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Title: Critical Examination of the Life of St. Paul
Author: Boulanger
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*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK EXAMINATION OF THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL ***
Produced by David Widger
CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL
By Boulanger
Translated From The French Of Boulanger
"Paul, thou art beside thyself, much learning doth make thee mad."
Acts, chap. 26, ver. 24.
1823
CONTENTS
INTRODUCTION.
CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE LIFE OF ST.
PAUL
CHAPTER I. Is the Conversion of St. Paul a
proof in favour of the Christian Religion?
CHAPTER II. Opinions of the first Christians
upon the Acts of the Apostles, and upon the Epistles and Person of St.
Paul.
CHAPTER III. Of the Authority of the Councils,
of the Fathers of the Church, and of Tradition
CHAPTER IV. Life of St. Paul, according to the
Acts of the Apostles
CHAPTER V. St. Paul styles himself the Apostle
of the Gentiles—Causes of his Success.
CHAPTER VI. Paul preaches in Asia Minor,
Macedonia, and Greece
CHAPTER VII. Preaching of St. Paul at Corinth
and Ephesus
CHAPTER VIII. The Apostle gets into
embarrassments at Jerusalem, and is sent to Rome
CHAPTER IX. Reflections on the Life and
Character of St. Paul
CHAPTER X. Of the Enthusiasm of St. Paul
CHAPTER XI. Of the Disinterestedness of St.
Paul
CHAPTER XII. Of the imperious Tone and
political Views of St. Paul
CHAPTER XIII. Of the Humility, of St. Paul
CHAPTER XIV. Of the Zeal of St. Paul;
Reflections on this Christian Virtue
CHAPTER XV. Of the Deceptions or Apostacy of
St. Paul
CHAPTER XVI. St. Paul's Hypocrisy
CHAPTER XVII. St. Paul accused of Perjury, or
the Author of the Acts of the Apostles, convicted of Falsehood.
CHAPTER XVIII. Examination of St. Paul's
Miracles
CHAPTER XIX. Analysis of the writings
attributed to St. Paul
CHAPTER XX. Of Faith, in what this Virtue
consists
CHAPTER XXI. Of the Holy Ghost, and Divine
Inspiration
CHAPTER XXII. Of the Inspiration of the
Prophets of the Old Testament
CHAPTER. XXIII. Of the Descent of the Holy
Ghost upon the Apostles, or their Divine Inspiration
CHAPTER XXIV. General reflections on the
foundations of Christian Faith, and on the Causes of Credulity
CONCLUSION.
INTRODUCTION.
EPISTLE DEDICATORY TO M. L. N.
Sir, In our last conversation you appeared to me, very much smitten with
St. Paul and his works; you recommended me to reperuse his writings;
assuring me that I should there find arguments well calculated to shake
incredulity and confirm a Christian in his faith.
Although the actions of this celebrated Apostle, related in the Acts, and
his doctrine contained in his Epistles, were already perfectly known to
me, yet to conform myself to your desires, and give you proofs of my
docility, I have again read those works, and I can assure you that I have
done it with the greatest attention. You will judge of that yourself, by
the reflections I send you; they will at least prove to you that I have
read with attention. A superficial glance is only likely to deceive us or
leave us in error. The passions and the prejudices of men prevent them
from examining with candour, and from their indolence they are often
disgusted with the researches necessary for discovering truth; that has
also been with so much care veiled from their eyes: but it is in vain to
cover it, its splendour will sooner or later shine forth; the works of
enthusiasm or imposture, will always end by betraying themselves. As for
the rest, read and judge. You will find, I think, at least, some reasons
for abating a little from that high opinion, that prejudice gives us of
the Apostle of the Gentiles, and of the religious system of the
Christians, of which St. Paul was evidently the true architect. I am not
ignorant that it is very difficult to undo at one blow the ideas to which
the mind has been so long accustomed; but whatever may be your judgment it
will not alter the sentiments of friendship and attachment which are due
to the goodness of your heart.
I am, &c, &c.
CRITICAL EXAMINATION OF THE LIFE OF ST. PAUL
CHAPTER I. Is the Conversion of St. Paul a proof in favour of the
Christian Religion?
Many theologians would make us regard the miraculous conversion and
apostleship of St. Paul as one of the strongest proofs of the truth of
Christianity. But in viewing the thing closely it appears that this
conversion, far from proving any thing in favour of this religion,
invalidates the other proofs of it, in fact, our doctors continually
assure us that the Christian religion draws its strongest proofs from the
prophecies of the Old Testament, whilst there is not in fact a single one
of these prophecies that can be literally applied to the Messiah of the
Christians. St. Paul himself willing to make use of these oracles of the
Jewish nation to prove the mission of Christ, is obliged to distort them,
and to seek in them a mystical, allegorical, and figurative sense. On the
other side, how can these prophecies made by Jews and addressed to Jews,
serve as proofs of the doctrine of St. Paul, who had evidently formed the
design of altering, or even of destroying, the Jewish religion, in order
to raise a new system on its ruins? Such being the state of things, what
real connection, or what relation, can there be between the religious
system of the Jews, and that of St. Paul? For this Apostle to have had the
right of making use of the Jewish prophecies, it would have been necessary
that he should have remained a Jew; his conversion to Christianity
evidently deprived him of the privilege of serving himself, by having
recourse to the prophecies belonging to a religion that he had just
abandoned, and the ruin of which he meditated. True prophecies can only be
found in a divine religion, and a religion truly divine, can neither be
altered, reformed, nor destroyed: God himself, if he is immutable, could
not change it.
In fact, might not the Jews have said to St. Paul,﹃Apostate that you are!
you believe in our prophecies, and you come to destroy the religion
founded upon the same prophecies. If you believe in our oracles, you are
forced to believe that the religion which you have quitted is a true
religion and divinely inspired. If you say, that God has changed his mind,
you are impious in pretending that God could change, and was not
sufficiently wise, to give at once to his people a perfect worship, and
one which had no need of being reformed. On the other side, do not the
reiterated promises of the Most High, confirmed by paths to our fathers,
assure us, that his alliance with us should endure eternally? You are then
an impostor, and, according to our law, we ought to exterminate you;
seeing that Moses, our divine legislator, orders us to put to death,
whoever shall have the temerity to preach to us a new worship, even though
he should confirm his mission by prodigies. The God that you preach is not
the God of our fathers: you say that Christ is his son; but we know that
God has no son. You pretend that this son, whom we have put to death as a
false prophet, has risen from the dead, but Moses has not spoken of the
resurrection; thus your new God and your dogmas are contrary to our law,
and consequently we ought to hold them in abhorrence.﹄In short these same
Jews might have said to St. Paul: "You deceive yourself in saying, that
you are the disciple of Jesus, your Jesus was a Jew, during the whole of
his life he was circumcised, he conformed himself to all the legal
ordinances; he often protested that he came to accomplish, and not to
abolish the law; whilst you in contempt of the protestations of the
Master, whose Apostle you say you are, take the liberty of changing this
holy law, of decrying it, of dispensing with its most essential
ordinances."
Moreover the conversion of St. Paul strangely weakens the proof that the
Christian religion draws from the miracles of Jesus Christ and his
Apostles. According to the evangelists themselves the Jews were not at all
convinced by these miracles. The transcendant prodigy of the resurrection
of Christ, the wonders since wrought by some of his adherents did not
contribute more to their conversion. St. Paul believed nothing of them at
first, he was a zealous persecutor of the first Christians to such a
degree, that, according to the Christians, nothing short of a new miracle,
performed for him alone, was able to convert him; which proves to us that
there was, at least, a time when St. Paul did not give any credit to the
wonders that the partisans of Jesus related at Jerusalem.
He needed a particular miracle to believe in those miracles, that we are
obliged to believe in at the time in which we live, without heaven
operating any new prodigy to demonstrate to us the truth of them.
CHAPTER II. Opinions of the first Christians upon the Acts of the
Apostles, and upon the Epistles and Person of St. Paul.
It is in the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles of St. Paul, that we
find the details of his life and the system of his doctrine; but, how can
we be certain of the authenticity of these works, whilst we see many of
the first Christians doubt and reject them as apocryphal? We find, in
fact, that from the earliest period of the church, entire sects of
Christians, who believed that many of the Epistles published under the
name of this Apostle, were not really his. The Marcionites were confident
that the gospels were filled with falshoods, and Marcion, their head,
pretended that his gospel was the only true one.
The Manicheans, who formed a very numerous sect at the commencement of
Christianity, rejected as false, all the New Testament, and produced other
writings, quite different, which they gave as authentic. The Corinthians,
as well as the Marcionites, did not admit the Acts of the Apostles. The
Encratites and the Severians did not adopt either the Acts or the Epistles
of St. Paul. St. John Chrysostom in a homily, which he has made upon the
Acts, says, that in his time (that is to say, towards the end of the
fourth century) many men were ignorant not only of the name of the author,
or of the collector of these Acts, but even did not know this work. The
Valentinians, as well as many other sects of Christians accused our
scriptures of being filled with errors, imperfections, and contradictions,
and of being insufficient without the assistance of traditions; this is a
fact that is attested to us by St. Irenæus. The Ebionites or Nazarenes,
who, as we shall soon see, were the first Christians, rejected all the
Epistles of St. Paul, and regarded him as an impostor and hypocrite.
It will not fail being said to us, that we ought not to rely on the
testimony of heretics; but I shall reply, that in the matter in question,
their testimony is of the same weight as that of the orthodox, seeing that
all the different sects consider themselves as orthodox, and have treated
their adversaries as heretics. How shall we unravel the truth if we do not
hear both parties? By what signs shall we know those on whom we ought to
rely? Shall we cede the cause without examining their adversaries, to
writers who utter to us falshoods without number, who contradict each
other, who are never agreed amongst themselves, and whose discordant
writings are nevertheless produced as proofs of what they advance? In any
other subject such a conduct would seem to betray a partiality or even
insincerity: but in religious matters, every thing is fair, and there is
no necessity of being so nice.
However that may be, it does not follow that because one sect has received
or rejected a work, that the work itself is either true or false; there
cannot be otherwise than, a diversity of opinions between persons of
different parties; their testimony ought to have equal weight, until the
partisans of one sect, have been convicted of being greater cheats and
liars, than those of the other. If we pay no regard to the authority of
heretics, it is because they have not had sufficient power to enforce
their opinions. It is power or weakness which makes orthodoxians or
heretics: the last are always those who have not power enough to make
their opinions current.
What course shall we then pursue to discover on which side is the truth?
An impartial man will no more expect to find it in one party than in
another, thus the testimony of the one can have no greater weight than
that of the other in the eye of an unprejudiced man.
This granted, we cannot rely on the authority of Christian traditions
which vary in all sects, and we shall be reduced to recur solely to
reason, especially when we find that the works, which are to-day regarded
as authentic, have in other times been considered as suppositious, or
apocryphal, by some very ancient sects of Christians, and that the works
and writings, then regarded as apocryphal, have since been adopted as
true.
It appears that in the ancient churches, they read at once the works that
we now regard as true, and those that now-pass for suppositious, in such
sort, that there is reason to believe they were then held to possess equal
claim to authenticity: it is, at least, very, difficult to demonstrate the
contrary in the present time. Some churches have attributed the same
authority to false or doubtful writings as to true.
The Roman Church to-day adopts as authentic and divinely inspired many
books of the Bible, absolutely rejected by the Protestants. How is it
possible to decide which is the party that deceives itself?
By what right can we then affirm to-day that the works of St. Paul,
formerly rejected by so many Christian sects, are authentic, that is to
say, truly belong to this Apostle? On the other hand, how can we attribute
to divine inspiration writings filled with inconsistencies,
contradictions, mistakes, and false reasonings, in a word, which bear
every character of delirium, of ignorance, and of fraud? I acknowledge
that those who want valid proofs, always do right to affirm the thing,
with the tone of authority; but this tone proves nothing, and always
prejudices against those who take it. Nothing is more injurious to the
interest of truth, than the arrogance of an usurped authority. These are,
however, the arms that are incessantly opposed to those who doubt of
religion. It would seem that its defenders have no other arguments than
their pretences; it is easy to feel that these arguments are every thing,
but convincing.
The Acts of the Apostles, adopted by the Ebionites or Nazarenes, relate
amongst other things, that, "Paul was originally a Pagan, that he came to
Jerusalem where he dwelt for some time; that being desirous of marrying
the daughter of the High Priest he became a proselyte, and was
circumcised; but not being able to obtain the woman he desired, he
quarrelled with the Jews, began to write against the circumcision, against
the observation of the Sabbath, and against legal ordinances."
We know that the name of Nazarenes was the first which was given to the
Christians. St. Epiphanius, from whom the preceding passage is taken,
says, "that they were thus named because of Jesus of Nazareth," of whom
they were the first disciples. The Jews called them Nazarenes from the
Hebrew word Nozerim, which signifies one separated or excommunicated;
again they designated them under the name of Mineans, that is to say,
heretics. They were also by contempt called Ebionites, which signifies
poor, mendicant, weak-minded. In fact, the Hebrew Ebion, means poor,
miserable, and we know, that the first followers of Christ, were every
thing but opulent or intelligent men.
The first faithful, were Jews converted by Jesus himself, or by the most
ancient Apostles, such as Peter, James, and John, who as well as their
master, lived in Judaism. These Apostles, disciples, and new converts,
differed from the Jews in nothing but the belief in Jesus Christ, whom
they regarded as the Messiah predicted by the prophets; otherwise they
believed themselves bound constantly to observe the Mosaic law, persuaded
that their Messiah was come to accomplish and not to destroy this law. In
consequence of this, they observed circumcision, the abstinence from
certain meats, separation from the Gentiles, in a word, the Jewish rites
and ordinances.
Thus the first Apostles, and their adherents, were only Jews, persuaded
that the Messiah was already come, and was going soon to commence his
reign, which made them hated and persecuted as schismatics or heretics by
their fellow-citizens. St. Jerome informs us, "that even down to his time,
the Jews used to anathematize the Christians, under the name of Nazarenes,
three times a day in their synagogues."
All this evidently proves, that the Nazarenes, of Ebionites, were the
first Christians, taught by the most considerable of the Apostles, and
that the first Christians were only reformed Jews; this is clearly the
only idea we can form of Christianity, such as it was taught by Jesus
Christ himself.
How then comes it that since Jesus, Christianity has been so separated
from Judaism? a slight attention will prove to us that this is owing to
St. Paul. Repulsed by the Jews, or perhaps desirous of playing a more
important part, we see him separate himself from his brethren of
Jerusalem, and undertake the conversion of the Gentiles, for whom the Jews
entertained no sentiment but horror. Encouraged by his first successes and
wishing to extend them, he dispensed the Pagans from the painful ceremony
of circumcision; he declared that the law of Moses, was only a law of
servitude, from which Jesus was come to free mankind; he pretended that
all the old law was merely the emblem and figure of the new; he announced
himself as the Apostle of the Gentiles, and leaving Peter and the other
Nazarenes to preach the gospel of circumcision, he preached his own
gospel, which he himself called the gospel of uncircumcision: in a word,
he made a divorce with the Jewish laws, to which his apostolic brethren
believed they ought to hold themselves attached, at least, in most
respects.
The conduct of Paul, must naturally have displeased his seniors in the
Apostleship, but fear appears to have deter mined them to cede, at least
for a time, to our missionary who had already made a considerable party.
Nevertheless the Acts of the Apostles and the writings of Paul, prove to
us his quarrels with his brethren, who, according to appearances, never
viewed with a friendly eye, his enterprizes and innovations. Moreover,
Eusebius and St. Epiphanius inform us, that our Apostle was regarded as an
apostate, an impostor, and an enemy by the Ebionites, that is to say, by
the first faithful. But St. Paul's party having in the end prevailed, the
Jewish law was entirely banished from Christianity, and the Ebionites, or
Nazarenes, though of more ancient date and though formed by Christ and his
first apostles were declared heretics.
It is proper to remark in this place that these Ebionites, or first
Christians, believed that Jesus was but a man, as much on the side of his
father as on that of his mother, that is to say, the son of Joseph and
Mary; but that he was a wise, just, and excellent person, thus meriting
the appellation of the son of God, because of his holy life and good
qualities whence we see that the first Christians were as well as the
first Apostles, true Socinians. But St. Paul to give, without doubt, more
lustre to his ministry, and his adherents after him, willing to extol the
holiness of their religion, made a God of Jesus, a dogma which it is no
more permitted to doubt, especially since the partizans of Paul have
become more numerous, and stronger than those of St. Peter and the other
Nazarenes, or Jewish founders of primitive Christianity, which thus
totally changed its face as to its capital dogmas.
Having thus become masters of the field of battle, Paul, his adherents,
and the disciples formed in their school, saw themselves in possession of
the power of regulating belief, of inventing new dogmas, of making
gospels, and of arranging them in their own manner, of forging to
themselves titles, and of excommunicating as heretics all those who showed
themselves unteachable. It is thus that the author of the Acts of the
Apostles, only speaks, as it were, of his master, of St. Paul, and glances
very slightly over the Acts of the Apostles of the contrary party. The
same author (St. Luke) is presumed to have composed his gospel from the
notes furnished him by St. Paul, though he had neither known nor seen
Jesus Christ.
Faustus, the Manichean, said on the subject of the gospels, "that they had
been composed a long time after the Apostles, by some obscure individuals,
who fearing that faith would not be given to histories of facts with which
they must have been unacquainted, published under the name of the Apostles
their own writings, so filled with mistakes and discordant relations and
opinions, that we can find in them neither connection nor agreement with
themselves."
A little further on he loudly accuses his adversaries, who had the credit
of being orthodox, and says to them, "It is thus that predecessors have
inserted in the writings of our Lord many things which, though they bear
his name, do not # at all agree with his doctrine. That is not surprising
since we have often proved that these things have not been written by
himself nor by his Apostles, but that for the greater part they are
founded on tales, on vague reports, and collected by I know not who, half
Jews, but little agreed among themselves, who have nevertheless published
them under the name of our Lord, and thus have attributed to him their own
errors and deceptions."
