suffice to indicate that his early training was, as far as possible, Jewish; and that the acquaintance he afterwards evinces with Greek literature, Greek customs, and Greek ideas, arose rather from the accidents of his position than from distinct instruction. The knowledge of such matters which we acquire in schools, must have grown into the living knowledge of an observant and intelligent youth, to whom Greek was the native tongue, who was born and grew up in a Greek city whose very air was redolent of Greek notions and Greek literature, and who had the habits of Greek life and religion daily before his eyes.

Of Saul's father, we only know that he was a Pharisee, and that he must have enjoyed the privileges of a Roman citizen, seeing that his son held these high privileges in right of his birth, being 'free-born.' His mother is never mentioned or alluded to, which may suggest the probability that she died soon after his birth. He had, however, a sister-probably older than himself, for her son had grown to manhood when Paul was still of middle age.1 He names also several of his kindred, male and female-Andronicus and Junia; Herodion, Lucius, Jason, and Sosipater2—all of them converts to Christ, and converted probably through him. It is interesting to learn that, so far as we know, he had not to encounter the opposition of his kindred, but obtained their concurrence and support. Andronicus and Junia became his 'fellow-prisoners;' and the rest were at least converts, if not fellow-labourers.

The fact that Saul was of the tribe of Benjamin, suggests how he came to bear that name. In the first man of that name of whose history we have any knowledge, the small tribe of Benjamin had presented to Israel its first king; and this being the most illustrious fact in the disastrous history of the tribe, rendered the name of Saul popular among its members, who delighted to bestow it on their children. Among the other tribes the name was cherished with less affection, and was of comparatively rare occurrence.

There are no materials which enable us to determine the 1 Acts xxiii. 16. 2 Rom. xvi. 7, II, 21.

position in life of Saul's father. In general, the Jews out of Palestine were engaged in trade and commerce. Some were rich through the extent of their transactions, or the direct returns of their capital; but there were comparatively few whose wealth arose from landed estate, as, while Palestine remained a Jewish country, every one who desired that position sought for it there. Egypt may have offered exceptions, and still more the East, as these had been for many generations the real homes of large Jewish populations. Abroad there were few Jews very poor; seeing that those who were so, rarely left their own country, and those who became so after having left, returned to it, as there they found in their want provision which did not exist or could not be enforced elsewhere. The majority of the Jews abroad were dealers and tradesmen of various kinds, and were generally in good and sometimes in affluent circumstances. It is probable that Saul's father was of this class. That he was not poor is shown by the fact that his son had a first-rate education, which he was sent to Jerusalem and kept there to finish. Yet, on the other hand, this does not imply that he was rich; for the cost of education was very low, and the objects which Saul's father realized for his son were not more difficult of attainment than it is now for a humble Scottish or American farmer to give a university education to his son.

The fact that the father was a citizen of Rome, implies nothing as to his condition in life. In regard to this matter, which became of some importance in the subsequent history of Saul, it used to be inferred that Tarsus was one of the cities, all those born in which enjoyed this distinguished privilege. But closer inquiry has shown that Tarsus did not attain this position till long after the time of Saul, though it was in his time a free city, in the sense of being governed by its own laws and magistrates, and of being exempt from tribute. Hence we find later in our history-Acts xxii. 29-that the tribune at Jerusalem was not debarred from ordering Saul to be scourged by the knowledge that he was of Tarsus, but desisted when he further learned that he was a Roman citizen. It must there

fore have been an individual right; but how it was acquired is open to conjecture. As Saul was born to this right, it must have been derived from his father; and if Saul could receive it as a birthright, his father might so have received it likewise. It may have been acquired—as it often was-from some service rendered to the Romans, or to some eminent Roman, during the civil wars; or, although Saul himself was free-born, his father or remoter ancestor may have purchased the right for some 'great price.' It is even possible that, although brought up at Tarsus, Saul may have been actually born in some other city, the mere fact of birth in which conveyed the rights of citizenship.

