World English Bible · Under Rome
Acts 23
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, looking steadfastly at , said, "Brothers, I have lived before in all until today." The , , commanded those who stood by him to strike him on the . Then said to him, " will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Do you sit to judge me according to , and command me to be struck contrary to ?" 4Those who stood by said, "Do you malign ?" said, "I didn't know, brothers, that he was . For , 'You shall not speak evil of a ruler of your people.'" But when perceived that the one part were and the other , he cried out in , "Men and brothers, I am a , a son of . Concerning the and of I am being judged!" When he had said this, an argument arose between the and , and the was divided. For the say that there is no , nor , nor ; but the all of these. A great clamor arose, and some of the of the ' part stood up, and contended, saying, "We find no evil in this man. But if a or has spoken to him, let's not fight against !" When a great argument arose, the commanding officer, fearing that would be torn in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them and bring him into the barracks. The following night, stood by him and said, "Cheer up, , for as you have testified about me at , so you must testify also at ." When it was day, some of the banded together and bound themselves under , saying that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed . There were more than forty people who had made this conspiracy. They came to the and the , and said, "We have bound ourselves under a great to taste nothing until we have killed . Now therefore, you with inform the commanding officer that he should bring him down to you tomorrow, as though you were going to judge his case more exactly. We are ready to kill him before he comes near." But sister's son heard they were lying in wait, and he came and entered into the barracks and told . summoned one of the and said, "Bring this young man to the commanding officer, for he has something to tell him." So he took him and brought him to the commanding officer and said, ", the prisoner, summoned me and asked me to bring this young man to you. He has something to tell you." The commanding officer took him by the hand, and going aside, asked him privately, "What is it that you have to tell me?" He said, "The have agreed to ask you to bring down to tomorrow, as though intending to inquire somewhat more accurately concerning him. Therefore don't yield to them, for more than forty men lie in wait for him, who have bound themselves under to neither eat nor drink until they have killed him. Now they are ready, looking for the promise from you." So the commanding officer let the young man go, charging him, "Tell no one that you have these things to me." He called to himself two of the , and said, "Prepare two hundred soldiers to go as far as , with seventy horsemen and two hundred men armed with spears, at the third hour of the night." He asked them to provide mounts, that they might set on one, and bring him safely to the governor. 25He wrote a letter like this: " to the most excellent governor : Greetings. "This man was seized by the , and was about to be killed by them when I came with the soldiers and rescued him, having learned that he was a . Desiring to know the cause why they accused him, I brought him down to their council. I found him to be accused about questions of their law, but not to be charged with anything worthy of or of imprisonment. When I was told that the lay in wait for the man, I sent him to you immediately, charging his accusers also to bring their accusations against him before you. Farewell." So the soldiers, carrying out their orders, took and brought him by night to Antipatris. But on the next day they left the horsemen to go with him, and returned to the barracks. When they came to and the letter to the governor, they also presented to him. When the governor had read it, he asked what province he was from. When he understood that he was from , he said, "I will hear you fully when your accusers also arrive." He commanded that he be kept in Herod's palace.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. 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.