Pastor's Sermon Notes: The Good Old Days (Acts 21:27-40)

The Good Old Days

Acts 21:27-40

²⁷ And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, ²⁸ Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. ²⁹ (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.) ³⁰ And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. ³¹ And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. ³² Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul. ³³ 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. ³⁴ And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle. ³⁵ And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people. ³⁶ For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him. ³⁷ And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? ³⁸ Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? ³⁹ But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. ⁴⁰ And when he had given him licence, Paul 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 Hebrew tongue, saying,

Introduction:

You may wonder at the title given the events of this day in the life of the Apostle Paul. Well, I can only advise you at this point to “keep wondering”! There may be some question about the relative “goodness” of the “Good Old Days,” but there should be no question at all that they had their moments. In the passage before us we need to see if there is anything worthy of referencing as one of the “Good Old Days” in the history of the Church of Jesus Christ!

Outline:

I. False Accusations Flying Everywhere (21:27-29)

II. Attempted Murder Interrupted in the Nick of Time (21:30-32)

III. Rome to the Rescue (21:33-36)

IV. Let Paul Speak (21:37-40)

Transition:  Let us see how this sequence of events begins, and then how it develops, remembering that what is involved throughout are the acts of the Ascended Christ by His Holy Spirit through His chosen Apostles!

I. False Accusations Flying Everywhere (21:27-29)

²⁷ And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him, ²⁸ Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place. ²⁹ (For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

1. The Seizure of Paul in the Temple (21:27)

2. The Expanded Repetition of the False Rumor (21:28)

3. The False Basis for the Most Serious and Specific Accusation (21:29)

1. The Seizure of Paul in the Temple (21:27)

And when the seven days were almost ended, the Jews which were of Asia, when they saw him in the temple, stirred up all the people, and laid hands on him,

the Jews which were of Asia

2. The Expanded Repetition of the False Rumor (21:28)

Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place.

“The accusations they began to make against Paul were very serious. Two were the same charges leveled against Stephen (cf. 6:13): He speaks against “our law and this place”; i.e., against Torah and temple.” [1]

[Polhill’s footnote 13: “There are some rather striking parallels in this section with the Stephen narrative, as noted by R. C. Tannehill, Narrative Unity, 2:273. Not only were the charges the same, but both Paul and Stephen experienced mob violence. Both delivered speeches before their accusers, and both speeches began with the same address, “Brothers and fathers” (7:2; 22:1). Both speeches provoked a violent response (7:54–58; 22:22–23). Both Paul and Stephen were accused by Diaspora Jews (6:9–12a; 21:27). And in Paul’s speech there is a linking reference to Stephen’s death (22:20).”]

“The third charge was less specific but perhaps the most valid—that Paul taught “against our people.” In a sense Paul did. His leveling gospel of oneness of all in Jesus Christ, Greek as well as Jew, could ultimately do nothing other than reduce the significance of the Jews as God’s chosen people. In this instance they charged him with temple violation. They accused Paul of having violated the temple by taking a Gentile beyond the court of the Gentiles into the sacred precincts that were open to Jews only; i.e., into the area of the temple proper. The large outer courtyard, known as the court of the Gentiles, was open to all. The temple proper was not. In fact, there was a stone barrier that separated the court of the Gentiles from the first courtyard of the temple proper, the court of the women.¹⁴” [2]

[Polhill’s footnote 14: “The temple proper consisted of four courts that proceeded from greatest access to most restricted access. The first court, the court of the women, was open to all Israelites. From there one proceeded to the court of the men, open only to Israelite males. Further in was the court of the priests, open only to the Israelite priesthood. Innermost was the holy of holies, accessible only to the high priest and to him only on one day a year, the Day of Atonement. For a fuller description of the Herodian temple, see J. Polhill, “The Temple in Jesus’ Day,” Biblical Illustrator (Summer 1988): 75–80.”]

1) Paul’s past teaching perceived as negative towards:

(1) the people - Eph. 2:14?

(2) the law

(3) this place

2) Paul’s present offense and its consequence:

(1) brought Greeks also into the temple

(2)  polluted this holy place [3]

“On an occasion when he was trying to establish his Jewishness, it was the last thing he would have done! It was an instance of sheer irony. In the temple for his own purification, Paul was accused of having defiled it.” [4]

Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, 5:193-194; 6:124-128 -

“193 When you go through these [first] cloisters, unto the second [court of the] temple, there was a partition made of stone all round, whose height was three cubits: its construction was very elegant; 194 upon it stood pillars, at equal distances from one another, declaring the law of purity, some in Greek, and some in Roman letters, that “no foreigner should go within that sanctuary;” for that second [court of the] temple was called “the Sanctuary;””

