Acts 22:1

IV. THE PERIOD OF PAUL'S IMPRISONMENT

In Paul's address from the steps of Antonio, he spoke to the people until they clamored for his death. The speech deals primarily with Paul's statement of his background, education, and zeal as a persecutor of Christ, dwelling especially on the record of his conversion. For the first time, he revealed the fact that the Lord had warned him on his first trip to Jerusalem that the Jews there would "not receive of thee testimony concerning me" (Acts 22:18). Acts 22:19 is especially significant in that it shows Paul's unwillingness to receive Jesus' word as final; because he seemed to be very certain that his own background as one of the opposition would enable him to convert them.

In the above, there appears another parallel in the lives of Peter and Paul. Peter said, "Not so, Lord; for I have never eaten anything that is common and unclean" (Acts 10:14). In this chapter, Paul said, "Lord, they themselves know, etc." (Acts 22:19). Far from having designed such parallels himself, Luke allows this one to appear only inadvertently. See under Acts 18:12 for a list of parallels. It should be remembered that the inspired Luke included himself as among those who sought to prevent Paul's going to Jerusalem (Acts 21:12-14).

Brethren and fathers, hear ye the defense which I now make unto you. And when they heard that he spake unto them in the Hebrew language, they were the more quiet: and he saith: (Acts 22:1-2)

A. PAUL'S FIRST DEFENSE: FROM THE STEPS OF ANTONIO

Brethren and fathers ... His audience was Jewish, and thus the title "brethren" was current among the Hebrews and could not, therefore, be the "new name" which the mouth of the Lord would give to the followers of Jesus. See under Acts 11:26.

The Hebrew language ... Paul addressed them in their Aramaic vernacular. As Bruce said:

Aramaic was not only the vernacular of Palestinian Jews, but was the common speech of all non-Greek speakers in western Asia, as far east as (and including) the Parthian empire beyond the Euphrates.[1]