The life and work of St. Paul

THE CLOSE OF THK JOUBNEY. 215
of the native dialect, the Apostles did not know what the crowd were saying, 1
and withdrew to their lodging. But meanwhile the startling rumour had
spread. Lycaonia was a remote region where still lingered the simple faith
in the old mythologies.* Not only were there points of resemblance in Central
Asia between their own legends and the beliefs of the Jews, 3 but this region was
rendered famous as the scone of more than one legendary Epiphany, of which
the most celebrated recorded in the beautiful tale of Philemon and Baucis 4
was said to have occurred in this very neighbourhood. Unsophisticated by the
prevalent disbelief, giving ready credence to all tales of marvel, and showing
intense respect for any who seemed invested with special sacrodnoss, 6 the
Lycaoniaus eagerly accepted the suggestion that they were once more favoured
by a visit from the old gods, to whom in a faithless age they had still been
faithful. And this being so, they at least would not be guilty either of the
Impious scepticism which had ended in the transformation into a wolf of their
eponymous prince Lycaon, or of the inhospitable carelessness which for all
except one aged couple had forfeited what might have been a source of
boundless blessings. Before the gate of the town was a Temple of Zeus, their
guardian deity. The Priest of Zeus rose to the occasion. While the Apostles
remained in entire ignorance of his proceedings he had procured bulls and
garlands, and now, accompanied by festive crowds, came to the gates to do
them sacrifice. 9 Paul and Barnabas were the last to hear that they were
about to be the centres of an idolatrous worship, but when they did hear it
they, with their sensitive conceptions of the awful majesty of the one true
God, were horror-stricken to an extent which a Gentile could hardly have
understood. 7
Bending their garments, they sprang out with loud cries among
the multitude, expostulating with them, imploring them to believe that they
were but ordinary mortals like themselves, and that it was the very object of
their mission to turn them from these empty idolatries to the one living and
true God, who made the heaven, and the . earth, and the sea, and all that in
them is. And so, as they gradually gained more of the ear of the multitude,
they explained that during past generations God had, as it were, suffered all
the heathen to walk in their own ways, 8 and had not given them special
1 See Chrysost. Horn. xxx. The notion of St. Jerome, that the power of the Apostles
to speak to the Lycaoniana in their own language was one of the reasons why the people
took them for gods, is utterly baseless.
3 Some remarkable proofs are given by Dollinger (Judcnth. u. Htidenth. bk. viii. 2, 5).
1 For instance, the sort of dim tradition of the Deluge at Apamea Kibotos.
4 Ov. Met. viii; 626, seq. ; Fatt. r. 495 ; Dio. Chrysost. Oral, xxxiii. 408. On the
common notion of these epiphanies, we Horn. Od, xvi. 484 ; Hes. Opp. et D. 247 ;
Cat. Ixv. 384.
Tyana, the birthplace of the contemporary thaumaturge, ApolloniuB, who was
everywhere received with so deep a reverence, is not far to the east of Lystra and Derbe.
Probably the gates of the house, cf. xii. 13, JuL Poll. Onomatt. L 8, 77 (cf. Virg.
Eel. iii. 487 ; Tert. De Cor. Mil. x.).
1 Mcncxcnus, the physician of Alexander, claimed to be a god, as did Alexander of
Abonoteichus, to say nothing of the Divi CaMret. 'Ef^nj&iirar, K, A, B, C.D, E, &c.
Barnabas is put first because he is most reverenced aa^etu Poliauchot. In the itory at
liaucis and Philemon the miracle at once led to * sacrifioa.
Acts xiv. 16, wiw ri ir+ ^ui 9'i