with them he went into the temple, announcing the full term of the days of the purification, even to the time when the offering for each of them was to be made; but as the seven days* were to 27 be completed, the Jews from Asia, having seen him in the tem

ple, threw all the multitude into confusion, and laid hands on him, 28 crying out, Men of Israel help; This is the man who is conti

nually teaching all men every where against the people and the law and this very place; and moreover he hath brought Greeks 29 into the temple and defiled this holy place. (For they had be

fore seen Trophimus, the Ephesian, in the city with him, and 30 imagined that Paul had brought him into the temple.) Upon this the whole city was moved, and there was a concourse of the people; and laying hold on Paul they dragged him out of the temple, and immediately the gates were shut. And while 31 they were seeking to kill him, a report came to the command

er of the cohort that all Jerusalem was in commotion. Upon 32 which he instantly took soldiers and centurions and ran in

among them. And when they saw the commander and the sol33 diers, they left off beating Paul. Then the commander drew

near and arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two 34 chains, and demanded who he was and what he had done. And as some in the crowd cried one thing, and some another, and he could not know the certainty by reason of the tumult, he 35 ordered him to be brought into the castle. And when he was

on the stairs it happened that Paul was carried up by the soldiers, on account of the violence of the crowd. For the multi36 tude of the people followed, crying, Away with him. So, when 37 Paul was just about to enter the castle, he said to the com

mander, May I be favoured with a word to thee? Upon which 38 he said, Canst thou speak Greek? Art thou not the Egyptian

who some time ago raised an insurrection, and led out into the 39 wilderness four thousand of the assassins? Thereupon Paul

said, I am indeed a Jew of Tarsus, in Cilicia, a citizen of no inconsiderable city, I intreat thee therefore, permit me to 40 speak to the people. And on his giving permission, Paul standing on the stairs waved his hand to the people; and a great silence taking place, he addressed them in the Hebrew dialect,

*See Numb. 6. 9, 10.

XXII. saying, Men, brethren and fathers, hear my defence 2 which I now make to you. (And when they heard that he

spoke to them in the Hebrew dialect, they were the more si3 lent, whereupon he said,) I indeed am a Jew, born at Tarsus, in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, instructed accurately at the feet of Gamaliel in the law of our fathers, being a zealous 4 worshipper of God as you all are at this day; one who perse5 cuted this sect to death, binding and delivering into custody both men and women, as even the chief priest and the whole Sanhedrim can witness for me; from whom when I had received letters to the brethren at Damascus, I went with a design to bring those also who were there, in chains to Jerusalem, 6 that they might be punished. But it came to pass that when I was on the journey and drawing near to Damascus, about mid-day, a great light from heaven suddenly flashed around 7 me. Upon which I fell to the ground, and I heard a voice say

ing to me, Saul, Saul, Why persecutest thou me? And I an8 swered, Lord, who art thou? And he said to me, I am Jesus 9 the Nazarene, whom thou art persecuting. Now they who

were with me saw indeed the light and were terrified, but did 10 not hear the voice of him who spake to me. Then I said, Lord,

what am I to do? And the Lord said to me, Arise and go to Damascus, and there thou shalt be told of all that is appointed 11 for thee to do. But as I could not see, by reason of the glory of that light, being led by them who were with me, I went to 12 Damascus, where one Ananias, a devout man according to 13 the law, in high repute with all the Jewish inhabitants, came

to me, and standing near me, said, Brother Saul, look up. 14 And that instant I looked up upon him. Then he said, The

God of our fathers hath prepared thee to know his will and 15 to see the righteous one, and to hear a voice from his mouth,

that thou mayst be a witness for him to all men of what thou 16 hast seen and heard. Now therefore why delayest thou? Arise,

baptize and wash thee from thy sins, calling upon the name 17 of the Lord. And it came to pass when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance and 18 saw him saying to me, Make haste and depart speedily out

of Jerusalem; for they will not receive thy testimony concern19 ing me. Whereupon I said, Lord, they know that I am one

who imprisoned and scourged in the synagogues them who 20 believed in thee; and when the blood of thy witness Stephen

was shed, I was standing by and gladly consenting to the slaughter of him, and watching the clothes of them who were 21 killing him. And he said to me, Depart, for I will send thee to far distant nations.

