Acts 22:1-21
Intro Questions
#God #People #Time #Place #Obedient faith #Sin #Key Idea
Acts 22:1-21
1“Brothers and fathers, hear the
defense that I now make
before you.”
2And when they heard that he was addressing
them in the Hebrew language, they became even more quiet. And he said:
3“I am a
Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but
brought up in this city, educated
at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of
our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day. 4I persecuted this Way to the death, binding and delivering to prison both men and women, 5as the high priest and the whole council of elders can bear
me witness. From them I received letters to the brothers, and I journeyed toward Damascus to take those also who were
there and bring them in bonds to Jerusalem to be punished.
6“As I was on my way and drew near to Damascus, about noon a great light from heaven
suddenly shone around me. 7And I fell to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Saul,
Saul, why are you persecuting me?’ 8And I
answered, ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he
said to me, ‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are
persecuting.’ 9Now those who were with me saw the light but did not understandc the voice of the one who was speaking to me. 10And I
said, ‘What shall I do, Lord?’ And the
Lord said to me, ‘Rise, and
go into Damascus, and there you will be told all that is appointed for you to
do.’ 11And since I could not see because of the brightness of
that light, I was led by the hand by those
who were with me, and came into Damascus.
12“And one Ananias, a devout man according
to the law, well spoken of by all the
Jews who lived there, 13came to
me, and standing by me said to
me, ‘Brother Saul, receive
your sight.’ And at that very hour I received my sight and saw him. 14And he
said, ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see
the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth; 15for you
will be a witness for him to everyone of what you
have seen and heard. 16And now why do you wait? Rise and be baptized and wash away your sins, calling on his name.’
17“When I had returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, I fell into a trance 18and saw
him saying to me, ‘Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not
accept your testimony about me.’ 19And I
said, ‘Lord, they themselves know that
in one synagogue after another I imprisoned and beat those who believed in you. 20And when
the blood of Stephen your
witness was being shed, I myself was
standing by and approving and watching over the garments of those who killed
him.’ 21And he
said to me, ‘Go, for I
will send you far away to the Gentiles.’”
#Saul AKA Paul
#the Jews
#Gamaliel
#both men and women
#those who were with me
#Stephen
Places
#Tarsus of Cilicia
#this city
#Damascus
# Jerusalem
Topics
#conversion
#obedience
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The Forensic Defense Speeches of Paul
(Acts 22:1-21; 26:1-23; cf. Malina & Neyrey, Paul, p. 91)
I.
Exordium
(or Prooemium) (cf. Rh. Her. 1.4.6; Cicero, Inv. 1.15.20; Quintilian, Inst. Orat. 4.1.14). This prepares the hearers to be positively
disposed and attentive to the defendant. The ―lawyer‖ should show that he is
taking the case out of duty to family or honor or better out of a sense of
patriotism (captatio benevolentiae).
Good will can be derived from (Cicero, Orat.
2.43.182, 184, Loeb):
A.
The person of the speaker – by
speaking of our own deeds without arrogance, by prayers and petitions, by
demonstrating hardships well endured. Name, Acts 21:38-39
1.
Nature -- Gender (Quintilian notes
that males are more likely to commit robbery and females poisoning) &
Ethnicity, Acts 22:3
2.
Manner of life, Acts 22:3-5; 26:4-5,
9-11
3.
Fortune, Acts 22:5; 26:9-12
4.
Habit, Acts 22:3
5.
Feeling, Acts 22:7-8, 11; 26:14-15
6.
Interest, Acts 22:3-4; 26:10-11,
19-20
7.
Purpose, Acts 22:15; 26:16-18
8.
Achievements, accidents, speech,
Acts 22:6-11; 26:12-18
B.
The person of the opponent – by
showing them to be mean, vicious, or cruel.
C.
The person of the judge – by
flattering the hearers without being too obviously effusive.
D.
The case itself – if it is noble
(for the group) rather than self-seeking.
II.
Statement
of Facts (Narratio) (cf.
Quintilian, Inst. Orat. 4.2.31). It is to prepare the mind
of the judge (nst Orat. 4.2.4-5). It
is comprised of:
A.
The main question at issue – What
was done? Was it done rightly? (Acts 21:28; 24:5-8; contra 23:6, 29; 24:21;
25:18-19; 26:6-8)
B.
The line of defense
C.
The point for the judge‘s decision
D.
The foundation or basic argument for
the defense (Inst. Orat. 3.11.6-7)
III. Proof (Probatio)
A.
Eyewitness (e.g. Demosthenes, Against Eubulides 4; Philo, Spec. leg. 4.59; Conf. 141). Paul served as
an eyewitness to the resurrection, Acts 22:15; 26:16. This is considered
―irrefutable‖ evidence (tekmerion),
(cf. Acts 1:3; 10:41 cf. Lk 24:37-43)
B.
Evidence from probability, examples,
tokens, signs and maxims (Rh. Al. 36, 1442b; 391443a, 6). These can be used in
conjunction with other facts to build a strong case.
1.
Sign: The great light (Acts 22:6, 9;
26:13); abd Paul‘s blindness and healing (Acts 9:7-9, 17; 22:11,13)
2.
Corroborating witnesses (Acts 22:9,
12; 26:13-14).
3.
General experience (Aristotle, Rh. Al. 7, 1428a; see Quintilian, Inst. Orat. 5.10.16-19).
C.
Witnesses and confessions that are
obtained by torture (Aristotle, Rh. Al.
36, 1442b; 37). (cf. Acts 22:24). This was considered the strongest evidence.
D.
Evidence from the person‘s nature
and character.
IV. Refutation and Peroration
A.
The refutation is the countering of
the arguments of the opposition, generally involving some sort of attach on the
opponent’s character, person, or social standing (Acts 4:13).
B.
The peroration is an attempt to
elicit certain emotions from the audience/judge in order to secure a verdict in
one‘s favor.
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