“124 4. Now Titus was deeply affected with this state of things, and reproached John and his party, and said to them, “Have not you, vile wretches that you are, by our permission, put up this partition-wall before your sanctuary? 125 Have not you been allowed to put up the pillars thereto belonging, at due distances, and on it to engrave in Greek, and in your own letters, this prohibition, that no foreigner should go beyond that wall. 126 Have not we given you leave to kill such as go beyond it, though he were a Roman? And what do you do now, you pernicious villains? Why do you trample upon dead bodies in this temple? and why do you pollute this holy house with the blood of both foreigners and Jews themselves? 127 I appeal to the gods of my own country, and to every god that ever had any regard to this place (for I do not suppose it to be now regarded by any of them); I also appeal to my own army, and to those Jews that are now with me, and even to you yourselves, that I do not force you to defile this your sanctuary; 128 and if you will but change the place whereon you will fight, no Roman shall either come near your sanctuary, or offer any affront to it; nay, I will endeavor to preserve you your holy house, whether you will or not.”

Josephus, Antiquities of the Jews, 15:417 -

“Thus was the first enclosure. In the midst of which, and not far from it, was the second, to be gone up to by a few steps: this was encompassed by a stone wall for a partition, with an inscription, which forbade any foreigner to go in under pain of death.”

3. The False Basis for the Most Serious and Specific Accusation (21:29)

(For they had seen before with him in the city Trophimus an Ephesian, whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple.)

Trophimus an Ephesian [5]

II. Attempted Murder Interrupted in the Nick of Time (21:30-32)

 ³⁰ And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. ³¹ And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar. ³² Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.

1. Paul Evicted from the Temple (21:30)

2. News of the Murderous Mob Reaches the Roman  Military Officer (21:31)

3. Appearance of the Roman Military Force Prevents Further Assault on Paul (21:32)

1. Paul Evicted from the Temple (21:30)

And all the city was moved, and the people ran together: and they took Paul, and drew him out of the temple: and forthwith the doors were shut. [6]

2. News of the Murderous Mob Reaches the Roman  Military Officer (21:31)

And as they went about to kill him, tidings came unto the chief captain of the band, that all Jerusalem was in an uproar.

the chief captain of the band - a chiliarch, or tribune, over a cohort of 1,000 soldiers, six of which comprise one of the Roman legions

“This tribune, whose name is later disclosed as Claudius Lysias (23:26), would play a major role in the following two chapters. As a tribune he was a high-ranking Roman military officer in charge of a cohort, which consisted of 1,000 soldiers (760 infantry and 240 cavalry). Since the procurator resided in Caesarea and only made periodic visits to Jerusalem, Lysias had the prime responsibility for the Roman administration and peace-keeping within the city.” [7]

3. Appearance of the Roman Military Force Prevents Further Assault on Paul (21:32)

Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul.

centurions - over 100 soldiers - note the plural here indicating that the number of soldiers was at least 200

III. Rome to the Rescue (21:33-36)

 ³³ 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. ³⁴ And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle. ³⁵ And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people. ³⁶ For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him.

1. Paul Arrested by the Roman Officer (21:33)

2. The Confusion Concerning Paul’s Identity and Crime (21:34)

3. Paul Carried by the Roman Soldiers into the Castle (21:35)

4. The Demand of the Pursuing Mob (21:36)

1. Paul Arrested by the Roman Officer (21:33)

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.

2. The Confusion Concerning Paul’s Identity and Crime (21:34)

And some cried one thing, some another, among the multitude: and when he could not know the certainty for the tumult, he commanded him to be carried into the castle.

The confusion of the mob is the issue here.

What is meant by “the castle”? [8] “barracks” (NASB, ESV, HCSB, NIV), “fortress” (NLT)

3. Paul Carried by the Roman Soldiers into the Castle (21:35)

And when he came upon the stairs, so it was, that he was borne of the soldiers for the violence of the people.

The violence of the mob is now the issue.

This violent threat is the basis for the soldiers bearing the chained Apostle up the stairs.

4. The Demand of the Pursuing Mob (21:36)

For the multitude of the people followed after, crying, Away with him.

The demand of the mob is finalized here.

What may be intended by expressed desire of the mob, “Away with him!”?

“…the same words the mob had screamed against Jesus (cf. Luke 23:18; John 19:15).” [9]

IV. Let Paul Speak (21:37-40)

 ³⁷ And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? ³⁸ Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers? ³⁹ But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. ⁴⁰ And when he had given him licence, Paul 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 Hebrew tongue, saying,

1. Paul Begins to Converse with the Roman Officer (21:37)

2. Paul is Suspected of Being an Egyptian Revolutionary (21:38)

3. Paul Identifies Himself and Seeks Permission to Address the Mob (21:39)

4. Paul is Allowed to Address the Mob by the Roman Officer (21:40)

1. Paul Begins to Converse with the Roman Officer (21:37)

And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek?

