Paul's relation to the Roman state...to the church at Rome...and to other churches...his care of the Asia- tic churches...date of the Epistles to the Colossians, Ephesians, and Philemon...Epaphras his fellow- False teachers at Colossa...peculiarities of the party... the germ of Judaizing Gnosticism...allied to the sect of Cerinthus...Paul's Epistle to the Colossians, 374-385 Paul's Epistle to the Ephesians...sent by Tychicus... a general epistle to the churches in Lesser Asia, Evidence of Paul's release from his first confinement at 386 387 388-395 Paul's labours after his release...in Ephesus...in Mace- donia...the First Epistle to Timothy.....Paul in Crete ...the Epistle to Titus...Paul in Nicopolis...in Spain ...his second imprisonment...the Second Epistle to Timothy...the date of his martyrdom...the Epistle ERRATA IN VOL. I. Page 9, line 1 (Note), for It may be asked, read The question is, 61, 67, 74, 74, 74, 80, 81, 87, 111, 3, for various read vicious 14, for the theosophic read the later theosophic 8(Note), for from the fourth day I fasted to the ninth hour, 9, 10 (Note), for the third hour read three o'clock 17 (Note), for faith read doctrine 6(Note † for Judaisms read Judaizers 122, 3, for disciplineship read discipleship 15 (Note), for ἁμαρπῶν read ἁμαρτιῶν 132, 29, for where read were 127, 144, 154, 159, 205, 213, 213, 217, 324, 233, 235, 235, 269, 289, 346, 359, ... 398, 1, for formed peculiar read formed a peculiar 7, for fought read fraught 1(Note), for contained read containing 5, for he at once read he had at once 2 (Note), for reason read reasons 16, for as if the words are read or the words may be 11, for gave read give 16, for sinfulness read sinlessness 10 (from bottom), for than read from 5, for privileges with read privileges connected with 5, for in read is 15 (Note), for invide read invidi 2 (Note), for duplices read duplicis 6, for re-existence read pre-existence 35, for had not attained read would not have attained 37, after this add generation 4 (from bottom, for he does, like read he does not, like ... 4 (from bottom), for resolution read realization BOOK I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH IN PALESTINE, PREVIOUS TO ITS SPREAD AMONG HEATHEN NATIONS. CHAPTER I. THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH ON ITS FIRST APPEARANCE AS A DISTINCT RELIGIOUS COMMUNITY. THE historical development of the Christian Church as a body, is similar to that of the Christian life in each of its members. In the latter case, the transition from an unchristian to a christian state is not an event altogether sudden, and without any preparatory steps. Many separate rays of divine light, at different times, enter the soul; various influences of awakening preparative grace are felt, before the birth of that new divine life by which the whole character of man is destined to be taken possession of, pervaded, and transformed. The appear ance of a new personality sanctified by the divine principle of life, necessarily forms a great era in life, but the commencement of this era is not marked with perfect precision and distinctness; the new creation manifests itself more or less gradually by its effects. "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but knowest not whence it cometh, nor whither it goeth." The same may be affirmed of the church collectively, with this difference however, that here the point of commencement is more visibly and decidedly marked. It is true, that Christ, during his ministry on earth, laid the foundation of the outward structure of the church; he then formed that community, that spiritual theocracy, whose members were held together by faith in him, and a profession of allegiance to him as their King; and which was the chosen vessel for receiving and conveying to all the tribes of the earth that divine indwelling life, which he came to impart to the whole human race. The fountain of divine life was still shut up in him, and had not diffused itself abroad with that energy and peculiarity of direction, which were essential to the formation of the Christian church. The apostles themselves were as yet confined to the bodily presence and outward guidance of the Redeemer: though, by the operation of Christ, the seminal principle of a divine life had been deposited in their hearts, and given signs of germination, still it had not attained its full expansion and peculiar character; hence it might be affirmed, that what constituted the animating spirit and the essential nature of the Christian church, as an association gradually enlarging itself (the unity of a divine life manifesting itself in a variety of individual peculiarities) had not yet appeared; this event, indeed, Christ had intimated would not take place till preparation had been made for it by his sufferings and return to his heavenly Father. At his last interview with the disciples, just before his final separation from them, in answer to their inquiry respecting the coming of his kingdom, he referred them to the power of the Holy Spirit, who would enable them rightly to understand the doctrine of his kingdom, and furnish them with fit instruments for spreading it through the world. All the promises of the Saviour relate, it is true, not merely to one single event, but to the whole of the influence of the Holy Spirit on the Apostles, and in a certain sense, on the Universal Church founded by their means; yet the display of that influence for the first time, forms so distinguished an epoch in the lives of the Apostles, that it may properly be considered as an especial fulfilment of these promises. Christ pointed out to the Apostles such a palpable epoch, which would be attended with a firm conviction of a great internal operation on their minds, an unwavering consciousness of the illumination imparted by the Divine Spirit; for, before his final departure, he enjoined upon them, not to leave Jerusalem till that promise was fulfilled, and they had received that baptism of the Spirit which would shortly take place. On account of this event, the Pentecost which the disciples celebrated soon after the Saviour's departure, is of such great importance, as marking the commencement of the Apostolic Church, for here it first publicly displayed its essential character. Next to the appearance of the Son of God himself on earth, this* was the greatest event, as the commencing point of the new divine life, proceeding from him to the human race, which has since spread and operated through successive ages, and will continue to operate until its final object is attained, and all mankind are transformed into the image * Whoever looks upon Christ only as the highest being developed from the germs originally implanted in human nature (although an absolutely highest being cannot logically be inferred in the development of human nature from this standing-point), must take an essentially different view from ourselves of the transaction of which we are speaking, though he may approximate to us in the mode of viewing particular points. When Hase, in his Essay on the First Christian Pentecost, in the Second Part of Winer's Zeitschrift für wissenschaftliche Theologie (Journal for Scientific Theology), says, "that a time may arrive when what is the result of freedom in man shall be considered as divine, and the Holy Spirit;" we readily grant that such a time is coming, or rather is already come; it has already reached its highest point, from which must ensue a revolution in the mode of thinking. We cannot, however, hold this view to be the Christian one, but entirely opposite to real Christianity. How irreconcileable it is with the apostolic belief, an unprejudiced thinker, Bouterweck, acknowledges in his Religion der Vernunft (Religion of Reason), p. 137. The Holy Spirit, in the Christian sense, is never the divine in the nature of man, but a communication from God to the nature of man (incapable of itself of reaching its moral destination), which becomes thereby raised to a higher order of life. But this supernatural communication from God, by no means contradicts an acknowledgment of the divine and of freedom in the nature of man, but rather presupposes both. |