Paul was now received in Jerusalem by the brethren with great joy, and
going, on the day after his arrival, to see James, now the principal
apostle resident in the Holy city, communicated to him and all the
elders a full account of all his various labors. Having heard his very
interesting communications, they were moved with gratitude to God for
this triumph of his grace; but knowing as they did, with what rumors
against Paul these events had been connected by common fame, they
desired to arrange his introduction to the temple in such a manner,
as would most effectually silence these prejudicial stories. The plan
proposed by them was, that he should, in the company of four Jews of
the Christian faith, who had a vow on them, go through with all the
usual forms of purification prescribed under such circumstances for a
Jew, on returning from the daily impurities to which he was exposed by
a residence among the Gentiles, to a participation in the holy services
of solemn worship in the temple. The apostles and elders, however, in
recommending this course, declared to him, that they believed that the
Gentiles ought not to be bound to the performance of the Jewish rituals,
but should be exempt from all restrictions, except such as had formerly
been decided on, by the council of Jerusalem. Paul, always devout
and exact in the observance of the institutions of his national
religion, followed their advice accordingly, and went on quietly and
unpretendingly in the regular performance of the prescribed ceremonies,
waiting for the termination of the seven days of purification, when the
offering should be made for himself, and one for each of his companions,
after which, they were all to be admitted of course, to the full honors
of Mosaic purity, and the religious privileges of conforming Jews.
But these ritual observances were not destined to save him from the
calamities to which the hatred of his enemies had devoted him. Near
the close of the seven days allotted by the Mosaic ritual for the
purification of a regenerated Israelite, some of the Asian Jews, who
had known Paul in his missionary journeys through their own country,
and who had come to Jerusalem, to attend the festival, seeing their
old enemy in the midst of the temple, against whose worship they had
understood him to have been preaching to the Gentiles,――instantly
raised a great outcry, and fell upon him, dragging him along, and
shouting to the multitude around, “Men of Israel! help! This is the man,
that every where teaches all men against the people, and the law, and
this place; and he has furthermore, brought Greeks into the temple, and
has polluted this holy place.” It seems they had seen Trophimus, one of
his Gentile companions from Ephesus, with him in the city, and imagined
also that Paul had brought him into the temple, within the sanctuary,
whose entrance was expressly forbidden to all Gentiles, who were never
allowed to pass beyond the outermost court. The sanctuary or court
of the Jews could not be crossed by an uncircumcised Gentile, and
the transgression of the holy limit was punished with death. Within
this holy court, the scene now described took place; and as the whole
sanctuary was then crowded with Jews, who had come from all parts
of the world to attend the festival in Jerusalem, the outcry raised
against Paul immediately drew thronging thousands around him. Hearing
the complaint that he was a renegade Jew, who, in other countries, had
used his utmost endeavors to throw contempt on his own nation, and to
bring their holy worship into disrepute, and yet had now the impudence
to show himself in the sanctuary, which he had thus blasphemed,――and
had, moreover, even profaned it by introducing into the sacred
precincts one of those Gentiles for whose company he had forsaken
the fellowship of Israel,――they all joined in the rush upon him, and
dragged him out of the temple, the gates of which were immediately shut
by the Levites on duty, lest in the riot that was expected to ensue,
the consecrated pavement should be polluted with the blood of the
renegade. Not only those in the temple, but also all those in the city,
were called out by the disturbance, and came running together to join
in the mob against the profaner of the sanctuary, and Paul now seemed
in a fair way to win the bloody crown of martyrdom.
The great noise made by the swarming multitudes who were gathering
around Paul, soon reached the ears of the Roman garrison in castle
Antonia, and the soldiers instantly hastened to tell the commanding
officer, that “the whole city was in an uproar.” The tribune, Claudius
Lysias, probably thinking of a rebellion against the Romans, instantly
ordered a detachment of several companies under arms, and hurried
down with them, in a few moments, to the scene of the riot. The mob
meanwhile were ♦diligently occupied in beating Paul; but as soon as
the military force made their way among the crowd, the rioters left off
beating him, and fell back. The tribune coming near, and seeing Paul
alone in the midst, who seemed to be the object and occasion of all the
disturbance, without hesitation seized him, and putting him in chains,
took him out of the throng. He then demanded what all this riot meant.