Communication in two languages takes place during this incident. Here Paul begins to converse with the Roman officer in Koine Greek.

Paul asks permission to address the Roman officer

What would you say at such a time? What would you expect Paul to say to this officer?

“Thank you! Just get me out of here!” NOT! Not Paul. Not a bit of it.

The Roman officer inquires concerning Paul’s ability to converse in Koine Greek.

2. Paul is Suspected of Being an Egyptian Revolutionary (21:38)

Art not thou that Egyptian, which before these days madest an uproar, and leddest out into the wilderness four thousand men that were murderers?

What is this historical  incident that the Roman officer is referring to? [10]

Josephus, Antiquites of the Jews, 20:169-172 -

“169 Moreover, there came out of Egypt about this time to Jerusalem one that said he was a prophet, and advised the multitude of the common people to go along with him to the Mount of Olives, as it was called, which lay over against the city, and at the distance of five furlongs. 170 He said further, that he would show them from hence how, at his command, the walls of Jerusalem would fall down; and he promised them that he would procure them an entrance into the city through those walls, when they were fallen down. 171 Now when Felix was informed of these things, he ordered his soldiers to take their weapons, and came against them with a great number of horsemen and footmen from Jerusalem, and attacked the Egyptian and the people that were with him. He also slew four hundred of them, and took two hundred alive. 172 But the Egyptian himself escaped out of the fight, but did not appear any more. And again the robbers stirred up the people to make war with the Romans, and said they ought not to obey them at all; and when any persons would not comply with them, they set fire to their villages, and plundered them.”

Josephus, The Wars of the Jews, 2:261-263 -

“261 5. But there was an Egyptian false prophet that did the Jews more mischief than the former; for he was a cheat, and pretended to be a prophet also, and got together thirty thousand men that were deluded by him; 262 these he led round about from the wilderness to the mount which was called the Mount of Olives, and was ready to break into Jerusalem by force from that place; and if he could but once conquer the Roman garrison and the people, he intended to domineer over them by the assistance of those guards of his that were to break into the city with him. 263 But Felix prevented his attempt, and met him with his Roman soldiers, while all the people assisted him in his attack upon them, insomuch that when it came to a battle, the Egyptian ran away, with a few others, while the greatest part of those that were with him were either destroyed or taken alive; but the rest of the multitude were dispersed every one to their own homes, and there concealed themselves.”

3. Paul Identifies Himself and Seeks Permission to Address the Mob (21:39)

But Paul said, I am a man which am a Jew of Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people.

4. Paul is Allowed to Address the Mob by the Roman Officer (21:40)

And when he had given him licence, Paul 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 Hebrew tongue, saying,

What a strange place to insert a chapter break! In the middle of a sentence!

Now the second language comes into play as Paul begins to address the multitude in the dialect of the Hebrews (Aramaic, in NIV and NLT). [11]

Complete outline:

I. False Accusations Flying Everywhere (21:27-29)

1. The Seizure of Paul in the Temple (21:27)

2. The Expanded Repetition of the False Rumor (21:28)

3. The False Basis for the Most Serious and Specific Accusation (21:29)

II. Attempted Murder Interrupted in the Nick of Time (21:30-32)

1. Paul Evicted from the Temple (21:30)

2. News of the Murderous Mob Reaches the Roman  Military Officer (21:31)

3. Appearance of the Roman Military Force Prevents Further Assault on Paul (21:32)

III. Rome to the Rescue (21:33-36)

1. Paul Arrested by the Roman Officer (21:33)

2. The Confusion Concerning Paul’s Identity and Crime (21:34)

3. Paul Carried by the Roman Soldiers into the Castle (21:35)

4. The Demand of the Pursuing Mob (21:36)

IV. Let Paul Speak (21:37-40)

1. Paul Begins to Converse with the Roman Officer (21:37)

2. Paul is Suspected of Being an Egyptian Revolutionary (21:38)

3. Paul Identifies Himself and Seeks Permission to Address the Mob (21:39)

4. Paul is Allowed to Address the Mob by the Roman Officer (21:40)

[Sermon preached 18 JAN 2015 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown, PA.]

Appendix 1 - Resources cited in Notes:

C. K. Barrett, ed. New Testament Background: Selected Documents (Harper & Row, Publishers, n.d.; 1961 reprint of original by S.P.C.K., London, 1956).

