King James Version · Under Rome
Acts 21
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And it came to pass, that after we were gotten from them, and had launched, we came with a straight course unto Coos, and the day following unto , and from thence unto : And finding a ship sailing over unto , we went aboard, and set forth. Now when we had discovered , we left it on the left hand, and sailed into , and landed at : for there the ship was to unlade her burden. And finding , we tarried there seven days: who said to through , that he should not go up to . And when we had accomplished those days, we departed and went our way; and they all brought us on our way, with wives and children, till we were out of the city: and we kneeled down on the shore, and . And when we had taken our leave one of another, we took ship; and they returned home again. And when we had finished our course from , we came to , and saluted the brethren, and abode with them one day. And the next day we that were of ’s company departed, and came unto Cesarea: and we entered into the house of , which was one of the seven; and abode with him. And the same man had four daughters, virgins, which did . And as we tarried there many days, there came down from a certain , named . And when he was come unto us, he took ’s girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Ghost, So shall the at bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall him into the hands of the . And when we heard these things, both we, and they of that place, besought him not to go up to . Then answered, What mean ye to weep and to break mine ? for I am ready not to be bound only, but also to at for the name of . And when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of be done. And after those days we took up our carriages, and went up to . There went with us also certain of of Cesarea, and brought with them one of , an old , with whom we should lodge. And when we were come to , the brethren received us gladly. And the day following went in with us unto ; and all the were present. And when he had saluted them, he declared particularly what things had wrought among the by his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified , and said unto him, Thou seest, brother, how many thousands of there are which ; and they are all of : And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the which are among the to forsake , saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. What is it therefore? must needs come together: for they will hear that thou art come. Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a on them; Them take, and purify thyself with them, and be at charges with them, that they may shave their heads: and all may know that those things, whereof they were informed concerning thee, are nothing; but that thou thyself also walkest orderly, and keepest . As touching the which , we have written and concluded that they observe no such thing, only that they keep themselves from things offered to idols, and from , and from strangled, and from fornication. Then took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into , to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an should be offered for every one of them. And when the seven days were almost ended, the which were of , when they saw him in , stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and , and this place: and further brought also into , and hath polluted this place. (For they had seen before with him in the city an Ephesian, whom they supposed that had brought into .) And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took , and drew him out of : and forthwith the doors were shut. And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all was in an uproar. Who immediately took soldiers and , and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of . Then the chief captain came near, and took him, and commanded him to be bound with two chains; and demanded who he was, and what he had done. And some cried one thing, some another, among : and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle. And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the of the people. For of the people followed after, crying, Away with him. And as was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak ? Art not thou that , which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into four thousand men that were ? But said, I am a man which am a of , a city in , a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. And when he had given him licence, stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto them in the , saying,
The 1611 translation, public domain. Its original printing included the Apocrypha, which is why the deuterocanonical books can be read here. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.