Luke, the author of Acts of the Apostles, is the same Luke who authored the third Gospel. The style and tenor of writing is consistent with that Gospel. Luke’s personal witness of many of the events described, especially concerning Paul with whom he often traveled, is reflected in his frequent use of the pronoun “we.” The date of composition for Acts is not certain, but 64 AD is probable, since the imprisonment of Paul in Rome is near the end of the book. Acts ends abruptly, possibly because Luke had to hurry away from the place of its composition, or because events had reached a critical point for Paul and Peter, who are believed to have been executed in Rome during the mid-60s AD. If it is the latter case, it must have been a traumatic enough event for Luke to leave off his account of the earliest days of Christianity so that it would not have to end in deep sadness approaching a kind of despair.
The Church Begins
Luke ended his Gospel declaring the Ascension of Jesus, and in the same way be begins the Book of Acts, in the midst of recounting how the apostles reacted to their dilemma of what to do after the Crucifixion of Jesus. The first order of business was to settle upon a successor to Judas. Matthias was chosen by lot. Then a marvelous event occurs fulfilling the prophecy of Jesus, that he would send them a Paraclete to guide them.
“When the time for Pentecost was fulfilled, they [the followers of Jesus] were all in one place together. And suddenly there came from the sky a noise like a strong driving wind, and it filled the entire house in which they were. Then there appeared to them tongues as of fire, which parted and came to rest on each one of them. And they were all filled with the holy Spirit and began to speak in different tongues, as the Spirit enabled them to proclaim.” (2:1-4)
If there is a single book of the Bible that emphasizes the Holy Spirit, it is Acts, in the Spirit’s role to teach, inspire, and sanctify. In no other book of the Bible do we see the fruits of the Holy Spirit flower so much as in Acts.
Pentecost is the birthday of the Church as a missionary institution built by Christ to bring salvation to all, not just the Jews. After a powerful sermon by Peter, three thousand of those present were baptized. Then followed the spirit of community that infected all the converts and drew them together in charity.
“They devoted themselves to the teaching of the apostles and to the communal life, to the breaking of the bread and to the prayers. Awe came upon everyone, and many wonders and signs were done through the apostles. All who believed were together and had all things in common; they would sell their property and possessions and divide them among all according to each one’s need.” (2:42-45)
The First Miracle
There follows an incident during which Peter and John visit the temple. As they are about to go in, they are accosted by a beggar lame from birth. Peter heals the beggar on the spot, whereupon he rises and walks and jumps about. All who were witnesses knew this to be a miracle because the beggar had been sitting at the gate to the temple all his life. Then Peter delivers yet another powerful sermon in which he castigates the Jews for rejecting the Lord who had come to save them.
“You denied the Holy and Righteous One and asked that a murderer be released to you. The author of life you put to death, but God raised him from the dead; of this we are witnesses…. Now I know, brothers, that you acted out of ignorance, just as your leaders did; but God has thus brought to fulfillment what he had announced beforehand through the mouth of all the prophets, that his Messiah would suffer. Repent, therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away.…” (3:14-19)
After this sermon the number of converts grew to 5,000. Immediately the Sadducees ordered John and Peter arrested and brought before them. They were sternly warned not to speak any more of Jesus or of the resurrection. But Peter and John protested they could not do that or they would be disobeying God. Since the crowd of enthusiastic converts had persuaded the Sadducees that they had best move slowly on this, Peter and John were let go. Again, life in the Christian community excelled all expectations as the members sold their homes and properties and gave the profits to the apostles who distributed to each according to his need. This policy surely inspired, and may have been the seed of the founding of future monastic communities in the early and medieval Church.
The Sadducees, envious of the growing popularity of Peter and the other apostles, decided to throw them in jail as an example of how the followers of Jesus should be treated. But during the night an angel appeared in the prison, released the apostles and told them to go to the Temple and preach. The next day the Sanhedrin met and ordered the prisoners brought before them, but they could not be found in prison. The Sadducees were then told that the apostles were preaching in the temple area. Peter and the others were brought before the Sanhedrin and grilled as to why they continued to preach when they were told to cease.
