Bible. New Testament -- Criticism, interpretation, etc.; Christianity -- Origin; Paul, the Apostle, Saint
Thus much for this third visit of Paul's to Jerusalem, reckoning from
the time of his conversion: thus much for this third visit, and the
partition-treaty that was the result of it. In and by his fourth visit
to that original metropolis of the Christian world,--we shall see how
this same treaty was violated--violated, without any the slightest
reason or pretext, or so much as an attempt, on the part of his
anonymous biographer,--either by his own mouth, or by that of his
hero,--to assign a motive. Violated--that is to say, by and on the part
of Paul: for, of Peter, no further mention is, in all this history, to
be found.
The truth is--that, instead of "the Acts of the Apostles," the History
of Paul--namely, from the time of his conversion to the time of his
arrival at Rome--would have been the more proper denomination of it. Of
any other of the Apostles, and their acts,--little, if anything, more is
said, than what is just sufficient, to prepare the reader, for the
history of Paul, by bringing to view the state of the Christian world,
at the time of his coming upon the stage. As to Saint Peter,--the
author's chief hero being all along Saint Paul, in whose train, during
this last-mentioned of his excursions, he represents himself as being
established,--what is said of Saint Peter and his achievements, stands,
as it were, but as an episode. And though, by this historiographer, no
mention is made of the _partition-treaty_, it has eventually been of use
to us, by serving to show what, at the time of entering into that
engagement, was the situation of St. Peter; and how good the title is,
which the transaction presents to our credence,--as being so natural,
because so manifestly for the advantage of both the contracting parties,
as well as of the religion of Jesus, in so far as that of Paul was
conformable to it.
SECTION 3.
TIME OF THE PARTITION TREATY, MOST PROBABLY THAT OF VISIT I.
The time, at which this partition-treaty took place, appears involved in
much obscurity, and presents some difficulties: question--whether it was
at the first, or not till the third, of these visits--of these four
visits of Paul's to Jerusalem.
The consideration, by which the assigning to it the time of the first
visit has been determined, is--that it was at this first visit, that the
demand for it, in respect of all interests concerned, namely, that of
the religion of Jesus--that of the existing Christians in general,--as
well as that of the individuals particularly concerned on both
sides,--took place: that, from that time, so, as far as appears, did the
observance of it: and that it was not till a long time after, that
either symptoms, or complaints of non-observance, seem to have made
their appearance.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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