The Plot to Kill Paul – Acts 23:6-22

When Paul announces that he is a Pharisee and claims to be on trial because of the resurrection (Acts 23:6), a near riot breaks out in the Sanhedrin. After Paul explains God told him to go to the Gentiles in a vision in the Temple, some zealous Jews plot to kill Paul (Acts 22:12-22). By claiming to be a Pharisee, Paul gains the favor of the Pharisees while enraging the Sadducees. The argument that ensues is so fierce that the Roman official thinks Paul will be “torn to pieces,” and so he takes him back to the barracks, leaving the Jews to their “theological dispute.

Some commentators criticize Paul for his claim to be a Pharisee. Paul’s argument is not honest (that is not why he is on trial). He instigates a near riot between the two factions of the Sanhedrin. The Pharisees were a minority in the Sanhedrin but a popular and vocal minority. They believed in the resurrection of the dead, angels, spirits, etc. The Sadducees denied many of these things, preferring a more secular political interpretation. They were the politicians.

But is it true that Paul was a Pharisee at this point in his life? Paul may not a “practicing Pharisee” since contact with the Gentiles might break purity traditions according to the Pharisees. Yet, concerning the issue of the resurrection of the dead, he was indeed a Pharisee. He agreed with their side of that argument, and for the Pharisees, this was a key point of division with the Sadducees. For many, Paul is simply stating that he agrees with this central point, and for the Pharisees, at this moment, it is enough for them to defend Paul.

A group of more than forty Jews vows to kill Paul (23:12-15). This is a strong response, but it is not unexpected after the events in the Temple. The Jews who beat Paul in the Temple were zealous for the Temple (and zeal is something you do with a knife). Paul was accused of bringing a Gentile into the Temple, and in his defense, he claims to have had a vision in the Temple itself, sending him to the Gentiles. The riot only gets worse when Paul claims God sent him to the Gentiles in a vision while worshiping in the Temple.

The group has gathered as part of a plot (συστροφή). The word is associated with a gathering for seditious purposes (Witherington, Acts, 694, citing Polybius, History, 4.34.6). This zealous group could be associated with the Sicarii, assassins active during Felix’s governorship. At the very least, this is another example of zeal for ancestral traditions resulting in violence. While this seems like a rather bold vow, it is possible to get out of such an oath if the circumstances change to make it impossible (m. Ned. 3.3). Since Paul has admitted that his ministry was to the Gentiles, and he believed that he was functioning as the messianic “light to the Gentiles.” This was treated as treason by these zealots!

Paul is warned and then protected by the Romans (23:16-22). In fact, he was warned by “Paul’s sister’s son,” Paul’s nephew (23:16-22). It is possible to render this verse “he heard the plotting having been present…” implying that Paul’s nephew was at the meeting when these men took the oath. This may hint that Paul had family members involved in radical, revolutionary politics.

Paul’s nephew might have been in Jerusalem for his education in the same way that Paul had been sent to Jerusalem for his education. On the other hand, some of Paul’s family may have been living in Jerusalem. The Greek νεανίας can refer to a man aged 20 to 40, though in 23:17 he is called a νεανίας, implying someone older than a teenager, no more than 28 years of age.

Remarkably, there is no reference to anyone else rising to defend Paul, either James and his group (which included Pharisees and priests, people who would surely have heard of this kind of plot) or Peter and the other Apostles. It is possible that the Twelve were no longer in Jerusalem, but James might have been able to stop Paul’s arrest by stating that he was not in the Temple with any Gentiles. It is ironic that Paul is protected by Roman authorities and will be in Roman custody for the rest of the book of Acts.