Paul and Judaism

Acts 22 – Paul’s Defense

When Paul speaks to the crowd in Acts 22, he goes out of his way to show that he is a faithful Jew. In this speech, he tries to demonstrate his commitment to the faith of his ancestors by calling to mind a series of witnesses who can attest to his zeal within Judaism. What is Paul’s defense before the Sanhedrin?

Paul's defenseHe begins by citing his personal credentials. Notice first that Paul switches to Aramaic. The people are hostile to him and consider him a traitor.  By speaking in Aramaic, he demonstrates that he is no Hellenistic Jew who does not know the language of the Hebrew Bible.  In fact, it is possible that the Greek says he spoke in Hebrew, but that is less likely since the crowds may not have understood him at that point.

He states that he was born in Tarsus, but he was raised in Jerusalem.  Unlike the Romans, who would be impressed with citizenship from Tarsus, the Jewish audience would be impressed with Paul’s association with Jerusalem.

Paul’s education is impeccable – he was a student of Gamaliel.  We met Gamaliel in Acts 5 as the rational voice among the Sanhedrin.  He was the pupil of Hillel, one of the greatest of the Rabbis.  His decisions and opinions are constantly cited in the Mishnah.  Paul does not claim to be a Pharisee here (cf., 23:6), but by claiming to be a student of Gamaliel, he is associating himself with one of the most respected teachers in Jerusalem.

At one time, Paul was as zealous for the Law as the crowd is now.  As we have seen many times in Acts, this zeal took the form of violent action against those who claimed that Jesus was the Messiah. Paul calls upon additional witnesses here since his authority to arrest followers of Jesus came from the High Priest and “council of elders.”  They can attest to his zeal for the Law.  Like Phineas or Judas Maccabees, Paul was willing to use force to compel fellow Jews to keep the Law completely if it was necessary.   Paul briefly describes his intention to go to Damascus to arrest followers of the Way, another fact that might be confirmed by the High Priest.

Ananias is described as a devout Jew, someone who keeps the Law and is respected by all the Jews living in Damascus.  Luke used the same Greek rod for devout to describe Simeon in the Temple (Luke 2:25) as well as the devout men in the temple who in the Temple at Pentecost (Acts 2:5) and the devout men who buried Stephen.

The speech of Ananias is slightly different from Acts 9. The way he describes God and Jesus is very Jewish – the “God of Our Fathers” and “Righteous One” are typical phrases used for the God of the Hebrew Bible. In fact, that Jesus is the Righteous One is found in Luke-Acts only in Jewish contexts (Luke 23:47, Acts 3:14, 7:32,13:23).  Ananias does not say here that Paul is called to go to the Gentiles.  Why?  This is probably because Paul wants to emphasize his divine calling and waits to share this calling until the Lord calls him from the Temple.

Ananias tells Paul to be baptized, but this is an unusual way to express the command in Greek.  Luke uses an aorist middle (quite distinct from the aorist passive). The nuance of meaning ought to be “go baptize yourself.”) This may imply that Paul was to baptize himself in a mikveh, as we have observed several times in Acts. This unusual expression ought to be translated as middle and taken as yet another indication that Paul claims to be a “proper Jew” who is not at all guilty of desecrating the Temple.

What can we make of this claim orthodoxy from Paul?  How can the apostle to the Gentile stand before a Jewish crowd and claim to be an outstanding example of Law-Keeping?  We will continue to deal with this problem as Paul’s defense continues before the Sanhedrin.

Acts 23 – Paul the Faithful Jew?

Did Paul follow the law after he became a Christian?  A key point in his self-defense before the Sanhedrin is that he lives as a faithful Jew.

In Acts 23:1, Paul claims to have “lived his life in good conscience up to this day.”  In the context of a hearing before the Sanhedrin, it is possible to read this as a statement that he has been faithful to the Jewish Law.   This is very similar to what Paul says in Acts 24:16 when he describes his entry into the Temple as  “I always take pains to have a clear conscience toward both God and man.”  He even points out that he was giving alms to the poor (the collection) and participating in a purification ritual when he was unjustly attacked.Faithful Jew

In fact, Paul was in the temple “purifying himself” (ἁγνίζω, Acts 21:24, 24:18).  The verb is not generally associated with the Nazarite vow (which took thirty days, not the seven mentioned in Acts 21).  The verb is used in John 11:55 for Jews purifying themselves before the Passover (cf., Josephus, JW 6, 425, Ant. 12, 145). Pilgrims arriving in Jerusalem from Gentile territory purified themselves in the Temple. In Numbers 19:12, the verb is used to purify oneself after touching a corpse.  That Paul was willing to undergo this level of purity ritual at this point in his career indicates that he is still willing to “be a Jew among the Jews” (1 Cor 9:20).

Paul goes a bit further and claims to be a Pharisee.  After his exchange with the High Priest in Acts 23:2-5, Paul focuses on the controversy between Pharisees and Sadducees (23:6-10). This maneuver has caused some commentators to criticize Paul. It is not an honest argument by Paul. He instigates a near riot between the two factions of the Sanhedrin. The Pharisees were a minority in the Sanhedrin but a widespread and vocal minority. They believed in the resurrection of the dead, angels, and spirits.

Is this true? Can Paul be considered a “practicing Pharisee” at this point in his ministry?  For some interpreters, this is not at all the historical Paul who wrote Galatians.  At the very least, he has broken purity traditions by eating with Gentiles. Yet with regard to the issue of the resurrection, he was a Pharisee.  Paul is simply stating that he agrees on this major point, and for the Pharisees, at this moment, it is enough for them to defend Paul.

By making this statement, Paul gains the favor of the Pharisees while enraging the Sadducees. The argument that ensues is so fierce that the Roman official thinks Paul will be “torn to pieces,” so he takes him back to the barracks, leaving the Jews to their “theological dispute.”

While it was a crafty way of deflecting attention away from himself, it is possible that Paul was serious – with respect to the Law, Paul has a clear conscience: he is a faithful Jew who continued to follow the law! James Dunn suggests that Paul’s statement was less for the Sanhedrin (which had probably already judged him guilty) than for the Roman tribune and soldiers.  The word conscience (συνείδησις)  is a concept that does not really appear in Hebrew (Dunn, Beginning at Jerusalem, 974, n. 73). The word is only found in the LXX in Eccl. 10:29 and Wisdom 17:10).  If he spoke Greek and used this particular expression, it is possible that he was claiming to the Romans that he was not guilty of any crime.

What do we do with Pauk’s claim to be a faithful Jew?  Is Paul playing both sides to gain converts?  Did he really “keep the Law” while telling Gentiles to “not keep the Law”?  I can think of several issues I might hold loosely so that I can reach both sides.  Perhaps there is an application to Christian involvement in politics or social issues.