THE FIRST DEFENSE BEFORE THE JEWS The evangelist St. Luke presents the first defense directed by the apostle Paul to the Jews, in which he refutes the three charges against him: That he was acting against the interests of the Jewish nation; that he was an opponent of the law; and that he was a defiler of the temple. Therefore, his defense came as follows: That he is a Hebrew by birth, zealous for his nation, and is proud of his language. His zeal is testified by the assembly of the Sanhedrim itself, and by the Chief Priest; as he was working with them to oppose the name of Jesus. That his conversion was not in response to a human call, but to a divine proclamation, in the midst of his fierce opposition to Jesus’ name. The heavenly Jesus enlightened for him the way, and transformed him from a persecutor of the church to a preacher of her faith. That he did not desert the temple, but partook of the worship; and the Lord Himself appeared to him in the temple, to confirm to him that he would be rejected by the Jews, to go and preach among the Gentiles. 1- A zealous Jew 1 – 3 2- A persecutor of theWay 4 – 5 3- A light from heaven 6 – 11 4- Being called to testify 12 – 16 5- A vision in the temple 17 – 21 6- A plot to kill him 22 – 24 7- A roman, who should not be scourged 25 – 30 1- A ZEALOUS JEW “Men, brethren, and fathers, hear my defense before you now” (Acts 22: 1). He started his defense by talking to them as one of them, considering them as his brethren and fathers, whom he loved and respected, being his fellow citizens. He courageously and fearlessly spoke, as though saying with the prophet: “I will not be afraid of ten thousands of people, who have set themselves against me all around” (Ps 3: 6). “And when they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they kept all the more silent” (Acts 22: 2). Many of those who were brought up outside Judea, and acquired Hellenistic culture, used to speak in Greek, or in the local languages of the land in which they were born, and have forgotten the Hebrew language. But the apostle Paul, as one who loves his country since his childhood, spoke the Hebrew tongue well; That is why, having spoken to the multitude in it, they kept silent, as a sign of their pleasure of him who holds fast to his language, whatever his culture is. What is meant here is the common language and not that of the Old Testament, which is called the ‘Syrian’, a common version of the Hebrew, or as believed by some, a deviation from it. 830 Like the multitude who found comfort in listening to him, the Roman commander also did. Hearing him speaking fluently in Greek and common Hebrew, he could not be then, that Egyptian who sometime ago caused an insurrection. “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Celicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our father’s law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today” (Acts 22: 3). He spoke, concerning his relationship to his people, that he is a Jew; and as he wrote to the Philippians that he is “circumcised the eighth day, of the stock of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of the Hebrews; concerning the law, a Pharisee” (Phil 3: 6). Therefore, he was not a stranger to them, from one of their tribes, born in Tarsus, the capital of Celicia, an honorable and a free city, not a slave as was some of the Jews scattered among the nations; He had an honorable birth. He is also a scholar who came to Jerusalem to learn at the feet of Gamaliel, the most prominent teacher of the Jewish law in his days. He is interested in the fathers’ law, proud of the sound fathers’ tradition that was delivered from generation to another. What he was practicing then is actually an extension of that sound fathers’ tradition, with no diversion. He is proclaiming what has been delivered to him, yet according to the spiritual thought. He is filled with zeal for God, as they testify, that he used to persecute those whom he thought were opponents to God. His zeal for God, on the spiritual keeping of the law, is itself, his zeal for Jesus Christ, who consummated the law and realized its goal. “Therefore he says, "at the feet of Gamaliel:" and not simply, "by Gamaliel," but "at his feet," showing his perseverance, his assiduity, his zeal for the hearing, and his great reverence for the man" 1. St. John Chrysostom Paul learnt the Hebrew language at the feet of Gamaliel; the one, who was not ashamed to say that, showed underestimation for the Greek rhetoric; or, at least, did not mention it. It is out of meekness, so that his evangelism would not be based on his ability to argue and persuade, but on the power of his signs2. St. Jerome 2-THE PERSECUTOR OF THE WAY “I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women” (Acts 22: 4). He clarified how he started his ministry with a fiery heart, persecuting the Christians, both men and women, demonstrating that being transformed to the ministry to the account of Christ has been through a divine power and a heavenly call, that turned around all his thoughts and tendencies; He was responding to a sudden and a divine proclamation. The book of Acts presented an actual portrait of Saul of Tarsus, as a persecutor of the church, that he was “breathing threats” (Acts 9: 1); and “when they were put to death, he cast his vote against them” (Acts 26: 10). He did not only persecute those who followed the Way, but the Way itself, having rejected the name of Jesus Christ, together 1Hom. On Acts. Hom. 47. 