Acts 22

-8 1 3 2 -9 1 0 0 0 0 13 96 -9 2 0 0 2 0 1 RVStyle2 7 StyleNameNormal textFontNameArialUnicode Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaUnicode Size Standard StyleNameJumpFontNameTahomaStylefsUnderlineColorclBlue HoverColorclMaroonHoverEffects rvheUnderlineUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameHeading - Module name SizeDoubleFontNameTahomaColorclMaroonUnicode SizeStandard StyleName"Heading small - Module descriptionFontNameTahomaColorclMaroonUnicode Size Standard StyleNameHeading - LinkFontNameTahomaColorclNavy HoverColorclPurpleUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaStylefsUnderlineColorclBlueUnicode Jump Size Standard StyleNameDefaultFontNameTahomaColorclBlue HoverColorclMaroonNextStyleNoUnicode Jump Size -9 2 0 0 2 0 2 RVStyle2 jBiDiModervbdLeftToRightTabs StyleNameCentered Alignment rvaCenterTabsStandardTabs-9 2 0 0 2 0 4 RVStyle2 -9 0 0 0 0 0 7 1 28 2 8 0 0 22. In Jerusalem and Caesarea, part 2) 22:1 30) ) ) Outline (continued)) 22:1 5 b. Training ) 22:6 11 c. Conversion ) 22:12 16 d. Restoration ) 22:17 21 e. Assignment ) 22:22 23:11 4.

Paul s Trial ) 22:22 29 a. Appeal ) 22:30 b. Accusation ) ) ) ) b. Training) 22:1 5) 22 1 Men, brothers and fathers, now listen to my defense before you. 2 When they heard Paul speak in Aramaic, they became even more quiet. He said: 3 I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, and educated at Gamaliel s feet in the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just like all of you are today. 4 I persecuted the adherents of this Way to their death by binding both men and women and putting them in prisons. 5 Indeed, even the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify on my behalf that I received letters from them for the brothers in Damascus. I went there to bring those who were prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. ) ) Although the audience that Paul addresses from the steps of Fortress Antonia is Jewish, it is divided into Christians and non-Christians.

He knows that both groups are zealous for the law (21:20). He also knows that both the Jews and the Christians in Jerusalem think that he teaches against the Jewish race, the law, and the temple (21:28). He wants to tell these people that he is one of them in race, training, and, as far as the Christians are concerned, in conversion. And he wishes to inform them about his commission as apostle to the Gentiles.) The accusations against Paul parallel those against Stephen, who was accused of speaking against God, the law, and the temple (6:11 14). Stephen defended himself by tracing Israel s history to show that the charges were unfounded; Paul recounts his personal history to prove the genuineness of his roots and his devotion to his Lord. In his speech, Paul refrains from absolving himself of the charge of desecrating the temple.

Instead, the climax of his oration comes in his reference to the divine command to work among the Gentiles.��1��) Paul addresses the crowd in Aramaic, the vernacular of the Jewish people. From his writings, we infer that Luke was able to understand Aramaic sufficiently to translate Paul s speech into Greek. In addition, he was familiar with Paul s history, which he as a travel companion had heard a number of times from the apostle s lips. Accordingly, Luke encountered no difficulties in reconstructing the speech and accurately presented its content.) 1. Men, brothers and fathers, now listen to my defense before you. ) The Jews who only moments earlier had intended to kill Paul now hear him address them respectfully as brothers and fathers. To their amazement, Paul establishes rapport with them, not only by speaking in Aramaic but also by saying that he is a son of the Jewish people.

Paul shows respect by using the word fathers (see 7:2); he calls his listeners brothers and fathers and requests that they listen to his word of explanation.) Paul asks the assembled crowd to listen to his defense, and with the use of that term he by implication turns the situation into a court case. However, he fails to state the accusations against him and he ignores the charges. Yet the Greek construction (verb and noun) here translated defense appears again in the speeches Paul makes before Felix and before Festus and Agrippa.��2�� In other words, Paul definitely considers his speech a defense of his work, namely, the proclamation of the gospel to the Gentiles. The apostle s speech is not a defense before a Roman commander, even if Paul is his prisoner, but a justification of his work in the presence of his own people, the Jews.��3��) 2. When they heard Paul speak in Aramaic, they became even more quiet. He said: 3.

I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, and educated at Gamaliel s feet in the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God just like all of you are today. ) Note these points:) a. Language. Paul wisely addresses the crowd in Aramaic, the vernacular in Israel. He seeks to establish rapport with the people and, when they hear Aramaic words coming from his lips, they listen. They believe that a Jew from the Dispersion who speaks fluent Aramaic deserves their attention. Luke describes the developing scene by saying, They became even more quiet.

Paul skillfully reaches out and now begins his speech.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.3.5|AUTODETECT|” b. Nurture. The first item Paul touches on is his identity 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.3.5|AUTODETECT|” Phil. 3:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). He calls himself a Jew and adds that he was born in Tarsus (9:11; 21:39), which was the capital of the province of Cilicia. Paul says that he is a Dispersion Jew but then immediately adds that he was reared in the city of Jerusalem. To be precise, his parents moved from Tarsus to Jerusalem when Paul was a child (compare 26:4).��4�� The verb to bring up, which occurs in verse 3, refers to the mental and physical nurture of a child��5�� but differs from the verb to educate. Paul grew up speaking Aramaic and possibly Greek, for Jewish students studied Greek in Jerusalem. Greek vocabulary and concepts found lodgment in the usage of many rabbis. ��6��) 1 1 2 8 0 0 c. Education. In Jerusalem, Paul continues, [I was] educated at Gamaliel s feet in the strict manner of the law of our fathers. His teacher was Rabban Gamaliel the Elder, who was highly revered (see 5:34 39). He also was a teacher with the greatest respect for the law, so that after his death the rabbis used to say: From the time that Rabban Gamaliel the Elder died, respect for the Torah ceased; and purity and abstinence died at the same time. ��7�� When Paul received his education, he and his fellow students would sit on the floor while their teacher sat on a platform. They literally sat at his feet.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.1.14|AUTODETECT|” As Paul mentions Gamaliel s name and reveals that he has been trained by this renowned teacher of the law, his words are effective. The Jews see him as a Pharisee and an expert in the law of their spiritual forefathers 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.1.14|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 1:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.3.6|AUTODETECT|” d. Zeal. Paul proceeds, calling himself a zealot for God and then adding, just like all of you are today. The word zealot has overtones of persecutor. Paul reflects on the zeal he had before his conversion, when he persecuted the church and thought that he was doing God a service 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.3.6|AUTODETECT|” Phil. 3:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.16.2|AUTODETECT|” ; compare ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.16.2|AUTODETECT|” John 16:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). As he writes concerning the Jews in his epistle to the Romans, For I testify to them that they have a zeal for God but a zeal which is not on the basis of knowledge (10:2).��8�� Paul is direct and frank, stating that the Jews he is addressing, both Christian and non-Christian, have that same type of ill-directed zeal. They displayed their zeal for God moments earlier when they wanted to kill Paul in the Court of the Gentiles. Paul is not accusing them, for he knows that their zeal results from ignorance (see 3:17).) 1 1 2 8 0 0 4. I persecuted the adherents of this Way to their death by binding both men and women and putting them in prisons. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.1.23|AUTODETECT|” Paul now recalls his sinful past (see 8:3; 9:2). For a time, he was a persecutor who tried to destroy the church 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.1.23|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 1:23) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). But notice that Paul uses the phrase adherents of this Way to describe the members of the church. Paul reverts to this name because it was among the earliest designations for the believers. He wants his audience to realize that he is speaking about events that occurred more than twenty years ago (9:2; and compare 19:9, 23; 24:14, 22).) 1 1 2 8 0 0 I persecuted [them] to their death. What the Jews in Paul s audience tried to do to him, Paul actually did to the early Christians. Paul openly and honestly confesses his sin of killing innocent men and women. Some scholars are of the opinion that Paul consented only to the death of Stephen (8:1a).��9�� But this is hardly correct if we consider Paul s additional explanation before King Agrippa: And this is just what I did in Jerusalem: not only did I lock up many of the saints in prisons because I received authority from the chief priests, but also I cast my vote against them when they were put to death (26:10). Paul says that he bound both men and women and delivered them to prisons. This is a direct reference to the persecution that followed the death of Stephen. Luke reports that at that time Paul went from house to house and dragged off to prison both men and women (8:3).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.16.3-45.16.23|AUTODETECT|” In the church, men and women were active participants, as is evident from the greetings Paul conveys to the church at Rome 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.16.3-45.16.23|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 16:3 23) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.4.2-50.4.3|AUTODETECT|” ; see also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.4.2-50.4.3|AUTODETECT|” Phil. 4:2 3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.15|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.15|AUTODETECT|” Col. 4:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ; Philem. 1 2); in the temple and the synagogues men were prominent in religious matters. Yet when Paul behaved as a blind zealot, he made no distinctions and imprisoned both men and women.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 5. Indeed, even the high priest and the whole council of elders can testify on my behalf that I received letters from them for the brothers in Damascus. I went there to bring those who were prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. ) a. Indeed, even the high priest. Granted that Paul left Jerusalem more than two decades earlier, some people in the crowd should be able to recall the times when the high priest and the council of elders commissioned Paul to persecute Christians in other cities. We know that when Paul refers to the high priest, he has in mind Caiaphas, who served in that capacity from a.d. 18 to 36 (see the commentary on 4:6 and 9:1).

