Acts of the Apostles 21:17-39 Sunday School Notes

Here are some of my notes for Sunday, August 17, 2008 based on the Lifeway Explore the Bible curriculum

 Reference works cited include:

1) The Acts of the Apostles: Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary by F. F. Bruce

2) The Acts of the Apostles: A Social-Rhetorical Commentary by Ben Witherington III 

3)The Acts of the Apostles: Anchor Bible Commentary by Joseph Fitzmyer

4) NET Bible

 

The story of Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem is a combination of historically verified setting and biblical narrative. Judea in the first century AD was ruled by a series of Roman governors without a clue how to handle the Jewish population. Time and again the Romans would do something to incite the Jews, then further incite them by using excessive military force to end the ensuing turmoil. Jewish hatred of Roman rule lead to various messianic pretenders, most of whom were killed for their trouble. Jewish nationalism, a sort of “Judea for Jews” movement, created the class of sicarii, dagger-wielding nationalist assassins who specialized in killing Jews they felt too sympathetic to Rome in crowds. The Zealots were another nationalist party in Judea, using tactics like looting and burning the homes of Romans and Roman sympathsizers. Jews were insistent on strict observance of the Law, and many Jewish Christians followed their relatives’ lead about the Law as well.

Simply put, Paul could hardly have picked a worse time to go to Jerusalem if he wished to avoid trouble, especially since he was there at Pentecost, a major festival when many of his Jewish and Jewish Christians opponents would also be in town and feeling extra righteous about people who didn’t follow the letter of the law. (Witherington)

Paul himself felt Spirit lead to go to Jerusalem (Acts 20:22), though the Spirit also made him expect no better treatment in Jerusalem than in previous towns (Acts 20:23), where he was beaten, jailed, and forced out. Indeed, the Spirit was more specific in Tyre (Acts 21:3-4) and Caesarea (Acts 21:10-11) about his future. Paul, however, felt he must go, and put more value on his ministry than his life.(Acts 21:13)

Acts 21:17
the brothers welcomed us- Are the brothers the Hellenistic Jewish Christians like Mnason and associates, or James and the elders? The narrative makes one suspect it was the Hellenized Jewish Christians.(Bruce, Witherington)

Acts 21:18
James- brother of the Lord, and now seemingly the leader of the Jerusalem church, since the apostles are all elsewhere, apparently.

all the elders- Many of these were likely of the Pharisaic group, eager for Christians both Jew and Gentile to follow Mosiac law.

“us”- This is the last use of “us” in this section, because presumably the group who had accompanied Paul to deliver the collection for the poor of Jerusalem had accomplished their mission, and were soon headed home.(Witherington)

Acts 21:19
he greeted them- in NA text, “greeted” is singular masculine. In Western Text, it is plural masculine, “we greeted”.(Fitzmyer)

Notice no mention of reciprocal greeting. Was Paul given a chilly reception in Jerusalem?(Witherington)

ministry- This might be a reference to the collection for Jerusalem Paul has brought, for this is the same way Paul speaks of it in Rom 15:31. On the other hand, it might echo Acts 20:24, where “ministry” refers to Paul’s whole evangelistic career.(Witherington)

Why no overt mention of the collection?
1. Collection was rejected by Jewish zealots in the Jerusalem church
2. Collection was never delivered. Not likely based on Acts 24:17-18.
3. Collection was delivered, but did not make Jerusalem church anymore favorable toward Gentile Christians. The most likely explanation. (Witherington)

Acts 21:20
they glorified God- This would seem to exclude Witherington’s theory of Paul’s frosty reception, among the Jerusalem leadership, at least.

thousands of Jews… believed…all zealous for the law: Is this the Pharisaic party rearing their head, or more moderate elders leading the discussion to the inevitable, “We have this problem, Paul… it’s you yourself.”

Acts 21:21
they have been told about you- Told by Jews or Jewish Christians among the Diaspora, who lived in cities where Paul had ministered.

The three complaints against Paul:
1. Paul taught Jews living among Gentiles to forsake the law of Moses.
2. Paul taught Jews living among Gentiles not to circumcise their sons.
3. Paul taught Jews living among Gentiles not to follow the traditions.(Witherington)

Paul had come to the conclusion that faith, not works save, therefore he saw Jewish law and ritual as mere accessories to the gospel, not a means of salvation in themselves. He himself was quite happy to be Jewish among Jews, and Gentile among Gentiles, but opposed any hint of the Law and rites applying to Gentile Christians, as undermining salvation by faith.