22

Now till that word they had continued listening to him then they raised their voice saying, Away with such a one 23 from the earth, for it is not fit that he should live. And as they continued to cry aloud and were casting off their mantles and 24 throwing dust in the air, the commander ordered him to be brought into the castle and examined by scourging that he might know for what cause they raised such an outcry against 25 him. But while they were straining him with thongs, Paul said to the centurion who stood by, Is it lawful for you to 26 scourge a man who is a Roman, and hath not had a trial. Upon hearing this the centurion went to the commander and told him, saying, Consider what thou art about to do; for this man 27 is a Roman. Thereupon the commander came and said to 28 him, Tell me. Art thou a Roman? And he said, Yes. The

commander replied, I bought that right of citizenship with a 29 large sum. And Paul said, I had it by birth. They therefore who were going to put him to the question, departed from him immediately. And the commander was afraid, knowing that 30 he was a Roman, and that he had been tying him up. And

on the next morning, as he was desirous to know certainly what it was of which he was accused by the Jews, he loosed him from the chains and ordered the chief priests and their whole Sanhedrim to meet; and having brought Paul down he set him before them.

XXIII. Then Paul having fixed his eyes on the Sanhedrim

said, Men, brethren, I have conducted myself with an entire 2 good conscience as a subject of God even to this day. Upon which the chief priest Ananias ordered them who stood by him 3 to smite him on the mouth. Whereupon Paul said to him, God is about to smite thee, thou whited wall! Dost thou sit to judge according to the law, and in defiance of the law order 4 me to be smitten? Upon this the bystanders said, Dost thou 5 revile the chief priest of God? And Paul said, Brethren, I was

6

not aware that he is chief priest: for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people.*

Paul then perceiving that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, cried aloud in the Sanhedrim, Men, brethren, I am a Pharisee, a son of a Pharisee. For a hope even of a resurrection of the dead I am now to be judged. 7 And on his saying this there arose a dissention between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the multitude was divided. 8 For the Sadducees say, There is no resurrection nor any angel 9 nor spirit; but the Pharisees acknowledge both. And there was a great clamour. And the Scribes, siding with the Pharisees, arose and contended, saying, We find nothing amiss in this man. If a spirit or an angel hath spoken to him, let us 10 not fight against God. And as the tumult increased, the commander, apprehensive that Paul might be torn in pieces by them, ordered the army to march down and take him from among them and bring him into the castle.

11

Now the night following, the Lord standing by him said, "Paul be of good courage; for as thou hast testified concerning me at Jerusalem, so thou must bear witness at Rome 12 also." And in the course of the day some of the Jews, having entered into a conspiracy, bound themselves by the solemn Anathema, saying they would neither eat nor drink till they 13 had killed Paul. And there were more than forty who took this oath, and who went to the chief priests and elders and 14 said, We have bound ourselves by the solemn Anathema not 15 to taste any thing till we have slain Paul. Now therefore do you with the Sanhedrim make application to the commander that he may bring him down to you to-morrow, as being about to examine his affair more minutely. And as for us, 16 before he come near, we are prepared to kill him. But Paul's sister's son hearing of the plot, went to the castle and being 17 admitted told Paul. Whereupon Paul called one of the centurions and said, Introduce this young man to the commander, 18 for he hath something to tell him. He therefore took him along and conducting him to the cominander said, Paul the prisoner called me to him, and desired me to introduce to thee

19 this young man who hath something to tell thee. Thercupon the commander took him by the hand, and retiring to a pri20 vate place asked, What is it that thou hast to tell me? And he said, The Jews have agreed to request thee to bring down Paul to-morrow to the Sanhedrim, under a pretence of making 21 some more minute inquiry concerning him; but be not prevailed on by them; for there are more than forty men of them in ambush, who have bound themselves by a solemn anathema not to eat nor drink, till they have killed him, and they are 22 now ready, expecting this promise from thee. Upon this the

commander dismissed the young man with this charge, Tell 23 no one that thou hast given me this information. Then call

ing two of the centurions he said, Get ready two hundred soldiers to go to Cæsarea, and seventy horsemen, and two hun24 dred spearmen, by the third hour of the night and provide beasts that they may mount Paul and conduct him safe to Fe25 lix the general. Then he wrote a letter of which this is a copy. Claudius Lysias to his excellency general Felix, health and happiness.

26

27

This man was seized by the Jews and just upon the point of being slain by them, when I came with the army and res28 cued him. Having learned that he is a Roman and being de

sirous to know the crime of which they accused him, I took 29 him down to their Sanhedrim, and found that he was accused

of matters touching questions of their law, but had done no30 thing that deserved death or imprisonment. But receiving intelligence of a plot against the man, which the Jews were in act to execute, I have sent him to thee and directed his ac cusers to lay before thee their charges against him. Farewell.

31

The soldiers therefore, pursuant to their orders, took Paul 32 and conducted him that night to Antipatris and on the mor

row returned to the castle leaving the horse to go on with 33 him. These on their arrival at Cæsarea delivered the letter to 34 the general and presented Paul to him. And when the gene

ral had read the letter, he asked him of what province he was. 35 And being informed that he was of Cilicia, I will hear thee, said he, when thy accusers are also come. And he ordered him to be kept in Herod's prætorium.

XXIV. And after five days the chief priest, Ananias, came

down with the elders and one Tertullus, an orator, and laid