St Paul's defence before Felix

 [The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team: 

REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]

 

Acts XXIV :  10-21

St Paul before Felix. Hogarth (1752). Tate.org.

[10] Then Paul answered, (the governor making a sign to him to speak:) Knowing that for many years thou hast been judge over this nation, I will with good courage answer for myself.

[11] For thou mayest understand, that there are yet but twelve days, since I went up to adore in Jerusalem: 

[12] And neither in the temple did they find me disputing with any man, or causing any concourse of the people, neither in the synagogues, nor in the city: 

[13] Neither can they prove unto thee the things whereof they now accuse me. 

[14] But this I confess to thee, that according to the way, which they call a heresy, so do I serve the Father and my God, believing all things which are written in the law and the prophets: 

[15] Having hope in God, which these also themselves look for, that there shall be a resurrection of the just and unjust.

[16] And herein do I endeavour to have always a conscience without offence towards God, and towards men. 

[17] Now after many years, I came to bring alms to my nation, and offerings, and vows. 

[18] In which I was found purified in the temple: neither with multitude, nor with tumult. 

[19] But certain Jews of Asia, who ought to be present before thee, and to accuse, if they had any thing against me: 

[20] Or let these men themselves say, if they found in me any iniquity, when standing before the council,

[21] Except it be for this one voice only that I cried, standing among them, Concerning the resurrection of the dead am I judged this day by you.

[10] Respondit autem Paulus ( annuente sibi praeside dicere) : Ex multis annis te esse judicem genti huic sciens, bono animo pro me satisfaciam.

[11] Potes enim cognoscere quia non plus sunt mihi dies quam duodecim, ex quo ascendi adorare in Jerusalem : [12] et neque in templo invenerunt me cum aliquo disputantem, aut concursum facientem turbae, neque in synagogis, neque in civitate : [13] neque probare possunt tibi de quibus nunc me accusant. [14] Confiteor autem hoc tibi, quod secundum sectam, quam dicunt haeresim, sic deservio Patri, et Deo meo, credens omnibus quae in lege et prophetis scripta sunt : [15] spem habens in Deum, quam et hi ipsi exspectant, resurrectionem futuram justorum et iniquorum.

[16] In hoc et ipse studeo sine offendiculo conscientiam habere ad Deum, et ad homines semper. [17] Post annos autem plures eleemosynas facturus in gentem meam, veni, et oblationes, et vota, [18] in quibus invenerunt me purificatum in templo : non cum turba, neque cum tumultu. [19] Quidam autem ex Asia Judaei, quos oportebat apud te praesto esse, et accusare si quid haberent adversum me : [20] aut hi ipsi dicant si quid invenerunt in me iniquitatis cum stem in concilio,

[21] nisi de una hac solummodo voce, qua clamavi inter eos stans : Quoniam de resurrectione mortuorum ego judicor hodie a vobis.

Notes

    10. for many years. If we accept 58 or 59 A.D. as the date of St Paul’s defence before Felix, then the “many years” would be about six or seven, as Felix was made procurator circa 62 A.D. This was an unusually long term of office. Previous to his nomination as procurator he had held office jointly with Cumanus, his district being Samaria (see Tacitus, Annal., xii. 64).

    with good courage. Felix' attitude was favourable, and he was conversant with both Roman law and Jewish customs, hence St Paul hoped for a favourable hearing and a just verdict. He seizes on the one point which he can utilize to conciliate the governor without having recourse to flattery like Tertullus.

    answer for myself. Lit. “make my apology or defence for the matters concerning myself.” The same verb occurs in ch. xix. 33 and xxii. 1.

    11. but twelve days. Most commentators take these twelve days as commencing with the Feast of Pentecost, which St Paul had kept in Jerusalem.

    to adore. Thus he disproves the accusation of having attempted to profane the Temple.

    12. neither in the temple, etc. He now refutes the charge of raising an insurrection.

    disputing .... or causing any concourse. This passage proves that during this visit to Jerusalem St Paul had not evangelized.

    13. neither can they prove, etc. They could accuse him tumultuously, but they could not prove their charge by any evidence such as the Law required,

    unto thee. These words are not found in some of the best MSS., but they are given in A, B, E, and many cursives, and also in the Vulgate and Syriac Versions.

    14. But this I confess, etc. St Paul admits that he is a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth, and then goes on to explain that Christianity is the completion of Judaism, not its abrogation. He gives Felix to understand that although he is a Nazarene, he has not renounced the Jewish faith.

    heresy. St Paul takes up the words of Tertullus (verse 6). The Greek word here rendered “heresy” signifies “a choice.” It is applied by Greek and Jewish writers to schools of opinion. It has generally a bad sense in the epistles and in the writings of the Fathers of the Church. Cf. For there must he also heresies, that they also, who are approved, may he made manifest among you (1 Cor. xi, 19).

    I serve the Father and my God. Better, “I serve the God of my fathers” (λατρεύω τῷ πατρῴῳ θεῷ), — i.e. by his mode of life and by his faith he worshipped the God of his ancestors.

    the law and the prophets. The law and the prophets included the whole Jewish Scriptures (see St Matt. vii. 12, xi. 13, xxii. 40; St Luke xvi. 16 ; St John i. 45).

    We occasionally find the threefold division of law, prophets, and psalms (see St Luke xxiv. 44).

    15. these also themselves, etc. This is a proof that the Jews as a nation believed in the doctrine of the resurrection.

    St Paul, of course, alludes to the Pharisees and their disciples: the latter were numerous, as “the Sadducees were able to persuade none but the rich ” : the Pharisees had the multitude on their side (Josephus, Antiq., xiii., x, 6).

    a resurrection. A few MSS. add “ of the dead,” but those words are not found in א, A, D, C. This was precisely the question which had provoked the second tumult in the Temple when Lysias had rescued St Paul. The Pharisees restricted the resurrection to the righteous of their own nation, but the Old Testament clearly teaches that the just and unjust rise. Cf. And many of those that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some unto life everlasting, and others unto reproach, to see it always (Dan. xii. 2).

    St Paul s argument is as follows ; “ How can I be guilty in believing a doctrine which the Pharisees themselves hold and teach ? ”

    17. after many years. Since his visit to Jerusalem after his second journey (see ch. xviii. 22) he had made a third missionary journey. The “many” years covered a period of four or five years.

    to bring alms. The money collected in Macedonia and Achaia by St Paul’s orders, and in conformity with St James’s injunction. These collections are referred to in the epistles (see Rom. xv. 25, 26, 31 ; 1 Cor. xvi. 1-4 ; 2 Cor. viii 1-4).

    offerings and vows. The sacrifices offered for the four Nazarites that they might accomplish their vows, and thus be released from them (see ch. xxi. 24-26).

    18. in which, — i.e. “under these circumstances ” (ἐν οἷς) according to Codices H, L, P, but there is a variant reading (ἐν αἷς) found in א, A, B, K, where the relative, being feminine, evidently applies to the acts performed in fulfilment of the Nazarite vow. According to the second reading, St Paul was attacked while performing those ceremonial duties.

    purified. This word was used technically of a Nazarite, who by his vow was separated or cut off from various things which were lawful for others.

    19. certain Jews of Asia. See supra, xxi. 27. These Jews were probably on their road home by this time.

    20. Or let these men, etc. St Paul here breaks off bis discourse to address his accusers indirectly. Ananias and his adherents had not instigated the riot in the Temple, but they had seconded the Jews of Asia, and had formally charged St Paul before the Roman governor.

    if they found in me any iniquity. Better, “ what evil thing they found in me.”

    21. this one voice. A reference to his declaration before the Sanhedrin (see ch. xxiii. 6).

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

St Paul before Felix : Tertullus' speech

 [The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team: 

REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]

 

Acts XXIV :  1-9

St Paul. J-J Tissot

[1] And after five days the high priest Ananias came down, with some of the ancients, and one Tertullus an orator, who went to the governor against Paul. 

[2] And Paul being called for, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying: Whereas through thee we live in much peace, and many things are rectified by thy providence, 

[3] We accept it always and in all places, most excellent Felix, with all thanksgiving. 

[4] But that I be no further tedious to thee, I desire thee of thy clemency to hear us in few words. 

[5] We have found this to be a pestilent man, and raising seditions among all the Jews throughout the world, and author of the sedition of the sect of the Nazarenes.

[6] Who also hath gone about to profane the temple: whom, we having apprehended, would also have judged according to our law. 

[7] But Lysias the tribune coming upon us, with great violence took him away out of our hands; 

[8] Commanding his accusers to come to thee: of whom thou mayest thyself, by examination, have knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him. 

