Acts 22
- Who wrote it
- Traditionally Luke, a doctor and companion of Paul
- Who it was for
- Theophilus and other followers of Jesus
- What was happening
- Paul's defense to the crowd on the temple steps, and his Roman citizenship
What’s happening
Paul, standing on the steps of the barracks, addresses the crowd in Hebrew: "Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you." Hearing him speak in their own language, they become even more quiet. He says, "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are this day." He tells how he persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women, as the high priest and all the council of elders can testify, and from them received letters to the brothers in Damascus. About noon, as he travels and draws near to Damascus, a great light from heaven shines around him. He falls to the ground and hears a voice saying, "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" "Who are you, Lord?" "I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute." Those with him see the light but do not hear the voice of the one speaking. "What shall I do, Lord?" The Lord says, "Arise, and go into Damascus. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do." Unable to see for the glory of that light, he is led by the hand into Damascus. There Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well spoken of by all the Jews who live there, comes to him, stands by him, and says, "Brother Saul, receive your sight!" In that very hour he looks up at him. Ananias says, "The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth. For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard. Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." Paul tells how, when he returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, he fell into a trance and saw the Lord saying to him, "Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive testimony about me from you." He had answered, "Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you. When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him." But the Lord said, "Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles." They listen to him until he says this, and then they lift up their voice: "Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn't fit to live!" As they shout, throw off their cloaks, and throw dust into the air, the commanding officer orders him brought into the barracks, and commands that he be examined by scourging, that he may know why they shout against him so. As they tie him up with thongs, Paul says to the centurion who stands by, "Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?" When the centurion hears it, he goes to the commanding officer and tells him: "Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!" The commanding officer comes and asks Paul, "Tell me, are you a Roman?" "Yes." The commanding officer answers, "I bought this citizenship for a great price." Paul says, "But I was born a Roman." Immediately those who are about to examine him withdraw, and the commanding officer is also afraid when he realizes that Paul is a Roman and that he has bound him. On the next day, desiring to know the truth about why he is accused by the Jews, he releases him from the bonds and commands the chief priests and all the council to come together, and brings Paul down and sets him before them.
Why the setting matters
This is the second of Luke's three accounts of Paul's conversion (9:1-19 and 26:9-18), and each is adapted to its audience: here, to a Jewish crowd, Paul stresses his Jewish credentials, his zeal, and Ananias as a law-abiding Jew, and he does not mention the Gentile commission until the end. That the crowd listened until he said "Gentiles" shows what the real offense was. "At the feet of Gamaliel" is the posture of a student; Gamaliel was one of the most respected teachers of the time. Paul speaks in "the Hebrew language," probably Aramaic, the common speech of Judea. In 22:9 the companions "saw the light but did not hear the voice," while 9:7 says they heard the voice but saw no one; the discrepancy is often explained by the Greek word for "hear," which can mean to understand, but is debated. Roman citizenship could be inherited or purchased; citizens could not be scourged without trial and had the right to appeal. Paul keeps the card until the last moment, as at Philippi (16:37). The tribune's comment that he "bought" citizenship suggests it could be gained by bribery under Claudius, and Paul's reply, "I was born a citizen," shows that his family had held it for at least a generation. "Wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord" is the only place in Acts where baptism is spoken of as washing away sins, alongside 2:38.
Who’s in this chapter
Paul
Gives his testimony in Hebrew, and declares his citizenship.
The crowd in Jerusalem
Listen until he says Gentiles, then shout for his death.
Ananias of Damascus
Described as a devout, law-keeping man.
The centurion
Warns the tribune that Paul is a Roman.
The tribune
Bought his citizenship; is afraid when he learns Paul was born a citizen.
Stephen
Remembered by Paul as "your witness."
Gamaliel
Paul's teacher.
Talk it through
- Paul tells his story to people who want him dead. Why does he begin with his Jewish credentials?
- The crowd listens until he says "Gentiles." What does that tell you about what was really at stake?
- Paul reveals his citizenship just as the whips are ready. Why wait?
- Ananias is described as a respected, law-keeping Jew. What does Paul want his hearers to see through him?
Read Acts 22
World English Bible
1“Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you.”
2When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet. He said, 3“I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, instructed according to the strict tradition of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God, even as you all are today. 4I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. 5As also the high priest and all the council of the elders testify, from whom also I received letters to the brothers, and traveled to Damascus to bring them also who were there to Jerusalem in bonds to be punished. 6As I made my journey, and came close to Damascus, about noon, suddenly a great light shone around me from the sky. 7I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’
9“Those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they didn’t understand the voice of him who spoke to me. 10I said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ The Lord said to me, ‘Arise, and go into Damascus. There you will be told about all things which are appointed for you to do.’ 11When I couldn’t see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of those who were with me, I came into Damascus. 12One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus, 13came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ In that very hour I looked up at him. 14He said, ‘The God of our fathers has appointed you to know his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear a voice from his mouth. 15For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and heard. 16Now why do you wait? Arise, be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord.’
17“When I had returned to Jerusalem, and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance, 18and saw him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.’ 19I said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue those who believed in you. 20When the blood of Stephen, your witness, was shed, I also was standing by, consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.’
21“He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’”
22They listened to him until he said that; then they lifted up their voice and said, “Rid the earth of this fellow, for he isn’t fit to live!”
23As they cried out, threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air, 24the commanding officer commanded him to be brought into the barracks, ordering him to be examined by scourging, that he might know for what crime they shouted against him like that. 25When they had tied him up with thongs, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?”
26When the centurion heard it, he went to the commanding officer and told him, “Watch what you are about to do, for this man is a Roman!”
27The commanding officer came and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?”
He said, “Yes.”
28The commanding officer answered, “I bought my citizenship for a great price.”
Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.”
29Immediately those who were about to examine him departed from him, and the commanding officer also was afraid when he realized that he was a Roman, because he had bound him. 30But on the next day, desiring to know the truth about why he was accused by the Jews, he freed him from the bonds, and commanded the chief priests and all the council to come together, and brought Paul down and set him before them.
Text: World English Bible, Public domain. About our sources