew what
then he came to the use of reason and began his
The Jaw and
The
Jaw.
commandments were
ten
what he was bound
the sense of sin
first
came
to do,
him
to
and not
to
same
at the
time.
For a Jew every
detaiJ of life
scriptions of the Jaw;
was regulated by the 613 preof waking tiJJ the end
moment
from the
By
of the day not an action escaped the Jaw. duties without giving the grace to carry
teJJing
them
men
their
out, the Jaw
made its sub/ects more conscious of sin and brought them aJmost to despair. The Jaw is hoJy because it comes from God; but it was never meant to bring man to union with God.
onJy
The Law
Is
that he
make
now
some
against the pull of his Jower nature.
his case
more
something
veal
authorities to hoJd the opinion
speaks of the inner struggle every Christian must
Testament Judaism that he as
Paul's change from past
Powerless Against Sin.
to present tense has Jed
till
vivid still
is
visualizing.
But
He
is
it is stiJJ
OJd
merely making
and dramatic by presenting the
struggJe
happening, whose outcome he does not
re-
the very last words of this paragraph.
It is autobiographical
only in that Paul himself, before his
conversion, was a typicaJ
member
a Jew, a citizen of Tarsus; I r
our ancestral law (Acts 22,
of the chosen race:
was trained 3).
The
in exact
T am
knowledge of
case presented by Paul
is
that of an individual
Jew subject to temptation. Enlightened by the teachings of the Mosaic law his conscience tells him what is right and what is wrong; but such knowJedge does not give him the power to do what
Jie
knows
to be right.
The
Romans
272
but
tion,
I
7,
23-8, 11
my
observe another disposition in
war against the disposition of
raises
my
lower
self,
which
and
conscience,
so
I
am handed over as captive to that disposition towards sin which my lower self contains. Pitiable creature that I am, who is to set me free from a nature thus doomed to death? Nothing than the grace of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord.
else
am my
my
left to myself,
conscience
at
is
If I
God's disposition, but
natural powers are at the disposition of sin.
Well
then,
no judgment stands now against those who
in Christ Jesus.
The
in Jesus Christ,
from the principle of
spiritual principle of life has set
sin
something the law could not do, because not lend
own
it
the power; and this
God has
for our guilt.
He
who
flesh
and blood could
done, by sending us his
To
live
make amends
has signed the death-warrant of sin in our
we should be
follow the ways of the
blood.
free,
and death. There was
Son, in the fashion of our guilty nature, to
nature, so that
me
live
the
life
fully quit of the law's claim,
we,
not the ways of
and
spirit,
of nature
nature; to live the life of the spirit
flesh
to think the thoughts of
is is
to think the thoughts of
and natural wisdom brings only death, whereas the wisdom of the spirit brings life and peace. That is because natural wisdom is at enmity with God, not submitting itself the
spirit;
to his law;
it is
impossible that
it
Those who God; but you
should.
life
of nature cannot be acceptable to
life
of the spirit, not the life of nature; that
God
dwells in you.
he has the
A man
Spirit of Christ.
is, if
spirit of
you, he
him who
who
raised
the
the
the Spirit of
cannot belong to Christ unless
But
if
Christ lives in you, then,
although the body be a dead thing in virtue of our spirit is a living thing,
live live
by virtue of our
justification.
guilt,
And
if
the the
up Jesus from the dead dwells in up Jesus Christ from the dead will give life raised
From Corinth 58 A.D. law
something external to him, whereas
is
to only is
one conclusion, the victory of
this law-abiding soul, seeking
struggle can lead
sin.
good and doing
asks the final rhetorical question. It
him
sin is within
Adam. This inner
as a result of the fall of
It
273
that
evil,
shows the longing and
need of Judaism for the coming of Christ. Through him alone
comes the power
to
win the
law through Moses,
victory: the
grace through Jesus Christ
Living is
The
Life
Of The
not smooth and easy;
embarked on
since Paul
The path that leads to God blocked by many obstacles. Ever
Spirit.
it is
his description of the
way
of salvation
(chapter 5), he has been concentrating his attention on these obstacles.
He has
Now that he
given most space to sin and Jaw.
has disposed of the obstacles impeding the march of the Chris-
union with God, he turns his thoughts to the positive
tian to
aspect
—on
living the Christian
He begins Jesus.' It
this
life.
paragraph with the familiar phrase, 'In Christ
occurs on almost every page of his letters (actually
164 times in
It expresses his doctrine of the incorporation
all).
of the Christian into the Mystical vital
union
(like that of
Body
of Christ. This
branches with a vine), giving
is
man
a
ac-
cess to the source of all supernatural life (sanctifying grace),
God
Man
the
life
and
acts with Christ; all his principles of
of
this organic
This
new
contrasts
it
himself.
so vivified thinks, wills, feels,
union with Jesus Christ his Head. Christian personality Paul calls 'the
with 'nature
.
.
man descended from Adam;
flesh
.
and
Christ and the life,
life
which
of the
is
one.
Holy
To
blood.'
the former
the indwelling power of God, the
divine
conduct stem from
Spirit
Holy is
is
The
man
Spirit.
He
7
spirit.
latter is
vitalized
by
The
of
life
the same, because
it is
help distinguish the functions of
Romans
274
8,
12-25
who
to your perishable bodies too, through his Spirit
dwells
in you.
Thus, brethren, nature has no longer any claims upon that
we should
you
live a life of nature. If
you are marked out
for death;
live a life of nature,
you mortify the
if
us,
activities of
the body through the power of the Spirit, you will have life. Those who follow the leading of God's Spirit are all God's sons; the spirit
you have now received
of slavery, to govern you by fear;
which makes us cry thus assures our
not, as of old, a spirit
the
out, 'Abba, Father/
spirit,
are his children, then
that
we
we
spirit of
The
are children of
are his heirs too; heirs
the inheritance of Christ; only
we
is
it is
we must
Spirit himself
God; and if we of God, sharing
share his sufferings,
if
are to share his glory.
Not
that
I
count these present sufferings as the measure of
that glory which
is
to be revealed in us. If creation
expectancy, that
is
because
to
adoption,
it is
is
full of
waiting for the sons of
God
be made known. Created nature has been condemned to
frustration; not for
the sake of
forward
to;
some
him who
so
deliberate fault of
condemned
namely, that nature in
its
it,
its
own, but
for
with a hope to look
turn will be set free from
the tyranny of corruption, to share in the glorious freedom of
The whole
we know, groans in a common travail all the while. And not only do we see that, but we ourselves do the same; we ourselves, although we have already
God's
sons.
begun
to reap our spiritual harvest, groan in our hearts, waiting
for that adoption slavery. It
hope he
which
must be
of something.
were in view; sees?
And
of nature, as
is
so, since
the ransoming of our bodies from
our salvation
is
founded upon the
Hope would not be hope
at all
if its
object
how could a man still hope for something which we are hoping for something still unseen, then
if
From Corinth 58 A.D. Chiist and the Holy Spirit in the is
customary to
(Christ
is
call
life
of the Mystical Body,
it
the Third Person of the Trinity the Soul
the Head) of the Body.
In addition to as a secondary
corrupt nature,
this vital
metaphor, Paul has a legal metaphor
theme. Redeemed man, once at the mercy of is
freed
now from
the claim of sin and the
law, because Christ has paid our debt.
us debtors,
God
But instead the
is
making
of
When we
has conferred sonship on us.
the Pater Noster (of which. 'Abba' original
275
first
word
say
in the
Aramaic) we join our voices with the only true Son
God; by adoption we acquire that sonship which enables on God not as slaves but as beloved children.
of
us to call
Our Bodies Long For The deprived
man
The redemption
death as well.
that he lost in
all
fall.
only on the
it
last day, at Christ's
that he lost
With End
when Adam
a poetic
not only
won back
for
mans
soul,
man
will
have received
fell.
and mystical outlook such
as that
which we
so highly developed in St. Francis of Assisi, Paul sees in
the material world around
him
a longing for better times.
this
comes from the
fact that all creation
been dragged down with fallen man.
ground Paul
and
new
not his body. It
Second Coming, that he
Plants and animals are subject to decay and death just as is;
man
just discussed the
receive bodily immortality; only then will all
sin
brought suffering and
of Christ
Paul has
in Christ; but this only affects
life is
Adams
Adam's
Resurrection.
of sanctifying grace,
listens to their
With
man
somehow has his ear to the
complaints of frustrated existence
interprets their expectancy as a yearning for the resur-
rection.
Romans
276
we need endurance comes
26-39
8,
to wait for
we
prayer to offer, to pray as
cedes for us,
Only, as before, the Spirit
it.
to the aid of our weakness;
when we do not know what
ought, the Spirit himself inter-
with groans beyond
all
can read our hearts, knows well what the indeed
according to the
it is
mind
of
and God, who
utterance:
Spirit's intent
God
that he
is;
makes
for
inter-
cession for the saints.
Meanwhile, we are well assured that everything helps to secure the good of those
who
love
God, those
fulfilment of his design. All those
known
whom
who from
to him, he has destined from the
into the image of his Son,
who
is
he has called
first
thus to
the
were
first
to be
in
moulded
become the
eldest-
born among many brethren. So predestined, he called them; so called,
When if
he
that
God
is
is
side?
for us
them; so
what follows?
said,
on our
him up
gave
justified
all;
He
justified,
Who
he
glorified
them.
can be our adversary,
did not even spare his
and must not that
gift
own
Son, but
be accompanied
gift of all else? Who will come forward to accuse God's when God acquits us? Who will pass sentence against when Jesus Christ, who died, nay, has risen again, and sits
by the elect, us,
at the right
hand
of
God
is
pleading for us?
Who will separate
us from the love of Christ? Will affliction, or distress, or per-
Tor moment,
secution, or hunger, or nakedness, or peril, or the sword?
your
sake/ says the scripture, 'we face death at every
reckoned no better than sheep marked down for slaughter/
Yet
life,
we are conquerors, through him who has granted Of this I am fully persuaded; neither death nor
in all this
us his love.
no angels
what
is
or principalities, neither
to come,
no
what
is
present nor
force whatever, neither the height above
us nor the depth beneath us, nor any other created thing, will
From Corinth Just
how
58 A.D.
the created universe will be integrated with
his resurrected glory is uncertain. will share
277
with
man
in his restoration; hut the
and new earth of the Apocalypse to be a JiteraJ description. valley of tears
is
In some way
The
(21, 1) is
in
creation
new heaven
probably not meant
Jesson Paul has for
man
in this
patience under sufferings, and hope for bodily
resurrection; this
must he our constant
God's Love For Us In Christ.
On
prayer.
Easter Sunday afternoon
our Lord joined two disciples on the road to plained to
aJI
man
them the reason
Emmaus; he
for his crucifixion:
'Was
it
ex-
not to
be expected that the Christ should undergo these sufferings,
and enter so into
his glory?'
Paul has the same lesson for the
Rome; Gods plan
Christians of
member of the the Head; we must
for each
Body is the same as his plan for moulded into the image of his Son. Narrow and tortuous is the road that leads to life; it is a hard and stony path that the Christian must walk, just as the Master did. The Christian will have nothing to fear at the final judg-
Mystical
7
all 'be
ment,
if
he
Jives in
has lived his whole
accordance with God's plan for him. If he life
in the
shadow
of the cross, the divine
judge will have already acquitted him; and Jesus himself will
be standing there to plead for him before the judgment seat of
God. Paul has enumerated four obstacles
man's
own
After
all,
corrupt nature.
Maybe he
—
sin,
death, the law,
has forgotten something?
he has not mentioned the angelic forces of
('angels or principalities
and evil
7
);
possibly the Christians are thinking
some unknown danger, such as Men from Mars ('any other created thing ). So Paul will remove all such doubts in the minds of redeemed men; nothing can break the bond of love which was forged on Calvary and which unites each member
of
7
Romans
278
1-12
9,
be able to separate us from the love of God, which comes to us in Christ Jesus our Lord.
I
am
not deceiving you,
name, with the
when
tinual anguish
feel in
if
I
I
I tell
Israelites,
in Christ's
you of the great sorrow, the con-
my heart,
myself might be
my
that would benefit
They are
am telling you the truth
assurance of a conscience enlightened by
full
the Holy Spirit,
wish that
I
and how
doomed
it
my own
brethren,
has ever been
to separation
kinsmen by
adopted as God's sons; the
my
from Christ, race.
visible presence,
and the covenants, and the giving of the law, and the Temple worship, and the promises, are their inheritance; the patriarchs belong to them, and theirs is the human stock from which Christ came; Christ,
Not not
yet
all all
rules as
God
it is
not as
who
those
if
all
God's promise has
are sprung
the posterity of
he was
from
Abraham
through
Isaac,'
That
to say, God's sonship
is
told, 'that
are
things, blessed
given to
counted
him
'When
and Sara
this season
shall
have a
Israel are truly Israelites;
received a promise,
is
your posterity shall be traced.' is
not for
those
all
it is
was a promise
comes round
son.'
its effect.
who
are
only the children
God's promise that are to be
as the result of
as his posterity. It
failed of
Abraham's children: Tt
Abraham's children by natural descent;
said:
over
Amen.
for ever.
And
who
And
God made, when he
again,
I
will visit you,
not only she, but Rebecca too
when she bore two
sons to the same hus-
band, our father Isaac. They had not yet been born; they had
done nothing, good or might stand out theirs to call
evil;
and
clearly as his
account for
it,
came, she was told:
already, so that
own
God's purpose
no action of from whom the
choice, with
nothing but his
will,
The
be the servant of the
elder
is
to
From Corinth of the Mystical
Body with
its
58 A.D.
crucified
279
Head, Christ Jesus our
Lord.
The Problem Of
Jewish Unbelief.
Paul here begins a
section of his letter; for the next three chapters (9-11) cusses the sad fact of Israel's rejection of Jesus.
he
new dis-
The Jewish
nation had been in training, during the whole period of their
2,000 years' existence , for the coming of their Redeemer; surely they, Erst of all other peoples, should have accepted Jesus with-
out question. ing
Did God's plan go
astray
somewhere? In answer-
Paul explores the mind of God, investigates the
this,
subject of
human
responsibility,
and argues
in detailed fashion
from the words and persons of the Old Testament.
He
does not deny the privileged position of the chosen peo-
God; instead, he lists nine privileges possessed by the Jews, and by no other peoples. They have Abraham, Isaac and Jacob (whose name was changed to Israel, and this name became God's own designation of his people) as their patriarchs;
ple of
God
has
made covenants with them
again and again,
He
Abraham, then with Moses and David.
first
with
manifested his
presence in a miraculous fashion under the form of a shining
cloud during the whole forty years of the Exodus; he selected
one place on earth, the temple at Jerusalem, where true worship could be offered to him.
was
a Jew; Jesus
And
finally,
the Messias himself
was born of king David's house in Bethlehem.
Paul begins his argument by investigating God's action in the cases of
Abraham and
Isaac.
He
mode
of
chose one son
of each of these patriarchs to be the repository of his blessings. Isaac was chosen, Ishmael rejected; then Jacob was chosen, and Esau rejected. These selections were due solely to God's free choice;
God picked
his
man
before birth. This shows that
Romans
280
younger/ So
What
that
it is
and an enemy
I
read:
'I
13-27
have been a friend to Jacob,
Esau/
to
God
does this mean? That
to be thought of.
whom
we
9,
acts unjustly?
will show pity/ he tells Moses, 'on those show mercy where I am merciful'; the effect
Pharao, too,
why
reason
I
not
is
'I
pity; I will
comes, then, from God's mercy, not from man's alacrity.
That
told in scripture:
is
have made you what you
will,
This
or man's
the very
is
are, so as to give proof,
my name
in you, of
my
the earth/
Thus he shows mercy where it is his will, and where he hardens men's hearts. Hereupon you will ask, 'If
it is
power, and to
let
be known
over
all
his will
that
so,
is
how
can he find fault with
sisting his will?'
with
God?
ioned
me
Is
Nay, but
who
us, since there is
thus?' Is not the potter free to
re-
to bandy words
are you, friend,
the pot to ask the potter,
no
Why have you
fash-
do what he
with
wills
make two objects, one for noble and one for ignoble use? It may be that God has borne, long and patiently, with those who are the objects of his the clay, using the same
vengeance,
fit
lump
to
only for destruction, meaning to give proof of
that vengeance, display, in those
and display
who
his
power
at last;
meaning
are the objects of his mercy,
how
also to
rich
is
the glory he bestows, that glory for which he has destined
them.
We
are the objects of his mercy; we,
whom
That is what he says Osee: 'Those who were no people of mine,
Jews and Gentiles people; she
alike.
who was unloved
they used to be told, called,
"You
now, sons of the
cerned, Isaias cries out:
are
shall
he has in the I
called,
book of
will call
my
be loved. In places where
no people of mine," they And, where Israel
living God.'
The number
will
be
is
con-
of the sons of Israel
may
From Corinth 58 A.D.
earn
God
horn
a vocation
is
something he
281
gives;
man
does not
it.
God's Purpose Served Even By Rebels.
human mind
to the
in
is
and Esau.
no problem
how
It is easy to see
the divine plan
how about
is
his
Ishmael
his justice in iejecting
by those obedient to him; but
carried out
those
who
rebel
him?
against
illustrate this,
Paul takes up a third character, the Pharao
impeded God's plan
of the Exodus. This Egyptian king
every turn; after each of the
when
Jet Israel go,
but
word (Exod.
7-10).
Gods
trating
first
how
nine plagues he promised to
This does not
mean
that Pharao was frus-
purpose; unknowingly and unwillingly he was
this
happens
is
which
best seen
is
always
fulfilled.
from the trade of pottery
may produce
making.
If the clay is suitable,
vessel
most expensive perfume; if there is the day, the rejected article is not thrown away;
fit
flaw in
at
the plague ceased he went back on his
carrying out the divine plan, Just
is
God's choosing Isaac and Jacob for
favours; the real difficulty
To
There
the potter
a superb
to hoJd the
a it
can serve some ignoble use (some ordinary household function).
Pharao, the rejected vessel of clay, represents rebellious
Israel.
But they have not escaped the sovereignty
the hard hearts of unrepentant Israel
God's Mercy
To Jew And
of rejection there vessels for this
Gentile.
God; even can be used by God. of
Alongside the divine plan
his plan of election; there are the potter s
is
noble as well as for ignoble uses. PauYs purpose in
paragraph
Church, the
is
to
show
call of
that the constitution of the Christian
both Jew and Gentile, was not an
after-
it was an integral part of his divine purpose right from the beginning of Jewish history, in Old Testament times.
thought;
Romans
282
be
like the
it is
sand of the
sea,
but
a short reckoning that the
had
Isaias
said earlier on:
9,
'If
28-10, 8
it is
a remnant that will be
Lord
will
make upon
earth/ So
the Lord of Hosts had not left
we should have been
us a stock to breed from,
left;
like
Sodom, we
should have gone the way of Gomorrah/
What
do we conclude, then? Why, that the Gentiles, who
never aimed at justifying themselves, attained
justification,
that justification which comes of faith; whereas the Israelites
aimed
at a disposition
reached
Why was
it.
justification
which should
this?
Because they hoped to derive their
from observance, not from
the stone which trips men's feet; so hold,
I
men's
am
setting
feet, a
lieve in
him
down
will
God,
God's honour, standing.
and
tripped on
read in scripture: 'Bea stone to trip
is
who
be-
heart, all
my
not be disappointed/
all
can
my
the good will of
for their salvation. I
testify;
but
That they
are jealous for
with imperfect under-
it is
They did not recognize God's way of justification, way of their own, instead of sub-
so they tried to institute a
Christ has superseded the law, bringing
mitting to
his.
fication to
anyone who
will believe.
gives of that justification
man
we
one who
in Sion
They
faith.
boulder to catch them unawares; those
Brethren, they have prayers to
them, and never
justify
will find life in its
But the
justification
claim: 'Do not say,
which comes from the law,
commandments
which comes from
"Who
will scale
we had to bring Christ down to down into the depth for us?"
if
is
faith
makes a
different
heaven for us?"
(as
if
that a
he observes them.
earth), or, '
justi-
The account which Moses
"'Who
we had
'
(as
will
to
if
go
bring
Christ back from the dead). 'No,' says the scripture, 'the
message
is
close to your hand,
it
is
on your
lips,
it
is
in
From Corinth
By
his use of the
58 A.D.
283
two phrases, 'no people of mine
loved/ Osee foreshadows the
call of
.
.
.
the heathen nations.
un-
The
Gentiles with no membership in the chosen people, and outside the influence of
now
God's revealed religion in Old Testament
welcomed friendship of God. times,
Isaias is
are
into the Christian
Church and the
speaking of the Assyrian invasion of the eighth cen-
tury B.C. (a century later than Osee). Israel will survive war
and
exile
not
as
— the
an entire nation but as a chosen few
saved remnant. She will he partially saved, not totally destroyed
Sodom and Gomorrah were. That is why so many Gentiles and so few Jews make up the Christian Church; God foretold in the Scriptures who would accept and who would reject his Son, who is the stone (our Lord used the same metaphor of as
Mt.
himself,
21, 44)
which has tripped the
feet of the
mass of
Israel.
Israel's
Failure
Her
Own
Fault.
been considering the problem of
From
point of view. that
he
God
plan
to this point Paul has
Israel's
unbelief from God's
Old Testament history he has shown power to choose or reject whomever
the
has sovereign
will: his divine
Up
is
carried out
by both the obedient and
the rebels. In this paragraph Paul examines the problem from
mans
point of view. His conclusion
is
that Israel herself
to blame; her failure to recognize that faith in Christ
only
way
to justiEcation
the Mystical
The main ment.
He
that the
Body
uses the
is
the
responsible for her exclusion from
of Christ.
line of his
New
is
is
argument
is
again from the
Old
Testa-
wording of Deuteronomy 30, 12-14 to snow
Testament approach by
faith
is
less
difficult
than the Old Testament approach by observing the Mosaic law.
The Jews thought
they had to win God's friendship by
Romans
284
9-21
10,
your heart'; meaning by that the message of
we
preach.
You can
confess that Jesus
God
has raised
believe,
we
if
There all alike
you
faith,
which
your
lips to
will use
The
dead.
heart has only to
make
are to be justified; the lips have only to
if
no
is
if
the Lord, and your heart to believe that
is
him up from the
we are to be 'Anyone who believes
confession, says,
find salvation,
distinction
That
saved. in
him
will
what the
is
scripture
not be disappointed/
made here between Jew and
Gentile;
have one Lord, and he has enough and to spare for
all
upon the name of the Lord will be saved/ Only, how are they to call upon him until they have learned to believe in him? And how are they to believe in him, until they listen to him? And how can they listen, without a preacher to listen to? And how can there be preachers, unless preachers are sent on their errand? So we read in scripture, 'How welcome is the coming of those who tell of good news/ True, there are some who have not obeyed the call those
who
call
upon him. 'Every one who
of the gospel; so Isaias says, 'Lord,
(See
hearing?'
how
faith
Why
them?
yes:
tell
me, did the news never come
'The utterance
sage reaches the ends of the world/
warned of 'I
I
Why,
make them
will will
it?
put
rivalry
there
And
me
to those 'I
And,
every land, the mestell
me, was not
Israel
a saying that goes back to Moses,
jealous of a nation that
never looked for
of Israel,
is
fills
is
no nation
at
all;
between them and a nation which has never
learned wisdom.'
known
has given us a faithful
comes from hearing; and hearing
through Christ's word.) But, to
who
calls
who
Isaias speaks
out boldly, 'Those
have found me;
I
who
have made myself
never asked for word of me'; and he says
have stretched out
my
hands
all
that refuses obedience, and cries out against
day to a people
me/
From Corinth 58 A.D. great deeds, like
spacemen scaling the
ing back the dead. That is
not
difficult to
is
End; he came
presented himself to
have to do
mind and
is
us,
to accept
skies, or
magicians bring-
God
unnecessary, says Paul, because
and rose horn the tomb
tion,
285
down on
earth at the Incarna-
at the Resurrection.
without any
effort
him by
—
faith
on our
God
part; all
has
we
internal assent of the
external profession.
The Gospel Has Been Preached Everywhere.
This section
is
usually understood as a demonstration of the guilt of the
Jews.
They have no excuse
at
all,
because the good news of
salvation through Christ has been preached,
over the Mediterranean world; none of
by
this time, all
them can
have not heard of Christ. Paul's emphasis
is
say that they
on preachers
be-
cause there were few books in those days; people did not find
out about things from reading;
it
was preaching that was
es-
sential in spreading the belief in Christ.
But Mgr. Knox has an holds that Paul
is
entirely different explanation.
He
here treating of the call of the Gentiles; the
unbelief of the Jews
is
only mentioned by
way
of contrast.
among the converts from Judaism them thought the gospel should not be preached the Gentiles at all; they had completely forgotten our Lord's
Nationalism was so strong that to
many
express
of
command
to his followers: 'Preach the gospel to the
whole of creation, making
So Paul's objective to the
always
is
7
disciples of all nations.
to prove that the admission of Gentiles
Church was foretold meant the true Israel
in the
Old Testament,
that
God
to have a world-wide diffusion. In
support of his claim, he goes right back to Moses; then he quotes king David, the prophet Joel, and his favourite Isaias (4 times).
Romans u, 1-14
286
God disowned his people? That is not to I am an Israelite myself, descended from Abraham; Benjamin is my tribe. No, God has not disowned Tell me, then, has
be thought
Why,
of.
the people which, from the
not remember what scripture plaint,
he recognized
first,
am
the only one
and
left,
my
you
about
Israel:
and overthrown your
'Lord, they have killed your prophets, altars; I
God
Do
The com-
us about Elias?
tells
mean, which he made before
I
as his.
too,
life,
threatened/
is
And what does the divine revelation tell him? There are seven thousand men I have kept true to myself, with knees that never bowed
So
to Baal/
true; grace has
it.
And
if it is
not due to observance of the law; grace at
missed
all.
its
What
does
mark; only
remnant has remained
in our time; a
it is
chosen
it
if it
due to
grace, then
were, grace
would be no
mean, then? Why, that
has
Israel
chosen remnant has attained
this
we read in them unseeing
while the rest were hardened; so
scripture,
numbed
eyes
their senses, given
it is
to this day/ David, too, says, 'Let their feasting
it,
'God has
and deaf
ears,
be turned into
upon them; let their eyes be keep their backs bowed down con-
a trap, a snare, a spring to recoil
dim, so that they cannot
see,
tinually/
Tell me, then, have they stumbled so as to
God
forbid; the result of their false step has
fall
altogether?
been to bring the
Gentiles salvation, and the result of that must be to rouse the
Jews to emulate them. riched the world, default,
speaking
now
of stirring
up
to I
Why
then,
if
their false step has en-
the Gentiles have been enriched by their
what must we
the Gentiles,
some
if
expect,
when
it is
you Gentiles. ) As long
mean
my own
to
make much
flesh
and blood
of them. If the losing of
of
made good?
as
my
my
(I
apostolate
office, in
am
is
to
the hope
to emulation, and saving
them has meant
a world re-
From Corinth
A
Believing
58 A.D.
Remnant Among The
287 Paul's
Jews.
first
contact
with Christianity was the Jong sermon of Stephen, delivered
on the day of
his execution
by the Jewish
leaders.
In
this
speech (Acts 7) Stephen traced the long history of rebellion against God by Israel; but there were always some true to the Lord, such as Abraham, Joseph, Moses, David.
And
this is the
doctrine put forward here by Paul: there are Jews in the Christian
Church, true followers of the Master. Peter and Paul,
Mary
many bishops and missionaries the faith, are members of the chosen race.
the mother of Jesus,
engaged in spreading
The
doctrine of the
Remnant,
remaining true to the Lord,
ment
is
a percentage of the nation
developed in the Old Testa-
especially in the writings of Isaias.
God's providence in the Babylonian elect of first
God, they represented the
exile;
used
it
to explain
the exiles were the
true Israel.
The
teaching
appears in scripture in the story of Elias (ninth century
B.C.).
As he Bed from the wrath
complained to but
He
God
told
God him
Achab and
of
Jezabel,
that he was the only true worshipper
there were 7,000 others
lowed the idolatrous ways of the Jewish
who had not
leaders; they
remnant who remained true
to the Lord.
The Church Not Meant For
Gentiles Only.
Up
he
left;
fol-
were the
to this point
Paul has been explaining the rejection of the Jews for the benefit of Jewish converts;
now he
is
prophesying the return
of the Jews, so as to keep the Gentile Christians in their place.
Jewish Christians were a minority at
Rome;
there was danger
of their being cold-shouldered by the Gentile majority. Prob-
ably Peter, the apostle of the as the
champion of Gentile
their place, restore
make them
live
Roman
church, had asked Paul,
Christians, to put the Gentiles in
peace between the two communities, and
together in unity.
Romans
288
11,
15-26
conciled to God, what can the winning of risen
them mean, but
life
from the dead?
When
the
loaf
first
is
consecrated, the whole batch
is
con-
when the root is consecrated, the branches The branches have been thinned out, and you, a wild olive, have been grafted in among them; share, with them, the root and the richness of the true olive. That is no reason why you should boast yourself better than the branches; remember, in your mood of boastfulness, that you owe life to secrated with
it;
so,
are consecrated too.
the root, not the root to you. 'Branches were cut away/ you will tell
me,
for
want
'so
that
I
might be grafted in/ True enough, but
of faith that they were cut away,
that keeps you where you are; you have rather for fear;
God
were native to the
is
what
tree,
also severity.
if
not,
they too will be grafted belief; to graft
deed,
it
them
be
all
to their
I
only faith
no reason
for pride,
is
graciousness, then, in
is
for those
who have
for you, only so long as
you too
in, if
is
shall
God,
you con-
be pruned away. Just so
they do not continue in their un-
in afresh
is
not beyond God's power. In-
was against nature when you were grafted on to the
true olive's stock, you, will
it is
he should find occasion to be
if
His severity
fallen away, his graciousness
tinue in his grace;
was
was unforgiving with the branches that
unforgiving with you too? There
and there
and
it
the easier for
own
who were him
native to the wild olive;
it
to graft these natural branches
on
known
to
parent stock.
must not
fail,
brethren, to
make
this revelation
you; or else you might have too good a conceit of yourselves.
Hardness has fallen upon a part of
Israel,
but only until the
tale of the Gentile nations
is
complete; then the whole of
Israel will find salvation, as
we
read in scripture: 'A deliverer
From Corinth 58 A.D.
289
Paul reminds the Gentiles that the gospel was preached to
them only when the Jews
rejected the Christian missionaries;
they should he grateful to the Jews for this opportunity of vation.
Will not
this fact stir
up the Jews
sal-
to emulate the
and eventually enter the Christian Church? Such a
Gentiles,
conclusion to history would be a wonderful surprise, something like Lazarus coming hack from the grave (that seems to
he the meaning of the disputed phrase,
'life
risen
from the
dead). In order to
make
it
clear that the Gentiles are
not to regard
the temporary rejection of Israel as a compliment arranged for their personal benefit, Paul uses illustrations, that of
an olive
one of
tree; instead of
his
hest-known
lording
the Jews in arrogant fashion, the Gentiles should he
and
filled
over
with a salutary fear of divine punishment.
Our Lord likened
Israel to a fig-tree (Lk. 13, 6-9); in Isaias
and the Psalms the image of a vine Jeremias
it
humhle
we End PauYs
figure of
an olive
ranean world the cultivated olive
widespread of
all trees; it is
the
is
is
used; in tree.
Osee and
In the Mediter-
the most familiar and
main source of cooking
oil.
Paul pictures a graft of wild branches on to a cultivated ('true olive') tree; this is
contrary to normal procedure.
the Gentile influx into the Church; the Jews by
And
so
is
all rights
should have been the heirs to the Messianic promises
made
to the patriarchs (the root of the tree).
Our Lord concluded
Final Conversion of the Jewish Race. his discourse in the
these words: 'Believe me, you shall see nothing
when you will be saying, "Blessed is he name of the Lord." This seems to have
forward, until the time that
comes
in the
Week with of me hence-
temple on the Tuesday in Holy
7
Romans
290
come from
shall
this shall I
27-12, 4
11,
and
Sion, to rid Jacob of his unfaithfulness;
be the fulfilment of
my
when
covenant with them,
take away their sins/ In the preaching of the gospel,
God
rejects
them, to make room for you; but in his elective purpose
he
welcomes them,
still
not repent of the
were once
gifts
he makes, or
rebels, until
God
does
issues.
You
for the sake of their fathers;
of the calls
he
through their rebellion you obtained
pardon; they are rebels now, obtaining pardon for you, only to
be pardoned
in their turn.
to their rebellion, only to
O
depth of God's
Thus God has abandoned all men include them all in his pardon. wisdom, and
riches, his
knowledge!
his
How
inscrutable are his judgments,
ways!
Who has ever understood the Lord's thoughts, or been
his counsellor?
Who
ever was the
his favours?' All things find in
and
their goal; to
him be
And now, brethren, up your bodies worthy of
I
first
him
to give,
and
so earned
all ages,
Amen.
appeal to you by God's mercies to offer
God and
as a living sacrifice, consecrated to
rational creatures.
is
the worship due from you as
And you must
not
with the manners
fall in
must be an inward change,
your minds, so that you can
satisfy yourselves
a
remaking of
what
is
God's
the good thing, the desirable thing, the perfect thing.
will,
Thus,
in virtue of the grace that
is
of your
company not
his just estimation,
is
given me,
each.
Each
all
I
warn every
to think highly of himself,
man
beyond
but to have a sober esteem of himself, ac-
cording to the measure of faith which
not
undiscoverable his
their origin, their impulse,
glory throughout
his acceptance; this
of this world; there
who
how
of us has
God
has apportioned to
one body, with many different
these parts have the
same function;
parts,
just so we,
and
though
From Corinth
58 A.D.
291
been the revelation on which Paul bases his statement of the ultimate conversion of Israel. It was the unbelief of Israel
announced
that he
obstacle in the
way
to the Thessalonians (2 Thess. 2) as the
Second Coming. And
of the
it is
generally
understood in tradition that the end of the world will follow
on the conversion of the Jews. Probably the reason for not undergoing death is so that he can come back
shortly Elias
before the end of time
To do
so there
and convert the Jews (Mt.
17, 10-12).
must be a Jewish nation still existing at the end would seem to be the reason for the con-
of the world; this
tinued existence of Israel as a nation, despite tudes of
The
all
the
vicissi-
its history.
entry of Israel into the Christian fold will be the final
demonstration of God's mercy and wisdom; then seen that the mystery of
was due to
mans
Gods
it
will
be
dealings with his chosen people
limited knowledge, not to any failure in
divine Providence. All creation will fall
on
its
knees in praise
of the Trinity.
Harmony
Mind
Here begins part Romans. In the Erst three parts Paul has treated of mans need of redemption, the completeness of that salvation brought to man by Christ, and the problem of
in the Mystical Body.
four of the Letter to the
of Israel's unbelief. Till
now he
has been concentrating on
dogma, on teaching the Romans the truths of he begins the moral section of his conduct which
The
Row from
truths already set
chapters (this Christian;
is
letter,
the principles of right
truths already learnt.
down by Paul in the Erst demand a new outlook
chapter 12)
what Paul
calls
'a
eleven in the
remaking of your minds.
rational creatures they are to give their nature; their
now
salvation;
God
whole being, body and
9
As
a worship beEtting soul,
must be
dedi-
Romans
292
12,
5-21
many in number, form one body in Christ, and each acts as the counterpart of another. The spiritual gifts we have differ, according to the special grace which has been assigned to each. If
a
man
is
him prophesy as far as the measure him. The administrator must be content
a prophet, let
of his faith will let
with his administration, the teacher, with his work of teaching,
own
the preacher, with his preaching. Each must perform his
task well; giving alms with generosity, exercising authority with
anxious care, or doing works of mercy smilingly.
Your
must be a
love
sincere love;
you must hold what
upon what
in abomination, fix all your desire
is
is
evil
good.
Be
affectionate towards each other, as the love of brothers de-
mands, eager to give one another precedence. unwearied in
activity,
aglow with the
Spirit,
I
would
see
you
waiting like slaves
upon the Lord; buoyed up by hope, patient
in affliction, per-
severing in prayer; providing generously for the needs of the saints, giving
the stranger a loving welcome. Bestow a blessing
on those who persecute you; a with those
harmony
who
rejoice,
selves airs of
I
its
wisdom.
injury; study
Keep peace with
all
your behaviour in the
men, where
Do not avenge yourselves, beloved; course; so
we
him
drink
coals of fire
it is
possible, for
allow retribution
read in scripture, 'Vengeance
will repay, says the Lord. Rather, feed
hungry, give
heap
common
conceited thoughts; never give your-
Do not repay injury with world's sight.
your part.
the mourner. Live in
of mind, falling in with the opinions of
folk, instead of following
to run
not a curse. Rejoice
blessing,
mourn with
if
upon
he his
is
thirsty;
head/
your enemy
by doing
Do
malice; disarm malice with kindness.
is
this,
for if
me,
he
you
is
will
not be disarmed by
From Corinth
58 A.D.
293
And since the Christian is member of Christ's Mystical like Christ This new Hie he is
cated to the service of the Lord.
not an isolated individual hut Body, he must think and the
of the
live
a
Head;
thoughts and feelings,
living
is
all his
motives of conduct must he those of Christ
The good
life
all his
function of each individual
of the body;
tion allotted to
is
determined by the general
he must be content to carry out that func-
him
in the
Church, and not
function of any other member. This body
an organism of
and peaceful working
delicately inter-related parts; the unity
of the
is
try to usurp the
body depends on the harmonious working of
all
its
members. Paul
is
thinking of the jealousies and quarrels between the
Jew and Gentile converts
in
Rome. He
mostly to the Gentile majority,
and arrogant
directing his advice
is
who were
inclined to be proud
in their attitude to the less
numerous Jewish
converts.
Writing from Corinth, where Eourished
(1
Cor. 12-14),
^ au
^
spiritual gifts of all kinds
illustrates his
teaching on the
need of harmony in the Mystical Body by choosing seven spiritual gifts.
The function
of the prophet, for example,
determined by the commission more, no
God
made
to him,
no
Jess.
Love of Neighbour and Civic Loyalty. this
has
is
Paul begins and ends
paragraph with an exhortation to practise charity. His
words are addressed mainly to the Jewish Christians at Rome; and it is their conduct to the pagan neighbours that he has in mind. The Jews had been expelled from Rome by the emperor Claudius in 50 A.D. (Acts 18, 2). They had returned to their
homes to End them looted; there was an atmosphere of tension and hostility in the neighbourhood; their loyalty as
Romans
294
13, 1-13
Every soul must be submissive to
comes from God
thority
only,
and
its
all
lawful superiors; auauthorities that hold
Thus the man who opposes authority God, and rebels secure their own condemnation. A good conscience has no need to go in fear of the magistrate, as a bad conscience does. If you would sway are of
is
his ordinance.
a rebel against the ordinance of
from the
be
free
its
approval; the magistrate
good. Only
if
fear of authority, is
do
you do wrong, need you be
nothing that he bears the sword; he inflict
right,
and you
shall
God's minister, working
is
afraid; it
is
God's minister
for
win your
not for still,
to
punishment on the wrong-doer. You must needs, then,
be submissive, not only
for fear of
punishment, but in con-
same reason that you pay taxes; magisand must give all their time to it. Pay every man his due; taxes, if it be taxes, customs, if it be customs; respect and honour, if it be respect and honour. Do not let anybody have a claim upon you, except the claim which binds us to love one another. The man who loves his neighbour has done all that the law demands. (All the commandments, Tou shall not commit adultery, You shall do no murder, You shall not steal, You shall not covet,' and the rest, are resumed in this one saying, Tou shall love your neighbour as yourself.') Love of our neighbour refrains from doing harm of any kind; that is why it fulfils all the demands of the law. science. It
is
trates are in
for this
God's
service,
Meanwhile, make no mistake about the age we already
it is
salvation lieve.
is
The
live in;
high time for us to awake out of our sleep; our closer to us
night
is
abandon the ways
far
now than when we on
its
of darkness,
first
learned to be-
course; day draws near. Let us
and put on the armour of
Let us pass our time honourably,
as
by the
light of day,
light.
not in
From Corinth 58 A.D. citizens
295
was suspect by the pagans among
whom
they Jived.
Their natural reaction was to repay in like coin. That attitude is
wrong, Paul
tells
them; they must repay injury by kindness.
Such unexpected treatment discomfort ('coals of
At the end
will
produce a salutary sense of
Ere').
of the paragraph, Paul presents charity as the
word and
Christian ideal, just as the Master himself showed by
The
deed.
Christian
for the neighbour has
and
obligations;
who
lives his life
no need
only the
fifth, sixth,
ments (which Paul
submerged
in this
Our Lord
to worry about
he does not have to watch
turn, because his charity will
Not
on the motive of love
lists
move him
commandments
his step at every
to act as
he ought.
and tenth commandlaws and obligations are
seventh, ninth,
here), but all
new commandment
of Christ.
himself gave the principle by which a
determine his obligations to
God and
the state,
man
can
when he
answered the question about tribute money: 'Give back to Caesar what
is
Caesar
s,
and
to
God what
is
God's.' Paul
mind when he repeats the authority. The Jews looked on
still
has the Jewish converts in
Master's
lesson of obedience to
the state
as the
empire of Satan; they were under Yahweh's direct rule
(theocracy). In Palestine they were plotting the overthrow of
Rome. The catholic; its
Christian attitude
members must
is
different.
live as citizens of different
ments; submission to lawful authority
Christians the Light of the
up what Paul has
The Church
just said
World.
is
is
govern-
a matter of conscience.
This short section links
with what
is
to follow.
He
has
been speaking of the Christians' need to influence the pagan worJd around them; in the next section he goes on to a prob-
lem
in
Gentile.
the
Roman
church, the dispute between Jew and
Romans
296
14-14, 13
13,
revelling
and drunkenness, not
in lust
quarrels
and
arm
rivalries.
Jesus Christ; spend
Rather,
and wantonness, not
in
yourselves with the Lord
no more thought on nature and nature's
appetites.
Find room among you
for a
man
of over-delicate conscience,
without arguing about his scruples. Another
what he
science, eat
with vegetable
fare.
one who
will;
Let not the
is
first,
man
can, in con-
scrupulous
is
over his meat,
content
mock
at
him who does not eat it, or the second, while he abstains, pass judgment on him who eats it. God, after all, has found room for him.
Who
another?
Whether he keeps
his master.
are you, to pass
And
judgment on the servant of
his feet or falls, concerns
keep his feet he
him
this
day and that; another regards
a sure footing.
will;
the Lord
One man makes
give
all
is
none but
well able to
a distinction
between
days alike; let either have
own mind. He who observes the day, observes it in the Lord's honour. Just so, he who eats does so in the Lord's honour; he gives thanks to God for it; and he who a clear conviction in his
abstains from eating abstains in the Lord's honour,
and he too
None of us lives as his own master, and none of his own master. While we live, we live as the Lord's
thanks God. us dies as
when we die, we die as the Lord's servants; in life and death, we belong to the Lord. That was why Christ died and
servants, in
lived again; ing.
he would be Lord both of the dead and of the
And who
are you, to
are you, to pass
mock
before the judgment seat of I live,
says the Lord, there
no tongue but will
judgment on your brother?
at your brother?
shall
is
God
liv-
Who
We shall all stand, one day, (so
we
no knee but
read in scripture, 'As shall
pay homage to God' )
;
bend before me,
and so each
of us
have to give an account of himself before God. Let us
cease, then, to lay
down
rules for
one another, and make
this
From Corinth 58 A.D.
The metaphor
297
of light shining in darkness
Lord's words.
He
the Christian
must he the same (Mt.
himself
is
is
taken from our
the light of the world (Jn. 5, 12), since
he
is
8, 12);
to live
Christ's life over again.
We Must Practise Mutual Toleration.
One
of the big prob-
lems in the early Church was the relation between Jew and Gentile converts. Eight years before a council had been held y
at Jerusalem to
read:
improve
The Jerusalem
this situation.
'You are to abstain from what
decree
sacrificed to idols,
is
from
blood-meat and meat which has been strangled' (Acts 15, 29). Owing to the strict kosher regulations observed by Jews in eating,
and the
arose at every
free use of all
food by Gentiles, friction
meal where Jew and Gentile sat down together. (a banquet before Mass) brought the
Each week the Agape
problem before the Christians. Paul had warned the Corinthians about their conduct at such a
now gives some advice The background of about what he strict
ate,
to the
and
also
(I
Cor. 11); he
Romans.
the convert Jew
sabbath observance.
meal
he found
He knew
made him
it difficult
scrupulous
to
put aside
that such laws were
no
longer binding on a Christian; but the habits of a lifetime left his
Joss to
conscience over-delicate.
