in both these respects; and the notion was as familiar as that of ghosts or evil spirits entertained by the vulgar in modern days. When Jesus Christ appeared, and exhibited in the miracles which he performed the proofs of his divine mission, the conclusion was natural that he was himself one of the gods, acting by virtue of his own power, and not with the authority of Jehovah. A Jew who disbelieved the pagan gods, would more rationally infer that he was the servant of the one true God, delegated to mankind on some important message, and thus endued with power to prove the truth of his delegation.

The genius of the heathen religion unequivocally displays itself in the following authentic example. "And when the people saw what Paul had done, they lifted up their voices, saying in the speech of Lycaonia, The gods are come down to us in the likeness of men." If Christ had been the author of this miracle, the people of Lystra would doubtless have said the same thing of him. The inhabitants of other places would certainly have drawn a similar inference, differing only as to what god he might be, each supposing him to be that divinity to which they were more particularly devoted. And if they would suppose him to be a god from this miracle, they would a fortiori have recourse to the same supposition from all his miracles, and especially the miracle of his re-appearance after death.

The conclusion upon which I here insist is directly asserted by Eusebius, who thus writes in his Ecclesiastical History: "The divinity of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ was celebrated among all nations by means of his wonderful power; an immense number even of foreigners being thereby attracted

to him, in the hope of being healed by him of the various diseases which afflicted them." Eccl. Hist. book i. chap. 13. Here it is asserted that all nations celebrated the divinity of Christ; and that the grounds of this celebration were the wonderful works performed by him. It is clear, therefore, that, according to the surrounding nations who heard the fame of Jesus, he was a supernatural being, because he did things above the course of

nature.

Tertullian, in his Apology, (chap. v. p. 6.) has a passage which is thus translated by Lardner (vol. vii. p. 232.): "Tiberius, in whose time the Christian religion had its rise, having received from Palestine an account of such things as manifested our Saviour's divinity, proposed to the senate, and gave his own vote as first in his favour, that he should be placed among the gods. The senate refused, because he had himself declined that honour. Nevertheless the emperor persisted in his own opinion, and ordered that if any accused the Christians they should be punished.'

The facts here asserted by Tertullian have been called in question; for it is improbable that Tiberius should propose to honour as a god one whom in the person of his viceroy he had crucified as a slave and a malefactor. On the other hand, that a writer so competent and respectable as Tertullian, should assert in the face of the whole world, what, if untrue, the whole world must have known to be false, and could expose as such by an appeal to the records of the Roman senate, is a thing absolutely incredible. Happily, Philo and Josephus are not silent on this subject; and their narratives will esta

blish the assertions of Tertullian beyond contradiction to the end of time.

The language of this apologist supposes that there were at this time at Rome believers in Jesus: and this inference is more directly affirmed in the following words of Orosius.

"Tiberius proposed to the senate, that Christ should be made a God, with his own vote in his favour. The senate, moved with indignation that it had not been, as was usual, proposed to them to determine respecting the reception of his religion, rejected his deification, and decreed by an edict that the Christians should be banished from the city, especially as Sejanus, the prefect of Tiberius, most obstinately resisted the reception of his faith.” Here it is stated in direct terms by Orosius, that in the days of Tiberius, Christians were so numerous at Rome, as to attract the notice of government. But though Christ had at this time many followers at Rome, they must have been chiefly Jews; his Gospel being not as yet announced to the Gentiles unclogged by the rite of circumcision; nor was the Christian name as yet in existence. It is evident then that by Christians Tertullian and Orosius meant such as were by nation Jews, and whom Philo and Josephus would call by no other name. The following are the words of Josephus on this subject: "A Jew resided at Rome, who, having been accused of transgressing the laws, fled from his country to avoid the punishment which threatened him. During his residence at Rome, he pretended to unfold the wisdom of the Mosaic laws, in conjunction with three other men, who in every way resembled himself. With these associated

Fulvia, a woman of rank, that had become a convert to the Jewish religion, and whom they prevailed upon to send, for the temple of Jerusalem, presents of purple and gold. These they received, and appropriated to their own use; which, indeed, was their motive at first in making the request. Tiberius (for he was informed of this by his friend Saturnius, the husband of Fulvia, at her earnest request) commanded all the Jews to be expelled from the city. The men, to the amount of four thousand, were forced into the army by order of the senate, and sent to the island of Sardinia. But most of them being determined to preserve their laws inviolate, refused to enlist, and were put to death. And thus, because of the wickedness of four men, the Jews were driven from the city." J. A. book xviii. chap. 3. 5.

The words of Philo on the same subject are to this effect. "All nations, though prejudiced against the Jews, have been careful not to abolish the Jewish rites; and the same caution was preserved in the reign of Tiberius; though, indeed, the Jews in Italy have been distressed by the machinations of Sejanus. For after his death the emperor became sensible that the accusations alleged against the Jews in Italy were lying calumnies, the mere inven-tions of Sejanus; who was eager to devour a nation that alone, or chiefly, would, he knew, be likely to oppose his impious designs and measures. And to the constituted authorities in every place, Tiberius sent orders not to molest in their several cities the men of that nation, excepting the guilty only, (who were very few,) and not to suppress any of their institutions, but to regard as a trust committed to their care both the people themselves, as disposed

to peace, and their laws, which like oil inure them to order and stability." Philo, vol. ii. 569.

As to the time when the disturbance here spoken of happened, we may infer from Josephus that it was near the close of Tiberius's reign: for he says in the subsequent paragraph, that Pilate was soon after removed from the government of Judea. Philo's narrative furnishes other data equally decisive. He writes that the Jews were distressed by the machinations of Sejanus, but were relieved after his death. The suppression of the Jews in Italy therefore happened a year or two before the death of Tiberius, and four or five years after the resurrection of Christ.

Tertullian asserts that the emperor ordered those who should accuse the Christians to be punished. Philo goes further, and asserts that Tiberius sent orders to the magistrates throughout the empire, to preserve the Jews and their worship inviolate. This order, however, allows that his countrymen in Italy were at first grievously molested: but this distress was brought upon them by the machinations of Sejanus. The Jews at Rome, perceiving the ambitious views of this wicked minister, gave him the most determined opposition. In return he charges them with treason against Cæsar, and with the design of raising a prince of their own, under whose banners they had already enlisted, to the throne of the universe. It was natural for the emperor at first to credit this heinous accusation: and this is the real foundation of the cruel measure which was adopted against the followers of Jesus; four thousand of them being forced into the army, and sent to the island of Sardinia. But Josephus adds that the majority refused to enlist, and were put to death.