PAUL'S DEFENSE--IS SENT TO ROME--HIS SHIPWRECK

PAUL'S DEFENSE--IS SENT TO ROME--HIS SHIPWRECK
TERTULLUS' FALSE ACCUSATION
After Paul had been confined five days at Caesarea, by order of Felix, there came thither Ananias the high-priest, and several other members of the Sanhedrin, together with Tertullus, a man of great elocution, and an inveterate enemy to Paul. Being all assembled before Felix, Tertullus made a long speech, in which he made use of all the insinuating arts that could arise from human invention to prepossess the governor in his own favor; having done which he accused Paul “of being a seditious person, and a disturber of the public peace, who had set himself at the head of the sect of Nazarenes, and made no manner of scruple to profane even the temple itself.” This accusation was altogether false, notwithstanding which it was confirmed by all the members of the Sanhedrin, who had come from Jerusalem on this occasion.
PAUL'S DEFENSE
Tertullus having finished his accusation against Paul, Felix told him that he was now at liberty to make his defence; upon which Paul addressed himself to the court in words to this effect--
“I answer this charge of the Jews with the greater satisfaction before thee, because thou hast for many years been a judge of this nation. About twelve days since, I repaired to Jerusalem to worship the God of Jacob. But I neither disputed with any man, or endeavored to stir the people in the synagogues or the city. Nor can they prove the charge they have brought against me.
“This, however, I readily confess, that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers; and according to this faith, I am careful to maintain a clear and quiet conscience, both toward God and man.
“After I had spent some years in distant countries, I repaired to Jerusalem, with the alms I had collected in other provinces, for the poor of mine own nation, and offerings to the God of Jacob. And while I was performing the duties of religion, certain Asiatic Jews found me in the temple, purified according to law; but neither attended with a multitude of followers, or the least tumultuous assembly. It was therefore necessary that these Jews should have been here, if they had anything to allege against me. Nay, I appeal to those of the Sanhedrin here present, if anything has been laid to my charge, except the objections of the Sadducees, who violently opposed me for asserting the doctrine of the resurrection.”
FELIX DELAYS DECISION
Felix, having thus heard both parties, refused to make any final determination till he had more fully advised about it, and consulted Lysias, the governor of the castle, who was the most proper person to give an account of the cause of the controversy. In the meantime Felix gave orders that, though Paul should be kept under a guard, yet his confinement should be so free and easy, that none of his friends should be hindered from visiting, or doing him any offices of kindness.
PAUL BROUGHT BEFORE FELIX AND DRUSILLA
A few days after this, Felix, being desirous that his wife Drusilla (who had been a Jewess) should hear Paul, he ordered him to be brought before them, and gave him permission to speak freely concerning the doctrines of Christianity. In his discourse he particularly pointed out the great obligation which the laws of Christ laid on mankind to preserve justice and righteousness, sobriety and chastity, both toward themselves and others, more especially from this consideration, namely, the strict and impartial account that must be given, in the day of judgment, of all the actions of their past lives, and the consequences that would inevitably follow, either to be rewarded or eternally punished.
This discourse had such an effect on Felix, that he could not help trembling as he sat on his throne; and as soon as he had a little recovered his spirits, he abruptly interrupted Paul, by saying, “Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee.”
FELIX WAITS FOR BRIBE FOR PAUL'S RELEASE
Felix, no doubt, had sufficient reason to tremble, and his conscience to be sensibly alarmed at Paul's discourse; for he was a man notoriously infamous for rapine and violence. He made his own will the law of his government, practicing all manner of cruelty and injustice. To these bad qualities he added bribery and covetousness; and therefore often sent for Paul to discourse with him, expecting he would have given him a considerable sum for his release, having, in all probability, heard that Paul had taken with him a large quantity of money to Jerusalem. But finding that no offers were made him, either by the apostle or his friends, he kept him prisoner two years; when himself being discharged from his office by Nero, he left Paul in prison, in order to gratify the malice of the Jews,[496] and engage them to speak the better of him after his departure from Judea.
[496] Felix had greatly exasperated the Jews by his unjust and violent proceedings while he continued in the government; and therefore, upon his dismission, he thought to have pacified them in some measure, by leaving Paul (whom he might have discharged long before) still in custody, and consequently still liable to become a prey to their greedy malice. But herein he found himself greatly mistaken; for no sooner was he removed from his office, than several of the principal Jews of Caesarea took a journey to Rome on purpose to accuse him, and would certainly have wrought his ruin, had not his brother Pallas (who was in very distinguished favor with Nero) interceded for his pardon.
FESTUS BECOMES GOVERNOR
On the deposition of Felix the government of Judea was invested in Portius Festus, who, after staying three days at Caesarea, went to Jerusalem. On his arrival thither, the high-priest, and other members of the Sanhedrin, exhibited fresh accusations against Paul, and, in order to his trial, desired that he might be sent for up to Jerusalem, intending to have him assassinated in the way. But Festus, being unwilling to grant their request, told them, that he was shortly going himself to Caesarea, and that if they had any complaint against Paul, they must come thither and accuse him, when he would not fail to do them justice.