Origeo informs us, that Celsus exclaimed against the licence that the
Christians of his time, had taken of altering many times imprudently the
originals of their gospels, in order to be able to deny or to retract
those things, which embarrassed them.
CHAPTER III. Of the Authority of the Councils, of the Fathers of the
Church, and of Tradition
It is only in the Fathers of the Church, and the Councils, that we can
find the proofs of the authenticity of the Christian traditions, and
according to the proofs which remain it appears, that they only approved
or rejected opinions, as they found them favourable or injurious to the
interests of the party which they had embraced. Every ecclesiastical
writer, and every assembly of Bishops, adopted as canonical the writings
in which they found their own particular dogmas, the others they treated
as apocryphal or suppositious. A slight acquaintance with the writings of
the Fathers, will show us that we cannot rely on them for any facts; we
shall find that their books are filled with negligences, tales,
impertinences and falsehoods; we shall see them buried in the thickest
darkness of superstition and prejudice. Every word announces their
incredulity or their insincerity. St. Clement the Roman, believed the
fable of the phoenix reviving from its ashes, and cites it as a proof of
the resurrection.
Papias, who was the master of St. Irenæus, was, in the opinion of Eusebius
himself, a man of weak mind, a fabulous author, who had contributed to
lead many men into error, and amongst others St. Irenæus who was his
disciple, whom Eusebius regards as a very credulous man, though he was the
first ecclesiastical historian of note. It is not surprising that those
who have followed such guides have fallen into error.
On the other side, we should never finish, were we to enter into a detail
of the excesses committed by the Fathers of the Church and the Councils:
their history would only serve to prove their ambition their pride, their
infatuation, their seditious spirit, their cheats, their intrigues, and
their cruelties in the persecutions which they excited against their
adversaries. It is nevertheless on the probity and on the knowledge of
these great personages that we are called to rely! It is pretended that it
is from them that we hold the pure oracles of truth; must we then take
lessons of mildness, of charity, of, holiness, from the writings of some
factious individuals, who were perpetually quarrelling and treating their
adversaries with the utmost cruelty, whose works were filled with gall,
whose conduct it is admitted even by their own friends and admirers, was
almost always unjust, violent, and criminal? How can it be expected that
we should find any point of unity in the canons and decrees of assemblies
agitated by intrigue, discord, and animosity? How can we regard as saints,
and infallible doctors, as persons worthy of our confidence, perverse men,
continually involved in disputations with others, and in contradictions
with themselves? What guide can we expect to find in turbulent priests
whose ambition, avarice, and intriguing and persecuting spirit are every
where visible? It is only necessary to read ecclesiastical history to be
convinced that the picture which we have drawn of the Councils and Fathers
is no ways exaggerated.
On the other hand the writers and Councils on whose authority, Christians
are called upon to found their belief, do, in all their traditions, but
blindly follow and copy each other; we see them devoid of the arts of
reasoning, of logic, and of criticism; hence their works are found filled
with fables, vulgar errors, and forgeries. Is it possible to believe the
traditions of such a man as St. Jerome, who in his life of St. Anthony,
assures us that this holy man had a conference with satyrs with goats
feet? Do we not justly doubt the sincerity of St. Augustine, when he says,
﹃that he had seen a nation composed of men, who had eyes in the middle of
their stomachs?﹄Are such authors more entitled to credit, than those of
Robinson Crusoe, and of the Thousand and One Nights?
Supposing even that at the commencement of Christianity, there had been
authentic books in which the actions and the discourses of Jesus Christ
and his Apostles had been faithfully related, should we be justified in
supposing that they have been handed down to us such as they were
originally? Prior to the invention of printing, it was doubtless much
easier to impose upon the public than it is now, and notwithstanding, we
see that the Press gives currency to innumerable falsehoods.
The spirit of party causes every thing to be adopted that is useful to its
own cause. That granted, how easy was it for the heads of the Church, who
were once the only guardians of the holy books, either from pious fraud,
or a determined wish to deceive, to insert falsehoods and articles of
faith, in the books entrusted to their care.
The learned Dodwell admits, that the books which compose the New Testament
did not appear in public, until at least 100 Years after Christ. If this
fact be certain, how shall we convince ourselves that they existed prior
to this time? These books were solely entrusted to the care of the
ecclesiastical gentry, till the third or fourth century, that is to say,
to the guardianship of men, whose conduct was universally regulated by
self interest and party spirit, and who possessed neither the probity nor
knowledge requisite for discovering the truth, or of transmitting it in
its original purity. Thus each doctor had the power of making such holy
books as he pleased, and when, under Constantine, the Christians saw
themselves supported by the Emperor, their chiefs were able to accept, and
cause to be accepted as authentic, and of rejecting as apocryphal, such
books as suited their interest, or did not agree with the prevailing
doctrine. But were we even sure of the authenticity of the books, which
the church of this day adopts, we are nevertheless, without any other
guarantee of the authority of the scriptures than the books themselves. Is
there a history which has the right to prove itself by itself? Can we rely
upon witnesses who give no other proof of what they advance than their own
words? Yet the first Christians have rendered themselves famous by their
deceptions, their factions, and their frauds, which are termed pious when
they tend to the advantage of religion. Have not these pious falsehoods
been ascribed to the works of Jesus Christ himself and to the Apostles his
successors? Have we not, in their manner, sybilline verses, which are
evidently all Christian prophecies, made afterwards, and often copied word
for word into the Old and New Testament? If it had pleased the Fathers at
the council of Nice, to regard these prophecies as divinely inspired, what
or who should have prevented them from inserting them into the canon of
the Scriptures? And from that the Christians would not have failed to
regard them in the present day, as indubitable proofs of the truth of
their religion.
If the Christians at the commencement of Christianity, gave credit to
works filled with reveries, such as the Shepherd of Hermas, the Gospel of
the Infancy, the Letter of Jesus Christ to Algarus, what confidence can we
have in such of their books as remain? Can we flatter ourselves, with
having even these such as they were originally written? How can we at the
present time, distinguish the true from the false, in books, in which
enthusiasm, roguery and credulity pervade every page.
Since the gospels themselves fail in the proofs necessary to establish
their authenticity, and the truth of the facts which they relate, I do not
see that the epistles of St. Paul, or the Acts of the Apostles, enjoy in
this respect a greater advantage. If the first Christians had no
difficulty in attributing works to Jesus, would they have been over
scrupulous, in doing the same to his apostles, or in making for them
romantic legends, which length of time has caused to pass for respectable
books? If a body of powerful men, had it in their power to command the
credulity of the people, and found it their interest, they would succeed,
at the end of a few centuries, in establishing the belief that the
adventures of Don Quixote were perfectly true, and that the prophecies of
Nostradamus were inspirations of the divinity. By means of glossaries,
commentaries and allegories, we may find and prove whatever we desire;
however glaring an imposture may be, it may, by the aid of time,
deception, and force, pass in the end for a truth, which it is not
permitted to doubt; Determined cheats supported by public authority may
cause ignorance, which is always credulous to believe whatever they
choose, especially by persuading it that there is merit in not perceiving
inconsistencies, contradictions, and palpable absurdities, and that there
is danger in reasoning.
CHAPTER IV. Life of St. Paul, according to the Acts of the Apostles
I have thus far shewn that nothing was more destitute of proof than the
authenticity of the books which contain the life and writings of St. Paul.
I have shewn that the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles of St. Paul,
were rejected by some Christian sects which subsisted from the earliest
times of the church. It must have been seen that the opinion of the
authenticity of these books was founded solely on traditions, to which it
is very difficult to give credit, considering the characters of those by
whom these traditions have been transmitted, it is however upon such
suspicious guarantees, that the authority of these works has been
pretended to be established; it will then be necessary to admit them at
once and without examination, or else recur to reason in order to examine
for ourselves, what we ought to think concerning them.
To form our ideas of St. Paul, let us then consult only these works,
however suspected their origin may appear to us, which contain the detail
of his life; there are no others to which we can have recourse.
The author of the Acts of the Apostles, whoever he be, relates the
miraculous conversion of Saul, afterwards called Paul, in the ninth
chapter. We find him already named in the two preceding chapters, first as
approving of the death of St. Stephen, the first martyr for the Christian
religion, and next as persecuting and desolating the church. Not contented
with tormenting the Christians of Jerusalem, he furnished himself with
letters from the High Priest which authorised him to seize those whom he
might find at Damascus; but, while on the road a miracle caused him to
change all his projects; he is suddenly surrounded by a divine light,
without seeing any one, he hears the voice of Jesus of Nazareth, who
demands of him the motives of his persecutions. Saul trembling enquired
what conduct he ought to pursue. Jesus tells him, that at Damascus he
would be informed of his intentions. Our persecutor on this occasion is
struck blind, but his heart is converted, and sight is miraculously
restored to him by a Christian of Damascus named Ananias, who had been, by
a particular revelation informed of his hostile designs against the
church, and of the great designs of God, who, of this persecutor, would
form a vessel of election, that is to say the Apostle of the Gentiles.
Soon after this conversion and cure, Saul is baptized and commences
preaching Christ in the synagogues, confounding the Jews to such a degree
that they came to the resolution to take away his life. But the new
missionary deceived their vigilance by saving himself during the night by
means of a basket, in which he was lowered, and made his escape from
Damascus. He returned to Jerusalem where the disciples of Jesus were
thrown into consternation at his appearance; but Barnabas presented him to
the Apostles, informed them of his conversion, and enrolled him to their
college. In consequence he preached the Gospel; this conduct soon raised
troubles and persecutions against him on the part of the Jews, who again
formed the design of putting him to death. But he found means of escaping
from their fury by the assistance of some disciples who conducted him to
Cesarea, whence they afterward sent him to Tarsus. Barnabas came and
joined Saul in the latter city, whence he led him to Antioch. Here Saul
and Barnabas remained during a year, they there made a great number of
converts; it was there that the proselytes first took the name of
Christians. To warm the zeal of the new converts, they sent for prophets
from Jerusalem, one of these named Agabus predicted a great famine, which
determined the disciples of Antioch to distribute alms to their brethren
of Judea; Saul and Barnabas were the bearers of these marks of generosity,
and the Apostles, whom the first faithful made the depositaries of their
riches, knew, without doubt, the price of the acquisition that the sect
had made in the person of the new missionary*.
* Acts of Apostles, chap. 12.
CHAPTER V. St. Paul styles himself the Apostle of the Gentiles—Causes
of his Success.
All proves to us that Paul and his associate Barnabas found it much easier
to convert the Gentiles than the Jews, who showed themselves almost always
rebels to their lessons. The docility of the first, and indocility of the
latter may be traced to very natural causes; the idolators were destitute
of instruction, their priests, content with exacting from them their
offerings and sacrifices, never thought of instructing them in their
religion; thus our missionaries encountered few obstacles in persuading
them of the truth of the novelties which they came to announce to them. It
was not thus with the Jews, who had a law, to which they were very
strongly attached, since they were convinced that it had been dictated by
God himself. In consequence our preach-. ers could not make themselves
listened to, but, in proportion, as the doctrine they preached agreed with
the notions with which the Jews were previously imbued. The Apostles were
therefore compelled to reason with the Jews, according to their own
system, to shew them that the Christ whom they announced was the Messiah
which they expected from their own prophets; in a word, in preaching the
Gospel to the Jews, the preachers were driven into embarrassing
discussions, and perpetually exposed to cavils and contradictions which
they had no fear of on the part of the Gentiles, who received without
disputing the novelties which they broached to them, and which besides
agreed well enough with the notions of the pagan mythology, as we have
shewn in another work.
On the other side also, the idolators had not the exclusive ideas of
religion peculiar to the Jews; they were tolerant, they admitted every
species of worship, and were disposed to pay homage to every God that was
proposed to them. The Hebrews were not of this disposition, they believed
themselves alone in the possession of the knowledge of the true God, and
rejected with horror strange Gods and worships.
These reflections are sufficient to explain to us the reason of the great
success that the Apostles had in preaching to the Gentiles, compared with
their endeavours amongst the Jews; they likewise show us especially the
true motives of Paul's conduct. In fact, repulsed by the cavils and
opposition of the Jews, we see Paul and Barnabas turn themselves to the
side of the Pagans, who listened to them with more attention and declared
to the Jews, that God had forsaken them*.
* Acts of Apostles, chap. xiii. ver. 45, &c,
The Gentiles were apparently flattered by the preference; numbers of them
adopted the religion announced to them, which did not hinder the Jews from
exciting, against our missionaries, the zeal of the female devotees whose
clamour obliged them to quit Antioch.
From thence our two associates, after having shook the dust of their feet
against their opposers, repaired to Iconium, where they again met with
opposition on the part of the Jews who even irritated the Gentiles against
them, which compelled them to fly to Lystra in Lycaonia. There according
to the Acts of the Apostles, Paul thought it necessary to perform a
miracle, well knowing that nothing is more efficacious than a prodigy in
making an impression on the minds of the vulgar.
He then cured a lame man. This miracle convinced the idolators, who took
Paul and his comrade for Gods, and under this idea would have offered them
sacrifices. However this wonder did not produce the same effect upon the
Jews; these apparently regarded it as a deception, or some trick of which
they were not the dupes. In fact we see that the Jews, who nevertheless
yielded to no people in credulity, so far from being moved by Paul's
miracle, that they stoned him as a malefactor and left him for dead. From
this unlucky affair he however extricated himself and returned to Antioch,
whence he set out in order to give an account of the success of his
mission, from which it appears that he had no reason for self
congratulation, since, if he made a number of recruits for Jesus, he had
succeeded at the expence of much personal ill usage.
Nevertheless the Nazarenes, or Ebionites, i. e. the first of the Jews, who
had embraced the doctrine of the Apostles, were persuaded that the
religion of Christ was merely a reformed Judaism. Always attached to the
practices of the Mosaic law, they believed themselves called upon to
evince their zeal in its favour; in consequence of which they pretended
that the Gentiles, converted by the Apostles, ought, like themselves, to
submit to the rite of circumcision. But Paul and Barnabas strongly opposed
this opinion*; they were well aware that so painful an operation,
especially after a certain age, would be very likely to dishearten the
heathen whom they had drawn to their sect. But as the affair appeared very
important they referred the decision to the Apostles who remained at
Jerusalem. In consequence Paul and Barnabas, and also the partisans of
circumcision, repaired, thither, each with the view of maintaining their
own opinion. The question was argued, and our two missionaries convinced
the Apostolic College of the necessity of freeing the Gentiles from a rite
at which they revolted. Thus, according to the author of the Acts of the
Apostles, (who appears to have been devoted to St. Paul's party) it was
decided, that the newly converted Gentiles should be exempted from a
ceremony which, until now, had been regarded as highly essential, since it
had been ordained by the Divinity himself.
* See Acts of Apostles, chap. xv. ver. 5; see also in the
second chapter, of this work what is said of the Nazarenes.
There is reason to believe that the old Apostles did not subscribe without
great reluctance to a decision which seemed to annul one of the capital
points of the Mosaic law, and had the appearance of rectifying the
ordinances, of the Most High. Jesus himself in his infancy underwent the
ceremony of circumcision; during his life he practised the customs
prescribed to his nation; he formerly declared that he was come, not to
destroy, but to accomplish the law of the Jews; and nevertheless we see
St. Paul and his adherents, of their own authority, annul at one blow a
ceremony of divine institution, approved of and observed by their master
and that for political and worldly considerations, which saints ought
never to regard.
However this may be, by this decision, which Paul extorted from the
Apostles, it seemed from that time to give the signal of the schism, which
in the end totally separated the Jews from the Christians. Nevertheless we
shall soon see Paul, who on this occasion took in hand the cause of the
Gentiles, prepare (resuming the old errors) and circumcise a disciple
himself. So true it is, that the greatest saints are not always consistent
in their opinions, nor uniform in their conduct.
The Apostles having shewn so much indulgence in the article of the
circumcision of the Gentiles, were, however desirous of giving a kind of
satisfaction to the partisans of Judaism; with this view they prohibited
the new converts from worshipping idols, from giving themselves up to
fornication; and ordered them to abstain from things strangled and from
the blood of animals. By these means they sought to conciliate every one;
the Gentiles were not circumcised, and submitted themselves, in part, to
the ordinances of the Jews, who thus saw a deference always paid to the
law of their fathers, to which they were ever strongly attached *.
* See Acts of Apostles, chap. xv. All seems to prove that
the Apostles soon repented of the weakness they had been
guilty of in ceding to St. Paul, for we find he formed a
separate party, who preached the Gospel in his own manner,
that is to say, the Gospel of the uncircumcision.
Furnished with this decision of the council of Jerusalem, in which the
Apostles declare themselves authorised by the Holy Spirit, Paul and
Barnabas returned to Antioch, whence they were desirous of visiting the
towns where they had already preached; but a contest respecting the choice
of an associate of their labours, made a breach between our two
missionaries and caused a separation between them. Barnabas accompanied by
Mark embarked for the Isle of Cyprus, whilst Paul with Silas, his new
companion, traversed Syria and Cilicia to confirm in the faith those who
had been recently converted *.
* It ought here to be remarked, that there exists yet a
Gospel of the Nazarenes, the honour of which has been
decreed to St. Barnabas, and in which Paul is roughly
handled. In fact this Apostle preached, as we have shewn,
besides uncircumcision, a doctrine very different from that
of the Nazarenes, Ebionites, or first Christians, who,
according to St. Irenæus, St. Epiphanius, and Eusebius,
regarded Jesus merely as a man, the son of Joseph and Mary,
and who was called the Son of God, only on account of his
virtues. This may enable us to guess at the cause of Paul's
quarrel with Barnabas, whose Gospel insinuates that Paul was
in error in teaching that Jesus was God.
CHAPTER VI. Paul preaches in Asia Minor, Macedonia, and Greece
Upon his arrival at Lystra, St. Paul, notwithstanding the indulgence of
the Council of Jerusalem, thought it good policy to circumcise a proselyte
named Timothy, who was born of a Gentile father and a Jewish mother. The
Acts of the Apostles inform us of the motive of this circumcision (chap.
xvi. ver. 3) it being done "because of the Jews which were in those
quarters."
