Besides, how could the apostle address wandering fugitives, scattered over Asia Minor, and destitute of a home, as in a condition to bestow charity? 13: 1, 2, 16. How could he speak of them as having stated teachers? 13: 17, 24. How could he expect his letter to reach them; or promise them a visit with Timothy, 13: 23, in case he should speedily return?

Respectable as the critic is who has advanced this opinion, it seems to be quite destitute of probability, and entitled to but little consideration.

8. Was the epistle addressed to the church at Corinth?

Michael Weber, who has distingushed himself in some respects as a critical writer on the canon of the New Testament, has advanced and endeavoured to support the opinion, that the epistle to the Hebrews was written to the church at Corinth. He labours, in the first place, to shew that Paul wrote no less than five letters to the Corinthians. The first was one which has been lost, and which Paul mentions in our present 1 Cor. 5: 913; the second and third were our first to the Corinthians, and so much of the second as includes chapters 1-IX. with the two last verses of the epistle; the fourth, our present epistle to the Hebrews; and the fifth the remainder of the second epistle to the Corinthians: all which, he thinks, were written in the order now suggested.

Proceeding on the ground of such an arrangement of Paul's letters, he endeavours to support his opinion, that the epistle to the Hebrews was written to the Corinthians, by arguments which I shall now examine.

(1.) "The Hebrews became Christians at an early period, and so did the Corinthians; the Hebrews were Judaizing Christians, and so were the Corinthians. An agreement in these respects renders it probable that the epistle to the Hebrews was sent to the church at Corinth.'

But Paul did not visit Corinth until A. D. 51 or 52, after he had repeatedly traversed the various countries of Asia Minor, and founded several churches in Macedonia. It cannot therefore be

called an early period, at which the Corinthians were converted. Paul established few if any new churches, after the establishment of this at Corinth; at least, history does not give us any account of them.

In respect to the Corinthians being Judaizing Christians, the proof is altogether wanting. The apostle has taken no notice of any contest or question of this nature among them. He has indeed, in 2 Cor. 3: 6-18, drawn a parallel between the Mosaic and Christian dispensations; but it is of a general nature, and touches none of the points usually contested by Judaizing Christians. In 2 Cor. 12: 13-23, to which Weber appeals for proof of his assertion, it is plain, that some Judaizing teacher (or teachers) is adverted to by Paul; whose conduct he describes, in terms which convey very strong disapprobation. But this, instead of aiding to establish the position of Weber, seems absolutely to overthrow it; for in the epistle to the Hebrews, the teachers (as we have already had occasion to remark, p. 24) are commended, as being altogether worthy of confidence and obedience, Heb. 13: 17, 24. We have already seen, moreover, that the church at Corinth consisted, at first, of but few Jews; as is plain from the history of Paul's planting it there, Acts xvIII.

(2.) There is a most striking resemblance between the epistle to the Hebrews and the epistle to the Corinthians.'

This Weber labours to establish, by a comparison of the methods in which each quotes the Old Testament; of the άлağ kɛyóμɛva; and of the similitudes employed.

That there is a similarity, I should readily concede. But resemblance, and even striking resemblance, is not confined merely to the epistles addressed to the Corinthians and to the Hebrews. Storr finds it between the epistles to the Galatians and to the Hebrews; Noesselt, between the epistles to the Thessalonians and to the Hebrews; and it may be easily shewn, (as it will be hereafter), that the epistle to the Hebrews has a striking resemblance to all the epistles of Paul, in a variety of respects. Why should we, or how can we, limit this to the epistles addressed to the Corinthians?

But in various respects, in which Weber has undertaken to

make out a likeness between the epistle to the Hebrews and the epistle to the Corinthians, it seems to me that he has entirely failed. In the epistle to the Hebrews, repeated reference is made to personal sufferings and loss of property, through persecution, Heb. 10: 33, 34. 12: 4; but in the epistle to the Corinthians, we discover no traces of such persecution; nor does the history of the church at Corinth give us any knowledge of persecution having early prevailed there. At all events, when our present first epistle to the Corinthians was written, it is clear that no such event had taken place at Corinth; for Paul says, 1 Cor. 10: 13, no trial hath befallen you but such as is common to men. Now as the epistle to the Hebrews speaks of the great fight of afflictions, 10: 33, 34, which they endured, when they were first enlightened, here is an absolute contradiction of Weber's supposition, instead of a confirmation of it.

(3.) The warnings, exhortations, and commendations for charity bestowed, are alike in the epistles to the Corinthians and to the Hebrews.'

