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Developments in Geotechnical Engineering
A. Murali Krishna
Takeshi Katsumi Editors
Geotechnics for
Natural Disaster
Mitigation and
Management
Developments in Geotechnical Engineering
Series Editors
Braja M. Das, California State University, Henderson, CA, USA
Nagaratnam Sivakugan, James Cook University, Townsville, QLD, Australia
More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/13410
A. Murali Krishna Takeshi Katsumi
•
Editors
123
Editors
A. Murali Krishna Takeshi Katsumi
Department of Civil Engineering Graduate School of Global
Indian Institute of Technology Tirupati Environmental Studies
Tirupati, AP, India Kyoto University
Kyoto, Japan
This Springer imprint is published by the registered company Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd.
The registered company address is: 152 Beach Road, #21-01/04 Gateway East, Singapore 189721,
Singapore
Preface
Indian Geotechnical Society (IGS) and Japanese Geotechnical Society (JGS) made
an agreement of cooperation to promote and enlarge the exchange of technical,
scientific and professional knowledge related to geotechnical engineering. In this
context, a series of workshops are being conducted with collaboration between the
two societies (IGS and JGS) for the growth of geotechnical engineering and fruitful
interaction between researchers in both the countries. The first workshop was held
in 2011 at Kochi, India, on ‘Earthquake Geotechnical Engineering’ theme, and the
second workshop was held in 2015 at Fukuoka, Japan, on ‘Geotechnics for
Resilient Infrastructure’ theme. The third workshop was held in conjunction with
‘Indian Geotechnical Conference 2017’ in December 2017, Guwahati, India, on
‘Geotechnics for Natural Disaster Mitigation and Management’ theme. The
workshop focussed on the recent advances and the developments that are taking
place in geotechnical aspects of natural disaster mitigation and management.
Speakers from Japan and India presented some of the salient aspects of natural
disasters and their mitigation strategies. A total of about 30 eminent researchers and
practitioners from both the countries participated in the workshop deliberations.
This book titled Geotechnics for Natural Disaster Mitigation and Management is
the compilation of the some of the expert deliberations made at the third Indo-Japan
workshop held on 13 December 2017 at IIT Guwahati, India. This book is organized
into 13 chapters covering the landslides and earthquake natural disasters for effective
mitigation and management. Chapter 1 discusses the geotechnical and geological
perspectives of The 2017 July Northern Kyushu Torrential Rainfall Disaster.
Chapter 2 outlines disaster management strategies that are being adopted in India
and typical geotechnical characterization aspects for earthquake disaster. Chapter 3
presents details of shear strength characterization gravel–tyre chips mixtures for
sustainable geotechnical engineering through the usage and recycled waste tyres for
various disaster mitigation techniques. At times, back analysis-based approaches are
to be adopted to the characterization of soils through numerical simulations and
analyses. Chapter 4 explains an example of the application of such an approach for
determination of elastic modulus of soil. It is also essential to account for a special
variation of the properties of soils for realistic analyses. Chapter 5 provides the
v
vi Preface
vii
viii Contents
ix
x About the Editors
1.1 Introduction
Record-breaking localized and torrential rainfall on July 5, 2017, caused many land-
slides, debris flows, and flooding of rivers in several areas of the Fukuoka and Oita
prefectures of Kyushu, Japan. The disaster, officially known as “The 2017 July
Northern Kyushu Torrential Rainfall Disaster”, is one of the unprecedented in
disaster histories of Japan in many decades. The record-breaking magnitude of the
heavy and localized rains triggered landslides and debris flow that swept massive
volumes of driftwood and soils into cities, towns, and villages located at the bases
of mountains, leaving 34 dead including 4 still missing. It also resulted in 1,428
H. Hazarika (B)
Department of Civil Engineering, Kyushu University, Fukuoka, Japan
e-mail: hazarika@civil.kyushu-u.ac.jp
S. Yamamoto
Chuo Kaihatsu Corporation, Fukuoka, Japan
T. Ishizawa · T. Danjo
NIED, Tsukuba, Japan
Y. Kochi
K’s Lab Inc., Yamaguchi, Japan
T. Fujishiro · K. Okamoto
Fukuyama Consultants Co. Ltd., Kitakyushu, Japan
D. Matsumoto
Japan Foundation Engineering Co. Ltd., Fukuoka, Japan
S. Ishibashi
Nihon Chiken Co. Ltd., Fukuoka, Japan
completely, half and partially destroyed houses. The large amount of driftwood that
got caught on bridges and other structures blocked the flow of the rivers, thereby
spreading the damage even further.
