The first tome or volume of the Paraphrase of Erasmus vpon the Newe Testamente

The .xxiiii. Chapter.

[ The texte.] ¶After fyue dayes, Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a cer∣tayne oratou•• named Tertullus, whiche enfourmed the deputie against iust Paule. And whan Paul was called forth, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying: Seyng y^t we lyue in great quietnesse by the meanes of the, and that many good thinges are doen vnto this nacion, through thy prouidence, that allowe we euer, and in al places, most noble Felix, with all ••hākes. Notwithstāding, that I be not tedious vnto thee, I pray the, that thou wouldest heare vs of thy curtesy, a fewe wordes. For we haue found this man, a pestilēt felowe, and a mouer of debate vnto all the Iewes, in the whole world, and a maynteiner of sedicion, of the sect•• of the Nazarites, whiche hath also enforced to pollute the tēple. Whom we toke, and would haue iudged him according to the law: but the high captaine Lisias, came vpon vs, and with great violence toke him awaye out of our handes, com∣maunding his accusers to come vnto the. Of whom thou mayest (yf thou wilte enquire) knowe the certayntie of all these thinges, whereof we accuse him: The Iewes lykewyse affirmed, saying that these thinges were euen so.

THan within fyue dayes after, Ananias whiche was than the high prieste, and certaine other, elders, came downe to Cesarea: hauing in their traine a certaine oratour named Tertullus, whiche shoulde pleade this matter. So ear∣nestly were they set to slay Paul. Whiche men after they had spoken with the presidente, and had required that the prysoner myght be brought foorth, Felix commaunded Paule to be called forth to appere.

Than Tertullus, beeing but a s••endre and a base defendour or protectour of an euyll cause, beganne in this wyse to accuse Paule: Where as we maye thanke you that all matiers haue been quiet and peaceable emonge vs this long space, and many dyuerse and soondry thinges are ryghte well gouerned in our common weale by your wysedome, we at all tymes and in all places knowelege and sette forth this your goodnesse towardes vs, moste noble cap∣tayne Felix, and nowe therfore, doe tendre vnto you moste herty thankes.

And this your redynes of right gentle herte towardes our nacion, putteth vs in great hope and confidence, that ye wyll consydre the tranquilitie of our coū∣trey, as concernyng this cause also, whiche we nowe bryng before you. But lest that I should retaine, and kepe you awaye from your soondry and weighty effayres with ouer long a processe or cyrcumstaunce of woordes, I shall de∣syre you, as your accustomed gentilnesse is, to here vs speake oure myndes in fewe woordes. We haue perceyued this manne to bee a deadly enemye to our countrey, for as muche as he hath sette debate betwene the Iewes, not onely those that inhabite Siria, but the others also in all countreys through the worlde, wheresoeuer is any resorte of Iewes, makynge hymselfe the brynger in of a new secte, whiche is called the Nazarenes. And not contented with this,

he was not afrayed to come to Hierusalem, and bryngyng into the temple men that were not circumcised, sticked not to prophane & suspende our temple, whō we tooke with the dede doyng, and would haue iudged accordyng to our law, but Lisias the hygh marciall, came with a greate bande of men, and toke hym out of our handes, leauyng the examynacion of the matter vnto you, and wil∣led hys accusers to come before you: so that the marciall hymselfe canne testi∣fye vnto you, that these matiers are true, whiche we laye to his charge. In this wyse this slender and liyng oratour sayed: and the Iewes that were presente at this accusacion, affyrmed that it was euen so, as Tertullus had sayed.

[ The texte.] Then Paul (after that the debitie himself had beckened vnto him, that he should speake) answered: With a more quiet mynde do I answer for my selfe, for as much as I vnder∣stand, that y^e hast bene of many yeares a iudge vnto this people: because that thou mayst know, that there are yet but twelue daies sence I wente vp to Ierusalē for to worship, & they neyther found me in the tēple disputing with any man, neyther raysyng vp y^e peo∣ple, neyther in the Sinagoges, nor in the citie. Neither can they proue the thinges wher∣of they accuse me.

Than after this Paule whan the presidente by his be••kenyng had wil∣led hym to make answere for hymselfe, began to defende his owne part in this wise: I shall with a great dele the more quiet mynde answere for my selfe, for asmuche as I knowe that ye haue bene of manye yeres enbuisied emong thys people: and that by reason of decisyng matiers belongyng to the Iewes, ye are not ygnoraunt of our lawes. And the later that this matter hath been do••n whereof these men accuse me, so muche the more certaynlye maye ye, by enqui∣rie, knowe it, for it is yet but twelue dayes synce that I accordynge to the cu∣stome of the Iewyshe relygion, came vp to Ierusalem, there to make my pray∣ers, and to purifie my selfe, after I had taken on me a vowe accordyng to the solemne manier and fashion of the Iewes. If ye call this violatyng or pollu∣tyng of the temple, I knowledge my faulte and offence. Neyther founde they me in the tēple disputyng wyth any man, neither making y^e people to flocke to∣gether, no nor in the Sinagoges, nor yet in any place of the citie. Neyther can they dewlye proue by any reason, such faultes as they laye vnto my charge.

