with the greatest virtue; but asserted that he derived his CLAUDIUS. power from the Supreme God; and that he had by degrees fallen from his native dignity and virtue—that in order to destroy his corrupted empire, the Supreme God had commissioned one of his glorious Eons, whose name was Christ, to descend upon earth, and that Christ entered into the body of the man Jesus (Christ and Jesus being two distinct beings) which was crucified, but that Christ had not suffered, but ascended into Heaven. Cerinthus required his followers to retain part of the Mosaic Law, but to regulate their lives by the example of Christ; and taught that a resurrection of the body would take place, after which Christ would reign upon earth with his faithful disciples a thousand years, which would be spent in the basest sensual indulgences. In the doctrine of a millenium he partly agreed with Justin Martyr, Irenæus, Tertullian, and others; but these celebrated persons did not share in his gross notions of the millenial sabbath. This mixture of Judaism and Oriental philosophy made many converts, and the Cerinthians soon became numerous. They admitted a part of St. Matthew's Gospel, but rejected the rest, and held the Epistles of St. Paul in great abhorrence. Irenæus says that St. John wrote his Gospel "to root out the erroneous doctrine which had been spread by Cerinthus." & Disagreement between Paul and Peter. } 54. Not long after the Council at Jerusalem, Peter came to Antioch, and for a time mixed freely with the Gentile converts; but subsequently, from Cerinthus connected in his false opinions? Wherein did he differ in some points from them? What is the testimony of Irenæus with respect to St. John's Gospel ? 54. Give a short account of the disagreement between Paul and Peter. What was the origin and result of it? CLAUDIUS. fear of offending certain Jewish Christians, began to separate himself from them, which tended to confirm the Jews in their darling opinions, and to fill the Gentiles with new doubts and scruples. Even Barnabas followed the example of Peter; but Paul stood firm, and reproved Peter in the face of the whole Church, lest the weaker brethren should be more led away to attach importance to unessential points. Peter bore the reproof with patience, and no doubt amended his carriage. This is the last time that we read of Peter in the Holy Scriptures (Galatians ii. 11, 19). NERO. Nero, the fifth 55. In the year 54 Claudius was poisoned by his wife, Agrippina, after a reign of about thirteen years and a half. He was succeeded by Nero, son of AgripA.D. 54. pina by a former marriage with C. Domitius Ahenobarbus, at this time only 17 years of age. Nero showed himself, in the beginning of his reign, just, liberal, and merciful, but was afterwards a monster of cruelty and barbarity. He was the first emperor that persecuted the Christian Church. St. Paul's 56. Paul had not been many days at Jerusalem after his third journey, when the Jews, with whom the city was crowded in consequence of the feast, forced him out of the Temple, and would have destroyed him, had A.D. 58. not the sudden presence of the Roman guard, under Claudius Lysias, from the tower of Antonia, rescued him out of their hands. It was the duty of this guard to 55. When did Nero begin to reign? What was his character? emperor first persecuted the Christian Church? What 56. Give an account of St. Paul's apprehension, and his first imprisonment A.D. 60. preserve the public peace, and to this, and not to any favour to the Apostle, must the interposition be attributed; for no sooner had Lysias secured his person in the fortress than he began to examine him by torture. But on finding that Paul was a Roman citizen, he sent him to Cæsarea, where the Procurator Felix usually resided. Here he was detained for two years; but upon Festus succeeding Felix in the office of Procurator, in the year 60, declining to have his case heard at Jerusalem, and appealing to the Emperor as a Roman, he was sent to Rome, accompanied by Luke, Aristarchus, Trophimus, and some others. After a tempestuous voyage they were wrecked on the Island of Melita, now called Malta, where they stayed three months, planting a Church and making many converts. In the early part of the spring A.D. 61. they left Malta, and landed at Puteoli, a port of Campania, whence they proceeded shortly to Rome, the Christians of that city having come out to meet them, some as far as Appii Forum, a distance of fifty-one miles. For two years he received all that came to him, in a house which he was permitted to hire; he was under the restraint of a soldier chained to him by the arm, but he preached the kingdom of God freely during this imprisonment.* St. Paul's 57. After Paul had been above four years a prisoner to the Roman power, of which the latter two were passed at Rome, he was *During the two years that he | Epistles to the Philippians, Ephewas at Rome, St. Paul wrote hissians, Colossians, and Philemon. at Rome. Why was he rescued out of the hands of the Jews at Jerusalem? For what reason was he sent to Rome? How long was he a prisoner at Rome? 57. How long did St. Paul remain a prisoner under the Roman power? Why was he set at liberty? NERO. NERO. set at liberty,* being found not guilty of the breach of any Roman law. We have no certain account of the subsequent career of Paul; but it is supposed by many that, in the course of his zealous endeavours to extend the Gospel, he travelled westward as far as Britain. His martyrdom will be spoken of immediately. Christianity 58. When St. Paul arrived at Rome, there were many Christians in the city, for St. Luke says, "When the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us, as far as Appii Forum and the Three Taverns" (Acts xxvii. 15). Christianity was probably introduced into Rome by the "strangers of Rome, Jews and proselytes" (Acts ii. 10), who listened to the preaching of Peter on the day of Pentecost. St. Paul's preaching at Rome during his first imprisonment was abundantly fruitful: his principal converts were probably Gentiles, some of them being people of rank and fortune, and even members of the emperor's household: "All the saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Cæsar's household" (Phil. iv. 22). St. Paul seems to have been the first Apostle who visited Rome: St. Peter joined him there, (at what precise period we know not), and is mentioned by early writers as his associate in founding and organizing the Church, the care of which they committed to Linus, who is therefore called the first Bishop of Rome. [See note, par. 76]. *Soon after his release he wrote | in Judæa, the Jews of other his Epistle to the Hebrews, that countries being called Hellenists. is, to the converted Jews, dwelling 58. Which of the Apostles first visited Rome? Show that there were many Christians there upon his arrival. Is there any reason to suppose that he made many Gentile converts? By whom was the Church of Rome founded? What was the state of Christianity there previous to the death of St. Paul? Who was the first Bishop of Rome? Christianity at 59. Alexandria* was a place of eminence for learning, and was remarkable for the ardour with which divers philosophical tenets were cultivated. Moreover, the country about Alexandria was inhabited by a set of men called Therapeutæ, of contemplative habits, not unlike those of the Jewish sect of the Essenes, whose system of morality in some points bore no marked dissimilarity from that of the Gospel. This variety of opinion and the prevalent philosophical habits were favourable to the toleration of the new doctrines at Alexandria; and accordingly we find that Christianity made more progress there than in any other Gentile city. Its schools, Jewish and Christian, were held in great esteem; and considerable attention was paid to the multiplying copies of the Scriptures: one of these, the Codex Alexandrinus, a work of the fourth century, is now in the British Museum. We have no authentic account of the introduction of Christianity into Alexandria; but as dwellers in Egypt, and in the parts of Lybia about Cyrene, were in Jerusalem when the Holy Spirit came down upon the Apostles, it is probable that the doctrine of the Cross was carried thither upon the return of these to their homes. * Alexandria was one of the patriarchal Sees, the others being Rome, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Constantinople. † Many of the Jews at Alexandria were men of learning; and it will be remembered that the Septuagint translation of the Old Testament, which was made there, caused a knowledge of the It is debated whether they NERO. 59. What was there in the state of Alexandria favourable to the reception of Christianity? By whom was the Church at Alexandria founded? What is known of the early state of Christianity there? Who were the Therapeuta? t[Note.] Name the patriarchal sees. |