I have thus far shewn that nothing was more destitute of proof than the
authenticity of the books which contain the life and writings of St.
Paul. I have shewn that the Acts of the Apostles, and the Epistles of
St. Paul, were rejected by some Christian sects which subsisted from the
earliest times of the church. It must have been seen that the opinion
of the authenticity of these books was founded solely on traditions, to
which it is very difficult to give credit, considering the characters of
those by whom these traditions have been transmitted, it is however upon
such suspicious guarantees, that the authority of these works has been
pretended to be established; it will then be necessary to admit them
at once and without examination, or else recur to reason in order to
examine for ourselves, what we ought to think concerning them.
To form our ideas of St. Paul, let us then consult only these works,
however suspected their origin may appear to us, which contain the
detail of his life; there are no others to which we can have recourse.
The author of the Acts of the Apostles, whoever he be, relates the
miraculous conversion of Saul, afterwards called Paul, in the ninth
chapter. We find him already named in the two preceding chapters, first
as approving of the death of St. Stephen, the first martyr for the
Christian religion, and next as persecuting and desolating the church.
Not contented with tormenting the Christians of Jerusalem, he furnished
himself with letters from the High Priest which authorised him to seize
those whom he might find at Damascus; but, while on the road a miracle
caused him to change all his projects; he is suddenly surrounded by a
divine light, without seeing any one, he hears the voice of Jesus of
Nazareth, who demands of him the motives of his persecutions. Saul
trembling enquired what conduct he ought to pursue. Jesus tells him,
that at Damascus he would be informed of his intentions. Our persecutor
on this occasion is struck blind, but his heart is converted, and
sight is miraculously restored to him by a Christian of Damascus named
Ananias, who had been, by a particular revelation informed of his
hostile designs against the church, and of the great designs of God,
who, of this persecutor, would form a vessel of election, that is to
say the Apostle of the Gentiles.
Soon after this conversion and cure, Saul is baptized and commences
preaching Christ in the synagogues, confounding the Jews to such a
degree that they came to the resolution to take away his life. But the
new missionary deceived their vigilance by saving himself during the
night by means of a basket, in which he was lowered, and made his escape
from Damascus. He returned to Jerusalem where the disciples of Jesus
were thrown into consternation at his appearance; but Barnabas presented
him to the Apostles, informed them of his conversion, and enrolled him
to their college. In consequence he preached the Gospel; this conduct
soon raised troubles and persecutions against him on the part of the
Jews, who again formed the design of putting him to death. But he found
means of escaping from their fury by the assistance of some disciples
who conducted him to Cesarea, whence they afterward sent him to Tarsus.
Barnabas came and joined Saul in the latter city, whence he led him to
Antioch. Here Saul and Barnabas remained during a year, they there made
a great number of converts; it was there that the proselytes first took
the name of Christians. To warm the zeal of the new converts, they sent
for prophets from Jerusalem, one of these named Agabus predicted a great
famine, which determined the disciples of Antioch to distribute alms
to their brethren of Judea; Saul and Barnabas were the bearers of these
marks of generosity, and the Apostles, whom the first faithful made
the depositaries of their riches, knew, without doubt, the price of the
acquisition that the sect had made in the person of the new missionary*.
* Acts of Apostles, chap. 12.