The History of Christianity - John S. C. Abbott (bookstand for reading .txt) 📗

of the small province of Judæa. Agrippa was king of the whole of Syria, of which Judæa was but one of the provinces; and he also included within his realms other dominions, whose limits cannot now be very accurately defined. It so happened, that, at this time, Agrippa, with his sister Bernice, paid a complimentary visit to the new governor of Judæa at Cæsarea, and remained with Festus several days. He was a Jew, and was thoroughly acquainted with Jewish law. Festus, who was much embarrassed by the position in which he found himself placed in reference to Paul, consulted Agrippa concerning the affair. The account which he gave of the case to Agrippa is quite curious.

“There is a certain man,” said he, “left in bonds by Felix; about whom, when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me, desiring to have judgment against him. To whom I answered, It is not the manner of the Romans to deliver any man to die before that he which is accused have the accusers face to face, and have license to answer for himself concerning the crime laid against him. Therefore, when they were come hither, without any delay on the morrow I sat on the judgment-seat, and commanded the man to be brought forth; against whom, when the accusers stood up, they brought none accusation of such things as I supposed, but had certain questions against him of their own superstition, and of one Jesus, which was dead, whom Paul affirmed to be alive. And, because I doubted of such manner of questions, I asked him whether he would go to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these matters; but, when Paul had appealed to be reserved unto the hearing of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I might send him to Cæsar.”162

The curiosity of Agrippa was excited, and he requested that Paul might be brought before him. Accordingly, the next day, the king and his sister, with great pomp, entered the audience-chamber. The king took his seat in the judicial chair, and was attended by a brilliant suite of military officers, and of the most distinguished men of Cæsarea. Before this august assemblage Paul was led. In the following ceremonious speech, Festus described the circumstances under which the prisoner had been left in his charge:—

“King Agrippa, and all men which are here present with us, ye see this man, about whom all the multitude of the Jews have dealt with me, both at Jerusalem and also here, crying that he ought not to live any longer. But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself hath appealed to Augustus, I have determined to send him. Of whom I have no certain thing to write unto my lord. Wherefore I have brought him forth before you, and specially before thee, O King Agrippa! that, after examination had, I might have somewhat to write; for it seemeth to me unreasonable to send a prisoner, and not withal to signify the crimes laid against him.”163

Agrippa then condescendingly said to the prisoner that he was permitted to speak for himself. Paul opened his defence with the following words:—

“I think myself happy, King Agrippa, because I shall answer for myself this day before thee touching all the things whereof I am accused of the Jews; especially because I know thee to be expert in all customs and questions which are among the Jews: wherefore I beseech thee to hear me patiently.”

He then briefly recounted his early history, narrating in full the circumstances which attended his conversion to the religion of Jesus. After speaking of the vision which appeared to him on the road to Damascus, before whose brilliancy all had fallen to the earth, he said,—

“I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said, Who art thou, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet; for I have appeared unto thee for this purpose,—to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the people and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by faith that is in me.

“Whereupon, O King Agrippa!” continued Paul, “I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision; but showed first unto them of Damascus and at Jerusalem, and throughout all the coasts of Judæa, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, and do works meet for repentance.

“For these causes the Jews caught me in the temple, and went about to kill me. Having, therefore, obtained help of God, I continue unto this day, witnessing both to small and great, saying none other things than those which the prophets and Moses did say should come,—that Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people and to the Gentiles.”

As Paul thus alluded to the resurrection of the dead, he was interrupted in his discourse by Festus, the unbelieving Roman, exclaiming with a loud voice,—

“Paul, thou art beside thyself: much learning doth make thee mad.”

Paul turned to the governor, and said courteously, “I am not mad, most noble Festus, but speak forth the words of truth and soberness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely; for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him.”

Then, addressing the king himself, who, as we have said, was a Jew, he added, “King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest.”

The arguments of Paul had been so rational and irresistible, that Agrippa seems to have been intellectually convinced by them; for he thoughtfully replied, “Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.”

Paul, whose heart ever glowed with Christian love for all his fellow-men, answered, “I would to God that not only thou, but also all that hear me this day, were both almost and altogether such as I am, except these bonds!”