PAUL APPEALS CASE TO CAESAR
In consequence of this the Jews followed Festus to Caesarea, and when he was seated on his throne, they renewed their charge, and produced their articles against Paul, which were much the same as what they had accused him of before Felix. But Paul defended himself so well, by making it appear that he had neither offended against the Jewish laws, nor against the temple, nor against the emperor, that their charge, for want of sufficient proof, fell to the ground. Festus, however; being willing to procure the favor of the Jews at his entrance on the government, asked Paul if he would go and be tried before him at Jerusalem? But the apostle, well knowing the malice of his enemies, and being unwilling to trust himself in their power, boldly declared, “as he then stood at the emperor's judgment-seat, when he ought to have a final trial, if he had done anything worthy of death, he did not wish to avoid punishment; but that, as he had not injured any of the Jews, and they could not prove anything against him, he ought not to be made a victim to their fury; and therefore, as he was a Roman, he appealed to the emperor himself.”[497] Festus, finding Paul resolute in maintaining his privilege, conferred for some time with his council, and then, with some seeming emotion, told him that since he “had appealed unto Caesar, unto Caesar he should go.”
[497] This manner of appealing was very common among the Romans, and introduced to secure the lives and fortunes of the people from the unjust encroachments and over-rigorous severities of the magistrates. Paul well knew he should not have fair and equitable dealings from the governor, when swayed by the Jews, his sworn and inveterate enemies, and therefore appealed from him to the emperor; nor could Festus deny his demand.
KING AGRIPPA HEARS PAUL'S CASE
A few days after this, King Agrippa (who succeeded Herod in the tetrarchate of Galilee), with his sister Bernice, went to Caesarea, in order to pay a visit to the new governor. Festus took this opportunity of mentioning Paul's case to Agrippa, with the remarkable tumult that had been occasioned by him among the Jews, and the appeal he had made to Caesar, the whole of which he related in words to this effect: “That Felix, upon his parting with the government of Judea, had left a certain prisoner, against whom some of the chief of the Jews had brought an information, and immediately demanded judgment, which, according to the Roman law, could not be done without first hearing the case and bringing the parties together. That to this purpose he had ordered his accusers to come to Caesarea, but, upon the result, found that the dispute between them was about matters of religion, and whether a person called Jesus was really dead or alive. That being himself unacquainted with such kind of controversies, he had referred the prisoner to the Jewish Sanhedrin, but that he, declining their judgment, had appealed to Caesar: and that therefore he kept him still in prison, until he could meet with a convenient opportunity to send him to Rome.”
This account given of Paul by Festus greatly excited the curiosity of King Agrippa, who intimated his desire of hearing himself what Paul had to say in his own defence. Accordingly the next day the king and his sister, accompanied by Festus the governor, and several other persons of distinction, went into the court with a pompous and splendid retinue, where the prisoner was brought before them. As soon as Paul appeared, Festus informed the court “how greatly he had been importuned by the Jews, both at Caesarea and Jerusalem, to put the prisoner to death as a malefactor; but having, on examination, found him guilty of no capital crime, and the prisoner himself having appealed unto Caesar, he was determined to send him to Rome. That he was willing, however, to have his cause again discussed before so judicious a person as Agrippa, that he might be furnished with some material particulars to send with him, as it would be highly absurd to send a prisoner without signifying the crimes alleged against him.”
PAUL'S DEFENSE BEFORE AGRIPPA
Festus having finished his speech, King Agrippa told Paul he was at full liberty to make his own defence; upon which, after silence being called, Paul, chiefly addressing himself to Agrippa, spoke to this effect--
“I consider it as a peculiar happiness, King Agrippa, that I am to make my defence against the accusations of the Jews, before thee, because thou art well acquainted with their customs, and the questions commonly debated among them: I therefore beseech thee to hear me patiently. All the Jews are well acquainted with my manner of life, from my youth, the greatest part of it having been spent with mine own countrymen at Jerusalem. They also know that I was educated under the institutions of the Pharisees, the strictest sect of our religion, and am now arraigned for a tenet believed by all their fathers; a tenet sufficiently credible in itself, and plainly revealed in the Scriptures, I mean the resurrection of the dead. Why should any mortal think it either incredible or impossible, that God should raise the dead?
“I indeed thought myself indispensably obliged to oppose the religion of Jesus of Nazareth. Nor was I satisfied with imprisoning and punishing with death itself, the saints I found at Jerusalem; I even persecuted them in strange cities, whither my implacable zeal pursued them, having procured authority for that purpose from the chief priests and elders.