To his inquiry, the whole mob replied with various accounts; some
cried one thing and some another; and the tribune finding it utterly
impossible to learn from the rioters who he was or what he had done,
ordered him to be taken up to the castle. Castle Antonia stood at the
northwestern angle of the temple, close by one of the great entrances
to it, near which the riot seems to have taken place. To this, Paul
was now taken, and was borne by the surrounding soldiers, to keep off
the multitude, who were raging for his blood, like hungry wolves after
the prey snatched from their jaws,――and they all pressed after him,
shouting, “kill him!” In this way Paul was carried up the stairs which
led to the high entrance of the castle, which of course the soldiers
would not allow the multitude to mount; and when he had reached the
top of the stairs, he was therefore perfectly protected from their
violence, though perfectly well situated for speaking to them so as to
be distinctly seen and heard. As they were taking him up the stairs, he
begged the attention of the tribune, saying, “May I speak to thee?” The
tribune hearing this, in some surprise asked, “Canst thou speak Greek?
Art thou not that Egyptian that raised a sedition some time ago, and
led away into the wilderness a band of four thousand cut-throats?” This
alarming revolt had been but lately put down with great trouble, and
was therefore fresh in the mind of Lysias, who had been concerned in
quelling it, along with the whole Roman force in Palestine,――and from
some of the outcries of the mob, he now took up the notion that Paul
was the very ringleader of that revolt, and had now just returned from
his place of refuge to make new trouble, and had been detected by the
multitude in the temple. Paul answered the foolish accusation of the
tribune, by saying, “I am a Jewish citizen of Tarsus, in Cilicia, which
is no mean city; and I beg of thee, to let me speak to the people.” The
tribune, quite glad to have his unpleasant suspicions removed, as an
atonement for the unjust accusation immediately granted the permission
as requested, and Paul therefore turned to the raging multitude, waving
his hand in the usual gesture for requesting silence. The people,
curious to hear his account of himself, listened accordingly, and
he therefore uplifted his voice in a respectful request for their
attention to his plea in his own behalf. “Men! Brethren! and Fathers!
Hear ye my defence which I make to you!”
♦ “dilgently” replaced with “diligently”
Those words were spoken in the vernacular language of Palestine, the
true Hebraistic dialect of Jerusalem, and the multitude were thereby
immediately undeceived about his character, for they had been as much
mistaken about him, as the tribune was, though their mistake was of a
very opposite character; for they supposed him to be entirely Greek in
his habits and language, if not in his origin; and the vast concourse
was therefore hushed in profound silence, to hear his address made
in the true Jewish language. Before this strange audience, Paul then
stood up boldly, to declare his character, his views, and his apostolic
commission. On the top of the lofty rampart of Castle Antonia,――with
the dark iron forms of the Roman soldiery around him, guarding the
staircase from top to bottom, against the raging mob,――and with the
enormous mass of the congregated thousands of Jerusalem, and of the
strangers who had come up to the festival, all straining their fierce
eyes in wrath and hate upon him, as a convicted renegade,――one feeble,
slender man, now stood, the object of the most painful attention to
all,――yet, less moved with passion and anxiety than any one present.
