The Bible Study Podcast, episode 159.

Today, the Bible Study podcast continues the study of Acts with Chapter 22.

Welcome to the Bible Study podcast.

I'm your host, Chris Christensen.

You may recall that in last week's episode, in Acts 21, we left the chapter with Paul

about to address the crowd.

So Paul has been in a ride in Jerusalem where they have dragged him out of the temple

to kill him because they think he has defiled the temple, and they believe that he has

been speaking out against Judaism and telling people not to be Jews.

And the Roman soldiers intervene just in time to keep Paul from getting beaten to death, and as they're walking back to the barracks, which is again very close to the temple, Paul says, can I get a chance to address the crowd as they're standing on the

steps of the barracks, and that's where Acts 22 picks up. Brothers and fathers listen now to my

defense. When they heard him speak to them in Aramaic, they became very quiet. Then Paul said,

I am a Jew born in Tarsus of Silesia, brought up in this city. Under Gamaliel, I was

thoroughly trained in the law of our fathers, and I was just as zealous for God as any of you are

today. I persecuted the followers of this way to their death, arresting both men and women

and throwing them in prison, as also the high priest

and all the council can testify. I even obtained letters from them to their brothers in Damascus,

and went there to bring these people as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished. About noon as I came

near Damascus, suddenly a bright light from heaven flashed around me.

I fell to the ground and heard a voice say to me, Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?

Who are you, Lord, I asked. I am Jesus of Nazareth, whom you are persecuting, he replied.

My companions saw the light, but they did not understand the

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