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SIX ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 Introduction and Comments on Text 
 
 By E. P. CLARKE 
 
 President of California State 
 Board of Education 
 
Six Orations of Paul 
 
 INTRODUCTION AND 
 COMMENTS ON TEXT 
 
 By E. P. Clarke 
 
 President of California State 
 Board of Education 
 
 1922 
 Harr Wagner Publishing Co. 
 
 San Francisco, California 
 
Copyright 
 1922 
 
 Harr Wagner Publishing Co. 
 San Francisco, California 
 
 Al. 
 
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TABLE OF CONTENTS 
 
 Foreword. 
 
 Map of Paul's Missionary Journeys. 
 I Paul Declares Jesus the Messiah. 
 II Paul at Mars Hill. 
 Ill Picture of Mars Hill. 
 IV Paul's Farewell to the Ephesian Elders. 
 V Paul Stills the Jewish Mob. 
 VI Paul Before Felix. 
 
 - 
 
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FOREWORD 
 
 We study the orations of Cicero, why 
 not the orations of Paul ? 
 
 Perhaps one answer to this question 
 is the fact that even among leaders of 
 the Christian church there has been lit- 
 tle recognition of the fact that Paul is 
 one of the great orators of history. 
 
 The church has made full acknowl- 
 edgment of the greatness of Paul in 
 other respects. He stands out in his- 
 tory as preeminently the missionary to 
 the Gentiles; he was an efficient organ- 
 izer; he ranks very high as a theolog- 
 ian; he was a versatile linguist for he 
 spoke and wrote Hebrew, Latin and 
 Greek with equal facility ; he was an in- 
 trepid hero of the faith; and finally a 
 martyr for the truth. Paul was all these 
 and more but in addition he is entitled 
 to a place of leadership as an orator; 
 
10 FOREWORD 
 
 and that conclusion is based both on the 
 subject matter of his addresses and on 
 their effect on those who heard them. 
 
 There has come down to us a tradi- 
 tion of Paul as a "little hooknosed Jew", 
 inferior in appearance and humble and 
 almost apologetic in manner. That tra- 
 dition, however, is not founded on 
 Luke's narrative in the Acts or on 
 Paul's references to himself in his epis- 
 tles. It is true that he had some form 
 of bodily infirmity, but there is no logic 
 in the conclusion that this was such as 
 to mar his dignity or stamp him with 
 any appearance of inferiority. We 
 want to remember that early in his min- 
 istry, the people of Lystra were ready 
 to worship Paul as Mercury, the god 
 of eloquence. That was a tribute both 
 to his oratory and to his personal ap- 
 pearance, for we know that Mercury 
 in the conception of the time was the 
 ideal of grace and beauty. 
 
FOREWORD 11 
 
 We do well to recall the fact that 
 Paul charmed the critical Athenians 
 with his address on Mar's Hill; that 
 by the force of his eloquence he com- 
 pelled the Jewish mob that thirsted for 
 his blood to listen to him while he vin- 
 dicated his position as a leader in the 
 Christian faith; that he made a pro- 
 found impression before the court of 
 Agrippa; and that he stirred the city 
 of Rome during the years there when 
 he "preached the kingdom of God with 
 all confidence". 
 
 A review of the epistles of Paul shows 
 scores of passages that are strictly ora- 
 torical in character. The habit of the 
 orator was so strong upon PaU that 
 even in his letters, he breaks forth in 
 matchless, sonorous bits of oratory. 
 
 Take these as examples: 
 
 Romans 8 :35, 38-9 : 
 
 Who shall separate us from the 
 love of Christ? Shall tribulation, or 
 
12 FOREWORD 
 
 distress, or persecution, or famine, 
 or nakedness, or peril, or sword? 
 
 For I am persuaded that neither 
 death nor life, nor angels, nor prin- 
 cipalities, nor powers, nor things 
 present, nor things to come, nor 
 height, nor depth, nor any other 
 creature shall be able to separate 
 us from the love of God, which is 
 in Christ Jesus, our Lord. 
 First Corinthians 13. The first and 
 last verses are characteristic : 
 
 Though I speak with the tongues 
 of men and of angels and have not 
 love, I am become as sounding 
 brass or a tinkling cymbal. 
 