[9] And the Jews also added, and said that these things were so.

[1] Post quinque autem dies descendit princeps sacerdotum, Ananias, cum senioribus quibusdam, et Tertullo quodam oratore, qui adierunt praesidem adversus Paulum. [2] Et citato Paulo coepit accusare Tertullus, dicens : Cum in multa pace agamus per te, et multa corrigantur per tuam providentiam, [3] semper et ubique suscipimus, optime Felix, cum omni gratiarum actione. [4] Ne diutius autem te protraham, oro, breviter audias nos pro tua clementia. [5] Invenimus hunc hominem pestiferum, et concitantem seditiones omnibus Judaeis in universo orbe, et auctorem seditionis sectae Nazarenorum :

[6] qui etiam templum violare conatus est, quem et apprehensum voluimus secundum legem nostram judicare. [7] Superveniens autem tribunus Lysias, cum vi magna eripuit eum de manibus nostris, [8] jubens accusatores ejus ad te venire : a quo poteris ipse judicans, de omnibus istis cognoscere, de quibus nos accusamus eum. [9] Adjecerunt autem et Judaei, dicentes haec ita se habere.

Notes

    1. after five days. This may mean five days since St Paul left Jerusalem, or five days after his arrival in Cesarea.

    the high-priest Ananias. See Annot. on xxiii. 2. His enmity against St Paul had probably increased since the apostle had applied to him the epithet of “whited wall.”

    some of the ancients. Only a deijutation of the ancients went toCesarea, and they were probably mostly of the Sadducean party.

    one Tertullus. The name is a diminutive of Tertius, as Catullus is of Catius, and Lucullus of Lucius.

    an orator. Provincials, when accusing or defending before a Roman tribunal, were accustomed to engage the services of one skilled in the Roman law. Tertullus was what we should call a barrister (Latin, “ caussidicus ”). At this period trials in Roman law courts were conducted in Latin or Greek. It is uncertain which language Tertullus spoke, but many commentators lean to Latin.

    “ The Gospel, in the person of St Paul, has to contend with Jewish prejudices allied to Roman rhetoric, at the bar of imperial power, represented by Felix ” (Wordsworth),

    went to. Lit. “informed” (ἐνεφανισαν), a legal term for a formal accusation. Not only Tertullus, but the high-priest and the ancients, accused St Paul.

    2. Paul being called for. St Paul having been summoned by the appointed official, was brought into court by his gaoler. The trial was legally conducted in the usual order. It began with the accusation of the plaintifffs, which the accused was summoned to hear and answer.

    Tertullus began to accuse him. The orator’s accusations were based on both political and religious grounds ; he accused St Paul of being —

    1. a pestilent man, raising seditions ;

    2. a leader of the Nazarenes;

    3. a profaner of the Temple.

    St Luke, as usual, gives only a summary of the discourse.

    through thee we live in much peace. Tertullus begins, like all Roman orators, by flattering the judge, but the exordium by no means states the whole truth. From Tacitus (Annal., xii. 54) we learn that Felix was an unscrupulous man, who committed injustice with audacity, trusting in his brother’s iuflueuce with Claudius to shield him from punishment. Josephus also condemns him for his tyranny and cruelty. Felix had certainly maintained peace to a certain extent by putting down rebels and suppressing the sect of the Sicarii (Ant., xx. 8. 6 ; Bell. Jud., ii. 13. 3), but his own injustice and misgovernment were far greater evils than the insurrections which he quelled.

    many things are rectified. This is the reading of א A, B, E, of several cursives, and of the Vulgate and Syriac Versions. There is a variant reading, “ many worthy deeds are done ” (κατορθωματων). The first reading is the best supported.

    by thy providence. The word “providence” was originally applied to the gods ; then it was given to the emperors, and coins are extant bearing the words “Providentia Caesaris.”

    3. always and in all places. Commentators are not agreed as to the sense of this passage. Some join it on to what precedes, and read “ many things are rectified always and in all places.” Others, following the Vulgate, join it with what follows.

    most excellent Felix. See Annot. on xxiii. 26.

    4. no further tedious. Lit. “that I may not too long cut off or hinder you,” i.e. from other more important affairs.

    clemency. In the Septuagint this word is used of divine mercy, but in the New Testament it is often rendered by “gentleness” (R.V.), and by “ modesty ” in our Rheims Version, e.g. Now I Paul myself beseech you by the mildness and modesty (ἐπιεικειας) of Christ (2 Cor. x. 1).

    5. a pestilent man. Lit. “this pestilence.” Classical writers apply this epithet to a dangerous, cunning poison. The word is frequently used in the Old Testament, e.g. And some pestilent men (λοιμοι) of Israel led a wicked life (1 Mach. x. 61).

    raising seditions. Tertullus puts this charge first in order to arrest the attention of Felix, who he knew had severely repressed sedition on several occasions.

    among all the Jews throughout the world. The Jews of Jerusalem must have heard through their brethren of the Dispersion that riots had occurred in connection with the preaching of the Gospel at Philippi (ch. xvi. 20), Thessalonica (ch. xvii. 6), Corinth (ch. xviii. 12), and Ephesus (ch. xix. 29). Moreover, they were eye-witnesses of the tumult in the Temple (xxi. 20).

    author. Lit., “a file leader” (πρωτοςτατην ), a military term signifying the right hand man in the front line. In the plural, it was used to designate the front rank of soldiers. St Paul is therefore represented, and with good reason, as a “ ringleader ” of the Nazarenes.

    of the sect of the Nazarenes. This is the first time we find this title given to the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth. The Jews naturally refrained from calling them Christians, as this implied that Jesus was the Christ or Messias, a truth which they rejected.

    We frequently find our Lord spoken of in the Acts as “Jesus of Nazareth.” (See ii. 22, iii. 0, iv. lu, x. 38, vi. 14, xxvi. 9.)

The word “ Nazarenes ” was used contemptuously, as the Jews despised Nazareth and its inhabitants. Cf. Nathanael said to him : Can any thing of good come from Nazareth ? (St John i. 46).

    6. hath gone about. Here the calumny against St Paul (see ch. xxi. 28) is modified. In the tumult he was accused of having profaned the Temple.

    we would also have judged, etc. These words and the following as far as “ commanding his accusers to come to thee ” are wanting in some of the best MSS. (A, B, H, L, P), but some MSS. have a parallel passage, and the Syriac and Vulgate represent these clauses. They complete the orator’s discourse, and are in accordance with facts (allowing for Tertullus’ strategy in casting the blame on Lysias). Also the words “of whom thou mayest .... have knowledge, ” etc. (verse 8), apply better to Lysias than to St Paul, since it was the accusers who declared the charge, and not the prisoner himself. This explanation, moreover, harmonizes with the reply of Felix to the Jews : When Lysias, the tribune, shall come down I will hear you (verse 22).

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

St Paul's journey to Cæsarea

 [The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team: 

REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]

 

Acts XXIII :  23-35

St Paul's journey from Jerusalem to Cæsarea

[23] Then having called two centurions, he said to them: Make ready two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, and seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen for the third hour of the night: 

[24] And provide beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe to Felix the governor. 

[25] (For he feared lest perhaps the Jews might take him away by force and kill him, and he should afterwards be slandered, as if he was to take money.) And he wrote a letter after this manner:

[26] Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor, Felix, greeting. 

[27] This man being taken by the Jews, and ready to be killed by them, I rescued coming in with an army, understanding that he is a Roman: 

[28] And meaning to know the cause which they objected unto him, I brought him forth into their council. 

[29] Whom I found to be accused concerning questions of their law; but having nothing laid to his charge worthy of death or of bands. 

[30] And when I was told of ambushes that they had prepared for him, I sent him to thee, signifying also to his accusers to plead before thee. Farewell.

[31] Then the soldiers, according as it was commanded them, taking Paul, brought him by night to Antipatris. 

[32] And the next day, leaving the horsemen to go with him, they returned to the castle. 

[33] Who, when they were come to Caesarea, and had delivered the letter to the governor, did also present Paul before him. 

[34] And when he had read it, and had asked of what province he was, and understood that he was of Cilicia; 

[35] I will hear thee, said he, when thy accusers come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's judgment hall.

[23] Et vocatis duobus centurionibus, dixit illis : Parate milites ducentos ut eant usque Caesaream, et equites septuaginta, et lancearios ducentos a tertia hora noctis, [24] et jumenta praeparate ut imponentes Paulum, salvum perducerent ad Felicem praesidem. [25] ( Timuit enim ne forte raperent eum Judaei, et occiderent, et ipse postea calumniam sustineret, tamquam accepturus pecuniam.)

