--- title: Improvement Era description: Monthly periodical of the Mormon church, 1897 onward. This library holds the issues of November 1897 to December 1930. authors: - Weed, George Ludington collections: - periodicals tags: - magazine - improvement-era periodical: Improvement Era volume: 9 number: 5 published: 1906-03 publisher: Young Men’s Mutual Improvement Associations publisher_place: Salt Lake City language: en type: magazine reference: 'George Ludington Weed, "Life of St. Paul for the Young—XV–XVII," *Improvement Era* 9, no. 5 (March 1906): 349–358.' source: url: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0905unse transcription: Transcribed from the Internet Archive scan of each issue (the item for each issue is named in the issue's own source); unnumbered advertising leaves are omitted, printed page numbers are kept as page markers. identifier: improvementera0905unse start_page: 349 end_page: 358 rights: status: public-domain basis: US publication 1930 or earlier (published 1906-03) source: https://archive.org/details/improvementera0905unse publication_year: 1906 note: The Internet Archive item metadata carries a blanket "© Copyright by Intellectual Reserve, Inc." notice. The library owner judged it inapplicable because this issue was published in 1906, before 1931; a scan-level notice does not restore copyright. --- # Life of St. Paul for the Young—XV–XVII LIFE OF ST. PAUL FOR THE YOUNG. BY GEORGE LUDINGTON WEED. CHAPTER XV. BEGINNING OF THE FIRST MISSIONARY JOURNEY. Antioch — Simeon's Prophecy — Peter's Vision — Paul's Vision — Five Prophets and Teachers — The Holy Spirit's Call — The Consecration — The Departure — Orontes River — Seleucia— OntheSea — Cyprus — Salamis — Memorials of Barnabas— Barnabas and Saul — Paul and Barnabas — Paphos — Venus, Worship and Temple — Sergius Paulus — Elymas — Punishment for Blasphemy — Royal Convert. The return of Barnabas and Saul to Antioch was at a most interesting and important time. The city was to become the second capital of Christianity, and the starting-point of missionary tours. The church there, the first to bear the Christian name, was to be the first to send forth messengers of Christ to regions where he was unknown. The aged Simeon had prophesied that the infant Jesus in his arms was to be a Light to the Gentiles as well as to his own people, the Jews. The risen Lord had commanded, "Go, teach all nations." Peter's vision at Joppa had been a revelation of salvation for all. Saul remembered the trance in Jerusalem in which he heard a voice saying, "1 will send thee far hence to the Gentiles;" and was waiting for the time when the Lord would fulfill his purpose concerning him. The church at Antioch had not yet thought of Saul the convert as Paul the apostle. At the time of his return from Jerusalem with Barnabas, Copyright, 1899, by George W. Jacobs & Co., Philadelphia. 350 IMPROVEMENT ERA. they with three other "prophets and teachers" were the most prominent of the Christian community. While praying and fasting they had a revelation of God's will concerning the beginning of mission labors. In that solemn hour the Holy Spirit came upon them in a special manner. There was a sudden answer to their prayers. It came in the form of a command, * 'Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." Whether or not other Christians had part in this service, we may feel assured of their deepest interest in it. It was a sad thing to send away the two whom they most loved, and who were their chief teachers and guides. But they were ready to obey the command for the good of those who had not yet learned of the gospel of Christ. On another day of fasting and prayer there was a solemn ordination of Barnabas and Saul and consecration to their work. From that hour Saul became in a fuller sense than before the apostle of the Gentiles. From that time the city known as the Queen of the East had greater honor, for ' 'that noble missionary river' now fertilizing the world had its little fountain-head at Antioch. ' ' Hitherto we have thought of Jerusalem alone as the place whence Paul took his journey. Now we must think of Antioch. From thence he with Barnabas and Mark started on what is known as his First Missionary Tour. The first place toward which they turned was the island of Cyprus. As Paul left his preaching place in the Street Singon where his success had been so great, and Christian companionship so tender, it was with wide hopes and great expectations, inspired by the thought that he was ' 'sent forth by the Holy Spirit. ' ' If we knew the name of that apostolic barque in which he sailed, it would be cherished as much in Christian homes as Mayfloiwer is in American. It sailed down the Syrian Orontes river which winds around the bases of high and precipitous mountains of the Lebanon range, giving richness to its banks adorned with the vine and the fig tree, myrtle, bay, ilex, arbutus, dwarf oak, and English sycamore. The barque carried a greater than Alexander or Napoleon whose deeds have made memorable the shores of the Mediterranean whither Saul was bound, but with a far difl^erent purpose. He LIFE OF ST. PAUL FOR THE YOUNG. 