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Paul, looking steadfastly at the council, said, “Brothers, I have lived before God in all good conscience until today.”
Verse 1. With an entire good conscience. With an upright sincerity. But Saint Paul is far from excusing himself from all sin. He laments elsewhere his blind zeal in persecuting the Christians. See 1 Corinthians 15:9. Witham.
The high priest, Ananias, commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the mouth.
Then Paul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to the law, and command me to be struck contrary to the law?”
Verse 3. God shall strike thee, thou whited wall. [1] These words are rather by way of a prophecy. Witham.—Whited wall. That is, hypocrite, for pretending to judge me according to law; whereas, against all sense of justice, thou strikest me before my condemnation; nay, even without giving me a hearing. The Fathers admire, on this occasion, the greatness of mind and freedom Saint Paul exhibited, in reproving the great. Tirinus.—This expression was not the angry words of an irritated man, nor the effect of personal resentment, but the just freedom which insulted innocence may lawfully use in its own defence. A.—It was likewise a prophecy of what was going to happen. To those who do not consider it, it may seem a curse; but to others a prophecy, as it really was. Saint Augustine lib. i. cap. 19. de Verb. Dni.—For S. Chrysostom relates that the high priest, being thunderstruck by this answer, became speechless and half deaf; so that not being able to reply a single word, the bystanders did it for him. Tirinus.—It was also, as Ven. Bede says, to shew that the Jewish priesthood was to be destroyed, as now the true priesthood of Christ was come and established. Beda in hunc locum.
Those who stood by said, “Do you malign God’s high priest?”
Paul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.’”
Verse 5. I knew not, and so forth Some think Saint Paul here speaks ironically, or to signify that now he could be no longer high priest, since the Mosaic law, with its rites and ceremonies, was abolished. But Saint John Chrysostom rather judges that Saint Paul, having been long absent from Jerusalem, might not know the person of the high priest, who was not in the sanhedrim, but in the place whither the tribune had called the council, and who did not appear with that habit, and those marks which distinguished him from others. Witham.—It seems rather surprising that Saint Paul did not know that he was the high priest. The place which he held in the council, one would suppose, would have been sufficient to have pointed him out. The apostle’s absence from Jerusalem is perhaps a sufficient reason to account for his not knowing this circumstance; especially, as the order of succession to the priesthood was at that time much confused and irregular, determined by favour of the Roman emperor, or by purchase. Calmet.—At all events, any difficulties we may now find in assigning a probable or true reason, are merely negative arguments; and therefore too futile to be an impeachment of the apostle’s veracity. A.—S. Cyprian supposes that Saint Paul, considering the mere shadow of the name of priest, which Ananias then held, said: I knew not, brethren, that he is high priest. Ep. lxv. 69. nu. 2. S. Chrysostom says, that the apostle here shews the wisdom of the serpent; but that in his preaching, teaching, and patience, he used the simplicity of the dove.
But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, “Men and brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. Concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am being judged!”
Verse 6. I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees. [2] It may signify only a disciple of the Pharisees, though the common Greek copies have of a Pharisee. Witham.—The address of the apostle in this is great. Knowing the different dispositions of his judges, he throws disunion into their councils, in order to draw himself from danger. Such innocent artifices are allowed in the defence of a just cause. It is one of our Saviour’s counsels, to use the prudence of the serpent. Saint Gregory, in his Morality, (lib. xxxiv. cap. 3. and 4.) and Saint Thomas in his Sum. Theol. (2. 2. quæst. 37. art. 2) observe, that on similar occasions you may, without sin, cause divisions among the wicked; because their union being an evil, it is consequently a good thing that the enemies of peace and righteousness should be divided in sentiments and interests. It must, however, be acknowledged that this principle is very easily stretched beyond its proper limits, and therefore ought not to be acted upon but with the greatest caution and prudence. Calmet.—Saint Paul knew from divine revelation that he was to go to Rome; but this did not hinder the apostle from taking every prudent care of his own life; as we may see from the following chapter.
When he had said this, an argument arose between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the crowd was divided.
Verse 7. There arose a dissension. By the Greek, a division, or schism among them, occasioned by Saint Paul’s declaring himself for the resurrection, which made the Pharisees favour him, and incensed the Sadducees. Witham.