[26] Scribens epistolam continentem haec : Claudius Lysias optimo praesidi, Felici salutem. [27] Virum hunc comprehensum a Judaeis, et incipientem interfici ab eis, superveniens cum exercitu eripui, cognito quia Romanus est. [28] Volensque scire causam quam objiciebant illi, deduxi eum in concilium eorum. [29] Quem inveni accusari de quaestionibus legis ipsorum, nihil vero dignum morte aut vinculis habentem criminis. [30] Et cum mihi perlatum esset de insidiis quas paraverant illi, misi eum ad te denuntians : et accusatoribus ut dicant apud te. Vale.

[31] Milites ergo secundum praeceptum sibi, assumentes Paulum, duxerunt per noctem in Antipatridem. [32] Et postera die dimissis equitibus ut cum eo irent, reversi sunt ad castra. [33] Qui cum venissent Caesaream, et tradidissent epistolam praesidi, statuerunt ante illum et Paulum. [34] Cum legisset autem, et interrogasset de qua provincia esset : et cognoscens quia de Cilicia : [35] Audiam te, inquit, cum accusatores tui venerint. Jussitque in praetorio Herodis custodiri eum.

Notes

    23. two centurions. One commander of each of the two bands of one hundred men, i.e. of the infantry.

    soldiers .... horsemen .... spearmen. The component parts of a Roman army were represented in every cohort. The infantry were heavily armed and were under centurions. The horsemen were under a decurio or captain of a “turma,” i.e. squadron, which generally numbered thirty-three men. The Greek word (δεξιολαβοι), which the Vulgate renders “lancearii” (spearmen), is not found elsewhere in the Scriptures, nor in any very ancient Greek authors. It signifies literally “right hand graspers” ; hence commentators conclude that they were armed with a light spear or javelin, which was carried in the right hand.

    Ewald suggests that St Luke refers to the famous Arabian slingers that were employed to defend the rear and flanks of the Roman armies.

    the third hour of the night. About nine o’clock, according to Jewish reckoning, when the soldiers relieved the guard. Thus St Paul would be taken away under cover of darkness ; and as all the men were mounted, by daylight he would be beyond the reach of his enemies.

    24. And provide beasts. The word “ beasts ” here means any beasts of burden, such as asses, camels, and horses for riding. The latter are intended here.

    Felix the governor. Felix was the brother of Pallas, the favourite freedman of Claudius. To his brother’s influence, Felix owed his appointment as Procurator of Judea in A.D. 53.

    Both Jewish and Roman historians refer to his avarice, cruelty, and licentiousness. The Jews having lodged complaints against him, he was recalled by Nero in A.D. 53, and replaced by Festus.

    25. For he feared, etc. All this sentence, which is bracketed in our Rheims Testament and in the Vulgate, has only the authority of the Philoxian, Syriac, and the Armenian Cursives. It is not given in any codex.

    he wrote a letter. It is probable that this letter was written in Latin, as both the sender and the receiver were Romans. Letters sent to a higher tribunal, giving the charge against the accused, were called “ elogia.”

    26. most excellent. This was a customary epithet given to a magistrate. St Luke gives the same title to Theophilus, to whom be dedicated his gospel. He apparently translates the actual text of the letter.

    27. coming in with a army, etc. The tribune words his letter to suit bis own ends, viz. to shew his zeal in rescuing a Roman citizen. Hence be does not mention that be only ascertains him to be such after having given orders for him to be scourged. The reference is evidently to the first time that be rescued St Paul.

    29. questions of their law. The ttibune, by his investigations, had learned that the. point at issue was the Resurrection of Christ, which St Paul adduced as a proof that Jesus was the Messias. Also be found that the immediate cause of St Paul’s arrest was the supposed profanation of the Temple. Neither of these questions would have had any interest or importance for the Roman tribune.

    30. signifying also, etc. This injunction was evidently given on the morrow, when the delegates from the Sanhedrin presented their petition to the tribune, and when St Paul was on his road to the Roman capital of Judea.

    Farewell. Both the opening greeting and the final salutation resemble those of the letter from the Assembly at Jerusalem to the Gentile converts.

    31. the soldiers .... brought him by night

    “At the third hour, or nine o’clock, under the shades of night, the escort were ready at the gates of Fort Antonia, with horses for Paul and the soldier to whom he was linked, Lysias delivered the letter, and Paul mounted, and the cavalcade set forward on the road to Cæsarea. The Roman capital lay at a distance of sixty-eight miles, or, according to Josephus, seventy-five miles. They travelled all night, and passing through Lydda, then the next day (the 26th of May) reached Antipatris, a pleasant city twenty-six miles from Cæsarea. Here the foot soldiers no danger being now apprehended, retraced their steps, under the command of one of the two centurions, to Jerusalem. The horsemen, i.e. both the heavy and light horse, under the command of the other centurion, pressed on with Paul to Cæsarea. On arriving they proceeded to the palace of Herod, or to the prætorium, the residence of Felix the governor, and there delivered the despatch and presented their prisoner ” (Lewin, Life and Epistles of St Paul, pp. 165-156).

    Antipatris. This town lay on the route to Cesarea, forty-two miles from Jerusalem. It was built by Herod the Great, and named after his father. Josephus calls it “Caphar Saba.” The modern name is Kefr-Saba. Formerly a Roman road, of which a few ruins remain, connected Antipatris with Jerusalem.

    The cavalcade set out by night for Antipatris, hut only arrived there some time on the following day, probably towards evening. The fact that as many as 470 men were sent in charge of the apostle shews how troubled those times were, and how seriously the Roman governor estimated the resources of the conspirators, who were probably Sicarii.

    33. when they were come, — i.e. the horsemen.

    35. I will hear thee. The Greek verb (διακουσομαι) implies making a full enquiry into the charge.

    Having received an “ elogium,” he was bound to try the accused within three days. But as St Paul's’ accusers had to come from Jerusalem, it is probable the trial took place a little later.

    to be kept. This verb (φυλασσεσθαι) does not imply close confinement in a dungeon, but simply privation of liberty. St Paul was not a condemned prisoner, and during his captivity in Cesarea he was allowed many privileges (see ch. xxiv. 23).

    Herod's judgment-hall. The noun used here (πραιτωριον) ‘‘ prætorium ” may mean a palace, a general’s tent, or soldiers’ barracks. Here it doubtless means the palace which Herod the Great had built for himself, and which, at this time, was the official residence of the governor.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

The Jews conspire to murder St Paul

 [The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team: 

REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]

 

Acts XXIII :  12-22

St Paul. J-J Tissot.

[12] And when day was come, some of the Jews gathered together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying, that they would neither eat, nor drink, till they killed Paul. 

[13] And they were more than forty men that had made this conspiracy. 

[14] Who came to the chief priests and the ancients, and said: We have bound ourselves under a great curse that we will eat nothing till we have slain Paul. 

[15] Now therefore do you with the council signify to the tribune, that he bring him forth to you, as if you meant to know something more certain touching him. And we, before he come near, are ready to kill him.

[16] Which when Paul's sister's son had heard, of their lying in wait, he came and entered into the castle and told Paul. 

[17] And Paul, calling to him one of the centurions, said: Bring this young man to the tribune, for he hath some thing to tell him. 

[18] And he taking him, brought him to the tribune, and said: Paul, the prisoner, desired me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath some thing to say to thee. 

[19] And the tribune taking him by the hand, went aside with him privately, and asked him: What is it that thou hast to tell me? 

[20] And he said: The Jews have agreed to desire thee, that thou wouldst bring forth Paul tomorrow into the council, as if they meant to inquire some thing more certain touching him.

[21] But do not thou give credit to them; for there lie in wait for him more than forty men of them, who have bound themselves by oath neither to eat, nor to drink, till they have killed him: and they are now ready, looking for a promise from thee. 

[22] The tribune therefore dismissed the young man, charging him that he should tell no man, that he had made known these things unto him.

[12] Facta autem die collegerunt se quidam ex Judaeis, et devoverunt se dicentes, neque manducaturos, neque bibaturos donec occiderent Paulum. [13] Erant autem plus quam quadraginta viri, qui hanc conjurationem fecerant : [14] qui accesserunt ad principes sacerdotum et seniores, et dixerunt : Devotione devovimus nos nihil gustaturos, donec occidamus Paulum. [15] Nunc ergo vos notum facite tribuno cum concilio, ut producat illum ad vos, tamquam aliquid certius cognituri de eo. Nos vero prius quam appropiet, parati sumus interficere illum.