The Gentile convert was
understand such an outlook; he showed
and was inclined
or understanding
to
little
poke fun
at a
sympathy
at such trivial
observances.
Paul lays tions: it
down
a principle to
smooth out Jew-Gentile
seems
false
and
foolish to others.
by concentrating on his glorious
One man
life,
imitates our
his resurrection;
the other
fasts;
one thinks of
life,
Lord
another
keeps his thoughts on the death of Jesus, his crucifixion. feasts,
rela-
A man must follow his individual conscience, even when
One
the other of death;
Romans
298
14, 14-15, 2
rule for ourselves instead, not to trip
up or entangle
a brother's
my
tells
conscience.
This
my
is
name
the
assurance, this
Lord
of our
unclean in
itself; it is
unclean that
it
peace of mind
is
what
only
when
becomes unclean
a
man
for
is
food you for
it is
eat.
not for you to bring
You must not
is
it is
it
because you are
is
a soul for
good thing
a
is
you to be brought into disrepute. The kingdom of
ness of heart, finding our peace
Such
is
joy in
God
is
means Tightthe Holy Spirit.
this or that;
and our
which
to perdition with the
allow that which
not a matter of eating or drinking
be
And if your brother's
neglecting to follow the rule of charity. Here
Christ died;
in
believes a thing to
him.
disturbed over food,
is
me
nothing which
conscience
Jesus, that there
it
the badge of Christ's service which wins acceptance
with God, and the good opinion of our fellowmen. Let our aim, then, be peace, for
and strengthening one another's
you to destroy God's work
food.
Nothing
is
to the hurt of his
unclean; yet
own
it
goes
ill
with the
You do
conscience.
well
eat meat, or to drink wine, or to
do anything sin,
The good
own
No, we who
is
which your
it
a matter
who can make his He who hesitates, and
self-condemned; he acts in bad conscience, is
bad conscience, there
is sin.
are bold in our confidence ought to bear with
the scruples of those
own
in
a cause for scandal or
fortunate,
choice without self-questioning.
none the less,
and wherever there
our
is
eats
you refuse to
conscience that you have, keep
between yourself and God; he eats
man who
if
not
mouthful of
for the sake of a
brother can find an occasion of scruple.
faith. It is
who
are timorous; not to insist
on having
way. Each of us ought to give way to his neighbour,
From Corinth 58 A.D. but both are living the ways.
Each individual
of the Master, though in different
life
is
299
responsible to
God
only for his
own
conduct.
Make
Sacrifices for
ering in the
Peace and Unity.
Roman community
This interminable bick-
about what was lawful in the
matter of eating and drinking placed a
false
emphasis on unim-
portant things and prevented the faithful from thinking on
them by our Lord. In reminding mind the advice of the
the lessons of conduct given
them
of this, Paul possibly has in
Master to
we
his followers:
to eat?" or
"What
'Do not
are
we
fret,
then, asking,
to drink?" It
to busy themselves over such things;
heaven
who knows
care to
End
the
that you need of
"What
for the
are
heathen
you have a Father in all
Make
God/ It is the Romans were allowing
kingdom
that really counts; the so taken
them
is
it
your Erst
supernatural
life
themselves to be
up with material things that they were inclined
to
neglect true spiritual values.
There was food (such it
also the
as pork),
wrong. This
is
a
when
his tender conscience considered
an offence against charity, and
loss of a soul for
But
danger of forcing a Jewish convert to eat
whom
may
cause the
Christ shed his blood on Calvary.
sympathetic understanding on the part of the Gentiles
Rome. At the Last Supper (Jn. 17), our Lord prayed for the unity of his Church; it would be a powerful motive attracting unbelievers. The want of unity and harmony among the Romans could restore peace and harmony to the church at
was a serious obstacle in the way of the conversion of the pagans.
Example of Unselfishness. Writing Eve years later to the Philippians from Rome, Paul told them: 'Each of you must study the welfare of others, not his own. Yours Imitate Christ's
Romans
300
where after
15,
3-15
good purpose by building up his faith. Christ, would not have everything his own way: 'Was it not
serves a
it
all,
uttered against you/ says the scripture, 'the reproach
how
(See
instruction;
we were
to derive
hope from that message
durance and courage which the scriptures bring the author of to
be
of
all
so that
I
bore?'
the words written long ago were written for our
all
all
endurance and
us.)
of en-
May God,
encouragement, enable you
all
one mind according to the mind of Christ
you may
all
Jesus,
have but one heart and one mouth, to
God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. You must befriend one another, as Christ has befriended you, for God's
glorify
honour.
I
would remind those who
are circumcised, that Christ
came to relieve their needs; God's fidelity demanded it; he must make good his promises to our fathers. And I would remind the Gentiles to praise God for his mercy. So we read in scripture,
will give
'I
praise, in the
thanks to you for
him from
all
you Gentiles;
honour'; and once Jesse,
and sing your
midst of the Gentiles'; and again
too, Gentiles, rejoice with his
the Lord,
this,
one who
own
let all
more
people';
'You
the nations of the world do
Isaias says,
shall rise
and
it says,
again, 'Praise
up
'A root shall spring
to rule the Gentiles; the
Gentiles, in him, shall find hope.'
May God,
the author of our hope,
peace in your believing; so that you
fill
you with
dance, through the power of the Holy Spirit. It
have any doubt of you, of
good
will,
knowing
my
all
give advice to one another
brethren;
all
may have hope I
know
is
joy
and
in abun-
not that
I
that you are full
you need to know, so that you can if
need be; and yet
I
have written to
somewhat freely, by way of refreshing your memory. So much I owe to the grace which God has given me, in making me a priest of Jesus Christ for the Gentiles, with
you, here and there,
From Corinth 58 A.D. is
to be the
mind Christ
Jesus showed.
he gives the Romans here.
When
7
301
And
that
is
the lesson
the Second Peison of the
Trinity was horn in a stable at Bethlehem, he did not choose
the time and place for his of others that he
him by rest,
own
convenience;
had in mind.
When
it
was the welfare
crowds flocked round
the lake of Galilee so that he had no time to eat or
he did not drive them away;
it
was not
his
own
ease
and
that determined his course of action, but the
satisfaction
needs of others. The pain and agony of his death on the cross
was borne for the good of others. This
Romans; they must not
before the
what Paul holds up
is
insist
on having
their
own
way; they must always consider the welfare of others, especially the
more timorous.
Such
Head must be one mind
close imitation of the
of the Body; there
action of
all
is
essential for the unity
directing
and guiding the
the members. Since the Gentile converts were
mainly responsible for the disunity of the
Roman
church, Paul
concludes his advice to them by four quotations from the scrip-
show how grateful the Gentiles should be to God for his mercy to them. If Christ had been interested only in what was to his own advantage, he would never have given up so much to win eternal life for the Gentiles. tures.
His purpose
Why
Paul
is
to
Wrote to the Romans. The main body of the Romans has been completed. It was an ambitious
Letter to the effort
on Paul's
part; also it
was the
and only time that
first
he ventured to write to a church unknown to him personally. Just as he began his letter (1, 8-13) with an explanation of
why he presumed
to address the
community
at
Rome,
so he
again takes up the subject with further elaboration.
Paul had plenty of problems to occupy the churches he
had personally founded.
all his
time
He humbly
among
pictures
Romans
302
my
God's gospel for offering I
15,
16-28
priestly charge, to
some reason
have, then, through Christ Jesus,
God's
in
make the
Gentiles an
worthy of acceptance, consecrated by the Holy
sight. It
is
not for
Spirit.
for confidence
me to give you any account of what
Christ has done through agents other than myself to secure the
submission of the Gentiles, by word and action, in virtue of
wonders and
own work
signs,
done
power of the Holy
in the
My
Spirit.
has been to complete the preaching of Christ's
gospel, in a wide sweep
from Jerusalem
as far as Illyricum. It
has been a point of honour with
me
never in places where Christ's
name was
to preach the gospel thus,
already known;
would not build on the foundation another man had
I
but
laid,
who had those who
follow the rule of scripture, 'He shall be seen by those
had no tidings of him, he had never heard of him.'
shall
be made known to
me
This was the chief reason which prevented you. But
and
I
now
I
have been eager, these
to you; as soon, then, as I
hope
to see
you
I
many
I
write,
I
in passing;
am making
years past, to find
can set out on
and you
when you have done something As
from
visiting
can find no further scope in these countries,
my
shall
put
me on my
way,
to gratify this longing of mine.
a journey to Jerusalem, with
of relief to the saints there.
my way
journey to Spain,
You must know
that
an errand
Macedonia
and Achaia have thought fit to give those saints at Jerusalem who are in need some share of their wealth; they have thought fit to do it, I say, and indeed, they are in their debt. The Gentiles, are
if
bound
they have been allowed to share their spiritual
gifts,
to contribute to their temporal needs in return.
When that is done, and
I
have seen
hands, you shall be a stage on
my
this
revenue safely in their
journey to Spain; and
I
am
From Corinth
58 A.D.
303
himself going about preaching the gospel in those places the other Christian missionaries had not had time to evangelize;
he never put
most
likely,
his sickle in another
then, that Peter,
mans
harvest. It
the founder of the
church, had asked Paul to write to his
community
Paul does not mention Peter hy name, hut that
been for reasons of Peter
name
s
in Rome. may have
would not be prudent
to have
and white when persecution
started
security; it
in black
seems
Roman
against the Christians.
PauYs basic claim to teach the Romans came from the Master himself; the grace of apostolate to the Gentiles had been conferred on him by Jesus on the Damascus Road (Acts 22, 21).
Rome
was predominantly a Gentile church, and so a
special charge of the apostle of the Gentiles. It official
to
was Paul's
function to present the Gentile sacrifice as an offering
God.
Paul Hopes to Visit
Rome
Soon.
Eight years
earlier,
Paul
had probably intended going to Rome. This was during the course of his Second Missionary Journey. lonica (Acts ij, 10-15),
Way
He
left
Thessa-
and proceeded along the Egnatian
towards Dyrrachium.
Knox
suggests that he actually set
and was shipwrecked; had he landed at on the Italian mainland, he would have gone on to Rome; in actual fact he wound up at Corinth (Acts 18). Now that his work in the East is completed, his eyes turn to the West. Possibly Jewish opposition to him has become so strong in the countries he has evangelized that it would be better for the Christians if Paul removed himself elsewhere. He knew that he was looked on as an apostate in Jerusalem; sail
for Brindisi,
Brindisi,
Romans to pray for his safety. Actually he is trouble when he does arrive at Jerusalem at the
he even asks the in for a lot of
Romans
304 well assured that
when
I visit
15, 29-16, 12
you,
shall
I
be able to
visit
you
in
the fulness of Christ's blessing. Only, brethren,
I
by our Lord Jesus Christ, and by the love of the
Spirit, to give
me
entreat you
God on my behalf. Pray that I may be kept safe from those who reject the faith in Judea, and that my mission to Jerusalem may be well received by the saints there; so that I may reach you, God willing, glad at heart, and make holiday with you. May God, the author of peace, be with
you
I
the help of your prayers to
all.
Amen.
commend
our
Phoebe
to you; she has devoted her
Make
church at Cenchrae.
service to the
Lord
sister
as saints should,
and help her
in
her welcome in the
any business where she
needs your help; she has been a good friend to many, myself
My
among them. worked
at
my
and Aquila, who have
greetings to Prisca
side in the service of Christ Jesus,
heads on the block to save
my
life;
not only
and put I
but
their
all
the
churches of the Gentiles have reason to be grateful to them.
My
Christ,
My
which meets
greetings, also, to the congregation
my
house; to
and
dear Epaenetus, the
to
first
offering Asia
Mary, who has spent so
greetings to Andronicus
prisoners of mine,
and
much
Junias,
who have won
repute
whom
I
among
Apelles, a
man
My
fellow-
the apostles greetings to
love so well in the Lord; to Urbanus,
helped our work in Christ's cause, and to tried in Christ's service;
bulus' household; to
my
my
to
labour on you.
kinsmen and
that were in Christ's service before me.
Amplias,
at their
made
who
dear Stachys; to
and those of
Aristo-
kinsman Herodion, and to such of
Narcissus' household as belong to the Lord.
My
greetings to
Tryphaena and Tryphosa, who have worked for the Lord so well; and dear Persis, too; she has been long in the Lord's
From Corinth end of
is
an early tradition written
Clement, about
down hy
as Spain, in the light of Paul's is
the fourth pope,
thirty years after Paul's death. It says that
'went to the confines of the west.' This
Britain
305
Third Missionary Journey (Acts 21).
his
There
58 A.D.
Paul
usually interpreted
is
words to the Romans. Actually
further west than Spain, hut
it
had only
just
been
conquered (15 years before), and would hardly have been contemplated by Paul as a field for his missionary activities.
Greetings to Friends at in Paul's time; letters
Rome.
There were no post
offices
were sent by personal messenger. That
is
why Paul mentions Phoebe here; she was to carry his letter to Rome. Cenchrae (pronounced Kenkray) was the eastern port of Corinth.
Paul greets 28 people in his
list
of
Roman
friends; a rather
Rome. The
surprising fact, seeing that he has never visited
most were Jews exiled from Rome by Claudius eight years earlier in 50 A.D. (Acts 18, 2); they had met Paul, chieffy at Corinth and Ephesus, during most probable explanation
their exile; they all
the
names
were
in the
now
list
are
is
that
living at
Rome
again. Practically
Greek or Latin; but
it
was normal
procedure for Jews living outside Palestine to adopt Greek
names; Paul did
Saul There
is
this
when he changed
another theory that this
list
his
Hebrew name,
was
originally part
of the Letter to the Ephesians, not an authentic part of
Romans at all; Paul spent know many people there. This like
list
gives us
three years at Ephesus,
and so would
an insight into Paul's genius for friendship;
the Master he was the most approachable of men.
doubtedly his most intimate friends were Aquila and
Un-
Priscilla
Romans
306 service.
My
and
mother,
his
16,
13-26
greetings to Rufus, a chosen servant of the Lord,
who
has been a mother to me; to Asyncritus,
who
Phlegon, Hermas, Patrobas, Hermes, and the brethren
and
are with them; to Philologus
Olympias, and
all
the saints
one another with the
who
Julia,
Nereus and
are of their
his sister,
company. Greet
the churches of Christ
kiss of saints; all
send you their greeting. Brethren,
I
entreat you to keep a watch on those
who
are
causing dissension and doing hurt to consciences, without regard to the teaching which has been given you; avoid their
company. Such
own hungry
men
are
no
servants of Christ our Lord; their
bellies are their masters;
but
guileless hearts are
deceived by their flattering talk and their pious greetings.
renowned
are
and
am
I
spect
all
proud of you; but
when
there
You
over the world for your loyalty to the gospel,
is
a
would wish
I
good end to be
who
harmful intent. So God,
is
to see
you circum-
served, innocent only of
the author of peace, will crush
Satan under your feet before long.
May
the grace of our Lord
Jesus Christ be with you.
Timothy, who works
do
my
at
my
side,
kinsmen, Lucius and Jason and Sosipater.
who have committed this letter to of the Lord. ) Greetings to host, too, of the city,
sends you his greeting; so (I,
Tertius,
paper, greet you in the
you from
name
my host, Caius, who is the
whole church; from Erastus, treasurer of the
and your brother Quartus.
There
is
one who
is
of that gospel which
I
able to set your feet firmly in the path
preach,
when
I
herald Jesus Christ; a
gospel which reveals the mystery, hidden from us through countless
prophets
now made plain, through what the have written, now published, at the eternal God's
command,
ages,
but
to all the nations, so as to
win the homage of
their
From Corinth 58 A.D. (Prisca);
he had lived with them during
and then
later at
son of Simon of Cyrene,
who
is
his
only one of the eight
(Mk.
15, 21);
mother was well known to
women on
Warning Against False Teachers. Romans
his
list.
Unlike the
the Corinthians and Galatians,
is
letters to
lacking in personali-
rather a thesis, a closely reasoned dogmatic treatment
of fundamental principles of the faith. It
End Paul warning
men; some think that Paul
Romans
to
is
surprising, then, to
his readers against false teachers.
agreement among commentators the
Mary and
Rufus, probably the
is
carried Jesus' cross
he had a brother Alexander, and
ties; it is
Jesus' intimate
Bethany, the household of Martha,
friends at
Final
his Erst stay at Corinth,
Ephesus (they remind us of
Lazarus). Another interesting person
Paul; she
307
is
is
disturbed Corinth and Galatia should turn up in
Romans
no
only giving a general warning to
be on the lookout in case such teachers
the only clue to their identity treated in
There
as to the identity of these
as
Rome. About
the dissension over eating,
is
14-15; possibly Paul
is
afraid that his de-
fence of Jewish customs might lead to a revival of the Judaizing problem that troubled
On
the day that Paul
many
came
of his other foundations.
to the
end
of his letter, there
was a group of eight Christians around him in the house of Caius. Paul mentions disciple,
them
all,
beginning with his most trusted
Timothy. Three of them he describes
(there are another three in the
Roman
means that they were of the same
list);
as
kinsmen
this
probably
tribe as Paul, the tribe of
Benjamin. Paul has seemed to end this letter so not surprising to End a Enal doxology. Tertius
mary of
and added a
postscript with his
many
He
times that
it is
took the pen from
own hand.
his doctrinal thesis, but this time the
It is a
emphasis
sumis
on
Acts of the Apostles 20, 3-12
308 faith.
To
him, to
God who
alone
age to age, through Jesus Christ,
is
wise, glory
be given from
Amen.
Third Missionary Journey continued
When
he had stayed three months
there,
he was meaning to
take ship for Syria; but, finding that the Jews were plotting against him, he resolved to go back again through Macedonia.
He
was accompanied by Sopater, son of Pyrrhus, from Beroea,
Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from
Derbe, Timothy, and two friends from Asia, Tychicus and
Trophimus. These went on
first,
and waited
for us at Troas.
As soon as the time of unleavened bread was over, we set sail from Philippi, and took five days to reach them at Troas, where we spent seven
When
the
days.
new week
began,
we had met
for the breaking of
and Paul was preaching to them; he meant to leave them next day, and he continued speaking till midnight. There were many lamps burning in the upper room where we had met; and a young man called Eutychus, who was sitting in the embrasure of the window, was overcome by deep sleep. As Paul still went on preaching, sleep weighed him down, and he fell from the third storey to the ground, where he was taken up dead. Paul went down, bent over him, and embraced him; then he said, 'Do not disturb yourselves; his life is yet in him/ And so he went up again and broke bread and ate; afterwards he talked with them for some time until dawn came, when he left. And the boy was taken home alive, to their great bread,
comfort.
Troas April 58 A.D.
309
The
the call of the Gentiles, not the rejection of the Jews. entry of
Body
nations into the Mystical
all
is
Gods
great
mystery.
From Corinth
to Jerusalem 58 A.D.
Raising of Eutychus at Troas.
The
seven companions of
Paul mentioned here were delegates of the various churches entrusted with the collections
made
of Jerusalem. Paul's intention
for the
was that
all
needy Christians proceed together
by sea from Corinth, arriving in time for Easter at Jerusalem.
He changed
his plans
when he
learnt of a plot to assassinate
him on hoard the pilgrim ship to Jerusalem. Keeping probably only one disciple as companion he went overland to Philippi, sending the others by sea to Troas to await his arrival there.
way he outwitted his enemies. Easter fell on 28 March in 58 A.D. Paul's evasion tactics delayed him so that he was still in Philippi when Easter ('the In this
time of unleavened bread) came. Luke joined the party there (he
had been appointed bishop of Philippi eight years before
by Paul); he narrates the rest of the journey to Jerusalem in the
first
person (this
is
the second of the three 'we-sections'
of the Acts).
Paul had been at Troas twice before. Apart from the young
man mentioned
in this paragraph,
we know only one
Christian of that city, Carpus (2 Tim. 4, 13).
Mass
other
('the break-
ing of bread) was celebrated in the early hours of
Sunday
morning; the Christians assembled on Saturday evening, and kept
vigil
throughout the night; this was the
in the early
Church.
common
practice
Acts of the Apostles 20 13-27
310
7
For ourselves, we took ship and
where we
sailed to Assos,
were to take Paul on board; he had arranged
this,
himself meant to go across by land. So at Assos
and took him on board, and journeyed
because he
we met him,
to Mitylene. Sailing
we reached a point opposite Chios the following day; we put in at Samos, and arrived on the third at Miletus. Paul had made up his mind to sail past Ephesus, for
thence,
on the
next,
he was
fear of having to waste time in Asia; it
eager,
if
he found
keep the day of Pentecost at Jerusalem. From
possible, to
Miletus he sent a message to Ephesus, summoning the presbyters of the church there.
And when
they had
him, he said to them: 'You yourselves can lived
among
you, since the
Lord
serving the
first
day when
in all humility, not
come out
testify, I
how
I
to
have
set foot in Asia,
without tears over the
which beset me, through the plots of the Jews; and how I have never failed you, when there was any need of preaching to trials
you, or teaching you, whether publicly or house by house.
I
have proclaimed both to Jew and to Greek repentance before God and faith in our Lord Jesus.
'Now, a prisoner in spirit, I am going up to Jerusalem, knowing nothing of what is to befall me there; only, as I go from city to city, the Holy Spirit assures me that bondage and affliction
my
life
await me.
I
care nothing for
precious compared with
the course
my
all that; I
work, which
run, the task of preaching
I
do not count is
to finish
which the Lord Jesus
has given me, in proclaiming the good news of God's grace.
Here, then,
I
again; you,
among whom
kingdom.
stand, feeling sure that
And
I
I
you
will
not see
my
face
came and went, preaching the
ask you to bear
me
witness today that
I
have
no man's blood on my hands; I have never shrunk from revealing to you the whole of God's plan. Keep watch, then, over yourselves, and over God's Church, in which the Holy Spirit
Miletus April 58 A.D. Paul's Farewell to the
ing that
Ephesian Elders.
Luke makes no mention
311 It is rather surpris-
of Titus
among
the com-
panions of Paul, seeing that Titus was appointed to take up the collection at Corinth. Possibly the Corinthians were not yet ready with their contribution,
and Titus was
still
making
the rounds of the churches of Achaia. Another explanation is
among
that Titus was actually
the delegates to Jerusalem,
but Luke refrained from mentioning him. Tradition has Titus was
Lukes
brother;
it
that
was considered bad form to men-
it
tion relatives in writings of that period. In point of fact Titus is
never mentioned in the Acts.
Paul himself walked the 20 miles across the peninsula from Troas to Assos, while his disciples
He
made
the voyage by sea.
more time with the Christians at Troas or, as is more likely to visit some friends along the road. Coastal vessels put in to land for the night, and travelled only by day; so Paul had plenty of time to join his ship at Assos since it would not be sailing until the following day. did this either to have
y
,
It
was about 20 April by the time the ship arrived at Miletus.
This slow rate of travel was due mostly to contrary winds; the loading of cargo at various ports also slowed the ship's progress.
Ephesus was not among the ports of
ticular ship; so
the
elders
call of this par-
Paul used the quickest means of summoning
from Ephesus; he sent messengers,
probably
Tychicus and Trophimus, by the land route 30 miles up the coast
from Miletus.
He
was anxious to be in Jerusalem for
the feast of Pentecost in the middle of the
PauYs
tearful farewell to the
month
Ephesian elders
is full
of
May.
of senti-
ments paralleled in his letters. In it he quotes a saying of our Lord not found in the Gospels (the only other authentic addition to the four Gospels
is
Luke's account of the Ascension in
'
Acts of the Apostles 20, 28-21, 4
312
has
made you bishops; you
which he won
know
am
are to be the shepherds of that flock
well that ravening wolves will
gone, and will not spare the flock; there will be
among your own number who message, and find disciples to
of you continually,
and with
you to God, and to
and give you your you
me
will bear
for all that
and
I
I
allotted place
Now,
as then, I
among
one
commend
can build you up
the saints everywhere.
gold or clothing from any man;
out, that these
my
men
spent, instructing every
tears.
silver or
I
come forward with a false follow them. Be on the watch,
his gracious word, that
have never asked for
I
will
then; do not forget the three years
I
own blood. come among you when
for himself at the price of his
hands of mine have
companions needed. Always
I
sufficed
have
tried
show you that it is our duty so to work, and be the support remembering the words spoken by the Lord Jesus himself: "It is more blessed to give than to receive." to
of the weak,
When he had said this, he knelt down and prayed with them all.
They
all
wept abundantly, and embraced Paul and kissed
him, grieving most over what he had said about never seeing his face again.
When we out to
sea,
And so
tore ourselves
we made
him
they escorted
to the ship.
away from them, and
at last
a straight course, sailing to Cos,
put
and next
day to Rhodes, and thence to Patara. There, finding a ship crossing to Phoenicia,
we went on board and
sighted Cyprus, but passed
where we landed
shipped her cargo. Here
made
it
on our
we enquired
a stay of seven days with
warned Paul not
left,
at Tyre, the port for
to go
up
set sail.
and held on
We
for Syria,
vessel
had
for the brethren,
and
which the
them; they, by revelation,
to Jerusalem, but
when
the time
— Miletus April 58 A.D. the
first
313
chapter of the Acts of the Apostles). This saying of
Jesus expresses the essential of Paul's pastoral ministry
Luke them
rather than receiving.
Paul
'piesbyteis' ;
calls
the group from Ephesus
caJJs
At
'bishops.'
the Church's history the distinction of exact as priest
it is
and
this early stage of
names was not
today; hishop was an office distinct
laity,
name was used
hut the
giving
as
horn hoth
generally for those in
charge (the word means overseer) of a church; the whole group is
best cahed elders.
Both here
and affectionately feJt
that he
and
at Miletus
earlier at
to the Christian communities, because
would never meet them
tion of death at the
end of
false;
imprisonment in
Rome and
(2
Asia, stopping at
Tim.
4, 20).
again;
he
he had a premoni-
his journey. In actual fact this
he was eventually freed from his Erst
premonition was
and
Troas Paul spoke long
travelled again through
hoth Ephesus
(1
Tim.
1, 3)
Greece
and MiJetus
This journey took place after the mission to
Spain, six or seven years after the farewell recorded here. PauVs
prediction was based
on human calculation alone; the Holy
him only
Spirit told
account in the Acts
that he is
would be imprisoned. Luke's
inspired, not Paul's speech; Luke's
inspiration guarantees that Paul spoke the
words attributed to
him.
The Return
to Jerusalem.
This
is
Paul's fifth visit to Jerusa-
lem in the twenty-eight years since his conversion. final visit
And on
this
to Jerusalem, his attitude resembles that of the
Master himself on his Spirit assures
me
last
journey to Jerusalem: 'The Holy
that bondage
and
affliction
await me.' Paul's
thirteen years of missionary labour correspond to our Lord's
Galilean ministry; he has laid the foundations of the in the
Mediterranean world, and
Jerusalem where he
is
now
Church
his face is set towards
to begin his passion.
'
Acts of the Apostles 21, 5-19
314
came
we
them and continued our journey. All and children, escorted us until we were out of the city; and so we knelt down on the beach to pray; then, when farewells had been made on either side, we went on board the ship, while they returned home. to an end,
left
of them, with their wives
The end of the voyage brought us from Tyre to Ptolemais, where we greeted the brethren and stayed one day with them; the day after, we left them and arrived at Caesarea, where we went to the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the seven, and lodged with him. He had four daughters, who possessed the gift of prophecy. During our stay of several days there, a
prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
When
he
he took up Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet with it; then he said, Thus speaks the Holy Spirit: 'The man to whom this girdle belongs will be bound, like this, by the Jews at Jerusalem, and given over into the hands of the visited us,
Gentiles."
At hearing this, both we and our hosts implored Paul not up to Jerusalem. To which he answered: What do you mean by lamenting, and crushing my spirits? I am ready to meet prison and death as well in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.' Finding that he would not take our advice, we composed ourselves and said: The Lord's will be done.' When the time came to an end, we made all ready, and went up to Jerusalem. Some of the brethren from Caesarea went with us, to take us to the house of a Cypriot called Mnason, one of the first disciples, with whom we were to to go
lodge.
with all
When we
joy.
The
reached Jerusalem, the brethren received us
next day Paul took us with
him
to see James;
the presbyters had gathered; and he greeted them, and told
them point by point
of all that
Gentiles through his ministry.
God had done among
the
Caesarea 58 A.D. AJJ Paul's friends tried to persuade
315-
him
to
abandon
his
return to Jerusalem; the same foreboding and fear had also
now
taken possession of Jesus' followers: 'And the
way going up
to Jerusalem;
and
still
while they were bewildered and followed
(Mk.
10, 32).
on
they were
Jesus led
him with
them
on,
faint hearts
r
The Master could relive his passion only in the members of his Mystical Body; Paul was filled
persons of the
with the same courage that Jesus showed in the face of danger.
His one concern was to follow closely in the footsteps of the Master in carrying out the will of the Father.
The end
of the sea voyage
capital of Judea
to Jerusalem, sixty miles
had been
came
and the seaport
away in the
in Caesarea twice before,
Roman
at Caesarea, the
for the final stage hills to
on
his
by road
the southeast. Paul
way
to Tarsus (Acts
9, 30) and after his second missionary journey. Before the end of May he will be back there, a prisoner for two years.
The
stay at Caesarea
was a busy and interesting time for
Luke, the author of the Acts;
He
it
to the
Holy Land.
Philip
and the Ethiopian (Acts
like
was probably
undoubtedly got 8)
his first visit
his vivid
account of
from Philip himself.
Men
Agabus and Mnason must have provided him with much
valuable material on the early days of the church in Palestine.
He had
a genius for listening to the stories of eyewitnesses
and then
setting
down
his
own
authentic narrative.
Most
of
the material for his Gospel was also gathered at this time.
Paul had met Agabus at Antioch, fourteen years earlier (Acts 11, 28). in Palestine;
On
that occasion he
had foretold
a famine
Paul and Barnabas had carried to the needy in
Jerusalem the Erst gift of alms from the Gentile churches.
Paul was returning to Jerusalem with large sums of
from
his Gentile foundations.
us of the prophets of the
Now
money
Agabus' symbolic act reminds
Old Testament; they commonly
Acts of the Apostles 21, 20-28
316
They
God
praised
you can
for the
news he gave, and
how many
see for yourself
learned to believe, and they are law.
And
this
you teach
all
is
all
what has come
zealous supporters of the
to their ears about you; that
the Jews in Gentile parts to break away from the
law of Moses,
telling
them not
and not to follow the crowd of them
to circumcise their children,
tradition.
What
will assuredly gather
will
men here who
are under a vow;
join in their purification
ing of their heads, then
if
happen?
Why,
a
round you, hearing that
you have come. Follow our advice, then,
and
said: 'Brother,
thousands of the Jews have
you
in this;
we have
will take these
and defray the
four
with you,
cost for the shav-
all will see clearly that the report they
have heard about you has no substance, and that you do follow the observance of the law like other men. As for the Gentile believers,
we have
that they
must abstain from what
already written to them; is
we
laid
it
down
sacrificed to idols,
and
from blood-meat and meat which has been strangled, and
from fornication/
Arrest and Imprisonment So, next day, Paul took the
men
with him, and began going
to the temple, publicly fulfilling the days of purification, until
came for each to have sacrifice made on his behalf. And when the seven days were all but at an end, the Jews from Asia saw him in the temple. Whereupon they threw the whole crowd into an uproar, and laid hands on him, crying out: 'Men of Israel, come to the rescue; here is the man who goes about the time
everywhere, teaching everybody to despise the people, and our law,
and
this place.
He
has brought Gentiles into the Temple,
Jerusalem 58 A.D.
added such actions
to the message they
317
had
to deliver
from the
Lord.
Paul must have been disappointed at the cool reception he received from the Christian leaders in Jerusalem. In effect
he was asked
to
perform a public penance for his outspoken
championship of freedom from the Mosaic law.
He showed
his greatness
by submitting to the demands of James, bishop
of Jerusalem
and cousin of our Lord.
ciple that
He
expressed the prin-
guided him when he wrote to the Corinthians:
'With the Jews I lived like a Jew, to win the Jews, with those who keep the law, as one who keeps the law (though the law
had no claim on me), to win those who kept the law. joined four Christian Jews
(Num.
He
6, 13-21); his
who had
taken the Nazirite
He
7
vow
motive was Christian unity and peace.
was not abandoning his stand for Gentile
liberty, as de-
fended in his Letters to the Galatians and Romans;
it
was
customary for Jerusalem Christians to keep Jewish observances.
Jerusalem and Caesar ea 58-60 A.D. The Riot and Rescue
in the
Jews, Paul was a renegade; he in
Temple.
In the eyes of the
had abandoned the Jewish
faith,
which he had been born and educated, and embraced a new
religion.
Had he remained
true to the faith of his fathers,
he would now have been one of the leaders in
Israel;
he had
been one of the most promising students ever to study in Jerusalem's rabbinical school.
he was now the
him with
greatest
a fierce,
But instead
enemy
of being a
of Judaism;
champion
and they hated
unreasoning hatred. Like the Master before
Acts of the Apostles 21, 29-40
31 8
They had seen Trophi-
too, profaning these sacred precincts/
mus, who was from Ephesus,
whom
he
with him, and
it
was
they suspected Paul of introducing into the temple.
The whole ran
in the city
was
city
up from
all sides.
commotion, and the
in a
They
seized Paul
common
folk
and dragged him out of
the temple, upon which the gates were shut; and they were preparing to
kill
him, when word came to the captain of the
garrison that the whole of Jerusalem
was
once summoned
his troops,
officers,
upon them; and
at the sight of the captain
He
at
and swept down
with his troops they
beating Paul.
left off
The
with their
an uproar.
in
came up and arrested him, giving orders that he should be bound with a double chain; then he asked him who he was, and what he had done. But some of the crowd were shouting this and some that, and it was impossible to find out captain
the truth amidst the clamour; so he gave orders that Paul
should be taken to the
soldiers' quarters.
When
he reached
the steps, he had to be carried by the soldiers because of the crowd's violence; a rabble of the ing behind, with cries
And
just as
of,
Tut him
people kept follow-
to death/
he was being taken into the
Paul asked the centurion, 'May
At which he
common
said,
What,
I
soldiers' quarters,
have a word with you?'
can you talk Greek?
You
are not,
band of four thousand cutthem out into the wilderness?' Jew,' said Paul, 'a citizen of Tarsus in Cilicia, no my request of you is that you would let me speak to
then, that Egyptian, that raised a
some time back, and
throats, 'I
am
mean
a
city;
led
the people/
And steps,
so,
having obtained his leave, Paul stood there on the
and made a gesture with
his
hand
to the people.
There
Jerusalem 58 A.D.
own
him, Paul was disowned by his
what was
his
319
people: 'He
own, and they who were
his
own
gave
came to him no
welcome/ was the time of the morning
It
his
way
sacrifice
when Paul made
into the temple for the final ceremonies of the Nazirite
vow. The temple was divided into two sections by a Jow stone wali separating the outer Court of the Gentiles from the inner
no Gentile was permitted beyond this baniei (called Soieg): 'No stiangei is permitted to cross this barrier into the holy place; the penalty is death.' Even the Roman soldiers couits;
respected the sacredness of the inner enclosure.
At the times
the
of great festivals
fortress Antonia, in the
Roman
garrison
in
northwest corner of the temple area,
was strengthened to meet any emergency. This occasion was the feast of Pentecost, and the
out for any disturbance
temple courts. The
Roman
among
riot started in the
police quickly forced the fighting
guard was on the look-
the pilgrims thronging the
Mens
Court; the temple
crowd outside the sanctuary
proper into the Gentiles' Court to avoid profanation of the holy place; they then closed the big bronze doors of the Beautiful Gate.
Captain Lysias
lost
no time
disturbance; his soldiers
mob.
He
knew
in getting to the scene of the just
how
to handle an oriental
wasted no time in questioning the
rioters
but took
Paul immediately into the barracks at the top of the steps leading into fortress Antonia. Lysias felt quite sure that he at last captured the dangerous rebel,
an Egyptian Jew
had
who
had been causing much trouble to the Jerusalem garrison (he had escaped into the desert country east of Olivet). This Egyptian
is
Paul's
also
mentioned by the contemporary historian Josephus.
Account of His
Own Conversion.
top of the Antonia steps looking
down
As Paul stood
at the
at the hostile faces of
Acts of the Apostles 22, 1-13
320
was deep
and he began addressing himself
silence,
Hebrew: 'Brethren and
ence, finding that he spoke to
and
from them that was on
me;
Way
all
Saul,
am
Hebrew.) 1
I
was carrying to
a Jew,
in this city;
I
was
to the prisons.
me
you,
men and
to the death, putting
out in that;
letters to their brethren,
it
The was
when
While
me, "I
I
was on
this befell
from heaven shone about me, and
and heard
are you, Lord?" said to
are, all of
Damascus, about midday, a voice saying to
me, "Saul,
me?"
do you persecute
'And he
you
to Jerusalem for punishment.
to the ground,
why
as
Damascus, to make fresh prisoners there
at once a great light
"Who
God
the elders will bear
journey, not far from
I fell
'
all
my way
and bring them
my
in
and handing them over
in chains
chief priests
I
honour of
persecuted this
I
women
in
am put-
under Gamaliel, in exact knowledge of our ancestral
law, as jealous for the
today.
them
and brought up
at Tarsus in Cilicia
trained,
them
I
you/ (And now they gave him even better audi-
ting before
born
to
fathers, listen to the defence
I
answered.
am
Jesus of Nazareth,
whom
Saul
persecutes."
'My companions saw the light, but could not catch the voice of him who spoke to me. Then I said, "What must I do, Lord?"
'And the Lord
me, "Rise up, and go into Damascus;
said to
there you shall be told of
all
the work that
is
destined for you."
The glory of that light had blinded me, and my companions were leading me by the hand when I came into Damascus. There a
neighbours for his pious
man
known among his Jewish observance of the law, came and stood
certain Ananias, a
well
beside me, and said, "Brother Saul, look up and see." that instant
I
looked up into his face.
Then he
And
said to
at
me,
Jerusalem 58 A.D.
321
mind must have
the crowd in the Court of the Gentiles, his
gone back 28 years to a similar scene, when Stephen stood on trial for his life in this
same temple of Jerusalem.
sent up a prayer to Stephen, the
man who
into contact with the risen Christ, the source of
At Stephens
truth.
hut
now he
He
himself
trial,
is
on
He
surely
Erst brought all
grace
him and
Paul was a prominent persecutor;
trial for his
own
life.
follows an approach similar to that of Stephen.
But
instead of tracing the history of the Jewish people, Paul gives
an autobiographical sketch of his in
Aramaic
Jews
(caiied
been understood by
patriotism
conversion.
all;
He
speaks of
could have spoken in Greek and
he chose Aramaic for the same reason
on Pentecost Sunday.
and national sentiment, and
was an appeal to
It
once established an
at
Roman
intimacy with the audience not shared by the standing by,
He
Hebrew by Luke), the mother tongue
living in Palestine.
that Peter did
own
who would understand
soldiers
only an occasional word
of Aramaic.
Once Paul began
to speak,
he
felt sure of himself.
He
recalls
the situation leading to his conversion; the details were well
known were is
to the Jewish leaders listening to
his
own
no enemy
from
him;
many
is to show that he The Jews were familiar
their history with the intervention of the
Old Testament was
to the prophets of old,
God
else
full of
Lord
God
in
such incidents. As
himself had spoken directly to
made
him could he do but obey God?
Paul; the divine will was
What
them
contemporaries. His purpose of the Jewish religion.
their lives; the
terms.
of
clear to
in
no uncertain
In Acts 9 Luke gives an account of Paul's conversion; Paul himself will repeat the story before Agrippa at Caesarea (Acts 26).
There are minor variations in the three accounts. The
only detail that needs clarification
is
the seeming contradiction
'
Acts of the Apostles 22 t 14-26
322
"The God his lips;
before
made choice of you to know his who is Just, and hear speech from
of our fathers has
have sight of him
will, to
and what you have seen and heard, you shall testify men. Come then, why are you wasting time? Rise
all
up, and receive baptism, washing away your sins at the invocation of his name."
'Afterwards,
when
I
had gone back
at prayer in the temple,
there speaking to me;
with '
I
all
into a trance,
I fell
"Make
to Jerusalem,
haste,"
he
and saw the Lord
said, "leave
speed; they will not accept your witness of
"But Lord,"
I
and was
Jerusalem
me
here."
within their own knowledge, how who believed in you, and scourge and when the blood of Stephen, your
said, "it
is
used to imprison those
them
in the synagogues;
martyr, was shed,
too stood by and gave
I
my
consent,
and
watched over the garments of those who slew him."
'And he
said to
me, "Go on your way;
on a distant errand,
Up
to send
you
to the Gentiles."
'Away with such a fellow from the
cried aloud,
shouts and throwing into the
air,
down
their
earth;
when he saw them
them
to
examine him under the
tied Paul
down with
who was man, when he is a Roman
centurion
a
garments and flinging dust lash; thus
find out the cause of the outcry against him.
had already
it is
raising
the captain had Paul taken into the soldiers'
•quarters, telling
a
mean
to this point, they listened to his speech; but then they
disgrace that he should live/ So,
would
I
in charge,
thongs,
when he
And
he
they
said to the
'Have you the right to scourge citizen,
and has not been
sen-
tenced?'
The centurion, as soon as he heard this, went to the captain and told him of it; 'What are you about?' he said. 'This man is
a
Roman
citizen.'
Jerusalem 58 A.D.
323
what Paul's companions heard. Acts
7 says that they heard the voice speak; in this paragraph Paul says they 'could as to
who spoke
not catch the voice of him explanation
that the other
is
members
g,
7
me. The simplest
to
of Paul's party heard
a voice (like the heavenly voice in the temple, Jn. 12, 29),
but were unable to pick up the actual words spoken.
The Crowd
Interrupts Paul's Speech.
devoted son of the law,
why
and preach the gospel there?
did he not return to Jerusalem
It is to
answer
this
unasked ques-
minds of
his listeners that
of a vision in the temple that
commanded him
tion
which must have been
Paul
now
tells
Since Paul was such a
to preach to the Gentiles.
in the
His mission was not to the Jews
hut to the pagans scattered throughout the vast pire.
At the mention
Roman Em-
of the hated Gentiles, all the anger of
the crowd rose again to the surface; their outcry put an end to Paul's defence.
As
a point of chronology,
Paul did not return to Jerusalem
immediately after his conversion; he spent three years in retreat in the
Arabian desert (Gal.
1, 18).
says that the reason for Paul's departure
the occasion of his revelation
first visit
In Acts
9,
29 Luke
from Jerusalem on
was a plot against
from the Lord. So Knox thinks Paul
his
is
life,
not a
not referring
to the Erst visit, three years after his conversion, hut to his
second
visit,
fourteen years after conversion. It was only a
year after this second visit that Paul's mission to the Gentiles really began,
with his
first
missionary journey in the
company
of Barnabas. It was this vision in the temple that initiated
the Gentile mission.
Paul was taken for scourging into the barracks, where Jesus had been scourged by Pilate. He was no stranger to the lash; already he
had
suffered
it
at least eight times (2 Cor. 11 , 24-
Acts of the Apostles 22 26-23, &
324
,
So the captain came and asked him, 'What are a
Roman he
'Yes,'
Why/ win
is
this?
You
citizen?'
said.
answered the captain,
'it
cost
me
sum
a heavy
to
this privilege/
'Ah/ said Paul, 'but
Upon question
am
I
by birth/
a citizen
this, the men who were to have put him to the moved away from him; and the captain himself was
Roman
alarmed, to find out that this was a
had put him
and he
citizen,
in bonds.
So, the next day, determined to discover the truth about
the charge the Jews were bringing against him, he released
summoned
to confront
and the whole them with him.
Paul fastened his eyes on the Council, and
said, 'Brethren,
him,
a meeting of the chief priests
down
Council, and brought Paul
all
my
have behaved myself with
life I
science towards
those
who were
God/ At 'It
whitened wall you
are;
is
con-
the high priest Ananias bade
this,
standing near smite
Paul said to him,
full loyalty of
God
him on the mouth. Then
that will smite you, for the
you are
sitting there to judge
me
ac-
cording to the law, and will you break the law by ordering
them to smite me?' 'What/ said the bystanders, 'would you
insult
God's high
priest?'
And high of
Paul
said, 'Brethren, I
priest; to
him who
be
sure, it
is
could not
written,
rules your people."
'
tell
"You
And now,
that
shall
it
was the
not speak
ill
finding that there
were two factions among them, one of the Sadducees and the other
of the
'Brethren,
before me.