It appears, by the subsequent history, that Saul had learned in his youth the trade of a tent-maker, by which he was able to earn his living. But neither does this throw any light on the position of his father; for it was a very laudable custom among the Jews, even the wealthiest, that all their sons should learn some trade, as a security against want under the vicissitudes of life. Many sayings, enforcing this obligation, are found in the Talmud. Rabbi Judah is there reported as saying, 'He who teacheth not his son a trade, doth the same as if he taught him to be a thief.' And among the sayings ascribed to Saul's own master-the Rabban Gamaliel-is this, 'He that hath a trade in his hand, to what is he like? He is like a garden that is fenced.' Having thus to choose a trade for his son, it was very natural that the father should select that of tent-making, as this trade was largely carried on at Tarsus. The tents were mostly of goats' hair, and, as in Cilicia, of which Tarsus was the capital, the hair of the goat was remarkably long, it was highly esteemed for the manufacture of the hair-cloth of which such tents and other articles were made. This cloth indeed took its distinguishing name from the locality which afforded the material, whence also the cloth itself, being woven chiefly in the province, came to be known by the name of cilicium. This hair-cloth, being less liable than any other to injury from wet, was used, not only for the coverings of tents, but for the coats of sailors and fishermen; for sacks in which to carry

packages on horseback; for bags to hold workmen's tools; for coverings to military engines; and even to lay over the walls of besieged towns, to deaden the force of the battering-rams, and to prevent the wood-work from being set on fire. These circumstances gave great prominence to this branch of manufacture at Tarsus; and as the probability is, that Saul's father was in some kind of business, and as men usually give their sons the trades to which they have easiest access, it may seem not unlikely that he was himself in some way engaged in the traffic with, or the manufacture of, hair-cloth.

A marked peculiarity of the Acts of the Apostles may be here noted. The book begins with a general history of the infant church, and continues it down to the persecution that arose at the death of Stephen. In other words, it gives the history of the church as a whole, so long as that church was concentrated at Jerusalem. But the moment it assumed a missionary character, sending out branches to all surrounding countries, the nature of the book changes. Instead of a general history, it takes the form of biographies of a few of the leading men: Stephen, Philip, and lastly and chiefly, Paul. In one aspect, the book may be regarded as a biography of Paul, with a general introduction, giving a sketch of the events which preceded and led to the apostle's conversion. After this general introduction, the life and labours of the Apostle of the Gentiles form the theme of the historian. The missionary journeys of Paul are described with brevity, but with great graphic power; and his argumentative and eloquent speeches are reported with a fulness and an accuracy which leave nothing to be desired. There is one remark made by Dr. Kitto, regarding Paul's kindred, which requires correction. He says, 'All of them were converts to Christ, and converted probably through him.' Now, this cannot be true of the two first named, Andronicus and Junia, for Paul tells us, in Rom. xvi. 7, that they were in Christ before him.

Forty-second Week-Sixth Day.

TARSUS. ACTS XXI. 39.

ALTHOUGH the early life of Saul is little known to us, and the exact character of his early training, as well as his precise position in life, must be left very much to conjecture, we have at least the satisfaction of knowing the nature of the scenery on which his eyes continually rested, and amid which his early days were spent. Some may despise this source of pleasurable emotion, in contemplating the home and cradle of a great man ; but natural sentiment refuses to recognise the indifference which cold philosophy inculcates; and so long as that sentiment impels men to traverse sea and land in order to look upon the scenes of great events, and the homes and haunts of illustrious men, Tarsus will, for Saul's sake, be a spot of interest to readers of the Bible.

Cilicia, of which Tarsus was the capital, was the province of Asia Minor nearest to Syria, being separated therefrom, on the east, only by the mountains of Amanus. It was a plain, backed to the north by the great mountain range of Taurus, and open on the south to the sea, or rather to the Gulf of Cilicia, which, by a breadth of fifty miles, separated this coast from the island of Cyprus. Tarsus stood in about the midst of this province, nearly two leagues from the mouth of the river Cydnus, which was navigable to the city. This river, now called the Kara Su, or Black Water, then flowed through the midst of the city, but now only passes near to it.

Strabo says that Tarsus was founded by an Argive colony that went with Triptolemus in search of Io. But this is simply absurd; for Io, the daughter of Inachus, must have lived at least eighteen centuries before our era; whereas, according to the Parian marbles, Triptolemus quitted Eleusis only 1409 years before that epoch; and even apart from this anachronism, which brings into connection persons four centuries apart,