400 
PAUL, 
mainder of his journey with frefh fpirit and alacrity, fince 
it afforded him ground to hope for the fupport and con- 
folation of their friendfhip during his ftate of confinement. 
Paul arrived at Rome, according to the mod probable 
fuppofition, in the early part of the year 61 ; and was 
delivered over by Julius to Afranius Burrhus, the praeto¬ 
rian prasfeft under the emperor Nero, with fuch power¬ 
ful reprefentations in favour of his character and extra¬ 
ordinary endowments, that the apoftle was not laid under 
the fame reftraint with the other ftate-prifoners, but was 
permitted to live in his own hired houfe, probably chained 
by his right. wrift to the left arm of a foldier w ho was his 
keeper, according to the Roman cnftora in fuch cafes. 
The precife time when he was brought to a hearing before 
the emperor, cannot be ascertained with any certainty; 
but their opinion feems to be the moll reafonable, who 
conclude that it took place foon after his arrival at Rome. 
On that occafion, fo univerfal and powerful was the dread 
of the tyranny and cruelty of Nero, that none of the 
Chriftians at Rome would venture to attend Paul into 
his prefence, as we learn from his complaint, “ No man 
flood by me, but all men forfook me. Notwithftanding,” 
added he “the Lord flood with me, and llrengthened 
me; and I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion.” 
The defence which he made, together with the favourable 
reprefentations of his conduft which were mod probably 
given in the difpatches of the governor Feltus, and the 
report of Julius the centurion, had fo much weight with 
Nero, that, though he did not fet the apoftle at liberty, 
he only remanded him to that eafy confinement in which 
he had been placed by Burrhus, with permifiion to re¬ 
ceive freely all perfons with whom he chofe to maintain 
any intercourfe. 
Scon after this decifion, Paul requefted the principal 
people among the unbelieving Jews at Rome to meet at 
his houfe, with whom he had a long and interefting con¬ 
ference, in which he laboured to convince them from the 
Scriptures that Jefus was the Chrift. Nor was his reafon- 
ing without fuccefs, fince fome of them became converts 
to his doftrine, though the prejudices of others prevented 
them from receiving the Gofpel. The principal accef- 
fions, however, which he gained to the Chriftian caufe, 
were from among the Gentiles, many of whom were pro- 
felyted by him during the time that he continued a pri¬ 
soner, and among them perfons of high rank and influence 
in Nero’s family. During the fame time Paul wrote 
Epiftles to fome of the churches, and Cent forth fellow- 
labourers into different countries, to propagate the re¬ 
ligion of his mailer. At length, after he had been con¬ 
fined about two years, he procured his releafe ; to which 
it is not unlikely that the intereft of his friends at court 
greatly contributed. 
Of St. Paul’s travels and preaching, from the time of 
obtaining his liberty till his death, no authentic con¬ 
nected records have been tranfmitted from the apoftolic 
age. However, from intimations which he has given of 
his purpofes in the Epiftles which he wrote from Rome 
during his imprifoh'ment, we may form a probable con¬ 
jecture of the different places which he vifited during 
that period. Some are of opinion that he went from 
Rome into Spain : but the ableft critics, catholic and 
proteftant, have concurred in rejefting that hypothefis. 
Soon after his releafe, he appears to have embarked in 
fome part of Italy, for the Eail, accompanied by Timothy, 
and perhaps alfo by Titus; and in the courfe of his 
voyage lie may have flopped fora fliort time at Crete, as 
fome imagine, confirming the churches in that ifland, 
and leaving Titus to continue his labours amongft them. 
Our apoftle now feems to have proceeded by the mod di- 
reft courfe for Jerufalem ; and Lardner’s conjefture is 
very reafonable, when he obferves, “ I could almoft think' 
that Paul was defirous to go thither, to praife God in his 
temple for the favourable circnmftances of his imprifon- 
ment at Rome, and for his deliverance from it. Paul’s 
cafe at Rome very much refembled what had happened 
to him at Corinth. After which, we find, he had a vow, 
and went from Corinth to Ephefus, and haftened to Je¬ 
rufalem. In like manner, I imagine, that now Paul went 
again to Jerufalem as foon as he could. But he made no 
long ftay there.” After a fliort friendly converfe with 
the Chriftians in Judea, he travelled through Syria and 
Cilicia, accompanied by Timothy, vifiting the churches in 
thofe countries, as he did afterwards thofe in Alia Minor. 
