PAUL
802
PAUL
the Church of Christ, distinguished, not only by the number of believers, but also by the variety and the fruitfiilness of the teaching to be given there. At this time Paul himself stayed there for a year and six months, " teaching the Word of God among them."
Corinth was the chief city of the province of Achaia, and the residence of the proconsul. During Paul's stay, we find the proconsular office held by Gallio, a brother of the philosopher Seneca. See Gallio. Before him the apostle was summoned by his Jewish enemies, who hoped to bring the Koman authority to bear upon him as an innovator in religion. But Gallio perceived at once, before Paul could "open his mouth" to defend himself, that the movement was due to Jewish preju- dice, and refused to go into the question. "If it be a question of words and names and of your law," he said to the Jews, speaking with the tolerance of a Roman magistrate, "look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters." Then a singular scene occurred. The Corinthian spectators, either favoring Paul, or actuated only by anger against the Jews, seized on the principal person of those who had brought the charge, and beat him before the judgment-seat. (See on the other hand Ewald, Geschichte, vi, 463-4G6.) Gallio left these re- ligious quarrels to settle themselves. The apostle there- fore was not allowed to be "hurt," and remained some time longer at Corinth unmolested. See Corinth.
We do not gather from the subsequent Epistles to the Corinthians many details of the founding of the Church at Corinth. The main body of the believers consisted of Gentiles (" Ye know that ye were Gen- tiles," 1 Cor. xii, 2). But, partly from the number who had been proselytes, partly from the mixture of Jews, it had so far a Jewish character that Paul could speak of "o«/- fathers" as having been under the cloud (1 Cor. X, 1). The tendency to intellectual display, and the traffic of Sophists in philosophical theories, which pre- vailed at Corinth, made tlie apostle more than usually anxious to be independent in his life and simple in bear- ing his testimony. He wrought for his living, that he might not appear to be taking fees of his pupils (1 Cor. ix, 18) ; and he put the person of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, in the place of all doctrines (1 Cor. ii, 1-5 ; XV, 3, 4). What gave infinite significance to his sim- ple statements was the nature of the Christ who had been crucified, and his relation to men. Concerning these mysteries Paul had uttered a wisdom, not of the world, but of God, which had commended itself chiefly to the humble and simple. Of these God had chosen and called not a few " into the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ the Lord of men" (I Cor. ii, 6, 7 ; i, 2, 7, 9).
Having been the instrument of accomplishing this work, Paul took his departure for Jerusalem, wishing to attend a festival there. A.D. 51. Before leaving Greece, he cut oft" his hair at Ccnchrea, in fulfilment of a vow (Acts xviii, 18. The act may he that of Aquila, but the historian certainly seems to be speaking not of him, but of Paul). We are not told where or why he had made the vow; and there is considerable difficult)' in reconciling this act with the received customs of the Jews. See Vow. A passage in Josephus, if rightly understood {War, ii, 15, 1), mentions a vow which in- cluded, besides a sacritice, the cutting of the hair and the beginning of an abstinence from wine thirty daA's before the sacritice. If Paul's was such a vow, he was going to offer up a sacritice in the Temple at Jerusalem, and the "shearing of Ids head" was a preliminary to the sacritice. The principle of the vow, whatever it was, must have been the same as that of the Nazaritish vow, which Paul afterwards countenanced at Jerusalem. There is therefore no ditliculty in supposing him to have followed in this instance, for some reason not ex- plained to us, a custom of his countrj'men. — When he .sailed from the Isthmus, Aquila and Priscilla went with him as far as Ephesus. Paul paid a visit to the syna- gogue at Epliesus, but would not stay. He was anxious to be at Jerusalem for the approaching feast, but he
promised, God willing, to return to them again. Leav- ing Ephesus, he sailed to Cwsarea, and from thence went up to Jerusalem, and " saluted the Church." It is argued (Wieseler, p. 48-50), from considerations found- ed on the suspension of navigation during the winter months, that the festival was probably the Pentecost. From Jerusalem, almost immediately, the apostle went down to Antioch, thus returning to the same place from which he had started with Silas.
8. Third Missionary Journey, including the Stay at Ephesus (Acts xviii, 23-xxi, 17). — Without inventing facts or discussions for which we have no authoritj', we may connect with this short visit of Paul to Jerusalem a very serious raising of the whole question. What was to be the relation of the new kingdom of Christ to the law and covenant of the Jews? Such a Church as that at Corinth, with its affiliated communities, composed chiefly of Gentile members, appeared likely to over- shadow b)' its importance the INIother-Church in Judsea. The jealousy of the more Judaical believers, not ex- tinguished by the decision of the council at Jerusalem, began now to show itself everywhere in the form of an active and intriguing party-spirit. This disastrous movement could not indeed alienate the heart of Paul from the law or the calling or the people of his fathers — his antagonism is never directed against these; but it drew him into the great conflict of the next period of his life, and must have been a sore trial to the in- tense loyalty of his nature. To vindicate \\\e. fi-eedom, as regarded the Jewish law. of believers in Christ — but to do this for the very sake of maintaining the unity of the Church — was to be the earnest labor of the apostle for some years. In thus laboring he was carrying out completely the principles laid down by the elder apostles at Jerusalem ; and maj' we not believe that, in deep sorrow at appearing, even, to disparage the law and the covenant, he was the more anxious to prove his fellow- ship in spirit with the Church in Judtea, by "remem- bering the poor," as "James, Cephas, and John" had desired that he would? (Gal. ii, 10). The prominence given, during the journeys upon which we are now en- tering, to the collection to be made among his churches for the benefit of the poor at Jerusalem, seems to indi- cate such an anxiety. The great Epistles which be- long to this period — those to the Galatians, Corinthians, and Romans — show how the " Judaizing" question ex- ercised at this time the apostle's mind.