 And now abideth faith, hope, 
 love, these three; but the greatest 
 of these is love. 
 
 Ephesians 3 : 20-21 : 
 
 Now unto him that is able to do 
 exceeding abundantly, above all 
 that we ask or think, according to 
 the power that worketh in us, unto 
 
FOREWORD 13 
 
 him be glory in the church by 
 Christ Jesus throughout all ages, 
 world without end. 
 
 Philippians 3: 13-14: 
 
 This one thing I do, forgetting 
 
 those things which are behind, and 
 reaching forth unto those things 
 
 which are before, I press toward 
 the mark for the prize of the high 
 calling of God in Christ Jesus. 
 
 Colossians 3: 11: 
 
 Where there is neither Greek, 
 nor Jew, circumcision, nor uncir- 
 
 cumcision, Barbarian, Scythian, 
 bond, nor free; but Christ is all 
 
 and in all. 
 /^h Second Timothy 4: 6-8: 
 
 I am now ready to be offered, 
 and the time of my departure is 
 at hand. I have fought a good 
 fight. I have finished my course, 
 I have kept the faith; henceforth 
 there is laid up for me a crown of 
 righteousness, which the Lord, the 
 
14 FOREWORD 
 
 righteous judge, shall give me at 
 that day: and not to me only, but 
 unto all them also that love his 
 appearing. 
 
 If we are to accept Paul as the au- 
 thor of the epistle to the Hebrews, and 
 that, I take it, is still a debatable ques- 
 tion, this passage may well be chosen 
 as another illustration. 
 Hebrews 11: 32-34, 12: 1-2: 
 
 And shall I say more? For the 
 time would fail me to tell of Gid- 
 eon, and of Barak, and of Samson, 
 and of Jephthah; of David also, 
 and Samuel, and of the prophets: 
 Who through faith subdued king- 
 doms, wrought righteousness, ob- 
 tained promises, stopped the 
 mouths of lions, quenched the vio- 
 lence of fire, escaped the edge of 
 the sword, out of weakness were 
 made strong, waxed valiant in fight, 
 turned to flight the armies of the 
 aliens. 
 
FOREWORD 15 
 
 Wherefore seeing we also are 
 compassed about with so great a 
 cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside 
 every weight and the sin which 
 doth so easily beset us, and let us 
 run with patience the race that is 
 set before us, looking unto Jesus 
 the author and finisher of our faith. 
 
 Paul did not write out his addresses ; 
 and his friend and companion, Luke, 
 did not make stenographic notes of 
 memorable orations he heard Paul give 
 and later transcribe them for the ben- 
 efit of posterity. Luke, however, was 
 what the modern newspaper man would 
 call a remarkably fine reporter; and 
 he has preserved for us the substance 
 of several addresses of Paul. I have 
 selected six of these as typical of the 
 style of Paul and as worthy of as care- 
 ful and respectfuly study as we bestow 
 on the classics of other great orators 
 of history. 
 
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MISSIONARY JOURNEYS 
 OF PAUL 
 
 (See Map on Opposite Page) 
 
 FIRST JOURNEY: (with Barnabas and Mark) 
 from Antioch (in Syria) to Cypress, Pamphylia, 
 Antioch (in Psidia), Iconium, and Perga and 
 back to Antioch. 
 
 SECOND JOURNEY: (with Silas, Timothy 
 and Luke) from Antioch through Cilicia to Troas 
 and thence to Macedonia, visiting Phillipi, Cor- 
 inth, Athens and Ephesus. Thence returning to 
 Caesarea and Jerusalem and then back to An- 
 tioch. 
 
 THIRD JOURNEY: (with Luke and Titus) 
 from Antioch to Greese, where the cities in 
 which Paul preached and founded churches in 
 his second journey were revisited. On his re- 
 turn, the apostle stopped at Miletus to bid fare- 
 well to the elders of the Ephesian church. He 
 continued his journey to Jerusalem. 
 
 FOURTH JOURNEY: As prisoner (with 
 Luke and Aristarchus) from Caeserea by Cy- 
 press, Crete, and Malta to Rome. 
 
 There is a tradition that after his first impris- 
 onment at Rome Paul made another missionary 
 journey that took him to Spain and some say 
 even to Britain. This, however, is tradition and 
 not biblical record. 
 
