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Pictured to the left is a copy of a version of the Holy Bible, known as the King James Version ( KJV ). Acts 21:40-22:24 read as follows:
"40 And when he had given him license, 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, 22 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. 2 (And when they heard that he spake in the Hebrew tongue to them, they kept the more silence: and he saith,) 3 I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. 4 And I persecuted this way unto the death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. 5 As also the high priest doth bear me witness, and all the estate of the elders: from whom also I received letters unto the brethren, and went to Damascus, to bring them which were there bound unto Jerusalem, for to be punished. 6 And it came to pass, that, as I made my journey, and was come nigh unto Damascus about noon, suddenly there shone from heaven a great light round about me. 7 And I fell unto the ground, and heard a voice saying unto me, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? 8 And I answered, Who art thou, Lord? And he said unto me, I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou persecutest. 9 And they that were with me saw indeed the light, and were afraid; but they heard not the voice of him that spake to me. 10 And I said, What shall I do, Lord? And the Lord said unto me, Arise, and go into Damascus; and there it shall be told thee of all things which are appointed for thee to do. 11 And when I could not see for the glory of that light, being led by the hand of them that were with me, I came to Damascus. 12 And one Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews which dwelt there, 13 Came unto me, and stood, and said unto me, Brother Saul, receive thy sight. And the same hour I looked up upon him. 14 And he said, The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou shouldest know his will, and see the Just One, and shouldest hear the voice of his mouth. 15 For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou hast seen and heard. 16 And now why tarriest thou? arise, and be baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord. 17 And it came to pass, that, when I was come again to Jerusalem, even while I prayed in the temple, I was in a trance; 18 And saw him saying unto me, Make haste, and get thee quickly out of Jerusalem: for they will not receive thy testimony concerning me. 19 And I said, Lord, they know that I imprisoned and beat in every synagogue them that believed on thee: 20 And when the blood of thy martyr Stephen was shed, I also was standing by, and consenting unto his death, and kept the raiment of them that slew him. 21 And he said unto me, Depart: for I will send thee far hence unto the Gentiles. 22 And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. 23 And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, 24 The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him."
We know from chapter twenty-one, verse thirty-one, that Paul was in Jerusalem.
Moreover, from verse eighteen ( above ), we know that Paul was simply giving testimony concerning Jesus, and it was not received ( see verses twenty-two and twenty-three, above ). One important lesson, regarding this observation, is that whenever public testimony is given concerning Jesus, there is always the risk that the response to it will be volatile. Also, there are some similarities between Paul's rejection here at Jerusalem, and Jesus' rejection at Nazareth ( see Luke 4:16-30, for example ).
The Greek word ( Greek [ 426 ] ) for the word "examined," in verse twenty-four ( above ), is defined as follows:
"to investigate (judicially)." [ See ABINGDON'S STRONG'S EXHAUSTIVE CONCORDANCE OF THE BIBLE, STRONG, JAMES, S.T.D., LL.D., ABINGDON PRESS, NASHVILLE, Copyright, 1890, by JAMES STRONG, MADISON, N.J., ( A Concise Dictionary of the Words in the Greek/New Testament with their Renderings in the King James Version, p. 12. ). ]
Additionally, the word "torture" is defined as follows:
". . . n. 1 Infliction of or subjection to extreme physical pain. 2 A former judicial mode of getting evidence by inflicting pain. . . ." [ See NEW ILLUSTRATED WEBSTER'S DICTIONARY Including THESAURUS of SYNONYMS & ANTONYMS, PMC Publishing Company, Inc., 118 EAST 28th STREET, NEW YORK, NY 10016, dictionary portion: pages 1-1150, Copyright 1992, by J.G. Ferguson Publishing Company, Chicago, Illinois, p. 1020. ]
The Central Intelligence Agency's practice of waterboarding terrorists to gain intelligence is not a new concept, based on the consideration of verse twenty-four ( and sense two of the definition of the word "torture," above ). We could well say that Paul was subjected to a judicial mode of torture ( scourging ) in the first century A.D. However, Paul was not a terrorist: he was a Christian ( see Acts, chapter nine ( especially verse eighteen, for example ), and Galatians 3:26, 27, for example ). Although we, as Christians ( see Acts 11:26, for example ), have not been subjected to judicial modes of torture to date ( in response to giving public testimony ( see 1 Timothy 2:12, for example ) concerning Jesus ), future generations of Christians here in America may well face such a reality. As a Christian, I strive to be subject to the "higher powers" ( see Romans 13:1 ), with Acts 5:17-32 ( especially verse 29, for example ), for example, as the exception. As Christians, we will lead quiet and peaceable lives "in all godliness and honesty" ( see 1 Timothy 2:2 ). Please study the Holy Bible ( which is God's word - see Psalm 119:65-73, 142, 151, John 17:1, 3, 17, 2 Timothy 2:15; 3:16, 17, and Titus 1:1, 2, for example ).
If you have any questions about the Holy Bible, you can contact me by e-mail at:
<rewillis1_1@juno.com>
<Russell E. Willis>
