"Granny's Chapters" Part 29

St. Luke says, "And after three months we departed in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered in the isle, whose sign was Castor and Pollux." Their voyage was undisturbed now, and they soon reached the island of Sicily, "and landing at Syracuse," then the capital of the island, "tarried there three days. And from thence," St. Luke says, "we fetched a compa.s.s, and came to Rhegium," a town in Italy, almost opposite to that of Messina, another considerable town in Sicily, and just at the entrance of the Straits of Messina. At Rhegium they appear to have intended to wait for a favourable wind; for we read, "and after one day the south wind blew, and we came the next day to Puteoli." Here the voyage ended: at Puteoli the ship would land whatever cargo she carried, and then return to Alexandria. St. Paul and his companions must go by land to Rome, about one hundred miles to the north-west of Puteoli. Puteoli was not only a great place of trade for corn, but also for merchandise of all kinds, which was brought there from different countries, to be exchanged for the productions of Italy. This exchange is, as we have already said, called "commerce."

With so many people from all parts coming to Puteoli, it was impossible that the Christian religion should not have been brought into the place by some of them; and it appears that there were at this time a certain number of Christians at Puteoli: for St. Luke says, "where we found brethren, and were desired to tarry with them seven days." They were naturally glad of such an opportunity of conversing with the Apostle, and wished to keep him with them for seven days; and it seems that he was allowed to remain with them, which speaks well for the kindness of Julius, the centurion under whose care he was placed, and who had all along evidently favoured St. Paul. They then "went toward Rome. And from thence," St. Luke says, "when the brethren heard of us, they came to meet us as far as Appii Forum, and the Three Taverns." Rome was at this time the most important city in the world: people came there from all countries; so we are not surprised to find that there were great numbers of Christians there. When the news reached them that St. Paul, whom many of them had probably known in other countries, was not only landed in Italy, but was actually approaching Rome from Puteoli, great numbers went out to meet and welcome him. Some of them went as far as Appii Forum, a place about fifty miles from Rome; others met him at the "Three Taverns," about thirty miles from Rome. The sight of so many true Christians was a great joy to the Apostle, who was anxious that all men everywhere should repent and turn to G.o.d. St. Luke says, "Whom when Paul saw, he thanked G.o.d, and took courage." Thanked G.o.d for all that had been done in the conversion of the heathen; whilst he was encouraged to hope for a still further spread of the Gospel, whatever might be his own fate.

Chapter x.x.xI.--ST. PAUL A PRISONER AT ROME.

The centurion Julius had now finished his work, he had brought St.

Paul from Caesarea to Rome, as he had been ordered to do. On the way, he had seen wonderful things, which must have convinced him that the prisoner whom he was now to deliver into the charge of others, was a good and holy man, under the especial protection of his G.o.d; and he had moreover seen that this G.o.d was great and powerful, and able to command the wind and waves, as none of the G.o.ds worshipped by the heathen, could do. Whether he, or any other of St. Paul's fellow voyagers, became Christians, we are not told.

St. Luke tells us, "And when we came to Rome, the centurion delivered the prisoners to the captain of the guard: but Paul was suffered to dwell by himself with a soldier that kept him." It was probably owing to what Festus had written after Agrippa's interview with his prisoner, that he was now allowed to live in a hired house of his own, with merely one soldier to guard him; instead of being shut up in prison, as he would have been, had he been supposed to have broken any of the Roman laws. According to custom, he was probably linked by a small chain to this soldier, but he was not prevented from seeing anybody who came to him; and he soon made use of this liberty, for "it came to pa.s.s, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men and brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans, who, when they had examined me, would have let me go, because there was no cause of death in me. But when the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I had ought to accuse my nation of. For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound with this chain."

