fabbath, which however, as far as we have any knowledge of this matter, they did not confider as indifpenfably neceffary for the converts from Heathenifm. But the feducers or difturbers of the Galatians went much greater lengths, and maintained the neceffity of obferving the whole of the Levitical law, including not only circumcifion, and an abftinence from all meats deemed unclean, but also an obfervance of all the Jewish festivals, and even of the fabbatical year, which was never defigned to be obferved in any other country than Paleftine. It appears that they began their reformation with exercifing the rite of circumcifion: and therefore St. Paul warns the Galatians, ch. v. 2. 3. not to submit to it, because by this ceremony they would profefs themfelves to be Jews, and therefore lay themselves under the obligations of the Jewish law. Perfons of a fimilar description with thofe, who disturbed the Galatians, had difquieted the Chriftians in Antioch, till they were filenced by the Apoftles and Elders in Jerufalem. They were Jews of the New Pharifaic fect, founded by Judas Galilæus, a fect which in various points differed from the ancient Pharifees. The Apostle speaks of them not only in the Epiftle to the Galatians, ch. ii. 4. v. 10. II. vi. 12. 13. but likewife in his Epiftle to the Philippians, ch. i. 16. iii. 2. 18. 19.: and he defcribes them as men of really bad characters, whofe principal object was to enrich themselves at the expence of thofe, whom they pretended to convert. Nor is the picture which St. Paul has drawn of them in the leaft exaggerated: for it appears from the accounts of Jofephus, that he might have juftly represented them in a ftill more odious light. In was in fact this fect, which involved the Jewish nation in that war, which ended with the deftruction of Jeru falem, for they incited their countrymen to disobedience against the Roman Emperor, and to a refufal of the accustomed tribute. Under the mask of piety they committed

a Rom. xiv. 4. 5.

See the Mofaic Law, § 184, where I have given an extract from Jofephus, relative to this fect.

committed rapine and murder, even within the walls of the temple and their impetuofity was fuch, that they refpected not the power of the Romans, but provoked them to open hoftilities. They not only introduced themselves into the Chriftian communities, but pretended to preach even the Chriftian religion, as appears from the Epiftles to the Galatians and Ephefians. The old Pharifaic fect, as it existed in the time of Christ, encompaffed fea and land to make one profelyte, not because they wished to promote religion and virtue, but because they expected to be amply repaid for their miffion. Jofephus has related a remarkable inftance of four Jews, who had perfuaded Fulvia, a Roman lady of rank and fortune, to adopt their religion, and extorted from her confiderable fums, as prefents for the holy temple, which, instead of sending to Jerufalem, they retained in their own coffers: till the matter became publickly known, and was at length reported to Tiberius, who immediately ordered the Jews to leave Rome, and sent four thousand of them to Sardinia. As foon as the Chriftian religion began to spread itself among the Gentiles, and every where met with a favourable reception, they found their advantage in preaching Chriftianity, which they taught, as if it were nothing more than a reformed Judaism, and therefore they ftrictly enjoined the rite of circumcifion. In this manner they endeavoured to make the Chriftians become partly Jews, and by placing them as it were in the middle between the two religions, they acquired an opportunity of completing the converfion, as foon as circumftances, and their own profits, would permit.

St. Paul therefore in his Epiftle to the Galatians fpeaks of their feducers in feverer terms, than he has ufed on other occafions, efpecially in ch. i. 8. 9.

It

may be faid indeed that, as this Epiftle was the first which St. Paul wrote, the fire of youth is more confpicuous in this, than in any other: and that, fince it was written with his own hand, not dictated according to

• Matth. xxviii. 15.

Antiquit. xviii. 3. 5.

his

his fubfequent practice, the Apoftle more eafly gave way to the fuggeftions of his naturally warm difpofition. But if we reflect that the feducers of the Galatians were men of a different defcription from the weak brethren, whom he describes in other places, he might have used the fame severity of expreffion, at whatever time, and under whatever circumftances he wrote. In fact the propagation of Chriftianity could have met with no greater impediment, than that, which thefe perfons had thrown in its way: for they not only clogged the religion of Chrift with ceremonies which were become obsolete, but taught the obfervance of them as the true means of obtaining eternal falvation. Of those who thus adopt the Levitical law, St. Paul very properly fays, ch. v. 2. 'Behold, I Paul fay unto you that if ye be circumcifed, Chrift thall profit you nothing, and ver. 4. Chrift is become of no effect unto you, whofoever of you are juftified by the law; ye are fallen from grace'. Nor is the Epistle to the Galatians the only one, in which St. Paul has feverely reprimanded thofe, who infifted on the Levitical law as the means of falvation: for we find examples in the Epiftle to the Romans, ch. xvi. 17. 18. 20. and in that to the Philippians, ch. iii. 2, 18. 19, The Apostles alfo and Elders affembled in council at Jerufalem, reprefented thofe, who taught the neceffity of circumcifing the Gentile converts, as men who subverted the Souls of the Chriftians,

The principal arguments, ufed by, the feducers of the Galatians, were the following.

