James had recognized that Pauls work had been guided by God. But Pauls inner conviction to go to Jerusalem was stronger. Samson was a Nazarite for a lifetime, not just for seven days like Paul (Acts 21:27). Then, on the next day he left on a rugged trip into the next town, Derbe. Purification. 11 And when he was come unto us, he took Pauls girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said, Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall deliver him into the hands of the Gentiles. When the commander gave Paul permission to speak, he motioned to the crowd from the steps of the Antonia fortress. A primary word; a man. In Paul's day the purification process was guided by an outdated or old covenant with men's traditions mixed in. Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. The ship continued south, and the next day Pauls party reached Caesarea, about 35 miles (56 kilometers) south of Ptolemais. James was the leader and spokesperson of the Jerusalem church, just as he was during the landmark conference of A.D. 49 (15:13). All the days of his separation shall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the husk. "and she shall remain in the blood of her purification for sixty-six days.". 23 Do therefore this that we say to thee: We have four men which have a vow on them; 24 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 the law. It is even more difficult to understand how Paul, the writer of the book of Galatians, could go so far as to take the vow referred to in this 21st chapter of Acts. The commander of the fortress was a Roman military officer, the chief Roman authority in Jerusalem. . (The church in Jerusalem, along with James, now disappears from Lukes account.). Lukes account is hazy on exactly what Paul did. Now when we had discovered Cyprus, we left it on the left hand, and sailed into Syria, and landed at Tyre: for there the ship was to unlade her burden. For example, the case of the leper ( Leviticus 1314 ,14), and of the house defiled by leprosy ( 14:49-53 ; see also Matthew 8:2-4 ). In Caesarea, Paul and the delegation stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist for a number of days (21:8, 10). They became very quiet, Luke said (22:2). It was renamed Acre in Crusader days. The daughters supposedly provided information on the early days of the church to a bishop of Hierapolis, Papias, for his now lost books on Jesus teachings (Ecclesiastical History3.39.9). And they entered the temple to give notice when the days of purification (the ending of each vow) would be fulfilled and the usual offering could be presented . Ptolemais, called Acco in the Old Testament (Judges 1:31), had been an important Phoenician seaport. After silencing them he spoke in the Hebrew tongue. Fervent voices cry: Absolutely not. But why not? To have, hold, possess. The charter still stood, with the exceptions set down at the conference. Anyway as with every verse that is taken on its own and used to prove a point we need to examine the verse in context and understanding and not simply take a verse on its own and apply our own interpretation into that said verse. In order to put this matter into proper focus, some background relative to the passage needs to be considered. They repeated the four stipulations to emphasize that, as far as they were concerned, the stipulations were still valid. It must be added that these Jerusalem leaders probably did not have a completely accurate view themselves as to what Paul was practicing and teaching. oremus Bible Browser : Acts 21 3. 26 Then Paul took the men, and the next day he purified himself along with them and went into . Writings of the early church and Church fathers. He must have also been aware that the relief fund was a major reason for Paul coming to Jerusalem. Clarify A look at the evidence. From hagnizo; a cleansing, i.e. Several views have been offered relative to this matter. He had earlier paid some official to place him on a list of consideration to receive Roman citizenship. Richard Longenecker writes, They were saying to Paul, We can accept this gift from the churches and so identify ourselves with your Gentile mission, if you will join with these men and identify yourself openly with the nation. Thus they were protecting themselves against Jewish recriminations while at the same time affirming their connection with Paul and his mission (Acts,The Expositors Bible Commentary,page 520). 1.b. James and the elders glorified the Lord. The phrase many thousands translates the Greek wording that is often used for a very large number, or myriads. If the apostle could circumcise Timothy as an expediency, with no design of associating the ritual with salvation (as was sometimes done Acts 15:1), why could he not have done the same with reference to a sacrifice? We as readers of Acts already know the accusation is false. Acts 21- 21 And they are informed of thee, that thou teachest all the Jews which are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, saying that they ought not to circumcise their children, neither to walk after the customs. Josephus wrote that there was a stone wall separating the Court of the Gentiles from the inner courts reserved for Jews alone (Josephus,Wars5:193-194). Perhaps he thought the Jews, after discovering the Egyptian in the temple, had set upon him as an imposter. Paul did not perform the ritual for HIS sake. Copyright Grace Communion International. One of these Greek notices was found by C.S. Then he went to the temple, where he gave the priest notice as to when the purification period would end. from wine and strong drink, and shall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of strong drink, neither shall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor eat moist grapes, or dried. Earlier, when Paul penned his letter to the saints in Rome, he asked for their prayers to the end that upon his arrival in Jerusalem, the ministration, i.e., gifts of benevolence, might be acceptable to the saints (Rom. . . Agabus, foretelling what should befall him at Jerusalem. The Jew alone was taught by the use of expiatory offerings to discern to its fullest extent the connection between the outward sign and the inward fount of impurity. Here is Lukes record of the incident in question. At Patara, Pauls party changed ships and boarded a large merchant vessel that would travel non-stop to Tyre, a distance of about 400 miles (644 kilometers). In particular, for Paul to participate by: a. Why the commander allowed Paul to speak is not clear. But since Paul had been accused of defiling the holy temple, the mob