Lecture 5 — Paul’s time with Peter

^1:18^ Then, after three years, I went to Jerusalem to see Peter: and I tarried with him fifteen days. [n. 46]

^1:19^ But I saw none of the other apostles, except James the brother of the Lord. [n. 48]

^1:20^ Now the things which I write to you, behold, before God, I do not lie. [n. 49]

^1:21^ Afterwards, I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia. [n. 50]

^1:22^ And I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea, which were in Christ:

^1:23^ But they had heard only: he, who persecuted us in times past now preaches the faith which once he impugned.

^1:24^ And they glorified God in me.

46. After showing above that he did not receive the Gospel from man before his conversion nor at the time of his conversion, the Apostle now proves that neither after his conversion did he receive it from man; but he shows, rather, how his teaching was approved by men.

About this he does two things.

First, he shows how his teaching was approved by the apostles;

second, he shows how it was approved by the rest of the faithful, at afterwards, I came into the regions.

First, he states the fact;

second, he confirms the truth of his statement, at before God, I do not lie.

47. He says therefore: although I did not go to the apostles to be instructed by them in the beginning of my conversion, because I had already been instructed by Christ, yet, being moved by a feeling of charity, after three years, i.e., after my conversion, I went to Jerusalem, because I had long desired to see Peter, not to be taught by him but to visit him; and visiting your beauty you shall not sin (Job 5:24). And I tarried with him fifteen days, and I was discovered by him to be a true apostle.

And he says fifteen days, because that number is the sum of eight and seven. Eight is the number of the New Testament, in which the eighth day of those who will rise is awaited; but seven is the number of the Old Testament, because it celebrates the seventh day. And so he stayed with Peter fifteen days, conversing with him on the mysteries of the Old and New Testament.

48. But lest anyone suppose that, although he was not instructed by Peter, he might have been instructed by others, he adds that he was not instructed by others. Hence he says, but of the other apostles, by whom I might be instructed, I saw none, i.e., no one, except James, the brother of the Lord, for he saw him in Jerusalem.

Regarding James, it should be known that he was the bishop of Jerusalem and named James the Lesser, because he had been called after another James. Many things are recorded of him (Acts 15:13ff). He also wrote a canonical epistle.

Now there are various explanations why he is called the brother of the Lord. Elvidius says that it was because he was the son of the Blessed Virgin. For according to him, the Blessed Virgin conceived and gave birth to Christ, and after the birth of Christ she conceived of Joseph and brought forth other sons. But this error is condemned and refuted. Furthermore, it is clearly false, because James was not the son of Joseph but of Alpheus.

Others say that before the Blessed Virgin, Joseph had another wife of whom he had James and other children, and that after she died, he took as a wife the Blessed Virgin, from whom Christ was born, although she was not known by Joseph, but, as it is said in the Gospel, he was conceived by the Holy Spirit. But because progeny are named after their father, and Joseph was considered the father of Christ, for that reason, James, too, although he was not the son of the Virgin, was nevertheless called the brother of the Lord. But this is false, because if the Lord did not want as mother anyone but a virgin entrusted to the care of a virgin, how would he have allowed her husband not to be a virgin and still endure it?

Therefore others say, and this is mentioned in a Gloss, that James was the son of Mary of Cleophas, who was a sister of the Virgin. For they say that Anne, the mother of the Blessed Virgin, first married Joachim, of whom was born Mary, the mother of the Lord; but when Joachim died, she married Joachim’s brother, Cleophas, from whom she bore Mary of Cleophas, and from her were born James the Lesser, Jude and Simon. Then after Cleophas died, she married a third man who was called Salome, of whom she conceived and bore another Mary, called Salome, from whom were born James the Greater and his brother John.

But this opinion is denied on two counts by Jerome: first of all, because Salome is not a man’s name, as is plain in Greek, but the name of the woman who was the sister of the Blessed Virgin and who begot James the Greater and John, of Zebedee, just as Mary Cleophas begot James the Lesser, Jude and Simon, of Alpheus. Now this James is singled out from his other brothers and called the brother of the Lord for two reasons: first, because of a likeness in appearance, for he had a facial resemblance to Christ; and because of a likeness in their lives, for he imitated the manners of Christ. Or he is called the brother of Christ, because Alpheus, his father, was related to Joseph. Accordingly, because the Jews were accustomed to draw up the lines of ancestry on the father’s side, and Christ was considered the son of Joseph (Luke 3:23), he, rather than the others, was called the brother of the Lord, because they were related to him only on his mother’s side. Furthermore, brother is taken here in the sense of kinsman.

For in the Scriptures some are called brothers, who are so by nature: Jacob begot Judas and his brothers (Matt 1:2). Others, who are kinsmen, such as blood relations, are brothers: let there be no quarrel, I beseech you, between me and you . . . for we are brothers (Gen 13:8). Others, who are so by race; hence all who speak the same tongue are called brothers: you may not make a man of another nation king, that is not your brother (Deut 17:15). Others, who are so by affection; hence all who are friends and who have the same love are called brothers: because I found not Titus my brother (2 Cor 2:13). Others who are so by religion; hence all Christians who have one rule of life are called brothers: for one is your master; and all you are brothers (Matt 23:8); behold how good and how pleasant it is for brothers to dwell together in unity (Ps 133:1). And in general, all men are called brothers, because they are ruled and protected by one God: have we not all one Father? (Mal 2:10).

49. Then when he says, now the things which I write to you, behold, before God I do not lie, he confirms his statements with an oath. As if to say: the things I now write to you about myself, behold, are so well known that it is obvious I do not lie. And this I say before God, i.e., with God as my witness.

The Apostle here takes an oath not for a slight reason, but for the sake of those for whom it was necessary, that they might believe. For had he not sworn, they would not have believed him. Before God, in Christ we speak (2 Cor 2:17); God is my witness (Rom 1:9).

But what does the Lord say? Let your speech be: yes, yes; no, no. And that which is over and above these is of evil (Matt 5:37).

The answer to this is that it is of the evil of him who does not believe, or of the evil of punishment which compels one to swear.

50. Then when he says, afterwards, I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, he shows how he was approved by the other churches of Judea. Here he does three things: first he shows where he lived, namely in Cilicia. Hence he says, then I came into the regions of Syria and Cilicia, i.e., his native land, where he was caught up into paradise: because it is said: Paul was born at Tarsus in Cilicia (Acts 22:3).

Second, how he was known by the others, namely, not by sight but by report and reputation. Hence he says, I was unknown by face to the churches of Judea, which were in Christ, i.e., in the faith of Christ: as unknown and yet known (2 Cor 6:8). Hence it is evident that the churches of Judea did not teach me. But they had heard only, i.e., of me, from reports that he who persecuted us in times past, now preaches the faith which once he impugned.

Third, how he was approved by them, because they glorified God in me, i.e., in my conversion they glorified him who converted me by his grace: the beast of the field shall glorify me (Isa 43:20).