Alfred Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life In the Days of Christ (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.; 1979 reprint).

Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services As They Were at the Time of Jesus Christ (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.).

V. R. L. Fry, The Warning Inscriptions from the Herodian Temple, Ph.D. diss. (Louisville, KY: Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, 1974).

J. M. Grintz, “Hebrew as the Spoken and Written Language in the Last Days of the Second Temple,” Journal of Biblical Literature 79 (1960), pp. 32-47.

Joachim Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus: An Investigation into Economic and Social Conditions during the New Testament Period, trans. F. H. Cave and C. H. Cave, 3rd ed. (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969; from Jerusalem zur Zeit Jesu, Gottingen, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1962).

Flavius Josephus, Bellum Judaicum and Antiquitates, ed. B. Niese (Berlin, 1885-1894; reprint Berlin, 1955); trans. H. St J. Thackeray et al., 9 vols., Loeb Classical Library (London, 1926-1966); and Josephus: Complete Works, trans. William Whiston (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, n.d.; reprint edition from 1867 edition by William P. Nimmo, Edinburgh, Scotland and Standard Edition by Porter and Coates, Phildelphia; from original, The Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus, the Jewish Historian, 1737); on Christian Classics Ethereal Library at http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/JOSEPHUS.HTM [accessed 17 JAN 2015]; on Bible Study Tools at http://www.biblestudytools.com/history/flavius-josephus/ [accessed 17 JAN 2015]; on Project Gutenberg at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29434/29434-h/29434-h.htm [accessed 17 JAN 2015]; on Lexundria at http://lexundria.com/j_bj/0/wst and http://lexundria.com/j_aj/0/wst [accessed 17 JAN 2015]; and elsewhere.

John B. Polhill, Acts, Vol. 26 in The New American Commentary, gen. ed. David S. Dockery (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, Publishers, 1992).

John B. Polhill, “The Temple in Jesus’ Day,” Biblical Illustrator (Summer 1988), pp. 75-80.

R. C. Tannehill, The Narrative Unity of Luke-Acts: A Literary Interpretation. Vol. 2: The Acts of the Apostles (Minneapolis: Fortress, 1990).

Appendix 2 - Resources on Aramaic:

Oswald T. Allis, The Five Books of Moses (Nutley, NJ: Presbyterian and Reformed Publishing Co., 1943, 1949), pp. 243-244, note 63, pg. 338. [12]

“Aramaic,” (unsigned article) in The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, gen. ed. Merrill C. Tenney (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1967), pg. 55.

Gleason L. Archer, Jr., A Survey of Old Testament Introduction, rev. ed. (Chicago: Moody Press, 1974), pp. 137-141, 280, 312-313, 386-393, 415, 441, 464-465, 472, 480-481, 490.

J. N. Birdsall, “Language of the New Testament,” in The New Bible Dictionary, eds. J. D. Douglas, F. F. Bruce, R. V. G. Tasker, J. I. Packer, D. J. Wiseman (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1962), pp. 713-716.

E. M. Blaiklock, “Languages,” in The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, gen. ed. Merrill C. Tenney (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1967), pg. 476.

E. L. Curtis, “Genealogy,” in A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents Including the Biblical Theology, ed. James Hastings (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, n.d.; 1988 reprint from 1988 original by T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh), II:132.

Adolf Deissmann, Paul: A Study in Social and Religious History, trans. William E. Wilson (New York: Harper & Row, Publishers, n.d.; 1957 printing), pp. 41, 91, 127.

Adolf Deissmann, Light From the Ancient East: The New Testament Illustrated by Recently Discovered Texts of the Graeco-Roman World, trans. Lionel R. M. Strachan, 4^th ed. (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, n.d.; 1978 printing), pp. 32, 37 note 2, 52 notes 3 and 4, 53, 64-65, 69 note 1, 93 note 4, 121 note 3, 185 note 5.

Alfred Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life In the Days of Christ (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.; 1979 reprint), pp. 118-119.

Norman L. Geisler and William E. Nix, A General Introduction to the Bible (Chicago: Moody Press, 1968), pp. 131, 215, 217, 218, 244, 257, 316-317, 329, 330.

J. Harold Greenlee, “The Language of the New Testament,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, Vol. 1, Introductory Articles (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), pg. 410.

Henry M. Harman, Introduction to the Study of the Holy Scriptures, Vol. I of The Library of Biblical and Theological Literature, eds. George R. Crooks and John F. Hurst (New York: Hunt & Eaton, 1878), pp. 42-43.

R. K. Harrison, “Historical and Literary Criticism of the Old Testament,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, Vol. 1, Introductory Articles (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), pg. 238.