“But Peter and the apostles said in reply, ‘We must obey God rather than men. The God of our ancestors raised Jesus, though you had him killed by hanging him on a tree. God exalted him at his right hand as leader and savior to grant Israel repentance and forgiveness of sins. We are witnesses of these things, as is the holy Spirit that God has given to those who obey him.’” (5:29-32)
When the Sanhedrin heard this they wanted to sentence Peter and the others to death, but they were prevented from doing so by the strong appeal of Rabbi Gamaliel, a Pharisee. Gamaliel, apparently a man of great wisdom whom Paul later referred to as one of his teachers, pointed out that from past experience either these followers of Jesus would fail as all other rebels had failed, or they were actually following the voice of God, in which case the Sanhedrin would be acting against God. The Sanhedrin had the apostles flogged; but, rejoicing in their opportunity to suffer for Christ, the apostles continued their preaching.
Stephen, the first martyr
Now the apostles needed assistants to help with the distribution of food, so they chose seven men, among them Stephen, and ordained them ministers with the laying on of hands. Stephen became outspoken as a preacher against the tyranny of Moses and the Old Law over Christ and his teachings. Accused of blasphemy, he was brought before the Sanhedrin.
“All those who sat in the Sanhedrin looked intently at him and saw that his face was like the face of an angel.” (6:15) Stephen then lectured the Sanhedrin at length on the history of the Jews from Abraham to Jesus, and at the end said these words: “Which of the prophets did your ancestors not persecute? They put to death those who foretold the coming of the righteous one, whose betrayers and murderers you have now become…. Behold, I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.” (7:52-56)
At this the members of the Sanhedrin caused Stephen to be taken away and stoned to death. A young Jew named Saul (later named Paul) was among those present who consented to the execution. On the day of Stephen’s execution Saul became more aggressive in persecuting the Christians, “… trying to destroy the church; entering house after house and dragging out men and women, he handed them over for imprisonment.” (8:3)
Philip
Philip, a fellow deacon of Stephen, went to Samaria to preach the word and drive out demons. He drew great acclaim from the citizens. At the same time there was in Samaria a man named Simon the Magician, whose reputation was great. When he saw the feats of Philip and heard him preach, he asked to be baptized and became a follower of Philip.
“Now when the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent them Peter and John, who went down and prayed for them, that they might receive the holy Spirit, for it had not yet fallen upon any of them; they had only been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then they laid hands on them and they received the holy Spirit.”(8:14-17) [We find in this passage documentation for the Catholic sacraments of both Baptism and Confirmation.] Then Simon the Magician offered to pay Peter for receiving the Holy Spirit, whereupon Peter recognized instantly that Simon was in the bonds of iniquity and replied, “You have no share or lot in this matter, for your heart is not upright before God.” (8:21)
Saul on the Road to Damascus
The early Christians of this time were not yet called Christians. They were called followers of the Way.
“Now Saul, still breathing murderous threats against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues in Damascus, that, if he should find any men or women who belonged to the Way, he might bring them back to Jerusalem in chains. On his journey, as he was nearing Damascus, a light from the sky suddenly flashed around him. He fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to him, ‘Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ He said, ‘Who are you, sir?’ The reply came, ‘I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting. Now get up and go into the city and you will be told what you must do.’ The men who were traveling with him stood speechless, for they heard the voice but could see no one. Saul got up from the ground, but when he opened his eyes he could see nothing; so they led him by the hand and brought him to Damascus. For three days he was unable to see, and he neither ate nor drank.” (9:1-9)
This incident is so important to Luke that he will repeat it twice in later chapters. Ananias, a disciple of the Way in Damascus, then has a vision in which the Lord instructs him to go to Saul and lay his hands on him that he might regain his sight. Ananias reluctantly does as he is told and Saul is cured. “Immediately things like scales fell from his eyes and he regained his sight. He got up and was baptized, and when he had eaten, he recovered his strength.” (9:18-19)
Saul wasted no time preaching Jesus to the Jews of Damascus who were startled, having heard of him as the same man who had been in charge of persecuting the followers of the Way. The Jews of Damascus wanted to kill Saul, but he escaped the city and returned to Jerusalem. The apostles were understandably wary of Saul at first, but when they heard him speak and preach so vehemently for Jesus, and were convinced that his own life was now in danger, they sent him to Tarsus for his safety. Peter meanwhile was busy in Lydda, where he cured a paralytic, and in Joppa, where he bought a woman who was apparently dead back to life.
Peter and Cornelius
While Peter was in Joppa, in Caesarea there was a Gentile named Cornelius, a religious man. He had a vision of an angel who informed him he should invite Peter to his home. The next day, while still in Joppa, Peter fell into a trance.
