LECT. V. what was revealed by the Lord to Saul at Damas Gal. i. 12. cus, now that he was converted; but it partly appears from what he himself, in the Epistle to the Galatians, treating of his apostleship, testifies that he did immediately after his conversion. For without doubt he did that which he was then enjoined by the Lord to do, viz. not to confer with flesh and blood, that is, with any man, neither to return to Jerusalem to those who were Apostles before himself, but to go to Arabia, where he should receive a knowledge of the Gospel, not by man's teaching, but by revelation from Jesus Christ. XVIII. Therefore Saul retired for a short time to Arabia, that is to say, to those parts near Damascus, which were called the Desert of Arabia. ANNALS OF S. PAUL. TIB. 20 19.) 21. In the course of this year of our Lord, which A.D. XXXIV. became the twenty-first of Tiberius, a severe persecution was commenced at Jerusalem by the High Priest and Sanhedrim, in which S. Stephen, the first of the seven deacons, was stoned; and when his blood was being shed, Saul, still a youth, Acts vii. 58. was standing by and consenting. But Philip, Acts xxii. 20. the second of the seven deacons, went away into Samaria, and the common tables of the disciples were broken up, and many of the disciples went from Jerusalem and left Judæa. TIB. 21. Towards the end of the preceding year, and A.D. XXXV. at the beginning of this, the persecution increases in severity, and Saul, receiving authority from the Sanhedrim, vexed the Church above measure, and wasted it, punishing the believers oft in the synagogues, binding many of the saints, and thrusting them into prison; and, when they were put to death, giving his vote against them: so that he rightly confesses that he was then a blasphemer, and persecutor, and injurious. When, 1 Tim. i. 13. now, all the believers, except the Apostles, had TIB. 22. left Jerusalem, and were dispersed, and preached the word through divers cities and provinces, Saul, being the more mad against them, persecuted Acts xxvi. 11. Acts ix. 1, 2. A.D. XXXV them even unto strange cities. And yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disciples of the Lord, he desired of the High Priest letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that, if he found any of this way, whether men or women, he might bring Acts ix. 14. them bound unto Jerusalem.... And having authority to bind all that called on the name of Christ. But as he was drawing nigh to Damascus Jesus himself appeared to him, and miraculously converted him to the faith; and when he had reached Damascus he was baptized by Ananias, a disciple by a disciple. But he did not immeGal. i. 16, 17. diately confer with flesh and blood; he did not learn the word of God from Ananias, or from any other disciple at Damascus, neither did he go up to Jerusalem to those which were Apostles before him; but he went into Arabia, where none had preached the word of God. A.D. XXXVI. TIB. 23. Joseph. An Saul remains in Arabia, where, by a full revelation from God, he received his knowledge of that Gospel for the preaching of which he was forthwith called. In the mean time, the army of Herod the tiq. xvii. 5, 1. tetrarch, having been routed by Aretas, king of Arabia, was entirely cut off, and destroyed. 2 Cor. xi. 32. The ethnarch of Aretas keeps Damascus with a garrison. A.D. XXXVI. Saul returns from Arabia to Damascus, fully Acts ix. 19, instructed in his duty by revelation, and was A.D. XXXVII. (from Mar. certain days with the disciples; and straightway preached Jesus in the synagogues. Meanwhile all CAI. 1. who heard him were amazed, but he himself 16,) increased the more in strength, and confounded the Jews. many Acts ix. 23. And about the end of this when year, days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him; for they had not then the authority in Damascus which they had when Paul first came there. Accordingly, they could but lay in wait for him, and this laying await became known of Saul; whence they were driven to ask the Arabian ethnarch that he would kill him for their sake; and he was therefore desirous to appre- 2 Cor. xi. 32. hend him. ་ CAI. 1. The Jews, therefore, watch the gates of the A.D.XXXVIII. city, that they might deliver up Saul to the ethnarch to be put to death. But the disciples Acts ix. 25. took him by night, and let him down by the wall in a basket. 2 Cor. xi. 33. CAI. 2. Saul, escaping thus from Damascus, after Gal. i. 18. three years went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, who had already returned thither with John, after they had confirmed the believers that were baptized by Philip, and on their way had preached Acts viii. 25, the Gospel in many villages of the Samaritans. This period of three years can only be dated from the Conversion of Saul, as is plain from the Apostle's argument throughout the Epistle to A.D.XXXVIII. the Galatians, and from the context itself, Gal. i. 11-18. Acts ix. 26. About the end of the year, when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, and Acts ix. 27. believed not that he was a disciple, until Barnabas brought him to the Apostles (viz. Peter and James), and he abode with Peter fifteen days. And when Saul now spake boldly, and disputed with the Acts ix. 31, Grecians, they went about to slay him, which, Gal. i. 18, 19. 32. A.D. XXXIX. CAI.. when the brethren knew, they brought him down to Cæsarea, and sent him forth to Tarsus. There was then rest in the churches through out all Judæa and Galilee and Samaria, and S. Peter passed throughout all, i.e. all the believers in Judæa, Galilee and Samaria. In this year Saul arrived at Tarsus, and, Gal. i. 22, 23. being unknown by face unto the churches of Judæa, preached in Cilicia the faith which once he destroyed. His remark, that when he was in Cilicia and Syria he was unknown to the churches in Judæa, was made that the Galatians should not think he had received the doctrine of the Gospel from any disciple of Christ. A.D. XL. CAI. 3. Saul preaches in Syria, and still went not to Antioch, forasmuch as there were several disciples there, and he would not learn ought of them. After that Peter had baptized Cornelius, and had remained in Cæsarea certain days, he went up |