Pharisees,
Paul
cried
am a Pharisee, and my And I am standing on my
I
out in
Council,
the
fathers were Pharisees trial
because
I
am
one
Jerusalem 58 A.D. 25). This
was suiely Paul's great opportunity to
Master and
The
325
relive in his
own body
suffer like the
the sufferings of the Head.
reason he refused to suffer scourging was probably that to torture for Christ's sake, but
he was not being subjected
owing to the mistaken impression that he was the Egyptian impostor.
The cause
claim to
if
Roman
made
citizenship was never
falsely, be-
untrue such a claim was punishable by death.
It
was
a rare privilege in the provinces; probably Paul's family in
Tarsus had to
an
won
earlier
this
coveted privilege by some service rendered
emperor.
The Romans were
Paul Before the Council.
always puzzled
by the feeling shown by the Jews over religious matters. Captain Claudius Lysias
was determined to get to the bottom of
the Jewish hostility to Paul; so he leaders to in
some room
in the fortress Antonia,
chamber, which was in the
Roman place.
summoned
meet him. This meeting took place
soldiers
Priests'
,
it is
priest,
likely,
not in the council
Court; Lysias and his
would not have been permitted
The high
the Jewish
most
to enter that
Ananias, did not preside (otherwise
Paul could not have mistaken his identity), nor were witnesses called; this
meant
that
it
was not a regular Jewish
trial
but an
enquiry conducted under the presidency of Lysias.
A
blow on the face was
nified his exclusion
a grievous insult to a Jew;
from the chosen people. Paul
it sig-
lost his
temper, and reacted so quickly that the blow was probably never delivered.
Our Lords calmness
in a similar situation
in contrast to Paul's anger. Paul's outburst
is
soon subsided, and
he apologized for his offensive words to the high
priest.
His
apology took the form of a quote from Exodus; the rabbi in
Paul shows in the apt manner in which he could End a text for every purpose.
Acts of the Apostles 23, 7-18
326
who hopes
for the resurrection of the
When he said this,
dead/
a dissension arose
between the Pharisees
and the Sadducees and the assembly was in two minds. The will have it that there is no resurrection, that there are no angels or spirits, whereas the Pharisees believe in both.
Sadducees
So that a great clamour followed; and some Pharisees' party
came forward
any fault
man/
in this
sage from a
and the
spirit,
captain,
to protest;
or an angel/
who was
their midst,
On
We
cannot find
they said. 'Perhaps he has had a mes-
Then
dissension rose high;
afraid that they
in pieces, ordered his troops to
from
scribes of the
and bring him
the next night, the Lord
would
come down and
tear Paul
rescue Paul
safe to the soldiers' quarters.
came
to his side,
and told
him, 'Do not lose heart; you have done with bearing
me
now you must carry the same witRome/ When day came, the Jews held a conclave,
witness in Jerusalem, and ness to
and bound themselves under a solemn curse that they would not eat or drink until they had killed Paul; more than forty of
them joined
priests
and
So they went to the chief and told them, 'We have bound ourselves
in this conspiracy.
elders,
under a solemn curse not to take food until we have Paul.
Your
part, then,
is
killed
to signify to the captain your wish
and the Council's, that he would bring him down before you, as if you meant to examine his cause more precisely; and we are ready to make away with him before he reaches you.'
had a son who heard of this ambush being laid; and he went to the soldiers' quarters and gave news of it to Paul. Whereupon Paul had one of the centurions brought to him, and said, 'Take this young man to the captain; he has news to give him/ So he bade him follow, and took him to the captain; 'The prisoner Paul,' he said, 'had me summoned and asked me to Paul's sister
Jerusalem 58 A.D.
327
Paul was soon master of the situation; he led the discussion onto his
own
ground. Possibly a chance remark on Paul's apt
quotation horn the scriptures decided
and Sadducees on
this
him
He would
question of the Resurrection.
in bringing
famous disputed question
woman
Sadducees' opinion see the case of the
husbands, Mt. 22, 23-33).
up the
divide the Pharisees (for
the
with seven
^so ^ e Resurrection was the key >
doctrine in Christian apologetic; so that Paul was not distracting the Council to
from the
real reason of their opposition
him. It was the basic apologetic of both Peter and Paul in
their recorded
sermons in the Acts (chapters 2 and
Paul Sent Under Guard to Caesarea. fortress earlier.
God
community
for his release (Acts 12).
in Jerusalem
tude to Paul; he cell that night.
activity in
He
this
same
Antonia that Peter had been imprisoned 14 years At that time the whole Christian Church had sent up
prayer to
wanted
was in
It
13).
felt
But the Christian
had been rather cool
in their atti-
sad and dejected as he sat in his prison
He had come
back from years of missionary
pagan lands only to end his career alone and un-
in prison.
could not help contrasting his conduct on the previous
day with that of the Master
gone to his death from
and dying
like the
this
who had been condemned and
same
building. Instead of suffering
Master, Paul had lost his temper, and
argued his way out of the danger in which he had found himself.
He had
when
often spoken of being crucified with Christ; and
the opportunity came, he had not been equal to the
As he meditated long into the night on the disparity between his own life and the Master s, sleep came to his troubled mind; and in his sleep, Jesus stood by his side. He
sacrifice.
calmed PauYs
fears,
and brought new hope
Paul had work to do for the Lord in
Rome.
for the future:
Acts of the Apostles 23, 19-31
328
man
take this young for
he has a message
you/
And
the captain, taking
aside, asked,
The
What
Jews/ he
him by the hand and drawing him
the news you bring me?'
is
said,
ask you to bring Paul if
into your presence;
'have formed this design; they will
down
before the Council tomorrow, as
they meant to examine his cause more precisely.
listen to
them; some of them
more than
forty in
will
be lying
in
ambush
Do for
not
him,
number. They have sworn not to eat or
drink until they have
made away with him; even now
they
are in readiness, only waiting for your consent/
Thereupon the captain dismissed the young man, warning him not to let anyone know that he had revealed this secret to him.
them,
Then he summoned two
Tou
are to have
of the centurions,
two hundred
men from
and told
the cohort
ready to march to Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two
hundred spearmen; they
And you must and take him letter,
will set
out at nine o'clock tonight.
provide beasts, so that they can safely to the governor, Felix/
He
mount Paul also
wrote a
with these contents: 'Claudius Lysias, to his excellency
Here is a man whom the killing him; and set about but I came up with Jews my men and rescued him, learning that he was a Roman citizen. Since I had a mind to discover what complaint it was they had against him, I took him down into the presence of their Council; but I found that the accusation was concerned with disputes about their own law, and that he was Felix, the governor, sends greeting. seized,
charged with nothing that deserved death or imprisonment.
And now,
since
laid against
at the
him,
I
have information of a plot which they have I
am
sending
him
to you, telling his accusers
same time that they must plead
their cause before you.
Farewell/
The
soldiers,
obeying their orders, took Paul with them,
Caesarea 58 A.D.
The
future of the infant
329
Church from now on was
Roman
develop within the framework of the
to
Empire; the
break with Judaism was only a matter of time. Paul had written of this in
Romans
The Master had now made
13.
position clear: freedom
Paul's
would not come by submitting
to
Jewish law and justice, hut hy taking Christianity out into the
Roman
world order.
was
It
this vision that ultimately
Paul to appeal to Caesar two years
later
when he was
decided
in prison
at Caesarea.
The
on the previous day had been held
trial
fortress; the
Jews
now proposed
in the
Roman
that Paul should be sent
down
into the temple to the council chamber. This would mean that
he would be separated from the
Roman
target for the assassins knife. It
is
not known whether or
not PauYs nephew was a Christian, or plot to
kill his
uncle;
it
seems
guard and be an easy
how he
likely that
official
if
he was not
We know nothing of PauYs family apart from this
mention of
casual
this
he would have better
opportunities to overhear, or discover, the plot a Christian.
heard of
his sister. Possibly she
was married to some
who handed on the information; the nephew was sent
to the barracks so as not to arouse suspicion.
Lysias was taking
Knox
no chances, with
his
470
soldiers
(though
suggests that the text originally read only 270) to guard
Paul on the twelve hours' night march to Caesarea. Once they arrived at Antipatris, they were
and there was
little
away from the
hiJI
country,
danger of ambush. The cavalry would be
adequate for the rest of the journey across the plain of Sharon.
The
infantry were recalled to Jerusalem because the feast of
Pentecost was
There
makes
is
still
on,
there might be trouble there.
an authentic touch in Claudius'
his case better
because he
and
by
knew he was
letter to Felix.
falsely claiming that
a
Roman
He
he rescued Paul
citizen (actually
he had not
Acts of the Apostles 23, 32-24, 12
330
and conducted him, day they
left
travelling all night, to Antipatris.
Next
the horsemen to accompany him, and went back
to their quarters.
The horsemen, upon
reaching Caesarea,
and brought Paul, too, into his presence. So the governor read the letter, and asked from what province he came, and was told, 'From Cilicia'; then he said, 'I will give you a hearing when your accusers, delivered the letter to the governor,
too, are present/
And he
gave orders that he should be kept
safe in Herod's palace.
Five days later the high priest Ananias came down, ac-
companied by some of the
elders
and by an advocate named
Tertullus; these appeared before the governor against Paul. So,
when Paul had been summoned,
dictment thus: 'Such
is
many wrongs have been
enjoy, so
Tertullus began his in-
the peace you have enabled us to righted for this nation
through your wisdom, that always and everywhere, most noble Felix,
we
are ready to acknowledge
with grateful hearts.
it
must not weary you with more of this; what we ask of your courtesy is no more than a brief audience. Here is a man who is known to us as a pestilent mover of sedition But
I
among Jews
over the world, a ringleader of the sect of
all
the Nazarenes,
who
has not scrupled to attempt a violation
of the temple.
We
arrested him; interrogate
and you tions
will
we
be able to learn the truth about
bring against
him/ And the
supported the indictment, alleging that
Then
the governor
am
answered:
'I
because
know many
I
nation for self
that
it is
the
made
him all
yourself,
the accusa-
Jews, for their part, all this
was the
a sign to bid Paul speak,
more emboldened
to
make my
truth.
and he
defence,
well that you have been a judge over this years.
You have
the means of assuring your-
only twelve days since
I
worship there. They have never found
came
me
to Jerusalem, to
raising controversy,
Caesarea 58 A.D.
discovered this fact
later).
till
attempt to torture Paul;
331
AJso he makes no mention of his
could have got the captain into
this
trouble.
Paul's birthplace, Tarsus, was in the Cilicia; this
Roman
province of
was an imperial, not a senatorial province, and so
Felix was competent to try the case. Paul was lodged in prison in the governors residence;
had been
it
built originally
by
Herod the Great
Within
Paul Before Felix.
a
week
of
Paul's
arrival
at
Caesarea, a Jewish delegation under the leadership of the high
from Jerusalem. Their purpose was to obtain
priest arrived
PauYs condemnation from the
Roman
obtained that of our Lord himself.
engaged a
Roman
barrister,
To
entirely different
present their case they
Tertullus;
familiar than a Jewish lawyer with
was
governor, as they had
he would be more
Roman
procedure, which
from the Jewish manner of trying a
prisoner.
Tertullus presented three indictments against Paul; each of
the three was a crime punishable by death according to law.
They bear a
Roman
striking resemblance to the crimes with
which
the Master had been charged. Paul was accused of sedition, of
being a ringleader of a religion
('sect')
which was
illegal in
the empire, and of violating the temple (presumably by taking
Trophimus into the sanctuary, beyond the Paul's reply
is
factual.
The crimes
Soreg).
all
have happened in Jerusalem during the past
he
tells
holy
Felix just
city.
He
him must fortnight So
alleged against
what happened during
his brief visit to the
dismisses the charge of sedition by his statement
no one can produce the slightest evidence that he ever gathered a crowd about him, or addressed any body of men, that
anywhere in Jerusalem.
He
explains his presence in the temple;
Acts of the Apostles 24, 13-25
332
or bringing a crowd together, either in the temple, or in the
synagogues, or in the open
city;
nor can they produce any
proof of the charges they bring against me. But this to you, that in worshipping the
what we
call
in all that
is
God
before
of our fathers,
admit follow
my
put
call a sect. I
I I
trust
and the prophets, sharing
the hope they have too, that the dead will
pains to keep
and
my
unjust.
was when
I
To
that end
like
I,
some
men
had
years'
absence
I
rise
am God
or
came up
to
them,
conscience clear of offence towards
at all times. After
bring alms to the It
they
written in the law
again, both just
man,
Way, and
the
God
at
my own race, and certain offerings. made these offerings and had been
of
just
no crowd about rioting, by whom? By some Jews from Asia, who ought to be here, standing in your presence, if they had any quarrel with me. In default of that, it is for those who are here to purified in the temple, that
I
was found
there,
me, no
what blame they found in me, when I stood before the Council; unless it were over one single utter-
give their account of
ance,
am
on
when
my
trial
before you today,
tion of the dead."
who had
Felix,
judgment;
'I
among them,
cried out, standing there
I
because of the resurrec-
full
to him.
Way,
information about the
you a hearing/ he
said,
come down here/ And he gave
centurion that Paul was to be kept safely, but
and that any
his wife Drusilla,
orders to the
left at his ease,
days afterwards,
who was
when
Felix was there with
a Jewess, he sent for Paul,
listened to his message about faith in Jesus Christ.
is
reserved
'when Lysias,
of his friends should be given liberty to minister
And some
spoke of
I
7
will give
the captain, has
it is
"If
justice,
and continence, and of the judgment that
to come, Felix was terrified;
present/ he said,
and he
When
'I
will
'No more of
send for you when
I
this for the
can find leisure/
Caesarea 58 A.D.
he brought alms to as
own
his
any good Jew would do.
riot in the temple,
Jews;
It
but the
333
people, and offered sacrifices just
was not he, Paul, that caused the
some Asian
false accusations of
and they were not present
at Felix
s
tribunal to undergo
questioning.
The charge
of belonging to a sect (the Nazarenes as distinct
from the Jews) was probably the most dangerous tian cause.
Rome
time regarded as a separate political body.
this
Paul's purpose
re-
enjoyed the rights of Jews, since they
ligion; the Christians
were not at
to the Chris-
protected Judaism as a state-approved
to guard this protected status;
is
he argues that
the dispute between himself and the Council
is
purely a
domestic matter within the framework of Judaism. Like the
Jews themselves he believes in the Old Testament ('the law
and the
prophets').
Christian belief; selves.
The
it is
resurrection of the dead
So Paul denies the charge of being
Judaism; rather, Christianity
Old Testament; God.
of the of
is
not a purely
held by the majority of the Jews them-
is
a sect distinct
from
the fulfilment and completion
in reality Christians are the true Israel
Felix was governor of Judea from 52 to 60 A.D.,
when he
was recalled on account of complaints by the Jews against his harsh rule. He was originally a slave; he was a cruel and dissolute ruler.
He should have concluded Paul's
trial
by acquittal;
he temporized because he was afraid of Jewish reaction, and also because
Some
he hoped
authorities think that Paul spent part of his
years' captivity at
to the
to receive a bribe for Paul's release.
two
Caesarea working out the plan of his Letter
Hebrews. Though the evidence favours
its
publication
about 65 A.D., when Paul was in Rome after his journey to Spain, it is probably better to read it at this point when the
Acts of the Apostles 24, 26-25, 11
334
At the same time, he hoped that Paul would offer him a bribe, and for that reason sent for him often, and courted his company. So two years passed; then Porcius Festus came as successor to Felix; and Felix, who wished to ingratiate himself
with the Jews,
And
left
Paul in prison.
Festus, three days after entering his province,
from Caesarea to Jerusalem. Here the high leaders of the Jews put before
him
priest
went up and the
their case against Paul,
and were urgent with him, asking as a favour, that he would Paul to Jerusalem; meanwhile they were preparing an ambush, so as to make away with him on the journey. But
summon
Festus answered that Paul was in safe keeping at Caesarea;
he himself would be removing there those of you
who
are
men
as
of influence/
soon as possible; 'Let
he
said, 'travel
with me, and bring your charges against this man,
if
down
you have
anything against him/ So,
when he had spent a week with them, or ten days at down to Caesarea; and next day, sitting on
most, he went the judgment
seat,
he gave orders
for Paul to
be brought
in.
When
he appeared, there were the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem, standing round him and bringing many grave accusations against him, which they could not prove; while
Paul said in his defence, 1 have committed no crime against the Jewish law, or against the temple, or against Caesar/
But Festus had so
a
mind
to ingratiate himself with the Jews,
he answered Paul thus, 'Are you ready to go up to Jerusa-
lem, and meet these charges before
Upon which ment I
seat,
Paul
where
I
said,
'I
guilty, if I
as
there?'
standing at Caesar's judg-
have a right to be
have done them no wrong,
am
am
me
tried.
As
for the Jews,
you know well enough.
If I
have done something which deserves death,
I
Caesarea 60 A.D.
atmosphere
335
light for an appreciation of its message.
is
certainly LuJce
was busy
gathering information for the writing of his
Enished during Paul's
Roman
Paul Appeals to Caesar.
man, an
administrator.
captivity.
Governor Festus was
a
Roman noble-
of the old school; he was a firm
official
He
Almost
and people, Gospel, which he
at this time visiting places
and honest
arrived at Caesarea in August, 60 A.D., to
find his province of Palestine in a state of unrest. His predecessor, Felix,
in Caesarea
had put down a
by a
large-scale
he had been recalled
riot
between Greeks and Jews
massacre of Jews; for his savagery
in disgrace. Festus
had been briefed on
the difficulty of the Palestinian situation and the fanaticism of the Jews. His policy leaders
and not
That
was to become friendly with the
to antagonize
local
them.
why he made an immediate visit to the Jewish headat Jerusalem. A new high priest, Ishmael, had come
is
quarters
into office; he was aware of Festus' desire to win Jewish support,
and
Knowing
so asked as a favour that Paul be tried in Jerusalem. of the attempted
of Felix, Festus was taking at
ambush during the governorship no risks; he decided to keep Paul
Caesarea. Accordingly a
trial
was arranged before the
governor at Caesarea. Just as at the previous before, the Jews could prove
At the conclusion
of this
none of trial,
Festus asked Paul
willing to be tried in Jerusalem. This
fierce, violent
two years
if
he was
sudden change of mind
on Festus' part was probably brought about by ing the
trial
their charges.
his fear at see-
Jewish hatred of Paul, and the conviction
that the case was a matter for a Jewish court rather than a
Roman. Paul saw
that Festus was unequal to dealing with the
Jewish leaders, and that there was no possibility that his case
Acts of the Apostles 25, 12-23
336
do not ask
for reprieve;
no one has
a right to
if
their charges are
make them
without substance,
my life.
a present of
I
appeal
to Caesar/
Then
Festus conferred with his council, and answered,
'Have you appealed to Caesar?
Some
days
king
later,
To
Caesar you shall go/
Agrippa
and Bernice came to
Caesarea, to give Festus their greeting, and, since he was
spending several days there, Festus put Paul's case before the king:
There
is
a
man
and when
here/ he said,
'whom
Felix left behind
went to Jerusalem the chief priests and elders of the Jews denounced him to me, asking for his condemnation. I replied that it is not the Roman custom to make a present of any man's life, until the accused man has been in prison;
I
confronted with his accusers, and been given the opportunity
So they came here with me, and I did not keep them waiting; the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, I gave orders for the man to be brought in. to clear himself of the charge.
His accusers, as they stood round him, could not tax him with any criminal offence, such as troversies with
and with alive.
I
had expected;
him were concerned with
a dead
man
For myself,
such matters; so
called Jesus,
their con-
scruples of their own,
whom
Paul declared to be
upon the
I
hesitated to enter
I
asked whether he was willing to go to
Jerusalem, and meet these charges
there.
discussion of
Upon which
Paul
appealed to have his case reserved for the emperor's cognizance; I
and
I
gave orders that he should be kept safe until
can send him to Caesar.'
Then Agrippa to hear this
Tou So,
said to Festus,
man
'I
have often wished, myself,
speak/
shall hear him,' said he, 'tomorrow.'
on the next
pomp, and made
day, Agrippa
and Bernice came with great
their entry into the hall of
judgment,
at-
Caesar ea 60 A.D.
337
could be brought to a speedy conclusion here at Caesarea.
Guided, too, by his vision of the Loid
at Jerusalem,
he de-
cided that this was the time to appeal to the supreme court, to
Rome itself. This a Roman citizen.
was the most coveted
II,
Agrippa
I,
was the
by
This young king, Herod
Festus Puts Paul's Case to Agrippa.
Agrippa
privilege possessed
the house of Herod. His father,
last of
had died suddenly here
at Caesarea in
(Acts 12). Agrippa II had been educated in
44 A.D.
Rome, and was
more Roman than Jewish
in outlook. In 53 A.D. he had been appointed ruler of northern Palestine, with his capital at
Caesarea Philippi.
He
was
also
temple at Jerusalem; he spent
and was engaged at this time.
He
in repairing
of his time in Jerusalem,
and renovating the temple courts
was unmarried;
queen. Another, younger
authorized to inspect the
much
his sister Bernice acted as his
sister, Drusilla,
former governor Felix; she was in
Rome
was the wife of the at this time; she
was
eventually to perish in the eruption of Vesuvius.
There must have been many
visitors to see
Paul during the
course of his two years' imprisonment at Caesarea. Philip the
deacon was undoubtedly a constant
visitor;
many
of PauVs
came to report, and went out on various missions. But Luke makes no mention of any of them; instead he gives disciples
practically the trial
whole of
his narrative to
and defence before the
the Acts in
Rome
Roman
an account of PauYs
authorities.
He
wrote
while Paul was waiting to be tried before
the emperor Nero. This was to be a test case for the right to
preach Christianity throughout the
be a precedent in
Roman
law for
Roman all
world;
it
would
missionaries to follow
on Paul's case was probably Jost in the shipwreck on the island of Malta during the voyage to Rome; Luke took great care in his presentation of the
in Paul's footsteps. Festus' report
Acts of the Apostles 25, 24-26, 7
338
tended by the captains and
and Paul,
city;
the eminent persons of the
all
command, was brought
at Festus'
Festus said, 'King Agrippa, and
you a
see before
man
you who are present, you
all
whom
over
Then
in.
the whole Jewish body has
been petitioning me, not only here but at Jerusalem, crying out that he must not be allowed to
was
self, I
satisfied that
of death; but, since
thought lord,
I
day longer. For my-
he has appealed to the emperor,
best to send him,
it
live a
he had not done anything deserving
and now, writing
to
my
have no clear account to give of him. That
have brought him before you, and before you
may
Agrippa, so that the examination letter. It
would be unreasonable,
for trial without putting
I
have
I
sovereign
why
is
I
especially, king
afford material for
my
conceive, to remit a prisoner
on record the charges that
lie
against
him/
Then Agrippa
Tou
said to Paul:
are free to give an account
of yourself/
And
Paul, stretching out his hand, began his defence: 'King
Agrippa,
count myself fortunate today, to be defending
I
myself against
No
one
Jews,
you
more
is
and
all
the accusations of the Jews in your presence. familiar than
and
their controversies;
for a patient audience.
you with the customs of the this
What my
makes life
was
me
bold to ask
when
like
boy-
among my own people and memory of me, would they but admit it, is of one who lived according to the strictest tradition of observance we have, a Pharisee. And if
hood was
over, spent
from the
in Jerusalem, all the Jews
I
stand here on
my trial,
first
know;
it is
for
their earliest
my hope
of the promise
God
made
to our fathers.
lessly,
night and day, in the hope of attaining that promise;
and
this
is
the hope,
to account.
Why
Our
twelve tribes worship
my lord
should
it
king, for
him
which the Jews
be beyond the
belief of
cease-
call
men
me
such
Caesar ea 60 A.D.
339
defence, so that the authorities could read in detail just
what
said, and what the local luleis had to say about his case. Throughout the Acts, Luke emphasizes how well the Chris-
Paul
tian cause
was received by the imperial authorities in the
provinces. In Cyprus, the governor Sergius Paulus listened to
Paul and Barnabas and 'learned to believe' (Acts 13, 7-12). At Philippi, a Roman colony, the magistrates at first scourged
and imprisoned Paul and for this injustice,
Silas,
and Paul and
but afterwards they apologized Silas
parted with them on good
terms (Acts 16). At Corinth, proconsul Gallio refused to listen to the Jews,
and
set
Paul free (Acts 18). At Ephesus, 'the
delegates of Asia' were his friends; the
out that Paul
had done nothing
Paul's Speech Before Agrippa.
town
clerk there pointed
to cause such a riot (Acts 19).
No royal family had such
contact with our Lord and his Church as the Herods. the Great, great-grandfather of Agrippa cents to death in an attempt to
kill
II,
had put the Inno-
Jesus (Mt. 2); his son
Antipas had John the Baptist beheaded (Mk.
our Lord during his
Agrippa
I killed
Roman
trial
close
Herod
(Lk.
James the Greater, and
6),
23);
and mocked
his
grandson
tried to kill Peter too
(Acts 12). In face of such a history, Paul was optimistic in
thinking that the
last of
Herod dynasty would be favourBut at least Agrippa II was familiar
the
able to the Christian cause.
with both the Jewish and the Christian background of Paul's case.
Paul couJd taik to him in language that would be under-
stood. First of all Paul establishes his right to be regarded as a
true Jew.
He
in Jerusalem.
traces his early
Like
all
life,
particularly his student days
the Jews he had had as his main religious
interest the expectation of the
Messiah who was to come and
Acts of the Apostles 26, 8-19
340
you are, that God should raise the dead? Well then, I thought it my duty to defy, in many ways, the name of Jesus the Nazarene. And that is what I did, at
as
Jerusalem;
who
priests,
was
it
shut up
many
they were done to death,
Often have
I
flicting
punishment on them
nay, so
unmeasured was
go to foreign
cities to
by the chief
of the faithful in prison;
tried to force
I
me
under powers granted
I,
my
my
raised
them
by
into blaspheming,
one synagogue
in
and when
voice against them.
rage against
them
in-
after another;
that
I
used to
persecute them. It was on such an
my way to Damascus, with powers me by the chief priests, when, journeying at midday, I saw, my lord king, a light from heaven, surpassing the brightness of the sun, which shone about me and my errand that
I
was making
delegated to
companions.
which cute
We
said to
me? This
all fell
me, is
in
to the ground,
Hebrew, "Saul,
and
Saul,
I
heard a voice
why do you
perse-
a thankless task of yours, kicking against the
goad." '
"Who
are you, Lord?"
'And the Lord
said, "I
I
asked.
am
Jesus,
Rise up, and stand on your feet; that
I
vision I will
may
single
I
whom
have shown myself to you,
you out to serve me,
you have had, and other
Saul persecutes.
visions
as the witness of this
you
will
have of me.
be your deliverer from the hands of your people, and of
the Gentiles, to their eyes,
whom I am now sending you. You
and turn them from darkness
to light,
power of Satan to God, so that they may faith in
me, remission of
their sins
shall
receive,
open
from the through
and an inheritance among
the saints."
'Whereupon, king Agrippa,
I
did not show myself
dis-
obedient to the heavenly vision. First to those in Damascus,
Caesarea 60 A.D.
redeem
Israel.
Jesus Christ;
341
This hope had been realized in the person of
God
himself had iaised Jesus from the dead, pro-
viding the authentic guarantee of the truth of Jesus' claim to
he the Redeemer. Paul's point in bringing up this fundamental claim of Christianity all
is
to
show
that
the fulfilment of
it is
Jewish hopes, that the Christian religion
is
not something
Judaism hut its final completion. For the third time in Acts (chapters 9, 22, 26) Paul recounts his conversion on the road to Damascus. Without
alien to
this incident Paul's career
point in his
life.
He
has no meaning;
it
was the turning
did not willingly change his way of
life;
him and commanded
the risen Christ personally appeared to
Paul had been waging an inner struggle against God; he had been like an ox kicking against a sharp-pointed goad; hut the more he struggled to escape, the more determined God was to win him to the Christian
his allegiance.
the grace of
cause.
By
that vision
on the Damascus Road, Paul became an
apostle of Jesus Christ.
had been sent It
An
apostle
is
one who
to preach the gospel to both
is
sent;
PauJ
Jew and Gentile.
was particularly his mission to the Gentiles that annoyed
the Jews this tiles
and made him
was his greatest
from Israel. But for Paul making known to the Gen-
a renegade
privilege: 'Of
the unfathomable riches of Christ.'
The audience
listen-
ing to Paul in the palace at Caesarea was mostly Gentile;
the words he spoke religion
would eventually be sent
throughout the
Roman
Empire, and
infused by the Christian faith which tion
to
Rome. The
Paul was preaching to them would ultimately spread
from
would be the
vitality
save this civiliza-
total destruction.
Paul Tries to Convert Agrippa. tunity to
it
would
Paul never missed an oppor-
win souls to the cause of Christ. At dead of night,
Acts of the Apostles 26, 20-32
342
then in Jerusalem, then to the heathen,
God, and
I
the country of Judea, then to
all
preached repentance, bidding them turn to
so act as befits
men who
when they caught me
the Jews,
me. But, thanks to God's help,
my witness my message
ing
I still
and great
to small
That
are penitent.
in the temple, tried to
is
why
murder
stand here today, bear-
alike.
Yet there
is
nothing
which goes beyond what the prophets spoke and Moses spoke of, as things to come; a suffering Christ, and one who would show light to his people and to the Gentiles by being the first to rise from the dead/ in
of,
When
Paul had proceeded so far with his defence, Festus
said in a loud voice, Taul,
you are mad; they are driving you
to madness, these long studies of yours/
But Paul answered, 'No, most noble the message which
about
all this
I
utter
him;
Do
it
why
I
of this,
I
well enough; that
fidence in his presence.
None
was not in some
Festus,
is
I
am
The
sober truth.
is
not mad;
king knows
speak with such con-
am
sure,
secret corner that all this
you believe the prophets, king Agrippa?
I
am
is
news to
happened.
well assured
you do believe them/
At
Agrippa said to Paul,
this,
Christian with very
Why/ whether those I
it
who
were with
and
all
tired,
'it
would have
me
turn
ado/
would be
much ado
are listening to
am, chains and
Then
little
said Paul,
Tou
me
my
or
prayer to
little,
God
that,
both you and
all
today should become such as
all/
the king rose, and so did the governor, and Bernice, those
who
When
they had
re-
man is imprisonment/ And
guilty of
no
sat there
with them.
they said to one another, This
fault that deserves death or
he had not appealed
to Festus,
'If
have been
set at liberty/
Agrippa said
to Caesar, this
man might
Caesarea 60 A.D.
343
he instructed and
after the earthquake at Philippi (Acts 16),
And
baptized the gaoler and his family.
he watches Agrippa's keen interest in
here in Caesarea, as
he
his speech,
directs his
words towards gaining the soul of the king. Whether the is
unimportant
(like
man
the gaoler) or a royal person ('small
makes no difference to Paul's zealous interest. He is all things to all men, to win them to Christ. This talk of repentance, of obedience to God's grace, of and great
alike')
the truth of the Christian message in view of to the
Old Testament
and the
revelation,
its
conformity
fact of Christ's
resurrection struck a responsive chord in the Jewish soul of
But such considerations passed completely over the head of Festus; they bore no resemblance to the facts of daily life that he had to deal with. He blamed it all on Paul's con-
Agrippa.
stant reading of the Sacred Scriptures: 'These long studies of yours.'
But Paul was not
this occasion;
he disregards the interruption and appeals per-
sonally to Agrippa.
Moved and somewhat
a piece of irony,
is
the best
personal interest in one's tries
to do;
shaken, Agrippa
himself from this uncomfortable situation.
tries to extricate jest,
on
directing his message to Festus
he attempts
life.
way
And
A
of turning aside a too
that
is
just
what Agrippa
to pass it off with a pleasantry, as
Pilate did at the trial of Jesus, with the phrase,
What
is
truth?' It
was a dramatic moment,
raised his
manacled hands
fetter his soul,
to the assembly.
him
they only identified
crucified Master.
of Paul's life
as the insignificant prisoner
Luke concludes
his
The the
chains did not
more with
account of
this
his
episode
by emphasizing again that he was declared inno-
cent of any crime worthy of death.
account of Jesus'
trial
He
does the same in his
(Lk. 23); three times Pilate stated
the fact of our Lord's innocence.
Letter to the
God
In old days,
and
many
in
last in these
spoke to our fathers in various partial ways
figurative ways,
through the prophets;
whom
he has appointed to inherit
was through him that he created
just as
it
a Son,
who
now
at
times he has spoken to us, with a Son to speak
him; a Son,
for
Hebrews
all things,
world of time;
this
the radiance of his Father's splendour, and the
is
depends, for
full expression of his being; all creation
its
sup-
Now, making atonement for our sins, he has taken his place on high, at the right hand of God's majesty, superior to the angels in that measure in which the name he has inherited is more excellent than theirs. Did God port,
on
his enabling word.
ever say to one of the angels, 'You are
my
Son,
I
have be-
And again, 'He shall find in me a Father, Son'? Why, when the time comes for bringing
gotten you this day'?
and
I
him
in
a
his first-born into the
angels of
What
God
world anew, then, he
worship before him.'
like the winds, the servants that wait
of
fire.'
And what and
rules true.
on him
O
of the Son? 'Your throne, ever; the sceptre of
You have been a friend own God, has
to right,
will perish,
a rod that
is
an enemy to
And
elsewhere:
laid the foundations of the earth at
ginning, and the heavens are the
but you
that grows threadbare, and you will fold as
one changes
he who never changes, your years
its
be-
work of your hands. They
will remain; they will all
ment, and change them
flame
given you an unction to
bring you pride, as none else of your fellows.'
you have
like a
God, stands firm
your kingship
wrong; and God, your
'Lord,
the
does he say of the angels? 'He will have his angels
be
for ever
says, 'Let all
will
them
be
like a cloak
up, like a gar-
his cloak;
but you are
not come to an end.'
Christ's Priesthood
Christ
This
Superior to the Angels.
Is
name on
carry Paul's
and
Sacrifice
letter alone
does not
the letter-head; the other thirteen letters
begin with a greeting in his name. Paul's characteristic
all
broken, spoken
way
in
style,
Hebrews
with
its
sudden changes of thought, gives
Rows
to a calm, placid, written style that
smoothly. Writing in the third century, Origen, a great Christian critic of Paul, gave
an explanation of the difference be-
tween Hebrews and the other Pauline
most commonly accepted: Tf
wouJd say that the thoughts
I
may
letters
give
which
my own
is still
are the thoughts of the Apostle,
but the phraseology and the composition are of someone is
the
opinion, I
who
giving the teaching of the Apostle/
'Hebrews' verts
is
generally understood to refer to Christian con-
from Judaism; judging from the emphasis in
on the temple and
its sacrifices, it is
mind the
that Paul has in
down
relation
his thoughts
reasonable to conclude
With he was moved to
Christian Jews of Jerusalem.
the help of inspiration from the set
this letter
Holy
Spirit,
on the position of Jewish converts in
to the Jewish religion; his
two years
in prison at
Caesarea, in close contact with the church at Jerusalem, the
most
that
likely setting for
one of
such an undertaking. It
his disciples edited
draft into the
is
and amplified PauYs
document we now
possess.
Probably
it
is
likely
original
was not
published until after the death of James, bishop of Jerusalem, in 62
A.D.
When
been obvious to persist in its ties
James was all
killed
it must have Church could not
by the Jews
Christians that the
with Judaism.
The theme of Hebrews is the superiority of the New ment over the Old, particularly in the worship of God; in his
person and the sacrifice he offered on Calvary
is
Testa-
Christ
shown
Hebrews
346
1,
13-2, 9
Did he ever say to one of the angels, 'Sit on my right hand, I make your enemies a footstool under your feet'? What
while
whom
are they, all of them, but spirits apt for service,
when
sends out
he
the destined heirs of eternal salvation have
need of them?
More
than ever must we hold to the truths
firmly, then,
which have now come ing away from them.
spokesmen, was none the
it,
every refusal to listen to shall
we have,
less valid;
teed to us by those
God his
every transgression of
incurred just retribution; and
it,
we pay no heed
if
to such a message
One which was
of salvation as has been given to us? in the first instance
risk of drift-
old law, which only had angels for
its
what excuse
and run no
to our hearing,
The
delivered
by the Lord himself, and has been guaran-
who heard
it
from
his
own
One which
lips?
himself has attested by signs and portents, manifesting
power so
Spirit
We God
variously,
and
distributing the gifts of his
Holy
wherever he would? are speaking of a world that
is
to
entrusted the ordering of that world?
are assured of that, in a passage
whom
has
to angels.
We
come; to
Not
where the writer
says,
'What
is man, that you should remember him? What is the son of man, that you should care for him? Man, whom you have made a little lower than the angels, whom you have crowned
with glory and honour, setting him in authority over the works of your hands?
You have made
Observe, he has subjected
subdued.
him a
And what do we
as yet.
little
all
But we can
see
all
things subject at his feet/
things to him, left nothing un-
now? Not all things subject to we can see one who was made
see this;
lower than the angels,
I
mean Jesus, crowned, now, with
and honour because of the death he underwent; in God's gracious design he was to taste death, and taste it on behalf
glory
of
all.
God
is
the last end of
all
things, the
first
beginning of
all
From
Caesarea 60 A.D.
and
to be superior to the priests
347
Old Law. Son Ascension. The key idea
sacrifices of the
Paul begins with an elaborate portrait of the Incarnate
God from
of
his Incarnation to his
he wants to impress on
his readers
Jesus Christ in history: he
alone of
With
all
men
the unique position of
is
Son
the only true
is
has the same divine nature as
of
God
God; he
the Father.
from the Old Testament,
a series of seven quotations
mostly psalms, Paul shows his Jewish readers that the tures testify to the superiority of the
He
begins with the angels, as
Son over the
Gods
scrip-
angelic hosts.
highest creatures; they
are associated with Judaism by assisting in the giving of the
Mosaic law on Sinai
(a
Jewish tradition not found in the Old
Testament). There were no hosts of angels ushering in the Christian sacrifice; Christ died on Calvary without this spectacular display
from the heavens; but what display could add
to the glory of the Fathers eternal son?
Became Man to be Our Representative. As Paul read through his Old Testament, picking out texts to show the
Christ
superiority of Christ over the angels,
which seemed to contradict
whom
you have made
he noted one psalm was Psalm
8:
'Man,
a JittJe Jower than the angels.'
So he
his thesis. It
deals with this scriptural objection in this paragraph. Angels are immortal;
man
subject to suffering and death, as a
is
penalty for the sin of our Erst parents. That
mans
concedes in discussing
is
the point Paul
inferiority to angels.
Paul understands Psalm 8 as Messianic; that it
as referring directly to the
kind in general. in
The
is,
person of our Lord, not to man-
situation
he
visualizes
is
that of Jesus
agony in the garden of Gethsemani. In the darkest
of his inner sufferings
impending death,
God
and
he takes
moment
struggle against the thought of his
sends
him an
angel:
'And he had
sight
Hebrews
348 things;
and
2, 10-3,
5
befitted his majesty that, in
it
summoning
all
sons of his to glory, he should crown with suffering the
those life
of
who was to lead them into salvation. The Son who and the sons who are sanctified have a common of them; he is not ashamed, then, to own them as his
that Prince sanctifies
origin, all
brethren.
'I
proclaim your renown/ he
will
'to
says,
my
me I will praise you'; and my put trust in him/ and then, 'Here stand I, and the children God has given me/ And since these children have a common inheritance of flesh and blood, he too
brethren; with the church around
elsewhere he
says,
'I
will
shared that inheritance with them.
pose the prince of death, that those multitudes
who
that he champions.
the devil; he would deliver
made
And
so
that;
it is
the sons of
for the sins of the people. It
by
been
tried
trials
we undergo.
suffering, that
Brethren and
saints,
Abraham
he must needs become altogether
he would be a high
priest
who
could
us and be our true representative before God, to
ment
over to
he does not make himself the
all,
champion, no sign of
like his brethren;
he would de-
his death
lived all the while as slaves,
the fear of death. After angels'
is,
By
is
feel for
make
atone-
because he himself has
he has power to help us
you share a heavenly
calling.
in the
Think,
now, of Jesus as the apostle and the high priest of the faith which we profess, and how loyal he was to the God who had so appointed him;
just as
Moses was
loyal in all the
of God's house. In any household, the
served for
him who founded
it;
and
first
management
honours are
re-
in that degree, Jesus has a
than Moses. Every household has
prouder
title
and
household of creation was founded by God. Thus the
this
loyalty of
Moses
in the
management
of
all
its
founder,
God's house was
the loyalty of a servant; he only bore witness to what was to be
From
Caesarea 60 A.D.
349
him/ This
surely
shows
Jesus in an inferior position to the comforting angel.
How
of an angel from heaven, encouraging
possible, then, to
is it
over the angels?
uphold the superiority of Jesus Christ
The evidence
is all
to the contrary.
man
Paul concedes that Jesus, as
mortal and passible, was
inferior in nature to the angels during his earthly
life.
But
after
upon Calvary and his consequent glorification at the hand of the Father, even as man he is above all the angels.
his death
right
In his glorified 7
feet.
And
life,
God
made
'has
all
things subject at his
that, of course, includes angels.
This state of exaltation and supremacy
Lord
is
due to
his passion
and death;
it is
now
enjoyed by our
the reward and result
To become our representative before God, he become first to a member of suffering humanity, to become one of us. It was men, not angels, that he came to redeem. As a true high priest he had to bring men into union with God; he could unite us to God because he was the Second Person of the Trinity; and as man he could represent and champion us. of suffering.
had
Christ a
is
house
The metaphor
Superior to Moses. is
best
known from our
of the church as
Lord's promise: 'You are
upon this rock that I will build my church.' Paul includes Old Testament Israel and the New Testament Church under his image of a house; it is the same one building Peter,
and
it is
brought into being and kept in existence by the care of God.
Moses
as the
mediator of the Old Testament on Sinai and
Jesus as the mediator of the are here
compared. There
house has an owner
(its
is
New
Testament on Calvary
a double comparison: (1)
builder). Christ
is
superior to
The
Moses
1
Hebrews
350
3, 6-4,
revealed later on; whereas Christ's was the loyalty of a
over a household which
We
are, if
fidence,
only
we
is
his
then, the
Holy
is
Son
that household?
keep unshaken to the end our con-
will
and the hope which
Come,
What
own.
is
our pride.
Spirit says, 'If
you hear his voice speak-
ing to you this day, do not harden your hearts, as they were
hardened once when you provoked me, and put
me
to the test
Your fathers put me to the test, made trial of me, and saw what I could do, all those forty years. So I became the enemy of that generation; "These," I said, "are ever wayward hearts, these have never learned my lessons/' And I took an oath in my anger, "They shall never attain my rest." Take care, brethren, that there is no heart among you so warped by unbelief as to desert the living God. Each day, while the word Today has still a meaning, strengthen your own resolution, to make sure that none of you grows hardened; sin has such power to cheat us. We have been given a share in Christ, but only on condition that we keep unshaken to the end our first confidence. That is the meaning of the words, 'If you hear in the wilderness.
'
his voice speaking to as they it
you
do not harden your
this day,
were hardened once when you provoked me.'
that provoked
from Egypt?
him?
Who
hearts,
Who was
Was it not all those whom Moses rescued
was
during
it,
incurred his enmity? Those
who
all
those forty years, that
sinned;
it
was
their corpses
To whom did he swear rest? Those who refused to
that lay scattered in the wilderness.
that they should never attain his
obey him.
We see,
then, the consequences of unbelief; this
it
was that denied them entrance.
The tain
promise, therefore,
God's
rest;
still
what we have
holds good, that
to be afraid of,
is
we
are to at-
that there
may
From
Caesarea 60 A.D.
351
because he is God, the owner (creator) of the house, whereas Moses is a part (a member) of the house. (2) The house has a manager to run it. Christ is the Son-manager, whereas Moses oniy a servant in the house.
is
Israel's
From
Fate a Warning Against Apostasy.
a compari-
son of Chiist and Moses, Paui passes smoothly to a comparison of the people each of these led
and
God
instructed.
spoke to Israel through Moses during the torty years of their
wandering in the desert on their way to the promised land.
The
God's plan for the entry of the Jews into Palestine was belief in his divine power to protect and guard essential of
them and lead them in the conquest of the land. But when they came to the southern border of Palestine, and were told that the land
Tt
is
was ready to
fall
into their hands, they replied:
a powerful race that dwells in
we cannot attack such a people for us' (Num. 14, 29, 32).
it,
with strong walled
cities;
as this; they are too strong
Because they refused to believe in God's promises to them, he kept them out of Palestine for forty years, until
who had disobeyed him had
during these forty years they were
still
all
those
And
died in the desert.
even
unbelieving. In Psalm
94 (which Paul is quoting throughout this paragraph) two incidents are chosen to show Israel's lack of faith in God; these were famous occasions when
God
was 'put to the
test.'