From Luke s account we learn that at the moment of Paul s address to his Jewish audience, Ananias, an exceptionally cruel man, was high priest (23:2). We surmise that this person who belonged to a high-ranking priestly family would have been present when Paul persecuted the Christians.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.66|AUTODETECT|” b. And the whole council of elders can testify. The expression council of elders is another name for the Sanhedrin, which approved the task Caiaphas gave to Paul 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.22.66|AUTODETECT|” Luke 22:66) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��10�� The Sanhedrin exercised its authority to send Paul to Damascus to arrest Jewish Christians and bring them as prisoners to the high priest.��11�� Even if the present leaders of the Sanhedrin fail to recall Paul s former position, the records should indicate that at one time he was in the employ of the high priest.) 1 28 2 8 0 0 c. I received letters from them for the brothers in Damascus. Paul says that he went to Damascus with letters authorized by the Sanhedrin and addressed to the brothers there. Specifically, these brothers were leaders in the synagogues in Damascus (9:2); with other Jews they afterward plotted to kill him (9:23).) d. I went there to bring those who were prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. The Christians driven from Jerusalem after Stephen s death traveled to Judea, Samaria, Phoenicia, Antioch, and Cyprus (8:1b; 11:19).

We presume that they also settled in Damascus. But not every believer in Damascus was a refugee, because the devout Ananias received reports about the persecution in Jerusalem (9:13). Paul recalls that he was on his way to Damascus to arrest Christians and bring them bound to Jerusalem, where they were to be punished. He uses the imperfect tense of the verb to journey to indicate that he was unable to complete his mission.) ) Practical Considerations in 22:1 5) Verses 1 3) When proclaiming or teaching the Word of God, the pastor should exercise tact and diplomacy. However difficult he may find the adjustment to a culture or a situation in which God has placed him, he ought to learn to address the people in words that touch their hearts. In communicating the gospel effectively, he must strive to gain a point of contact with the audience.) Verses 4 5) Throughout his Gospel, Luke shows no partiality; he mentions both men and women (e.g., Zechariah and Elizabeth, Joseph and Mary, Simeon and Anna).

In Acts, Luke continues the theme of equality: the women and the apostles (1:13 14), Ananias and Sapphira (5:1 10), Aeneas and Dorcas (9:32 42), Aquila and Priscilla (18:2), Felix and Drusilla (24:24), Agrippa and Bernice (25:23).) The fact that Luke relates the account of Paul s conversion three times is sufficient proof that Paul freely admitted his part in persecuting the church. When he became a believer, he realized that he would suffer persecution for the sake of the Lord Jesus Christ. Even though this persecution came chiefly from the Jews, he still called them brothers.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 22:1 5) Verses 1 2) ��� this unemphatic pronoun should be taken with the noun �������� (defense) and not with the verb ���� (to hear). The position of the pronoun is due to the Greek custom of placing unemphatic pronouns as close as possible to the beginning of the sentence.��12��) ������ although the word means Hebrew, the term in context refers to the Aramaic language spoken in Palestine (see 21:40; 26:14).) Verse 3) ��� �������� this noun is a descriptive genitive of place.��13��) ������������� the perfect passive participle of ������� (I rear) discloses that Paul spent his youth in Jerusalem. The perfect tense shows lasting action.) Q������ the participle in the present tense is a substitute for the present participle of �0�� (I am).) Verse 5) �������� the context demands the use of the auxiliary verb can, that is, the high priest can testify. Western witnesses add the noun ������ (Ananias) after the term high priest, but the insertion is influenced by and derived from the next chapter (23:2).) ��� the future participle of �� (I lead, bring) expresses purpose.) ) c.

Conversion) 22:6 11) 6 While I was on my way and approaching Damascus about noon, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7 I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? 8 But I asked, Who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. 9 They who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. 10 I asked, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Get up and go to Damascus and there you will be told everything that has been arranged for you to do. 11 Since I could not see because of the brightness of the light, my companions led me by the hand and I entered Damascus. ) ) 6. While I was on my way and approaching Damascus about noon, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me. 7. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? ) Paul relates his conversion experience; this account (22:6 11) differs from the earlier narrative (9:3 9) only in minor details. Paul reports that he was on his way to Damascus, and when he was approaching the city at about noon, he suddenly saw a bright light from heaven blazing around him.

The addition in this account is the reference to time: about noon. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.4.6|AUTODETECT|” When Paul speaks about a bright light flashing from heaven, he communicates to his Jewish audience that he experienced a divine encounter. The Jews knew from the Scriptures that light proceeds from God 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.4.6|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 4:6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.44.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.44.3|AUTODETECT|” 44:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.89.15|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.89.15|AUTODETECT|” 89:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.13.21-2.13.22|AUTODETECT|” ) and that it is a feature God employs to reveal himself 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.13.21-2.13.22|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 13:21 22) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=16.9.12|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=16.9.12|AUTODETECT|” Neh. 9:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.104.2|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=19.104.2|AUTODETECT|” Ps. 104:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.2.22|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=27.2.22|AUTODETECT|” Dan. 2:22) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=35.3.4|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=35.3.4|AUTODETECT|” Hab. 3:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).��14�� In fact, the light of God s self-disclosure supersedes created light. In his speech before Agrippa, Paul says that the light which enveloped him was brighter than the sun (26:13).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.3.4|AUTODETECT|” Paul asserts that he was converted to Christianity not because believers persuaded him but because Jesus stopped him near Damascus. He recalls that he fell to the ground and heard a voice addressing him twice by his Hebrew name, Saul. From their knowledge of Scripture, the Jews knew that when God calls people, he often repeats their name. For instance, from the burning bush God said: Moses, Moses 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.3.4|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 3:4) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=9.3.10|AUTODETECT|” ), and in the tabernacle God called the boy Samuel and said: Samuel, Samuel 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=9.3.10|AUTODETECT|” I Sam. 3:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Paul, therefore, indicates that he was divinely called. The voice asked, Why do you persecute me? ) 1 10 2 8 0 0 8. But I asked, Who are you, Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. ) While he was blinded by the light, lying on the ground, and hearing a heavenly voice asking him a question Paul remembers he kept a clear mind. The voice that addressed Paul asked him why he was victimizing the speaker. Paul had to answer by asking the voice to identify himself. Thus he inquired, Who are you, Lord?

And the surprising answer came back to him, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. Note that in his address to the Jews, Paul mentions the clarifying noun Nazareth, which is lacking in the other two accounts (9:5; 26:15). In Acts, the appellation Jesus of Nazareth appears frequently and is the name by which Jesus was known to believing and unbelieving Jews.��15��) The Jews listening to Paul know that Jesus called him from heaven and indicated twice that Paul persecuted him. Paul refrains from further identifying Jesus but leaves the distinct impression that Jesus is divine. The Jews also learn from the dialogue between Jesus and Paul that Jesus completely identifies with the believers. Paul continues his account and says,) 9.

They who were with me saw the light but did not understand the voice of him who was speaking to me. ) The travel companions of Paul witnessed the brilliant light and saw Paul lying on the ground. Although they observed the phenomenon, the light did not blind them as it did Paul. Further, they heard a voice speaking but did not understand it, even though the voice addressed Paul in Aramaic (26:14). The voice was unintelligible to them. They were speechless because of fright (9:7; see the commentary for a discussion).��16�� Not they but Paul understood Jesus words that led to Paul s conversion.) 10. I asked, What shall I do, Lord?

