Acts 23
(Acts 23:1, ESV Bible)
Polos Second Defense: Before the Sanhedrin
Claudius Lysias, the Roman trune, realized that Paul was not a criminal, and the charges against him fell under the jurisdiction of Jewish law. He decided to convene the Sanhedrin and bring the prisoner before those legislators to see if they could clarify the situation. Paul found himself escorted to the hall in which the Sanhedrin convened its assembly. Seventy legislators awaited his arrival. Claudius Lysias came along as an observer.
In the years since Paul had served among the esteemed judges of the court, many old faces had disappeared, and many new faces filled the ranks. He stared into the eyes of men who sat in the rows where he himself had once sat. He recognized a few of his old colleagues among the Pharisees. He felt that he could rely on support from Rabbi Yochanan ben Zakkai, a friend of the Nicodemus family, and Shimon ben Gamliel, the son of his old teacher, now serving as president of the court.
When given an opportunity to speak, Paul opened his defense, saying, "Brethren, I have lived my life with a perfectly good conscience before God up to this day." This sounds vague enough to describe any godly, conscientious individual, but Paul was speaking as a Jew in a Jewish context. A Jewish man's duty to God consists of the Torah and the commandments. Paul's opening declaration means, "I have remained Torah-observant to this very day."
The Greek verb politevomai (πολιτεύομαι) means "to live as a citizen." In Jewish literature, the Greek verb is used specifically to refer to Torah observance. For example, Josephus uses the word to mean living according to the Torah, and he even applies the same verb to himself: “I began to conduct myself (politeuomai) according to the rules of the sect of the Pharisees" (Josephus, Life 1:12/1.2). The same verb appears frequently in the books of Maccabees where it means "to live after the Torah of God." Although Paul was not using Greek when addressing the Sanhedrin, Luke chose this verb with its connotation of devoted observance of the Torah to convey the sense of Paul's opening declaration.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
(Acts 23:2, ESV Bible)
A Whitewashed Wall
Ananias son of Nebedeus instructed the bailey standing next to Paul to strike him on the mouth. The man complied immediately. After the recent assassination of Jonathan the high priest, Ananias had apparently seized the vacant position -at least until King Agrippa 11 could come to Jerusalem and announce his new appointment. The Talmud remembers Ananias with contempt. He was enormously wealthy and, apparently, enormous. The Talmud preserves a satirical lampoon of his voracious and gluttonous appetite (b.Pesachim 57a).
Ananias "was a great hoarder of money," but he spent generously on bribes. He also sent his servants to the threshing floors and took away the tithes by force. If any man would not turn over the tithe, the servants of Ananias beat him. The other elite priestly families adopted the same practice. As the wealthy Sadducean aristocrats competed with one another in the race to seize the tithes, the common priests who depended on the tithe to feed their families suffered from want.
The blow to the face caught Paul by surprise. During his years on the Sanhedrin, such a breach of court rules would never have been tolerated. Paul turned the other cheek, but he also spit out a quick imprecation: "God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to try me according to the Torah and, in violation of the Torah, order me to be struck?" Rabbinic law forbids striking a man on trial.
The "whitewashed wall" comment reminds us of the Master's criticism of religious hypocrisy (Matthew 23:27). Ezekiel used the same metaphor (Ezekiel 13:10-16). A plastered wall appears to be something more than it really is.
Those standing near Paul rebuked him. They rhetorically asked, "Do you revile God's high priest?"
The high priest wore no special vestments when off duty from Temple service, and with the recent, rapid changes in the priesthood, Paul had no way of knowing that Ananias had taken back the office. In those days the priesthood changed hands so frequently that high priests rarely served more than a few years-or months (b. Yoma 9a).
Paul quickly apologized and explained, "I was not aware, brethren, that he was high priest; for it is written [in Exodus 22:28], 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people" (Acts 23:5). Nevertheless Paul's imprecation against Ananias struck home. When the Jewish Revolt began, the Roman-collaborating Sadducean priesthood fell quickly to the Zealots. Ananias-the whitewashed wall-tried to hide himself in an aqueduct. The Zealots discovered him and slew him along with his brother (Josephus, Jewish War 2:441).
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
(Acts 23:6, ESV Bible)
Son of Parush
Paul presented his testimony before the court. Luke omits the address but later indicates that Paul "solemnly witnessed to [the Master's] cause at Jerusalem" (Acts 23:11). The reaction of the Pharisees implies that the court heard him relate his experience on the road to Damascus and his subsequent adventures (Acts 23:I1).
Paul knew that he could not expect any justice from the Sadducees, but he hoped his old colleagues among the Pharisees might come to his assistance. All of Yeshua's disciples followed Pharisaic doctrine, but not all of them could claim to actually be Pharisees. Paul concluded his testimony with the declaration, "Brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees; I am on trial for the hope and resurrection of the dead!" (Acts 23:6).