On
both occasions, one at the beginning (Exod. 17, 1-7), the other towards the end of the forty years (Num. 20, 1-13), the Jews bitterly this
complained to Moses that
barren wilderness only to let
God had them
led
them out
into
die of thirst; in both
cases a miracle relieved their needs.
PsaJm 94 quotes God's words to the
Israelites,
1300 years
Hebrews
352
be someone among you who
4,
2-13
be found to have missed his
will
The promise has been proclaimed to us, just as it was to them. The message which came to them did them no good, because it was not met by belief in those who heard it, and this chance.
rest
is
only to be attained by those who, like ourselves, have
learned to believe; that anger,
'They
why he
is
said,
my
shall never attain
my
took an oath in
'I
rest."'
God's
from
rest,
what? From labours which were over and done with,
as
soon as
the world was founded; in another passage he has said of the sabbath, 'God rested on the seventh day from
and yet
my
They
all
in this passage
he
is still
rest.' It is still left
for
some, then, to attain
whom
saying,
his labours';
shall it,
not attain
and mean-
the message
first
came have been
cluded by their disobedience. So he
fixes
another day, Today,
while, those to
as
he
calls
it;
ex-
in the person of David, all those long years after-
wards, he uses the words his voice speaking this day,
I
have already quoted,
do not harden your
cannot have brought them their
rest,
or
that God's people have a sabbath of rest
means
resting
you hear
hearts.'
(Joshua
God would not still be
talking of a fresh Today, long afterwards. )
to attain his rest
'If
You
still
see, therefore,
in store for
from human labours,
them;
as
God
did from divine.
We must strive eagerly, then, to attain that rest; none of you must
fall
to us
is
away
into the
something
same kind of disobedience. God's word
alive, full of energy; it
can penetrate deeper
than any two-edged sword, reaching the very division between soul
and
spirit,
between
tinguish every thought
joints
and marrow, quick to
and design
in our hearts.
creature can be hidden; everything
brought face to face with him, our account.
this
lies
dis-
From him, no
bare, everything
is
God to whom we must give
From earlier.
But
that does not
for Christians today.
word
is 'alive'; it is
Caesarea 60 A.D.
mean
these words have
Gods woid
meant
is
different
and
when they
his divine message,
To
he disowned and punished hy God.
will
point, Paul analyzes
two words from Psalm
'Rest/ and shows that
more
tians even
argument
is
94, the Jews
God
no meaning
from mens;
for all times. If Christians
continue true to the faith they received believe in Jesus Christ
353
do not
learnt to
then they too
bring 94,
home
his
Today' and
addressing his warning to Chris-
is
directly than to the Jews of the Exodus.
based on chronology.
had enjoyed the
his
When
rest of the
His
David wrote Psalm
promised land for over
300
years (ever since their conquest of Palestine under Joshua);
yet
God
own
still
is
speaking of a rest yet to be attained. Such
cannot be Palestine;
'Rest'
it
must be
God's
rest in heaven.
Paul's emphasis
on
in a time of unrest;
rest
is
due to the
life,
before 60 A.D. there were signs of the against
Rome, which was
in
fact that
he was writing
he was warning the Christians that they
should not expect beatitude in this
lem
a sharing of
to
end
only in the next.
coming Jewish
Even
rebellion
in the destruction of Jerusa-
70 A.D. (just forty years after the Crucifixion). If was not published till about 65 A.D., then all the
this Letter
more would needed.
Paul's warning against the danger of apostasy be
The Jewish
Christians, especially in Jerusalem, were
under pressure from the unconverted Jews to join the forces of liberation; they were being lured faith
away from
their Christian
by the powerful appeal of nationalism. Even secret
bership in such underground JoyaJty to Christianity) could
movements (with
is
a denial of Christ.
mem-
pretended
not be kept hidden from God:
'He reads every thought and design of our
Judaism
a
hearts.'
A return
to
Hebrews
354
Let us hold
4, 14-5, 11
then, by the faith
fast,
a great high priest,
and one who has passed
the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God. It
was incapable of feeling through every
come
is
we
are,
up through
right
not as
if
our high priest
for us in our humiliations;
fashioned as
trial,
We can claim
we profess.
only
he has been Let us
sinless.
boldly, then, before the throne of grace, to
meet with
mercy, and win that grace which will help us in our needs.
The purpose
which any high
for
priest
is
among
chosen from
men, and made a representative of men in their dealwith God, is to offer gifts and sacrifices in expiation of
his fellow
ings
their sins.
He is
when they all
qualified for this
are ignorant
by being able to
feel for
and make mistakes, since
beset with humiliations, and, for that reason,
them
he, too,
is
must needs
present sin-offerings for himself, just as he does for the people.
His vocation comes from God, as Aaron's did; nobody can take
on himself such not
raise
God
a privilege as this.
it is
him
offered prayer
him from
to
this
for ever, in the line of
it,
when he
day/ and
so,
said,
'You are
elsewhere,
my
it
won him
his earthly
a hearing.
Son though he was, and now, his
achievement reached, he wins eternal salvation for render obedience to him.
Melchisedech, so
Of make
I
and entreaty to the God who could save
in the school of suffering,
who
was
Son,
death, not without a piercing cry, not without tears;
he learned obedience those
did
Tou are a priest
Melchisedech/ Christ, during
yet with such piety as
full
He
with Christ.
himself to the dignity of the high priesthood;
that raised
have begotten you
life,
So
God
Christ as priest
all
A high priest in the line of
has called him.
we have much
to say,
ourselves understood in the saying of
and it,
it is
now
have grown so dull of hearing. You should, after
hard to
that you
all this
time,
From
Our Lord
is
Caesar ea 60 A.D.
a Sympathetic High
entered into this Rest, which is
is
355
Christ has already
Priest.
the goal of
He
Christians.
all
in a position to help those Jewish Christians in Jerusalem,
now
struggling against pressure
from unconverted Jews and
He
in danger of falling into the sin of despair. priest, the link
between
the existence of a priest sinful
men
men and God; is
is
our high
the whole purpose of
to he a mediator, a representative of
before the throne of grace; the fact that he himself
has suffered and been humiliated during his earthly
own
their
city of Jerusalem,
makes him sympathetic
life,
in
to the
cause of his fellow sufferers there.
Every
must be
priest
called
by God, that
is
he must have
a divine vocation. Paul begins here his treatment of the priest-
hood
of Christ,
and so he mentions Aaron,
the Jewish priesthood, with which
he
as the
will contrast Christ's
Melchisedechian priesthood (mainly in chapter of
Aaron
s
vocation
also called to
is
narrated in Leviticus
be a priest
is
the sympathy of our Lord. 7
Jesus
life
is
mentions two the Gospels).
the
Agony
The
The
fact
that Christ was
in this paragraph
scene that he chooses from
in the garden of
details, 'a piercing cry
Any Jew
8;
7).
obvious from Psalms 2 and 109.
Undoubtedly the key idea Paul develops is
founder of
.
.
.
Gethsemani (he
tears/
not found in
in the holy city has only to look out his
window across the Kedron valley to the olive grove at the foot of mount Olivet and remember what happened there on the night before the great high priest offered his sacrifice on Golgotha. Christians can approach such a priest without fear.
The
Fearful State of an Apostate.
have
now
The
faithful in Jerusalem
enjoyed the blessings of Christianity for thirty years;
they are no longer catechumens; they should be far past the
Hebrews
356
12-6, 10
5,
have been teachers yourselves, and instead of that you need to
be taught; taught even the
God
on which the
principles
first
oracles
You have gone back to needing milk, instead of solid food. Those who have milk for their diet can give no account of what holiness means; how should they? They are of
are based.
only infants. Solid food faculties are so trained
between good and
by exercise that they can distinguish
evil.
We must leave on one side, lessons in Christ,
and pass on
then,
all
away from
lifeless
discussion of our
to our full growth;
lay the foundations all over again, the
turns
whose
for the full-grown; for those
is
first
no need
to
change of heart which
observances, the faith which turns
towards God, instructions about the different kinds of baptism,
about the laying on of hands, about resurrection of the dead,
and our sentence
We
permits
it.
once for
all,
gift,
in eternity.
Such
will
be our plan,
can do nothing for those
their enlightenment,
partaken of the Holy
who have
who have
Spirit,
known,
How
God
tasted the heavenly too,
God's word of
comfort, and the powers that belong to a future fallen away.
if
received,
life,
and then
can they attain a fresh repentance, while
they crucify the Son of God a second time, hold him up to mockery a second time, for their own ends? No, a piece of ground which has drunk in, again and again, the showers which
fell
upon
it,
has God's blessing on
yields a crop answering the needs of those
bears thorns and it,
and
it
who
tilled
has lost its value; a curse
thistles, it
it, if it
it; if it
hangs over
will feed the bonfire at last.
Beloved, of you
we have
better confidence,
stop short of your salvation, even are speaking now.
God
is
which does not
when we speak
to
you
as
we
not an injust God, that he should
From kindergarten stage.
Caesarea 60 A.D.
he must accept the
tian;
necessarily
of divine blessings, just as a piece of thistles if it fails to
for a Chris-
faith in its entirety or else stand
condemned. Reprobation follows
and
357
There can be no middle course
produce
the Christians in Jerusalem
still
Testament, and so failed to see
its
from the neglect
ground
will bear thorns
crop of wheat.
clung too
literally to
Many the
of
Old
fulfilment in Jesus Christ,
its
the true mediator.
Paul speaks only in a general way of the blessings which a Christian squanders
when he abandons
their identification uncertain.
('enlightenment'),
'God's word'
ment
is
He
refers
and the Eucharist
the faith; this makes
probably to Baptism ('the heavenly
the Sacred Scriptures, the spiritual nourish-
of the Christian mind; 'the powers that belong to a
future
life'
are a
summary
larly the spiritual gifts of
An
of the miraculous powers, particu-
the early
apostate abandons
all
Church
(I
Cor. 12-14).
these divine treasures; such a
person puts himself in a situation from which
win him back to the state of
Jews
gift');
faith.
it is difficult
to
Paul uses a terrifying picture of the
an apostate by likening his act of denial to that of the
who
crucified the Master. (It
would have
a powerful
appeal to the Christians of Jerusalem, with Calvary there to
remind them continually of the Crucifixion.) Such an act denies the very source of grace, since the redemptive death:
Son of
God
sanctified
under
him
'What
foot,
who
of the
man who has
bre tone of warning
is
trampled the
(Heb. 10, 29).
To Hope As Abraham
those sudden changes Paul
makes of no account
has reckoned that blood which
as a thing unclean?'
Encouragement
it
noted
and presents
for,
Did.
With one
he abandons
his
of
som-
a brighter side of the picture;
Hebrews
358 forget
all
you have done,
6, 11-7, 3
the charity you have shown
all
who have
towards his name, you
to the needs of his saints.
ministered,
and
But our great longing
is
minister,
still
to see
you
all
showing the same eagerness right up to the end, looking
for-
no more, but
fol-
ward to the fulfilment of your hope; lowers of
all
listless
them
those whose faith and patience are to bring
good things promised them. Such was Abraham. God made him a promise, and then
into possession of the
took an oath (an oath by himself, since he had no greater
'More and more
to swear by), in the words,
more and more
I will
you
give
increase';
I
name
will bless you,
whereupon Abraham
waited patiently, and saw the promise
fulfilled.
Men,
since
they have something greater than themselves to swear by, will
confirm their word by oath, which puts an end to troversy;
and God,
in the
same way, eager
heirs of the promise that his design
himself by an oath. there could be
Two
all
to convince the
was irrevocable, pledged
irrevocable assurances, over
no question
of
God
con-
which
deceiving us, were to bring
firm confidence to us poor wanderers, bidding us cling to the
hope we have movable,
it
in view, the
anchorage of our
souls.
Sure and im-
reaches that inner sanctuary beyond the
veil,
which
Jesus Christ, our escort, has entered already, a high priest,
now,
eternally with the priesthood of Melchisedech.
It was this Melchisedech, king of Salem, and priest of the most high God, who met Abraham and blessed him on his way home, after the defeat of the kings; and to him Abraham gave
a tenth of his spoils. Observe, in the
means, the king of that
is,
of peace.
pedigree,
no date
justice;
That
first
place, that his
and further that he
is all;
king of Salem,
no name of father or mother, no
of birth or of death; there
a priest, the true figure of the
is
name
he stands,
eternally,
Son of God. Consider how great
From he shows
Caesarea 60 A.D.
his tender affection for the
are undergoing hy addressing
them
359
Hebrews
in the trials they
as 'beloved' (the only
time
he does so in this letter). He recalls the charitable manner in which they distributed the vast alms he brought to Jerusalem
from the Gentile churches; the deacons went about ministration of this kindly service in a
their
most edifying way.
If
only they would suffer their Christ's help
trials patiently, their hope in and protection would be further strengthened;
minds would be centred on the graces that come
their
on
rather than
Hope
follows
on
in
from the father of
he considers
is
successfully
endured
Romans 4 and all believers,
still;
this trial
most
God's own word, and his oath that
he
will
who
all
Abraham. The scene
When Abraham
were to be
as well, give
fulfilled in
adequate guarantee
looks to heaven
is
compared
to
an anchor
a violent storm; it leads to
has entered into God's presence and will bring
those
who put
their confidence in
him.
Melchisedech Foreshadows Christ's Priesthood. verses of Genesis (14, 18-20)
is all
in the story of the patriarchs.
name
3,
his
Paul
not go back on the promise made to Abraham.
The hope which
there
on
illustrious son, Jesus Christ.
which holds firm in the midst of Christ,
them
from God, he was promised
these blessings
posterity, in his
relying
Galatians
the sacrifice of Isaac (Gen. 22).
greater blessings
Abraham's
God,
faith; it aspires to
power and goodness. As illustrates
to
their problems.
that
is
But he
Just three
given to Melchisedech is
most important
a
in Paul's demonstration of the superiority of the Chris-
tian priesthood over the Jewish, because
he
is
a type of Christ.
Tradition emphasizes the bread and wine he offered in sacrifice; it
foreshadows the Eucharist. But that
of thought.
He
is
is
not Paul's line
interested in the absence of a genealogy for
Hebrews
360 a
man was this,
to
is
The
spoil.
when
descendants of Levi,
conferred on them, are allowed by the pro-
law to take
visions of the
4-17
whom the patriarch Abraham himself gave a
tenth part of his chosen
the priesthood
7,
these, like themselves,
from God's people, though
tithes
come from the
privileged stock of
Abraham; after all, they are their brothers; here is one who owns no common descent with them, taking tithes from Abra-
ham
himself.
He
blesses him, too, blesses the
the promises have been made; and that blessings are only given by
what
is less.
who
is
it is
man
beyond
all
to
whom
question
greater in dignity to
who
receive tithe are
a priest (so the record tells
And indeed, there is a sense in which we can who receives the tithe, paid tithe himself with
lives on.
say that Levi,
Abraham;
as the heir of
person of his ancestor,
Now,
what
In the one case, the priests
only mortal men; in the other, us)
it is
Abraham's body, he was present
in the
when he met Melchisedech.
there could be
no need
for a fresh priest to arise, ac-
credited with Melchisedech's priesthood, not with Aaron's,
the Levitical priesthood had brought fulfilment.
And
the Levitical priesthood that the law given to God's people
founded. is
When
altered with
the priesthood
it.
After
belonged to a different stand at the
altar;
all,
is
he to
tribe,
and Moses
priests.
And something
whom
the prophecy relates
which never produced a
in speaking of this tribe, said
further
man
to obey the law, with
unending
sedech,'
God
life;
says of
its
becomes evident, when a
outward observances, but
(Tou him,
to is
nothing about fresh
priest arises to fulfil the type of Melchisedech, appointed,
of an
is
altered, the law, necessarily,
our Lord took his origin from Juda, that
certain,
if
on
it is
in the
not
power
are a priest in the line of Melchi'for ever').
abrogated now, powerless as
it
The
was to help
old observance us;
is
the law had
From Melchisedech.
The
Caesarea 60 A.D.
361
Levitical priests received their priesthood
by descent; their power to
offer sacrifice
came from
their
genealogy. Melchisedech stands alone, like our Lord; his priest-
hood is from God. That fact demonstrates the Melchisedechian and Levitical that the former blessing.
A
a blessing
does not
Abraham
tithe
is
now shows
priesthood. Paul
His argument
superior.
is
between
essential difference
a tenth part of
is
from
income paid
tithes
and
to a master;
always given by a superior to an inferior. Levi
is
come
into Genesis
14;
but his great-grandfather
does. Paul regards Levi as paying tithes to Melchi-
sedech, because Levi was a descendant of
Abraham, and was
seminaJJy present in Abraham's body. It might be objected that
Abraham's descendant.
Christ also was
St.
Thomas
Aquinas answers by quoting the virginal conception of Jesus; all his
human
nature he got from Mary; he had no
human
father.
Old Priesthood And Old Law Superseded.
Moses and Aaron
were brothers, both sons of Levi, one of the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel)
who made up
key incident in the
lives of
the chosen people of God.
Moses and Aaron, and
ple they represented before the Lord,
law and the priesthood on that
God
promulgated
was to Aaron, the tion, that
first
mount
of the peo-
was the giving of the
Sinai. It
was through Moses
law for the Jewish nation,
high priest of the
he entrusted the
Law and
priestly
new
and
it
religious institu-
work of divine worship.
priesthood are joined intimately as parts of one
religious system; if it.
his
The
one
is
abrogated, the other must go with
Paul has proved in both
Romans and
Galatians that the
law was abrogated by Christ; here he proves that the priest-
hood was superseded by the one,
eternal high-priesthood of
Hebrews
362
nothing in
it
this
when
18-8, 4
of final achievement. Instead, a fuller
been brought into our
And
7,
time there
lives,
come
enabling us to
a ratification by oath;
is
close to
God
more solemn,
then,
is
him,
says to
sworn an irrevocable oath, "You are a
God.
none was taken
those other priests were appointed, but the
appointed with an oath, when
hope has
new
priest is
The Lord has
priest for ever"
';
the
all
that covenant for which Jesus has been
Of
given us as our surety.
those other priests there was a suc-
cession, since death denied
them permanence; whereas
continues for ever, and his priestly office
Jesus
unchanging; that
is
is why he can give complete salvation to those who through him make their way to God, he lives on still to make interces-
Such was the high
sion for them.
priest that suited our need,
among us sinone who has no need
holy and guiltless and undefiled, not reckoned ners, lifted high
to
do
above
all
the heavens;
as those other priests did, offering a
by day,
What
first
for his
own
sins,
sacrifice
day
then for those of the people.
he has done he has done once for
was himself. The law makes high frail;
twofold
and the offering men, and men are
all;
priests of
promise and oath, now, have superseded the law; our high
priest,
now,
is
that
Son who has reached
his full
achievement
for all eternity.
And
here
we come
high priest of ours
is
to the very pith of our argument.
one who has taken
the right hand of that throne where tering,
now,
Lord, not man, has set up. After
offering to
sits in
and
make. Whereas,
priest at
all;
all, if it is
sacrifice, if
on
majesty, minis-
in the sanctuary, in that true tabernacle
of a priest to offer gift
be no
God
This
his seat in heaven,
which the
the very function
he too must needs have an
he were
still
on
earth,
he would
there are priests already, to offer the gifts
From the
Son of God
Caesar ea 60 A.D.
himself. His approach
is
363 different,
but
it
has
the same conclusion. It is clear
from history that our Lord came horn the
tribe of
must then he something distinct and apart from the Levitical. As a priest, Christ brings men into close union with God; it is a Juda, not Levi (these
two were
spiritual relationship
deep in the soul of man. The Levitical
brothers); his priesthood
priesthood conferred only external, outward purity, without
removing
sin
from the souls of those who lived under
its
regime.
Our Lord's shown
is
pecially
oath
superiority as priest over the Levitical priesthood
from the Melchisedechian Psalm 109, esthe two words 'oath' and 'forever.' God made no chiefly
when
inaugurating Aaron as high priest; his priesthood
was
transitory, Christ's
act
permanent and irrevocable
is
eternal;
an oath makes the divine
(it
cannot be destroyed by
man's unworthiness). The Levitical priests were sinful
men
subject to death; their priesthood was continued only by a
replacements. Christ alone needs no successor; he
series of
possesses his priesthood forever. his
one completely
Such
a sinless high priest,
satisfactory sacrifice, fulEls all the
with
needs of
mankind.
Superiority
work of
Of New
a priest
his office.
is
Sanctuary
to offer sacrifice; this
our Lord were
offering to
is
The main
the essential act of
For the next three chapters (Heb. 8-10) Paul deals
with the superiority of Christ's If
And Covenant.
make
otherwise he
still
to
sacrifice, his
on earth he would be
God
the Father; that
would have no
is
death on Calvary.
a priest without
why he had
to die;
sacrifice to offer for sinful
Actually the scene of his priestly activity
is
now
an
men.
in heaven.
Hebrews
364
which the law demands,
5-9, 3
8,
men who
devote their service to the
type and the shadow of what has
(That ceived
its
true being in heaven.
why Moses, when he was building the tabernacle, rethe warning, 'Be sure to make everything in accordance is
with the pattern that was shown to you on the mountain.') As it is,
he has been entrusted with a more honourable ministry,
dispenser as he
is
for
There would have been no room
sanction.
its
ond covenant, But God, you
if
of a nobler covenant, with nobler promises
had been no
there
see,
does find fault; this
'Behold, says the Lord, a time
new covenant with
what he
is
(says the I
comes.
my
I
it
will
people of
implant
my
in their hearts;
I
I
made with
their
took them by the hand, to rescue
that they should break
Lord) should abandon them. No,
will grant the
grave
I
them:
coming when I will ratify a Israel, and with the people of
the people of
on the day when
them from Egypt;
tells
first.
is
Juda. It will not be like the covenant which fathers,
for this sec-
fault to find with the
Israel,
my this
covenant, and
the Lord says,
is
I
the covenant
when
that time
law in their innermost thoughts, enwill
be
their
God, and they
shall
be
people. There will be no need for citizen to teach fellow
citizen, or brother to teach brother, the all will
know me, from
their wrong-doing;
In speaking of a
And
I
new
knowledge of the Lord;
the highest to the lowest.
will
not remember
I
their sins
will
pardon
any more/
covenant, he has superannuated the old.
before long the superannuated, the antiquated, must
needs disappear.
The former covenant, to be sure, had its own ceremonial observances, its own earthly sanctuary. There was an outer tabernacle,
which contained the lampstand and the table of the
loaves set out before this;
God; sanctuary was the name given
and then, beyond the second
veil,
to
the inner sanctuary, as
From Paul emphasizes
this
Caesarea 60 A.D.
because he
is
365
contrasting the place where
the Jewish high priest offers sacrifice with that where Jesus, the Christian high priest, offeis his.
Instead of comparing the temple courts in Jerusalem with the heavenly sanctuary, Paul considers the tabernacle of the
Exodus. This he does because his mind
is still
on Aaron and
Moses, not on the reigning high priest in Jerusalem. The scene of
Aaron
Sinai
and
ing; it
built
s
high-priestly ministry
was the tabernacle
built at
carried by the Jews during their forty years' wander-
was used
as the place of sacrifice until the
temple was
by Solomon as a more permanent structure. The im-
portance of the tabernacle came from
its
divine origin;
designed in heaven, where Jesus, the priest of the enant, dwells
now
it
new
was cov-
in divine glory (Apoc. 4-5).
Both the old and the new covenant were inaugurated by sacrifices;
the superiority of Christ's sacrifice
greater efficacy of the indicates that
it is
new covenant
near
its
is
clear
(even the
from the
name
'old'
demise). Paul quotes Jeremias 31
to prove that Christ's covenant
on Calvary
is
superior to that
(1) The old was written on new on the mind and heart; the old was outside man, the new is personal and spiritual. (2) The old compelled men to observe a code of laws; the new is grace and love. (3) The old gave only ritual cleanness; the new brings complete
inaugurated by Moses on Sinai. stone, the
reconciliation with
God
by forgiving
Heaven Opened Through Blood Of
mans
sins.
Christ.
Paul
tinues to speak of the tabernacle in the time of
still
con-
Moses and
Aaron, though his words are just as applicable to the temple at Jerusalem, frequented
ment
of his writing.
by the Jewish Christians at the mo-
The
tabernacle was
composed of two
Hebrews
366 it is called,
4-14
with the golden altar of incense, and the ark of the
covenant, gilded
with the
9,
manna
all
in
round. In the ark rested the golden urn
it,
Aaron's
on which the covenant was
staff
that budded, and the tablets
above were the Cheru-
inscribed;
bim, heralds of the divine glory, spreading their wings over the throne of mercy. particularly,
but
this
We have no time to treat of these more was the general fashion of
outer tabernacle the priests
made
their
way
it.
Into the
at all times, in the
perf omance of their duties; into this other, only the high priest,
and even then not without an offering of blood, for the faults which he and the people had committed unknowingly. The Holy Spirit meant us to see that no way of access once a
year,
to the true sanctuary lay
tabernacle maintained
its
open to
us, as
long as the former
And
standing.
holds good at the present day; here are
gifts
that allegory
and
sacrifices
which have no power, where conscience
offered,
is
still
being
concerned,
to bring the worshipper to his full growth; they are but out-
ward observances, connected with food and drink and
cere-
monial washings on
hold
their
own
this occasion or that, instituted to
Meanwhile, Christ has taken
win us
blessings that
still lie
more complete
greater, a
never fashioned; all. It is
come.
until better times should
his
has enabled
own
it
his place as our high priest, to
He makes use of a which human hands
in the future.
tabernacle,
does not belong to this order of creation at
blood, not the blood of goats and calves, that
him
to enter, once for
ransom he has won
lasts for ever.
all,
into the sanctuary; the
The blood of bulls and goats, men defiled, has power
the ashes of a heifer sprinkled over to hallow shall
them
for every purpose of
not the blood of Christ,
who
outward
purification;
and
offered himself, through his
eternal spirit, as a victim unblemished in God's sight, purify
From small rooms, the
first
Caesarea 60 A.D.
room being known
and the second or inner room latter
graph.
room The
that
as the
as the holy place,
holy of holies;
important for Paul's purpose in
is
it is this
this para-
was the
essential furniture of the holy of holies
ark of the covenant; this was
dwelt
367
among
Gods mercy
his people; for the
Jews
it
throne, where he
represented the pres-
ence of God. It was as close to heaven as they could come.
On
only one day each year could anyone enter this inner
sanctuary; this was the tenth day of the
month
days before the feast of Tabernacles; and
was the high
alone
who
could enter.
With
for the sins of the people,
God and poured covenant (Lev.
he went right into the presence of
Paul chooses the
Tishri), because the sacrifice offered
solemn function of the Jewish the
most important
When
man
our Lord died on the
tuary
was torn
this
way and
lid of the ark of
Day
Atonement (10
of
and
it
that from the top to the bottom.'
God; there was no longer
mans
without distinction.
What
relation-
a barrier, a veil holding
kind back from the divine presence; heaven was to all
happening
once, the veil of the sanc-
was a symbol of the changed conditions of
ship to
was offered by
the high priest.
cross, a significant
all at
the
on that day was the most
liturgy,
in Israel,
occurred in the temple: 'And
It
priest
the blood of a goat, sacrificed
out the blood on the
16).
it
Tishri, five
man-
now open
the sacrifices of the old law
could not accomplish Jesus obtained through the shedding of his
blood on the
cross.
Even the
solitary act of entry of the
high priest could win only ceremonial, ritual purity for the people; whereas the blood of Jesus cleansed sin
and won
With
a
for all
men
mans
soul from
access to the divine presence.
sudden change, Paul
calls Christ's
body
a taber-
Hebrews
368
our consciences, and
set
them
9,
15-26
free
from
lifeless
observances, to
God?
serve the living
Thus, through his intervention, a new covenant has been
bequeathed to
death must follow, to atone for
us; a
transgressions under the old covenant, heirs
were to obtain, for
Where
a bequest
is
ever,
their
all
our
and then the destined promised inheritance.
concerned, the death of the testator must
its part; a will has no force while the testator is and only comes into force with death. Thus the old covenant, too, needed blood for its inauguration. When he had finished reading the provisions of the law to the assembled
needs play
alive,
people,
Moses took blood, the blood
water,
and
itself,
and
scarlet-dyed wool, all
of calves
the people, and said: This
covenant which
God
and
goats, took
and hyssop, sprinkled the book is
has prescribed to you/
the blood of the
The
tabernacle,
too, and all the requisites of worship he sprinkled in the same way with blood; and the law enjoins that blood shall be used
in almost every act of purification; unless
can be no remission of
And
if
blood
is
shed, there
sins.
such purification was needed for what was but a rep-
resentation of the heavenly world, the heavenly world
need
sacrifices
more
Christ has entered
is
itself will
The sanctuary into which not one made by human hands, is not
availing
still.
some adumbration of the truth; he has entered heaven itself, where he now appears in God's sight on our behalf. Nor does he make a repeated offering of himself, as the high priest, when he enters the sanctuary, makes a yearly offering of the blood that is not his own. If that were so, he must have suffered again and again, ever since the world was created; as it is, he has been revealed once for all, at the moment when history reached its fulfilment, annulling our sin by his sacrifice. Man's destiny is
From
Caesarea 60 A.D.
nade through which we come
to
God;
369
Jew had
just as the
to
enter God's presence through the tabernacle, so the Christian
comes
heaven through Christ
to
Necessity
And
moment
in every
destiny;
it is
mans
it
he
The death
who was
all their
Lord himself but
hopes:
We had hoped
was
for all
that
it
was
For the Hebrews
to dehVer Israel' (Lie. 23, 21).
a difficulty that
still
of Christ
death of the Master had been a great disaster;
was the end of
was
a decisive
they came into their eternal inheritance. For
his followers the it
is
career, because it seals his eternal
Enal and irrevocable.
equally decisive, not only for our
mankind; by
Death
Finality of Christ's Death.
needed explanation. That
is
it
why Paul
proves that Jesus had to die; without his death the New Testament would never have existed. Paul's argument is based on death as the necessary condition for a last will and testament to become a valid JegaJ document. The word covenant in Greek has two meanings:
between two parties
a contract
and
practically all sacred scripture),
meaning that a final
is
(its
considered here.
A
significance elsewhere in
a bequest. It
is
this
second
testament becomes
will or
document only on the death of the This means the Hebrews are not at liberty to set it
and
testator.
irrevocable
aside.
There in that
is
a parallel
between the old and the new testaments
both required the shedding of blood (which means
But more important
death) for their inauguration. trast
between the two: the
old which final,
Day the
made
it
To
illustrate this,
Atonement. This time
same animal
of Christ
on the
sacriEces that cross. It is
it is
is
the con-
temporal nature of the
so far inferior to the
eternal sacrifice. of
transitory,
new with
its
one,
Paul returns to the
the annual repetition of
he contrasts with the one death
impossible to imagine our Lord
Hebrews
370 to die once for
all;
and Christ was
offered once for
himself;
he
will
when we
nothing remains after that but judgment;
see
him
all,
to take a world's sins
again, sin will play
who
be bringing salvation to those
What the law contains is which were
The same sion,
27-10, 11
9,
and
still
to
no
upon
longer,
await his coming.
only the shadow of those blessings
come, not the
full
expression of their reality.
sacrifices are offered year after year still
part
its
without intermis-
the worshipers can never reach, through the law,
their full growth. If they could,
must not the
offerings
have
ceased before now? There would be no guilt left to reproach
the consciences of those
who come
to worship; they would No, what these offerings bring only the remembrance of sins; that
have been cleansed once
for
with them, year by year,
is
sins
should be taken away by the blood of bulls and goats
impossible. fice,
all.
no
As Christ comes into the world, he says: 'No sacriwas your demand; you have endowed me, in-
offering
stead, with a body.
You have not found any "See then,"
sacrifices, in sacrifices for sin.
to fulfil
do your
is
what will,
is
I
pleasure in burnt
said, "I
written of me, where the book
O my God."
'
First
he
says,
Tou
lies
am coming unrolled; to
demand
did not
victim or offering, the burnt sacrifice, the sacrifice for
sin,
nor
them' — anything, that am com—and then he adds,
have you found any pleasure
which the law has to
offer
ing to do your will/
He must
in
in
is,
'See,
clear the
ground
I
first,
so as to
build up afterwards. In accordance with this divine will
have been sanctified by an offering made once for
all,
we
the body
of Jesus Christ.
One
priest after another
offering again
must stand
and again the same
there,
sacrifices,
day
after day,
which can never
From Caesarea 60 A.D. coming back repeatedly
to die;
he
371
not only
is
Old Testament
victims did not take
only foreshadowed the one,
which won eternal
One
Christ's
Sacrifice
and evening, day sacrifice of the
and
tinually,
of Christ,
Remits Sin Once For
was the daily
All.
was offered
liturgy,
the
Morning
in the
temple
official,
public
nation to God. During the day other private
on the
priests
altar of
burnt
blood of sheep and oxen was poured out contheir carcasses
holy temple. It
is
Paul considers in its
is
men.
were offered by the
offerings; the
he
of the
these sacrifices
sin;
final, decisive sacrifice
after day, sacrifice
at Jerusalem; this
sacrifices
for
life
away
priest,
The bJood
victim as well; a victim can die only once.
were burnt before the Lord in
his
these sacrifices, repeated day after day, that this last
paragraph on Christ's
sacrifice
superiority over the Levitical priests' sacrifices.
and
For most
of his treatment of our Lord's sacrificial death, in the three
previous paragraphs (chapters 8-9), he has been writing of the
high priest and his annual sacrifice on the
Day
of
Atonement;
but here he comes back to the existing conditions in the temple,
no longer the tabernacle
To this
prove his
became
in the wilderness of the Exodus.
Paul again argues from the scriptures;
time he uses Psalm 39.
Trinity it is
thesis,
The Second Person
a priest at the
moment
the Annunciation of Gabriel to our
background of
this
of the Blessed
of his Incarnation; so
Lady
that
is
the gospel
psalm. But instead of giving the angel's
own atThe essential priestly his human existence to
words, or Mary's reply, the psalmist gives our Lord's
moment
titude at the act of Jesus
the very to
God
from the
end
of his
of his Incarnation. first
life,
moment
of
his sacrificial death,
the Father; at the
moment
was his obedience
of his entry into the world
Hebrews
372
take away our that
fice
made a
whereas he has offered for our
sins a sacri-
never repeated, and taken his seat for ever at the
is
hand
right
sins;
12-28
10,
of
God.
He
only waits, until
footstool under his feet;
pleted his work, for
all
by a
enemies are
all his
single offering
time, in those
he has com-
whom he sanctifies. And He has been saying,
here the Holy Spirit adds his testimony.
This
the covenant
is
that time comes;
grave will
them
I
in their
I
will
them, the Lord
my
implant
sins
and
says,
And what
their transgressions
they are so remitted, there
is
when
laws in their hearts, en-
innermost thoughts/
not remember their
Where
will grant
follows?
'I
any more/
no longer any room
for a
sin-offering.
Why
then, brethren,
we can
enter the sanctuary with con-
fidence through the blood of Christ.
He
has opened up for us
a new, a living approach, by way of the mortality.
A great priest
house. Let us
is
ours,
who
come forward with
veil,
I
mean,
his
has dominion over God's
sincere hearts in the full as-
surance of the faith, our guilty consciences purified by sprinkling,
our bodies washed clean in hallowed water.
waver ise
in
in
Do not let us
acknowledging the hope we cherish; we have a prom-
from one who
is
true to his word. Let us keep one another
mind, always ready with incitements to charity and to acts
of piety, not abandoning, as
but encouraging one another;
some all
do, our
common
assembly,
the more, as you see the great
day drawing nearer. If
when once the full knowledge has been granted to us, we have no further sacrifice
we go on
of the truth
sinning wilfully,
for sin to look forward to; nothing but a terrible expectation of
judgment, a
man be
'a fire
that will eagerly
consume the
rebellious/ Let
convicted by two or three witnesses of defying the
law of Moses, and he
dies,
without hope of mercy.
What
of
From
Caesarea 60 A.D.
he accepted his death on the
The
goats, full
cross.
superior efficacy of Christ's redemptive death over the
daily Jewish sacrifices trasts.
(1)
shown
is
The Jewish
human
will.
unsatisfactory; Christ's sacrifice
Animal
sacrifices
atoned for all
bulls,
human body, with the (2) The continual, daily
his
was perfect and complete.
(3)
gave only legal purity; the sacrifice of Christ
our
all
hy three con-
were animals, mainly
shows they were imperfect and
repetition of Jewish sacrifices
sins,
once for
all.
Christ's death
on the
cross
other sacrifices unnecessary.
Divine Judgment Paul's letters it
in this paragraph
sacrifices
and sheep; our Lord offered
obedience of his
made
373
On
Sin
Of
he gives his doctrine Erst of
He
to the lives of his readers.
In practically
Apostasy.
has
all,
now
applies
finished his thesis
on the superiority of Christ's priesthood and Levitical priesthood
and then
all
and the Old Testament
sacrifice
over the
sacrifices.
At
this
point he begins the moral section of his letter: Christianity a
way of
life as
is
well as a system of beliefs. So he exhorts the
Christians of Jerusalem to persevere in the faith, to continue firmly to to all
hope
in the Lord's goodness,
among whom
they
and
to practise charity
live.
For a Jew there was no distinction between church and state; religion and nationalism were closely bound together. That
is
why
they never accepted the rule of a foreign power;
they were waiting for the day
when Rome would be
driven out
Even before 60 A.D. they were planning the broke out in 66 and ended with the Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Naturally enough, some
of the holy land.
revolt that eventually
destruction of
of the Christian Jews
ment
against
were involved
Rome; and
in the
underground move-
pressure was brought to bear on those
Hebrews
374
the
man who has trampled
10, 29-11,
4
God under foot, who has
the Son of
reckoned the blood of the covenant, that blood which
sancti-
fied
him, as a thing unclean, mocked at the Spirit that brought
him
grace? Will not he incur a
It
one we know
is
I will
repay';
and
well,
who
The
again,
a fearful thing to
fall
punishment much more severe?
has told
Lord
us,
'Vengeance
will judge his
into the hands of the living
is
for
people/
me, It is
God.
Remember those early days, when the light first came to you, and the hard probation
of suffering
you went through. There
were times when you yourselves were publicly exposed to
when you took part You showed your sympathy with those who were in bonds; and when you were robbed of your goods you took it cheerfully, as men who knew that a higher, a more lasting good was yours. Do not throw
calumny and persecution; there was with those
who had
away that confidence of yours, with still
need endurance,
promised to those before he
way.
who
coming
will
What is
hope
of reward;
you
God
has
'Only a brief moment, now,
be here; he
he shrinks back, he
the
shall
and be
for us to shrink away,
and save our
rich
its
you are to attain the prize
if
who do his will.
It is faith that brings life to
justified; if
Not
is
a time
the same path to tread.
will
not linger on the
man whom
us to have faith,
souls.
faith? It
is
that which gives substance to our hopes,
which convinces us of things we cannot understand
see. It
was
ter.
It
was in
this that
men who went before us. It is how the worlds were fashioned by God's
word, so that the world
Cain's,
accept as
win no favour with me/
lost; it is for
brought credit to the lets us
I
faith that
we
faith that
see did not simply arise out of mat-
Abel offered a
and was proved thereby
sacrifice richer
to be justified, since
than
God recog-
From
who held
aloof.
Caesarea 60 A.D.
375
In such close association with unconverted
Jews, there was the danger that their nationalism
them back fellow Jews gives
faith
is
for their
lax in the practice of Christianity.
them solemn warning
deny the
sympathy
to the practice of Judaism; their
made them
would lead Paul
of the great danger they are in; to
to apostatize; it
a sin that will bring eternal
is
punishment from the divine judge.
He
contrasts their present flirting with danger to the earlier
when
years of persecution for the faith,
which they
now
persecution he
they stored up merit
propose to throw away. Almost certainly the thinking of
is
that in which he himself
is
played a leading role: 'Saul, with every breath he drew,
still
threatened the disciples of the Lord with massacre.' This was the most important of the several attempts to exterminate the tion, at
new religion.
made by
the Jews
began with Stephens execu-
It
which Paul was in charge;
ended dramatically with
it
the conversion of Paul himself.
Throughout
this
paragraph Paul keeps on reminding the
Hebrews of God's judgment. The
early Christians
constant expectation of the Second
Coming
general
judgment
(this is clear
salonians); so that the
He may
also
were in
of Christ at the
from the Letters
to the Thes-
thought came naturally to Paul's mind.
have been thinking of Jesus' prediction of the
destruction of Jerusalem.
The Faith Of Our Lord atoned
Fathers.
for the sins of
By
his
death on the
cross,
the right to enter God's presence, the sanctuary where he dwells,
heaven
itself.
But
our
mankind, and so won for them
Christ's death
event that happened thirty years before, only in the future, after death.
What
now
on Calvary was an and heaven comes
the Christians of Jeru-
salem saw before their eyes day after day was the temple with
Hebrews
yj6
5-15
11,
nised his offering; through that offering of his he
still
speaks in
When
Enoch was taken away without the experience when God took him and no more was seen of him, was because of his faith; that is the account we have of him
death.
of death, it
before he was taken, that he pleased God; and to please until
God
without
Nobody
faith.
he has learned to believe that
it is
impossible
reaches God's presence
God
and that he
exists,
re-
When Noah
received a warn-
was
alarm, and build an ark to preserve his family.
made him take Thus he proved
the whole world wrong, and was
the justification
wards those
who
ing about dangers
unseen,
still
which comes through
showed
when he
faith
which was to be his journey
him.
try to find
left heir to
home, obediently,
his inheritance; left
hope; looking forward
true foundations, which
was
without knowing where
had been promised
camping there with Isaac and Jacob,
It
it
faith that
is
all
called,
for the country
would take him. Faith taught him
stranger in the land he
mon
faith that
Abraham, when he was
faith.
left his
it
to live as a
for his
heirs with
him
own, enof a
com-
the while to that city which has
God's design and God's fashioning.
enabled Sara to conceive offspring, although
God man for
she was past the age of child-bearing; she believed that
would be
whom
faithful to his word.
life is
numbers
already over; and from
rival
It
was
in faith they died; for
filled,
him
one man, a
springs a race
whose
faith they lived by, all of
them,
them, the promises were not
ful-
but they looked forward to them and welcomed them at
a distance, exiles
is
the stars of heaven, or the uncounted grains of
sand on the sea shore.
and
Here
on
owning themselves no better than
earth.
Those who
talk so
make
it
clear
strangers
and
enough, that
they have found their home. Did they regret the country they
had
left
behind?
If
that were
all,
they could have found oppor-
From Caesarea 60 A.D. its sacrificial
smoke
up
rising
to
377
God. Paul had been showing
the superiority of Christ's sacrifice over the temple sacrifices,
hut
it
was an argument that could he seen only with the eyes
of faith , not with ordinary
Jew was
instinct of the Christian
lifetime real
and the
human
The
observation.
natural
to follow the habits of a
daily experience of his senses; this
was the
world for him, the substantial things around him.
Faith
is
a virtue exercised
by both
makes the absent object present heaven
real. It
and
intellect
to the will; that
will.
is, it
It
makes
brings conviction to the intellect of the exist-
To
ence of the unseen world.
the Christian
Jew
of Jerusalem
it
proves that the heavenly sanctuary of Jesus the high priest
is
just as certain as the earthly sanctuary of the
Jerusalem;
it
him
gives
the supernatural
human vision alone. made to exist now, by the
not observable by the unseen are
Throughout the Letter
to the
temple in
power to see what is Both the future and virtue of faith.
Hebrews, Paul has argued
continually from the scriptures. For a
ment could not be
contradicted;
it
Jew the scriptural arguwas the word of God. For
the whole of this paragraph (chapter 11), he illustrates the gift of faith
from the Old Testament;
scriptural.
He
it is
ninety-five per cent
Book Second Book
begins with the Erst chapter of the
Genesis and works his way through to the
of of
Machabees. From the Erst Eve books (the Pentateuch) he selects
nine names and gives incidents to show
how
these per-
sons exercised the virtue of faith; he then mentions six persons
by
name from
from their mary,
the later books without giving any incidents
lives.
In his Enal section he gives a general sum-
without identifying
any persons;
they
are
mostly
prophets.
The
Erst three
and Noah. Abefs
examples of faith
is
men
of faith are Abel, Enoch,
attested by the fact that his sacriEce
Hebrews
378
back to
tunities for going
it.
a better, a heavenly country.
from such names
title
dwell
11,
16-30
No, the country
God
as these;
of their desires
is
does not disdain to take his
he has a
city ready for
them
to
in.
