nage had thought of it, and spoke to it very well. I was led to my observations by reading Philo, and Josephus : from whom I formed the argument, and overlooked the justmentioned ecclesiastical historian.

I supposed that! Petronius published his order in the year 39, or 40. Basnage and Tillemont say, in the year 40. By whom I am not unwilling to be determined.

It is allowed, that Petronius was sent governor into Syria by Caius in the third year of his reign, A. D. 39. And it is supposed by them, that Petronius came into the province about autumn in the year 39. And Josephus says, that Caius, greatly incensed against the Jews for not paying him the same respect that others did, sent Petronius governor into Syria, commanding him to set up his statue in the temple and if the Jews opposed it, to march into the country with a numerous army, and effect it by force.'

6

Whenever Petronius published that order, whether in the year 39, or 40, I think it was the occasion of the tranquillity of the churches of Christ, spoken of by St. Luke. And I persuade myself, that most people will readily be of the same opinion.

We will now take a paragraph or two in the Acts, ch. ix. 26-31," And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples.And he was with them, coming in, and going out, at Jerusalem. And he spoke boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians. But they went about to slay him. Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Cæsarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, and were edified."

This rest, we may suppose, was not complete, or made extensive and universal, till the year 40 perhaps, nor till near the middle of it. But when did Paul come to Jerusalem? Before this rest? or, not till after it was commenced? Basnage thinks that Paul came to Jerusalem in the year 40. Let us however make a few remarks.

y See the place referred to above at note ".

* Ubi supra, num. v.

a Ruine des Juifs, art. xviii. xix. Hist. des Emp. tom. I. b Sed ex Josephi historia constat, illum in provinciam anno tertio Caii advenisse, circa autumnum. Noris. Cenot. Pisan. Diss. 2. p. 371. Conf. Usser. Ann. 39. Ο Γαϊος δε εν δεινῳ φέρων, εις τοσον δε ύπο Ιεδαιων περιωφθαι μονων, πρεσβευτην επι Συρίας εκπέμπει Πετρώνιον κελεύων χειρι πολλη εισβαλλοντι εις την Ιεδαίαν, ει μεν έκοντες δέχωνται, ίσαν αυτόν ανδριαντα εν τῳ ναῳ το θες ειδ' αγνωμοσυνη χρωντο, πολέμῳ κρατησαντα το το ποιείν. Antiq. 1. 18. cap. ix. n. 2. al. cap. xi.

d Ann. 40. num. xv.

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The peace, of which we are speaking, seems not to have commenced, nor the persecution to have ceased, when Paul arrived at Jerusalem from Damascus. For when he " spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus," and disputed with the Grecians, they went about to slay him :" as we have seen in the paragraph just transcribed. And the brethren found it needful to conduct him with care to Cæsarea, and send him thence to Tarsus. Moreover, Peter was at Jerusalem when Paul arrived there, and "he abode with him fifteen days," Gal. i. 18. But when the peace of the churches was established, Peter left Jerusalem, and visited the saints in the several parts of Judea: as we learn from the history immediately following, Acts ix. 31-43. Once more, it appears from the above-cited paragraph, and the course of St. Luke's narration, that this rest of the churches in Judea did not begin until after Paul had been sent thence. And if it had commenced sooner, in all probability he would have been induced to stay longer there among the Jews, for whose conversion he was ardently concerned. St. Luke's words are, as above: "Which when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Cæsarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, and were edified."

I apprehend it to be probable, then, that Paul came to Jerusalem at this season, near the end of the year 39, or in the beginning of the year 40. We now proceed.

St. Paul says, Gal. i. 15—18, that "when it pleased God by his grace to reveal his Son in him, -he went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter." For the time of Paul's conversion therefore we must look back "three years." And if those three years are to be understood complete, and he came to Jerusalem in the year 40, he was converted not long after the beginning of the year 37, where it is placed by Basnage. If he came to Jerusalem before the end of the year 39, he might be converted near the end of the year 36.

Let me add. Paul says, "After three years I went up to Jerusalem:" which may be well understood to mean somewhat more than three years. And then, though Paul should be supposed not to have returned to Jerusalem till the beginning of the year 40, he may have been converted before the end of the year 36.

Shall we now look somewhat farther back, and inquire how long this might be after the death of Stephen? Lewis

Capellus and Fr. Spanheim supposed that two years passed between the death of Stephen and Paul's conversion. And for certain there was some good space of time between Stephen's martyrdom, and Paul's journey to Damascus. This appears from St. Luke's history, who says, Acts vii. 58," And they cast Stephen out of the city, and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul." It follows in ch. viii. 1-4," And Saul was consenting unto his death. At that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem. And they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles. As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women, committed them to prison." After which, at ver. 5-40, is an account of the preaching of those who were "scattered abroad," particularly of Philip's going to the city Samaria, and preaching there with great success, and of the apostles, who were at Jerusalem, hearing of this, and sending to Samaria Peter and John: and then, how Philip taught and baptized the chamberlain of Candace, queen of Ethiopia. After which Philip preached in all the cities from Azotus, till he came to Caesarea by the sea-side. Still Saul was a persecutor. For it follows, ch. ix. 1, 2, " And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, went unto the high priest and desired of him letters to Damascus, to the synagogues; that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem." To all which might be added, that Paul's ill treatment of the disciples at Jerusalem was well known at Damascus before he arrived there, as appears from Acts ix. 13.

