Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Defense » Of paul
Paul fixed his eyes upon the Council, and began: "Brothers, for my part, I have always ordered my life before God, with a clear conscience, up to this very day." At this, the High Priest Ananias ordered the men standing near to strike him on the mouth; Whereupon Paul turned to him and said: "God will strike you, you white-washed wall! Are you sitting there to try me in accordance with law, and yet, in defiance of law, order me to be struck?" read more.
The people standing near said to Paul: "Do you know that you are insulting God's High Priest?" "I did not know, Brothers, that it was the High Priest," said Paul, "for Scripture says--'Of the Ruler of thy People thou shalt speak no ill'." Noticing that some of those present were Sadducees and others Pharisees, Paul called out in the Council: "Brothers, I am a Pharisee and a son of Pharisees. It is on the question of hope for the dead and of their resurrection that I am on my trial."
The people standing near said to Paul: "Do you know that you are insulting God's High Priest?" "I did not know, Brothers, that it was the High Priest," said Paul, "for Scripture says--'Of the Ruler of thy People thou shalt speak no ill'." Noticing that some of those present were Sadducees and others Pharisees, Paul called out in the Council: "Brothers, I am a Pharisee and a son of Pharisees. It is on the question of hope for the dead and of their resurrection that I am on my trial."
On a sign from the Governor, Paul made this reply: "Knowing, as I do, for how many years you have acted as Judge to this nation, it is with confidence that I undertake my own defense. For you can easily ascertain that it is not more than twelve days ago that I went up to worship at Jerusalem, Where my prosecutors never found me holding discussions with any one, or causing a crowd to collect--either in the Temple, or in the Synagogues, or about the city; read more.
And they cannot establish the charges which they are now making against me. This, however, I do acknowledge to you, that it is as a believer in the Cause which they call heretical, that I worship the God of my ancestors. At the same time, I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the prophets; And I have a hope that rests in God--a hope which they also cherish--that there will one day be a resurrection of good and bad alike. This being so, I strive at all times to keep my conscience clear before both God and man. After some years' absence I had come to bring charitable gifts to my nation, and to make offerings; And it was while engaged in this that they found me in the Temple, after completing a period of purification, but not with any crowd or disorder. There were, however, some Jews from Roman Asia who ought to have been here before you, and to have made any charge that they may have against me-- Or else let my opponents here say what they found wrong in me when I was before the Council, Except as to the one sentence that I shouted out as I stood among them--'It is about the resurrection of the dead that I am on my trial before you to-day'."
And they cannot establish the charges which they are now making against me. This, however, I do acknowledge to you, that it is as a believer in the Cause which they call heretical, that I worship the God of my ancestors. At the same time, I believe everything that is in accordance with the Law and that is written in the prophets; And I have a hope that rests in God--a hope which they also cherish--that there will one day be a resurrection of good and bad alike. This being so, I strive at all times to keep my conscience clear before both God and man. After some years' absence I had come to bring charitable gifts to my nation, and to make offerings; And it was while engaged in this that they found me in the Temple, after completing a period of purification, but not with any crowd or disorder. There were, however, some Jews from Roman Asia who ought to have been here before you, and to have made any charge that they may have against me-- Or else let my opponents here say what they found wrong in me when I was before the Council, Except as to the one sentence that I shouted out as I stood among them--'It is about the resurrection of the dead that I am on my trial before you to-day'."
Turning to Paul, Agrippa said: "You are at liberty to speak for yourself." Then Paul stretched out his hand and began his defense. "I have been congratulating myself, King Agrippa," he said, "that it is before you that I have to make my defense to-day, with regard to all the charges brought against me by Jews, Especially as you are so well-versed in all the customs and questions of the Jewish world. I beg you therefore to give me a patient hearing. read more.
