TIBERIUS. before the Sanhedrim, and condemned to death, in the midst of noise and clamour. Without leave from the Roman governor, his enemies hurried him out of the city, and stoned him to death, according to the ancient law against blasphemers. The death of the first Christian martyr may be looked upon as partly the execution of a judicial sentence, and partly an act of popular tumult. At this time the Jews had not the power of life and death in civil matters, but were left very much to themselves in all cases which concerned religion. It may be, then, that the execution of Stephen was not altogether one of those acts of frenzy and excitement which, under the denomination of judgments of zeal, the Rabbins were wont to justify by the example of Phineas. For, if the power of inflicting capital punishment were wholly taken from the Jews, a form of law was so far observed in Stephen's case that the accused was put upon his defence; he was stoned, as the Jewish law required in cases of blasphemy (Lev. xxiv. 16), and the first stones were cast by the witnesses (Deut. xvii. 7). Persecution of the 33. The Christian Church had been hitherto tossed with gentle storms, but now a more violent tempest overtook it; for the Jews were so galled by Stephen's conquest over their chief scholars, that they raised a terrible persecution. One of the most active agents in this persecution was a young man named Saul, (afterwards called Paul, the great Apostle of the Gentiles,) a native of Tarsus in Cilicia, a Hebrew of the Hebrews, and a Roman citizen, either as a native of Tarsus, 33. Give an account of the first persecution to which the Church was subjected. Who was one of the most active agents in it? State some particulars concerning him previous to this period. which was a free city, or more probably in virtue of the TIBERIUS. franchise conferred upon one of his ancestors for services rendered during the civil wars. His native city was in great repute for learning, and there he was instructed in heathen literature: subsequently, according to the custom of the natives of Tarsus, he travelled to finish his education, and arrived at Jerusalem, where he became a scholar of the great Gamaliel, and one of the most zealous of the sect of the Pharisees. His active and fiery genius, together with his passionate concern for the traditions of the elders, made him pursue his designs with the spirit of a zealot and the rage of a madman. Having furnished himself with a commission from the Sanhedrim,* he "made havoc of the Church, entering into every house; and haling men and women, committed them to prison" (Acts viii. 3). Saul was present at the death of Stephen, for we read that the witnesses laid their garments at his feet. First Dispersion\ of the Believers. 34. The persecution which ensued upon the death of the protomartyr Stephen was so severe, that it dispersed in a great measure the whole body of the Church. The Apostles alone remained still at Jerusalem, firm to their ministry there. Of the rest of the Disciples, some went into the regions of Judæa and Samaria; some to Damascus ; some to Phoenicia, and Cyprus, and Antioch; and others, it is probable, as far as Rome. Hitherto the Church had been for the most part • The power of the Sanhedrim | Synagogues, even in the remotest in religious and ecclesiastical parts of the empire. affairs extended to all the Jewish 34. What was the immediate consequence of the first persecution to which the Church was subjected? How did the persecution tend to the propagation of Christianity? TIBERIUS. confined to Jerusalem; but this persecution enlarged the bounds of Christianity, so that the measures intended for its ruin proved the means of its propagation. Philip the Deacon- 35. Among those who were dis persed, Philip the Deacon was driven to the city of Samaria, a noted place about thirty miles north-east of Jerusalem; and although the example of the Apostles seemed to confine the Gospel to the Jews only, yet since our Saviour had named Samaria (Acts i. 8), and the Samaritans were in some sense Jews,* as observing the Law and expecting the Messiah, he thought it lawful to preach Christ to them. His preaching was seconded by many eminent miracles, and multitudes believing were baptised by him. In this city was one Simon, surnamed Magus, or the Sorcerer, born at Giton, not far distant, who by sorcery and magical arts had so amazed the eyes of the vulgar that they believed him to be " the great power of God;" and so he styled himself, as Irenæus *Samaria was inhabited by a race descended from the remnant of the Jews left behind when the ten tribes were carried away captive by the King of Assyria, and a colony of Cutheans sent to occupy the country: their religion was compounded of that of Moses, and different forms of idolatry and superstition. A bitter rivalry sprang up between them and