Saviour declared to be an Israelite indeed, and a man in whom was no guile; for Bartholomew is no more than the son of Ptolemy: so then we say, that this apostle was Nathaniel, the son of Ptolemy, of Cana in Galilee. He was introduced to Jesus by Philip, but we read very little of him in the gospels. It is generally believed that he travelled for the propagation of the gospel as far as India, on this side the Ganges, which bordered upon the Asian Ethiopia, and was called by Jerom, the fortunate India, where Pantenus, a famous Stoical philoso pher, and who had been converted to the faith, journeyed into those parts, where, a hundred years after, he found the gospel of St. Matthew, written in Hebrew, and left by Bartholomew. In this journey, the apostle preached also in Arabia Felix, and part of Persia; and having finished his labours in the east, he returned to the most western and northern parts of Asia, and joined Philip in the ministry at Hieropolis in Phrygia, where he narrowly escaped martyrdom; from thence he went to Lycaonia, where he preached with success. His last and fatal remove, and where he' suffered martyrdom, was Albanople, or Albana upon the Caspian sea, in Armenia the Great: where Astyages the king of the country, ordered him to be crucified, or as some say, flayed alive, for preaching the Christian faith, and altering the established religion. S. What say you of Matthew? T. Matthew, otherwise called Le. vi, was a Galilean, and born of Jewish parents; the son of Alpheus, and Mary, kinswoman to Mary the mother of Jesus. He was a publican, an officer employed in gathering the emperor's toll, or customs; an employment of great reputation amongst the Romans, however vilified Jews, and without doubt very profitę among the able, which he quitted to follow Christ in all his meanness. Though his abode was in Capernaum, where some think he was born, his office, as a publican, was on the shore of the sea of Tiberius out of the town. The gospel mentions that Jesus favoured him with his company to partake of a feast with some of his friends, that were also publicans, at his house, hoping that by his conversation they also might be converted. The gospel relates nothing more of him. But it is certain he continued with the rest of the apostles, till our Saviour's ascension; and then for about eight years, preached up and down in Judæa, and for several years after, steering his course for the conver sion of the Gentiles, he travelled, it is thought, into Ethiopia, the' some say he planted Christianity first in Parthia; and in both places by his preaching and miracles, he powerfully triumphed over error and idolatry; convinced and converted multitudes; ordained spiritual guides and rulers to confirm and build them up; brought others over to the faith, and at last died, and was honourably buried at Hieropolis in Parthia: though some pretend he died a martyr at Naddabar in Ethiopia, but are unable to ascertain, either in what manner, or at what place buried. His gospel is said to have been written at Jerusalem, at the intreaty of the Jewish converts, and as Epiphanes adds, by the appointment of the apostles, and a few years after our Saviour's death. We have only the Greek translation thereof extant, and which is generally attributed to St. Johm, or St. James. S. Who was the apostle Thomas? T. The scripture makes no mention of his country nor of his kindred; but it is certain that he was a Jew, and is supposed to be a Galilean. This apostle is commonly called Didymus, a Greek word importing a twin, the same as Thomas signifies in the Hebrew. He was called to the apostleship in the thirty-first year of Christ, but we hear no more of him till the raising of Lazarus from the dead; when, believing that Jesus went into Judæa at the risque of his life, he proposed to the other disciples that they might all go and die with him. At the last supper, he, by asking Jesus whither he was going, drew from him that remarkable His answer, I am the way, &c. slowness of belief, in the matter of our Saviour's resurrection, seems not so much an effect of an obstinate infidelity, as of the weakness of his faith, too much over-ruled by human reason, which was the cause of our Saviour's not being angry with him, but taking the more pains to convince by an ocular and manual demonstration; and afterwards of his declaring them to be blessed that have not seen, and yet have believed. Different authors have assigned divers parts of the earth to this apostle's ministry. But the most probable account of his preaching is that, which assigns him his province amongst the Parthians, Medes, Persians, Caramanians, Hyrcanians, Bactrians, and Indians, as far as the island Taprobane, now called Sumatra, and the Brachmans; whom be with mild persuasives and calm inte Though by this means the Christians lost their apostle, he had instruct ed and confirmed them so well in the faith of Christ, that the Portuguese upon