“Accordingly, I departed for Damascus with a commission from the Sanhedrin; but as I was travelling toward that city, I saw at midday, O king, a light from heaven, far exceeding the brightness of the sun, encompassing me and my companions. On seeing this awful appearance, we all fell to the earth; and I heard a voice, which said to me, in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? It is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. To which I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he replied, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But be not terrified, arise from the earth; for I have appeared unto thee, that thou mightest be both a witness of the things thou hast seen, and also of others which I will hereafter reveal unto thee; my power, delivering thee from the Jews and Gentiles, to whom now I send thee to preach the gospel; to withdraw the veil of darkness and ignorance; to turn them from falsehood unto truth, and from the power of Satan unto God.
“Accordingly, King Agrippa, I readily obeyed the heavenly vision; I preached the gospel first to the inhabitants of Damascus, then to those of Jerusalem and Judea, and afterward to the Gentiles; persuading them to forsake their iniquities, and, by sincere repentance, turn to the living God.
“These endeavors to save the souls of sinful mortals exasperated the Jews, who caught me in the temple, and entered into a conspiracy to destroy me. But by the help of Omnipotence, I still remain a witness to all the human race, preaching nothing but what Moses and all the prophets foretold, namely, that the Messiah should suffer, be the first that should rise from the chambers of the grave, and publish the glad tidings of salvation, both to the Jews and Gentiles.”
AGRIPPA ALMOST CONVERTED
This discourse was conceived in such a light by Festus, that he thought Paul was delirious, and therefore abruptly told him, that his too much learning had made him mad. The reply Paul made to this was to the following purport: “I am far, most noble Festus, from being transported with idle and distracted ideas; the words I speak are dictated by truth and sobriety; and I am persuaded that King Agrippa himself is not ignorant of those things; for they were transacted openly before the world. I am confident, King Agrippa, that thou believest the prophets; and therefore must know that all their predictions were fulfilled in Christ.” To this Agrippa answered, “Thou hast almost persuaded me to become a Christian.” Paul replied, “I sincerely wish, that not only thou, but also all that hear me, were not almost, but altogether, the same as myself, except being prisoners.” Upon this the assembly broke up; and when Agrippa and Festus had conferred together about Paul's case, they freely owned that the accusation laid against him amounted neither to a capital offence, nor anything deserving imprisonment; and that, had he not appealed unto Caesar, he might have been legally discharged.[498]
[498] It was the custom of the Romans that, after a prisoner had appealed unto the emperor, no inferior judge could either condemn or acquit him.
PAUL SHIPPED TO ROME
It being now finally determined that Paul should be sent to Rome, he, and some other prisoners of note, were committed to the charge of one Julius, a centurion, or captain of a legion called Augustus's band. Accordingly they went on board a ship of Adramyttium,[499] and coasting along Asia, arrived at Sidon, where Julius (who all along treated Paul with great civility) gave him leave to go ashore and refresh himself. From Sidon they set sail, and came within sight of Cyprus, and having passed over the seas of Cilicia and Pamphylia, landed at Myra, a port in Lycia, where the ship finished its voyage. Hence they embarked on board a ship of Alexandria bound for Italy; and having passed by Cnidus,[500] with some difficulty made for Salome, a promontory on the eastern shore of Crete, whence, after many days slow sailing, they arrived at a place called the Fair Havens, on the coast of the same island. As the season of the year was far advanced, and sailing in those seas exceedingly dangerous, Paul advised the centurion to put in here, and winter. But Julius, preferring the judgment of the master of the ship, and the wind, at that time blowing gently at south, they put again to sea, in hopes of reaching Phenice, another harbor of Crete, where there was safe riding, and there to winter. It was not long, however, before they found themselves disappointed; for the calm southerly gale which blew before, suddenly changed to a storm and tempestuous northeast wind, which bore down all before it, so that they were forced to let the ship drive; but, to secure it from splitting, they undergirded[501]
[499] Adramyttium was a seaport to Mysia, a province of Asia Minor, lying opposite to the isle of Lesbos, and not far from Troas.
[500] Cnidus was a city which stood on a promontory, or foreland of the same name, in that part of the province of Caria which was more particularly called Doris. This city was remarkable for the worship Venus, and for the celebrated statue of that goddess made by the famous artificer Praxiteles.
[501] To strengthen or reinforce by passing a rope, cable or chain around the underside of an object. it, and to prevent its running aground on the shallows, threw out a great part of its lading and tackle.
PAUL COMFORTS SHIPMATES
In this wretched and dangerous situation did they continue for the space of fourteen days, during which they saw neither sun nor stars, so that the whole company (except Paul) began to give themselves up as lost. This being observed by the apostle, he addressed himself to them in words to this effect: “Had you taken my advice, and stayed at Crete, you would not have been in this danger; but take comfort, for we shall suffer no loss but that of the ship. This I can assure you has been made known to me by a divine messenger, who, appearing to me in the night, said, Fear not, Paul, for thou must be brought before Caesar, and God hath, for thy sake, granted life and safety to all them that are with thee in the ship. Wherefore be of good cheer, for I am confident this vision will be made good, coming from God, as it certainly doth. But one passage more I received in this vision, namely, that after shipwreck we shall be cast on a certain island.”
