which became the main point of his labors for the ensuing three years, A. D. 54-57, as shown in Acts 19 with Acts 20: 31.A great mob having abruptly terminated his stay there (Acts 20: 1) he went thence into Macedonia, visiting the old localities in Greece, whence planning once more to be in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 20: 16), he touched at Miletus, the port of Ephesus, and met there by appointment the elders of the latter city, and thence moved onward to Jerusalem. Here he was soon arrested in his great missionary operations, held in durance at Cesarea two years (A. D. 58-60); was brought for defense successively before the Jewish populace (Acts 22); then before the sanhedrim (Acts 23); then before Felix (Acts 24); and finally before Festus and Agrippa (Acts 25 and 26); then in the autumn of 60 he was sent a prisoner to Rome (Acts 27 and 28), arriving in the spring of 61. There, after two years of personal restraint "in his own hired house" (A. D. 61– 63) the continuous sacred narrative of his missionary labors is brought to its close (Acts 28).

During this third and last scripturally recorded tour he wrote a second and large group of his epistles; viz., that to the Galatians from Ephesus in A. D. 54 or 55; or as some with less authority suppose, from Corinth late in A. D. 57; 1 Corinthians from Ephesus in A. D. 57; 2 Corinthians from Macedonia in the ensuing summer; and that to the Romans from Corinth, also in A. D. 57. During his confinement at Rome about A. D. 62, he wrote a third group, including Philemon, Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians.

After these two years at Rome, it is generally supposed that he was set at liberty; that he visited Macedonia (Phil. 2: 24); and Asia Minor (Philemon 22) A. D. 63; and then Spain in A. D. 65 according to his expressed purpose (Rom. 15: 24-28); then in the summer of Â. D. 66, Asia Minor (1 Tim. 1: 3); and that during A. D. 67, he wrote 1 Timothy from Macedonia; his Epistle to Titus from Ephesus; wintered according to his purpose (Titus 3: 12) at Nicopolis; was imprisoned at Rome late in A. D. 67 or early in A. D. 68; when, while in prison and awaiting his execution, he wrote his last epistle (2 Timothy), and finally was beheaded by order of Nero, in May or June of A. D. 68.

Authority for the facts and dates of this supposed closing period of Paul's life is found in part in his epistles, but chiefly in the early Christian fathers. His epistles to Timothy and to Titus and the local allusions made in them re

fuse to be accommodated in any previous period of his life. Moreover, there are expressed purposes, e. g., to visit Spain, which, if ever carried into effect, must have room after his first imprisonment at Rome. Such in substance is the testimony of the Scriptures as to this last supposed period of his life.

The testimony of the early Christian fathers is very explicit and unanimous. Clement, a disciple of Paul (Phil. 4: 3), and afterwards bishop of Rome, writing from Rome to Corinth, asserts expressly that Paul had preached the gospel in the East and in the West; that he had instructed the whole world in righteousness (i. e., the whole Roman Empire), and that he had gone to the extremities of the West before his martyrdom. This language must be understood to include Spain.

Next, the ancient document known as the Canon of Muratori, of date about A. D. 170, states that Luke in the Acts of the Apostles omits the journey of Paul from Rome to Spain. This assumes that such a journey was supposed to have been made.

Eusebius says that after defending himself successfully (at the bar of Cæsar) it is currently reported that the apostle again went forth to proclaim the gospel, and afterwards came to Rome a second time and was martyred under Nero.

-Chrysostom's words are to the effect that after his residence in Rome, Paul departed to Spain. And finally Jerome represents that "Paul was dismissed by Nero that he might preach Christ's gospel in the West."*

In a case of this sort, it seems legitimate to take account of the probabilities. Thus, the release of Paul from his first imprisonment is probable from the obvious fact that his prosecution, emanating from Jerusalem, was weak. It plainly was weak before Festus and Agrippa; and weak as to any malign animus while he lived a sort of prisoner at large two full years in his own hired house at Rome waiting for his appeal to come to a hearing. The presumption is that on this hearing no prosecutor appeared and that the suit ceased by default. The case was totally different when he was next arraigned under the impulse of a general persecution against all Christians as enemies to the Roman state, not to say, against mankind.

As to the reason why Luke's narrative ends with this first imprisonment at Rome, nothing can be known with certainty. *See Conybeare and Howson, vol. ii, pp. 437–439.

If, as is suggested in my volume on the "Epistle to the Hebrews," Luke was the personal "I" of this epistle, he may have gone as intimated there (13: 19, 23) to visit the Hebrew church gathered under his labors at Cesarea, and may not have joined his old associate until some point in his second imprisonment (2 Tim. 4: 11).

6. How Paul preached and how he labored in the gospel, is brought to view very distinctly in a few recorded examples. We have one discourse of his in a synagogue of Jews at Antioch in Pisidia (Acts 13); and at least the substance of a discourse to idolatrous Gentiles, viz., at Athens (Acts 17); besides a less formal and extended speech at Lystra (Acts 14: 11-18).—Of his labors out of the pulpit from house to house, we have his own testimony before the elders of the Ephesian church at Miletus (Acts 20: 17-35), and also in his epistles not infrequent allusions to his sufferings, privations, cares, burdens, and to his tender, tearful, prayerful spirit. These allusions we shall have frequent occasion to notice in the study of these epistles.

THE EPISTLE TO THE GALATIANS.

INTRODUCTION.

THE inquiring mind, taking up this Epistle to the Galatians, will ask who this people were; where they were located; but especially, what Paul's relations to them had been; what occasioned the writing of this epistle; what were the points at issue between himself and those churches, and how he met them. Other points of subordinate interest would be the date and place of this writing. It would also be interesting if we might know its immediate results upon those churches; but on this point no definite historic knowledge has reached our times.

-It

The Galatians take their name from the ancient Gauls of Western Europe. A colony of that people swept through Europe from west to east, some of whom crossed over into Asia Minor as early as the third century before Christ. In the apostolic age they had settled into political relations as a Roman province. They were located somewhat centrally in Asia Minor, having the province of Asia (so-called then) on the west; Cappadocia on the east; Pamphylia and Cilicia on the south; Bithynia and Pontus on the north. need not be assumed that the entire population were of Gallic (Celtic) origin. Rather it must be supposed that a substratum of the earlier Phrygian population remained, coupled also with a much more recent interspersion of Romans, consequent upon its relations as a province of the great Roman Empire. There was also a considerable sprinkling of Jews, who were dispersed widely over those districts of Asia Minor. The staple elements of this mixed population were obviously Gallic. It is noticeable that the general type of character which appears in this epistle is very distinctly fore-indicated in their national history. Prof. Lightfoot remarks: "The main features of the Gaulish character are traced with great distinctness by the Roman writers.