And the Lord said to me, Get up and go to Damascus and there you will be told everything that has been arranged for you to do. ) The earlier account (9:5 7) differs slightly from the description Paul gives before his Jewish audience, for he supplies them with additional information. First, Paul relates that the men who accompanied him saw the light. Next, Paul reveals a continued dialogue with Jesus. He asked him, What shall I do, Lord? This question and the sentence that introduces Jesus response are lacking in the first report of Paul s conversion. And last, the instructions Jesus gave are more detailed in the second account than in the first.

The clause everything that has been arranged for you has been added.) Three times in two verses (vv. 8, 10), Paul employs the term Lord, by which he demonstrates his respect for Jesus. At the same time, numerous persons in Paul s audience were Christian Jews (compare 21:20). Paul knows that he and they share a mode of addressing Jesus. But in order not to provoke the unbelieving Jews, he refrains from using the name Jesus and employs the expression Lord instead.) The Lord is fully in control of the calling and conversion of Paul, for already he has arranged a task for him. The clause everything that has been arranged for you signifies that Jesus has planned a career of service for Paul.��17�� The tense of the Greek verb indicates that the arrangements had been made in the past but were put into effect at the time of Paul s conversion. That is, Jesus appointed Paul to be his servant and witness (26:16) and would send him forth as an apostle to the Gentiles (9:15).) 11.

Since I could not see because of the brightness of the light, my companions led me by the hand and I entered Damascus. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.28.15|AUTODETECT|” Paul continues his account and describes being blinded by the brilliant light that had flashed around him (9:3). In this verse, he briefly reports his blindness and his dependence on his travel companions. Luke s earlier description, with minor variations, is the same in meaning (9:8). But Luke divulges that Paul was blind for three days and that during that time he fasted (9:9). Paul himself deletes this detail from his narrative. To be stricken with blindness, according to Scripture, was one of the curses God pronounced on the disobedient 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.28.15|AUTODETECT|” Deut. 28:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.28.28-5.28.29|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.28.28-5.28.29|AUTODETECT|” 28 29) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). But this does not apply to Paul, as he receives further instruction from the Lord in Damascus.) 1 22 2 8 0 0 ) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 22:6 11) Verse 6) ��� for me. The case is a dative of advantage, followed by the descriptive present participles ���������� (going) and �������� (approaching).) ���v ���������� see the comment at 8:26.) Verse 7) ������ ����� The class[ical] rule of the gen[itive] for the persons whom we hear, and the acc[usative] for the persons or things about whom or which we hear, is applied even more systematically in the N[ew] T[estament], where the acc[usative] tends to replace the more common class[ical] gen[itive] even in the case of hearing a sound, though the latter still occurs. ��18��) Verse 10) �� ������ the deliberative subjunctive instead of the future indicative: What am I to do? ) ������ although the participle with a finite verb normally means to get ready, for Paul lying prostrate on the ground the word has a literal connotation: get up. ) �������� from ����� (I appoint), the perfect shows an action in the past with lasting results for the present.) Verse 11) �� in context, this preposition has a causal sense: because of the brightness of the light. ) ) d. Restoration) 22:12 16) 12 Someone named Ananias came to me. He was a devout man according to the law and respected by all the Jews living there. 13 He stood next to me and said, Brother Saul, receive your sight! And I looked at him that very moment. 14 Ananias said: The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear a message from his mouth, 15 because you will be a witness for him to all men of the things you have seen and heard. 16 And now why are you delaying? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on his name. ) ) 12.

Someone named Ananias came to me. He was a devout man according to the law and respected by all the Jews living there. 13. He stood next to me and said, Brother Saul, receive your sight! And I looked at him that very moment. ) Once again, Paul is more concise than Luke in his account concerning Ananias. Luke describes Ananias s vision in which Jesus gave him the necessary information about Paul (9:10 16). By contrast, Paul reviews the incident from his own point of view.

He remembers that a certain man named Ananias visited him. The name Ananias was rather common in Judaism, as is evident from Acts (see 5:1; 23:2) and apocryphal literature (which often lists the name with variant spellings).��19�� Paul shrewdly relates that Ananias was a devout man according to the law and respected by all the Jews living there. He desists from calling him a disciple or a follower of the Way. Instead he describes Ananias in terms that sound pleasing in the ears of a Jewish audience and are intended to place the entire conversion episode in a favorable light.��20��) Ananias devoutly kept the law, says Paul, so that in the city of Damascus he was highly respected by the Jewish residents. Paul emphasizes this point to show that Ananias, even though a Christian, was a law-abiding Jew in good standing with his fellow Jews. Incidentally, in a later verse Paul describes himself as a traditional Jew who worshiped in the temple (v. 17).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.35.5|AUTODETECT|” Paul recalls that Ananias came and stood next to [him]. He disregards the fear that Ananias had to overcome to approach the persecutor of believers. Rather, Paul portrays his visitor as one who merely spoke the words, Brother Saul, receive your sight, and Paul could see again. As Paul tells the story in a Jewish context, the word brother intimates the close bond between two Jews. Moreover, the audience realized that when Ananias spoke the word for Paul to regain his sight, a miracle occurred. From the prophecy of Isaiah they had learned that the coming Messiah would open the eyes of the blind 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.35.5|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 35:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.9.28-40.9.30|AUTODETECT|” ). And Jesus during his ministry had frequently healed the blind 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.9.28-40.9.30|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 9:28 30) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.11.5|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.11.5|AUTODETECT|” 11:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.20.30-40.20.34|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.20.30-40.20.34|AUTODETECT|” 20:30 34) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). In brief, through the words of Ananias, Jesus restored Paul s sight. For apologetic purposes, however, Paul omits the words Luke recounts in the first report of Paul s conversion: Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, who appeared to you on the road by which you were coming, has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit (9:17). Now Paul uses a typical Jewish phrase, the God of our fathers, which indirectly yet clearly refers to the Messiah.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 14. Ananias said: The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will and to see the Righteous One and to hear a message from his mouth, 15. because you will be a witness for him to all men of the things you have seen and heard. ) Reciting the words of Ananias, Paul explains what the Lord has arranged for him to do. By employing the expression the God of our fathers, Paul continues to affirm his Jewish identity. He demonstrates that the God who dealt graciously with the forefathers is the same God who appointed and called him.��21��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.3.15|AUTODETECT|” The expression is a vivid reminder of the time Moses stood at the burning bush in the Sinai desert and heard God saying to him: The Lord, the God of your fathers the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob has sent me to you 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=2.3.15|AUTODETECT|” Exod. 3:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.1.15|AUTODETECT|” , NIV). Peter also used the expression in his sermon at Solomon s Colonnade (3:13) and in his speech before the Sanhedrin (5:30). Now Paul uses these words of Ananias to convince his audience that Israel s God appointed him (see 26:16). God set Paul apart from birth, as Paul himself writes 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.1.15|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 1:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Accordingly, Paul recognized that in his life God was working out his plan.��22�� What is this plan?) 1 3 2 8 0 0 a. To know his will. For the Jews, to know God s will meant to obey his precepts. They understood that anyone who knows God s will, but disobeys, receives just punishment. It would be better for such a person if he had never known God s will.��23�� Paul had tried to do God a service by persecuting the Christians, but God told him that his divine will was entirely different. Paul had to see God s will in relation to the Righteous One.) b.

To see the Righteous One. The term Righteous One is a messianic title that has its origin in the books of the prophets. For instance, Isaiah says, By his knowledge my righteous servant will justify many (53:11).��24�� The apostles recognized these prophetic passages as messianic and ascribed them to Jesus. On the way to Damascus, Paul saw the resurrected Jesus and heard his voice.) c. To hear a message from his mouth. Indeed, God revealed the Righteous One to Paul, but Jesus gave him additional instructions.