Our two Missionaries now travelled over several provinces of Asia Minor,
such as Phrygia and Galatia, and yet we find that the Holy Ghost forbade
them to announce the word of God in Asia. We may indeed suppose, that in
this passage, the "Holy Ghost" is only intended to indicate that our
missionaries themselves perceived, that it would be dangerous for them to
preach their doctrine; for in the Holy Scriptures the persons of whom it
speaks are always supposed to act from divine impulse.
Paul had a vision, which persuaded him to go to Macedonia. Being arrived
at Phillippi, he preached to the women with such success, that he had the
happiness of converting a dealer in purple, named Lydia, who, from
gratitude, invited them pressingly to lodge in her house. They were well
accommodated no doubt, since devotees take great care of their directors;
but our holy personages had the misfortune to perform a miracle which
deranged all their affairs. Paul cast out the evil spirit from a damsel,
who having a spirit of divination, brought great profit to her masters by
soothsaying. The cure, or perhaps conversion, of this slave, displeased
her masters, they carried their complaint to the magistrates; the people
took a part against our preachers, who were beaten with rods and then sent
to prison. An earthquake retrieved their affairs, they gained over the
gaoler whom they converted to the faith. In the meantime the magistrates
sent him an order to release our prisoners. But Paul, bearing in mind the
scourging they had received, required that the magistrates should come in
person and release them, asserting that they were Roman citizens: at these
words the magistrates were intimidated, and came with apologies to set
them free, begging them to leave their city, which request they complied
with, after having been to console Lydia the devout, and the brethren, who
according to appearances did not suffer them to depart empty-handed. This
bad success did not discourage our missionaries who were aware doubtless,
that they were inconveniences attached to their profession. They now went
to Thessalonica, where Paul had the good luck to make some proselytes both
among Jews and Gentiles; he converted especially, some ladies of quality;
but the hardened Jews were very much irritated at his successes; they
endeavoured to apprehend Paul and Silas, but not being able to find them,
they dragged Jason, their host, and some of the brethren, before the
magistrates, accusing them of treason, and of acknowledging another king
besides Cæsar.
This uproar obliged our missionaries to decamp during the night from
Thessalonica, and take the road to Berea, where they were well received by
the Jews, since Paul succeeded in convincing them that the Gospel which he
announced was clearly predicted in their own Scriptures: there is reason
to believe that this was effected by the aid of mystical, cabalistical,
and allegorical senses, of which he so well knew the use, in finding in
the Old Testament sufficient to establish whatever he was desirous of
proving.
He gained in this city a great number of recruits from amongst the Greek
females of quality, women, according to St. Jerome are best fitted to
propagate a sect; their levity makes them easily caught by novelties;
their ignorance renders them credulous; their talkativeness spreads the
opinions with which they are imbued; and, in short, their obstinacy
strongly attaches them to the way of thinking they have once adopted. In a
word we see, that in all times the Christian religion has been under the
greatest obligations to women; it is to them that innovators ought
especially to address themselves when they have opinions to establish, it
is by their aid that fanatics and devout impostors succeed in giving
importance to their doctrine, and sow the seeds of discord in society. It
appears that in the time of Paul, women had the right of speaking or of
prophesying in the church, of this, they have since been deprived, and
they are only allowed the privilege of bawling in public, in favour of the
systems of their holy directors, whom they always believe infallible,
without so much as knowing the state of the question. The Quakers are now
the only sect which permits women to preach *.
* There appears some little ambiguity in this paragraph,
since if the levity of women renders them so easily
susceptible to the embracing new opinions, the obstinacy
with which they are charged in adhering to old ones, would
seem to neutralize the opposite propensity, and like the
infinite attributes of Justice and Mercy in the Christians'
God, they would annihilate each other. The fact is, that the
ignorant of either sex, are always the most credulous, and
their opinions, when imbibed, are seldom to be dignified
with any other term than prejudice. Of the great influence
of woman in society, no one can doubt, and it is the duty of
all who think, and who desire a reformation of the present
semi-barbarous state of society, to endeavour to inform and
enlighten the female mind; it belongs to man to war against
old systems, and errors rendered sacred by their antiquity,
and perhaps to lay down some few elementary principles,
founded upon a more rational basis, but so long as the
infant mind is under the controul of woman, it is to her
that we must look to see those principles implanted: it is
by the aid of woman that the mass of mankind will (if ever
it be done) be transformed from a herd of slaves, to a race
of happy and intelligent beings, knowing their rights, and
daring to defend them.
The Jews of Thessalonica proceeded to trouble our preachers, in their
apostolic labours, to such a degree that Paul was under the necessity of
flying. He, however, took care to leave two missionaries at Berea, to
watch over the flock which he had gathered. Nevertheless these soon
received orders to join him at Athens.
In this celebrated city the zeal of our Apostle kindled, he had
conferences with the philosophers: desirous to learn the nature of the
discoveries which this man had come to announce to them, they conducted
him to the Areopagus, there Paul harangued them and spoke to them of his
God, in a manner something conformable to the notions already entertained
by some of the Greek philosophers of the Divinity. To confirm his
discourse he cited to them a passage from the poet Aratus, who
nevertheless appears to suppose, according to the doctrine of Plato, that
God is the soul of the world. He inveighed against gods made of stone and
metal, which did not shock the philosophers, whose ideas were more refined
than those of the vulgar.
Thus far our orator was attentively heard, but the sages of Athens would
no longer listen to him, when he began to speak of the last judgment, and
of the resurrection, which they regarded as an absurd and ridiculous
notion. Nevertheless the preaching of Paul was not totally useless at
Athens, the dogma of the resurrection was no obstacle to the conversion of
Dionysius, the Areopagite, a woman named Damaris, and some others. These
were none of them shocked at this doctrine, which was so revolting to
philosophers, who were accustomed to the study of nature, and who refused
to adopt, without examination, such marvellous and romantic ideas.
CHAPTER VII. Preaching of St. Paul at Corinth and Ephesus
After leaving Athens our Apostle came to Corinth. It appears that at first
he had not much success, for he took to his old trade of tent-making.
However, he ventured to preach in the synagogue, where the Jews were
indignant at his discourse: they carried him to the tribunal of the
proconsul of Achate, who had sufficient prudence to refuse to interfere in
their contests. The Jews did not imitate his moderation; they ill-treated
Sostenus, the chief of their synagogue, either for having allowed Paul to
preach there, or for having been converted by his discourse.
Paul, after some days, departed from Corinth, he cut off his hair to
fulfil a vow he had made, and which apparently obliged him to be present
at Jerusalem, in order to sacrifice in the temple, according to the law.
Whence we see that our Apostle had not yet totally abandoned the Jewish
religion, and that he judged it good policy, occasionally to manoeuvre
with the Jews. In fact we continually see him sometimes practising, and at
others decrying, Judaism. From Jerusalem, Paul went to Antioch, where he
remained some time, but the activity of his mind soon put him in motion.
After having crossed the high provinces of Asia he came to Ephesus, where
he found the secret of uniting to his sect the disciples of St. John the
Baptist, whom he rebaptized, and made them acquainted with the Holy Ghost
of whom they had no idea. Having now increased his party by these new
recruits, Paul set about preaching in the synagogue, but finding the Jews
rather untractable, he withdrew himself, and separated his disciples from
them. He then commenced teaching in a separate school and performing
miracles to confirm his discourses; he cured the sick, and especially
those possessed, in which he succeeded much better than those of the Jews,
who endeavoured from his example to attempt such cures. These miracles
converted many persons.
Nevertheless, the preaching of Paul at Ephesus gave rise to an affair,
which had nearly proved very troublesome. The Goldsmiths of this city
derived much profit from the manufacture of little silver shrines of
Diana, the patroness of the Ephesians These artisans were much disturbed
with the preaching of our apostle, who decried the gods, and might thus
occasion the ruin of their trade; their clamour alarmed the people, and
caused a great commotion; the public, as is generally the case, when the
affair relates to religion, grew very violent, without knowing why. They
comprehended, in general terms, that their religion and its patroness were
attacked; and there needed nothing more to inflame their zeal. However the
town-clerk of the city having explained to them that their goddess was in
no danger, succeeded in calming the fury of the superstitious populace,
and thus extricated our apostle from his embarassments.
Paul, however, thought proper to quit a city, in which he had run such a
risk, and again put himself in motion. Arrived at Troas he recommenced
preaching, when his sermon, being a little too long, sent a young man to
sleep, who fell from the third story into the street: they took him up for
dead, when our Apostle having embraced him, assured them that he lived,
the author of the Acts, takes this fact for a miracle, and tells us
gravely that Paul raised a dead man on this occasion.
Notwithstanding this pretended miracle, which if it had been true ought to
have converted the whole town, Paul went directly away, and recommenced
his travels. At Miletus he took leave of the priests of all the adjacent
places, after having made them a pathetic exhortation, in which he boasts
of his humility and disinterestedness, and desires them to watch over the
flock which he had gathered together by his preaching and indefatigable
exertions.
CHAPTER VIII. The Apostle gets into embarrassments at Jerusalem, and is
sent to Rome
Paul now embarked for Jerusalem; notwithstanding his own presentiments,
the warnings that were given him, and the prayers of his adherents, he was
obstinately determined to resort to this city, where the Jews irritated by
his successes, prepared him an unpleasant reception. He was welcomed by
the brethren, to whom he related the progress of the new sect, but these
informed him of the bad designs of the Jews, who pretended, and not
without reason, that he taught a doctrine contrary to that of Moses. To
silence these rumours, and to calm the anger of the populace, they advised
him to fulfil some of the Jewish ceremonies in public, and to give to
these acts of religion much solemnity.
Paul consented to this counsel, but the Jews of Asia, were not thus duped,
they knew what to keep to respecting the doctrine which had disgusted
them; they then excited the Jews of Jerusalem, by saying, that he brought
the Gentiles into the Temple. All the city was soon in an uproar, the
devout people seized Paul, drew him out of the Temple, the gates of which
were closed against this profaner. They were going to kill him, had not a
tribune rescued him out of their hands, and shut him up in a fortress, in
the midst of the clamour of an enraged populace, which demanded his death.
The Apostle ready to enter his prison, asked of the tribune permission to
harangue the mob, which was granted after his Conductor was probably
assured that he was not the brigand who had lately excited an insurrection
in the country.
In his discourse, which he pronounced in Hebrew, Paul related to the
people the history of his miraculous conversion, nearly in the manner in
which it has been narrated. This recital far from softening the Jews, made
them lose all patience, especially when our Apostle told them he was sent
to the Gentiles. They then broke silence, crying out,﹃away with such a
fellow from the earth, it is not fit that he should live.﹄The tribune
then shut him up in prison, and commanded that he should be scourged, in
order to draw from him an acknowledgment of the crime which had excited
the fury of the Jews. Paul then declared himself a Roman citizen, and
represented to the centurion charged with the execution of these orders,
that it was contrary to law, thus to treat a citizen without a trial. The
centurion informed the tribune, who was fearful of having acted with too
much precipitation. He was desirous of knowing for a certainty of what he
was accused by the Jews, and the next morning, freeing him from his
chains, presented him to the priests and council of the nation. Paul then
began to harangue the council. He first declared that in all he had done,
he had followed strictly the dictates of his conscience. At these words
the High Priest gave him a box on the ear, at which Paul being irritated,
instead of turning the other cheek, according to the precept of Jesus,
abused the High Priest, treated him as a hypocrite, or whitened wall. But
as he perceived that he had given offence by his insolence to a man
respected by the Jews, he moderated himself, and alleged that he was
ignorant that it was the High Priest whom he had thus addressed in such
terms; an ignorance, however, which cannot fail to excite surprise,
considering that he was a man, who must have been informed respecting the
place where he was, and the quality of those before whom he was speaking.
Our orator was more of an adept, in managing the opinions of his auditory:
aware that the council was composed of Sadducees, who denied the doctrine
of the resurrection; and of Pharisees, who supported it, he knew how to
profit by this circumstance, by sowing the seed of discord among his
judges. In order to this he pretended that he was a Pharisee, and the son
of a Pharisee, and asserted that they sought his life, because of his hope
in the resurrection of the dead, This stratagem produced the desired
effect, the Pharisees declared in his favour, and acknowledged his
innocence, saying,﹃We find no evil in this man, but if a spirit or an
angel hath spoken to this man, let us not fight against God.﹄The tumult
increased, and the tribune fearing that the orator would be torn in
pieces, put him under a guard of soldiers, and carried him back to prison.
During the following night, Paul had a vision, in which he thought he saw
the Lord, who told him to be of good courage; and prophecied that he
should go to Rome to bear witness. On the other hand forty fanatical Jews,
made a vow neither to eat nor drink till they had assassinated Paul. This
resolution had the approbation of the princes and priests, who, according
to the clerical spirit, found nothing more just than assassination in
order to get rid of an enemy. The senators also consented to this
treachery. But Paul's nephew having informed him of this plot, he made the
tribune acquainted with it, who to secure the safety of his prisoner, and
to rescue him from the fury of the Jews, conducted him under a good escort
to Cæsarea, and put him under the protection of Felix, the governor of
that province.
Paul, and his accusers, made their appearance before the pagan governor,
who, little versed in the theological disputes of the Jews, told them that
he should decide the affair when he was more fully acquainted with the
particulars. However some days after, he caused the Apostle to be brought
before himself, and his wife Drusilla, who was a Jewess; they heard what
he had to say to them of faith in Jesus Christ. But when Paul, after
having preached to them of justice, charity, and repentance, spoke of the
last judgment, they were afraid, and ordered him to retire, postponing the
hearing till a future time. Felix hoping to draw some money from his
prisoner, often sent for him to converse with him. This conduct lasted two
years, at the end of which period this Governor was replaced by Festus.
The Jews proceeded to accuse Paul before the new governor, and demanded
that he should be sent to Jerusalem. The accused, well knowing that the
place of this scene would be unfavourable to him, and fearing that Festus
would yield to the importunities of his enemies, appealed from him to
Cæsar. This appeal suspended all proceedings. However Festus having spoken
of his prisoner to King Agrippa, who had the curiosity to see a man that
had made so much noise in Judea. Paul appeared before this prince,
justified himself from the accusations brought against him, and finished
by preaching the resurrection of Jesus Christ. This doctrine appeared so
strange to Festus that he did not doubt a moment of his being deranged.
However as folly did not seem to him a crime worthy of death, he would
instantly have acquitted him, had he not made an appeal to Cæsar. In
consequence of this appeal, Paul was put on board a ship about to sail for
Italy. After many difficulties he was shipwrecked on the coast of the isle
of Malta, where the author of the Acts, from whom we have taken this
narrative, does not fail to make him perform miracles, a necessary
seasoning to legends.
Amongst other wonders which Paul wrought in the isle of Malta, he cured
himself, in a very natural manner, of the bite of a viper; in fact, it
appears that he applied fire to it immediately, a simple and well known
remedy, but which was such a prodigy in the eyes of the poor Maltese, that
they took him, who was in possession of so fine a secret, for a God*.
There was apparently nothing more wonderful in the Apostle curing the son
of his host, whom he found ill of a fever and dysentery; disorders which
we find yield to very simple remedies. Still this cure gained Paul great
reputation, they soon brought him a great number of sick, who, according
to our historian, he did not fail to cure. They rendered him great
honours, furnished him with the necessary provisions for his voyage, and
he embarked for Italy.
* Acts chap. xxviii. ver. 3-6.
Upon his arrival at Rome, Paul was permitted to confer with the
Christians, and to preach to the Jews, whom he endeavoured to convert to
the faith of Christ by the law of Moses and the prophets, which he had the
talent of applying wonderfully to his views: Some smitten with the
mystical, cabalistical, and allegorical explications, that our Apostle
gave them, adopted his opinions, while many others resisted his arguments.
Indignant against the latter, he told them that their hardness of heart
had been predicted by Isaiah; he then gave them to understand, that God
had formed the project of blinding them, in order to have a fair pretext
for rejecting them, and transferring to the Gentiles, the light and
salvation of which the Jews had made themselves unworthy, by the obstinacy
in which it was the will of God that they should persist.
This conduct of the Divinity must doubtless have appeared very strange to
the Jews. So the Acts inform us, that there arose from these preachings of
Paul, great contests among them. They turned apparently upon
predestination and grace; questions upon which Christian theologians, have
not after eighteen centuries been able to come, either to an understanding
or agreement.
It appears that notwithstanding the obscurity of his doctrine our Apostle
succeeded in gaining proselytes to his sect; this obscurity itself, has
charms for many persons, who believe that a doctrine, is so much the more
marvellous or divine, as it is above the power of the understanding. He
preached during two years to the Romans, without any person throwing
obstacles in his way, and thus laboured to spread this religion in the
capital of the world.
The Acts of the Apostles, which the church orders us to receive as of
divine inspiration, informs us nothing more. St Luke to whom this work is
generally attributed, has transmitted to us, neither the actions, miracles
nor death of his heroes. We are reduced to seek our information thereupon
from traditions, which the interests of the clergy would wish us to
regard, almost as sacred as divine inspirations. According to these
respectable traditions, our Apostle shed his blood for the faith in the
propagation of which he had laboured; he was, say they, beheaded in the
reign of Nero, and in the sixty-sixth year of the Christian era.
After what has been said, we ought naturally to regard St. Paul as the
true founder of the pontifical see of Rome. Nevertheless certain
traditions, useful to the Roman Pontiffs, oblige us to believe that it was
St. Peter, who established his throne in the capital of the world; the
popes have thought, that their interests required, that they should pass
for the authorized successors of this Prince of the Apostles, to whom
Christ himself according to the Gospel, granted immense rights and
privileges. These traditions then make St. Peter travel to Rome, prior to
St. Paul, and only regard the latter as the subaltern associate in the
Apostolic labours of the former.
Nevertheless some critics have ventured to doubt of the reality of St.
