mentioned by this writer, which explain or confirm circumstances related by the Evangelist. Thus, for instance, he describes Quirinius, who is supposed by all the learned to have been the Cyrenius mentioned by St. Luke*, as having been active in military affairs, and employed in difficult services. The success which Tacitus represents him to have obtained in Cilicia; and his consequent appointment as governor to Caius Cæsar, the grandson of Augustus, in the East, did not take place till some years after the taxing spoken of by St. Luke; which taxing Lardner and others conceive to have been conducted by Cyrenius, as an assessor sent into Syria with extraordinary powers. The Evangelist, in recording this taxing, describes Cyrenius by the title which he afterwards obtained, of Governor of Syria. In another instance, he leads us to observe the minute propriety of expression, with which

Luke ii. 2. He is called by Strabo, Kupinos, l. xii. p. 569. + Annal. lib. iii. sect. 43.

The interpretation of the passage in St. Luke, adopted by Lardner, is most consistent with Heathen accounts, and with the statement of Josephus. This was the first assessment of Cyrenius the governor of Syria, Ηγεμονευοπλος της Συρίας Κυρηνιου, being the same as Ηγεμονος της Συρίας, and being governed by the word awoyea¶n.

St. Luke styles Sergius Paulus deputy, i. e. pro-consul of Cyprus, since he applies the same distinctive title of pro-consul* to the Governor of Crete†, the government of which island, like that of Cyprus, had been made over by the Emperor to the Senate.

In addition to what Tacitus has stated in his history, with respect to Felix, it may be observed, that the historian represents him in his Annals to have rendered himself contemptible, and to have provoked insurrection among the people of his province by his misconduct, so as to have reduced it to a scene of rapine, treachery, and rebellion, and to have exposed it to the danger of a war, which but for the management of Quadratus, the Governor of Syria, would have been excited

We cannot read this account, and recollect that the affections of Drusilla, the wite of Felix, had been seduced by him from her former husband, Azizes, King of the Emisseni, without being struck with the illustration which it affords, of the noble conduct of St. Paul, when brought before

Felix, contrasted with the venal flattery of Tertullus *.

Tacitus, speaks of Pomponia Græcina, the wife of Plautus, a woman of eminent rank and qualities, in the reign of Nero, and represents her to have practised a foreign superstition, by which it has been generally understood that she was converted to Christianity. The passage may be adduced among others, to shew that the religion of Christ was accepted by those who were in elevated stations; and it concurs with the salutation of St. Paul in the Epistle to the Philippians+.

The style of Tacitus is not that of the purest ages, but has a peculiar force and descriptive power; it is sententious and impressive, and appears to have been most elaborately studied. He so poised and weighed his periods, for the sake of harmony, as sometimes to fall into verse. The Annals commence with an Hexameter verse, as does also the work of Livy and the History of the Jugurthine war by Sallust.

See Essay on the Character of St. Paul by Mrs. Hannah More.

Annals, 1. xiii. c. 32.

4 Chap. iv. 2.

CHAP. LV.

Caius Suetonius Tranquillus.

SUETONIUS seems to have been born in the reign of Vespasian, who ascended the Imperial throne A. D. 70; he filled the confidential office of Secretary to Adrian, but was dismissed, with others, for a failure in respect to the Empress Sabina.

Suetonius composed many works, enumerated by Suidas, and cited by different authors, which are now lost, excepting the lives of the twelve Cæsars; for the lives of Terence, Horace, Juvenal, Persius, and Lucan, sometimes attributed to him, are probably not genuine. It has been remarked with respect to the work which we possess, that the historian described the lives of the

Emperors with as much freedom as they lived *.

Spartian in Adrian. c. xi.

Suetonius enters into biographical details of the characters of the Emperors, and his history affords most deplorable proofs of their corruption. Many particulars may be collected from it, which tend to illustrate the subject of the present work, and which relate to the concerns of Jews and Christians.

The historian represents Augustus to have commended his grandson Caius, because, when passing by Judea, he had not offered up his prayers at Jerusalem *.

Doubts have

Chrestus the

He relates that Claudius expelled the Jews from Rome, on account of frequent tumults excited by Chrestus +. been entertained whether by historian meant Jesus Christ, It is probable that under the word Jews, the Christians were included; and whether by Christ we understand our Saviour to have been intended, as the original founder of the Christian institutions, or only some popular leader of temporary tumults, the account of Suetonius may be thought to confirm the relation in the Acts of the Apostles, with respect to Aquila and Priscilla, who are incidentally stated by the Evangelist to have

* August. c. 93.

+ Claudius, cap. 25. page 25. Edit. Oudendorp.