Was Saul (Paul) a Member of the Sanhedrin?

The evidence for such an understanding is sketchy, but it is a possibility that Paul was indeed a member of the Sanhedrin during the 1^st century CE when Stephen was stoned. He tells us in his letter to the Galatians that he had been excelling above his peers in the Jewish faith. In Acts 8:1 we are told that Saul “gave his approval” to the killing of Stephen. Does this mean he generally agreed that Stephen’s death was justified, or that he actually gave his “vote” in the Sanhedrin? Nevertheless, notice how Paul, himself, describes similar accounts concerning those believers he brought to Jerusalem for judgment when he spoke before King Agrippa:

How Long Did Paul Persecute the Church?

In Acts 8:1 we are told that Saul (Paul) consented to Stephen’s death. This may indicate that he was a member of the Sanhedrin and was perhaps the prosecuting attorney. However, I’ll pursue this possibility in another blog. For now I wish to focus upon the length of his mission to afflict the Messianic believers. It is worthy of note that the Apostles were not persecuted. Why was this? The only logical answer, as far as I am concerned, is that it was only that branch of the church to which Stephen belonged that was persecuted. The Grecian or Hellenistic Messianic believers had separated under good terms from the main Palestinian Messianic believers (Acts 6:1-6).

The 1290 Days of Daniel--Addendum to Stephen's Death on the Day of Atonement

Month	31 CE	32 CE	33 CE	34 CE	Totals
1st	Resurrection Sunday             12 days left in the month	30	30	30	102
2nd	29	29	29	29	116
3rd	30	30	30	30	120
4th	29	29	29	29	116
5th	30	30	30	30	120
6th	29	29	29	29	116
7th	30	30	30	10th day of the month or the Day of Atonement	100
8th	29	29	29		87
9th	30	30	30		90
10th	29	29	29		87
11th	30	30	30		90
12th	29	29	29		87
13th	30		29		59
Totals	366 days	354 days	383 days	187 days	1290 days

Stephen's Death on the Day of Atonement, 34 CE

Putting Stephen’s death to an exact day involves using prophecy, which if true, will offer an element of certainty not only to this study, but to the importance of his death, what it meant for the church and the kingdom of God etc. As I hope to show, Stephen’s death is tied up in the 70 Weeks Prophecy of Daniel 9. This prophecy was supposed to identify the Messiah—point to him and beyond all doubt identify him as the long awaited Son of David, the Anointed of God.

How Long Would it Take to Imagine Orange?

Luke makes a “cut-to-the-chase” type of move in chapter 6, bringing us to the climax of the first part of his Acts account. The Judean and Galilean ministries of the Apostles probably represented the greater part of their work and the “fruits” showed it. After all, it was here where the Lord ministered. They were still reaping from the fields where he planted. However, the Lord’s command was to not go to Samaria, and not enter into the way of the Gentiles (Matthew 10:5). Nevertheless, he also said to preach the Gospel everywhere (Mark 16:15). How did the Apostles obey his command—that is, how did they understand his words, at least in the beginning part of their ministry?

The Matter of False Brethren

The account of Ananias and Sapphira seems a bit strange to me. First of all, nothing is said to introduce the account. Who were they and why did they act in the manner in which they did? Secondly, what prompted Peter to question the sale? Why was he suspicious of them? Later, when Paul tried to join himself to the Apostles, the text said they viewed him with suspicion, and Barnabas had to step forward to alleviate the concerns of the believers at Jerusalem. But, in the case of Ananias, nothing is said to introduce them nor is revealed later as to why they were held in suspicion.

To Give or not to Give

Immediately after Peter’s first sermon on Pentecost Day we are told that the believers were in one accord and shared their wealth with those among them who had need. Although more may be implied in the text, what chapter two does not say outright is that the whole price of the sale was offered to the community of believers. We may be assured that no one lacked, but I don’t think the text actually means the total wealth of the new community was evenly disbursed among all. In fact, later testimony seems to show by the very fact that lands continued to be sold that a totally equal disbursement was never the intended meaning.

A Chronology of the Beginning of Acts

It is my understanding that Stephen was stoned on the Day of Atonement, the Jews’ annual fast Holy Day, in 34 CE (Acts 7:58-60), and Paul’s conversion in Acts 9 took place in about 36 CE. Although I have no scholarly support that Stephen was killed in 34 CE, the idea that Paul was converted in 36 CE is supported in Albert Barnes’ Notes on the Bible, Adam Clarke’s Commentary, Jamison, Fausset and Brown’s Commentary and The People’s New Testament Commentary. The question is: could the time of Stephen's death be shown to be more than mere presumption? I believe it can, partially through fulfilled prophecy and partially by critically reading the text itself.

Modern “Oral Tradition” v/s the 1st Century CE

Did you know we have a very strong “oral” tradition today? Really, we do! For example, I would expect most Christians would be able to fill in these blanks without any help from others or a written document.

_______ _____ how sweet the _____
That _____ a ______ like me
I once ___ ____ but now __ _____
Was _____, but now _ ___.