This terminated the interview. Agrippa, in conferring with his council, found them unanimously of the opinion that Paul had done nothing worthy of death or of bonds. He therefore said to Festus, “This man might have been set at liberty if he had not appealed unto Cæsar.” But it was now too late. Paul had made his appeal; and nothing remained but to send him, by the first opportunity, to Rome. There was a ship in port from Adramyttium which was engaged in the coasting-trade, and which was to touch at various ports in Asia Minor.

Paul, with two companions,—Luke, and Aristarchus from Thessalonica,—was embarked on board this ship. There were other prisoners in the ship, and they were under charge of a guard of soldiers, with Julius, their commanding-officer. The day after sailing, they touched at Sidon, sixty-seven miles north from Cæsarea. Julius treated his prisoner very courteously; and, as there was a church in this place, he was allowed to go ashore “unto his friends to refresh himself.” Leaving Sidon, they sailed across what is called the Sea of Cilicia, leaving the Island of Cyprus on their left, being driven to this circuitous route by contrary winds, till they reached the city of Myra, a large seaport in the province of Lycia.

At Myra they found a ship from Alexandria in Egypt bound for Italy. The prisoners were placed on board this ship, which must have been one of considerable size, as it conveyed, with crew and passengers, two hundred and seventy-six souls. Calms and head-winds delayed their passage, so that it was “many days” before they reached the Island of Cnidus, which was but a hundred and thirty miles from Myra. The wind and the current still opposing them, they, finding themselves unable to sail directly across the Ægean Sea, ran down to the southward; and having doubled Cape Salmone, the most easterly cape of the Island of Crete, they sailed along the southern coast of that island, sheltered from the north winds, a distance of about a hundred and fifty miles, until they came to a celebrated harbor, or roadstead, called the Fair Havens. There was no settlement here upon the shore; but the city of Lasea was situated a few miles inland. Winter had now come; and fierce storms swept the Mediterranean, rendering navigation quite perilous. Upon leaving Myra, they had hoped to reach Italy before the dangerous season should arrive; but the untoward weather had detained them, and there were still many weary leagues of a tempestuous sea to be passed over before they could cast anchor in the Tiber.

The question was anxiously deliberated, whether they should still brave the peril of the seas. Paul, probably speaking, not by inspiration, but from his own natural intelligence and caution, warned them, that, if they continued their voyage, not only would the safety of the ship be imperilled, but also the lives of all on board; but as the present anchorage was incommodious to winter in, and there was no other good harbor near, it was decided, notwithstanding the warning of Paul, to continue the voyage.

About fifty miles west of the Fair Havens, on the southern coast of the Island of Crete, was the seaport of Phenice. Some who had been there spoke of that harbor as a safe one, and urged, that, at all hazards, they should try to reach Phenice, where they could winter if it were deemed expedient. Taking advantage of a gentle south wind, they were sailing close by the southern shore of Crete, when suddenly a very fierce tempest arose from the north-east,—a hurricane, probably such as is now called a Levanter, but then called Euroclydon,—and they were driven helplessly before it, in hourly peril of being ingulfed.

About forty miles off the southern coast of Crete was situated the small Island of Clauda. Under the lee of this island, they succeeded with great difficulty in saving the small boat which was attached to the ship, and which had been in great peril of being staved to pieces. The fury of the wind and waves was such, that there was danger that the over-strained planks would open seams, so that the ship would founder. To obviate this danger, heavy cables were passed around the ship, slipping them over the bows, and tightening them upon deck, so as to bind the loosening planks together. Still the gale was driving them at its mercy towards the coast of Africa.

Near that coast there were two dangerous quicksands, ever shifting their places under the wash of the surging sea, so that their position could never be laid down with certainty in any chart. The storm raged with increasing fury until the third day, when they endeavored to lighten the ship by throwing over a portion of her cargo. Still the days and nights of peril came and went. Thick clouds darkened the sky. Neither sun nor stars were visible. All reckoning was lost, as the shifting gale drove them they knew not whither. During this terrible tempest, the suffering of body and mind was such, and the labors of the crew so incessant, that there had been no opportunity for receiving food. All now seemed to have surrendered themselves to despair. The opening seams indicated that the ship must soon founder. In this hour of extremity, Paul said to the officers,—

“Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. And now I exhort you to be of good cheer; for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among