PAUL DECLARES JESUS THE 
 MESSIAH 
 
 Acts 13: 17-39 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 It must be admitted that in rhetorical 
 effect, this address is not equal to some 
 others which Luke reports in some de- 
 tail; but it is of marked interest as the 
 first statement of any length in Paul's 
 own words in defense of the Christian 
 faith. It is a cogent argument moreover 
 to the Jews in support of the Messiah- 
 ship of Jesus ; he says, "We declare unto 
 you glad tidings how that the promise 
 that was made unto the fathers, God 
 hath fulfilled the same unto us their 
 children/ 3 Paul also gives strong em- 
 phasis to one of the cardinal points in 
 the Christian faith the resurrection of 
 Jesus, fully attested to by a large group 
 of disciples "who are his witnesses." 
 
20 '' ' ' ' ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 This sermon that we can fittingly 
 class as an oration was given at Antioch 
 in Pisidia, to a Jewish audience in a 
 Jewish synagogue. Paul spoke in re- 
 sponse to the invitation of the ruler of 
 the synagogue, "Ye men and brethren, 
 if ye have any word of exhortation for 
 the people, say on/ 3 Then Paul stood 
 up and beckoning with his hand said: 
 
 TEXT OF ORATION 
 
 Men of Israel, and ye that fear 
 God, give audience. 
 
 The God of this people of Israel 
 chose our fathers, and exalted the 
 people when they dwelt as strang- 
 ers in the land of Egypt, and with 
 a high arm brought he them out 
 of it. 
 
 And about the time of forty 
 years suffered he their manners in 
 the wilderness. 
 
 And when he had destroyed sev- 
 en nations in the land of Chanaan, 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 21 
 
 he divided their land to them by lot. 
 
 And after that he gave unto 
 them judges about the space of 
 four hundred and fifty years, until 
 Samuel the prophet. 
 
 And afterward they desired a 
 king: and God gave unto them 
 Saul the son of Cis, a man of the 
 tribe of Benjamin, by the space of 
 forty years. 
 
 And when he had removed him, 
 he raised up unto them David to 
 be their king; to whom also he 
 gave testimony, and said, I have 
 found David the son of Jesse, a 
 man after mine own heart, which 
 shall fulfill all my will. 
 
 Of this man's seed hath God, ac- 
 cording to his promise, raised unto 
 Israel a Saviour, Jesus: 
 
 When John had first preached 
 before his coming the baptism of 
 repentance to all the people of 
 Israel. 
 
22 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 And as John fulfilled his course, 
 he said, Whom think ye that I am? 
 I am not he. But, behold, there 
 cometh one after me, whose shoes 
 of his feet I am not worthy to 
 loose. 
 
 Men and Brethren, children of the 
 stock of Abraham, and whosoever 
 among you feareth God, to you is 
 the word of this salvation sent. 
 
 For they that dwell at Jerusa- 
 lem, and their rulers, because they 
 knew him not, nor yet the voices 
 of the prophets which are read 
 every sabbath day, they have ful- 
 filled them in condemning him. 
 
 And though they found no cause 
 of death in him, yet desired they 
 Pilate that he should be slain. 
 
 And when they had fulfilled all 
 that was written of him, they took 
 him down from the tree, and laid 
 him in a sepulchre. 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 23 
 
 But God raised him from the 
 dead: 
 
 And he was seen many days of 
 them which came up with him 
 from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are 
 his witnesses unto the people. 
 
 And we declare unto you glad 
 tidings, how that the promise which 
 was made unto the fathers, 
 
 God hath fulfilled the same unto 
 us their children, in that he hath 
 raised up Jesus again; as it is also 
 written in the second psalm, Thou 
 art my Son, this day have I begot- 
 ten thee. 
 
 And as concerning that he raised 
 him up from the dead, now no 
 more to return to corruption, he 
 said on this wise, I will give you 
 the sure mercies of David. 
 
 Wherefore he saith also in an- 
 other psalm. Thou shalt not suffer 
 thine Holy One to see corruption. 
 
24 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 For David, after he had served 
 his own generation by the will of 
 God, fell on sleep, and was laid 
 unto his fathers, and saw corrup- 
 tion: 
 
 But he whom God raised again, 
 saw no corruption. 
 
