Acts 23:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

“For the hope of the resurrection of the dead I am on trial.” Περὶ ἐλπίδος καὶ ἀναστάσεως νεκρῶν ἐγὼ κρίνομαι: for hope and the resurrection of the dead I undergo judgment (verse 6).

The Russian translation, “for the hope of the resurrection of the dead I am on trial,” takes the conjunction καὶ in the sense “namely.” If the Apostle’s words are understood in this latter sense, he points here to the most essential and final point.

This is the final point of apostolic preaching and Christian faith (1 Cor 15:13-19). In relation to it, the faith of the Pharisees was, in essence, the same as that of the Christians.

If the Apostle’s words are understood according to the Slavonic translation, then two objects of the Apostle’s preaching and faith are indicated here. They are the hope of Israel, the Messiah, and the resurrection of the dead.

The Pharisees also connected the hope of the resurrection with the hope of the Messiah. I am accused of opposition to the Law, yet by birth itself I belong among the most ardent zealots of the Law, the Pharisees.

I am not on trial for teaching against the Law. The true cause is my faith and preaching concerning the Messiah and the resurrection of the dead.

By speaking thus, the Apostle intended to awaken some sympathy for himself among the Pharisees. He declared his agreement with them on one of the chief dogmas of their faith, thereby drawing them to his side, if only temporarily.

The Apostle’s plan succeeded. A quarrel arose among the judges. The scribes of the Pharisaic side were not disposed toward Paul and were even hostile to him.

Yet simply to oppose their enemies, the Sadducees, they took his side and said: “We find nothing evil in this man.” In these words they acknowledged the defendant’s lack of guilt.

But the Pharisees did not stop there. Intensifying their struggle against the Sadducees, they went on to suppose that perhaps justice might even be on Paul’s side.

“What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him,” namely, what he believes and preaches? The words “Let us not fight against God” (verse 9) are absent from many ancient codices.

Without them, the phrase, “If a spirit or an angel spoke to him,” clearly has the sense of a question. The answer is understood by itself, namely: “Let us not fight against God.”

And this is entirely possible. In that case, by going against him, we shall turn out to be opponents of God. Let us therefore not fight against God.

Let us leave his affair to its own course. If it is not pleasing to God, then sooner or later it will perish. But if it is the work of God, no human efforts can end or stop it.

This reflection of the Pharisees has the same meaning as Gamaliel’s counsel in the Sanhedrin concerning the persecution of Christians (Acts 5:34-39). It was plainly caused by their struggle against the Sadducees.

The Sadducees denied the existence of angels and, in general, the existence of the spiritual world. The discord among the judges increased so much, and the arguments between Pharisees and Sadducees became so heated, that the commander became afraid.

He feared that the disputants might rush upon Paul, some attacking him and others defending him. In this way they might tear Paul, a Roman citizen, to pieces, for which he could be held responsible before his government.

Therefore he ordered the soldiers to take Paul from the midst of the judges and lead him back again into the fortress.

But the Pharisees pursued the knowledge of God without self-denial. They pursued it not for heaven, but for their earthly position and for the purpose of obtaining earthly advantages. For this reason, from the very study of the Law of God, from its letter that kills the soul with eternal death, they fell into the abyss and darkness of carnal wisdom hostile to God. They studied the Law of God for human glory and for arranging their material position in human society. Thus the Pharisees came into one spiritual disposition with the Sadducees. It was a disposition incapable of receiving the Messiah and incapable of bringing forth the fruits of repentance. The first did not occupy themselves with the Law of God and did not know it because of devotion to the world. The second carefully studied the Law of God and knew it according to the letter, but for the sake of love of the world. Both alike became carnal men, enemies of God, and children of the devil.

He hardly hoped to draw the Pharisees to his side for long. But in his position even their temporary attraction was useful, especially before the Roman tribune present there, on whom the case now greatly depended. By this Paul placed an obstacle, at least for a time, against the united action of both parties or sects against him.' According to St. John Chrysostom, 'Here Paul speaks in a human way, that is, in accommodation to men. He is not always guided by grace, but permits himself to bring in something of his own. He does this now and later. In his defense he intends to divide the crowd that had maliciously united against him. Nor does he speak falsely here when he calls himself a Pharisee, for by ancestry he was a Pharisee.' 'Paul identifies himself as a Jew, apart from Christianity. As a Jew he belongs to no other society than the Pharisees, not to the Sadducees, Essenes, Herodians, or Zealots. He was accused of teaching against the Law of Moses (see Acts 21:28). The Apostle says that, in relation to it, he belongs to the strictest sect, the Pharisees, zealots for the Law. He has not betrayed Moses, as the Sadducees have, who deny certain truths of the Law of Moses.'