Read or listen The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 23 online (ESV, Bible Gateway)

Paul and the high priest – Acts 23:1-5

Paul did not behave like a prisoner, but rather boldly declared his case. Paul’s claim that he had wanted to do God’s will all his life angered the high priest Ananias. Contrary to Jewish legal practice, Ananias ordered Paul to be struck on the mouth. This was not a punishment, but a sign that Ananias considered Paul a liar.

Paul defended himself and predicted that God would hit Ananias. Paul called Ananias "a whitewashed wall", an expression used in Ezekiel 13:10, where the prophet rebukes the religious leaders of his day for being corrupt on the inside, even though their outer appearance was still beautiful and intact.

Paul's prophecy came true. Soon, about a year later, Governor Felix removed Ananias from the office of high priest, where he served from 48 to 59 AD. After the Jews revolted against the Romans in 66 AD, the Zealots killed Ananias, considering him a flatterer of the Romans.

When the men standing next to Paul asked if Paul was maligning the high priest, Paul stated that he did not know who Ananias was. Exodus 22:28 says: "You shall not revile God, nor curse a ruler of your people."

Paul's claim that he did not know Ananias has raised questions. Some scholars have suggested that there is irony in the question: "Surely the high priest cannot act like that! I don't know who he really is." But it is possible that Paul did not know the high priest, since he had been away from the land of his fathers and Jerusalem for about ten years.

Old controversy divides the council – Acts 23:6-10

Luke clearly does not tell us everything that happened at the council meeting. Once again, he has had to tell only the most essential things. In this episode, he wanted to tell one thing: that Paul was accused of a religious issue, not of a crime that threatened the Roman state in any way.

Sadduceanism was a spiritual trend that had power in the Judaism of that time. Sadducees were supporters of rationalism and they did not believe in angels or the resurrection. A large part of the highest clergy were Sadducees. Pharisaism was also a spiritual movement. After the Jewish revolt that began in 66 AD and was finally defeated only in 72 AD, Pharisaism was practically the only movement in Judaism.

The relationship of these two trends to Christianity can be described as follows. A Pharisee can only become a Christian by making a new conclusion: Jesus is the Messiah promised in the scriptures. A large number of Pharisees had indeed become Christians (Acts 21:20). On the other hand, the conversion of the Sadducees to Christianity would have meant a reinterpretation of the entire religious thinking.

Already during Jesus' public ministry, it was evident that the Pharisees were closer to the Christian faith than the Sadducees. The Pharisees often discussed and argued with Jesus. They therefore had common ground for discussion. On the other hand, the Sadducees were not very interested in Jesus. There is only one discussion between the Sadducees and Jesus in the Gospels, Matt 22:23-33.

Paul knew the religious leaders of his people. He knew that the council was divided on many issues, even though the outer shell might appear to be intact (like a whitewashed wall, verse 3). One sentence from Paul caused the different groups of the council to fight among themselves. But that sentence was not just any sentence, but at the same time it showed the core of the dispute: Paul was under investigation by the council because of the resurrection of Jesus.

The sentence is important in two ways. First, it shows how important the resurrection of Jesus was to Paul and the entire early church (compare also 1 Cor 15:19). It was the core of the entire Christian faith and was fought for this time as well. It separated Paul from the Jewish Pharisees, but despite that, Paul could not give it up.

Second, this statement, and the subsequent quarrel among the council, showed what Paul’s case was about. It was not a riot against Rome, but a purely religious dispute. That would not have been the Roman authorities’ business at all! As the riot escalated, the commander had to rescue Paul back to the shelter of the barracks. But now he had some idea of ​​the nature of the dispute (Acts 23:29).

Christ encourages Paul – Acts 23:11

The next night, Jesus himself appeared to Paul. Christ’s message contained an encouraging promise: Paul would be allowed to go to Rome to testify about his Savior there as well. In Rome, too, part of Paul’s witnessing would take place in the courts (compare Acts 25:10). But Christ’s promise also had dark undertones: Eventually, Paul would also testify about Jesus with his blood, to die as a martyr for his faith, as early Christian tradition tells us.