On the fourteenth night, the sailors, thinking they were near land, sounded, and found themselves in twenty fathoms water, soon after which they were convinced, by a second sounding, that they were near some coast. But apprehending that they might strike upon some shelves in the dark, they thought proper to come to an anchor, till the morning might give them better information. In the meantime the weather continuing exceedingly boisterous, they altered their intentions, and not staying for daylight, attempted to save themselves by getting into the boat. On this Paul told Julius, “that though he had said no person to the ship should perish, it was upon condition that they believed and trusted in God for their preservation: that therefore the seamen should continue in the ship and do their duty, and not endeavor to effect their escape by the boat; which if they did, they would be all in danger of their lives.” Upon this the soldiers, to prevent the seamen's design, cut the ropes that fastened the boat, which was soon driven away by the impetuosity of the waves.
PAUL ENCOURAGES SHIPMATES TO EAT
A little before daybreak Paul advised all the people on board the ship to take some refreshment, because, during the time of their danger, which had been fourteen days, they had taken but very little sustenance; and to encourage them to do this, he assured them again, that “not a hair of their heads should perish.” Having said this, Paul “took bread, and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it, he began to eat. Then were they all of good cheer, and they also took some meat.”
THE SHIP BREAKS UP
In the morning they discovered land, and discerning a creek which seemed to make a kind of haven, they resolved, if possible, to put in there; but in their passage unexpectedly fell into a place where two seas met, and where the forepart of the ship striking upon a neck of land that ran out into the sea, the hinder part was soon beaten in pieces by the violence of the waves. When the soldiers saw what was likely to be their fate, they proposed putting all the prisoners to the sword, lest any of them should swim to land, and make their escape; but the centurion, who was willing to save Paul, not approving of this design, gave orders that every one should shift for himself; the issue of which was, that some by swimming, others fastening to planks, and others on pieces of the broken ship (to the number of 276 persons) all got safe on shore.
SHIPMATES SWIM TO MELITA
The country on which they were cast was (as Paul had foretold) an island called Melita,[502] now called Malta, situated on the Lybian sea, between Syracuse and Africa. The natives of the place received them with great civility and kindness, made fires to dry their wet clothes, and entertained them with every necessary that was requisite for their distressed situation.
[502] It is well known that the ancient name of Malta was Melita. This island, being situated midway, as it were, between the continents of Europe and Africa, has been reckoned sometimes as belonging to the one, and sometimes to the other. It is, however, rather nearer to Europe than to Africa, being one hundred and ninety miles from Cape Spartivento, to Calabria, the nearest point on the continent of Europe; and two hundred miles from Calipia, the nearest part of Africa; it is, however, only sixty miles from Cape Passaro, in Sicily. The island is sixty miles in circumference, twenty long, and twelve broad. Near it, on the west, is another and smaller island, called Goza, about thirty miles in circumference. Malta has no mountains, nor any very high hills; and it therefore makes no very conspicuous figure from the sea. There are no ports or bays on the African side of the island: but several very deep ones on the coast facing Sicily. The most important of these are the Calle della Melleha, the Porto di S. Paolo, and the two which are separated by the tongue of land on which stands the modern capital, Citta Valetta. The more ancient capital, in which, as appears from his intercourse with the governor, St. Paul remained during his stay, is situated about the center of the island, upon a hill of moderate elevation, between which and the bay of St. Paul the ground is more low and level than in most other parts of the island. The cathedral church of St. Paul, upon the top of the hill, is supposed by the inhabitants, from old traditions, to occupy the site on which the palace of Publius, the governor, stood at the time of St. Paul's visit. There are in this city numerous alleged memorials of the apostle's sojourn; the process of identifying the spots where St. Paul lodged, and where he did this and this, being pushed to an extreme, is calculated to annoy even those who are disposed to acquiesce in the conclusion that the town was really visited by the apostle of the Gentiles.
Malta is naturally a barren rock; but where some soil has been found, or has been artificially laid, the productive power is very great, and the produce of a very superior description. The island does not, however, produce nearly sufficient corn for the sustenance of its inhabitants, who are obliged to import from abroad the greater part of that which they consume. But this is partly owing to the extreme populousness of the island, which in proportion to its extent, contains more inhabitants than any other country of Europe.