351 was not seeking his own glory, but that of him whose barque floated on the sea of Galilee, bearing peace and good-will to the multitudes who lined its shores. Saul and his companions gazed on Mount Casius, rising from the edge of the sea to the height of five thousand feet above it. They entered the seaport of Seleucia. Out on the open sea, they sailed southwestward for Cyprus, whose mountain summits can be seen on a clear day from the mouth of the Orontes. This was the sea which Saul was to traverse again end again; on which he would be four times wrecked; and on whose billows he' would spend a day and a night. Yet these were but parts of the trials he was to endure on the sea and on the land. Such were then hidden from him. As we shall see them coming upon him, we shall also and always hear him saying, "None of these things move me. " ' 'I count not my life dear unto myself." *'I can do all things in him that strengtheneth me." Probably a widower and childless, without any permanent home, with one aim — the glory of his Lord and the good of his fellowmen — he was prepared to go anywhere, and to be, to do, and to suffer whatever might happen on his mission journeys. A fair wind and a few hours would bring the company to Salamis, the port of Cyprus, familiar from boyhood to Barnabas, and probably to John Mark as a visiting place among his kindred. The ruins of its piers, still visible, tell of its former busy scenes. As Barnabas met his family and Christian friends, there was no thought of our day when a church and grotto dedicated to him would remind the traveler of the traditions that he was martyred by Nero and buried near Salamis. Thus far in our story we have spoken of Barnabas and Saul. For this there has been good reason. Barnabas has been called "discoverer of Saul." We remember how, when Christians in Jerusalem would not believe the story of Saul's conversion, Barnabas led to them the friend of his youth, his fellow-student in Tarsus and Jerusalem, and inspired their confidence in the converted persecutor, whom they need no longer fear. In their labors together in Antioch and in their mission of charity to Jerusalem, and in their journeys hitherto, Barnabas had been the apparent leader. And now on the island of Cyprus — his old home — his 352 IMPROVEMENT ERA. high social position and landed property which he had sold to help his fellow- Christians, would give him a higher place in the minds of those who knew him than would be given to his less known companion. -Barnabas knew that Saul was a greater man than he, and worthy of higher honor. But he was too good a friend and Christian to care for this. He was not jealous, but had the humble spirit of John the Baptist who declared concerning the Christ, "He must increase, but I must decrease." It was on this journey, immediately after leaving Salamis, that we find the order of their names generally changed. From this time, moreover, Saul dropped that Jewish name for his Roman one of Paul, because perhaps his work was not to be among the Jews so much as the Pagan Romans. So henceforth we read, not of Barnabas and Saul, but Paul and Barnabas. After ' 'preaching the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews" in Salamis, the three missionaries, including John Mark, continued their journey. They traversed the beautiful and fertile plains of Cyprus which gave it the name of the Blest, and made it the resort of merchants from Egypt, Phoenicia, and Asia Minor. But these missionaries did not seek to enrich themselves with the * 'corn, wine and oil" which were produced in abundance, or with the diamonds, emeralds, silver, lead, and copper, which its rivers and mines contained. They had "unsearchable riches" which they carried the whole length of the island, about one hundred miles, to Paphos, in the southwestern extremity on the seashore. It v^as the chief town, and the residence of the Roman governor. The ignorant pagan inhabitants of Cyprus believed it to be under the protection of a heathen goddess named Venus, whom they also called Cypria. They had a fable that she sprang from the foam of the sea. She was no protection from evil, for the worship of her increased the wickedness of the inhabitants, and of the sailors and others who visited the island. It was so great and of such a kind that we cannot even speak or write about it. Even the worship in her temple was with shameful deeds. The princif al temple of Venus on the island was at Paphos. It was surrounded by beautiful groves of trees that bore delicious LIFE OF ST. PAUL FOR THE YOUNG. 353 fruit: but these did not remind the whorshipers of the true and holy God. To this unholy city came Paul and his companions to tell of him and salvation through Christ. Paul wrote in one of his letters, "Not many noble are called" to be Christians. Those whom the world call great because of their power, or riches, or learning, too often think more of such things, belonging to this life only, than they do of things belonging to the world to come. But this is not always true. There are rich men, learned men, men of power who are truly noble and great because they are good. Such an one became the Roman governor, Sergius Paulus, living in Paphos. There seems to have been a strange dweller in his royal palace, described in Acts (xiii: 6) as "a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew, whose name was Bar- Jesus. ' ' He gave himself the title of Elymas, the wise one, the wizard. He was a deceiver, pretending to work miracles, for which he received much money. Sergius Paulus heard of Paul and Barnabas, sent for them, and ' 'desired to hear the word of God" — not from curiosity, but because he wanted to know the truth as believed by the Christians of whom he had doubtless heard. Elymas tried to turn the governor away from them and from Jesus whose holy name we supposed he blasphemed. Then "Saul, who is also called Paul, " — the old name now being dropped for the new — sharply but justly reproved him for his great