ST. PAUL THE TRAVELLER

AND THE ROMAN CITIZEN

BY

W.M. RAMSAY, D.C.L., LL.D.

professor of the humanity, aberdeen ord. mitglied d. kais. deutsch. archäolog. gesellsch. 1884

hon. member, athenian archæolog. soc., 1895; formerly professor of classical archæology and fellow of exeter and of lincoln college, oxford levering lecturer in johns hopkins university, 1894

ELEVENTH EDITION

HODDER AND STOUGHTON

LONDON MCMVII

To

ANDREW MITCHELL, Esq.,

The Walk House, Alloa

My Dear Uncle,

In my undergraduate days, a residence in Göttingen during the Long Vacation of 1874 was a critical point in my life. Then for the first time, under the tuition of Professor Theodore Benfey, I came into close relations with a great scholar of the modern type, and gained some insight into modern methods of literary investigation; and my thoughts have ever since turned towards the 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 you will allow it to go forth with your name attached to it.

I remain always, your affectionate nephew,

WILLIAM MITCHELL RAMSAY.

King’s College, Aberdeen,

17th September, 1895

Preface

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 distance, that one has only to look and write. Hence I have not withdrawn from any of the positions maintained in my Church in the Roman Empire before 170 (apart from incidental imperfections).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 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 I 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.

It is impossible to find anything to say about Acts that has not been said before by somebody. Doubtless almost everything ...