Acts 28:22

But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.

EXPOSITORY (ENGLISH BIBLE)

Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers

(22) We desire . . . as concerning this sect . . .—Better, we request of thee. The term is that which had been used by Tertullus when he spoke of the “sect of the Nazarenes” (Acts 24:5). The speakers had clearly heard enough of the prisoner to identify him with that sect, but they treat him personally with respect, probably due in part to the favour which the authorities had shown him, and wish for an authoritative exposition of his views. The Christians of Rome had obviously, even if they were Jews, withdrawn from the Jewish quarter, and the residents in that quarter knew of them only by reports. What was the nature of those reports we can only conjecture. They were, as the speakers say, “everywhere spoken against.” The darker calumnies which were propagated afterwards—stories of Thyestean (i.e., cannibal) banquets and licentious orgies—may possibly have been even then whispered from ear to ear. In any case the Christians of the empire would be known as abandoning circumcision and other Jewish ordinances, leading a separate life, holding meetings which were more or less secret, worshipping One who had been crucified as a malefactor. They were already, as Tacitus describes them, speaking of their sufferings under Nero, known as holding an exitiabilis superstitio (“a detestable superstition”), guilty of atrocia et pudenda, odio humani generis convicti (“atrocious and shameful crimes, convicted by the hatred of mankind”) (Ann. xv. 44), or as Suetonius writes (Nero, c. 16), as a genus hominum superstitionis novœ et maleficœ (“a race of men holding a new and criminal superstition”). It is conceivable, looking to the early date at which such rumours were current, that even then there may have been caricatures like that which was found among the graffiti of the Palace of the Cæsars (now in the Collegio Romano), representing Alexamenos, a Christian convert, worshipping his god, in the form of a crucified human figure with an ass’s head. Tertullian (A.D. 160-240) mentions such caricatures as current in his time (Apol. c. 16), and the story that the Jews worshipped an ass’s head, which we know to have been accepted at this very time (Jos. cont. Apion. ii. 7; Tacit Hist. v. 4), would naturally be transferred to the Christians, who were regarded as a sect of Jews. In Tertullian’s time Asinarii (“ass-worshippers”) was a common term of abuse for them.

Matthew Henry's Concise Commentary

28:17-22 It was for the honour of Paul that those who examined his case, acquitted him. In his appeal he sought not to accuse his nation, but only to clear himself. True Christianity settles what is of common concern to all mankind, and is not built upon narrow opinions and private interests. It aims at no worldly benefit or advantage, but all its gains are spiritual and eternal. It is, and always has been, the lot of Christ's holy religion, to be every where spoken against. Look through every town and village where Christ is exalted as the only Saviour of mankind, and where the people are called to follow him in newness of life, and we see those who give themselves up to Christ, still called a sect, a party, and reproached. And this is the treatment they are sure to receive, so long as there shall continue an ungodly man upon earth.

Barnes' Notes on the Bible

What thou thinkest - What your belief is; or what are the doctrines of Christians respecting the Messiah.

This sect - The sect of Christians.

Spoken against - Particularly by Jews. This was the case then, and, to a great extent, is the case still. It has been the common lot of the followers of Christ to be spoken "against." Compare Acts 24:5.

Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Bible Commentary

22. we desire—"deem it proper"

to hear of thee what thou thinkest—what are thy sentiments, views, &c. The apparent freedom from prejudice here expressed may have arisen from a prudent desire to avoid endangering a repetition of those dissensions about Christianity to which, probably, Suetonius alludes, and which had led to the expulsion of the Jews under Claudius [Humphry]. See on [2145]Ac 18:2.

Matthew Poole's Commentary

Sect, or heresy, for so they called the Christian religion, Acts 24:5,14.

Every where it is spoken against; of all conditions of men, governors and people, and in all places; as, Luke 2:34, Christ is said to be a sign that shall be spoken against.

Gill's Exposition of the Entire Bible

But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest,.... What was his opinion and judgment, concerning the Messiah, whether he was come or not, and whether Jesus of Nazareth was he; and concerning other principles relating to him, embraced by the Christians; and what he had to say for the clearing up, proving, and confirming his sentiments about these things:

for as concerning this sect; or heresy, meaning the Christian religion: in saying so, they reproached it; for the Gospel, or Christian religion, is not an human device, the choice and option of man's free will, and what he pleases himself with, as an opinion and invention of his own, or of other men, as "heresy" signifies; but it is of God, and by revelation of Jesus Christ, and is a doctrine of the highest wisdom: nor does it deny or take away any fundamental article of true religion; either natural, as known by the Gentiles, or as revealed, with which the Jews were made acquainted, under the former dispensation; but establishes every such article, as the unity of the divine Being; the worship of the one only and true God of Israel, in a spiritual manner; the doctrine of the Messiah, his person, office, and grace; the resurrection of the dead, and eternal judgment; and therefore could not be chargeable with heresy: nor was it set up for any worldly gain, or popular applause, which are the things that authors and abettors of heresy have in view; nor was it designed to divide and separate persons from the true church of God, but to bring them to it, and unite them together in it; see Acts 24:14.