Abraham showed
faith, when he was put to the test, by up Isaac. He was ready to offer up an only son, this man who had made the promises his own, and received the
offering
assurance,
'It
through Isaac that your posterity shall be
is
traced/ God, he argued, had the power to restore his son even
from the dead; and indeed, him.
was by
It
foretold
bed,
made
to the
hidden sense, he did so recover
faith that Isaac, in blessing Jacob
what was
to come;
by
in turn;
end of
his
by
faith that Joseph,
spoke of the
life,
and Esau,
on
his death-
staff, as
he blessed
faith that Jacob,
reverence to the top of Joseph's
two sons
his
in a
when
he, too,
Israelites'
came
escape from
Egypt, and gave orders for the removal of his bones.
The
Moses showed faith, in making light of the king's and hiding their child away for three months, when they saw what a fine child he was. And Moses showed faith, when he grew up, by refusing to pass for the son of Pharaoh's daughparents of edict,
ter.
He
preferred
usage, shared with the people of
ill
the brief enjoyment of sinful pleasures;
all
God,
to
the wealth of Egypt
could not so enrich him as the despised lot of God's anointed;
he had was
eyes,
you
in faith that
made
strong as
faith that
see, for
he
if
left
nothing but the promised reward.
It
Egypt behind, defying the royal anger,
by the very sight of him who
he performed the paschal
rite,
is
invisible; in
and the sprinkling
of
the blood, to leave Israel untouched by the angel that de-
Red Sea when they down the walls
stroyed the first-born; in faith that they crossed the as
if it
had been dry
ventured into
it,
land, whereas the Egyptians,
were drowned. Faith pulled
of Jericho, after seven days spent in marching round them;
From was accepted by faith).
Enoch,
God
Caesarea 60 A.D.
man
(a
379
not pleasing to
is
God
without
was taken away from the earth by
like Elias,
God; God would not have taken him unless he was a holy man, which means that he must have had faith. It is uncertain what has happened
and Enoch, and where they some have suggested that they are the two witnesses (Apoc. 11, 4), and that they wiiJ ietum to convert the Jews before the end of the world. The third person, Noah, showed his faith by believing God when he told him of the Rood; he began to build the ark, even though the flood was not to come for over a hundred years. just
Jive at
to Elias
the present time;
Undoubtedly the hero among
Abraham, not only
model
a
man
all
of faith in
for our true Christian faith. In
by leaving his
his faith
home and
men of the Bible was his own life but also a his own life he showed
these
country at God's command,
by believing God's promise of a numerous posterity
had no children of
his
own, and by being ready to
only son at God's order.
Abraham's
of
ward to design
faith that
'that city
and God's
was then
But is
for Paul's purpose
important;
sacrifice his
it is
the object
Abraham looked
which has true foundations, which fashioning.' This
but
living,
'a
buoyed Abraham up in
better,
is
when he
is
not Palestine, where he
a heavenly country.
all his difficulties
'God's people have a sabbath of rest
for-
God's
stiJJ
was a
7
What
belief that
in store for them.'
Although heaven was not open until Christ died, Abraham longed for that blessed peace and eternal happiness with God;
and that
is
what the readers of
should be looking forward
on
their heavenly
to.
this Letter to the
Hebrews
Their faith should be centred
home, not the
earthly sanctuary of the tem-
ple in Jerusalem.
With passes
a brief
mention of
Isaac, Jacob,
and Joseph, Paul
on to the second book in the Bible, Exodus.
To
his
Hebrews
380 faith saved
31-12, 2
11,
doom
Rahab, the harlot, from sharing the
had given the
disobedient, because she
of the
spies a peaceable wel-
come.
What
need
is
there to say more?
Time
me
will fail
if I
try
Gedeon, of Barac, of Samson, David and Samuel and the prophets. Theirs was the faith which subdued kingdoms, which served the cause of right, which made promises come true. They shut the mouths to go through all the history of
of Jephte, of
quenched raging
of lions, they
How
fire,
swords were drawn on
who till then were weak, what courage they showed in battle, how they routed invading armies! There were women, too, who rethem, and they escaped.
strong they became,
covered their dead children, brought back to ing forward to a better resurrection
life.
Others, look-
would not purchase
still,
their freedom on the rack. And others experienced mockery and scourging, chains, too, and imprisonment; they were
stoned, they were tortured, they were cut in pieces, they were
put to the sword; they wandered about, dressed
in sheepskins
and distress, and ill usage; men whom the world was unworthy to contain, living a hunted life in deserts and on mountain sides, in rock-fastnesses and caverns and
goatskins, amidst want,
underground.
One and
all
never saw the promise better in store. lives
We were needed,
then, since
cloud of witnesses,
down, of the
we
let
are
make
they
something
the history of their
watched from above by such a
us rid ourselves of
on
Jesus, the origin
his prize of blessedness,
shame, Jesus,
all
that weighs us
sinful habit that clings so closely,
endurance, the race for which
eyes
to
faith, yet
God had
complete.
Why,
all
gave proof of their
fulfilled; for us,
who now
we
and run, with
are entered. Let us fix our
and the crown of
all faith,
who, to win
endured the cross and made sits
on the
right of
light of
its
God's throne. Take
From
Caesarea 60 A.D.
381
Abraham he allowed eleven verses (out of the 40 Hebrews 11); Moses comes second in importance with an
treatment of in
allotment of seven verses. Paul
Moses only
as
the people of
He
is
interested in the faith of
showing that 'he preferred
God
.
.
.
ill
usage, shared with
the despised lot of God's anointed.
could have stayed in Egypt, at the royal court, living a
of ease
and wealth; hut he chose
to
thiow
from Egypt. There in this:
is
life
with the
in his lot
persecuted and despised chosen people and live a
7
of exile
life
a valuable lesson for the Christian Jews
with faith in the divine promise of a yet unseen
re-
ward, they must be prepared to leave the shelter of Jewish nationalism (the equivalent of
Old Testament Egypt) and
ex-
pose themselves to hitter persecution.
At
this stage,
much
Paul must have realized that
it
would take too
space to deal with the rest of the Bihle in detail. In one
he sum-
of the £nest poetic passages in the Pauline Letters
marizes the rest of Jewish history, emphasizing the perils these
men
of faith overcame, the persecution they endured, the un-
torments they suffered.
believable
1
Daniel
7
('lions
),
David
7
Machabees ('rack ), Eliseus ), ('mockery ), Jeremias ('scourging, imprisonment ), Zacharias ('stoned ), Isaias ('cut in pieces ), all had faith in a heavenly armies
('battles,
Seven
the
7
7
7
7
reward, even though heaven was closed in their day; the death of Christ
Let
was needed to complete their
Us Fix Our Eyes On
in the history
Jesus.
There are only two chapters
book of the human
B.C., the second A.D. It
two chapters of world
is
race; the first
The
lives of faith of is
all
headed
the
the
Old
incomplete until the
chapter of Christian faith and endurance
picturesquely visualizes
is
the Incarnation that divides these
history.
Testament heroes, the Erst chapter, final
lives.
is
added. Paul
Old Testament heroes seated
Hebrews
382
12,
3-16
your standard from him, from his endurance, from the enmity the wicked bore him, and you will not grow faint, you will not find your souls
Your
unmanned.
protest,
your battle against
sin,
has not yet called for
bloodshed; yet you have lost sight, already, of those words of
God
comfort in which
addresses you as his sons:
'My
son,
do
not undervalue the correction which the Lord sends you, do not be unmanned when he reproves your
he bestows correction; there
loves that
faults. It is
where he
no recognition
is
for
any child of his without chastisement/ Be patient, then, while
ever a son
God is treating you as his children. Was there whom his father did not correct? No, correction is the
common
lot of
correction lasts;
are left without rection
all; it.
you must be bastards, not true
We have known what
from earthly
submit, far
and draw
more
life
fathers,
willingly, to the
own
correction
when good
it
is
was to accept
cor-
shall
Father of a world of
after
caprice;
all,
we not spirits,
only corrected us for
he does
give us a share in that holiness which all
you
and with reverence;
from him? They,
a short while, at their
it
if
sons,
is his.
it
for our good, to
For the time being,
painful rather than pleasant; but afterwards,
has done
its
work of
discipline,
dispositions, to our great peace.
it
yields a harvest of
Come
then, stiffen the
sinews of drooping hand, and flagging knee, and plant your footprints in a straight track, so that the
may not stumble
man who
goes lame
out of the path, but regain strength instead.
Your aim must be peace with all men, and that holiness without which no one will ever see God. Take good care that none of you is false to God's grace, that no poisonous shoot is allowed to spring up, and contaminate many of you by its influence. None of you must be guilty of fornication, none of you earthly-minded, as Esau was, when he sold his birthright
From Caesarea 60 A.D.
383
in a vast amphitheatre,
watching the Chiistian warriors per-
forming the
the drama.
final act of
From
the height of their
heavenly blessedness, they watch intently as the Christians
put to the
are
help those
test;
now
by their example and prayers they will
undergoing the same contest they themselves
underwent long ago.
As
a
model, and as a motive for Christians to
Gethsemani he had
and death; by
ing
strive
man-
Paul gives the example of our Lord. In the garden of
fully,
he was able to accept the divine
and death and now
repugnance for
to fight against his
on
fixing his thoughts
sits
will.
his heavenly
He underwent
in glory with the Father.
The
suffer-
Father
suffering
Christian
Jews will win the grace and strength to endure the persecution of the unconverted Jews of Jerusalem
and imitate
No
his passion.
one
is
if
they look to our Lord
crowned unless he
strives
courageously.
The
doctrine of the cross
our Lord's
my
way,
follow that
life
let
and
him renounce
me/ Paul
it is
is
self,
a
any
and
inevitable
man
has a
from both
mind
to
come
and take up his cross, and this; he takes for granted
does not dwell on
familiar teaching to the Christians
the city where Jesus suffered
on
clear
his words: Tf
and
died.
who now
What
live in
he does dwell
the notion of sonship. As usual in Hebrews, he quotes
is
passage from scripture as the basis for his message; this time
it is
two
verses
from the Book of Proverbs. Discipline
sential to family life, for
family; sinful
man
is
in
and suffering are part of race. It is a
pline;
God's family as well as every
is
es-
human
need of continual correction; hardship
Gods
plan for the good of the
human
fathers office to train his family by corrective disci-
he would be wanting
in true affection
Paul concludes on a note of warning. of Jacob's brother Esau. It
He
if
he neglected it
quotes the example
was because Esau thought only of
— Hebrews
384
12,
ij-28
for a single dish of food; afterwards,
you may be
he was
sure,
eager enough to have the blessing allotted to him, but no, he
was
He
rejected.
pleaded for
it
in tears,
but no second chance
was given him.
What
is
God?
the scene, now, of your approach to
It is
no
longer a mountain that can be discerned by touch; no longer
burning
fire,
and whirlwind, and darkness, and storm.
trumpet sounds; no utterance comes from that
made
those
who
listened to
it
voice,
No
which
pray that they might hear no
more (daunted by the command, that if even a beast touched the mountain it should die by stoning. Moses said, in terror at the sight, 'I am overcome with fear and trembling'). The
now is mount Sion, is
scene of your approach salem, city of the living
God; here
thousands of angels, here sons whose in
names
judgment on
made
and
are gathered thousands
men, here is
upon
the assembly of those first-born
is
are written in heaven, here
all
perfect; here
nant,
the heavenly Jeru-
is
God
are the spirits of just
Jesus, the
sitting
men, now
spokesman of the new cove-
the sprinkling of his blood,
which has better things
to say than Abel's had.
Beware of excusing yourselves from
listening to
him who
speaking to you. There was no escape for those others,
is
who
when God uttered his warnings on we turn away when he speaks from even then, made the earth rock; now, he has
tried to excuse themselves
earth;
still less
for us,
heaven. His voice,
if
happen again: 'Only once again
announced
to us that
and
I
shake earth and heaven
that
means that what
will
it
is
shall
too.'
Only once again
shaken, this created universe, will be
removed; only the things which cannot be shaken are to stand firm.
The kingdom we have
shaken; in gratitude for
inherited
this, let
is
one which cannot be
us worship
God
as
he would
From his
own
pleasure
the iejection was
and
Caesarea 60 A.D.
satisfaction that
final.
385
God
rejected him;
and
This should be a Jesson to the Hebrews
not to presume on God's mercy; apostates
wiJJ
not win God's
pardon.
Throughout the Letter
Mosaic Sinai and Christian Sion. the Hebrews Paul
to
showing the superiority of Christianity
is
over Judaism as a religious system. Both began as a covenant
inaugurated by a sacrifice to God.
was a mountain; Sinai with
The
scene of both covenants
thunder and lightning was a
its
Son
terrifying sight; Sion with its atoning death of the
minds of Christians
raises the
suggests thoughts of peace
punishment
of divine afraid to
come near
to a merciful
and
rest.
God
of
in heaven; it
Sinai symbolizes the fear
Old Testament; everyone was
in the
that mountain. Sion symbolizes the joy
of the
New
Testament; access to the divine presence
and
open
to all Christians.
is
By Sion
a heavenly city, because
head
its
with
its
is
easy
name for JeruBody of Christ;
sits
at the right
the Father; while living on earth the Christian citizen of heaven. It
is
(another
salem) Paul means the Church, the Mystical it is
God
is
hand of
in reality a
far superior to the earthly city of stone
temple, priests, and
has our Lord Jesus Christ as
sacrifices; its
God for pardon. When God spoke at Sinai,
high
the heavenly Jerusalem
priest,
and
a sacrifice that
cries to
the earth shook. This reminds
Paul of another shaking of both heaven and earth predicted by the prophet Aggaeus. This of divine intervention in
ing of the
Church on
the end of the world.
is
a metaphorical
human
earth,
The
way
affairs; it refers to
of speaking
the found-
not to any event connected with intervention of
God
at Sinai
had
only a local and temporal effect; his second intervention
is
Hebrews
386
12,
29-13, 13
have us worship him, in awe and reverence; no doubt of our
God
is
a consuming
it,
fire.
Let brotherly love be firmly established among you; and do
men have before now entertained angels unawares. Remember those who are in prison, as if you were prisoners too; those who endure suffering,
not forget to show hospitality; in doing
since
this,
you have mortal bodies of your own. Marriage,
in every
way, must be held in honour, and the marriage bed kept free
from
stain; over fornication
account.
The love
of
and
God
adultery,
money should not
God himself has
be content with what you have.
will call us to
dwell in your thoughts; told us,
never forsake you, never abandon you'; so that
'I
will
we can
say
The Lord is my champion; I will not be what man can do to me/ Do not forget those who have had charge of you, and preached God's word to you; contemplate the happy issue of the life they lived, and imitate their faith. What Jesus Christ was yesterday, and is today, he remains for ever. Do not be
with confidence, afraid of
carried aside
what
from your course by a maze of new doctrines;
gives true strength to a
man's heart
is
gratitude, not ob-
servances in the matter of food, which never yet proved useful to those
and
it is
who
followed them.
not those
who
We
have an
altar of
our own,
carry out the worship of the tabernacle
that are qualified to eat
its sacrifices.
takes the blood of beasts with
him
When
the high priest
into the sanctuary, as
an
have to be burned away from the camp; and thus it was that Jesus, when he would sanctify the people through his own blood, suffered beyond the city gate. Let us, too, go out to him away from the camp, bearing the ignominy he bore; we have an everlastoffering for sin, the bodies of those beasts
ing
city,
but not here; our goal
is
the city that
is
one day to be.
From and
universal
eternal in
revelation to
man on
Go Out To
Jesus
Caesarea 60 A.D.
The Church
its effects.
earth;
it is
387
God's
is
final
an unchangeable kingdom.
Beyond The City Gate. Paul's usual custom in his letters is to close with some practical advice on Christian conduct First of all, he recommends the practice of charity, purity, and detachment. The motive he gives for the practice of charity
ground of Hebrews;
in keeping with the scriptural hack-
is
the story of
it is
The
three angels (Gen. 18).
on the Providence of God; to his apostles
(Mt
Abraham
entertaining
advice on detachment
is
based
sent
the same lesson our Lord gave them out to preach the gospel
letters
were addressed to Gentile con-
when he
it is
10).
All the rest of
PauTs
the moral problems of converted pagans were
verts;
more num-
erous than those of converted Jews; the Jewish moral code
protected has very
concern
them from many
is
of the grosser pagan vices.
So Paul
moral advice for the Hebrews; almost his only
little
the danger of apostasy.
opening
ject after his
on
lines
And he
returns to that sub-
charity, purity,
and detach-
ment.
He lived
quotes the example of those Christian leaders
and died
for the faith in Jerusalem.
models in these hazardous times when there ing the faith. Stephen the deacon was the
blood for the Christian cause (Acts of
John was
(Acts 12).
slain
7);
who have
They should is
serve as
danger of deny-
first
to shed his
then James the brother
by Agrippa to please his Jewish subjects
Both of these gave
of Jerusalem. If this Letter
their lives for Christ in the city
was written
after
62 A.D., then
James the Less, a cousin of Jesus and bishop of Jerusalem, had
been killed by the Jews. The Christians should take heart from these champions and hold Erm to the faith.
also
Hebrews
3 88
It is
13,
14-25
through him, then, that we must offer to
God
a continual
the tribute of lips that give thanks to his
sacrifice of praise,
name. Meanwhile, you must remember to do good to others
and give alms;
Obey
those
God
takes pleasure in such sacrifices as this.
who have
charge of you, and yield to their
will;
they are keeping unwearied watch over your souls, because they
know
they will have an account to give.
ful task for
them:
it is
your
own
loss if
Make
they find
it
a grate-
a laborious
it
effort.
Pray for
us;
we
trust
to be honourable in
we have
a clear conscience,
all our dealings.
And
I
make
and the
will
this request
the more earnestly, in the hope of being restored to you the
May God,
sooner.
the author of peace,
who has
Jesus from the dead, that great shepherd,
raised our
whose
Lord
flock
was
bought with the blood of an eternal covenant, grant you every capacity for good, to do his will.
May
he carry out
in us the
whom
glory be-
design he sees best, through Jesus Christ, to
Amen.
longs throughout
all ages,
patiently with
these words of warning;
I
am
all
sending you.
all
I visit
the saints.
ings.
entreat you, brethren, bear
You must know
has been set at liberty;
me when
I
if
he comes soon,
you. Greet
The
all
those
it is
but a
brief letter
Timothy bring him with
that our brother
who
I will
are in authority,
and
brethren from Italy send you their greet-
Grace be with you
all,
Amen.
Rome And now word was handed Julius,
over, with
given for the voyage to Italy, Paul being
some other
who belonged
to the
prisoners, to a centurion called
Augustan cohort.
We
embarked
1
!
From Even though
Caesarea 60 A.D.
389
these Christian leaders were killed, the object
of their faith remains unchangeable. Jesus Christ does die;
he remains the same for
crucified
ever.
Master that Paul takes
And
as his
it is
main motive
for the
conduct of his Hebrew audience. Jesus consummated his outside the gates of the city of Jerusalem. This
not
this ever-living,
means
life
that his
sacriEce did not take place in the temple, the sanctuary of the
Jewish people; he had to go outside Jerusalem to offer his
atoning death to his Father. the same: they
The Jewish
must go outside the
Christians
must do
shelter of Judaism, leave
From now on their lives are the Mystical Body of Christ;
the sanctuary of the old covenant.
integrated with a this is
new
society,
the Church, a new, everlasting city far better than the
They must break completely with the now an autonomous Christian
old city of Jerusalem.
Jewish religious system; they are
community. Possibly the last 16 lines are a postscript added in PauYs
own hand; they contain the only personal details found in the letter. The body of the letter may have been composed at Caesarea by Paul, then put into of his disciples;
it
the last few lines.
its
present literary form by one
was sent to Paul for approval, and he added
By
this
time he was back in
Rome
after his
journey to Spain, five years Jater than his Caesarean captivity. It
seems that Paul never came back to Palestine; these are his
last
words to the Christians of Jerusalem.
From
Caesarea to
The Voyage As Far As
Rome
Crete.
and Enal 'we-section of the Acts; Paul on his voyage to
60-63 A.D.
Luke here begins his third this means he accompanied
Rome. Another
disciple, Aristarchus,
Acts of the Apostles 27, 2-14
390
on a boat from Adrumetum which was bound for the Asiatic and set sail; the Macedonian, Aristarchus, from Thes-
ports,
was with us. Next day we put in at Sidon; and here showed Paul courtesy by allowing him to visit his friends
salonica,
Julius
and be cared
for.
Then, setting
sail,
we
of Cyprus, to avoid contrary winds, but
over the open sea that
reached Myra, in Lycia.
coasted under the lee
made
a straight course
and Pamphylia, and so There the centurion found a boat from
lies off Cilicia
Alexandria which was sailing for
Italy,
and put us on board.
We
had a slow voyage for many days after this; we made Gnidus with difficulty, and then, with the wind beating us back, had to sail under the lee of Crete by way of Salmone. Here we were hard put
to
it
to coast along as far as a place
Much time had now had become dangerous; the fast was and Paul gave them this advice: 'Sirs/ he said, 'I
called Fair Havens, near the city of Lasea.
been wasted, and already over;
sailing
can see plainly that there
is
no
sailing
great loss, not only of our freight
own
lives
to the
too/
The
now, without injury and
and of the
vessel,
centurion, however, paid
helmsman and the master than
but of our
more attention
to Paul's advice.
harbour was not well placed for wintering
in; so
them gave their voices for sailing further still, in making Phoenix and wintering there; it is a harbour which faces
in the direction of the
The
more the hope
that
of of
in Crete,
Southwest and Northwest
winds.
A light breeze was now blowing from the South, so that they thought they had achieved their purpose; they weighed anchor
and
sailed close along the coast of Crete.
But
it
was not long
before a gale of wind from the land struck the ship, the wind called the Northeaster; she
was carried out of her course, and
Caesarea to Crete 60 A.D.
391
completed the party of Christians. These two were permitted to travel with Paul, the
Roman
citizen, as his slaves.
were 2j6 people on the ship for Rome. political prisoners, others
and
to fight
condemned
die in the Circus
Some
of
criminals
Maxim us
There
them were their way
on
Roman
for the sport of
crowds.
From
Rome
Caesarea to
1,500 miles by sea; the direct
is
in a westerly direction. Since
course
is
Rome
was
had
available, Julius
no ship
sailing direct to
to take a ship north to the
Galatian coast. As they passed close to Cyprus, Paul's thoughts
went hack
to his Erst missionary journey to that island in
company with Barnabas. That was 15 years before; but it seemed like yesterday. They put in at Myra, a port not far from where Paul had landed from Cyprus to begin his conquest of Galatia; his thoughts must have gone far over the Taurus mountains to Pisidian Antioch, Iconium, and Lystra; in
all
these places
there
were flourishing Christian com-
munities. It
was
late in
September when the ship
the prevailing northwest of the ship, so that tober.
it
sailed
from Caesarea;
wind had slowed down the progress
was
now
well into the
month
Things did not improve when the party boarded a
second ship sailing direct to
Italy; instead of
Cape Malea, on the southern
heading west to
tip of Greece,
the ship was
forced south of Crete by northwest winds. It was
October; the in
of Oc-
Day
of
Atonement
1
('the fast
) fell
now
late in
on 28 October
60 A.D.
Storm At Sea ber, the
And
Shipwreck.
Mediterranean world
dry
summer months
sky
is
is
With
the
month
of
Novem-
in the grip of winter; after the
rain begins to
fall.
This means that the
clouded over, and the mariner cannot be guided by
sight of
sun or
stars.
This was most important in those days
Acts of the Apostles 2j 15-30
392
y
make no head
could
We
her drive.
now
Cauda, where we contrived, with
When
boat.
it
we gave up and let named
against the wind, so
ran under the lee of an island difficulty, to secure
the ship's
had been hoisted aboard, they strengthened the
ship by passing ropes round her; then, for fear of being driven
on
down the
to the Syrtis sands, they let
On
drifted.
sea-anchor,
we
the next day, so violently were
and
so
tossed about in
the gale, they lightened ship, and on the third, they deliberately threw the spare tackle overboard.
For several days we saw nothing of the sun or the a heavy gale pressed us hard, so that
we had
and we were much
hope
of surviving:
now
Paul stood up in their presence, and
in
lost,
want
and
stars,
by now,
all
And
of food.
j
should have taken
my
advice;
said,
you
'Sirs,
you had not put out from
if
would have saved all this injury and damage. But would not have you lose courage, even now; there is to be no
Crete, you I
loss of life
among
me last night, whom I serve,
you, only of the ship.
sent by the
and
said,
in Caesar's presence;
God
to
"Have no
An
angel stood before
whom
I
fear, Paul,
Have
you are to stand
courage, then,
God, believing that all will fall out Only we are to be cast up on an island/ trust in
sea,
God
and behold, God has granted you the
safety of all your fellow-voyagers."
On
belong, the
the fourteenth night, as
we
as
sirs; I
he has told me.
drifted about in the Adriatic
the crew began to suspect, about midnight, that
nearing land; so they took soundings, and
made
we were
it
twenty j
fathoms; then they sounded again, a short distance away, and
made
it
fifteen fathoms. Afraid, therefore, that
we might be
down
four anchors
cast ashore
from the sailors
on some rocky
stern,
had
a
and
mind
fell
to
coast, they let
to wishing
abandon the
into the sea, pretending that they
it
were day.
ship,
And now
the
and lowered the boat
meant
to lay out anchors
Off Crete November 60 A.D. before the invention of the compass;
why
it
393
was the main reason
November
in the Mediterranean stopped by
all traffic
at
the latest There was the added peril of gale-force winds, and the difficulty of
The
life
on board ship
in the cold of winter.
ship had left Lasea, against Paul's advice, and was coast-
ing along the southern shore of Crete in a westerly direction; its
objective
was the port of Phoenix, about 50 miles
The hurricane from the
distant.
struck the ship without warning, rushing
y,ooo-ft.
down
high mountains of Crete. Within a matter
was forced to turn and run with the
of minutes, the ship
wind. Driven in a southwesterly direction,
it
was heading for
the dreaded Syrtis quicksands on the north coast of Africa; to slow
down
the rate of
drift, a
heavy
sail
was dragged behind
the ship as a sea-anchor.
As Crete was blotted out by the storm, Paul would hardly
come back one day to he did come back, about
have had the thought that he would this
mountainous
five years later,
as its first bishop.
pletely taken
island.
But
in fact
with his disciple Titus,
But
at this
moment
whom
he
left
his thoughts
on Crete
were com-
up with the problem of survival aboard the
toss-
ing ship.
Most of the grain ships from Egypt were about 300 tons. The greater part of the wheat used by Rome came from the Nile delta in this type of ship. Ordinarily in good weather those
on board
slept
gale conditions they
holds, safe at least
and cooked
their meals
on deck; but in
would be battened down
in
one of the
from the danger of being washed overboard.
Morale was undoubtedly low among the 2j6 seasick, scared, and starving passengers. Among them moved Paul, the ship's chaplain,
and Luke, the
ship's doctor; there
was plenty of work
for both.
As
a guide to his conduct,
Paul had two storm scenes from
Acts of the Apostles iy 31-44
394
7
from the bows. But Paul told the centurion and the
soldiers,
These must stay on board, or there is no hope left for you'; whereupon the soldiers cut the boat's ropes away and let it
drop.
As day began food; 'Today/ in suspense,
to break, Paul entreated
he
and
said,
all
'is
not a hair of anyone's head
and gave thanks
and began selves
to eat.
took a meal.
to
the fourteenth day you have been
it is
make
will
to
be
God
lost.'
before
The whole number
seventy-six.
and afterwards they began
When
some
for your preservation;
And with
them
all,
that he took
and broke
it,
Thereupon they all found courage, and them-
two hundred and wheat into the
to take
all
that time gone hungry, neglecting to eat;
pray take some food, then;
bread,
them
So
all
ate
of souls till
on board was
they were content;
to lighten the ship, throwing the
sea.
day broke, they found that the coast was strange to
them. But they sighted a bay with a sloping beach, and made
up
their minds,
there.
They
if it
should be possible, to run the ship ashore
cast off the anchors
the same time unlashing the sail
to the breeze,
and
tiller;
and held on
left
them
in the sea, at
then they hoisted the
for the shore.
fore-
But now, finding
they were running into a cross sea, they grounded the ship
where they were. The bows, which were stuck
movement, but the
stern
began
fast, felt
falling to pieces
no
under the
violence of the waves; whereupon the soldiers would have killed the prisoners, for fear that
any of them should dive over-
board and escape, but the centurion balked them of their because he had a mind to keep Paul
safe.
He
and make across on
those
who
their
way to land; of the rest, some were ferried and some on the ship's wreckage. So it was
could swim should go overboard
planks,
reached land in safety.
will,
gave orders that first,
that
all
Crete to Malta
the
November 60 A.D.
of the Master. Just as Jesus
life
395
had comforted and
strengthened the panic-stricken crew of a fishing boat on the lake of Galilee, so Paul brought
new
faith
and confidence
had often is
a
to
He
the despairing passengers drifting in the Mediterranean.
toJd his converts in letter after letter that a Christian
member
of Christ, that the Master shows his love for
by working through
and
of darkness
human
despair,
men
instruments. During this fortnight
Paul passed from
man
closed hold of the ship bringing that grace
to
and
man
in the
light
which
only Jesus Christ can bestow on men. this means that must have shifted round to the east soon after the ship was driven away from Crete towards the African
Malta
lies
600 miles to the west of Crete;
the hurricane
coast.
rate
Since
it
took a fortnight to cover the distance, the
was about two miles an hour;
ship.
Luke
calls
this
is
normal
drift
for a helpless
the central Mediterranean the Adriatic (not
to be confused with the
modern name
for the sea lying be-
tween Italy and Yugoslavia). The ship was grounded on a
sandbank offshore;
this
yards for the passengers their escape
meant a swim of some hundreds and crew. It was the possibility
which made the
It
was only Paul's presence that saved the
lives; this is a
of
soldiers decide to kill the pris-
oners; they were responsible for these captives with their lives.
of
own
prisoners'
remarkable tribute to the power that Paul had
over men, pagan as well as Christian.
The documents
sent by Festus concerning Paul's case
must
surely have perished in the shipwreck off the coast of Malta.
why Luke wrote the Acts while Paul was in would be the main documentary evidence at his before the Imperial Court. That is why he stresses the
This explains
Rome; trial
it
favourable impression Paul
made on Roman
authorities at
Caesarea and elsewhere, during the course of his missionary journeys.
Acts of the Apostles 28, 1-14
396
When we
were safe on land, we found that the island was
The
called Malta.
kindness which the natives showed to us
was beyond the ordinary; they welcomed us fire for us,
had the
on
because rain was coming on, and
collected a bundle of faggots fire,
when
his hand;
round
a viper,
and the
and had
was
just
coming out to escape the natives,
when
cold. Paul
put them on heat, fastened
they saw the beast coiled
murderer; he has been rescued from the
geance would not
him
it
by making a
hand, said to one another, This must be some
his
into the
all
fire,
let
him
live/
sea,
and was none the worse. They
swell up, or
fall
but divine ven-
He, meanwhile, shook the beast
down dead on
still
waited to see
a sudden; but
when
they
had waited a long time, and found that there was nothing amiss with him, they changed their minds, and declared that
Among
he must be a god.
the estates in that part were some
which belonged to the leading
named
Publius,
who
citizen
on the
man
island, a
took us in and for three days entertained father
had
taken to his bed, laid up with fever and dysentery. Paul,
who
us hospitably;
had gone to
and
it
him,
visit
so
happened that Publius'
laid his
and healed him; whereupon
all
hands upon him with prayer,
who
the other folk in the island
were suffering from infirmities came to him and found a
cure.
These paid us great honour, and when we embarked they loaded us with It
all
the supplies
we needed.
was at the end of three months that we
from Alexandria which had wintered Castor and Pollux. three days; then arrived at
on,
was
We put in at Syracuse, where we waited for
we
Rhegium.
wind came
sailed, in a ship
at the island; its sign
coasted round the further shore, and so
When we
had spent
a
day there, a South
and we made Puteoli on the second day
Here we found some brethren, who prevailed on us to
out.
stay with
Malta
to
Rome March
From Malta To Rome.
61 A.D.
The warm welcome
by the Maltese was repaid by
God
with the
397
given to Paul gift of faith, a
prized possession which this Catholic island has never
They have erected
a statue to St. Paul
providential shipwreck great enthusiasm.
A
on the
and celebrate the event annually with
local tradition also credits
ishing snakes forever
lost.
of his
site
from
Paul with ban-
their island. Possibly there never
were any snakes native to the island; the viper of the Acts
may
have come to Malta as a stowaway on one of the Egyptian grain ships.
Malta belonged to the
Roman
was the local representative of the were probably the Jesus'
power
The
Sicily;
Publius
His family
Christian converts on the island.
to heaJ the sick t Paul
fluential family. their sick;
first
province of
Sicilian governor.
won an
With
entry into this in-
receptive Maltese flocked to
him with
by the time the three winter months had passed, a
large part of the population
had heard the Christian message.
Publius was ordained by Paul and put in charge of the Rock.
By
the end of February, an Egyptian ship like the one that
had been shipwrecked was ready to put to sea again; centurion Julius
went aboard
it
with
all
his passengers. After passing
through the Straits of Messina, the Castor and Pollux landed its
passengers at Puteoli, a suburb of Naples. There was
smoking Vesuvius to look
at in those days; eighteen years
would pass before the famous eruption was
The
no
to take place.
delay at Naples gave time for the news of Paul's arrival
Rome. While he was making the week's journey by land from Naples to Rome, his Roman friends decided to come out and meet him along the road and escort him into the city. In his Letter to the Romans, written to reach the Christians in
three years before
from Corinth, he greeted 28 people by
name; some of these were the nucleus of the welcoming com-
Acts of the Apostles 28, 15-25
398
them
And so we ended our journey at Rome. The who had heard our story, came out as far as
for a week.
brethren there,
Appius' Forum, and on to the Three Taverns, to meet us; Paul
gave thanks to
God and
Once we were
Rome, Paul was allowed
which he shared with the
residence, It
in
was three days
men among
later that
the Jews.
them: 'Brethren,
when he saw them.
took courage
own
who guarded him.
he called a meeting of the leading
When
am
I
soldier
to have his
they had assembled, he told
|
one who has done nothing to the
prejudice of our people, or of our ancestral customs; yet, in
These,
when
no
since
against
they
me
Romans as a prisoner. had examined me, had a mind to release me,
Jerusalem, they handed
over to the
I
me; but the Jews cried out was forced to appeal to Caesar, though it is
capital charge lay against
it,
and
I
|
not
as
why
I
if I
had any
my own
with
nation.
That
is
I
have asked for the opportunity of seeing you and speak-
ing to you. It this
fault to find
is
because
I
hope
as Israel hopes, that I
wear
chain/
At
this
they said to him:
We have not received any letter
1
about you from Judea, nor has any of the brethren come here with any
ill
report or hard words about you.
We
|
ask nothing |
better than to hear sect
is,
that
it is
what your opinions
are; all
we know
of this
everywhere decried/
So they made an appointment with him, and met him lodging in great numbers.
And he
at his
bore his testimony and told
them about the kingdom of God, trying to convince them from Moses and the prophets of what Jesus was, from dawn till
dusk.
I
Some were convinced by
belief;
and they took
selves,
but not
till
their leave
still
his words, others refused
at variance
Paul had spoken one
last
among them-
word:
'It
was a
I
I
Rome mittee.
Pwbably
Priscilh,
A.D.
399
two great personal
his
were among the
Way. Paul was
61
first
to greet
friends,
Aquih and
him on
the Appian
Riled with happiness as he entered the capital
of the Empire.
The
Paul Interviews
Jewish Leaders.
Eleven years
earlier, in
50 A.D., the Jews had been expeUed from Rome by the emperor Claudius; hut they had gradually found their way hack to the capital, particularly after the accession of the
Nero
A.D. At the time of PauYs
in 54
arrival in
emperor
March
61
A.D. they were about 25,000 in number; probably a half of
The unconverted
these were already converted to Christianity.
Jews had thirteen synagogues in the city of
Roman
powerful at the
court of Nero. This
Rome and
is
the reason
were
why
summoned them to his prison-residence; they him much trouble in his forthcoming trial. So
Paul so speedily could cause
he would explain his case and sound them out on their
at-
He must
have been relieved to hear that no come from Jerusalem concerning his case; soon after winter for any letters to have come across
titude to him.
evidence had yet it
was too
the Mediterranean.
At
a later meeting, Paul
same Jewish
leaders.
scriptural approach:
Jesus
was an
had
a religious discussion with these
Undoubtedly
his
argument was the usual
he would prove that the
essential part of the divine plan;
crucifixion of
and then he
would show the divinity of Jesus from his resurrection. But the majority still refused belief, and Paul was forced to quote the terrible words of Isaias, just as the Master himself
done (Mt.
13, 14). It only
had
confirmed PauTs often expressed
conviction that the Church's future lay with the Gentiles.
Two
years
the accusers
was the
had
legal period of detention during
which
to bring their charge against the prisoner. It
Acts of the Apostles 28, 26-31
400
true utterance the
Holy
Spirit
"Go
made
to your fathers through
and tell them, 'You will listen and listen, but for you there is no understanding; you will watch and watch, but for you there is no perceiving/ the prophet Isaias:
The heart of listen,
this
to this people,
people has become
and they keep
with those eyes, or hear with those heart,
dull, their ears are
their eyes shut, so that they
and turn back
to
ears, or
may
slow to
never see
understand with that
me, and win healing from me." Take
notice, then, that this message of salvation has
been sent by
God to the Gentiles, and they, at least, will listen to it/ And for two whole years he lived in a lodging hired own
at his
welcomed all who came to visit him, proclaiming God's kingdom, and teaching them the truths which concern our Lord Jesus Christ, boldly enough, without let or expense, and
hindrance.
.
Letter to the Ephesians
Paul, by God's will an apostle of Jesus Christ, to those saints,
the faithful in Jesus Christ,
who
dwell at Ephesus, grace and
peace be yours from God, our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Blessed be that Christ,
who
God, the Father of our Lord
Jesus
has blessed us, in Christ, with every spiritual
blessing, higher than
heaven
itself.
He
has chosen us out, in
Christ, before the foundation of the world, to
be
saints, to
be
blameless in his sight; in his love marking us out beforehand
(such was his loving design)
to
be
his
adopted children
through Jesus Christ. Thus he would manifest the splendour of that grace
by which he has taken us into
person of his beloved Son.
It is in
his favour in the
him and through
his
blood
Rome
61-63 A.D.
401
seems that none of the Jews pursued the case against Paul, and at the end of two years without a formal trial.
he was heed Julius
would give
his report,
and Paul's
case
would he
While waiting
sented to the judge in Luke's Acts.
pre-
for his
freedom, Paul lived in a house in the Jewish quarter near the Tiber.
A
soldier
frequently,
was on guard
all
the time; the guard changed
and many of these men were converted by Paul.
Peter and his disciple
Mark were probably
frequent visitors
during PauYs imprisonment. His close friend Timothy also returned from the mission
Demas,
and Onesimus
Justus,
who came
scattered far
Tychicus
are the
to Paul at this time.
became the headquarters tiles
field.
names
Epaphroditus,
f
of other visitors
The house by
the Tiber
of Paul's vast mission to the
and wide throughout the
now Gen-
far distant provinces
of the Empire.
The Church A Hymn Of Our Roman
captivity,
Is
the
Redemption.
he wrote four
Body
of Christ
Towards the end of Paul's letters:
Ephesians, Colossians,
Philemon, and Philippians. The Erst three are a group, addressed to the
Church
in Asia; of these the
most important
is
Ephesians. It has been called 'the crown of Paul's writings,
one of the divinest compositions of man. style of a is
meditation than a
letter; its
7
more
It is
in the
solemn and majestic tone
manifest from this opening paragraph, which
is
one long
sentence of 202 words in the original Greek.
In the other three Letters, Timothy Paul's; it
is
s
name
missing from Ephesians, which
is
view of the fact that Timothy was with Paul in
is
joined to
surprising, in
Rome and
was
!
Ephesians
402 that is
we enjoy redemption, the
7-20
1,
forgiveness of our sins. So rich
God's grace, that has overflowed upon us in a
wisdom and discernment, purpose of his
all
that
is
him
In
was
will. It
to give history
its
make known
to
was our
by resuming everything
in
him,
summed up
in
him.
on
is
be
lot to
to suit his purpose (for
it is
earth,
called, singled
he who
carrying out the designs of his will);
we who were
glory,
you too were
the
first
the truth, that gospel which
is
is
at
hope
out beforehand
work everywhere,
we were
to set our
when you
called,
stream of
his loving design, centred in Christ,
fulfilment
in heaven, all that it
full
to us the hidden
to manifest his
in Christ; in
him
listened to the preaching of
your salvation. In him you too
learned to believe, and had the seal set on your faith by the
promised
which of
it,
is
redeem
ours, to
and
Well
the Holy Spirit; a pledge of the inheritance
gift of
then,
faith in the
I
too play
Lord
it
for us
God's
so manifest
and bring us into possession
glory.
my
part; I
Jesus, of the love
have been told of your
you show towards
all
the
and I never cease to offer thanks on your behalf, or remember you in my prayers. So may he who is the God saints,
our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father to grant you a spirit of
wisdom and
knowledge of himself. so that
how
May
whom
to of
glory belongs,
insight, to give
you
fuller
your inward eye be enlightened,
you may understand to what hopes he has called you,
rich in glory
is
that inheritance of his found
among
the
what surpassing virtue there is in his dealings with us, who believe. Measure it by that mighty exercise of power which he showed when he raised Christ from the dead, and bade him sit on his right hand above the heavens, high above all princedoms and powers and virtues and dominations, and saints,
From Rome well
known
at Ephesus.
63 A.D.
403
Another unexpected feature
many
absence of personal greetings to Paul's
the
is
friends at the
end of the letter. The words 'at Ephesus' are missing from two of the most important Greek MSS. These facts have led most commentators to hold that Ephesians was a circular letter sent to the Asian churches; it became known as Ephesians because that city was the capital of the province,
and
a
copy was pre-
served there.
This opening paragraph has been called Paul's Magnificat. It
shows that God's plan from
of
man
in time; all history
is
all
human
race as beheaded in
Christ.
From
was the redemption
centred on the most important
on
event that has taken place
eternity
this earth.
Adam and
Paul looks on the
given a
new head
in
the depths of the Blessed Trinity, the Second
new human race in his blood; individuals long divided by sin are now united in the person of Christ; through faith they are made one body under the headship of Christ. Person creates a
The Church Completes
Christ.
Paul wrote Ephesians
to-
7
wards the end of Eve years imprisonment (58-63 A.D.), first at Caesarea and then at Rome. During these years he had
much time
and meditate. The Judaizing crisis of Galatians and Romans had passed; the battle he had waged to think
against enemies of his apostolic authority in
thians
and
2 Corin-
had died down. In Ephesians Paul was thinking more
of post-war reconstruction, of building life.
1
up the
full
Christian
Probably his observation of the social unity of the
pire turned his thoughts to the idea of the Christian as the
one organism destined by
individuals are united in the
the
same
Spirit,
God
for all
Em-
Church
mankind;
in
it
one body, animated by one and
under the authority of one head, Christ
Ephesians 1,21-2, 12
404 every
name
that
world to come.
is
known, not
He
in this world only,
but in the
has put everything under his dominion,
and made him the supreme head to which the Church is joined, so that the Church is his body, the completion of him who everywhere and in all things is complete. He found you dead men; such were your transgressions, such were the sinful ways you lived in. That was when you followed the fashion of this world, when you owned a prince whose domain is in the lower air, that spirit whose influence is still at work among the unbelievers. We too, all of us, were once of their company; our life was bounded by natural appetites, and we did what corrupt nature or our own calculation would have us do, with God's displeasure for our birthright, like other men. How rich God is in mercy, with what an excess of love he loved us! Our sins had made dead men of us, and he, in giving life to Christ, gave life to us too; it is his grace that has saved you; raised us up too, enthroned us too above the heavens, in Christ Jesus. He would have all future ages see, in that clemency which he showed us in Christ Jesus, the surpassing richness of his grace. Yes, grace that saved you, with faith for
its
come from
gift,
yourselves,
of yours, or there
design;
God
good actions
ment
it
was God's
would be room
instrument;
it
it
was
did not
not from any action
for pride.
No, we are
his
has created us in Christ Jesus, pledged to such as
he has prepared beforehand, to be the employ-
of our lives.