But the same resemblances, which Weber finds between these epistles, Noesselt finds between the epistles to the Thessalonians and to the Hebrews. Such resemblances may be found, also, in other epistles. But they are of a nature too general to afford any evidence of weight, in such a question as the one before us. Does not every Christian church need warning, reproof, consolation? And is not every one that is charitable, entitled to commendation? It is not, therefore, from a comparison of general expressions of this nature, that the sameness of churches addressed can be proved. There must be something particular, local, and sui generis, to make such proof valid.

(4.) The greeting at the close of the epistle to the Hebrews, Ασπάζονται ὑμᾶς οἱ ἀπὸ τῆς ̓Ιταλίας, Weber understands (like the critics whom I have already examined) as referring to Priscilla and Aquila; and compares it with the greeting from the same persons, in 1 Cor. 16: 19.

But in the latter place, they are expressly named, so that there is a striking dissimilitude instead of resemblance, in the manner of the salutation.

(5.) He further compares several ideas, in the epistle to the Corinthians and the epistle to the Hebrews; such as warnings taken from the example of ancient Israel, 1 Cor. 10: 1-12 and Heb. 3: 16-18; the doctrine that God chastises his children for their good, 1 Cor. 11: 32 and Heb. 12: 5—11; and some other things, about which similar views in both epistles are expressed.

The words, however, which are employed in these two cases, are, for the most part, quite diverse. And even if they were not, could Paul write on such subjects to no more than one church? And must that church be only at Corinth ?

(6.) But, the epistle to the Hebrews is called lóуov яаραninosos; and also in 2 Cor. 6: 1, Paul says лaдaxaλoûμev.' παρακαλοῦμεν.

True; but the same Paul repeatedly says лaqaxɑléw in his epistles to the Romans, Ephesians, Philippians, Thessalonians, and elsewhere. Was the epistle to the Hebrews written to these churches, because naoɑxɑléw is a word common to it and to the epistles directed to them?

(7.) In 1 Cor. 4: 18, 19. 16: 2-7, the apostle has expressed his desire or determination to pay the Corinthians a visit; and at the close of the epistle to the Hebrews, the same determination is expressed, Heb. 13: 23.'

But were there no other churches which the apostle desired or determined to visit, besides that at Corinth? And could he express the desire or determination to visit no other? Even if all this should be admitted, the determination to pay a visit, as expressed in our first epistle to the Corinthians, was abandoned when he wrote the second, 1: 15 seq.; which, according to Weber's own arrangement, was written before our epistle to the Hebrews.

(8.) 'From 1 Cor. 16: 10 it appears, that Timothy, when this letter was written, was absent from Paul; and in the epistle to the Hebrews, 13: 23, he is said to be sent away (anolɛhvμévov). Here again is a similarity of circumstances.'

Granted; but was not Timothy constantly employed, in this manner, on errands of Paul to the churches? Was he absent only once? And could Paul tell no other church of his absence,

but that of Corinth? Besides, our second epistle to the Corinthians, (written according to Weber himself before our epistle to the Hebrews), makes it clear that Timothy had already returned; for he is joined with Paul, in the salutation at the beginning of the epistle, 2 Cor. 1: 1.

(9.) Since the writer of the epistle to the Hebrews says, 13: 22, I have written to you did Boaziwv, briefly, this refers to our second epistle to the Corinthians, [which according to Weber consisted of the first nine chapters]; and the meaning of this phrase is, 'My last epistle to you, (viz. the second epistle to the Corinthians), was short;' implying, at the same time, that the present one is longer or more copious.'

But such an explanation the text will not bear. "I beseech 'you, brethren," says the writer, "bear with my address to you, because (or, since) I have written briefly ;" he evidently means, briefly in comparison with the importance of the subject and the occasion; briefly in comparison with the copiousness which his interested feelings for them and the cause of truth would have prompted. "I have written briefly" is an apology for the letter to the Hebrews which the writer was then concluding; and not for a former one to the church at Corinth. The incongruity of a supposition, such as Weber makes, is manifest, from the meaning of the very language which he quotes to support it. For how could the apostle say, that he had written briefly, in the second epistle to the Corinthians, and imply that he had written copiously in the epistle to the Hebrews; when, even abridged as Weber makes the former, it would be almost as long as the latter?

We have seen the inconclusive nature of Weber's arguments, and their insufficiency to establish his opinion. It may now be observed, in addition, that the subjects treated of in the epistle to the Corinthians, and in that to the Hebrews, are widely different, in general, and quite dissimilar. Not a word in the epistle to the Hebrews of internal disorder, tumult, and parties in the church; no precepts about separation of husband and wife; none concerning meats offered to idols; none about the abuse of spiritual gifts; no discussion about the resurrection of the