The Apostolical History, Chapter 6 · Section 20
v. 1. Cous, inſula eſt inter Cycladas celeberrima, tum Eſculapii cultu, tum Junonis aede. Rhodus, ſolis cultu, & Coloſſo nobilis.v· 13. foreign] Paratè habeo, i. e. paratum me habeo: eadem locutio, 2 Cor. 12.14. 1 Pet. 4.5.v. 16. foreign] Brevis locutio pro foreign, ducentes, (i. e. ducturi, praeſens pro futuro), nos ad eum apud quem diverteremur. Nam Mnaſon ille ex Cypro videtur habitatum iviſſe Hieroſolyma. Antiquum diſcipulum] ex eo tempore quo Paulus & Barnabas in Cypro fuerant. Vid. cap. 13.4.SECT. XX.
VVHen they were come to Jeruſalem, they were very kindly received by the Church there. And the next day, the Elders being met together in the houſe of James the Apoſtle, the Son of Alpheus, (See Mat. 15.40. Gal. 1.19. Act. 15.13.), Paul relates to them, what great things the Lord had wrought by his miniſtry among the Gentiles. When they heard that, they glorified God for the great ſucceſs of the Goſpel. But then they acquainted him, that ſeveral of the converted Jews, (of whom there were many thouſands, who, though they had received the Goſpel, yet thought the Ceremonial Law muſt ſtill be obſerved), were informed concerning him, that he not only permitted the Gentile-converts to remain uncircumciſed, but perſwaded the Jews living among the Gentiles, (whom he had converted to the Faith), to leave off Circumciſion, and the other Ceremonies of Moſes's Law. This therefore they tell him, in all probability, will be the event of this buſineſs. The Jewiſh Chriſtians will hear of his being come thither, and ſo will come in multitudes, to ſee how he behaves himſelf in that matter, and will expect ſome ſatisfaction from him therein. Therefore they adviſed him, that ſeeing there were four men there preſent, who having had a Nazarites Vow upon them, which being now accompliſh'd, (ſee Act. 18.18.), were to perform the Ceremonies preſcribed, Numb. 6.13, to 22. that he on this occaſion would join himſelf to them, and perform thoſe Ceremonies and Rites with them, and make proviſion of ſuch Sacrifices for them as the Law injoins, that ſo being now freed from their Vow, they may ſhave their heads; and by this means the believing Jews will be perſwaded that they had heard falſe reports of him, and that he did ſtill obſerve the Moſaical Rites. As for the believing Gentiles (a)Ʋtrumque conſilium fuit ex Spiritu Sancto, ut Gentiles converſi non cogerentur obſervare Ceremonias, & ut Judaei converſi ad tempus ſinerentur uti Ceremoniis impletis, donec inutilitatem, & non-neceſſitatem earum cum tempore comprehenderent. Vid. cap. 14. ad Rom. Etſi enim Ceremoniae legis Moſaicae, iſto tempore, non amplius erant neceſſariae, tamen erant licitae Judaeis, ſi quando uſus earum conduceret ad alios Judaeos lucrandos. Synagoga debuit cum honore ſepeliri, nec turpiter, & praecipitanter ex Eccleſiâ ejici, ſicut ſuperſtitiones Ethnicae, ſed ſenſim in deſuetudinem venire. Ante Chriſtum Ceremoniae erant mortales, poſt Chriſti aſcenſionem mortuae, poſt confirmatum Evangelium mortiferae., (they tell him), they had made a decree, (which they had ſent to Antioch by him and Barnabas, Act. 15.), by which they declared that they are not required to obſerve any ſuch Rites, or any more than thoſe four Precepts, viz. To abſtain from things offered to Idols, from Blood, from things ſtrangled, and from Fornication. Paul hearing this, took their advice, and thought fit thus far to comply with the Judaizing Chriſtians; and accordingly performing all things belonging to the purifying of the Nazarites. He went into the Temple(b)Diſputant hîc viri docti utrum Paulus ipſe Naziraeatûs votum vel antea in ſe habuerit, Act. 18.18. vel nunc ſuſceperit, & cum his viris depoſuerit; an vero tantum interfuerit, & prae…uerit tanquam Patronus, & Adjutor horum quatuor virorum ſacris, ut ita aliquam modò communionem haberet cum Judaicis Ceremoniis, quod ad ſcopum ſufficiebat. Nos litem hanc non decidimus. Streſ. with thoſe four men, and declared unto the Prieſts, that the time of their Vow was expired, and therefore according to the Law, they were to offer an offering for each perſon, as in that caſe is preſcribed. And when the ſeven days wherein thoſe Sacrifices were to be offered, were almoſt at an end, divers unbelieving Jews, that dwelt in Aſia, being now come to Jeruſalem; as ſoon as they ſaw Paul in the Temple, they brought in the multitude tumultuouſly upon him, and apprehended him, crying out of him, as a perſon that taught Doctrines derogatory to the prerogative of the Jewiſh Nation, namely, in that he taught, that the partition-wall between Jew and Gentile was broken down; alſo, that the Ceremonial Law muſt be aboliſhed, and that a ſinner is not juſtified by the works of the Law; and that the typical Ceremonies which pre-figured Chriſt were not to be continued now Chriſt was come in the fleſh; and further, that he did inculcate the predictions of Chriſt concerning the deſtruction of the City and Temple of Jeruſalem, according to Mat. 23.37, 38. & Luk. 19.43, 44. And becauſe they ſaw Trophimus with him in the City, who was a Gentile-Chriſtian), they confidently, but untruly averred, that he carried him into the Temple: which they held a pollution and profanation of it. The people being hereupon exaſperated, they laid hands on him, and haled him violently out of the Court of the Temple; and the Prieſts ſeeing this, preſently ſhut the doors of the Temple, leſt poſſibly he ſhould run into it again, and lay hold on the Horns of the Altar, and ſo take Sanctuary, (from which they could not take him, as we read Adonijah and Joab once did, 1 King. 1.50. & 2.28. Then they fell a beating of him, and had