Acts 23:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

NIV: When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

NASB: When he said this, a dissension occurred between the Pharisees and Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

CSB: When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.

NLT: This divided the council — the Pharisees against the Sadducees —

KJV: And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees: and the multitude was divided.

NKJV: And when he had said this, a dissension arose between the Pharisees and the Sadducees; and the assembly was divided.

The Sanhedrin was the council which regulated the practice of Judaism. It was comprised of priests, elders, and scribes: religious leaders, respected community leaders, and experts in the Mosaic law. Most of the members, and almost all the priests, belonged to the sect of the Sadducees. They followed the Mosaic law only—the first five books of Scripture with no additional regulations—and they learned to use the Roman occupation to their advantage. The Pharisees also followed the Oral Law, which their scribes claimed came from Moses, in addition to the written Law in the Pentateuch. Their validation comes from the people who saw them as great religious leaders. Both Jesus and John the Baptist criticized both sects (Matthew 3:7; 16:6–12).

The theological beliefs of the two sides directly influence their lifestyles. Sadducees, who tended to be wealthy and got along with the Romans, believed there is no resurrection from the dead. To their thinking, any blessings God gives will come in this lifetime, so a person needs to get their benefits now. Pharisees believed in the resurrection from the dead. They liked power and money, but they didn't want to risk their chance for more power and riches in the afterlife, so they followed extra-biblical rules and disapproved of the Romans.

When Paul winds up defending himself in front of the Sanhedrin and then accidentally insulting the high priest, he uses the distinctions between the Pharisees and Sadducees to draw attention away from himself. He announces that he is a Pharisee and the message his accusers find hard to handle is the resurrection of the dead (Acts 23:1–6).

Paul's plan works. The Pharisees declare there's nothing wrong with Paul. The Sadducees disagree. As the two sides come to blows, Paul is still caught in the middle and the tribune must rescue him again (Acts 23:8–10).

Acts 23:1–11 records a Roman military tribune's last effort to uncover why a mob attacked Paul. The crowd dragged him out of the temple and beat him mercilessly (Acts 21:27–33). The tribune asks the Sanhedrin for help, but there are too many divisions. The Sanhedrin can't abide Christians. Paul can't fathom their rejection of Jesus. The Sadducees and Pharisees quickly fall into an old fight about the resurrection of the dead. The tribune takes Paul back to the barracks where, that night, Jesus tells Paul he's on his way to Rome.

Acts 23 continues the tribune's attempt to discover why a mob of Jews suddenly turned violent and attacked Paul (Acts 21:27–33). He takes Paul to the Sanhedrin to see if they understand what his crime is. Paul barely begins his story when he is slapped for impudence. He disrespects the high priest and starts a fight between the Pharisees and Sadducees. The next day, a group of forty Jews invite the Sanhedrin to help them murder Paul. Paul's nephew reports the plot to the tribune who gives up and sends Paul to the governor. The governor awaits Paul's accusers for trial.

Jews from near Ephesus accused Paul of bringing a Gentile into the temple and incited a crowd to attack him. The tribune saved Paul but couldn't uncover the reason for the violence; most of the mob didn't know, and Paul was a Roman citizen, so the tribune couldn't beat the truth out of him (Acts 21—22). When the Sanhedrin would rather murder Paul than talk to him, the tribune sends Paul to the governor. The governor holds Paul without charges for so long he invokes his right to a trial before Caesar. The governor agrees, and Paul finally gets to Rome (Acts 24—28).

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.