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“Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you.”
Verse 1. Hear ye the account. [1] In the Greek, to the apology, or defence. Witham.—Saint Paul, in this exordium, as also in Acts 7:2 shews himself not ignorant of the art of pleading. He adds the name of Fathers, supposing there may be some of his hearers of senatorial dignity, and others deserving the title for their rank and age. Mat. Pol.
When they heard that he spoke to them in the Hebrew language, they were even more quiet. He said,
“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.
Verse 3. The scholars sat much below their master; and the nearest the master were such as had made the greatest proficiency. Philo de Essenis.
I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women,
Verse 4. This way. That is, the Christian faith, which now I profess. Witham.
as 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.
Verse 5. As the high priest doth bear me witness. That is, as the letters which he gave me, bear witness. Witham.
“As I made my journey and came close to Damascus, about noon suddenly a great light shone around me from the sky.
I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’
I answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ He said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you persecute.’
“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.
Verse 9. Heard not the voice. To reconcile this with chapter 9 verse 7. where it is said that they heard the voice; it may be answered that they heard a noise, and a voice, but heard it not distinctly, nor so as to understand the words. Witham.—They heard not the voice of him who spoke to the apostle, but they heard the latter speak; (Acts 9:7) or perhaps they heard a noise, which they could not understand. They perhaps heard the voice of Paul answering, but not that of Christ complaining.
I 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.’
When 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.
“One Ananias, a devout man according to the law, well reported of by all the Jews who lived in Damascus,
came to me, and standing by me said to me, ‘Brother Saul, receive your sight!’ In that very hour I looked up at him.
He 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.
Verse 14. Shouldst … see the Just One. Our Saviour appeared to Saint Paul, as it is said; (chapter 9:7) and he is divers times, both in the Prophets and in the Testament, called the Just One. Witham.—To see and hear the Just One; Him, who is just by excellence, that you also may prove a witness of his resurrection from the dead.
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.’
Verse 16. Wash, and so forth The contrition and charity of Saint Paul had, no doubt, merited for him the remission of his sins at the moment of his conversion. Still were these effects to be attributed to the desire of the sacrament of baptism, without which the council of Trent defines that the forgiveness of sins, and the punishment due to them, are not obtained. It likewise added a new degree of lustre to his innocence and purity. Tirinus.—Calling upon his name. In such manner, says Saint John Chrysostom (hom. xlvii) as we invoke the only true God; and as we invoke the saints, and pray to them, that they would pray for us. Witham.
“When I had returned to Jerusalem and while I prayed in the temple, I fell into a trance
Verse 17. To Jerusalem … that I was in a trance. This might be when he went to Jerusalem, three years after his conversion, or at some other time. It might be in this ecstacy that he was wrapt to the third heaven, as he tells the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 15:9. Witham.
and saw him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not receive testimony concerning me from you.’
I said, ‘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, consenting to his death, and guarding the cloaks of those who killed him.’
Verse 20. Of Stephen, thy witness. Or thy martyr, as the Greek word signifies. Witham.
“He said to me, ‘Depart, for I will send you out far from here to the Gentiles.’ ”
Verse 21. Hence we see that not only principals, but all that consent to the persecution of God’s servants for the cause of religion, do highly offend; and this Saint Paul mentions here, that the mercy of God may be more remarkably glorified in him hereby. B.
They 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!”
Verse 22. This word. That is, until he told them that God had sent him to preach to the Gentiles, whom they could not bear to hear preferred before themselves. Not that the Jews forbad preaching to the Gentiles; on the contrary, our Saviour reproached the Pharisees, that they would go over land and sea for the sake of making one proselyte. They were likewise enraged that Saint Paul had not laid on the Gentiles the heavy yoke of the law. Calmet.—Hence they exclaim: take away this wicked man from amongst us, for it is a sin to let him live. V.
As they cried out, threw off their cloaks, and threw dust into the air,
Verse 23. Threw off their garments. Or pulling them open to shew themselves ready to stone him. Witham.—This is nicely descriptive of the fury of a populace, who, when unable to vent their rage in some more effectual way, indignantly throw into the air, and against the object of their indignation, such harmless trifles as dust, clothes, and so forth Menochius.
the 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.
When they had tied him up with straps, Paul asked the centurion who stood by, “Is it lawful for you to scourge a man who is a Roman, and not found guilty?”
Verse 25. A Roman. That is, a Roman citizen, a freeman of Rome. Witham.—The apostle, on this occasion, not to injure the faith of some weak Christians, who might be scandalized at his public disgrace, prevents the scourging, which on another occasion he patiently submitted to. By the thongs he was probably bound to a pillar; (Tirinus) or being tied hand and foot, was stretched on the ground, with his face downwards. This was frequently done among the Romans. Calmet.—See also Gretser de cruce, l. i. chapter 10; who declares that it was the Roman custom to bind to a stake or pillar, such as were condemned to be flogged.
When 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!”
The commanding officer came and asked him, “Tell me, are you a Roman?” He said, “Yes.”
The commanding officer answered, “I bought my citizenship for a great price.” Paul said, “But I was born a Roman.”
Verse 28. Civilitatem; that is, Civitatem, Græcè, πολιτειαν, the rights of citizenship. These privileges were granted by Antonius to the city of Tarsus. Appianus civilium 5.
Immediately 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.
Verse 29. The same law which forbad a Roman citizen to be scourged, forbad him also to be bound. Saint Augustine lib. i. de Serm. Dni. chapter 29.—It was under Claudius that the abuse of buying the freedom of Rome was introduced. At first the name of a Roman was esteemed much, and bought at a great price. Now (such is the emptiness and vanity of titles) it is refused, and despised; nay, it is fled from, and reckoned disgraceful. Salvian. De Gubern. Dei, lib. v.—If Saint Paul, on this occasion, makes use of his privilege, it is not that he was unprepared, or afraid to die for Christ; but because it was lawful to use ordinary means to extricate himself from difficulties, and preserve himself for future services to religion. D. Dion. Carthus.
But 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.