According to data analysis by the Japan Meteorological Agency (JMA), in
Asakura city, Fukuoka prefecture recorded some 1,000 mm of rain in the 24-h period
ending on midnight of July 5, 2017. The city of Hita, Oita Prefecture and Toho village
of Fukuoka Prefecture each had some 600 mm of rain; and the city of Nakatsu, Oita
Prefecture, and Soeda town of Fukuoka Prefecture each had around 500 mm of rain,
according to an analysis by the JMA’s Fukuoka Regional Headquarters [1].
Figure 1.1 shows the extent of the flooded area and the landslide disaster areas.
In the figure, blue areas represent the flooded rivers and their tributaries, and the
red areas represent the extent of damage due to landslides, debris flows, and flood-
related damage. The authors conducted an extensive investigation of the damage
covering several cities, towns, and villages of the Fukuoka and Oita Prefectures. The
investigation team consisted of people from the industry, government, and academia.
Figure 1.2 shows the survey routes and locations of the surveyed areas (Location 1
to Location 6).
Flooding, numerous slope failures and debris flows caused serious damage to
many infrastructures, and they can be broadly classified into the following categories:
(1) Landslides and debris flow related damage, (2) Formation of landslide dam, (3)
River erosion, (4) Agricultural dam damage, (5) Roads and railways damage, and 6)
Environmental damage due to disaster debris (including driftwood). A preliminary
investigation report by the Japanese Geotechnical Society has covered many aspects
of the abovementioned damage [2].
Asakura IC
Haki IC
Chikugo River Hita City
Loc.3
Asakura-City
Hakiakatani
Loc.2
Survey area of Kazurahae
slope failure Toho-Village Asakura-
Loc.5 Gun
Asakura-City along Otoishi River
Miyano Loc.1
Hita-City
Ono-District Nagio
Loc.6
Loc.4 Pond around
Choan-temple Asakura-City
Asakura-City Sugawa
Sugawa
Fig. 1.2 Location map of the investigation area (modified from the [6])
Many professional societies and research institutions of Japan have carried out
disaster survey and submitted their reports. However, in most of the reports, they
focused only on the shallow landslides, and none provide an in-depth analysis of the
failure form. The authors have felt that the damage caused by this disaster cannot be
analyzed solely from the geotechnical engineering perspectives, as the areas covered
by the disaster have many complicated geologies and geomorphologies, which made
the damage devastating with far-reaching economic implications [3]. Therefore, the
authors conducted a special investigation of the slope failure areas in and around
Otoishi River basin, located approximately 3 km upstream from Matsusue Elemen-
tary School (see Fig. 1.2). It was found that the slope failures that occurred in this
basin were not only shallow landslides of strongly weathered granite (decomposed
granite) but also included failures that reflected the geological structure (fault fracture
zone) and large-scale (deep-seated) landslides in the areas with crystalline schist. In
this paper, the characteristics of the slope failures that occurred in the Otoishi River
basin are summarized, and the classification of failure focusing on the geological
structure are described based on the slope failure mechanism.
As shown in Fig. 1.3, the Otoishi River is located in the southern area of the Sangun
Mountains where the main peaks extend in the northwest–southeast direction. It joins
the Akatani River, the right branch of the Chikugo River, near Matsusue Elementary
School, which was badly affected due to accumulation of disaster debris in the school
compound leading to the closure of the school for months.
4 H. Hazarika et al.
Loc. 2: Failure
around the fault
fracture zone
Loc. 1: Failure of
Strongly weathered
granite
Matsusue Elementary
Fig. 1.3 Location map of the detailed investigation (modified from [6])
The geological map of the investigated areas (Fig. 1.4) suggests that a valley plain
lies in the Otoishi River basin in the northwest–southeast direction. The geological
formations of the entire basin are indicated in the figure. On the left side of the
bank, valleys lay vertically in the northeast–southwest direction, while on the right
bank side, valleys lay horizontally in the northeast–southwest direction. In addition,
several topographic elements such as saddles, knick lines, and straight valleys can
also be observed in the same direction. These directions are in line with the direction
of the fault fracture zone in northern Kyushu. This suggests that the topography of
this basin is vulnerable to discriminate erosion due to the geological structure (faults).