We know that everywhere it is spoken against; this they knew, both by letters they received, and by persons who came from different parts of the world; and which was fact, and was no other than what was foretold concerning Christ, that he should be a sign that should be spoken against, Luke 2:34; and which the apostle found true of the Gospel preached by him, both among Jews and Greeks; it being to the one a stumblingblock, and to the other foolishness, 1 Corinthians 1:23, and especially it was contradicted and blasphemed everywhere by the Jews; these in all places opposed themselves to it, and spoke evil of it, and of its preachers and professors: Christ, the author, sum, and subject of the Christian religion, was spoken against in his person; his deity and divine sonship were denied, as they still are; and his offices, as prophet, priest, and King; yea, his actions, even his works of mercy to the bodies of men, by healing their diseases, his conversing with sinners for the good of their souls, the several miracles he wrought, and the whole series of his life and conversation, were blasphemed and evil spoken of: the doctrines of the Gospel in general were contradicted, as they now are by many, as absurd and irrational, and as tending to licentiousness; and in particular those which respect the Father of Christ, as being the Father of Christ, his everlasting love to the elect in him, and his distinguishing grace in the choice of them; and those which relate to Christ, as that he is truly God, and the Son of God, and to his sacrifice, satisfaction, and imputed righteousness; and also which concern the Spirit of God, as his deity and personality, and his operations on the souls of men; and such as relate to a future state, the resurrection of all the dead, and judgment to come: likewise the ordinances of the Christian religion, baptism and the Lord's supper, were despised and spoken against, and the professors of it treated as fools and wicked men; the reasons of all this are, because the Christian religion, and the doctrines of it, are not of men, are contrary to the lusts of men, and particularly to the pride of men; they subject them to reproach and persecution, and gather men out from among them.

Geneva Study Bible

But we desire to hear of thee what thou thinkest: for as concerning this sect, we know that every where it is spoken against.

EXEGETICAL (ORIGINAL LANGUAGES)

Meyer's NT Commentary

Acts 28:22. Ἀξιοῦμεν δέ] But we judge (so as, in such lack of information from other quarters, to be better instructed concerning the circumstances in which thou art placed) it right (Acts 15:38)—as a claim which, as matters stand, is no more than right and proper—to learn from thee (παρὰ σοῦ has emphasis), etc.

ἃ φρονεῖς] i.e. what principles and views thou pursuest.

περὶ μὲν γὰρ τῆς αἱρέσ. ταύτ.] for of this party certainly. As to αἱρέσ., see on Acts 14:14. ταύτης has its reference in the more precise expressions, with which Paul must be presumed to have accompanied his ἕνεκεν γὰρ τῆς ἐλπίδος τ. Ἰσραήλ. In the μέν without δέ the tacit contrast is to be mentally supplied: “Although thou thyself art unknown to us.” Comp. on Acts 27:21; also Buttmann, neut. Gr. p. 313 [E. T. 365]. The γάρ grounds the ἀξιοῦμεν κ.τ.λ. on the (apparently) impartial interest of obtaining more particular information.

At first view, it must appear strange that these Jewish πρῶτοι in Rome betray so little acquaintance, or none at all, with the great Christian church at Rome, which consisted, at any rate in part, of Jewish Christians. This difficulty is not solved by the arbitrary (comp. also on Acts 28:21) assumption that, after the return of the Jews expelled by Claudius, the Jews and Christians kept aloof from each other and thus gradually lost acquaintance with one another (Olshausen; comp. also Kling in the Stud. u. Krit. 1837, p. 302 ff.); nor yet by the circumstances of such a great city as Rome, amidst which the existence of the Christian community might well have escaped the knowledge of the rich worldly Jews (Neander),—which, considering the relationship of Judaism and Christianity, would a priori be very improbable. It is rather to be explained, like the expression in Acts 28:21, from a cautious sort of official reserve in their demeanour, not exactly hypocritical (Tholuck) or intimidated by the Claudian measures (Philippi, comp. Ewald), but in which withal the Jewish contempt for Christianity generally is apparent. The representation here given, according to which those Jews simply avoid any sort of expression compromising them, is by no means to be used, with Baur and Zeller, against the historical truth of the occurrence. Its historical character, on the contrary, gains support from the Epistle to the Romans itself, which shows no trace that in Rome Christianity had been in conflict with the Jews (see Rom. Introd. § 3). and therefore de Wette is wrong in his remark that, if Luke had only added καὶ παρʼ ἡμῖν to πανταχοῦ, there would have been no ground of offence.

