The life and work of St. Paul

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BEGINNING O? THE SECOND MISSIONARY JOUBKET. 267
pouring of the Spirit which followed Paul's preaching, and to the now 1
powers
which wore wrought in his converts by their admission into the Church. But
while these were the results among the truer converts, there must have also
boon many whose ready adhesion was due to that quick restlessness, that
eager longing for change, which characterised them, 8 as it characterised the
kindred family of Greeks with which they were at this time largely mingled.
It was the too quick springing of the good seed on poor and shallow soil ; it
was the sudden flaming of fire among natures as light, as brittle, as inflammable
as straw. The modification of an old religion, the hearty adoption of a new
one, the combination of an antique worship with one which was absolutely
recent, and as unlike it as is possible to conceive, had already been illustrated
in Galatian history. As Celts they had brought with them into Asia their
old Druidism, with its haughty priestcraft, and cruel expiations. 3 Yet they
had already incorporated with this the wild nature-worship of Agdistis or
Cybele, the mother of the gods. They believed that the black stone which
Lad fallen from heaven was her image, and for centuries after it had been
carried off to Borne 4
they continued to revere her venerable temple, to give
alms to her raving eunuchs, to tell of the vengeance which she had inflicted
on the hapless Atys, and to regard the pine groves of Dindymus with
awe. 5 But yet, while this Phrygian cult was flourishing at Pessinus, and
commanding the services of its hosts of mutilated priests, and while at
Tavium the main object of worship was a colossal bronze Zeus of the ordinary
6 Greek type, at Ancyra, on the other hand, was established the Roman
deification of the Emperor Augustus, to whom a temple of white marble,
still existing in ruins, had been built by the common contributions of
Asia. 7 Paul must have seen, still fresh and unbroken, the celebrated
Monumcntum Ancyranum, the will of Augustus engraved ou the marble of
1 Gal. lii. 5, 6 smx*wyur (= abundantly supplying ; cf. Phil. L 19 ; 2 Pet. i. 5)
tVti> rb rrvtvfjLa. ica.1 tvepytav Swififit iv vfu-. The latter clause may undoubtedly mean
"working miracles among you ;" but the parallels of 1 Cor. xii. 10; Matt. xiv. 2, seem
to show that it means "working powers in you." See, too, Isa. xxvi. 12 ; Heb. xiii. 21.
in us." In 1 Cor. xii. 10
ivipywa means, as Bishop Andrewes says, " a work inwrought
the " operations of powers" are distinguished from the " gifts of healings."
3 Caesar complains of their "mobifitas," "levitas," and "infirmitas animi,"and says,
"in consiliis capiendis mobiles et novis plerumque rebus studentes" (. G. ii. 1 ; iv. 5 ;
iii. 10 ; and Liv. x. 28).
3
Strabo, xii. 5, p. 567, who tells us that they met in council at Drynemetum, or
"
Oak-shrine" (drw cf. pv?, and nemed, "temple ), as Vernemetum = "Great-shrine"
(Venant. Fortun. i. 9), and Augustonemetum = "Augustus-shrine."
4 B.C. 204. See Liv. wii, 10, 11. The name of the town was dubiously connected
with Tieaelv. (Herodian. i. 11.)
5 Liv. xxxviii. 18 : Strabo, p. 489 ; Diod. Sic. iii. 58. Jiilian found the worship of
Cybele still languishing on at Pessinus in A.D. 363, and made a futile attempt to
galvanise it into life (Amm. Marc. xxii. 9). The lucrative features in the worship ^of
Cybele the sale of oracles and collection of alms may have had their attraction for the
avaricious Gauls.
6
Strabo, xii. 5. The very site of Taviiim is unknown.
7 Ancyra then called Sebaste Tectosagum, in honour of Augustus is now th
flourishing commercial town of Angora. The Baulos-Dagh Paul-Mountain near Angora
still reminds the traveller of St. Paul's visit to these cities, which is also rendered more
probable by their having been early episcopal sees,