[16] Quod cum audisset filius sororis Pauli insidias, venit, et intravit in castra, nuntiavitque Paulo. [17] Vocans autem Paulus ad se unum ex centurionibus, ait : Adolescentem hunc perduc ad tribunum, habet enim aliquid indicare illi. [18] Et ille quidem assumens eum duxit ad tribunum, et ait : Vinctus Paulus rogavit me hunc adolescentem perducere ad te, habentem aliquid loqui tibi. [19] Apprehendens autem tribunus manum illius, secessit cum eo seorsum, et interrogavit illum : Quid est quod habes indicare mihi? [20] Ille autem dixit : Judaeis convenit rogare te ut crastina die producas Paulum in concilium, quasi aliquid certius inquisituri sint de illo :

[21] tu vero ne credideris illis, insidiantur enim ei ex eis viri amplius quam quadraginta, qui se devoverunt non manducare, neque bibere donec interficiant eum : et nunc parati sunt, exspectantes promissum tuum. [22] Tribunus igitur dimisit adolescentem, praecipiens ne cui loqueretur quoniam haec nota sibi fecisset.

Notes

    12. some of the Jews. The best codices (א, A, B, L, E) have simply “ the Jews.”

    bound themselves under a curse. Lit. “ with a curse they cursed ” (ἀναθεματι ἀναθεματισαμεν). The word “anathema” is the Greek rendering of the Hebrew “khenmi.” It signifies a person or thing devoted, i.e. given up, to destruction. In classical Greek the word is colourless, but in biblical language it generally has a sinister meaning. The phrase is a translation of a Hebrew idiom, by which a verb and its cognate noun are employed to express one thought. For a parallel example see Annot. on iv. 17.

    they would neither eat nor drink. Such a vow shews their desire to kill St Paul as soon as possible. Wetstein and Ughtfoot give examples to prove that this vow was not uncommon among the Jews.

    In the Old Testament we find a similar instance. Cf. And the men of Israel were joined, together that day, and Saul adjured the people, saying : Cursed be the man that shall eat food till evening, till I be revenged of my enemies. So none of the people tasted any food (1 Kings xiv. 24).

    This conspiracy is a proof that the Jews no longer had the power of inflicting capital punishment.

    14. to the chief priests. As they were mostly Sadducees, the conspirators would be favourably received by them. It is not clear whether Ananias knew of the plot.

    under a great curse. The original runs simply, “ we have cursed ourselves with a curse,” as in verse 1 2.

    eat nothing. Lit. “taste nothing,” thus including the vow not to drink anything.

    15. signify. St Luke uses a Greek legal term, which signifies “to give judicial information.”

    to know something more certain. The ancients were to give formal notice by letter that they desired to determine some point touching the trial of St Paul.

    before he come near. The object of killing him before this second examination was to shield the Sanhedrin from suspicion.

    16. Paul's sister's son. This is the only reference in the Acts to St Paul’s relations. He had relations at Tarsus, his birthplace, and we find two allusions to his “kinsmen” in Rome, of whom the names were Andronicus, Junias, and Herodian. (See Rom. xvi. 7 and 11.) It is possible that one of these three may have been the nephew who was instrumental in saving St Paul’s life.

    entered into the castle. As St Paul was only a state prisoner it was easy to obtain access to him ; the interview could not have been private, as the apostle, being a Roman citizen, was in “ custodia militaris,” and consequently chained to the soldier who guarded him.

    17. Bring this young man, etc. Although St Paul had been told in a vision that he was to bear witness at Rome to the Gospel, yet he took all necessary precautions to frustrate the plot.

    18. Paul the prisoner. Lit. “ Paul, the bound one” (Ὁ δεσμιος Παυλος)

    19. the tribune taking him, etc. The Roman authorities in general treated St Paul with courtesy and consideration. (See ch. xvi. 33-34, xxiv. 23, xxvi. 32, xxvii. 3, xxviii. 30.) St Paul’s nephew evidently had proofs of the conspiracy he reported to the tribune.

    20. bring forth. This is the correct rendering of the Vulgate “ producas,” but the best MSS. read “bring down” (καταλαλης), which harmonizes better with the actual circumstances, as the castle stood higher than the Temple area.

    as if they meant. There is another reading which runs “ as if thou wouldst enquire,” etc. ’’This has the support of א, A, B, E, and some cursives, and is accepted by Tischendorf, Westcott and Hort, Wordsworth, Alford, Knabenbauer, etc. On this passage Lumby remarks that the singular is to be preferred, “for in addressing the chief captain Paul’s nephew would naturally speak as though he, who had control of the whole proceedings, was the person to enquire ; while the plural in verse 15 is equally natural in the mouth of a speaker among the Zealots, who would say to the chief priests, as though ye would enquire ” (Greek Testament, in h. 1.).

    21. a promise, (ἐπαγγελιαν.) This Greek word may he rendered “promise” or “order,” and commentators are divided between the two, as either suits the sense here. The A.V. and R.V. read “promise.”

    22. that he had made, etc. The Greek gives the second person singular, “that thou hast made known.”

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

St Paul before the Sanhedrin

 [The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team: 

REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]

 

Acts XXIII :  1-11

St Paul. J-J Tissot.

[1] And Paul looking upon the council, said: Men, brethren, I have conversed with all good conscience before God until this present day. 

[2] And the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to strike him on the mouth. 

[3] Then Paul said to him: God shall strike thee, thou whited wall. For sittest thou to judge me according to the law, and contrary to the law commandest me to be struck? 

[4] And they that stood by said: Dost thou revile the high priest of God? 

[5] And Paul said: I knew not, brethren, that he is the high priest. For it is written: Thou shalt not speak evil of the prince of thy people.

[6] And Paul knowing that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, cried out in the council: Men, brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees: concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. 

[7] And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the multitude was divided. 

[8] For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both. 

[9] And there arose a great cry. And some of the Pharisees rising up, strove, saying: We find no evil in this man. What if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel? 

[10] And when there arose a great dissension, the tribune fearing lest Paul should be pulled in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the castle.

[11] And the night following the Lord standing by him, said: Be constant; for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

[1] Intendens autem in concilium Paulus ait : Viri fratres, ego omni conscientia bona conversatus sum ante Deum usque in hodiernum diem. [2] Princeps autem sacerdotum Ananias praecepit astantibus sibi percutere os ejus. [3] Tunc Paulus dixit ad eum : Percutiet te Deus, paries dealbate. Et tu sedens judicas me secundum legem, et contra legem jubes me percuti? [4] Et qui astabant dixerunt : Summum sacerdotem Dei maledicis. [5] Dixit autem Paulus : Nesciebam fratres quia princeps est sacerdotum. Scriptum est enim : Principem populi tui non maledices.

[6] Sciens autem Paulus quia una pars esset sadducaeorum, et altera pharisaeorum, exclamavit in concilio : Viri fratres, ego pharisaeus sum, filius pharisaeorum, de spe et resurrectione mortuorum ego judicor. [7] Et cum haec dixisset, facta est dissensio inter pharisaeos et sadducaeos, et soluta est multitudo. [8] Sadducaei enim dicunt, non esse resurrectionem, neque angelum, neque spiritum : pharisaei autem utraque confitentur. [9] Factus est autem clamor magnus. Et surgentes quidam pharisaeorum, pugnabant, dicentes : Nihil mali invenimus in homine isto : quid si spiritus locutus est ei, aut angelus? [10] Et cum magna dissensio facta esset, timens tribunus ne discerperetur Paulus ab ipsis, jussit milities descendere, et rapere eum de medio eorum, ac deducere eum in castra.

[11] Sequenti autem nocte assistens ei Dominus, ait : Constans esto : sicut enim testificatus es de me in Jerusalem, sic te oportet et Romae testificari

Notes

    1. looking upon. “Looking steadfastly” (ἀτενισας). The same verb occurs in ch. i. 10, iii. 4, 12, vi. 15. etc. St Paul confronted the Sanhedrin with his characteristic fearlessness.

    Men brethren. St Paul omits the word “fathers” in this address. He is now in presence of his former colleagues ; for, if he was not formerly a Sanhedrist, which is possible, he had at least acted as their confidential and trusted envoy.

    I have conversed. The words “before God ” should be joined with “conversed.” The Greek verb here used (πολιτευομαι ) signifies “to live as a good citizen.” St Paul applies it to the spiritual theocracy of Israel, and declares that, in all sincerity, he has endeavoured to serve God, both as a devout Pharisee and as a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth. When he persecuted the disciples of Jesus Christ he did it ignorantly in unbelief (1 Tim. i. 1.3), and in putting them to death he thought he rendered a service to God (St John xvi. 2).