sin. Paul, gazing on the lying impostor, declared him to be "full of all mischief, a child of the devil, an enemy of all righteousness." These were terrible words, but true. Paul, taught by the Holy Spirit, told him of an awful punishment for his sin, saying, "Now behold, the hand of the Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand." In the royal palace where he had used his pretended wonder-working powers, he groped his way as in a prison of despair. When the governor saw what was done, he believed Paul, and became a Christian. In the town of Paphos where the vile Venus was worshiped, there was founded a church of the followers of 354 IMPROVEMENT ERA. Jesus, who said, "Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God." CHAPTER XVI. PERGA— "PERIL IN THE WILDERNESS." Perga in Pamphylia — Situation — Temple of Diana — Return of John Mark to Jerusalem— Supposed Reasons — Paul's Friendship— Mountain Travel — Scenery — Perils of Rivers and Robbers— Mountain Flowers — Plains — Dangers and Annoyances. "Now when Paul and his company loosed from Paphos, they came to Perga in Pamphylia." So says the writer of the Acts, speaking of Paul as the new leader taking the place of Barnabas. Perga, near the middle coast of Asia Minor, was beautifully situated in a valley, on the river Oestrus, which cuts its way through the towering rocks. The principal object of interest and sadness to the little company was the evidence of idolatry. As at Antioch and Paphos, they looked upon a heathen temple. The one in Perga was of Diana, on a lofty eminence to which multitudes flocked every year when a festival was held in honor of the goddess. Paul and Barnabas were saddened by another thing. The simple record is, ' 'John Mark departed from them and returned to Jerusalem." These few words are full of meaning. They tell a story of disappointment and deep sorrow. We are not told why John deserted his companions, but can imagine some reasons. He was young. The novelty of his new missionary life had worn off. Perhaps he was homesick, and thought of his aged mother lonely in Jerusalem, surrounded by persecutors, and wondered if she longed for her absent son though she had consented to his leaving home. Perhaps the young disciple had grown weary of the work in which at first he had been zealous. As he gazed on the Taurus mountains, of whose lawless population he had heard, and whose fastnesses were the abodes of brigands, he may have become terrified. He was not prepared like Paul to ' 'endure hardness as a good soldier of Jesus Christ." Paul and Barnabas must have missed his genial spirit and sprightly companionship, and he must have had a lonely voyage back to his home. His mother must have greeted him with a LIFE OF SI. PAUL FOR THE YOUNG. 355 mingled feeling of love and sorrow. We would not judge him harshly. He repented of his conduct. He was ready to accompany the apostles on another missionary journey: and did so with Barnabas. Paul retained a kindly feeling toward him. Long afterwards, when a Roman prisoner, he wrote to him as ' 'a comfort, and a fellow- worker unto the kingdom of God." After bidding farewell to John Mark, Paul and Barnabas began the second stage of their journey — from Perga in Pamphylia to Antioch in Pisidia. They first went through a mountainous region, difficult and dangerous to travelers alone and unprotected. It was late spring or early summer, the only seasons in which travel was possible, because of severe cold or drifting snows. Even now there was danger from the melting snows. Their route lay through narrow valleys between lofty cliffs, down which flowed numberless murmuring cascades through dark forests of pine; while through narrow ravines wildly dashed the "water-floods," such as David prayed might not overflow him. These emptied into larger streams, not gently flowing like the Orontes or the Cydnus with which Paul had become so familiar, but rushing torrents whose peaceful shores were adorned with pomegranate and oleander and mountain flowers. The bridges that spanned them gave no promise of safety; so that Paul long remembered the ''peril of rivers" in this region. Here, too, he was in "perils of robbers" of which he ever had fresh memory — as of no other place in all his journeyings. In these mountain glens are yet told, from generation to generation, tales of robber chiefs and wild and lawless clans of savage tribes, who dwelt in caves and castles from which they could not be driven by even Roman armies who quailed before them. The two pilgrims, staff in hand, follow the slippery paths upon the mountain slopes. The dry heat of the seacoast is changed for the damp, cold mountain air. The bright flowers of the lower region give place to stunted shrubs and plants, except where a few bloom in beds of snow whose whiteness makes brighter and richer the colors of the mountain flowers. The pilgrims find shelter in cave or grotto, glad if it be that of a welcoming shepherd; and sometimes among the friendly pines which protect them from the cold and piercing winds. 