New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1869-11-05
NEW PUBLICATIONS
REMAINS SAINT PAUL.

ton.
The life of St Paul occupies the third volume in
the series on the Origins" or Primitive Sources OF
Christianity. The apostles conversion was re-
counted IN the preceding volume, which was deVoteu
10 the work of the other Apostles The close OF his
life and his fate will DO related in the volume next
to come A fifth and last Will treat of the interior
movements in the Church of Asia Minor, the pro
gress of the hierarchy and discipline the blrh OF 'e
Gnostic Sects the definite constitution OF dogatc
orthodoxy and of the EpscOpate. Inc present
CHAPTERS cover the period of St PauFs active lihiS
try period of sixteen years; introducing MN "V
the moment OF his issuing forth with TWO coihpah-
ions on his first missionary Journey ana leaNlhg MN
in Rope n prisoner appealing to Caesar, about the
middle of the year 81. No more important episode
than this occurs in the early history of the Gospel
for il records the first trumphs of the religion
ontside of Palestine. We are here, too under the
fuller light of authentic knowledge. Previous to
this date, the accounts Of St Paul are obscure
Subsequently 10 his arrival in Rome no GER
tain traces of him remain; but between the
years 10 and o. VI. Renan is Of opinion that the
documents afford sufficient evidence OF what nap
pencd Such evidence as there is, he spares no pains
10 recover critical dissertation on the character
and value of the literary materials at the historians
command forms the introduction to the present
work 1t is succinct lucid frank; on the whole,
under examination are the Acts of the Apostles"
and the Epistles which Paul addressed to the
churches he founded In this discussion as in pre-
vous one ON the materials for the life of Jesus NJ
Renan differs from both of the extreme parties IN
criticism The orthodox scholars accept the book OF
Acts" throughout as genuine and anthem
tic, and reject but one of the great Epstles
ascrbed to Paul, namely, the Epistle to
the Hebrews The radical school accepts
III D.,rn N
tians and the two Corintmans-and dscards the
book of Acts" as the labored composition of a
writer whose aim was TO reconcile the conflicting
parties in the church by smoothing away the differ
ences Of opinion, harmOnizing characters
distributing the parts equally between
the two great Apostles Peter and Paul,
and by magnifying as much as possible the exploits
of each. NJ Renan adopts middle course; he re-
CARDS the two EpstleS TO Timothy and the Eplstle
to Titus as beyond question apocryphal, more than
doubts the Episte to the Ephesians, and by what
looks like q critical peTyersity holds to the last
sixteen chapters of the book of Acts possessing
solid historical yalue while he lays the first half of
the same book under suspicion being legendary.
lie thus secures a large amount of material, both
speculative and historical for the purpose OF build
ing mp his figure OF the apostle and laying out the
plan of his ministry NJ Renan makes no secret of
his intention to write this history, he would write
any other history on the received principles of scen-
tihc Interpretation. lie is nationalist, and as such
he starts with the assumption that every occurrence
may be explained by the causes that operate all the
time, and work ont the usual experiences in human
affairs He dscards the supernatural he discredits
the miraculous he distrusts the exceptional; he
dslikes the extraordinary; he has an anupathy to
breaks chasns and crises. So far he can, there
fore he reduces the territory of history to level
plain. traversed by and women who are actu-
ated by motives that all at least understand, and
are swayed by forces that all can in degree appr
ciate Ills method consists in subdung effects till
they come within the reach of natural causes. and
in exaltiug natural causes till they become ade-
quato to the production of the certified effects. In
the Life of Jesus" the utmost was granted that
could be granted to a character simply human,
fallible and peccabe, touched with the imperfec-
tious Of passion and prejudice, with mental weak
ness and moral infrmity. The author was not per-
United by his theory to make Jesus more than
man in his country and generation might naturally
have been; but he does press against the limits of
this conception in places, and means to do his best
10 explain ON natural principles the phenomena ac-
tually presented by the New Testament and the
apostolic age. In the Life of St. Paul." the same
method is pursued though with diminished intensity
N and evidently with abated enthusiasm On the one
hand the results achieved by the Apostle repre-
scented as being quite inCOnsderabe in his own time
and of no very permanent or profound significance
in the organization Of Chrstendom. His churches
are described as being few scattered, and small
consisting of women mostly, and gathering up no
iargeforces of intellectual or spiritual influence On
the other hand the character of the apostle is
so portrayed as to account fairly, no more
for the results obtained. Praise without
stint is layishcd ON his loftiness his disnterested-
ness his purity, his love of souls the ardOr of his
convictions his devotion 10 his Master his power of
ruling inferior natures and fascinating gentle
But saiutlincSs is denied him. is the deepest wis
dom so is learning He is placed inmeasurably be-
low Jesus; he is subOrdnated to Peter who was "a
better lover Of the Master, and more excellent
man." Paul is presented as proud even to the point
Of being impeIious, and polite to the point of
being disingenuous. lis "paradoxical contempt OF
reason, his eulogy of foolishucss,7 his "gorifca-
ton of transccndenta abSurdihes." call for severe
Sensure. lie was az once a manager and visionary,
skillful director OF cOscicnccs and bOundless
thusast; "a person of supreme selfTelIance and be-
lever in visions character Of infinite force and yet
at times so weak and waycring as to be betrayed
into amcntable concessions Of principle; and all
these characteristics strangely blended, so appa-
rently inconsistent with each other, work together
in producing the effects that he accomplished. NJ
Reuau finds cause for declining TO accept St. Paul's
own account of the controversy between himself and
the other apostles on the subject OF the scope and
genius of the Gospel. lie sInooths the harsh
passage between the missionary to the Gentles and
the apostle 10 the Jews the preacher Of Faith and the
disciples of the law. the advocates of circumcision
and the prophet Of uncrcumcisiOn. He takes
all the bitterness ont of that famous
quarrel mentioned in Galatians, though il is done
only by preferriug the statement of the unknown
go At 4l,o M Ioclo