14 phemous words against this holy place and the law; for we heard him saying that Jesus the Nazarene will destroy this place and change the customs which Moses delivered to 15 us. And all who sat in the Sanhedrim, looking stedfastly at him, beheld his countenance, like the countenance of an angel.

VII. Then the chief priest said, Are these things so? Upon which he said,

2. Men, brethren and fathers hearken. The God of the glory

appeared to our father Abraham, when he was in Mesopo3 tamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said to him, Depart from this country of thine, and from thy kindred, and come 4 to the land which I will shew thee. Thereupon he went from the land of the Chaldees, and dwelt in Charran; and thence after his father died, God removed him to this land in which you now dwell, but gave him no inheritance in it; not even 5 a foot of land. He indeed promised that he would give it to him for a possession, even to his seed after him, though he 6 then had no child. And God spake thus-Thát his seed should sojourn in a strange land and be enslaved and afflicted: 7 four hundred years: and the nation which they shall serve I

will judge, said God, and after that they shall come out and 8 serve me in this place. Then he gave him the covenant of circumcision. So Abraham begat Isaak, and circumcised' him on the eighth day, and Isaak begat Jacob; and Jacob, the twelve 9 patriarchs. And the patriarchs, being moved with envy, sold Joseph into Egypt. But God was with him, and delivered him 10 out of all his afflictions, and gave him favour and wisdom in

the sight of Pharao king of Egypt, who appointed him ruler 11 over Egypt, and all his household. And there came a famine

over all the land of Egypt and Chanaan. It was indeed a great 12 affliction and our fathers found no sustenance. So when Jacob heard that there was corn in Egypt, he sent our fathers the 13 first time; and on their second going down Joseph made him

self known to his brothers; and Joseph's kindred was made 14 known to Pharao. Then Joseph sent for his father Jacob and 15 all his kindred, amounting to threescore and fifteen souls. So 16 Jacob went down to Egypt and died, he and our fathers, and

were conveyed to Sychem, and deposited in the sepulchre

which Abraham bought for a sum of money of the sons of [Chet, and in the field bought of*] Emmer the Sychemite." 17 And as the time approached for accomplishing the promise.

which God had made with an oath to Abraham, the people in18 creased and multiplied in Egypt, until another king arose, 19 who knew not Joseph. This king, mischievously politic against

our family, ill treated our fathers, causing their children to be exposed that they might not be preserved alive. At this time 20 Moses was born, who was exceeding beautiful, and was nurs 21 ed up three months in his father's house. Being then exposed,

Pharao's daughter took him up and had him nursed for her 22 own son. So Moses was instructed in all the wisdom of the

Egyptians, and became mighty in council and in actions. And 23 when he was forty years old it came into his mind to visit his

brethren, the children of Israel. And seeing one of them in24 jured, he defended him and avenged the injury by killing the 25. Egyptian. Now he supposed that his brethren would under

stand that by his hand God was about to give them deliver26 ance. But they understood not, and on the next day when he shewed himself to them who were quarrelling and persuaded 27 them to peace, saying, Men, you are brethren, Why do ye injure one another? He who was doing his neighbour the injury thrust him away, saying, Who made thee a chief and a 28 judge over us? Dost thou mean to kill me as thou didst the 29 Egyptian yesterday? At this speech Moses fled and became

a sojourner in the land of Madiam, where he became the father 30 of two sons. And when forty years were completed, an angel

of the Lord appeared to him in the wilderness at mount Sinai, 31 in a flame of fire in a bush, which when Moses saw, he was

astonished at the vision. And as he was going near to view it, there came a voice of the Lord to him, "I am the God of thy 32 fathers-the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaak, and the

God of Jacob." Upon which Moses trembled and durst not 33 view it. Then the Lord said to him, Loose the sandals from 34 thy feet, for the place where thou standest is holy ground.

*These words I have added to supply a line which appears to have been omitted by ancient transcribers.

I have indeed seen the affliction of my people in Egypt, and have heard their groaning and am come down to deliver them. Now therefore come, I will send thee to Egypt. This Moses 35 whom they rejected, saying, Who made thee a chief and a judge-this very person God sent as a chief and a deliverer by the hand of an angel who appeared to him in the bush-This 36 person brought them out by performing wonders and signs in 37 Egypt and at the Red sea, and in the wilderness, forty years.