Plot to kill Paul – Acts 23:12-22

The most ardent Jews had had enough of Paul's case. They wanted to get the matter over with quickly and formed a conspiracy of over forty men. They promised not to eat or drink until Paul had been killed. Apparently the conspirators were "dagger men" or Zealots who killed Romans and "undesirable" Jews in the crowd. But Paul was safe in the Antonia Castle, so he had to be taken out. This could be done if the council could be persuaded to request a new hearing of Paul's case.

The council agreed to the request, even though Jewish law forbade it from participating in conspiracies. Perhaps the explanation was that the council would not be involved in the conspiracy, since Paul would be killed before he came before the council. Or perhaps once again they were willing to make an exception for a "good cause". Perhaps it was also because the council had failed miserably the previous time and now they wanted to make amends.

But the matter also came to the attention of Paul’s nephew. Luke does not say whether he was a Christian, a Zealot, or a Pharisee. As a Zealot, he could easily have learned of the plot. Pharisaism could be explained by his family background (verse 6). Whatever group Paul’s nephew belonged to, he decided to try to save his uncle.

Paul was lightly imprisoned and allowed to see visitors. When he heard about the conspiracy, Paul sent his relatives to the commander. Even though the Jewish conspiracy failed, those who had sworn did not have to die of thirst or hunger. If the project was deemed unsuccessful, the teachers of the law were allowed to release the men from the oath they had taken.

Paul's journey towards Rome begins – Acts 23:23-35

The tribune Claudius Lysias certainly did not want to give the Jewish conspirators the opportunity to kill a man who was imprisoned by the Roman state. That very evening Paul was sent from Jerusalem to a safer place in Caesarea. The journey began at the third hour of the night (verse 23), or 9 p.m. according to our time.

Paul had to leave Jerusalem for the last time in a very strange way. About half of the soldiers of the Jerusalem garrison protected his journey to Antipatris, 60 kilometers away. From there, Paul continued the next day towards Caesarea, which was another 40 kilometers away, escorted by cavalry, while 400 foot soldiers returned to Jerusalem.

Tribune Klaudius Lysias also wrote a letter for the group to take with them, in which he explained the development of things in Jerusalem. At one point, the tribune did, however, embellish his own role in the events. He implied that he knew that Paul was a Roman citizen and therefore saved him. He left out the unpleasant truth that he had planned to flog a Roman citizen (Acts 22:25-29).

Of course, the tribune did not tell the Jews about Paul’s removal to Caesarea until after it had happened, so the rest of verse 30 must be understood from the perspective of the recipient. By the time Governor Felix read the letter, the Jews would already know Paul’s new whereabouts (compare verse 22). It became clear to them when they came to the tribune to request a retrial of Paul’s case, that is, that morning when Paul was in Antipatris.

How did Luke learn the contents of the letter sent by the tribune? The explanation may be very simple: at that time it was customary to read letters aloud. Thus, it may be that when Paul came before the governor at Caesarea, the letter from Claudius Lysias was read to the governor in Paul’s presence (verse 34).

Governor Felix was not as good a Roman official as the commander Claudius Lysias. He had risen to the position of procurator of Judea through the help of his brother Pallas, who was a favorite of Emperor Claudius. Claudius appointed Felix to the position in 52 AD, but he was dismissed in 58 AD. (Acts 24:27). Felix was a freed slave and did not know how to handle the duties of a governor well.

Paul's case would have been decided by this man in any case, but the Jewish conspiracy hastened things. Felix asked where Paul was from, since Roman law took this into account when determining the place of trial. However, Felix agreed to handle the case himself, provided that Paul’s accusers also arrived in Caesarea. While waiting for this, Paul was kept in Herod’s palace, which at that time served as the governor’s residence.