“He saw heaven opened and something resembling a large sheet coming down, lowered to the ground by its four corners. In it were all the earth’s four-legged animals and reptiles and the birds of the sky. A voice said to him, ‘Get up, Peter. Slaughter and eat.’ But Peter said, ‘Certainly not, sir. For never have I eaten anything profane and unclean.’ The voice spoke to him again, a second time, ‘What God has made clean, you are not to call profane.’ This happened three times, and then the object was taken up into the sky.” (10:11-16)
Right away the messenger from Cornelius arrived to invite Peter to visit him. When Peter arrived at the home of Cornelius, the latter fell at his feet paying homage. Then Peter asked why he had been sent for. Cornelius explained his vision of the angel, and Peter knew suddenly what his own vision meant. He had been told in that image of the sheet with all variety of animals that he was to baptize all varieties of humans from the four corners of the earth. Whereupon Peter said, “Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people, who have received the holy Spirit even as we have?” He ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.” (10:47-48) Now Peter fully realized that he had been called by God as Apostle to the Gentiles (the “four corners” of the earth). Returning to Jerusalem, Peter was confronted by some of the apostles about baptizing the uncircumcised Gentiles. After he explained his vision of the beasts on the sheet, the rest of the apostles realized too that Christ had come to save all men.
Saul, Barnabas, and the First Christians
Some of the disciples went to Antioch intending to convert only Jews to the Way. However, when Barnabas went there he was impressed by the number of Gentiles who had already converted. Barnabas then went to Tarsus looking for Saul and brought him to Antioch, where together they developed a large following. In order to bring together the converted Jews and the Gentiles under one name, “it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.” (11:26)
Peter And King Herod
“About that time King Herod laid hands upon some members of the church to harm them. He had James, the brother of John, beheaded, and when he saw that this was pleasing to the Jews he proceeded to arrest Peter also.” (12:1-3)
“On the very night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter, secured by double chains, was sleeping between two soldiers, while outside the door guards kept watch on the prison. Suddenly the angel of the Lord stood by him and a light shone in the cell. He tapped Peter on the side and awakened him, saying, ‘Get up quickly.’ The chains fell from his wrists. The angel said to him, ‘Put on your belt and your sandals.’ He did so. Then he said to him, ‘Put on your cloak and follow me.’ So he followed him out, not realizing that what was happening through the angel was real; he thought he was seeing a vision. They passed the first guard, then the second, and came to the iron gate leading out to the city, which opened for them by itself. They emerged and made their way down an alley, and suddenly the angel left him. Then Peter recovered his senses and said, ‘Now I know for certain that [the] Lord sent his angel and rescued me from the hand of Herod and from all that the Jewish people had been expecting.’” (12:6-11)
Herod Is Punished
Peter then fled to the home of Mary, the mother of Mark. He told them of his escape and they were all amazed. The next day the guards who had been in charge of Peter were arrested, tried, and executed for letting Peter escape. Herod then left Judea for Caesarea where, appearing to the people in royal robes, he was referred to as a god. Failing to deny their flattery, “At once the angel of the Lord struck him down because he did not ascribe the honor to God, and he was eaten by worms and breathed his last. But the word of God continued to spread and grow.” (12:23-24)
Barnabas and Paul
Then it was decided that Barnabas and Saul should be sent to Cyprus for missionary work. They took Mark with them.
“When they had traveled through the whole island as far as Paphos, they met a magician named Bar-Jesus who was a Jewish false prophet. He was with the proconsul Sergius Paulus, a man of intelligence, who had summoned Barnabas and Saul and wanted to hear the word of God. The magician opposed them in an attempt to turn the proconsul away from the faith. But Saul, now known as Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him and said, ‘You son of the devil, you enemy of all that is right, full of every sort of deceit and fraud. Will you not stop twisting the straight paths of [the] Lord? Even now the hand of the Lord is upon you. You will be blind, and unable to see the sun for a time.’ Immediately a dark mist fell upon him, and he went about seeking people to lead him by the hand. When the proconsul saw what had happened, he came to believe, for he was astonished by the teaching about the Lord.” (13:6-12)
Now Paul and Barnabas went to Antioch, but Mark returned to Jerusalem. In the synagogue at Antioch, Paul addressed the Jews at length about their long history up through the Resurrection of Jesus.