was not interested in discussing the finer points of the law. Some suggest the event never happened; it is alleged that Luke fabricated the incident in order to show that Paul was a law-abiding Jew. A series of four treatments was performed at 14-day intervals in both groups. Luke Johnson writes: Like that earlier delegation, this one is welcomed gladly by the brothers (15:4). Is it wrong to use our own supplies or money to advance Jesus mission? No doubt, he was also an elder in any church that might have existed in the Caesarea area. Grace Bible Church This again brings up the question of whether Paul was disregarding the voice of the Spirit in going to Jerusalem. Now surely Paul . From hagnos; to make clean, i.e. So it was the will of the Lord that Paul go to Jerusalem but through the holy spirit he was warned of what would happen once he got there, in order to prepare him for such consequences. Luke affirms that when the company arrived at the sacred city, the brethren received us gladly (Acts 21:17). And these discussions were not mere passing allusions, as were Peters brief references to the Gentiles in Acts 2 (which he did not comprehend at the time, cf. The fact that the four men were to have their heads shaved at the end of their vow period indicates they were undertaking a Nazirite vow (Numbers 6:1-21). For example, individuals journeying by sea would have to find available ships and accept delays caused by loading and unloading cargo. Share To signify the accomplishment, c.] , Declaring the accomplishment, c. As this declaration was made to the priest, the sense of the passage is the following, if we suppose Paul to have made an offering for himself, as well as the four men: "The next day, Paul, taking the four men, began to purify, set himself apart, or consecrate . 1. Orr, James, M.A., D.D. In Acts 2:1-13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Pauls trouble was caused by a mob of unconverted Jews, instigated by Diaspora Jews from Asia. Rather, Pauls teaching on the abolition of the law had been clear and definitive (cf. Another Jew might associate himself with a Nazirite by paying for his offering, something that was regarded as a devout deed. They had already started the purification ritual, so he publicly announced the date when their . Tools. We will soon learn that his name was Claudius Lysias (23:26). The rites are described in ( Leviticus 14:4-32 ) The necessity of purification was extended in the post-Babylonian Period to a variety of unauthorized cases. A sacrifice for sin under the law of Moses would only be required if the Nazarite was unclean at the time he was taking the vow. We will learn later that the Roman military contingent in the city could afford to send some 470 soldiers to escort Paul to Caesarea, so it must have been at full strength (23:23). Thats when the riot began. The apostle was not insensitive to the feelings of his Israelite kinsmen. The suggested strategy by the church elders to have Paul take part in the purification rites had backfired. But in the details of daily life there were special causes of cermonial uncleanness which were severally provided for by ceremonial laws enacted for each separate case. This is very clear that the Jewish elders at this point did not believe that gentiles should come under the law and they didnt try to make Gentiles come under the law of Moses. The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.''. Pauls offering would not have been for a sin sacrifice but would have been a PEACE offering and a wave offering. It is wholly barren of evidence. Notice here it states OFFERING not a sin sacrifice. How was it received? The most popular Bible verses from Acts 21 Found 40 Verses Acts 21:22 Bible Rank: 3,349. This reference to warnings of the Spirit picked up the thought that in every city the Holy Spirit had been warning Paul of the hardships awaiting him in Jerusalem (20:23). This was the fifth (and final) time Paul had visited the city since he left on his journey of persecution for Damascus (9:1ff). offered to idols, and from blood, and from strangled, and from fornication. that have hazarded their lives for the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Leviticus 5:4). get to know the Bible better! Paul had not opposed observing certain elements of the law provided the intent was not to seek justification on that basis. Philip was called an evangelist (21:8). Less than $5/mo! Report One argument used by those who try to say that the law has not passed is to show where Paul purified himself in the temple. So Paul purified himself and entered into the temple until the 7 days be fulfilled. The following day the apostle, along with the four men, went to the temple where the sacrifices would be offered. Apparently, the purification time still had a week to go. When the period of the vow was over, the vow-taker would present an offering in the temple. (The commander estimated the Egyptians followers at 4,000, which was probably nearer the correct size, given Josephus tendency to exaggerate.). . As long as Paul was out of sight travelling through the empire, he was out of mind. when he would not be persuaded, we ceased, saying, The will of the Lord be done. It seems odd that the elders repeated the decrees word-for-word back to Paul. He thought that if Paul had entertained a clearer perception of the abolition of the law, he would not have done what he did here especially later on, after writing the books of Ephesians and Hebrews (he assumes Paul wrote the latter). 23 And this I do for the gospels sake, that I might be partaker thereof with you. And when the days of purification were fulfilled according to the law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem, to present him to the Lord: Then Paul took the men, and the next day purifying himself with them entered into the temple, to signify the accomplishment of the days of purification, until that an offering should be offered for every one of them. These words from the lips of the Spirit bound apostle seemed to settle the question which was in the minds of his co-workers and the other disciples. Study Materials to help with your Bible study, https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC7zBKawK9iRYdUgxIiIbZJg. Luke reminded us he was traveling with Paul by inserting another we into the narration. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them. Luke continued to reflect the emotional scene surrounding Pauls departure by saying the travelers had to tear themselves away from the elders (21:1). 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