Not Paul, But Jesus. Bentham Jeremy

Чтение книги онлайн.

СКАЧАТЬ is it that, from the information afforded us by the historian, we are to understand, passed? Answer, that, after the scales had fallen from his eyes, Paul was baptized; that he ate meat, and that after he had eaten meat he was strengthened: strengthened, we are warranted to suppose, by the meat which he had so eaten. Moreover, that somehow or other, in this large city he was certain days – number not specified, – with certain disciples – neither names nor number specified, – and preached Christ in the synagogues, saying that he was the son of God.

      Thus far then we are got; and, of the supposed revelation, in all this time nothing revealed. Promises, put-offs, evasions – and, after all, no performance.

      Among the purposes of this work, is the satisfying the reader – not only that Paul received not any revelation from the Almighty; but that, even upon his own showing, never did he receive any such revelation: that, on pretence of his having received it from the Almighty by a special revelation, he preached indeed a certain doctrine; but that this doctrine was partly one of his own, contrary to that of Jesus's apostles, and therefore contrary to that of Jesus: and that, in the way of revelation, he never did receive anything; neither that doctrine of his own which he preached, nor anything else.

Topic 7. —Doctrine, supposed to be preached by Paul at Damascus in the synagogues

      Straightway, if the historian is to be believed; – straightway after being strengthened by the meat; – and straightway after he had passed the certain days with the disciples; – then did Paul preach Christ in the synagogues – preach that he is the son of God.

      Here, had he really preached in any such places – here would have been the time, and the best time, for telling us what, in pursuance of the supposed revelation, he preached. For, whatever it was, if anything, that he ever learnt from his supposed revelation, it was not till he had learnt it, till he made this necessary acquisition, that the time for beginning to preach in the synagogues in question or anywhere else was come. And, no sooner had he received it, than then, when it was fresh in his memory – then was the time for preaching it. But, never having received any such thing as that which he pretended, and which the historian has made so many people believe, he received, – no such thing had he to preach at any time or place.

      Whatever of that nature he had had, if he had had at any time, Damascus was not the place, at any rate at that time, for him to preach it, or anything else, in synagogues – in any receptacle so extensively open to the public eye.

      Preach, in the name of Jesus – in the name of that Jesus, whose disciples, and with them whose religion, he now went thither with a commission to exterminate, – preach in that name he could not, without proclaiming his own religion – his own perfidy; – his own rebellion, against the authorities, from which, at his own solicitation, the commission so granted to him had been obtained: – his own perfidious contempt – not only of those Jerusalem rulers, but of those Damascus authorities, from whom, for that important and cruel purpose, he was sent to receive instruction and assistance. At some seven-and-twenty years distance in the field of time, and at we know not what distance in the field of space, probably that between Rome and Damascus, it was as easy for the historian to affirm the supposed preaching, as to deny it: but, as to the preaching itself, whether it was within the bounds of moral possibility, let the reader judge.

Topic 8. —Supposed Amazement of the People of Damascus at this Paul's supposed preaching of Christ in the Synagogues there

      Had there really been any such preaching, well might have amazement followed it. But there was no such preaching, therefore no such amazement. Had there been real preaching, and real amazement produced by it – what would have been the subject of the amazement! Not so much the audacity of the preacher – for madmen acting singly are to be seen in but too great frequency: not so much the audacity of the speaker, as the supineness of the constituted authorities; for, madmen acting in bodies in the character of public functionaries have never yet been visible. And if any such assemblage was ever seen, many such would be seen, before any one could be seen, whose madness took the course of sitting still, while an offender against their authority, coming to them single and without support, – neither bringing with him support, nor finding it there, – continued, at a public meeting, preaching against them, and setting their authority at defiance.

Topic 9. —Matter of the Revelation, which, in and by the supposed unpremeditated Oratorical Account, is supposed to have been made

      Forgetting what, as we have seen, he had so lately been saying in his own person – in the person of Paul, – he on this occasion, returns to the subject: and more evasive is the result.

      On this occasion – this proper occasion – what is it that he, Paul, takes upon him to give an account of. – That which the Lord had revealed to him? – revealed, communicated in the supernatural way of revelation, to him – Paul? No; but that which, according to him, – if he, and through him the historian, is to be believed, – the Lord communicated to Ananias concerning him – Paul. The Almighty having minded to communicate something to a man, and yet not communicating to that man any part of it, but communicating the whole of it to another! What a proceeding this to attribute to the Almighty, and upon such evidence!

      Still we shall see, supposing it communicated, and from such a source communicated – still we shall see it amounted to nothing: to nothing – always excepted the contradiction to what, in relation to this subject, had, by this same historian, been a little before asserted.

      Observe what were the purposes, for which, by this Ananias, Paul is supposed to be made to understand, that God – the God, says he, of our fathers – had chosen him.

      1. Purpose the first – "To know his will." His will, respecting what? If respecting anything to the great purpose here in question, respecting the new doctrine which, to this Paul, to the exclusion of the Apostles of Jesus, is all along supposed to have been revealed. Of no such doctrine is any indication anywhere in these accounts to be found.

      2. Purpose the second – "And see this just one." Meaning, we are to understand, the person all along spoken of under the name of the Lord; to wit, Jesus. But, in the vision in question, if the historian is to be believed, no Jesus did Paul see. All that he saw was a light, – an extraordinary strong light at midday; so strong, that after it, till the scales fell from his eyes, he saw not any person in any place: and this light, whatever it was, was seen by all that were with him, as well as by him.

      3. Purpose the third – "And shouldest hear the voice of his mouth." Oh! yes; if what the historian says in that other place is to be believed – hear a voice he did; and if the historian is to be again believed, that voice was the Lord's. But, by hearing this voice, how was he distinguished? those that were with him, according to the historian's own account, heard it as well as he. And what was he the wiser? This also, it is hoped, has been rendered sufficiently visible – just nothing.

      Purpose the fourth and last – "Thou shalt be his witness (the Lord's witness), of everything thou hast seen and heard: " – that is, of that which was nothing, and that which amounted to nothing.

      Unhappily, even this is not all: for, before the subject is concluded, we must go back and take up once more the supposed premeditated and studied speech, which, on the second occasion, the self-constituted Apostle is supposed to have made to the Sub-king of the Jews, Agrippa, sitting by the side of his superior – the Roman Proconsul, Festus.

      In the course of this long-studied speech, – to whom, is the communication, such as it is, – to whom, in an immediate way, and without the intervention of any other person, is it supposed to be made? Not to Ananias; – not to any such superfluous and unknown personage; – not to Ananias, but to Paul himself: viz. to the very person by whom this same communication, supposed to have been made to him, is supposed to be reported (Acts xxvi. 16 to 18): to this principal, or rather, only person concerned: – to this one person, the communication, such as it is, and to him the СКАЧАТЬ