St. Paul was anxious that the Jews at Rome should not be prevented from listening to his teaching, by the idea that he was a prisoner on account of any crimes he had committed; and as they might, perhaps, have heard some account of all that had happened at Jerusalem, he took the earliest opportunity of explaining, that he had done nothing contrary to the religion taught by Moses; and that, in fact, the only reason for which he was a prisoner was, that he had preached of the coming of the Messiah, and of the future resurrection of all men,--matters taught by all the prophets, and so firmly believed by the Children of Israel in all ages, that the doctrine might truly be called "The hope of Israel"; for upon it, depended all their hope of obtaining favour and mercy from the Almighty. The Jews of Rome, however, had heard nothing of the treatment which St. Paul had received from their brethren in Jerusalem, "And they said unto him, We neither received letters out of Judaea concerning thee, neither any of the brethren that came shewed or spake any harm of thee. But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that everywhere it is spoken against."

These Jews were not prejudiced against St. Paul, but were willing to listen to all he had to say. They knew that the Christians, "this sect," as they called them, were much spoken against, and that while some thought their doctrines were true and right, others said they were false and mischievous,--likely to make men _wicked_ instead of good,--and ought not, therefore, to be attended to at all.

Under these circ.u.mstances, the Jews at Rome were anxious to hear from St. Paul's own mouth, a true account of the doctrines which he taught.

The Apostle was only too glad of having such an opportunity of explaining the truths of the Gospel to the Jews.

"And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into his lodging; to whom he expounded and testified the kingdom of G.o.d, persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses, and out of the prophets, from morning till evening,"--that is, he showed them from what had been said both by Moses and the prophets, that Jesus of Nazareth was indeed the Messiah, promised to faithful Abraham, as the Son or Seed in Whom all nations of the earth should be blessed. For one whole day, from morning till evening, did the Apostle argue with these Jews, trying to persuade them to become followers of Jesus: with some he succeeded; with some he failed: for St. Luke says, "And some believed the things which were spoken, and some believed not. And when they agreed not among themselves, they departed, after that Paul had spoken one word." This "one word" of which St. Luke speaks, was a quotation from the writings of the prophet Isaiah, showing them, that by their obstinate refusal to believe the Word of G.o.d, they put themselves amongst the number of those, who would be left in their own wilful blindness: and that the Gospel, or words of Salvation, would be preached to the Gentiles, and that they would be far more willing to receive it, than the Jews had ever been. The Apostle's speech, or "one word," addressed to these unbelieving Jews, was, "Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: for the heart of this people is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they closed; lest they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them. Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation of G.o.d is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it."

We have read the words which St. Paul spake to the unbelieving Jews, "And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, and had great reasoning among themselves." Whether their "reasoning," or talking together, led to the conversion of any of them, we do not know. Nor are we told of any trial of St. Paul taking place, either before the Emperor himself, or by persons appointed by him: all that we do know is, that "Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of G.o.d, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." This shows that St. Paul enjoyed a great deal of liberty, although he was still considered as a prisoner, and could not leave Rome.

During these two years, St. Paul, besides preaching to all who would hear him, wrote Epistles to the Ephesians; Philippians, or inhabitants of Philippi; to the Colossians, or people of Colosse, in Asia Minor; and one to Philemon, a rich man of Colosse. In these Epistles he speaks of himself as a "prisoner," and mentions his "bonds."

You will remember all that happened at Ephesus, and how long St. Paul remained there at one time; and how on another occasion he sent for the elders to Miletus, and took leave of them, knowing that he should see them again no more. That was three years before the time of which we are now speaking: but St. Paul had not forgotten them, and therefore, in the year 61 (A.D.), he, being a prisoner at Rome, wrote an Epistle, or Letter, to the Christians at Ephesus. In this Epistle, the Apostle speaks to the Ephesians of the great mercy shown by G.o.d to the Gentiles (amongst whom they themselves were), in allowing them to share the blessings of the Gospel, without being required to keep the Law of Moses. In return for such great mercy, St. Paul entreats the Ephesians to show their grat.i.tude by their conduct, and to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith they were called. "Vocation" means calling, profession, employment, state, or condition: they were _called_ to be Christians; their _profession_ was that they were His servants; their _employment_ ought to be doing the Will of G.o.d: by the atonement of Jesus, they had been brought into a state or condition for obtaining salvation, and now they must try to walk worthy of their vocation: leading in all things such a life as was expected from the followers of the Holy Jesus, who are bound to follow His example to the extent of their powers. What St. Paul said on this subject, equally applies to us; for our vocation is the same as that of the Ephesians, and we must strive hard to work worthy of it, that is, to be good Christians.