Remember, cording to
all
then,
what you once were, the
outward reckoning; those who
circumcision which
is
man's handiwork
Gentiles, ac-
claim an outward
call
you the uncir-
cumcised. In those days there was no
Christ for you;
outlaws from the commonwealth of
Israel, strangers to
you were every
From Rome In his other
Body
it is
he uses a new expression to Christ and his Church; is
Paul from his
many
405
Paul wiote frequently of the Mystical
letters,
of Christ; in Ephesians
pleroma). It
63 A.D.
theme. In
paragraph
this
illustrate the relation
the
it is
his
word 'completion
between
(in
Greek,
a nautical expression, possibly suggested to sea voyages, or even picked
boy in the seaport of Tarsus;
it
means the
up by him
as a
ship's crew, the
complement.
Without the Church, Christ would plete; it
is
part of
Gods
in a sense he
incom-
plan that the Incarnation of his Son
should he continued in time and place by means of the
Church. The head cannot express
itself
except through the
organs and limbs of the body; the ship cannot put to sea unless it
has a crew to
sail it.
This must not be understood as im-
Lords humanity; it is purely from Gods own design that he has permitted mankind to share in the work of redemption by becoming his Mystical Body; it is a divine favour conferred on men. It is the risen Christ who is head of the body. Paul emphasizes this because the Church is raised up to the level of
plying imperfection in our
its
head; just as Jesus
in heaven, so the
Father, Son,
powers
(a
now
dwells in the glory of the Trinity
Church's true
life is
and Holy Ghost Christ
is
a sharing in that of far
above
all
members, Christians must
rise from their subjection domain is in the lower air grace must show itself in good actions.
Satan of
Jews
prince whose
('a
And
angelic
point discussed more fully in Colossians); as his
Gentiles United In
The Church.
to sin
and
the
life
7
);
All the Asian
churches were predominantly Gentile; Christianity was Jewish in origin. tiles,'
we.'
That
is
why Paul
but includes himself
He
addresses his readers as 'you
among
Gen-
the Jews by the use of
begins by describing the pitiable state of the pagan
Ephesians
406
6
2, 13—3,
covenant, with no promise to hope
for,
with the world about
But now you are in Christ Jesus; now, through the blood of Christ, you have been brought close, you who were once so far away. He is our bond of peace; he has made the two nations one, breaking down the wall that was a barrier between us, the enmity there was between us, in his own mortal nature. He has put an end to the law with its decrees, so as to make peace, remaking the two human creayou, and no God.
tures as
one
in himself;
he would reconcile to in his
own
both
God
upon the
person,
sage was of peace for you
who were
united in a single body,
sides,
through his feud.
cross, inflicting death,
So he came, and
who were
far off,
near; far off or near, united in the
his
mes-
peace for those
same
Spirit,
we
have access through him to the Father. You are no longer the saints are your fellow-citizens, you
exiles, then, or aliens;
belong to God's household. Apostles and prophets are the foundation on which you were stone of
bound
it is
and the chief cornerJesus Christ himself. In him the whole fabric is it
grows into a temple, dedicated to the
him you too
are being built in with the rest, so that
together, as
Lord; in
God may With
find in
this in
Jesus Christ has
You
will
you a
mind,
made
I
spiritual dwelling-place.
I fall
on
how
well
I
have mastered
was never made known to any
as
it
has
now been
I,
Paul, of
whom
you Gentiles.
briefly here; briefly, yet so as
It
and prophets, and
knees;
how God planned to give me a special you; how a revelation taught me the
have been setting out
to let you see
my
a prisoner for the love of
have been told
grace for preaching to secret
built,
this secret of Christ's.
human
being in past ages,
revealed by the Spirit to his holy apostles it is this:
that through the gospel preach-
ing the Gentiles are to win the same inheritance, to be
made
From Rome
63 A.D.
407
world before the coming of Christ; they did not enjoy God's revelation
made
to the
Jews in the Old Testament
God
Their exclusion from the divine benefits conferred by
on
Israel
was symbolized by the
'wall' that
separated the Court
of the Gentiles from the inner courts of the temple at Jeru-
salem. It was only four feet six inches high, but
dared pass through
it
into the presence of
Soreg by the Jews. Within
its
God;
no Gentile
it
was called
enclosure they were a race apart,
holding fanatically to their privileged position. This was the barrier that Jesus
removed by
both Jew and Gentile to a
his death
new
on the
cross.
He
raised
plane of existence by making
them one; not one people, but one person through membership in his Mystical Body, the Church.
Blood divides races on the face of the Christ
Bowed on Calvary
have access to
God
because they are is
earth; the blood of
to reunite them.
The
Gentiles
now
the Father; they can enter God's presence
members
mind
of his household. Since Paul's
on the temple of Jerusalem, he
finally pictures
Jew and
Gentile as two walls joined together by Jesus Christ himself as the
corner-stone;
they are living stones in God's
own
building.
Paul's
Commission To
Promulgate
The
thoughts are on the temple in Jerusalem;
Paul's
Secret.
it
was there the
trouble began which led to his present imprisonment. further Jink with the letter he sian,
is
now
who had accompanied him on
that was the cause of a Gentile Christian
all
writing,
As
a
was an Ephe-
his return to Jerusalem,
the trouble. This
whom
it
man was Trophimus,
the unconverted Jews in the tem-
ple precincts accused of entering the inner enclosure,
beyond
the Soreg. This accusation had led to Paul's arrest and his
consequent Eve years in prison at Caesarea and Rome.
Ephesians
408 part of the
7-4,
1
same divine promise, in With what grace God gives me (and he gives it
same body,
Christ Jesus.
3,
to share the
am
in all the effectiveness of his power), I
gospel;
on me,
am
least as I
of all the saints,
making known
of
this privilege,
a minister of that
he has bestowed
to the Gentiles the un-
fathomable riches of Christ, of publishing to the world the plan of this mystery, kept hidden from the beginning of time in the all-creating
mind
of
of heaven are to see, now,
God. The
made manifest
subtlety of God's wisdom; such in Christ Jesus our Lord,
us
come
principalities
who
Church, the
his eternal purpose, centred
is
gives us all our confidence, bids
forward, emboldened by our faith in him. Let there
be no discouragement, then, over the your behalf;
With
in the
and powers
it is
this in
affliction I
undergo on
an honour done to you.
mind, then,
whom May he,
on
I fall
my
knees to the Father,
fatherhood in heaven and on earth
that Father from
all
takes
out of the rich treasury of his glory,
its title.
strengthen you through his Spirit with a power that reaches
your innermost being.
through love,
founded on
to measure, in
love.
all its
filled
power
is
with at
Christ find a dwelling-place,
May
may your
you and
know what
the completion
all
work
all
lives
be rooted
in us
the saints be enabled
is
May you He whose
passes knowledge.
God
has to give.
powerful enough, and more than
powerful enough, to carry out his purpose beyond
hopes and dreams;
may he be
glorified in the
is
all
our
Church, and
Christ Jesus, to the last generation of eternity.
Here, then,
in
breadth and length and height and depth,
the love of Christ, to
be
May
your hearts;
faith, in
in
Amen.
one who wears chains
in the Lord's service,
men
called to such a voca-
pleading with you to
live as befits
From Rome As Paul looks
at his chains,
63 A.D.
he
is
409
reminded of these distant
He
happenings in Jerusalem; hut he does not complain.
on
his lenees to
thank
him
of peimitting
Gentiles; for this
to is
God
faJJs
the Father for the great privilege
undergo such
afflictions
on behalf of the
his great vocation in Hie.
when
day, thirty-three years before,
Ever since the
Jesus appeared to
him on
the Damascus Road, Paul has gloried in the commission given him to he the apostle of the Gentiles: 'Go on your way; I mean to send you on a distant errand, to the Gentiles.'
This for the
is
the secret hidden from
human
the Mystical
all
eternity in the divine plan
race: the Gentiles are to
Body
of the chosen race.
of Christ with
Even the
all
become members
of
the rights and privileges
angels were not told of this great
mankind under the headship of was hinted at by our Lord during his
secret of the incorporation of
Christ.
Although
it
earthly life (notably in his parables: the tramps brought into
the marriage feast signify the call of the Gentiles; likewise the
eleventh-hour labourers in the vineyard, and the return of the prodigal to the Father's house)
known
in clear terms,
and
it
to put
was it
left to
Paul to make
it
into execution by his mis-
sion to the Gentile world.
Jews usually prayed standing; Paul expresses the intensity
Gethsemanu He is transported out of himself by the thought of what incorporation in Christ does for men; it raises them to the life
of his prayer by falling
on
his knees, like Jesus in
of the Blessed Trinity; they are sons of the Father, indwelt
by
Holy Spirit, the love of Christ the Redeemer poured out upon them.
the
Full Spiritual tians,
Growth In
Christ.
both Jew and Gentile,
is
The
vocation of
all
to live in unity. This
Chris-
is
what
Ephesians
410 tion as yours.
You must be
patient, too, in bearing with
4,
2-16
always humble, always gentle;
one another's
faults, as charity
bids; eager to preserve that unity the Spirit gives you,
bond
is
peace.
You
whose
are one body, with a single Spirit; each of
when he was called, called in the same hope; with the same Lord, the same faith, the same baptism; with the same God, the same Father, all of us, who is above all things, per-
you,
vades
and
all things,
lives in all things.
But each of us has received his own special grace, dealt out to him by Christ's gift. (That is why we are told, 'He has mounted up on high; he has captured his spoil; he has brought gifts to men.' The words, 'He has gone up/ must mean that he had gone down to the lower regions of earth. And he who so went down is no other than he who has gone up, high above
all
the heavens, to
he has appointed to be be
to
fill
creation with his presence. )
apostles, others to
evangelists, or pastors, or teachers.
Some
be prophets, others
They
are to order
up
the lives of the faithful, minister to their needs, build
the frame of Christ's body, until
we
all realize
our
common
unity through faith in the Son of God, and fuller knowledge of him. So
which are
is
no longer
sailors,
human pound. so
we
is
manhood, that maturity
to
be children, no longer to be
driven before the wind of each subtlety,
human
We are to
grow up,
who
shall reach perfect
proportioned to the completed growth of Christ;
skill
like storm-tossed
new
in fabricating
doctrine that lies,
may
pro-
follow the truth, in a spirit of charity, and
in everything, into a
our head.
we
On him
all
due proportion with Christ,
the body depends;
it is
organized
and unified by each contact with the source which supplies it; and thus, each part receiving the active power it needs, it achieves its natural growth, building itself up through charity.
From Rome Christ has
won
must maintain all
walks of
lem of
for
life;
them by
by a
it
there
life is
living together;
his
63 A.D.
411
redemptive death; but they
of charity. Christians are taken
bound
to be friction in the daily prob-
humble, patient charity
with the faults of others
is
the
life
we
in putting
essential to Christian unity. It
not a quality that comes naturally to men;
as
it is
7
was our Lord's
final
up is
a sharing in
of the Blessed Trinity. 'That they should
are one,
from
all
be one,
Church
prayer for his
at
the Last Supper.
But unity does not mean uniformity. This
is
clear
from the
diversity of functions ('special grace') in the teaching ministry
of the Church;
some go
to
new
missions
among
the pagans
('apostles), others preach the gospel in established ities;
and
in this latter
group there
is
commun-
a division of work,
some
reading the secrets of hearts ('prophets'), others telling the gospel story ('evangelists'), others instructing converts and
teaching children. All these offices are given by Christ the
who has won the right to bestow his gifts on men; he now reigns in heaven, he won his victory on earth
conqueror,
although
Son of God (the six lines in brackets prove this by a quotation from Psalm 67). Our Lord did not intend his Church to be static; its nature is to grow and develop; it is his Mystical Body, and a body is a vital organism. The different organs and limbs of a body grow in proportion to the head; it is the exemplar and standard of growth. The unity of the Church comes from its conformity to its head; the more each Christian is identified with Jesus by his knowledge and love, the more the Church grows to its full stature, and the more closely are its members united to each other. Charity is the vital force that flows from the head to the body and brings it to maturity.
as the Incarnate
Ephesians
412 This, then,
is
my
name not
Lord's
4, 17-5, 2
message to you;
I call
upon you
fancies their rule of
in the
who make
to live like the Gentiles,
vain
Their minds are clouded with dark-
life.
them an ignorance, life; and so, past all
ness; the hardness of their hearts breeds in
which estranges them from the divine
have given themselves up to incontinence, to
feeling, they
selfish habits of impurity.
This
not the lesson you have
is
learned in making Christ your study, to him. If true knowledge
is
to
if
you have
be found
really listened
you
in Jesus,
have
will
learned in his school that you must be quit, now, of the old
self
whose way of life you remember, the self that wasted its aim on false dreams. There must be a renewal in the inner life of your minds; you must be clothed in the
new
self,
which
is
cre-
ated in God's image, justified and sanctified through the truth.
Away
with falsehood, then;
to his neighbour;
let
membership
everyone speak out the truth
of the
body binds us to one
another. 'Do not let resentment lead you into
must not tunity.
find
you
still
angry.
The man who was
let
him work
he
will
instead,
Do
must be a his
own
thief
no
longer;
labour the blessings
be able to share with those who are
must
the sunset
not give the devil his oppor-
a thief
and earn by
sin';
in need.
No
base
what will serve to edify others and bring a grace to those who are listening; do not distress God's holy Spirit, whose seal you bear until the day of your redemption comes. There must be talk
cross your lips; only
as opportunity arises,
no
trace of bitterness
among
you, of passion, resentment,
quarrelling, insulting talk, or spite of
any kind; be kind and as
God
been generous to you. As God's favoured
chil-
tender to one another, each of you generous to in Christ has
all,
lives in charity,
upon
the model of that charity which Christ showed to you,
when
dren,
you must be
like
him. Order your
he gave himself up on our behalf, a fragrance as he offered
it
to
God.
sacrifice
breathing out
From Rome
Model Your Lives On Christ. way of thought and the hahits
63 A.D. It
413
is difficult
of a lifetime.
to lay aside the
Most
of Paul's
converts in Ephesus and the other cities of Asia had lived in
an atmosphere of superstition and magic during their pagan days.
Seven years before, the converts of Ephesus had made a
bonfire
and burnt
many
but
hooks of black magic (Acts 19, 19);
all their
of their superstitious beliefs
background of
their
had lingered on
minds; helped along by the
who
flourished at this time in Asia, a
were
falling
number
false teachers
of the converts
back into pagan ways. So Paul warns them of the
danger; there can be
no compromise between paganism and
new
Christianity; the old self cannot coexist with the
man
in the
self,
regenerated by grace.
The Mystical Body
must learn from its head, Jesus himself, how it is to think and how to live; its attitude and conduct towards those around them must be the same as those our Lord taught both by word and example. Pagan thinking must give way to Christian thinking; that is what Paul means by 'a renewal in the inner life of your minds. They must look at men with the eyes of Christ, see everything as he saw it related to the will of his Father in heaven; their standard of conduct must be the Sermon on the Mount. of Christ
7
In the second part of this paragraph, Paul failings that the to.
They
ness; these are sins
common
are
and uncharitable-
which destroy the unity and harmony of
and opposition among the
the Mystical Body, cause friction
common
Eve
Asian churches are to pay particular attention
are lying, anger, thieving, base talk,
members who
lists
bound
so closely to each other through their
union with the head. As in
particularly charity Paul insists on.
love for us by his death
on the
1
And
Corinthians 13, the motive
is
it is
Christ's
cross, his sacrificial offering
that ascends like incense to the Father.
Ephesians
414
As
5,
3-21
and impurity of every kind, and covetmust be no whisper of it among you; it would become saints; no indecent behaviour, no ribaldry or smartfor debauchery,
ousness, there ill
ness in talk; that
is
not your business, your business
is
to give
thanks to God. This you must know well enough, that nobody can claim a share in Christ's kingdom, God's kingdom, if
he
debauched, or impure, or has that love of money which
is
makes a man an idolater. Do not allow anyone to cheat you with empty promises; these are the very things which bring
down God's
anger on the unbelievers; you do
your lot with them. Once you were Lord, you are
all
daylight.
the light; where the light has holiness,
and
the Lord's dark,
truth; your lives
will.
As
throw
to
in
darkness; now, in the
all
You must
ill
men
live as
its effect, all is
native to
goodness, and
must be the manifestation of
for the thankless deeds
you must not take any part
in
men do
in the
them; rather, your con-
duct must be a rebuke to them; their secret actions are too
shameful even to bear speaking
the light that rebukes
of. It is
such things and shows them up for what they
shows up. That sleep,
and
arise
is
are;
only light
the meaning of the words, 'Awake, you that
from the dead, and Christ
shall give
you
light.'
how carefully you have to tread, not as fools, but men do, hoarding the opportunity that is given you,
See then as wise
in evil times like these.
No, you cannot
you must grasp what the Lord's
will
is
afford to
for you.
be
Do
reckless;
not besot
yourselves with wine; that leads to ruin. Let your contentment
be
in the Spirit; your tongues unloosed in
and
spiritual music, as
psalms and hymns
you sing and give praise to the Lord
in your heart.
Give thanks continually to God, who
name
of our
Lord Jesus Christ; and,
as
is
our Father, in the
you stand
in
awe
of
From Rome Christians
63 A.D.
The Light Of The World.
415
In the previous para-
graph, Paul pointed out sins that were destroying the unity
He
of the Church. to
was considering the relations of Christians
one another. Here he
good example
to the
concerned with the need to give
is
pagan world;
it is
the Church's mission
to convert the heathen.
They cannot do
this if they live as the
seem that the heresy known its
It
would
later as Gnosticism was beginning
growth among the Asian churches;
graces of Christianity put
heathen do.
its
this taught that the
members above the moral
high
law.
So
Paul warns that such vices as impurity and drunkenness debase
down God's
the Christian name, and will bring
anger.
Impurity and drunkenness are sins especially of the night,
'when
most
evils are
free.'
time of darkness than lighting;
lamps gave
it is
off
In those times night was more a
nowadays; there was no adequate
more smoke than
light.
Consequently
the rising of the sun each morning was an event that
much more
to the ancients than
it
does to
this
image of the sun coming
that
Simeon welcomed the Messiah: 'This
shall give revelation to the Gentiles'
same image when he
The
Mystical
reflects
And
was under
darkened world
is
the light which
our Lord used the
called himself 'the light of the world/
Body has
the same function as
the light which belongs to
Jesus. It is a
us. It
to shine in a
meant
it
from
its
its
head;
it
union with
luminous body in the midst of the darkness of
paganism. Even the ceremony of baptism reminded a Christian of this; in the early
(Heb.
6, 4); that is
Church
why Paul
it
was called 'enlightenment'
quotes horn an early baptismal
hymn.
The
Christian
the Christian
Home.
life
So
far Paul's teaching
in the unity of the Mystical
on how
to live
Body has been
Ephesians
416
5,
22-6, 5
Christ, submit to each other's rights.
husbands
Wives must obey
their
would obey the Lord. The man is the head woman's body is united, just as Christ is the
as they
to which the
head of the Church, he, the Saviour on
whom
the safety of
body depends; and women must owe obedience at all points to their husbands, as the Church does to Christ. You who are husbands must show love to your wives, as Christ
his
showed love
to the
He would
behalf.
Church when he gave himself up on
hallow
it,
purify
water to which his word gave
own
his
life;
Church
presence, the
wrinkle,
no such disfigurement;
spotless.
And
she were his himself. It his
so
own it is
that
is
flesh
it
unheard
was to be holy,
in loving his wife, a of,
that a
it
he would summon
in all its beauty,
how husband ought
own body;
is
by bathing
it
man
and blood; no, he keeps
with Christ and his Church;
it
into
it
no
stain,
was to be
to love wife, as
man
is
should bear
it
we
no
its
in the
if
but loving ill-will
fed and warmed;
to
and
are limbs of his body;
and bone, we belong to him. That is why a man will leave father and mother and will cling to his wife, and the flesh
two tery,
become one
will
and
I
am
flesh/ Yes, those
applying them here to Christ and his Church.
Meanwhile, each of you himself,
and the wife
You who
words are a high mys-
is
is
to love his wife as
he would love
to pay reverence to her husband.
must show obedience in the Lord to your parents; it is your duty: 'Honour your father and your mother' that is the first commandment which has a promise attached to it 'so it shall go well with you, and you shall live long to enjoy the land.' You who are fathers, do not rouse your children to resentment; the training, the discipline in which are children
— —
you bring them up must come from the Lord. You who are slaves, give your human masters the obedience you owe to Christ, in anxious fear, single-mindedly; not with that
show
From Rome 63 AD. directed to to
417
Christians. In this paragraph
all
he
restricts
himself
one element of society the family. In God's plan, from the f
creation of the
human
was intended to he
race, the family
the basic unit of society. Paul goes a step further; he treats
the family as the Church in miniature; he likens the relations
members
of a family to those existing between Christ
and
the Church. In a family of Paul's time there were three
ele-
of
ments: husband and wife, parents and children, masters and slaves. first
Paul has something to say to each category; he deals
with the weaker member, then with the stronger. His
main teaching
love
is:
on the part of
superiors, obedience
on
the part of inferiors. It is especially in his teaching
band and wife that Christian living.
The
position of a wife in pagan society,
to a lesser extent in Jewish, a slave; in
most
on the relations between hushad such an influence on
Paul's doctrine
and
was not much better than that of
cases her true position in the
home was not
recognized. She was regarded as a fickle, unreliable person un-
worthy of
trust or a position of authority:
'One thing
I ever
One true man woman never' (Ec-
longed to End, and found never, a true woman. I
might find among a thousand, but
clesiastes 7, 29).
intended by
By
God
a
woman to her original position creating Adam and Eve, and by super-
restoring
in
naturalizing the love of
husband and
wife,
Paul raised the
status of the wife in a Christian family.
The model
for the
husband
is none members of Christ's united to him by the sacra-
in his love for his wife
other than Christ himself. Just as the
Mystical Body, the Church, are
ment
of baptism, so the marriage service unites
wife in a holy bond. That
is
what Paul
is
husband and
alluding to in his
'bathing in the water'; the marriage ceremony in those days
resembled baptism in that a ceremonial bath was given to the
Ephesians
41 8
their heart.
6-20
human
of service which tries to win acter of Christ's slaves,
6,
favour, but in the char-
who do what
is
Yours must be a slavery of
to the Lord; you
know
God's
love,
with
all
well that each of us, slave or free, will
be repaid by the Lord for every task well done.
them
are masters, deal with
will
not to men, but
accordingly; there
And you who is
no need
to
know well enough that you and they have heaven, who makes no distinction between man
threaten them; you a Master in
and man. have no more to say except
I
this;
draw your strength from
You
the Lord, from that mastery which his power supplies.
must wear
the weapons in God's armoury,
all
find strength to resist the cunning of the devil. It flesh
and blood that we enter the
lists;
if
you would
is
not against
we have
to
do with
princedoms and powers, with those who have mastery of the world in these dark days, with malign influences in an order higher than ours. Take up
all
God's armour, then; so you
be able to stand your ground when the be found fast,
your loins
and your
on,
peace.
you
on your
still
With
will
girt
feet
when
feet,
all
evil
will
time comes, and
the task
is
over.
Stand
with truth, the breastplate of justice
fitted
shod in readiness to publish the gospel of take
all this,
up the
be able to quench
all
shield of faith, with
which
the fire-tipped arrows of your
wicked enemy; make the helmet of salvation your own, and the sword of the
and
supplication; pray at all times in the spirit; keep
to that all
God's word. Use every kind of prayer
spirit,
end with
all
me
the saints. Pray for
speak
my mind
tion, for
which
boldly, in I
awake
perseverance; offer your supplication for
am
I may be given words to making known the gospel revela-
too, that
an ambassador in chains; that
have boldness to speak
as
I
ought.
If
I
may
you would know more
From Rome
63 A.D.
bride on the eve of her wedding. There
beyond human comprehension
man and woman
creating
love in the married state; still
when
A
is
419
something deep and
God's
capable of the highest form of
human
it
takes
seen as a sharing in Christ's love for his Church.
for love of us,
may our
who
more and more.
and died
us;
and please
let it lead us to
7
The Soldier of Christ. Paul was a prisoner in Rome; a Roman soldier stood on guard hung on the
lived
love for each other help us understand
your deep, personal love for
chain
)
on a more profound meaning
family prayer: 'Jesus, dearest Master,
love you
7
in
high mystery
('a
wall; at night,
in his hired
house
night and day.
and whenever Paul
left
A
the
house during the day, he was chained to the soldier on duty. It
was the armour of
this ever-present
guard that suggested to
Paul his illustration of what a Christian should wear in his fight against his spiritual enemies.
The
devil
against; his
enemies Jews
is
enemy
the principal
power and
('flesh
far greater
is
a Christian has to fight
than that of any
human
blood'), such as unconverted pagans
and
who oppose and persecute Christians. The Master himself this when he met Satan in battle at the very
demonstrated
beginning of his Public Ministry (see Mt. to destroy Satan
s
out a struggle; he will do
from In
weapons
warfare against Satan six
all
in his
their allegiance to Christ the listing the
items of a
4, 1-11). Jesus
came
empire; but the devil does not give up with-
a Christian
and
Roman
breastplate, shoes ('feet
power
to
win
men away
Redeemer.
must use
in this spiritual
his diabolical army, Paul picks out
soldier s armour:
shod
1
),
shield,
belt
('loins
gilt'),
helmet and sword. As he
points out the significance of each of these parts of a soldier's
equipment, he probably asked for and was given technical
Colossians
420 of
my
my
circumstances,
my
from Tychicus,
in the Lord; that
is
i,
1-10
occupations, you
the reason
why
I
may
and
dearly loved brother
learn
all
that
faithful servant
have sent him, to
let
you
have news of me, and to bring courage to your hearts. Peace
and love joined with
to the brethren,
faith,
from
Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Grace be with
all
God
the
those
who
love our Lord Jesus Christ with an immortal love.
Letter to the Colossians From
Paul,
by God's purpose an apostle of Jesus Christ, and
Timothy who brethren
from
God
their brother, to the saints at Colossae, our
is
who
believe in Christ, grace
our Father.
be yours and peace
We give thanks to God,
the Father of
our Lord Jesus Christ, continually in our prayers for you,
we
are told of your faith in Jesus Christ,
you show you
to all the saints; such
in heaven.
Hope was
hope have you of what awaits
the lesson you learned from that
truth-giving message of the gospel
which now bears
fruit
and
when
and the love which
which has reached you,
thrives in you, as
it
does
all
the
world over, since the day when you heard of God's grace and
what it is. Your teacher was Epaphras, for us, a well-loved fellow bondsman, and for you a loyal minister of Christ; and it is he who has told us of this love which you cherish in the Spirit. So, ever since the news reached us, we have been praying for you in return, unceasingly. Our prayer is, that you may be filled with that closer knowledge of the Lord's will which brings all wisdom and all spiritual insight recognized
with
on
it.
it
for
May you
his pleasure;
live as befits his servants, waiting continually
may
the closer knowledge of
God
bring you
From Rome assistance by the stolid
Roman
63 A.D.
421
guard standing by. The
belt,
or girdle, was drawn tight around the waist so that the soldier would be ready for action; 'justice here means sanctifying grace by which the whole person is protected; 'God's word' is 7
who made known
the divine message delivered by Christ,
God's
final revelation to
men.
Christ the
The man
Paul's Prayer for the Colossians. letter
Asia.
King responsible for this
was Epaphras, the founder of the church
He was probably well known
to Paul
from
at Colossae in his long stay of
three years at Ephesus. Colossae was only 100 miles east of
had had never visited Colossae. Paul greeted his fellow missionary with warmth; he was delighted at this unexpected visit from far-off Asia. The two sat down for a talk on the state of the Church in Epaphras' field Ephesus, just
off the
main road
to Antioch; although Paul
often been along this highway, he
of labour. All was not well at Colossae; the Christians there
were showing an unhealthy interest in the world of
spirits;
they
were engaged in dreaming and useless subtleties; their fantastic
and extravagant theorizing on angels and demons was leading
them to minimize the part played by Christ in their redemption and sanctiEcation. From his prison in Rome, Paul dictated this letter, Epaphras standing by to prompt and explain as Paul developed his reply to this first appearance of the heresy that later became known as Gnosticism. He begins with a prayer that is rather long and involved, as though he was having trouble in coming to grips
Colossians
422 fruitfulness his glorious
and growth power can
1,
11-23
May
in all good.
you be
inspired, as
inspire you, with full strength to
be
patient and to endure; to endure joyfully, thanking the Father for
making us
fit
to share the light
which
saints inherit, for
rescuing us from the power of darkness, and transferring us to the
kingdom
of his beloved Son.
from our
sins.
God we find the redemption that sets us free He is the true likeness of the God we cannot
see; his
is
that
first
Yes, in
him
In the Son of
are
which precedes every act of
and
invisible;
what
are thrones
it
princedoms and powers? They were
all subsist.
He
too
is
that head whose body
begins with him, since his was the
thus in every way the primacy was to
good pleasure
him
to
all
his blood, shed
too,
become
was God's and through
his. It
whether on earth or in heaven, making peace with them through
on the
cross.
were once estranged from him; your minds were
alienated from
natural
and in the Church;
all things,
into union with himself,
You,
is
created
all,
birth out of death;
first
to let all completeness dwell in him,
win back
and
and dominions,
through him and for him; he takes precedency of
him
creation.
created things took their being, heavenly
all
earthly, visible
what
birth
body
him by a to
life
of sin; but
now he has
win you back through
used Christ's
his death,
and
so to
bring you into his presence, holy, and spotless, and unreproved. But that
grounded
in
it,
means that you must be firmly established in
it;
true to your faith,
nothing must
shift
you away from the hope you found in the gospel you once listened to. It is a gospel which has been preached to all creation under heaven, service.
and
I,
Paul, have been brought into
its
From Rome with the problem; possibly he
is
63 A.D.
423
somewhat
diffident in rebuk-
ing a church that he himself did not found. faith,
edge, wisdom,
and
spiritual insight,
understand the mysteries of the
The Primacy word
He
praises their
hope, and charity; then he wishes them a deeper knowl-
of Christ. 7
'gnosis,
without which they cannot
faith.
Gnosticism comes from the Greek
which means knowledge of the
invisible
God
According to the Gnostics, contact with
God.
was made
through intermediary spiritual beings, 'thrones, dominions, princedoms, and powers.' They put Christ in
among
this category,
these angelic beings.
In refuting
this
pagan approach to God, Paul
states the
pre-eminent dignity of Christ both as creator and redeemer.
The Gnostic it
through his
Trinity.
came
Even
God
idea that
things of this world
is
has no interest in the material
completely wrong; he himself created 7
'true likeness,
Christ the Second Person of the
these angelic beings were created by Christ; they
into existence through
him who
lives for all eternity.
God himself has man like them; by shedding his blood on the cross Christ has won them from the power of sin, and brought them under his sovereignty. And after his resurrection, Christ has Far from being apart and aJoof from men,
become
a
not
mankind
left
alone;
he
still lives
on
as the vital
power of
the Church, the head from which the body draws spiritual strength, is
and by which
God s own
all
its
7
it
shares in
life.
It
not necessary for the Colossians to go outside Christ to
obtain contact with the
have access to
all
God we
cannot
see;
through him they
the divine treasures of grace.
Colossians
424
Even
as
I
write, I
am
24-2, 8
1,
my
glad of
as, in this
mortal frame of mine,
which the
afflictions of
I
sufferings
help to pay off the debt
Christ leave
sake of his body, the Church. received a commission from
still
When
God
on your behalf,
be paid,
to
entered
I
for the
its service,
for the benefit of
I
you Gen-
word among you. This had been hidden from all the ages and generations of the past; now, he has revealed it to his saints, whom he wished to publish among the Gentiles the manifold to complete the preaching of his
tiles,
was the
secret that
—Christ
splendour of this secret
Him,
glory.
and
then,
among
human being as human being perfect
labour, for this that
I
effect, so effectually
And
indeed,
I
you, your hope of
proclaim, warning every
instructing every
to exhibit every
that
we
does his
must
let
I
wisely as
seen
me
with
in person. I
see
them
being
we may,
so as
in Christ. It
is
power manifest
itself in
you know what anxiety
would bring courage
for this
and with me.
strive so anxiously;
you, and the Laodiceans, and those others
would
human
I
feel over
who have
never
to their hearts;
well ordered in love, enriched in every
I
way
fuller understanding, so as to penetrate the secret re-
vealed to us by God: Christ, in
whom
the whole treasury of
wisdom and knowledge is stored up. I tell you this, for fear that somebody may lead you astray with high-flown talk. In person, I am far away from you, but I am with you in spirit; and I rejoice to see how well disciplined you are, how firm is your faith in Christ.
Go
on, then, ordering your lives in Christ
Jesus our Lord, according to the tradition you have received
of him.
You
are to be rooted in him, built
faith established in the teaching
you have
with gratitude. Take care not to his
philosophizings,
with
let
up on him, your
received, overflowing
anyone cheat you with
empty phantasies drawn from
From Rome
The
Afflictions of Christ.
63 A.D.
425
The Roman guard
at the
door and
the chain dragging on the wall were a constant reminder to
Paul of the
afflictions
he was was suffering for Christ. They
were a link with the Gentile churches of Asia, because
on
their
account that he was
now
Jerusalem, and the hostility of the Jews,
no longer any
it
was
imprisoned; his arrest at
came from
his teach-
between Jew and Gentile in the Church, the Mystical Body of Christ
ing that there was
The
essential event in our
members
death; the
distinction
Lords
of his Mystical
life
was
his passion
Body must
live
and
the same
thorn-crowned head. In his natural body Christ can
life as
their
suffer
no more;
it is
only through his members, such as Paul,
that he can continue his sufferings. It was a privilege for Paul to
endure so
much
because
it
united
him both
to Christ
and
Christians.
The
At the Last Supper, the made this request of Jesus: 'Lord, let us see the Father; that is all we ask/ To which Jesus replied: 'Whoever has seen me, has seen the Father. The outlook of the ColosIncarnation and Redemption.
apostle Philip
7
sian Christians
was similar to that of Philip; they wanted
contact with the Deity; they were seeking to penetrate the
God. But they sought
secrets of
spiritual beings,
it
through the world of
from philosophy, from mysticism and empty
They had forgotten the lesson they should have remembered from Bethlehem: God himself, 'the whole plenitude of Deity,' had come down in human form; in Christ 'the whole treasury of wisdom and knowledge is stored up/ By the Incarnation, God became accessible to men; the earthly
phantasies.
life
of Jesus in Palestine brought
creatures.
God
They have only
himself
is like.
God
close to his
human
to study Jesus Christ to see
what
Colossians
426
human
from worldly
tradition,
9-21
2,
Christ's teaching. In Christ the
principles; they
whole plenitude of Deity
embodied, and dwells in him, and your completion; he
were never
it is
in
him
the fountain head from which
is
is
that you find all
do-
minion and power proceed. In him you have been circumcised with a circumcision that was not man's handiwork. effected by the despoiling of our sinful nature,
It
was
by the
cir-
cumcision of Christ; you, by baptism, have been united with his burial, united, too, with his resurrection,
faith in that exercise of
the dead.
And
when you
lay
dead
your
in
He condoned
in you.
excluded
us,
power by which
in giving life to
the decree
of the way, by nailing
it
sins,
our
all
with nature
sins;
made
God
him, he gave
through your
raised
him from
life to
all
you
too,
uncircumcised
cancelled the deed which
to our prejudice, swept
to the cross;
it
out
and the dominions and
powers he robbed of their prey, put them to an open shame, led
them away
in triumph,
through him.
So no one must be allowed to take you to task over what you eat or drink, or
in the matter of observing feasts,
moons, and sabbath days; future events, the reality
all is
and new
these were but shadows cast by
found in Christ. You must not
allow anyone to cheat you by insisting on a false humility
which addresses
its
worship to angels. Such a
stand upon false visions; his
comes
of
of ours,
human
on
whom
is
speculation. all
man
takes his
the ill-founded confidence that
He
is
not united to that head
the body depends, supplied and unified
up with a growth which is divine. If, by dying with Christ you have parted company with worldly principles, why do you live by these prescriptions,
by
joint
as
if
and ligament, and
the world were
still
so growing
your element? Prescriptions against
touching, or tasting, or handling those creatures which vanish
From Rome
63 A.D.
427
All religious systems have an initiation ceremony.
Judaism
it
was circumcision; with Christianity
it is
With
baptism.
In those early days, baptism was by immersion; the person being baptized was plunged
up
again. This always
rection; just as our
up
down
into the water
and
reminds Paul of Christ's death and
raised resur-
Lord went down into the tomb and rose and his old corrupt
again, so the Christian dies to his sins
nature and
rises to a
new
life
in Christ Jesus.
Paul often saw victory parades in the streets of Rome; every time a victorious general returned from a campaign he was given a triumphal procession. In a
way
Christ's
war he
final,
vivid scene
of the cross as such a triumph.
carried, as a title
on
his cross, the
As
he presents a trophy of
conquered Mosaic
law (the deed which excluded the Gentiles from
Gods
king-
marched the angel custodians ('dominions and powers') of the Old Covenant, prisoners won in battle.
dom); in
The
his train
Reality
Found
is
in Christ.
The Gnostics
at Colossae
were not content with mere speculation on the mediatorship of angels, they also their daily lives.
adopted a number of ascetical practices in
Their observance of the sabbath indicates that
some of these practices were borrowed from Judaism; and new moons' probably refers to the Jewish annual
at least 'feasts
festivals of Passover,
Pentecost, Tabernacles, and Dedication,
as well as the celebration of the Erst
day of each month (the
new moon) as a special feast day. Their scruples about eating may also have been based on the Jewish kosher food laws. Paganism provided a number of superstitious bodily mortifications which made up the ascetical programme of the Gnostic false visionaries.
Paul lumps
all
these practices together as 'worldly prin-
ColossianSy 2, 22-3, 14
428
we enjoy them, all based on the will and the men? They will win you, no doubt, the name of phi-
altogether as
word
of
losophers, for being so full of scruple, so submissive, so un-
sparing of your bodies; but they are
all
forgotten,
when nature
asks to be gratified.
must lift your thoughts above, where Christ now sits at the right hand of God. You must be heavenly-minded, not earthly-minded; you have undergone death, and your life is hidden away now with Christ in God. Christ is your life, and when he is made manifest, you too will be made manifest in glory with him. You must deaden, then, those passions in you which belong to earth, fornication and impurity, lust and evil desire, and that love of money which is an idolatry. These are what bring down God's vengeance on the unbelievers, and such was your own behaviour, Risen, then, with Christ, you
too, while
you lived among them.
done with
it all,
utterance;
and do not
Now it
is
your turn to have
resentment, anger, spite, insults, foul-mouthed tell lies
at
one another's expense. You
must be quit of the old self, and the habits that went with it; you must be clothed in the new self, that is being refitted the time for closer knowledge, so that the image of the
all
God who
no more Gentile and Jew, no more circumcised and uncircumcised; no one is barbarian, or Scythian, no one is slave or free man; there is created
it is its
pattern.
nothing but Christ in any of
Here
is
us.
You
are God's chosen people, holy and well beloved; the you wear must be tender compassion, kindness, humilgentleness and patience; you must bear with one another's
livery ity,
faults,
be generous to each other, where somebody has given
grounds for complaint; the Lord's generosity to you must be the model of yours. And, to crown
all this, charity;
that
is
the
From Rome They
ciples.'
63 A.D.
429
are without effect in the struggle
against his sinful nature; they
man
has to wage
attempt at union
in the
tail
with God. That comes only from the union of the members of the Mystical
which
men
Christ
is
Body with
Head; he
their
the reality for
is
are groping.
By baptism a Christian enters into memBody of Christ; not only is his conduct
Your Life.
bership of the Mystical
patterned on the
Rows from
down
his
union with Christ.
tomb
all his
life;
from the tomb,
a
power which came
at Calvary;
he was dead to
He
rose
to
from the water,
went
Paul points out that sin
is
laid
as Christ rose
lived with the
by the Colossians was prob-
some material
in the will,
man. True mortification it is
former way
him from Christ
false asceticism practised
practising virtue;
his
were to be
new man; from now on he
ably based on the belief that
to
the Christian
sinful habits ('the old self)
aside like an old cloak.
The
When
into the baptismal water, he was imitating Christ's
burial in the
of
of the Head, but his spiritual vitality
life
consists in
in conquering
things were
evil.
not in things external
overcoming vice and
impure
desires
and
avarice
that a Christian shows true asceticism, not by beating his
body
or abstaining from certain foods.
In the second
list
of Eve sins, Paul seems to be visualizing
some kind
of divisions
they were
moved
lying about tions of
and quarreling among the Colossians;
to anger, uncharitable remarks,
one another. Possibly national and
and even
class distinc-
Jew and Gentile, slave and free man, had flared up means Russian, the most uncivilized people of that
('Scythian'
time). Paul's solution of the situation at Colossae tice of true mortification;
he
lists
is
the prac-
nine virtues which must be
the uniform of true Christians, obliterating
all
distinctions
Colossians
430
bond which makes
15-4, 4
3,
may
us perfect. So
the peace of Christ, the
members
very condition of your calling as
of a single body,
reign in your hearts. Learn, too, to be grateful.
wealth of Christ's inspiration have
you
will
shrine
its
May
among
have instruction and advice for one another,
wisdom, now there
will
be psalms, and hymns, and
the
name
of the
Lord
word and action Jesus, offering
now
full of
spiritual
music, as you sing with gratitude in your hearts to God. ever you are about, in
the
all
you;
What-
invoke always
alike,
your thanks to
God
the
Father through him.
Wives must be submissive of the
to their husbands, as the service
Lord demands; and you, husbands,
lovingly,
treat your wives
do not grow harsh with them. Children must be
obedient to their parents in every way; of serving the Lord;
a gracious sign
it is
and you, parents, must not rouse your
children to resentment, or you will break their
who
human
are slaves, give your
with that show of service which
but single-mindedly, tasks with a will,
spirits.
You
obedience, not
masters
full
tries to
win human favour,
in fear of the Lord.
Work
at all your
reminding yourselves that you are doing
it
for the Lord, not for
men; and you may be sure that the Lord
will give the portion
he has allotted you
with Christ for your Master.
Whoever
in return.
And you who
human
know
in heaven.
ful hearts. Pray, too, for us; ask
God
for preaching the revelation of Christ,
my
and
well enough that you, too,
Persevere in prayer, and keep wakeful over
of
preferences
are masters, give your slaves just
equitable treatment; you
have a Master
slaves
does wrong will be
requited for the wrong done; there are no
with God.
Be
imprisonment, and
to give
me
it
with thank-
to afford us an opening
which
is
the very cause
the right utterance for
From Rome and uniting them all in
63 A. D.
431
in the person of Christ.
the Christian uniform
belt ('the bond')
Most important
the virtue of charity;
is
which keeps
all
of
the
it is
the rest of the Christian
clothing in place.
Paul concludes with a description of
Body functions
members;
to take possession of his
which
all
how
the Mystical
and harmony when Christ
in peace
it
becomes
is
allowed
a shrine in
the inspiration of right living comes from Christ
himself.
Be
Slaves with Christ for
The
Your Master.
type of oriental
mysticism that was Eourishing at Colossae multiplied
new
observances borrowed from Judaism and paganism and emphasized severe bodily mortifications. In the previous paragraph,
Paul pointed out that true asceticism vice
and practising
insistence life;
is
found
Here he continues the
virtue.
on sound family
in
combating
lesson by his
the basis of a good Christian
life as
the two virtues of obedience and charity are the main
foundations of a healthy family
life.
In the similar passage to the Ephesians, he gave most of his advice to husband slaves
should lead.
and
He
is
wife; here
probably
mortifications of the Colossians holiness.
he concentrates on the still
life
thinking of the spurious
who wanted
to
win
a
name
for
They forgot that, as slaves of Christ, they should not men; all their efforts should be directed to the
try to please
only Master whose approval
News from members
a
Roman
Prison.
all
worth having.
Prayer bridges
all
distances; the
Body can help each
other, wherever
parts of the Empire. Like the
Master himself,
of the Mystical
they are, in
is
Paul emphasizes the importance of perseverance in prayer.
He
Colossians 4, 5-18
43 2
making
who
it
known. Be prudent
in
your behaviour towards those
company; it is an opportunity you must Your manner of speaking must always be
are not of your
eagerly grasp.
gracious, with an edge of liveliness, ready to give each ques-
You
tioner the right answer.
me
my
from Tychicus,
my
vant,
why
I
fellow
bondsman
have sent him, to
will hear
how
let
things go with
and
dearly loved brother
in the Lord; that
you have news of
faithful ser-
the reason
is
us,
and to bring
courage to your hearts; from Onesimus, too, a brother faithful tell
and well beloved, who is of your own number; they you how things stand here.
