a writer who had passed through the reign of Domitian, Sé. Paul, p. 387, and he dates its publication in the year immediately following 81 A.D., 1.6., in the early years of Domitian. But whilst Harnack’s language might be employed by one who even dated the book before the persecution of Nero, Ramsay maintains that there runs through the entire work a purpose which could hardly have been conceived before the State had begun to persecute on political grounds (p. 388). But when did this kind of persecution begin? The evidence for the origin of a definite State policy against the Christians points pre- sumably to Nero, and not to Vespasian, cf. Hardy, Christianity and the Roman Government, p. 80 (1890), Mommsen’s letter, Expositor, July, 1893, Hort, First Epistle of St. Peter, p. 3, Pullan, Early Chris- tianity, p. 106 ff., 1898. Professor Ramsay speaks of the Flavian policy as declaring Christianity illegal and proscribing the Name, but the first of the three Flavian emperors was Vespasian, and there is no positive evidence to refer the adoption of a definite State policy against the new religion to him (cf. Ramsay, Church in the Roman Empire, p. 256).
But if, from this point of view, there is nothing in the book itself to militate against an earlier date even than that mentioned by Ramsay and Harnack, are we justified in placing it, with Blass, before the fall of Jerusalem? Blass indeed would place it as early as 57-59 Α.Ρ., following St. Jerome, and the Gospel in 56, Evangelium secundum Lucam, p. Ixxix., Philology of the Gospels, p. 33 ff. But however this may be, Blass has done invaluable service by pointing out that there is nothing in St. Luke’s words, Luke xxi. 20 ff., which can give colour to the theory which regards them as a mere vatt- cinium post eventum, by showing that Daniel ix. 36 ff. already con- tained much which Luke is alleged to have added from his own knowledge of events already fulfilled, and by adding from modern history at least one remarkable prophecy and its fulfilment. Savona rola foretold as early as 1496 the capture of Rome, which happened in 1527, and he did this not merely in general terms but in detail ; his words were realised to the letter when the sacred Churches of St. Peter and St. Paul became, as the prophet had foretold, stables for the conquerors’ horses. The difficulties of foreseeing this capture of the Holy City at all by an army which would not have refrained from such an act of sacrilege are vividly depicted by Blass, Philology of the Gospels, p. 42 ff. .
1Cf. Evangelium secundum Lucam, p. viii., where he adds: ‘ Major utique Christus propheta quam Savonarola; hujus autem vaticinium longe difficilius fuit quam illius; nam hostis Romanus previderi poterat, exercitus Lutheranus non poterat”’.