    Note. — Conscience is not infallible, yet we are bound to follow it. The Church of Christ, however, is infallible ; hence we should take care to learn from her teaching what is pleasing to God, that we may not do wrong, believing it to be right. An act, though materially wrong, does not involve any guilt before God when the doer has the intention of doing what he believes to be right. “ It is not enough to run towards the goal of God’s glory ; it is also necessary to run in the way of God's commandments.”

with all good conscience. St Paul often bears testimony to the uprightness of his intentions even when he persecuted the disciples of Jesus of Nazareth, e.g. —

    (a) For I am not conscious to myself of anything (1 Cor. iv. 4).

    (b) I give thanks to God, whom I serve from my forefathers, with a pure conscience (2 Tim. i. 3).

    (c) Herein do I endeavour to have always a conscience without offence towards God and towards men (Acts xxiv. 1(5).

    2. the high-priest Ananias. The son of Nebecheus. He owed bis appointment to Herod, King of Chalcis, A.D. 48. Having been accused of rapine and cruelty by the Samaritans, the Prefect of Syria, Quadratns (the predecessor of Felix, who is mentioned in verse 24), sent Ananias to Rome in A.D. 52 to answer these charges before Claudius. Ananias was acquitted and returned to    Judea. About ten years later he and his brother were murdered. (See Josephus, Bell. Jud., ii. 17. 9.)

    them that stood by. Perhaps the order was given to the Temple guards ; certainly it was not addressed to the Roman soldiers.

to strike him on the mouth. The high-priest was moved to anger by what he deemed arrogance on the part of St Paul, and the punishment was designed to silence him.

    Such an act of injustice and tyranny was in keeping with the character of the Sadducean high-priests, who at that time were notorious for their cruelty and avarice, being “cruel above all the Jews in their judgments.” (See Ant., xx. 9. 1, viii. 8.) It is doubtful whether the order was executed, as the tribune was at hand to protect the apostle.

    3. God shall strike thee. This is not an imprecation ; St Paul does not say “ May God strike thee,” but “ God shall strike thee.” Thus he warns Ananias that God will ultimately punish him for his cruelty and injustice, and the apostle’s words were, consciously or unconsciously, a prophecy. The Greek brings out this point more clearly, for it means literally “ God is about to strike thee ” (τυπτειν σε μελλει ὁ θεος ). 8t John Chrysostom remarks that St Paul’s really indicates “ boldness rather than anger ; he did not choose to appear in a contemptible light to the tribune” (Hom., xlviii. 2). Mgr. le Camus, however (and some other modern authors agree with him), holds that “ This just apostrophe is certainly less perfect than the reply of our Lord to the servant of the high-priest. It reveals to us how far below Jesus Christ, the Model and King of Christians, even such a noble Christian as St Paul ranked” (L'œuvre des Apôtres, vol. iii., in h. 1.). In the Holy Scriptures God’s saints are portrayed as they were, with their human imperfections, and such examples are a great encouragement to those who are still engaged in the thick of the fight against the devil, the world, and the flesh.

    whited wall. This comparison is found in several passages of the Scriptures.

    Thus our Lord refers to the whited sepulchres which outwardly appear to men beautiful, but within are full of dead men's bones and of all filthiness (St Matt. xxiii. 27).

    In the Old Testament the prophets use the simile with a different application. Cf. The people built up a wall, and they daubed it with dirt without straw. Say to them that daub without tempering, that it shall fall, for there shall be an overflowing shower, and I will cause great hailstones to fall violently from above, and a stormy wind to throw it down (Ezech. xiii. 10-11). Whichever application we take, the lesson is the same — a solemn warning to those whose lives belie their profession, consequently, to hypocrites in general.

    For sittest thou. The Greek, which is more emphatic, expresses very great indignation. It may he rendered, “And art thou sitting judging me ?” St Paul’s question brings out strongly the inconsistency of the high-priest, who breaks the Law in the very act of administering it.

    contrary to the law. Better, “ transgressing the law ” (παρανομων).

    4. high-priest of God. So called because he was the representative of God. The Law of Moses enjoined great respect for those who sat as judges.

    Cf. But he that will he proud, and refuse to obey the commandments of the priest, who ministereth at that time to the Lord thy God, and the decree of the judge, that man shall die, and thou shall take away the evil from Israel (Deut. xvii. 12).

    5. I knew not, etc. St Paul, having been in Jerusalem some few days, certainly knew who was high-priest, and that Ananias was sitting on the judgment-seat. Therefore these words must mean that the apostle did not know who had given the order, but he knew that it was given by one of the Sanhedrists who sat there to judge him. To that Sanhedrist St Paul addressed his apostrophe ; but had he known that the high-priest was the speaker, he would have refrained from so doing. The words “Paul said to him” prove nothing contrary, since they come from the pen of St Luke, and were written in the light of subsequent knowledge.

    Some commentators take these words to be said ironically, while others are of opinion that St Paul refused to recognize Ananias the high-priest de facto as the lawful high- priest. Of these three views, the first explanation given is the more generally accepted, and it harmonizes best with the context and with what we know of St Paul. Further, as all ex-high-priests continued to wear the white robes proper to the office, St Paul could not have distinguished Ananias by his robes (as some have suggested for the high-priest on this occasion was not discharging a purely religious function, and consequently did not wear the sacred vestments.

    Thou shalt not speak evil, etc. By quoting the text, St Paul disculpates himself from the accusation of contempt for the Law. The quotation is from Exod. xxii. 28.

    6. Paul knowing that the one, etc, St Paul knew that he was addressing Pharisees and Sadducees. As the former accepted the doctrines of the resurrection and of the existence of a spirit world, it would be comparatively easy to win them over to give him a hearing when he preached Jesus and the Resurrection, whereas the Sadducees, who denied both, were less likely to listen patiently. St Paul shewed great tact and presence of mind in thus dividing his enemies.

    I am a Pharisee, etc. For generations his family had been Pharisees, and, as such, St Paul believed in the resurrection of the dead. In this doctrine the Pharisees and the disciples of Christ were united. The Pharisees held, however, that only the Jews would rise again, whereas Christ teaches that all men shall rise again, not by virtue of any special racial privilege, but by His Redemption of mankind.

    the hope and resurrection, etc. This is probably a figure of speech for “the hope of the resurrection.”

    7. the multitude. The disciples of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who were allowed to be present at trials, and in this case the Sanhedrists themselves. According to Josephus, the high-priests at this period were mostly Sadducees.

    8. neither angel, nor spirit. This is a single article of belief. The Sadducees denied all manifestations of a spirit world, and held that the apparitions of angels recorded in the Scriptures were not distinct beings, but transitory visions of the Divine Glory.

    9. a great cry. The Pharisees and Sadducees now strove with one another concerning these doctrines.

    some of the Pharisees. Codices A, B, and C read, “ certain of the scribes of the part of the Pharisees” (των γραμματεων του μερους k.t.k.). The Pharisees were far more numerous and popular than the Sadducees, and they were now desirous to protect St Paul.

    strove. There was an animated, vehement discussion, and the strife continued for some time.

    We find no evil in this man. A verdict of acquittal like that pronounced by Pilate concerning our Saviour (see St John xix. 4 ; St Luke xxiii. 14, 15, 22).

    What if a spirit, etc. This is generally taken as an example of the figure of speech known as aposiopesis, when the speaker is either unable or unwilling to complete his thought, and he leaves his interlocutors to supply it. In this example the unexpressed clause is evidently tantamount to “How, then, should we treat him?” They probably alluded to the vision which he had related the previous day, (See supra, xxii. 17-21.)

    A few MSS, add here, “ Let us not fight against God," but these words have no good authority, not being found in A, B, C, E, or the Vulgate.

    10. the tribune fearing, etc. As St Paul was a Roman citizen, and had claimed his privileges as such, the tribune was responsible for his safety. We may infer that the tribune was present at the trial, since lie had summoned the assembly, desiring to know more diligently for what cause he was accused by the Jews (ch. xxii. 30).

    pulled in pieces. The verb (διαςπαω ) is used of a wild animal tearing its prey asunder. As St Paul was placed among them, they could get at him all the more easily.

    the soldiers. Better, the ‘‘army” or “forces” (στρατευμα). The tribune had a large band in readiness, and sending one of his guards, ordered the men to rescue St Paul. Thus, on two consecutive days, the tribune preserved him from imminent peril.

    11. the night following. St Paul was kept in the castle, as his trial was not finished, and also as a protection against the Jews.

    the Lord standing. To console and strengthen His servant. Thus St Stephen, during his trial, saw Jesus standing on the right hand of God. Here Jesus descended from His throne to the prison cell where His servant was resting after the perils of that eventful day.