In this Epistle, many particular rules are given for the conduct of Christians; one of which is, "Children, obey your parents." St. Paul had, as we have read, established during his second journey a Church, or company of believers, at Philippi, in Macedonia. We shall remember how Lydia showed her grat.i.tude to St. Paul, and how the imprisonment of him and Silas, led to the conversion of the jailor, who became a true believer in Jesus.

During his Third Journey, St. Paul again went into Macedonia, after the riot at Ephesus, and then he visited Philippi once more. The Philippians, grateful to G.o.d for the gift of the holy Gospel received through St. Paul, were anxious to do whatever they could for the Apostle; and whilst he was preaching at Thessalonica, the chief town in their part of the country, the Christians of Philippi, who were but a small company, twice sent money to St. Paul, that the success of his teaching might be in no way hindered, by his having to depend upon the Thessalonians for the supply of his temporal wants. They did the same thing again whilst St. Paul was at Corinth; and now, hearing that he was in confinement at Rome, they feared that he might be badly off for food and other necessary things. A collection was therefore made amongst the Christians at Philippi, and the sum thus collected was sent to Rome by Epaphroditus, one of their Pastors, or Ministers.

St Paul was truly thankful for this timely supply; for before Epaphroditus came, he really had been in great want of necessaries: he could not work at his trade of tent-making now he was a prisoner, and he did not think it advisable to ask a.s.sistance from the Christians at Rome.

Epaphroditus stayed at Rome for several months; and during the time he became extremely ill. After he got well again, St. Paul sent him back to Philippi: and by him, he sent an Epistle, which he had written to thank the Philippians for their thoughtful care of him in his time of need. In this Epistle, also, the Apostle begs the Christians of Philippi not to listen to false teachers, who tried to draw them away from the truth as he had taught it to them; but to try to obey the Lord in all things, and continue to love each other. As usual in all his Epistles, St. Paul gives the Philippians much good advice and many holy precepts: he also speaks much of Jesus Christ, and of the necessity of loving Him, and following His example.

Chapter x.x.xII.--ST. PAUL SET AT LIBERTY.

The Epistle to the Colossians was also written by St. Paul whilst he was a prisoner at Rome: probably about the end of the year 62 (A.D.).

Colosse was a city of Phrygia, where St. Paul had founded a Church; that is, converted a certain number to be believers or Christians, during his First or Second Journey, when he was travelling throughout Asia Minor. The believers of Colosse, having heard of the Apostle's imprisonment at Rome, sent one of their ministers, named Epaphras, to see how he was treated; and also to give him an account of how the Church at Colosse was going on. After hearing all that Epaphras could tell him, St. Paul wrote an Epistle, which he sent to the Colossians by Tychicus, of whom he speaks as a "beloved brother," that is, a faithful fellow Christian. Tychicus was accompanied to Colosse by Onesimus, of whom we shall say more presently.

In this Epistle to the Colossians, St. Paul proves, that man's only hope of salvation rests upon the atonement made by Jesus Christ; and he shows, therefore, how wrong the Jews were to insist upon the observance of the Law of Moses, as if that could save them. He also warned the Colossians not to be led away by the errors of the philosophers, or wise men, who taught doctrines _not_ taught by the Gospel. He exhorts them to show their faith in Christ by holiness of life, and the due performance of every duty to their fellow creatures; and entreats them to "continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving." St. Paul ends this letter, by telling the Colossians that they will hear everything concerning him from Tychicus and Onesimus, by whom he had sent the Epistle.