This is the very Moses who said to the children of Israel, The Lord your God will raise up for you, from among your bre38 thren, a prophet like me, to him you are to hearken. This is the person who was in the congregation in the wilderness, with the angel who spake to him at mount Sinai, and with our fathers; who received living oracles to give to us; to whom our 39 fathers would not be obedient, but rejected him, when with 40 their hearts they turned towards Egypt, saying to Aaron,

Make gods for us to go before us; for as for this Moses who brought us out of the land of Egypt, we do not know what is 41 become of him. So they made a calf in those days and brought a sacrifice for the idol, and rejoiced in the works of their own 42 hands. Therefore God turned and gave them up to worship the host of heaven. As it is written in the book of the Prophets, "Have you, O house of Israel, offered to me burnt offerings 43 and sacrifices, forty years in the wilderness? You have indeed taken up the tabernacle of Moloch and the star of your God Remphan-those types which you have made to worship them; therefore I will transport you beyond Babylon.*

44

The tabernacle of the testimony was among our fathers in the wilderness, as he who spoke to Moses had ordered it to be made according to the pattern which he had seen. This taber45 nacle, which our fathers with Joshua received and brought in

to the territory of the nations which God drove out from before our fathers, continued till the days of David; who found 46 favour in the sight of God, and made it his petition to find a 47 habitation for the God of Jacob. But it was Solomon who 48 built a house for him. But the Most High dwelleth not in

* Amos 5. 25, &c.

49 temples made with hands. As the prophet saith, "The hea50 ven is my throne, and the earth, my footstool. What sort of a

51

house will you build for me? saith the Lord. And of what sort shall be the place of my rest? Did not my hands make all these things?*"

O stiff necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears! Ye do 52 always resist the Holy Spirit. As your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? Indeed they have slain them who prophesied concerning the coming of that Righteous one, of whom you have now become 53 the betrayers and murderers-you who have received the law through ranks of angels, but have not kept it.

54 At hearing this they were cut to the heart and gnashed 55 their teeth at him. But he being full of a holy spirit, having his eyes fixed towards heaven, beheld the glory of God and Jesus standing at the right hand of God: whereupon he said, 56 Behold! I see the heavens opened and the Son of man standing 57 at the right hand of God. At which they screamed aloud, and

stopped their ears and rushed upon him with one accord. 58 And having driven him out of the city they stoned him. And the witnesses laid their mantles at the feet of a young man named Saul, and stoned Stephen, invoking and saying, Lord 59 Jesus, receive my spirit. Then he kneeled down and cried 60 with a loud voice, O! Lord, charge not this sin to their account; and having said this he fell asleep.

VIII.

Now Saul continued to express satisfaction at his death: and there was at that time a great persecution against the congregation which was at Jerusalem; and all, except the apostles, were scattered through the regions of Judea and Samaria. 2 While devout men were carrying Stephen to the grave and making great lamentation for him, Saul was making havock of 3 the congregation. Entering into houses and dragging out men and women, he committed them to prison.

4

They, however, who were dispersed, went about proclaim5 ing the glad tidings of the word; and Philip having come to à 6 city of Samaria, proclaimed to them the Christ. And the

*Es. 66. 1.

crowds with one accord attended to what were spoken by Philip, when they heard and saw the signal miracles which he 7 performed. For unclean spirits, with which many were pos8 sessed, went out of them with loud outcries: and many paraly tic and lame persons were cured. And there was great joy in that city.

9

Now there was a certain man, named Simon, who had heretofore practised magical arts in that city and astonished the nation of Samaria, pretending that he was an extraordinary 10 person, to whom all paid regard, from the least to the greatest,

saying, This man is the great power of God. To him indeed 11 they paid regard because for a long time he had astonished 12 them with his magical arts. But when they believed Philip's proclamation of the glad tidings concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both 13 men and women. And even Simon himself believed, and being baptized, he continued steadily with Philip. And seeing signs and great miracles done, he was astonished.

14

Now when the apostles who were at Jerusalem heard that Samaria had received the word of God, they sent to them Pe15 ter and John, who having gone down, prayed for them that 16 they might receive a holy spirit. For it had not yet fallen on

any of them, and they were only baptized to the name of the 17 Lord Jesus. Then they laid their hands on them and they re18 ceived a holy spirit. When Simon saw that by the laying on

of the hands of the apostles the holy spirit was given, he of 19 fered them money, saying, Give me also this power, that on

whomsoever I lay my hands he may receive a holy spirit. 20. Whereupon Peter said to him, let thy money with thee be for 21 destruction! Because thou hast thought that this free gift of

God may be purchased with money, thou hast no portion nor share in this matter, for thy heart is not right in the sight of 22 God. Repent therefore of this wickedness of thine; and beseech

God, if indeed this thought of thy heart can be forgiven thee. 23 For I perceive that thou art for bitter gall and for a bond of ini24 quity. In reply to which Simon said, Pray ye to the Lord for me that none of these things which you have mentioned may

25

come upon me.

Now when they had testified and spoken the word of the