The Apostle Paul arrives in Jerusalem together with some of the disciples from Caesarea. He is lodged "with one of the early disciples, Mnason from Cyprus." The next day Paul goes to see James, and all the elders of the Jerusalem church are also present. Paul tells them "in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry." After hearing it they praise God and say to him: "You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the Law." These words indicate that it was the orthodox Jews of that time who had were better qualified than others to comprehend Jesus' Messiahship. And this is the way it is today, too.

However, Paul had to remember that rumours were being spread about him that he teaches Jews to abandon Moses and forbids circumcision. Therefore he should take four men who "have made a vow." Now their Nazirite time had expired and therefore as a sign of this they had to have their hair cut and offer a fellowship sacrifice to the Lord.⁹⁹

Paul "purified himself" with them, paid for their offering and took them into the Temple, so that people could conclude that Paul too lived according to the Law. And the elders assured them a second time that "as for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat from which the blood has not been drained and from sexual immorality." Thus they held fast to the previously issued minimum basic requirements regulating Jewish proselytization. (Acts 21:15-25).

From this there begins something like a chain reaction, in which are fulfilled the words Paul had once received: "I will show him how much he must suffer for my name." Paul's journey took him from Jerusalem to Caesarea and to Rome. This included two periods of imprisonment of two years (Acts 24:27 and 28:30), several of Paul's long speeches of defence which shed light on his autobiography, an excellent detailed description of contemporary seafaring and diligent letter-writing. When one reads these chapters carefully (21:15 - 28:31), one always notices that Luke "has carefully investigated everything from the beginning" and now it is presented "in order", so that we should know how "reliable" these facts are (Luke 1:1-4). From this final phase of Paul's life we shall set out only the main stages and such observations as illuminate his portrait.

In Jerusalem there were also by chance some Jews "from Asia". They knew Paul. But when they had seen "Trophimus from Ephesus" with him in the city, they thought that Paul had taken him into the so-called "court of Israel" in the Temple. This was not allowed under penalty of death.¹⁰⁰ A warning was written on nine gates leading to the area both in Greek and in Latin. The Romans accepted this prohibition. Therefore uproar ensued. Paul was dragged out of the sanctuary and its gates were closed.

When the military commander saw from the adjacent high Antonia fortress that there was a riot in the Temple area, he took soldiers and centurions with him. They entered the Temple area from the narrow stairway leading from the fortress. When they saw the soldiers, the noisy mob stopped beating Paul. So he was bound "with two chains." And the soldiers had to "carry" him to safety due to the violence of the people. But Paul appealed in Greek to his civil rights and asked to be allowed to speak to the crowd. And when he used "Hebrew," which was known only by learned Jews, there was "profound silence."

So Paul delivered a long speech of testimony (22:1-21). It reached its climax with a description of his visit to Jerusalem after his conversion. At that time, while praying in the Temple, he fell into a "trance", "saw" Jesus and received the command: "Go; I will send you far away to the Gentiles." Paul's strong consciousness of being called was partly based on these mystical and ecstatic experiences. In 2 Cor. 12:2-4 he tells that "fourteen years ago" he had been caught up in a trance "to the third heaven" and "to paradise," and there he heard "inexpressible things, things that man is not permitted to tell." In the Second Temple period scholars spoke of either two or three heavens. The "third heaven" was the so-called "heaven of heavens" (Ps.68:34) and nearest to God. Later they began to speak of seven heavens and analyze their character.¹⁰¹ By Paradise was understood the nearness of God and the intermediate state between death and the resurrection. Once again uproar ensued.

So the commander of the garrison ordered Paul to be "flogged and questioned." But when he hears that he has had Roman citizenship "from birth," he is afraid. And in order to resolve the matter, the next day he takes Paul before the Great Council. Again Paul has the opportunity to witness to his faith (23:1-11). The high priest Ananias orders "those standing near Paul to strike him." Then he says boldly, "You whitewashed wall! You sit there to judge me according to the Law, yet you yourself violate the Law by commanding that I be struck!" Bystanders say, "You dare to insult God's high priest?" But Paul did not realize his high position. Ananias or Hananiah held office in the years 47-58 A.D. The historian Josephus tells many times of his arbitrariness and brutality. Similarly, the Talmud tells that he was a glutton and drunkard and stole Temple tithes and funds for his own use.¹⁰²

When Paul realizes that his judges are Sadducees and Pharisees, he says that he is being judged "because of the resurrection." This gets the Pharisees to take Paul's side. They even admit: "We find nothing wrong with this man. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?" When the dispute becomes more heated, the commander fears that Paul will be torn to bits. Therefore he orders the soldiers to come down and snatch him from their hands. So Paul is taken into the barracks. And the following night the Lord stands by Paul and says: "Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome."

