Page:Lives of the apostles of Jesus Christ (1836).djvu/614

 of safety from his Jewish persecutors; and the next day, in order to have a full investigation of his character and the charges against him, he took him before the Sanhedrim, for examination. Paul there opened his defence in a very appropriate and self-vindicating style. "Men! Brethren! and Fathers! I have heretofore lived before God with a good conscience." At these words, Ananias the high priest, provoked by Paul's seeming assurance in thus vindicating himself, when under the accusation of the heads of the Jewish religion, commanded those that stood next to Paul to slap him on the mouth. Paul, indignant at the high-handed tyranny of this outrageous attack on him, answered in honest wrath—"God shall smite thee, thou whited wall! For dost thou command me to be smitten contrary to the law, when thou sittest as a judge over me?" The other by-standers, enraged at his boldness, asked him, "Revilest thou God's high priest?" To which Paul, not having known the fact that Ananias then held that office, which he had so disgraced by his infamous conduct, replied—"I knew not, brethren, that he was the high priest; for it is written, thou shalt not speak evil of the ruler of thy people." Then, perceiving the mixed character of the council, he determined to avail himself of the mutual hatred of the two great sects, for his defense, by making his own persecution a kind of party question; and therefore called out to them—"I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee. Of the hope of the resurrection of the dead, I am called in question." These words had the expected effect. Instantly, all the violent party feeling between these two sects broke out in full force, and the whole council was divided and confused,—the scribes who belonged to the Pharisaic order, arising, and declaring, "We find no occasion of evil in this man. But if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him, let us not fight against God." This last remark, of course, was throwing down the gauntlet at the opposite sect; for the Sadducees, denying absolutely the existence of either angel or spirit, could of course believe no part of Paul's story about his vision and spiritual summons. They all therefore broke out against the Pharisees, who being thus involved, took Paul's side very determinedly, and the party strife grew so hot that Paul was like to be torn in pieces between them. The tribune, seeing the pass to which matters had come, then ordered out the castle-*guard, and took him by force, bringing him back to his former place of safety.