Act 22:4 | KingComments | STEP | Paul addresses his audience with “brethren and fathers”. The form of address “brethren” indicates his connection with them, while by addressing them as “fathers” (of the people) he expresses his respect for them. He asks them to hear his defense toward them. It was already dead quiet on the square, but it becomes even more quiet when they hear how he speaks to them in their own language. He places himself as close to them as possible. Paul’s defense consists of telling them about his conversion. He tells his story here to the Jewish crowd. In Acts 26 he will tell his conversion history once more, there to King Agrippa and his entourage, in front of an audience that consists of people of standing. In Acts 9 we have already read that history, but then as it was given to Luke by the Holy Spirit to write down. His accountability to the Jews here is to indicate that he is a faithful Jew and not an apostate. He also makes it clear that wherever he makes followers of the Messiah, he does so without obliging them to keep the law. He declares that he does not do this of his own accord, but because he has received a calling to do so from above, from heaven. He repeats for the people what he also said to the commander concerning his origin. He is a Jewish man, therefore one of them. He was born in Tarsus in Cilicia, today’s Turkey, where a large Jewish community existed. Stephen argued in Jerusalem with Jews from Cilicia ( ), but those men could not resist Stephen’s spirit and wisdom. Now there is also a Jew from Cilicia here, but a very different one from the Jew who agreed with Stephen’s death at the time. How that change came about, he will tell in a moment. First he takes his audience with him on his life journey, showing how much he and they have in common. He tells them that he moved from Tarsus to “this city”, Jerusalem, to be brought up here. Paul grew up in Tarsus in the midst of paganism. In Jerusalem he became deeply rooted in the ancestral law to which he completely submitted himself in all his behavior. He sat at the feet of the generally respected Gamaliel and received education from him. According to tradition Gamaliel had five hundred pupils, among whom Paul excelled above all others ( ). All traditions related to the law he absorbed and have shaped him. Everything he learned he put into practice with unprecedented zeal, as they still do. As for himself, he speaks in the past tense, as for them, in the present tense. His former life’s walk is entirely in keeping with their conceptions. He gives them the compliment that they are zealous for God. In the letter to the Romans, he says it is a zeal not in accordance with knowledge ( ). He tells how, in blind zeal for the maintenance of the ancestral law, he fought against everything that pushed aside the importance of that law. That is why the Christians had to pay for it. This new “Way”, this new sect or movement in Judaism, as Christendom was seen in the early days, was in his eyes an enormous threat to the religion of the fathers. Anyone who chose this Way deserved to be killed. To this end, without making any distinction between men and women, he handed those who belonged to this Way over to chains and in prisons. In his passion he even travelled to Damascus to bring disciples to Jerusalem. Once he had captivated them, he did everything he could to prevent them from escaping him. That is why he chained them and carried them captivated to Jerusalem. The testimonies concerning the truth of his conduct can be obtained from the high priest and all the Council of the elders. They know about this because they have provided him with letters to do his ‘work’.

‏ Acts 22:4

Origin and Former Life Walk

Paul addresses his audience with “brethren and fathers”. The form of address “brethren” indicates his connection with them, while by addressing them as “fathers” (of the people) he expresses his respect for them. He asks them to hear his defense toward them.

It was already dead quiet on the square, but it becomes even more quiet when they hear how he speaks to them in their own language. He places himself as close to them as possible. Paul’s defense consists of telling them about his conversion. He tells his story here to the Jewish crowd. In Acts 26 he will tell his conversion history once more, there to King Agrippa and his entourage, in front of an audience that consists of people of standing. In Acts 9 we have already read that history, but then as it was given to Luke by the Holy Spirit to write down.

His accountability to the Jews here is to indicate that he is a faithful Jew and not an apostate. He also makes it clear that wherever he makes followers of the Messiah, he does so without obliging them to keep the law. He declares that he does not do this of his own accord, but because he has received a calling to do so from above, from heaven.

He repeats for the people what he also said to the commander concerning his origin. He is a Jewish man, therefore one of them. He was born in Tarsus in Cilicia, today’s Turkey, where a large Jewish community existed. Stephen argued in Jerusalem with Jews from Cilicia (Acts 6:9), but those men could not resist Stephen’s spirit and wisdom. Now there is also a Jew from Cilicia here, but a very different one from the Jew who agreed with Stephen’s death at the time. How that change came about, he will tell in a moment.

First he takes his audience with him on his life journey, showing how much he and they have in common. He tells them that he moved from Tarsus to “this city”, Jerusalem, to be brought up here. Paul grew up in Tarsus in the midst of paganism. In Jerusalem he became deeply rooted in the ancestral law to which he completely submitted himself in all his behavior.

He sat at the feet of the generally respected Gamaliel and received education from him. According to tradition Gamaliel had five hundred pupils, among whom Paul excelled above all others (Gal 1:13-14). All traditions related to the law he absorbed and have shaped him. Everything he learned he put into practice with unprecedented zeal, as they still do. As for himself, he speaks in the past tense, as for them, in the present tense.

His former life’s walk is entirely in keeping with their conceptions. He gives them the compliment that they are zealous for God. In the letter to the Romans, he says it is a zeal not in accordance with knowledge (Rom 10:2). He tells how, in blind zeal for the maintenance of the ancestral law, he fought against everything that pushed aside the importance of that law. That is why the Christians had to pay for it.

This new “Way”, this new sect or movement in Judaism, as Christendom was seen in the early days, was in his eyes an enormous threat to the religion of the fathers. Anyone who chose this Way deserved to be killed. To this end, without making any distinction between men and women, he handed those who belonged to this Way over to chains and in prisons.

In his passion he even travelled to Damascus to bring disciples to Jerusalem. Once he had captivated them, he did everything he could to prevent them from escaping him. That is why he chained them and carried them captivated to Jerusalem. The testimonies concerning the truth of his conduct can be obtained from the high priest and all the Council of the elders. They know about this because they have provided him with letters to do his ‘work’.