The island was originally colonized by the Phoenicians, from whom it was taken, about 736 years B.C., by the Greek colonists in Sicily, to whom the island owed the name of Melita, perhaps on account of the excellent honey for which it has been at all times noted. An island of so much importance as a maritime and commercial station, was not overlooked by the Carthaginians, who, about 528 B.C., began to dispute its possession with the Greeks, and after for a time dividing it with them, made themselves entire masters of it. The inhabitants of Greek descent, however, renamed, and the Punic, or Phoenician, and the Greek languages were equally spoken. Malta flourished greatly under the dominion of Cartilage; but ultimately partook of the disasters which befell that power. In the first Punic war it was ravaged and seized by the Romans, who however lost it again, and only became masters of it under the treaty which placed in their hands (B.C. 242) all the islands between Italy and Africa. The Romans treated the inhabitants well. They made Melita a municipium, allowing the people to be governed by their own laws. The government was administered by a pro-praetor, who depended on the praetor of Sicily, and this office appears to have been held by Publius at the time of the shipwreck. When the Roman empire was divided, Malta fell to the lot of Constantine. About the middle of the fifth century it was seized by the Vandals, and ten years after by the Goths, who had obtained possession of Sicily. But about a century later (A.D. 553) the island was united to the lower empire by Belisarius, when sent to wrest Africa from the Vandals. The inhabitants were not allowed to enjoy the same privileges they had possessed under the Roman emperor, nor was the Greek government popular; hence the inhabitants willingly received the Arabs, who about the end of the ninth century, took the island from the Greeks, and established in it a government dependant on the emir of Sicily. The Arabs must have become largely mixed with the population to impress upon it, to the extent they did, their own language and customs. The present inhabitants have an Arabian aspect, and their language is an Arabian dialect, easily understood by the native Arabians, and by the Moors of Africa. Malta was taken from the Arabs by the Normans, in the year 1090. Its subsequent changes of masters need not here be stated, till 1530, when the emperor Charles V, who had annexed it to his empire, transferred it to the knights of St. John of Jerusalem, whom the Turks had recently dispossessed of Rhodes. The glory which Malta acquired in 1563, by the defeat of thirty thousand invading Turks--the continued distinction which it enjoyed, as a sovereign state, under the knights--the attention which it engaged, at the commencement of this century, from its surrender to Bonaparte on his way to Egypt--from its recovery by the English--and from its being the alleged ground of the memorable war which terminated at Waterloo; all these are circumstances, in the history of this celebrated island, too notorious to require more than this brief indication.
PAUL SNAKE BITTEN
As Paul was laying a few sticks upon the fire, a viper, enlivened by the heat, came out of the bundle of wood from which he had taken them, and fastened upon his hand. When the natives saw this, they concluded that he must certainly be some notorious murderer, who, though Providence had suffered to escape the dangers of the sea, had been reserved for a more public and solemn execution. But when they saw him shake off the venomous creature into the fire, and no harm ensue, they changed their sentiments, and cried out that “he was a god.”[503]
[503] Hercules was one of the gods whom the people of this island worshipped; and to him they ascribed the power of curing the bite of serpents.
PAUL HEALS MANY ON ISLAND
At a small distance from that part of the island on which Paul and his company were shipwrecked, lived Publius the governor, who received and entertained them with great civility and hospitality for three days. During this time, Paul, being informed that the governor's father lay dangerously ill of a fever and bloody flux, in acknowledgment for the favors received from Publius, went to his apartment, and, after praying some time, laid his hands upon him and healed him. The news of this miraculous cure was soon spread throughout the island, in consequence of which such as were afflicted with any disease were brought to Paul, who restored them to their former health and strength. This increased Paul's fame, and was of considerable advantage to his companions and fellow-sufferers, who on his account were highly caressed and entertained; and when they left the island they received many marks of esteem from the inhabitants, who furnished them with all necessaries proper for their voyage.
Malta

After staying three months at Miletus, they embarked onboard the Castor and Pollux, a ship of Alexandria bound for Italy. On their arrival at Syracuse,[504] they cast anchor, and went on shore to refresh themselves. Here they stopped three days, when they again embarked and sailed for Rhegium,[505] and thence to Puteoli,[506] where they landed. Finding in this place some Christians, at their earnest solicitation they continued with them a week, and then set forward on their journey to Rome.
[504] This was a city of Sicily, seated on the east side of the island, with a fine prospect from every entrance, both by sea and land. Its port, which had the sea on both sides of it, was almost all of it environed with beautiful buildings, and all that part of it which was without the city, was on both sides banked up, and sustained with very fair walls of marble. The city itself, while in its splendor, was the largest and richest that the Greeks possessed in any part of the world; for, according to Strabo, it was twenty-two miles in circumference; and both Livy and Plutarch inform us, that the spoil of it was equal to that of Carthage. It was called quadruplex, as being divided into four parts, Acradino, Tyche, Neapolis, and the island of Ortygia. The first of these contained in it the famous temple of Jupiter; the second, the temple of Fortune; the third, a large amphitheater, and a wonderful statue of Apollo, in the midst of a spacious square; and the fourth, the two temples of Diana and Minerva, and the renowned fountain of Arethusa. About two hundred and ten years before the birth of Christ, this city was taken and sacked by Marcellus, the Roman general, and, in storming the place, Archimedes, the great mathematician, who is esteemed the first inventor of the sphere, and who, during the siege, had sorely galled the Romans with his military engines, was slain by a common soldier, while he was intent upon his studies. After it was thus destroyed by Marcellus, Augustus rebuilt that part of it which stood upon the island, and, in time, it so far recovered itself, as to have three walls, three castles, and a marble gate, and to be able to send out twelve thousand horse, and four hundred ships. But it was totally destroyed by the Saracens, in 884, and scarcely any vestiges of it are now to be seen.