2 Against Rufinus, 1.17. 831 with the faith in Him. He did his best to terrify everyone, man and woman, delivering them into prisons, for the sake of the name of Jesus, and of testifying to Him. Saul put in his heart to oppose the Christians even to their death; counting them as not deserving to live. He could not imagine that, one day, he would find pleasure in dying all day long for the sake of his Christ. “Although I was formerly a blasphemer, a persecutor, and an insolent man, but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. And the grace of our Lord was exceedingly abundant” (1 Tim 1: 13-14).On one hand, he confirmed that he is acting “blameless” (Phil 3: 6); And on the other hand, he admits that he is a sinner, to the extent that demonstrates to sinners not to despair from the mercy of God, especially that Paul has found forgiveness1. St. Augustine He was transformed from a persecutor into a preacher and a teacher to the Gentiles (2 Tim 1: 11). He says, “For this reason I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might show all longsuffering, as a pattern to those who are going to believe on Him for everlasting life” (1 Tim 1: 16). By the grace of God, as you may see, we are saved from our sins that weaken us, because God is alone the medication, who heals the soul. As the soul is capable of harming itself, men likewise, although they have the ability to make themselves sick; yet they do not have the ability to make themselves in a better shape2. St. Augustine "Why then did other Jews not obtain mercy? Because what they did, they did not ignorantly, but willfully, well knowing what they did. Thus their love of power was everywhere in their way. Paul did not act as the other Jews did, from the love of power, but from zeal. For what was the motive of his journey to Damascus? He thought the doctrine pernicious, and was afraid that the preaching of it would spread everywhere. It is for this he condemns himself, saying, “I am unworthy of being called an apostle” " 3. St. John Chrysostom “as also the high priest bears me witness, and all the council of the elders, from whom I also received letters to the brethren, and went to Damascus to bring in chains even those who were there to Jerusalem to be punished” (Acts 22: 5). He was like an agent representing the assembly of the Sanhedrim and the high priest, to oppose Christianity, something that they could not deny, Who when they heard that many Jews in Damascus accepted the Christian faith, they did not find a better one to deal with the situation, and provided him with every possible means to realize his mission successfully. He says to them, ‘What you are doing now is a faint portrait of what I formerly did to the Christians. I have experience, both of what was in their hearts, and what is now in yours. I am longing for you to get my experience and to realize the truth that I realized’. 1 Sermons 170.1. 2 Sermons 278.2. 3Hom. On 1 Tim. Hom. 3. 832 3-A LIGHT FROM HEAVEN “Now it happened, as I journeyed and came near Damascus at about noon, suddenly a great light from heaven shone around me” (Acts 22: 6). Having revealed to them how he was as a persecutor of the church, which is the same condition they were living through, he began to tell them about God’s work with him, as though he sought for them to have the same experience. The apostle confirms that his transformation is not set upon love of something new, or a result of some human influence. God let him walk the entire distance to Damascus, until he came near Damascus, entertaining his day dreams of ministering to God through destroying the Christians, and uprooting the name of Jesus from the face of the earth, considering Christianity as a cult that opposes the divine truth, and corrupts the nation. Suddenly, a great light from heaven shone around him. The Jews know that God is light, dwells in light, and his angels are angels of light. What occurred, happened at noon; when nothing can be the product of imagination, or a result of a human deception. “And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me’” (Acts 22: 7). A voice from heaven called his name! He wondered who in heaven he is persecuting! Who knows his name? “So I answered, ‘Who are You Lord?’ And He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting’” (Acts 22: 8). To him it was a surprise to hear that Jesus of Nazareth was still living, and was counting all opposition against His church, as directed directly against Him. The apostle was warning them against falling in what he fell; as their persecution of the apostle then was a persecution against Jesus of Nazareth, whom they thought that they have got rid of by crucifying him; they are opposing the heavenly Messiah. “Now, those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to me” (Acts 22: 9). St. John Chrysostom believes that there were two voices: the voice of the Lord and that of Saul. Here he is speaking about the voice that those who were with Saul could not hear. Whereas in the ninth chapter, he spoke about the voice of Saul heard by those around him. Concerning the light, here he speaks about their seeing the shining light, without discriminating the heavenly Person who was speaking to him; whereas in the ninth chapter, he says that they did not see a man, and does not say that they did not see the light. It was Saul alone who distinguished the voice and the Person speaking; whereas those around him saw light, and heard Saul speaking, but did not hear the heavenly voice, or saw Him1. And expecting their reservation: Why did the light and voice change your life, and not that of those around you? (Although we do not know, whether any among them was affected by the situation); the apostle confirmed that that vision was personally for him. They saw the light and did not recognize it and did not hear the voice of Him who spoke to the apostle. They probably heard an awesome voice, but they did not distinguish the words, as they were directed to Saul of Tarsus. St. Ambrose believes that Saul of Tarsus was the only one who distinguished the voice of the Lord, and conversed with Him, because, in his depths, he was ready to 1Hom. On Acts. Hom. 47. 833 receive the truth, and longing for knowledge. He says that in the Book of Acts, it came that Paul, when he heard the voice of Christ, he received the call of grace. Although he had with him many companions, it was said that he alone heard the voice of Christ. That is why, blessed saint: Whoever believes will hear; and will hear to believe. Whereas he, who does not believe will not hear and will not be able to hear, lest he should believe1. What I fear most is that we, not in Saul’s company, but while we are among the procession of the church, the Lord may appear, but we do not see Him or hear His voice. We may recall that the child Samuel heard the voice of the Lord, whereas Eli the priest did not hear the divine voice, while he was in the temple. “So I said, what shall I do Lord?’; and the Lord said to me, ‘Arise and go into Damascus, and there, you will be told all things which are appointed for you to do’” (Acts 22: 10). Saul did not instantly accept the faith, but sought the council of the Heavenly, who led him to the church to recognize the truth, And to the city, whose church he intended to destroy, to become a disciple to learn the evangelic truth. “And since I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus” (Acts 22: 11). Unable to withstand the splendor of the light of the Lord Christ, his eyes were blinded; so that those of his heart would open to see the inner glory. 4-HIS CALL TO TESTIFY “Then one, Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwell there came to me, and he stood and said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight’. And at that same hour I looked up at him Then he said, ‘The God of our fathers has chosen you that you should know his will, and see the just One, and hear the voice of His mouth” (Acts 22.12-14). The God of the fathers has chosen him to recognize His will pertaining to the plan of salvation, and to realize His message, to see the holy and righteous Christ, and to receive from His mouth the call to apostleship. “For you will be His witness to all men of what you have seen and heard” (Acts 22.15). As an apostle called by the Lord Christ, he would present a practical living testimony of what he has seen and heard; He would testify that Jesus, the true Messiah, anticipated by the fathers and prophets, has come and consummated the work of salvation; and that He is the Savior of the world. “For you will be His witness to all men”; not only to the friendly, but also to the unbelievers: for this is what witnesses are for; not to persuade those who know, but those who know not. Let us be trustworthy witnesses. But how shall we be trustworthy? By the life we lead. The Jews assaulted him: our passions assault us, bidding us abjure our testimony. But let us not obey them: we are witnesses from God. He has sent us to bear witness to Him" 2. St. John Chrysostom St. John Chrysostom believes that the testimony should be to the resurrection, not only through teaching, but through life. 1Of the Christian Faith, 2.15 (132). 2Hom. On Acts. Hom. 47. 