Moreover, Asakura granodiorite is distributed in the middle-to-downstream basin of
the Otoishi River, and Sangun metamorphic rocks are distributed in the upstream
area. Mount Hiko volcanic rocks from the Pliocene epoch in the neo-tertiary period
are distributed in the ridge, which is the drainage basin of the uppermost basin.
The most common failure form found along the basin occurred in the so-called
strongly weathered “decomposed granite,” which transformed into soil (Location 1
of Fig. 1.3), as shown in Fig. 1.5a. The failure was roughly 1 m deep, and many
traces of springs are thought to be due to piping. Gully erosions had formed on the
failure surface. Since there was little colluvial deposit at the toe of the slope, it had
likely been eroded by the debris flow and been washed downstream. The probable
failure mechanism of the slope is described schematically in Fig. 1.5b.
1 The 2017 July Northern Kyushu Torrential Rainfall Disaster … 5
Otoishi Akatani
River River
Akatani
River
Chikugo
River
Fig. 1.4 Geological map of the investigated area (tl: Low terrace deposit, A4: Aso 4 pyroclastic flow
deposit, tm: Medium terrace deposit, H: Mount Hiko volcanic rocks, K: Kita-Sakamoto formation,
E: Paleogene period formations (Hoshuyama, Kawamagari, and Haji), Ku: Asakura granodiorite,
m2: Muddy schist, s2: Sandy schist, g2: Hard-iron schist)
(a) Slope failure with many gully erosions (b) Schematic profile
In Location 2, which is in the riverbank side slope in the middle basin of the Otoishi
River (Refer to Fig. 1.3), a 10 m wide fault fracture zone was found (Fig. 1.6). Multiple
such formations were observed in the northwest–southeast direction, as well as the
north-northeast–south-southwest and northeast–southwest directions. In some, fault
fracture zones strongly crushed by fault gouge could be observed. In this location,
at the end of the slope failure zone, a 1 m-wide gouge zone and a fault fracture zone
with a crack zone with a large opening of around 5 m wide were verified (Fig. 1.7).
6 H. Hazarika et al.
The direction of the fault was N54°W, 70°SE, and it worked as a receiving board to
the slope. Furthermore, a substantial volume of groundwater was flowing from the
crack zone on the slope side (around 50 L/min).
An analysis of this failure mechanism (Fig. 1.7b) based on the characteristics of the
crush zone and flowing water suggests that the gouge zone, which normally indicates
low permeability, became a cut-off wall, and the groundwater flowed from the crack
zone. However, during the torrential rainfall event, a large volume of groundwater
that accumulated in a short period of time likely raised the groundwater level inside
the slope resulting in the increase of pore water pressure, and eventually led to a
bedrock failure that included the crack zone.
Sound rock
(Decomposed
granite)
Topsoil
Crack zone
(Large opening)
Gouge
Crack zone
zone
In the upstream area of the Otoishi River with crystalline schist (Location 3 in
Fig. 1.3), a landslide with a length of approximately 300 m (landslide scarp to clod
end), width of 110 m, and an average depth of 15–20 m occurred (Fig. 1.8). This
landslide formed two landslide scarps, and a landslide clod that still remains in the
slope. The frontal part of the landslide clod traversed the road below, reached the
Otoishi riverbed and stopped, blocking most of the river channel (Fig. 1.9). However,
there was no evidence that this moving clod turned into a debris flow.
The slope was inclined to the south-southwest, and the landslide occurred near
the ridge. The topography of this area before the landslide had typical characteristics,
such as a steep slope in the end and a gentle slope at the halfway point (Fig. 1.10).
There was a layer of debris with rock fragments over 5 m thick near the left end
(Fig. 1.11), indicating that the same activity may have occurred several times in the
past.
