zeal, with which they asserted the honour of their law, and the strictness and purity of their religion, but which had degenerated into licentiousness and extravagance, and rendered them the cause of great miseries to their own nation, as is related at length by Josephus in his history of the Jewish war. "That the name was given to Simon on this account, is hardly to be doubted," says Dr. Cave: and, if so, "his conversion," as Dean Stanhope observes, "is the more remarkable; for nothing could be more opposite to the meekness and gentleness of Christianity, than the irregularity and fierceness of spirit, by which this sect was actuated."

The only particular concerning him in the Gospels is his call to the Apostleship; and the only other occasion, on which he is named in the New Testament, is that of the assembling of the Apostles at Jerusalem after our Lord's ascension. Upon the dispersion of the Apostles, Egypt, Cyrene, Africa, Mauritania, and the barbarous parts of Libya, are said to have been the scenes of his ministry; which is also reported to have been extended to Britain and the Western Islands. But the authorities for such statements are of comparatively recent date, and of no high character. Persia and Britain contend for the distinction of being his place of burial: the former being alleged by the

Roman breviaries and martyrologies; the latter by the Greek menologies, which state him to have gone at last into Britain, where, having enlightened the minds of many by the doctrine of the Gospel, he was crucified by the unbelieving inhabitants, and buried in that country.

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He has been sometimes confounded with Simeon, who was successor of St. James the Just in the see of Jerusalem, and was crucified in the 120th year of his age in the persecution under Trajan: but the two persons are sufficiently distinguished in the writings of the Church"."

BIOGRAPHICAL NOTICE OF

ST. JUDE.

THE other Saint commemorated on this day is described by the several names of Judas, rendered by us Jude, Thaddæus, and Lebbæus; according to a practice before noticed as prevailing among the Jews, of calling the same person by different appellations. Of the two first of these names the signification appears to be much the same, being both derived from the same Hebrew root; and Thaddeus has been judged by learned men to be only a substitute

Dr. Cave.

for Judas, used probably in a principal degree for the purpose of distinguishing this Apostle from the traitor of the same name. For his other name Lebbæus different reasons have been assigned: the most probable may be esteemed that suggested by Dr. Lightfoot, who conjectures that the name may have been derived from the place of his nativity, as having been born at Lebba; a town, of which Pliny speaks in the province of Galilee, not far from Mount Carmel, though Dr. Cave questions the correctness of the reading, and supposes the name of the town intended by Pliny to have been Jebba. It was however supposed by Jerome, that both names were given in commendation of the good qualities of wisdom and zeal which distinguished him: "the name of Lebbæus denoting prudence and understanding, and that of Thaddeus signifying a person zealous in praising God "."

Judas was "the brother of James;" that is, of James the Less, the son of Alphæus and our Lord's brother; and he is mentioned in St. Matthew's Gospel among the number of Christ's brethren. In his own Epistle he styles himself the brother of James," as he is also called in St. Luke's Gospel and in the Acts. And the

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b Mr. Nelson.

style is adopted with propriety; because St. James was not only the elder brother, but was also much distinguished among the Apostles after our Saviour's ascension, and in great repute among the Jewish believers, as we have already seen in our notice of that Apostle.

There is no account of St. Jude's call to the Apostleship, nor of any occurrence in which he was particularly concerned, except that upon occasion of our Lord's affectionate discourse with his disciples, as recorded by St. John, a short time before his last sufferings, when he promised that he would manifest himself to them who loved him and kept his commandments, our Apostle interrupted him with the question, "Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world?" He evidently laboured under the common prejudice concerning the kingdom of the Messiah; and he inquired with surprise, how Jesus could speak of manifesting himself to a few only, when he was about to establish an universal monarchy in great power and splendour. The question led to a fuller explanation on our Lord's part of those peculiar favours and influences from his Father and from himself, which the faithful should not fail of en

joying to their infinite comfort, and of which his Apostles in particular should have a satisfactory assurance, when he should come again among them after his resurrection, and bestow among them the gift of "the Comforter, the Holy Ghost."

Of that gift in common with the other Apostles, in the enumeration of whom after our Lord's ascension St. Jude is named, there is no doubt that this Apostle partook: and that he joined with them in bearing an open testimony in Jerusalem to our Lord's resurrection; and that he partook with them in the reproaches and other sufferings which they endured on that account; although there are no particulars mentioned of him in the sacred history.

It is reasonable to suppose, that he afterwards for some time preached the Gospel in several parts of the land of Israel: nor is there any reason to make it appear unlikely, although there is no ancient authority for affirming, as has been affirmed by more recent writers, that he travelled through Samaria into Idumea; and to the cities of Arabia, and the neighbouring countries; and afterwards to Syria and Mesopotamia; and finally as far as Persia.

e Acts i. 13. Stanhope.

'Dr. Lardner.

Dr. Cave, Dean