[ The texte.] But this I confesse vnto the, that after y^e waye (which they call heresy) so worship I the God of my fathers, beleuyng all thinge•• which are writtē in the law & the prophetes, & haue hope towardes God, that y^e same resurrecciō of y^e dead (which they thēselues lo••e for also) shalbe both of iust & vniust. And therfore study I to haue alway a cleare consci∣ence towarde God, and towarde man.

As for that poyncte whiche they laye vnto me, concernyng the secte of the Na∣zarenes, I wyll not denye that that is true. And yet myne accusers haue no∣thing to doe therwith, forsomuch as the Iewes haue not condemned that secte, and agayne I am not the autour therof. But if ye bee desyrous to heare what secte I professe, I wyll shewe you: I doe according to the tradicion of y^e Pha∣risees, and their secte, wourship the God, that is commonly wurshipped in my countrey, and am not autour of any new religion, but kepe those thynges, that I haue receyued of my forefathers dylygentlye, beleuynge all thynges to bee true,* 1.1 that are wrytten in the lawe, and in the prophetes, whiche thynges al for the moste pa••te, inasmuche as god, lyke as he promysed, hath now fulfylled, I doe fully beleue that those thynges also wyll cum to passe▪ whiche he hath pro∣mysed for to cum, that is to say, that the dead shall ryse againe in tyme to cum, as well the badde as the good: the good to receyue gloriously lyfe euerlasting, the badde to euerlastyng punishement. These thynges am not I in a waue∣ryng

belefe of, but so earnestly I am perswaded in thē, that for asmuche as I knowe that in time to cumme, I shall appeare before god in y^e place of iudge∣ment, & shalbe rewarded according to my dedes, I endeuoure my selfe earnest∣ly, so to lyue, that I in nothing offende the lawe of God: but that I may haue a pure & a clere conscience, not only in the sight of god, which examyneth mans herte, but also in the syght of man. And this haue I dyligently obserued & fo∣lowed, euen vntyll thys day. And therfore haue they nothyng wherof to accuse me as touchyng my lyfe that is past, whereby that suche matiers as they laye vnto my charge, maye appere the more probably to be true.

[ The texte.] But after many yeares, I came & brought almes to my people, & offerynges, in the which they founde me purified in the temple, neyther w^t multitude, nor yet with unquietnesse. Howbeit there were certayne Iewes out of Asia which oughte to be here present before thee, & accuse me, yf they had oughte againste me: or els let these same here saye, yf they haue founde any euyll doing in me, whyle I stand here in the councell, excepte it be for this one voyce, that I cried standyng among them: of the resurreccion from deathe, am I iudged of you this daye.

For whan I had lyued vprighte wythoute faulte many yeares, at the laste came I to Hierusalem, there to make deliuery of certayne money which I had gathered in Asia, to helpe the poore & nedye folkes in my countrey. If this be the parte of a malefactour for to helpe my poore countreymen, bestowyng on them my benefite, I wyll acknowledge that, that they laye to my charge. And in the meane time, lest that they, which sought occasion, might make any trou∣ble or businesse, I shaued my heade, and so went into the tēple, and was purifi∣ed with accustomed ceremonies, doyng nothing wherby anye trouble or busi∣nesse mought aryse. For I began no newe thing, but the same ceremonies vsed I, that all the whole countrey vseth. Buth the commocion that was made, was reysed vp by certayn Iewes of Asia, whom it had bene expedient to haue bene present at the debating and triall hereof, forasmuche as they are the workers of this matter, and that they shoulde accuse me yf they had anye thyng to laye to my charge.

But it is a greate suspeccion, that they haue smal confidence in their cause for∣asmuch as they absent themselues from this iudgemente, perceiuyng that the matter is pleaded before you whiche are the presidente here. Yf I had offen∣ded, I myght haue bene conuicted by thē, or els quitte by them. Albeit I feare no manne, what euer he be that accuseth me. Yea let them themselues whiche are here present, speake: seing that I stand here before the counsel, if they haue sene me do any thing otherwise, then is lawful before god, and standyng wyth the lawe. For it is lawful where iudgement is kept accordyng to the law, both for the plaintie to laie to the charge of the transgressour, and for the defendaūt to be his owne man of lawe, or proctoure.

