Vol. X, No. 2.] Fr. Jerome Xavier's Lives of the Apostles. 75 



[N.S.] 



when the world was given over to idolatry, and mankind had 

 completely forgotten the sacred books and the sayings of the 

 Prophets, and was devoted to sensual pleasures, many of them 

 should have broken to pieces their idols, and have turned away 

 from their old customs, and seized hold of the Gospel, so that 

 they joyfully sacrificed kingdoms, and reputation, and property, 

 and life in order that they might hold fast to the Faith. 



Our Lord chose out from among them twelve persons, poor 

 men and of low caste, unknown fishermen, and made them 

 Apostles and the shewers forth of the great marvel. They 

 entered upon their task without swords or other means of 

 warfare. 



The Prophet Samuel has recorded in his book that a tribe 

 of Philistines, whose territory adjoined that of the children of 

 Israel, led an army against Saul, the king of the Israelites, and 

 that the children of Israel were terrified and unable to make 

 resistance. They took refuge in mountains and caves, and 

 disappeared. However much king Saul strove to encourage 

 them, and to protect them, it was of no avail. Indeed, he 

 himself became afraid and withdrew from the conflict. At this 

 crisis, the power of God wrought a marvellous thing. It 

 came into the heart of Jonathan, the king's son, that he should 

 go out against the host of the Philistines. So he joined to 

 himself one other person, and these two set out to slay the 

 Philistines. They wrought such deeds that the enemy became 

 «fraid and confused, and warred with one another. Many were 

 -lain, and the children of Israel were victorious. Samuel says 

 that on this occasion a wondrous thing was shown, namely, 

 that two men attacked a great host and got the victory. Now 

 what shall I say of the twelve Apostles? They, so poor and 

 weak, and ignorant, took courage and came into the lands of 

 the idolators, and were victorious over their men of power and 

 learning. They prevailed over them, so that with their own 

 hands they broke their idols, destroyed their temples and 

 erected places of worship in the name of the true God, and, 

 instead of their own idols, they set up the sacred Cross. In 

 truth, this marvel is greater than the other marvels. God be 

 praised! The poor attack, the rich oppose them; the fisher- 

 men rush on, and stand before princes; weak travellers and 

 ignorant strangers make the assault, the powerful come forth 

 to fight with them, and victory is on the side of the poor! 



The Prophet Daniel says that Nebuchadnezzar, the Ruler of 

 Babylon, saw (in a dream) a great image which was made of 

 gold and silver, and other things, and, while he was beholding 

 it, there came a stone from a mountain, cut out without hand- 

 and it smote upon the feet of that image, and made it dis- 

 appear. The same Prophet gave the interpretation of this 

 dream. Now, I say that that image was idolatry, which is 

 tricked out with silver and gold and the like, and the stone 