356 IMPROVEMENT ERA. At last the scene changes, and they look down from the wintry and rocky steeps, upon the flat and summery table-lands. Descending, they traverse the plains carpeted with green grass and variegated with flowers. There countless herds of cattle are grazing, and shepherd-huts made of goats' hair are reminders of Paul's craft in Tarsus, often the means of gaining his daily bread. His path lies among the lakes of fresh water and salt, over which wild swans are flying, and into which they dip their plumes. Among the reeds and rushes of the morasses the storks stand all day long watching for the straying fish, while the tortoises bask in the shallow pools. In our thoughts of the two wayfarers we must add to the dangers of the mountains, those trials of which travelers of today tell us — the heavy rains, the overpowering heat, the exhausting fatigue, the annoyance of insects, the blinding storms of dust, the scarcity of even poor provisions. But none of these things, nor all combined, checked their p'rogress, nor cooled their ardor. CHAPTER XVII. ANTIOCH IN PISIDIA— ICONIUM. Antioch in Pisidia — Tentmaking and Preaching — Synagogue and its worship — The Two strangers— Paul's Address— Effect of Paul's Preaching— Solemn Farewell—Persecuting Women and Chief Men— Church Founded— Journey to Iconium — Its Situation — Persecution — Flight. A week's journey from Perga would bring Paul and Barnabas to Antioch in Pisidia. Unknown and unnoticed they would go to the "strangers' rooms" attached to the synagogue, and secure one in the Jewish quarter. In it Paul would do what he told others to do, ' 'Work with your own hands." Thus busy in tentmaking, he would be equally so with his tongue, teaching all who came to hear the new^ strange teacher. His room became not only a lodging-place and a shop, but to some a more sacred place than the synagogue, because there they learn of the risen Savior and believe in him. Of the latter place there was only one in the city. In form and appearance it was doubtless like those of the present day in the east. It was low and square, without sculptured ornament LIFE OF ST. PAUL FOR THE YOUNG. 357 such as was found in the Gentile places of worship. On one side was lattice work behind which sat the women veiled and silent. In front of them was the reader's desk. Near it, facing the congregation, sat Rabbis and Pharisees in the chief seats of the synagogue. As each worshiper entered he covered his head. Prayer was offered by one called "the angel of the synagogue." He stood, as also the congregation did, facing Jerusalem. Behind a curtain were kept the sacred rolls — the writings of the Old Testament. Prayer was followed by the reading of the Scriptures in Hebrew, which was unknown to the Jews in Antioch, and so were translated into Greek by an interpreter who stood by the reader. There was no regular preacher. Any one might be asked to speak. Paul was a Rabbi and Barnabas was an educated man. But they did not have the spirit of those whom Christ reproved because in pride they loved the chief seats; so the apostle sat with the congregation. Many in the synagogue may have heard of the two strangers and were glad when they accepted an invitation to speak. Without going into the pulpit, ' 'Paul stood up, and, beckoning with his hand," began his address. As is said of Jesus in Nazareth, *'the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him." He then preached his first recorded sermon. It was concerning that same Jesus — forgiveness of sins and salvation through him, and especially his resurrection from the dead. There was great interest in Paul's discourse. Gentiles rejoiced in the good news that salvation was offered to them as well as to the Jews, and "besought that these words might be preached to them the next Sabbath." Many of the congregation followed Paul and Barnabas who gladly taught them. During the week many heard of the great sermon. ■ ' 'And the next Sabbath day came almost the whole city together to hear the word of God. Paul spoke again. The interest deepened. Many believed him, and rejoiced in the truth he preached. But not all. "When the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming." He then solemnly told them that in so doing they showed themselves unworthy of everlasting life, and said, "Lo, we turn to the Gentiles." These were 358 IMPROVEMENT ERA. exceedingly glad, and received the good things which the Jews had rejected. The Jews would not let the apostles alone. They persuaded women of rank and influence, and the chief men of the city, to persecute them, and to drive them from Antioc'h. So once more they did as Christ told the twelve apostles, ' 'When they persecute you in one city, flee ye to another. ' ' But Paul and Barnabas left behind them a church of Christ which they had founded, and with which the Holy Spirit remained to help and comfort, even among their enemies. Driven from Antioch,Paul and Barnabas went sixty miles to Iconium in Lyconia. This journey was over dry, dusty, bleak plains, on which great numbers of wild asses roamed, and vast flocks of sheep grazed. Iconium was situated on an oasis — a green spot in the desert — at the foot of Mount Taurus. As Paul saw the mountain tops covered with snow, he must have remembered Mount Hermon and Damascus — the beautiful city in the wilderness where he had begun his Christian work. Iconium was once a city of great splendor, but now only broken slabs and columns and pedestals are there, reminding us of its former glory. As at Antioch, Paul sought a lodging place, worked at his trade, went to the synagogue on the Sabbath, spoke as invited, talked with people in private houses, and helped many to turn to the Lord. But also, as at Antioch, he was persecuted by the Jews, who purposed to stone him and Barnabas. So again they fled. Before this time they had been in capitals of countries and other large cities of great wealth and learning, chiefly on the seashore and rivers. But when they left Iconium, they went on roads traveled but little, and visited smaller and poorer towns of the desert. [to be continued.]