That St. Paul also revisited the East results from the Pastoral Epistles ; and even critics who, like Harnack (o.c. p. 239, n. 3), reject these Epistles as a whole, admit that genuine accounts of St. Paul'.'t movements after his release have been in- corporated in them. Put for the journey to Ephesus and Macedonia (1 Ti 1^), for the evangeli- zation of Crete (Tit 1°), for the final visits to Troas, iMiletus, and perhaps Corinth (2Ti 4"-*'), for the winter at Nicojiolis (in Ejiirus ; Tit 3'*),* a second eighteen months are required.
Thus three full years, though not necessarily more, appear to have elapsed between St. Paul's departure from and return to Home ; and it follows that if his martyrdom in the first great outbreak of Nero's persecution holds good, of the two alter- native years to which his release was narrowed d&wn (No. 9, above), A.D. 61 has an advantage over A.D. 62, and A.D. 56, 58 over A.D. 67, 59 as the years of liis arrest at Jerusalem and of his journey as a prisoner to Komo.
So far, then, ten points from Jewish and secular history have been fixed with more or less prob- ability : (1) Aretas in possession of Damascus, certainly not before A.D. 34, probably not before A.D. 37 ; (2) Herod Agrippa I. 8 death, probably iu A.l>. 44; (3) the famine in Jerusalem, not before A.D. 46; (4) the proconsulate of Sergius Paulus in Cyprus, not in A.D. 51, 52 ; (5) the expulsion of the Jews from Rome, perhaps in A.D. 49 or 50 ; (6) the proconsulship of Gallio in Achaia, probably not before A.D. 49 or 50 ; (7) the marriage of Drusilla with Felix, not before A.D. 54 ; (8) the appointment of Felix as procurator of Juda;a in A.D. 52, and his recall in one of the years A.D. 57-59; (9) of these three years the first seems to be excluded by the note about the days of unleavened bread ; (10) and the third seems to be excluded by the calculation of the necessary interval between St. Paul's hearing before Festus and his martyrdom in A.D. 64 (64-05). Thus the crucial date of Festus' arrival seems to l>e established as A.D. 58, and therefore the close of the Acts after St. Paul's two years" captivity at Home as A.D. 61 ; and a sort of framework is erected into which the details to be gathered, first, from the comprehensive history of the Acts, and, secondly, from the fragmentary notices in the Epistles, have now to be inserted.
{.A) The Acts ; second half (<-hs. 13-28). For the special criticism of this book, see AtT.s oK Tin: Al'OSTI.ES. More need not be .said here than that Ac is accepted in what follows as containing, on the whole, an accurate and tnistwortliy picture of events between Pentecost and St. Paul's (lirst) Koman captivity, A.D. 29-61. The picture is cut np, as it were, into six panels, each labelled with a general suinmary of progress ; and with so careful
' Tlial is, If St. TauI'B intention to wint«r thure was carried
an artist, the divisions thus outlined are, in the absence of more precise ilnln, the natural starting point of investigation, (i.) First periud, 1'. The Church in Jems., and the preaching of St. Peter : summary in 6' ' and the word of God was in- creasing, and the number of disciples in Jerus. was being greatly multiplied, and a large number of the priests were becoming obedient to the faith.' (ii.) Haund period, 6". Extension of the Chuicli through Pal. ; the preaching of St. Stephen ; troubles with the Jews : suinmary in 9^' ' the Church throughout all Galilee and Juda;a and Samaria was having peace, being built up, and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the con- solation of the Holy Spirit was being multiplied.' (iii. ) Third period, 9'-. 1 he extension of the Church to Antioch; St. Peter's conversion of Cornelius; further troubles with the Jews : summary in 12-^ ' and the word of the Lord was increasing and being multiplied.' (iv.) Fourth period, 12-°. Ex- tension of the Church to Asia Minor ; preaching of St. Paul iu ' Galatia ' ; troubles with the Jewish Christians : summary in 16' ' the Churches liien were being conlirmed in the faith, and were abounding more in number dailj'.' (v.) Fifthpcriod, Iti*. Extension of the Church to Europe ; St. Paul's missionary work in the great centres, such as Corinth and Ejihesus : summary in 19'-" 'so forcibly wiis the word of the Lord increasing and prevailing.' (vi.) Sixth period, 19-'. Extension of the Chinch to Rome ; St. Paul's captivities : sum- marizeil m 28" ' proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching the things concerning the Lord Jesus Christ with all boliiness unhindered.'
t)f these six sections the [protagonist in the first three is St. Peter, in the last three St. Paul ; and the two halves into whicli the book thus naturally falls make almost equal divisicms at the middle of tlie wliole period covered. But the further con- sideration of the earlier half may best be post- poned until the rich chronological material of the later sections has been set in order.
starting -point of St. PauTt First Missionary Journey (iBt II. J., Ac i;l^).— The summary which closes the thini section of tile Acta inten-enes between the notices of the death ol Herod A>;ni>pa I. (A.D. 44 ; see No. 2, above), and of the completion of 88. Paul and Harnabas' famine ' ministry' at Jems. ; so that it appears a letfitimate inference that between these two events some considerable interval elapsed. Fnrtiier. as there was no faiiiino before the year A.D. 4C (No. 3. above), the deleijates can scarcely have returned eoj-jier to Antioch, unlesa the Antiochene Church had not merely bejfun to collect contributions in anticipation, which was natural enough, but had closed their fund before the famine was he.ini of, which does not seem natural at all. Cer- tainly, if the delc^^ates helped to admtniBt«r the rehef, the year 4C is the earliest possible.