like to have killed him, had he not been reſcued by the chief Officer of the Roman Souldiers, (who kept Garriſon there to prevent Tumults), who taking him out of their hands, and ſuppoſing him to be ſome great Malefactor, commanded him to be bound with two Chains, poſſibly putting one on his hands, the other on his feet, as Agabus had foretold, v. 11,(c)Judaei praedicuntur vincturi, v. 11, quia ipſi Paulo manus injece runt, eum comprehenderunt, & ſic occaſionem dederunt quod ab Ethnicis militibus vinctus eſt.. And not being able to underſtand from the confuſed multitude, what his particular crime was, (ſome ſaying one thing, ſome another), he commanded he ſhould be brought into the Fort or Caſtle, call'd Arx Antonia, which was their Garriſon. And as they were going up the ſtairs to the Caſtle, the rage of the multitude was ſo great, that the Souldiers were fain to carry Paul in their arms, to ſecure him from violence. When he was come to the Caſtle gate, he deſired the Colonel that he would pleaſe to permit him to ſpeak unto him. The Colonel wondred he ſpak… Greek, and thereupon thought he had been that Egyptian falſe Prophet, that had raiſed a Sedition in Judea about Three years before, under the government of Faelix, and had gotten to him about four thouſand followers in the wilderneſs, vid. Joſeph. Antiq. lib. 20. ch. 6, 7. Paul tells him, he was a Jew, born at Tarſus, the Metroplis of Cilicia, and therefore deſired liberty to ſpeak to the people; which the Colonel permitting, Paul ſtanding on the ſtairs, near the gate of the Caſtle, made a ſign to the people to hold their peace, and give audience; and then began to make his Apology to them in the Hebrew *The Jews after the Babyloniſh Captivity by their converſe with the Syrians and Aſſyrians, had very much mingled the purity of the Hebrew with thoſe Tongues, ſo that the Syriack having ſo great an agreement with the Hebrew was reckoned for one Tongue.tongue, which procured him the more ready attention from them.
Act. 21. v. 17. And when we were come to Jeruſalem, the Brethren received us gladly.
v. 18. And the day following Paul went in with us unto James, and all the elders were preſent.
v. 19. And when he had ſaluted them, he declared particularly what things God had wrought among the Gentiles by his miniſtery.
v. 20. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord, and ſaid unto him, Thou ſeeſt, brother, how many thouſands of Jews there are which believe, and they are all zealous of the Law.
v. 21. And they are informed of thee, that thou teacheſt all the Jews which are among the Gentiles, to forſake Moſes, ſaying, That they ought not to circumciſe their children, neither to walk after the cuſtoms.
v. 22. What is it therefore? the multitude muſt needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come.
v. 23. Do therefore this that we ſay unto thee: We have four men which have a vow on them;
v. 24. Them take, and purifie thy ſelf with them, and be at charges with them, that they may ſhave their heads; and all may know that thoſe things, whereof they were informed concerning him thee, are nothing, but that thou thy ſelf walkeſt orderly, and keepeſt the Law.
v. 25. As touching the Gentiles which believe, we have written and concluded, that they obſerve no ſuch thing, ſave only that they keep themſelves from things offered to Idols, and from blood, and from ſtrangled, and from fornication.
v. 26. Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himſelf with them, entred into the Temple, to ſignifie the accompliſhment of the days of purification, untill that an offering ſhould be offered for every one of them.
v. 27. And when the ſeven days were almoſt ended, the Jews which were of Aſia, when they ſaw him in the Temple, ſtirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,
v. 28. Crying out, Men of Iſrael, help: this is the man that teacheth all men every where againſt the people, and the Law, and this place: and farther brought Greeks alſo into the Temple, and hath polluted this holy place.
v. 29. (For they had ſeen before with him in the City, Trophimus an Epheſian, whom they ſuppoſed that Paul had brought into the Temple.)
v. 30. And all the City was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the Temple: and forthwith the doors were ſhut.
v▪ 31. And as they went about to kill him, tidings came to the chief Captain of the band, that all Jeruſalem was in an uproar.
v. 32. Who immediately took Souldiers, and Centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they ſaw the chief Captain and the Souldiers, they left beating of Paul.
v. 33. Then the chief Captain came neer, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains, and demanded who he was, and what he had done.
v. 34. And ſome cryed one thing, ſome another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the Caſtle.
v. 35. And when he came upon the ſtairs, ſo it was that he was born of the Souldiers for the violence of the people.
v. 36. For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him.
v. 37. And as Paul was to be led into the Caſtle, he ſaid unto the chief Captain, May I ſpeak unto thee? who ſaid, Canſt thou ſpeak Greek?
v. 38. Art not thou that Egyptian which before thoſe days madeſt an uproar, and leddeſt in the wilderneſs four thouſand men that were murderers?
v. 39. But Paul ſaid, I am a man which am a Jew, of Tarſus, a City in Cilicia, a Citizen of no mean City: and I beſeech thee ſuffer me to ſpeak unto the people.
v. 40. And when he had given him licence, Paul ſtood on the ſtairs, and beckned with his hand unto the people: and when there was made a great ſilence, he ſpake unto them in the Hebrew tongue, ſaying.