My life, then, from youth upwards, was passed, from the very first, among my own nation, and in Jerusalem, and is within the knowledge of all Jews; And they have always known--if they choose to give evidence- -that, in accordance with the very strictest form of our religion, I lived a true Pharisee. Even now, it is because of my hope in the promise given by God to our ancestors that I stand here on my trial-- A promise which our Twelve Tribes, by earnest service night and day, hope to see fulfilled. It is for this hope, your Majesty, that I am accused--and by Jews themselves! Why do you all hold it incredible that God should raise the dead? I myself, it is true, once thought it my duty to oppose in every way the Name of Jesus of Nazareth; And I actually did so at Jerusalem. Acting on the authority of the Chief Priests, I myself threw many of the People of Christ into prison, and, when it was proposed to put them to death, I gave my vote for it. Time after time, in every Synagogue, I tried by punishments to force them to blaspheme. So frantic was I against them, that I pursued them even to towns beyond our borders. It was while I was traveling to Damascus on an errand of this kind, entrusted with full powers by the Chief Priests, That at mid-day, your Majesty, I saw right in my path, coming from the heavens, a light brighter than the glare of the sun, which shone all round me and those traveling with me. We all fell to the ground, and then I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew-- 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? By kicking against the goad you are punishing yourself.' 'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. And the Lord said: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; But get up and stand upright; for I have appeared to you in order to appoint you a servant and a witness of those revelations of me which you have already had, and of those in which I shall yet appear to you, Since I am choosing you out from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God; so that they may receive pardon for their sins, and a place among those who have become God's People, by faith in me.' After that, King Agrippa, I did not fail to obey the heavenly vision; On the contrary, first to those at Damascus and Jerusalem, and then through the whole of Judea, and to the Gentiles as well, I began to preach repentance and conversion to God, and a life befitting that repentance. This is why the Jews seized me in the Temple, and made attempts upon my life. However I have received help from God to this very day, and so stand here, and bear my testimony to high and low alike--without adding a word to what the Prophets, as well as Moses, declared should happen-- That the Christ must suffer, and that, by rising from the dead, he was destined to be the first to bring news of Light, not only to our nation, but also to the Gentiles."
My life, then, from youth upwards, was passed, from the very first, among my own nation, and in Jerusalem, and is within the knowledge of all Jews; And they have always known--if they choose to give evidence- -that, in accordance with the very strictest form of our religion, I lived a true Pharisee. Even now, it is because of my hope in the promise given by God to our ancestors that I stand here on my trial-- A promise which our Twelve Tribes, by earnest service night and day, hope to see fulfilled. It is for this hope, your Majesty, that I am accused--and by Jews themselves! Why do you all hold it incredible that God should raise the dead? I myself, it is true, once thought it my duty to oppose in every way the Name of Jesus of Nazareth; And I actually did so at Jerusalem. Acting on the authority of the Chief Priests, I myself threw many of the People of Christ into prison, and, when it was proposed to put them to death, I gave my vote for it. Time after time, in every Synagogue, I tried by punishments to force them to blaspheme. So frantic was I against them, that I pursued them even to towns beyond our borders. It was while I was traveling to Damascus on an errand of this kind, entrusted with full powers by the Chief Priests, That at mid-day, your Majesty, I saw right in my path, coming from the heavens, a light brighter than the glare of the sun, which shone all round me and those traveling with me. We all fell to the ground, and then I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew-- 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? By kicking against the goad you are punishing yourself.' 'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. And the Lord said: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting; But get up and stand upright; for I have appeared to you in order to appoint you a servant and a witness of those revelations of me which you have already had, and of those in which I shall yet appear to you, Since I am choosing you out from your own people and from the Gentiles, to whom I now send you, To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God; so that they may receive pardon for their sins, and a place among those who have become God's People, by faith in me.' After that, King Agrippa, I did not fail to obey the heavenly vision; On the contrary, first to those at Damascus and Jerusalem, and then through the whole of Judea, and to the Gentiles as well, I began to preach repentance and conversion to God, and a life befitting that repentance. This is why the Jews seized me in the Temple, and made attempts upon my life. However I have received help from God to this very day, and so stand here, and bear my testimony to high and low alike--without adding a word to what the Prophets, as well as Moses, declared should happen-- That the Christ must suffer, and that, by rising from the dead, he was destined to be the first to bring news of Light, not only to our nation, but also to the Gentiles."
Martyrdom » Exemplified
We must not be like Cain, who belonged to the Evil One and killed his brother. And why did he kill him? It was because his life was bad while his brother's was good.
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Meanwhile Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the High Priest,
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Some of whom they will persecute and kill, in order that the 'blood' of all the prophets 'that has been spilt' since the creation of the world may be exacted from this generation-- From the blood of Abel down to the blood of Zechariah, who was slain between the altar and the House of God." Yes, I tell you, it will be exacted from this generation.
In my persecution of this Cause I did not stop even at the taking of life. I put in chains, and imprisoned, men and women alike--
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And I actually did so at Jerusalem. Acting on the authority of the Chief Priests, I myself threw many of the People of Christ into prison, and, when it was proposed to put them to death, I gave my vote for it.
