Is it true, that St. Thecla sought St. Paul in the disguise of a man,
and are the acts of St. Thecla admissible? Tertullian, in the thirteenth
chapter of his book on "Baptism," maintains that this history was
composed by a priest attached to Paul. Jerome and Cyprian, in refuting
the story of the lion baptized by St. Thecla, affirm the genuineness of
these acts, in which we find that singular portrait of St. Paul, which
we have already recorded. "He was fat, short, and broad shouldered; his
dark eyebrows united across his aquiline nose; his legs were crooked,
his head bald, and he was full of the grace of the Lord." This is pretty
nearly his portrait in the "Philopatris" of Lucian, with the exception
of "the grace of God," with which Lucian unfortunately had no
acquaintance.
Is Paul to be reprehended for his reproof of the Judaizing of St. Peter,
who himself Judaized for eight days together in the temple of Jerusalem?
When Paul was traduced before the governor of Judæa for having
introduced strangers into the temple, was it proper for him to say to
the governor, that he was prosecuted on account of his teaching the
resurrection of the dead, whilst of the resurrection of the dead nothing
was said at all.
Did Paul do right in circumcising his disciple Timothy, after having
written to the Galatians, that if they were circumcised Jesus would not
profit them? Was it well to write to the Corinthians, chap. ix.: Have we
not power to eat and drink at your expense? "Have we not power to lead
about a sister, a wife?" etc. Was it proper to write in his Second
Epistle to the Corinthians, that he will pardon none of them, neither
those who have sinned nor others? What should we think at present of a
man who pretended to live at our expense, himself, and his wife; and to
judge and to punish us, confounding the innocent with the guilty? What
are we to understand by the ascension of Paul into the third
heaven?--what is the third heaven? Which is the most probable--humanly
speaking? Did St. Paul become a Christian in consequence of being thrown
from a horse by the appearance of a great light at noon day, from which
a celestial voice exclaimed: Saul, "Saul, why persecutest thou Me?" or
was it in consequence of being irritated against the Pharisees, either
by the refusal of Gamaliel to give him his daughter, or by some other
cause?
In all other history, the refusal of Gamaliel would appear more probable
than the celestial voice; especially if, moreover, we were not obliged
to believe in this miracle. I only ask these questions in order to be
instructed; and I request all those who are willing to instruct me to
speak reasonably.
SECTION II.