Peter's voyage to Italy, and his foundation of the first see in the world,
some authors otherwise very orthodox, without regarding the interests of
the Pope, or respect for the traditions which favour them, have treated
those pretensions as chimeras: as to the heretics, the sworn enemies of
the authority of the Roman Pontiff, they have asserted, that the voyage of
St. Peter to Rome was a fable invented by the supporters and partizans,
with a design to exalt his authority. Both parties found their doubts or
assertions upon these grounds. First, That the books which the church
considers as inspired, make no mention of the voyage of Simon Peter,
although the circumstance of going to plant the faith in the capital of
the world, was sufficiently remarkable to claim a notice in preference to
all the minor cities, which the Acts inform us that he visited to preach;
in fact, the Holy Ghost, or St. Luke his organ, wishing to inform us in
this history of the means made use of by God, to propagate the Gospel,
could not without injustice, omit such a signal success, nor fail to give
the honour of it to St. Peter, in case he had a claim to it.
Secondly, St. Paul who was at Rome at the same time, that Peter was
supposed to have been there, never once mentions this Prince of the
Apostles, in the epistles to the faithful at different places, while he
speaks to them of many other disciples of much less consideration than his
illustrious colleague: we ought piously to suppose that if St. Peter had
really established the faith at Rome, the Apostle of the Gentiles would
have been too equitable to ravish from him the glory, that must have
accrued to him from so fine a conquest.
Thirdly, Our two Apostles, after the disputes, which they had at Antioch
would not have been desirous of meeting, or exhibiting in the same place.
St. Peter would naturally avoid a haughty colleague, who resisted him to
his face, and who publicly reproved him in a manner sufficiently
disagreeable. Besides Rome being a pagan city, naturally fell into the
department of the Apostle of the Gentiles. In short according to the Acts
of the Apostles, St. Paul was too hasty to agree long with an associate
greater than himself. His quarrel with Barnabas, for a slight difference,
proves that Paul was easily irritated.
Fourthly, St. Peter wrote his first epistle from Babylon, and not from
Rome. It is true that the advocates of this voyage of Peter's, pretend
that Babylon is the same city as Rome, but this is a geographical error,
that without a great share of faith can never be admitted for a truth.
Again, the city of Babylon in Syria, no longer existed in the time of
Peter, there was then only a Babylon in Egypt; it is only there that we
can suppose Peter to have written this first epistle.
Fifthly, The traditions which make St. Peter travel to Rome, are filled
with fables, which make them very suspicious, such as his dispute with
Simon the magician, who having raised himself into the air, by virtue of
his art, fell down and broke his limbs by virtue of the Apostles prayers.
We may also place in the list of fables, the apparition of Christ to
Peter, when he fled from Rome, and his crucifixion with his head
downwards. These facts are related neither by inspired authors, nor eye
witnesses, they are founded on traditions only, that is to say, popular
rumour, which many persons do not respect so much as the Pope, and the
clergy seem to desire.
At the risk then of "uncovering Peter to cover Paul" we say that all these
reasons, seem at least to authorize a doubt respecting the voyage of St.
Peter to Rome, at any rate the Acts of the Apostles appears to insinuate
that Paul was the true founder of the see of Rome. He must then be
regarded as the first Pope. Besides the popes have adopted his maxims, and
faithfully imitate his policy in many respects; this would easily be
proved by comparing the almost constant principles of the church of Rome,
with those of our Apostle, which we shall soon have occasion to examine.
CHAPTER IX. Reflections on the Life and Character of St. Paul
Such is in a few words the life of St. Paul whom we are justly entitled to
regard as the principal founder of the Christian Religion. In fact it
appears that without him, the ignorant and rude disciples of Jesus, would
never have been able to spread their sect. In order to succeed they
required a man of greater information and activity, more enterprising and
enthusiastic, and possessing more dexterity than any of those, who
composed the apostolic college, before it was joined by Paul. In him we
see all those qualities united, which made him of all others, the most
fitted to lay the foundation of a new sect. He knew how to profit by the
lessons he had received from Gamaliel; from him he had acquired a profound
knowledge of the Jewish Scriptures, and learnt the art of explaining them
in an allegorical sense, or, in other words, the Cabala by which we may
find in these books whatever we desire.
It can hardly be doubted that our Apostle, possessed much energy and
ambition. We first see him persecuting the disciples of Jesus with ardour;
and with the view of gaining his ends, and making court to the priests,
stoop to the trade of informer and spy. Apparently he expected by these
means to advance himself, but seeing the futility of these ambitious
hopes, and probably despised and neglected even by those whom he had thus
zealously served; he changes his batteries, threw himself upon the enemies
side, and seeing the abilities of those whom he found at the head of the
new sect, he felt how easily he could eclipse them, and constitute himself
the chief.
There is reason to believe that these were the true motives of Paul's
conversion; a mind of his stamp in declaring itself on the side of the new
sect, at once satisfied its vengeance and ambition. It was then very easy
for Ananias to make him listen to reason. The apostles were not slow in
discovering the value of their new acquisition; they acknowledged the
superiority of such a man; they foresaw the advantages the rising sect
would derive from his knowledge, his active and persevering genius and
intrepidity of character. Thus we see the new Apostle, from the moment
that he was enrolled in the Apostolic College, perform the principal part,
and throw his coadjutors completely in the shade. These contented with
preaching at Jerusalem, seldom showed themselves at a distance from this
city, whilst our hero, continually traversed the provinces, made spiritual
conquests, and strengthened in a hundred places the cause of the disciples
of Christ, now become his own. In a word Paul now becomes the soul of his
sect; his enthusiasm extends itself; he braves danger when it is necessary
to increase the number of his partizans; his ambition is flattered by the
empire that he has gained; crosses, fatigues, imprisonments, and blows are
not capable of abating his ardour; determined to succeed at any cost he
sacrifices every thing to the desire that he has of extending those
opinions, which give him the power of reigning over the minds of men. He
knew well that no-empire upon earth is more grateful or stronger than that
of opinion.
Nothing appears that ought to induce us to regard the activity, obstinate
constancy, and courage of Paul as miraculous or supernatural effects. We
find the same zeal, and frequently the same intrepidity and obstinacy in
all those strongly animated by ambition or any other passion. Obstacles
but serve generally to irritate energetic minds, more and more, they make
a merit of braving dangers; torture, and even death, cannot restrain those
who are thoroughly enamoured with any object in which they have placed
their happiness.
St. Paul has been held up to us as a man divested of all personal views.
His humility, constancy, disinterestedness, and patience, have been
advanced, as undoubted proofs of his sincerity, and pure zeal for his
religion. But we say that all these things prove nothing but his violent
desire for success. The preachers of an infant and oppressed sect,
destitute of power, must always announce themselves with much suppleness,
mildness and humility; an ambitious man must in order to gain men's
hearts, effect much moderation and appear disinterested; besides he is
sure of losing nothing, when he shall succeed in establishing his empire
over the mind. Do devotees ever neglect their spiritual guides? In short
patience and constancy are necessary in all enterprises; every man who
would crown a great adventure with success, ought to avoid hastiness.
Nevertheless if we turn to the history of St. Paul, we shall see that
patience was not always his ruling virtue; he very often spoiled his plans
by his eagerness, and especially he alienated the minds of the Jews,
rather than converted them to his opinions. He would perhaps have
succeeded much better with them, had he kept a better government over his
impetuous temper, at which it appears his coadjutors often revolted.
Devotees generally mistake that for zeal, which is but a vice in their
character, and an imprudence in their conduct. The bitter reply that Paul
made to the High Priest, proves that our Apostle was not excessively
enduring, and forgot, at least, on some occasions his Christian patience.
CHAPTER X. Of the Enthusiasm of St. Paul
It appears certain that this apostle was filled with enthusiasm and zeal.
It will perhaps be asked whether we have a right to regard him as an
impostor? a thousand examples prove to us, that nothing is more common,
than to witness enthusiasm, zeal and imposture united in the same person.
The most sincere enthusiast is generally a man whose passions are
turbulent, and capable of blinding him; he takes his passions for divine
impulses, be deludes himself, and if we may be allowed the expression,
gets intoxicated with his own wine. A man who at first engages in a
particular cause from motives of interest, or ambition, very frequently
finishes by attaching himself to it with sincerity and with strength
proportioned to the sacrifices he may have made for it. If he succeed in
persuading himself, that the cause of his passions is the cause of God, he
will make no scruple of supporting it by all sorts of means, he will
sometimes allow the use of artifice, deceit, and oblique ways of
maintaining the opinions of which he happens to be convinced. It is thus
we daily see very zealous devotees, employ deception, fraud, and sometimes
crime, in support of the interests of religion, i. e. of the cause they
have embraced.
Thus although in the first instance the desire of being revenged on the
priests, or ambitious views, may have determined St. Paul to join the sect
of Christians, he might have been able by degrees to attach himself
strongly to it, to persuade himself that it was preferable to the religion
of the Jews, and to employ objectionable means, in order to make it
succeed in the world.
The examination that now remains for us to make of some features in the
conduct of our apostle, and of some passages in the writings which are
attributed to him, will serve better than any reasoning to determine the
judgment, we ought to come to respecting this person. Let us then hear
what he has to say for himself. This analysis will shew us whether Paul
was so sincere, disinterested, humble, mild, and upright as his partizans,
maintain him to have been.
St. Paul in speaking of himself says:﹃That he knew a man who was caught
up into the third heaven, and that there he heard unspeakable words, which
it was not lawful for man to utter*.﹄It appears in the first place that
no one but a man of a very heated imagination could with sincerity pretend
to have been caught up into the third Heaven; and no one but an impostor,
could assert such a fact without being persuaded of it. In the second
place we may ask of what use could it be to mankind that St. Paul should
hear in the third heaven, unspeakable words, that is to say, such as it
was unlawful for man to utter? What should we think of a man who should
come and assure us, that he possessed a secret most important to our
happiness, but yet one which he was not permitted to divulge? Thus the
voyage of St. Paul is either a chimera engendered by a sickly brain, or a
fable, contrived by a cheat, who sought to make himself respected by
boasting of the peculiar favours of the almighty. This voyage then was
perfectly useless, since it was not permitted him who made it to relate
that which he learnt from it. In short there is malice in St. Paul thus
irritating the curiosity of his hearers and refusing to satisfy it. Under
whatever point of view then we behold this history or tale of Paul's
ravishment into the third heaven, it can be of no utility to us, and
reflects but little honour upon himself.
* 2 Corinthians, chap. xii. ver. 2, 3, 4.
CHAPTER XI. Of the Disinterestedness of St. Paul
In narrowly examining into the conduct of our Apostle, we shall have much
difficulty in discovering that disinterestedness with which his partizans
are so desirous of investing him. We have already exposed the natural
motives which may have contributed to his conversion. If it be true as the
Acts of the Apostles, adopted by the Ebionites or Nazarenes, asserts, that
St. Paul flattered himself with the idea of marrying the high priest's
daughter, and failed in the project, the disappointment might to a man of
his passionate and hasty temper, be a motive sufficient to determine him
to change sides, and from being as we have shewn him to have been the spy
and satellite of the priests, basely seeking to gain their good will, by
becoming the agent in their furies against the disciples of Jesus; to
declare himself in favour of those, who were their greatest enemies. It
was perhaps the ill success of Paul's amours, that determined him to a
life of celibacy, and to boast of it as meritorious, whilst according to
the Jewish law, nothing was held in less repute than this state. This holy
man would doubtless transform into a virtue, a conduct, which in him was
nothing but chagrin and ill temper. He asserts that it is good for men to
abstain from women; consequently our clergy have regarded celibacy as a
virtue: they have fancied themselves obliged to imitate the great St. Paul
even in his resentments against the sex. They have flattered themselves
with the idea of being able to resist like him the temptations of the
flesh, which often torments them; if they have indulgently permitted
marriage to the profane, it is because Paul has said, it is better to
marry than to burn. It is notwithstanding probable that the conversion of
St. Paul was occasioned by other motives than the anecdote related by the
Acts of the Ebionites, which appears exposed to many objections. In fact,
according to these Acts, Paul was a pagan born, was made a proselyte, and
consequently he could not, without having been guilty of great folly,
pretend to the daughter of a high priest, whose dignity was so eminent
amongst the Jews. On the other hand according to the writings adopted by
the Christians of our time, St. Paul was of the tribe of Benjamin, and
would not have been permitted to marry the daughter of a high priest, who
must necessarily have been of the tribe of Levi. Again Paul was a
mechanic, a tent-maker, a situation which must have deprived him of all
hope of an alliance so illustrious as that of a sovereign Pontiff. Thus
unless we suppose that love had totally blinded our hero, to the obstacles
which naturally opposed themselves to his desires, there is reason to
believe that his conversion, or change of party, originated from other
motives, than the chagrin of seeing his amours frustrated. There is reason
to believe that Paul being of a very unquiet genius, was tired of his
trade: desirous of trying his fortune, and living without work, he became
the spy of the priests and the informer against the Christians.
Dissatisfied with the priests, who perhaps had not rewarded him to the
extent of his expectations, he joined the new sect, which assisted by his
talents promised good success, or even a probability that he might become
the head; at least he might fairly calculate on an easy and honourable
subsistence without being obliged to make tents, In fact he saw, that the
apostles, who were vulgar men much inferior to himself, lived very well at
the expence of the new converts, who eagerly brought their wealth and laid
it at the apostles feet, consequently Paul was sensible, how easy it was
for him to live in the same way, and provide himself a very comfortable
birth, in a sect, in which he felt himself capable of playing a very
important part. His ambition must have been more gratified with occupying
one of the first posts, even amongst beggars, than of cringing in an
infamous and dishonourable capacity, under avaricious, haughty and
disdainful priests. Indeed Paul himself tells us that he had relations of
considerable note among the apostles, who having embraced the faith before
him, might have laboured with success for the conversion of a man so
disposed.*
* Epis, to Romans, chap. xvi. verse 7.
The persecutions that he had excited against the disciples could not have
put any very serious obstacles in the way of his admission into the
apostolic college: nothing was required but to explain and agree upon
facts. The chiefs of the sect were very much flattered at seeing the
conquest made by their party of an inconvenient adversary, who came of his
own accord, and offered his services. His conversion, effected by a
miracle, did honour to his mission, and showed the vulgar the protection
of heaven, which changed the heart of the most bitter enemy of the
Christians. As Paul was not ignorant that in this sect great value was set
upon miracles, visions and revelations, he thought this was the most
favourable door by which he could enter, and render himself acceptable to
the Apostles; they received him with open arms well assured of the
sincerity of a man who after having made such an uproar could not recede
without making himself equally odious both to Jews and Christians. St.
Paul amongst other talents which rendered him a fit person to propagate
the new religion, understood, according to appearances, Hebrew, Greek, and
Latin, whilst in spite of the gift of tongues, we do not find, that the
other apostles possessed these advantages. In fact we see them remain at
Jerusalem, preaching to the Jews only, whilst the new apostle extended his
spiritual conquests, into the provinces of Asia and Greece, where it
appears that without him the Gospel would not have been preached so soon.
Once connected with the new sect, Paul had doubtless a great interest in
spreading it, in strengthening his party, and making converts in order to
gain support, and have the pleasure of reigning over a great number of
devotees. Thus, under every point of view, we see that our Apostle,
whether in his conversion, or in his preaching, was every thing but
negligent of his interest. All missionaries have necessarily ambition;
they propose to themselves the pleasure of governing minds, and every
thing proves that Paul was not exempt from a passion inherent in all
founders of sects. And further having once established his ecclesiastical
power, we often see him taking care of his temporal interests, and making
his flock feel how just it is that the priest should live by the altar; in
a word to occupy himself with the emoluments of his preaching. "Let him,"
says he,﹃that is taught in the word communicate unto him that teacheth in
all good things.*﹄He speaks in the same tone to the Thessalonicans (chap.
v. ver. 12.) He likewise recommends them an abundant charity.
* Epis, to Galatians, chap. vi. ver. 6.
It remains to be observed, St. Paul is not like his successors ungrateful
for the benefits which he has received. He thanks the Philippians for
having twice assisted him in his need. It appears that in his time the
Apostles did not possess the divine right that men had the goodness to
give them: but the clergy have since asserted that they hold from God
alone, that which they obtained from the generosity of princes and people,
which evidently frees them from the necessity of showing gratitude to any
one.
CHAPTER XII. Of the imperious Tone and political Views of St. Paul
It appears by the writings attributed to Paul himself that the empire
which he exercised over the members whom he had added to his sect, was not
one of mildness. In proof of this, may be cited the manner in which this
spiritual despot speaks to the faithful of Corinth. "Moreover (says he) I
call God for a record upon my soul, that to spare you, I came not as yet
into Corinth."* Again, "For to this end also did I write, that I might
know the proof of you, whether ye be obedient in all things**". He
threatens the Corinthians, and says to them,﹃if I come again I will not
spare.﹄Again he justifies the tone in which he talks, by saying,
"Therefore I write these things being absent, lest being present I should
use sharpness, according to the power which the Lord hath given me to
edification, and not to destruction."*** It is probably by virtue of this
right of chastising, here assumed by St. Paul, that the Pontiffs and
Priests of the Christians have since arrogated to themselves an unlimited
spiritual power over, the thoughts of their subjects. Their empire
extended itself by degrees over their persons; Christian priests,
exceeding the Apostle to whom the Lord had given this power to edify,
availed themselves of it to destroy those whom they found not sufficiently
submissive to their decisions. If St. Paul did not exercise over his sheep
a power so extensive, it is doubtless because he had not, like our
pastors, princes, magistrates and soldiers under his orders, capable of
executing his holy will: with his imperious temper we may justly conclude
that he would have conducted himself much in the same manner as some
fathers of the church, the Pontiffs of Rome, or the Holy Inquisition.
We see also that the Apostle, not satisfied with being sole judge in
spiritual affairs, was desirous of the power of deciding in civil suits.
﹃Dare any of you having a matter against another go to law before the
unjust, and not before the saints? Do ye not know that the saints shall
judge the world?****﹄This passage evidently proves that the Apostle in
the depth of his policy had already formed the design of making the
saints, i. e. the clergy, masters of the fortunes as well as the
consciences of the faithful. In fact, he adds, know ye not that we shall
judge angels? How much more, things that pertain to this life? We cannot
sufficiently admire the moderation of the Christian clergy, in not having
rigorously acted up to the letter of this decisive text, which formally
gives them the right of judging in all temporal affairs, or the concerns
of this life. Indeed it appears according to this passage, that Christians
in their transactions, ought to have no other judges, or even sovereigns,
than the church. It is from these maxims, that our priests have become
censors, or a kind of magistrates, who interfere with every thing, and set
themselves up for the judges of the legitimacy of civil acts, of births
and marriages, of which they have made themselves masters; in a few words,
they seize upon man the moment he is born, and regulate all his motions
until his death. It is from these pretences, that the popes have
impudently arrogated the power of disposing of crowns, of exciting
insurrections and wars, and of deciding upon the rights of sovereigns and
people.
