There’s been some trouble in town.
Now controversary and crowds are nothing out of the ordinary here (or in Roman oversight of Jerusalem), but I have been trying to determine how best to present an equitable view of recent events.
Oh, I might mention that today’s look back at history incites reaction in some no different than the acts concerning religion that caused mobs of angry men to fabricate their own stories on what actually took place.
Can you imagine such a riot in a Common Era familiar to US?
Jerusalem ~A.D. 56
Previously we witnessed the arrival of the Jewish Christ-follower Paul, or Saul as the Jews knew this Apostle of Jesus as he worshipped in the Temple along with thousands of others.
Today we will skip over some of Paul’s “Jewish” speeches, with which most Christians and Jews are most familiar from the Apostle’s THREE MISSIONARY JOURNEYS that go back several years to A.D. 47.
Acts of the Apostles 21:
- Then the whole city was provoked…
- .. and the people ran together, seized Paul, and dragged him out of the temple; and immediately the doors were shut.
31 And as they were seeking to kill him, word came to the tribune of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in confusion. 32 He at once took soldiers and centurions and ran down to them. And when they saw the tribune and the soldiers, they stopped beating Paul.
- Then the tribune came up and arrested him and ordered him to be bound with two chains.
- Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, some another.
- he could not learn the facts because of the uproar
- he ordered him to be brought into the barracks.
Let’s STOP here for a moment to view some conflicting reports.
The Antonia Fortress Barracks
Note the several differences in archeological conjectures about the Temple and Antonia Fortress.
A picture may be worth a thousand words, but sometimes a thousand words will not paint the true picture.
Even a simple scene from Luke's account enters into the controversies of the Jerusalem, Rome and religion to this day.
And when he came to the steps, he was actually carried by the soldiers because of the violence of the crowd, for the mob of the people followed, crying out, “Away with him!”
Acts of the Apostles 21:35-36 ESV
A Greek View of Things
As Paul was about to be brought into the barracks, he said to the tribune, “May I say something to you?”
And he said, “Do you know Greek?
Acts21:37 μέλλων τε εἰσάγεσθαι εἰς τὴν παρεμβολὴν ὁ Παῦλος λέγει τῷ χιλιάρχῳ εἰ ἔξεστίν μοι εἰπεῖν τι πρὸς σέ ὁ δὲ ἔφη Ἑλληνιστὶ γινώσκεις
WHY does a ROMAN military ruler even care that this Paulos knows Greek?
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?”
* to excite tumults and seditions in the State: Acts 17:6; Acts 21:38.
ROMANS, like the GREEKS, worship a pan-Theon of gods and show tolerance for the religions of all.
AS for the politics of war and assassins, ROME had conquered a crumbling democracy of the Athens with many gods and overran a Senate of its own Republic with daggers and legions to establish this Roman peace unconditionally ruled by those who served Caesars.
Paul replied,
“I am a Jew, from Tarsus in Cilicia, a citizen of no obscure city. I beg you, permit me to speak to the people.”
So the ROMAN COMMANDER here learns that in addition to Paul NOT being an Egyptian opponent of Caesar that he is an out-of-towner from CILICIA (probably here for the festival).
40 And when he had given him permission, Paul, standing on the steps, motioned with his hand to the people.
And when there was a great hush, he addressed them in the Hebrew language [dialect, probably Aramaic]..
This accused man speaks Greek, the universal language of his Roman Empire AND also the local Judean language.
A Jewish View of Things
Let’s just highlight a few of Paul’s points to this mob of Hebrews who were just going to stone him.
.. he even brought Greeks into the temple and has defiled this holy place.” For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city, and they supposed that Paul had brought him into the temple.
Acts of the Apostles 21:28b-29 ESV
- Remember the controversy of the Jew Paul in Ephesus?
- But when they recognized that he was a Jew, for about two hours they all cried out with one voice, “Great is Artemis of the Ephesians!”
- Acts 19:34
- The Ephesians are pagans!