8 H. Hazarika et al.
Fig. 1.9 Frontal section of the landslide clod blocking most of the Otoishi River
Fig. 1.10 Landslide scarp seen from halfway up the slope (gentle gradient)
Fig. 1.11 Layer of debris with rock fragments on the left end
1 The 2017 July Northern Kyushu Torrential Rainfall Disaster … 9
The geology of this slope was crystalline schists consisting of muddy and basic
schist penetrated with fine-grain granite. Xenolith, crystalline schist, was found in the
fine-grain granite near the landslide scarp (Fig. 1.12). The crystalline schists, which
dominated the landslide scarp and side, were more evident on the upper areas. Also,
this area was thought to be the bedrock, which showed many cracks, with evidence
of fractioning and loosening. Since there was no regularity in the direction of cracks
(Fig. 1.13), the landslide may have caused high deformation and crushing. This was
because the strike and inclination measured in the area were N48°E and 36°NW,
which did not match the measurements outside the landslide range of N86°W and
32°N. Furthermore, the entire geological structure of the original slope presumably
formed an opposite slope. In addition to the fine-grain granite (aplite), a small-scale
fault fracture zone (a fault breccia zone less than 1 m wide) from the north-northeast
to south-southwest direction was found in some places with the intense formation of
clay. Heavily transformed fine-grain granite boulders were also observed. The rela-
tionship between these observations and the mechanism of the landslide is unknown,
but there may be a geological predisposition involving faults and alterations.
Except for the clod immediately below the landslide scarp, the landslide mass of
this slope did not preserve its original form. The status of the landslide scarp and
the side indicated that the landslide mass was composed of a sediment layer with
rock fragments and crystalline schists that had turned into soil and crumbled (rock
classification: D ~ CL).
The thickness of this landslide mass was estimated to be 15–20 m on average,
with a maximum of 25 m. The relatively firm crystalline schist (rock classification:
mainly CM) with few cracks on the lowermost part of the mass strongly suggests
that it was composed of D ~ CL class crystalline schist (Fig. 1.14). However, because
landslide clods remained on the failure surface, there was no geological weak line
that could act as a sliding surface.
Multiple points of outflowing water were observed in the area from the land-
slide scarp to its end, where the flow increased (Fig. 1.15). However, since most of
these gushed out after the landslide clod yielded, the detailed status of groundwa-
ter is unknown. Since it has been estimated that the landslide occurred at a depth
of approximately 20 m, the deep groundwater likely contributed to the landslide
movement. Schematic diagram of the mechanism of failure is shown in Fig. 1.16.
In Location 4, multiple slope failures occurred (Fig. 1.17) opposite to the landslide in
Location 3 of the Otoishi Riverbank. The failures were smaller than the landslide of
the opposite bank (left side of the bank) and around 5 m deep, but different types of
failure forms were found, including failure of colluvial deposit that filled the valley,
failure of schist that weathered and transformed into soil, and failure dominated
by a fault fracture zone. Since there were fault fracture zones of almost the same
formation as in the granite-distributed areas, as well as schists full of cracks and
aplite formations in some parts of the failure surface, the primary cause of the failure
was likely controlled by these complicated geological structures.
The failure mechanism in this location can be classified into two groups. The first
failure mechanism (Fig. 1.18) is caused by fault fracture zones, as shown in Figs. 1.19
and 1.20, where the bedrock around the fault fracture zone weakened, likely resulting
in the failure in this part. The second failure mechanism (Fig. 1.21) is caused by a
highly weathered rock, as seen in Figs. 1.22 and 1.23. Soft sedimentation of bedrock
1 The 2017 July Northern Kyushu Torrential Rainfall Disaster … 11
from aging due to weathering likely caused the failure of highly weathered rock due
to the heavy rainfalls. Regardless of the failure mechanism, both bedrock failures
undoubtedly involved the weathered rock.
Table 1.1 shows the various failure forms found in this investigation. The classifica-
tion in the Table summarizes the failure forms according to the geology and geolog-
ical structure. The granite group (Group I) can be subdivided as shallow landslides
of decomposed granite (Ia) and bedrock failures (Ib) dominated by the presence of
several fa fracture zones. On the other hand, the crystalline schist group (Group II)
12 H. Hazarika et al.
Colluvial deposit
Fault fracture
zone Schist and granite
Highly
Highly weathered
weathered rock
rock
Fault fracture
zone
Fig. 1.17 Group of slope failures on the right side of the upstream bank (Source GIJ)
Fig. 1.18 Illustrative diagram of the failure form involving the crush zone
14 H. Hazarika et al.
Fig. 1.20 Failure controlled by the fault fracture zone (whole view)
Fig. 1.21 Illustrative diagram of the failure form due to highly weathered rock
1 The 2017 July Northern Kyushu Torrential Rainfall Disaster … 15
(continued)
H. Hazarika et al.
Table 1.1 (continued)
Classification symbol Geological features/Geological Slope failure characteristics Schematic profile
structure
IIb Fault fracture zone Bedrock failure (fault fracture type)
and bedrock failures (a type of failure around the fault fracture zones driven by
the geological structure and groundwater).