He then left Timothy at Ephefus, and paffed by Troas 
into Macedonia, where he ftaid fome time at Philippi; 
and from thence he went to Nicopolis in Epirus, 
where he fpent the winter. In this city he was joined by- 
Titus from Crete, and was induced by the account W'hich 
he gave him of the ftate of the church in that ifland, to 
accompany him thither in the following fpring, taking 
Corinth in his way. From Crete, Paul came again to 
Rome; but it is not certain w'hether his arrival was be¬ 
fore or after the commencement of the cruel perfecution 
under Nero. In the fummer of the year 64, a dreadful 
fire broke out in Rome, w'hich continued fix or feven 
days, and laid a confiderable part of the city in alhes. 
This calamity was attributed to incendiaries who afted 
under the orders of the emperor ; on which account he 
became in a high degree the objeft of popular hatred. 
That he might vindicate himfelf from the imputation of 
fo odious a crime, this monfter pretended that the 
Chriftians were the caufe of the conflagration ; and to¬ 
wards the end of the year began a moft cruel perfe¬ 
cution of them, in which prodigious numbers were de- 
ftroyed. Of the tortures which were inflifted on them, 
Tacitus has given a horrid defcription, in the forty-fourth 
chapter of the fifteenth book of his Annals. In this ftate 
of things, Paul, who continued his zeal and aftivity in 
promoting the Chriftian caufe, and alfo Peter, who was 
now at Rome, were apprehended as chief perfons among 
the accufed left, and condemned to be put to death. 
This fentenceappears to have been carried into execution 
in the year 65, when Paul fuffered martyrdom by being- 
beheaded, according to the teftimony of all the ancient 
writers who mention that event, at a place called the 
Salvian Waters. They add alfo, what there is the 
greateft reafon to believe, that he fubmitted to the fatal 
ltroke with a cheerfulnefs worthy of the noble caufe for 
which he was a fufferer. He was buried on the Via Oftii; 
and a magnificent church was built over his tomb, which, 
fays Calmet, “is in being to this day.” 
St. Peter fuffered martyrdom the fame day with St. 
Paul. The latter, entitled to the privileges of a Roman 
citizen, was beheaded, as already noticed ; but St. Peter, 
as an alien, was doomed to the more ignominious death 
by the crofs. In the Greek and Latin churches, both 
of thefe feftivals are kept on the fame day, June 29 ; while 
in the Proteftant church, St. Paulis merely commemorated 
by his Ccnverfion, Jan. 25 ; though it is to be remarked, 
that all the ancient homilies join thefe two faints toge¬ 
ther, not only on account of their having fuffered at the 
fame time, though by different methods and at different 
places, but becaufe they were co-operators in the con- 
veriion of the world, the one as apoftle of the Jews, the 
•other as the apoftle of the Gentiles. Several of our pa- 
rifh-churches, founded before the Reformation, are dedi¬ 
cated to thefe apoftles conjointly, and their feveral wakes 
and fairs are annually celebrated accordingly. 
In all piftures and ftatues, St. Paul is known by bear¬ 
ing a fword, indicative of the manner of his death ; and 
in the convent of La Lifla, near Toledo in Spain, is lhown 
what is afferted to be the identical fword-blade with 
which this eminent apoftle was decollated ; it is thought 
to be compofed of copper; its length is 25 inches, its 
greateft breadth about 3^ inches; on one fide are veftiges 
in Roman capitals of “ Paulus—Capite,” and on the other 
“ Mucro.” 
The writings attributed to St. Paul, which form a con¬ 
fiderable part of the Canon of Scripture, confift of Epiftles 
to particular nations, churches, or individuals, arranged 
in 
