Paul a Prisoner
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voices above the voice of the speaker, they cried, “Away with such a
fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live.”
“As they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into
the air, the chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle,
and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know
wherefore they cried so against him.
“And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion
that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman,
and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told
the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is
a Roman. Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me,
art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. And the chief captain answered,
With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was
freeborn. Then straightway they departed from him which should have
examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew
that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.
“On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty
wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from his bands,
and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and
brought Paul down, and set him before them.”
The apostle was now to be tried by the same tribunal of which he
himself had been a member before his conversion. As he stood before
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the Jewish rulers, his bearing was calm, and his countenance revealed
the peace of Christ. “Earnestly beholding the council,” he said, “Men
and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience before God until this
day.” Upon hearing these words, their hatred was kindled afresh; “and
the high priest Ananias commanded them that stood by him to smite
him on the mouth.” At this inhuman command, Paul exclaimed, “God
shall smite thee, thou whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the
law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law?” “They
that stood by said, Revilest thou God’s high priest?” With his usual
courtesy Paul answered, “I wist not, brethren, that he was the high
priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy
people.
“But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and
the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men and brethren, I
am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of
the dead I am called in question.