THE

LIFE AND WRITINGS OF ST. JOHN.

CHAPTER I.

PLACE IN HISTORY, AND CHARACTER OF THE PERIOD IN WHICH THE APOSTLE JOHN APPEARED.

LIFE OF ST. JOHN COEVAL WITH THE FIRST CENTURY.-DATE OF CHRIST'S BIRTH.-JULIUS CESAR.-POMPEY THE GREAT.-HIS MARCH INTO JUDÆA. -HOLY LAND BECOMES TRIBUTARY.-HE PROFANES THE HOLY OF Holies. -ENTERS ROME IN TRIUMPH.-JULIUS CESAR BECOMES SUPREME.-AP

POINTS ANTIPATER PROCURATOR OF JUDEA.-HIS SON HEROD GOVERNOR OF GALILEE.-JULIUS CESAR ASSASSINATED.-HEROD APPOINTED KING OF JUDEA.-AUGUSTUS CESAR BECOMES EMPEROR.-EXTENT OF ROMAN EMOF JESUS CHRIST.-DEATH OF HEROD

PIRE. UNIVERSAL PEACE.-BIRTH

THE GREAT. ARCHELAUS AND ANTIPAS.ARCHELAUS DEPOSED. QUIRINIUS GOVERNOR OF SYRIA.-SUCCESSIVE PROCURATORS OF JUDEA.-DEATH OF AUGUSTUS.-TIBERIUS CESAR.-CAIAPHAS.-PONTIUS PILATE.-HEATHEN WORLD.-PAGAN LITERATURE.-ALEXANDRIAN LIBRARY DESTROYED.-CHARACTER OF THE PERIOD FROM CONDITION OF THE JEWISH PEOPLE.DEVELOPMENT OF MESSIANIC PROPHECY.-THE LAW A SCHOOLMASTER. CEREMONIAL LAW.-CLEAR DAWNING WHEN ST. JOHN CAME ON THE

STAGE.

THE life of the apostle John, from near the beginning of the first century of the Christian era, stretches on to the beginning of the second. If he was one hundred years old at his death, it overlaps the second century as much as it falls short of being coterminous with the beginning of the first. A history of his life, therefore, especially when Christianity, of which he was so important a representative, is viewed in its relations to subsequent developments and changes in the condition of nations, must form one of the most deeply interesting chapters, not only in ecclesiastical history, but in the annals of the human race. Born under the reign of the first of the Caesars, who wore undisputed

B

the title of emperor, he was contemporary with the remainder of the twelve, and probably outlived the last.

The greatest event of time, the birth of the world's REDEEMER,' occurred not long before the death of Herod the Great, which happened A.U.C. 750, just before the Jewish passover; i.e., some four years earlier than the Dionysian reckoning, or the common era. If John was born some four or five years later than Jesus, the period of his birth would nearly, or quite exactly, correspond with the first year of the common era, whilst the dynasty of Herod still maintained a sickly existence in the reign of his son Archelaus. The history of the Herodian dynasty, and that of the great empire whose authority this dynasty represented in the Holy Land, are brought so much in contact with Christian history in its beginning, or throughout the century during which the Apostle John lived, that a survey of their leading points will be justified. if it is not rather required.

One hundred years before Christ, the foremost man in the annals of the ancient world, Julius Cæsar, was born. At the early age of twentytwo, having already identified himself with the popular party, he appeared at Rome, on hearing of the death of the dictator Sulla, and

1 Matt. ii. 10.

2 Jos. Ant., xvii., 8 (1); Wars, i., 33 (8); Wieseler, Chron. Syn., p. 57; Robinson's Harm., p. 167. Cyrenius (Luke ii. 1-7), or Quirinius, appears to have been twice governor of Syria. First, from the year of Rome (A.U.c.) 750 to 753, having succeeded Varus toward the close of 750. He was made governor the second time at the end of the Herodian dynasty, after the banishment of Archelaus. (See A. W. Zumpt's, Berlin, Commentatio de Syria Romanorum provincia a Cæsare Augusto ad Tit. Vespasianum. Comment. Epigr. ad Antiq. Rom., ii., 71-150.) The census, or enrolment (registration), appears to have been commenced in Palestine before Herod's death, who was a rex socius, i.e., held his title from, and was tributary to, the Roman empire. As Herod's death occurred A.U.c. 750, just before the passover (Jos. Ant., xvii., 8), this note of time points to the year of Rome 749, as coincident with the first year of the Christian era.