“After the congregation had dispersed, many Jews and worshipers who were converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to remain faithful to the grace of God. On the following sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. When the Jews saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy and with violent abuse contradicted what Paul said. Both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and said, ‘It was necessary that the word of God be spoken to you first, but since you reject it and condemn yourselves as unworthy of eternal life, we now turn to the Gentiles….’ The Gentiles were delighted when they heard this and glorified the word of the Lord. All who were destined for eternal life came to believe, and the word of the Lord continued to spread through the whole region.” (13:43-49)
At Iconium Paul and Barnabas were partly successful, but the leaders of the Jews and the Gentiles roused the people against them and they fled to Lystra where Paul healed a man who had been lame from birth. The people were so impressed they addressed Barnabas as Zeus and Paul as Hermes (the son of Zeus and messenger of the gods) and prepared to offer sacrifice to them as gods.
“The apostles Barnabas and Paul tore their garments when they heard this and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, ‘Men, why are you doing this? We are of the same nature as you, human beings. We proclaim to you good news that you should turn from these idols to the living God ….’ Even with these words, they scarcely restrained the crowds from offering sacrifice to them.” (14:14-18)
Then some Jews arrived from Antioch and roused the people to stone Paul, who was left for dead. But he escaped with Barnabas and they went to other towns to preach. After some time they returned to Antioch where they were commended for the work they had accomplished there.
The Council of Jerusalem
Now it was becoming obvious that many Christians were both converted Jews and Gentiles (non-Jews). This would inevitably lead to in-fighting between the converted Jews (who had reason to believe that the old Covenant of Moses was not dead) and the Gentiles, who had a sense of allegiance to Christ but not to Moses.
“Some who had come down from Judea were instructing the brothers, ‘Unless you are circumcised according to the Mosaic practice, you cannot be saved.’” (15:1)
Paul and Barnabas returned to Jerusalem to consult with Peter and the apostles on this matter. The Pharisees in Jerusalem who had converted to Christ were adamant that the Gentiles should be circumcised like the Jews. A council was called that included apostles and presbyters.
After much debate had taken place, Peter got up and said to them, ‘My brothers, you are well aware that from early days God made his choice among you that through my mouth the Gentiles would hear the word of the gospel and believe. And God, who knows the heart, bore witness by granting them the holy Spirit just as he did us. He made no distinction between us and them, for by faith he purified their hearts. Why, then, are you now putting God to the test by placing on the shoulders of the disciples a yoke that neither our ancestors nor we have been able to bear? On the contrary, we believe that we are saved through the grace of the Lord Jesus, in the same way as they.’ The whole assembly fell silent, and they listened while Paul and Barnabas described the signs and wonders God had worked among the Gentiles through them.” (15:7-12)
It is clear from the above that Peter has the last word. The Gentiles are to be treated as equals without the necessity of circumcision. James follows up with advice on dietary laws prescribed by Moses. This is sort of a compromise statement, perhaps, to those who might have felt that the Law of Moses ought to have some bearing on the Gentiles. The apostles then directed that a letter be sent to those Christians at Antioch, informing them of their decision, and also letting them know that Paul and Barnabas, along with others, will be returning to Antioch with the blessing of the Apostles to continue dedicating “their lives to the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
Paul and Barnabas Part Ways
Paul and Barnabas, after spending some time in Antioch, decided to visit some of the places where they had established Christian communities. Barnabas wanted to bring Mark along, but Paul objected, claiming that Mark had earlier deserted them on their journeys. Barnabas decided then to part with Paul and take Mark to Cyprus. Paul took Silas to Syria and Cilicia. In Lycaonia, Paul found Timothy, a fervent Christian, the son of a Jewish mother and a Greek father. Then they traveled through Asia Minor to Macedonia because Paul had a dream in which the Lord was calling him to Macedonia. At this point in Chapter 16 Luke speaks in the first person plural “we,” by which we may assume that he has now become part of Paul’s entourage and will be a firsthand witness to the rest of Acts.
Paul Thrown in Prison
When they arrived at Philippi they met a woman lamed Lydia, who listened attentively to Paul and invited them all into her home. She and her household were baptized. For a few days a fortune-telling woman stalked Paul and the others, accusing them of being slaves of their God. Paul then called a demon out of her. But the crowd sided with the fortune-teller, so Paul and the others were arrested, stripped, beaten and thrown in prison.
