In Acts of the apostles there are three accounts mentioned of Shaul's conversion on his way to Damascus. Recently
I saw some calling Shaul/Paul a false prophet for the 3 different accounts of his conversion accounts. These men and women are depraved in their understanding of
scripture and use these occasions to teach the corruption in the New testament.
This study is to closely examine the 3 accounts to understand the account of
the Damascus journey. Our focus will only be on who saw what and who heard what
on that journey in a wholistic approach. The first blush is always fleshly and seems to show a
contradiction but a closer look will always show a harmony by the Ruach who wrote
these accounts to testify of Shaul’s conversion. To begin with, this book was
written by Luke and not Shaul, hence it’s a testimony from the Ruach through
the pen of Luke about Shaul.
Act 9:3 And it came to be, that as he journeyed, he
came near Damascus, and suddenly a light flashed around him from the heaven.
Act 9:4 And he
fell to the ground, and heard a voice saying to him, “Sha’ul, Sha’ul, why
do you persecute Me?”
Act 9:5 And he
said, “Who are You, Master?” And the Master said, “I am יהושע, whom
you persecute. It is hard for you to kick against the prods.”
Act 9:6 Both
trembling, and being astonished, he said, “Master, what do You
wish me to do?” And the Master said to him, “Arise and go into
the city, and you shall be told what you have to do.”
Act 9:7 And the men journeying with him stood
speechless, hearing indeed the voice but seeing no one.
Act 9:8 And Sha’ul
arose from the ground, but when his eyes were opened he saw no one. And leading
him by the hand they brought him into Damascus.
Act 22:6 “And
it came to be, as I was journeying and coming near Damascus, about noon,
suddenly a great light shone around me out of the heaven,
Act 22:7 and I fell
to the ground and heard a voice saying to me, ‘Sha’ul, Sha’ul, why
do you persecute Me?’
Act 22:8 “And
I answered, ‘Who are You, Master?’ And He said to me, ‘I am יהושע of
Natsareth, whom you persecute.’
Act 22:9 “And
those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not
hear His voice speaking to me.
Act 22:10 “And
I said, ‘What shall I do, Master?’ And the Master said to me, ‘Rise up, go into
Damascus, and there you shall be told all that you have been appointed to do.’
Act 22:11 “And
as I could not see because of the esteem of that light, being led by the hand of
those who were with me, I came into Damascus.
Act 26:12 “While
thus engaged, as I was journeying to Damascus with authority and commission from
the chief priests,
Act 26:13 at midday along the highway, O sovereign, I
saw a light from heaven, brighter than the sun, shining around me and those who
journeyed with me.
Act 26:14 “And
when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a voice speaking to me, and
saying in the Heḇrew language,‘Sha’ul, Sha’ul, why
do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the prods.’
Act 26:15 “And
I said, ‘Who are You, Master?’ And He said, ‘I am יהושע, whom
you persecute.
Act 26:16 ‘But
rise up, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose,
to appoint you a servant and a witness both of what you saw and of those which
I shall reveal to you,
Act 26:17 delivering
you from the people, and the gentiles, to whom I now send you,
Act 26:18 to open
their eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and
the authority of Satan to Elohim, in order for them to receive forgiveness of
sins and an inheritance among those who are set-apart by belief in Me.’
The
book begins with Luke writing to Theophilos and reminding of the first account
he wrote to him
Act 1:1 The first
account I made, O Theophilos, of all that יהושע began
both to do and to teach,
Act 1:2 until the day when He was taken up, after giving instructions through the Set-apart Spirit to the emissaries whom He had chosen,
Act 1:3 to whom He also presented Himself alive after His suffering by many infallible proofs, being seen by them for forty days, speaking concerning the reign of Elohim.
Luk 1:1 Since many
have indeed taken in hand to set in order an account of the matters completely
confirmed among us,
Luk 1:2 as those
who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the word delivered
them to us,
Luk 1:3 it seemed good to me as well, having followed
up all these matters exactly from the beginning, to write to you an orderly
account, most excellent Theophilos,
Luk 1:4 that you
might know the certainty of the words which you were taught.
The identity of Theophilos is hidden and no one
can exactly say who he was. But we can understand by Luke’s address of him as ‘most
excellent Theophilos’ that he was an important official, probably a Roman
official but of Yahudite origin or else it would be meaningless to write the
testimony of Yahusha and his talmidim/disciples to a pagan gentile who doesn’t
understand scriptures.