(4) The failure form of the crystalline schist-distributed area on the left side of
the upstream bank suggests that it was a landslide failure. Judging from the
topographic form before the failure, this area had likely suffered repeatedly
from gravity transformation.
(5) In the crystalline schist-distributed area on the right side of the upstream bank,
multiple failures of strongly weathered areas were found. In addition, a bedrock
failure near the fault fracture zone was observed.
Many aspects of the torrential rainfall disaster this time remain unclear. For exam-
ple, it is still not clearly known how the geological structure and groundwater charac-
teristics in the upstream, where crystalline schist is distributed, are related to the slope
failures. It is necessary to understand the topography of a wider area and perform
surface geological and hydrogeological surveys to examine the failure mechanism
in greater detail. Hydrological phenomena are closely related to the geology that
forms aquifers and the formation process of its structure [4, 5]. The five failure
forms proposed in this paper can be validated from the hydrogeological perspective
by measuring simple water quality parameters and the specific flow rate.
To prepare for the risk of landslide disasters caused by torrential rains, it is first
necessary to understand the evolution of the topography of the entire basin, as well as
the geological composition and structure in addition to the geotechnical engineering
knowledge. This enables a better understanding of the classification of failure forms
and failure mechanism to adopt both the hard-type and soft-type countermeasures
according to the types of disasters. Therefore, validating the classification of the slope
failure forms proposed in this paper from the geotechnical engineering perspective
is another important task of the future.
Acknowledgements The authors would like to express their sincere gratitude to the following
individuals for their assistance and cooperation during the field survey: Mr. Yokou (Chuo Kaihatsu
Corporation, Kyushu branch), Mr. Kariya (K’s Lab Inc., Yamaguchi), Mr. Ide (Nihon Chiken Co.
Ltd., Fukuoka). The tremendous help during the survey from the graduate students (Messrs Manafi,
Ali, Ogo, Zawad and Makimoto) of Geodisaster Prevention Laboratory of Kyushu University,
Fukuoka are also gratefully acknowledged.
References
JOHN MARK.
Of the family and birth of this eminent apostolic associate, it is
recorded in the New Testament, that his mother was named Mary,
and had a house in Jerusalem, which was a regular place of
religious assembly, for the Christians in that city; for Peter on his
deliverance from prison, went directly thither, as though sure of
finding there some of the brethren; and he actually did find a number
of them assembled for prayer. Of the other connections of Mark, the
interesting fact is recorded, that Mary, his mother, was the sister of
Barnabas; and he was therefore by the maternal line, at least, of
Levite descent. From the mode in which Mary is mentioned, it would
seem that her husband was dead at that time; but nothing else can
be inferred about the father of Mark. The first event in which he is
distinctly mentioned as concerned, is the return of Paul and
Barnabas from Jerusalem to Antioch, after Peter’s escape. These
two apostles, on this occasion, are said to have “taken with them,
John whose surname was Mark;” and he is afterwards mentioned
under either of these names, or both together. The former was his
original appellation; but being exceedingly common among the Jews,
and being, moreover, borne by one of the apostles, it required
another distinctive word to be joined with it. It is remarkable that a
Roman, heathen appellation, was chosen for this
purpose;――Marcus, which is the true form in the original, being a
name of purely Latin origin, and one of the commonest praenomens
among the Romans. It might have been the name of some person
connected with the Roman government in Jerusalem, who had
distinguished himself as a friend or patron of the family: but the
conjecture is hardly worth offering.
