Thematic Bible
Thematic Bible
Blasphemy » Instances of » The early Christians, persecuted by saul of tarsus, compelled to blaspheme the name of jesus
And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns.
Though I had said violent words against God, and done cruel acts, causing great trouble: but I was given mercy, because I did it without knowledge, not having faith;
Courts of justice » Sometimes held in synagogues
And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns.
But be on the watch against men: for they will give you up to the Sanhedrins, and in their Synagogues they will give you blows;
And I said, Lord, they themselves have knowledge that I went through the Synagogues putting in prison and whipping all those who had faith in you:
For if a man comes into your Synagogue in fair clothing and with a gold ring, and a poor man comes in with dirty clothing,
Defense » Of paul
And Paul, looking fixedly at the Sanhedrin, said, My brothers, my life has been upright before God till this day. And the high priest, Ananias, gave orders to those who were near him to give him a blow on the mouth. Then Paul said to him, God will give blows to you, you whitewashed wall: are you here to be my judge by law, and by your orders am I given blows against the law? read more.
And those who were near said, Do you say such words against God's high priest And Paul said, Brother, I had no idea that he was the high priest: for it has been said, You may not say evil about the ruler of your people. But when Paul saw that half of them were Sadducees and the rest Pharisees, he said in the Sanhedrin, Brothers, I am a Pharisee, and the son of Pharisees: I am here to be judged on the question of the hope of the coming back from the dead.
And those who were near said, Do you say such words against God's high priest And Paul said, Brother, I had no idea that he was the high priest: for it has been said, You may not say evil about the ruler of your people. But when Paul saw that half of them were Sadducees and the rest Pharisees, he said in the Sanhedrin, Brothers, I am a Pharisee, and the son of Pharisees: I am here to be judged on the question of the hope of the coming back from the dead.
Then when the ruler had given him a sign to make his answer, Paul said, Because I have knowledge that you have been a judge over this nation for a number of years, I am glad to make my answer: Seeing that you are able to make certain of the fact that it is not more than twelve days from the time when I came up to Jerusalem for worship; And they have not seen me in argument with any man in the Temple, or working up the feelings of the people, in the Synagogues or in the town: read more.
And they are not able to give facts in support of the things which they say against me now. But this I will say openly to you, that I do give worship to the God of our fathers after that Way, which to them is not the true religion: but I have belief in all the things which are in the law and in the books of the prophets: Hoping in God for that which they themselves are looking for, that there will be a coming back from the dead for upright men and wrongdoers. And in this, I do my best at all times to have no reason for shame before God or men. Now after a number of years I came to give help and offerings to my nation: And having been made clean, I was in the Temple, but not with a great number of people, and not with noise: but there were certain Jews from Asia, And it would have been better if they had come here to make a statement, if they have anything against me. Or let these men here present say what wrongdoing was seen in me when I was before the Sanhedrin, But only this one thing which I said among them in a loud voice, I am this day being judged on the question of the coming back from the dead.
And they are not able to give facts in support of the things which they say against me now. But this I will say openly to you, that I do give worship to the God of our fathers after that Way, which to them is not the true religion: but I have belief in all the things which are in the law and in the books of the prophets: Hoping in God for that which they themselves are looking for, that there will be a coming back from the dead for upright men and wrongdoers. And in this, I do my best at all times to have no reason for shame before God or men. Now after a number of years I came to give help and offerings to my nation: And having been made clean, I was in the Temple, but not with a great number of people, and not with noise: but there were certain Jews from Asia, And it would have been better if they had come here to make a statement, if they have anything against me. Or let these men here present say what wrongdoing was seen in me when I was before the Sanhedrin, But only this one thing which I said among them in a loud voice, I am this day being judged on the question of the coming back from the dead.
And Agrippa said to Paul, You may put your cause before us. Then Paul, stretching out his hand, made his answer, saying: In my opinion I am happy, King Agrippa, to be able to give my answer before you today to all these things which the Jews say against me: The more so, because you are expert in all questions to do with the Jews and their ways: so I make my request to you to give me a hearing to the end. read more.