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Paul » His vision and conversion
Am I not free? Am I not an Apostle? Have I not seen our Lord Jesus? Are not you yourselves my work achieved in union with the Lord?
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Last of all, he appeared even to me, who am, as it were, the abortion.
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I am thankful to Christ Jesus, our Lord, who has been my strength, for showing that he thought me worthy of trust by appointing me to his ministry, though I once used to blaspheme, and to persecute, and to insult. Yet mercy was shown me, because I acted in ignorance, while still an unbeliever;
You heard, no doubt, of my conduct when I was devoted to Judaism--how I persecuted the Church of God to an extent beyond belief, and made havoc of it,
Verse Concepts
While on his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, suddenly a light from the heavens flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him-- "Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?" "Who are you, Lord?" he asked. "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting," the voice answered; read more.
"Yet stand up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." The men traveling with Saul were meanwhile standing speechless; they heard the sound of the voice, but saw no one. When Saul got up from the ground, though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So his men led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus; And for three days he was unable to see, and took nothing either to eat or to drink. Now there was at Damascus a disciple named Ananias, to whom, in a vision, the Lord said: "Ananias." "Yes, Lord," he answered. "Go at once," said the Lord, "to the 'Straight Street', and ask at Judas's house for a man named Saul, from Tarsus. He is at this moment praying, And he has seen, in a vision, a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him, so that he may recover his sight." "Lord," exclaimed Ananias, "I have heard from many people about this man--how much harm he has done at Jerusalem to your People there. And, here, too, he holds authority from the Chief Priests to put in chains all those who invoke your Name." But the Lord said to him: "Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to uphold my Name before the Gentiles and their kings, and the people of Israel. I will myself show him all that he has to suffer for my Name." So Ananias went, entered the house, and, placing his hands on Saul, said: "Saul, my Brother, I have been sent by the Lord--by Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here--so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Instantly it seemed as if a film fell from Saul's eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, And, after he had taken food, he felt his strength return. Saul stayed for some days with the disciples who were at Damascus, And at once began in the Synagogues to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God. All who heard him were amazed. "Is not this," they asked, "the man who worked havoc in Jerusalem among those that invoke this Name, and who had also come here for the express purpose of having such persons put in chains and taken before the Chief Priests?" Saul's influence, however, kept steadily increasing, and he confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by the proofs that he gave that Jesus was the Christ.
"Yet stand up and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do." The men traveling with Saul were meanwhile standing speechless; they heard the sound of the voice, but saw no one. When Saul got up from the ground, though his eyes were open, he could see nothing. So his men led him by the hand, and brought him into Damascus; And for three days he was unable to see, and took nothing either to eat or to drink. Now there was at Damascus a disciple named Ananias, to whom, in a vision, the Lord said: "Ananias." "Yes, Lord," he answered. "Go at once," said the Lord, "to the 'Straight Street', and ask at Judas's house for a man named Saul, from Tarsus. He is at this moment praying, And he has seen, in a vision, a man named Ananias coming in and placing his hands on him, so that he may recover his sight." "Lord," exclaimed Ananias, "I have heard from many people about this man--how much harm he has done at Jerusalem to your People there. And, here, too, he holds authority from the Chief Priests to put in chains all those who invoke your Name." But the Lord said to him: "Go, for this man is my chosen instrument to uphold my Name before the Gentiles and their kings, and the people of Israel. I will myself show him all that he has to suffer for my Name." So Ananias went, entered the house, and, placing his hands on Saul, said: "Saul, my Brother, I have been sent by the Lord--by Jesus, who appeared to you on your way here--so that you may recover your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit." Instantly it seemed as if a film fell from Saul's eyes, and his sight was restored. Then he got up and was baptized, And, after he had taken food, he felt his strength return. Saul stayed for some days with the disciples who were at Damascus, And at once began in the Synagogues to proclaim Jesus as the Son of God. All who heard him were amazed. "Is not this," they asked, "the man who worked havoc in Jerusalem among those that invoke this Name, and who had also come here for the express purpose of having such persons put in chains and taken before the Chief Priests?" Saul's influence, however, kept steadily increasing, and he confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by the proofs that he gave that Jesus was the Christ.
