Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

St. Jerom informs us. Near the place of Old Gaza, or CHAP. Gaza the Defert, it was, that Philip baptized the Eunuch.

[ocr errors]

II.

This Eunuch was, we are informed, a man of Ethiopia, of great authority under Candace, Queen of the Ethiopians: OfEthiopia. where by Ethiopia is to be understood, not the Afiatic Ethiopia, or part of Arabia so styled in the Old Testament, but the African Ethiopia, lying below Egypt, in the south part of Afric, where Candace had been long the name of the Queens, as we learn from Pliny, Strabo, and Dio.

As foon as Philip and the Eunuch came out of the water, we read that the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the Eunuch faw him no more; but that Philip was found at Azotus, the fame which is called in the Old Teftament Afhdod, memorable therein for the temple of Dagon. It lies near the shore between Gaza and Joppa. In the times that Christianity flourished in these parts it was made an epifcopal fee, and continued a fair village till the days of St. Jerom. The Evangelist Philip being brought to Azotus, we are informed that from thence he preached in all the cities lying in that tract, till he came to Cæfarea; where we left St. Paul, whom now we shall follow in his voyage to Tarsus. For we read" that the brethren brought him down to Cæfarea, and thence fent him forth to Tarfus.

8.

Of Azotus.

9.

St. Paul

goes from

Tarfus, his

Tarfus is the fame which in Hebrew is called Tarshish, from whence the Heathens derived the common name Tarfus. It took the original name from × Tarfhifh, one of the fons Cæfarea to of Javan, who fettled in thefe parts, afterwards called Cilicia, native places being the south-east country of Afia Minor, and lying on the in Cilicia. northern coast, at the east end of the Mediterranean Sea. The city of Tarfhish, or Tarfus, ftands in a plain on the banks of the river Cydnus, and was all along in ancient times a great trading and rich town; whence all trading or merchant fhips came to be denoted by the name of ships of Tarfhifh, fo often mentioned in holy Writ. It was a town of

[blocks in formation]

a

PART fuch note in the times of the Roman empire, that it was II. not only made the metropolis or chief town of Cilicia, but was peculiarly honoured with the great privileges of a Roman colony, on which account we read, that St. Paul pleaded in his own behalf the faid privilege, as being a free-born Roman, forafmuch as he was a native of this place. For here dwelt many Jews, as being a trading people; and among them the parents of our Apoftle, being of the ancient stock, not entering in by the Gate of Profelytism, but originally defcended both of them from the feed of Abraham; which seems to be the plain and natural meaning of our Apostle's styling himself an Hebrew of the Hebrews. Moreover, as Tarfus was a rich and populous city, fo was it an academy, furnished with very eminent men; infomuch that Strabo fcruples not to say of them, that they excelled in all parts of polite learning and philofophy even those of Alexandria and Athens; and Rome itself was beholding to this nursery of learning for its beft profeffors. Hence St. Paul being bred up in his youth in the schools of Tarfus, became fo fully inftructed in the liberal arts and sciences, and so well acquainted with Heathen authors. But as our Apoftle was brought up to learning, fo was he also brought up to a particular trade, according to the great maxim and principle of the Jews, that He who teaches not his fon a trade, teaches him to be a thief. They thought it not only fit, but a neceffary part of education, for their wifeft and most learned Rabbins to be brought up to a manual trade, whereby, if occafion was, they might be able to maintain themselves. The trade our Apoftle was brought up to, was that of tent-making, (an useful and gainful trade in those then warlike countries, where armies had fuch frequent ufe of tents,) at which St. Paul, at fome times, and for some particular reasons, wrought, even after his being called to the Apoftolate.

A&ts xxii. 25. 28.
Acts xxii. 3.

a

Philipp. iii. 5.
Acts xviii. 3.

St.

St. Paul having ftaid some time at his native place, was CHA P. fetched from thence by Barnabas to Antioch in Syria, called

с

d

II.