their arrival in the 14th century in these parts, found a succession of his disciples, to the amount of 15 or 16000families, that had continuedfrom this first plantation of Christianity, & distinguished themselves bythe name of Christians of St. Thomas, where they still remain; a people very poor, and under a patriarch, to whom all Christians of the east are subject, and who hath his seat at Muzal. They have neither images nor pictures in their churches, which are very plain, er other representations but that of the cross; they baptise infants; communicate in both kinds; are very solemn and attentive in their public prayers and preaching; study the new Testament in the Syriac tongue; ob serve Advent, Christmas, Easter,&c. permit their priests to marry once, and never think it lawful to dissolve the marriage knot. But you must observe that these are different from the Christians of St. Thomas in Malabar; who are the disciples of MarThome, a Syrian lord, who by the assistance of some Nestorian priests, carried the light of the gospel into those parts. S. Who was James the less? T. He is the same person whom some have styled James the just, and St. Paul calls, The Lord's Brother; because he was the son of Joseph by a former wife named Escha, daugh ter of Haggai, brother of Zacharias, father of John the Baptist. We have no particular account of him, neither as to the time of his birth, his trade, or way of life: nor as to the time of his being called to the apostleship, The Jews in their Talmud called him a man of the town of Secania.. After our Saviour's resurrection, this apostle was honoured by Jesus with his particular appearance; who is also said, when he was about to ascend, to have recommended the church of Jerusalem to his care. From which time he was considered as the bishop of that church; and as Eusebius writes, he, in imitation of the Jewish high-priest, wore the name of God engraved in a plate of . gold on his forehead, as a mark of his episcopacy. St. Paul, at his first coming up to Jerusalem, after his conversion, found James possessed of this authority and dignity. And in the synod at Jerusalem, after matters had been debated in the controversies between the Jew and Gentile converts about the Mosaic rites, he presided and passed the definitive sentence on the case, after it had been fully discussed in his presence by Peter, Paul, and Barnabas: and, as his eminent parts, authority and dis. cretion, enabled him to discharge that high office with great reputation amongst his brethren; so they inflamed proportionable the malice of the adversaries of Christianity. This brought upon him the resentment and persecution of the highpriest and of the Sadducees, the most cruel of all the Jewish sects; who, not being able to effect their design against Paul, who had appealed to Cesar for judgment,resolved to wreak their vengeance on James. Thus, according to Eusebius, Ananus, the high-priest, and the principal Pharisees and Scribes, taking advantage of the time between the death of the Roman governor Festus, and the coming of his successor Albinus, convened a council, and called the apostle before them, and condemned him as an infringer of the law; but fearing the people, thought not fit to proceed to open violence against him; but using deceitful and specious pretences, told him, that as the people were led into an error concerning Je sus Christ, whom they supposed to be the Messiah, it was in his power, and became him, who was a just man, to convince them of their mistake. Wherefore, this being the feast of the Passover, they desired him to go up with them into one of the galleries round the top of the temple, from whence he might be seen & heard by the great concourse of people assem bled on that occasion. James went up as they had desired, and they demanding of him, what they should believe concerning Jesus, who had been crucified? He answered with a loud and undaunted voice, That same Jesus, the son of man, whom ye speak of, is the Son of God, and sits on the right hand of the supreme majesty on high, from whence he will one day come in the clouds of heaven. At which the multitude glorified God, and cried out, Hosanna to the son of David! But the Scribes and Pharisees being cut to the heart at their design being thus frustrated, declared that the man whom they had heretofore call. ed Just, was now become an impostor, and threw him down headlong. Some below perceiving him rise upon his knees after the fall, loaded him with a shower of stones; and at last one merciful in his cruelty, dashed his brains out with a fuller's club, as he poured out his soul in prayer to Heaven; being now in the 86th year of his age, and after he had been 24 years bishop of that city. However, all their maliee could not hinder the people's veneration for him, who bu. ried his body on the spot where he suffered, and erected a monument to his memory. Nor did his persecu tors go unpunished; for some of the Jews complained of his murder to the new governor, and to Agrippa, who made Ananus pay for his injus. tice and cruelty with the loss of the high-priesthood.