All the Jews have knowledge of my way of life from my early years, as it was from the start among my nation, and at Jerusalem; And they are able to say, if they would give witness, that I was living as a Pharisee, in that division of our religion which is most regular in the keeping of the law. And now I am here to be judged because of the hope given by God's word to our fathers; For the effecting of which our twelve tribes have been working and waiting night and day with all their hearts. And in connection with this hope I am attacked by the Jews, O king! Why, in your opinion, is it outside belief for God to make the dead come to life again? For I, truly, was of the opinion that it was right for me to do a number of things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this I did in Jerusalem: and numbers of the saints I put in prison, having had authority given to me from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my decision against them. And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns. Then, when I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and orders of the chief priests, In the middle of the day, on the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who were journeying with me. And when we had all gone down on the earth, a voice came to me, saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly? It is hard for you to go against the impulse which is driving you. And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are attacking. But get up on your feet: for I have come to you for this purpose, to make you a servant and a witness of the things in which you have seen me, and of those in which you will see me; And I will keep you safe from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you, To make their eyes open, turning them from the dark to the light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may have forgiveness of sins and a heritage among those who are made holy by faith in me. So, then, King Agrippa, I did not go against the vision from heaven; But I went about, first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, and through all the country of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, preaching a change of heart, so that they, being turned to God, might give, in their works, the fruits of a changed heart. For this reason, the Jews took me in the Temple, and made an attempt to put me to death. And so, by God's help, I am here today, witnessing to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come about; That the Christ would go through pain, and being the first to come back from the dead, would give light to the people and to the Gentiles.
All the Jews have knowledge of my way of life from my early years, as it was from the start among my nation, and at Jerusalem; And they are able to say, if they would give witness, that I was living as a Pharisee, in that division of our religion which is most regular in the keeping of the law. And now I am here to be judged because of the hope given by God's word to our fathers; For the effecting of which our twelve tribes have been working and waiting night and day with all their hearts. And in connection with this hope I am attacked by the Jews, O king! Why, in your opinion, is it outside belief for God to make the dead come to life again? For I, truly, was of the opinion that it was right for me to do a number of things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this I did in Jerusalem: and numbers of the saints I put in prison, having had authority given to me from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my decision against them. And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns. Then, when I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and orders of the chief priests, In the middle of the day, on the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who were journeying with me. And when we had all gone down on the earth, a voice came to me, saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly? It is hard for you to go against the impulse which is driving you. And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are attacking. But get up on your feet: for I have come to you for this purpose, to make you a servant and a witness of the things in which you have seen me, and of those in which you will see me; And I will keep you safe from the people, and from the Gentiles, to whom I send you, To make their eyes open, turning them from the dark to the light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may have forgiveness of sins and a heritage among those who are made holy by faith in me. So, then, King Agrippa, I did not go against the vision from heaven; But I went about, first to those in Damascus and Jerusalem, and through all the country of Judaea, and then to the Gentiles, preaching a change of heart, so that they, being turned to God, might give, in their works, the fruits of a changed heart. For this reason, the Jews took me in the Temple, and made an attempt to put me to death. And so, by God's help, I am here today, witnessing to small and great, saying nothing but what the prophets and Moses said would come about; That the Christ would go through pain, and being the first to come back from the dead, would give light to the people and to the Gentiles.
Evil » Zeal » Against » Manifested by evil men in pursuing their plans
In bitter hate I was cruel to the church; I kept all the righteousness of the law to the last detail.
And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns.
Their hands are made ready to do evil; the ruler makes requests for money, and the judge is looking for a reward; and the great man gives decisions at his pleasure, and the right is twisted.
For news has come to you of my way of life in the past in the Jews' religion, how I was cruel without measure to the church of God, and did great damage to it:
A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you go about land and sea to get one disciple and, having him, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.
Paul » His vision and conversion
Am I not free? am I not an Apostle? have I not seen Jesus our Lord? are you not my work in the Lord?
And last of all, as by one whose birth was out of the right time, he was seen by me.
I give praise to him who gave me power, Christ Jesus our Lord, because he took me to be true, making me his servant, Though I had said violent words against God, and done cruel acts, causing great trouble: but I was given mercy, because I did it without knowledge, not having faith;
For news has come to you of my way of life in the past in the Jews' religion, how I was cruel without measure to the church of God, and did great damage to it:
And while he was journeying, he came near Damascus; and suddenly he saw a light from heaven shining round him; And he went down on the earth, and a voice said to him, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly? And he said, Who are you, Lord? And he said, I am Jesus, whom you are attacking: read more.
