Men and Women of the Bible
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teaching seditious heresies. By these accusations his enemies hoped
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to bring about the disciple’s death.
John answered for himself in a clear and convincing manner, and
with such simplicity and candor that his words had a powerful ef-
fect. His hearers were astonished at his wisdom and eloquence. But
the more convincing his testimony, the deeper was the hatred of his
opposers. The emperor Domitian was filled with rage. He could nei-
ther dispute the reasoning of Christ’s faithful advocate, nor match the
power that attended his utterance of truth; yet he determined that he
would silence his voice.—
The Acts of the Apostles, 569, 570
.
Influence of the Holy Spirit—The simplicity of his words, the
sublime power of the truths he uttered, and the spiritual fervor that
characterized his teachings, gave him access to all classes. Yet even
believers were unable to fully comprehend the sacred mysteries of
divine truth unfolded in his discourses. He seemed to be constantly
imbued with the Holy Spirit. He sought to bring the thoughts of the
people up to grasp the unseen. The wisdom with which he spoke
caused his words to drop as the dew, softening and subduing the
soul.—
The Review and Herald, February 15, 1881
.
Peter
Adaptation to His Audience—With clearness and power Peter
bore witness of the death and resurrection of Christ: “Ye men of Israel,
hear these words:
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Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles
and wonders and signs, which God did by Him in the midst of you, as
ye yourselves also know: Him ... ye have taken, and by wicked hands
have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up, having loosed the
pains of death: because it was not possible that He should be holden
of it.”
Peter did not refer to the teachings of Christ to prove his position,
because he knew that the prejudice of his hearers was so great that his
words on this subject would be of no effect. Instead, he spoke to them
of David, who was regarded by the Jews as one of the patriarchs of
their nation.—
The Acts of the Apostles, 41
.
Christ As His Example—This courageous defense appalled the
Jewish leaders. They had supposed that the disciples would be over-