Thus stationed, he began, and gave to the curious multitude an
interesting account of the incidents connected with that great change
in his feelings and belief, which was the occasion of the present
difficulty. After giving them a complete statement of these particulars,
he was narrating the circumstance of a revelation made to him in the
temple, while in a devotional trance there, on his first return to
Jerusalem, after his conversion. In repeating the solemn commission
there confirmed to him by the voice of God, he repeated the crowning
sentence, with which the Lord removed his doubts about engaging in the
work of preaching the gospel, when his hands were yet, as it were, red
with the blood of the martyred faithful,――“And he said to me, ‘Go: for
I will send thee far hence, unto the GENTILES.’” But when the listening
multitude heard this clear declaration of his having considered himself
authorized to communicate to the Gentiles those holy things which had
been especially consigned by God to his peculiar people,――they took it
as a clear confession of the charge of having desecrated and degraded
his national religion, and all interrupted him with the ferocious cry,
“Take him away from the earth! for such a fellow does not deserve to
live.” The tribune, finding that this discussion was not likely to
answer any good purpose, instantly put a stop to it, by dragging him
into the castle, and gave directions that he should be examined by
scourging, that they might make him confess truly who he was, and what
he had done to make the people cry out so against him,――a very foolish
way, it would seem, to find out the truth about an unknown and abused
person, to flog him until he should tell a story that would please
them. While the guard were binding him with thongs, before they laid
on the scourge, Paul spoke to the centurion, who was superintending
the operation, and said in a sententiously inquiring way, “Is it
lawful for you to scourge a Roman citizen without legal condemnation?”
This question put a stop to all proceedings at once. The centurion
immediately dropped the thongs, and ran to the tribune, saying, “Take
heed what thou doest, for this man is a Roman citizen.” The tribune
then came to Paul, in much trepidation, and with great solemnity
said――“Tell me truly, art thou a Roman citizen?” Paul distinctly
declared, “Yes.”
Desirous to learn the mode in which the prisoner had obtained this most
sacred and unimpeachable privilege, the tribune remarked of himself,
that _he_ had obtained this right by the payment of a large sum of
money,――perhaps doubting whether a man of Paul’s poor aspect could
have ever been able to buy it; to which Paul boldly replied――“But I
was BORN free.” This clear declaration satisfied the tribune that he
had involved himself in a very serious difficulty, by committing this
illegal violence on a person thus entitled to all the privileges of a
subject of law. All the subordinate agents also, were fully aware of
the nature of the mistake, and all immediately let him alone. Lysias
now kept Paul with great care in the castle, as a place of safety
from his Jewish persecutors; and the next day, in order to have a full
investigation of his character and the charges against him, he took him
before the Sanhedrim, for examination. Paul there opened his defence
in a very appropriate and self-vindicating style. “Men! Brethren! and
Fathers! I have heretofore lived before God with a good conscience.”
At these words, Ananias the high priest, provoked by Paul’s seeming
assurance in thus vindicating himself, when under the accusation of the
heads of the Jewish religion, commanded those that stood next to Paul
to slap him on the mouth. Paul, indignant at the high-handed tyranny
of this outrageous attack on him, answered in honest wrath――“God shall
smite thee, thou whited wall! For dost thou command me to be smitten
contrary to the law, when thou sittest as a judge over me?” The other
by-standers, enraged at his boldness, asked him, “Revilest thou God’s
high priest?” To which Paul, not having known the fact that Ananias
then held that office, which he had so disgraced by his infamous
conduct, replied――“I knew not, brethren, that he was the high priest;
for it is written, thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy
people.” Then, perceiving the mixed character of the council, he
determined to avail himself of the mutual hatred of the two great
sects, for his defense, by making his own persecution a kind of party
question; and therefore called out to them――“I am a Pharisee, the
son of a Pharisee. Of the hope of the resurrection of the dead, I am
called in question.” These words had the expected effect. Instantly,
all the violent party feeling between these two sects broke out in full
force, and the whole council was divided and confused,――the scribes who
belonged to the Pharisaic order, arising, and declaring, “We find no
occasion of evil in this man. But if a spirit or an angel has spoken
to him, let us not fight against God.” This last remark, of course,
was throwing down the gauntlet at the opposite sect; for the Sadducees,
denying absolutely the existence of either angel or spirit, could of
course believe no part of Paul’s story about his vision and spiritual
summons. They all therefore broke out against the Pharisees, who being
thus involved, took Paul’s side very determinedly, and the party strife
grew so hot that Paul was like to be torn in pieces between them. The
tribune, seeing the pass to which matters had come, then ordered out
the castle-guard, and took him by force, bringing him back to his
former place of safety.
