Imagens das páginas
PDF
ePub

CHAP. IV.

SECT. I.

St. Paul believed continued. First of his five Visits to Jerusalem after his Conversion.

WITH a view to invalidate the history given in The Acts of the Apostles, Gamaliel Smith labours to shew that there is a contradiction between St. Paul, and the Author of The Acts, as to the time when this first visit took place; hence he asserts, that according to Paul himself, it was not till after three years spent in Arabia, but that, according to The Acts, it was immediately after Paul's conversion. "As to contradiction," (says Gamaliel Smith) "contradiction cannot easily be much more pointed, than it will be seen to be between the account in respect of time, as given in this instance by Paul, and the account given of it by his historiographer in The Acts":" Let us not be misled by this bold assertion, but examine the grounds of it by attentively looking at the accounts, and we shall, I imagine, perceive its fallacy.

a

* Page 113.

In Galatians, chap. i, St. Paul says, "When it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb, and called me by his grace, 16. To reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood: 17. Neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were Apostles before me; but I went into Arabia, and returned again unto Damascus. unto Damascus. 18. Then after three years I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen days. 19. But other of the Apostles saw I none, save James the Lord's brother. 20. Now the things which I write unto you, behold, before God, I lie not." Thus far Paul's own account; let us now refer to that given of the matter, by the Author of The Acts.

ACTS, ch. ix. ver. 8-28.

8. "And Saul arose from the earth; and when his eyes were opened, he saw no man but they led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus. 9. And he was three days without sight, and neither did eat nor drink. 10. And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord. 11. And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth, 12. And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight. 13. Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jeru

suffer for my

salem: 14. And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name. 15. But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel: 16. For I will shew him how great things he must name's sake. 17. And Ananias went his way, and entered into the house; and putting his hands on him said, Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou camest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost. 18. And immediately there fell from his eyes as it had been scales: and he received sight forthwith, and arose, and was baptized. 19. And when he had received meat, he was strengthened. Then was Saul certain days with the disciples which were at Damascus. 20. And straightway he preached Christ

[ocr errors]

name in

in the synagogues, that he is the Son of God. 21. But all that heard him were amazed, and said, Is not this he that destroyed them which called on this Jerusalem, and came hither for that intent, that he might bring them bound unto the chief priests? 22. But Saul increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews which dwelt at Damascus, proving that, this is very Christ. 23. And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him: 24. But their laying await was known of Saul. And they watched the gates day and night to kill him. 25. Then the disciples took him by night, and let him down by the wall in 26. And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples : but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. 27. But Barnabas took him, and brought

basket. a

him to the Apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 28. And he was with them coming in

and going out at Jerusalem."

Now if it can be shewn that the phrase "many days," which is used in the twenty-third verse, is ever applied by any other author to signify so long a space as three years, it must be admitted, that not only is there no contradiction between Paul and the Author of The Acts, as to the time when Paul made his first visit to Jerusalem, but the most perfect consistency between the two accounts. With this view, then, I must request the reader to look at the thirty-eighth and thirtyninth verses of the second chapter of the first book of Kings, where he will find the same words used with the same latitude. "And Shimei dwelt at Jerusalem "many days," and it came to pass at the end of three years, that two of the servants of Shimei ran away." What is related from the eighth to the end of the twenty-second verse of the ninth chapter of Acts, evidently applies to what occurred on the occasion of St. Paul's first visit to Damascus, immediately after his conversion; and the two following verses relate to circumstances which happened subsequent to St. Paul's return to Damascus from Arabia. Nor is there any con

tradiction given to the above accounts, by what is reported by the Author of The Acts, as having been spoken by St. Paul before the Jewish king Agrippa; for we are to consider the occasion on which Paul was speaking, and the objects he had in view: he was pleading in defence of himself and the doctrines of Christianity, and to this end appealed to some of the more important circumstances of his past life, and miraculous conversion. To have entered into a minute detail of all that he had done and suffered, or to have recounted his travels over a very considerable portion of the known world, for the purpose of propagating the Gospel, would have been an unnecessary waste of time; hence, like a judicious speaker, St. Paul compressed into a small compass the matters to which alone he deemed it necessary to advert. After having stated the purposes for which Jesus appeared to him in a vision, he proceeds to shew that he had not been regardless of the divine commission with which he had been invested. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision, but shewed first unto them of Damascus and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judæa, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance." Is not what is here said in conformity

66

« AnteriorContinuar »