Acts 22:1

22:1-11 The apostle addressed the enraged multitude, in the customary style of respect and good-will. Paul relates the history of his early life very particularly; he notices that his conversion was wholly the act of God. Condemned sinners are struck blind by the power of darkness, and it is a lasting blindness, like that of the unbelieving Jews. Convinced sinners are struck blind as Paul was, not by darkness, but by light. They are for a time brought to be at a loss within themselves, but it is in order to their being enlightened. A simple relation of the Lord's dealings with us, in bringing us, from opposing, to profess and promote his gospel, when delivered in a right spirit and manner, will sometimes make more impression that laboured speeches, even though it amounts not to the full proof of the truth, such as was shown in the change wrought in the apostle.

Acts 22:1-2 . Men, brethren, and fathers — Of whatsoever age, rank, or circumstance of life you are; hear ye my defence — Which ye could not hear before for the tumult. And when they heard that he spake in their vulgar tongue, then called the Hebrew dialect, they kept the more silence — Were the more disposed, numerous as the assembly was, to hearken to him attentively.

Acts 22:1 . Πατέρες , Fathers ) There were present high priests and elders.— νυνὶ , now ) Heretofore they had not heard him by reason of the tumult. His defence looks back to ch. Acts 21:28 ; for as there, so also here, mention is made of the person of Paul, Acts 22:3 ; of the people and of the law, Acts 22:3 ; Acts 22:5 ; Acts 22:12 ; of the temple, Acts 22:17 ; of the teaching of all men, Acts 22:15-17 ; Acts 22:21 ; and of the truth of the doctrine taught, Acts 22:6 , etc. Moreover he handles these topics with much energy, as his time was limited.

CHAPTER 22 Ac 22:1-30. Paul's Defense from the Stairs of the Fortress—The Rage of the Audience Bursting Forth, the Commandant Has Him Brought into the Fort to Be Examined by Scourging, but Learning that He Is a Roman, He Orders His Release and Commands the Samhedrim to Try Him.Acts 22:1-21 Paul declareth at large the manner of his conversionand call to the apostleship.Acts 22:22-24 At the very mentioning of the Gentiles the peopleexclaim furiously against him: whereupon the chiefcaptain ordereth to examine him by scourging,Acts 22:25-29 which he avoideth by pleading the privilege of aRoman citizen.Acts 22:30 He is brought before the Jewish council. Although they were wicked men, and cruel persecutors, St. Paul giveth them their titles of respect, which by the places God had put them in, are due unto them: See Poole on "Acts 7:2".

Verse 1. - Brethren for men, brethren , A.V. ( Acts 7:2 , note); the for my, A.V.; now make for make now , A.V. The defense ; ἀπολογία This is the technical word in classical Greek for a defense in answer to an accusation. Thus e.g. the oration of Gorgias entitled, Υπὲρ Παλαμήδους ἀπολογία, begins, Ἡ μὲν κατηγορία καὶ ἡ ἀπολογία κρίσις οὐ περὶ θανάτου γίγνεται . And Demosthenes opposes κατηγρσεῖν to accuse, to ἀπολογεῖσθαι , to make one's defense. And an ἀπολογία δικαία καὶ ἁπλῆ is to prove that τὰ κατηγορημένα , "the things of which the person is accused," were never done. But it is probably from St. Paul's use of the word here that it became common to call the defenses of the Christian religion by the term ἀπολογία . Thus we have the 'Apologies' of Justin Martyr, of Tertullian, of Minutius Felix, among the ancients; me 'Apologia Ecclesiae Anglicanae,' by Bishop Jewel, and many others. Acts 22:1

Acts 22:1-21 . St Paul’s Defence 1 . Men, brethren, and fathers ] The Greek is amply rendered (with Rev. Ver. ) by “ Brethren and fathers .” See note on Acts 1:16 . hear ye my defence which I make now unto you ] The Rev. Ver. substitutes the for my and puts now before make . There seems nothing gained by either change, the former of which leaves a pronoun which is in the original without anything to represent it. The A. V. does represent it, though not exactly after the manner of the Greek construction.

Acts 22:1-3 . Ἀδελφοὶ κ . πατέρες ] quite a national address; comp. on Acts 7:2 . Even Sanhedrists were not wanting in the hostile crowd; at least the speaker presupposes their presence. ἀκούσατε κ . τ . λ .] hear from me my present defence to you . As to the double genitive with ἀκούειν , comp. on John 12:46 . After Acts 22:1 , a pause . ἐγὼ μέν ] Luke has not at the very outset settled the logical arrangement of the sentence, and therefore mistakes the correct position of the μέν , which was appropriate only after γεγενν . Similar examples of the deranged position of μέν and δέ often occur in the classics. See Bäumlein, Partik . p. 168; Winer, p. 520 [E. T. 700]. ἀνατεθραμμένος … νόμου ] Whether the comma is to be placed after ταύτῃ (Alberti, Wolf, Griesbach, Heinrichs, Kuinoel, Lachmann, Tischendorf, de Wette) or after Γαμαλιήλ (Calvin, Beza, Castalio, and most of the older commentators, Bornemann), is—seeing that the meaning and the progression of the speech are the same with either construction—to be decided simply by the external structure of the discourse, according to which a new element is always introduced by the prefixing of a nominative participle: γεγεννημένος , ἀνατεθραμμένος , πεπαιδευμένος : born at Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city (Jerusalem) at the feet of Gamaliel (see on Acts 5:34 ), instructed according to the strictness of the ancestral law .

The latter after the general ἀνατεθραμμ . κ . τ . λ . brings into relief a special point, and therefore it is not to he affirmed that παρὰ τ . πόδ . Γαμ . suits only πεπαιδ . (de Wette). παρὰ τοὺς πόδας ] a respectful expression ( τὴν πολλὴν πρὸς τὸν ἄνδρα αἰδῶ δεικνύς , Chrysostom), to be explained from the Jewish custom of scholars sitting partly on the floor, partly on benches at the feet of their teacher, who sat more elevated on a chair (Schoettg. in loc .; Bornemann, Schol. in Luc . p. 179). The tradition that, until the death of Gamaliel, the scholars listened in a standing posture to their teachers (Vitringa, Synag . p. 166 f. Wagenseil, ad Sota , p. 993), even if it were the case (but see on Luke 2:46 ), cannot be urged against this view, as even the standing scholar may be conceived as being at the feet of his teacher sitting on the elevated cathedra ( Matthew 23:2 ; Vitringa, l.c . p. 165 f). κατὰ ἀκρίβ . τοῦ πατρῴου νόμου ] i.e. in accordance with the strictness contained in (living and ruling in) the ancestral law . The genitive depends on ἀκρίβ . Erasmus, Castalio, and others connect it with πεπαιδ ., held to be used substantively (Hermann, ad Viger . p. 777): carefully instructed in the ancestral law . Much too tame, as careful legal instruction is after ἀνατεθρ .… παρὰ τ . πόδ . Γαμαλ . understood of itself, and therefore the progress of the speech requires special climactic force . The πατρῷος νόμος is the law received from the fathers [134] (comp.

XXII. (1) Men, brethren, and fathers.—The apparently triple division is really only two-fold—Brethren and fathers. (See Note on Acts 7:2.) It is noticeable that he begins his speech with the self-same formula as Stephen. It was, perhaps, the received formula in addressing an assembly which included the scribes and elders.