Paul had heard one message from Jesus outside Damascus, but through Ananias received another message. Revealing to his audience that Jesus had spoken to Ananias (9:15), Paul avoided using Jesus name.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.9.1|AUTODETECT|” d. Because you will be a witness for him to all men of the things you have seen and heard. On the basis of seeing and hearing Jesus, Paul became an apostle 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.9.1|AUTODETECT|” I Cor. 9:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ; compare 4:20). When he saw Jesus and heard his voice, he understood the will of God: You will be a witness for [Jesus]. For Paul, then, proclaiming the resurrected Jesus to all men everywhere became the equivalent of doing God s will. The words all men are purposely general, for they could refer to all the Jews who lived in the Dispersion. But because Jesus called Paul to be the apostle to the Gentiles, in this context the term obviously is all-inclusive.) 1 7 2 8 0 0 16. And now why are you delaying? Get up, be baptized, and wash away your sins by calling on his name. ) Paul fails to say that for three days he fasted and was unable to see (9:10 12). When he received his sight and heard Jesus message from Ananias, he had to be prodded. That is, Ananias asked him why he needed still more time, for Paul himself had to make the decision to follow Jesus.��25�� Paul discloses that Ananias instructed him what steps to take:) get up) be baptized and) wash away your sins) by calling on his name.) The verb get up is more idiomatic than literal and means get ready [to be baptized]. The Jews were acquainted with Levitical baptism and that of John the Baptist.��26�� Christian baptism was visibly demonstrated at Pentecost, when three thousand Jews believed and were baptized (2:41), and numerous times afterward.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.6.11|AUTODETECT|” When Peter answered the query of the crowd, he told them to be baptized for the forgiveness of sins in the name of Jesus Christ (2:38). Ananias likewise instructed Paul to be baptized for the purpose of cleansing himself from sin and to do so by calling on Jesus name. By persecuting the Christians, Paul had brought injuries on the church of Jesus and consequently on Jesus himself. He could receive remission from sin only by asking Jesus to forgive him. When Paul called for pardon in the name of Jesus Christ, he in turn was baptized in that name.��27�� Paul s self-conscious act of confessing his sin displayed his faith in Jesus. The external rite of baptism sealed his union with Christ. In later years, Paul told the Corinthian believers that they were washed, sanctified, and justified in the name of Jesus Christ 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.6.11|AUTODETECT|” I Cor. 6:11) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 13 2 8 0 0 Paul avoids using the name of Jesus when he reports Ananias s words. Yet the nearest antecedent to which the expression his name exegetically can refer is the Righteous One, namely, Jesus Christ. Throughout Paul s address to the Jews he does not use the name Jesus, with the exception of Jesus self-identification (v. 8). We assume that the audience was acquainted with Christian baptism and understood that Paul had been baptized.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 22:14 16) Verse 14) ������ the content of the aorist active of the verb ������� (I know) is strengthened by the meaning of the aorist infinitives 0���� (to see) and ������ (to hear).) Verse 16) �������� the aorist imperative of ������� (I baptize) and the aorist imperative of �������� (from ������, I wash away) are causative middle verbs: get yourself baptized and get your sins washed away. ��28��) ) e. Assignment) 22:17 21) 17 When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance. 18 I saw the Lord speaking to me, Hurry, get out of Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me. 19 And I said, Lord, they know that from one synagogue to another I was imprisoning and beating those who believe in you. 20 When the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I was approving and standing by, guarding the cloaks of those who were killing him. 21 He said to me, Go! Because I will send you far away to the Gentiles. ) ) 17.

When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance. 18. I saw the Lord speaking to me, Hurry, get out of Jerusalem immediately, because they will not accept your testimony about me. ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.1.17|AUTODETECT|” Paul excludes details relating to his preaching in the Damascus synagogues (9:20 22), his extended stay in the Arabian desert 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.1.17|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 1:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.33|AUTODETECT|” ), and his escape in a basket over the city wall of Damascus 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.33|AUTODETECT|” II Cor. 11:33) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). He ignores details concerning his return to Jerusalem, where he experienced rejection by the Christians, who were afraid of him, and by the Jews, who plotted to kill him (9:26 29). He mentions, however, aspects of his religious life that have no parallel in either 9:26 or 26:20.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 a. When I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple. Paul speaks in general without indicating when he came back to the city.��29�� He reveals the successive development of everything that has been arranged for [him] to do (v. 10). While he was in a trance, he says, he was receiving further instructions from Jesus.) Notice that Paul places no emphasis on the time of his return. What is important to him in his current address is that he came to the temple to pray. Skillfully he introduces this fact. Paul expects his listeners to understand that he clearly cannot be a desecrator of the temple, because he returned to pray there.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.1.10|AUTODETECT|” b. I fell into a trance. In the Greek, Luke uses the word ekstasis, from which we have the derivative ecstasy. Peter had an ecstatic experience on the flat roof of Simon s house in Joppa, when he was in prayer at noon (10:9 10), and John was in the Spirit on the Lord s Day 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=66.1.10|AUTODETECT|” Rev. 1:10) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The apostles experienced ecstasy when their minds became so intensely concentrated in prayer that they entered the presence of Jesus. When that happened, Jesus gave them instructions that related to their individual ministries. The apostles were not dreaming or fantasizing, but were attentive to God s power that was transmitted to them both in sight and in sound.) 1 2 2 8 0 0 c. I saw the Lord speaking to me: Hurry, get out of Jerusalem immediately. A literal rendering of the Greek is simply, I saw him speaking to me. The pronoun him evidently refers to Jesus, who addressed Paul on the road near Damascus. Here, then, is Paul s confirmation that the Lord who spoke to him near Damascus is the same risen Lord who appears to him in Jerusalem. The Lord himself is protecting Paul by giving him pertinent instructions about the immediate future.

He knows the dangers that lurk in Jerusalem and therefore tells Paul to leave the city at once.) d. Because they will not accept your testimony about me. The subject is lacking in this clause, because Paul tries to soften Jesus reproach that the Jews in Jerusalem refused to listen to the good news of salvation. But Jesus message actually is an understatement. It expresses an affirmative thought in negative terms; the intent is to heighten the effect of the words spoken by Jesus.��30�� He actually means that the Jews would reject Paul s message of salvation and, like their fathers of old who persecuted the prophets, would plot to take Paul s life.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.10.5-40.10.6|AUTODETECT|” Paul the Jew wished to preach the gospel first to his own people, especially those residing in the city of Jerusalem. For a period of two weeks, Paul boldly spoke about Jesus by debating with Greek-speaking Jews. But the Jews rejected Paul s teaching and plotted to kill him. Jesus, however, prevented him from continuing his work among the Jews. Through the intervention of Christian brothers who took Paul from Jerusalem to Caesarea and put him aboard ship to Tarsus (9:30), Jesus caused Paul s ministry among the Jerusalem Jews to cease. This does not mean that Paul would not proclaim the gospel to Jews anymore, for during his missionary journeys he followed Jesus exhortation to preach to the Jew first and then to the Gentile 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.10.5-40.10.6|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 10:5 6) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.1.16|AUTODETECT|” ; and see ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.1.16|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 1:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). In his speech to the Ephesian elders at Miletus, he averred that he had testified to both Jews and Greeks to turn to God in repentance and to believe in Jesus (20:21).) 1 2 2 8 0 0 19. And I said, Lord, they know that from one synagogue to another I was imprisoning and beating those who believe in you. 20. When the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, I was approving and standing by, guarding the cloaks of those who were killing him. ) Instead of telling his audience what he did after leaving Jerusalem, Paul relates that he was determined to stay in the city and testify to his countrymen. In Damascus Paul had preached to the Jews in the local synagogues; when he came to Jerusalem, he again went to the Jews. He intimates that he was well qualified to impart the teachings of the Christian faith to the Jews; as an expert in Jewish law he would be able to lead the citizens of Jerusalem to Christ. He felt at home with Jewish people because they knew the Scriptures.

