Acts 5:37Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

He did not say by whom those men had been destroyed, but simply, “they were scattered.” Perhaps he considered it unnecessary to speak of that.

He does not present ancient examples, though he had them. He points to recent ones, which could persuade with special force. Therefore he speaks indirectly: “not long before this,” as if saying, a few days ago.

If he had said directly, “Release these men,” he would have drawn suspicion on himself, and his speech would not have had such force. Through examples, however, it received proper force.

For this reason he recalls not one example, but a second also, though he could have brought forward a third. By their abundance he shows the justice of his words and turns them away from their murderous intention.

“After him Judas appeared.” You may learn about this in greater detail from the books of Josephus, who sets out the history of these events carefully: Antiquities of the Jews, book 18, chapter 1, and book 20, chapter 2.

In the time of Pilate, it seems, there was an uprising of Galileans carried away by the teaching of Judas the Galilean.

The teaching of Judas was as follows. He said that no one should be called lord, neither out of honor nor for philosophy, and that even the king should not be so called.

Many of his followers underwent cruel punishments because they would not call Caesar lord. They were also punished for their teaching that no sacrifices should be offered to God except those established in the law of Moses.

Following this teaching, they forbade the offering of sacrifices for the safety of the king and the Roman people.

Josephus also writes about this Gaulanite from the city of Gamala. Together with a certain Pharisee named Sadduc, he urged the common people not to lose their freedom by paying tribute to the Romans.

He argued from the law that one must serve the Lord alone. Those who gave tithes to the temple, he said, ought not to pay tribute to Caesar.

This heresy grew so much that it even troubled a considerable part of the Pharisees and the people. Thus they thought it fitting to ask the Lord Christ whether it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar or not.

On Judas from Gamala, see Josephus, Antiquitates Judaicae 18.4-10; 23-25; 20.102; De bello Judaico 2.118, 433; 7.253. See also Eusebius of Caesarea, Historia ecclesiastica 1.5 (GCS 9.1:47-49). Jerome, Commentarius in Epistolam ad Titum 3 (PL 26:590-91).

Having received a new sign confirming God’s good pleasure, for the place where they prayed was shaken, they preached the gospel with still greater boldness.

This became the cause of the apostles’ second imprisonment, this time in the public prison, as disturbers of public peace. The chief actors were again the Sadducees. To mock their vain designs, an angel opened the prison doors for the apostles, though the Sadducees rejected the very existence of angels.

They were again in the temple and teaching. From there they were taken and brought before the Sanhedrin. They were questioned as men who had already violated the command of the authorities.

This open and firm confession of the apostles directly accused the judges of the unrighteous murder of the Savior of the world. It provoked such an outburst of anger in them that they were ready to forget the lesson given by the defendants’ miraculous release from prison.

Without further investigation, they plotted to kill them. The Sanhedrin was restrained from this rash act of anger by one of its members, Gamaliel. He was the famous teacher of the law at whose feet the Apostle Paul received his Jewish theological education (Acts 22:3).

After ordering the apostles to go out for a little while, Gamaliel first calls the assembly calmly to consider what they should do with these men.

He gave the wise counsel to wait and see what might come of the new teaching when left to itself.

This was an age of various rebellious deceivers, such as Theudas and Judas the Galilean. They ended in open revolt and were crushed by the power of Rome.

Such will undoubtedly be the end of these preachers too, if they are similar deceivers. This will at once free the Sanhedrin from every trouble and danger.

But another turn is also possible. This work may prove to be from God. If so, it is impossible to destroy it, and to oppose it means to come forth directly as fighters against God.

“Judas the Galilean,” and so forth. Information about him has been preserved in Flavius, confirming the historical reality of the event mentioned in Gamaliel’s speech.

Flavius calls him a Gaulanite (Antt. 18.1.1), since he came from Gamala in lower Gaulanitis, on the eastern shore of the Sea of Galilee. He also calls him a Galilean (Antt. 20.5.2; Bel. Jud. 2.8.1). Probably he bore this surname among the people for some reason.

He stirred up the people and drew a considerable number after himself because of the census conducted in Judea by Sulpicius Quirinius at the command of Augustus. See the note on Lk 2:2 and the chronological table in the third book of the Commentary on the Gospel.

Concerning the uprising caused by Judas the Galilean, blessed Theophylact narrates the following:

“In the time of Pilate there was an uprising of Galileans carried away by the teaching of Judas the Galilean. The teaching of Judas was as follows. He said that no one should be called lord, neither out of honor nor for philosophy, and that even the king should not be so called.

“Many of his followers underwent cruel punishments because they would not call Caesar lord. They were also punished for their teaching that no sacrifices should be offered to God except those established by the law of Moses.

“Following this teaching, they forbade the offering of sacrifices for the safety of the king and the Roman people. Pilate was naturally indignant with the Galileans for this.