10.

goes to An

ria.

by fome Antiochia Epidaphne, to diftinguish it from the fixteen other cities, which in Syria and elsewhere bore the name of St. Paul Antioch. It took this additional name from its neighbour- from Tarfus hood to Daphne, a village fo denominated from a temple of tioch in SyDaphne ftanding therein. It had the name of Antioch given it by Seleucus Nicanor, the firft King of Syria after Alexander the Great, in memory of his father Antiochus, and was after that the royal feat of the fucceeding kings of Syria. In the flourishing times of the Roman empire, it was the ordinary refidence of the præfect or governor of the eastern provinces, and was also honoured with the refidence of many of the Roman emperors, especially of Verus and Valens, who spent here greatest part of their time. But this place is famous for nothing more than giving the name of Christians A. D. 39. to the difciples of Chrift, who before this were commonly ftyled Nazarenes, as being the followers of JESUS of Nazareth; a name by which the Jews in fcorn call them to this day, with the fame intent that the Gentiles of old were wont to call them Galilæans. It is alfo famous among us Chriftians for being the birth-place of St. Luke the Evangelist, and of Theophilus, hence furnamed Antiochenus, and for its celebrated bishop, St. Ignatius the Martyr. Indeed in fuch reputation has this place been had in the earlier times of Chriftianity, that its bishop has been honoured with the title of Patriarch. As to the fituation of this city, it lay on both fides the river Orontis, about twelve miles diftant from the fhore of the Mediterranean Sea. By nature and art it was fortified even to admiration; it was adorned in former times with many sumptuous palaces and magnificent temples, answerable to the reputation of fo great a city. But being taken by the Saracens, and afterwards by the Turks, it began to grow into decay, and is now in fo defolate and ruinous a condition, that the Patriarch has long fince removed his dwelling to Damafcus.

Acts xi. 25, 26.

Acts xi. 26.

We

PART

II.

We read that St. Paul and Barnabas ftaid preaching in Antioch a whole year. And about this time there happened a terrible famine, foretold by Agabus, which afflicted several parts of the Roman empire, but especially Judea. The confideration hereof made the Chriftians at Antioch commiferate the cafe of their fuffering brethren, and to raise considerable contributions for the relief and fuccour of them that dwelt in Judea, which they fent by St. Paul and Barnabas to Jerufalem.

e Acts xi. 26, 30.

CHAP.

CHAP. III.

Of St. Paul's Travels and Voyages to Cyprus, Pamphylia, Pifidia, Lycaonia, &c. till his third Return to Jerufalem after his Converfion.

STh

a

I.

St. Paul returns to An

goes thence

A. D. 42.

T. PAUL and St. Barnabas having dispatched the errand they were fent about, leave Jerufalem and return to Antioch where, while they were joining in the public tioch, and exercises of religion, the Holy Ghoft, by fpecial direction, to Seleucia ordered, that these two should be fet apart to preach the Gospel in Syria. in other places. Which being accordingly done, by prayer, fafting, and impofition of hands, they departed to Seleucia. This city lay to the weft, or rather a little north-west, of Antioch, upon the Mediterranean Sea, and was so named from the founder of it, Seleucus, before mentioned under Antioch, and reputed to be the greateft builder in the world: for he is faid to have founded nine cities called by his own name, fixteen in memory of his father Antiochus, fix by the name of Laodice his mother, and three in honour of Apamia his first wife; befides many others of great note in Greece and Afia, either new built, or beautified and repaired by him. From this Seleucia, the adjacent part of Syria had formerly the name of Seleucia.

2.

from Seleu

Cyprus.

From Seleucia St. Paul fet fail with St. Barnabas for Cyprus, an island of the Mediterranean Sea, lying over-against St. Paul fails Seleucia to the weft. It is reputed to be distant from the main cia over to land of Syria about an hundred miles, and about fixty miles A. D. 42. from Cilicia; to be extended in length from east to west about two hundred miles, in breadth fixty; and therefore to be one of the largest ifles in the Mediterranean. The first inhabitants

Acts xii. 25. Acts xiii. 1, 3.

VOL. II.

Acts xiii. 4.

d Ibid.

R

of

« AnteriorContinuar »