Paul was able to debate with them and had an immediate point of contact (9:29). But the Lord had informed him, through Ananias in Damascus, that he would have to preach the gospel to the Gentiles (9:15). Jesus wanted to employ Paul s gifts and talents in the Gentile world so that the church indeed might become universal.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.1.18|AUTODETECT|” Paul enters into a dialogue with Jesus, although he does not call Jesus by name. Instead he uses the word Lord, which is a general term that can also refer to God. Paul says: Lord, the Jews know that I went from one synagogue to another imprisoning and beating those people who believe in you (see 8:3). He implies that when Paul returned to Jerusalem, the Jews would remember him as a persecutor of Christian men and women. By saying they know, Paul suggests that the Jews should remember his past. Only three years before his return to Jerusalem 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.1.18|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 1:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ), Paul imprisoned and beat members of the Christian church.��31�� In his response to Jesus command to leave the city, Paul uses the personal pronoun I three times. With the frequent use of this pronoun, he divulges that he objected to going abroad. In other words, Paul would rather have continued his teaching ministry in the city, even at the risk of losing his life.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.10.17|AUTODETECT|” From the verb tenses in the Greek text we learn that a sustained period of time elapsed during which Paul imprisoned and beat the Christians. He went from synagogue to synagogue, where believers were brought before councils. When the Christians were found to be guilty of confessing Jesus name, they were flogged 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.10.17|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 10:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.23.34|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.23.34|AUTODETECT|” 23:34) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Paul admits that he himself lashed these believers.) 1 9 2 8 0 0 When the blood of your martyr Stephen was shed, Paul continues, I was approving and standing by, guarding the cloaks of those who were killing him (see 7:58; 8:1). The death of Stephen made a lasting impression on Paul. In effect, he became Stephen s successor in reaching out to Greek-speaking Jews (compare 6:8 10 and 9:29). Paul uses the word martyr, which derives from the Greek verb martyreM (to testify, to witness). While testifying for Jesus, Stephen was killed by his accusers with full approval of the Sanhedrin. Luke provides no evidence that Paul at one time was a member of that Jewish council.

Instead he conveys that Paul was commissioned by the Sanhedrin to persecute Christians. In this passage, Paul confesses that he himself consented to the death of Stephen. He guarded the outer garments of the men who hurled the stones at Stephen, the first Christian martyr.) On the one hand, Paul recalls his participation in the death of Stephen to show his identity with the true law-abiding Jews who guard the purity of the Jewish faith. On the other, he uses this incident to introduce the response of Jesus. If Paul had thought that he could convince Jesus to change his instructions, Paul was sadly mistaken. Jesus had told Paul to go preach his name before the Gentiles and reiterated his unaltered command.) 21.

He said to me, Go! because I will send you far away to the Gentiles. ) Paul comes to the climax of his address. Avoiding the use of the name Jesus, Paul nevertheless ascribes to Jesus the command that he had to leave Jerusalem. The Lord would send him far away to the Gentiles. At last the word Gentiles comes from the lips of Paul, although originally it was spoken by the Lord. This means, of course, that Paul s charge to preach the gospel to the Gentiles came not at his own initiative but by divine command. For Paul, Jesus message was encouraging, because Jesus himself would send him forth to the Gentiles and thus provide for his physical and spiritual well-being (compare 26:17).

Moreover, Jesus specifically told Ananias that Paul was his chosen instrument to serve him as his messenger to the Gentiles (9:15). Paul is unable to delete from his report the charge which Jesus gave him.) ) Additional Notes on 22:1 21) The differences between the first and second accounts of Paul s conversion (9:1 19 and 22:1 21) are obvious despite the fact that Luke composed both of them. The first report is a narrative description given by Luke as he traces Paul s life. The second, even though written by Luke, is a speech Paul delivered to the Jews as he was standing on the steps of Fortress Antonia. Although we do not expect to find a word-for-word transcription, we discover that Luke faithfully presents the content of Paul s address. Consider these aspects:) a.

Jewish emphases. That Paul addressed the Jews in their native tongue (Aramaic) is significant, but also significant are his word choices, expressions, and descriptions, which are typically Jewish. See how Paul addresses the crowd: Men, brothers and fathers (v. 1); the address is paralleled by Stephen, who faced the members of the Sanhedrin (7:2). Paul resorts to using Jewish terms, including the God of our fathers and the Righteous One (v. 14). He identifies himself as a Jew, born abroad but reared and educated in Jerusalem, whose name is Saul. He stresses respect for the Mosaic law and, by his reference to zeal for God, identifies with any Jew listening to his address (v. 3).

He calls Ananias a devout man according to the law (v. 12) and avoids referring to him as a disciple (see 9:10). And last, he depicts himself as a Jew who goes to the temple for prayer (v. 17).) b. Omissions. Apart from Jesus self-identification, I am Jesus of Nazareth (v. 8), Paul deliberately avoids using that name and in the Greek alludes to him with personal pronouns. He uses the Greek for Lord four times (vv. 8, 10 [twice], 19), but this term was also used for God and presented no offense to the Jews. In the first account of Paul s conversion, Ananias informs Paul that the Lord Jesus sent him (9:17), but in Paul s address to the Jews these words are missing.

More, Jesus instructs Ananias to go to Paul, who must proclaim Jesus name to the Gentiles (9:15). But when Paul addresses the Jews, he reports that Ananias told him: You will be a witness for [the Righteous One] to all men of the things you have seen and heard (v. 15). Again, the wording all men is inoffensive.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.1.18|AUTODETECT|” c. Additions. In his account, Paul describes his dialogue with Jesus (vv. 10, 18 21). This information is absent in Luke s earlier account (9:5 7). In the Old Testament, God encourages dialogue with his people 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=23.1.18|AUTODETECT|” Isa. 1:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The Jews exhibit this characteristic freedom of verbal exchange: Ananias (9:10 16), Peter (10:13 15), and Paul (22:8 10, 18 21).) 1 25 2 8 0 0 When Jesus says to Paul, You will be told everything that has been arranged for you to do (v. 10), he develops his instructions for Paul in Damascus (9:15 16) and in Jerusalem (vv. 18, 21). Jesus keeps his promise and at various times informs Paul what to do next (see 18:9 10; 23:11).) d. Conclusion. Luke accurately portrays Paul as the speaker who tells his conversion experience as a second variation of the Damascus event. ��32�� Luke assumes that the reader recalls the details of the first account and now he reports how Paul addressed the Jews in Jerusalem. Further, Luke ends Paul s speech with the words, I will send you far away to the Gentiles (v. 21), because the crowd raucously prevented Paul from continuing his discourse (v. 22). Martin Dibelius calls this intentional interruption a literary device that Luke employs to conclude the speeches in Acts.��33�� But when it is subjected to careful scrutiny, this ingenious observation hardly holds true for Paul s speech in Jerusalem.

For one thing, in its conclusion this speech lacks an exhortation to the audience.��34�� In light of the development of and reaction to Paul s speech, we are not persuaded to doubt its historicity but to affirm that Luke gives a true-to-fact presentation.) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 22:17 21) Verses 17 18) ������������� ��� while I was praying. Because the subject of this genitive absolute is the same as that of the main clause, the grammatical construction is faulty.) ������������ this is the predictive future of the compound verb ����������� (I accept, acknowledge) in its perfective sense. With the negative particle �P (not), the verb actually means to reject, spurn. ) Verse 19) $��� with the two present participles ��������� (imprisoning) and ����� (beating), this imperfect of the verb �0�� (I am) is a periphrastic construction which, perhaps, reflects Aramaic syntax.) ���� the preposition expresses the distributive idea: from one synagogue to another. ) Verses 20 21) ��������� note the descriptive use of the imperfect tense to heighten the effect of an eyewitness account.) ������ this adjective modifies the supplied noun A��� (way) and functions as an accusative of extent: far away. ) ) ) 4. Paul s Trial) 22:22 23:11) The crowd had assembled in the courts of the temple because the Jews had spread word that Paul taught Jewish people in dispersion to live like Gentiles (21:28). They also alleged that Paul had brought Gentiles into the temple court that was off limits to them (21:29). When the crowd heard Paul say that he was sent to the Gentiles, they concluded that he himself confirmed the reports they had heard.) ) a.

Appeal) 22:22 29) 22 They listened to Paul up to that statement. They raised their voices, shouting, Take this fellow from the earth. He is not fit to live! 23 They shouted, threw off their cloaks, and hurled dust into the air. 24 The commander ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks. He said Paul should be examined by scourging so that he might learn the reason for the shouting of the Jews against Paul. 25 As they stretched him out for flogging, Paul said to the officer standing nearby, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen without a trial? 26 When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked, What are you intending to do? This man is a Roman citizen. 27 The commander went to Paul and said, Tell me, are you a Roman citizen? And Paul replied, Yes. 28 The commander declared, I acquired my citizenship with a large sum of money.

But Paul said, I was born a citizen. 29 Those who were about to question him immediately let him go. Even the commander was afraid when he learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, because he had put him in chains.) ) 22. They listened to Paul up to that statement. They raised their voices, shouting, Take this fellow from the earth. He is not fit to live! ) The audience standing at the steps that led to the Fortress Antonia listened attentively to the words Paul spoke. Although they accepted his speech that was couched in language pleasing to their ears, they turned against him when he mentioned that he had preached to the Gentiles.