⚫ This apostle was the author of the general epistle of James, which is directed to the Jewish converts scattered abroad in the eastern countries, to comfort them under their sufferings, and to confirm them in the faith, which was every where spoken against, and began to be corrupted by the Gnostics and Nicolai. tans, who taught that good works were useless and unnecessary, and that a naked belief of the Christian faith was sufficient to salvation. T. He was surnamed the Canaanite, and was otherwise called Zelotes. From whence it is collected that he was not named Canaanite from the town of Cana, which some have surmised to be the place of his nativity; but from the Hebrew root Kana, to be zealous; whence is derived Kanior Kanani; because he was hot and sprightly, and very zealously 'em. braced the gospel of Jesus Christ; or else from a particular sect among the Jews called Zealots. We have little mention of him in the sacred records: but Nicephorus says, that after the descent of the Holy Ghost, on the dispersion of his brethren, he travelled through Egypt, Cyrene, and other parts of Africa, and thence through Mauritania and Libya; and lastly he came over into the western islands, and in particular into the isle of Britain, where according to Dorotheus, he was crucified, after he had preached and endured many troubles and afflictions, and confirmed his doctrine with many miracles. S. What account is there of Jude? T. He was the brother of James the Just, who was the Lord's brother, and bishop of Jerusalem, of whom I have already informed you. He is also called Judas, but particu. larly mentioned with a negative, NOT to be Iscariot. He was a married man, and had several children; his wife's name was Mary. And at the last supper, he asked Jesus why he was to manifest himself to his apostles, and not to the world. sister of Lazarus, for anointing the feet of Jesus with precious ointment. The next account of him is his agree. ment with the priests to betray his master for thirty pieces, or shekels of silver, which make four pounds ten shillings, if we allow three shillings to a shekel. In consequence where of he conducted the officers and a multitude of the Jews armed, to the place where Jesus had retired after supper to pray; though Jesus had at his last supper with his disciples given him to understand, that he knew the treachery and wickedness of his heart. Judas when he saw how far the enemies of our Saviour were carrying their revenge, he came to himself, and considering the crime he had committed against him, was seized with horror and despair; and unable to bear the reflec. tion, that he had been dealing for the blood of so excellent a master; he brought back to the Jews the thirty pieces of money again, telling them, he had sinned in betraying innocent blood; and having thrown the money into the temple, immediately went away and hanged himself on a high tree, as it is supposed, from whence, He is said to have preached the gospel in Judæa, Samaria, Idumæa, in the city Edessa, Mesopotamia, Syria and Lybia; but principally in Armenia and Persia, and at last to have died in peace, and to be honourably buried: though others affirm that he was put to a cruel death by the Ma. gi, at Berytus in Persia, as he was freely and openly reproving their superstitious rites. He has left us a short epistle that bears his name, written to the converted Jews, as his brother James had done before; and exhorts them to be aware of false teachers, who at that time were the Gnostics, Nicolaitans and Simonians, and disturbed the peace of the church by their loose doctrines and practices. And as he therein speaks of the apostles, as dead, sometimes quotes Peter's 2d epistle, and alludes to Paul's 2d epistle to Timothy, it probably was not written till after the destruction of Jerusalem. S. What particulars have you of the rope breaking, he fell and burst Judas Iscariot? T. The account given of this man by the sacred writers is only this: that he was of the number of those that were called by Jesus to the apostleship; and was intrusted with the common purse, or appointed purser or purveyor to the apostolic college, and therefore is by some thought to be called Iscariot, from a Syriac word of a similar sound which signifies a purse. He is never mentioned afterwards, but to his disgrace. He murmurs at Mary, the asunder in the midst; and all his bowels gushed out. Thus I have given you a faithful account of the apostles, whom Jesus called to accompany him in his mi nistry. S. I thank you for this ample relation of what conduces so much to the knowledge of the sacred history. But I am at a loss to know why these twelve were called apostles. T. Apostle is properly a derivative from the Greek word Apostolos, and signifies a messenger or envoy. |
