Acts 22:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"Led by those who were with me, I entered Damascus." The mention of the city is beautifully added, so that the Jews might know that Saul had been a persecutor. Paul interweaves the testimony of persons with the testimony of circumstances that happened to himself and to others. The witnesses are the priests, the elders, and his companions.

Our Lord spoke humbly from on high, so that the heads of His Church might speak humbly. If someone says, "How did the Lord speak humbly with Paul, when Paul's eyes were severely struck?" let him know this. Saul's affliction was not inflicted by our merciful Lord, who spoke humbly there. Rather, it came from the bright light that shone there with great force. This light was not intended to strike Paul as a punishment for his deeds. Yet it brought him suffering because of the power of its rays, as he himself said: "When I rose, I could not see anything because of the glory of the light."

At the entrance to the fortress, on the stairs, the Apostle Paul asked the tribune for permission to speak to the people. He then addressed them and, in defense of himself, recounted the history of his wondrous conversion to Christ; see the interpretations on chapter 9.

Saul rose, but everything around him was dark. The dazzling vision had disappeared. Yet with it, the very sun had grown dark for Saul's sight. He was blind. His frightened companions took him by the hand and led him to Damascus. On arriving in the city, they brought him to the house of Judas, on the long street that runs through the whole city and was then, as now, called Straight. There, with anguish in his soul, in blindness, bodily sufferings, and mental agitation, without food or drink, Saul lay for three days. The brilliance of the light that had struck him continually stood before his darkened eyes. The sounds of that reproving voice still thundered in his ears. No one can say what his soul experienced during those three days.

"Lord, what shall I do?" and so forth: see the note on Acts 9:6-8.

The Apostle Paul's account of his blindness and recovery of sight is substantially similar to the historian's report of it (see Acts 9:10-18). Yet it has special features. For example, it says of Ananias that he was a great reverer of the law, honored by all the Jews of Damascus. The reference to the gracious, and even miraculous, relation of such a man to Paul could not fail to be favorable in the eyes of Paul's hearers. From this it is clear why he spoke at such length about Ananias's qualities. Saint John Chrysostom says, "Here is yet another witness. And see how trustworthy he presents him. Besides this, Ananias is an outsider. Then there is the event of the recovery of sight. Then there is the great prophecy." "Paul gives only the substance of what was said at his recovery of sight. But afterward he transmits in detail the words spoken by Ananias after Saul's sight was restored, which the historian omitted."