This one word, Gentiles, was sufficient for them to condemn Paul as a desecrator of the temple.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.23.15|AUTODETECT|” In the opinion of the Jews, Paul had forsaken the truth of Judaism and could no longer be considered orthodox. They felt that in his speech he tried to hide his efforts to gain Gentile converts.��35�� They had no objections to Paul teaching Gentiles about Israel s God; indeed they encouraged God-fearing Gentiles to become converts 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=40.23.15|AUTODETECT|” Matt. 23:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). But they regarded Paul s teaching contrary to their demand that the Gentiles obey the law. When Paul alluded to his divine commission to go to the Gentiles, he infuriated his listeners. They refused to acknowledge him as a missionary for the Jewish cause. To them, Paul s statement meant that he considered Jews and Gentiles equal before God. This was totally unacceptable to Paul s audience.��36��) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.23.18|AUTODETECT|” The Jews interrupted Paul s speech and shouted at the top of their voices: Take this fellow from the earth. He is not fit to live! Nearly three decades earlier, a Jewish crowd had shouted almost the same words to Pontius Pilate 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.23.18|AUTODETECT|” Luke 23:18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.19.15|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=43.19.15|AUTODETECT|” John 19:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.21.36|AUTODETECT|” ; and see ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.21.36|AUTODETECT|” Acts 21:36) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). The Jews refused to identify Paul by name but derisively referred to him as this fellow or such a person (lit.). Their clamor about his physical removal from this earth and unfitness to live was tantamount to demanding the death penalty (see 25:24).) 1 8 2 8 0 0 23. They shouted, threw off their cloaks, and hurled dust into the air.) Luke describes a typical oriental riot during which the people give vent to their emotions. He depicts the crowd shouting (probably one slogan after another), removing articles of clothing which they were either waving or tossing into the air, and picking up dust by the handful and throwing it into the air. The entire scene was one of turmoil and utter confusion.) We suspect that the Roman commander had been unable to understand Paul s speech. Even if he had known Aramaic, he still would not have been able to follow the theological reasoning that caused the uproar among the Jewish people. Although he had personally protected Paul from physical injury and possible death, he was now at a loss to know why the Jews were upset with Paul.) 24.

The commander ordered that Paul be brought into the barracks. He said Paul should be examined by scourging so that he might learn the reason for the shouting of the Jews against Paul.) When the commander realized that the crowd became increasingly hostile, he ordered his soldiers to take Paul into the barracks. By removing Paul from sight, he sought to end the riot. As commander of the armed forces in Jerusalem, he was responsible for maintaining the peace.) Perhaps the commander resented Paul s decision to address the crowd in Aramaic and not in Greek. Neither from the Jews nor from Paul had he learned the cause of the riot. Yet he had to discover what the sources of discontent were, so that he could take measures to deal with possible eruptions in the future.) The Roman officer commanded his soldiers to scourge Paul, for he assumed that when they applied the whip, Paul would answer questions about why the crowd was shouting at him (compare 21:34).

Roman law permitted scourging as a means to question a lawbreaker or to punish slaves or criminals. The scourge was made of leather straps to which pieces of bone or metal were attached. Consequently, when the whip was applied to victims, they were often left with open wounds that exposed their bones.��37�� At times the victims died on the spot or soon afterward.) 25. As they stretched him out for flogging, Paul said to the officer standing nearby, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen without a trial? ) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.23-47.11.25|AUTODETECT|” Paul realized that once more he was in mortal danger. According to his own testimony 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.11.23-47.11.25|AUTODETECT|” II Cor. 11:23 25) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.5.40|AUTODETECT|” ), he had been flogged more severely than any other apostle 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.5.40|AUTODETECT|” Acts 5:40) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.25.1-5.25.3|AUTODETECT|” ) and had repeatedly faced death. He recalled that on five different occasions he had received the thirty-nine lashes from the Jews as prescribed by the rabbis 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=5.25.1-5.25.3|AUTODETECT|” Deut. 25:1 3) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). These floggings probably were meted out in Jewish synagogues where Paul preached the gospel and met opposition. In three other instances, he had received severe beatings with rods one of them in Philippi (16:22 23).) 1 14 2 8 0 0 a. As they stretched him out for flogging. The construction of this clause in the Greek allows for two interpretations. The clause can mean that either the soldiers stretched Paul s arms around a pole and exposed his back for a flogging or, tying his hands with thongs, hoisted him from the ground to administer the whipping. In either translation, the result remains the same.) b. Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman citizen without a trial?

Roman law exempted citizens from scourging, although in the days of Cicero a Roman citizen was beaten to death. But such procedures were highly unusual.��38�� Roman citizens possessed inalienable rights that generally were strictly observed. Says Cicero, To bind a Roman citizen is a crime, to flog him is an abomination, to slay him is almost an act of murder: to crucify him is what? There is no fitting word that can possibly describe so horrible a deed. ��39��) The laws protecting the rights of Roman citizens had been enacted during the centuries preceding the apostolic age. In the days of Paul, these Roman laws were applied in all the provinces throughout the empire. Paul objected to being scourged without a trial; thus, he invoked these laws to his own advantage and stated that he was a Roman citizen.

In later years he exercised his right to appeal to Caesar (25:11). By contrast, when both Paul and Silas were beaten with rods in Philippi (16:22 23), they did not invoke their rights as Roman citizens but suffered for the sake of the local congregation (16:37 40).) 26. When the officer heard this, he went to the commander and asked, What are you intending to do? This man is a Roman citizen. ) The centurion in charge of the scourging understood the implications of Paul s question and rushed to Claudius Lysias. We assume that in some manner Paul could prove his Roman citizenship (see the commentary on 16:38). The evidence was sufficient for the centurion to halt the proceedings and to ask his superior whether he knew what he was doing.

When the officer mentioned the expression Roman citizen, the commander went straight to Paul. To apply the scourge to a Roman citizen without giving him a proper trial would place the commander in serious difficulties with his superiors. He could be demoted or dismissed from the military.) 27. The commander went to Paul and said, Tell me, are you a Roman citizen? And Paul replied, Yes. 28. The commander declared, I acquired my citizenship with a large sum of money.

But Paul said, I was born a citizen. ) Roman citizenship could be obtained in various ways: being rewarded for a service rendered to Rome, purchasing the right, or being born into a family that possessed the privilege and passed it on to their children. The conversation between the Roman commander and the Jewish prisoner hinged on the expression Roman citizen. Claudius Lysias asked Paul whether he was able to claim this status. When Paul answered in the affirmative, the commander voluntarily explained, I acquired my citizenship with a large sum of money. Luke provides no other details about Claudius Lysias s citizenship. However, the commander s name indicates that he obtained citizenship during the reign of Emperor Claudius, and the large sum of money was the bribe he paid the officials.��40�� Luke leaves the distinct impression that to the commander, the claim to citizenship was extremely important.) When Paul added that he was a Roman citizen by birth, the commander had to acknowledge that Paul superseded him in status.

Paul s ancestors obtained their citizenship in Tarsus, most likely for services rendered to Rome.��41�� Upon receiving their citizenship, his ancestors stipulated that this privilege would be conferred on their descendants.) 29. Those who were about to question him immediately let him go. Even the commander was afraid when he learned that Paul was a Roman citizen, because he had put him in chains.) At the command of Claudius Lysias, the centurion and the soldiers lost no time in setting Paul free. The commander was fully acquainted with the rights of a Roman citizen and realized that, even though he had not harmed Paul, he nevertheless was guilty of having him bound. Paul could have told the commander at the outset that he was a citizen not only of Tarsus (21:39) but also of Rome, but he waited until the soldiers had bound him and were ready to scourge him. He knew that the commander would be averse to breaking Roman law and, in an effort to redeem himself, would treat Paul deferentially.) The chains on Paul were visible tokens of his Roman imprisonment (21:33).