Onesimus, who is here spoken of, had been the slave of a rich man of Colosse, named Philemon, who had been converted to Christianity by St Paul. Onesimus ran away from his master, to whom he belonged, and thus robbed him of his services; and some think he also robbed Philemon of money. Onesimus fled to Rome; and there G.o.d inclined this runaway slave to listen to the teaching of St. Paul, and, in consequence, he became a Christian and was baptized: after this, the Apostle kept Onesimus with him for some time, that he might see whether his conduct showed that he was really and truly a Christian. He soon saw that this was the case; and indeed Onesimus gave a strong proof of the change in his heart and feelings, by wishing to go back to Colosse, and give himself up again as a slave to Philemon, in order to make up for the injury he had done him by running away. In doing this, Onesimus ran some risk; for the laws of Phrygia allowed a master to punish a runaway slave very severely, and even put him to death if he pleased: but he felt that it was his duty to go back, and make amends for the wrong he had done; and therefore he went, trusting in G.o.d to save him, or to enable him to bear whatever punishment might be inflicted. St.

Paul felt a great interest in Onesimus, whom he speaks of as his son, because he had converted him to the new life of a Christian; and therefore he wrote to Philemon, earnestly begging of him not only to pardon Onesimus for any wrong he had done him, but also now to receive him, not as a servant, but as a fellow Christian, "a brother beloved."

We are not told in the Scriptures any more on this subject, but there can be no doubt that Philemon did all that St. Paul requested.

There is reason to believe that Onesimus became a preacher of the Gospel: some people think that he was afterwards Bishop of Ephesus, and that he finally suffered martyrdom at Rome: but this is not certain. St. Paul was not the only Apostle who wrote Epistles, though he wrote twice as many as all the other Apostles put together.

During this time, when St. Paul was a prisoner in Rome, St. James wrote the Epistle which bears his name. St. James was, we must remember, head or Bishop of the Church at Jerusalem; and from Jerusalem he wrote his Epistle, not to the inhabitants of any particular place, but to the Jewish Christians in general; that is, to those Christians who had been Jews before, wherever they might now be residing. In this Epistle, St.

James warns those to whom he wrote, not to be led away to follow any of the bad practices which were but too common in those days; and he also explained to them, that they were mistaken as to the meaning of some of the doctrines taught by St. Paul, who had never preached anything that was not quite according to the Will of G.o.d. St. James also gave many precepts for the conduct of Christians, and for the due performance of their various duties--encouraging them to try, by showing that the Lord had promised success to those who do really try. "Resist the devil, and he will flee from you." "Draw nigh to G.o.d, and He will draw nigh to you." "G.o.d resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble."

"Humble yourselves in the sight of the Lord, and He shall lift you up."

These are texts full of encouragement to all Christians, to the end of time. And equally necessary for us now, as for the believers to whom St.

James wrote, are, "Be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves." "Speak not evil one of another." "Grudge not one against another"; and all the other warnings and precepts contained in this short, but beautiful Epistle, written by St. James.

Some time in the course of the year 62 (A.D.), St. Paul was set completely at liberty, so that he might go wherever he pleased: but he did not immediately quit Rome, but remained there till he had completed two years; "preaching the kingdom of G.o.d, and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man forbidding him." The Roman Emperor Nero had not made any law to forbid the Christian religion being preached and followed; the Jews did not therefore, dare to persecute St. Paul at Rome; for by his being set at liberty, the Roman Government had shown that they considered him an innocent man, unjustly accused by his fellow countrymen. It seems that one reason why St. Paul now remained in Italy was, that he expected Timothy to join him in Rome, and then set out with him on another voyage. Whilst St. Paul was thus waiting for Timothy, he wrote his Epistle to the Hebrews. The object of this Epistle was to convince the Hebrews or Jews, of the truth of the Gospel; and in it, he pointed out that everything which he had told them of Christ's human and divine nature, of His Atonement and Intercession, agreed perfectly with all that the Scriptures of the Old Testament, the writings of Moses and the Prophets, had said of the Messiah. He showed them that the Gospel was far superior to the Law; for that, in fact, the Law had only been given to prepare the way for the Messiah, and to lead men to believe in Him and to serve Him.

The Bible gives us no further account of St. Paul's travels, but we have reason to believe, that after Timothy had joined him at Rome, they went to Spain and Britain, and to other western countries, preaching the Gospel everywhere, and converting great numbers of his hearers. After this voyage to the West, St. Paul appears to have visited Jerusalem again; and then to have gone through Syria and other parts of Asia Minor, and so on even into Macedonia; this we gather from one of his Epistles, in which he says, that at Miletum he had been obliged to leave one of his companions, called Trophimus, who was too ill to go on any further, and that at Troas he had left a cloak and some parchments. Parchment is the skin of sheep, prepared in a particular manner, so as to be fit to write upon. Very soon after St.