“It is thought by Benson that Mark departed because his presence was required by the
apostles for converting the Jews of Palestine. But why then should Paul have expressed
indignation at his departure? The same objection will apply to the conjecture of others, that
he departed on account of ill-health. The most probable opinion is that of Grotius, Wetstein,
Bengel, Heumann, and others, that Mark was, at that time, somewhat averse to labors and
dangers; this, indeed, is clear from the words, καὶ μὴ συνελθόντα αὐτοῖς εἰς τό ἔργον. Thus
ἀφίστημι is used of defection in Luke viii. 13. 1 Timothy iv. 1. It should seem that Mark had
now repented of his inconstancy; (and, as Bengel thinks, new ardor had been infused into
him by the decree of the Synod at Jerusalem, and the free admission of the Gentiles;) and
hence his kind-hearted and obliging relation Barnabas wished to take him as a companion
of their present journey. But Paul, who had ‘no respect of persons,’ Galatians ii. 11, and
thought that disposition rather than relationship should be consulted, distrusted the
constancy of Mark, and was therefore unwilling to take him. This severity of Paul, however,
rendered much service both to Mark and to the cause of Christianity. For Mark profited by
the well-meant admonition, and was, for the future, more zealous and courageous; and the
gospel, being preached in different places at the same time, was the more widely
propagated. Nor were the bands of amity between Paul and Barnabas permanently
separated by this disagreement. See 1 Corinthians ix. 6. Nay, Paul afterwards received
Mark into his friendship. See Colossians iv. 10. 2 Timothy iv. 11. Philemon 23.” Kuinoel.
(Bloomfield’s Annotations, Vol. IV. p. 504, 505.)
his gospel.
“Among all the quotations hitherto made from the writings of the most ancient Fathers,
we find no mention made of Mark’s having published his gospel at Alexandria. This report,
however, prevailed in the fourth century, as appears from what is related by Eusebius,
Epiphanius, and Jerome. It is first mentioned by Eusebius in his Ecclesiastical History, lib. ii.
cap. 16. It appears from the word φασιν, that Eusebius mentions this only as a report; and
what is immediately added in the same place, that the persons, whose severity of life and
manners is described by Philo, were the converts which Mark made at Alexandria, is
evidently false. Epiphanius, in his fifty-first Heresy, ch. vi. gives some account of it.
According to his statement, Mark wrote his gospel in Rome, while Peter was teaching the
Christian religion in that city; and after he had written it, he was sent by Peter into Egypt. A
similar account is given by Jerome in his ‘Treatise on Illustrious Men,’ ch. viii. Lastly, the
Coptic Christians of the present age consider Mark as the founder and first bishop of their
church; and their Patriarch styles himself, ‘Unworthy servant of Jesus Christ, called by the
grace of God, and by his gracious will appointed to his service, and to the see of the holy
evangelist Mark.’ The Copts pretend likewise, that Mark was murdered by a band of
robbers, near the lake Menzale; but if this account be true, he was hardly buried at
Alexandria, and his tomb in that city must be one of the forgeries of early superstition.”
(Michaelis, Vol. III. pp. 207‒209.)
That it is not wholly new to rank Mark among the apostles, is shown by the usages of the
Fathers, who, in the application of terms, are authority, as far as they show the opinions
prevalent in their times. Eusebius says, “that in the eighth year of Nero, Anianus, the first
bishop of Alexandria after Mark, the apostle and ♦evangelist, took upon him the care of that
church.” Πρωτος μετα Μαρκον τον αποστολον και ευαγγελιστην, της εν Αλεξανδρειᾳ παροίκιας,
Ανιανος την λειτουργιαν διαδεχεται. Church History, I. 2. cap. 24. (Lardner’s Credibility of
Gospel History, Vol. III. p. 176.)
LUKE.
Very little direct mention is made of this valuable contributor to the sacred canon, in any
part of the New Testament; and those notices which seem to refer to him, are so vague, that
they have been denied to have any connection with the evangelist. The name which is
given in the title of his gospel is, in the original form, Lucas, a name undoubtedly of Latin
origin, but shown by its final syllable to be a Hebrew-Greek corruption and abridgment of
some pure Roman word; for it was customary for the New Testament writers to make these
changes, to accord with their own forms of utterance. Lucas, therefore, is an abridgment of
some one of two or three Roman words, either Lucius, Lucilius or Lucanus; and as the
writers of that age were accustomed to write either the full or abridged form of any such
name, indifferently, it seems allowable to recognize the Lucius mentioned in Acts and in the
Epistle to the Romans, as the same person with the evangelist. From the manner in which
this Lucius is mentioned in the last chapter of the Epistle to the Romans, it would seem that
he was related to Paul by blood or marriage, since the apostle mentions him along with
Jason and Sosipater, as his “kinsman.” In the beginning of the thirteenth chapter of Acts,
Lucius is called “the Cyrenian,” whence his country may be inferred to have been the
province of northern Africa, called Cyrene, long and early the seat of Grecian refinement,
art, eloquence and philosophy, and immortalized by having given name to one of the sects
of Grecian philosophers,――the Cyrenaic school, founded by Aristippus. Whether he was a
Jew by birth, or a heathen, is not known, and has been much disputed. His birth and
education in that seat of Grecian literature, may be reasonably considered as having
contributed to that peculiar elegance of his language and style, which distinguishes him as
the most correct of all the writers of the New Testament.
