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SECT. IV.

Of the more immediate caufe of the propagation of the Effene errors at Ephefus.

T. PAUL's first visit to Ephefus was on the jour

ST

Sher, which he made from Corinth to Syria, as ap

ney,

pears from Acts xviii. 19. and was about four years before he wrote his firft Epiftle to Timothy. He had then preached the Gofpel the first time at Corinth, and was travelling to Jerufalem, to perform a vow, which he had made. When he left Corinth it does not appear that he had any intention of going to Ephefus, for St. Luke writes, Acts xviii. 18. that he fet fail for Syria. Some accident therefore unknown to us must have brought him to Ephefus. At this first vifit he seems not to have preached to the Gentiles, on account probably of the fhortnefs of his ftay: St. Luke at leaft fays nothing of any conversation at that time with heathens, and mentions only that he taught in the fynagogue. Some of the Jews requested him to remain there, with which request he could not comply, but he promised that he would foon return to them. These Jews were either well inclined to Christianity, or had actually received it. He left Aquilas and Prifcilla at Ephefus, and travelled himself to Jerufalem. St. Luke indeed does not mention Jerufalem by name: but having related the Apostle's arrival at Cæfarea, ver. 22. he adds that St. Paul went up, and faluted the church,' which going up' fignifies the going up to Jerufalem, as my father has fhewn in his Differtatio de notione inferi et fuperi in chorographiis facris, § 36-38.

In the mean time, as we fee from ver. 24. the eloquent and learned Jew Apollos arrived at Ephesus. St. Luke fays in the following verfe, that he was infructed in the way of the Lord (κατηχημένος την ὁδον

T8 Kugia), by which he means the religion of Christ. The word xarxμvos reprefents him as having then only juft imbibed the principles of Chriftianity, not as a perfon then qualified to be a teacher: though I will not affert that St. Luke intended to defcribe him as a catechumen, according to the ecclefiaftical fense of the term. That his proficiency in Chriftianity was at that time not very great, appears likewife from what St. Luke has added in the fame verfe, namely, that though he fpake and taught of the Meffiah from a knowledge of the Old Teftament, he had been initiated only in the baptifm of John. But as John the Baptift had taught his difciples that he was only. the forerunner of the Meffiah, who would baptize with the Holy Ghoft, Apollos must have expected the gifts of the Holy Ghost, though he did not know that they had been actually communicated. It is true, that when St. Paul came foon after to Ephefus, he met with twelve other perfons, who, like Apollos, had been baptized only according to the baptifm of John, and when queftioned by St. Paul, whether they had received the gifts of the Holy Ghost, anfwered, We have not fo much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghoft. Yet I cannot suppose that either they or Apollos were totally ignorant of the existence of the Holy Ghoft, or that they had never heard the name mentioned: and therefore I understand their answer to St. Paul as implying nothing more, than that they did not know whether the great promife was already accomplished, that the Meffiah would baptize with the Holy Ghoft. Now this deficiency of Apollos in the doctrines of Chriftianity was fupplied by Aquilas and Prifcilla, who, on their arrival at Ephefus, gave him further inftructions".

But even before Apollos had received the instructions of Aquilas and Prifcilla, he taught publickly in the Jewish fynagogue at Ephefus concerning the Meffiah 1. Hence

• Acts xix. 1-7.

a Ver. 25-26.

Acts xviii. 26.

Hence it is not improbable, that the Effenes introduced themselves into the church of Ephefus by the means of Apollos, who came from Alexandria, in the neighbourhood of which city, according to Philo, the Effenes were not only very numerous, but were held in high eftimation at Alexandria itself. It is true that Apollos is not exprefsly faid to have been an Effene: but as he had been a member of that fect, which took its name from the Baptift, and this fect in many refpects refembled that of the Effenes, especially in their ftrict fasts, it is highly probable that Apollos, before he was better inftructed, had fuffered himself to be blinded by that external appearance of wisdom and fanctity, by which the Effenes made fo many converts.

