Acts 22:3 - Printer Friendly

ESV: "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.

NIV: "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city. I studied under Gamaliel and was thoroughly trained in the law of our ancestors. I was just as zealous for God as any of you are today.

NASB: I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated under Gamaliel, strictly according to the Law of our fathers, being zealous for God just as you all are today.

CSB: He continued, "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the law of our ancestors. I was zealous for God, just as all of you are today.

NLT: Then Paul said, 'I am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, and I was brought up and educated here in Jerusalem under Gamaliel. As his student, I was carefully trained in our Jewish laws and customs. I became very zealous to honor God in everything I did, just like all of you today.

KJV: I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.

NKJV: “I am indeed a Jew, born in Tarsus of Cilicia, but brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, taught according to the strictness of our fathers’ law, and was zealous toward God as you all are today.

Paul is in Jerusalem, facing two different rumors that he is breaking the Mosaic law. He's presently trying to explain to a mob of Jews in Jerusalem why he was seen in Jerusalem in the presence of a Gentile. He starts by quickly covering his background, including his extreme devotion to the Mosaic law.

Tarsus was a Roman city in the province of Cilicia which spans the eastern part of the southern coast of modern-day Turkey. Those who were born in Roman cities such as Tarsus were automatically Roman citizens.

Gamaliel was a famous rabbi of the Pharisees. It was he who counseled the Sanhedrin to ignore the apostles during the very early days of the church, saying, "So in the present case I tell you, keep away from these men and let them alone, for if this plan or this undertaking is of man, it will fail; but if it is of God, you will not be able to overthrow them. You might even be found opposing God!" (Acts 5:38–39).

When Paul says he was "zealous for God," he doesn't mean he was part of the political party now known as the "Zealots." The Zealots were Jewish extremists who approved of violence to drive Romans out of their ancestral lands. Paul trained to be a Pharisee, a religious sect that followed and taught extra-biblical laws for fear of coming close to breaking the Mosaic law. Paul has been accused of teaching Jews they do not need to circumcise their sons and of bringing a Gentile into the temple (Acts 21:21, 28). Anyone trained and steeped in Jewish tradition would never do these things, even were they a follower of Christ.

Paul goes on to explain how he first persecuted the church, then turned to follow Jesus. The crowd listens respectfully until he mentions that God commissioned him to teach Gentiles about the Messiah. The crowd flares again at the mention of Gentiles and demands the tribune take Paul away. The young officer, still confused, obliges (Acts 22:22).

Acts 22:1–5 begins Paul's defense against false rumors he brought a Gentile into the temple. He reminds the crowd how much he formerly hated Jesus-followers. Gamaliel, the great Pharisee rabbi, trained Paul in the strict ways of the law. Paul embodied that training by chasing down Christians and imprisoning them. In fact, he chased them far from Jerusalem—as far as Damascus. The incidents described in the early part of Paul's speech are also explained in Acts 9:1–2.

In Acts 22, a young Roman military officer realizes he cannot control Jews who do not wish to be controlled. He has just rescued Paul from a crowd that largely doesn't know why they want to kill Paul. In hopes of gathering information, the tribune allows Paul to speak to the crowd. The crowd listens only briefly, then explodes again. The tribune tries flogging but is foiled by Paul's Roman citizenship. Finally, the tribune schedules a meeting with the Sanhedrin. It does not go well (Acts 23:1–10).

Paul came to Jerusalem to tell the church of his ministry's success with Gentiles. The leaders are more worried about a rumor that Paul no longer respects the Jewish law. Paul agrees to perform a very Jewish ritual, but in the process is falsely accused of bringing a Gentile into the temple. A mob assaults him, and the Roman tribune arrests him (Acts 21:17–36). The tribune tries to uncover the truth by letting Paul speak to the crowd, then almost flogging him (Acts 21:37—22). Next, he will bring Paul to the Sanhedrin, to no avail (Acts 23:1–10).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.