The statement was true. His allegiance to the risen Messiah and his hope of resurrection, even for Gentiles, had brought him before the court. Paul knew his audience. The old rivalries immediately reignited, and the Pharisees came flocking to his defense. His old colleagues, perhaps even Shim'on ben Gamliel, leapt up to take his side.
Paul used the present tense, "I am a Pharisee," not "I was a Pharisee." Did Paul perjure himself before the Sanhedrin (a grave sin) by saying, "I am a Pharisee" instead of saying, "I was a Pharisee"? If he was no longer a Pharisee at the time of the trial, his testimony would be easy enough to discredit. Jews present from the provinces of Asia where Paul had been teaching and ministering for the last several years could have testified regarding his manner of life. If he had not lived as a strictly observant Jew in keeping with the Pharisaic custom, his prosecutors needed only to introduce testimony proving that he was no longer a Pharisee. None did. No one could object.
The Pharisees and the Sadducees disagreed on almost everything, but the question of the resurrection uniquely expressed their quarrel. The Pharisees believed in the existence of an undying soul, reward and punishment in the hereafter, and the resurrection of the dead. The Sadducees ... take away the belief of the immortal duration of the soul, and the punishments and rewards in Hades" (Josephus, Jewish War 2:164-165/viii.14). Luke summarizes the two sects when he says: "For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor an angel, nor a spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all" (Acts 23:8).
Scholars of the Pharisaic party stood up and began to argue heatedly in defense of Paul. They declared, "We find nothing wrong with this man; suppose a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" They considered it possible that Yeshua of Nazareth had communicated with Paul from heaven.
The Pharisees strictly defended courtroom procedures and the Torah's justice system. From their perspective, Paul had committed no crime. No witnesses testified against him, and he had not broken the Torah's laws. Even if the Pharisees did not believe in Yeshua or care for His disciples, they had no basis for prosecuting Paul.
Some of the Pharisees, such as Yochanan ben Zakkai, had messianic sympathies. Shim'on ben Gamliel was probably inclined to support his old classmate as well. He was probably inclined to support the case precedent established by his father: "Stay away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or action is of men, it will be overthrown; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them; or else you may even be found fighting against God" (Acts 5:38-39).
As the Pharisees rose to defend Paul, the Sadducees returned a volley of incriminations and insults. The assembly erupted into "a great uproar" and "great dissension." Meanwhile, the dismayed tribune and a few of his soldiers watched from the sidelines as chaos swept away all pretenses of formal, legal proceedings. Claudius Lysias began to fear that "Paul would be torn to pieces by them." He ordered his soldiers to wade into the fray and extricate the prisoner. The soldiers drew their swords and used their shields to shove their way into the confusion. They pushed aside sages and priests and sent men sprawling. Then they led Paul out under the protection of their shields and returned him to the Fortress Antonia. Ananias, meanwhile, burned with rage over the affront to his dignity.
The next night, as Paul waited in a minimum-security cell in the Fortress Antonia, the Master appeared to him. "Take courage; for as you have solemnly witnessed to My cause at Jerusalem, so you must witness at Rome also," He said. Paul realized that his prayers to take the gospel to Rome were to be answered after all-though not as he had imagined. He must go to Rome as a prisoner and testify in the name of Yeshua before the highest court in the world, the court of Caesar.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
(Acts 23:12-13, ESV Bible)
Forty Zealots
Paul's enemies knew that an acquittal was certain. Without the support of the Pharisees, they could not convict the apostle. They elected to attempt a more nefarious approach.
Some manuscripts say, "The next morning the Jews formed a conspiracy"-as if all Jews were part of the conspiracy to kill Paul. The Western Text preserves what is probably the more authentic version, "Some of the Jews formed a conspiracy." Acts 23:13 indicates only forty Jews participated in the plot.
Who were the forty men? They were not the Sadducean aristocrats. They certainly were not the Pharisees. They took a reckless oath "that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul," and then they planned an ambush and assassination. That type of murderous fanaticism describes the Sicarii Zealots.
The Sicarii terrorists were already at war with Rome, and the Roman procurator Felix was at war with them. "As to the number of revolutionaries (and those he caught among them) that he crucified, they were a multitude not to be numbered" (Josephus, Jewish War 2:249). The loaded crosses stood at every intersection and outside all the city gates.
The men swore a vow not to eat or drink until Paul was dead. The Mishnah preserves the wording they would have employed: "Korban be food and drink to me until Saul of Tarsus is dead!" Circumstantial evidence points to Ananias son of Nebedeus, the high priest, as the instigator. The "whitewashed wall" wanted Paul dead. As a Sadducee, he hated the disciples of Yeshua, but this one had publicly insulted him.
