The Apostolical History, Chapter 6 · Section 22
v. 3. Natus Tarſi] Tarſus illa, eſt Ciliciae Metropolis; quam Romanae civitatis jure donavit Antonius Triumvir. Et hîc, celeberrimam Scholam fuiſſe Strabo teſtatur, lib. 14. Ex hac progreſſus Paulus venit Hieroſolymas; ita Graecam literaturam ſimul, & Hebraicam perfectè didicit, quam multis locis in ſcriptis ſuis manifeſtat. Nutritus ad pedes] Docentes altiori loco poſiti erant, & Auditores inferiori loco per ſubſellia.v. 4. Hanc ſectam perſecutus ſum uſque ad mortem] quantum ſcil. in me erat, Hanc viam funditùs deletum & extinctum ivi.v. 5. foreign] i. e. Synedrium magnum.v. 10. Deus juſſerat Ananiae, quae ipſe juſſurus eſſet Paulo. Et haec juſſa erant facienda Paulo.v. 14. foreign] Syr. Ar. & Aethiop. Conſtituit. te Non gravatè …verto, ſumpſit te ut cognoſcas voluntatem ejus. Propriè enim foreign eſt, prae manibus ſumere id quo uti velis, ſive ad rem ſive ad perſonam referatur.v. 22. audiverunt uſque ad verbum hoc] ut qui pati non poſſent, Gentes fieri participes communis ſalutis.SECT. XXII.
THE next day Claudius Lyſias the Colonel, being deſirous to know the bottom of the buſineſs, called the Sanhedrim or Senate of the Jews, and brought out Paul to them, to ſee what they could object againſt him. The Apoſtle beginning to ſpeak for himſelf, declares that both during his continuance in the Jewiſh religion, and ſince his converſion to Chriſtianity, he had walked uprightly according to his knowledg, and the light of his Conſcience(a)Conſcientia, eſt judicium hominis de ſeipſo, quo per comparationem ſui ipſius cum Lege, & Evangelio, obſervat, & agnoſcit quid in ſe Legi, & Evangelio ſit conforme, vel contrarium; & ex his vel cum gaudio concludit quod Deum amicum, vel cum dolore, quod Deum inimicum habeat.. Ananias the high Prieſt being impatient to hear this, commanded thoſe that ſtood nigh him to ſmite him on the mouth. Paul hereupon freely reproves him for his injuſtice, calling him whited wall (b)Theſe words of Paul muſt not be taken for reviling words, Mat. 5.22, 39. or words of revenge or recompencing evil with evil, but for a ſerious reproving this man, and a bold denunciation of Gods judgment upon him. Loquitur Chriſtus de vindictâ privatâ non de vindictâ propheticâ, & judiciali. Praeterea, privatae vindictae interdictum non adimit nobis licentiam aliorum erga nos injurias deteſtandi, reprehendendi, & ob oculos ponendi auctorum, ſine irâ & odio perſonae, & hoc ſenſu probabilius ſumitur haec invectiva ſcil. ut juſta reprehenſio injuriantis., or Hypocrite, who ſitting there as a Magiſtrate to judg according to Law, yet openly tranſgreſs'd the Law himſelf, by commanding an innocent perſon, unheard, and uncondemned to be ſmitten. See Deut. 25.1, 2. He alſo boldly denounces Gods judgments(c)Id mihi veriſimilius eſt, audiviſſe Paulum vocem emiſſam ab aliquo ex his, qui ad judicandum ſederant (veniſſe enim ſacerdotes & omne concilium conſtat ex cap. 22.) neque tamen ſciviſſe à quonam illorum vox profecta fuerat. A Pontifice autem profectam non putavit, cum propter ejus authoritatem, à quâ indignum erat tam praecipitem offenſionis ſignificationem edi, tum propter ſimulatam ſanctitatem, à qua tam iniqua vox non videbatur eruptura. Audivit ergo Paulus vocem in turbâ, & illi à quo emiſſa eſt, denunciavit paratam eſſe à Domino paenam. Qui autem cum Pontifice venerant, omnes ad judicandum ſedebant. Rivetus in Iſagog. ad Script. Sacr. cap. 21. Sect. 8. againſt him for it, [ſee 2 Tim. 4.14.]