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Acts 21:37–22:2
“Are you not the Egyptian, then, who recently stirred up a revolt and led the four thousand men of the Assassins out into the wilderness?” (21:38).
Rome exercised control over Judea during the first century, having added it to the imperial territory in about 66 BC. The majority of the Jewish population was never happy being under the rule of the Roman Empire, and Jewish uprisings against their Roman overlords were common. About three years before Paul’s arrest in Jerusalem, which is recorded in Acts 21:27–36, a man from Egypt appeared in the city and claimed to be a prophet. He was able to convince a number of Jews that he would bring down the walls of Jerusalem and lead the Jewish people in an overthrow of Roman rule. This would-be revolt proved unsuccessful. The Roman governor Felix was able to put it down by sending in a Roman army, and the Egyptian who claimed to be a prophet escaped capture.
We see that uprising referenced in today’s passage, where we learn that the tribune who had Paul arrested after the uproar against him in Jerusalem believed him to be that so-called Egyptian prophet (vv. 37–38). Given the recent history, it is reasonable that a Roman official would think that a foreigner (Paul was not originally from Jerusalem) associated with a riot might be the escaped Egyptian returned to incite trouble again. The Apostle cleared up the confusion, noting that he was not an Egyptian but “a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city” (v. 39). Tarsus, indeed, was an important metropolis, being one of the three chief cities of Asia Minor (alongside Ephesus and Smyrna).
Paul asked the Roman tribune if he could address the crowd that had followed the party that arrested him and was still clamoring for his death, and the official granted permission (vv. 39–40). The Roman tribune allowed Paul to speak, and he stepped forward to address the crowd even though he certainly was in pain from the recent beating he had endured at the crowd’s hands (v. 40; see v. 32). Luke writes that the Apostle spoke to them “in the Hebrew language” (21:40–22:2). In all likelihood, this means that Paul addressed them in Aramaic, which was the common language spoken in first-century Judea and was a dialect of Hebrew.
Over the next few days, we will look at the speech that Paul gave on that occasion. As we will see, Paul, ever the evangelist, took the opportunity to explain his calling by the Lord Jesus Himself so that his hearers would know that the promised Messiah had come.
Coram Deo Living before the face of God
In Jerusalem, Paul defended himself and the message he preached. He engaged in apologetics, which involves defending the Christian faith and answering those who raise objections against it. We are not Apostles and will never be theologians of Paul’s stature, but we likewise have a duty to defend the faith insofar as we are able (1 Peter 3:15). When we cannot answer hard questions, we can point inquirers to others who can.
For further study
- Psalm 43:1
- Proverbs 18:13
- Acts 24:10
- Philippians 1:16
The bible in a year
- Isaiah 45–47
- Colossians 3:18–4:18