834 “And now, why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord” (Acts 22: 16). St. Luke did not mention those words in the ninth chapter of the Book of Acts, where he told us the story of Paul’s conversion. Ananias could find no reason for postponing the baptism, to let Saul of Tarsus enjoy the new birth, and the forgiveness of his sins. "Here it is a great thing he has uttered. For he said not, "Be baptized in His name:" but, "calling on the name of Christ." It shows that He is God: since it is not lawful to "call upon" any other, save God" 1. St. John Chrysostom 5-A VISION IN THE TEMPLE “Then it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance” (Acts 22: 17). As it was not the goal of the apostle to parade his achievements, but to reveal the work of God to the account of the ministry; After talking about the role of God in Saul’s conversion to faith, he did not talk about his ministry in Damascus and Arabia (Gal 1: 17- 18) but told them about God’s call on him to work among the Gentiles, while he was in Solomon’s temple in Jerusalem. He clarified that he did not depart from Jerusalem out of fear but in abidance to a call from God, while he was in the temple, praying with his Jewish brethren. “And saw Him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me” (Acts 22: 18). St. John Chrysostom referred to the fact that, because he was in the temple praying, he was awake, and the vision was not an illusion. He clarified as well, that his departure from Jerusalem was not out of fear of danger, but because of their rejection of the testimony to the Lord Christ2. Having been accused of defiling the temple, the apostle intended to confirm that he enjoyed the heavenly vision, and the call to minister among the Gentiles, while he was in the temple. “So I said, ‘Lord, they know that in every synagogue, I imprisoned and beat those who believe in you” (Acts 22: 19). It is obvious that it was Jesus Christ who appeared to him in the Jewish temple. Saul of Tarsus was of the opinion that he would rather testify to Jesus Christ among the Jews, his fellow citizens, who were aware of his past history; he did not expect them to reject his testimony, especially after providing them with the evidence that his conversion was through a divine work. “And when the blood of Your martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by consenting to his death, and guarding the clothes of those who were killing him” (Acts 22: 20). Although he did not partake of stoning him, yet he was with those who stoned him in spirit, and consented fully to his death. “Then He said to me, ‘Depart. For I will send you far from here to the Gentiles” (Acts 22: 21). 1Hom. On Acts. Hom. 47. 2Hom. On Acts. Hom. 48. 835 His setting forth to minister among the Gentiles has been according to a divine call, not a human plan by him or by the apostles. 6-A PLOT TO KILL HIM “And they listened to him until this word and then they raised their voices and said, ‘Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live” (Acts 22: 22). They raised their voices to interrupt his speech, and to keep anyone from hearing about the necessity of ministry among the Gentiles. They cried out that he was not fit to live on this earth, considering him like a destructive pest. They did not know that his name was written among the men of God, “of whom the world was not worthy” (Heb 11: 38). No wonder for the apostle to feel that what he was going through was actually a consummation of the passion of Christ in his body. He has already heard the divine voice referring what befall the believers to Him personally, when he said: “I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you persecute”. And as the multitude cried out saying: “Away with Him, Away with Him! Crucify Him!” (John19: 15) so they cried out concerning His apostle, saying: “Away with such a fellow from the earth, for he is not fit to live”. They listened attentively when he spoke to them in Hebrew, and even when he testified to the appearance of the Lord Christ to him on his way to Damascus; and how he chose him to testify to him. But, to proclaim that he was going to the Gentiles, this they did not bear to hear and counted him as not fit to live on earth, although all the prophets of the Old Testament have prophesied about the return of the Gentiles to God. It was not possible for the haughtiness of the Jews to accept the possibility that the Gentiles could enter into faith; as in their sight, they were unclean. The apostles have themselves seen the Word, not because they saw our Lord and Savior in flesh, but because they saw the Word. If seeing the body of the Lord means seeing the Word of God, Pilate, who condemned Jesus, would have seen the Word of God. The same applies to the traitor Judas, and to all those who have cried out, “Crucify Him, Away with Him” (John 19: 15; Acts 22: 22) 1. The scholar Origen “Then, they cried out, tore off their clothes, and threw dust into the air” (Acts 22: 23). They did not refer to a certain charge, but so acted to put the fear in the heart of the Roman commander. Tearing the clothes is done by the high priests when (they think) they hear blasphemy against God, to proclaim their innocence of the blood of the blasphemer (Matt 26: 65-66). As to throwing dust into the air over their heads, it is an expression of injustice that came on them, for which they cry out to heaven and earth. The commander was disturbed by this scene, and ordered him to be brought into the barracks, to be examined under scourging. Some believe that tearing their clothes was an expression of their heart intention to tear Saul up to pieces, or to stone him, if he fell in their hands. “The commander ordered him to be brought into the barracks, and said that he should be examined under scourging, so that he might know why they shouted so against him” (Acts 22: 24). 