“Acts 22–28,” Scripture Helps: New Testament (2024)
Scripture Helps
Acts 22–28
The Apostle Paul gave five speeches defending himself before religious and civil leaders in Jerusalem and Caesarea. These speeches fulfilled the Lord’s prophecy that Paul would testify before kings. In two of these messages, Paul shared the account of his conversion. Paul also testified that Jesus Christ appeared to him twice in Jerusalem. Paul’s journey to Rome helped fulfill Christ’s commission to take the gospel “unto the uttermost part of the earth.”
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Background and Context
Why did Paul invoke his rights as a Roman citizen?
Paul protested being flogged by declaring he was a Roman citizen. Roman citizenship carried with it important privileges, such as protection from scourging without a trial.
What was “the way”?
In this passage, Luke “referred to the early Christian movement as ‘the way.’” It is generally understood that “the way” is derived from Jesus Christ’s declaration: “I am the way.”
What do we know about Felix and Festus?
Felix’s time as Roman governor was marked by cruelty. He was eventually removed from office, most likely because of “questionable administrative practices.” Felix kept Paul in prison for two years, hoping to extort money from him. He also tried to gain favor with the Jews by leaving Paul in prison. Felix’s successor, Porcius Festus, showed more sympathy to the Jews than to Paul.
Why did Paul appeal to Caesar?
Paul realized that his life would be in danger if he returned to Jerusalem for trial, as Festus wanted. Paul chose to appeal to Caesar instead. As a Roman citizen, Paul had the right to appeal to have his case tried directly before Caesar in Rome.
Who was Herod Agrippa II?
Herod Agrippa II (also called Marcus Julius Agrippa) was the seventh and last king in the Jewish Herodian dynasty. He ruled the territory northeast of the Sea of Galilee from about AD 53 to 93. He was the son of Herod Agrippa I, who ordered the death of James and imprisoned Peter. He was the grandson of Herod Antipas, who had John the Baptist beheaded. He was also the great-grandson of Herod the Great, who ordered the slaughter of the infants of Bethlehem.
Herod Agrippa II’s kingdom was north of Festus’s territory. Agrippa and his sister Bernice visited Festus in Caesarea while Paul was imprisoned there. Agrippa was a Jew and was familiar with Jewish affairs. Festus hoped that Agrippa could help him understand the accusations against Paul and draft his letter to Caesar.
How do Paul’s multiple accounts of his vision differ?
When Paul defended himself in Jerusalem and later in Caesarea, he related the vision he had of Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus. There are several accounts of this event in the book of Acts, and each one is slightly different. For example, the way the light is described is different in each version. Only one account says that Ananias healed Paul’s sight by the laying on of hands. Another version doesn’t give as much detail about what Paul’s friends saw. These differences likely arose because Paul retold the events to different audiences for different reasons.
When Paul spoke to Agrippa, he combined details from three different accounts into one. He shared things that Jesus said to him on the road to Damascus, things that Ananias said to him later, and things that Jesus said to him in a vision in Jerusalem.
There are also multiple accounts of the Prophet Joseph Smith’s First Vision. But as with Paul’s vision, differences between accounts of the First Vision do not take away from the truth that Joseph Smith saw a vision of Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ.
Did Paul convince King Agrippa?
Paul’s defense before Festus and Agrippa provides us with a glimpse into his teaching style. He stated that he taught only what all prophets, including Moses, taught: “that Christ should suffer,” die, and “rise from the dead.” Hoping that King Agrippa would accept Christianity, Paul boldly asked whether the king believed the prophets. Agrippa’s reply evaded Paul’s question. “Various manuscripts, other than those used for the King James Version, render Agrippa’s words: ‘Did you think you could convert me so quickly?’” Festus and Agrippa then concluded that Paul had done nothing to warrant death or imprisonment.
What did Paul mean that “this thing was not done in a corner”?
Paul bore witness of Christ’s atoning sacrifice and Resurrection, which Israel’s prophets had foretold. Paul said that King Agrippa knew of these things, “for this thing was not done in a corner.” In other words, the things Paul testified of were not a secret but occurred openly and were witnessed by many.
What is the “fast” referred to here?
The “fast” likely refers to the Day of Atonement. The Day of Atonement occurred in late September or early October. This marked the beginning of the season considered unsafe to travel on the Mediterranean Sea because of dangerous storms.
How did Paul know what was going to happen?
Paul foresaw the danger that would happen to the ship that carried him to Rome. He also prophesied that no one would die as long as they stayed on board the ship. These verses provide an example of Paul acting as a seer in his role as an Apostle of Jesus Christ. The Book of Mormon teaches that a seer can know things in the past and future, including hidden things.
What is a “Euroclydon”?
Paul encouraged those in charge of the ship to remain at a place called the “fair havens,” located on the southern coast of Crete. They rejected his counsel. After departing, the ship faced a storm that the King James Version of the Bible describes as a “Euroclydon.” Other translations refer to it as a northeaster. This is a violent Mediterranean storm with life-threatening hurricane-force winds.
Who were the inhabitants where Paul was shipwrecked?
Those on board the ship found safety on the island called Melita, also known as Malta. The term used in the King James Version to describe the inhabitants, “barbarous,” does not mean that they were savage people. Rather, they were non-Greeks and speakers of a strange language.
What do we know about Paul’s experience in Rome?
Paul was likely the first Christian missionary to preach in Rome. As he had done in other cities, he preached first to the Jews and then to the Gentiles. Tradition holds that while under house arrest, Paul wrote what some have called his “prison epistles”—Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, 2 Timothy, and Philemon. He spent two years under house arrest in Rome. It appears that Paul then ministered in Asia, Greece, and perhaps Spain before being imprisoned again in Rome. According to tradition, he was killed during the persecutions under Nero, sometime between AD 62 and 68.
Learn More
Prophets Are Seers
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Jeffrey R. Holland, “Prophets in the Land Again,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2006, 104–7
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Topics and Questions, “Prophets,” Gospel Library
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Sheri L. Dew, “Prophets Can See around Corners,” (Brigham Young University–Hawaii devotional, Nov. 2, 2022), speeches.byuh.edu
Jesus Christ Is the Way
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Lawrence E. Corbridge, “The Way,” Ensign or Liahona, Nov. 2008, 34–36
Media
Videos
“The Road to Damascus” (5:23)
“Be of Good Cheer” (1:37)
Images
Arrest of Paul, by Simon Harmon Vedder
Trial of the Apostle Paul, by Nikolai Bodarevsky
Paul the Apostle, by Jeff Ward