Chapter Twenty-Two

Paul’s address to the people (1–21). A new agitation of the people; the tribune’s interrogation of Paul; the convening of the Sanhedrin (22–30).

Acts 22:1. Men, brothers and fathers! hear my defense before you now. “Men, brothers and fathers!” A respectful address to all present (cf. Acts 7:2). “My defense” — against the accusations brought by the Jews from Asia Minor (Acts 20:27-28).

Acts 22:2. And when they heard that he addressed them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said: See Acts 21:40, note.

Acts 22:3. I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, carefully instructed in the law of our fathers, and zealous for God, as all of you are today. Paul’s rather detailed account of his origin, upbringing, and initial disposition is aimed at showing that, contrary to the accusations brought against him, by his very birth he belongs to the Jewish people; by his upbringing he is bound by close spiritual ties to Jerusalem; and his orientation was the strictest, Pharisaic kind, devoted to the law and hostile to Christianity. “A Jew, born in Tarsus” (cf. Acts 9:11 and parallels) — although born not in Jerusalem or Palestine but in a pagan city, yet born of Jews: this refutes the accusation that he taught everywhere “against this people” (Acts 21:28). “Brought up in this city” — that is, in Jerusalem, the center of Jewish nationhood; this emphasizes that even if by his birth far from Jerusalem Paul could have been insufficiently attached to his native people, his upbringing in Jerusalem from childhood (ἀνατεθραμμένος) must in any case have forged in him ties of unbreakable connection with the common Jewish capital and his native people. “At the feet of Gamaliel” — of this most renowned Pharisaic teacher (Acts 5:34 ff.). This is an even stronger guarantee of Paul’s Jewishness — not only by origin but also by disposition. The expression also signifies the student’s respectful attitude toward the revered teacher, “constancy, diligence, eagerness to hear, and great reverence for this man” on Paul’s part (Chrysostom, cf. Theophylact). “Carefully instructed in the law of our fathers” — for which the very name of Gamaliel stands as a guarantee. “Carefully” here implies both the diligent study of the law and its strict Jewish interpretation and understanding. “Zealous for God, as all of you are today.” This was of course taken by them as a compliment, although in this compliment there is sufficient bitterness. But above all these words are intended to show that Paul could not be the kind of person his accusers made him out to be.

Acts 22:4. I persecuted this Way to the point of death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, “I persecuted the followers of this teaching” — more precisely: I persecuted “this Way” (cf. Acts 9:2). “To the point of death” — an expression for the special intensity of feeling or action, in this case of persecution. “Binding and delivering” — cf. Acts 8:3.

Acts 22:5. as the high priest and all the elders can testify on my behalf, from whom I also received letters to the brothers and traveled to Damascus to bring those there to Jerusalem in chains to be punished. Obviously, the persons to whom the apostle appeals were still alive, although the high priest had already been removed from office (see note to Acts 9:2).

Acts 22:6. As I was traveling and approaching Damascus, about midday a great light from the sky suddenly shone around me. Acts 22:7. I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me: Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me? Acts 22:8. I answered: who are you, Lord? He said to me: I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting. The account of the conversion is entirely consistent with the narrator’s account of it (Acts 9:3-8 ff.), with only a few minor differences. Thus, the apostle says that the light shone around him about midday, which points to its exceptional supernatural intensity, outshining the brightest sunlight. In the Lord’s reply, the name is supplemented with “of Nazareth.”

Acts 22:9. Those who were with me saw the light and were afraid; but they did not hear the voice of the one speaking to me. “Those with me saw the light... but did not hear the voice.” In the account of the author of Acts (Acts 9:7), there appears, on the face of it, a discrepancy: “hearing the voice but seeing no one.” But this discrepancy is not substantive and only apparent. Paul’s companions may indeed have “heard” some sounds but not heard their meaning — not understood anything of what was spoken only to Paul (“to me”) — in a sense “hearing without hearing” (cf. John 12:28-29). It is also possible that they both “saw the light” and “saw no one” with it. Everything was intended and accomplished for Paul; his companions saw and heard, so to speak, only a reflection and an echo of this revelation — perhaps only to the extent that it might serve as a greater confirmation of the reality of the event, rather than its illusory quality, in case anyone wished to interpret this event as a subjective hallucination of Paul. The holy Chrysostom (cf. Theophylact) finds another resolution of these apparent discrepancies between the author of Acts and the Apostle Paul. He holds that the expression of the author of Acts — “hearing a voice” — refers to the voice of Paul himself, answering the One they could not see. The expression of the apostle himself — “they did not hear the voice of the one speaking to me” — refers to the voice of the Lord himself.

Acts 22:10. Then I said: Lord, what shall I do? The Lord said to me: rise and go into Damascus, and there you will be told everything that is appointed for you to do. Acts 22:11. But since I could not see because of the brightness of that light, I was led by the hand into Damascus by those who were with me. Acts 22:12. A certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews living in Damascus, The apostle’s further account of his meeting with Ananias, in general entirely consistent with the account of the author of Acts (Acts 9:10-18), differs from it, among other things, in that it quotes more fully the words of Ananias, whose well-known and respected name in the eyes of the people lent those words special weight and authority. In general, the differences between the two accounts have the character not of discrepancies and contradictions, but only of mutual supplementation and clarification, sufficiently explained by the particular circumstances to which the apostle wished to make his speech more persuasive. In characterizing Ananias, the apostle expresses himself more forcefully than the author of Acts: “a man devout according to the law,” who therefore could not have taught Paul to be an enemy of the law. “Well spoken of by all the Jews” of Damascus — meaning recognized in his piety by all, not only by Christians, but specifically by the Jews themselves.