 Be it known unto you therefore, 
 men and brethren, that through 
 this man is preached unto you the 
 forgiveness of sins: 
 
 And by him all that believe are 
 justified from all things, from 
 which ye could not be justified by 
 the law of Moses. 
 

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ORATIONS OF PAUL 25 
 
 PAUL AT MARS HILL 
 Acts 17: 22-31 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 We do not know that they had daily 
 newspapers in Athens at the time of 
 Paul's visit, but there were other forms 
 of effective publicity before the days 
 of newspapers; and it seems quite evi- 
 dent that Paul's arguments in the syn- 
 agogue of the Jews and in the market 
 place daily with all who would listen 
 to him became well noised abroad 
 through the city. Certain it is that 
 some of the leaders of public opinion, 
 philosophers, teachers and no doubt 
 politicians, thought it would be a fine 
 thing to give him the supreme oppor- 
 tunity that the city afforded to tell 
 about his "strange gods" and so they 
 conducted him to Mars Hill, near the 
 Acropolis, apparently with every mark 
 
26 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 of consideration and respect. We may 
 be sure moreover that his appearance 
 on this occasion was well advertised 
 and that he had a highly distinguished 
 audience, many simply curious to "hear 
 some new thing", but others sincerely 
 desirous to know more of the story of 
 the resurrection of Jesus as told by this 
 unknown but eloquent Jew. 
 
 What Luke gives us of the oration 
 on Mars Hill is of course only a frag- 
 ment, but it is a fragment that indi- 
 cates clearly the greatness of the ad- 
 dress. Paul was conciliatory at the 
 outset; he showed his knowledge of 
 Greek literature; he worked up to his 
 climaxes with the grace and skill of 
 the true orator; and he had the noble 
 courage to drive home the lesson of 
 repentance. 
 
 Paul's message must have been truly 
 a "new thing' 7 to those critical Athen- 
 ians; some scoffed; others were indif- 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 27 
 
 ferent; but a considerable group at 
 least were profoundly stirred. The 
 philosophy of the Christian faith was 
 new then, not merely in Athems but 
 generally throughout the known world. 
 But that philosophy has shaped the 
 course of history and transformed man- 
 kind, while most of the fads that seem- 
 ed so important to the news-eager and 
 disputatious Athenians have long since 
 been forgotten. 
 
 TEXT OF ORATION 
 
 Ye men of Athens, I perceive 
 that in all things ye are very re- 
 ligious. 
 
 For as I passed by, and beheld 
 your devotions I found an altar 
 with this inscription, TO THE 
 UNKNOWN GOD. Whom there- 
 fore ye ignorantly worship, him 
 declare I unto you. 
 
 God that made the world and 
 all things therein, seeing that he is 
 
28 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth 
 not in temples made with hands; 
 
 Neither is worshiped with men's 
 hands, as though he needed any- 
 thing, seeing he giveth to all life, 
 and breath, and all things; 
 
 And hath made of one blood all 
 nations of men for to dwell on all 
 the face of the earth, and hath de- 
 termined the times before appoint- 
 ed, and the bounds of their habi- 
 tation ; 
 
 That they should seek the Lord, 
 if haply they might feel after him, 
 and find him, though he be not far 
 from every one of us: 
 
 For in him we live, and move, 
 and have our being; as certain 
 also of your own poets have said, 
 For we are also his offspring. 
 
 Forasmuch then as we are the 
 offspring of God, we ought not to 
 think that the Godhead is like unto 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 29 
 
 gold, or silver, or stone graven by 
 art and man's device. 
 
 And the times of this ignorance 
 God winked at; but now com- 
 mandeth all men everywhere to 
 repent : 
 
 Because he hath appointed a 
 day, in the which he will judge the 
 world in righteousness by that man 
 whom he hath ordained; whereof 
 he hath given assurance unto all 
 men, in that he hath raised him 
 from the dead. 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 31 
 
 PAUL'S FAREWELL TO THE 
 EPHESIAN ELDERS 
 
 Acts 20: 18-35 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 We are apt to think of Paul as a 
 lonely and austere man, without close 
 friends or intimates and without qual- 
 ities that knit men to him. That, how- 
 ever, is not the proper conception of 
 the character of Paul. We have only 
 to recall his friendship for Luke, Tim- 
 othy and other coworkers, his affection 
 for the slave Onesimus and his tender 
 farewell to the elders of the church at 
 Ephesus on the shore at Miletus to 
 realize that he was a man of tender, 
 loving heart and a devoted pastor. His 
 personal relations to the members of 
 the churches that he founded were like 
 those of a father to his children. 
 
32 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 Paul was not much given to talking 
 about himself, but in this message to 
 these friends from Ephesus he opened 
 his heart to them. He showed them 
 how much he loved them and the peo- 
 ple from whom they came; he told 
 them how he had given himself unspar- 
 ingly to the service of the Master; and 
 he plead with them to follow his exam- 
 ple and "help the weak", remembering 
 the words of the Lord Jesus, "how he 
 said it is more blessed to give than to 
 receive". No wonder, as Luke tells us 
 in his simple but wonderfully graphic 
 story, that "they all wept sore, and fell 
 on Paul's neck and kissed him, sorrow- 
 ing most of all for the words which he 
 spake that they should see his face no 
 
 more" 
 
 That sort of a demonstration was 
 never called out except by a man of 
 winning personality and tender affec- 
 tion. 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 33 
 
 TEXT OF ORATION 
 
 Ye know, from the first day that 
 I came into Asia, after what man- 
 ner I have been with you at all 
 seasons, 
 
 Serving the Lord with all humil- 
 ity of mind, an<i with many tears, 
 and temptations, which befell me 
 by the lying in wait of the Jews: 
 
 And how I kept back nothing 
 that was profitable unto you, but 
 have shewed you, and have taught 
 you publicly, and from house to 
 house, 
 
 Testifying both to the Jews, and 
 also to the Greeks, repentance to- 
 ward God, and faith toward our 
 Lord Jesus Christ. 
 
 And now, behold, I go bound in 
 the spirit unto Jerusalem, not 
 knowing the things that shall be- 
 fall me there: 
 
34 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 Save that the Holy Ghost wit- 
 nesseth in every city, saying that 
 bonds and afflictions abide me. 
 
 But none of these things move 
 me, neither count I my life dear 
 unto myself, so that I might finish 
 my course with joy, and the minis- 
 try, which I have received of the 
 Lord Jesus, to testify the gospel 
 of the grace of God. 
 
 And now, behold I know that ye 
 all, among whom I have gone 
 preaching the kingdom of God, 
 shall see my face no more. 
 
 Wherefore I take you to record 
 this day, that I am pure from the 
 blood of all men. 
 
 For I have not shunned to de- 
 clare unto you all the counsel of 
 God. 
 
 Take heed therefore unto your- 
 selves, and to all the flock, over 
 the which the Holy Ghost hath 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 35 
 
 made you overseerers, to feed the 
 church of God, which he hath pur- 
 chased with his own blood. 
 
 For I know this, that after my 
 departing shall grievous wolves 
 enter in among you, not sparing 
 the flock. 
 
 Also of your own selves shall 
 men arise, speaking perverse things, 
 to draw away disciples after them. 
 
 Therefore watch, and remember, 
 that by the space of three years I 
 ceased not to warn every one night 
 and day with tears. 
 
 And now, brethren, I commend 
 you to God, and to the word of 
 his grace, which is able to build 
 you up, and to give you an inher- 
 itance among all them which are 
 sanctified. 
 
 I have coveted no man's silver, 
 or gold, or apparel. 
 
36 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 Yea, ye yourselves know, that 
 these hands have ministered unto 
 my necessities, and to them that 
 were with me. 
 
 I have shewed you all things, 
 how that so labouring ye ought to 
 support the weak, and to remem- 
 ber the words of the Lord Jesus, 
 how he said, It is more blessed to 
 give than to receive. 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 37 
 
 PAUL STILLS THE JEWISH MOB 
 
 Acts 22: 1-21 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Paul's rescue from the Jewish mob 
 at the door of the temple and his ad- 
 dress on the steps of the Roman castle 
 make a story of thrilling interest and 
 place the apostle to the Gentiles before 
 us in the light of a great orator and 
 a true hero. 
 
 The attack on Paul was entirely with- 
 out justification. It was started by the 
 lying report that the apostle had taken 
 Gentiles into the inner court of the tem- 
 ple. But the Jewish fanatics were more 
 ready to believe a lie about Paul than 
 the truth and so they fell upon him 
 and would have torn him in pieces but 
 for the timely intervention of the Ro- 
 man soldiers. They drove back the 
 
38 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 bloodthirsty Jews, dragged Paul away 
 from them and started to take him up 
 into the castle. 
 
 One might think that Paul would 
 have been very glad to escape and that 
 he would have lost no time in getting 
 safely behind the brazen doors of the 
 castle, against which the howling der- 
 vishes who were after him might bear 
 in vain. But Paul was not that sort 
 of a man. He had faced mobs before; 
 he had been stoned and dragged out 
 of cities as dead; he had fought with 
 wild beasts in the arena at Ephesus; 
 and he was not afraid of these Jews. 
 He had a message for them and he pro- 
 posed to deliver it then and there. The 
 Roman eagles were at his back, sym- 
 bols of an authority that the Jews hated 
 but nevertheless feared. And speaking 
 in Greek to the captain, he asked per- 
 mission to address the men who were 
 howling for his life. And when per- 
 mission was granted, he wiped the dust 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 39 
 
 and blood from his face, stretched forth 
 his hand, stilled the mob, and then, 
 speaking in Hebrew, he began his de- 
 fense It is a magnificent picture of 
 courage and power. 
 
 TEXT OF ORATION 
 
 Men, brethren, and fathers, hear 
 ye my defence which I make now 
 unto you. 
 
 I am verily a man which am a 
 Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cil- 
 icia, 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. 
 
 And I persecuted this way unto 
 the death, binding and delivering 
 into prisons both men and women. 
 
 As also the high priest doth 
 bear me witness, and all the estate 
 
40 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 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. 
 
 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. 
 
 And I fell unto the ground, and 
 heard a voice saying unto me, 
 Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou 
 me? 
 
 And I answered, Who art thou, 
 Lord? And he said unto me, I am 
 Jesus of Nazareth, whom thou per- 
 secutest. 
 
 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. 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 41 
 
 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. 
 
 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 into Damascus. 
 
 And one Ananias, a devout man 
 according to the law, having a 
 good report of all the Jews which 
 dwelt there. 
 
 Came unto me, and stood, and 
 said unto me, Brother Saul, re- 
 ceive thy sight. And the same 
 hour I looked up upon him. 
 
 And he said, The God of our 
 fathers hath chosen thee, that thou 
 shouldest know his will, and see 
 that Just One, and shouldest hear 
 the voice of his mouth. 
 
42 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 For thou shalt be his witness 
 unto all men of what thou hast 
 seen and heard. 
 
 And now why tarriest thou? 
 arise, and be baptized, and wash 
 away thy sins, calling on the name 
 of the Lord. 
 
 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; 
 
 And saw him saying unto me, 
 Make haste, and get thee quickly 
 out of Jerusalem : for they will not 
 receive thy testimony concerning 
 me. 
 
 And I said, Lord, they know 
 that I imprisoned and beat in 
 every synagogue them that be- 
 lieved on thee: 
 
 And when the blood of thy mar- 
 tyr Stephen was shed, I also was 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 43 
 
 standing by, and consenting unto 
 his death, and kept the raiment of 
 them that slew him. 
 
 And he said unto me, Depart: 
 for I will send thee far hence unto 
 the Gentiles. 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 45 
 
 PAUL BEFORE FELIX 
 Acts 24: 10-21 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 Paul made two notable defenses be- 
 fore the Roman authorities, once be- 
 fore Felix and later before Agrippa. 
 Luke gives us a more complete report 
 of the oration before Agrippa, but the 
 appearance before Felix presents Paul 
 to us as a remarkable pleader, a tactful 
 and conciliatory speaker and an able 
 champion of the vital truths of Chris- 
 tianity. 
 
 The Jewish accusers of Paul did not 
 appear in person on the occasion of the 
 hearing before Felix, but they hired "a 
 certain orator, named Tertullus" to rep- 
 resent them. Tertullus was no doubt 
 a Roman and we should call him a jury 
 lawyer. He started in by handing out 
 
46 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 a lot of flattery to Felix and then in- 
 dulged in a rather skillful review of 
 the charges against Paul that the Jew- 
 ish priests had loaded him up with. 
 
 When Paul came to speak, he did not 
 imitate the gross flattery of Tertullus, 
 but he did establish friendly relations 
 with the court by a few well-chosen 
 words of compliment. Then he opened 
 up on Tertullus and he certainly made 
 that hired pleader look very small. 
 There was a dignity and power about 
 what he said in answer to the charges 
 of the Jews that must have commanded 
 instant and respectful attention. 
 
 TEXT OF ORATION 
 Forasmuch as I know that thou 
 hast been of many years a judge 
 unto this nation, I do the more 
 cheerfully answer for myself: 
 
 Because that thou mayest under- 
 stand, that there are yet but twelve 
 days since I went up to Jerusalem 
 for to worship. 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 47 
 
 And they neither found me in 
 the temple disputing with any man, 
 neither raising up the people, neith- 
 er in the synagogues, nor in the 
 city. 
 
 Neither can they prove the things 
 whereof they now accuse me. 
 
 But this I confess unto thee, that 
 after the way which they call here- 
 sy, so worship I the God of my 
 fathers, believing all things which 
 are written in the law and in the 
 prophets : 
 
 And have hope toward God, 
 which they themselves also allow, 
 that there shall be a resurrection 
 of the dead, both of the just and 
 unjust. 
 
 And herein do I exercise myself, 
 to have always a conscience void 
 of offence toward God, and toward 
 men. 
 
48 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 Now after many years I came 
 to bring alms to my nation, and 
 offerings. 
 
 Whereupon certain Jews from 
 Asia found me purified in the tem- 
 ple, neither with multitude, nor 
 with tumult. 
 
 Who ought to have been here 
 before thee, and object, if they had 
 aught against me. 
 
 Or else let these same here say, 
 if they have found any evil doing 
 in me, while I stood before the 
 council. 
 
 Except it be for this one voice, 
 that I cried standing among them, 
 Touching the resurrection of the 
 dead I am called in question by 
 you this day. 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 49 
 
 PAUL'S DEFENSE BEFORE 
 AGRIPPA 
 
 Acts 26: 2-29 
 
 INTRODUCTION 
 
 The Romans dearly loved a show; 
 and Paul's defense before Agrippa was 
 made a notable occasion in the Roman 
 court at Caeserea. Luke says that they 
 gathered "with great pomp", and that 
 beside Festus, Agrippa and his sister 
 Bernice famous alike for her beauty 
 and dissoluteness the "chief captains 
 and principal men" of the city were 
 present. 
 
 This distinguished company, how- 
 ever, was to be treated to something 
 more than a spectacle. They had heard 
 no doubt of the fame of Paul as an 
 orator; and this fashionable audience 
 expected to witness a fine exhibition 
 
50 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 of eloquence. In this they were not 
 disappointed; they found that the man 
 who disputed on Mars Hill, who awed 
 the mob on the castle steps at Jerusa- 
 lem and discomforted Tertullus before 
 Felix had in his two years in prison 
 lost none of his winning grace, manly 
 dignity and moral power. They were 
 not prepared, however, for the search- 
 ing personal appeal he made to their 
 consciences, and that after all is the 
 highest test of oratory. These people 
 who had come together to make a show 
 of Paul's oratory were glad when they 
 could close the hearing and escape from 
 his "words of truth and soberness", 
 lest more than one might be "almost 
 persuaded". 
 
 There were many dramatic incidents 
 in the life of Paul, but none more so 
 than the closing appeal in this noble 
 oration. The climax fairly burns itself 
 into the memory; no jesture of elo- 
 quence could have been more effective 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 51 
 
 than when the apostle lifted his man- 
 acled hands and said, "I would to God, 
 that not only thou, but also all that hear 
 me this day, were both almost and al- 
 together such as I am, except these 
 bonds". 
 
 TEXT OF ORATION 
 
 I think myself happy, king 
 Agrippa, because I shall answer for 
 myself this day before thee touch- 
 ing all the things whereof I am 
 accused of the Jews: 
 
 Especially because I know thee 
 to be expert in all customs and 
 questions which are among the 
 Jews: wherefore I beseech thee 
 to hear me patiently. 
 
 My manner of life from my 
 youth, which was at the first 
 among mine own nation at Jeru- 
 salem, know all the Jews; 
 
 Which knew me from the begin- 
 ning, if they would testify, that 
 
52 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 after the most straitest sect of our 
 religion I lived a Pharisee. 
 
 And now I stand and am judged 
 for the hope of the promise made 
 to God unto our fathers: 
 
 Unto which promise our twelve 
 tribes, instantly serving God day 
 and night, hope to come. For 
 which hope's sake, king Agrippa, 
 I am accused of the Jews. 
 
 Why should it be thought a 
 thing incredible with you, that 
 God should raise the dead? 
 
 I verily thought with myself, 
 that I ought to do many things 
 contrary to the name of Jesus of 
 Nazareth. 
 
 Which thing I also did in Jeru- 
 salem: and many of the saints did 
 I shut up in prison, having receiv- 
 ed authority from the chief priests ; 
 and when they were put to death, 
 I gave my voice against them. 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 53 
 
 And I punished them oft in 
 every synagogue, and compelled 
 them to blaspheme; and being ex- 
 ceedingly mad against them, I per- 
 secuted them even unto strange 
 cities. 
 
 Whereupon as I went to Damas- 
 cus with authority and commission 
 from the chief priests, 
 
 At midday, O king, I saw in the 
 way a light from heaven, above 
 the brightness of the sun, shining 
 round about me and them which 
 journeyed with me. 
 
 And when we were all fallen to 
 the earth, I heard a voice speaking 
 unto me, and saying in the Hebrew 
 tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecut- 
 est thou me? it is hard for thee 
 to kick against the pricks. 
 
 And I said, Who art thou, Lord? 
 And he said, I am Jesus whom 
 thou persecutest. 
 
54 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 But arise, and stand upon thy 
 feet: for I have appeared unto 
 thee for this purpose, to make thee 
 a minister and a witness both of 
 these things which thou hast seen, 
 and of those things in the which 
 I will appear unto thee; 
 
 Delivering thee from the people, 
 and from the Gentiles, unto whom 
 now I send thee. 
 
 To open their eyes, and to turn 
 them from darkness to light, and 
 from the power of Satan unto God, 
 that they may receive forgiveness 
 of sins, and inheritance among 
 them which are sanctified by faith 
 that is in me. 
 
 Whereupon, O king Agrippa, 
 I was not disobedient unto the 
 heavenly vision: 
 
 But shewed first unto them of 
 Damascus, and at Jerusalem, and 
 throughout all the coasts of Judea, 
 
ORATIONS OF PAUL 55 
 
 and then to the Gentiles, that they 
 should repent and turn to God, 
 and do works meet for repentance. 
 
 For these causes the Jews caught 
 me in the temple, and went about 
 to kill me. 
 
 Having therefore obtained help 
 of God, I continue unto this day, 
 witnessing both to small and great, 
 saying none other things than those 
 which the prophets and Moses did 
 say should come: 
 
 That Christ should suffer, and 
 that he should be the first that 
 should rise from the dead, and 
 should shew light unto the peo- 
 ple, and to the Gentiles. 
 
 (And as he thus spake for him- 
 self, Festus said with a loud voice, 
 Paul, thou art beside thyself ; 
 much learning doth make thee 
 mad. 
 
56 ORATIONS OF PAUL 
 
 But he said,) 
 
 I am not mad, most noble Fes- 
 tus; but speak forth the words of 
 truth and soberness. 
 
 For the king knoweth of these 
 things, before whom also I speak 
 freely: for I am persuaded that 
 none of these things are hidden 
 from him; for this thing was not 
 done in a corner. 
 
 King Agrippa, believest thou the 
 prophets? I know that thou be- 
 lievest. 
 
 (Then Agrippa said unto Paul, 
 Almost thou persuadest me to be 
 a Christian. 
 
 And Paul said,) 
 
 I would to God, that not only 
 thou, but also all that hear me this 
 day, were both almost, and alto- 
 gether such as I am, except these 
 bonds. 
 
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