* 2 Corinthians, chap. i. ver. 23.
** 2 Corinthians, chap. ii. ver. 9.
*** 2 Corinthians, chap. xiii. ver. 2. and 10.
**** 1 Corinthians, chap. vi. ver. 1. and 2.
It is by no means surprising that the heads of the Christian church, have
at all times held up St. Paul, as a man divinely inspired; have for a
distinction entitled him, the Apostle, have inculcated for his writings
the most profound veneration, and have caused them to be considered, as
the oracles of the Holy Ghost. This Apostle was evidently the architect of
the church. We may consider him especially as the founder of the
ecclesiastical hierarchy. It is to him that are owing the prerogatives,
privileges, divine rights and pretences of the clergy. St. Paul
established bishops, assigned them their rights, and in his writings laid
the foundations of that spiritual power, which has since become so
formidable to temporal authority. How could the inventor of so many useful
things, fail to be regarded as the organ of the divinity.
Nevertheless, if we read the gospels with the slightest attention, we
shall find that Jesus has no where spoken of this hierarchy or power, nor
of the prerogatives of the clergy; on the contrary, we see him'
incessantly preaching to his apostles, equality, humility and poverty. But
in that as in many other instances, our Apostle thought himself at liberty
to correct the institutions of Christ, who on all occasions shewed himself
unfavourable to priests. These changes effected by Paul are sufficient to
make us acquainted with his secret policy. He endeavoured apparently to
make himself the spiritual and temporal head of the churches, which he had
by his labours, founded among the Gentiles, with whom, as we have shewn,
he had more success than amongst the Jews. It was to gain them over that
he became all things to all men, that he dispensed them, as we have said,
from the most essential ordinances of the Mosaic law. In short he had the
secret of insinuating himself, into the minds of idolators, whom he
sometimes took by surprize accommodating himself to their capacities, and
giving them as he himself has said, sometimes milk, and at others, solid
food. As we have already sufficiently shewn, Paul after his successes with
the Gentiles, gave himself little trouble respecting the converted Jews,
or with his elder brethren in the apostle-ship; and openly declared
himself against the Mosaic law. As we have seen be went himself to
Jerusalem, to solicit a decree, to dispense the Gentiles from the rite of
circumcision; this he had much at heart, feeling how necessary this
indulgence was, in order to secure his new subjects. Thus it was he who
enlarged the breach, though small in its origin, which separated the Jews
from the Christians, or Nazarenes. This conduct naturally displeased the
rest of the apostles, who appeared, even after the council, always
attached to the Jewish ordinances, but who on this occasion, found
themselves compelled to cede to Paul, or at least to temporize with a man
who had gained an ascendancy over them.
CHAPTER XIII. Of the Humility, of St. Paul
With the ability and ambitious conduct which we have just remarked in St.
Paul it is difficult to conceive that humility could have been his ruling
passion. Perusing his writings, we shall without much difficulty discover
that when he humbles himself it is generally with a view of exalting
himself in the eyes of his adherents; he does not fail to boast of the
penalties, sufferings, and labours that he has submitted to for love of
them, it is upon this, that he founds his claims to their respect and
gratitude.﹃Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and
stewards of the mysteries of God:﹄further on he adds, "for I think that
God hath set forth us, the apostles last, as it were appointed to death:
for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men."
St. Paul then reproaches the Corinthians, with their ease, their luxury,
and their pretences, and compares their happy situation with his own.﹃We
are, (says he to them,) fools for Christ's sake, but ye are wise in
Christ: we are weak, but ye are strong; ye are honourable, but we are
despised. Even unto this present hour we both hunger and thirst, and are
buffeted, and have no certain dwelling place, and labour, working with our
own hands.﹄He then enumerates the evils he has suffered, and adds "I
write not these things to shame you, but as my beloved sons to warn you."
Of what? He explains himself, and says,﹃For though you have ten thousand
instructors in Christ, yet have ye not many fathers; for in Christ Jesus I
have begotten you through the gospel.﹄Our humble missionary sends them
his lieutenant, Timothy, to bring them back to their duty, i. e. to the
obedience they owed to their spiritual father, he threatens them himself,
and mildly demands of them, "What will ye? Shall I come unto you with a
rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?"
In all this remarkable tirade there are no traces of that profound
humility, for which credit has been given to Paul: on the contrary, all
discovers a domineering spirit, and a desire of exclusive power over the
faithful whom he had converted. It is generally the proudest men who
complain the most bitterly of being despised and treated with contempt;
and, amongst devotees, Pride knows how to cover appearances with the garb
of humility. However, our Apostle does not give himself the trouble to
mask his self-love: in fact, when he compares himself to the rest of the
Apostles, he makes us understand, that though he terms himself the last,
he has a right to be considered as the first. He says,﹃For I suppose I
was not a whit behind the very chiefest apostles.﹄It seems that the
Corinthians were shocked with the harshness of his tone; for he adds,﹃but
though I be rude in speech, yet not in knowledge: but we have been
thoroughly made manifest among you in all things.﹄Then feeling that they
might be disgusted with these imprudent self commendations, he says,
"Seeing that many glory after the flesh, I will glory also."
It is easy to see that our Evangelical Doctors propose to themselves
Paul's humility as a model for their own. It is doubtless, in imitation of
this great Saint, that the Pope calls himself the Servant of the Servants
of God, which does not, however, prevent him from making those who refuse
to acknowledge his unlimited power, and blindly subscribe to his
infallible decisions, feel his pastoral rod; but when the rulers of the
Church make use of this rod, it is only to shew their great zeal for the
interests of the Lord.
CHAPTER XIV. Of the Zeal of St. Paul; Reflections on this Christian Virtue
That passion which in common life is termed, anger, fury, vengeance or
delirium, becomes zeal as soon as its object is religion, or the cause of
God. It is a maxim among Christian devotees, that we cannot love God too
much, consequently we cannot sin in excess of zeal. According to these
principles, our doctors in their quarrels, injure, defame, calumniate, and
asperse, and when they have the power, persecute and exterminate each
other. Each sect, firmly persuaded that it is in the right, and that its
peculiar way of thinking is the only one that God can approve, thinks
itself justified in destroying the opinions of its adversaries, which
displeasing to itself, must consequently displease the divinity. Thus in
attentively examining the thing, we find that religious zeal is nothing
but anger, excited in a bigot by opinions adverse to his own, or those of
the party he has espoused. In a word, zeal is the gall which contradiction
secretes in the souls of bigots. There can be no doubt, but that St. Paul
has left a model of this sort, which our evangelical doctors, have in all
times faithfully copied. If this great Apostle did not go to the extent of
persecuting those who resisted his arguments, or refused blindly to submit
to his supreme decisions, it is because he was not sufficiently strong;
otherwise judging from the warmth of his temperament we may reasonably
presume, that he would have been easily carried to extremities, well
calculated to justify the holy passion to which the heads of the church
have since given themselves up on all occasions, when they have had
sufficient power to give a lustre to their zeal.
In fact we find, that Paul's self love, did not suffer contradiction with
too much patience. He delivers over to Satan those who refuse to obey him,
he pretended that any other Gospel, than his own, was abominable.﹃I
marvel that you are so soon removed from him that called you into the
grace of Christ unto another gospel.﹄He pretends and affirms that he
alone taught the true doctrine, and that all others are impostors, false
prophets, and disturbers; we are obliged to believe on his own word that
he possesses infallibility.
He goes so far as to say in the heat of his self-love "But though we, or
an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto you, than that which we
have preached unto you, let him be accursed. As we said before, so say I
now again, if any man preach any other gospel unto you, than that ye have
received, let him be accursed."* This language might well appear insolent,
presumptuous, and even impious to those who have not faith, nevertheless
it is that which is invariably held by the chiefs of every sect; we see
them, upon their own authority, continually anathematizing,
excommunicating, damning and delivering over to the devil, whoever has the
temerity to understand the Gospel in any other way but their own. Every
doctor like Paul, declares himself and even believes himself to be
infallible; nothing in the world, (not even the angels of heaven) could
make him renounce opinions which his self-love, his obstinacy, and his
vanity, cause him to behold as the only true.
* Epistle to Gal. Chap. i. ver. 8 and 9.
The history of Paul, however furnishes us with an embarrassing
circumstance. Ardent in dispute and obstinately attached to his own ideas,
we see this infallible Apostle boasted of having resisted Cephas, i.e.
Peter, to his face, who nevertheless appears to have had titles to
infallibility, still better established than those of our Apostle; in fact
if Paul, in order to prove his own infallibility, supports it by his
visions, inspirations, revelations, and miracles: St. Peter might in
favour of his own, oppose to him a great number of visions, dreams, and
prodigies equally authentic with those of his brother. If Paul founded the
divinity of his mission, and the truth of his particular way of thinking
on his own testimony, could not St. Peter cite, in support of his
authority, the testimony of Jesus Christ, who had declared him the chief
of the apostles, who had established him, as the first shepherd of his
flock, and the rock on which, he would found his church? Is it not upon
this authentic evidence, that the Pope, who stiles himself the successor
of Peter, founds his infallibility, acknowledged and maintained by the
greater part of the Roman Catholic Clergy? There is then reason to be
astonished that Paul, with titles not so well established, should have
dared to resist Peter to his face, or that he should have boasted of such
resistance; and it is not less surprising that the latter should have
ceded to his junior in the apostleship, having such powerful arguments to
support his claim to infallibility.
All may however be explained by the supposition that upon this occasion
St. Paul showed himself more headstrong than St. Peter, who for the sake
of peace, yielded to the eagerness of his adversary, and would not support
his own infallibility at the risk of exciting a schism in the rising sect.
We have seen in our time pious Jansenists avail themselves of St. Paul's
example, to resist to the face the infallible decisions of the Roman
Pontiff; but he, less moderate than his predecessor St. Peter, would not
cede, but remained obstinate in maintaining his irrefragable authority,
and by this means produced and fomented divisions, which the determined
zeal displayed by both parties, has rendered very dangerous. The successor
of St. Peter anathematizes, and finding himself the strongest, persecutes
the imitators of St. Paul, for daring to resist him: these of course
strongly attached to their principles which they deem infallible, are
obstinate in their resistance, detest the opinions of their tyrants, and
in spite of charity, very cordially damn those who do not think like
themselves, whilst these last from attachment to the infallibility of the
Pope, whom they have on their side, believe themselves compelled, in
conscience, to make their adversaries submit to the most inhuman and
unreasonable treatment.
Such are the salutary effects which zeal has produced in the Church of
Jesus Christ, from the first preaching of the gospel to the present day.
The zeal of St. Paul not contented with exercising itself against his
brethren the apostles, shewed itself strongly in all situations. We see
him excite trouble and clamour in whatever cities he happened to be. We
generally term a man a public disturber, who troubles the peace of his
neighbours; but, in religion, a saint is a man who dares to preach his own
opinions, as those of God himself, at the risk of exciting the most
disastrous revolutions in society. His self-love becomes legitimate as
soon as its object is religion; proves to him in the most convincing
manner that he is always right; that his way of thinking is necessary to
salvation, and that all considerations ought to give way to such an
important object. If religious zeal is able one day to procure advantages
in the other world; it is at least very evident that it causes many
misfortunes here below. In the eyes of reason it is always equally
dangerous, even when it is the fruit of the most sincere devotion. If the
impostor, the ambitious man and the hypocrite, avail themselves of it as a
cloak to cover all crimes, the sincere bigot thinks that zeal justifies
the greatest excesses, and often makes a merit, and even a duty, of
detesting his fellows and troubling society.
It is in fact difficult to reconcile zeal with the spirit of union,
concord, and peace, that Christianity recommends, or with that charity
which St. Paul places above all virtues, and without which, he assures us
that all the others are useless. But did this Apostle himself possess much
charity, when not satisfied with carrying trouble into every place where
he preached, he inveighed against those whom he found not disposed to
believe*?
* Epistle to Tim. Chap. i. ver. 20.
It is doubtless nothing but a lively faith, which can reconcile the
violent conduct of this great Apostle, with the charity which he
incessantly recommends. It appears at least difficult to have a sincere
regard for men whom zeal obliges us to hate, either as our own enemies, or
as the enemies of God. The subtle theology of the Christians, can alone
reconcile these incompatible dispositions.
It is only the ministers of the Church, who have the talent of proving,
that without a violation of Christian charity, it is lawful to harass,
persecute, and destroy ones neighbours. They can in fact clearly show that
we may burn the body of a man, out of tenderness for his soul. They think
they have a right to excommunicate a man, or anathematize him, that is to
say, exclude him for ever from spiritual grace, to put him in short into
the road to damnation, to deliver him to Satan, for the destruction of the
flesh, in order to save him, according to the spirit. This conduct is not
the least inconceivable mystery of the Christian religion; faith is
doubtless necessary to find it either charitable or intelligible. How can
we conceive, for example, that the desire of saving the soul of an
heretic, or an impious man, can determine the inquisition or Christian
magistrates to consign him to the flames, even while be persists in those
opinions, which they suppose must plunge him into hell?
CHAPTER XV. Of the Deceptions or Apostacy of St. Paul
By the aid of faith we never find any thing to condemn in the conduct of
those, whom we have been accustomed to regard as saints; their obstinacy,
seditious spirit, pride, even their ferocity, are justified, by saying
that they are animated with a holy zeal. In a word, a saint may violate
with impunity, the most sacred rules of morality, without his bigoted
admirers permitting themselves to criticise his conduct. Saints have
always been in the habit of terming those chastisements, which they have
drawn upon themselves (oftentimes justly) by their unruly passions or
indiscreet zeal, persecution. Those whom a devout phrensy excites to
tumult and disorder are honoured as confessors and martyrs, and we find
the Jews and Pagans were the most unjust and cruel of men, for having
treated the Christians, whom they could not consider but as disturbers of
the public peace, in the same manner as the Christians now treat the Jews,
heretics, and infidels. Bigots, accustom themselves to regard their saints
as irreproachable characters, or if they cannot justify their conduct,
they say that God has permitted them to sin, to humiliate them, in order
that he might have an opportunity of pardoning them. It is thus that every
good Christian regards a brigand in revolt against his legitimate
sovereign, an usurper, a monster of cruelty, an infamous adulterer, an
assassin, in a word, a David, as a great saint; or even by excellence, as
the man after God's own heart! Faith in the mind of a bigot, is able to
reverse, even the most simple rules of morality and virtue. Religion
encourages the most perverse men to give themselves up to the blackest
crimes, the most shameful vices, and the most shocking irregularities, by
setting before them the examples of scoundrels, who were nevertheless the
friends of God.
It cannot be pretended that St. Paul of whom we are now speaking, was
guilty of excesses, similar to those committed by the king of the Jews,
whose whole history is a series of horrors: but without faith it is
difficult to consider our Apostle as an irreproachable character; though
the historian, whoever he be, to whom we are indebted for the Acts of the
Apostles, has designed to hold him up as a model of virtue, we find that
by a singular oversight he did not seem aware, that he made him tell an
untruth in public, and in the most solemn manner in presence of the
Sanhedrim or great council of the Jews. In fact as we have already
remarked, perceiving that his audience was composed of Sadducees and
Pharisees, with the view of dividing them and gaining friends, Paul cried
out that he was a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee, and that they sought to
kill him, because of his hope in the resurrection.
In this assertion we may detect two deceptions. In the first place Paul
was not a Pharisee, at the moment he spoke he was a Christian, he was an
Apostle, he preached Jesus Christ, he laboured effectually to make
proselytes to his sect, he had disgusted the Jews in announcing to them a
new law, contrary to that of Moses, he had procured in the council at
Jerusalem the abolition of the practice of circumcision so strictly
ordained by their law. In a word he preached Christianity and not Judaism
in the same moment that he declared himself a Pharisee. On this occasion
his conduct was in fact that of an apostate, at least it cannot be denied,
that he conducted himself as a coward, who did not care to acknowledge his
real belief in the presence of the council, and who had recourse to an
artifice to outwit his Judges. In fact the conduct of Paul on this
occasion has no resemblance to that of a great number of martyrs, who
freely acknowledge themselves Christians at the risk of their lives, and
boldly confessed Jesus Christ, in the presence of their persecutors and
executioners. The presence of the High Priest and council so much imposed
on St. Paul, that he declared himself a Pharisee; fear troubled his memory
to such a degree, that he forgot he had just acknowledged himself a
Christian, and missionary of Jesus to the Gentiles in the presence of the
people collected before the gate of the fortress, who indignant at his
discourse, cried out,﹃away with such a fellow from the earth for it is
not fit that he should live.﹄Nothing then but theological subtilty, can
clear Paul from deception, apostacy, and cowardice on this occasion.
In the second place it was not true, that it was because of the hope of
another life, and of the resurrection of the dead, that Paul was
persecuted by the Jews. It was for having preached a new doctrine,
contrary to the law of Moses; this great legislator has in no part taught
us what we ought to believe concerning the resurrection of the dead or of
another life. The Jews without ceasing to be Jews, embraced respecting it
whatever opinion they pleased, the Sadducees rejected it without however
being on that account, excluded from the synagogue, and without ceasing to
observe the Judaic law; the Pharisee admitted it without its appearing to
cause a schism between them, ami those who did not think, as they did. It
is true that Paul had preached the resurrection, but it was that of Jesus,
on which he endeavoured to establish a new sect very different from the
Jewish religion. Thus the words of St. Paul were merely a subterfuge
unworthy of a man, whom grace ought to have endued with sufficient courage
to maintain before the council, at the peril of his liberty and his life,
the same sentiments that he had taught the people and preached in all
those places where he had planted the faith. It was then for having
preached Christianity, and for having (in spite even of his brethren the
apostles) desired in favour of the Gentiles the abolition of the Jewish
customs, that Paul was persecuted, the priests were doubtless irritated
against a man who sought to abrogate a law and a priesthood which a divine
revelation had so many times taught them was to endure eternally, whilst
the authors of the Epistle to the Hebrews formerly assures us that they
have been set. aside by the Gospel.