But get up, and go into the town, and it will be made clear to you what you have to do. And the men who were with him were not able to say anything; hearing the voice, but seeing no one. And Saul got up from the earth, and when his eyes were open, he saw nothing; and he was guided by the hand into Damascus. And for three days he was not able to see, and he took no food or drink. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias! and he said, Here I am, Lord. And the Lord said to him, Get up, and go to the street which is named Straight, and make search at the house of Judas for one named Saul of Tarsus: for he is at prayer; And he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hands on him, so that he may be able to see. But Ananias said, Lord, I have had accounts of this man from a number of people, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem: And here he has authority from the chief priests to make prisoners all who give worship to your name. But the Lord said, Go without fear: for he is a special vessel for me, to give to the Gentiles and kings and to the children of Israel the knowledge of my name: For I will make clear to him what troubles he will have to undergo for me. And Ananias went out and came to the house, and putting his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, whom you saw when you were on your journey, has sent me, so that you may be able to see, and be full of the Holy Spirit. And straight away it seemed as if a veil was taken from his eyes, and he was able to see; and he got up, and had baptism; And when he had taken food his strength came back. And for some days he kept with the disciples who were in Damascus. And straight away, in the Synagogues, he was preaching Jesus as the Son of God. And all those hearing him were full of wonder and said, Is not this the man who in Jerusalem was attacking all the worshippers of this name? and he had come here so that he might take them as prisoners before the chief priests. But Saul went on increasing in power, and the Jews in Damascus were not able to give answers to the arguments by which he made it clear that Jesus was the Christ.
But get up, and go into the town, and it will be made clear to you what you have to do. And the men who were with him were not able to say anything; hearing the voice, but seeing no one. And Saul got up from the earth, and when his eyes were open, he saw nothing; and he was guided by the hand into Damascus. And for three days he was not able to see, and he took no food or drink. Now there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and the Lord said to him in a vision, Ananias! and he said, Here I am, Lord. And the Lord said to him, Get up, and go to the street which is named Straight, and make search at the house of Judas for one named Saul of Tarsus: for he is at prayer; And he has seen a man named Ananias coming in and putting his hands on him, so that he may be able to see. But Ananias said, Lord, I have had accounts of this man from a number of people, how much evil he has done to your saints at Jerusalem: And here he has authority from the chief priests to make prisoners all who give worship to your name. But the Lord said, Go without fear: for he is a special vessel for me, to give to the Gentiles and kings and to the children of Israel the knowledge of my name: For I will make clear to him what troubles he will have to undergo for me. And Ananias went out and came to the house, and putting his hands on him, said, Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus, whom you saw when you were on your journey, has sent me, so that you may be able to see, and be full of the Holy Spirit. And straight away it seemed as if a veil was taken from his eyes, and he was able to see; and he got up, and had baptism; And when he had taken food his strength came back. And for some days he kept with the disciples who were in Damascus. And straight away, in the Synagogues, he was preaching Jesus as the Son of God. And all those hearing him were full of wonder and said, Is not this the man who in Jerusalem was attacking all the worshippers of this name? and he had come here so that he might take them as prisoners before the chief priests. But Saul went on increasing in power, and the Jews in Damascus were not able to give answers to the arguments by which he made it clear that Jesus was the Christ.
And I made attacks on this Way, even to death, taking men and women and putting them in prison. Of which the high priest will be a witness, and all the rulers, from whom I had letters to the brothers; and I went into Damascus, to take those who were there as prisoners to Jerusalem for punishment. And it came about that while I was on my journey, coming near to Damascus, about the middle of the day, suddenly I saw a great light from heaven shining round me. read more.