    Be constant. By these few words the Lord assured him —

(1) of a safe issue from his present troubles ;

(2) of the accomplishment of his intention of visiting Rome ,

(3) of the certainty that, however he might be sent thither, he should preach the Gospel and bear testimony there.

    So that they upheld and comforted him —

(1) in the uncertainty of his life from the Jews;

(2) in the uncertainty of his liberation from prison at Cæsarea ;

(3) in the uncertainty of his surviving the storm in the Mediterranean ;

(4) in the uncertainty of his fate on arriving at Rome.

    “ So may one crumb of divine grace and help be multiplied to feed five thousand wants and anxieties” (Alford, Greek Testament, p. 236).

    so must thou hear witness also at Rome. “ St Paul was Christ’s witness in the two great capitals of the world, — first at Jerusalem, the spiritual capital ; then at Rome, the civil metropolis.”

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

St Paul claims his privilege as a Roman citizen

[The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team: 

REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]

 

Acts XXII :  22-30

St Paul. J-J Tissot.

[22] And they heard him until this word, and then lifted up their voice, saying: Away with such an one from the earth; for it is not fit that he should live. 

[23] And as they cried out and threw off their garments, and cast dust into the air, 

[24] The tribune commanded him to be brought into the castle, and that he should be scourged and tortured: to know for what cause they did so cry out against him. 

[25] And when they had bound him with thongs, Paul saith to the centurion that stood by him: Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned?

[26] Which the centurion hearing, went to the tribune, and told him, saying: What art thou about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen. 

[27] And the tribune coming, said to him: Tell me, art thou a Roman? But he said: Yea. 

[28] And the tribune answered: I obtained the being free of this city with a great sum. And Paul said: But I was born so. 

[29] Immediately therefore they departed from him that were about to torture him. The tribune also was afraid after he understood that he was a Roman citizen, and because he had bound him. 

[30] But on the next day, meaning to know more diligently for what cause he was accused by the Jews, he loosed him, and commanded the priests to come together, and all the council: and bringing forth Paul, he set him before them.

[22] Audiebant autem eum usque ad hoc verbum, et levaverunt vocem suam dicentes : Tolle de terra hujusmodi : non enim fas est eum vivere. [23] Vociferantibus autem eis, et projicientibus vestimenta sua, et pulverem jactantibus in aerem, [24] jussit tribunus induci eum in castra, et flagellis caedi, et torqueri eum, ut sciret propter quam causam sic acclamarent ei. [25] Et cum astrinxissent eum loris, dicit astanti sibi centurioni Paulus : Si hominem Romanum, et indemnatum licet vobis flagellare?

[26] Quo audito, centurio accessit ad tribunum, et nuntiavit ei, dicens : Quid acturus es? hic enim homo civis Romanus est. [27] Accedens autem tribunus, dixit illi : Dic mihi si tu Romanus es? At ille dixit : Etiam. [28] Et respondit tribunus : Ego multa summa civilitatem hanc consecutus sum. Et Paulus ait : Ego autem et natus sum. [29] Protinus ergo discesserunt ab illo qui eum torturi erant. Tribunus quoque timuit postquam rescivit, quia civis Romanus esset, et quia alligasset eum. [30] Postera autem die volens scire diligentius qua ex causa accusaretur a Judaeis, solvit eum, et jussit sacerdotes convenire, et omne concilium, et producens Paulum, statuit inter illos.

Notes

    22. heard him. They heard him until he declared that God had commissioned him to evangelize the Gentiles. At this, their Jewish pride, prejudice, and exclusiveness were aroused, and they became furious.

    The prophets in successive ages had predicted the ingathering of the nations. Cf. Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom, give ear to the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrha (Isa, i. 10). Ezechiel, too, prophesies that Sodom, Samaria, and all the peoples of Palestine shall be “ sisters ” and “ daughters " to Israel (see xvi. eeq.).

    We may compare this outburst of fury with that which was directed against our Lord in the synagogue at Nazareth, when He spoke of Elias being sent to a woman of Sidon, and of Eliseus healing Naaman the Syrian (see St Luke iv. 520-

    their voice. The people raised a simultaneous cry of rage when he declared his mission to the Gentiles.

    it is not fit. The best MSS. (A, B, C, D, E) give “ it was not befitting” (καθηκεν). The meaning is, “he ought to have been put to death long ago ; the tribune should not have rescued him from our hands.”

    23. threw off their garments, etc. It is not probable, as some commentators have suggested, that they cast off their garments in order to stone St Paul, since he was in the charge of the Roman soldiers. The action here described, the waving of the garments and the stirring up of clouds of dust, were the expressions of their savage fury. Their cries and actions had for object “to make the insurrection more fierce, because they wished to frighten the governor” (St John Chrysostom). They thirsted for the blood of the blasphemer, and wished to dispense with the formality of a trial. Ovid refers to the practice of giving signs by waving the togas, “ jactatis signa dedere togis.”

    “Sir John Chardin, as (noted by Harmer (Obs., iv. 203), says that it is common for the peasants in Persia, when they have a complaint to lay before their governors, to repair to them by hundreds, or a thousand, at once. They place themselves near the gate of the palace, where they suppose they are most likely to be seen and heard, and then set up a horrid outcry, rend their garments and throw dust into the air, at the same time demanding justice.”

    24. scourged and tortured. Lit. “to be examined by scourges” (μαστιξιν ἀνεταζεσθαι), this verb is rarely used in this sense, and only occurs twice in the New Testament — in this passage and in verse 29. It was against the Roman law to begin a trial by torturing the accused (Non esse a tormentis incipiendum, Divas Augustus statuit, — Digest, 1. 48, tit. 18). Although it was illegal to scourge a Roman citizen, slaves and strangers might be subjected to this punishment. The object of torturing by scourging was to obtain a confession of guilt from the accused.

    to know for what cause. “The tumult continued, and the commandant, who had been unable to follow the Aramaic, saw only a sea of waving garments and a cloud of dust thrown into the air — the ordinary Oriental symptoms of excitement. Hopeless of obtaining any information from the Jews, he decided to have recourse to ‘the question’ — the cruel and useless method of extracting the truth by torture, which prevailed universally down to quite modern times” (Rackham, Acts of the Apostles, p. 426).

    25. bound him with thongs. The soldiers were binding St Paul to the whipping-post, so that he was leaning forward with his back bared to receive the blows of the scourge. The thongs were leathern straps used to tie the prisoner, the heating was inflicted with the scourge.

    the centurion that stood by. The centurion appointed to superintend the execution of the tribune’s order. There are frequent allusions in Tacitus to this onerous part of a centurion’s duty (centurio supplicio præpositus).

    Is it lawful ? etc. St Paul profited by his Roman citizenship just in time to escape being scourged. There has been no occasion to mention it before, and probably no opportunity.

    uncondemned, See Annot. on xvi. 37, where the same word occurs.

    26. What art thou about to do ? The words are more emphatic in the original, and are given as a warning. The A.V. reads, “ Take heed what thou doest.” By the “Lex Porcia,” it was forbidden to scourge a Roman citizen. (Porcia lex virgas ab omnium civium romanorum corpore amovit, — Cicero, Pro. Rabiro, 4.) See Annot. on xvi. 37.

    27. art thou a Roman ? The question shews astonishment. The pronoun “thou” is emphatic, for it seemed incredible that this Jew, disfigured by the rough treatment of the mob, and speaking Hebrew and Greek fluently, should be a citizen of Rome.

    28. with a great sum. The citizenship of Rome could be obtained by merits, by favour, or by money. In the time of Claudius this right was sold by his favourite, Messalina, for a very small sum, but under the first emperors it was obtained with great difficulty.

    29. The tribune also was afraid. As the magistrates of Philippi were, when they made the same discovery.

    because he had hound him. It was lawful to put one chain on the hand of a Roman citizen who was accused. St Paul, during his captivity in Rome, refers to “ the chain ” which he wore (see Phil. L 7, 13 ; Col. iv. 18, etc.). It was by binding St Paul with thongs, in order to scourge him, that the tribune had acted illegally. Had the imposition of the chain been unlawful, Lysias would have taken it off at once.

    On this subject Lewin has an excellent note: “The safe custody of a Roman citizen before trial might be provided for in two ways : (1) he might have apartments assigned to him in the magistrate’s own house, or be liberated on bail, which was called 'libera custodia' ; or (2) he might be held by a chain from his right hand to a soldier's left, which was called 'militaris custodia,' Paul, on his first arrest, had been secured by two chains, but on his being recognised as a Roman he was saved from the torture and from manacles, and was secured by one chain only from the wrist of the right hand to the wrist of a soldier’s left, 'fhe militaris custodia during his imprisonment is implied in the fact that he was consigned to a centurion (Acts xxiv, 23). The custody of Paul very much resembled that of Agrippa in the time of Tiberius. Agrippa had comparative liberty, but was bound by a single chain to a soldier (Jos., Ant., xviii. 6, 10)," (Life and Epistles of St Paul, vol. ii. p. 148).