. The ſtanders by reprove Paul for this, as one that ſpake contumelious words againſt Gods high Prieſt. The Apoſtle replies, he did not know him, nor acknowledg him to be a lawful high Prieſt or an High Prieſt of Gods appointing, but look'd upon him as an uſurper, and one brought in by the ſiniſter practices, and corruptions of that time; and therefore he might be reprehended for his faults without breaking Gods command, Exod. 22.28. Beſides he could not own any man, to be a lawful high Prieſt now, ſeeing that Function was diſannull'd, by the coming of the great High Prieſt Jeſus, who had accompliſhed all that was typifyed thereby. However though he had ſpoken nothing but what was juſt, yet becauſe to the ſtanders by, it had a ſhew of reviling, therefore he declares, he ſhould have avoided this alſo, had he known him to be, or could have acknowledged him to be, a lawful High Prieſt. The Apoſtle now diſcerning the Sanhedrim to conſiſt partly of Phariſees (who believe the reſurrection of the body, and another life after this, and the real ſubſiſtence of Angels, and the Souls and Spirits of men ſeparated from their bodies*See Heb. 11.13, 14. 1 Cor. 15.19., &c.) and partly of Sadduces, (who deny all this), out of a prudent policy declares himſelf, (as to thoſe points) to adhere to the Sect of the Phariſees, and to be fully of their opinion. And though there were more points in queſtion, yet he ſhews, that for holding of theſe, the Sadduces chiefly hated and perſecuted him. Hereupon there grew a heat and diviſion between theſe two parties, the Doctors of the Law, (which were generally Phariſees), taking his part, and pleading, that 'twas poſſible he might have had ſome extraordinary revelation by an Angel or Spirit, and therefore 'twould not become them to reſiſt his Doctrine, leſt, if it were truly revealed to him from God, they ſhould by oppoſing it, fight againſt God himſelf. Theſe two parties growing thus hot one againſt another, the Colonel to prevent further violence and tumult, commanded the Soldiers to take Paul away from among them, and to bring him into the Caſtle. The night following, the Lord appeared to the Apoſtle in a Viſion to comfort and encourage him, and told him, that as he had preached his Goſpel, and defended it at Jeruſalem, ſo he ſhould do at Rome alſo.
Act. 22. v. 30. 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.
Act. 23. v. 1. And Paul earneſtly beholding the Council, ſaid, Men and brethren, I have lived in all good Conſcience before God untill this day.
v. 2. And the high Prieſt Ananias commanded them that ſtood by him to ſmite him on the mouth.
v. 3. Then ſaid Paul unto him, God ſhall ſmite thee, thou whited wall: for ſitteſt thou to judg me after the Law, and commandeſt me to be ſmitten contrary to the Law.
v. 4. And they that ſtood by, ſaid, Revileſt thou Gods high Prieſt?
v. 5. Then ſaid Paul, 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.
v. 6. But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadduces, and the other Phariſees, he cryed 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.
v. 7. And when he had ſo ſaid, there aroſe a diſſention between the Phariſees and the Sadduces: and the multitude was divided.
v. 8. For the Sadduces ſay that there is no reſurrection, neither angel, nor ſpirit; but the Phariſees confeſs both.
v. 9. And there aroſe a great cry: and the Scribes that were of the Phariſees part aroſe, and ſtrove, ſaying, We find no evil in this man: but if a ſpirit, or an angel hath ſpoken to him, let us not fight againſt God.
v. 10. And when there aroſe a great diſſention, the chief Captain, fearing leſt Paul ſhould have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the Soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring him into the Caſtle.
v. 11 And the night following the Lord ſtood by him, and ſaid, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou haſt teſtified of me in Jeruſalem, ſo muſt thou bear witneſs alſo at Rome.