Also
Acts 9 is a direct historical account of the actual conversion of Shaul whereas
the testimonies in Acts 22 & 26 are accounts which he personally gave to
the Yahudites in Yarashalam (Acts 22) and king Agrippa (Acts 26) concerning his
conversion with some additional or less things which Luke initially did/didn’t
record in Acts 9. Now coming straight to Shaul’s accounts recorded by Luke who
was a close associate of the emissary Shaul.
To
begin with in Acts 9 Luke testifies a light flashed around him from heaven (v
3) and the men journeying with him heard the voice but saw no one (v 7)
In
Acts 22 Luke testifies of the testimony of Shaul that a great light shone around
him out of heaven (v 6) and those with him saw the light and were afraid, but
they did not hear the voice speaking with Shaul.
In Acts 26 Luke testifies of the testimony of Shaul that he saw a light
from heaven brighter than the sun, shining around him and those who journeyed
with him (v 13) but he doesn’t mention whether they saw the light around them
or they heard the voice that spoke with him.
Moreover,
Shaul gives additional information which is not recorded in Acts 9 & 22
Act 26:16 ‘But
rise up, and stand on your feet, for I have appeared to you for this purpose,
to appoint you a servant and a witness both of what you saw and of those which
I shall reveal to you,
Act 26:17 delivering
you from the people, and the gentiles, to whom I now send you,
Act 26:18 to open their
eyes, to turn them from darkness to light, and
the authority of Satan to Elohim, in order for them to receive forgiveness of
sins and an inheritance among those who are set-apart by belief in Me.’
As
I said a first blush reading of these scriptures show a contradiction but when
we understand what actually happened we see that there is no contradiction in
understanding who saw what, who heard what and in what happened.
Firstly, we must understand that the men journeying
with Shaul were Romans as he had taken letters from the high priest to arrest
all those of the Way in the congregations of Damascus to bring them bound to
Yerushalayim.
Act 9:1 But Sha’ul,
still breathing threats and murder against the taught ones of the Master,
having come to the high priest,
Act 9:2 asked from
him letters to the congregations of Damascus, so that if he found any who were
of the Way, whether men or women, to bring
them bound to Yerushalayim.
In
Acts 26:14, Luke records Yahusha spoke with him in the Hebrew tongue
Act 26:14 “And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard a
voice speaking to me, and saying in the Heḇrew language,‘Sha’ul,
Sha’ul, why do you persecute Me? It is hard for you to kick against the prods.
Hence,
it’s evident that in Acts 9 the men journeying with Shaul heard the voice but
did not understand the language Yahusha spoke with Shaul, and they did not see anyone
i.e. as in saw no form. Just because it is not mentioned in Acts 9 that they
saw the light, it doesn’t mean they didn’t see it. Also, the word ‘shamua’ can
either mean ‘hear’ or ‘understand’. In Acts 22:9 it means ‘understand’ and not ‘hear’
and in Acts 9:7 it means ‘hearing’ and not ‘understanding’
Act 22:9 “And
those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not understand/shamua
His voice speaking to me.
H8085
shâma‛
שָׁמַע shaw-mah'
A primitive root; to hear intelligently (often
with implication of attention, obedience, etc.; causatively to tell,
etc.): - X attentively, call (gather) together, X carefully,
X certainly, consent, consider, be content, declare, X diligently, discern,
give ear, (cause to, let, make to) hear (-ken,
tell), X indeed, listen, make (a) noise, (be) obedient, obey, perceive, (make
a) proclaim (-ation), publish, regard, report, shew (forth), (make a) sound, X
surely, tell, understand, whosoever
[heareth], witness.
Its all about keeping the usage of the words
in its correct context.
The Greek word G191 akouo/akouei also is used as 'understand', in 1 Corin 14:2 & 'noised', in Matthew 28:14 as 'ears'.
1Cor 14:2 For one who speaks in a tongue does not speak to men but to Elohim,
for no one understands/akouei G191, but in the Spirit he speaks mysteries.
Mark2:1 And it came to pass after some days He came a second time to Kephar Nachum,
and it was noised/akousthe G191 that He was in the house.
Matt 28:14 “And if this matter comes to the governor's ears/akousthe G191 in his house , we shall appease him.
But as for you, do not fear.”
The Hebrew renders the word as 'shamua' which means hearing/understand.
Acts 9:7 The men who traveled with him stood speechless, hearing/shamua the voice but seeing no one.
Act 22:9 “And
those who were with me indeed saw the light and were afraid, but they did not understand/shamua
His voice speaking to me.