His relationship to Paul, (if it may be believed on so slight grounds,) was probably a
reason for his accompanying him as he did through so large a portion of his travels and
labors. He first speaks of himself as a companion of Paul, at the beginning of his first
voyage to Europe, at Troas; and accompanies him to Philippi, where he seems to have
parted from him, since, in describing the movements of the apostolic company, he no longer
uses the pronoun “we.” He probably staid in or near Philippi several years, for he resumes
the word, in describing Paul’s voyage from Philippi to Jerusalem. He was his companion as
far as Caesarea, where he probably staid during Paul’s visit to Jerusalem; remained with
him perhaps during his two years’ imprisonment in Caesarea, and was certainly his
companion on his voyage to Rome. He remained with him there till a short time before his
release; and is mentioned no more till Paul, in his last writing, the second epistle to Timothy,
says, “Luke alone is with me.” Beyond this, not the slightest trace remains of his history.
Nothing additional is known of him, except that he was a physician; for he is mentioned by
Paul, in his Epistle to the Colossians, as “Luke, the beloved physician.” The miserable
fiction of some of the papistical romances, that Luke was also a painter, and took portraits of
Jesus Christ, the Virgin Mary, &c. is almost too shamelessly impudent to be ever mentioned;
yet the venerable Cave, the only writer who has heretofore given in full the Lives of the
Apostles, refers to it, without daring to deny its truth!
(That Luke was also regarded by the Fathers as an apostle, is shown by the fact that, in
the Synopsis ascribed to Athanasius, it is said, ‘that the gospel of Luke was dictated by the
apostle Paul, and written and published by the blessed apostle and physician, Luke.’)
his writings.
But a far more valuable testimony of the character of Luke is found in those noble works
which bear his name in the inspired canon. His gospel is characterized by remarkable
distinctness of expression and clearness of conception, which, with that correctness of
language by which it is distinguished above all the other books of the New Testament,
conspire to make it the most easy to be understood of all the writings of the New Testament;
and it has been the subject of less comment and criticism than any other of the sacred
books. From the language which he uses in his preface, about those who had undertaken
similar works before him, it would seem that though several unauthorized accounts of the
life and discourses of Jesus were published before him, yet neither of the other gospels
were known by him to have been written. He promises, by means of a thorough
investigation of all facts to the sources, to give a more complete statement than had ever
before been given to those for whom he wrote. Of the time when he wrote it, therefore, it
seems fair to conclude, that it was before the other two; but a vast number of writers have
thought differently, and many other explanations of his words have been offered. Of his
immediate sources of information,――the place where he wrote, and the particular person
to whom he addresses it, nothing is known with sufficient certainty to be worth recording.
Of the Acts of the Apostles, nothing need be said in respect to the contents and object,
so clear and distinct is this beautiful piece of biography, in all particulars. Its date may be
fixed with exactness at the end of the second year of Paul’s first imprisonment, which,
according to common calculations, is A. D. 63. It may well become the modern apostolic
historian, in closing with the mention of this writing his own prolonged yet hurried work, to
acknowledge the excellence, the purity, and the richness of the source from which he has
thus drawn so large a portion of the materials of the greatest of these Lives. Yet what can
he add to the bright testimonies accumulated through long ages, to the honor and praise of
this most noble of historic records? The learned of eighteen centuries have spent the best
energies of noble minds, and long studious lives, in comment and in illustration of its clear,
honest truth, and its graphic beauty; the humble, inquiring Christian reader, in every age
too, has found, and in every age will find, in this, the only safe and faithful outline of the
great events of the apostolic history. The most perfect and permanent impression, which a
long course of laborious investigation and composition has left on the author’s mind, of the
task which he now lays down, exhausted yet not disgusted, is, that beyond the apostolic
history of Luke, nothing can be known with certainty of the great persons of whose acts he
treats, except the disconnected and floating circumstances which may be gleaned by
implication from the epistles; and so marked is the transition from the pure honesty of the
sacred record, to the grossness of patristic fiction, that the truth is, even to a common eye,
abundantly well characterized by its own excellence. On the passages of such a narrative,
the lights of ♦ criticism, of Biblical learning, and of contemporary history, may often be
needed, to make the sometimes unconnected parts appear in their true historic relations.