R. K. Harrison, Introduction to the Old Testament with a comprehensive review of Old Testament Studies and a special supplement on the Apocrypha (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1969), pp. 9, 131f., 202ff., 205, 227ff., 825, 847, 917, 983f., 1038, 1042, 1050, 1069, 1078, 1110, 1124ff., 1132ff., 1141, 1143ff., 1196ff., 1209f., 1221, 1245, 1256, 1261.

F. Hommel, “Assyria,” in A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents Including the Biblical Theology, ed. James Hastings (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, n.d.; 1988 reprint from 1988 original by T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh), I:182.

Morris Jastrow, Jr., “Races of the Old Testament,” in A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents Including the Biblical Theology, ed. James Hastings (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, n.d.; 1988 reprint from 1988 original by T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh), Supplement, pp. 73-74.

Joachim Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus: An Investigation into Economic and Social Conditions during the New Testament Period, trans. F. H. Cave and C. H. Cave (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969; from Jerusalem zur Zeit Jesu, 3rd rev. ed., Gottingen, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1962), pg. 241.

Kenneth A. Kitchen, “Aram, Aramaeans,” in The New Bible Dictionary, eds. J. D. Douglas, F. F. Bruce, R. V. G. Tasker, J. I. Packer, D. J. Wiseman (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1962), pp. 55-59.

Kenneth A. Kitchen, The Bible in its World: The Bible and Archaeology Today (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1977), pp. 50, 51, 88f., 91, 108, 111-112, 124, 127.

George M. Lamsa, “Introduction,” in The Holy Bible From Ancient Eastern Manuscripts, Containing the Old and New Testaments Translated from the Peshitta, The Authorized Bible of the Church of the East (Nashville: A. J. Holman Co., 1968), pp. iii-xii.  See also the publishers’ “Preface,” pp. i-ii. [13]

William Sanford LaSor, “The Dead Sea Scrolls,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, Vol. 1, Introductory Articles (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), pg. 403.

A. Malamat, “The Aramaeans,” in Peoples of Old Testament Times, ed. D. J. Wiseman (Oxford: The Clarendon Press, 1973), pp. 134-155.

D. S. Margoliouth, “Language of the Old Testament,” in A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents Including the Biblical Theology, ed. James Hastings (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, n.d.; 1988 reprint from 1988 original by T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh), III:25.

W. J. Martin, “Language of the Old Testament,” in The New Bible Dictionary, eds. J. D. Douglas, F. F. Bruce, R. V. G. Tasker, J. I. Packer, D. J. Wiseman (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1962), pp. 710-713.

J. F. McCurdy, “Semites,” in A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents Including the Biblical Theology, ed. James Hastings (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, n.d.; 1988 reprint from 1988 original by T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh), Supplement, pp. 86.

Eugene H. Merrill, An Historical Survey of the Old Testament (Nutley, NJ: The Craig Press, 1966), pp. 196, 219, 231, 245-246.

A. Berkeley Mickelsen, Interpreting the Bible (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1963), pp. 11-13, 43, 93, 115, 117, 124-125, 130.

Charles F. Pfeiffer, “Aramaic Language,” in The Classic Bible Dictionary, ed. Jay P. Green, Sr. (Lafayette, IN: Sovereign Grace Trust Fund, 1988), pp. 120-122.

Charles F. Pfeiffer, Baker’s Bible Atlas, rev. ed., eds. E. Leslie Carlson and Martin H. Scharlemann (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1979), pp. 14, 20, 43, 44, 56, 101, 125, 133, 149, 153.

Emmet Russell, “Aram,” in The Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary, gen. ed. Merrill C. Tenney (Grand Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1967), pg. 55.

A. H. Sayce, “Aram, Aramaeans,” in A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents Including the Biblical Theology, ed. James Hastings (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, n.d.; 1988 reprint from 1988 original by T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh), I:138-139.

Siegfried J. Schwantes, A Short History of the Ancient Near East (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1965), pp. 12, 150, 152, 154, 155.

Isaac Taylor, “Alphabet,” in A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents Including the Biblical Theology, ed. James Hastings (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, n.d.; 1988 reprint from 1988 original by T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh), I:73-74.

J. H. Thayer, “Language of the New Testament,” in A Dictionary of the Bible Dealing with its Language, Literature, and Contents Including the Biblical Theology, ed. James Hastings (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, n.d.; 1988 reprint from 1988 original by T. & T. Clark, Edinburgh), III:39.

