The ordinary price of

It is not a less critical circumstance of coincidence that the first half of the ninth of Claudius, U. C. 802, when St. Paul set out on his second mission, was, as I have proved elsewhere, the close of a sabbatic year; which was always a year of scarcity among the Jews. Nor was it the case with the Jews only, that the ninth of Claudius was a year of dearth; but according to Eusebius in Chronico, the same was the case in Greece also. He speaks of a famine in Greece, in the ninth of Claudius, U. C. 802*; when the modius or peck of corn (σirov) rose to six drachmæ or denarii in price; that is, to six times its usual value. the modius of bread-corn was one drachma or denarius, and not more. Hence it is, that in the book of Revelations, to express the severity of a dearth, the choenix or three half-pints measure of corn alone, (that is, as much as would maintain one man for a day,) is put at a denarius in price; about ten times its usual rate". There are other occasions in the course of contemporary events, which might be cited from history, as well after as before these times, when the price of wheat rose much higher than usual; but scarcely any, under ordinary circumstances, when it seems to have been higher than on this occasion. The use which we may make of the fact in question is as follows.

*The Armenian version of the Chronicon of Eusebius places this famine apparently Claudii viii. But such is its practice; to place facts about a certain time. It is coupled with the mention of another great famine at Rome, which really happened in the tenth of Claudius.

In

like manner, the fire of Rome, which certainly happened in the tenth of Nero, is put by this Chronicon in his ninth. And so, in various other instances. The Chronicon of Jerome, p. 160, places it distinctly in the ninth of Claudius.

n vi. 6. o Josephus mentions one, Ant. xiv. ii. 2. Vide also Polybius, ix. 44: Valerius Max. vii. vi. 6: Eusebius, Chronicon Arm. Lat. Ad annum 2024. Augusti 51. Cf. Jerome, Chronicon, p. 156: Eusebius, E. H. ix. viii. 355. D.

It might be collected from 2 Cor. xi. 8, 9, alone, that St. Paul came to Corinth at a time of dearth, or when he was likely to want the means of subsistence; nor would he make a merit to the Corinthians of having taken nothing from them, if there was not some particular reason why he should. The same inference seems to be deducible from 1 Thess. ii. 9, and 2 Thess. iii. 8: he might have been grievous to this church, if he had not purposely abstained from being so. What then are we to conclude? The wants of St. Paul at Corinth were supplied by the brethren who came from Macedonia"; and the Epistle to the Philippians proves that they were supplied from that part of Macedonia. The time when this supply was brought to Corinth was consequently when Silas and Timothy arrived there from Macedonia"; and they brought it with them from thence.

In like manner, the wants of St. Paul at Thessalonica, as the same Epistle proves, were supplied from Philippi also: and though he came to Thessalonica almost on leaving Philippis, and though he is said apparently to have stayed at Thessalonica not more than three weeks, yet even there they had ministered once and again, that is, on two several occasions, to his necessities.

*

St. Paul's arrival at Thessalonica would be early in the winter quarter of U. C. 803, before which time. the famine, if there was any such event as the failure of the harvests in the year preceding, would neces

I say apparently; for the probability is that he stayed longer. Dr. Paley thinks the three weeks' residence specified relates to the time spent there,

p 2 Cor. xi. 8, 9, a Phil. iv. 15, 16.

before St. Paul, as in other places, and especially at Ephesus, ceased to preach to the Jews, and turned to the Gentiles.

r Acts xviii. 5.

s xvii. I.

sarily have begun to be felt. His arrival at Corinth was early in the spring quarter of the same year; and the coming of the brethren from Macedonia to him there was certainly not long afterwards. Yet in this short time the Philippians, a single church, ministered thrice at least to his wants; twice in Thessalonica and again in Corinth. All this seems to intimate that there was some pressing occasion for so doing something in the state of the times more likely to stimulate the benevolent zeal of St. Paul's converts than usual: which the fact of a period of scarcity, five or six times as severe as commonly, would explain and illustrate at once*.

The course of events from the time of the arrival in Corinth may be ascertained as follows.

St. Paul had been sometime there, before he ceased to preach to the Jews, and began to preach to the Gentile inhabitants of the cityt: he was there a year and six months longer, even dated from the time of his vision", before the insurrection of the Jews in the time of Gallio; and he remained there a good many days still, even after that". It is clear, then, that we cannot compute the whole length of his stay at less than one year, and nine or ten months of another;

which, being dated from the spring quarter of U. C. 803, in the tenth of Claudius, will place his departure early in the winter quarter of U. C. 805; in the twelfth of the same reign.

When he had left Corinth and was come to Ephesus, he was on his way to keep some feast ; concerning which, as it must have been some feast one year and nine or ten months at least distant from the spring quarter of U. C. 803, there can be little doubt that it was the Passover, U. C. 805, in the twelfth of Claudius, which fell that year on April 3: and by an argument from the Epistle to the Galatians hereafter I shall further prove that it was so. Now the length of time necessary for a journey even from Troas to Jerusalem, and even in the summer season; if we make the requisite allowances for such stoppages as would naturally take place by the way; cannot be computed at less than five or six weeks, that is, than the interval between Passover and Pentecost: and if so, the length of time necessary for such a journey from Corinth, which was a great deal further distant, and partly in the winter season, when all travelling took up more time; cannot be computed at less than two months. About one month, then, before the Passover, U. C. 805, that is, early in the month of March, St. Paul would be passing through Ephesus, having probably left Corinth early in the February preceding: he would accomplish his purpose by arriving in Jerusalem at the beginning of April: and as he made no stay there, but simply went up and saluted the church, he would consequently return to Antioch between the Passover and the Pentecost of U. C. 805, that is, between April 3, and May 24; about three years from

April 5, or May 26, when we supposed that he left it last, U.C. 802.

We have said nothing on the controverted point respecting the vow which is mentioned Acts xviii. 18, because I do not think any certain conclusion can be grounded upon it. The grammatical construction requires that kepάuevos should be referred to Aquila, and not to St. Paul, as the proper subject of the vow ; and it is probable that the vow itself was the ordinary vow of separation; viz. the Naziræatus-the minimum for which in respect of time was thirty days or one month, but the maximum was indefinite". To shave the head, under ordinary circumstances, was to declare the consummation of this vow; and was preparatory to offering the sacrifices which the law required in token of that consummation". But here we have Aquila shaving his head at Cenchrea; whereas the sacrifices could begin or be offered only at Jerusalem.

The doctrine of the Mishna with respect to the Naziræatus is peculiarly complex, and full of nice distinctions. Among other things it is said that it could not be kept any where but in the land of Israel, Extra terram Israelis; yet we find Aquila keeping it either at Corinth or at Ephesus: where he was left by St. Paul. It is true, that the due continuance and completion of the vow might be prevented by accidental pollutions; in which case the Nazarite was required to shave his head, and to begin his computation of

* Such is the grammatical reference given to the word (KELpáμevos) by Chrysostom, Ecumenius, Theophylact, &c. (See

z Bell. Jud. ii. xv. 1. Mishna, iv. 346. xix. vi. 1. b iv. 346. 11. Annott.

Theophylact, iii. 141. A. in Acta, xviii. 18: 157. ad calcem, in Acta, xxi. 24.)

11.

a Acts xxi. 23, 24. Ant. Jud. c Acts xviii. 19.