Acts 22:1-5

Paul's birth, education and prejudices Acts 22:1-5: The term "men, brethren and fathers" was a term used often among the Jews in Paul's' day. He was happy to answer the charges of speaking against the Jews, the Law of Moses, and the Temple. He knew his teaching was in harmony with the will of God. When Paul spoke in the Hebrew tongue the people became even more silent. The captain and the Roman soldiers might not have understood Hebrew so well.

Paul explained that he was a Jew by birth. He was educated in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel. He had been taught strict observance of the Mosaic Law. It was a well know fact that he was zealous toward God and the Law. Paul had been a zealous persecutor of Christianity. He committed Christians to prison and consented to their death. He said the Jewish Sanhedrin and the High Priest could bear witness to the fact that he had gained permission to go to Damascus in order to bind and imprison Christians.