That night “there was suddenly such a severe earthquake that the foundations of the jail shook; all the doors flew open, and the chains of all were pulled loose. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew [his] sword and was about to kill himself, thinking that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted out in a loud voice, ‘Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.’ He [the jailer] asked for a light and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas. Then he brought them out and said, ‘Sirs, what must I do to be saved?’ And they said, ‘Believe in the Lord Jesus and you and your household will be saved.’ So they spoke the word of the Lord to him and to everyone in his house. He took them in at that hour of the night and bathed their wounds; then he and all his family were baptized at once.” (16:26-33)
Paul at Athens
From Philippi they went to Thessalonica, where they were well received. In the synagogue they explained how Jesus was the messiah prophesied in scripture, and converted some Jews and Gentiles. But many of the Jews organized a mob to attack Paul and the others. Paul and the brothers fled to Beroea, where they got a friendlier reception. But when the Jews in Thessalonica found this out, they sent troublemakers to Beroea. Paul then fled to Athens where he was allowed to debate in the synagogue. There he expounded on Jesus, and drew much interest, including Epicurean and Stoical philosophers who could not fathom this strange new religion.
“Then Paul stood up at the Areopagus (a public forum) and said: ‘You Athenians, I see that in every respect you are very religious. For as I walked around looking carefully at your shrines, I even discovered an altar inscribed, To an Unknown God. What therefore you unknowingly worship, I proclaim to you. The God who made the world and all that is in it, the Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in sanctuaries made by human hands, nor is he served by human hands because he needs anything. Rather it is he who gives to everyone life and breath and everything. He made from one the whole human race to dwell on the entire surface of the earth, and he fixed the ordered seasons and the boundaries of their regions, so that people might seek God, even perhaps grope for him and find him, though indeed he is not far from any one of us. For In him we live and move and have our being, as even some of your poets have said…. Since therefore we are the offspring of God, we ought not to think that the divinity is like an image fashioned from gold, silver, or stone by human art and imagination. God has overlooked the times of ignorance, but now he demands that all people everywhere repent because he has established a day on which he will judge the world with justice through a man he has appointed, and he has provided confirmation for all by raising him from the dead.’ When they heard about resurrection of the dead, some began to scoff, but others said, ‘We should like to hear you on this some other time. And so Paul left them.” (17:22-33)
Paul in Corinth
Then Paul went to Corinth where he stayed with a Jew named Aquila and his wife Priscilla. Preaching in the synagogue, it became clear to him that the Jews wanted none of it. Angry, Paul decided to focus on the Gentiles. Soon many Greeks of Corinth believed and were baptized.
“One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, ‘Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city.’ He settled there for a year and a half and taught the word of God among them.” (18:9-11)
Paul and the Ephesians
Luke then makes an almost parenthetical reference to Apollos, a native of Alexandria who was speaking in Ephesus as an authority on scripture.
“He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the Way (of God) more accurately. And when he wanted to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. After his arrival he gave great assistance to those who had come to believe through grace. He vigorously refuted the Jews in public, establishing from the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.” (18:26-28)
Apparently in Ephesus some of the early Christians had mistakenly been baptized in the name of John the Baptist, rather than Jesus. Paul baptized them again in the name of Jesus. He remained in Ephesus for two years with great success preaching and converting.
“So extraordinary were the mighty deeds God accomplished at the hands of Paul that when face cloths or aprons that touched his skin were applied to the sick, their diseases left them and the evil spirits came out of them.” (19:11-12)
Some itinerant Jewish exorcists, seeking to usurp the power of Paul, tried to drive out demons from one who was possessed.
“When the seven sons of Sceva, a Jewish high priest, tried to do this, the evil spirit said to them in reply, ‘Jesus I recognize, Paul I know, but who are you?’ The person with the evil spirit then sprang at them and subdued them all. He so overpowered them that they fled naked and wounded from that house.” (19:14-16)
Then a man named Demetrius, a silversmith, tried to generate hostility against Paul because the demand for statues of the goddess Artemis had declined with the many conversions to Christ. A full-scale attack on the Christians was barely averted by a speech of the town clerk who advised that if anyone had a complaint against the Christians, the courts were in session.