[505] Rhegium, now called Reggio, was a port-town in Italy, opposite to Messina in the island of Sicily; it is thought to have this name given it by the Greeks, who suppose that about this place Sicily was broken off from the continent of Italy by the sea.
[506] Puteoli was a noted town for trade, which lay not far from Naples; it was famous for its hot baths; and from these baths, or pits of water, called in Latin putei, the town is said to have taken its name.
CHRISTIANS AT ROME MEET PAUL
When the Christians of Rome[507] heard that Paul was on his journey to that city, great numbers of them went to meet him, some as far as Apiiforum, and others as far as a place called the Three Taverns. As soon as Paul saw them he was greatly rejoiced, and thanked God and took courage. They all conducted him in a kind of triumph to the city, on their arrival at which Julius delivered the rest of his prisoners over to the captain of the guard; but Paul was permitted to take up his residence in a private house, with only one soldier to guard him.
[507] A city of Italy, the most celebrated upon earth, and for several centuries the mistress of the world: it had been a station of the Etrurians, but it was founded by Romulus, at the head of a banditti, in the reign of King Hezekiah, about A.M. 3251, and B.C. 753, It gradually increased until it extended over seven hills, and ultimately to cover thirteen; and at the advent of Christ, its inhabitants were supposed to amount to about two millions. Christianity triumphed at Rome in the apostolic age, when a flourishing church was formed in that city, whose pastor was regarded with great respect by, other churches, on account of the importance of his station, the metropolis of the world, and so near to the palace of the Caesars. And such was the enmity of the idolatrous priests against the gospel, that many of the early pastors of the Christian church at Rome suffered martyrdom for the faith of Christ. Constantine, the emperor, about A.D. 313, professed his belief in Christianity, and afterward showed his zeal by building many churches, granting large honors to their ministers, especially dignifying the senior pastor at Rome. Multitudes now embraced the religion of the emperor; and ungodly men, for the sake of emolument, aspired to be its ministers: ceremonies were multiplied, to be performed by prayerless ministers, who thus daily corrupted its doctrines. Constantine removing the seat of his government to his new city Constantinople, a path was opened for the ambition of the Roman bishop, who, by progressive steps, advanced to the predicted elevation, on which he claimed to be the head of a hierarchy, as pope, or father of the church on earth, and vicar of Christ--but in the expressive language of apostolic prophecy, the “man of sin,” the “mystery of iniquity,” and “a beast.” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-8; Revelation 13:1-18.) Rome has greatly declined from its former glory, having now only about a hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants; but it abounds with vast monuments of its former grandeur. St. Peter's cathedral, far larger than St. Paul's cathedral, London, is believed to be the most magnificent place of worship in the world; and the Vatican, or winter-palace of the pope, is reckoned to contain twelve thousand five hundred chambers, halls, and closets. Roman catholics regard the pope, or bishop of Rome, as the visible head of the whole Christian church, and his decisions in religion as infallible but every succeeding pope has been an enemy to the circulation of the Bible. Scarcely anything of pure scriptural Christianity can be discovered among the mass of superstitions observed in public worship at Rome and, as the consequence, the morals of the people are the grossest opprobrium to the name of Christ.
PAUL SPEAKS TO JEWISH LEADERS IN ROME
After Paul had been at Rome three days, he sent for the heads or rulers of the Jews in that city, who being assembled, he addressed himself to them in words to this effect: “Men and brethren, though I have done nothing contrary to the laws and customs of the Jews, yet was I by them apprehended and accused before the Roman governor, who, when he had examined me and found no capital accusation laid by my enemies, would have discharged me. But the Jews opposing it, I was forced to appeal to Caesar to get out of their hands, not that I had any complaint to make to him against my countrymen. And this is the cause of my desiring to speak with you; for I am imprisoned, as you see, for teaching the belief and expectation of a future resurrection, which is the result of all the promises of God to the Jews, and that on which every true Israelite depends.” The answer the rulers made to this was to the following purport: “We have no letters from Judea that mentionthee, neither have the converted Jews made any complaint against thee. But we desire to hear thy opinion more at large; for as concerning this profession and doctrine of Christianity, we know it is generally opposed by our brethren the Jews.”
