And when the governor had nodded to him to speak, Paul replied: “Knowing that for many years you have been a judge over this nation, I cheerfully make my defense. You can verify that it is not more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Jerusalem, and they did not find me disputing with anyone or stirring up a crowd, either in the temple or in the synagogues or in the city. Neither can they prove to you what they now bring up against me. But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust. So I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man. Now after several years I came to bring alms to my nation and to present offerings. While I was doing this, they found me purified in the temple, without any crowd or tumult. But some Jews from Asia—they ought to be here before you and to make an accusation, should they have anything against me. Or else let these men themselves say what wrongdoing they found when I stood before the council, other than this one thing that I cried out while standing among them: ‘It is with respect to the resurrection of the dead that I am on trial before you this day.’”
for many years - "According to the Roman historian Tacitus, Felix had occupied an official position of much importance during the procuratorship of Cumanus, apparently administering Samaria, while Cumanus devoted his care to Galilee. Cumanus was procurator A.D. 48-52. Josephus does not mention Felix's office in Samaria, but merely relates how he succeeded Cumanus as procurator (A.D. 52). Supposing Paul's trial before Felix to have taken place in A.D. 57, we have a period of five years at least, and, on the testimony of Tacitus, one of eight or nine years, during which Felix was a judge in that part of the country. So long a continuance in office was unusual among Roman governors, etc." (Walker)
not more than twelve days - "Twelve days minus the five days in Caesarea (v. 1) meant that Paul was in Jerusalem only seven days, too short a time to instigate a riot." (Ryrie)
"And therefore the truth about such recent events would be easily ascertainable. Moreover, since this was at least the fifth day since Paul had left Jerusalem, it left an incredibly short time (only a week) for exciting the faction and insurrection of which he stood accused. The 'twelve days' are differently computed by different commentators. We may reckon them as follows. The first day saw the interview with James and the presbyters (Acts 21:18); the second witnessed Paul undertaking the vows in the temple (Acts 21:26); the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth days were occupied in connexion with those vows; the seventh was the day of his arrest (being the sixth of the seven days of purification referred to in Acts 21:27); on the eighth, he stood before the Sanhedrin (Acts 22:30); on the ninth, the conspiracy was formed against him (Acts 23:12), and he left Jerusalem after dark; on the evening of the tenth day, he arrived in Caesarea (Acts 23:32); on the eleventh and twelfth days he awaited in custody the coming of his accusers; and now, after the expiration of the twelve days in question, being the fifth since the forming of the conspiracy against him, he is arraigned before Felix." (Walker)
this I confess to you - "But the apostle answers the charge of heresy with still greater effectiveness and embarrassment to his opponents. 'This I confess,' he says, 'that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets' (Ver. 14). His faith in Christ was not apostasy from the Old Testament Scriptures but obedience to them. They were the heretics for refusing to believe the Scriptures and for rejecting their own Messiah. Even the finished work of Christ, which Paul had been proclaiming, was no contradiction to the Old Testament but rather the culmination of its message and program. The doctrine of justification by faith in Christ alone did not make the law void; it established the law and offered the only basis upon which God could be just in justifying sinners (See Rom. 3:24-26,31) ... It should be observed that a few days previous, before the Sanhedrin, he had made an issue of the Sadducean denial of the resurrection and had exposed the disunity among Israel's rulers. He might have done this again before Felix but refrained, doubtless out of respect for his nation and for the testimony he and they could both give before Felix. Since the majority in the Sanhedrin and the vast majority of the Jews believed in the resurrection; since this was the traditional Hebrew faith and the teaching of their Scriptures, he could truthfully say: 'which they themselves also allow,' leaving them to face secretly the embarrassing fact that the heretics were to be found among them, his accusers, and at the same time leaving them speechless lest they expose before Felix the deep discord that prevailed among them. He believed the Old Testament Scriptures as to the resurrection, while some of them, even their chief priest, did not—and will they now charge him with heresy?" (Stam)