CHAPTER XVI. St. Paul's Hypocrisy
We cannot avoid perceiving still more of the insincerity and profound
hypocrisy of Paul's conduct at Jerusalem. After having preached in a great
number of towns in Asia and Greece, a doctrine revolting to the feelings
of the Jews, and which every where caused disturbances amongst them, after
having in favour of the Gentiles abolished circumcision so particularly
ordained by the law of Moses, and deemed so essential to the proselytes of
the gate; we see this great Apostle, by the advice of his brethren, submit
himself, during seven days, to the Jewish ceremonies; purify himself with
affectation.﹃Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself
with them, entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishing of the
days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every
one of them*.﹄But the Jews of Asia, who knew the real sentiments of our
missionary, from having heard him preach when amongst them, were not the
dupes of his hypocrisy: they excited the people﹃crying out, men of
Israel, help: this is the man that teacheth all men every where against
the people, and the laws of this place; and further brought Greeks also
into the temple, and hath polluted this holy placet.**﹄These were the
true charges of the Jews against Paul, and without denying what we find in
the Acts of the Apostles, we must acknowledge, that they were well
founded.
* Acts of Apostles, chap. xxi. ver. 6.
** Acts of Apostles, chap. xxi. ver. 28.
What should we say in the present day of a bishop, who, whilst pretending
to be a Christian, should go for a period of seven days into a synagogue
in London or Amsterdam, to fulfil Jewish ceremonies in the sight of the
public? We should not fail to regard him as an apostate, or a knave, who
had sinister intentions at any rate, the most favourable construction, we
would put upon his motives, would be to suppose him a fool. We are however
to admire this conduct in Paul, he pretends to justify himself by the
necessity of becoming all things to all men. It is thus we see that
hypocrisy, falsehood, and imposture, are legitimate means, by which to
advance the cause of God and gain souls.
Nevertheless there is every reason to think that St. Paul in acting in
such a singular manner, had his own interest and safety, more at heart
than the cause of the divinity. His conduct has been faithfully copied by
a great number of Christian missionaries, and especially by the Jesuits,
whom their adversaries often reproach with having frequently assimilated
the worship of Jesus with that of those idolatrous people, whom they were
endeavouring to convert.
CHAPTER XVII. St. Paul accused of Perjury, or the Author of the Acts of
the Apostles, convicted of Falsehood.
Not contented with pursuing this oblique or hypocritical conduct, we again
see, our great Apostle, evidently, wilfully guilty of perjury, or a false
oath. To convince ourselves of this we have only to read the commencement
of his Epistle to the Galatians; to prove to them, that the gospel which
he announced to them; was divinely inspired, he says﹃But certify to you
brethren, that the gospel which was preached of me, is not after man. For
I neither received it of man, neither was I taught it, but by the
revelation of Jesus Christ.﹄Further on he proves what he advances by
saying,﹃But when it pleased God, who separated me from my mother's womb,
and called me by his grace, to reveal his son in me, that I might preach
him among the heathen; immediately I conferred not with flesh and blood;
neither went I up to Jerusalem to them which were apostles before me but I
went into Arabia, and returned again into Damascus. Then after three
years, I went up to Jerusalem to see Peter, and abode with him fifteen
days. But other of the apostles, saw I none, save James the Lord's
brother. Now the things which I write unto you behold before God I lie
not*.﹄But if Paul did not lie, in what he related to the Galatians, it is
clear that the author of the Acts of the Apostles, whom the Christian
church regards as an inspired writer equally with St. Paul, has lied. In
fact in the ninth chapter of the Acts, it is said that Paul after his
conversion, and after having recovered his sight remained some days with
the disciples who were at Damascus; which proves that he was instructed by
men, or that he took counsel of flesh and blood. Believing himself
sufficiently fortified in his theology, by Ananias or others, he began to
preach Christ in the synagogue, at which conduct the Jews were so shocked
that they sought to take away his life: but Saul escaped from their fury
by means of a basket, and without mention made of his journey to Arabia,
he directly returns to Jerusalem, where the disciples were in the first
instance fearful of him, but Barnabas, encouraged them, and presented him
to the apostles, at the same time relating to them his miraculous
conversion, and his courageous preaching at Damascus. In consequence it is
said that Paul was added to the number of the faithful. (Acts ix).
* This passage proves very forcibly that Paul preached a
different gospel from that of the other apostles, i. e.
from the Ebionites or Nazarenes.
It is easy to see, how little this recital of the inspired historian of
the Acts, agrees with that of the inspired Apostle, who wrote to the
Galatians, and confirmed his narration by an oath. Besides the journey of
St. Paul to Arabia upon leaving Damascus, and which preceded his arrival
at Jerusalem by three years, becomes very improbable, as well as his stay
in this country. In fact the disciples at Jerusalem must have been in
habits of correspondence with those of Damascus, consequently they would
thus have heard of an event so interesting to their sect, as the
conversion of St. Paul and the pains he took to propagate their doctrines;
thus the presence of our Apostle would not have created any uneasiness,
and there could have been no need of Barnabas becoming his surety. It
appears then that the new convert upon leaving Damascus went directly to
Jerusalem, that he had there an opportunity of conversing with the
apostles, and that his theology was not intuitive.
But even supposing that the journey and sojourn of three years in Arabia,
really took place, it would be no less certain that Paul took a false oath
to the Galatians, or that the author of the Acts is deceived. In fact St.
Paul writes that at the end of three years he returned to Jerusalem to
visit Peter, and that he remained fifteen days with him without seeing any
other of the apostles. This is quite at variance with the author of the
Acts, who informs us that Paul being come to Jerusalem, sought to join
himself to the disciples, who were afraid of him, not knowing that he was
a disciple. Our Saint contradicts all this by a different tale which he
confirms by an oath.
Moreover by this oath Paul himself contradicts the discourse which the
author of the Acts, puts into his mouth in the presence of King Agrippa,
of Queen Berenice, and the governor Festus*.
In relating to them his conversion, he says to them, Whereupon, O King
Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision; but shewed first
unto them at Damascus and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of
Judea, and then to the Gentiles that they should repent and turn to God,
and do works meet for repentance. Thus according to the author of the
Acts, St. Paul himself acknowledges that he first preached at Damascus,
then at Jerusalem before addressing himself to the Gentiles.
If he had preached during a period of three years in Arabia, he would have
spoken of the circumstance, of which no mention is made in all the Acts of
the Apostles, whilst we find there the most minute details of the
continual journeyings.
We shall just remark here a visible contradiction in the Acts of the
Apostles; The author of this work in relating the miraculous conversion of
St. Paul, says that those who accompanied him, were speechless, hearing a
voice but seeing no man**. However the same author, forgetting himself
makes Paul say in his discourse to the Jews, "And they that were with me
saw indeed the light and were afraid, but they heard not the voice of him
that spake to me***".
It belongs to the impartial reader to judge what degree of confidence is
due to writers who are so often at variance. In the first instance Paul
solemnly attests by an oath, the truth of a fact, not only omitted, but
even formally contradicted by St. Luke, his historian and disciple. In the
second instance the historian contradicts himself. This ought at least to
shake the implicit faith, that so many persons put in works which possess
neither the consistence nor harmony required in ordinary writers. As to
our doctors they tell us their ways of saving the honour of these two
inspired ones; whom they have much interest in washing from so grave an
accusation, and such a taint upon the Christian religion.
* Acts, xxvi. ver. 29.
**Acts, ix. ver. 7.
***Acts, xxii. ver. 9.
CHAPTER XVIII. Examination of St. Paul's Miracles
Though St. Paul as we have just seen, has himself taken care to shake the
credit of the author of the Acts of the Apostles, it is nevertheless on
the word of this writer that Christians think themselves obliged to
believe in the miracles of our great Apostle. In fact, like all those who
have endeavoured to establish new sects, our preacher could not dispense
with performing prodigies: this is the most certain method of exciting the
admiration of the vulgar. Incapable of reasoning, of judging of the
soundness of a doctrine, and frequently unable in the least to comprehend
it, miracles always become the most powerful of arguments; they are
indubitable proofs that he who works them is the favourite of the
divinity, that consequently he cannot be in the wrong, nor capable of a
wish to deceive.
Miracles were more especially necessary amongst the Jews; they demanded
signs from all those who spoke to them in the name of the Lord, and there
was little difficulty in working them, before an ignorant and credulous
people, ready to receive as such every thing that was shewn to them. In
spite of a disposition so favourable to miracle-mongers, we do not find
that those of Jesus himself and afterwards of his apostles, produced on
the Jews those effects which we have a right to expect from them. We find
that at the time they were performed they convinced nobody and drew those
who worked them, into difficult situations. It was not until a long time
had elapsed that these prodigies produced their effects, and by a miracle
that we can never cease to admire, we find, that these prodigies, which
were discarded by those who saw them, were most firmly believed by those
who did not see them, and are now ranked amongst the strongest evidences
of the divinity of the Christian religion. There are only some reasoners
who persist in judging of these ancient miracles in the same manner as the
contemporaries who did not see them, or who, if they did see them,
regarded them as so many instances of deception and slight of hand,
incapable of imposing on them. It is only the simplicity, of faith, that
is to say, an implicit confidence in the assertions of our guides, which
can make us see miracles, or cause us to believe in those we have not
seen. But this simple faith is the effect of an especial grace that God
grants only to those who are poor in spirit, and harshly refuses to those
who think and reason. As soon as we want confidence in the operators, we
see no more miracles, or at least we doubt of those that are shewn to us.
It does not appear that St. Paul performed miracles at Jerusalem after his
conversion; this city was not in his department: it belonged to St. Peter
and the other Jewish apostles, who, according to the Acts, did not cease
to work miracles there. Our Apostle of the uncircumcised, or of the
district in which the Gentiles were converted, having quitted his
brethren, commenced his course of miracles at Paphos. He was upon the
point of converting Sergius, proconsul of the province, had not a cursed
sorcerer of a Jew, named Barjesus, and surnamed Elymas, i.e. magician,
endeavoured to prevent the magistrate from believing in Jesus Christ.
Indignant at the obstacle that this man opposed to the divine will,
instead of converting and convincing him, Paul abused him according to the
present practice of theologians, and called him a child of the devil, and
finished with striking him with blindness. If this conduct was conducive
to the salvation of the proconsul, who according to the author of the
Acts, having seen this miracle, believed, being astonished at the doctrine
of the Lord, there are many who will not be so edified, at this prodigy,
so contrary to Christian charity and mildness. In fact would it not have
been more kind of St. Paul armed with divine power, to have enlightened
the eyes of the sorcerer's mind, than to have struck those of his body
with darkness? But we always see that the miracle that the apostles as
well as their divine master had most difficulty in working was that of
convincing those who were not disposed to believe every thing.
It appears that on the present occasion, the sorcerer was stronger, in
point of reasoning, than St. Paul, which put him in a passion. Logic was
not in fact, the most prominent quality in our Apostle, any more than in
his brethren and successors. Besides, this holy Missionary was of too
impetuous a temper to reason with moderation, and argue in a clear and
precise manner. Thus to terminate the dispute with Elymas, he abused him,
and perhaps relying on the protection of the proconsul, whom he saw
wavering in favour of his doctrine, ventured to strike his antagonist,
which deprived him of his sight for a period, for it is easy to deprive a
man of the use of his eyes without a miracle*.
* This, it must in candour be acknowledged, is an inference
which the text will not warrant us to draw, and is unworthy
Boulanger's pen. It seems to be compromising the dignity
of truth, to impose upon itself the necessity of accounting
for all the hocus pocus tricks, or wilful falshoods, which
the ignorance, bigotry, and knavery of a deplorable
superstition, have handed down through the mist of eighteen
centuries.—Translators
We learn that our Apostle and his associate Barnabas, wrought such
miracles at Iconiura, that all the city was divided, one part being in
favour of the Jews, and the other for the Apostles. But immediately after
we are informed, that "when there was an assault made, both of the
Gentiles and also of the Jews, with their rulers, to use them
despite-fully, and to stone them, the Apostles were aware of it, and fled
to Lystra and Derbe."
This conduct of the inhabitants of Iconiura is certainly inconceivable.
Pagans and Jews unite to ill treat and stone our Apostles, who in spite of
the divine power which they possess have no other expedient, than to seek
safety in flight.
In spite of the inutility of his miracles, Paul worked more at Lystra; he
there cured a lame man, in whom by mere inspection he discovered much
faith. This gives rise to a suspicion that this might have been a miracle
concerted between them. He said to him, with a loud voice, stand upright
on thy feet, and he leaped and walked. The people of Lystra were so struck
by this prodigy, that they took our two missionaries for gods, and would
have offered them sacrifices, but Paul and Barnabas forbade them with
great modesty. This great miracle must have been believed, even by the
priest of Jupiter, since it is said, that he brought oxen and garlands
unto the gates, and would have sacrificed with them. This circumstance
clearly proves that nobody at Lystra doubted the truth of this miracle.
However some Jews who had arrived from Iconium were able to undeceive a
whole city, which had seen the miracle of the lame man. The poor St. Paul,
who had just before been taken for Jupiter, was stoned, and dragged out of
the city for dead; he revived, however, and, in spite of his miracle, he
saved himself, with Barnabas by fleeing to Derbe.
The miracle wrought by our saint at Philippi in Macedonia, did not meet
with more success, he there cured a girl, who had a spirit of Python, and
being by that means possessed of the power of divination, gained great
profit to her masters. These, far from acknowledging and admiring the
power of a man who reduced to silence Apollo, one of the most powerful
gods of paganism, brought Paul and Silas before the magistrates, and
excited the people against them. It is right to remark in this place, that
Apollo (i. e. the Devil) who resided in this prophetess, laboured to
destroy his own empire. In fact having perceived Paul and his comrade, the
girl followed them, crying, these men are the servants of the Most High
God, which shew unto us the way of salvation. And this did she many days.
But Paul being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in
the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her, and he came out the same
hour*.
It is surprising that Paul was grieved at a declaration so favourable to
his mission, and that he should impose silence on a demon, whose testimony
was so honourable, and likely to draw adherents! but the conduct of saints
is always inexplicable.
In these unhappy times in which faith is so cold, no credit is given,
either to those possessed, or to soothsayers; it is difficult to know what
the nature of the spirit of Python, which inhabited the Macedonian girl
could have been**. If we might hazard a conjecture on the subject, it
might be supposed that our Apostles, to give themselves some relief,
gained her over, and employed her to play her part, by giving her to
understand that it would be her interest to attach herself to the new
sect, rather than work for masters, who, probably, paid her very poorly
for her services from which they drew all the profit.
* Acts xvi. 17, 18.
** Some critics have been very much embarrassed, to
conjecture what the nature of this spirit of Python could
have been: several have thought that those who had this
spirit, were such as are known to us in the present day by
the name of ventriloquists, who have the power of
articulating words, more or less distinctly, without any
motion of the lips being perceptible. There are such
persons, who create much surprise to those unacquainted with
this faculty, and we cannot be astonished that the vulgar,
who doat upon the marvellous, should attribute this power to
supernatural causes.
The magistrates of Philippi on the complaint of those masters, as we have
seen, caused our exorcists to be flogged, and sent them to prison. An
earthquake happened very opportunely, the jailor was gained over or
converted; the magistrates, thinking the Missionaries had been
sufficiently punished, permitted them to depart; but then, as we have
seen, they declared themselves Roman citizens, and refused to go, until
the magistrates, who were now intimidated, consented to make them an
honourable reparation.
Notwithstanding the miracles wrought by Paul during his mission,
disagreeable reports every where accompanied him, or followed him, so
closely in all the cities through which he passed, that neither himself
nor his comrades could remain long in the same place. They only passed
through Amphipolis and Apollonia, and repaired to Thessalonica, where, in
a very short time, the whole city was in an alarm. Jason, their host, was,
as we have already seen, ill treated on their account, it was alleged
against our Missionaries, that they overthrew every thing, and in
preaching another king than Caesar, seemed desirous of plotting a
conspiracy. In consequence of this, as it was a serious accusation, the
brethren contrived the escape of Paul and Silas during the night.
Arrived at Berea, our two adventurers, soon excited similar disturbances.
Paul repaired to Athens, where the philosophers who heard him, took him
for a talker whose brain was unsound. However in spite of his success,
which was doubtless very slow, he had the mortification of being compelled
to labour at his original trade of tent-making, which was very hard for a
preacher ordained to live by the altar, that is to say, one whose trade it
was to sell spiritual wares, to those who bound themselves to provide him,
wherewith to subsist on credit Such is clerical traffic. Further, St. Paul
takes special care to boast to the Corinthians of his great
disinterestedness. He makes them understand he would not be chargeable
upon them; by which he appears to have intended some indirect reproaches,
calculated to pique their pride and excite their generosity, towards the
holy man who laboured for their salvation*. The Corinthians probably
imagined that men who performed miracles, had no need of assistance: but
our miracle-mongers were under the necessity of satisfying their wants by
ordinary methods. They were like the adepts, who were always in poverty
though offering to others the secret of making gold.
There is reason to believe that Paul performed great miracles amongst the
Corinthians, at least he says to them himself﹃Truly the signs of an
apostle, were wrought among you in all patience, in signs and wonders and
in mighty deeds**.﹄However we find that these miracles had not yet
sufficiently convinced the Corinthians, since Paul says to them "Seek ye a
proof of Christ speaking in me, which to you ward is not weak, but is
mighty in you***."
