discussion, by Zahn, tlie Nestor of NT criticism, takes the o])posite view (Introdurtion to the ST, 'A vols., 1909, ii. 1-133), wliicli is tlie prevalent one in England and America, tliouKli some recent scholars, like Mollatt {L.\T, p. 39.'>tr.), Hacon {op. cit., p. 375), and Garvie {Stuilies of Paul and his Gospel, p. .SO n.), have gone over to the other side. It cannot be denied tliat anyone passing from Col. and Eph. into these Epistles would feel himself in a dillerent intelleclnal atmosphere, thonj;li he would feel tliis much less if lie made the transition from 1 and 2 Cor., tlie subjects handled in which are more akin to those taken up here. The question is, whether the change can be sulticiently accounted for by the fact tliat the author is writ- ing to individuals instead of churches, his corre- spondents being disciples intimately acquainted with liis doctrine, so that he does not require to repeat what they ahead}' know. Much is made by opponents of the Pauline author.ship of the number of words in these Epistles used by St. Paul only once, the number of these being stated by Moliatt at 180. This sounds fatal ; but on reflexion the discerning reader will perceive that such a figure has no value unless we know what is the writer's habit in this respect. Whatever may be the reason for it, St. Paul employs more of these Hira^ Xeydiieva, as they are called, the longer he writes, the proportion to the chapter being, roughly speak- ing, 5 in Thess., 7 in Rom., 8 in Eph. and Col., 10 in Phil., and 13 in the Pastoral Epistles ; so that actually a convincing argument against the Pauline authorship could have been fashioned out of the number had it been small. There are frequent coincidences of thought such as would not easily have occurred to an imitator; note, e.g., the lists of sins in 1 Ti P- 1" and 2 Ti 3'■^ and cf. 'Ro P^ 1 Co 6'' ■", Gal 5'*- -" ; and tliere are passages which may be said to contain the very essence of Paulinism, such as 1 Ti 2''-«, 2 Ti P- 1», Tit 2'--''' S"""'. Against the Pauline authorship it is contended that ecclesi- astical development is more advanced than in the Epistles which are certainly St. Paul's. But, with the exception of what is said about female officials — and what is said about them is the reverse of distinct — the office-bearers are the same as are found in Acts and Phil., and it is highly significant of an early date that not the slightest hint is given of any distinction between bishops and elders, Tit P'' clearly proving these to be identical ; whereas in the Ignatian Epistles, at no great dis- tance in time, the di.stinction has become very marked, if indeed the passages are genuine, as they are held to be by both Lightfoot (The Apos- tolic Fathers, pt. ii., ' Ignatius,' i.= [1889]) and Zahn (Ignatius von Antiochien, 1873). The principal con- sideration is, however, the moral one. Let any- one read the references to St. Paul himself in these Epistles (1 Ti l"-2» 2' 3"- ^^ 2 Ti p-'s 2»- '» 3i''- " i^--^. Tit !'•' 3'^-'°), and say whether anyone but St. Paul could have written these words without knowing himself to be guilty of misrepresentation and falseliood. It is obvious that the author is a good man, and that be writes for a holy purjiose. Could such a person be guilty of such deceit ? It is said that the ideas of literary property which we now recognize did not then prevail. But what proof of this is there ? The nearest approach that Motl'att can think of to this pseudonymous author- ship is the composition of the romance entitled Paul and Thecla ; but the author of that foolish and lying production was deposed for his pains. Gnostics, it is true, composed abundance of pseud- onymous literature, and weak adherents of ortho- doxy sometimes imitated them ; but in the Pastoral Epistles we have to do with .a personage and an enter|irise of a totally dillerent character. As Kamsay has remarked, there are not a few traits
of St. Paul's genius which we should miss were it not for these unique writings.
The K/n.-^llf to the. Ilcliriws has sometimes been attributed to St. Paul. But there is no superscrip- tion making this claim, and the language and ideas are so (iift'erent from St. I'aul's that scholar- ship has long since, with ]iractical unanimity, decided against the Pauline authorship.
2. Life. — (a) Early in/liienres. — St. Paul was a Jew ; he was born at Tarsus, in Cilicia ; and he inherited the Roman citizenship. In these three clauses is indicated his connexion with the three great influences of the ancient world — the religion of Palestine, the language and culture of Greece, and the government of Rome.
In his case the first of these was the oldest and the deepest infiuence. We hear little or nothing of his parents ; a sister's son intervened at one point with good effect in his earthly fortunes ; but all the indications suggest that he w.as reared in a religious home. He speaks of himself as ' circum- cised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews ; as touching the law, a Pharisee' (Ph 3'); and these terms betoken an intensely Jewish atmosphere. Still, he was born not in the land of the Jews, but in the territory of the heathen. Cilicia was not very far from Palestine ; but any heathen country was ' far off' in a sense other than local. This distance St. Paul was sure to feel ; yet he could boast of his birthplace as being ' no mean city ' (Ac 21'"). It was beautifully situated at the foot of the Cilician hills and at the mouth of the Catarrhactes ; it was a place of cosmopolitan trade ; and it was a university city — the very place in which the man should be born whose destiny it was to be to break down ' the middle wall of par- tition ' (Eph 2''') and become the Apostle of the Gentiles. A freer air blew round his head from i the first than if he had been born at Jerusalem. ^ There were several Avays in which the Roman citizenship could be acquired, and it is not known through which of these it came into St. Paul's family; but he was 'freeborn' (Ac 22-^). Even to a Jewish boy of sensitive nature this would impart a certain self-consciousness ; but it was to become of enormous consequence in his subsequent career, probably even saving his life.