Now Paul becomes the target of a conspiracy. Almost fifty men take an oath that they will not eat nor drink before they have killed Paul. Therefore they ask the chief priests and elders to invite Paul to the Great Council to get "more accurate information about his case." He would be assassinated before he gets there. But Paul's nephew hears of the ambush. He goes to the commander of the garrison. And Luke tells beautifully how the commander "took him by the hand, drew him aside and asked, 'What is it you want to tell me?'"

So Paul is given an escort to Caesarea of "two hundred soldiers, seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen" (23:23) so that he reached governor Felix unharmed. Emperor Claudius had appointed this Antonius Felix governor of Judea (52-59 A.D.). The commander of the garrison, Claudius Lucias, gave an accompanying letter, a copy of which Luke may have had (23:26-30). Paul is taken under cover of night first to Antipatris. From there the journey continues to Herod's fortress in Caesarea. Five days later high priest Ananias with the lawyer Tertullus arrive to accuse Paul before Felix. In this interesting and stylish speech Paul is called "a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world" and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes (24:1-8).

Paul's reply to governor Felix is a kind of sincere confession of faith. He says, "I admit that I worship the God of our fathers as a follower of the Way, which they call a sect. I believe everything that agrees with the Law and that is written in the Prophets and I have the same hope in God as these men that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the wicked. So I strive always to keep my conscience clear before God and man."

Paul was very wholehearted. A student at my Bible School calculated once that in his thirteen letters Paul repeats the word "all" or "every" in its different forms about three hundred and sixty times -- according to my computer exactly three hundred and ninety-six times: "I try to please everybody in every way. For I am not seeking my own good"-- "We have renounced secret and shameful ways; we do not use deception" --"As servants of God we commend ourselves in every way" -- "I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them rubbish" -- "I can do everything through him who gives me strength".¹⁰³ This wholeheartedness applied to his spiritual life, and it is also applicable to his doctrinal attitudes.

When Paul says that he believes "everything" that is written in the Prophets, it means that he based his entire thinking on the Old Testament writings. The same attitude is reflected in Luther's words of 1535: "In theology a slight error can overturn the whole doctrine ... if you deny God in one article, you therefore deny him in all, because God cannot be divided into many articles but he is all in individual articles and one in all articles," that is, articles of faith. Paul acknowledged that "we know in part and we prophesy in part" (1 Cor. 13:9), but nevertheless he tries to observe in everything the will of God.

Felix was interested in Paul's message. "At the same time he was hoping that Paul would offer him a bribe." Therefore he "sent for him frequently and talked with him." He even invited his Jewish wife Drusilla to such a meeting. "As Paul discoursed on righteousness, self-control and the judgment to come, Felix was afraid and said, 'That's enough for now! You may leave. When I find it convenient, I will send for you.' " Two years later Felix was replaced by Porcius Festus (59-62). "But because Felix wanted to grant a favour to the Jews, he left Paul in prison." Thus Paul had a new opportunity to speak of his faith.

From the viewpoint of Paul's personal portrait Acts chapters 25 and 26 provide the richest yield. On the one hand, Paul is hurried to Festus for him to see, and he has to appeal to Caesar so that he will not be taken to Jerusalem. But, on the other hand, it is in these separate interviews, carefully recorded by Luke, that Paul one again opens up his heart. Especially Paul's meeting with Herod Agrippa's son King Agrippa II (44-70) and with his sister Bernice (25:22-26:32) testifies to his absolute honesty.

It was said of Bernice that she was "as immoral in her life as beautiful in shape." This is also testified to by the fact that she lived in an "intimate" relationship with her brother, condemned by Jews. Later she became the mistress of the Roman commander Titus. Her beautiful sister Drusilla was the former governor Felix's wife. Evidently for this reason they had too close relations with Caesarea. And it was to them that Paul addressed his sermon on repentance.

When Agrippa had expressed to Festus that he too would like to hear "that man," Agrippa and Bernice arrive at the audience room the next day "with great pomp" "with the high ranking officers and the leading men of the city".

