>;•;<;•;•
ST. PAUL THE TRAVELLER AND THE ROMAN CITIZEN
(Through the liberality of Mr. Henry A. Morgan, Aurora, N.Y.).
la the Theological Seminary of Auburn in the State of New York, 1894.
MANSFIELD COLLEGE LECTURES, 1895. ST. PAUL AS A CITIZEN OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE.
&*
THE MORGAN LECTURES FOR i8g4
To ANDREW MITCHELL, Esq.,
The Walk Housk, Alloa
My Dear Cncle,
In my undergraduate days, a residence in Gbttingen during the Long Vacation of 1874 was a critical point in my life. Then for tJie Jirst time, under the tuition of Professor Theodor Benfey, / came into close relations with a great scJiolar of the modern type, and gained some insight into modern methods of literary investigation; and viy thoughts have ever since turned towards tlte border lands between European and Asiatic civilisation. That visit, like many other things, I owe to you ; and now I send you the result, such as it is, the best that I can do, asking that yoit will allow it to go Jbrth with your name attaclied to it.
I remain alzvays, your affectionate nephew,
King's College, Aberdeen, 17th September, 189&
325290
When I was honoured by the invitation of Auburn Theological Seminary, I referred the matter to my friends, Dr. Fairbairn and Dr. Sanday, who knew what were my circumstances and other duties. On their advice the invitation was accepted ; and it included the condition that the lectures must be published. In revising the printed sheets I have felt strongly the imperfections of the exposition ; but I can feel no doubt about the facts themselves, which seem to stand out so clear and distinct, that one has only to look and write. Hence I have not with- drawn from any of the positions maintained in my Church in the Roman Empire before 170 (apart from incidental imperfections). The present work is founded on the results for which evidence is there accumulated; but, in place of its neutral tone, a
definite theory about the composition of Acts is
vii
viii Preface.
here maintained (see p. 383 f.). Many references were made, at first, to pages of that work, and of my Cities and Bishoprics of Phrygia (1895), where views here assumed were explained and defended ; but they had an egotistic appearance, and, on the advice of a valued friend, have been cut out from the proof-sheets.
I use in Acts the canons of interpretation which I have learned from many teachers (beyond all others from Mommsen) to apply to history ; and 1 have looked at Paul and Luke as men among men. My aim has been to state the facts of Paul's life simply, avoiding argument and controversy so far as was possible in a subject where every point is controverted. I have sometimes thought of a supplementary volume of Elucidations of Early Christian History, in which reasons should be stated more fully.1
It is impossible to find anything to say about Acts that has not been said before by somebody.
1 Articles in The Expositor, Apr.-Aug., 1895 (part of my Auburn material, excluded by the plan of this book) have that object ; also two articles, Sept. and Oct.