RSV ~ Acts 23 Notes
Acts 23:1 | ISB Notes
all good conscience: Even during his days as a persecutor of the Church, Paul was convinced he was doing the right thing (26:9). Only afterward was he given the grace to see how wrong he had been (1 Cor 15:9-10).
Acts 23:2 | ISB Notes
Ananias: The son of Nedebaeus, high priest from A.D. 47 to 59. He was a notoriously greedy and violent man, so disliked by the Jews that they assassinated him at the start of the Jewish War with Rome in A.D. 66. He is not the high priest Annas mentioned in 4:6 or the Ananias who baptized Paul in 9:17-18.
Acts 23:5 | ISB Notes
You shall not speak evil: Paul apologizes to the court with a quotation from Ex 22:28.
ā¢ The prohibition comes from the Book of the Covenant, a body of case law given to Israel at Mt. Sinai (Ex 21-23). Paul made it clear that he holds himself to this law, although it remains unclear why he did not recognize the high priest.
Acts 23:6 | ISB Notes
Sadducees ā¦ Pharisees: Two religious movements that emerged in Israel around the second century B.C. They were united on certain Jewish issues but deeply divided over others. The Pharisees, for instance, believed in the resurrection of the body, the unseen existence of angels and demons, and the hope of an afterlife, but the Sadducees denied all this and more (23:8). As a matter of strategy, Paul revealed his association with the Pharisees to generate partisan disputes and split the sympathy of the court.
See essays: Who Are the Pharisees? at Mk 2 and Who Are the Sadducees? at Mk 12.
Acts 23:11 | ISB Notes
the Lord stood by: The risen Christ spoke to Paul several times after their initial encounter near Damascus (9:36; 18:9; 22:17-18).
witness also at Rome: Sets the stage for the final movement of Acts, where Paul appeals his case to Caesar (25:12) and journeys by ship to the imperial capital in Italy (28:14).
Acts 23:12 | ISB Notes
bound themselves by an oath: Or āanathematized themselvesā. Essentially more than 40 fanatical Jews invoked a curse upon themselves should they consume any food or drink before murdering Paul (Mk 14:71). Whether or not these men starved themselves to death is unknown; it is certain only that Paul slipped through their hands unharmed.
Acts 23:16 | ISB Notes
the son of Paulās sister: A nephew of Paul informs the tribune of the plot to ambush the apostle and take his life. This is the only mention of Paulās biological relatives in the NT.
Acts 23:23 | ISB Notes
two of the centurions: Roman military commanders, each in charge of 100 soldiers.
the third hour: About 9 P.M.
Acts 23:24 | ISB Notes
mounts for Paul: The tribune took seriously the alleged conspiracy against Paulās life. Accountable for the welfare of the Roman citizen in his custody, he organized a military escort of infantry and cavalry to extricate Paul from Jerusalem under cover of darkness. He was to be taken on horseback 60 miles northwest to Caesarea, the provincial capital of Judea and the headquarters of the Roman procurator.
Felix the governor: Antonius Felix, the Roman procurator of Judea from A.D. 52 to 59. History remembers him as a barbarous and immoral ruler.
Acts 23:25-30 | ISB Notes
It was customary for a subordinate (tribune) to send a written explanation to his superior (procurator) about the transference of a prisoner. As told by the tribune, the facts of the story are rearranged to cover up his own mistakes: he did not learn of Paulās citizenship when he rescued the apostle from the angry crowd (23:27), but only when he was about to have him scourged (22:24-29).
Acts 23:29 | ISB Notes
nothing deserving death: Recalls the verdict of innocence given to Jesus in Lk 23:15.
Acts 23:31 | ISB Notes
Antipatris: A military post near the halfway point between Jerusalem and Caesarea.
Acts 23:35 | ISB Notes
Herodās praetorium: A Caesarean palace built by the late Herod the Great (d.Ā 4/1 B.C.). It served as the official residence of the procurator. Other praetoria mentioned in the NT were located in Rome (Phil 1:13) and Jerusalem (Jn 18:28).