Acts 26:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He speaks of the Jews with praise: “serving God earnestly night and day.” Therefore, he says, even if my life were not blameless, I should not be judged for this, King Agrippa. Is it not madness to strive in every way for this hope to be fulfilled, and then persecute the one who believes in it?

The speech of the Apostle Paul at this trial, in the presence of King Agrippa, is likewise a defense, just as his speech before the Jews on the steps of the Jerusalem fortress was. But now the Apostle spoke with greater freedom than he had then, before a crowd of fanatics. Since he was not interrupted and could speak fully, he defended himself in such a way that he also bore solemn witness to Christ. He testified that Christ had died and risen, according to the prophecy of Moses and the other ancient prophets. He also called his hearers to repentance and conversion to God.

Therefore he asked them to hear him patiently, and once more recounted the well-known story of his conversion. He had turned from being a strict and fanatical Pharisee to faith. He declared that his people's messianic hope had already truly been fulfilled in Jesus the Nazarene. At first he had fiercely persecuted His followers. But Christ personally revealed His glory to him and brought him to know that He had risen from the dead. Why might this faith have seemed implausible even to his hearers? At first it had seemed so to him as well. Yet how could he withstand the personal testimony of Christ Himself? How could he disobey the heavenly voice? That voice sent him to open the eyes of both Jews and Gentiles, so that they might turn from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God. Thus, through faith in Jesus, they might receive forgiveness of sins and a portion among the saints. He was not disobedient to this command; for detailed interpretation, see Acts 22:3-21.

"Whose fulfillment," that is, the coming of the Messiah, "our twelve tribes hope to see." This is the ancient theocratic designation of the whole people of Israel as one undivided people of God. This division into tribes had long since been erased in part by the captivity and dispersion of the ten tribes under Hezekiah. It was further erased by the Babylonian captivity and by later migrations, both forced and voluntary, into pagan lands. This happened both in Palestine itself and in the dispersion. Nevertheless, in the people's consciousness there always remained the idea of the whole nation as consisting of twelve tribes, wherever they might dwell, whether in Palestine or in the dispersion; cf. Jas 1:1.

Hope in the Messiah and Savior is the Apostle's chief teaching. In this hope the faith of the forefathers of the Jewish people was centered. In it the Jews of his own day hoped. For it Paul suffered and was judged, proclaiming that the expected Messiah had appeared in Jesus of Nazareth, Who was crucified, died, and rose by the power of the Godhead. Probably, when resurrection was mentioned, some of the hearers showed their unbelief. The members of the Athenian Areopagus expressed this more decisively; see Acts 17:32. Therefore it is understandable that the Apostle interrupted the natural course of his speech and asked what was incredible in the almighty God raising the dead.