[14] As the disputes concerning religious flagellations have been
carried on with great warmth on both sides, the two parties have
ransacked the Scriptures for passages that might support their
respective opinions; and the supporters of flagellations have
been particularly happy in the discovery of the passage of David,
mentioned in the preceding Chapter; and that of St. Paul which is
recited here. By the former passage, the supporters of flagellations
pretend to shew, that they were in use so early as the time of
David; and that the Prophet underwent a flagellation every morning:
by the latter passage, they endeavour to prove that self-scourgings
were practised by St. Paul, and of course by the first Christians.
As the literal meaning of the above two passages is wholly on the
side of the supporters of flagellations, this, as it always happens
in controversies of that kind, has given them a great advantage
over their opponents, who have been reduced, either to plead that
the expressions urged against them were only to be understood in a
figurative sense, or to endeavour, by altering the original passage,
to substitute others in their stead. The latter is the expedient on
which our Author has chiefly relied in this chapter, and he strives
to substitute another word, to the word ὑπωπιάζω, used by St. Paul
when he said, he _chastised_ his _flesh_; which is to be found in all
the common Editions of the Greek New Testament. And indeed it must
be confessed, that the above word is of itself extremely favourable
to the promoters of self-flagellation; little less so than the words
of Asaph, _fui flagellatus_ (_I have been whipped_) mentioned in the
foregoing Chapter; its precise meaning being the same as _I bruise
or discolour with blows_: it comes from the word ὐπώπιον, which
signifies a livid mark left under the eye by a blow: on which the
Reader may observe (which, no doubt, will be matter of agreeable
surprise to him) that what is called in plain English a _black-eye_,
was expressed in Greek by the word ὑπώπιον. Besides trying to
substitute another word to that attributed to St. Paul in the common
Greek Editions of the New Testament, our Author produces several
passages from Greek and Latin Fathers, to shew that they thought
that St. Paul meant no more than to speak of his great labours,
abstinence, continence, &c.
The principal end of this Chapter is, therefore, to discuss the
interesting question, whether St. Paul used to flagellate himself:
and I have preferred to give the above compendious account of the
contest on the subject, rather than introduce the long discussion
of Greek words, and use the whole string of passages from Greek and
Latin Fathers, contained in the Abbé Boileau’s Book. By that means,
the present Chapter has, for the sake of the Reader, been shortened
to ten pages, instead of thirty, it must otherwise have contained.
[15] “And shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge
and to crucify him.” St. _Matth._ c. xx. v. 19.... “Then Pilate took
Jesus, and scourged him.” St. _John_, c. xix. ver. 1.
[16] _Hoc implebat_ Paulus, _qui servitutis suæ titulos sic
scribebat._ Lividum facio corpus meum, & servituti subjicio.
_Præbebat vindictam bonus servus, qui se usque ad livorem, sic agens,
jugiter verberabat._