Greetings to you from
my
fellow prisoner Aristarchus, and
from Mark, the kinsman of Barnabas, about been given
instructions;
whom
if
he
from
Jesus, too,
Jews
who have helped me
they
will
you,
visits
whom
you have
make him welcome;
call Justus.
These are the only
to preach God's
kingdom; they
have been a comfort to me. Your own fellow countryman
Epaphras sends you
his greeting, a servant of Jesus Christ
who
ever
you
will stand firm in the perfect
God's
remembers you anxiously
will for you;
I
in his prayers,
hoping that
achievement of
can vouch for him as one
concerned over you, and those
others
at
all
who
is
that
is
greatly
Laodicea
and
Hierapolis. Greetings from my beloved Luke, the physician, and from Demas. Greet the brethren at Laodicea, and Nymphas, with the church that is in his household. When this letter has been read out to you, see that it is read out to the Laodicean church too, and that you read the letter they
have received at Laodicea. Give 'Be careful to
you
fulfil
Here
own hand; do not
Grace be with you.
message to Archippus:
the duty which has been committed to
in the Lord's service.'
Paul in his
this
is
a greeting for
forget that
he
is
you from
a prisoner.
From Rome
63 A.D.
433
asks the Colossians for theii prayers to help tolate of preaching Christ to all
Christians
live; all
in his apos-
men. They too have the same
obligation of spreading the gospel
they
him
among
must he ready
those with
whom
to give a charitable
answer about any point of the faith to any questioner. It
is
clear
tians in
from Philippians
Rome
of people
15-17 that
some Jewish
Chris-
y
cause they hope to list
1,
preached 'Christ from wrong motives just be-
who
make my
chains gall
me
7
worse. In PauYs
sent greetings to Colossae, three of the eight
people, Aiistarchus, Mark, and Jesus Justus, were the only
Jewish Christians then in
Rome who
co-operated with Paul
in preaching the gospel. Evidently the Jewish converts
were
unsympathetic to Paul because of his championing of the Gentiles.
The
other Eve people
origin. Tychicus, letter, as
who
sent greetings were
an Ephesian
disciple,
whom
Third Gospel; Demas
this
Onesimus was the
Paul wrote the Letter to Philemon,
a wealthy Colossian Christian.
this present world.'
of Gentile
was the bearer of
well as of Ephesians and Philemon.
convert slave about
all
Luke was the author
of the
later deserted Paul, 'falling in love
with
Epaphras was the apostle of Colossae;
was he who brought to Paul in
Rome
the details of
it
how some
Colossians had gone over to the false doctrines and superstitious practices of
Epaphroditus
Gnosticism. If he
(Phil. 2, 25-30),
is
to be identified with
he stayed a
little
longer with
Paul before returning via Philippi. Archippus was probably in charge of the Colossian church during the absence of Epaphras.
The
Letter to Laodicea
is
by some with Ephesians; others regard it as an otherunknown and now lost letter. Nymphas is the only name we know from Laodicea, a church that is sternly rebuked by identified
wise
St.
John (Apoc.
2, 14).
Letter to Philemon and Timothy, who
Paul, a prisoner of Jesus Christ,
brother, to the well beloved Philemon,
and
to all the church that
selves,
and the
rest;
is
their
shares our labours,
in his household, to our dear
is
who
Appia, Archippus,
sister
who
fights the
same
battle with our-
grace and peace be yours from God, our
Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I
my
give thanks to
my God
prayers; such accounts
show towards the Lord
at all times, I
Jesus
and towards
your sharing in the faith become
edge of
all
the good that
happiness and a comfort to
remembering you
in
hear of the love and faith you all
the saints.
effective, in the fuller
in us in Christ. It has
is
May
knowl-
been a
me to hear of your charity, brother,
and of the refreshment you have brought to the hearts of the saints. And now, though I might well make bold in Christ to prescribe a duty to you, yours.
and
Who
is
it
I
prefer to appeal to this charity of
man now, Christ; and I am
that writes to you? Paul, an old
in these days a prisoner, too, of Jesus
appealing to you on behalf of Onesimus, the child of
imprisonment.
He
did you an
you and to myself, he can be
I
and
I
am
sending
cised freely, not
him
Do
have him always by you. is
gospel, but
from lack of choice. Perhaps,
very purpose of your losing
a slave; he
would do your generosity should be exer-
on a prisoner of the
nothing without your leave;
me
serviceable,
now, both to
to you;
as your deputy,
to
service once;
make him welcome, for my heart goes with would sooner have kept him here with me, to attend,
him back him.
ill
my
for a
after
all,
the
time was that you might
not think of him any longer as
something more than a
in a special way;
I
much
slave, a well
loved brother,
more, then, to you,
now
that
both nature and Christ make him your own. As you value your fellowship with me,
make him welcome
as
you would
Onesimus the Slave The
best place for a fugitive from justice to hide in
city;
the further
whom
he
wound up
at
people to
simus
it is is
is
a big
from the scene of the crime and the
known, the
Rome,
a
master Philemon of Coiossae.
better.
That
is
why One-
thousand miies away from his
The money he had
stolen
horn
Philemon was soon used up; freedom has its drawbacks when a man is hungry and cold and Ends it almost impossible to
At this stage, Onesimus went to Paul's lodging for help. Though not a Christian himself, he had often heard Philemon, his wife, Appia, and son, Archippus, speaking of Paul's charity and sympathy for all mankind (they had been get work.
converted by Paul during his long three years at Ephesus, 54-
57 A.D.). Drawn by Paul's magnetism, he came back again and again. Paul gave him more than financial assistance; as he spoke to Onesimus of the crucified Jesus, grace entered Onesimus' soul
and he received the
gift of faith.
Christianity does not change a
though baptized, Onesimus was slaves
would have meant
a civil
mans still
even
social position;
To have
a slave.
freed
war in the Empire, and worse
conditions for the slaves than before; also
it
would have led
to false conversions to the Christian faith. Paul decided to
send Onesimus back with Tychicus, Letters to the Ephesians Letter, this little
gem
of tact
famous
is
He
and urbanity which
illustration of his literary art; it
tion that
who was
and Colossians. shows a
carrying the
wrote a third is
an excellent
word seleclonger and more
finesse of
not surpassed in any of Paul's
letters.
Onesimus means
profitable; it
was a name probably given
by Philemon when he bought him in the slave market, a bargain.
The name seemed
Onesimus robbed
his
to have been badly chosen
real
when
master and ran away to Rome. That
is
Philemon ij-25
436
make me answerable for it. Here is a message in Paul's own hand; I will make it good. Not to remind you that you owe me a
myself;
if
he has wronged you, or
And now,
debt already, yourself.
services in the Lord; give
heart.
in your debt,
is
brother, let
me
comfort in Christ to
claim your
my
anxious
write to you counting on your obedience, well as-
I
sured that you will do even more than
meanwhile, to entertain me;
I
I
ask.
Be prepared,
hope, through your prayers, to
be restored to you. Greetings to you from Epaphras,
low prisoner
in Christ Jesus;
my
and Luke, who share Christ be with your
labours.
spirit.
my
fel-
from Mark, Aristarchus, Demas
The
grace of the Lord Jesus
Amen.
Letter to the Philippians Paul and Timothy, the servants of Jesus Christ, to
the
all
saints in Christ Jesus that are at Philippi, with their pastors
and deacons; grace and peace be yours from God who is our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God for all my memories of you, happy at all times in all the prayer
I offer
for all of you; so full a part
the work of Christ's gospel, from the day
you
till
now. Nor
am
I less
day when Jesus Christ comes.
should entertain such hopes for you;
and
I
know
prisoner,
gospel.
that you
share with
all
and being able
God knows how
of Christ Jesus himself.
to defend I
this
reached in-
to perfection, ready
It is
and is
it
it first
he who has
only fitting that
I
I am close to your heart, me this grace in being a
long for you
And
when
confident, that
spired this generosity in you will bring for the
have you taken in
assert the truth of the
all,
my
with the tenderness prayer for you;
may
From Rome not
so, says Paul. It
now
63 A.D.
has led to the conversion of Onesimus, and
most
his return to his master, surely a
'No more
in Jesus Christ.'
slave
That
and freeman; you
how
is
are all
membership
Body. Paul prefers to appeal to Philemon
charity, rather than
one person
Christianity elevates slaves, by
obliterating all distinctions through cal
profitable bargain
Philemon now has a
to all concerned. Instead of a slave,
brother:
437
in the Mystis
well-known
put him under an obligation. But he gently
reminds Philemon of the debt he owes him for the
came through PauYs
faith that
Paul the enormous debt of his only stole a
sum
of
instructions.
own
self;
gift of
Philemon owes
whereas Onesimus
money. But one act of forgiveness
will
square the accounts.
You
Joy to A
Thankful Prayer.
at Troas;
in the
Lord
Thirteen years before, Paul had a vision
he saw a Philippian appealing to him, 'Come over
into Macedonia,
and help
us.'
At
Philippi
on
this occasion
converted a wealthy widow, Lydia, a possessed gaoler
and
The
his family (Acts 16).
of old soldiers,
city
Roman
was a
he
and the
girl,
colony
and most of the congregation were from these
They were
Paul's
most
ing to his material needs
many
times throughout the course
army
families.
of his missionary journeys.
They had
loyal church, contribut-
sent a
sum
of
money by
Epaphroditus to help him over his imprisonment and to defray the costs of his of
coming
sympathy to him in
trial.
his chains,
They
message
also sent a
showing
their solidarity
with their beloved apostle in his sufferings for Christ
The primary purpose
of this letter
is
to thank
them
for their
kindness and thoughtfulness. Philippi was Paul's favourite
Philippians
438
i,
your love grow richer and richer
knowledge and the depth of learn to prize
what
its
of value;
is
may you
may
my
And most
the Lord from
and
others
praise.
my circumstances here
imprisonment become known, in Christ's all
the world be-
of the brethren, deriving fresh confidence in
my
imprisonment, are making bold to preach
no better reason than
who
ever.
Some
of them,
charity,
because they recognize that
here to defend the gospel, others by party
worse.
private ends or in
am
all
What
shall
I
I
am
make my
matter, so long as either way, for
honesty, Christ
glad now; yes, and
I
proclaiming
spirit,
Christ from wrong motives, just because they hope to
me
it is
but there are
rivalry or jealousy;
proclaim Christ out of goodwill. Some,
really
mean, are moved by
chains gall
Christ
effect of spreading the gospel further; so
God's word with more freedom than true, for
when
the day
honour, throughout the praetorium and to yond.
its
may
nothing cloud your con-
till
hasten to assure you, brethren, that
have only had the widely has
the fullness of
reap, through Jesus Christ, the full harvest
of your justification to God's glory
I
yet, in
perception, so that you
science or hinder your progress
comes;
9-22
is
proclaimed?
be glad hereafter;
I
Of
am
that
I
well as-
my soul's health, with you to pray for me, and Jesus Christ to supply my needs with his Spirit. This is my earnest longing and my hope, that I shall never be sured that this will
make
put to the blush; that so this
body of mine
I
for
shall
will
speak with entire freedom, and
do Christ honour, now
as always, in
means Christ; death is a prize to be won. But what if living on in this mortal body is the only way to harvest what I have sown? Thus I cannot tell what to choose; I am hemmed in on both sides. I long to have done life
or in death. For
me,
life
From Rome church, and this
him
to thank
is
God
63 A.D.
his tenderest letter.
for such Jove
and
439
Theii sympathy moves
affection,
and
to pray for
the welfare of his devoted Philippians. Paul's reaction to
sympathy was
spontaneous and deep as that of the Master
as
when he was dying on
himself;
the cross a
word
of consolation
from the Good Thief was rewarded by Jesus with eternal
Imprisonment All
Paul's
for the Best.
It
life.
was near the end of
Paul's fifth year in prison. His converts at Phih'ppi feJt sorry for
him, and depressed at the thought of their beloved apostle languishing so long in chains. Paul had been imprisoned
he Erst arrived verts,
at Philippi; the gaoler there,
knew how
unhappy rigours
Paul
depressing prison
one of Paul's con-
couJd be; he was most
to see Paul subjected for so long a period to the
and
sufferings of
tries
to
imprisonment
cheer them up by pointing out that the
notoriety of his case was faith
life
when
good publicity
for the gospel; the
was spreading more rapidly because of
this
than
if
he
were free to resume his missionary journeys. The Lord inspired
many
of the timid Christians of
to preach the gospel.
Rome
The motives
with zeal and courage
of others were not so good,
but Christ was being preached just the same. These latter
seem
to have been Jewish Christians
who were opposed
to
Paul because of his championing of the Gentiles' cause. They
were eagerly trying to win over their Jewish brethren to the faith, so that
the
Gentile converts.
Roman
church would not be swamped by
They made an
all-out effort to
win more
converts than the Gentile Christians while the Gentile's cham-
pion was locked up and unable to compete with them.
Though Paul knew be freed at his coming
(possibly trial,
by revelation) that he would
he was indifferent to
life
or death.
Philippians
440
23-2, 8
1,
and be with Christ, a better thing, much more than a better thing; and yet, for your sakes, that I should wait in the body is more urgent still. I am certain of that, and I do not doubt that I shall wait, and wait upon you all, to the happy with
it,
me
furtherance of your faith. Yes, you shall be prouder of ever in Christ Jesus,
when
come once
I
again to
visit
than
you.
Only, you must play a part worthy of Christ's gospel;
whether
I
tance, this
come to see you, must be my news
or only hear about you at a disof you, that you are standing fast
common unity of spirit, your common cause. Show a in a
adversaries; that
and is
is
with the faith of the gospel for
bold front at
all
points to your
the seal of their perdition, of your salvation,
comes from God; the grace that has been granted you
it
that of suffering for Christ's sake, not merely believing in
him. Your battle
my own
is
once, and you have heard If
anything
sympathy, by
is
battle;
how
I
am
you saw fighting
meant by encouragement
common
tenderness and pity,
fill
fellowship in the
up
my
how it
I
it
now.
in Christ, spirit,
fought
by
by loving
feelings of
cup of happiness by thinking
with the same mind, cherishing the same bond of charity, soul knit to soul in a
common
unity of thought.
You must
never
act in a spirit of factiousness, or of ambition; each of you
have the humility to think others better
study the welfare of others, not his own. Yours
mind which Christ divine,
Jesus showed. His nature
and yet he did not
see, in
must
men than himself, and is is,
to
be the same
from the
first,
the rank of Godhead, a prize
to be coveted; he dispossessed himself,
and took the nature of
a slave, fashioned in the likeness of men, and presenting himself to us in
human
form; and then he lowered his
own
dignity,
accepted an obedience which brought him death, death on a cross.
That
is
why God
has raised
him
to such a height, given
From Rome For Paul
'life
membership and
life.'
63 A.D.
means Christ' This
in the Mystical
is
Body:
441
the union with Jesus by
T am
the way, I
am
truth
Bodily death opens the way to the perfect union
is the goal of all men. But the Body can only be built up by labouring for Christ here on this earth; that is why Paul is content to remain alive.
of the beatific vision; this
Mystical
Humility of the Incarnation. Philippians can console Paul
is
The most
practical
by reforming their
way the They
lives.
were worried and anxious about his imprisonment; so he
tells
them that the only thing which can make him unhappy is to see them proud, uncharitable, and wanting in that harmony and unity so essential to the Mystical Body of Christ Later (4, 2) he makes mention of a squabble going on between two ladies of the congregation; it
may have been more
widespread,
judging by the way he urges them to give up personal rights.
Paul has taken the thoughts of the Philippians
off
himself
their minds on their own lives. The second step is to them thinking of Christ our Lord: 'He is that head of ours, on whom all the body depends, supplied and unified by joint and ligament, and so growing up with a growth that is
Ex
to
get
7
divine.
The
scene Paul presents to the Philippians
of Christ at Bethlehem.
When
is
the birth
the Second Person of the
Blessed Trinity became man, he laid aside the glory that rightfully
belonged to him as God; there were no courtiers to
the knee in worship; his creatures at
Bethlehem
universe.
He
on earth saw
in the
bow baby
a being like themselves, not the Creator of the
was not even born a prince
in a palace,
where
some honour would have been paid him; his parents were ordinary folk, and he was born in a stable. His babyhood made him so dependent on others that his status resembled that of a slave rather than of a prince.
Philippians 2, 0-22
442
him
that
name which
is
name; so that
greater than any other
everything in heaven and on earth and under the earth must bend the knee before the name of Jesus, and every tongue must confess Jesus Christ as the Lord, to the glory of
God
the
Father.
Beloved, you have always shown yourselves obedient; and
now that I am at a distance, not less but much more I
am
than
you must work to earn your Both the will to do it and the accomplishment
fear.
something which
will are
when
salvation, in anxious
present,
out his loving purpose.
God
Do all
of that
accomplishes in you, to carry
that
lies in
you, never complain-
never hesitating, to show yourselves innocent and single-
ing,
minded, God's children, bringing no reproach on
his
name.
You live in an age that is twisted out of its true pattern, and among such people you shine out, beacons to the world, upholding the message of life. Thus, when the day of Christ comes,
I
shall
be able to boast of a
life
not spent in vain, of
labours not vainly undergone. Meanwhile, though your faith
should prove to be a out all
my
blood for
you over
of
It
is
my hope to visit
fresh myself with
shares self so
own
which cannot be duly made with-
drink-offering,
on your
side,
I
congratulate myself and
you too must congratulate
and me.
yourselves
Timothy
its
that;
sacrifice
my
in the
Lord Jesus that
you before long; then
news of you;
I
unaffectedly with your
shall
I
affairs;
who
else
will
one and
not Christ's; his worth
is
be sending
be able to
shall
have no one
thoughts as he does, no one
interest at heart,
I
here
re-
who
concern himall
have their
well tried, you
must know that he has shared my task of preaching the gospel like a son helping his father. Him, then, I hope to send without
From Rome
The
443
Philippians are not to insist on their lights and privi-
they are to cast
leges;
63 A.D.
them
aside, humiJiate themselves
giving in to the opinions of others. It
is
by
only by waiving their
rights that they can imitate the divine outlook at the Incarnation.
may have come to his mind as he how he did not take the opporRoman citizenship when he was arrested
Paul could have
(it
wrote) reminded them of tunity of claiming
and flogged
in Philippi (Acts 16);
it
was because he was think-
ing of Christ that he did not claim his privileged status.
The
Incarnation was an act of humility for Christ as God,
the Crucifixion an act of humility for Christ as
Man. There
were no half measures with our Lord; he would humiJiate himself to
the extreme limit of a slave's death on the cross. As
members
of Christ's Mystical Body, the Christians of Philippi
down by
must not be
cast
their life to
be subject to opposition and persecution from
sufferings; it
is
a necessary part of
the world around them; by their imitation of the humiliated
Master they 'shine out, beacons to the world/ Paul's absence should not be a barrier to their spiritual advancement;
it is
to
Jesus that they should turn as the centre of their Jives, because
he
is
God.
News
of
Timothy and Epaphroditus.
When
he wrote to the
Colossians, Paul sent greetings from nine of his disciples; now, in this letter, there
means that the Paul's disciples
were only two of them
left
with him. This
months had passed, and more to visit the throughout the provinces; it must have been
inactivity of the winter
had taken
churches scattered
to the road once
about the month of April 63 A.D.
Timothy had been
a disciple of Paul for thirteen years;
Philippians
444 delay,
when
I
23-3, 7
2,
how
have had time to see
persuaded in the Lord that
I
stand;
and
am
I
myself shall be coming to you
I
before long.
Meanwhile, here
is
my
Epaphroditus,
panion in so many labours and
my needs.
battles,
your
brother,
own
my
delegate,
com-
who
must send him to you, so great was his longing to see you, and his distress that you should have heard about his illness. Ill he certainly was, and in near danger of death; but God had pity on him, and not only on him but on me too; he would not let me have anxiety added to anxiety. So I am hastening to send him back to you; it will be a happiness for you to see him again, and I shall be anxious no longer. Welcome him, then, in the Lord gladly, and do honour to such a man as he is; one who came close to death's door on Christ's errand, risking life itself to do me that kindness, which was all your kindness left to be desired. has provided for
I felt
that
I
And now, brethren, joy to you in the Lord. in always writing the
same message
to you,
I
find
and
no
it is
difficulty
your
safe-
guard. Beware of these prowling dogs, beware of their evil
As
practices, of their disfigurement.
who
practise
it,
for circumcision,
we who worship by
it is
we
the Spirit of God, and
take pride in Jesus Christ, instead of putting our trust in out-
ward observances. Not that
me
confidence;
if
I
have no outward claims to give
others put their trust in outward claims,
after
I
was born;
I
I
I
was circumcised seven days
came from the
stock of Israel, from the tribe
can do so with better reason.
of Benjamin, Hebrew-speaking as
my
parents were before me.
Over the law, I was a Pharisee; to prove my loyalty, I persecuted the Church; in observing what the law commands, I was beyond reproach. And all this, which once stood to my credit, I
now write down as loss,
for the love of Christ.
For that matter,
From Rome he was
his
63 A.D.
445
most trusted lieutenant Since he could not come would send Timothy to set their
to Philippi himself, Paul
minds
at rest;
he would he able to give first-hand news that
Paul was not pining away in prison; and so a great source of
worry would be removed from the minds of the anxious Philippians.
Epaphras and Epaphroditus are two forms of the same
name
(like Silas
person.
and Silvanus); they probably
He came
churches; on his
refer to the
one
from Colossae to report on the Asian way overland he passed through Philippi.
They took the opportunity of sending a gift of money by him to Paul at Rome. At the moment Epaphroditus was recovering from a severe bout of
Appian
Way
and the
Roman
fever;
but Paul
felt
make the journey along the Egnatian Way, and carry the Letter
he would be well enough
to
to the Philippians with him.
A Warning Against the Judaizers.
At
this
point of the
letter,
Paul most unexpectedly introduces the subject of the Judaizers. It is
abrupt even for Paul, well
sudden changes of topic and
for
have been a days break in his item of news of the in
Rome
itself,
to set
had no
is
for
mental gymnastics. There may letter writing,
evil the Judaizers
moved Paul
this danger. Philippi
known though he and some
fresh
were causing, possibly
down
his
warning against
large colony of Jews;
it
did not
even have a synagogue. Possibly the nearby Thessalonian Jews
were causing trouble in Philippi; maybe the people of Philippi
needed warning because of
among
its
position
on the Egnation Way;
the travellers passing through would be a good
num-
ber belonging to the Judaizers.
Paul had battled
fiercely in his Letter to the Galatians for
the freedom of Christians from the Mosaic law; he produced
Philippians 3, 8-20
446 there
nothing
is
I
do not write down
high privilege of knowing Christ Jesus,
him
have
I
may have
compared with the
as loss
my
Christ to
my
credit. In
him
I
me
by the law, but the
lieving in Jesus Christ,
Him I would and what
means
it
God's
learn to know,
gift
my own
is
justification that
ac-
work,
comes from be-
on condition of our
and the
if I
my
would render
count, not claiming any justification that
given
Lord; for love of
lost everything, treat everything else as refuse,
faith.
virtue of his resurrection,
to share his sufferings,
moulded
into the
pattern of his death, in the hope of achieving resurrection from
the dead.
Not
that
filment.
I
have already won the
prize, already
Christ Jesus has
won
summons
heavenly
to you, all
you are of a
if
who
in Christ Jesus. All of us this
mind, and
different
mind
God
do do;
will
at present.
make
are fully it
known
Meanwhile,
let
we have my example, and mark
follow the same rule, according to the progress
made. Be content, brethren, to follow well those told
I I
press
grounded must be of us
this at least
what I have left behind, intent on what lies before on with the goal in view, eager for the prize, God's
forgetting I
ful-
the mastery over me. No, brethren,
not claim to have the mastery already, but
me,
reached
only press on, in hope of winning the mastery, as
I
you
who
often,
many whose
live
by the pattern we have given them;
and now
lives
tell
you again with
make them
tears,
I
have
that there are
the enemies of Christ's cross.
own hungry bellies own shameful doings are their pride; their minds are set on the things of earth; whereas we find our true home in heaven. It is to heaven that we look exPerdition
are the
is
the end that awaits them, their
god they worship,
their
pectantly for the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ to save us;
he
will
form
this
humbled body
of ours anew,
moulding
it
into
From Rome more studied statement Romans. The subject had
exercised his
throughout his missionary
and spontaneously of example of
how
it.
Here he
life,
he
refuse;
he wrote
takes his
own
life as
easily
a typical
Christ frees a Christian from Judaism; Paul
was a Jew to his ringer
mere
mind and kept him
so that
tips,
the rabbi
who found
gave up his national inheritance. Christ
It is especially
447
of the case in his Letter to the
a
alert
63 A.D.
is
is
his
Christ and else is
life, all
prepared to Jose everything to gain Christ
by suffering that Paul shares in the
must
Jesus; the Christian
first
die with Christ so that
of
life
he can
enjoy the glory of the resurrection.
Victory is
Not
Won
Yet.
Membership
in the Mystical
Body
not a guarantee of the enjoyment of God's presence in
heaven; a Christian
still
has to attain this goal by running the
race of life like an athlete. Christ takes possession of the Christian at baptism,
and the whole purpose of the Christians
from then on
to
is
a prize to
be
is
win Christ
won by
living a
good Christian
Paul presents this in the Erst person.
how
life.
He
is
thinking of
him on the road to Damascus 'Hound of Heaven); just as Christ
Christ mastered
(like
Thompson
pur-
Francis
s
sued and overtook Paul, so Paul sion of Christ by faith It
life
for himself; the beatific vision
and
is
now
striving to take posses-
love.
seems that Paul has forgotten the Judaizers. Here he
thinking rather of those false Christians
who
is
considered that
them above even the moral law; their and incontinence ('shameful doings ) were leading them to perdition, not to Christ. Worldly thoughts and desires are unbecoming to a Christian whose true life is to share Christ's life. Christ came from heaven to earth, and he returned there at the Ascension; he will come Christian freedom put
avarice ('hungry bellies')
1
Philippians
448
21-4, 11
3,
the image of his glorified body, so effective
is
power
his
to
make
things obey him.
all
O my
Then,
my
delight
bid you.
upon you, Evodia, and
I call
for, all
prize, stand firmly in the Lord, beloved, as I
make common
to
and longed
brethren, so greatly loved
and
I call
upon you, Syntyche,
cause in the Lord. Yes, and
who
ask you,
I
share the yoke so loyally, to take part with them; they have
worked
my
for the gospel at
those other fellow labourers of
corded in the book of
much
Clement and mine, whose names are re-
side, as
as
life.
Joy to you in the Lord at
all
times; once again
I
wish you
joy.
The Lord is near. Nothing must make you anxious; in every need make your requests known to God, praying and beseeching him, and giving him Give proof to
all
of your courtesy.
thanks as well. So will the peace of God, which surpasses
all
our thinking, watch over your hearts and minds in Christ
And now,
Jesus.
mands all
that
reverence, is
brethren,
and
all
that rings true,
that makes for right;
lovely, all that
merit, wherever virtue
all
is
way
I
handed on
—
of living
and merit
to you, all
let this
all
that com-
that
pure,
is
and
gracious in the telling; virtue
argument of your thoughts. The tions
all
found
are
lessons
I
—
let this
be the
taught you, the tradi-
you have heard and seen of
be your rule of conduct. Then the
my
God
of peace will be with you.
It
has been a great happiness to
me
me
in the
Lord that your
remembrance
of
flowered
but then, you had never forgotten me;
late,
should have blossomed out afresh.
only that you lacked the opportunity.
own
want;
I
are. I
am
it
not thinking of
has
was
my
now to be content with my cirknow what it is to be brought low,
have learned by
cumstances as they
I
It
From Rome
63 A.D.
449
back from heaven to confer eternal gloiy on our bodies. Surely
heaven
is
home
the true
of a Christian.
Concord, Joy and Peace. It has been suggested that Evodia and Syntyche were members of Lydia's household, and that Paul was addressing her in the phrase, 'you 7
so loyally.
But the Greek words must indicate
masculine; so they
who may have
man. Some suggest Luke,
a
returned to Philippi before this letter was writ-
a proper
Paul repeats the word not a
virtue,
but
the light by which true happiness;
it is
bishop.
its
eleven times in this
'joy
letter. It
the atmosphere in which virtue thrives,
it sees.
Paganism had
knowledge of
lost all
could only grope blindly in a degenerate cul-
only from the heart of
God
in league with everything that
beautiful; it absorbs
all
joy;
that true happiness Rows.
Christian joy embraces everything that it is
in charge
Christianity goes to the Lord, the source of
ture. it is
it
not be translated, that
name, Syzygus; he may have been
of the church at Philippi as
is
share the yoke
that underlie the phrase are
ten; others think that the phrase should it is really
who
and makes
its
is
is
good
in the world;
true, good, noble,
own what
is
and
best in the
surrounding culture. Paul shows a fine delicacy and sensitivity in his selection of these eight phrases, the
Magna Charta
of
artists.
Final
Acknowledgment
of Alms.
The main
reason for writ-
ing this letter was to thank the Philippians for their generous gift of
money. Right
at the beginning of the letter,
Paul did
make mention of their generosity; but here he thanks them in a more formal fashion. He seems to have been rather embarrassed at receiving such gifts; that
is
why he assumes
a playful tone
Philippians 4, 12-23
45°
and what
it is
abundant means;
to have
ticed to everything, having
and
in plenty
God
you to share
my
fill
gives
have been appren-
I
and going hungry,
nothing
living in want;
thanks to the strength in
my
beyond
is
me. No, but
hardships in this way.
Philippians, as well as
I
do, that
when
it
my
living
powers,
was kindness
You remember,
I left
Macedonia
in
those early days of gospel preaching, yours was the only church
whose sympathy with
me meant
once but twice, when
I
to
my
by the
needs. It
is
was
not that
alms given and received; not
at Thessalonica,
I set
store
you contributed
by your alms;
rich increase that stands to your credit.
more than content; ditus brought
me
I
am
your
fully
gift,
I
I
set store
am
content,
endowed, ever since Epaphro-
a sacrifice that breathes out frag-
God. So will he, the God I serve, supply every need of yours; he has treasures of glory laid up in Jesus Christ. Glory to God, who is our Father, for ever and rance, winning favour with
Amen.
ever,
Greet
all
me
with
the saints in Christ Jesus.
brethren
who
send you their greeting; greeting, too, from
saints, especially
The Amen. hold.
The
those
who
all
are
the
belong to the Emperor's house-
grace of the Lord Jesus Christ be with your
spirit,
Letter to Titus It is
Paul
who
writes;
God's servant, sent out
as
an apostle of
Jesus Christ, with the faith of God's elect for his care; they
were to acknowledge that truth which accords with holiness,
and
fix their
hopes on eternal
long ages since by the
life. It
had been promised
God who cannot fail
us;
and now,
to us
in
due
From Rome
He
in this paragraph.
is
63 A.D.
451
trying to hide his real, deep feelings
under facetiousness and humour.
He
has two vivid illustrations of their almsgiving. Their
thoughtfulness for (since
he
is
him
is like
the sudden flowering of a tree
writing at the end of winter, this image
may have
been suggested to him by the blossoming trees outside his
window). The second illustration fice;
their gift goes
up
to
God
is
from the incense of
like the
smoke of
sacri-
incense,
winning his favour. In 2 Corinthians 11, 9 Paul related that the Philippians him money at Corinth, as well as on the two occasions
sent
mentioned in
this paragraph. It is quite likely that there
were
other occasions during the course of his missionary journeys.
The person mainly responsible for these gifts was undoubtedly widow Lydia; she seems to have been a forceful
the wealthy
who successfully overcame Paul's scruples about money from the churches he had founded. 'The Emperor s household' probably refers to the soldiers guarding Paul; they were members of the Pretorian guard, character,
taking
which was part of the Imperial household; no doubt Paul had already converted
some
of them.
The Church Worthy
Priests
in Crete
and False Teachers.
A few months after Paul
wrote to the Philippians, an imperial messenger knocked on
Rome. His case had been disman. The chain hanging on the wall
the door of his hired house in
missed; he was
now
a free
was removed, and Paul no longer had a guard at the door.
Titus
45 2 time, he has
3-15
2,
made his meaning clear
to us, through the preach-
ing with which God, our Saviour, has seen Titus,
God
my own
you behind
where order I
we
fit
to entrust
share, grace
me.
To
and peace from
the Father, and from Christ Jesus our Saviour.
If I left
as
son in the faith
is still
me
in Crete,
needed.
It
was to put
it
enjoined, in each city, always looking for a
beyond reproach,
faithful to
all in
you to appoint
for
is
order,
presbyters,
man who
is
one wife; one whose children hold
the faith, not accused of reckless living, not wanting in obedi-
A
ence.
bishop, after
all,
he
since
is
the steward of God's
must needs be beyond reproach. He must not be an obstinate or quarrelsome man, one who drinks deep, or comes
house,
to blows, or
is
He must
grasping over money.
kindly, discreet, upright, unworldly
be hospitable,
and continent. He must
hold firmly to the truths which have tradition for their warrant; able, therefore, to
encourage sound doctrine, and to show
the wayward their error.
There
are
many
rebellious spirits abroad,
who
talk of their
own fantasies and lead men's minds astray; those especially who hold by circumcision; and they must be silenced. They will bring ruin
on
entire households
an eye to their own base
spokesman ever
liars,
besides';
taking
of their
own, has told
venomous
and that
them
is
profits.
by
false teaching,
Why, one of us, The men
creatures, all
with
themselves, a of Crete were
hungry belly and nothing
Be strict, then, in may be soundly established
a true account of them.
to task, so that
they
in the faith, instead of paying attention to these Jewish fables,
these rules laid
down
for
them by human
look steadily at the truth. As those are
who have clean
by want
hearts!
if
teachers
who
will
not
anything could be unclean for
But
for these
of faith, everything
is
men,
defiled as they
unclean; defilement has
entered their very thought, their very consciences.
They
profess
From
Word
Philippi Sept. 65 A.D.
453
soon spread among the Christians, and a continual
stream of Paul's converts kept coming to the house to congratulate him.
Soon
He had him
at Colossae; also
East.
Paul was on the march again.
after his liberation,
promised Philemon that he would come and stay with
He
he was anxious to
visit his
probably went along the Appian
Adriatic Sea from Brindisi to Dyrrachium, Philippi,
where he picked up
his disciple,
churches in the
Way,
crossed the
and made
for
Timothy. From there
he journeyed by sea to Ephesus, and then inland to Phile-
mon's house at Colossae.
For some time Paul had intended to
visit
Spain. It was
probably in 64 A.D., about a year after his liberation from his
Roman
prison, that he went on board a ship at Ephesus bound for Marseilles; from there he went to Spain. Most likely Timothy was one of his companions, and Rufus, the son of Simon of Cyrene, whom he left in charge of the church at
Tortosa in Spain.
The next
year Paul returned via
Rome
to Ephesus,
where
he picked up Titus, and together they took ship for the island of Crete. Titus
handling of a
had proved himself an able diplomat in his Corinth some seven years
difficult situation in
earlier (see 2 Corinthians); so
set the
Paul could safely leave him to
Cretan church in order. After a month or so Paul
left
Crete for Ephesus; there he appointed Timothy to be his legate while It
was from
he himself made this city that
his
way north again
to Philippi.
he wrote the Letter to Titus in Crete.
There had been Jews from Crete at Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit came down on Pentecost Sunday, thirty-Eve years earlier.
It
They probably brought
had been
the island.
and was now in need of remeant to encourage Titus to carry out the Paul had given him before he left Crete. He is a neglected outpost,
form. This letter instructions
Christianity to
is
Titus
454
God, but
recognition of
who
are abominable,
1,
16-2, 13
their practice contradicts
who
are disloyal,
who
are
ill
it; it is
they
qualified for
the practice of any true virtue.
Yours its
is
to
be a
different message, with
Teach the older men
rule.
soundly established in
women,
too,
must
sound doctrine
for
to be sober, decent, orderly,
faith, in charity, in patience.
The
older
carry themselves as befits a holy calling, not
given to slanderous talk or enslaved to drunken habits; teach-
From them the younger how to treat their huschildren lovingly, how to be discreet, modest, house, kindly, submissive to their own hus-
ing others by their good example.
women must bands and
learn orderly behaviour,
their
busy about the
bands; the preaching of God's word must not be brought into
Encourage the young men,
disrepute.
Let them find in
them
find
all
you do the model of a
you disinterested
respect, your doctrine versaries
speaking
may ill
too, to live orderly lives.
in
life
nobly
lived; let
your teaching, worthy of their
sound beyond
all cavil;
so that our ad-
blush to find that they have no opportunity for
of us. Slaves
masters, so as to content pilfering; they
must
must be submissive to their own them in every way; no arguing, no
give
good proof of
utter fidelity, every
action of theirs bringing credit to the teaching which God,
our Saviour, has revealed.
The
grace of
God
has dawned, salutary to
all
men
alike,
schooling us to forgo irreverent thoughts and worldly appetites,
and
justice,
and of
to live, in this present world, a life of order, of holiness.
We were
our hope, to the day
when
the glory of our great
God and
to look forward, blessed in
there will be a
new dawn of glory, who gave
Saviour Jesus Christ;
From
Philippi Sept. 65 A.D.
455
worthy ministers throughout the island and silence
to appoint
the false teachers. These latter seem to have been /udaizers;
they gave a dangerous emphasis to the teachings of the Mosaic Jaw, with its prescriptions as to clean
Must
Christians
away
in
Spain,
and unclean food.
While Paul was
Exercise Self-Restraint. the city of
Rome
was almost completely
destroyed by Ere; that was in July 64 A.D., a a year before this Letter to Titus.
blamed
for the fire
The
more than
Jittle
Christians were falsely
and were subjected
to
the
persecution by the emperor Nero. Throughout the Christians
had
a
bad name; they were
now
great
first
Empire
looked on as the
worst of criminals; they were living in most perilous times.
This changed situation explains
why Paul
here
the
tells
Christians of Crete not to give an opportunity to their enemies of speaking
ill
of them.
He
is
not setting forth the ideal of
Christian conduct but prescribing the
minimum
good
of
ex-
behaviour required to avoid giving scandal to the world
terior
around them. That
is
why he emphasizes such
things as
intemperance.
Paul usually addresses his Christians as a family group:
husband and
wife, parents
Here, for the
first
reason hairs
may
and
children, masters
time, he divides
be that the Church was
them
now
were more noticeable; also Paul,
and
slaves.
into age groups.
35 years old,
now
old,
The
and gray
was more
conscious of age groups.
God's Kindness: Christmas. inclined to retaliate.
ment
Why
A
persecuted people
is
naturally
should they be loyal to a govern-
them as outlaws? They engage in criticism, lose their tempers, and pick quarrels with their pagan neighbours. Paul knows that they need a powerful motive to overcome their natural human reactions. And in this paragraph that regards
Titus
456
2, 14-3, 12
himself for us, to ransom us from
all
our
guilt, a
Be
apart for himself, ambitious of noble deeds.
message, lending
Remind them
man
lightly
esteem you.
that they have a duty of submissive loyalty to
governments and to those
in authority, of readiness to under-
take any kind of honourable service.
They
juriously of anyone, or pick quarrels; they
and
lose
no opportunity
around them.
We,
after
reckless, rebellious, the
medley of
desires
and
of all,
our
us;
own
and
it
must be
considerate,
showing courtesy to the world were once
dupes of
error;
like the rest of
them,
enslaved to a strange
appetites, our lives full of
God, our Saviour, dawned on
saved
are not to speak in-
meanness and
and hating one another. Then the kindness
of envy, hateful,
of
your
this
authority to your encouragement and
all
your reproof. Let no
people set
us, his great love for
was not thanks to anything
justification.
man. He
we had done
In accordance with his
own
for
merciful
design he saved us, with the cleansing power which gives us
new
birth,
and
restores our nature
through the Holy
Spirit,
shed on us in abundant measure through our Saviour, Jesus Christ. So, justified
by
the hope of eternal
life set
his grace,
we were
to
become
heirs,
with
before us.
would have you dwell on it, that Those who have learned to trust in God should be at pains to find honourable employment.' That is their duty, and the world will It is well said,
and
I
it. But take no part in vain researches into pedigrees, and controversies that wrangle over points of the law; they
benefit by
are useless folly. Give a heretic one warning, then a second,
and
after that avoid his
may be
sure,
and
company;
his fault has
his
is
a perverse nature, you
been admitted on
his
own
con-
fession.
When
I
send for you by Artemas or Tychicus, make haste
From
Philippi Sept. 65 A.D.
he appeals to the great kindness of
A
free us from sin.
tion for the
Christian
God
457
in sending Christ to
must show the same
considera-
world around him. The Incarnation has changed
completely; he can no longer live as he did before bap-
him
tism. Christ will
come
a second time to reward
him
for a life
well lived.
Paul uses the word 'dawn' three times in rising over a
sun
darkened world
Our Lord spoke of Maybe Paul had been
is
this
paragraph; the
a vivid picture of the In-
carnation.
himself as 'the light of the
world.'
reading the Gospel of
was published during
(it
his
Roman
captivity); it
that the details of our Lord's birth at night in set
down:
'In the
out in the
Two from
fields,
is
Luke there
Bethlehem
same country there were shepherds
keeping night-watches over their
are
living
flocks.'
Day Masses are taken Christians down the centuries
of the Epistles for Christmas
this paragraph; so that
have been reading these words in the same atmosphere in
which they were written. Though Christmas was not kept special Feast until the fourth century, the early Christians
have lenown at what time of the year our Lord was born; letter
as a
must this
was written only a few months before the anniversary of
Christ's birth.
Christians
Must Find Honourable Employment.
the situation which led to this of the idle,
command was
Second Thessalonians: Christians were
sitting
around
waiting for the Second Coming. Their stopwork attitude
was giving Christianity a bad name here recalls
mon
Probably
the same as that
them
to reality
and
among
strikes a
the pagans. Paul
note of sound com-
sense.
Paul sent this letter by Zenas and Apollo (who figured
prominently in the Corinthian
letters);
they were passing
through Crete on their way elsewhere, their destination prob-
458
Timothy
i
and come to meet the winter there.
and Apollo on
me
1-9
1,
at Nicopolis; I
Make
have decided to spend
careful provision for Zenas, the lawyer,
their journey; they
anything. It would be well
if
must not be
left
wanting for
our brethren would learn to find
honourable employment, so as to meet what necessity demands of them, instead of having nothing to contribute. All those
who who you
are with
me
send their greeting to you. Greet
are our friends in the
common
faith.
all
those
all.
Timothy
First Letter to
God
Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the appointment of
who
our Saviour, and of Jesus Christ
is
our hope, to Timothy,
my own son in the faith, grace be yours, and mercy, and peace, from God the Father and from our Lord Jesus Christ, as you fulfil
the charge
I
gave you,
to stay behind at Ephesus.
when
passed on into Macedonia,
There were some who needed
warned against teaching strange their
I
to bej
doctrines, against occupying
minds with legends and interminable
pedigrees, which J
breed controversy, instead of building up God's house, as the faith does.
The end
on purity of
heart,
at
which our warning aims
is
charity, based
on a good conscience and a sincere
There are some who have missed vain speculations;
who now
this
mark, branching
faith.
off into
claim to be expounding the law,
without understanding the meaning of their
own words, or the The law? It is
subject on which they pronounce so positively.
an excellent thing, where
it is
be remembered that the law innocent
lives. It is
for the godless
meant
and the
applied legitimately; but is
not meant for those
for the lawless
sinner, the
I
Grace be with!
and the
it
must
who
live
refractory;
unholy and the profane;
From
Nicopolis Feb. 66 A. D.
ably Alexandria in Egypt, where ApoJJo
459
came from. Titus
is
asked to give them financial assistance for the remainder of their journey; situations such as this
ous
members
show the need
for prosper-
of the flock, as opposed to idlers. Paul eventually
sent Artemas to replace Titus (2 Tim. 4, 11). was to take the first ship and
arrived, Titus
When come
Artemas to
PauYs
winter quarters at Nicopolis; this was a port not far up the Adriatic coast from Corinth.
The Church
at
Ephesus
As the winter months wore on at went frequently to Timothy at Ephesus. Eight months had passed since he had left this most trusted disciple to straighten out the problems that had arisen in the Ephesian church. As well as his own personal knowledge of the Ephesian church, Paul had a short note from Timothy Safeguard True Doctrine.
Nicopolis, Paul's thoughts
giving an account of
how he was
arrived at Nicopolis
about the same time
getting on there; this letter as Titus did, just
As Paul talked over the Cretan letter to Timothy began to take
before winter stopped travel.
problems with Titus,
this
form; he decided to let Timothy share Titus' experience in dealing with a like situation.