“The reason why St. Paul chose to speak in the Hebrew tongue,
may be accounted for thus. There were at this time two sorts
of Jews, some called by Chrysostom οἱ βαθεις Ἑβραιοι, _profound
Hebrews_, who used no other language but the Hebrew, and would
not admit the Greek Bible into their assemblies, but only the
Hebrew, with the Jerusalem Targum and Paraphrase. The other
sort spoke Greek, and used that translation of the scriptures;
these were called Hellenists. This was a cause of great
dissension among these two parties, even after they had embraced
Christianity, (Acts vi. 1.) Of this latter sort was St. Paul,
because he always made use of the Greek translation of the
Bible in his writings, so that in this respect he might not be
acceptable to the other party. Those of them who were converted
to Christianity, were much prejudiced against him, (Acts xxi.
21,) which is given as a reason for his concealing his name
in his Epistle to the Hebrews. And as for those who were not
converted, they could not so much as endure him: and this is the
reason which Chrysostom gives, why he preached to the Hellenists
only. Acts ix. 28. Therefore, that he might avert the great
displeasure which the Jews had conceived against him, he
accosted them in their favorite language, and by his compliance
in this respect, they were so far pacified as to give him
audience.” (Hammond’s Annotations.) [Williams’s Pearson, p. 70.]
“Scourging was a method of examination used by Romans and other
nations, to force such as were supposed guilty to confess what
they had done, what were their motives, and who were accessory
to the fact. Thus Tacitus tells us of Herennius Gallus, that he
received several stripes, that it might be known for what price,
and with what confederates, he had betrayed the Roman army.
It is to be observed, however, that the Romans were punished
in this wise, not by whips and scourges, but with rods only;
and therefore it is that Cicero, in his oration pro Rabirio,
speaking against Labienus, tells his audience that the Porcian
law permitted a Roman to be whipped with rods, but he, like a
good and merciful man, (speaking ironically,) had done it with
scourges; and still further, neither by whips nor rods could
a citizen of Rome be punished, until he were first adjudged to
lose his privilege, to be uncitizened, and to be declared an
enemy to the commonwealth, then he might be scourged or put to
death. Cicero Oratio in Verres, says, ‘It is a foul fault for
any praetor, &c. to bind a citizen of Rome; a piacular offense
to scourge him; a kind of parricide to kill him: what shall I
call the crucifying of such an one?’” (Williams’s notes on
Pearson, pp. 70, 71.)
“Ananias, the son of Nebedaeus, was high priest at the time
that Helena, queen of Adiabene, supplied the Jews with corn
from Egypt, (Josephus Antiquities, lib. xx. c. 5. § 2,) during
the famine which took place in the fourth year of Claudius,
mentioned in the eleventh chapter of the Acts. St. Paul,
therefore, who took a journey to Jerusalem at that period, (Acts
xv.) could not have been ignorant of the elevation of Ananias
to that dignity. Soon after the holding of the first council,
as it is called, at Jerusalem, Ananias was dispossessed of his
office, in consequence of certain acts of violence between the
Samaritans and the Jews, and sent prisoner to Rome, (Josephus,
Antiquities, lib. xx. c. 6. § 2,) whence he was afterwards
released and returned to Jerusalem. Now from that period he
could not be called high priest, in the proper sense of the word,
though Josephus (Antiquities, lib. xx. c. 9. § 2, and Jewish
War lib. ii. c. 17. § 9,) has sometimes given him the title
of αρχιερευς, taken in the more extensive meaning of a priest,
who had a seat and voice in the Sanhedrim; αρχιερεις in the
plural number is frequently used in the New Testament, when
allusion is made to the Sanhedrim;) and Jonathan, though we
are not acquainted with the circumstances of his elevation, had
been raised, in the mean time, to the supreme dignity in the
Jewish church. Between the death of Jonathan, who was murdered
(Josephus Antiquities of the Jews lib. xx. c. 8. § 5,) by order
of Felix, and the high priesthood of Ismael, who was invested
with that office by Agrippa, (Josephus Antiquities lib. xx.
c. 8. § 3,) elapsed an interval in which this dignity continued
vacant. Now it happened precisely in this interval, that St.