Acts of the Apostles 22:
Rav Sha’ul said, “Anashim, Achim, Avot, listen now to my hitstaddekut (defense).”
2 And when they heard that Rav Sha’ul was addressing them in the language of the Hebrews, they were even more quiet.
Acts of the Apostles 22:1-2a Orthodox Jewish Bible
A few of Paul's points:
- brought up in this city,
- educated at the feet of Gamaliel
- strict manner of the law of our fathers,
- zealous for God as all of you are this day.
I persecuted this Way to the death..
.. near to Damascus [nearly 20 years ago in ~ A.D. 37]
.. ‘Who are you, Lord?’ And he said to me,
‘I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.’
Acts of the Apostles 22:8b ESV
.. ‘The God of our fathers appointed you to know his will, to see the Righteous One and to hear a voice from his mouth..
Acts 22:14b
22 Up to this word they listened to him. Then they raised their voices and said, “Away with such a fellow from the earth! For he should not be allowed to live.”
A Roman Reaction
23 And as they were shouting and throwing off their cloaks and flinging dust into the air..
And remember, just like two-score years [14] before when they stoned Stephen and two years before that when they murdered their Messiah Jesus, THE ROMAN SOLDIERS AND GOVERNMENT IS IN CHARGE!
the tribune ordered him to be brought into the barracks, saying that he should be examined by flogging, to find out why they were shouting against him like this.
Acts of the Apostles 22:24 ESV
Did these Roman soldiers under orders of their Tribune NOT believe this strange man the Jewish crowds insisted on killing?
But when they had stretched him out with the leather straps [in preparation for the whip], Paul said to the centurion who was standing by, “Is it legal for you to whip a man who is a Roman citizen and uncondemned [without a trial]?”
Acts of the Apostles 22:25 Amplified Version
Paul, of course, knew the answer. For Romans promoted their culture under Law enforced by Centurions loyal to Rome's Caesar.
Once more, skipping ahead in Paul's arrival in Jerusalem:
So those who were about to examine him withdrew from him immediately, and the tribune also was afraid, for he realized that Paul was a Roman citizen and that he had bound him.
Acts of the Apostles 22:29 ESV
a glance back toward Rome’s Empire
Herod the Great, half-Arab and half-Jew, was a politically adept client King of ROME, more Roman some believed than Judean.
Mostly, this King of the Jews (an official designation of the Roman Senate), is best known Biblically for his efforts to kill the Christ child while he tested the political winds of his time.
Herod, more famous for rebuilding and expanding the Second Temple ALSO built Jerusalem’s ROMAN fortress, naming it after Marc Antony.
Marcus Antonius had helped Caesar drive Pompey from Italy..
After Caesar’s assassination, Octavian (later Caesar Augustus) initially opposed Antony but later formed the Second Triumvirate with Antony and Lepidus. Antony helped defeat republican forces at Philippi and took control of Rome’s eastern provinces. On a mission to Egypt to question Cleopatra about her loyalty, he became her lover.. Octavian declared war on Cleopatra. Antony lost the Battle of Actium, and he and Cleopatra fled to Egypt, pursued by Octavian. When resistance became futile, they committed suicide.
Source: Britannica
Antonia Fortress
Antonia Fortress had 3 towers 50 cubits (86 ft) high and a fourth tower 70 cubits (120 ft./36.75 m) high.
The view from this highest tower, that, according to Josephus “commanded a view of the whole area of the Temple”
At the place where the northern and western porticoes met, there was a staircase leading up to the roof of the porticoes. At this place there was an entrance to the Antonia Fortress.
Source:
Here we can imagine the scene portrayed in Acts 21 and 22, when the Roman captain, Lysias, allowed Paul to address his fellow countrymen from the safety of the Antonia.
All Roads Lead To ROME
By now, in the year of our Lord 56, the Apostle Paul will continue to balance his evangelism of all the world as a Roman citizen defending his faith in Jerusalem, but also in a race to the finish in Rome.
ACTS of the Apostle Paul
To Be Continued…