Robert Dick Wilson, “Aramaisms in the Old Testament,” Princeton Theological Review, 23:2 (April 1925), pp. 234-266; on the Princeton Theological Seminary Library at http://scdc.library.ptsem.edu/mets/mets.aspx?src=BR1925232&div=4 [accessed 17 JAN 2015].

Robert Dick Wilson, “The Aramaic of Daniel,” in Biblical and Theological Studies, by the Faculty of Princeton Theological Seminary, (New York: Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1912; reprinted by Solid Ground Christian Books, Vestavia Hills, AL, 2003), pages 261-306.

Robert Dick Wilson, Is The Higher Criticism Scholarly? (Philadelphia: The Sunday School Times Co., 1922); public domain, available as a free digital file download on Internet Archive at https://archive.org/details/ishighercriticis00wils [accessed 17 JAN 2015]; and on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=nvIOAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 17 JAN 2015].; online at A. Allison Lewis Workshop Selections at http://christianbeliefs.org/articles/wilson-hc.html [accessed 17 JAN 2015], and elsewhere.

Robert Dick Wilson, Studies in the Book of Daniel, 2 vols. (New York: G. P. Putnam's Sons, 1917; and New York: Fleming H. Revell Co., 1938; one vol. reprint by Baker Book House, Grand Rapids, 1972; 2 vol. reprint by Wipf & Stock Publishers, Eugene, OR, 2002).

Edward J. Young, An Introduction to the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1953), pp. 255, 273, 292, 293, 303, 312, 319, 324, 329, 340, 370.

G. Douglas Young, “The Language of the Old Testament,” in The Expositor’s Bible Commentary, gen. ed. Frank E. Gaebelein, Vol. 1, Introductory Articles (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1979), pp. 198, 207.

Appendix 3 - Resources on Acts:

G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, eds., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), pp. 513-606.

Paul Barnett, The Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years, After Jesus, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2005).

Darrell L. Bock, Acts, Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, eds. Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007).

                                                  

F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text with Introduction and Commentary, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1951, 1952).

Dennis E. Johnson, The Message of Acts in the History of Redemption (Phillipsburg, NJ: P&R Publishing, 1997).

I. Howard Marshall, Acts: An Introduction And Commentary, Vol. 5 in Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. Leon Morris (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980; 2008 reprint).

David G. Peterson, The Acts of the Apostles, in The Pillar New Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009).

John B. Polhill, Acts, Vol. 26 in The New American Commentary, gen. ed. David S. Dockery (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, Publishers, 1992).

Eckhard J. Schnabel, Acts, Vol. 5 in the Zondervan Exegetical Commentary on the New Testament, gen. ed. Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012).

W. C. van Unnik, “The ‘Book of Acts’ the Confirmation of the Gospel,” in Novum Testamentum 4:1 (OCT 1960), pp. 26-59; reprinted in The Composition of Luke’s Gospel: Selected Studies from Novum Testamentum, compiled by David E. Orton, Vol. 1 of Brill’s Readers in Biblical Studies (Leiden: Brill, 1999), pp. 184-218.

William H. Willimon, Acts, in Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for Teaching and Preaching, series ed. James Luther Mays, New Testament ed. Paul J. Achtemeier (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010).

Appendix 4 - Resources on Paul:

Kenneth E. Bailey, Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural Studies in 1 Corinthians  (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011).

F. F. Bruce, Paul: Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1977).

D. A. Carson, The Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), pp. 496-501.

W. J. Conybeare and J. S. Howson, The Life, Times and Travels of St. Paul, 2 vols. in 1, unabridged American ed. (New York: E. B. Treat U Co., 1869); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=Bn1CAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 12 FEB 2013].

Adolf Deissmann, Paul: A Study in Social and Religious History, 2nd ed., trans. William E. Wilson (New York: Harper Torchbooks, n.d.).

F. W. Farrar, The Life and Work of St. Paul (New York: E. P. Dutton and Co., 1889); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=RB2KeCSM6KsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 12 FEB 2013].

Bruce N. Fisk, “Paul: Life and Letters”, in The Face of New Testament Studies: A Survey of Recent Research, ed. Scot McKnight and Grant R. Osborne (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), pp. 283-325.

Richard B.Gaffin, Jr., "Acts and Paul", 46 lectures (MP3 format), WTS Resources Media Center on Westminster Theological Seminary at http://wts.edu/resources/media.html?paramType=audio&filterTopic=5&filterSpeaker=10&filterYear=2005 [accessed 20 MAR 2013].

Frank J. Goodwin, A Harmony of the Life of the St. Paul According to the Acts of the Apostles and the Pauline Epistles (New York: American Tract Society, 1895); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=YgpEAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 12 FEB 2013].

Richard N. Longenecker, The Ministry And Message Of Paul (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971).