Falling Asleep in the Presence of Paul
Now in Troas on their way to Jerusalem, Luke narrates an incident that is an object lesson that one the need for sleep can overpower even if one is in the presence of an Apostle on fire with God, an object lesson for ourselves, to keep awake, and our lamps lit:
“There were many lamps in the upstairs room where we were gathered, and a young man named Eutychus who was sitting on the window sill was sinking into a deep sleep as Paul talked on and on. Once overcome by sleep, he fell down from the third story and when he was picked up, he was dead. Paul went down, threw himself upon him, and said as he embraced him, ‘Don’t be alarmed; there is life in him.’ Then he returned upstairs, broke the bread, and ate; after a long conversation that lasted until daybreak, he departed. And they took the boy away alive and were immeasurably comforted.” (20:8-12)
Paul Warns the Ephesians
Paul, having gone to Miletus, meets with some of the presbyters from Ephesus to give them his farewell as he leaves for Jerusalem and knows he will never see them again.
“But now, compelled by the Spirit, I am going to Jerusalem. What will happen to me there I do not know, except that in one city after another the holy Spirit has been warning me that imprisonment and hardships await me. Yet I consider life of no importance to me, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to bear witness to the gospel of God’s grace. But now I know that none of you to whom I preached the kingdom during my travels will ever see my face again…. I know that after my departure savage wolves will come among you, and they will not spare the flock. And from your own group, men will come forward perverting the truth to draw the disciples away after them. So be vigilant and remember that for three years, night and day, I unceasingly admonished each of you with tears.” (20:22-24)
(It is clear from this passage that Paul has learned the lesson that will plague the future of the Church, the appearance from time to time of those who will depart from orthodoxy to set up their own version of the gospel.)
Paul and the Jewish Christians
After some warnings not to go to Jerusalem, where danger awaited him, Paul arrived there and was greeted by James. But James warned him that many of the converted Jews in Jerusalem believed Paul had been teaching the Jews who lived among the Gentiles not to observe the laws of Moses, specifically no longer to observe the requirement of circumcision. Later, some of these Jews observed that Paul was in the synagogue.
“The whole city was in turmoil with people rushing together. They seized Paul and dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the gates were closed. While they were trying to kill him, a report reached the cohort commander that all Jerusalem was rioting. He immediately took soldiers and centurions and charged down on them. When they saw the commander and the soldiers they stopped beating Paul.” (21:30-32)
After being arrested by the commander, Paul asked for and received the commander’s permission to address the crowd.
In the Hebrew language Paul explained to the Jews how he had once persecuted the followers of the Way and had been converted by a personal encounter with Jesus on the way to Damascus.
“After I had returned to Jerusalem and while I was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance and saw the Lord saying to me, ‘Hurry, leave Jerusalem at once, because they will not accept your testimony about me.’ But I replied, ‘Lord, they themselves know that from synagogue to synagogue I used to imprison and beat those who believed in you. And when the blood of your witness Stephen was being shed, I myself stood by giving my approval and keeping guard over the cloaks of his murderers.’ Then he said to me, ‘Go, I shall send you far away to the Gentiles.’”(22:17-21)
But the Jews were not to be appeased.
“They listened to him until he said this, but then they raised their voices and shouted, ‘Take such a one as this away from the earth. It is not right that he should live.’” (22:21-22)
The cohort commander then ordered that Paul be bound and whipped. But Paul reminded him that he was a Roman citizen and could not be punished without a trial. The commander, realizing his mistake, then scheduled an appearance of Paul before the Sanhedrin where he was to answer charges brought against him.
“Paul looked intently at the Sanhedrin and said: ‘My brothers, I have conducted myself with a perfectly clear conscience before God to this day.’ At this, the high priest Ananias ordered his attendants to strike Paul’s mouth. Then Paul said to him, ‘God will strike you, you whitewashed wall. Do you indeed sit in judgment upon me according to the law and yet in violation of the law order me to be struck?’ The attendants said, ‘Would you revile God’s high priest?’ Paul answered, ‘Brothers, I did not realize he was the high priest. For it is written, You shall not curse a ruler of your people. Paul was aware that some were Sadducees and some Pharisees, so he called out before the Sanhedrin, ‘My brothers, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees; I am on trial for hope in the resurrection of the dead.’” (23:1-6)
At this point the Pharisees, who believed in resurrection of the dead, and the Sadducees, who did not, broke into a quarrel among themselves. The Pharisees then sided with Paul and the commander of the cohort rescued Paul from their midst.
