he was absent. When he wrote his second epistle to Timothy, Demas had left him for Thessalonica; but in the former epistles he mentions him as being with him at Rome. In the second epistle he exhorts Timothy to bring Mark with him; but in the former he unites with St. Paul in his salutation to the Colossians. In the second epistle to Timothy he also tells him that Erastus, who doubtlessly had intended accompanying him in his second journey to Rome, still continued at Corinth, and that he had been compelled to leave Trophimus sick at Miletus. Now as this epistle was written from Rome, it must have been during a second imprisonment, for Timothy being with him during the first, he must consequently have been aware of the absence of Erastus, and of the sickness of Trophimus. These, with other arguments, being duly weighed, we must conclude that St. Paul suffered two imprisonments at Rome, and that a considerable time intervened between the first and the second. Whither St. Paul travelled when he was released from his first imprisonment is very uncertain; some say into Greece and Asia; others that he preached the gospel in the western parts. That he went into Spain, we may not only con prepared for him, and he seriously exhorted them to be diligent in the discharge of their duty. They then conducted him to the ship. At parting, in a fit of passionate and melancholy despair, he exclaimed that they would never see him more; but this prediction was not verified, for he visited them after his first imprisonment at Rome. At Tyre the disciples would have dissuaded Paul from prosecuting his journey to Jerusalem; and at Cæsarea, Agabus foretold the bonds that awaited him in that city, but Paul resisted all solicitations, and would not be diverted from his purpose. They were kindly received by the brethren at Jerusalem, and the day following their arrival, Paul represented to James and the assembled elders his success amongst the Gentiles. They advised him to purify himself (according to the Jewish ceremonial law) with four other Christian Jews, who had made the vow of a Nazarite,* to the end that he might * Nazarites were those who separated or devoted themselves to the service of the Lord for a certain period of time by a solemn vow, which enjoined them to drink neither wine nor spirituous liquor, and to suffer their hair to grow all the time, unless they chanced to meet with some ceremonial defilement; this vow was ended by shaving the head at the entrance of the tabernacle, and burning the hair in the fire of a sacrifice offered at the same time. refute the malicious calumny of his being a deserter of the law of Moses, and of being an encourager to all other Christian Jews, to forsake it. But this observance of the law availed him not, for some unbelieving Jews raised an outcry against him, and would have laid violent hands upon him, had not the commandant of the castle called Antonia* rescued him, and ordered his soldiers to carry him up the stairs of the fortress, to secure him from the violence of the people. When on the stairs Paul entreated for permission to address the people, whereupon Lysias asked him, whether he were not the Egyptian, who some years before having assumed the title of a prophet, had gathered together about 4000 men, and had seized upon the Mount of Olives; Felix the governor had defeated him, but he himself had escaped no one knew whither. But Paul having assured him that he was a Jew of Tarsus, he was allowed to speak; wherefore, to obtain the greater attention, he offered his apology in Hebrew; but when * Antonia was built upon a very steep rock, near the western and northern entrances of the outer temple, to which entrances there were stairs for the guard to descend by for in this castle a Roman legion was posted, and guards were always stationed to give early notice of any commotions of the people on their feast days. : he mentioned that he had been commissioned by God to the Gentiles, they immediately cried out that he was deserving of death. Lysias seeing this tumult, caused him to retire into the castle, and gave orders that he should be examined by scourging, but Paul declaring himself a Roman citizen, he caused him immediately to be unbound, and the day following he convoked an assembly of the Jews, to hear of what he was accused. Ananias was president of the council, although not at that time high-priest, for he had been deposed, and his successor Jonathan having been put to death by the order of Felix, another had not yet been installed in the office; wherefore, during this vacancy, Ananias had taken upon himself this authority; and this it was that caused Paul, when the bystanders said, "Revilest thou God's high-priest?" to answer, "I wist not, brethren, that he was the high-priest." Paul, in his defence, declaring himself a Pharisee, and that he was called in question for the hope of the resurrection, he caused a variance between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, whereupon Lysias conveyed him back into the castle. The next morning a number of zealots bound themselves by an oath to slay Paul, of which Lysias being informed, he province. This Florus acted very oppressively towards the Jews, and so inflamed their naturally seditious and discontented spirit, that, maugre all the persuasions and entreaties of king Agrippa to the contrary, they were fully bent upon having recourse to arms. But, Agrippa having left Jerusalem, a band of mutinous zealots surprised the Roman garrison of the castle of Massadas, a strong and well provided fortress, and put them all to the sword. Also Eleazar, captain of the temple, and son of Ananias the high-priest, being of a resolute and haughty disposition, persuaded the priests not to admit the gifts or sacrifices of strangers, but to offer them up for the Jews alone, thus excluding those they had been accustomed to offer for the Roman emperor and his people. Advice of these disturbances was forthwith forwarded to Florus, at Cæsarea, and to Agrippa, and troops were requested for their suppression while yet in their infancy. But Florus disregarded the information, and the forces sent by Agrippa only increased the evil, by joining the faction of the chief persons, who held the higher part of the town, the rebels having occupied the lower part and the temple. These two parties spent seven days in constant but ineffectual |