EPISTLE TO THE ROMANS 21 



naiiiv^ly, Sosijjater, Gains, and Timothy, are proved by this 

 passage in the Acts to have been with St. Panl at the time 

 And th-3 is perhaps as much coincidence as could be expect- 

 ed from reahty, though less, I am apt to think, than would 

 have been produced by design. Four are mentioned in the 

 Acts who are not joined in the salutation ; and it is in the 

 nature of the case probable that there should be many at- 

 tending St. Paul in Greece who knew nothing of the con- 

 verts at Rome, nor were known by them. In like manner, 

 several are joined in the salutation who are not mentioned 

 in the passage referred to in the Acts. This also was to be 

 expected. The occasion of mentioning them in the Acts 

 was their proceeding with St. Paul upon his journey. Bnt 

 we may be sure that there were many eminent Christians 

 with St. Paul in Greece, besides those who accompanied 

 him into Asia.* 



But if any one shall still contend that a forger of the 

 epistle, with the Acts of the Apostles before him, and hav- 

 ing settled this scheme of writing a letter as from St. Paul 



* Of these, Jason is one, whose presence upon this occasion is very 

 naturally accounted for. Jason was an inhabitant of Thessalonica, in 

 Macedonia, and entertained St. Paul in his house upon his first visit 

 to that country. Acts 17 : 7. St. Paul, upon this his second visit, 

 passed through M-acedonia, on his way to Greece, and from the situa- 

 uon of Thessalonica, most likely through, that city. It appears, from 

 various instances in the Acts, to have been the practice of many con- 

 verts to attend St. Paul from place to place. It is therefore highly 

 probable — I mean, that it is highly consistent with the account in the 

 history — that Jason, according to that account a zealous disciple, the 

 inhabitant of a city at no great distance from Greece, and through 

 which, as it should seem, St. Paul had lately passed, should have a^^- 

 companied St. Paul into Greece, and have been with him there at this 

 tin.e. Lucius is another name in the epistle. A very slight altera- 

 tion would convert Aovkloc into AovKug, Lucius into Luke, which would 

 produce an additional coincidence ; for if Luke was the author of the 

 history, he was with St. Paul at the time; inasmuch as, describing 

 the voyage whivih took place soon after the wi'iting of this epistle, the 

 historian uses the first person, " We sailed away from Pliilippi." Act? 

 20-6. 



