and the First Epistle to Timothy. Assuming that the three Epistles were written in the same year, and that "the winter" spoken of in Titus iii. 12 and 2 Tim. iv. 20 is thti same winter, we get the following itinerary for St. Paul: Crete (Titus i. 3), Miletus (2 Tim. iii. 20), possibly Ephesus ( 1 Tim. i. 3), 'l'roas (2 Tim. iii. 13), Macedonia (1 Tim. i. 3), Corinth (2 Tim. iii. 20), Nicopolie (Titus iii. 12), Rome (2 Tim. i. 17; iv. 15-17). As, then, it is clear that when St. Paul left Crete he intended to go to Nicopolie, and as the places above enumerated lie exactly on the route which he probably would have taken, we conclude that the journey which we thus gather from 1 and 2 Timothy is that of which Titus furnishes us with the termintts a quo and the terminUB ad quem. Again, as the leaving Titus in Crete is the first incident disclosed in this journey from south to north, it is natural to suppose that this Epistle was written first, probably imme- diately after St. Paul left Crete, as the instructions in it would be needed immediately. Timothy would not be sent to Ephesus till a little later, probably from Miletus, and 1 Timothy would not be written till after he had been a short time there (1 Tim. i. 3)-written, perhaps, from Troas, with the intention of soon joining Timothy at Ephes1111 (1 Tim. iii. 14; iv. 13). St. Paul's intention probably was to go no further than Macedonia in the first instance (1 Tim. i. 3), and return from thence to Ephe81lll before going on to Nicopolie. But circumstances of which we know nothing led him on to Corinth, and he abandoned his intention of returning to EpheSUB. Did he send for Timothy to Macedonia when he found he could not go to Ephesus, and there part from him with many tears (2 Tim. i. 4)? Thie would well agree with the mention of the subsequent events relating to Demas, Crescens, Titus, Tychicus, and Erastue. But then there is the clause (2 Tim. iv. 20), "But Trophimus I left at Miletue sick." But that may have been added, as it were, out of its proper place, to account for the absence of the only other member of the missionary band not yet noticed. Demas, Crescens, Titus, Luke, Mark, Tychicus, Erastus, were all accounted for, and so he adds, .. Trophimus can't be with me, because I left him at Miletus sick, when I was on my way to Macedonia." The above theory also will explain the clause in 2 Tim. iv. 12 which has a good deal puzzled commentators. St. Paul, of course, would not bring Timothy away from Ephesus for any length of time without sending some one to take hie place. We learn from Titus iii. 12 that Tychious was one of those whom St. Paul contemplated sending to Crete to take Titus's place when he came to Nioopolis. He probably did send Artemas. Tychicus was therefore free; and so St. Paul, having summoned Timothy to Rome, tolls him that Tyohious will take his place at Ephesus during hie absence. But to follow St. Paul. From Corinth he appears to have gone to Nicopolis, because the mention of Titus as gone to Dalmatia seems to imply that he had met St. Paul at Nicopolis according to appointment, and from thence had boou sent by him to the neighbouring provinoe of Dalmau. X INTRODUCTION TO
when Crei-ccni; also went to Galati&. At Nicopolis, apparently, the first signs of danger began to show themselves; and Demas made some excuse for going to his native city of Theissalonica, leaving St. Paul to confront the danger without hiR aid. Whether he was arrested while at Nicopolis, which was in the proYince of Achaia, and taken to Rome as a prisoner, which seem1:, most probable, or whether he voluntarily, for reasons we know not of, sailed from Apollunia to Brundusium, and thence proceeded to Rome, and was seized and imprisoned there, we have no certain means of deciding. All that the existing doouments enable us to conolude with anything like certainty is that he did go on to Rome, and was a prisoner there when he wrote the Second Epistle to Timothy. The reasons for concluding that 2 Timothy was written from Rome are (1) the tradition that it wa..,;; at Rome that he was tried and condemned to death and suffered martyrdom. This tradition, though surprisingly vague, is constant and unanimous. The earliest witness, that of Clement or Rome, who could have told us all about it, is most provokingly indefinite. He tells us that Paul, after many sufferings, "having come to the boundary of the West, and having testified (p,aprvp~ua<;) before the rule rt> ( Twv -qyovp,lvwv), so departed from this world" (' 1 Epist. to the Corinth.,' o. 5). Dionysius, Bishop of Corinth (about A..D. 170), says that Peter and Paul both taught in Italy, and suffered martyrdom there at the same time(' Ap. Euseb.,' ii. 25). Caius the presbyter says that the "trophies of those who founded the Church of Rome (i.e. Peter and Paul) may be seen both at the Vatican and on the Via Ostia "-meaning the churches or monuments dedicated to them (ibid.). Eusebins also quoteti Tertullian as saying expressly that Nero was the first emperor who persecuted the Christians; that he was led on to the slaughter of the apostles, and that Paul's head was cut off at Rome its11lf, and Peter in like manner was crucified, in Nero's reign. Eusebius adds that this narrative is confirmed by the inticription ( 7rpoup71,n,;) still extant on their respective tombs at Rome. Eusebius also states in the following book (iii. J, 2) that St. Paul, having preached the Gospel from Jerusalem to Illyricum, at last suffered martyrdom at Rome under Nero, and quotes Origen as his authority. He adds that St. Paul wrote the Epistle to Timothy, in which he mentions Linus, from Rome. (2) The internal evidence of that Epistle also points to Rome as the place where it was written. If eh. i. 17 relates to a recent visit of Onesiphurus, that would, of course, be in itself decitiiVe evidence. But, omitting that as douhtful, we may take eh. iv. 17 as at least probably indicating Rome as the place where he was at the time. The seat of judgment, the presence of the emperor, the concourse of the Gentiles, the names of the persons sending salutations, including Linus, the first BiHhop of Rome, and the expressions of the near approach of his death in oh. iv. 7, 8, leave little doubt that he was now at Rome; and, if so, 2 'l'imuthy must have been· the last of the three pastoral Epistles. 2. But at what period:of 8t. Paul'11 life were these Epistles written? The THE PASTORAL EPISTLES. d