The writer who draws therefrom, too, the facts for a connected biography, may, in the
amplifications of a modern style, perhaps more to the surprise than the admiration of his
readers, quite protract the bare simplicity of the original record, “in many a winding bout of
linked” wordiness, “long drawn out,”――but the modernizing extension and illustration,
though it may bring small matters more prominently to the notice and perception of the
reader, can never supply the place of the original,――to improve which, comment and
illustration are alike vain. When will human learning and labor perfect the exposition and the
illustration of the apostolic history? Its comments are written in the eternal hope of
uncounted millions;――its illustrations can be fully read only in the destiny of ages. This
record was the noble task of “the beloved physician;” in his own melodious language――“To
give knowledge to the people, of salvation by remission of sins through the tender mercy of
our God, whereby the day-spring from on high hath visited us,――to give light to them that
sit in darkness and in the shadow of death,――to guide our feet in the way of peace!”
The statement on page 339, respecting the exposition of the Apocalypse by Clarke,
appears, on a more careful investigation, to represent his views rather too decidedly as
favoring the ancient interpretation. His own notes are such as unquestionably support that
interpretation; but he has so far conformed to popular prejudice, as to admit on his pages
some very elaborate anti-papal explanations from an anonymous writer, (J. E. C.) which,
however, he is very far from adopting as his own. The uniform expression made by his own
clear and learned notes, must be decidedly favorable to the ancient interpretation, and the
value of his noble work is vastly enhanced by this circumstance.
The view on pages 355 and 361, of the locality of Philip’s and Nathanael’s conversion, is
undoubtedly erroneous. I overlooked the form of the expression――“The next day, Jesus
would go forth into Galilee, and findeth Philip,” &c. This shows that he was still at Bethabara
when he called both Philip and Nathanael.
materials.
In the narrative of the lives of the twelve, the author has been driven entirely to the labor
of new research and composition, because the task of composing complete biographies of
these personages had never before been undertaken on so large a scale. Cave’s Lives of
the Apostles, the only work that has ever gone over that ground, is much more limited in
object and extent than the task here undertaken, and afforded no aid whatever to the author
of this work, in those biographies. Both the text and the notes of that part of the work are
entirely new; nothing whatever, except a few acknowledged quotations, of those
biographies, having ever appeared before on this subject. A list of the works which were
resorted to in the prosecution of this new work, would fill many pages, and would answer no
useful purpose, after the numerous references made to each source in connection with the
passage which was thence derived. It is sufficient in justice to himself to say that all those
references were made by the author himself; nor in one instance that can now be
recollected, did he quote second-hand without acknowledging the intermediate source. In
the second part of the work, the labor was in a field less completely occupied by previous
labor. But throughout that part of the work also, the whole text of the narrative is original;
and all the fruits of others’ research are, with hardly one exception, credited in the notes,
both to the original, and to the medium through which they were derived. In this portion of
the work, much labor has been saved, by making use of the very full illustrations given in
the works of those who had preceded the author on the life of Paul, whose biography has
frequently received the attention and labor of the learned.
The following have been most useful in this part of the work. “Hermanni Witsii
Meletemata Leidensia, Part 1. Vita Pauli Apostoli.” 4to. Leidiae, 1703.――“Der Apostel
Paulus. Von J. T. Hemsen.” 8vo. Goettingen, 1830.――“Pearson’s Annals of Paul,
translated, with notes, by Jackson Muspratt Williams.” 12mo. Cambridge, 1827.――Much
valuable matter contained in the two first, however, was excluded by want of room.
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