The life and work of St. Paul

THE CLOSE OF THE JOURNEY. 223
consultation at Jerusalem. It was the result of this interview tho discovery
that James and Kephas had nothing to contribute to any further solution of
the subject which first made him determined to resist to the utmost the
imposition of the yoke on Gentiles, and to follow the line which he had
generally taken. But he had learnt from this journey that nothing but the
wisdom of God annihilating human foolishness, nothing but the gracious
Spirit of God breaking the iron sinew in the nock of carnal ob.sliuacy, could
lead the Jews to accept the truths he preached. Paul saw that the husbandmen
in charge of tho vineyard would never be brought to confess that they
had slain the Heir as they had slain well-nigh all who went before Him.
Though He had come first to His own possessions, His own people refused to
receive Him. 1
Israel after the flesh would not condescend from their haughty
self-satisfaction to accept the free gift of eternal life.
And, therefore, he was now more than ever convinced that his work would
lie mainly among the Gentiles. It may be that the fury and contempt of the
Jews kindled in him too dangerously for the natural man kindled in him in
spite of all tender yearnings and relen tings too strong an -indignation, too
fiery a resentment. It may be that he felt how much more adapted others
were than himself to deal with these ; others whose affinities with them wore
stronger, whose insight into tho inevitable future was less clear. Tho Gentiles
were evidently prepared to receive tho Gospel. For these other sheep of God
evidently the fulness of time had come. To those among them who were
disposed for eternal life the doctrine of a free salvation through the Son of God
was infinitely acceptable. Not a few of them had found in the Jewish
teaching at least an approach to ease. 2 But tho acceptance of Judaism could
only be accomplished at the cost of a heavy sacrifice. Even to become a
"Proselyte of the Gato" subjected a man to much that was distasteful; but
to become a Proselyte of the Gate was nothing. It was represented by all the
sterner bigots of Judaism as a step so insignificant as to be nearly worthless-
And yet how could any man stoop to that which could alone make him
a Proselyte of Righteousness, and by elevating him to this rank, place on him
a load of observances which were dead both in the spirit and in the letter,
and wliich yet would most effectually make his life a burden, and separate
him not morally, but externally from all which he had loved and valued
most ? 3 The sacrifices which an African convert has to make by abandoning
polygamy which a Brahmin has to make by sacrificing caste are but a small
measure of what a Gentile had to suffer if he made himself a Jew. How
1 John i. 11, eli TO. ISia. , . . ol HIM*
2 Further than the outermost pale of Judaism they could not approach. Religions
thoughtfulness in a Gentile was a crime, "A Gentile who studies the Law (beyond the
seven Noachian precepts) is guilty of death;" for it is said (Deut. x.xxiii. 4) "Moses
commanded us a Law, even the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob ;" but not of
Gentiles (and, therefore, Rashi adds it is robbery for a Gentile to study the Law).
(Sanhedrin, i. 59, This ia embodied l.j by Maimonides, Dig. Hilchoth Menachin, x. 9.
* "A Gentile who offers to submit to all the words of tho Law except one is not
received." Rabbi Jose Ben Rabbi Jehudah said, "Even if he rejects one of the
HalacMtk of the Scribes " (BenchorCth, I. 30, 2).