* See 2. Corinthians, chap. xi. ver. 7, 8, 9, 16. Chap. xii.
ver. 13, and also 1. Corinthians chap. ix. ver 11,13, 14,
** 2 Corinthians xii. 12.
*** 2 Corinthians xiii. 3.
Respecting the miracles wrought by St. Paul at Corinth, we have only his
own evidence, and that is sufficient; the author of the Acts though very
free upon this article does not inform us, that he wrought any in this
city, this was most likely the case, since he remained there a long time,
an unusual circumstance, where he condescended to perform miracles, which
generally compelled him to remove, in consequence of the disturbance they
excited. He was obliged to quit Ephesus, where we are assured, that he
performed a great number, and where handkerchiefs, linen, &c. which
had touched him, cured the sick, and expelled devils. He departed from
Troas directly after having raised a dead man to life, or at least after
having asserted that a young man, who was thought so, was in reality not
so. In short in the isle of Malta he cured himself of the bite, either
because the reptile had not in fact bitten him, or by applying fire to the
wound, a remedy which though common, might be unknown to the inhabitants
of the island, as we have already remarked.
CHAPTER XIX. Analysis of the writings attributed to St. Paul
After having examined the character of St. Paul by His conduct, it will be
proper to make some reflections on his writings; they will serve to place
in a still clearer light, this celebrated man, to whom Christianity owes
so many obligations. If we confine ourselves to those works attributed to
him, the Apostle of the Gentiles must have been a very extraordinary
compound of discordant qualities, which when united must have produced an
inexplicable whole. He himself informs us, that he had within him two men,
the new man and the old man; the just man, and the sinner. He had two
bodies, the one natural and the other spiritual; the body of sin and
death, and the body of justification and life. He had within him, two
laws, which regulated his actions, the law of sin, and the law of justice,
the law of the flesh, and the law of the spirit. Never was poor mortal so
perplexed and teazed, than was our Apostle according to his own account,
by these two opposite laws, which he had within himself. The carnal man
makes him say, (see Romans, chapter vii. verse 18, to the end of the
chapter.)
In other places the spiritual man, makes him hold another language, he
assures the Galatians, that he is one with Christ and crucified with him
(see Galatians. chapter vii. verse 19 and 20.) In another place he says to
the Romans.﹃For the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made
me free from the law of sin and death.﹄It is clear that this duplicity of
nature and law in St. Paul as acknowledged by himself is calculated to
throw us into much embarrassment. In fact how can we distinguish in his
conduct or discourse, that which springs from the old, from that which
arises from the new man, or the spirit of life and the grace of Christ? Is
it very easy at this time, to determine which governed St. Paul in those
moments in which he spoke, acted, or wrote? Perhaps those maxims and
dogmas most admired by Christians have been the suggestions of the flesh,
the fruits of the old man, and that this old man often influenced his
conduct, which, as we have shewn was not at all times free from reproach.
In short the acknowledgments are of a nature well calculated to plunge the
most firm Christians into uncertainties from which, without supernatural
assistance, they will have great difficulty in extricating themselves.
These confessions may further serve to shew us the inconsistencies,
contradictions, absurdities, the sophistry and superficial reasoning, and
disjointed ideas, which we meet with at every page of the writings
attributed to St. Paul. It is to be presumed, that it is the Holy Ghost,
or Christ, who speaks when he appears reasonable, it would be blasphemous
to say or think, that they could talk nonsense: in this case we shall say,
that it is St. Paul or the flesh, who speaks, when we find him using bad
arguments, extravagancies, and unintelligible nonsense. We cannot imagine
that the spirit of God would have made him utter contradictions, or
inspired him with a language incomprehensible to those whom he designed to
enlighten and instruct by the mouth of this Apostle. In fact, St. Peter
himself complains of the obscurities of Paul's epistles, in which, says
he, "are some things hard to be understood."*
* 2 Epis. Peter, chap. iii. ver. 16
The distinction which we have just made will enable us to judge of the
works of St. Paul, and explain the obscurities which we find in them, as
well as the continual variations, which we must remark in his principles.
He tells the Galatians that he was angry with Peter, and withstood him to
his face, and that he was offended, with the other apostles, because they
temporized and used dissimulation, sometimes advocating the usages of the
Jews, and at others the customs of the Gentiles*.
Elsewhere he says (here see 1 Corinthians, chap. ix. ver. 19 to 22.)
According to these passages, is it right to temporize, or not? It remains
for our doctors to decide which of these two principles has been divinely
inspired to St. Paul, and in which of them we ought to imitate this great
Saint. Our doctors however are not much in the habit of temporizing with
their enemies unless they find themselves, too weak to cope with them.
Our Apostle declares, formally to the Galatians that circumcision, is
useless and will avail them nothing, he says the same thing to the
Corinthians, Yet we find him circumcising his dear Timothy, and he tells
the Romans that circumcision is useful to those who fulfil the law.
He writes to Timothy, that God is the saviour of all men expecially of the
faithful, which evidently supposes that the unfaithful, will not be
excluded from Salvation. He had also said, that God willed that all should
be saved. But speaking to the Romans, he will not allow that the gates of
Paradise, shall be opened to all the world**.
* Galatians chap. ii. ver. 11, &c.
** Romans, chap. xi. ver. 7.
We should never finish, were we to relate all the contradictions which are
to be found in the writings attributed to St. Paul. It is clear that if he
be really the author of them, he exhibits himself to us, as a fanatical
writer, whose disordered head prevents him from seeing that he is
eternally contradicting himself. He says that black is white. He follows
only the impulses of a heated imagination; he establishes principles to
destroy them immediately; in a word from his want of logic, and the little
connexion of his ideas without a most lively faith we should suspect, that
he was in a continual state of delirium.
It cannot be denied that this great Saint was of a temperament too ardent
to allow him to reason connectedly, or to speak with coolness. The
tumultuous ideas which presented themselves in crowds to his brain, did
not permit him to put them into any thing like an orderly arrangement; he
incessantly wandered from his subject, so much so that an imagination, as
warm as his own, is necessary in order to follow him in his flights.
Perpetually involved in figures, allusions and allegories, it is nearly
impossible to guess what are his real sentiments. According to his
doctrine he appears to establish in the strongest manner the dreadful
doctrine of absolute predestination and reprobation. According to him God
grants grace to whom he pleases, and whom he pleases he hardens. If we
demand how this doctrine can be reconciled with the goodness and justice
of God; or how a God who operates in man the will and the deed, can be
offended with the wills and actions of men? He extricates himself by
asking if the vessel shall say to him who made it, why hast thou fashioned
me thus? Thus St. Paul, and after him all Christian doctors, explain the
conduct of a God, whom they pretend to love, at the same time that they
hold him up as a tyrant, who is not accountable for his most unjust
caprices, and despot-like is restrained by no rule!
St. Paul being divinely inspired should have taught us something of the
nature of the soul, an object which so embarrasses alt philosophers who
not being illumined from above, have formed ideas upon this subject, so
much at variance with those of our Christian doctors. But far from
throwing any light upon this important matter, our Apostle, who appears
strongly tinctured with the platonic philosophy so universally taught in
his time, distinguishes the body, soul and spirit, and thus obscures the
thing still more. But it is the essense of theology to confound every
thing, and the interest of theologians to plunge mankind into a labyrinth,
from which nothing but faith can extricate them.
CHAPTER XX. Of Faith, in what this Virtue consists
Generally speaking it is St. Paul, or the author of the Epistles,
(wherever he be) that are attributed to him, that ought to be regarded as
the true founder of Christian theology. The mysterious obscurity of his
works, the tone of fanaticism which reigns in them, and the unintelligible
oracles with which they are filled, render them well suited to impose on
the vulgar, who respect things only in proportion as they are impossible
to be comprehended. Devout enthusiasm and pious melancholy there finds a
continual feast for its sickly brain. Oracles and enigmas are taken for
divine mysteries, which without a strong dose of faith we should conclude
were the production of delirium or the inventions of imposture, which
seeks to put reason to flight. Reason had no means of examining ideas
which are totally unreasonable; thus they persuaded men that it was
necessary to renounce reason in order to become a good Christian. In
consequence of this principle, so humiliating to mankind and derogatory to
the character of a God, the author of reason, it was no longer permitted
to examine anything; man was commanded blindly to subscribe to the most
incomprehensible reveries, and it was considered meritorious to renounce
common sense and adopt fables and opinions revolting to every thinking
being. Thus delirium was changed into wisdom, deception into truth, and
frequently crime became virtue. They closed the mouths of reasoners by
citing the language of Paul, who had said﹃that the foolishness of God is
wiser than men, and the weakness of God is stronger than men.﹄According
to the same Apostle God himself had predicted by the mouth of a prophet,
the revolution that Christianity was to produce in the minds of mankind.
﹃I will destroy the wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the
understanding of the prudent.﹄Where is the wise? Where is the scribe?
where is the disputer of this world? Hath not God made foolish the wisdom
of this world, &c.* And he concludes by saying, "But we preach Christ
crucified, unto the Jews a stumbling block, and unto the Greeks
foolishness."
* 1 Corinth, chap. i. ver. 19.
However violent Paul's enthusiasm may have been, he well knew how odd the
doctrine he preached, must appear to reasonable beings. He must have been
aware, that it overturned all received ideas; that it would not bear the
test of examination; that it was a difficult enterprise to persuade
sensible beings that a God could die, that this God had arisen again, that
an immutable God had changed and annulled the eternal alliance he had made
with the Jews, and which been so repeatedly confirmed with oaths, &c.
Thus our Apostle in order to pass such improbable opinions, believed it
requisite, to substitute folly in the place of reason, and to fortify his
disciples against the weapons of logic. For the evidence which results
from the testimony of the senses be substituted faith, which according to
him is the evidence of things not seen, and evidence which can only be
founded on the most stupid credulity.
Thus this prudent orator took care to guard against the philosophy of
common sense, and against all science, seeing clearly that they opposed,
invincible obstacles to the religion that he sought to establish, and of
which he pretended to be the soul and chief. Hence we find he attached the
greatest merit to faith, that is to say, to a blind submission to his
authority; and such an unbounded confidence in himself as prevented any
doubt of those things, the truth of which he attested.
As science was injurious to the establishment of his empire he decried it.
"Knowledge puffeth up, but charity edifieth." By charity, we may here
understand that affection to a spiritual director which closing the eyes
against those defects, which in common with other men he may possess,
convinces us that he is always right, that he is incapable of the wish to
deceive, and in short, that he ought to be believed in preference to the
evidence of our senses.
It is thus that this great Apostle laboured incessantly to establish his
own authority on the ruins of wisdom, reason, and science. However we may
reply to his doctrine, so useful to those whose interest it is to maintain
absurd opinions and incredible fables, that God who, is, according to
them, the author of reason could not have destroyed his own work. We shall
demand of St. Paul and of those who like him preach up implicit faith, if
folly is more able than wisdom to attain to the knowledge of God? We shall
ask of them, if God has given wisdom to men on condition of their never
using it, and if it is not by the aid of human wisdom, that man gains some
idea of the divine wisdom? We shall ask if God can, without absolutely
changing the nature of things, make wisdom folly, and folly wisdom? In
short we shall ask them, if in order to become a Christian it is necessary
to renounce common sense, or how far our folly must prevail to have a
religion?
To all these questions theologians, faithfully treading in the steps of
St. Paul, will reply, that we must believe, and that as soon as they
speak, we must submit to their authority. "Faith" says Paul﹃comes by
hearing,﹄whence it results that have faith, we must sacrifice our reason,
to the wills of our spiritual pastors. Charity ought to convince us, that
these infallible guides, can neither deceive nor desire to lead us into
error.
According to this firm persuasion we shall never be embarrassed, unless,
by chance, those pastors should happen to disagree in their opinions. This
however often occurs in the church, and has done from the commencement. In
fact we have seen St. Paul himself resist St. Peter to his face and differ
from him in opinion. Their quarrels like many others had fatal results,
and produced a true schism between the partizans of Peter, and those of
Paul, the Apostle of the Gentiles.
The latter has acknowledged himself, that there must be heresies in a
church, perpetually guided by the most high. This prophecy has been
verified in the Christian religion, which from its foundation has been
incessantly agitated by quarrels, divisions, animosities, troubles, and
paroxysms of fury mat would induce a belief, that the gospel was given to
nations only to excite in them, fermentations unknown to Paganism, and
show them to what a degree of madness credulity could lead.
The writings of Paul especially have furnished in all ages ample matter,
for disputes to the Christian doctors. The obscure dogmas they contain,
have of necessity been diversely understood by profound dreamers, who have
passed their time in meditation. Each pretended to have discovered the
true sense of this infallible and divinely inspired doctor. Each found in
his writings a confirmation of his own sentiments. Works filled with
contradiction continually gave rise to parties the most opposite to each
other, and virulently bent upon mutual destruction. The authority of St.
Paul was opposed to himself, and in the impossibility of deciding upon
questions totally out of the power of reason to discuss, recourse was had
to violence, and the strongest always made the weak feel, that they alone
comprehended the true sense of the great Apostle. They disputed
continually on predestination, on grace, and on the liberty of man; they
understood neither themselves nor St. Paul. The most headstrong, the most
wicked, and the most powerful, enforced their opinions as the only ones
which the Holy Ghost had dictated.
To conclude, the incredulous, are not those, who alone find the writings
of Paul obscure and unintelligible, as we have seen in the the case of St.
Peter already quoted. If this prince of the Apostles founded difficulties
in the work of St. Paul, what shall we think of the presumption of modern
commentators when they pretend to explain to us, the enigmatical and
confused passages that we meet with in the epistles of this doctor of the
Gentiles.
CHAPTER XXI. Of the Holy Ghost, and Divine Inspiration
It would however have been wiser in the first instance to examine into the
degree of confidence due to the real or pretended writings of this
wonderful man, whose history we have been developing. Before disputing it
would have been better to have been certain of the authority of an Apostle
whose works appear to us infallible only on his own word, or on that of
the written to whom we owe the Acts of the Apostles. In fact we are told
that St. Paul was inspired by the Holy Ghost. But what is the Holy Ghost?
How can it inspire a man? What certainty have we that it has ever inspired
anyone? By what signs shall we distinguish these invisible inspirations?
As it is upon these inspirations only that the Christian religion is
established, these questions are well worth the trouble of being
discussed.
There is no mention made of the Holy Ghost in the Old Testament; there is
mention made of the spirit of the Lord, which possessed, or resided in the
prophets, and other holy personages charged with speaking to the Jewish
people; but in no place of the Old Testament is the Holy Ghost announced
as a being distinct from the Divinity, it is only in the New Testament
that we find this metaphysical being deified, or this divine breath
personified. In fact it is only in the history of Jesus Christ, that the
Holy Ghost begins to perform, a part; we there find him commissioned to
overshadow Mary, and produce the savour of the world, who was, as we are
told, begotten by the operation of the Holy Ghost.
This same Holy Ghost descended in the form of a dove upon Jesus Christ at
the moment of his baptism in the river Jordan by John the Baptist. In the
Gospel according to St. John, the author of which appears to have drawn
his ideas from the platonic philosophy, there is much talk of the Holy
Ghost which is never defined. Jesus promises to send him to the disciples
when he himself shall have left them. This spirit is described under term
of the Paraclete or Comforter. Jesus assures them that he proceeded from
the father, and that he will send him on the part of the father, to bear
witness of him Jesus. Further on he promises them, that when this spirit
shall come, he shall guide them into all truth.
According to the promise of Jesus, this comforter did in fact descend upon
the Apostles at the feast of Pentecost, see Acts ari. ver. 2, 3, 13. Many
were astonished at the prodigy there related, but it seems not to have
convinced others, who had probably less faith than the first. These
sceptics pretended that the inspired Apostles were drunken with new wine.
But Peter filled with the spirit, made them a long prophetic harangue;
which, according to the author of the Acts, produced a great effect upon
many of his hearers, who were converted upon the spot.
In consequence of the descent of the Holy Ghost, the Apostles received the
power, not only of speaking divers tongues, but likewise of driving out
devils and performing miracles. However we do not find by their history,
though written by one favourable to their cause, that the Holy Ghost gave
them the power to cast out the demon of incredulity, especially from the
minds of the Jews; these resisted constantly the Holy Ghost and made those
who said they were filled with it, to suffer cruel treatment.
the Apostles had not only received the Holy Ghost, but they had also
received the power of communicating it to others by the imposition of
hands. It is difficult, without a submissive faith, to conceive a clear
idea of this invisible communication of the Holy Ghost, or the manner in
which an indivisible spirit, divides itself among so many different
individuals. However it is not allowed us to doubt that this transmission
of the Holy Ghost has been perpetuated down from the Apostles to our time.
It is still by imposition of hands that the guides of the Christian Church
receive the Holy Ghost, and the right to teach. If our bishops and and
priests who represent in our eyes the Apostles and disciples, have not
received the gift of tongues and miracles they have, at least, received
the faculty of pretending, that the Holy Ghost does not cease to
illuminate them, in their frequently contradictory decisions, which ought
to be regarded as a great prodigy.
A Christian would run the risk of being damned if he should dare to doubt,
that the Holy Ghost invisibly presided in the church and will reside in
the brains of its chiefs until the consummation of all things. What can be
more calculated to inspire us with regard and respect for those, who
themselves assure us, that they are the living temples of the Holy Ghost.
In gratitude for these advantages which the Holy Ghost procured to the
ministers of the Christian religion, they felt themselves bound to deify
him. It was the least they could do for a being from whom their power
clearly emanated. In fact if the Holy Ghost, charged with inspiring the
church had not been a God, the authority of the church might have been
contested. But it being clearly decided, that the Holy Ghost is a God, men
are no longer permitted to dispute his rights; it only remains to them to
subscribe blindly to the decisions of those whom he has chosen for his
organs; to contradict them, would be to revolt against God.
We see then how important it was to the heads of the church to apotheosise
the Holy Ghost. It was necessary to make him a God at any rate; otherwise
the church would not have been infallible, its infallibility being
founded, solely on the continued inspirations of the Holy Ghost; and that
he himself should be infallible, it was necessary that he should be a God.
Thus the church has wisely made the God which makes her infallible.
However useful this deification was to the church, it was attended with
some difficulties. In fact how could they reconcile this new God, this
Mercury, this messenger of the father and son, with the unity of God? To
cut short all dispute upon so important a matter, the heads of the church
decided that the Holy Ghost proceeded from the father and son, and yet
made but one God with them. They closed the mouths of those who cried out
against this unintelligible oracle, by saying it was a mystery, that man
was made to adore and believe, without being able to comprehend; they
added that the church was infallible had thus decided, that being inspired
by the Holy Ghost (i.e. by a God) it was impossible to avoid believing
that she had the right to decide, that the Holy Ghost was a God.
