ThisviewofthecaseisbynomeanssoextravagantasMr。Rogerswouldhaveussuppose。ThereisnoreasonforbelievingthatPaul’scharacterwasessentiallydifferentafterwardsfromwhatithadbeenbefore。Theveryfervourwhichcausedhim，asaPharisee，toexcludeallbutorthodoxJewsfromthehopeofsalvation，wouldleadhim，asaChristian，tocarrytheChristianideatoitsextremedevelopment，andadmitallpersonswhatevertotheprivilegesoftheChurch。ThesamezealforthetruthwhichhadurgedhimtopersecutetheChristiansuntothedeathafterwardsledhimtosparenotoilandshunnodangerwhichmightbringaboutthetriumphoftheircause。Itmustnotbeforgottenthatthepersecutorandthemartyrarebutoneandthesamemanunderdifferentcircumstances。Hewhoisreadytodieforhisownfaithwillsometimesthinkitfairtomakeothermendiefortheirs。Menofavehementandfierytemperament，moreover，——suchasPaulalwayswas，——neverchangetheiropinionsslowly，neverrestinphilosophicdoubt，nevertakeamiddlecourse。Iftheyleaveoneextremeforaninstant，theyaredrawnirresistiblytotheother；andusuallyverylittleisneededtoworkthechange。TheconversionofOmarisastrikinginstanceinpoint，andhasbeencitedbyM。Renanhimself。ThecharacterofOmarbearsastronglikenesstothatofPaul。Previoustohisconversion，hewasaconscientiousandvirulentpersecutorofMohammedanism。[25]Afterhisconversion，hewasMohammed’smostefficientdisciple，anditmaybesafelyassertedthatfordisinterestednessandself-abnegationhewasnotinferiortotheApostleoftheGentiles。Thechangeinhiscasewas，moreover，quiteassuddenandunexpectedasitwaswithPaul；itwasneithermorenorlessincomprehensible；andifPaul’sconversionneedsamiracletoexplainit，Omar’smustneedonelikewise。Butintruth，thereisnodifficultyinthecase，savethatwhichstupiddogmatismhascreated。TheconversionsofPaulandOmarareparalleledbyinnumerableeventswhichoccurineveryperiodofreligiousorpoliticalexcitement。Farfrombeingextraordinary，orinexplicableonnaturalgrounds，suchphenomenaarejustwhatmightoccasionallybelookedfor。
Saint-Hilaire:MahometetleCoran，p。109。
But，saysMr。Rogers，“isitpossibleforamomenttoimaginethedotinganddreamingvictimofhallucinationswhichM。Renan’stheoryrepresentsPaultobethemanwhosemasculinesense，stronglogic，practicalprudence，andhighadministrativetalentappearintheachievementsofhislife，andintheEpistleshehasleftbehindhim？“M。Renan’stheorydoesnot，however，representPaulasthe“victimofhallucinations“toagreaterdegreethanMohammed。Thelatter，aseveryoneknows，labouredduringmuchofhislifeunderalmostconstant“hallucination“；
yet“masculinesense，stronglogic，“etc。，werequalitiesquiteasconspicuousinhimasinSt。Paul。
Here，asthroughouthisessay，Mr。Rogersshowshimselftotallyunabletocomprehendthementalconditionofmeninpastages。IfanApostlehasadreamorseesavision，andinterpretsitaccordingtotheideasofhistimeandcountry，insteadofaccordingtotheideasofscientificEnglandinthenineteenthcenturyMr。Rogersthinkshemustneedsbemad:andwhenaccordingtothewell-knownlawthatmentalexcitementiscontagious，[26]severalpersonsaresaidtohaveconcurredininterpretingsomephenomenonsupernaturally，Mr。Rogerscannotseewhysomanypeopleshouldallgomadatonce！“Togomad，“infactishisfavouritedesignationforamentalact，whichnearlyallthehumanracehavehabituallyperformedinallages；theactofmistakingsubjectiveimpressionsforoutwardrealities。ThedispositiontoregardallstrangephenomenaasmanifestationsofsupernaturalpowerwasuniversallyprevalentinthefirstcenturyofChristianity，andlongafter。Neithergreatnessofintellectnorthoroughnessofscepticismgaveexemption。EvenJuliusCaesar，thegreatestpracticalgeniusthateverlived，wassomewhatsuperstitious，despitehisatheismandhisVigorouscommon-sense。ItistoooftenarguedthattheprevalenceofscepticismintheRomanEmpiremusthavemademenscrupulousaboutacceptingmiracles。Bynomeans。Nothingbutphysicalscienceeverdrivesoutmiracles:meredoctrinalscepticismispowerlesstodoit。IntheageoftheApostles，littleifanyradicaldistinctionwasdrawnbetweenamiracleandanordinaryoccurrence。Noonesupposedamiracletobeaninfractionofthelawsofnature，fornoonehadaclearideathatthereweresuchthingsaslawsofnature。Amiraclewassimplyanextraordinaryact，exhibitingthepowerofthepersonwhoperformedit。Blank，indeed，wouldtheevangelistshavelooked，hadanyonetoldthemwhatanenormoustheoryofsystematicmeddlingwithnaturewasdestinedtogrowoutoftheirbeautifulandartlessnarratives。