Chaining a citizen was a direct violation of Roman law and could be used as evidence against the commander. Nonetheless, during his imprisonment in Caesarea and his house arrest in Rome, Paul was chained for a total of at least four years.��42��) ) Practical Considerations in 22:26 and 28) Verse 26) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.3.20|AUTODETECT|” During his lifetime Paul exercises his rights as a Roman citizen twice directly (16:37 38; 22:26) and once by appealing to Caesar (25:11). For Paul, however, citizenship in the kingdom of heaven is of far greater importance than civil rights. He writes, But our citizenship is in heaven 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.3.20|AUTODETECT|” Phil. 3:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 , NIV). He does not point the Philippian believers to earthly citizenship (even though Philippi had special status [see the commentary on 16:12a]) but instead conveys the message that believers are residents in the city of God.��43��) 1 36 2 8 0 0 Verse 28) In this verse, Luke indirectly refers to the time in which the event occurred. Claudius Lysias mentions the large sum of money he had to pay to obtain his Roman citizenship. During the reign of Emperor Claudius, officials were permitted to take substantial bribes from persons who wished to purchase citizenship. But when Nero became emperor in a.d. 54, he terminated the abuses and prescribed appropriate punishment for offenders. In brief, the remark of Claudius Lysias reflects the time of Emperor Claudius (a.d. 41 54) and not that of Nero.��44��) ) ) Greek Words, Phrases, and Constructions in 22:24 29) Verses 24 25) �4��� this second aorist participle with a first aorist ending is equivalent to a coordinate verb ; that is, the commander ordered & and said. ) ���� 1����� from the noun 1��� (thong), this dative plural can be interpreted as an instrumental dative . It can also signify a dative of purpose ( for the thongs ; that is, Paul was stretched out to be whipped).

Translators prefer the second interpretation.��45��) �0 this particle introduces a direct question and is not translated.) Verses 28 29) ��������� this is the second meaning of the noun ��������� (summary), which in context means sum of money. The genitive is the genitive of price.) E�� the first instance is the declarative that, but the second has a causal meaning.��46��) &� ������� the perfect periphrastic construction from the verb ��� (I bind) denotes action in the past with continued effect in the present.) ) b. Accusation) 22:30) 30 On the next day, wishing to know exactly why Paul had been accused by the Jews, the commander released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. And he brought Paul down and placed him before them.) ) After Paul was set free from his bonds, the soldiers took him into the barracks and guarded him during the night. In the meantime, Claudius Lysias could reflect on the situation and find a way to solve the problem of an unwanted prisoner in his fortress. He realized that the matter that disturbed the Jews concerned theological issues.

Therefore, on the following day he tried to settle the question by convening the Sanhedrin and placing Paul before this governing body of the Jewish people.) 30. On the next day, wishing to know exactly why Paul had been accused by the Jews, the commander released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. And he brought Paul down and placed him before them.) a. Why Paul had been accused by the Jews. Claudius Lysias had to find out precisely why the Jews accused Paul of wrongdoing. He was the commander of the Roman forces stationed in Jerusalem and was accountable to his superior, Governor Felix (23:24), if turmoil erupted.

By knowing the causes of the riot on the preceding day, he would be able to prevent a recurrence.) b. The commander released him and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble. I understand the text to say that Claudius Lysias released Paul from custody and gave him the privilege of walking freely next to Roman soldiers. A day earlier the commander had set Paul free from his chains when he learned of Paul s citizenship (v. 29).��47��) Some scholars consider that this incident cannot be an actual historical event.��48�� They think that the commander left Paul in chains during the night, and that instead of examining Paul the commander shirked his responsibilities by bringing him before the Sanhedrin. But these difficulties disappear when we accept the preceding verse (v. 29) at face value and see that the commander realized his error. He kept Paul in safe custody during the night and in the morning gave him complete freedom.��49�� Moreover, because the conflict between Paul and the Jews was theological and not political, Claudius Lysias had a perfect right to take Paul to the Sanhedrin in an effort to gain precise information from Jewish theologians.) Did the commander have the authority to convene the Sanhedrin?

Yes, indeed. In Israel, the Jewish Sanhedrin and the Roman court existed side by side. Although the Sanhedrin had the power to bring Paul to trial, the Roman commander, when he thought that the interests of Rome were at stake, exercised a higher authority than the Jewish court.��50�� He not only ordered the members of the Sanhedrin to meet (v. 30), but also transported Paul to Caesarea to be tried in a Roman court (24:1 22).) c. And he brought Paul down and placed him before them. The commander first informed the high priest (see the commentary on 4:6) about a meeting; the high priest in turn summoned the members of the court. Afterward he had Paul brought into the meeting room.) Gentiles were not permitted to enter any of the rooms in the temple complex.

According to Josephus, the assembly hall of the Sanhedrin was situated to the west of the temple proper.��51�� Here the commander brought Paul and had him face the members of the Sanhedrin (compare 4:7; 5:27; 6:15).) Summary of Chapter 22) Paul addresses the Jewish people as he stands on the steps leading to the Fortress Antonia. In Aramaic he tells the Jews that he was born in Tarsus but reared in Jerusalem and educated by the respected teacher Gamaliel. He reveals that he was a persecutor of Christians and, supplied with letters from the high priest and the Sanhedrin, even went to Damascus to arrest these people.) Near Damascus, Paul relates, Jesus called him and instructed him to go into the city, where he would be told what to do. Blinded by the brilliant light from heaven, he was led into Damascus. There a devout Jew called Ananias came to him and restored his sight. Ananias told him to be a witness to all men, to be baptized, and to call on the name of the Lord.) Upon his return to Jerusalem, says Paul, he went to the temple to pray, fell into a trance, and heard Jesus warn him to leave Jerusalem immediately.

Although Paul objected to this directive, the Lord commanded him to go far away to the Gentiles.) The audience had listened to Paul without interruption, but when they hear that Paul had to go to the Gentiles, they create an uproar. The Roman commander takes Paul to the barracks and orders his officer to examine Paul by administering a scourging. When the soldiers stretch him out to be flogged, Paul asks the officer if it is lawful to flog a Roman citizen. The officer informs the commander, who inquires whether Paul can claim citizenship. Paul answers in the affirmative and the commander, fearing adverse consequences for having chained a Roman citizen, sets him free. The next day Paul appears before the Sanhedrin.) ) ) ) ) 1 Consult Martin Dibelius, Studies in the Acts of the Apostles (London: SCM, 1956), p. 160.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.2.15|AUTODETECT|” 2 See 24:10; 25:8, 16; 26:1, 2, 24. And refer to ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.2.15|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 2:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.9.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=46.9.3|AUTODETECT|” I Cor. 9:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.12.19|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=47.12.19|AUTODETECT|” II Cor. 12:19) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.1.7|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.1.7|AUTODETECT|” Phil. 1:7) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.1.16|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.1.16|AUTODETECT|” 16) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=55.4.16|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=55.4.16|AUTODETECT|” II Tim. 4:16) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 3 2 8 0 0 3 Consult F. W. Grosheide, De Handelingen der Apostelen, Kommentaar op het Nieuwe Testament series, 2 vols. (Amsterdam: Van Bottenburg, 1948), vol. 2, p. 282. However, Jacob Jervell thinks that the object of defense is the person of Paul rather than Paul s mission to the Gentiles, the Christian community, or the gospel. Paulus der Lehrer Israels. Zu den apologetischen Paulusreden in der Apostelgeschichte, NovT 10 (1968): 164 90.) 4 W.

C. van Unnik, Tarsus or Jerusalem: The City of Paul s Youth, trans. George Ogg (London: Epworth, 1962), p. 44.) 5 Bauer, p. 62. The punctuation in this verse is decisive if we distinguish between the verbs to bring up and to educate. A few translations, however, take the verbs as synonyms: brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, educated according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers (RSV; and see NKJV, ASV).) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.22.3|AUTODETECT|” 6 Everett F. Harrison, ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.22.3|AUTODETECT|” Acts 22:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 A Test Case for Luke s Reliability, in New Dimensions in New Testament Study, ed. Richard N. Longenecker and Merrill C. Tenney (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1974), p. 256. See also Emil Sch�rer, The History of the Jewish People in the Age of Jesus Christ (175 b.c. a.d. 135), rev. and ed. Geza Vermes and Fergus Millar, 3 vols. (Edinburgh: Clark, 1973 87), vol. 2, p. 78.) 1 3 2 8 0 0 7 Mishnah Sota 9.15. Consult SB, vol. 2, p. 763; Sch�rer, History of the Jewish People, vol. 2, p. 368.) 8 Hans-Christoph Hahn, NIDNTT, vol. 3, p. 1167.) 9 Refer, e.g., to Lake and Cadbury, Beginnings, vol. 4, p. 279.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.4.14|AUTODETECT|” 10 Lothar Coenen, NIDNTT, vol. 1, pp. 196 97. The Christians also used the term 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=54.4.14|AUTODETECT|” I Tim. 4:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ).) 1 13 2 8 0 0 11 See also Sch�rer, History of the Jewish People, vol. 2, pp. 198, 218.) 12 Friedrich Blass and Albert Debrunner, A Greek Grammar of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature, trans. and rev. Robert Funk (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1961), #473.1.) 13 A. T. Robertson, A Grammar of the Greek New Testament in the Light of Historical Research (Nashville: Broadman, 1934), p. 497.) 14 Hans-Christoph Hahn and Colin Brown, NIDNTT, vol. 2, pp. 491, 495.) 15 See 2:22; 3:6; 4:10; 6:14; 22:8; 26:9; and refer to 24:5.) 16 The Western and Majority texts feature an expansion. After the words saw the light, they add and were afraid (KJV, NKJV). Translators must decide whether the phrase was accidentally omitted from the text or was added.