Ananias was not a Zealot. His politics firmly advocated appeasing Rome, but he was not above using the anti-Roman Zealots to carry out his designs. He had the Sicari to thank for the assassination of his rival, Jonathan son of Annas. If not for their crooked daggers, Ananias would not be enjoying the high priesthood.
A well-placed bribe could buy their cooperation. After all, Claudius Lysias used force to remove Paul (a Roman citizen!) from the crowd in the Temple and also from the halls of the Sanhedrin. There could be only one answer. The Romans needed to learn to stay out of Jewish affairs. Jews like Paul needed to learn that the Romans could not protect them. The Sicari could say, "God will be with us. Our own high priests have appealed to us for help in this matter."
They said to Ananias, "We have bound ourselves under a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul." They told Ananias to request a second interview with Paul, as if the Sanhedrin wanted to question him further. They said, "We for our part are ready to slay him before he comes near the place."
The bold plan required a daylight ambush. Forty men planned to conceal themselves along the street. When they saw Paul and his escort of Roman troops approaching, they would leap out and dispatch Sicarii justice.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
(Acts 23:16, ESV Bible)
The Plot Leaks
Too many men were involved in the conspiracy to keep the plan secret. Paul's nephew--the son of his sister-happened to hear about the plot.
Paul's sister probably married a Pharisee and raised her family in Jerusalem. Like Paul, she would have been a Roman citizen. Luke does not indicate whether or not she was a disciple. Her young son had some type of contact with the radical Zealot movement. Through those contacts, he heard about the plot to assassinate his uncle.
He plucked up his courage and went to the Fortress Antonia. He asked for permission to see his uncle.
Paul could receive guests. The tribune had not placed him in any kind of solitary confinement. No charges had yet been leveled against him. His incarceration was as much for his own protection as anything else while the tribune tried to determine what to do with him.
Paul's nephew seems to have been a teenager at the time. His decision to reveal the conspiracy placed him in significant danger. If the Zealots found out that he had betrayed their plans and gone to Paul and the Romans, they might have killed him.
Paul told the centurion, "Lead this young man to the commander, for he has something to report to him." The centurion complied and brought the young man to the tribune. He indicated that the Jew had some confidential message for him. Claudius Lysias took the young man by the hand, perhaps as a gesture of reassurance, led him inside his office, closed the door, and asked him, "What is it that you have to report to me?" Paul's nephew knew Greek. He explained the conspiracy. He explained that the chief priests would ask to see Paul in the Sanhedrin the next day. They would pretend that they wanted to inquire more thoroughly into his case. Forty men under a fanatical vow would be lying in wait. Paul would be killed along with the soldiers escorting him. The tribune realized that the young man had placed himself in danger. He warned him, "Tell no one that you have notified me of these things."
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
(Acts 23:23-24, ESV Bible)
An Armed Escort
Claudius Lysias decided to get Paul out of Jerusalem. He wanted to get Paul off his hands as quickly as possible. "He called two of his centurions and ordered them, 'Get ready your soldiers under arms to go to Caesarea, a hundred horsemen and two hundred light-armed troops. And they said, "They are ready.” And he ordered the centurions also to provide mounts that they might set Paul on them and bring him safely by night to Caesarea, to Felix the governor. For he was afraid that the Jews might seize and kill him, and that he himself should be blamed meanwhile for having taken bribes" (Acts 23:23, Western Text). The numbers seem excessive for a single prisoner transfer, but Claudius Lysias knew that forty Sicarii under a suicide oath could easily muster larger forces. The road between Jerusalem and Caesarea offered advantageous points for ambush.
They set out in the third hour of the night, that is, sometime after 9:00 PM. Paul had to leave in such haste and secrecy that he left his disciples behind in Jerusalem. As his escort passed through the city gates, Paul realized he might never see the holy city again. He never did.
Claudius Lysias composed an epistle to Felix explaining the unusual situation (Acts 23:25-30). It follows the conventions of a typical, first-century Greco-Roman letter, which lists the sender's name first, then the name of the recipient with a salutation followed by the main body. Luke must have had access to the letter and transcribed its contents. Festus probably sent the correspondence to Rome along with Paul and any other legal paperwork he could find pertaining to his case.
The tribune's letter did not report the story exactly as it happened. He said "the Jews" arrested Paul. In reality, a mob attacked him. Claudius Lysias claimed that he rescued Paul because he had learned that he was a Roman citizen. In reality, he found out about Paul's citizenship only after manhandling him and preparing to flog him. He told Felix the results of the inquiry before the Sanhedrin: "I found him to be accused over questions about their Law, but under no accusation deserving death or imprisonment."