    30. meaning. Better, “desiring” (βουλομενος).

    loosed him. Generally, this verb is used of setting a man free, but the context shews that it simply refers here to St Paul’s chains being taken off.

    commanded the priests, etc. In Josephus (Bell Jud., ii., xv. 6) we read that Gessius Florus summoned the high-priest and the whole council. Perhaps Claudius Lysias was acting for him in his absence. “ In the confusion and anarchy which was at this time beginning to prevail, Jewish independence in religious matters was seriously impaired.”

    bringing forth. Better, “bringing down” (καταλαλων), i.e. from the barracks to the place of assembly. This could not be the Gazith (or hall of polished stones), which no Gentile was allowed to enter, as it was situated within the part of the Temple reserved for Israelites.

    “ The Sanhedrim had originally sat in the Gazith, an apartment in the inner temple, but as the Roman emperors had granted the boon that whatever heathen passed the sacred limits might be instantly put to death, it was afterwards found unsafe to permit deliberations where the Romans themselves could not exercise a surveillance. According to tradition, the Sanhedrim ceased to hold their sessions in the Temple about twenty-eight years before the period of which we are speaking. They then moved down to the council-room, just without the Temple, and adjoining the western cloister, on the site of the present Mehkimeh or Town Hall ” (Lewin, Life and Epistles of St Paul, p. 149).

    set him, before them. Lysias placed St Paul in the midst of them that he might be judged by them, but he did not give him up into their power.

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.

St Paul's discourse to the Jews

[The posts which follow make extensive use of The Acts of the Apostles, by Madame Cecilia, (Religious of St Andrew's Convent, Streatham), with an Imprimi potest dated 16 October 1907 (Westminster); Burns, Oates & Washbourne Ltd. (London). With grateful prayers for the author and her team: 

REQUIEM æternam dona eis, Domine, et lux perpetua luceat eis. Requiescant in pace. Amen.

ETERNAL rest grant unto them, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon them. May they rest in peace. Amen.]

 

Acts XXII :  1-21

The Conversion of Saul. Rubens (1577-1640). Courtauld Gallery.

[1] Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye the account which I now give unto you. 

[2] (And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew tongue, they kept the more silence.) 

[3] And he saith: I am a Jew, born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the truth of the law of the fathers, zealous for the law, as also all you are this day: 

[4] Who persecuted this way unto death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. 

[5] As the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the ancients: from whom also receiving letters to the brethren, I went to Damascus, that I might bring them bound from thence to Jerusalem to be punished.

[6] And it came to pass, as I was going, and drawing nigh to Damascus at midday, that suddenly from heaven there shone round about me a great light: 

[7] And falling on the ground, I heard a voice saying to me: Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 

[8] And I answered: Who art thou, Lord? And he said to me: I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 

[9] And they that were with me, saw indeed the light, but they heard not the voice of him that spoke with me. 

[10] And I said: What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said to me: Arise, and go to Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things that thou must do.
[11] And whereas I did not see for the brightness of that light, being led by the hand by my companions, I came to Damascus. 

[12] And one Ananias, a man according to the law, having testimony of all the Jews who dwelt there,

[13] Coming to me, and standing by me, said to me: Brother Saul, look up. And I the same hour looked upon him. 

[14] But he said: The God of our fathers hath preordained thee that thou shouldst know his will, and see the Just One, and shouldst hear the voice from his mouth. 

[15] For thou shalt be his witness to all men, of those things which thou hast seen and heard.
[16] And now why tarriest thou? Rise up, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, invoking his name. [17] And it came to pass, when I was come again to Jerusalem, and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance, 

[18] And saw him saying unto me: Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem; because they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. 

[19] And I said: Lord, they know that I cast into prison, and beat in every synagogue, them that believed in thee. 

[20] And when the blood of Stephen thy witness was shed, I stood by and consented, and kept the garments of them that killed him.
[21] And he said to me: Go, for unto the Gentiles afar off, will I send thee.

[1] Viri fratres, et patres, audite quam ad vos nunc reddo rationem. [2] Cum audissent autem quia hebraea lingua loqueretur ad illos, magis praestiterunt silentium. [3] Et dicit : Ego sum vir Judaeus, natus in Tarso Ciliciae, nutritus autem in ista civitate, secus pedes Gamaliel eruditus juxta veritatem paternae legis, aemulator legis, sicut et vos omnes estis hodie : [4] qui hanc viam persecutus sum usque ad mortem, alligans et tradens in custodias viros ac mulieres, [5] sicut princeps sacerdotum mihi testimonium reddit, et omnes majores natu, a quibus et epistolas accipiens, ad fratres Damascum pergebam, ut adducerem inde vinctos in Jerusalem ut punirentur.

[6] Factum est autem, eunte me, et appropinquante Damasco media die, subito de caelo circumfulsit me lux copiosa : [7] et decidens in terram, audivi vocem dicentem mihi : Saule, Saule, quid me persequeris? [8] Ego autem respondi : Quis es, Domine? Dixitque ad me : Ego sum Jesus Nazarenus, quem tu persequeris. [9] Et qui mecum erant, lumen quidem viderunt, vocem autem non audierunt ejus qui loquebatur mecum. [10] Et dixi : Quid faciam, Domine? Dominus autem dixit ad me : Surgens vade Damascum : et ibi tibi dicetur de omnibus quae te oporteat facere.

[11] Et cum non viderem prae claritate luminis illius, ad manum deductus a comitibus, veni Damascum. [12] Ananias autem quidam, vir secundum legem testimonium habens ab omnibus cohabitantibus Judaeis, [13] veniens ad me, et astans dixit mihi : Saule frater respice. Et ego eadem hora respexi in eum. [14] At ille dixit : Deus patrum nostrorum praeordinavit te, ut cognosceres voluntatem ejus, et videres justum, et audires vocem ex ore ejus : [15] quia eris testis illius ad omnes homines eorum quae vidisti et audisti.

[16] Et nunc quid moraris? Exsurge, et baptizare, et ablue peccata tua, invocato nomine ipsius. [17] Factum est autem revertenti mihi in Jerusalem, et oranti in templo, fieri me in stupore mentis, [18] et videre illum dicentem mihi : Festina, et exi velociter ex Jerusalem : quoniam non recipient testimonium tuum de me. [19] Et ego dixi : Domine ipsi sciunt quia ego eram concludens in carcerem, et caedans per synagogas eos qui credebant in te : [20] et cum funderetur sanguis Stephani testis tui, ego astabam, et consentiebam, et custodiebam vestimenta interficientium illum.

[21] Et dixit ad me : Vade quoniam ego in nationes longe mittam te. 

Notes

    Note. — The three accounts of St Paul’s conversion are harmonized, and the apparent discrepancies explained in the article which precedes Chapter IX, (see p, 191). The student would do well to read those remarks before studying Chapter XXII, as explanations given there are not repeated in this chapter.

    1. Men brethren, and fathers. St Paul divides his hearers into two classes — men, who are his brethren, and the fathers, i.e. the ancients, among whom many priests and ancients were certainly present.

    St Paul either took their presence for granted, or he may have recognized some members of the Sanhedrin us he looked down on the vast multitude. St Stephen began his apology with the same words (see ch. vii. 2), whence we may infer that this was the usual formula for commencing an address to a Jewish audience.

    the account. St Paul now proceeds to justify his conduct, and St Luke gives the technical Greek term for a refutation of an accusation. The works written in defence of the Christian Religion by the early Fathers were known by this name ; thus we have the “ Apologia ” of Tertullian, of St Justin Marytr, etc.

    2. they kept the more silence. The R.V. renders, “ they were the more quiet.” The crowd ceased shouting and remained stationary in order to hear St Paul better. In that dead silence St Paul began his discourse.

    “Note St Paul’s cool courage. Most men would have been in a state of such wild alarm as to desire nothing so much as to be hurried out of sight of the crowd. Not so with St Paul. Snatched from his persecutors after imminent risk— barely delivered from that most terrifying of all forms of danger, the murderous fury of masses of his fellow-men— he asks leave not only to face, but even to turn round to address, the densely-thronging thousands, who were only kept from him by a little belt of Roman swords” (Farrar, Life and Epistles of St Paul, p. 534).