I have already obferved that befide Apollos, twelve other perfons, came to Ephefus, who had been baptized only according to the baptifm of John. St. Paul on his arrival there baptized them in the name of Jefus, and imparted to them the gifts of the Holy Ghost, of which till that time they had no knowledge. From this laft circumftance one might almoft conclude that thefe perfons had lived in fome defert place: for whoever has been baptized, and taught to expect the gifts of the Holy Ghoft, muft have heard of their actual communication within the courfe of twenty years after Chrift's afcenfion, unless a total retirement from the world had cut off all means of information. Perhaps thefe twelve difciples were Egyptian hermits: or poffbly they had spent the former part of their lives in the defert of Judæa, where John had baptized. Now the defert of Judæa, as well as the defert of Egypt, was. a place of refort for the Effenes, who, according to Pliny, were very numerous in the neighbourhood of Engeddi, near the Dead fea. It is therefore very probable that they were either Effenes themfelves, or at leaft that they had imbibed the principles of this fect. Now fince Apollos and thefe twelve perfons were the first converts to Chriftianity at Ephefus, we fee in what manner the Effene tenets were introduced into

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the Ephefian church. I will not accufe them of an actual defign of propagating herefy: on the contrary, I am perfuaded that, after they had been fully instructed, and had received fpiritual gifts, they embraced Christianity with great fincerity. But, as it is extremely difficult to eradicate entirely the principles in which we have been educated, it is not extraordinary that Effene notions were diffeminated in a community, of which men attached to this fect were the earlieft and principal members.

Further, it is not impoffible, though till further proof be given, it cannot be afferted as a fact, that the Jewish exorcifts mentioned Acts xix. 13. who, during St. Paul's refidence at Ephefus, attempted to caft out evil fpirits by invoking the Lord Jefus whom Paul preached,' were likewife Effenes. For it is well known that the Effenes applied themfelves to fuperftitious arts, and pretended to have converfe with fpirits. Some of them laid claim to the gift of prophecy, of which we find many inftances in Jofephus: others healed difeafes, and as Jofephus exprefsly mentions, made ufe of herbs for that purpose, with the virtues of which they thought themselves better acquainted than others. Now we

know that the Jews afcribed almost all diseases to the influence of evil fpirits. To cure a disease therefore was, according to their notions, to expel an evil fpirit: and it appears from the relation of Jofephus', that it was one of their modes of expulfion to apply a ring to the nose of the difeafed perfon, and to ufe a certain root, fuppofed to poffefs a magic power. Such arts are well fuited to the manner of life and principles of the Effenes. On the other hand it is not impoffible that these exorcifts were Pharifees, who likewife entertained these notions of exorcifm, as appears from Matth. xii. 24-27. That the Jewish exorcifts at Ephesus therefore were Effenes, I advance only as a conjecture, and as a fubject of further confideration,

Bell. Jud. Lib. VII. 2-23.

CHAP. XVI.

OF THE EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS.

SECT. I.

Of the date and occafion of this Epiftle: and of Tertius, who acted as St. Paul's amanuenfis in committing it to writing.

TH

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HE Epiftle to the Romans was written after St. Paul's arrival at Corinth, and at the time, when he was preparing to go to Jerufalem with the fupplies, which had been collected in Macedonia and at Corinth'. It was written therefore toward the end of the year 58. The journey of Phoebe from Corinth to Rome afforded. St. Paul an opportunity of writing to the Roman Christians but the motive, which induced him to write, was the confideration of his duty, as an Apostle of the Gentiles, to inftruct in the principal doctrines of Chriftianity the Roman community, which had been hitherto vifited by no Apostle. As it was the custom of the Jews to corrupt the Gofpel of Chrift by various additions, St. Paul had reafon to apprehend, that the Romans would be doubtful whom they fhould believe, fince they had not received the Gofpel from any Apostle immediately commiffioned by Chrift. He therefore found it neceffary to lay before them a fhort abftract of the principal truths of the Gofpel, which were in danger of mifreprefentation.

He dictated this Epistle to an amanuenfis, whose name was Tertius, as appears from ch. xvi. 22. Some commentators have conjectured that this Tertius was the fame perfon as Silas, because in Hebrew fignifies three." But this Hebrew word would be expreffed

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• Rom. xv. 25-27. xvi. 1.

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