For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess all of these.
A great clamor arose, and some of the scribes of the Pharisees’ part stood up, and contended, saying, “We find no evil in this man. But if a spirit or angel has spoken to him, let’s not fight against God!”
When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that Paul would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks.
The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Cheer up, Paul, for as you have testified about me at Jerusalem, so you must testify also at Rome.”
Verse 11. Be constant … so must thou bear witness also at Rome; and so needest not fear to be killed by them. Witham.
When it was day, some of the Jews banded together and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
Verse 12. Bound themselves. The Greek is, anathematized, that is, submitted themselves to a curse, if they did not kill Paul. It was a great imprecation, the violation of which would have been equivalent to renouncing their belief in God. See to what degree of iniquity this nation is come. When any good is in contemplation, none are found to undertake it; whilst all, even the priests too, are ready to concur in any wicked design. Saint John Chrysostom in Act. hom. xlix.—To take an unlawful oath is one sin; but to keep it, is another and greater sin: as when Herod, to keep his oath, put to death John the Baptist. Matthew 4:9.
There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy.
Verse 13. Forty men that had made this conspiracy, [3] and bound themselves with an impious curse, or imprecation upon themselves, if they did not kill him. Witham.
They came to the chief priests and the elders, and said, “We have bound ourselves under a great curse to taste nothing until we have killed Paul.
Now therefore, you with the council inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near.”
But Paul’s sister’s son heard they were lying in wait, and he came and entered into the barracks and told Paul.
Paul summoned one of the centurions and said, “Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him.”
So he took him and brought him to the commanding officer and said, “Paul, the prisoner, summoned me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you.”
The commanding officer took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, “What is it that you have to tell me?”
Verse 19. Taking him by the hand, with marks of affection and tenderness. It is probable that the tribune expected this young man was come to offer some ransom for Paul’s liberty. Menochius.
He said, “The Jews have agreed to ask you to bring Paul down to the council tomorrow, as though intending to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him.
Therefore don’t yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under a curse to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you.”
So the commanding officer let the young man go, charging him, “Tell no one that you have revealed these things to me.”
He called to himself two of the centurions, and said, “Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as Caesarea, with seventy horsemen and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night.”
Verse 23. From the third hour of the night. If the tribune spoke with a regard to the twelve hours of the night, the third hour was three hours after sunset, and was about our nine o’clock at night; but if he meant the third watch of the night, that began at midnight. See Matthew 14:35. Witham.
about 9:00 p.m.
He asked them to provide mounts, that they might set Paul on one, and bring him safely to Felix the governor.
Verse 24. Felix. This man had been a slave of the emperor Claudius. The high priest, Jonathan, had procured him to be made governor of Judea. He governed the country with great cruelty and outrage; exercising the power of a king, says Tacitus, with all the insolence and meanness of a slave, who is neither restrained by fear nor shame. Tacitus, Hist. lib. v.
He wrote a letter like this:
Verse 25. This verse is omitted in the Greek. Antipatris was a pleasant city on the Mediterranean sea, situated at equal distance, about 24 miles, between Joppe and Cæsarea, on the way from Jerusalem to this latter city. Matt. Polus.
“Claudius Lysias to the most excellent governor Felix: Greetings.
“This man was seized by the Jews, and was about to be killed by them when I came with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman.
Verse 27. I rescued … having understood that he is a Roman. This was not true, if we understand it of the first time he rescued him; but may be true, if meant of the second time. Witham.
Desiring to know the cause why they accused him, I brought him down to their council.
I found him to be accused about questions of their law, but not to be charged with anything worthy of death or of imprisonment.
When I was told that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him to you immediately, charging his accusers also to bring their accusations against him before you. Farewell.”
So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took Paul and brought him by night to Antipatris.
But on the next day they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the barracks.
When they came to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they also presented Paul to him.
When the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. When he understood that he was from Cilicia, he said,
“I will hear you fully when your accusers also arrive.” He commanded that he be kept in Herod’s palace.
Verse 35. This was a palace erected by Herod the Great; in which the governors had taken up their habitation. V.