Page 103 - Acts Student Textbook

Chapter 22

COMMON ELEMENTS OF PAUL'S DEFENSE

Common Paul before Paul before Paul before Paul before Paul before
Elements Mob Sanhedrin Felix Festus Agrippa II
1. His Jewish 22:3 24:14,17-18 26:4
Background
2. His Pharisaic
training and 22:3 23:6-9 24:15,21 26:5-8
zeal
3. His
Persecution of 22:4-5 26:9-11
"The Way"
4. His Personal
testimony of 22:6-16 26:12-16
his conversion
5. His Call to
specific 22:17-22 26:17-23
ministry by
God

What could have been Paul’s purpose in giving his testimony/Defense? (22:1, 2)

Paul intended to tell about his conversion. His conversion was unique in that he saw Jesus and could
personally testify that Jesus has been raised from the dead. This was the purpose of his testimony.’
Note that Paul did not believe in compromise for the sake of peace. He did not tell these Jews that he
had no differences with them or that he considered them faithful to God. Nor did he offer a defense
for his own self-interest so he could be released. Instead, he used the opportunity to defend the
gospel and convert his persecutors! Paul believed in publicly debating religious issues, speaking the
truth in love, even if people became angry as a result! “Though they sought to kill him, he sought to
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save them”.

Nevertheless, these verses note two things Paul did to help the audience see that he did respect
them and the law. He had not rejected or rebelled against his Jewish heritage, as they thought he
had done. The first thing he did was to refer to them as brethren and fathers. This showed that he
still viewed himself as a Jew by nationality. They were his kinsmen. He did not seek to alienate them,
nor had he turned his back on his nation. Rather, he had learned the fulfillment of all that his Jewish
heritage had prepared him for. He hoped they too could come to learn it. Second, Paul addressed
them in the Hebrew (Aramaic) language, not in Greek as he had addressed the captain (21:37). This
made them more interested as he addressed them in their own language, so they listened more
quietly.

Note here the advantage of speaking God’s word in the native language of the learners. Paul no
doubt knew both Greek and Hebrew (Aramaic) from his educational background, and most of the
hearers probably would have understood him either way. However, sometimes speaking in a native
language has the advantages of being better understood and showing respect for the hearers.
Sometimes this benefit was accomplished by miracles of tongues as in Acts 2, but in this case Paul

55 Pratte, (p. 339).
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