Paul nuanced these things in his letters, in places like:
1. Gal 3:10-25; Rom 2:25-30
2. Gal 4:9, 5:2-3, 6, 11

Acts 21:22-23
What to do since the Jews and the Jewish Christian zealots will learn you are here soon enough, and the situation is always volatile?

Four men with a vow: almost certainly, a Nazirite vow, covered in Numbers 6:2-21, which later Jewish writings (m. Nazar 6:3) and Josephus (War 2. 313) stress last thirty days, and is meant to make one especially holy. (Bruce, Witherington)

Acts 21:24
Because 21:27 stresses seven days, it is not likely Paul was asked here to take a Nazirite vow. Instead he is being told to undergo the common rite of purification for Jews who had been in pagan lands(m. Oholot 2:3, 17:5, 18.6), where one is sprinkled with the water of atonement on the third and seventh day to rid oneself of pagan defilement. This would both show Paul followed the law and prepare him to take part in the final rites of the four men under a Nazarite vow, for whom Paul would pay the costs of their necessary sacrifices, which were not small, especially if you were paying four times over:(Witherington)

Num 6:13-16 NET. ” ‘Now this is the law of the Nazirite: When the days of his separation are fulfilled, he must be brought to the entrance of the tent of meeting, (14) and he must present his offering to the LORD: one male lamb in its first year without blemish for a burnt offering, one ewe lamb in its first year without blemish for a purification offering, one ram without blemish for a peace offering, (15) and a basket of bread made without yeast, cakes of fine flour mixed with olive oil, wafers made without yeast and smeared with olive oil, and their grain offering and their drink offerings. (16) ” ‘Then the priest must present all these before the LORD and offer his purification offering and his burnt offering.

Witherington questions whether Paul planned to pay for the sacrifices out of his own pocket, or with money from the collection.

Paying for sacrifices for someone else was considered a sign of piety in this day. Thus the request by the church elders seems designed to show Paul was both a practicing Jew and a pious one at that.(Fitzmyer, Witherington)

Acts 21:25
This refers back to the letter of Acts 15:22-29, and gives evidence that the controversy around Paul aims more at Jewish Christians giving up Jewish law and tradition. (Witherington, Fitzmyer)

Acts 21:26
Paul goes to the Temple, announces his intention to undergo purification and sponsor the four men’s final Nazarite rites. Narrative wise, it is interesting to note that the purification ritual’s set time table would allow Paul’s enemies a chance to know where he would be within a week, so they could hatch a plot against him. It would be especially since he was going to be on Temple grounds, where Jews were especially easy to whip up into a frenzied mob.

Acts 21:27
seven days were about to end:
Num 19:16-19 NET. And whoever touches the body of someone killed with a sword in the open fields, or the body of someone who died of natural causes, or a human bone, or a grave, will be unclean seven days. (17) ” ‘For a ceremonially unclean person you must take some of the ashes of the heifer burnt for purification from sin and pour fresh running water over them in a vessel. (18 ) Then a ceremonially clean person must take hyssop, dip it in the water, and sprinkle it on the tent, on all its furnishings, and on the people who were there, or on the one who touched a bone, or one killed, or one who died, or a grave. (19) And the clean person must sprinkle the unclean on the third day and on the seventh day; and on the seventh day he must purify him, and then he must wash his clothes, and bathe in water, and he will be clean in the evening.

Jews from…Asia: likely from Ephesus, where Paul resided the longest (about three years)

stirred up the whole crowd: As this was at the time of Pentecost, the city was filled with extra thousands visting to celebrate the festival.

seized him: Presumably to take him from the Temple grounds and at least beat him, more likely stone him.

Acts 21:28
Three charges against Paul:
1. Teaches against the Jews, Judaism, and their Temple
2. Brought Gentiles into inner Temple courts.
3. Profaned the Temple: by number 2 and perhaps his own presence.

Into Temple: Specifically within the inner courts. The Outer Court of the Gentiles was open to all, and was the city’s business center. The inner courts were blocked off by a stone balustrade about four and a half feet tall, with signs in Greek and Latin warning foreigners against going further: “No one of another nation may enter within the fence and enclosure around the Temple. Whoever is caught shall have himself to blame that his death ensues.”(Fitzmyer)

The death penalty was a real threat, as the Romans seem to have made exceptions to their control of death sentences when sacred temples were involved, both in Judea and in Greece. (Witherington)

Acts 21:29
The Asian Jews had previously taken notice that Paul’s companions in Jerusalem were often Gentiles, thus they likely assumed upon seeing him with others in the inner Temple that those companions too were Gentile.

Act 20:4 NET. Paul was accompanied by Sopater son of Pyrrhus from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe, and Timothy, as well as Tychicus and Trophimus from the province of Asia.