Richard N. Longenecker, Paul, Apostle Of Liberty (New York: Harper & Row, 1964).

Richard N. Longenecker, ed., The Road From Damascus : The Impact Of Paul's Conversion On His Life, Thought, And Ministry (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).

Richard N. Longenecker, Studies In Paul, Exegetical And Theological (Sheffield : Sheffield Phoenix Press, 2004).

J. Gresham Machen, The Origin of Paul's Religion: The James Sprunt Lectures Delivered at Union Theological Seminary in Virginia (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1925).

Leon Morris, The Apostolic Preaching of the Cross (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1955).

John Pollock, The Apostle: A Life of Paul, 3rd ed. (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 1969, 2012); also published as The Man Who Shook the World (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1972; originally The Apostle: A Life of Paul, New York: Doubleday, 1969).

Stanley E. Porter, Paul in Acts, in Library of Pauline Studies, gen. ed. Stanley E. Porter (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, Inc., 1999; 2001 reprint of The Paul of Acts: Essays in Literary Criticism, Rhetoric and Theology, in Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen Testament 115, by Mohr Siebeck, Tubingen).

W. M. Ramsay, The Cities of St. Paul: Their Influence on his Life and Thought (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son; London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1908); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=JryEbmKool0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 13 FEB 2013].

W. M. Ramsay, Pauline and Other Studies in Early Christian History (New York: A. C. Armstrong and Son, 1906); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=-1ZJAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 13 FEB 2013].

W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul the Traveler and the Roman Citizen, 10th ed. (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1907); on Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/ramsay/paul_roman.html [accessed 13 FEB 2013].

W. M. Ramsay, The Teaching of Paul in terms of The Present Day: The Deems Lectures in New York University (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1914); on Internet Archive at http://ia600404.us.archive.org/2/items/teachingofpaulin00rams/teachingofpaulin00rams.pdf [accessed 13 FEB 2013].

A. T. Robertson, Epochs in the Life of Paul: A Study of Development in Paul's Character (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1974).

Eckhard J. Schnabel, Paul The Missionary: Realities, Strategies And Methods (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2008).

Udo Schnelle, Apostle Paul: His Life and Theology, trans. M. Eugene Boring (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003; trans. from Paulus: Leben und Denken, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co., n.d.).

Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul, Apostle of God's Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2001).

James Stalker, The Life of St. Paul, (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1885; rev. ed. 2010 by Kessinger Publishing from 1912 ed.); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=vT0HAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 7 FEB 2013].

James Ironside Still, St. Paul on Trial (London: Student Christian Movement, 1923).

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End Notes:

[1] John B. Polhill, Acts, Vol. 26 in The New American Commentary, gen. ed. David S. Dockery (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, Publishers, 1992), pg. 451.

[2] Polhill, op. cit., pg. 452.

[3] “…in the court, a marble screen 4-1/2 feet high, and beautifully ornamented, bore Greek and Latin inscriptions, warning Gentiles not to proceed, on pain of death. One of those very tablets, bearing almost the same words as those given by Josephus, has been discovered in late excavations. It was because they thought Paul had infringed this order, that the infuriated multitude ‘went about to kill him.’ Alfred Edersheim, The Temple: Its Ministry and Services As They Were at the Time of Jesus Christ (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.), pg. 46. “One of these warning notices was discovered in 1871 by Clermont-Ganneau. It runs: No man of another nation to enter within the fence and enclosure round the temple. And whoever is caught will have himself to blame that his death ensues.” C. K. Barrett, ed. New Testament Background: Selected Documents (Harper & Row, Publishers, n.d.; 1961 reprint of original by S.P.C.K., London, 1956), pg. 50. Barrett cites Josephus, “War v. 193f.; cf. War vi. 125; Ant. xv. 417.” See Josephus: Complete Works, trans. William Whiston (Grand Rapids: Kregel Publications, n.d.; reprint edition from 1867 edition by William P. Nimmo, Edinburgh, Scotland and Standard Edition by Porter and Coates, Phildelphia; from original, The Genuine Works of Flavius Josephus, the Jewish Historian, 1737); on Christian Classics Ethereal Library at http://www.ccel.org/j/josephus/works/JOSEPHUS.HTM [accessed 17 JAN 2015]; on Bible Study Tools at http://www.biblestudytools.com/history/flavius-josephus/ [accessed 17 JAN 2015]; on Project Gutenberg at http://www.gutenberg.org/files/29434/29434-h/29434-h.htm [accessed 17 JAN 2015]; on Lexundria at http://lexundria.com/j_bj/0/wst and http://lexundria.com/j_aj/0/wst [accessed 17 JAN 2015]; and elsewhere. Polhill writes that two of these “warning stones” have now been excavated: “The first was discovered in 1871 by C. Clermont-Ganneau and is now in the Museum of Ancient Orient in Istanbul. The second was discovered in 1935 outside St. Stephen’s gate in Jerusalem on the road to Jericho and now resides in the Palestine Archaeological Museum in Jerusalem. The fullest treatment of the warning stones available is that of V. R. L. Fry, “The Warning Inscriptions from the Herodian Temple,” Ph.D. diss., the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, Louisville, Kentucky, 1974.” Op. cit., pg. 452, and note 16.