Hence,
when Acts 9:7 says those who journeyed with Shaul indeed heard Yahusha’s voice
but as stated in Acts 22:9 they did not understand the voice. There was a noise to their ears but they didn't understand. Don't we see the same thing on Mount Sinai, the people heard 'qolot/voices' but didn't understand what was being said, and those who heard the 'gadul qol' (magnificent voice) were the elders of Yasharal, who told Mosheh that they cannot endure what is being spoken and asked him to go for them lest they die.
In
Acts 26:13 we don’t have much problem in understanding the text because those
who journeyed with Shaul indeed saw the light, but as Acts 9:7 says ‘…but
seeing no one’. Also, in Acts 9:7 Luke doesn’t mention they saw the light, just
because he doesn’t mention it doesn’t mean they didn’t see it.
Act 26:13 at midday
along the highway, O sovereign, I saw a light from heaven, brighter than the
sun, shining around me and those who journeyed with me.
There
are some other things also that need to be seen and reconciled:
Acts 9:5-6 records
Shaul asking Yahusha two questions.
Acts 9:5 records Shaul
asking Yahusha “Who are You,
Master?”
Acts 9:6 records Shaul asking Yahusha “Master,
what do You wish me to do?”
Acts 22:10 only
records Shaul asking Yahusha the second question ‘What shall I do, Master?’.
Here it doesn’t mention the first question he asked which Luke records in Acts
9:5.
Acts 26:15 records Shaul asking Yahusha the first question ‘‘Who
are You, Master?’’
Here it doesn’t mention the second question he
asked the Master which Luke records in Acts 9:6 and Acts 22:10
Just
because Luke mentions in one account and doesn’t mention in the other accounts doesn’t
mean he didn’t ask these two questions. It simply means Shaul asked both the
questions and Luke mentions both the questions in Acts 9:5-6 but mentions only
one of them in Acts 22:10 as per Shaul’s speech to the Yahudites and in Acts
26:15 as per Shaul’s speech to king Agrippa.
We
should remember that Shaul did not know the Master Yahusha, whose people he was
persecuting unknowingly, being zealous for Yahudism and hence, he asked the
first question to identify with whom he had the encounter with and the second
question to know what he should he be doing now.
In
Acts 9 and Acts 22 account, Luke doesn’t mention that Yahusha spoke with Shaul
in the Hebrew tongue, but in writing Shaul’s testimony in Acts 26:14 to king
Agrippa he mentions “And when we had all fallen to the ground, I heard
a voice speaking to me, and saying in the
Heḇrew language…..” and this indeed clears the air with the
understanding of the word ‘shamua’ which should be correctly translated as ‘hearing’
in Acts 9:7 and ‘understand’ in Acts 22:9 as those who journeyed with Shaul
were Roman guards executing the letters received from the Sanhedrin to arrest
all those in Damascus calling on the name of the Master Yahusha. And as Romans
they didn’t understand the Hebrew language but only heard the voice.
One other thing we must
see closely is Acts 26:14 records all had fallen to the ground when they saw
the bright light as the sun
Act 26:14 “And
when we had all fallen to the ground,….
Whereas
in Acts 9:4 & Acts 22:7 Luke only records Shaul falling to the ground and
not those who journeyed with him
Act 9:4 And he
fell to the ground,
Act 22:7 and I fell
to the ground
This again needs to be
understood that an absence of those falling to the ground in Acts 9:4 and 22:7
doesn’t mean that those who journeyed didn’t fall to the ground.
Similarly Acts 9:8 records
Shaul rose from the ground and Acts 26:16 says the Master told Shaul to rise
up, and to stand on his feet. Acts 22 account doesn’t mention Shaul rising up
from the ground or the Master telling him to stand on his feet.
Act 9:8 And Sha’ul
arose from the ground,
Act 26:16 ‘But
rise up, and stand on your feet,
What is important to
understand that in all three accounts Shaul is the focus as it’s his testimony
and not of the Roman guards journeying with him. Hence, any missing piece or
addition of what happened to him and the Roman guards in these accounts don’t
account for a contradiction because the spotlight is on Shaul’s encounter with
Yahusha ha Mashiyach and not on those who journeyed with him.
In his testimony to the
Yahudites in Acts 22 Shaul mentions Yahusha telling him ‘’I am Yahusha of
Nastsareth, whom you persecute’’ whereas in Acts 9:5 and Acts 26:15 its only
recorded ‘’I am Yahusha, whom you persecute’’
Act 9:5 And he
said, “Who are You, Master?” And the Master said, “I am יהושע, whom you persecute. It is hard for you to kick against the prods.”
Act 22:8 “And
I answered, ‘Who are You, Master?’ And He said to me, ‘I am יהושע of
Natsareth, whom you persecute.’