Swift action on the part of Jewish crowds in face of sacrilege is documented many times in Josephus (War 1.88-9, 2.8-13, 2.42-48, 2.169-74, 2.223-27, 2.229-31, 2.315-20, 2.406-7, 2.449-56). This sort of reaction is likely why the Romans allowed the death penalty at temples, understanding mob mentality.(Witherington)

Acts 21:30
The whole city was stirred up: Not too great an exaggeration, since so much of the city did business in the Court of the Gentiles.

They seized Paul, dragged him out: Again, this was with the likely intent of stoning him. He was being beaten as he was being dragged (Acts 21:32).

the gates were shut: Practically, this was to keep supposed Gentile intruders out, and to prevent ritual defilement of the Temple itself by having human blood spilt upon holy ground, as the frenzied mob attacked Paul. The temple guard presumably did this. Symbolically it can only be seen as the final rejection of Christianity by Judaism, which locks out the great Christian apostle.(Witherington)

Acts 21:31
commander: The Greek word is chiliarch, literally “the leader of a thousand”, though it was often used to translate a Latin term “tribunus militum”, who commanded a cohort of 600 men.

Regiment is literally Greek speira, equivalent to Latin cohors, or cohort, a military unit of a tenth of a legion (ideally 6000 men), thus a cohort equaled 600 men. Auxiliary cohors, such as were used in Judea and Syria in the last century BC and first century AD, were often larger, with 1000 men. These cohors were made up of provincial (local) freemen who would be awarded Roman citizenship at the end of the service. The unit ideal included 760 infantry and 240 calvary.

word went up: Presumably from soldiers stationed to keep an eye on the crowd. Romans anticipated riots in Jerusalem during the great festivals, and thus troops were always stationed in the Antonia fortress at festivals, Antonia was an ancient fortress attached to the Temple which Herod the Great enlarged (490 feet by 260 feet, with 60-75 foot walls) and named after Mark Anthony with four towers, three of which were 75 feet tall, but the one overlooking the Temple was 115 feet tall. Two staircases lead down from Antonia into the Court of the Gentiles for ready access.

Acts 21:32
taking along soldiers and centurions: Does the mention of centurions indicate the chiliarch took several hundred men with him? It does seem likely given the crowds and their behavior. Roman policy was to act decisively with overwhelming force whenever possible.

they stopped beating Paul: Upon the arrival of the soldiers, because the Romans were there to end chaos, and they would use force very quickly if the chaos didn’t resolve itself.

Acts 21:33-34
The commander, whom we learn in Acts 23:36 is named Claudius Lysias, has Paul bound with chains (no doubt partly to quell the mob, but also to protect Paul, who is likely getting mauled by the crowd) and attempts to get the Jews to say what is going on. As he gets nothing coherent out of the crowd, he leaves for Antonia with Paul in tow. Paul is likely bound with chains on each arm, and a soldier on each arm, thus simultaneously binding him and protecting him.

Acts 21:35
The crowd is not yet mollified, for they continue to attack Paul so much that the soldiers must “carry him”: presumably because the mob is grabbing at Paul so fiercely, they must half carry, half drag him through the crowd, until the get on the stairs, where the soldiers have doubtless formed up to block the crowd. The chiliarch isn’t just saving Paul. He is taking him somewhere where he can question him to make a report to his superiors. Such a question could well involve beating and torture.

Acts 21:37
Paul speaks to the chiliarch in Greek, the universal language of the ancient world.

Acts 21:38
The Chiliarch seems to be mixing his revolutionaries up here, connecting the Egyptian messianic pretender who lead a crowd to the Mt. of Olives to see Jerusalem’s walls fall ( and who thereby got 400 people killed and 200 more arrested by the Romans) with the sicarii sect who murdered Jewish sympathsizers in the streets of Jerusalem.

Acts 21:29
A Jewish man: Paul seems to take the Chiliarch’s notion of him being Egyptian (perhaps because he spoke good Greek, as Egyptians had done for centuries) and certainly the revolutionary accusation as an insult, and corrects him.

Tarsus: An ancient city in Cilicia, a natural crossroad for trade routes from the Euphrates to the West and from Antioch to the North. It was probably founded by the Phoenicians, is mentioned as early as ancient Hittite records. Cilicia was made a Roman province by Pompey in 64 BC, and Tarsus was declared the provincial capital. In Marc Anthony’s day (40-33 BC) he made Tarsus a city free and exempt from Roman taxes, which amounted to Roman citizeship for many Tarsusians. Augustus later upheld this freedom, and Tarsus became a wealthy, intellectual and cultural center of the Roman empire. (Fitzmyer)