    3. I am a Jew. These words would at once shew those who, in the tumult, had thought him to he the Egyptian rebel, that they were mistaken. “ In the East, crowds are much more easily swayed by their emotions than they are among us.”

    born at Tarsus. See Annot. on xi. 26. St Jerome records a tradition that St Paul was born at Giscala in Galilee, and taken by his parents to Tarsus when the Romans devastated Palestine, but this probably refers to the parents of St Paul, not to the apostle himself, who certainly knew where he was born (see de Viris Illustr., 5).

    at the feet of Gamaliel etc. Some commentators omit the comma after “ Gamaliel,” and connect this phrase with taught according, etc. But the majority hold that there are three distinct assertions : —

    (a) St. Paul was born at Tarsus.

    (b) He was educated in Jerusalem, at the feet of Gamaliel.

    (c) He was brought up as a strict Pharisee.

    “At the feet of ” is the idiomatic Hebrew expression for “a pupil of.” In the East, the master sat on a raised platform, so that his pupils literally sat at his feet, often on the ground.

    On Gamaliel, see Annot. v. 34. When St Paul uttered these words, Gamaliel had been dead about eight years.

    to the truth of the law. Better, “ to the strict acceptation of the law.” St Paul refers to the rigid observances inculcated and practised by the Pharisees. The same word occurs in ch. xxvi. 5, where it is translated “ most, sure ” (straitest, R. V.).

    zealous for the law. The best MSS. read “a zealot for God.” See Annot. on ch. xxi. 20.

    4. who ‘persecuted, etc. The original gives the relative ; the sense, of course, is “ I persecuted,” as the R.V. renders it.

    For references to these persecutions in the Acts, see vii. 69, viii. 1-3, ix. 1-2 and 13, xxvi. 10. St Paul makes the same confession in his epistles, e.g. Who before was a blasphemer and a persecutor and contumelious. But I obtained the mercy of God, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief (I Tim. i. 13,)

    this way. See Annot. on ix. 2, xviii. 25, xix. 9, 23. 

    unto death. See ix. 1.

    binding and delivering. Now he himself was bound and delivered as an adherent of “the Way ” of the Gospel.

    into prisons. Into the prisons of the different cities where Saul pursued his victims.

    5. As the high-priest doth bear me witness. These words may designate the high-priest Ananias (xxiii. 2), who was then holding office, and who at the time of St Paul’s conversion was a member of the Sanhedrin, or they may refer to the high-priest from whom St Paul received his commission.

    If St Paul was converted circa 35 A.D., Caiphas was the high-priest. He was succeeded by Jonathan, the son of Annas, in 30 A.D., The following year Theophilos, his brother, held office. St Paul’s words shew that the high -priest who gave him his commission, at least some twenty years previously, was still alive,

    all the ancients. As the “ancients” were not necessarily old men, many of those who had known St Paul as a strict Pharisee were still alive. In any case, records of the commission must have been kept, since so many “men and women ” were taken bound to Jerusalem and punished there.

    to the brethren, — i.e. to the Jewish authorities. In this discourse the word “brethren” always refers to the unbelieving Jews.

    that I might bring them, — i.e. those that inhabited Damascus. The Greek reads literally “those who were there” (τους ἐκεισε ὀντας).

    to be punished. Either by scourging or by death.

    6. at mid-day. This detail is not given in ch. ix., but it is found again in ch. xxvi. 13.

    8. Jesus of Nazareth. Lit. “Jesus the Nazarene.”

    9. saw indeed the light. Some MSS. add, “and were afraid,” but these words have not the support of the best uncials ; they are not found in  א, A, B, H, nor are they represented in the Vulgate.

    10. that thou must do. Better, “ which are appointed for thee to do ” ( ὡν τετακταιυ σοι ποιησαι). These “appointed things," namely, that Saul was called to evangelise the Gentiles, were revealed separately to Ananias and to St Paul.

    12. one Ananias, a man according, etc. Notice St Paul’s tact. He does not speak of Ananias as a disciple of Christ, but he mentions those qualities which shewed him to be a good Jew.

    according to the law. Better, “devout according,” etc.

    having testimony. “Well spoken of.” (μαρτυρουμενος.)

    13. look up. (ἀναβλεψον.) This Verb means “to look up ” or “to look again”; hence it is used of recovering sight, as in this passage (which the B.V. renders “Receive thy sight”), and of the faculty of sight in general.

    See St John ix. 11, where the same verb is used of the man born blind, for whom Jesus worked a miracle.

    14. The God of our fathers. See ch. vii. 32, where we find St Stephen quoting the same idiom ; and he also speaks of Jesus as the “Just One,” which was the recognized title of the Messias.

    see the Just One. As St Paul was called to be an apostle, i.e. a witness of the Resurrection of Christ, it was necessary that he should see Him in His glory.

    15. to all men. Here St Paul avoids using the word “Gentiles,” which he only employs when quoting the words of our Lord ; “all men” had a wider signification than “ Gentiles,” since it embraced the Jews. St Paul always began by preaching in the synagogue.

    hast seen and heard. St Paul was instructed by a divine revelation in all the things which Jesus Christ had taught His disciples when He was with them. The apostle frequently dwells on this revelation, e.g. For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, that the Lord Jesus, the same night in which he was betrayed, took bread, etc. (1 Cor. xi. 23). Paul, called to be an apostle of Jesus Christ, by the will of God (1 Cor. i. 1).

    16. wash away thy sins. This effect of baptism — the inward grace of the sacrament — is frequently mentioned in the Scriptures, e.g . —

    Do penance, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ, for the remission of your sins (supra, ii. 38).

    According to his mercy he saved us, by the laver of regeneration (Titus iii. 6).

    invoking his name. A few MSS. have “ of the Lord,” but “ His name ” is the best supported reading.

    This mention of prayer to Jesus of Nazareth, “the Just One,’’ shews that He was invoked as God, and hence is a proof of His Divinity.

    17. I was come again to Jerusalem. St Paul probably refers to the visit to Jerusalem which he made three years after his conversion (see supra, ix. 26, and Gal. i. 17-18). He left Jerusalem as a persecutor of the Nazarenes, he returned there again later as a disciple of Jesus of Nazareth.

    Some critics refer these words to the visit mentioned in xi. 30, since, shortly after that visit, St Paul began his missionary journeys and evangelized the Gentiles. But he preached to the Gentiles of Antioch and Tarsus after his first visit, and the words Unto the Gentiles afar off will I send thee were partially realized then. At the time of his conversion, St Paul had been informed that his special mission was not in Judea, nor among the brethren of the circumcision, but among the Gentiles.

    was praying. Far from being a blasphemer of the Temple, St Paul was a devout worshipper in its courts, and God had given him there a certain token of His favour.

    in a trance. See Annot. on “ ecstasy,” ch. x. 10.

    18. saw him. The “ Just One.”

    Make haste. This vision is not mentioned in ch. ix, 28-30, where we are told that the immediate cause of St Paul's departure was the hostility of the Jews. But God overruled their plans, and made them conduce to His own purpose. The opposition of the Jews on this occasion harmonizes with the reason given for the apostle’s hasty departure ; certainly, those who desired to kill him would not receive his testimony concerning Christ. St Paul only remained fifteen days in Jerusalem when the brethren “sent him away,” and he then left, knowing from the vision that God willed that he should retire from their violence and rage.

    19. they know. St Paul’s argument appears to be this : “ Surely they will accept my testimony when they know how I formerly persecuted the Nazarenes in my zeal for the Law, and that nothing short of a divine intervention could have changed a persecutor of the disciples into a follower of Christ.”

    beat in every synagogue. Scourging was often inflicted in the synagogues. Cf. For they will deliver you up in councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues (St Matt, x, 17. See also St Mat-t. xxiii. 34 ; St Mark xiii. 9 ; St Luke xii. 11).

    20. when the blood, etc. “ A noble endeavour to make public reparation for a public sin, by public confession in the same place where the sin was committed. As St Paul did not speak Greek on this occasion (v. 2), he did not use the word martyr. The Septuagint often employs the word ‘martyr’ for the Hebrew ‘edh’ (or witness). The application of this word to the first person who shed his blood for Christ was enough to designate it as the fittest to be assigned to those who followed St Stephen in his testimony to the truth, even unto death ” (Wordsworth, in h. 1.).

    stood .... consented .... kept. . . . The Greek gives the participial form “ I was standing, consenting and keeping,’' thus shewing the continuance of the actions.

    A few MSS. after “consented,” add “to his death,” but this phrase is not found in א, A, B, D, E, nor in the Vulgate.

    21. unto the Gentiles, etc. This commission is more fully given in xxvi. 16 - 18

Totus tuus ego sum

Et omnia mea tua sunt;

Tecum semper tutus sum:

Ad Jesum per Mariam.