This is sufficient to show us upon what the authority of church, and the
divinity of the Holy Ghost is founded. The church has deified the Holy
Ghost, and the divinity of the Holy Ghost serves as the basis of the
authority of the church. We thus see the true foundations of
Ecclesiastical power; we see the solidity of the titles of the church, we
see the true origin of the mystery of the trinity, now held in such
veneration by the faithful. In short we see what we ought to think of the
inspirations of the Holy Ghost from the time of its origin until now.
CHAPTER XXII. Of the Inspiration of the Prophets of the Old Testament
It does not appear, as we have already observed, that the Jews had any
precise ideas of the Holy Ghost similar to those of the Christian
theologians. Moreover there is reason to believe, that the Apostles had
not yet imagined such subtle notions of it, as the church has invented
since their time. Amongst the Hebrews, every man who, during his sleep,
had dreams, every enthusiast who had, or pretended to have visions,
believed himself inspired by the Lord, or at least gave himself out as
such. He regarded the fancies of his brain, as warnings from heaven; he
delivered his pious nonsense as oracles to credulous hearers, who did not
doubt for an instant, that the unintelligible delirium of these harangues,
was the effect of some divine illumination from the Almighty. As in
dreams, madness, in ebriation, in enthusiasm, man does not appear master
of himself, they believed that what he uttered in these divers states
must, of necessity, spring, from some supernatural force acting in him,
without his knowledge, and in spite of himself; the sentences and
discourse, which issued from his mouth, were regarded as inspirations from
on high, and received as divine commands. Their obscurity only served to
excite curiosity, redouble terror, and confuse the imagination. It was
supposed that God, who spoke by these demoniacs, did not choose to express
himself in a clearer manner.
These reflections founded upon the nature of credulous, ignorant, and
superstitious men, may serve to fix our ideas of so many prophets and
jugglers, that we see play such a prominent part, not only in Jewish
history, but in all Pagan antiquity, and even among all savage and
uninformed people that are now scattered over the globe. The trade of
prophesying, appears to have been very lucrative and respectable amongst
the Jews, a people degraded by superstition, and whose priests always took
care to keep them in a state of profound ignorance, and credulity,
well-suited for the ends of those who sought to direct them after their
own fancies. Whoever desired to gain the attention of the Jews, announced
himself as inspired, threatened or promised them in the name of the Lord,
prophesied to them of evils calculated to intimidate, or of happy events
which seduced them into belief. To draw the attention of the public, and
frequently to produce revolutions in the state, it was enough for a
prophet to say gravely, that the Lord had spoken to him; and assure them
that heaven had intrusted him with its designs in a vision; thus the
brains of the Jews were put into a fermentation. The Apostles desirous of
establishing reform, or exciting a revolution, in men's minds, felt the
necessity of conforming to the prevailing liste of the nation. In
consequence they erected themselves into prophets, gave themselves out for
inspired, spoke in an obscure manner, uttered oracles, predicted the end
of the world, they preached a messiah, they announced a kingdom in which
their followers would enjoy a happiness, which their subjugated country
had long since been deprived of. In short to prove the truth of their
predictions, and the legitimacy of their mission, they performed miracles,
i.e. works calculated to astonish so credulous a people as the Jews.
The Jews, however, in spite of all their ignorance, did not suffer
themselves to be convinced by either the harangues and miracles of Jesus,
nor by the preachings and prodigies of his Apostles. All their efforts
failed against the hardness of heart of a people so often the dupe of the
numberless inspired who had so successfully deceived them. There is then
reason to think that Jesus and his disciples did not perform their part
well, or else that in their time, the Jews become more cautious, had not
so much faith as their ancestors had formerly exhibited. Indeed we do not
find that the first preachers of Christianity made much impression upon
their fellow citizens; they had much more success, and Paul especially
amongst idolators, for whom their enthusiastic harangues, their
preachings, and miracles was a more novel spectacle. Amongst the Gentiles
preaching was an unknown thing, the people was held in disdain by the
priests; each formed such ideas of religion as he choose, there was no
theological system that they were compelled to adopt; in short, with the
exception of Esculapius, the Gods worked but few miracles for their
worshippers.
Thus, as we have already observed, circumstances were favourable for the
mission of our Apostle amongst the Gentiles; they were more disposed to
listen than the Jews, and to regard him who performed such wonders before
them, as an extraordinary man favoured by heaven. In fact St. Paul gave
himself out for such. And how can we doubt the veracity of a man who
performs miracles? It was then necessary to give him credit; and without
having seen these miracles we believe the same thing, and especially his
divine inspiration, upon the authority of the writings, attributed to him,
and upon the word of him who has transmitted to us an account of his
actions in the Acts of the Apostles, works which the church enjoins us to
regard as divinely inspired. It would be, I think, useless to make any
long reflections on the validity of the titles of the church, and the
right, that the writings which she has adopted have to the claim of divine
inspiration. It is enough to remark, that if we admit those titles and
rights, we have no reason to refuse also to admit those of any man, or
body of men, which shall give themselves out as divinely inspired. If, on
the word of Paul, we believe that he was inspired, why shall we not have
the same deference for the word of Mahomet, who pretended to be the sent
of the most high? If, after the decision of the Christian church, we
regard the books contained in the New Testament as dictated by the Holy
Ghost; what right have we to refuse our assent to the decision of the body
of Imans and Mollahs, that the Koran was revealed by the angel Gabriel to
Mahomet? if it be permitted to one man, or body of men, to invest themselves
with titles, and at the same time forbid the titles to be investigated, we
shall be obliged to admit all the reveries, extravagancies, and fables
that we see spread over the various countries of the earth. Priests every
where show us books, which they say were inspired by the divinity, and
weak and silly people adore and and follow without examination books thus
announced. All religions in the world are founded upon sacred hooks which
contain the divine will, and whose truth is proved by miracles.
CHAPTER. XXIII. Of the Descent of the Holy Ghost upon the Apostles, or
their Divine Inspiration
If we may believe the author of the Acts of the Apostles, the disciples
assembled at Jerusalem on the the day of Pentecost, were filled with the
Holy Ghost. But by what sign shall we be sure that they were filled with
the Holy Ghost? It is this that they began to speak divers languages. But
do these various languages prove the presence of the Holy Ghost? Could not
the disciples of Jesus speak these languages naturally? However the Jews
who had come from the different provinces of Asia to Jerusalem to
celebrate the feast all understood Hebrew, since it was the language in
which their law was written; nothing more then was requisite but to speak
Hebrew, in order to be understood by all of them; we cannot suppose that
men assembled at Jerusalem to celebrate the Pentecost were Gentiles. That
granted of what use was the gift tongues? In supposing that among the Jews
there were some who only understood Greek, which was at that time
universal over all Asia, it is very possible that without a miracle, some
of the disciples or Apostles, might know this language by the aid of which
they could make themselves understood in most of the provinces mentioned
in the Acts of the Apostles.
There is then reason for believing, that the Apostles and disciples were
on this occasion desirous of passing for inspired. With this view,
according to the practice of the diviners and prophets amongst the Jews,
they made noises contortions, cries, &c, and produced an extravagant
cacophony, which, many well disposed persons mistook for undoubted sign of
inspiration, while those who were less credulous took them for certain
proofs of drunkenness or folly. But St. Peter justified them, and showed
that what they received to be extravagancies ought to be considered as
proofs of inspiration. This he confirmed by quoting a prophecy of the
prophet Joel, (see Acts of Apostles, chap. ii. ver. 17.)
But the question at issue is, whether visions, dreams, extravagancies,
&c. are signs of divine inspiration. It is true that from the contents
of the books, which Christians regard as dictated by the Holy Ghost, and
examining the nonsense and contradictions found in the writings of St.
Paul, we should be tempted to believe so. If the absence of reason,
probability, logic, and harmony, is the distinguishing mark of divine
inspiration, we cannot deny that St. Paul has proved himself, by his
writings, to have been divinely inspired.
However at this rate nothing can be more easy than to pass; for inspired.
If madness be a sufficient qualification to cause a man to be regarded as
one filled with the Holy Ghost, there are many men who have just
pretensions to this faculty. If we doubt it they have only to reply
gravely that God hath confounded the wisdom of the wise; that our
rebellious reason ought to be submissive, that the human mind becomes
perverted by reasoning. Such is however the language continually repeated
by the supporters of St. Paul and Christianity. According to them, wisdom
is folly, reason an uncertain guide, common sense useless, and
contradictions are impenetrable mysteries, which we must adore in silence;
and when our mind loses itself in the abyss of folly and imposture, they
cry out with their great Apostle:﹃Oh! the depth of the riches, both of
the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his ways, and his
judgments past finding out!﹄A lucky quibble of which our theologians
avail themselves with success, in order to escape from the embarrassment
into which they are thrown by any reasoning on the ways of providence.
It is thus that those who pretend to inspiration have the boldness to
outrage the Divinity, and make the Holy Ghost the accomplice of their
blasphemies. When they find it impossible to escape from the labyrinth
into which impostures and ill-contrived fables have led them, they make
God responsible for their extravagancies; they pretend that their own
follies are the effects of divine wisdom, they term their own perplexities
mysteries; and assent that the author of reason is at the same time, the
enemy of reason.
Men however are not shocked by these impious propositions. Accustomed to
regard St. Paul as inspired, it never occurs to them that so great a Saint
may blaspheme. But what authority have Christians for their high opinion
of St. Paul? It is the Acts of the Apostles, that is to say upon the
suspected testimony of a partizan of Paul's sect, who has compiled a
history of his hero, filled with contradictions, but embellished with
prodigies and fable, which however serve to establish his romance. But
what proofs have we of these miracles themselves? We have no other
evidence than the word of the Romancer himself confirmed by the authority
of the church, i.e. of a body of men interested in establishing the fable.
It is true that we have in addition the testimony of St. Paul himself, to
whom are attributed the epistles in which are found a great number of
details of his life. But does this Apostle agree with his historian in his
own narrative? No, doubtless, they vary materially in many circumstances,
and frequently contradict each other in the most positive manner. Who then
shall we find to reconcile them, and show us what we ought to think of a
history so differently related? The church. But what is the church? A body
composed of the spiritual guides of the Christians. Have these guides been
witnesses of the actions and miracles so differently related by Paul and
his historian? No; they know nothing of them but by a tradition, contested
even in the times of the first Christians, but since confirmed by a
revelation of the Holy Ghost, who never, according to them, ceases to
enlighten his church. How are we to know if the church is continually
inspired? She herself says so, and there is, she says, the greatest danger
in doubting this. It would be to resist the Holy Ghost who is identified
with the church, and who makes common cause with her; a crime which will
never be forgiven either in this world or in the next. Of all sins the
most unpardonable is to resist the clergy.
CHAPTER XXIV. General reflections on the foundations of Christian Faith,
and on the Causes of Credulity
These then are the only foundations of faith! Christians are obliged to
believe that St. Paul was neither an enthusiast nor a cheat, because the
church has decided that he was divinely inspired: the church has decided
this important point of belief, according to the Acts of the Apostles and
epistles, which, as we have shown, were both rejected by many sects of the
primitive Christians, and which, as we have proved in the course of this
work, are filled with contradictions and absurdities.
Nevertheless no Christian now dares to doubt of the authenticity of these
books. These works are regarded as sacred by the universal church, by
Christians of all sects, who with the exception notwithstanding of some
considerable and important variations, read them in the same manner and
entertain for them the same veneration. What can we oppose to this
unanimity? The example of Mahomet. This prophet who is at this day equally
revered by all sects of Mussulmen, was at first regarded as an impostor at
Mecca, whence he was compelled to fly. His Koran now become the rule and
code of a clergy, supported by princes and powerful nations, was at first
considered as a tissue of fables compiled by imposture. This unanimity of
the Mahometans, in acknowledging the sanctity of Mahomet, and the divinity
of the Koran proves no more in their favour, than the agreement of all
sects of Christians in admitting the Saintship of Paul, and the
inspiration of his writings, proves in favour of the Apostle and his
wonderful epistles.
It is the property of habit to change the appearance of things, men by
degrees become familiar with that which at first disgusted them; time is
able to confound truth and falsehood; clearly proved deceptions, finish by
becoming undoubted facts to the ignorant, the idle, and those either too
much occupied, or involved in dissipation to examine, and these are the
majority of mankind. The most palpable imposture when it has existed a
length of time, acquires a solidity which nothing can shake: that which
has been believed by many for ages appears to have a real foundation, and
to have at least a claim to probability. When once time has obliterated
the traces of imposture, they are difficult to detect, and most men find
it easier to stick to received opinions than to undergo the painful task
of examining what they ought to think.
Such are the true causes of the indolence that men generally show, as
often as they are called upon to give a reason for their religious
notions, they are contented to follow the current. Besides when prejudice
is supported by force, and becomes necessary to the interests of a
powerful body, it is dangerous to combat it, and few men have the courage
to oppose deceptions, approved by the world, and authorised by the
governing powers.
On the other hand error, when habitual passes for truth, and is equally
agreeable. We hold fast to our vices and prejudices, the virtues and
opinions which are opposed to them, appear ridiculous or disagreeable. It
is this natural disposition of the human, species, which, by little and
little, imbue nations with the most extravagant opinions, absurd fables,
and ill-digested systems.
No, artifice was; ever better imagined, nor trick was ever more calculated
to deceive the vulgar than that of divine inspiration. Upon this is
founded all the religions in the world; it is to this marvellous invention
that the priests of the whole earth are indebted for their authority,
their riches, and their existence. When a man tells us, that he is
divinely inspired, it is difficult for most men to ascertain whether he
lie, or speak the truth. God never contradicts those who make him speak,
on the contrary those impostors who deceive in his name generally perform
miracles and prodigies, and these miracles and prodigies, are to the short
sighted multitude undoubted signs of divine favor.
Shall we then judge those who are inspired by their conduct? They
generally take care to impose on us by their disinterestedness, patience,
and mildness of behaviour, and it can hardly be supposed that such
moderate men could have formed the design of deceiving or gaining power.
It is only when they have gently insinuated themselves into men's minds,
that we find ambition, avarice, and passions of the missionary develope
themselves: it is after having won over the multitude, that their empire
discovers itself; and they exact with pride, the tribute and respect due
to the organs of heaven, and the messengers of the most high.
These are the means by which Christianity has been established, the
manoeuvres have been practised by our great Apostle, and all those who
have assisted in disseminating his doctrine. His own experience often made
Paul sensible, that his pride and fiery disposition, were frequently
obstacles to his mission; thus we see him sometimes doa violence to his
character, take the air of mildness and humility, so much better suited,
to insinuate into mens good opinions than arrogance and pride. He only
assumes the tone of the master, when he knows his ground; then he
threatens, thunders, and displays his authority. Does a dispute arise
between himself and an associate? He resists him to his face; he makes the
church feel how necessary he is to the cause; and avails himself of it, to
exhibit his authority, His example has been at all times faithfully
followed by the heads of the Christian religion. Humble, mild, patient,
tolerant, and disinterested whenever they have been weak, they become
haughty, quarrelsome, intolerant, avaricious, and rebellious subjects to
princes whenever they were certain of their empire over the people. It was
then that they prescribed laws, crushed their enemies, plundered the
people, and caused kings to tremble at the name of the God whose
interpreters they declared themselves to be.
The heads of the Christian religion have at all times made those opinions,
most comfortable to their own interest pass for divine oracles. The Holy
Ghost has had no other function, than to serve for a cloak to their
intrigues, passions, and pretensions. The works of our Apostle furnished
quarrelsome priests with arguments for injuring each other; his disjointed
reveries, his obscure mysteries, and his ambiguous oracles, were an
arsenal whence the most opposite parties procured arms to combat
incessantly. In short the writings inspired by a God who was desirous of
instructing mankind, have only served to plunge nations in darkness.
Guides enlightened by the Holy Ghost saw no clearer than the ignorant,
into mysteries, they continually presented to them by an unintelligible
system. These great doctors were agreed upon nothing, each one sought to
gain adherents whom he excited against the enemies of his own opinions,
which he regarded as those only approved by heaven. Thence arose
animosities, hatred, persecutions, and wars, which have a thousand times
spread trouble and desolation among Christians, blind enough to follow men
who pretended to be led by the Holy Ghost, while it was evident, that the
only spirit which inspired them, was that of pride, ambition, obstinacy,
vengeance, avarice, and rebellion.
CONCLUSION.
Let us then be careful, oh! my friends, of allowing ourselves to be guided
by inspired persons. Deceivers, or enthusiasts, they will only lead us
into errors destructive of our peace. Let us consult reason, so decried by
men, whose interest it is to extinguish a light which is able to show us
the plots of their dark policy, this reason will inform us that
contradictory works do not merit our belief; that a turbulent, ambitious
and enthusiastic Apostle, may have been a very useful Saint to the church,
and a very bad citizen. This reason will convince us, that a God filled
with wisdom could never inspire men with systems, in which folly is the
most prominent feature; that a God who is the author of reason could never
have called for its immolation, before the shrine of fable, and pretended
mystery incapable of producing any thing but evil and dissension upon the
earth. Let us be just, benevolent, peaceable, let us leave to St. Paul,
and to those who take him for a model, their lofty ambition, their
turbulent fanaticism, their obstinate vanity, their persecuting spirit,
and above all things their bitter zeal, which they term an interest for
the salvation of souls. Let us show to all men not an evangelic charity
which is converted into fury and hatred, but a real charity which inspires
us with love, peace, indulgence, and humanity. May this charity so much
boasted of, and so little practised, by St. Paul and his successors, be
the rule of our conduct, and the standard of our judgments on men and
their opinions. Examine all things, and hold fast that which is good. Let
us not be blinded by the prejudices, of infancy, of habit, or of
authority. Let us not be imposed upon by the pompous names of Paul, of
Cephas, or of Apollos; but let us seek the truth and follow reason, which
can never lead astray, nor render us troublesome members of society.
FINIS.
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