Watchtower ONLINE LIBRARY

“Hear My Defense”

“Bearing Thorough Witness” About God’s Kingdom
- The next day, he brought Paul before a specially convened meeting of the Sanhedrin, the supreme court of the Jews.
  
  MODERN-DAY LEGAL BATTLES
  
  Like the apostle Paul, Jehovah’s modern-day Witnesses have sought every legal recourse open to them to combat restrictions imposed on their preaching work. They have been zealous in “the defending and legally establishing of the good news.”—Phil. 1:7.
  
  During the 1920’s and 1930’s, hundreds were arrested for distributing Bible literature. For instance, by 1926, there were 897 cases pending in German courts. So much litigation was involved that it became necessary to establish a Legal Department at the Germany branch. During the 1930’s, arrests for house-to-house preaching in the United States alone ran into the hundreds every year. In 1936, that number rose to 1,149. To provide needed counsel, a Legal Department was also established in the United States. From 1933 to 1939, Witnesses in Romania faced 530 lawsuits. However, appeals to the Romanian High Court won many favorable decisions. Similar situations have developed in many other lands.
  
  Legal challenges have arisen when Christians could not conscientiously agree to take part in activities that would violate their neutrality. (Isa. 2:2-4; John 17:14) Opposers have falsely accused them of sedition, which has sometimes resulted in a complete ban on their activities. Over the years, however, many governments have acknowledged that Jehovah’s Witnesses present no threat to them.g
  
  g For a discussion of the legal victories of Jehovah’s Witnesses in various lands, see chapter 15 of the book God’s Kingdom Rules! and chapter 30 of the book Jehovah’s Witnesses—Proclaimers of God’s Kingdom.
  
  “I Am a Pharisee” (Acts 23:1-10)
  
  16, 17. (a) Describe what happened when Paul addressed the Sanhedrin. (b) When he was struck, how did Paul set an example of humility?
  
  ¹⁶ Beginning his defense before the Sanhedrin, Paul said: “Men, brothers, I have behaved before God with a perfectly clear conscience down to this day.” (Acts 23:1) He got no further. The record says: “At this the high priest Ananias ordered those standing by him to strike him on the mouth.” (Acts 23:2) What an insult! And what a revelation of prejudice, to brand Paul a liar before any evidence was heard! No wonder Paul responded: “God is going to strike you, you whitewashed wall. Do you sit to judge me according to the Law and at the same time violate the Law by commanding me to be struck?”—Acts 23:3.
  
  ¹⁷ Some standing by professed shock—not at the one who struck Paul but at Paul’s reaction! They demanded: “Are you insulting the high priest of God?” In answer, Paul gave them a lesson in humility and in respect for the Law. He said: “Brothers, I did not know he was high priest. For it is written, ‘You must not speak injuriously of a ruler of your people.’”d (Acts 23:4, 5; Ex. 22:28) Paul now adopted a different strategy. Taking note that the Sanhedrin was made up of Pharisees and Sadducees, he said: “Men, brothers, I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees. Over the hope of the resurrection of the dead I am being judged.”—Acts 23:6.
  
  Like Paul, we seek common ground when speaking to those of a different religious background
  
  18. Why did Paul call himself a Pharisee, and how might we use similar reasoning in certain circumstances?
  
  ¹⁸ Why did Paul call himself a Pharisee? Because he was “a son of Pharisees” from a family belonging to that sect. Hence, many would still view him as such.e How, though, could Paul associate himself with the Pharisees’ belief in a resurrection? Reportedly, the Pharisees believed that a conscious soul survived death and that the souls of the righteous would live again in human bodies. Paul did not believe such notions. He believed in the resurrection as taught by Jesus. (John 5:25-29) Still, Paul did agree with the Pharisees that there was a hope of life beyond death—as opposed to the Sadducees, who did not believe in a future life. We might use similar reasoning when discussing matters with Catholics or Protestants. We could say that like them, we believe in God. Granted, they may believe in the Trinity while we believe in the God of the Bible. Still, we do share the belief that there is a God.
  
  19. Why did the meeting of the Sanhedrin break up in disorder?
  
  ¹⁹ Paul’s statement split the Sanhedrin. The record says: “A great uproar broke out, and some of the scribes of the party of the Pharisees rose and began arguing fiercely, saying: ‘We find nothing wrong in this man, but if a spirit or an angel spoke to him—.’” (Acts 23:9) The very suggestion that an angel might have spoken to Paul was anathema to the Sadducees, who did not believe in angels! (See the box “The Sadducees and the Pharisees.”) The tumult became so great that the Roman military commander once again rescued the apostle. (Acts 23:10)

“Hear My Defense”

“Bearing Thorough Witness” About God’s Kingdom
- d Some have suggested that Paul had weak eyesight that prevented him from recognizing the high priest. Or perhaps he had been absent from Jerusalem for so long that he could not identify the current high priest. Or maybe Paul just could not see through the crowd who it was that gave the order to strike him.
  
  e In 49 C.E., when the apostles and elders were discussing whether Gentiles had to submit to the Mosaic Law, some among the Christians present were identified as “those of the sect of the Pharisees who had become believers.” (Acts 15:5) Evidently, those believers were still identified in some sense with their Pharisaic background.

“I Am a Pharisee” (Acts 23:1-10)