“The following night the Lord stood by him and said, ‘Take courage. For just as you have borne witness to my cause in Jerusalem, so you must also bear witness in Rome.’” (23:11)
The Jews Plot to Kill Paul
“When day came, the Jews made a plot and bound themselves by oath not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul. There were more than forty who formed this conspiracy. They went to the chief priests and elders and said, ‘We have bound ourselves by a solemn oath to taste nothing until we have killed Paul. You, together with the Sanhedrin, must now make an official request to the commander to have him bring him down to you, as though you meant to investigate his case more thoroughly. We on our part are prepared to kill him before he arrives.’ The son of Paul’s sister, however, heard about the ambush; so he went and entered the compound and reported it to Paul. Paul then called one of the centurions and requested, ‘Take this young man to the commander; he has something to report to him.’ So he took him and brought him to the commander and explained, ‘The prisoner Paul called me and asked that I bring this young man to you; he has something to say to you.’ The commander took him by the hand, drew him aside, and asked him privately, ‘What is it you have to report to me?’ He replied, ‘The Jews have conspired to ask you to bring Paul down to the Sanhedrin tomorrow, as though they meant to inquire about him more thoroughly, but do not believe them. More than forty of them are lying in wait for him; they have bound themselves by oath not to eat or drink until they have killed him. They are now ready and only wait for your consent.’ As the commander dismissed the young man he directed him, ‘Tell no one that you gave me this information.’ Then he summoned two of the centurions and said, ‘Get two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea by nine o’clock tonight, along with seventy horsemen and two hundred auxiliaries. Provide mounts for Paul to ride and give him safe conduct to Felix the governor.’ Then he wrote a letter with this content: ‘Claudius Lysias to his Excellency the governor Felix, greetings. This man, seized by the Jews and about to be murdered by them, I rescued after intervening with my troops when I learned that he was a Roman citizen. I wanted to learn the reason for their accusations against him so I brought him down to their Sanhedrin. I discovered that he was accused in matters of controversial questions of their law and not of any charge deserving death or imprisonment. Since it was brought to my attention that there will be a plot against the man, I am sending him to you at once, and have also notified his accusers to state (their case) against him before you.’ So the soldiers, according to their orders, took Paul and escorted him by night to Antipatris. The next day they returned to the compound, leaving the horsemen to complete the journey with him. When they arrived in Caesarea they delivered the letter to the governor and presented Paul to him. When he had read it and asked to what province he belonged, and learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, ‘I shall hear your case when your accusers arrive.’ Then he ordered that he be held in custody in Herod’s praetorium.” (23:12-35)
Paul in Prison
When Paul was brought before Felix he made an adequate defense of himself, even after the high priest Ananias came from Jerusalem and pressed charges against him. Paul made it clear to Felix that he had started no insurrection, and that he honored the Mosaic Law as well as the law of the Way given by Jesus. When Felix pressed him further, he was unnerved to hear about the teachings of Jesus.
Apparently not a man of great conscience, Felix kept Paul in custody for two years hoping for a bribe for his release. Then Porcius Festus replaced Felix as governor and found Paul in prison. Once again the Sanhedrin sought to have Paul released to them for they still plotted to kill him. Festus suggested they send him accusers. The accusers were sent to Caesarea and Paul defended himself before them. Felix asked Paul if he would agree to be sent to Jerusalem to stand trial, but Paul insisted that he was a Roman citizen and that the Sanhedrin had no authority over him. If he was to be accused of a capital crime, it should be in a Roman court. “Then Festus, after conferring with his council, replied, ‘You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go.” (25:12) Festus then invited King Agrippa, who was visiting Caesarea, to give him some kind of charge that could be brought against Paul before a Roman court. “For it seems senseless to me to send up a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.” (25:27)
Paul Transferred to Roman Prison
Paul is then brought before Agrippa and allowed to state his defense. Again, for the third time, Paul gives an account of his persecution of the followers of the Way, how he met Christ on the way to Damascus, and how he was converted to Christ. Festus immediately challenged the sanity of Paul, but Paul appealed to King Agrippa.
“King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you believe.” Then Agrippa said to Paul, ‘You will soon persuade me to play the Christian.’ Paul replied, ‘I would pray to God that sooner or later not only you but all who listen to me today might become as I am except for these chains.’ Then the king rose, and with him the governor and Bernice and the others who sat with them. And after they had withdrawn they said to one another, ‘This man is doing nothing [at all] that deserves death or imprisonment.’ And Agrippa said to Festus, ‘This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar.’” (26:27-32)
Then Paul was sent to Rome. After many hazards at sea, during which Paul gave courage to the others on deck, they arrived safely when the ship hit a sandbar and ran aground; but the centurion in charge of prisoners allowed them to swim to shore at the island of Malta to save their lives.