Colosse The Houses of the modern Village of Khonas
Roman Officers

Paul readily complied with this request, and a day being appointed, not only the rulers, but many others of the Jews assembled at his house, to whom he preached from morning till night, explaining the doctrine of the gospel, and proving, from the promises and predictions of the Old Testament, that Jesus was the true Messiah. But his discourse was attended with different success, some of his hearers being convinced of the truth of what he asserted, while others persisted in their infidelity. In consequence of this, warm disputes took place between them; upon which, as they were about to depart, Paul, addressing himself to those who opposed his doctrine, told them that their unbelief was a strict fulfillment of what had been predicted by the prophet Isaiah: “Well,” said he, “spake the Holy Ghost by Isaiah the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive. For the heart of this people is waged gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their hearts, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known, therefore, unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it.” After Paul had said this, the whole company departed, disagreeing among themselves on the subject which had been propounded to them.
PAUL PREACHES DAILY
Paul continued to reside in the house he had hired for the space of two years, during which he employed himself in expounding the doctrine of the gospel to all who came to him. He preached daily without the least molestation, and with such success that many people of distinction, some of whom were of the emperor's court, were converted, and became his constant disciples.
PHILEMON WRITTEN
Among others of the apostle's converts at Rome was one Onesimus, who some time before had been servant to Philemon, a person of distinction at Colosse.[508] Onesimus, having committed some indiscretion, left his master, and rambled as far as Rome, where, hearing Paul preach, he conceived such an idea of the truth of his doctrine that he became a most serious convert. Paul, however, understanding that he was another man's servant, advised-him to return to his master, which he readily agreeing to, Paul sent an epistle by him to Philemon, in which he “earnestly requests that he will pardon him, and, notwithstanding his former faults, treat him as a brother; promising withal, that if he had wronged or owed him anything, he himself would not fail to repay it.” This epistle may be considered as a masterpiece of eloquence in the persuasive way; for the apostle has therein had recourse to all the considerations which friendship, religion, piety, and tenderness, can inspire, to reconcile an incensed master to an indiscreet servant.
[508] Colosse, was situated in the southern part of Phrygia. Though a town of considerable note, it was by no means the principal one of Phrygia; for when that great province was ultimately divided into Phrygia Pacatiana and Phrygia Salutaris, it ranked but as the sixth city of the former division. The town was seated on an eminence to the south of the Meander, at a place where the river Lycus began to run under ground, as it did for five furlongs, after which it again gain rose and flowed into the Meander. This valuable indication of the site of Colosse, furnished by Herodotus (lib. vii. cap. 30) establishes the truth of the received conclusion, that the ancient city is represented by the modem village of Khonas, This village is described by Mr. Arundell as being situated most picturesquely under the immense range of Mount Cadmus, which rises to a very lofty and perpendicular height behind the village, in some parts clothed with pines, in others bare of soil, with vast chasms and caverns. The immense perpendicular chasm, seen in the view, affords an outlet to a wide mountain-torrent, the bed of which is dry in summer. The approach to Khonas, as well as the village itself, is beautiful, abounding in tall trees; from which vines of most luxuriant growth are suspended. In the immediate neighborhood of the village are several vestiges of an ancient city, consisting of arches, vaults, squared stones, while the ground is strewed with broken pottery, which so generally and so remarkably indicates the sites of ancient towns in the east. That these ruins are all that now remain of Colosse, there seems no just reason to doubt.
PHILIPPIANS WRITTEN
The Christians of Philippi having heard of Paul's imprisonment at Rome, and not knowing to what distress he might be reduced, raised a contribution for him, and sent it by Epaphroditus their bishop. This gave great satisfaction to Paul, not so much on account of the money they had sent, but from its being a proof that they still retained Christian principles. To encourage them, therefore, to persevere in the faith of Christ, and to withstand all opposition that might be made against them by the enemies of the gospel, he returned them an epistle, “wherein he gives some account of the state of his affairs at Rome; gratefully acknowledges their kindness to him; and warns them against the dangerous opinions which the Judaising teachers might vent against them. He likewise advises them to live in continual obedience to Christ; to avoid disputations; delight in prayer, be courageous under affliction, united in love, and clothed in humility, in imitation of the blessed Jesus, who so far humbled himself as to 'become obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.'”
EPHESIANS WRITTEN
Paul had lived three years at Ephesus, preaching the gospel to the numerous inhabitants of that city, and was therefore well acquainted with the state and condition of the place; so that taking the opportunity of Tychicus's going thither from Rome, he wrote his Epistle to the Ephesians, wherein “he endeavors to countermine the principles and practices both of the Jews and Gentiles; to confirm them in the belief and practices of the Christian doctrine; and to instruct them fully in the great mysteries of the gospel; their redemption and justification by the death of Christ; their gratuitous election; their union with the Jews in one body, of which Christ is the head, and the glorious exaltation of that head above all with creatures both spiritual and temporal; together with many excellent precepts, both as to the general duties of religion and the duties of their particular relations.”