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Nevertheless I do not think that there is sufficient reason to protract this space so long as two years: but would hope it might be reduced within the compass of a year, and perhaps to little more than half a year. So thought Basnage. Who therefore placeth the martyrdom of Stephen and the baptism of Paul in one and the same year.

I am the more inclined to think that Paul's course of opposition against the believers did not exceed the space of a

Porro interim---Saülus, qui Stephani morti consenserat, cum per biennium ecclesiam Dei Jerosolymis vastâsset.——Lud. Capel. Hist. Apost. p. 7. h Ex dictis constare arbitramur――rursum anni minimum unius decursum, si non verius biennii (quale et Lud. Capellus post Danæum nostrum, aliosque, statuit) a cæde hujus ad Saüli profectionem Damascenam supponendum esse. Spanh. Diss. de Convers. Paulin. Epoch. n. xx.

A. D. 37. num. 48.

year, at the utmost: because it seems to have been confined to the city of Jerusalem, until he undertook to go to Damascus, and did not reach into the cities of Judea and Samaria. This will lead us to place the martyrdom of Stephen in the year 36, and not far from the beginning of it, or else near the end of the year 35.

Indeed that is a very likely season, and much confirmed by the state of things in Judea about this time, as distinctly represented by us long ago, in the first part of this work, when we treated of affairs and persons, occasionally mentioned in the books of the New Testament. It was then shown, that Pontius Pilate was removed from his government in Judea, before the passover of the year 36, probably, five or six months before that passover, in September or October, A. D. 35, about a year and half before the death of Tiberius. It was also shown, that' after the removal of Pilate, no governor, or procurator, with the right of the sword, or the power of life and death, was sent into Judea, neither in the remaining part of the reign of Tiberius, nor in the reign of Caius. Which afforded the Jews an opportunity to be licentious, and to do many things, which otherwise they could not have done, and to be extremely troublesome to the disciples of Jesus.

Thus then Paul was converted in 37, or possibly, before the end of the year 36. And Stephen was stoned in the beginning of the same year, or, at the soonest, near the end of the year 35.

III. Having distinctly considered these things, and produced such probable evidence as offers, I beg leave to mention several observations.

1. The persecution, which began at the death of Stephen, continued four years.

The disciples of Jesus, as appears from the first chapters of the book of the Acts, were much harassed by the Jewish council from the beginning. But now, after Stephen was stoned, a more open and violent persecution came ou, which n lasted a good while. I am not able to assign a more likely time for the commencement of it, than the beginning of the

* See Vol. i. p. 392.

m P. 99.

1 Ibid. P. 90-93.

" Here I transcribe a passage from Lightfoot's Commentary upon the Acts, ch. ix. 27, of his works, Vol. 1. p. 815. And thus,' says he, that persecution, that began about Stephen, had lasted 'till this very same time of Paul's coming to Jerusalem. For so it is apparent, 'both by the fear and suspiciousness of the disciples at Jerusalem, as also by 'the clausure of the text, ver. 31, "Then had the churches rest." The length of this persecution, by the computation of the times, as they have been cast up before, seemeth to have been about three years and a half.'

year 36, or the latter part of the year 35, about which time Pilate was removed after his government had been for some good while very feeble among the Jews. The same persecution reached into the year of our Lord 40, the fourth and last year of the reign of Caius; when Petronius published the orders which he had received, to set up the emperor's statue in the temple at Jerusalem: which threw the Jewish people, throughout all that country, into a general consternation, and fully employed them about their own affairs.

It seems to me therefore, from this calculation, that the persecution lasted, at least, four years. To which might be added, that it must have begun about a year before Paul's conversion, after which he was three years in Arabia. And when he returned to Jerusalem, the persecution was not at an end nor did the peace of the churches come on till after he had been sent away from Judea to Tarsus.

2. Notwithstanding the violence, and the length of this persecution, the church of Christ was not diminished, but increased, during that period.

This may be argued from the description of the peace which succeeded it. Acts ix. 31, 32; “Then had the churches rest throughout all Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria, and were edified.And it came to pass, as Peter passed through all quarters, he came to the saints which dwelt in Lydda." Now therefore there were churches in Judea, and Galilee, and Samaria. And I make no question, but most, or all of them, were planted during those troublesome times. For before that period we read not of any churches out of Jerusalem. And St. Paul speaking of some things after his conversion, and his return to Jerusalem, says, Gal. i. 22, “He was unknown by face to the churches of Judea, which were in Christ."

This increase of converts in those countries might be owing to several things: the patience and fortitude of the disciples: their discretion in avoiding needless offence, and in declining dangers: their zeal and intrepidity in asserting the resurrection of Jesus, and other articles of the doctrine of the gospel; the miraculous powers with which they were endowed, and their exerting them on all fit occasions.

It might be also, in part, owing to the circumstances of things. For a while, as it seems, this persecution was confined to Jerusalem, and did not extend to other parts of Judea. So says St. Luke, Acts viii. 1; "At that time was a great persecution against the church which was at JerusaJem." Paul's injuries were confined there, till he went to Damascus. He speaks not of any thing done by him against