Paul left Jerusalem, to make this Fifth and last Journey, St. James was killed at Jerusalem by the unbelieving Jews. Festus, the Roman governor, died; and before his successor, Albinus, could get to Judaea, the Jews raised a tumult, and St. James is said to have been thrown down from some part of the temple, and then knocked on the head with a club or heavy stick. Albinus, when he did come, proved himself to be a very bad ruler; for he was so extremely fond of money, that in order to get it, he was not only guilty of great oppression, but he allowed the people to commit all sorts of wickedness without being punished, if they would only give him a sufficient sum of money. He was not governor for long, but was succeeded by Gessius Florus, about A.D. 64.

This Gessius Florus was one of the worst of men, and the Jews suffered dreadfully under his government, for he pillaged whole provinces; encouraged the banditti, on condition that they gave him part of their plunder; he robbed the sacred treasury, and even tried to excite the Jews to open rebellion, in order that, in the confusion, no complaints of his conduct might be carried to Rome. Awful indeed were the evils which now began to fall upon the unhappy Jews, who had provoked the wrath of G.o.d by their rejection of the Messiah. In consequence of the sad state of Judaea, many of the inhabitants sought refuge in foreign countries; those who remained applied to Cestius Gallus, the governor of Syria, and earnestly begged that he would deliver them from the cruel tyranny of Florus. Gallus, instead of inquiring into Florus's conduct, sent the Jews away, merely telling them their governor should behave better for the future, which, however, he did not do.

In the year 65 (A.D.), there was a fire at Rome, which burnt a great many houses, and did much damage in the city; the Emperor Nero himself was greatly suspected of having caused it, in order to have an excuse for persecuting the Christians: he delighted in the sufferings and miseries of others, and would have no pity for the poor creatures who would lose all their property in such a fire. At any rate, Nero chose to accuse the Christians of having set fire to the city, and on this pretence they were now treated with the greatest cruelty; tortured first, and then put to death in many barbarous ways. When this persecution began, it is probable that St. Paul was in the island of Crete; but, on hearing of the sufferings of the Christians at Rome, he immediately went there, to strengthen and encourage the brethren to bear any torture, and even death itself, rather than give up their religion. He comforted them by reminding them of the love of Christ, and by a.s.suring them that His blessing would rest upon them, whether they lived or died. St Paul was not long allowed to carry on this good work, for he was himself imprisoned on account of his religion; and he saw plainly that he should soon be called upon to give up his life for the sake of his divine Master; but this prospect did not disturb him; he was ready and willing to go, and be with Christ.

Chapter x.x.xIII.--MARTYRDOM OF ST. PAUL AND ST. PETER.

St. Paul, feeling that he was about to be taken away from earth, wrote to take leave of Timothy, whom he had loved as his own son. This letter, which is called "The Second Epistle of Paul the Apostle to Timothy," gave him such advice as the Apostle thought might be useful to him.

The First Epistle to Timothy has already been mentioned, as having been written nine years before, when St. Paul went into Macedonia, after the riot at Ephesus, where he had left Timothy to direct the affairs of the Church.

In this Second Epistle, St Paul entreats Timothy to keep steadfastly in the faith of the Gospel, in spite of every danger. In this Epistle the Apostle declares his willingness to die; his conscience told him that ever since he became a follower of Jesus, he had tried to please his heavenly Master; and therefore he felt, that he should enjoy in heaven that happiness which G.o.d has promised to all who truly love and serve Him. St. Paul's own words are, "I am now ready to be offered, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith: henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing."

We must all try to fight a good fight against the Devil, and all our own sinful tempers and wishes: we too must keep the faith, doing all those things which the Gospel bids Christians do: then when we have finished our course, and done the work given us to do, we, like St.

Paul, may hope, that for the sake of Jesus Christ, we shall be looked upon as righteous, and as such, be received into everlasting happiness.

