The Early Church

And when the blood of Stephen thy witness was shed, I stood by and consented: and kept the garments of them that killed him.

And he said to me: Go, for unto the Gentiles afar off will I send thee.

And they heard him until this word and then lifted up their voice, saying: Away with such an one from the earth. For it is not fit that he should live.

And as they cried out and threw off their garments and cast dust into the air,

The tribune commanded him to be brought into the castle, and that he should be scourged and tortured: to know for what cause they did so cry out against him.

And when they had bound him with thongs, Paul saith to the centurion that stood by him: Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman and uncondemned?

Which the centurion hearing, went to the tribune and told him, saying: What art thou about to do? For this man is a Roman citizen.

And the tribune coming, said to him: Tell me. Art thou a Roman? But he said: Yea.

And the tribune answered: I obtained the being free of this city with a great sum. And Paul said: But I was born so.

Immediately therefore they departed from him that were about to torture him. The tribune also was afraid after he understood that he was a Roman citizen and because he had bound him.

But on the next day, meaning to know more diligently for what cause he was accused by the Jews, he loosed him and commanded the priests to come together and all the council: and, bringing forth Paul, he set him before them.

And Paul, looking upon the council, said: Men, brethren, I have conversed with all good conscience before God until this present day.

And the high priest, Ananias, commanded them that stood by him to strike him on the mouth.

Then Paul said to him: God shall strike thee, thou whited wall. For, sittest thou to judge me according to the law and, contrary to the law, commandest me to be struck?

And they that stood by said: Dost thou revile the high priest of God?

And Paul said: I knew not, brethren, that he is the high priest. For it is written: Thou shalt not speak evil of the prince of thy people.

And Paul, knowing that the one part were Sadducees and the other Pharisees, cried out in the council: Men, brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of Pharisees: concerning the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question.

And when he had so said, there arose a dissension between the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And the multitude was divided.

For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.

And there arose a great cry. And some of the Pharisees rising up, strove, saying: We find no evil in this man. What if a spirit hath spoken to him, or an angel?

And when there arose a great dissension, the tribune, fearing lest Paul should be pulled in pieces by them, commanded the soldiers to go down and to take him by force from among them and to bring him into the castle.

And the night following, the Lord standing by him, said: Be constant: for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome.

And when day was come, some of the Jews gathered together and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would neither eat nor drink till they killed Paul.

And they were more than forty men that had made this conspiracy.

Who came to the chief priests and the ancients and said: We have bound ourselves under a great curse that we will eat nothing till we have slain Paul.