with the familiar tradition of Jerome concerning the apostle of love, ever exhorting the congregation,
in his advanced age, to love one another. The difference of opinion in the ancient church respecting
them may have risen partly from their private nature and their brevity, and partly from the fact that
the author styles himself, somewhat remarkably, the "elder," the "presbyter." This term, however,
is probably to be taken, not in the official sense, but in the original, signifying age and dignity; for
at that time John was in fact a venerable father in Christ, and must have been revered and loved as
a patriarch among his "little children."§ 88. The Epistles of Paul
Παῦλος γενόμενο· μέγιστος· ὑπογραμμός. (Clement of Rome.)
Comp. §§ 29–36 and 71.
General Character.
Paul was the greatest worker among the apostles, not only as a missionary, but also as a writer.
He "labored more than all." And we may well include in this "all" the whole body of theologians
who came after him; for where shall we find an equal wealth of the profoundest thoughts on the
highest themes as in Paul? We have from him thirteen Epistles; how many more were lost, we
cannot even conjecture. The four most important of them are admitted to be genuine even by the
most exacting and sceptical critics. They are so stamped with the individuality of Paul, and so
replete with tokens of his age and surroundings, that no sane man can mistake the authorship. We
might as well doubt the genuineness of Luther’s work on the Babylonian captivity, or his Small
catechism. The heretic Marcion, in the first half of the second century, accepted ten, excluding only
the three Pastoral Epistles which did not suit his notions.
The Pauline Epistles are pastoral addresses to congregations of his own founding (except
that of Rome, and probably also that of Colossae, which were founded by his pupils), or to individuals
(Timothy, Titus, Philemon). Several of them hail from prison, but breathe the same spirit of faith,
hope, and joy as the others, and the last ends with a shout of victory. They proceeded from profound
agitation, and yet are calm and serene. They were occasioned by the trials, dangers, and errors
incident to every new congregation, and the care and anxiety of the apostle for their spiritual welfare.
He had led them from the darkness of heathen idolatry and Jewish bigotry to the light of Christian
truth and freedom, and raised them from the slime of depravity to the pure height of saving grace
and holy living. He had no family ties, and threw the whole strength of his affections into his
converts, whom he loved as tenderly as a mother can love her offspring.^1131 This love to his spiritual
children was inspired by his love to Christ, as his love to Christ was the response to Christ’s love
for him. Nor was his love confined to the brethren: he was ready to make the greatest sacrifice for
his unbelieving and persecuting fellow-Jews, as Christ himself sacrificed his life for his enemies.
His Epistles touch on every important truth and duty of the Christian religion, and illuminate
them from the heights of knowledge and experience, without pretending to exhaust them. They
furnish the best material for a system of dogmatics and ethics. Paul looks back to the remotest(^1131) As he writes himself to the Thessalonians (1 Thess. 2:7): "We were gentle in the midst of you, as when a nurse cherisheth
her own children." And to the ungrateful and unsteady Galatians 4:9 he writes: "My little children, of whom I am again in travail
until Christ be formed in you."
A.D. 1-100.