COLOSSIANS WRITTEN
Paul himself had never been at Colosse; but one Epaphras, who was at that time a prisoner with him at Rome, had preached the gospel there with good success; and from him he learned that certain false teachers had endeavored to corrupt the minds of the Christians in that city. In opposition to this, and to secure the converts in their faith, he wrote his Epistle to the Colossians, wherein he beautifully sets forth the Messiah, and all the benefits that will be bestowed on such as believe in him, as being the image of his Father, the Redeemer of all mankind, the reconciler of all things to God, and the Head of the Church, which gives life and vigor to all its members. He commends the doctrine preached to them by Epaphras, and exhorts them not to be led away by the reasonings of human philosophy; and concludes with giving them a list of many chief and principal duties of a Christian life, especially such as respect the relations of husbands and wives, parents and children, masters and servants.
JAMES WRITTEN
During the time Paul was thus laudably employed at Rome, James the apostle, and bishop of Jerusalem, was dedicating his time, as much as in him lay, to the propagation of the gospel within his provinces. Considering within himself that it belonged to him to take care of all the converted among the twelve tribes of Israel, wherever dispersed, he wrote an epistle to them, the design of which was, “to confute and suppress a dangerous error then growing up in the church, viz., that a bare 'naked faith' was sufficient to secure men's salvation, without any attention to good works; to comfort Christians under the persecutions which were going to be raised against them by worldly powers; and to awaken them out of their stupidity when judgments were ready to overtake them.” To this purpose he inserts in his epistle many excellent exhortations, such as, to bear afflictions, to hear the word of God, to mortify their passions, to bridle their tongues, to avoid cursing and swearing, and to adorn their Christian profession with a good conversation, with meekness, peaceableness, and charity.”
JAMES MARTYRED
It was not long after James had written this epistle, before a period was put to all his labors. The governing part of the Jews, being highly enraged at the disappointment they had met with in Paul's appealing to Caesar, were now resolved to revenge it upon James; accordingly, taking the opportunity of the death of Festus (before the arrival of Albinus his successor) Ananias the high-priest summoned James, and some others, before the Sanhedrin, who required them to renounce their Christian faith. Their desire more especially was, that James should make his renunciation in the most public manner, and therefore they carried him up to the battlements of the temple, and threatened to throw him down thence in case he refused complying with their request. But James, instead of gratifying their desires, began himself to confess, and to exhort others to confess, the faith of Christ, in the presence of those who came to hear his recantation; upon which the members of the Sanhedrin were so incensed that they ordered him to be thrown down headlong from the place where he stood. By this fall he was greatly bruised, but not quite killed; and therefore having recovered himself so far as to be able to rise on his knees, he prayed fervently to Heaven for his persecutors, in the manner of the protomartyr[509] Stephen. But malice is too diabolical to be pacified with kindness, or satisfied with cruelty. Accordingly, his enemies, vexed that they had not fully accomplished their work, poured a shower of stones upon him while he was imploring their forgiveness at the throne of grace, and one of them, more cruel and inveterate than the rest, put an end to his misery, by dashing out his brains with a fuller's club.[510]
[509] The first martyr to lay down his life in a cause.
[510] The perpetrators of this barbarous act were considered in the most detestable light by the sober and just persons among the Jews themselves. Even their own historian Josephus could not but condemn it, and, as himself testifies, all the honest and conscientious people of the city remonstrated against it, both to their king Agrippa, and to the Roman governor Albinus; insomuch that the high-priest by whose authority it was committed was, in a few months after, degraded, and anther placed in his stead.
Thus did this great and good man finish his course in the 96th year of his age, and about twenty-four years after our blessed Savior's ascension into heaven. His remains were deposited in a tomb which he had caused to be made on the Mount of Olives; and his brother Simon was, by the general voice of the Christians, appointed his successor in the bishopric of Jerusalem.
The apostle James was a man of exemplary piety and devotion. Prayer was his daily business and delight: so constant was he at his devotions that his knees became hard and callous; and so prevalent in his petitions to Heaven, that, in a time of great drought, he prayed for rain and obtained it. Nor was his charity to his fellow-creatures less than his piety toward God; he did good to all, watched over the souls of men, and made their eternal welfare his constant study. He was of a remarkably meek and humble temper, honoring what was excellent in others, but concealing what was valuable in himself. The dignity of the place he so worthily filled, could not induce him to entertain lofty thoughts of himself above his brethren: on the contrary, he strove to conceal whatever might place him in a higher rank than the other disciples of the Lord of Glory. He was the delight of all good men, and so much in the favor and estimation of the people, that they used to flock after him, and strive who should touch even but the hem of his garment. In short, he was a man of so amiable a temper, as to be the wonder of the age in which he lived; and from the reputation of his holy and religious life, was styled James the Just.