And when I went down on the earth, a voice came to my ears saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly? And I, answering, said, Who are you; Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are attacking. And those who were with me saw the light, but the voice of him who was talking to me came not to their ears. And I said, What have I to do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Get up, and go into Damascus; and it will be made clear to you what you have to do. And because I was unable to see because of the glory of that light, those who were with me took me by the hand, and so I came to Damascus. And one Ananias, a God-fearing man, who kept the law, and of whom all the Jews in that place had a high opinion, Came to my side and said, Brother Saul, let your eyes be open. And in that very hour I was able to see him. And he said, You have been marked out by the God of our fathers to have knowledge of his purpose, and to see the Upright One and to give ear to the words of his mouth. For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and of what has come to your ears. And now, why are you waiting? get up, and have baptism, for the washing away of your sins, giving worship to his name. And it came about that when I had come back to Jerusalem, while I was at prayer in the Temple, my senses became more than naturally clear, And I saw him saying to me, Go out of Jerusalem straight away because they will not give hearing to your witness about me. And I said, Lord, they themselves have knowledge that I went through the Synagogues putting in prison and whipping all those who had faith in you:
And when I went down on the earth, a voice came to my ears saying to me, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly? And I, answering, said, Who are you; Lord? And he said to me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are attacking. And those who were with me saw the light, but the voice of him who was talking to me came not to their ears. And I said, What have I to do, Lord? And the Lord said to me, Get up, and go into Damascus; and it will be made clear to you what you have to do. And because I was unable to see because of the glory of that light, those who were with me took me by the hand, and so I came to Damascus. And one Ananias, a God-fearing man, who kept the law, and of whom all the Jews in that place had a high opinion, Came to my side and said, Brother Saul, let your eyes be open. And in that very hour I was able to see him. And he said, You have been marked out by the God of our fathers to have knowledge of his purpose, and to see the Upright One and to give ear to the words of his mouth. For you will be a witness for him to all men of what you have seen and of what has come to your ears. And now, why are you waiting? get up, and have baptism, for the washing away of your sins, giving worship to his name. And it came about that when I had come back to Jerusalem, while I was at prayer in the Temple, my senses became more than naturally clear, And I saw him saying to me, Go out of Jerusalem straight away because they will not give hearing to your witness about me. And I said, Lord, they themselves have knowledge that I went through the Synagogues putting in prison and whipping all those who had faith in you:
For I, truly, was of the opinion that it was right for me to do a number of things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this I did in Jerusalem: and numbers of the saints I put in prison, having had authority given to me from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my decision against them. And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns. read more.
Then, when I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and orders of the chief priests, In the middle of the day, on the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who were journeying with me. And when we had all gone down on the earth, a voice came to me, saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly? It is hard for you to go against the impulse which is driving you. And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are attacking.
Then, when I was journeying to Damascus with the authority and orders of the chief priests, In the middle of the day, on the road I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining round me and those who were journeying with me. And when we had all gone down on the earth, a voice came to me, saying in the Hebrew language, Saul, Saul, why are you attacking me so cruelly? It is hard for you to go against the impulse which is driving you. And I said, Who are you, Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus, whom you are attacking.
Persecution » Originates in » Mistaken zeal
But the Jews, working up the feelings of the God-fearing women of high position and of the chief men of the town, got an attack started against Paul and Barnabas, driving them out of those parts.
For I, truly, was of the opinion that it was right for me to do a number of things against the name of Jesus of Nazareth. And this I did in Jerusalem: and numbers of the saints I put in prison, having had authority given to me from the chief priests, and when they were put to death, I gave my decision against them. And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns.
Synagogue » Primarily an assembly of jews and God-fearers » Had powers » Of criminal courts
For this reason, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: some of them you will put to death and put on the cross, and to some of them you will give blows in your Synagogues, driving them from town to town;
And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns.
But be on the watch against men: for they will give you up to the Sanhedrins, and in their Synagogues they will give you blows;
And I said, Lord, they themselves have knowledge that I went through the Synagogues putting in prison and whipping all those who had faith in you:
Synagogues » General references to
And when they take you before the Synagogues and the authorities and the rulers, take no thought about what answers you will give, or what you will say:
And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns.
But be on the watch against men: for they will give you up to the Sanhedrins, and in their Synagogues they will give you blows;
They will put you out of the Synagogues: yes, the time is coming when whoever puts you to death will have the belief that he is doing God's pleasure.
They said this because of their fear of the Jews: for the Jews had come to an agreement that if any man said that Jesus was the Christ he would be put out of the Synagogue.
Zeal » Evil » Manifested by evil men in pursuing their plans
In bitter hate I was cruel to the church; I kept all the righteousness of the law to the last detail.
And I gave them punishment frequently, in all the Synagogues, forcing them to say things against God; and burning with passion against them, I went after them even into far-away towns.
Their hands are made ready to do evil; the ruler makes requests for money, and the judge is looking for a reward; and the great man gives decisions at his pleasure, and the right is twisted.
For news has come to you of my way of life in the past in the Jews' religion, how I was cruel without measure to the church of God, and did great damage to it:
A curse is on you, scribes and Pharisees, false ones! for you go about land and sea to get one disciple and, having him, you make him twice as much a son of hell as yourselves.