the Jews upon the return of the latter from captivity, in consequence of their being denied the privilege of taking part in the rebuilding | of the Temple. Holding that God might be worshipped on Mount Gerizim as effectually as on Mount Sion, they built a temple of their own at the former place. They rejected all the Scriptures, except the five books of Moses, to which they paid great reverence, and at the time of our Saviour's appearance on earth, the enmity between them and the Jews was at a high point. Justin Martyr says that a statue was erected to him at Rome, with the inscription "Simoni Deo 35. By whom was the Gospel first preached in Samaria ? By what remarkable event was the preaching attended? How do you reconcile the preaching of Philip to the Samaritans with the practice of the Apostles, which seemed to confine the Gospel to the Jews only? *[Note.] Give an account of the Samaritans. Why was there enmity between them and the assures us. But this man, seeing his admirers in great TIBERIUS. numbers converted and baptized by Philip, became himself nominally a convert and was baptised; although his main design was probably to insinuate himself into the good opinion of Philip, and find out the art by which he wrought his miracles. The success of Philip's preaching in Samaria having become known to the Apostles at Jerusalem, they sent Peter and John to confer the gifts of the Holy Spirit upon the new converts, a power reserved to the Apostles themselves. Simon, observing that a power of miracles and speaking in different tongues was conveyed by the imposition of the hands of the Apostles,* offered them moneyt to be empowered to do as they did. His impious proposal was rejected with scorn; whereupon he professed repentance for his sin; but there was probably little sincerity therein, for he proceeded more and more with his blasphemies, and his name was subsequently associated with one of the earliest and worst heresiest of the Church, namely, Gnosticism, of which he was said have been the founder, Sancto." There is probably some mistake in this. In the year 1574 a statue was dug up in the island of the Tiber, on which were inscribed the words "Semoni Sanco Deo Fidio Sacrum." It is supposed that this statue was dedicated to the Sabine deity, and that Justin mistook it for one dedicated to Simon. The rite of Confirmation of those admitted into the Church by baptism originated in this Apostolic practice. See also Acts xix. 6: Heb. vi. 2. Hence Simony, an unlawful contract for presenting a clergyman to a benefice. Heresy comes from the Greek word alpeois, choice, and was originally used without any imputation of censure: it was subsequently applied, in an ecclesiastical sense, to an obstinate denial of Christian truths clearly revealed in Scripture. Schism and Apostacy are distinguishable from Heresy: the former comes from oxiw, to divide, or tear asunder, and implies a withdraw Jews? [Note.] In what did the rite of Confirmation originate? [Note.] What is meant by Heresy, Schism, and Apostacy? With whom is the Gnostic heresy said to have originated? TIBERIUS. although it is probable he was only the founder of it in the sense of having introduced into it the name of Christ. The Gnostic } 36. The mention of Simon Magus and Gnosticism leads us to speak of that system of "knowledge falsely so called," to which may be traced nearly all the early heresies, and which became so widely diffused as to be found in a modified form even in the writings of some of the Fathers. Christian societies were scarcely formed when discontented men attempted innovations. Saint Paul makes frequent mention of persons who either endeavoured to mould the Christian doctrines into conformity with the philosophy to which they were addicted; or were disposed to combine with Christianity Jewish opinions, customs, and institutions ; as Hymenæus and Alexander, Philetus, Hermogenes, Phygellus, Demas, Diotrephes. Even in the times of the Apostles, numerous sects were organized, although at first they met with no great success. At the head of them all stand the Gnostics, who claimed ability to restore to mankind the lost knowledge (yvwois) of the true and supreme God, and announced the overthrow of that empire which the Creator of the world and his associates had set up. The history of this and other sects is for the most part very obscure, in consequence partly of the deficiency of ancient records, and partly of the cloudy character of their tenets. In its leading principles Gnosticism seems to point to the oriental philosophy, which treated of two principles, one ing from the communion of the | saking of our religion. They made a distinction between the Supreme God and the Creator of the world. 36. To what may we trace most of the early heresies? Are any heresies mentioned by St. Paul? Give a short account of Gnosticism. What were |