THE
LIFE OF ST. PAUL.
SAINT PAUL, though not one of the twelve, yet for
his great eminence in the ministry of the gospel,
had the honour to be styled an apostle, particularly
above all the rest that were not of the number, and
hath justly the next place to St. Peter allotted to
him, both in regard they were so conversant in
their lives, and inseparable in their deaths. He
was born at Tarsus, not only of Jewish parents;
but originally descended from an ancient Jewish
family of the tribe of Benjamin in Judea, where
he had his education, which was a flourishing
Academy, whose scholars (as Strabo testifies) ex-
celled those of Alexandria, and even Athens itself.
In the schools of this city, he was brought up from
his childhood, and became an excellent proficient in
all the polite learning of the ancients, yet at the same
time he was brought up to a manual trade, as even
the most learned of their Rabbins were, for enabling
them to get a livelihood if occasion required it ; it
being a maxim (especially amongst the Jews,) that
he who teacheth not his son a trade, teacheth him
to be a thief ; for learning of old was net made an
instrument to get a maintenance by, but for the
better polishing the mind ; so that the learned
among the Jews were frequently denominated (as
Drusius observes,) from some one or other handy-
craft trade, as Rabbie Judah, the baker ; Rabbie
Jochanan, the Shoemaker, &c.
Having at Tarsus attained to a great perfection in the liberal arts and sciences. He was sent to Jerusalem to be instructed in the knowledge of the laws ; and for the better accomplishing him in that study, was put under the tuition of Raban Gamaliel the son of Simon, (the same probably that took up our Saviour in his arms.) He was an eminent