Paul was apprehended at Jerusalem; and, the Sanhedrim being
destitute of a president, he undertook of his own authority the
discharge of that office, which he executed with the greatest
tyranny. (Josephus Antiquities lib. xx. c. 9. § 2.) It is
possible therefore that St. Paul, who had been only a few days
at Jerusalem, might be ignorant that Ananias, who had been
dispossessed of the priesthood, had taken upon himself a trust
to which he was not entitled. He might therefore very naturally
exclaim, ‘I wist not, brethren, that he was the high priest!’
Admitting him on the other hand to have been acquainted with the
fact, the expression must be considered as an indirect reproof,
and a tacit refusal to recognize usurped authority.” (Michaelis,
Vol. I. pp. 51, 56.)
“The prediction of St. Paul, verse 3, ‘God shall smite thee,
thou whited wall,’ was, according to Josephus, fulfilled in
a short time. For when, in the government of Florus, his son
Eleazar set himself at the head of a party of mutineers, who,
having made themselves masters of the temple, would permit
no sacrifices to be offered for the emperor; and being joined
by a company of assassins, compelled persons of the best
quality to fly for their safety and hide themselves in sinks
and vaults;――Ananias and his brother Hezekias, were both drawn
out of one of these places, and murdered, (Josephus Jewish War
lib. ii. c. 17, 18,) though Dr. Lightfoot will have it that he
perished at the siege of Jerusalem!” (Whitby’s Annotations.)
[Williams on Pearson.]
During that night, the soul of Paul was comforted by a heavenly
vision, in which the Lord exhorted him to maintain the same high
spirit,――assuring him that as he had testified of him in Jerusalem,
even so he should bear witness in Rome. His dangers in Jerusalem,
however, were not yet over. The furious Jews, now cut off from all
possibility of doing any violence to Paul, under the sanction of legal
forms, determined to set all moderation aside, and forty of the most
desperate bound themselves by a solemn oath, neither to eat nor drink,
till they had slain Paul. In the arrangement of the mode in which their
abominable vow should be performed, it was settled between them and the
high-priest, that a request should be sent to the tribune to bring down
Paul before the council once more, as if for the sake of putting some
additional inquiries to him for their final and perfect satisfaction;
and then, that these desperadoes should station themselves, where they
could make a rush upon Paul, just as he was entering the council-hall,
and kill him before the guard could bestir themselves in his defense,
or seize the murderers; and even if some of them should be caught and
punished, it never need be known, that the high priest was accessory to
the assassination. But while they were arranging this hopeful piece of
wickedness, they did not manage it so snugly as was necessary for the
success of the plot; for it somehow or other got to the ears of Paul’s
nephew,――a young man no where else mentioned in the New Testament,
and of whose character and situation, nothing whatever is known. He,
hearing of the plot, came instantly to his uncle, who sent him to
communicate the tidings to the tribune. Lysias, on receiving this
account of the utterly desperate character of the opposition to Paul,
determined not to risk his prisoner’s life any longer in Jerusalem,
even when guarded by the powerful defenses of castle Antonia. He
dismissed the young man with the strongest injunctions, to observe
the most profound secrecy, as to the fact of his having made this
communication to him; and immediately made preparations to send off
Paul, that very night, to Caesarea, designing to have him left there
with the governor of the province, as a prisoner of state, and thus
to rid himself of all responsibility about this very difficult and
perilous business. He ordered two centurions to draw out a detachment,
of such very remarkable strength, as shows the excess of his fears
for Paul. Two hundred heavy-armed soldiers, seventy horsemen, and
two hundred lancers, were detached as a guard for Paul, and were
all mounted for speed, to take him beyond the reach of the Jerusalem
desperadoes, that very night. He gave to that portion of the detachment
that was designed to go all the way to Caesarea, a letter to be
delivered to Felix the governor, giving a fair and faithful account of
all the circumstances connected with Paul’s imprisonment and perils in
Jerusalem.