1Hom. On Jer. Hom. 12.8. 836 As the apostle spoke in Hebrew, the commander could not understand his speech; and the uproar of the multitude did not give him the chance to realize the situation. So he intended to resort to violence with the apostle by scourging him to know what he did, that made the multitude shouted so against him. 7-A ROMAN, WHO SHOULD NOT BE SCOURGED “And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, ‘Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is Roman, and uncondemned’” (Acts 22: 25). The apostle used this privilege before, in Philippi, yet after he was scourged (Acts 16: 37). But here he used it before being scourged. He spoke to the centurion gently and mildly without anger. The Romans had a certain law called ‘Iex Sempronia’, that exposed a judge or a ruler who condemns or scourges a free Roman citizen without listening first to him, to fall under the same judgment. “When the centurion heard that, he went and told the commander, saying, ‘Take care what you do, for this man is a Roman’.Then the commander came and said to him, ‘Tell me, are you a Roman?’ He said ‘yes.' And the commander answered, ‘With a large sum I obtained this citizenship’ and Paul said, ‘but I was born a citizen’” (Acts 22: 26-28). The Roman citizenship was given to a person, either by birth from Roman parents, purchased by money, or given as a gift from the government. Paul’s parents probably got the Roman citizenship as a reward for their services to the state. Some believe that Tarsus, as a Roman colony, had that privilege; Its citizens were considered Romans; and according to Appian, Tarsus gained the privilege as a free city from Augustus Caesar, because it stood on his side in wars, and bore much damage to his account. Whereas others believe that Paul had that privilege on account that some of his ancestors have presented military aid to the Roman state. “Then immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him, and the commander was also afraid after he found out that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him” (Acts 22: 29). The commander got terrified, as that was a grave responsibility before Rome. He previously assumed that Paul was that Egyptian who some time ago raised an insurrection, then was astonished to hear him speak in Greek (Acts 21: 37); and his astonishment increased when he realized that he is a Roman citizen by birth: counted as of an honorable family in the sight of Rome. How amazing that the commander got ashamed when he knew that he is Roman, and that he had bound him! It was a law that terrified the judges and rulers; whereas the law of God was not respected by anyone, because of God’s longsuffering. “The next day, because he wanted to know for certain why he was accused by the Jews, he released him from his bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down and set him before them” (Acts 22: 30). He released him from his bonds, lest he would be a breaker of the Roman law; yet he left him in prison, probably for fear for his life. The next day he commanded Paul to stand before the assembly of the Sanhedrim in the presence of the commander, who probably had the intention to set him free as a realization of justice. 837 Paul stood before the chief priests who killed the Lord Christ, to testify before them to the resurrection from the dead. He looked intently at their faces; as he recognized them for sure, and had previously carried from them letters to oppose the Christians. Then, he was calling them to accept the Christian faith. 838 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF ACTS 22 A LIGHT FROM HEAVEN Saul was in the darkness of the deadly letter. He thought in himself that he is the son of light. He persecuted You, O the eternal light, and opposed the children of light. He blasphemed against Your name, not realizing that You are the holy Heavenly. When You shone on him from heaven, he collapsed before the splendor of Your glory. He fell like a dead man and lost his sight, To set him a new man flaring with the Spirit, And to open his insight by Your Holy Spirit. Instead of his animosity, he became Your witness. And instead of his opposition, he became a servant for all. He did not despise the Jewish temple; and there You appeared to him, And called him to set out of the Gentiles a heavenly temple. The episode of his encounter with You became a strong excuse to his fellow Jews. He wished every Hebrew to enjoy what he did; And that Israel becomes a preacher to all the nations. That is how his heart flared with such an unquenchable fire. No riot, scourges, chains, or even death itself, Could uproot those holy feelings from his heart. Shine, O Lord, with Your light unto us, That we carry the fiery heart.
Welcome