Expositor's Greek Testament

Acts 28:22. ἀξιοῦμεν δὲ: “but we think good,” cf. Acts 15:38. They acknowledge that no report had reached them to invalidate the statements which Paul had just made as to the causes of his imprisonment, but (δέ) they would hear not from others, but from himself (παρὰ σοῦ).—ἃ φρονεῖς: evidently no reference to any special view of Christianity as characterising St. Paul’s own teaching, but a reference to his claim to be imprisoned for the hope of Israel.—αἱρ … Christianity was for them only a sect, and therefore they could not understand the Apostle’s identification of it with the Jewish national hope. See note on Acts 28:17.—γνωστόν … ἡμῖν: if the view is correct that the edict of Claudius, see chap. Acts 18:2, was occasioned by the early preaching of Christianity in Rome, it is possible that the dislocation of the Jewish community then caused may help at all events to explain why the Christian Church in Rome did not grow out of the Jewish synagogue in the capital to the same context as elsewhere, see Sanday and Headlam, Romans, pp. 21, 22. It may no doubt be urged that the Christian Church in Rome was not entirely a heathen-Christian Church, and that, as the names in Romans 16 indicate, it contained a Jewish element. But it is quite conceivable that in the capital, with its two million inhabitants, the Jews, who had only recently returned to the city, should know nothing beyond what is here indicated in such general terms of a poor and obscure sect who dwelt no longer in the Jewish quarter. It is also worthy of consideration that the Jews of Rome, whilst not guilty of any untruth in what they had just said as to their knowledge of the Christian sect, may have expressed themselves in this guarded manner from political reasons. If St. Paul’s statement in Acts 28:18 as to the favourable bearing of the Roman authorities towards him was true, it was but natural that the Jews should wish to refrain from hasty or hostile action towards a prisoner who was evidently treated with consideration in his bonds; they would rather act thus than revive an old quarrel which might again lead to their own political insecurity, see especially Lightfoot, Philippians, pp. 15, 16; Felten, in loco; and, further, Rendall, p. 352. Nothing said by the Jews contradicts the existence of a Christian community in Rome, nor is it said that they wished to learn the Christian tenets from Paul, as if they knew nothing of them from their own knowledge, or as if they knew nothing of the causes of the opposition to the Christian faith; motives of curiosity and of policy might well have prompted a desire to hear Paul speak for himself, and with such motives there was apparently mingled a tone of contempt for a sect of which they might fairly say, from the experience of their countrymen, and from their own experience in Rome, πανταχοῦ ἀντιλέγεται: ἀντιλ. Lucan-Pauline; only once elsewhere; cf. John 19:12. See [434] text above.

[434] R(omana), in Blass, a first rough copy of St. Luke.

Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges

22. But we desire to hear of thee] He was a Jew, one of their own nation, and was likely to be able to put his belief before them in its true light. They professed to be open to reason, but this may have been only because they knew not what else to do.

concerning this sect] It is clear from this expression that they had learnt from St Paul’s speech, though St Luke does not record the words, that he was an adherent of Jesus of Nazareth, and held that in Him “the hope of Israel” had been fulfilled.

we know] [R. V. “it is known to us”]. The change has the merit of being very literal. Other merit it would be hard to find in it.

every where it is spoken against] They were doubtless aware of many of the attacks which had been made by their countrymen on the Christians both in the cities of Asia and Europe, and would have heard them spoken of as the men who were turning the world upside down. The result of the conference was that a day was fixed, on which the Apostle should set forth to them his opinions, so that, as they had no other means for deciding on their course of action, they might discover for themselves what would be the best course to take.

Bengel's Gnomen

Acts 28:22. Γιωστὸν, it is known to us) Paul retorts the expression on them, in Acts 28:28, “Be it known to you.”—πανταχοῦ ἀντιλέγεται, it is everywhere spoken against) This is the indication of a good cause, rather than of a bad one.

Pulpit Commentary

Verse 22. - It is known to us for we know, A.V. We desire (ἀξιοῦμεν); or, we are willing; literally, think it right (so Acts 16:38). Ηξίου, followed by a negative, means "was unwilling." It has this sense frequently in Xenophon, AElian, Josephus, and other Greek writers (see Kuinoel, on Acts 16:30). This sect (τῆς αἱρέσεως ταύτης); see Acts 24:5, 14, notes. It is known to us; i.e. though we have heard nothing against you Paul, we have heard of the sect of the Nazarenes and have heard nothing but harm concerning it. Spoken against (ἀντιλέγεται); see Acts 13:45; ver. 19; Romans 10:21; Titus 1:9. It is called a "superstitio prava, malefica, exitiabilis" (Pliny, 'Ep.,' 10:96; Suetonius, 'Nero,' 16; Tacitus, 'Annal.,' 15:44; 'Speaker's Commentary'). Acts 28:22

Vincent's Word Studies

We desire (ἀξιοῦμεν)

Rather, we think it. Compare Acts 15:38.

Sect

See on heresies, 2 Peter 2:1.