In his Letter to the Ephesians, three years
earlier,
Paul had
warned them of the danger of Gnostic speculations. In Letter to Timothy, the warning teachers are of the to Titus; they
same type
seem
to have
Judaizers of the Galatian at Corinth, they
put a
more
as those
urgent.
These
he rebuked in
been Jewish in
crisis,
false
is
and Apollo
origin.
this false
his Letter
Like the
in his teaching
emphasis on the Old Testament.
460
i
who
for those
lay violent
derers, for those
10-2,
t,
1
hands on father or mother,
who commit fornication
the slave-dealer, the is
Timothy
the perjurer. All this and
liar,
for
mur-
or sin against nature,
much
else
the very opposite of the sound doctrine contained in the
gospel
have been entrusted with, that
I
God and
How
showing confidence
strength, for
me, a blasphemer
violence, author of outrage,
cause
I
was acting
the Lord that
it
so that in
me
example of
first
all my me his man of
and yet he had mercy on me, be-
The
grace of
and love, the love that saying, and what a wel-
in a full tide of faith
How true is
was the worst of
I
by appointing
then, a persecutor, a
till
came
deserves, that 'Christ Jesus
save sinners/
who
me
in
in the ignorance of unbelief.
came upon me
in Christ Jesus.
is
come
us of the blessed
thank our Lord Jesus Christ, the source of
I
minister,
tells
his glory.
all,
into the world to
and yet I was pardoned, might give the extreme
of all Christ Jesus
his patience;
will ever believe in
I
was to be the pattern of
him, to win eternal
glory through endless ages to the king of
mortal, the invisible,
This charge, then,
who I
alone
is
all
life.
all
those
Honour and
the ages, the im-
God. Amen.
give into your hands,
remembering how prophecy singled you
my
son Timothy,
out, long ago. Serve,
as it bade you, in this honourable warfare, with faith and a good conscience to aid you. Some, through refusing this duty,
have made shipwreck of the
and Alexander,
whom
I
faith;
among them, Hymenaeus
have made over to Satan,
till
they are
cured of their blasphemy.
This
first
of
all,
I ask;
that petition, prayer, entreaty and
thanksgiving should be offered for
all
mankind, especially
kings and others in high station, so that
we can
live a
for
calm and
From
AD.
Nicopolis Feb. 66
461
Seemingly they embellished the scriptures with fantastic legends
and
all
kinds of
interpretations. Instead of appealing to
Christian tradition, they looked to the Mosaic law. Paul re-
minds them that the law was meant
keep
to
relation to
God
by the bond of
men
conscious of
mans
emphasizes
their sinful nature; the gospel teaching
close
charity.
and Timothy's. Paul has not to search far how grace comes to men through Christ, not through study of the Mosaic law; he himself is a perfect example. His thoughts go back to that crisis of his life on the Damascus Road: Saul the Pharisee, the devoted student of the Old Testament, was suddenly changed into Paul the convert; he experienced 'the love that is in Christ Jesus.' PauYs case is typical of God's dealings with men: He is patient with sinners, his grace pursues them till they End faith in Christ It is Paul's vocation in life to proclaim salvation to all mankind in Christ Jesus. Timothy has a like vocation. Jesus told Paul's Vocation
for an illustration of
his apostles:
you.' It
Tt was not you that chose me,
of the gospel;
member
it
was a
from
call
God
That
of the church at Lystra.
to in the phrase, 'prophecy singled
of the spiritual gifts discussed in
From
it
was
I that
chose
was not Timothy's choice that made him a minister
a
comparison with
1
1
is
expressed through a
what Paul
is
referring
you out' This was one
Corinthians 12-14.
Corinthians
5,
5
it
seems that
Paul excommunicated Hymenaeus and Alexander; they had fallen into heresy 'by
come about
The Duty
contending that the resurrection has
already (2 Tim. 2, 18).
of Public Prayer.
the Jews in Palestine for the past
Before the year 66
AD.
was out,
would be in open revolt against Rome; it had been working up to a climax.
few years
462
i
tranquil
life,
Timothy
as dutifully
2,
2-3, 3
and decently
as
we may. Such
prayer
what God, our Saviour, expects of us, since it men should be saved, and be led to recognize the truth; there is only one God, and only one mediator between God and men, Jesus Christ, who is a man, like them, and gave himself as a ransom for them all. At the appointed time, he bore his witness, and of that witness I am the chosen herald, sent as an apostle (I make no false claims, I am only recalling the truth) to be a true and faithful teacher of the is
our duty,
is
his will that all
it is
Gentiles. It is
my
wish that prayer should everywhere be offered by
the men; they are to all
lift
up hands that
are sanctified, free
from
anger and dispute. So, too, with the women; they are to
and with restraint in befitting attire; no gold ornaments, or pearls, or rich clothes; a virtuous life is the best adornment for women who lay claim to piety. Women are to keep silence, and take their place, with all submissiveness, as learners; a woman shall have no leave
dress themselves modestly
no
plaited hair,
me
from part
is
later,
to teach,
and
issue
commands
was Adam that was created first, and Eve Adam that went astray; woman was led astray, involved in transgression. Yet woman will find her
to be silent. It
nor was
and was
it
salvation in the Child-bearing, faith
to her husband; her
and love and holy
It is well said,
faithful to
aspires to a bishopric,
that he covets/
must be one with
one
they will but remain true to
living.
When a man
mean employment bishop, then,
if
The man who
whom no
fault can
is
it is
to
no
be a
be found;
wife, sober, discreet, well behaved, hospitable,
experienced in teaching, no lover of wine or of brawling, courteous, neither quarrelsome nor grasping.
He must
be one
From
The Roman
463
authorities did not distinguish Jews
tians, so that the
the Empire.
Nicopolis Feb. 66 A.D.
Christian
Added
name was
to this
in
horn Chris-
had repute throughout
was the blame for the burning of
Rome in
64 A.D. and the consequent persecution of Christians by Nero. Paul knew how to deal with the situation: the best
combat persecution is to convert the persecutor (after all, he himself had been a persecutor and had been converted). The Church is not in opposition to the State; the two must work together, each in its proper sphere. Christians must pray for secular rulers, and for the whole pagan world; Christ's Redemption, like God's Fatherhood, is world-wide.
way
to
Christians stretched out their hands to Jesus
on the
God
community, that Paul has in mind. And that
women
He
yi6 and
must be is
he
14, 34;
at
forbids
still
stands by his decision that
women
silent.
motherhood
article refers to
Lord
why he
no official status in public dealt with the same problem in 1 Corinthians
Most commentators hold tion
is
the
to take part; they have
worship. ii,
in prayer, like
cross. It is public prayer, the social act of
that Paul
('child-bearing').
tells
women
But the Greek
one famous Child-bearing, the
Bethlehem. Just
as
their voca-
definite
birth of our
Eve brought shame on womanhood
by her transgression, so Mary has re-established the glorious position of
woman
by her obedience;
it
was she who bore the
Redeemer. Qualifications for the Ministry.
During the eighteen months
of our Lord's Galilean ministry, his chief concern was the selection
and training of his twelve
before he
made
apostles.
He spent the night,
the final choice, in prayer on the mountainside
overlooking the lake; next to his Passion and Death
most important act of
his earthly
life.
it
was the
Paul shows a similar
464
i
who
a
good head
in order
by winning
is
Timothy
own
to his
3,
4-4, 1
and keeps
family,
their full respect;
if
a
man
his children
has not learned
how to manage his own household, will he know how to govern God's church? He must not be a new convert, or he may be carried away by vanity, and incur Satan's doom. He must bear a good character, too, in the world's eyes; or he may fall into disrepute,
and become
a prey to the False Accuser.
Deacons, in the same way, must be haviour,
men
men
of decent be-
of their word, not given to deep drinking or to
money-getting, keeping true, in
all sincerity
of conscience, to
the faith that has been revealed. These, in their turn, must first
undergo probation, and only be allowed to serve as dea-
cons
no charge
if
be sober, and faithful to
brought against them. The women-folk,
is
be modest, not fond of slanderous
too, should
in every
one
household. Those
way worthy
good
wife,
of trust.
talk;
they must
The deacon must be own family and
at looking after his
who have
served well in the diaconate will
secure for themselves a sure footing, and great boldness in pro-
claiming that faith, which I tell
you by
long; so that,
letter, if I
is
founded on Christ
although
am
I
hope
to pay
slow in coming, you
over the conduct that
is
Jesus.
you a
may be
So much
visit
in
before
no doubt
expected of you in God's household, j
By
that
I
mean
the Church of the living God, the pillar and
foundation upon which the truth
No tion
question of
made
in
it, it is
human
rests.
we worship: 'Revelajustification won in the realm of
a great mystery
nature,
the Spirit; a vision seen by angels, a mystery preached to the Gentiles; Christ in this world, accepted by faith, Christ, on high, taken
We
up
into glory/
are expressly told
there will be
by
inspiration that, in later days,
some who abandon the
faith, listening to false
1
From
Nicopolis Feb. 66 A.D.
465
concern for a worthy clergy in the advice he here gives
Timothy. The candidates must have a good name among the people with
whom
they have to
especially in governing their
own
to their suitability in ruling
Timothy
of Satan
s
live; their
conduct in the
household,
is
past,
the best guide
God's household. Paul warns
watchfulness to do
harm
to the
Church;
he must take care of his selection of ministers so that no foothold
is
given to the
Enemy.
In his advice to Titus, Paul used the word 'presbyter' in exactly the
same sense
as
he here uses
'bishop.' It
seems clear
from Acts 20, 17-38 that the two names were synonyms. It was not until the early part of the second century that bishop
came
to be used in its present
meaning
of
one with episcopal
It is clear that both Titus and Timothy had episcopal powers (they are told to ordain), but they went from place to place as Paul decided; they were
powers in charge of a diocese.
legates of
Paul with a roving commission.
Celibacy of the clergy was not of obligation at this period;
probably the bulk of converts were already married;
it
would
among the unmay be a prohibition might mean the exclusion of
have been impossible to get enough priests from married Christians. 'Faithful to one wife'
on a widower's remarrying, or
who had two wives among the heathen. those
Christ the Test of Orthodoxy.
what
is
it
living; divorce
was widely practised
Paul begins by quoting from
probably an early Christian hymn.
Its subject is the
Incarnation, the central mystery of Christianity. is
rather cryptic;
it is
Mgr. Knox explains
The hymn
a series of three contrasts. This
it:
is
how
'Christ manifested to the world in his
humanity, yet redeeming us through the dignity of his divine Person; the Resurrection, a sight only witnessed by angels, yet
466
i
inspirations,
Timothy
2-16
4,
and doctrines taught by the
devils.
They
will
be
deceived by the pretensions of impostors, whose conscience is
hardened
stain
as
if
by a
searing-iron.
Such teachers bid them ab-
from marriage, and from certain kinds of food, although
God has made
has made, nothing to
whom
these for the grateful enjoyment of those
faith has enabled to recognize the truth. All
of
it,
then
God
we must be thankful
to be rejected; only
is
him when we partake
good that
is
hallowed for our use
it is
by God's blessing and the prayer which brings these rules for the brethren, and you will
show
Lay down
it.
yourself a true
servant of Jesus Christ, thriving on the principle of that faith
whose wholesome doctrine you have followed. I
Leave foolish nursery to
grow up
holiness
and it
in holiness.
for the next';
those
not
is
how is
train yourself, instead, avails
life
that saying, and
is
we
toil
and
struggle, our
the charge, such
the doctrine you are to deliver.
is
anyone think the
less of
you
for your youthfulness;
make yourself a model of speech and behaviour for all love, all faith, all purity.
the faithful,
Reading, preaching, instruction,
be your constant care while
I
am
absent.
grace has been entrusted to you; prophecy awarded
imposition of the presbyters' hands went with suffer
little;
are faithful in his service.
let
let these
but
promises well both for this
what a welcome hope in the Saviour of mankind, and above all of true
for this that
God, who
who
Such
Do
is
and
Training of the body
all-availing, since it
is
deserves! It
a living
tales alone,
from
neglect. Let this
ments, so that
all
may
see
you achieve
salvation.
special
and the
do not
let it
be your study, these your employ-
how
claim your attention, yourself
spend your care on them; so
it;
A it,
well you are doing.
Two
and the teaching of the
will
you and those who
things faith;
listen to
From
Nicopolis Feb. 66 A.D.
published throughout the world; Christ feJt
still
467
making
his
power
here below, through the faith of his Church, although he
has ascended into heaven/ It
and
is
twofold aspect of Christ's
this
his heavenly existence, his
nature, that Paul's
own
is
life,
human
his earthly existence
nature and his divine
neglected by the false teachers at Ephesus.
teaching was always of Christ, but these
men
look
elsewhere for the doctrine they are teaching. If Timothy applies this infallible test to them,
he
will see that they are
impostors; their pretensions to holiness are based on a false asceticism that derives
Grow Up
The best way to prove the truth of not so much by argument as by example;
In Holiness.
orthodox doctrine if
from paganism and Judaism.
Timothy
s
is
personal piety and holiness of
of the false teachers, then
gospel
is
self gave:
it
will
life
surpasses that
be obvious to
all
that of Christ. This was the very test our
Tt
is
by their
ascetical practices of the
fruit that
Ephesian
you
will
know
false teachers
that his
Lord him-
them.'
The
were mostly
concerned with the body; Paul reminds Timothy that holiness is
in the soul, in the practice of virtue.
Timothy must have been in his early thirties at this time; he had been with Paul for sixteen years (50-66 A.D.). But Paul still thinks of him as the youth he ordained at Lystra. Possibly Timothy was timid by nature; so Paul is trying to bolster up his courage in dealing with a difficult situation among a clergy that was much older than he. In Timothys favour is the fact that he has been selected by the Holy Spirit as a ruler of the flock; this divine vocation more than compensates for the absence of gray hair. He must not forget his twofold obligation to preach the truth and live a holy life.
468
i
Timothy
5,
1-15
Instead of finding fault, appeal to an older
were your father, to younger
women
Give widows
sisters.
them; dren,
as mothers, to the
men
as
if
as
if
he
your brothers, to the older
younger (but with
their due,
man
that
name
all
modesty)
as
really belongs to
widowed woman is left with children or grandchilthey must be warned that their own flesh and blood has a
if
claim on their piety. They must make due returns to who gave them birth; that is what God asks of them. The woman who is indeed a widow, bereft of all help, will put her the
first
those
God, and spend her time, night and day, upon the
trust in
j
prayers
and
petitions that belong to her state;
one who
luxury would be alive and dead both at once.
lives in
Warn them
of
man who makes no provision for those nearest him, above all his own family, has contradicted the teaching of the faith, and this, too,
or they will bring themselves into disrepute; the
indeed does worse than the unbelievers do. If
a
woman
is
to be put
on the
reached, at least, the age of
list
sixty,
of widows, she
and have been
one husband. She must have a name
must have faithful to
for acts of charity; has she
brought up children? Has she been hospitable? Has she washed the feet of the saints? Has she helped those affliction?
Has she attached
Have nothing
to
who were
herself to every charitable cause?
do with younger widows; they will
ease at Christ's expense,
in
and then be
live at their
for marrying again, thus
incurring the guilt of breaking the promise they have made.
Meanwhile, they learn habits of idleness
as they
to house, nor are they merely idle, they gossip
and say what they have no younger
right to say.
women marry and bear
children
to manage; then they will give enmity ill
of us. Already there are
low Satan. Meanwhile,
if
go from house
and
interfere,
I would have the and have households
So
no handle
for speaking
some who have turned widows depending
a believer has any
aside, to fol-
From
On
Nicopolis Feb. 66 A.D.
the Position of Widows.
469
Paul was an expert in dealing
with people; his genius for friendship, his long years of experi-
him an understanding and skill that has never been surpassed. He gently reminds Timothy that gentleness and charity are far more effective than sternness and faulthad
ence,
give
Ending; the atmosphere he should cultivate
he
way
will find a
is
that of a family;
and
to their hearts by familiarity
friendli-
ness.
From
the earliest times the Christians
made
it
a special
duty to look after destitute widows; the order of deacons was established for this purpose (Acts 6,
of the Erst group of
1).
Probably the nucleus
widows was that band of holy women who
accompanied our Lord and
his apostles during the public
we End them with
the apostles and disciples in the
ministry;
Cenacle awaiting the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts
By
1, 14).
the time Paul wrote this Letter to Timothy, the widows
formed a
community which gave most
seem
to have
of
time to charitable works. His main concern in
its
graph
religious
to see that unsuitable candidates
is
community
of widows.
tion of providing for
He
this para-
do not enter the
reminds Timothy that the obliga-
widows belongs primarily
to the family
not the church. Even when these ladies do pass the means Paul
still
into the
requires that
life
and
Timothy conduct
test,
a searching enquiry
virtues of the candidates.
Under paganism woman
s
place was in the home, where
she was under the absolute power of her husband.
By
its
teaching on the indissolubility of marriage, and also by opening up the
hope never
life
of celibacy to
women,
Christianity gave
women, and an opportunity for charitable activity known before. Owing to their lack of training for such
to
work, they were in need of advice to help them avoid
and
new
to protect the
pitfalls,
good name of the Christian community.
That Paul did permit women
to
embark on
this
new
career,
470
i
Timothy
on him, he should undertake free to support the
16-6, 2
their support, leaving the churc
widows who are
who have
Presbyters
5,
really destitute.
acquitted themselves well of the
charge should be awarded double consideration; those
who bestow
pecially,
there
is
their pains
a passage in scripture which
ox while
es-
instruction:
us not to muzzle the
tells
threshing grain, and the labourer has a right to
it is
expect his maintenance.
made
on preaching and
Do not take cognizance of
against a presbyter, unless there are
more. Give a public rebuke to those thus put fear into the
rest. I
who
any charge
two witnesses or
are living amiss,
adjure you in the sight of
and
God and
of Jesus Christ, and the angels he has chosen, to observe these rules
without rash judgment, without yielding to
for the imposition of hands,
and so share the blame clear of fault.
do not bestow
it
partiality.
As
inconsiderately,
Keep
for the sins of others.
yourself
(No, do not confine yourself to water any your stomach, and your
longer; take a little
wine to
relieve
frequent attacks of
illness.)
Some men have
faults that are
plain to view, so that they invite question; with others, dis-
covery follows upon the heels of enquiry; so their merits;
some
are plain to view,
it is,
too, with
and where they are
not,
they cannot long remain hidden.
Those who
are
bound
to slavery
entitled to all respect; otherwise will
be
faith
ill
spoken
of.
And
must not think the
they should render
all
must
treat their masters as
God's name and our
those whose masters belong to the
less of
them, for being their brethren;
the better service,
when
good will are believers, worthy Teach them, and encourage them, so to act.
benefit by their
doctrine
those
who
of their love.
From
Nicopolis Feb. 66 A.D.
despite the dangers, entitles liberators of
him
to rank
among
the great
women.
On the Restoration of Church Discipline. Timothy had
Whether
471
It
would seem that
among the Ephesian clergy. scandals among these presbyters
started a purge
the cause of the
was doctrinal or moral, or both,
is
not
sure; probably
most
of the false teachers rebuked by Paul in the Pastoral Epistles
were members of the uncertain
how
Paul
him
tells
clergy.
far to go,
Timothy may have been
and so appealed
to Paul for advice.
who have remained
to reward those
a little
Christian principles, and to punish, after a fair
trial,
true to
those
who
have deviated from true doctrine or Christian standards. also
warns him against ordaining
He
('the imposition of hands')
any candidate not suitable for the ministry. Paul is reminded of another question of Timothy's, probably by the word
'fault/
should correct
wine
it
In this matter Timothy
at once.
with his meals;
He was
is
at fault,
and
under doctor's orders to take
he had disregarded
this
medical advice,
probably with the intention of giving a good example to some of his clergy
who were
inclined to drink too
much. Not being
sure that he was acting rightly, he submitted the case to the decision of his old master in the spiritual
life.
Paul became so
engrossed in other matters that he almost forgot to answer this question;
he did so in a footnote.
Mgr. Knox suggests that the
slaves
mentioned in the
paragraph of this section were presbyters; this would fectly in the context. It
is
masters.
asked
if
final
per-
not unlikely that some of the Chris-
tian slaves received ordination to the priesthood.
may have
fit
Timothy
they should be set free by their Christian
47 2
i
there
Is
principles
some
Timothy
rival teacher,
6,
who
3-15
sound
refuses assent to the
which are the principles of our Lord Jesus Christ, to Then it is because he
the doctrine which accords with holiness? is
puffed up with vanity; knowledge he has none, but an itch
and controversy.
for speculation
What comes
jealousy, quarrelling, recriminations
such encounters as must
minds who have will provide
arise
and base
between
men
of
Only
it?
suspicions, all
with corrupted
lost track of the truth. Religion, they think,
them with
a living.
And
indeed, religion
is
ample
life, though no more than a bare sufficiency goes Empty-handed we came into the world, and emptyhanded, beyond question, we must leave it; why, then, if we have food and clothing to last us out, let us be content with that. Those who would be rich fall into temptation, the devil's trap for them; all those useless and dangerous appetites which
provision for
with
it.
men
sink
money
is
there are
making
it
into ruin here
and perdition
hereafter.
The
love of
and those who have wandered away from the faith by a root from which every kind of evil springs,
their ambition, stabbing themselves with
many
a
sorrow.
God, to shun all this; to aim at right living, holiness, and faith, and love, and endurance, and kind forbearance. Fight the good fight of faith, lay your grasp on eternal life, that life you were called to, when you asserted the great claim before so many witnesses. I adjure you before It is for you, servant of
God who
the
gives life to all things, before Jesus Christ
bore witness to that great claim Pilate, to fulfil
the day
him he
when he stood
who
before Pontius
your charge without stain of reproach until
when our Lord
Jesus Christ appears.
God
will reveal
due time, the blessed God who alone enjoys dominion; King of kings, and Lord of lords; to him alone immor-
in
is
tality belongs, his
dwelling
is
in
unapproachable
light;
no hu-
From
The Root
of All Evil.
First Letter to
Nicopolis Feb. 66 A.D.
The
Timothy
is
473
subject that occupies
that of false teachers.
most of the These
men
were not Jewish or pagan adversaries hut members of the Ephesian church; for the most part they were members of the
whom Timothy
clergy, for
was personally responsible. They
were not teaching heresy but were indulging in idle speculation
and controversy; they had wandered trine of the gospel
far
from the sound doc-
preached to them by Paul; they disputed
and quarrelled over the most trivial and unimportant matters. In the pagan world around them, religion and finance were closely associated. as
much
a
bank
a background,
The
great temple of
as a place of worship.
many
Diana at Ephesus was Brought up with such
priesthood as a source of financial security; intent
upon the they became so
of the Ephesian clergy looked
on making money that they forgot
this
was not
their
real vocation. Possibly the smallness of their stipends as priests
them into temptation; in their eagerness to possess an adequate income they became greedy for money and seized every opportunity of getting their hands on it That money is a dangerous commodity is clear from our Lord's teaching. At the end of his parable on the Dishonest Steward, he gave this warning: 'No servant can be in the employment of two masters at once; either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will devote himself to the one and despise the other. You must serve God or money; you cannot led
serve both.
9
false way of life, Timothy is to stand champion of Christian principles. To do this
In contrast to this forth as the
he must have courage. Paul appeals to his youthful and timid disciple
and
by reminding him of the profession of
his teachings that
claim
9
).
He must
he made at
faith in Christ
his ordination ('the great
continue to bear witness to the truth just
1
474
man
Timothy
6,
16-21
him be
eye has seen or can ever see him; to
Amen. who are rich
glory
and
everlasting empire,
Warn
those
in this present
world not to think
highly of themselves, not to repose their hopes in the riches
may fail us, but in God, who bestows on us so richly all we enjoy. Let them do good, enrich their lives with chari-
that that
table deeds, always ready to give,
burden, laying
down
to come, so as to have life which It
Timothy, to keep
for you,
is
and to share the common
a sure foundation for themselves in time is
safe
true life within their grasp.
what has been entrusted
to
you, avoiding these empty, intruding forms of speech, this
quibbling knowledge that those
who
of the
profess them,
mark which
knowledge only
is
and
in professing
faith sets us.
in
name; there are
them have shot wide
Grace be with you.
Second Letter to Timothy
Paul, sent as an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of
furtherance of that promise of
life
which
is
God
and mercy and
the Father, and from Christ Jesus our Lord.
with gratitude to that God,
It is
in
given us in Christ
Jesus, to Timothy, his well beloved son, grace
peace from
God,
conscience in the way
whom
I
worship with a clear
my fathers taught me, that I make menand night, in my prayer. I keep
tion of you continually, day
the
memory
have faith.
my
fill
That
and long
of your tears,
of joy
when
faith dwelt in
I
to see
you again, so
as to
receive fresh proof of your sincere
your grandmother Lois, and in your
mother, Eunice, before you;
I
am
fully
persuaded that
it
From as the
Nicopolis Feb. 66 A.D.
Master himself bore witness before
was born
what
for,
came
I
Coming
him through the
common
on that
'life
to reward those
struggles
them
which
is
and
I
who have
will
stood
difficulties of life.
sum
Church. These are
that the only
true
True
life' is
way they can
by using
their
lay
hold
money
for
up in the deposit handed on by Jesus Christ to his the riches which Timothy has in his keep-
charitable purposes.
of faith, that
'What
to bear wit-
error for the rich to rest content with their
wealth; Paul warns
ing,
this
is
same Lord and Master who
is
appear at the Second
It is a
Pilate:
into the world for,
ness of the truth/ It
true to
475
riches are stored
of truths
and which he must guard
securely.
Ephesian charges by sharing with them
and so protecting them from the
He
is
to enrich his
this deposit of truth,
errors of the false teachers.
Last Will and Testament
Once More a Prisoner. At the first sign of spring, in March 66 A.D., Paul was once more on the road to revisit his many foundations. He had promised Timothy, in his First Letter to him, that he would come and see him soon. He left Nicopolis and made his way either by land or sea to Corinth, Paul
100 miles distant. After a few months in Corinth, Paul departed by sea for Miletus, leaving behind Erastus
(4, 20); a second disciple,
on with Paul
(4, 20),
him
his disciple
Trophimus, was too
ill
to
go
so that he probably arrived alone at
Ephesus. Here he hoped to meet Timothy, but he had already left that city.
2
476
That
dwells in you too.
Timothy
why
is
laid
upon you. The
Do
of discipline.
to our Lord, or for
to fan the
God kindled in you, when my
spirit
not one that shrinks from danger;
and
6-18
would remind you
I
flame of that special grace which
hands were
1,
it is
he has bestowed on us
is
a spirit of action, of love,
not blush, then, for the witness you bear
am
me, who
his prisoner; share all the
God
you strength.
tribulations of the gospel
message as
Has he not saved
called us to a vocation of holiness?
It
and
us,
gives
was not because of anything we had done; we owe
own
design, to the grace lavished
on
it
Jesus.
Now it has come to light, since our Saviour Jesus
came
to enlighten us;
now he
shed abroad the rays of pel
which
life
has
and immortality, through that
gos-
a teacher of the Gentiles. This
but
result;
given
my
I
am
is
what
I
as
is
no
stranger to
me, and
suaded that he has the means to keep
an apostle and
have to
not put to the blush. He, to
confidence,
Christ
now he
has annulled death,
have been appointed to herald,
I
to his
long ages ago, in Christ
us,
my
suffer as the
whom I have am fully per-
I
pledge
safe, until
that day comes.
With
the faith and love you have in Christ Jesus, keep to
all
the pattern of sound doctrine you have learned from
By the power your high
of the
trust.
coldly, Phigellus
Holy
Spirit
who
my
lips.
dwells in us, be true to
In Asia, as you know,
all
have treated
and Hermogenes among them.
May the
me
Lord
grant mercy to the household of Onesiphorus; often enough he revived
my
spirits.
Instead of being ashamed of a prisoner's
acquaintance, he sought
me
succeeded in finding me.
mercy with in
Ephesus
his I
out when he was in Rome, and The Lord grant that he may find
Lord when that day comes; what he did
have no need to
tell
you.
for
me
From Rome October 66 A.D.
477
Paul was destined not to see Timothy on this occasion. He had not been Jong in Ephesus when a Roman guard came to his lodging (probably at the
him
prisoner.
Rome
ing of
The
house of Onesiphorus), and took
persecution begun by Nero, after the burn-
two years
was
earlier,
now
intensified; leading
Christians were being arrested even in the provinces. this
was the Jewish revolt against
had
Roman
Added
administration in
broken out, and an important Jew Paul was under suspicion by the authorities. Palestine. It
The
to
just
like
Christians at Ephesus, with the one exception of Onesi-
phorus, were afraid to
come
to Paul's assistance.
He
was
chained to a soldier and marched northwards along the road to Troas.
Here he
(4, 12);
he was afraid that
on the
way
When chains.
left his
cloak and his books of the scriptures
he had no need of to
a winter cloak in
his precious
midsummer, and
books would be
Jost or destroyed
Rome.
Paul arrived in
He was sent to
Rome
this
time he was a criminal in
the dank Mamertine prison, from which
he wrote to Timothy; Luke was with him, and acted secretary in writing this letter. It
is
as Paul's
the final farewell of an old
warrior for Christ to his favourite disciple. In his loneliness
PauVs mind goes back to those happy early days of their Erst meeting at Lystra; Timothy has much to be thankful for in his
good home background, and the vocation from
God
to be
and a minister of Christ. Paul needs courage, and so too does Timothy; they both must go to the source of all strength, to the Master himself. Paul has staked his all on a priest
Christ;
he has given up everything to follow him.
that suffering
is
an essential part of his
he knows too that the Master labour for the cause of Christ
will
life,
as it
He knows
was of
reward him for his
Jesus'; life
of
47 8
Timothy
2
Take
2,
1-16
my own son, from the grace which dwells in You have learned, from many who can witness
strength,
Christ Jesus.
the doctrine which
to
it,
of
men you
can
trust,
I
hand down;
men who
will
give
it
into the keeping
know how
to teach
it
to
others besides themselves. Then, like a good soldier of Christ Jesus, take
would please the captain who if
enlisted him, will refuse to
be
he does not observe the
life;
soldier
Grasp the sense of what Christ, sprung
dead; that
is
I
am
it is
rules of the contest; the first
who
has toiled for
Lord
saying; the
I
preach, and in
its
will give
mind on
needed. Fix your
from the race of David, who has
the gospel
service,
the athlete will win no
share in the harvest goes to the labourer
quick insight wherever
on
he
entangled in the business of daily
crown,
The
if
your share of hardship.
I
undergo anything; for love of the
win salvation
We
in Jesus Christ,
and
its
sake
I
Jesus
suffer hard-
ship like a criminal, yes, even imprisonment; but there
imprisoning the word of God. For
am
is
no
ready to
elect, that they, like us,
eternal glory with
you
from the
risen
service
it.
it.
It is
may well
we have shared his death; if we endure, we shall reign with him, if we disown him, he in his turn will disown us. If we play him false, he remains said,
are to share his
true to his word;
because
life,
he cannot disown himself/
Bring this back to men's thoughts, pleading with them earnestly in God's
name; there must be no wordy
as can only unsettle the first
at
minds of those who are
winning God's approval,
need to be ashamed of
his work,
as a
disputes, such listening.
Aim
workman who does not
one who knows how
to handle
the claims of the truth like a master. Keep your distance from those will
who
go
are bringing in a fashion of meaningless talk; they
far to establish neglect of
God, and
their influence eats
From Rome October 66 A.D.
A Good Soldier of Christ Jesus. From
479
moment when
the
out
Lord chimed Paul for his own on the road to Damascus, Paul's whole life was centred on Jesus. From the start he grasped the essential of following in the footsteps of Christ:
any
man
that the
mind
has a
and take up
come my way,
to
and follow me.'
his cross,
Lord delivered
to Ananias,
let
It
him renounce
'If
self,
the same message
is
when he
him
sent
to heal
Paul of his blindness after the vision on the Damascus Road:
T
have yet to
undergo for
During
tell
his
in chains in the
prison, near the
have to
own
lodgings;
Rome Paul was not pera common criminal
he was
underground dungeon of the Mamertine
Roman
forum. It was a most trying experience
man worn
thinking
him
to
himself, that hardship
must
is
the lot of Christ's soldier.
metaphor;
like
prize; like a
now
changes the
an athlete he must keep the rules to win the
During our
to Avoid Fanciful Speculations.
Roman
was born
soldier
farmer he must work hard for the harvest
Warning
Lord's
A
detachment from worldly preoccupation. Paul
practise
continues with his advice to Timothy, but
I
will
out in the service of Christ. But Paul more of Timothy than of himself. He appeals to remember his teaching, which comes from our Lord
for an old
A
he
suffering
7
sake.
second imprisonment in
mitted to reside in his
is
how much
him,
my name's
for,
trial,
what
he made I
came
this
statement
to Pilate:
into the world for,
is
What
to bear wit-
ness of the truth.' Pilate brushed this statement aside as of
no importance by his reply: What is truth?' A pagan believed and worshipped because it was convenient, or to his own personal advantage, not because he thought any religion was true.
Christianity was the
first
religion
to
demand
belief
480
Timothy
2
in like a cancer.
2, 17-3,
4
Such are Hymenaeus and
Philetas,
who have
missed the true mark, by contending that the resurrection has
come about
already, to the overthrow of the faith in
minds. But God's foundation-stone stands firm, and this legend on
it,
The
Lord acknowledges none but
who names
again, 'Let everyone
some is
his own';
the
and
name keep
the Lord's
far
from iniquity/
A
great house, besides
other objects
made
of
wood and
these for ignoble uses; these that a
man
plate of gold
its
will
love,
contains
earthenware; those for noble,
prove the object of his Lord's regard, fit
for all
ment. Shun these youthful ardours
and
silver,
by keeping himself separate from
it is
hallowed, and serviceable, and
living, faith,
and
I
honourable employ-
speak
and fellowship with
of;
all
aim
those
at right
who
call
on the name of the Lord with a pure heart. Leave these foolish, be very sure, they breed nothing but quarrels. A servant of the Lord has no business with quarill-conceived disputes alone;
relling;
he must be kindly towards
tolerant, with a gentle
hand
stinate in their errors. It
repent, senses,
men, persuasive and
for correcting those
may be
that
God
who
will enable
are ob-
them
to
and acknowledge the truth; so they will recover their and shake off the snare by which the devil, till now, has
held them prisoners to his
Be
all
will.
sure of this, that in the world's last age there are perilous
times coming.
money;
Men
will
be
in love with self, in love with
boastful, proud, abusive; without reverence for their
parents, without gratitude, without scruple, without love, with-
out peace; slanderers, incontinent, strangers to pity and to kindness; treacherous, reckless, full of vain conceit, thinking rather of their pleasures than of
God. They
will preserve all
From Rome October 66 A.D. because
up
was
it
true.
in Paul's letters.
to put off their in
481
This difference of outlook keeps cropping
His converts from paganism found
it
hard
pagan upbringing; they showed more interest
argument and discussion than in following the truth that
came horn
Christ's revelation.
That
and Titus so often in these three
is
why he warns Timothy
letters.
Judaism was almost as bad as paganism in
about
lations
trivialities
and
useless
its
The
things that did not matter.
its
fanciful specu-
about
distinctions
big danger of these mental
gymnastics was that they could easily lead inexperienced young
and
theologians into error as
heresy.
Hymenaeus
is
such a one, but with a different companion, in
1, 20.
He
mentioned 1
Timothy
probably explained the resurrection away as only a
spiritual rebirth in baptism.
Such men are
heretics,
and so
unworthy of admission into that building which excludes them by the inscription on
The
its
foundation stone.
figure of a building ('a great
house
7
)
tional imagery for the church ever since our
had been Lord told
tradi-
Peter,
'Upon this rock I will build my Church.' Paul pictures its members as furniture in the house; those who follow true doctrines are pure gold and silver, those who indulge in vain fancies are only second-best furniture, utensils put to more
common
use in the house.
Times Are Coming. The scriptures pictured God judgment at a time when evil seemed to reign supreme: 'The charity of most men will grow cold, as they see wickedness abound everywhere/ The persecution of Nero
Perilous
coming
was
in
now
reaching
Christians of
its
Rome
barbaric torments. It
peak of
ferocity; all
around Paul the
were being subjected to
reminded Paul of the
all
kinds of
scriptural predic-
2
482
Timothy
3,
5-17
the outward form of religion, although they have long been strangers to
its
meaning. From these, too, turn away. They
men
count among their number the
that will
make
way
their
weak women whose conwomen swayed by shifting pas-
into house after house, captivating sciences are sions,
who
burdened by
sin;
are for ever inquiring, yet never attain to recognition
of the truth.
Moses found
rivals in
Jannes and Jambres; just so
men I speak of set themselves up in rivalry against the men whose minds are corrupt, whose faith is counter-
the
truth, feit;
yet they will
come
to
little,
they will soon be detected, like
those others, in their rash folly.
Not such was
the schooling, the guidance, you had from me;
in firm resolve, in faith, in patience, in love, in endurance; all
my
persecutions and sufferings, such as those which befell
at Antioch, Iconium,
went!
And
And
and
Lystra;
all
those
who
what persecutions I underthrough them all safely.
me
yet the Lord brought
indeed,
me
are resolved to live a holy life in
Christ Jesus will meet with persecution; while the rogues and
the mountebanks go on from bad to worse, at once impostors
and dupes. It is for
you to hold
fast
by the doctrine handed on to you,
the assurance imparted to you; you tradition came;
know well, from whom
that
you can remember the holy learning you have
been taught from childhood upwards. This for salvation, through the faith
which
will train
rests in
you up
Christ Jesus.
Everything in the scripture has been divinely inspired, and has
its
uses; to instruct us, to
faults, to
educate us in holy
come a master of his him ready for it.
find
craft,
expose our living; so
errors, to correct
God's servant
and each noble
task that
our
will be-
comes
will
From Rome October 66 A.D. Second Coming.
tions of the It
483
seems that Paul
is
thinking of the pagan world in the
first
seven lines; from then on he seems to have the Christian world
mind. Possibly he
in
thinking of his Ephesian converts
is
owning him when he was arrested there on Nicopolis
(1, 15-18).
The mention
of Jannes
two magicians who opposed Moses
many Ephesian
to indicate that
on
his
own
disciples,
Demas
from
and Jamhres
at Pharao's court)
(the
seems
Christians had fallen hack
into their magical practices (Acts 19, 18-19).
one of
his arrival
dis-
(4, 9),
The
put the
defection of final
touches
this depressing picture of disaster.
Live a Holy Life in Christ Jesus.
new
to Paul:
'1
Persecution was nothing
have spent longer days in prison, been beaten
so cruelly, so often
looked death in the face. Five times the
Jews scourged me; three times I was beaten with rods, once I
was stoned
Timothy
s
7
(2
Cor. 11). Here he mentions what took place at
birthplace, Lystra,
and
outside the city,
left for
where Paul was stoned, dragged dead (Acts
14, 18).
At nearby
Iconium, the people turned against Paul and threatened to stone him. Paul was often at Antioch, the main base for his
missionary journeys, but
we have no
persecution there. In these
he
will likewise
persecution
To
trials,
record in the Acts of any
the Lord looked after Paul;
guard and bring Timothy safely through the
now raging.
carry out his office as Paul's son
and
heir,
Timothy
must hold fast to the true doctrine handed down to him. There are two sources from which he must learn tradition and scripture. The Erst comes from our Lord through his
—
apostles; the
second
the holy writings.
is
God
the inspired is
as
much
word
of
God
set
down
in
the author of the revelation
2
484 I
Timothy
adjure you in the sight of God, and of Jesus Christ,
to be the judge of living
and
1-14
4,
of his
and dead,
in the
name
The time
all
come, when
the patience
men
will
grow fresh;
and so they
new
will surely
with a continuous succes-
will provide themselves
whim
teachers, as the
takes them, turning a deaf
ear to the truth, bestowing their attention for
con-
it
sound doctrine, always itching to hear something
of a teacher.
is
of his coming,
kingdom, preach the word, dwelling upon
rebuke the sinner, comfort the waverer, with
sion of
is
welcome or unwelcome; bring home wrong-doing,
tinually,
tired of
who
on
fables instead. It
you to be on the watch, to accept every hardship, to em-
ploy yourself in preaching the gospel, and perform every duty of your office.
As
for
nearly I
me,
my blood
come when
I
have finished the
already flows in sacrifice; the time has free. I
have redeemed
forward to the prize that earned.
The
grant
to
it
who have
Make
have fought the good
can go race; I
is
my
fight;
pledge;
I
look
waiting for me, the prize
I
have
Lord, the judge whose award never goes amiss, will
me when
that day comes; to me, yes,
and
all
those
learned to welcome his appearing.
haste,
and come quickly
to
me. Demas has
fallen in
love with this present world; he has deserted me, and gone to
Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, Titus to Dalmatia,
and Luke
is
my
only companion. Join
company with Mark,
and bring him here with you; he can help me with the exercise of his ministry now that I have sent Tychicus away to Ephesus.
When
you come, bring with you the cloak which
Carpus' hands at Troas; the books, too, and above of parchment.
I
have had
much
ill
all
I
left in
the
rolls
usage from Alexander, the
coppersmith. As for what he has done, the Lord will judge
him
From Rome October 66 A.D. given to
man
through Jesus
men on
485
Old Testament as he is of Christ Both have the same purpose: in the
in holy living. This statement of Paul's
is
that given to educate
the classic text
Biblical Inspiration.
An
essential of a bishop's office
flock. It is
is
to preach
not only important that he
know
and teach
his
the truth; he
must be prepared to impart it to others. Paul is most insistent that Timothy ful&l this function completely. Undoubtedly it was the errors of false teachers that moved him to emphasize this point. All through the Pastoral Letters, Paul's theme is the evil being done by false doctrine in the churches he has
founded.
Once
heresy destroys the truth, the whole fabric
of Christian living
is
destroyed.
Timothy to keep the faith alive; the time has come hand over to him the responsibility for his conHe knows that he will not be freed from prison this time;
It is for
for Paul to verts.
the
life
he has lived for Christ
is
soon to be changed to eternal
Paul uses two metaphors from ath-
glory. Characteristically letics to describe his life:
he has always been a Eghter; he has
run the race with his eyes fixed on Christ Jesus.
Paul's Loneliness. friendship.
In time of
During the Agony
trial
there
in the
is
comfort in
human
Garden our Lord came
back three times to his sleeping disciples in search of consolation. Paul,
the same on,
who
followed so closely in Jesus' footsteps,
abandonment
as
felt
he awaited death. As winter came
and the cold seeped into
he thought of his
his bones,
beloved disciple Timothy; in his distress he sent out a pathetic appeal that
Tychicus
we hope was answered in time. may have carried this letter
was Timothy
s
to Ephesus,
headquarters; he was to find
which
Timothy and send
486 for
2 it;
Timothy
4,
15-22
only do you, too, be on your guard against him; he has
been a great enemy to our preaching.
At my body;
no one stood by me; I was deserted by everybe forgiven them. But the Lord was at my side;
first trial,
may
it
he endowed
me
with strength, so that through
ing of the gospel might attain tiles
might hear
thus
it;
of the lion. Yes, the
of evil; he will bring
I
its full
scope,
me
and
the preach-
all
the Gen-
was brought safely out of the jaws
Lord has preserved
me
from every assault
me safely into his heavenly kingdom; glory
be to him through endless ages, Amen.
My greetings
to Prisca
and Aquila, and to the household
Onesiphorus. Erastus has stayed on at Corinth; Trophimus ill,
and
I left
him behind
me before winter. and
all
at Miletus.
Make
haste,
and come to
Eubulus and Pudens and Linus and Claudia
the brethren send you their greeting.
be with your
of
fell
spirit.
Grace be with you
all.
The Lord
Jesus
From Rome October 66 A.D. him
at
487
once to Rome. Timothy was to come to
Rome
via
up the cloak and BibJe ('parchhad been forced to leave there on his way to
Troas, so that he could pick
ment') that Paul
Rome in chains. Perhaps Alexander was the renegade of
1
Timothy
1,
in Acts 19, 33.
20,
He
Christian
and possibly the same person mentioned
was now
Jiving at Ephesus.
He may
been Paul's betrayer in Asia, a second Judas; possibly he
gone to
Rome as a
witness against Paul at his
have
had
trial there.
Paul had already been tried once during his present imprisonment; this was probably shortly after his arrival in Rome. Just as in Asia,
where he had been
abandoned him through
made
fear;
arrested, all the Christians
but unaided by
a brilliant defence that saved
man
Paul had
him from death
for the
time being. The second time, in the following year 6y A.D., he would be condemned to death, taken a few miles outside the city and beheaded.
Christ Jesus.
At long
last his life
was complete in
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