[4] Polhill, op. cit., pg. 453.

[5] “The Jews of Asia, in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost, who recognized Paul in the Temple and tried to lynch him (Acts 21.27) were probably from Ephesus, for they recognized Trophimus of Ephesus who was with Paul.” Joachim Jeremias, Jerusalem in the Time of Jesus: An Investigation into Economic and Social Conditions during the New Testament Period, trans. F. H. Cave and C. H. Cave, 3rd ed. (Philadelphia: Fortress Press, 1969; from Jerusalem zur Zeit Jesu, Gottingen, Germany: Vandenhoeck & Ruprecht, 1962), pg. 65.

[6] “…the men who dragged Paul out of ‘sanctuary’ (i.e. the Court of Women) and closed the gates leading to the Court of the Gentiles (Acts 21.30), during the riot leading to his arrest, were obviously members of the Temple police, more precisely the posts mounted at the ‘rampart’ during day-time.” Jeremias, op. cit., pg. 210.

[7] Polhill, op. cit., pg. 453.

[8] “The Tower of Antonia was placed at the northwestern angle of the Temple, midway between the castle of the same name and the Temple. With the former it communicated by a double set of cloisters, with the latter by a subterranean passage into the Temple itself, and also by cloisters and stairs descending into the northern and the western porches of the Court of the Gentiles. Some of the most glorious traditions in Jewish history were connected with this castle, for there had been the ancient ‘armoury of David,’ the palace of Hezekiah and of Nehemiah, and the fortress fo the Maccabees. But in the days of Christ Antonia was occupied by a hated Roman garrison, which kept watch over Israel, even in its sanctuary. In fact, the Tower of Antonia overlooked and commanded the Temple, so that a detachment of soldiers could at any time rush down to quell a riot, as on the occasion when the Jews had almost killed Paul.” Edersheim, op. cit., pg. 32.

[9] Polhill, op. cit., pg. 455.

[10] “…the instigator of one of the numerous messianic movements centred on Jerusalem….gathered around him a large following….Zealots (members of the fanatical revolutionary party), according to BJ 2.261, thirty thousand followers. He hoped to show his followers, from the Mount of Olives, the collapse of the walls of Jerusalem (Ant. 20.169f.), and to make himself lord fo the city after this messianic marvel (BJ 2.262).” Jeremias, op. cit., pg. 70. Jeremias cites Flavius Josephus, Bellum Judaicum 2:261-262 and Antiquitates, 20:169f., ed. B. Niese (Berlin, 1885-1894; reprint Berlin, 1955); trans. H. St J. Thackeray et al., 9 vols., Loeb Classical Library (London, 1926-1966). See note 3 for other resources on Josephus.

[11] “In the course of time the ancient Hebrew had wholly given place to the Aramaean dialect, except in public worship and in the learned academies of the theological doctors.”  Alfred Edersheim, Sketches of Jewish Social Life In the Days of Christ (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., n.d.; 1979 reprint), pg. 20. Edersheim designates this dialect as “Hebraic Aramaean.” Op. cit., pg. 21. He notes “…the immediate favourable change which the use of Aramaean by St. Paul produced upon the infuriated people…” Op. cit., pg. 119. Polhill (op. cit., pg. 456) refers to this as “…their own native tongue,” and adds: “It is generally agreed that the language of Jerusalem in the first century was Western Aramaic, the common speech of non-Greeks in Western Asia. For a dissenting view that argues for Hebrew as the language of Judea, see J. M. Grintz, “Hebrew as the Spoken and Written Language in the Last Days of the Second Temple,” JBL 79 (1960): 32–47.” Polhill, op. cit., pg. 456, note 24.

[12] Allis has the year of R. D. Wilson’s article in the Princeton Theological Review wrong in the endnote on pg. 338.  It was published in 1925, not 1923.

[13] See Allan A. MacRae, “G. M. Lamsa’s Translation”, in Biblical Christianity: Letters From Professor Allan A. MacRae, PhD (Tampines, Singapore: Christian Life Publishers, 1994), pp. 68-69.