But I knowe thei haue nothing against me, excepte thei wil laie these wordes in my teathe, whiche I with a loude voyce spake: that I was a Pharisee, and that I was for this poinct accused, because I preached resurreccion of y^e dead, agayne vnto lyfe: whiche wordes I sayed, forasmuche as standyng as I dyd emong them, and permitted of the marcial to vtter my mynde, I saw nothyng doen vpryghtly by lawe, but all to passe vpon playne hatred and malice. And whan I had so sayed, they contended betwene themselues, vntill that the mar∣ciall tooke me out of theyr handes. I spake nothing but the trueth, and mete

it was that the multitude should knowe wherfore I was endaungered before the counsell: forasmuche as I sawe there was no helpe to be loked for, at the handes of the chiefe rewlers.

[ The texte.] Whan Felix heard these thinges, he deferred them, for he knewe very wel of that way, & sayed: whan Lisias the captaine is cum downe, I wyl know the vtmost of pour ma••ier. And cōmaūded an vnder capitaine to kepe Paul, & to lette him haue rest, & that he should forbid none of his acquayntaunce to ministre vnto him, or to cum vnto him.

Whan Felix had hearde this, because he was well acquainted with the secte of the Pharisees which Paule professed, he minded to deferre the examynacion of the matier, vntill an other tyme, and sayed: Forasmuche as Lisias knoweth al this whole matier how it standeth, whan he cummeth hyther, I will heare you. And than gaue he commaundement vnto his vnder captaine, that he shoulde in the meane season kepe him in warde, but yet so, that he myght be gentely or∣dred, and that he myght dyuerse tymes be at ly••ertye, and that hys familiars myght freely repayre vnto hym, and bryng him suche thynges as he lacked.

[ The texte.] And after certayne dayes, when Felix came w^t his wite Drusilla (which was a Iewesse) he called furth Paul, & heard him of y^e faith, which is toward Christ. And as he preached of right wisenes, tēperasice, & iudgement to cum, Felix trembled & answered: Go thy way for this time: whan I haue a conuenient season, & wil sende for the. He hoped also, y^e mo∣ney should haue bene geuē him of Paul, that he might leuse him: wherfore he called him the ofreuer, & cōmoned with him. But after two yeares, Festus Porcius came into Felix roume. And Felix willynge to shewe y^e Iewes a pleasure, lefte Paule in pryson bounde.

And whan a good sorte of dayes were past, Felix came to Cesarea w^t his wife Drusilla, whiche was a Iewe borne, and than sent he for Paule, beeyng desy∣rous to haue farther knowledge of him, as concerning y^e sect that he professed. Than Paule opened vnto him the way to saluacion by y^e gospel, which thing he before had not spoken of, and how that saluacion was not obteyned by ob∣seruing of Moyses lawe, as the Iewes supposed, but by beleuynge in Iesus Christe, whome beyng so many hundreth yeres loked for, the Iewes had cru∣••yfied: and that by baptisme, all synnes committed by the whole time & course of mannes lyfe before, were at once washed away, so that suche as were rege∣nerate in Christ, should lyue sincerely and holyly, accordyng to the rewle of the ghospel, from thence foorth, vntyll suche tyme that the same Iesus, which hath geuen himself for the redempcion of manne, dyd gloriously returne in syght of all menne, with the power of his father, to iudge the quicke & the dead. Whan as Paule had talked on this wise at large of suche matters as these be, that is to wete, of the gracious fauour of god, that man cummeth to through faythe: of euangelical iusticie, of temperaunce, and sobernes of the spiritual life, and of the latter iudgement, that no manne coulde escape. Felix was afrayed, and so∣muche moued therewith, not that he foorthwith dyd acquite Paule (for he fea∣red the Iewes, whom he knewe dyd deadly hate hym) but that Paule was for the meane space kepte in holde after a gentle ••orte, vntyll that he myghte haue occasion to delyuer hym.

There was an other matter also, that caused hym not streight wayes to quitte hym, for he trusted that Paule woulde gyue hym some readye money, that he myght be delyuered. And for this cause did he often sende for Paule, and com∣moned with hym, that he myght gyue him occasion to profer him money, that he vpon famyliar acquayntaunce and gentyll entertaynement of y^e president,

myght put awaye shamefastenes, whiche he thought dyd staye Paule, that he durst not profer money. For the Emperours lawes doe punyshe the iudge, that suffereth a malefaciour to escape by brybery. In the meane tyme, whan Paule continued two yeares at Cesarea, the Emperoure Aero sent a certaine man named Porcius Festus to succede Felix in the roume. And than had he a good occasion to dimisse Paul. But he thought he woulde not departe from his prouynce with mennes displeasures, and willing rather to shewe y^e Iewes a pleasure, then with an vpryght conscience to deliuer an innocēt, he lefte Paul bound. So harde a matter it is for the great men and rewlers of the world, to behaue themselues in all matters vpryghtly.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Beleuyng all thynges whiche are written in y^e law and the prophetes.