It was now winter, so the travelers stayed in Malta. There a viper attacked Paul, but he shook it off his hand into the fire and felt no ill effects. The inhabitants were amazed, thinking Paul was a god, and brought their sick to him for healing. After three months they set sail for Rome. When they arrived, he was allowed to keep quarters with the soldier who was guarding him.
Paul Preaches to the Roman Jews
Calling together the leaders of the Jews in Rome, Paul explained his predicament; how he had been pursued by the Jews in Jerusalem and had to appeal to Agrippa to be tried in Rome as a Roman to escape the plot against him. The leaders of the Jews in Rome were puzzled, since they had heard nothing of the charges against Paul in Jerusalem. They asked to explain what he had been preaching.
“So they arranged a day with him and came to his lodgings in great numbers. From early morning until evening, he expounded his position to them, bearing witness to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and the prophets. Some were convinced by what he had said, while others did not believe.” (28:23-24)
Abruptly, Luke ends the great saga of Paul in Acts with these words.
“He remained for two full years in his lodgings. He received all who came to him, and with complete assurance and without hindrance he proclaimed the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”
Commentary
From the time of the Council of Jerusalem on Luke ceases to mention Peter. The reason could be that Luke got from different sources the details of Peter’s ministry during the days in Jerusalem, but that after Luke joined Paul as a missionary he drifted away from Peter. Also, it’s possible that for various reasons he was not able to interview Peter in Rome when Peter and Paul were approaching martyrdom there. Moreover, even if he had been able to visit Peter, if that was when Peter was running from the authorities or during his final imprisonment, the necessary atmosphere and conditions might not have prevailed for Peter to give Luke even a brief history of his life and ministry since the Council of Jerusalem.
Only two epistles are attributed to Peter. At first glance this might seem to be a paltry contribution to the New Testament.
But after the Council of Jerusalem, the world had surely come to realize how central Peter’s role and authority was to the founding and governance of the early Church. All the Evangelists would narrate that importance in their Gospels. It would have been of the greatest importance to Peter’s safety that his location and the location of those most connected with his work should be kept secret lest he and they be arrested and martyred as Stephen and James had been.
We do not know the exact dates of the writing of either Acts or the Gospels. Generally it is agreed in modern times by Catholic and Protestant historians that Mark, not Matthew, wrote the first Gospel either soon before or after the martyrdom of Peter and Paul. If that is true, Mark, not being one of the apostles, must have depended on his association with Peter in Rome during Peter’s last years, and the schooling of him by Peter, for the bulk of revelations about the life, teachings, death, and resurrection of Jesus. This makes sense if we look at Matthew’s Gospel as a follow-up of Mark with a good deal more filling in of details. Matthew was one of the twelve apostles and doubtless had additional memories to recount that Mark did not get from Peter.
Matthew, Luke, and John all follow Mark in recognizing that Peter was favored by Jesus as the leader of the Apostles. It may well be, then, that while Paul wrote much more in the way of epistles and deserves recognition as the first and greatest of theologians and missionaries, Peter in the end was more important than Paul because of his role in starting up the four Gospels, without which we might know very little of what Jesus actually preached and did. After all, Peter’s famous sheet dream reveals him to be the Apostle to the “four corners of the earth.”
To this day the Bishop of Rome, Peter’s successor, is a Bishop for the “four corners of the earth.”
That Luke was heaven-sent to work among the apostles and write a history of their struggle seems believable and inevitable. Also, Luke’s Gospel adds details not included in Matthew, such as the early years of Jesus, which may have been revealed by Mary the mother of Jesus in her later years. Who else but Mary would have been able to reveal the details of the Nativity?
God always provides the Church with saints and thinkers and writers just when we need them most. Without Luke’s diligent care and scrupulous attention to detail, we might know very little of how the Church both suffered and prospered in the earliest days. The account of the dispute at the Council of Jerusalem alone is a precious moment of discovery in that it proves, from Scripture itself, that the authority of the Church is manifest in the apostles and their successors. Scripture, though vitally important, cannot alone be the ultimate decider of all matters religious.
Deo Gratias!
