by him, in the same book in which the miracles are related, and the
miraculous powers asserted, the appeals to his own miracles, or indeed
to any miracles at all, are rare and incidental. In his speech at
Antioch in Pisidia, (Acts xiii. 16.) there is no allusion but to the
resurrection. In his discourse at Miletus, (Acts xx. 17.) none to any
miracle: none in his speech before Felix; (Acts xxiv. 10.) none in his
speech before Festus; (Acts xxv. 8.) except to Christ's resurrection and
his own conversion.
Agreeably hereunto, in thirteen letters ascribed to Saint Paul, we have
incessant references to Christ's resurrection, frequent references to
his own conversion, three indubitable references to the miracles which
he wrought; (Gal. iii. 5; Rom. xv. 18, 19; 2 Cor. xii. 12.) four other
references to the same, less direct, yet highly probable; (1 Cor. ii. 4,5;
Eph. iii. 7; Gal. ii. 8; 1 Thess. i. 8.) but more copious or
circumstantial recitals we have not. The consent, therefore, between
Saint Paul's speeches and letters is in this respect sufficiently exact;
and the reason in both is the same, namely, that the miraculous history
was all along presupposed, and that the question which occupied the
speaker's and the writer's thoughts was this: whether, allowing the
history of Jesus to be true, he was, upon the strength of it, to be
received as the promised Messiah; and, if he was, what were the
consequences, what was the object and benefit of his mission?
The general observation which has been made upon the apostolic writings,
namely, that the subject of which they treated did not lead them to any
direct recital of the Christian history, belongs to the writings of the
apostolic fathers. The epistle of Barnabas is, in its subject and
general composition, much like the epistle to the Hebrews; an
allegorical application of divers passages of the Jewish history, of
their law and ritual, to those parts of the Christian dispensation in
which the author perceived a resemblance. The epistle of Clement was
written for the sole purpose of quieting certain dissensions that had
arisen amongst the members of the church of Corinth, and of reviving in
their minds that temper and spirit of which their predecessors in the
Gospel had left them an example. The work of Hermas is a vision; quotes
neither the Old Testament nor the New, and merely falls now and then
into the language and the mode of speech which the author had read in
our Gospels. The epistles of Polycarp and Ignatius had for their
principal object the order and discipline of the churches which they
addressed. Yet, under all these circumstances of disadvantage, the great
points of the Christian history are fully recognised. This hath been
shown in its proper place. (Vide supra, pp. 48-51. [Part 1, Chapter 8])
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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