o die for his own faith will
sometimes think it fair to make other men die for theirs. Men of
a vehement and fiery temperament, moreover,--such as Paul always
was,--never change their opinions slowly, never rest in philosophic
doubt, never take a middle course. If they leave one extreme for an
instant, they are drawn irresistibly to the other; and usually very
little is needed to work the change. The conversion of Omar is a
striking instance in point, and has been cited by M. Renan himself. The
character of Omar bears a strong likeness to that of Paul. Previous
to his conversion, he was a conscientious and virulent persecutor
of Mohammedanism. [25] After his conversion, he was Mohammed's
most efficient disciple, and it may be safely asserted that for
disinterestedness and self-abnegation he was not inferior to the Apostle
of the Gentiles. The change in his case was, moreover, quite as sudden
and unexpected as it was with Paul; it was neither more nor less
incomprehensible; and if Paul's conversion needs a miracle to explain
it, Omar's must need one likewise. But in truth, there is no difficulty
in the case, save that which stupid dogmatism has created. The
conversions of Paul and Omar are paralleled by innumerable events which
occur in every period of religious or political excitement. Far from
being extraordinary, or inexplicable on natural grounds, such phenomena
are just what might occasionally be looked for.

[25] Saint-Hilaire: Mahomet et le Coran, p. 109.

But, says Mr. Rogers, "is it possible for a moment to imagine the
doting and dreaming victim of hallucinations (which M. Renan's theory
represents Paul) to be the man whose masculine sense, strong logic,
practical prudence, and high administrative talent appear in the
achievements of his life, and in the Epistles he has left behind him?"
M. Renan's theory does not, however, represent Paul as the "victim of
hallucinations" to a greater degree than Mohammed. The latter, as
every one knows, laboured during much of his life under almost constant
"hallucination"; yet "masculine sense, strong logic," etc., were
qualities quite as conspicuous in him as in St. Paul.

Here, as throughout his essay, Mr. Rogers shows himself totally unable
to comprehend the mental condition of men in past ages. If an Apostle
has a dream or sees a vision, and interprets it according to the ideas
of his time and country, instead of according to the ideas of scientific
England in the ni