Most favor the second choice.) 17 Consult J. I. Packer, NIDNTT, vol. 1, p. 476.) 18 Gerhard Kittel, TDNT, vol. 1, p. 216.) 19 I Esd. 5:16; 9:21, 29, 43, 48; Tob. 5:12; Song of the Three Young Men 66.) 20 Lake and Cadbury, Beginnings, vol. 4, p. 280.) 21 Refer to Donald Guthrie, New Testament Theology (Downers Grove: Inter-Varsity, 1981), p. 89.) NIV New International Version) 22 Leon Morris, New Testament Theology (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, Academie Books, 1986), p. 173.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.12.47|AUTODETECT|” 23 Refer to ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=42.12.47|AUTODETECT|” Luke 12:47) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.2.12|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=45.2.12|AUTODETECT|” Rom. 2:12) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=59.4.17|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=59.4.17|AUTODETECT|” James 4:17) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.2.21|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=61.2.21|AUTODETECT|” II Peter 2:21) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.23.5|AUTODETECT|” 24 See also ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.23.5|AUTODETECT|” Jer. 23:5) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.33.15|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=24.33.15|AUTODETECT|” 33:15) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=38.9.9|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=38.9.9|AUTODETECT|” Zech. 9:9) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.3.14|AUTODETECT|” . For New Testament references see ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.3.14|AUTODETECT|” Acts 3:14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.7.52|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.7.52|AUTODETECT|” 7:52) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.2.1|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=62.2.1|AUTODETECT|” I John 2:1) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 5 2 8 0 0 25 Consult James D. G. Dunn, Baptism in the Holy Spirit, Studies in Biblical Theology, 2d series 15 (London: SCM, 1970), p. 74.) 26 Consult W. H. T. Dau, Baptism, ISBE, vol. 1, p. 425.) 27 G. R. Beasley-Murray, NIDNTT, vol. 1, p. 146.) 28 Robertson, Grammar, p. 808.) 29) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.1.17-48.2.2|AUTODETECT|” Some scholars reject the suggestion that Paul refers to his first visit after his conversion. They say this because they are unable to see a parallel with other passages 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=48.1.17-48.2.2|AUTODETECT|” Gal. 1:17 2:2) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 ). Hans Conzelmann avers that Paul s trance (vv. 17 21) forms a concurrent variant to the account of the call on the way to Damascus. Acts of the Apostles, trans. James Limburg, A. Thomas Kraabel, and Donald H. Juel (1963; Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987), p. 187. See also E. P. Blair, who places Paul s trance and call to the Gentiles during his visit to the Jerusalem Council. Paul s Call to the Gentile Mission, BibRes 10 (1965): 19 33.) 1 13 2 8 0 0 But Paul provides additional details about his stay in Jerusalem that indicate it followed his conversion experience. For example, the Lord commands him to leave Jerusalem forthwith because the Jews refuse to listen to the gospel. The reference fits with the Jewish plot to kill Paul (9:29).) 30 John Albert Bengel, Gnomon of the New Testament, trans. Andrew R. Fausset, 5 vols. (Edinburgh: Clark, 1877), vol. 2, p. 698. Bengel calls this literary device a tapeinosis or litotes.

Louis Berkhof explains that the litotes affirms a thing by the negation of the opposite. Principles of Biblical Interpretation, 2d ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1952), p. 91.) 31 The verb to know expresses the result of a process of perception. G�nther Harder, NIDNTT, vol. 3, p. 122.) 32 Paul Schubert, The Final Cycle of Speeches in the Book of Acts, JBL 87 (1968): 14.) 33 Dibelius, Studies in the Acts of the Apostles, p. 160.) 34 Consult Thomas L. Budesheim, Paul s Abschiedsrede in the Acts of the Apostles, HTR 69 (1976): 16 17.) 35 Refer to Lake and Cadbury, Beginnings, vol. 4, pp. 281 82.) 36 Grosheide, Handelingen der Apostelen, vol. 2, pp. 296 97. A. J.

Mattill, Jr., points out that the Jewish Christians from Judea and Galilee may have been even more zealous for the Law than those of Jerusalem. See The Purpose of Acts: Schneckenburg Reconsidered, in Apostolic History and the Gospel, ed. W. Ward Gasque and Ralph P. Martin (Exeter: Paternoster; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1970), p. 116.) 37 Josephus War 2.21.5 [612]; 6.5.3 [304]. Consult David W.

Wead, Scourge, ISBE, vol. 4, p. 359.) 38 Livy 10.9.4. Consult Conzelmann, Acts, p. 189; A. N. Sherwin-White, Roman Society and Roman Law in the New Testament (1963; reprint ed., Grand Rapids: Baker, 1968), p. 172; Mark Black, Paul and Roman Law in Acts, ResQ 24 (1981): 209 18.) 39 Cicero Against Verres 2.5.66 (LCL); see also In Defence of Rabirius 4:12 13.) 40 Scholars assume that Claudius Lysias was a Greek by birth; people who were Roman citizens by birth usually had three names rather than two. On the issue of bribes, see Dio Cassius History 60.17.5 6; Sherwin-White, Roman Society and Roman Law, pp. 154 55; F. F.

Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 3d (rev. and enl.) ed. (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1990), p. 461.) 41 William M. Ramsay, The Cities of St. Paul: Their Influence on His Life and Thought (1907; reprint ed., Grand Rapids: Baker, 1963), pp. 197 98.) 1 1 2 8 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.26.29|AUTODETECT|” 42 See ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.26.29|AUTODETECT|” Acts 26:29) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.28.20|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.28.20|AUTODETECT|” 28:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.28.30|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=44.28.30|AUTODETECT|” 30) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.6.20|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=49.6.20|AUTODETECT|” Eph. 6:20) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.1.13-50.1.14|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.1.13-50.1.14|AUTODETECT|” Phil. 1:13 14) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.1.17|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=50.1.17|AUTODETECT|” 17) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.3|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.3|AUTODETECT|” Col. 4:3) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.18|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=51.4.18|AUTODETECT|” 18) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=57.1.10|AUTODETECT|” ; ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=57.1.10|AUTODETECT|” Philem. 10) 1 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=57.1.13|AUTODETECT|” , ) 7 1 -1 9 0 “tw://bible.?id=57.1.13|AUTODETECT|” 13) 1 1 -1 9 0 0 .) 1 10 2 8 0 0 43 Hans Bietenhard, NIDNTT, vol. 2, p. 804.) 44 Sherwin-White, Roman Society and Roman Law, p. 156.) 45 Bauer, p. 376.) 46 Robert Hanna, A Grammatical Aid to the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker, 1983), pp. 237 38.) 47 Boyd Reese notes the similar concern of the magistrates in Philippi (16:38) and the commander in Jerusalem (22:29). The Apostle Paul s Exercise of his Rights as a Roman Citizen as Recorded in the Book of Acts, EvQ 47 (1975): 142.) 48 Conzelmann, Acts, p. 191; see also Ernst Haenchen, The Acts of the Apostles: A Commentary, trans. Bernard Noble and Gerald Shinn (Philadelphia: Westminster, 1971), pp. 639 40.) 49 Lake and Cadbury, Beginnings, vol. 4, p. 286. I. Howard Marshall is of the opinion that Paul was kept in bonds. The Acts of the Apostles: An Introduction and Commentary, Tyndale New Testament Commentary series (Leicester: Inter-Varsity; Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1980), p. 361.) 50 Sch�rer, History of the Jewish People, vol. 1, pp. 377 78.) 51 Josephus War 2.16.3 [344]; 5.4.2 [144]; 6.6.3 [354]. Consult Sch�rer, History of the Jewish People, vol. 2, pp. 223 24.) )