to bring alms - "The only mention in Acts of the collection Paul brought from the Gentiles to the poor in Jerusalem (cf. Rom. 15:25-28; 2 Cor. 8:13-14; 9:12-13)." (Ryrie)
some Jews from Asia - "They were not there as witnesses, Paul points out." (Ryrie)
for many years - "According to the Roman historian Tacitus, Felix had occupied an official position of much importance during the procuratorship of Cumanus, apparently administering Samaria, while Cumanus devoted his care to Galilee. Cumanus was procurator A.D. 48-52. Josephus does not mention Felix's office in Samaria, but merely relates how he succeeded Cumanus as procurator (A.D. 52). Supposing Paul's trial before Felix to have taken place in A.D. 57, we have a period of five years at least, and, on the testimony of Tacitus, one of eight or nine years, during which Felix was a judge in that part of the country. So long a continuance in office was unusual among Roman governors, etc." (Walker)
not more than twelve days - "Twelve days minus the five days in Caesarea (v. 1) meant that Paul was in Jerusalem only seven days, too short a time to instigate a riot." (Ryrie)
"And therefore the truth about such recent events would be easily ascertainable. Moreover, since this was at least the fifth day since Paul had left Jerusalem, it left an incredibly short time (only a week) for exciting the faction and insurrection of which he stood accused. The 'twelve days' are differently computed by different commentators. We may reckon them as follows. The first day saw the interview with James and the presbyters (Acts 21:18); the second witnessed Paul undertaking the vows in the temple (Acts 21:26); the third, fourth, fifth, and sixth days were occupied in connexion with those vows; the seventh was the day of his arrest (being the sixth of the seven days of purification referred to in Acts 21:27); on the eighth, he stood before the Sanhedrin (Acts 22:30); on the ninth, the conspiracy was formed against him (Acts 23:12), and he left Jerusalem after dark; on the evening of the tenth day, he arrived in Caesarea (Acts 23:32); on the eleventh and twelfth days he awaited in custody the coming of his accusers; and now, after the expiration of the twelve days in question, being the fifth since the forming of the conspiracy against him, he is arraigned before Felix." (Walker)
this I confess to you - "But the apostle answers the charge of heresy with still greater effectiveness and embarrassment to his opponents. 'This I confess,' he says, 'that after the way which they call heresy, so worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the law and in the prophets' (Ver. 14). His faith in Christ was not apostasy from the Old Testament Scriptures but obedience to them. They were the heretics for refusing to believe the Scriptures and for rejecting their own Messiah. Even the finished work of Christ, which Paul had been proclaiming, was no contradiction to the Old Testament but rather the culmination of its message and program. The doctrine of justification by faith in Christ alone did not make the law void; it established the law and offered the only basis upon which God could be just in justifying sinners (See Rom. 3:24-26,31) ... It should be observed that a few days previous, before the Sanhedrin, he had made an issue of the Sadducean denial of the resurrection and had exposed the disunity among Israel's rulers. He might have done this again before Felix but refrained, doubtless out of respect for his nation and for the testimony he and they could both give before Felix. Since the majority in the Sanhedrin and the vast majority of the Jews believed in the resurrection; since this was the traditional Hebrew faith and the teaching of their Scriptures, he could truthfully say: 'which they themselves also allow,' leaving them to face secretly the embarrassing fact that the heretics were to be found among them, his accusers, and at the same time leaving them speechless lest they expose before Felix the deep discord that prevailed among them. He believed the Old Testament Scriptures as to the resurrection, while some of them, even their chief priest, did not—and will they now charge him with heresy?" (Stam)
to bring alms - "The only mention in Acts of the collection Paul brought from the Gentiles to the poor in Jerusalem (cf. Rom. 15:25-28; 2 Cor. 8:13-14; 9:12-13)." (Ryrie)
some Jews from Asia - "They were not there as witnesses, Paul points out." (Ryrie)
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