Finally, he told Felix about the plot, the transfer, and that he should expect the prosecutors to arrive in Caesarea soon.
The next morning, forty hungry and thirsty Zealots discovered that the Romans had transferred Paul out of Jerusalem. By then, he was already thirty-five miles away. The cavalry officers brought Paul the rest of the distance to Caesarea. The forty Zealots failed, but they were doomed to die of starvation and dehydration unless they could find a cooperative rabbinical court with the authority to annul their vow.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
King Agrippas and His Sisters
Claudius appointed Felix over Judea in 52 CE. At the same time, he awarded King Agrippa II with control over some of the territory previously held by his father. In addition to his new kingdom, King Agrippa 11 also had family business to oversee. His younger sisters, Drusilla and Mariamne, were still in Rome. They had completed their educations, and they were in their teens and ready for marriage. He brought them with him to his new capital at Caesarea Philippi. Queen Bernice (no longer queen of Chalcis) joined her siblings at the palace in Caesarea Philippi as well. The four children of King Agrippa discussed their future plans.
The marriage of Mariamne presented no difficulty. Long before his death, King Agrippa had betrothed his daughter Mariamne to marry Archelaus, the son of his military commander. The wedding took place without delay.
Drusilla's situation was not so easily resolved. At the age of three, her father had betrothed her to a Gentile boy named Epiphanes, the son of King Agrippa's friend Antiochus of Commagene. The marriage was to take place only on the condition that the boy underwent circumcision and became Jewish. As it turned out, when the prince came of age, he declined the offer. That left Drusilla unspoken for. Her brother began to look for possible matches. The husband had to be royalty, and he had to be Jewish.
King Agrippa's daughters were all famous beauties, but young Drusilla outshone the older two: "She did indeed exceed all other women in beauty" (Josephus, Antiquities 20:142). The attention she drew drove Bernice to envy and jealousy. She resented sharing the public's admiration with her younger sister. She mistreated her and encouraged their brother to find a match for her as quickly as possible. Azizus, the Gentile king of Emesa (modern Homs), agreed to become Jewish. He underwent circumcision and conversion and married the girl. His kingdom was on the Orontes River north of Damascus. The teenage girl became Queen Drusilla of Emesa.
This left only Bernice unmarried. Twice married already, twice widowed, and the mother of two children, Bernice was in no hurry to find a new husband, and she would not settle for a commoner. A queen should marry a king. Bernice enjoyed life in the palace at Caesarea Philippi, and she conducted herself as if she were Agrippa's wife and not just his sister. Some years later, that conduct led to ugly gossip and scandalous rumors about the nature of their relationship.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.
Felix and Drusilla
Felix conducted himself as a typical Roman lord, which is to say, sophisticated, wicked, and licentious. Shortly after he took over as procurator of Judea, he had the privilege of welcoming King Azizus and Queen Drusilla to Judea when they came to attend one of the Jewish festivals in Jerusalem. Deeply smitten, he resolved to have her for himself.
How does one go about stealing a queen? He decided to use magic. Technically, Roman law forbade the use of spell-casting and sorcery, but many Roman aristocrats secretly engaged in the black arts. According to Josephus, Felix employed the services of a Jewish sorcerer from Cyprus to assist him (Josephus Antiquities 20:142-143/vii.2). Most versions of Antiquities report the sorcerer's name as Simon. Some textual variants seem to identify him with the Jewish sorcerer Bar Yeshua (Acts 13:8). It's possible that Felix's friend Simon was Simon bar Yeshua, whom Paul had already renamed as bar Satan, "son of the devil" (Acts 13:10).
Felix paid the sorcerer to employ all of his skills to convince Drusilla to leave her husband. Through a combination of potions, coercion, and promises, he tried to persuade her to abandon King Azizus. Josephus says, "She acted badly," meaning she consented to engage in an affair with Felix. The matter went public, and her marriage failed. No longer Queen of Emesa, she was just Drusilla again. Rather than return to the custody of her older sister, Drusilla shocked the Jewish world and married the uncircumcised pagan idolator, Marcus Antonius Felix.
The Jews already disliked Felix, but they reviled him when he married their princess. The scandal dealt a blow to the pride of the entire nation. No one could have imagined the daughter of King Agrippa, the beautiful Hasmonean princess Drusilla, married to the reprehensible Felix. Not only was Felix a Roman, he was the lowest sort of Roman -a freedman slave.
The high priest Jonathan must have expressed his great displeasure about the affair with Drusilla. He might have attempted to block the marriage. If so, those attempts at saving the national dignity cost him his life. As explained In the previous lesson, Felix resented the high priest's meddling, and he arranged for his assassination.
References
This lesson is adapted from Daniel Lancaster's teachings in The Sent Ones, as presented by First Fruits of Zion for the Torah Club.