of the christians at Rome could convince him of its falsehood. The narrative of Tertullian implies, therefore, that there were even at this early period, christians in Italy and Rome, though Tertullian, from a motive hereafter to be stated, designedly omitted to mention them.

Eusebius, in his Eccles. His. lib. ii. 2. has given the same history nearly in the words of Tertullian. And Orosius, towards the beginning of the fifth century, hath thus more fully stated the the fact. "Tiberius proposed to the senate, that Christ should be made a god with his own vote in his favour. The senate moved with indignation that it had not been, as was usual, proposed to them to determine respecting the reception of his religion, rejected his deification, and decreed, by an edict, that the christians should be banished from the city, especially as Sejanus, the prefect of Tiberius, most obstinately resisted the reception of his faith*."

Here the inference, drawn above from the

* Senatus indignatione motus, quod non sibi prius secundum morem delatum esset, ut de suscipiendo cultu prius ipse decerneret, consecrationem Christi recusavit, edictoque constituit, exterminandos esse urbe christianos: præcipue cum et Sejanus, præfectus Tiberii suscipiendæ religioni obstinatissime contradiceret. Tiberius tamen edicto accusatoribus christianorum mortem comminatus est. Oros. lib. vii. c. 4.

wordsf Tertullian, is stated in direct terms by Orosius, namely, that in the days of Tiberius Christians were so numerous at Rome, as to attract the notice of government. But though Christ had at this time many followers at Rome, they must have been chiefly JEWS; his gospel being not as yet announced to the Gentiles, unclogged by the rite of circumcision; nor was the christian name as yet in existence. It is evident then, that by Christians Tertullian and Orosius meant such as were by nation Jews, and whom Philo and Josephus would call by no other name.

I shall next shew what Josephus and Philo have said on this subject. The former, in his Antiquities, speaks to this effect. "A Jew re

sided at Rome, who, having been accused of transgressing the laws, fled from his country to avoid the punishment which threatened him. During his residence at Rome, he pretended to unfold the wisdom of the Mosaic laws, in conjunction with three other men, who in every way resembled himself. With these associated Fulvia, a woman of rank, that had become a convert to the Jewish religion, and whom they prevailed upon to send, for the temple of Jerusalem, presents of purple and gold. These they received, and appropriated to their own use; which, in

deed, was their motive at first in making the request. Tiberius (for he was informed of this

by his friend Saturninus, the husband of Fulvia, at her earnest request) commanded all the Jews to be expelled from the city. The men, to the amount of four thousand, were forced into the army by order of the senate, and sent to the island of Sardinia. But most of them being des termined to preserve their laws inviolate, refused to enlist, and were put to death. And thus, because of the wickedness of four men, the Jews were driven from the city *."

* Ην ανηρ Ιουδαίος φυγάς μεν της αυτού, κατηγορία τε παραβάσεως νομών και δέει τιμωρίας της επ αυτοις, πόνη

ρος

δε εις τα πάντα. και δε τότε εν τη Ρώμη διαιτωμενος προσεποιείτο μεν εξηγεισθαι σοφίαν νόμων των Μωυσέως, προσποιησάμενος τε τρεις άνδρας εἰς τα παντα ὁμοιοτροπους. τούτοις επιφοίτησασαν Φούλβιαν την εν αξιώματι γυ ναικών, και νομιμοις προσεληλυθυίαν τοις Ιουδαίκοις, πετω θουσι πόρφυραν και χρυσιον εἰς τὸ εν Ιεροσωλύμοις ἱερον διαπεμψασθαι, και λαβόντες, επι χρειας τοις οικείους ανα λωμασιν αυτά ποιούνται, εφ όπερ και το πρωτον ἡ αίτησις ή επράσσετο, και ὁ Τιβεριος, αποσημαινει γαρ προς αυτον φιλος ων Σατουρνικός της Φούλβιας ανήρ επισκήψει της γυναικος, κελεύει παν το Ιουδαίκον της Ρώμης απέλασ θηναι. δι δὲ ὑπατοι τετρακισχιλίους ανθρωπών τρατολογησαντες επεμψαν εις Σαρδω την νησον. πλείσους δε εκολασαν μη θέλοντας τρατεύεσθαι, δια φυλακήν των πατριον νόμων. και δι μεν δια κακίαν τεσσάρων ανδρών ελαυνόντο της πολεως. Ant. Jud. lib. xvii. cap. 3. 5.

to this effect.

The words of Philo, on the same subject, are "All nations, though prejudiced against the Jews, have been careful not to abolish the Jewish rites; and the same caution was preserved in the reign of Tiberius: though, indeed, the Jews in Italy have been distressed by the machinations of Sejanus. For after his death, the emperor became sensible, that the accusations alleged against the Jews in Italy, were lying calumnies, the mere inventions of Sejanus; who was eager to devour a nation, that alone or chiefly would, he knew, be likely to oppose his impious designs and measures. And to the constituted authorities in every place, Tiberius sent orders not to molest in their several cities the men of that nation, excepting the guilty only (who were very few), and not to suppress any of their institutions, but to regard as a trust committed to their care, both the people themselves, as disposed to peace, and their laws, which like oil inure them to order and stability *."

Του yag ουν πανταχου παντες, ει και φύσει διεκ ειντο προς Ιουδαίους ουκ ευμενως, ευλάβως είχαν επι και θαίρεσει τινος των Ιουδαϊκών νομίμων προσάψασθαι, και επι Τιβερίου μεντοι τον αυτον τρόπον, καιτοι των εν Ιταλια παρακινηθέντων, ἡνικα Σπιανος εσκευωρεί την επίθεσιν. εγνω yag, ευθεως εγνω, μετά την εκείνου τελευτην, ότι τα κατη γορηθεντα των ωκηκότων την Ρώμην Ιουδαίων, ψευδεις ησαν

Now I propose to shew, in a few words, that the men of whom Josephus and Philo here speak were Jewish believers, the same with those to whom Tertullian alludes, and of whom Orosius speaks under the name of christians. A few remarks will be sufficient for this purpose.

1. As to the time when the disturbance here spoken of happened, we may infer from Josephus, that it was near the close of Tiberius's reign: for he says in the subsequent paragraph, that Pilate was soon after removed from the government of Judea. Philo's narrative furnishes other data equally decisive. He writes that the Jews were distressed by the machinations of Sejanus, but were relieved after his death. The oppression of the Jews in Italy therefore happened a year or two before the death of Tiberius, and four or five years after the resurrection of Jesus.

διαβολαί, πλασματα Σηιανού το εθνος αναρπάσαι θέλοντος. ὑπὲρ η μόνον η μαλιςα ηδει βουλαις ανοσίοις και πράξεσιν αντιβησομενον, ὑπερ του παρασπονδηθηναι κινδυνευσαντος αυτοκρατορός, και τοις πανταχόσε χειροτονούμενοις ύπαρ χοις επέσκηψε παρηγόρησαν μεν τους κατα πόλεις των απο του εθνους, ὡς οὐκ ἐπι παντας πρόβασης της επεξελύσεως, αλλ' επί μόνους τους αιτίους (ολιγοι δε ησαν) κινησαν δὲ μηδεν των εξ εθους, αλλά και παρακαταθήκην έχειν, τους τε ανδρας ως ειρηνικούς τας φύσεις, και τα νόμιμα ὡς αλει φοντα προς ευςαθειαν. Vol. II. p. 569.