Dionysius Exiguus, who in the sixth century instituted the practice of dating from the birth of Christ, fell into the mistake of making the year of Christ's birth coincident with the year of Rome 754, some four or five years too late. The Christian world, in adopting the era, adopted the mistake; and although long since discovered, no attempt, for obvious reasons, has been made to correct it.

The time, as given by Luke, when John the Baptist is said to have entered on his ministry, "the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Cæsar" (Luke iii. 1, 2), and the age as given by him when Jesus was baptized, "about thirty years of age' (iii. 23), have been made to yield the same result as above in regard to the year of our Lord's birth, i.e., provided they both entered on their ministry at the Levitical age of thirty. Aug. Cæsar died Aug. 29, A.U.C. 767. Tiberius had been associated with him at least two years in the administration at the time of his death. If we reckon from the time when Tiberius was adınitted to this partnership, which must have been as early as A.U.c. 765, and may have been in 764, the fifteenth year of Tiberius began in A.U.c. 778; and it follows that John the Baptist was born in 748, and Christ in 749.

entered on his great career He was shortly brought into close connection with another eminent man, more distinguished for military than civic talents, and who, after the death of Sulla, had been the chief representative of the aristocratical party, Pompey the Great. It was Pompey's breach with this party, and his eventual coalition with Cæsar, which perhaps tended as much as any one cause to give success to the plans of the latter. Long ambitious to obtain the command of the war against Mithridates, Pompey was now successful, through the growing popularity and influence of Cæsar. It was effected by thepassage of a law which placed almost unlimited power in Pompey's hands over the whole Roman dominions. The measure was advocated by Cicero in an oration, Pro lege Manilia, which has come down

to us.

It is with the movements of the Roman army under Pompey, on its return from the pursuit of Mithridates beyond the Euphrates, that we connect the Roman supremacy in Palestine. The year B.C. 63 found him marching south, through Phoenicia and Cole-Syria, into the country of the Jews. It was then distracted by a civil war between the nephews of Aristobulus I., Hyrcanus and Aristobulus, degenerate scions of that famous Asmonean line of princes who had overthrown the tyranny established by Antiochus Epiphanes, and defeated his Hellenizing designs. Pompey espoused the cause of Hyrcanus, and with ease effected the conquest. On the surrender of Jerusalem, he went to the temple, and entered the holy of holies, the first time that any human being, except the high-priest, had dared to penetrate within its awful precincts. He carried Aristobulus with him a captive to Rome. Although the government was left in the hands of Hyrcanus, the nation was made tributary, and was henceforth compelled to acknowledge the authority of the great people whose capital lay across the sea in another continent.

Never was there a more glorious triumph accorded to mortal than that of Pompey on his return to Rome. Aristobulus was made an exception, however, to the clemency displayed on this occasion, and was retained in captivity through fear of the commotion he might ex-. cite in Judæa, if permitted to return. But if this triumph was the most glorious period in Pompey's life, his glory from that moment, as if the avenger had pursued him for his sacrilege in passing within the veil, began to decline. For twenty years he had been the first man in the Roman world, and his power had been steadily increasing; but from this time, he was not long in discovering that the genius of another had reduced him to a subordinate place. Julius Cæsar strode steadily forward to supreme power in the state. The battle of Pharsalia decided the fate of the republic and the supremacy of Cæsar. In the