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The Acts and Paul himself, relative to the transaction, have a striking, yet evidently undesigned coincidence. Gamaliel Smith, in again alluding to this "adventure of the basket," as he is pleased to term it, says, "By the reference made to a matter of fact, which, supposing it real, must in its nature have been notorious, to wit, the existence of a king of the name in question, in the country in question, at the time in question, a comparative degree of probability seems to be given to Paul's account. A curious circumstance is, that in this Epistle of Paul's, (the second Epistle to the Corinthians) this anecdote of the basket stands completely insulated, it has not any the slightest connexion with any thing that precedes or follows it." Now, so far from not having any connexion with any thing that precedes it, I think this "anecdote of the basket" is intimately connected with, and naturally suggested itself to St. Paul's mind, from what he had just been writing, with respect to being "in perils by his own countrymen, in perils by the heathen;" for it appears from the history, that not only did a base unprincipled band of Paul's own countrymen, the Jews, lie in wait to kill him, but that, instigated by those same Jews, the heathen governor,

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who kept the city with a garrison, was desirous of apprehending him. Whether there was, or was not, a governor with a garrison at Damascus, upon Paul's visit to that place, immediately after his conversion, I think perfectly immateriala. The Scriptures were not written with a view to gratify idle curiosity, but to make men "wise unto eternal life." For this purpose, they contain all the information, and are supported by all the evidence, that reasonable men need desire; and it is gratifying to know, that in many important circumstances, the sacred historians are corroborated by the testimony of other writers, who cannot be suspected of any design to represent matters in a light favourable to the Christians. If, previous to writing his invectives against St. Paul, Mr. Gamaliel Smith had attentively perused the Jewish historian Josephus, he might have found, not only that such a person as Aretas king of Arabia really existed, but reasons for his having a governor with a garrison at Damascus, at the time when Paul is reported to have been let down from the walls of that city in a basket. It was not long after St. Paul's conversion, that the animosity, which had for some time

a Mr. Robinson, in his note on Acts ix. 23, has, I think, fully explained this seeming difficulty.

subsisted between Aretas king of Arabia, and Herod the tetrarch, broke out into open war. The cause of this animosity originated in Herod's having put away his wife, the daughter of Aretas, in order that he might marry Herodias, his brother Philip's wife. Aretas, having collected a sufficient force, made war upon Herod, and, in a set battle, Herod's army was completely overthrown. Herod, upon the destruction of his army, applied himself to his master, the Emperor Tiberius, who was so far wrought upon by the representations of Herod, that he was exceedingly displeased at the success of Aretas, and at his audacity in making war in his dominions; and that he immediately wrote letters to Vitellius, governor of Syria, ordering him to undertake the war, and to bring the rebellious Aretas prisoner, or to send his head to Rome. It was about the time of St. Paul's return from Arabia to Damascus, that Aretas was engaged in making preparations against the intended attack of Vitellius. It was therefore extremely probable, that among other warlike measures of

a

Josephus informs us, that it was commonly believed among the Jews, that the defeat of Herod's army proceeded from the immediate vengeance of heaven, for his having murdered the honest and virtuous John the Baptist. See Joseph. Antiq. Book XVIII. Chap. v. Sect. 1, 2, 3. and Book XIII. Chap. xv. Sect. 2.

defence, Aretas should have a governor and a garrison in the important and populous city of Damascus, which though in Colo-Syria, was at this time in subjection to Aretas. As to the governor having been influenced by the Jews to apprehend St. Paul, it is easy to assign a motive for his conduct. The Jews were a commercial people,-they were, moreover, at this time, numerous in Damascus, having synagogues there, and among other expedients it was not unlikely that Aretas, or his governor, might have occasion to apply to them for some kind of assistance during the impending war. Political considerations might therefore have induced the governor to pay court to the Jews, and it is hardly possible to conceive any way in which he could more effectually do so, than by attempting to destroy so zealous a propagator of Christ's religion as St. Paul.

See Mr. Robinson on Acts ix. 2, where this assertion is corroborated by a quotation from Josephus.

SECT. IV.

Length of this first Visit. St. Paul's Employment during it.

IT appears that on the occasion of this first visit to Jerusalem, St. Paul remained there fifteen days, and his employment during his stay was consistent with his Apostolic character, for we find that he was not only credited by Peter and James, with whom he was in frequent conference, but that he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians." Why with the Grecians and no other?" says Gamaliel Smith. "The reason is no mystery. Greek was the language of Paul.—Greek, for any thing that appears, was not the language of Peter, or of any other of the Apostles," p. 143. It is probable that St. Paul might preach to others as well as the Grecians, be that as it might, a much juster reason than that given by Gamaliel Smith, may be assigned for St. Paul's directing his discourses. more particularly on this occasion to the Grecians. The expression used in the original passage will apply to such proselytes to Judaism as had resided

* Ελάλει τε καὶ συνεζήτει πρὸς τοὺς Ἑλληνιστάς. Acts ix. 29.

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