1. That the Apostles at Jerufalem, especially St, Peter, and likewife the whole church at Jerufalem, confidered circumcifion as neceffary: that St. Paul was only a deputy from that church, and that his doctrine was authoritative only fo far, as it agreed with the doctrine of the church of Jerufalem,' That the former part of this affertion

It is evident that St. Paul did not mean to include those, who retained circumcifion, merely through weakness of understanding, or a falfe tenderness of conscience.

* Ανασκευάζοντες τας Ψύχας ύμων. Απ. χν. 24.

1

affertion is falfe, appears both from Acts xv. 24. and from the two firft chapters of the Epiftle to the Galatians. And that the latter part is equally falfe appears from the fame Epiftle, where St. Paul fhews at large, that he was neither a miffionary from the church at Jerufalem, nor a difciple of the Apoftles, but an immediate Apostle of Chrift himself, that the Gofpel, which he preached, was delivered to him by a divine revelation, and that its truth therefore by no means depended on its agreement with what the other Apostles taught. It was abfolutely neceffary that St. Paul fhould be explicit on this fubject, becaufe, Galatia being at fome distance from Palestine, the inhabitants of that country could be the more eafily deceived in respect to the doctrines, which were taught by the Apostles and Elders in Jerufalem.

2. That St. Paul had altered his opinion, and now preached the Levitical law.' Galat. i. 8. 10. v. II. Perhaps they pleaded in fupport of this argument that St. Paul had ordered Timothy to be circumcifed fhortly before his first vifit to the Galatians. Acts xvi. 3. compared with Galat. ii. 3.

3. That all the promises of God were made to the pofterity of Abraham, and that whoever would partake of the bleffing upon Abraham, muft like Abraham be circumcifed. This objection St. Paul answers, ch. iiì. 7-iv. 18.

4. That Ifaiah had foretold an approaching converfion of the Gentiles, and had promifed children from among the Heathen to Jerufalem or Sion. If therefore the Gentiles defired to be children of Jerufalem they ought to conform to the worship and ceremonies of that church. In answer to this argument, St. Paul fhews ch. iv. 19-31. that these children were promifed, not to the Jewish, but to the ancient Jerufalem, where the true God was worshipped in the time of Melchifedek, without either temple or Levitical law.

There are two paffages in the Epiftle to the Galatians, ch. ii. 14. iv. 12. which seem to imply, that not only

St.

6

St. Paul, but even St. Peter when they were in company with heathens totally difregarded the Levitical law, and partook of meats, which the Jews confidered as unclean. It is true that this was no crime, fince the Levitical law had ceased to be binding: yet it was contrary to St. Paul's practice at other times, for as a native Jew, he himself still obferved the law. He even made the Nazarite vow, shaved his head at Cenchreæ, and then went up to Jerufalem to celebrate the approaching feftival and make the usual offerings: and a few years afterwards, when he was at Jerufalem for the last time, he repeated the Nazarite ceremonies, in order to convince the Jews, as is exprefsly faid, Acts xxi. 24., that he walked orderly and kept the law.' It may be afked therefore whether St. Peter and St. Paul obferved at one time, but difregarded at another, the Levitical law, according to the difference of the circumftances, in which they were placed. Tertullian, as appears from the paffage quoted at the beginning of the preceding fection, anfwers this queftion in the affirmative. But I would rather answer it in the negative, and affert that both St. Peter and St. Paul abftained in general from unclean meats, even when in company with heathens. In fact I cannot fuppofe, that any man, who had invited them into his house, could have violated the laws of hofpitality in fuch a manner, as to prefent them with meats, of which they as native Jews were not accustomed to partake. St. Peter especially, who paid great refpect to the Jewish ceremonies, would have carefully avoided a participation, which must have offended his countrymen, and confequently have diminished his own importance among them. And St. Paul had fo many enemies among the Jews, that, if in his own conduct he had openly violated the

i This question relates merely to the manner, in which themselves acted on different occafions: and is very different from the question, whether they taught different doctrines at different times.

* Acts x. xi.