ST. PAUL St. Paul was born at Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, a few years after the birth of Christ. The exact date cannot be given. The first notice of him is in connection with the martyrdom of St. Stephen, which probably took place in the year 37 A.D. He is here spoken of as a young man. His education was at Jerusalem in the school of the celebrated Rabbi Gamaliel, where he became proficient in the Jewish theology. His education in Greek literature is very uncertain and has been much overrated. Tarsus was a "university town," and St. Paul could not have escaped the influence of the thought around him. About the year 45 A.D. Saul, for that was his original name, was converted to the Christian faith by what he himself always regarded as an actual appearance of Christ to him while he was on his way to Damascus. The fierce persecutor became in a moment the faithful disciple. In the year 45 A.D. he started from Antioch with St. Barnabas on a missionary journey throughout Asia Minor. From 50 A.D. to 54 A.D. he labored in Asia Minor and Greece. This time he was accompanied by Silas, Timothy, and St. Luke, who afterwards wrote an account of his travels and the early fortunes of the Church. On his return from a third very successful missionary journey he went to Jerusalem, where he was cast into prison and remained there for several years. When he saw that there was little chance of being brought to trial, he availed himself of his right as a Roman citizen and appealed to the Emperor. He was thereupon sent to Rome. After a residence of two or three years in Rome, where he had considerable freedom and opportunity of preaching, he was beheaded under Nero in either 64 or 67 A.D. St. Paul appears to have been a trained orator and writer. His speeches are reported in brief in the Book of Acts. In his missionary journeys he had very frequent opportunity to address great companies of men of every shade of opinion. His writings consist entirely of letters, addressed to the churches he had founded and to the Church at Rome. They are the earliest extant Christian literature, and from an historical point of view are of supreme importance in understanding the life and teaching of the early Church. The literature on St. Paul is, as might be expected, enormous. Many of the most important historical and critical questions concerning the origin of the Christian religion are connected with him. The best books in English for a general understanding of St. Paul are: The Life and Work of St. Paul, F. W. Farrar; The Life and Epistles of St. Paul, W. I. Conybeare and J. S. Howson. Paulinism, by Otto Pfleiderer; The Apostolic Age of the Christian Church, Carl Weiszäcker, and Histoire de la Théologie Chrétienne au Siècle Apostolique, by E. Reuss, are also very valuable. The occasion of the following speech was the visit of Agrippa II. and Bernice to Festus, the Roman Procurator, who had a short time before arrived at Cæsarea. St. Paul was still in prison but had appealed to Cæsar. On account of this appeal this appearance before Agrippa was not a new trial, as the Procurator had no power to try one who had appealed. It seems to have been due partly to a desire to gratify the curiosity of the royal guests, as the prisoner was a celebrated person and Agrippa had never heard him, and partly to the necessity of obtaining some information of the nature of the offence of which the prisoner was accused, as there were no formal charges. St. Paul, although he knew well the futility of any defence at this point of his case, was willing to appear and give an account of himself, and in particular to relate the events that brought about his conversion. The reference to Agrippa in the opening lines of this speech was not a mere compliment, for the King had been educated in the Jewish law. The speech, considered merely as oratory, is, in spite of the brevity of the form in which it is reported, very attractive on account of its simplicity and good construction. The translation here used is that of the King James version. I THINK myself happy, King Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews: especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews; wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently. My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem, know all the Jews; which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee. And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers: unto which promise our twelve tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews. Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you that God should raise the dead? I verily thought with myself that I ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth. Which things I also did in Jerusalem and many of the saints did I shut up in prison, having received authority from the chief priests; and when they were put to death, I gave my voice against them. And I punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities. Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O King, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue : |