This part contains the first in a series of Paul's
apologetic speeches (verse 1: "... to you now in [my] defence", Greek: προς υμας νυνι απολογιας,
pros humas nuni apologias). Paul's opening words use the language and address designed to stress a commonalty with his audience (verses 1–2), and to emphasize that he, like them, is a 'zealot for God' (verse 3) with a 'strict seminary education rooted in Jerusalem'; both are consistent with Paul's own claims about his education in .
Verse 1 :
Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you. The address to "men, brethren, and fathers" matches the opening words used by
Stephen in his address to the
Sanhedrin in
Acts 7:2. • "This city": refers to
Jerusalem. An alternative argument, that "this city" refers to Tarsus, does not match Paul's argument here.
Verse 8 :[Paul said:] ''"So I answered, 'Who are You, Lord?' And He said to me, 'I am
Jesus of
Nazareth, whom you are persecuting.'"'' The detailed record of Paul's conversion story here indicates that this account is important for Luke, even with some differences from the record in
chapter 9, thus shedding 'an interesting light on Luke's practice as a narrator', who 'sees no difficulty in the fact that the retold story is slightly different each time'. The story is further repeated in
Acts 26.
Verse 12 :[Paul said:]
"Then a certain Ananias, a devout man according to the law, having a good testimony with all the Jews who dwelt there," • "
Ananias": is given a little more background detail by Paul compared to
the previous account in chapter 9, which is "relevant to his claim to be working within a framework of observant Judaism".
Verse 16 :[Paul retold that Ananias said to him:]
"And now why are you waiting? Arise and be baptized, and wash away your sins, calling on the name of the Lord." • "Be baptized": In
chapter 9, the significance of baptism was only alluded to briefly, without explanation, but here it is made explicit: 'it is to do with cleansing from sin, and calling on the name of
Christ'.
Verses 17–18 :[Paul said:]''"Now it happened, when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I was in a trance and saw Him saying to me, 'Make haste and get out of Jerusalem quickly, for they will not receive your testimony concerning Me.'""'' • "I returned to Jerusalem": likely refers to the visit of
Acts 9:26, and
Galatians 1:18. ==Paul the Roman (verses 22–29)==