Act 26:15 “And
I said, ‘Who are You, Master?’ And He said, ‘I am יהושע, whom
you persecute.
While Shaul mentions what
exactly he heard and testified to the Yahudites verbatim because they considered
‘Natsarim’ a cult/sect and they needed to know that the Master introduced
himself as a Natsareth so that they believe, while before king Agrippa he didn’t
seem it necessary to mention Yahusha’s introduction to him as a Natsareth
because king Agrippa knew the practices of the Yahudim and believed in the
prophets and also understood Shaul’s position well. Luke
also doesn’t mention Yahusha introducing himself as a ‘Natsari’ in Acts 9 which
is a historical account of Shaul’s conversion while Acts 22 and Acts 26 accounts
are from the mouth of Shaul himself (his testimony).
Act 24:5 “For
having found this man a plague, who stirs up dissension among all the Yehuḏim throughout the
world, and a ringleader of the sect of
the Natsarenes,
Act 26:1 And
Agrippa said to Sha’ul, “You are allowed to speak for yourself.” Then
Sha’ul stretched out his hand and made his defence:
Act 26:2 “I
think myself blessed, Sovereign Agrippa, because today I shall make my defence
before you concerning all of which I am accused by the Yehuḏim,
Act 26:3 you being most of all an expert, knowing of
all practices and questions which have to do with the Yehuḏim. So, please hear me patiently.
Act 26:27 “Sovereign
Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I
know that you do believe.”
Act 26:28 And
Agrippa said to Sha’ul, “With a little you might persuade me to
become a Messianite!”
In
Acts 9:5 (historical account) and Acts 26:14 (testimony of Shaul to Agrippa),
Luke mentions Yahusha telling Shaul ‘’It is hard for you to kick against the
prods’’ but Shaul leaves out this piece of information in his testimony to the
Yahudites in Acts 22
Acts
9:5 ….It is hard for you to kick against the prods.”
Acts
26:14 It is hard for you to
kick against the prods.’
What
the reader needs to see and understand that the historical account in Acts 9 as
well as both the testimonies of Shaul in Acts 22 and 26 need to be reconciled
in its entirety and not isolate them to say there is a contradiction because
it deemed necessary for Luke to mention one or two pieces of information, or
abstain a piece or two of information, or add a piece of further information in
the three accounts. When we reconcile the historical account with both the
testimonies of Shaul we see the whole picture.
In Summary, the whole
account combined:
Shaul
breathing threats and murder against the
taught ones of the Master,
came to the high priest and took letters to bind all that called on the name of
Yahusha of the Way in Damascus. When he set out with the Roman guards on the
way a bright light shone on all of them and all of them fell to the ground, the
guards were sore afraid, Shaul heard the Master speak to him in the Hebrew language,
while those journeyed with him heard the voice but didn’t understand what the
Master spoke with Shaul, and they saw no one. Shaul asked the Master “Who
are You, Master?” on
hearing “Sha’ul, Sha’ul, why do you persecute Me?”
and the Master introduced himself as “I am יהושע of
Natsareth whom you persecute.
It is hard for you to kick against the prods.” Trembling
and astonished Shaul asked the Master the second question ‘’ “Master,
what do You wish me to do?” and the Master asked him to
rise up and stand on his feet and Shaul rose up, The Master told him in detail why
he appeared to him.
‘’ For
I have appeared to you for this purpose, to appoint you a servant and a witness
both of what you saw and of those which I shall reveal to you, delivering you
from the people, and the gentiles, to whom I now send you, to open their eyes,
to turn them from darkness to light, and the authority of Satan to Elohim, in order for
them to receive forgiveness of sins and an inheritance among those who are
set-apart by belief in Me.’ The Master further
instructed him to rise and go to Damascus and there he would be told all that
he has to do for what he was appointed for. Shaul couldn’t see for the esteem
of the light and those with him led him by hand and brought him to Damascus
where he didn’t eat or drink for three days being without sight.
All
the three accounts show us the whole picture through ‘’here a little and there
a little’’ and those who can’t see this only look for contradictions and they
go backward and fall for they don’t understand why the prophet/emissary testifying
of the Master mentions one or two pieces of information here or there, while omits some piece/s
here or there or adds further information here or there. A wholistic picture of all the
accounts give us a clear picture. If you say Shaul is a false apostle based on your misunderstanding of these accounts and not seeing a wholistic picture, you are actually saying even the basharah/gospel of Luke is false as the writer of Acts was Luke and not Shaul. Shalum!
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