Very soon after writing this Second Epistle to Timothy, St. Paul suffered martyrdom by command of Nero, because he would not renounce his faith, and bow down to the false G.o.ds of the heathen. Being a freeman of Rome, St. Paul was put to death by having his head cut off with a sword, instead of being given to be devoured by wild beasts, as the Christians usually were. The Apostle died in the month of June, A.D. 66. Slaves and persons guilty of great crimes, were often condemned to fight with wild beasts, who of course tore them to pieces: this was a most cruel barbarous way of putting even the greatest criminals to death; and yet to such a fate were Christians condemned, because they would not "deny the Lord Who bought them!"

It is dreadful to think that the people delighted in witnessing such dreadful fights, which took place in the amphitheatres. These amphitheatres were buildings without roofs; each consisting of a large s.p.a.ce enclosed by walls of moderate height, called the arena; and rows of seats outside the wall of the arena, rising up like steps to the outward wall of the building. From these seats, which were always crowded, the spectators could see whatever was going on in the arena.

About the time that St. Paul suffered martyrdom at Rome, strange and awful sights were seen at Jerusalem: the Almighty thus warning His once-favoured people, that as they had forsaken Him, so He had given them up; and that all the evils foretold by Jesus Christ, were now about to fall upon their devoted city.

The cruel and unjust conduct of their Governor Florus, and the consequent anger of the people, threatened to produce a war in Judaea; and in addition to this there were famines and earthquakes, and fearful sights in the heavens. Just before the Pa.s.sover, when a mult.i.tude of people were a.s.sembled at Jerusalem to keep it, on a sudden, in the middle of the night, such a brilliant light shone round the temple and the altar, that it seemed to be day. A few days afterwards, just before the sun set, chariots and troops of soldiers were seen pa.s.sing through the clouds, fighting with each other. Then the eastern gate of the temple, which was of solid bra.s.s, and so heavy that twenty men could hardly open or shut it, flew open of itself one night, although it was fastened with strong bars and bolts. At the Feast of Pentecost, when the Priests were going into the inner temple by night to attend to their duties, they heard voices saying, "Let us depart hence"; and immediately there was a noise as of a mult.i.tude of people, rushing forth out of the temple.

These and other wonderful signs must have filled the Jews with alarm; whilst real troubles were daily increasing upon them.

There had long been a dispute between the Syrians and the Jews, as to which of them had the best right to the city of Caesarea Philippi, built on the borders of the two countries. In the time of Felix, the two parties were preparing to fight for the possession of it; but the governor stopped them for a time, and sent the chiefs of both nations to Rome, to plead their cause before the Emperor. Nothing had then been decided; but now, in the year A.D. 66, Nero declared that the town of Caesarea Philippi should belong to the Syrians. This decision was very displeasing to the Jews, and led to a dreadful war, which ended in the destruction of Jerusalem a few years later. But before we go on with this subject, we must go back a little, and say a few words about St. Peter.

The Book of Acts tells us nothing more of the Apostle St. Peter after the Council held by St. James and the Church at Jerusalem, when "Paul and Barnabas, and certain other of them," were sent up from Antioch "to Jerusalem, unto the Apostles and elders," to inquire whether it was needful for the Gentiles who became Christians, to be also "circ.u.mcised after the manner of Moses," and "to keep the law." When there had been much disputation on the subject, St. Peter spake out boldly; reminding the a.s.sembly of the conversion of Cornelius, and telling them that after what G.o.d had then done, it would be quite wrong to require the Gentiles to be circ.u.mcised and keep the Law of Moses. This speech decided the matter; and St. James then gave sentence, that the Ceremonial Law was not binding upon the Gentile converts.

Soon after this, St. Peter and St. Paul were together at Antioch; and there, St. Peter, in his eagerness to please the Jews, withdrew himself from the Gentiles, as thus countenancing the idea that being uncirc.u.mcised, they were not fit company for the Jews. St. Paul blamed him, and showed him that he was doing wrong, since he himself knew, that in the sight of G.o.d there would be no difference between Jew and Gentile, circ.u.mcision or uncirc.u.mcision, when once they became believers in Jesus Christ. This happened A.D. 49.