UHỌNMHỌN-ỌTA 8

Ọne Agbotu “Da Wo Dọ Ha Mhọn Ọfure”

Sọl nọn ha kpokpo Kristiẹn da kiẹn ọnọn ki tẹmhọn Osẹnobulua

Acts 9:1-43 Ọ Da Dagbare

1, 2. Be Sọl rẹ ha guanọ nin ọle lu bhi Damaskọs?

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3, 4. (a) Be sunu ji Sọl? (b) Inọnta nela mhan ha zilo nyan?

³ Tie Ọne Uduọle Bhi Ebo

⁴ Tie Ọne Uduọle Bhi Ebo

SAUL’S MANDATE IN DAMASCUS

How did Saul get authority to arrest Christians in a foreign city? The Sanhedrin and the high priest exercised moral authority over Jews everywhere, and the high priest’s powers apparently included authority to extradite criminals. Thus, letters from the high priest would elicit the cooperation of the elders of the Damascus synagogues.—Acts 9:1, 2.

The Romans, moreover, had granted the Jews the right to manage their own judicial affairs. This explains how five times the Jews could inflict “40 strokes less one” on the apostle Paul. (2 Cor. 11:24) The book of 1 Maccabees also mentions a letter written by a Roman consul to Ptolemy VIII of Egypt in 138 B.C.E. that demanded: “If any pestilent men have fled to you from their country [Judaea], hand them over to Simon the high priest, that he may punish them according to their law.” (1 Macc. 15:21) In 47 B.C.E., Julius Caesar confirmed the privileges previously granted to the high priest along with his right to settle any questions that arose over Jewish customs.

“Bezẹle Nin Uwẹ Da Kpokpo Mẹn?” (Acts 9:1-5)

5, 6. Be imhan ha sabọ miẹn luẹ bhi ọta nin Jesu taman Sọl?

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⁶ Tie Ọne Uduọle Bhi Ebo

7. Be uwẹ ha lu yẹ nin uwẹ da sabọ ziẹngbe ekpokpo?

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“Sọl Nin Obhio, Ebeanlẹn Mhan . . . Je Mẹn Bu Uwẹ” (Acts 9:6-17)

8, 9. Be ọne iwẹnna nan mun nin Ananayas lu ha sabọ dia ọle bhi egbe yẹ?

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10. Emhin nela mhan miẹn luẹ bhi uwedẹ nin Jesu rẹ ne Ananayas lu emhin?

¹⁰ Tie Ọne Uduọle Bhi Ebo

11, 12. Be imhan miẹn luẹ bhi ọne okha ọsi Jesu, Ananayas, bi Sọl?

¹¹ Tie Ọne Uduọle Bhi Ebo

¹² Tie Ọne Uduọle Bhi Ebo

“Ọle Da Munhẹn Ha Tẹmhọn Jesu” (Acts 9:18-30)

13, 14. Be uwẹ ha sabọ miẹn luẹ bhi ijiẹmhin ọsi Sọl ahamiẹn ghe uwẹ luẹ Baibo, uwẹ bha sẹ mianmẹn?

¹³ Tie Ọne Uduọle Bhi Ebo

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15, 16. Be Sọl ha lu bhi uwa oga? Be ibhokhan Ju ne ha ribhi Damaskọs rẹ lu emhin yẹ?

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¹⁶ Tie Ọne Uduọle Bhi Ebo

17. (a) Uwedẹ kẹkẹ nela ẹbho rẹ lu emhin sade ele họn ẹmhọanta nọn ribhi Baibo? (b) Be ọkhẹke nin mhan sẹyẹ ha lu? Bezẹle?

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18, 19. (a) Be sunu ẹghe nin Banabas rẹ rẹkpa Sọl? (b) Be imhan ha rẹ sabọ re egbe khọkhọ Banabas bi Sọl yẹ?

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Ẹbho Ne Bunbun Da Kiẹn Kristiẹn (Acts 9:31-43)

20, 21. Be ẹbho nesi Osẹnobulua bhi ẹghe nọn gbera bi ẹlẹnan rẹ noo ẹghe ọfure nin ele ye yẹ?

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22. Be uwẹ ha rẹ sabọ ha noo isẹhoa nin uwẹ mhọnlẹn yẹ nian?

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23, 24. (a) Emhin nela mhan miẹn luẹ bhi okha ọsi Tabita? (b) Be ọkhẹke nin mhan muegbe rẹ lu?