Acts 22:13. came to me and, standing beside me, said: brother Saul, recover your sight. And I immediately saw him. “Recover your sight” — a brief expression of the very essence of what Ananias said to Paul at the moment of his recovery of sight (cf. Acts 9:17). After this, the words Ananias spoke following the recovery of sight — words passed over by the author of Acts — are recounted in detail.

Acts 22:14. He said to me: the God of our fathers has foreordained you to know his will, to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth, “The God of our fathers” — see Acts 3 and parallels. “Has foreordained you” — cf. Rom 8 ff.; Jer 1:5. “To see the Righteous One” — cf. Acts 3:14.

Acts 22:15. for you will be a witness for him to all people of what you have seen and heard. “A witness to all people” — the same as “before nations and kings and the sons of Israel” (Acts 9:15) — that is, not before Jews only, but also before Gentiles. “Of what you have seen and heard” — that is, of all the content of the Gospel, the truth of which the Lord impresses upon Saul through both senses, vision and hearing” (Theophylact, cf. Chrysostom).

Acts 22:16. And now, why do you delay? Rise, be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord Jesus. “Be baptized and wash away” — see note to Acts 2:38.

Acts 22:17. When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance, Acts 22:18. and I saw him and he said to me: hurry, leave Jerusalem quickly, for they will not accept your testimony about me. Acts 22:19. I said: Lord, they themselves know that I was imprisoning and beating in the synagogues those who believed in you, Acts 22:20. and when the blood of Stephen your witness was shed, I was standing there, consenting to his murder and guarding the garments of those who were killing him. Acts 22:21. And he said to me: go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles. To his account of his conversion the apostle adds an account of the vision he received in the temple after he, already converted, had returned to Jerusalem from Arabia (see note to Acts 9:26). This appearance of the Lord is not mentioned either by the author of Acts or by Paul himself in his other speeches and epistles. But in this passage it was most apt and served directly to his purpose. He wanted to show them that even after his conversion to Christianity he had not broken his connection with Jerusalem or with the temple and its lawful worship — a connection that could only be further sanctioned by this appearance of the Lord to him precisely in the temple and during prayer there. That he was, moreover, no enemy of the people is sufficiently proved by the touching detail of his conversation with the Lord, against whose command to leave Jerusalem he attempted to set his own fervent desire to preach his Name specifically in Jerusalem (Acts 22:19-20). Thus the slander that he was an enemy of the law, the people, and the temple was clearly and convincingly refuted. And at the same time the path that others too must follow was made so clearly and convincingly evident. Up to this point Paul had not been interrupted, although the crowd was probably growing agitated from the very powerlessness to refute his so sharply convincing words. The agitation broke out in full malice when Paul concluded with the Lord’s command to him — to leave Jerusalem and, because of the hardness of the Jews, to preach to the Gentiles. This thought — that God was abandoning the Jews — appeared to them the greatest crime, and the crowd was again thrown into frenzy, demanding Paul’s death.

Acts 22:23. While they were shouting, throwing off their garments and throwing dust into the air, “Throwing off their garments and throwing dust into the air” — an intensified expression of wild hatred toward a person who was out of their reach.

Acts 22:24. the tribune ordered him to be brought into the fortress and to be examined by flogging, so that he might find out the reason they were shouting against him like this. It seems the tribune did not understand Paul’s speech in Hebrew and, not understanding the cause of this new outburst of frenzied agitation against him, wanted to find out the essence of this matter, so puzzling to him, by means of flogging.

Acts 22:25. But when they had stretched him out with the straps, Paul said to the centurion standing by: is it lawful for you to flog a Roman citizen who has not been sentenced? Acts 22:26. When the centurion heard this, he went to the tribune and reported: watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman citizen. The apostle points to a twofold violation of the law: (1) the flogging of a Roman citizen (see note to Acts 16:37-39), and (2) flogging without any trial or proven offence. The first seems to have had the greater effect (the centurion’s words, v. 26).

Acts 22:27. Then the tribune came up to him and said: tell me, are you a Roman citizen? He said: yes. Acts 22:28. The tribune answered: I acquired this citizenship for a large sum of money. Paul said: but I was born into it. Acts 22:29. Immediately those who were about to examine him withdrew from him. And the tribune was also afraid when he realized that he was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him. The tribune was afraid not only because he had wanted to “examine” Paul, but also because he had “bound” him (note to Acts 16:38), which also was not permitted against Roman citizens without prior investigation of guilt. If Paul was afterwards put in chains (Acts 23:18), it was only after the examination of his guilt before the Sanhedrin (Acts 23 ff.). True, his guilt remained there unclarified, but it was nonetheless suspected on more solid grounds — and this lent some legality to his being kept in chains, despite his Roman citizenship.

Acts 22:30. The next day, wishing to know the real reason why he was being accused by the Jews, he released him from his chains and ordered the chief priests and all the Sanhedrin to assemble, and bringing Paul down he set him before them. “The next day... he released him from his chains.” Paul’s declaration of his Roman citizenship freed him from flogging, but he was released from his chains only the next day. This showed the capricious stubbornness of the tribune, who, though “afraid,” did not want to display his weak side by immediately releasing the prisoner. “He ordered the Sanhedrin to assemble” — so debased was the authority of this supreme Jewish tribunal that not only the procurator-governor of the province, but even a simple regimental commander, “ordered” it to assemble.