In my persecution of this Cause I did not stop even at the taking of life. I put in chains, and imprisoned, men and women alike-- And to that the High Priest himself and all the Council can testify. For I had letters of introduction from them to our fellow Jews at Damascus, and I was on my way to that place, to bring those whom I might find there prisoners to Jerusalem for punishment. While I was still on my way, just as I was getting close to Damascus, about mid-day, suddenly there flashed from the heavens a great light all round me. read more.
I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' 'Who are you, Lord?' I replied. Then the voice said 'I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.' The men with me saw the light, but did not hear the speaker's voice. Then I said 'What am I to do, Lord?' 'Get up and go into Damascus,' The Lord said to me, 'and there you shall be told all that you have been appointed to do.' In consequence of that dazzling light I could not see, but my companions held me by the hand, till I reached Damascus. There a man named Ananias, a strict observer of our Law, well spoken of by all the Jewish inhabitants, came to see me. Standing close to me, he said 'Saul, my Brother, recover your sight.' And then and there I recovered my sight and looked up at him. Then he said 'The God of our ancestors has appointed you to learn his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear words from his lips; For you shall be a witness for him to all the world of what you have just seen and heard. And now why wait any longer: Be baptized at once, wash away your sins, and invoke his Name. After my return to Jerusalem, while I was praying one day in the Temple, I fell into a trance, And saw Jesus saying to me 'Make haste and leave Jerusalem at once, because they will not accept your testimony about me.' 'Lord,' I answered, 'these people know that I used to imprison and scourge, in Synagogue after Synagogue, those who believed in you;
I fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to me 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?' 'Who are you, Lord?' I replied. Then the voice said 'I am Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting.' The men with me saw the light, but did not hear the speaker's voice. Then I said 'What am I to do, Lord?' 'Get up and go into Damascus,' The Lord said to me, 'and there you shall be told all that you have been appointed to do.' In consequence of that dazzling light I could not see, but my companions held me by the hand, till I reached Damascus. There a man named Ananias, a strict observer of our Law, well spoken of by all the Jewish inhabitants, came to see me. Standing close to me, he said 'Saul, my Brother, recover your sight.' And then and there I recovered my sight and looked up at him. Then he said 'The God of our ancestors has appointed you to learn his will, and to see the Righteous One, and to hear words from his lips; For you shall be a witness for him to all the world of what you have just seen and heard. And now why wait any longer: Be baptized at once, wash away your sins, and invoke his Name. After my return to Jerusalem, while I was praying one day in the Temple, I fell into a trance, And saw Jesus saying to me 'Make haste and leave Jerusalem at once, because they will not accept your testimony about me.' 'Lord,' I answered, 'these people know that I used to imprison and scourge, in Synagogue after Synagogue, those who believed in you;
I myself, it is true, once thought it my duty to oppose in every way the Name of Jesus of Nazareth; And I actually did so at Jerusalem. Acting on the authority of the Chief Priests, I myself threw many of the People of Christ into prison, and, when it was proposed to put them to death, I gave my vote for it. Time after time, in every Synagogue, I tried by punishments to force them to blaspheme. So frantic was I against them, that I pursued them even to towns beyond our borders. read more.
It was while I was traveling to Damascus on an errand of this kind, entrusted with full powers by the Chief Priests, That at mid-day, your Majesty, I saw right in my path, coming from the heavens, a light brighter than the glare of the sun, which shone all round me and those traveling with me. We all fell to the ground, and then I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew-- 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? By kicking against the goad you are punishing yourself.' 'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. And the Lord said: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;
It was while I was traveling to Damascus on an errand of this kind, entrusted with full powers by the Chief Priests, That at mid-day, your Majesty, I saw right in my path, coming from the heavens, a light brighter than the glare of the sun, which shone all round me and those traveling with me. We all fell to the ground, and then I heard a voice saying to me in Hebrew-- 'Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me? By kicking against the goad you are punishing yourself.' 'Who are you, Lord?' I asked. And the Lord said: "I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting;
Persecution » Originates in » Mistaken zeal
But the Jews incited the women of position who worshiped with them, and the leading men of the town, and started a persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their neighborhood.
Verse Concepts
I myself, it is true, once thought it my duty to oppose in every way the Name of Jesus of Nazareth; And I actually did so at Jerusalem. Acting on the authority of the Chief Priests, I myself threw many of the People of Christ into prison, and, when it was proposed to put them to death, I gave my vote for it. Time after time, in every Synagogue, I tried by punishments to force them to blaspheme. So frantic was I against them, that I pursued them even to towns beyond our borders.