²³ Tie Ọne Uduọle Bhi Ebo

A sister giving flowers to an elderly and infirm sister. — How can you imitate Tabitha?

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SAUL THE PHARISEE

The “young man called Saul” who appears in the Acts account at the stoning of Stephen was from Tarsus. It was the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia, in the south of modern-day Turkey. (Acts 7:58) A sizable Jewish community dwelled in that city. According to his own writings, Saul was “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born from Hebrews; regarding law, a Pharisee.” That was viewed as an impeccable Jewish pedigree!—Phil. 3:5.

Saul’s home was in a large, prosperous trading city, a center of Greek culture. Growing up in Tarsus, Saul knew Greek. It is likely that he would have received his primary education in a Jewish school. Saul learned to be a tentmaker, a skill typical of his native area. In all probability, while still a youth, Saul acquired this trade from his father.—Acts 18:2, 3.

The Acts account also reveals that Saul was born a Roman citizen. (Acts 22:25-28) This means that one of his forebears had already acquired that distinction. How Saul’s family obtained Roman citizenship is unknown. Whatever the case, that privilege would place them among the social elite of their province. Saul’s background and education, then, gave him a firm foothold in three different cultures—Jewish, Greek, and Roman.

Likely, when he was no older than 13, Saul moved 520 miles (840 km) to Jerusalem to continue his education. In that city, Saul studied at the feet of Gamaliel, a highly esteemed teacher in the Pharisaic tradition.—Acts 22:3.

These additional studies, comparable to going to a university today, would consist of instruction in and memorization of both Scripture and Jewish oral law. A successful student of Gamaliel would have a promising career before him, and apparently Saul was just such a student. He later wrote: “I was making greater progress in Judaism than many of my own age in my nation, as I was far more zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” (Gal. 1:14) Of course, Saul’s zeal for Jewish tradition was what turned him into a notorious persecutor of the fledgling Christian congregation.

TABITHA—“SHE ABOUNDED IN GOOD DEEDS”

Tabitha was a member of the Christian congregation in the seaport town of Joppa. Her fellow believers loved her because “she abounded in good deeds and gifts of mercy.” (Acts 9:36) Like many Jews who lived in areas having a mixed Jewish and Gentile population, Tabitha had two names—one Hebrew or Aramaic and the other Greek or Latin. Her Greek name, Dorcas, was rendered “Tabitha” in Aramaic. Both names mean “Gazelle.”

It appears that Tabitha fell sick and suddenly died. As was the custom, her body was washed in preparation for burial. It was laid out in an upper chamber, possibly in her own house. The hot climate of the Middle East required that burials take place either on the day of a person’s death or on the next day. The Christians in Joppa had heard that the apostle Peter was in nearby Lydda. There was enough time for Peter to come to Joppa before Tabitha would have to be buried, since the distance between the two cities was only 11 miles (18 km)—about a four-hour walk. So the congregation dispatched two men to ask Peter to come without delay. (Acts 9:37, 38) Says one scholar: “It was a regular practice in early Judaism to send out emissaries in pairs, in part so that one could validate the testimony of the other.”

What happened when Peter arrived? The account tells us: “They led him up into the upper room; and all the widows presented themselves to him, weeping and showing many garments and robes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.” (Acts 9:39) Among the factors that endeared Tabitha to the members of her congregation was that she was in the habit of sewing for them. She made tunics, worn next to the body, and cloaks or robes, which were worn over the tunic. Whether Tabitha paid for all the material herself or just provided her labor is not stated. In any case, she was loved for her kindness and “gifts of mercy.”

What Peter saw in that upper chamber must have moved him. “This was mourning which was far different from that manifested in the house of Jairus with its noisy, hired mourning women and fluteblowers,” says scholar Richard Lenski. “This was not such artificial mourning as that.” (Matt. 9:23) It was genuine and heartfelt. The fact that no mention is ever made of a husband leads many to conclude that Tabitha was single.

When Jesus commissioned his apostles, he gave them power to “raise up the dead.” (Matt. 10:8) Peter had seen Jesus perform such miracles, including the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter, but we have no record prior to this of an apostle performing a resurrection. (Mark 5:21-24, 35-43) But now Peter put onlookers out of the upper room, and then he prayed earnestly, with the result that Tabitha opened her eyes and sat up. What joy there must have been among the Christians in Joppa when Peter was then able to present to the holy ones and the widows their beloved Tabitha—alive!—Acts 9:40-42.