So Paul "motioned with his hand" as did contemporary rhetors and says, "King Agrippa, I consider myself fortunate to stand before you today as I make my defence." And he tells of his life from his youth, how he tried "many a time...from one synagogue to another to have them punished," to force believers to insult Jesus and how he met Jesus on the Damascus road. And he says, "So then, King Agrippa, I was not disobedient to the vision from heaven. First to those in Damascus, then to those in Jerusalem and in all Judea, and to the Gentiles also, I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds." But "I have had God's help to this very day, and so I stand here and testify to small and great alike. I am saying nothing beyond what the prophets and Moses said would happen -- that the Christ would suffer and, as the first to rise from the dead, would proclaim light to his own people and to the Gentiles." In these words we see a kind of "holy concentration" on the nucleus of faith.

Now Festus interrupts "in a loud voice" the speech which is touching on sore points: "You are out of your mind, Paul! Your great learning is driving you insane." But Paul continues, "The king is familiar with these things -- it was not done in a corner. King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets? I know you do."

Then Agrippa says, "Do you think that in such a short time you can persuade me to be a Christian?" But Paul replies, "Short time or long -- I pray God that not only you but all who are listening to me today may become what I am, except for these chains."

So the king and his retinue get up and "while talking with one another" they say, "This man is not doing anything that deserves death or imprisonment." And Agrippa says to Festus, "This man could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar." Thus Paul's ticket to Rome was ensured.

It is hardly possible to produce a better close-up picture of Paul. Although he showed human warmth and strategic wisdom in meeting his hearers, he nevertheless always proclaimed "conversion and repentance" without favouritism. He was indeed in the words of his accusers "a troublemaker, a stirrer-up of riots". But a couple of years' imprisonment in the damp cells in Caesarea had not yet subdued him.

In Latin there is a saying: "Nemo accendit nisi ipse ardet," that is, "no one can kindle another, unless he himself burns." Jesus once said, "I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled!" (Luke 12:49) Also, words of his are known outside the New Testament: "He who is near me is near the fire; and he who is far from me is far from the kingdom of God." Paul was called to light this fire.

Acts 27 is regarded as the most detailed account of sailing in ancient literature. It was evidently now late autumn 59 A.D. and thus the capricious Mediterranean storms have already begun.

Paul is handed over to the care of "a centurion named Julius, who belonged to the Imperial Regiment." He takes his prisoner to a ship from Adramyttia near Smyrna. It is due to sail to "ports along the coast of the province of Asia," that is, near home districts and evidently for wintering there. The company includes Luke and Aristarchus from Thessalonica. Julius treats Paul in a friendly way and allows him to go "to his friends so they might provide for his needs" in Sidon.

In the autumn the wind always blows from the west and "the winds were against us." So they sail under cover of Cyprus and along the coast of Cilicia and Pamphylia to Myra, which is in Lycia. There they transfer to an Alexandrian ship, which is due to sail to Italy. "Slowly and with difficulty" they reach Cnidus. But when the wind prevents them reaching harbour, they continue to the protection of Salmone and Crete. From there they sail "along the coast" to a place called Fair Havens.

Paul warns that sailing is already "disastrous and dangerous." But "the centurion...followed the advice of the pilot and of the owner of the ship" rather than that given by Paul. And because the harbour is "unsuitable to winter in," they decide to aim to winter at Phoenix in the south-western part of Crete.

When the south wind begins to blow, one would think it would help sailing, but it happens that "a wind of hurricane force," the so-called "north-easter", "swept down" over the island. The Greek word "typhonikos" has given rise in the Western languages of culture the word "typhoon". For a while they are rescued under cover of the small island of Cauda (or Clauda), where they engage in extreme safety measures. This description is regarded as the most detailed account of ancient seafaring (27:9-44).

For two weeks they are adrift "on the Adriatic Sea", until shipwreck brings them to the island of Melite, that is, present-day Malta. The owner of its largest farms, Publius, entertains Paul for three days as his guest. Luke the physician tells that this man's father lay in bed, "suffering from fever and dysentery." When Paul heals him by prayer, other sick people on the island are brought to him and they are healed. The Jews have never denied that Jesus and his disciples performed miracles. They have only not been allowed to resort to them, not even in mortal danger.¹⁰⁴

 It is noteworthy that Paul has not yet been sentenced and that he has himself appealed to Ceasar. His accusers are not Romans but Jews of the Sadducee priestly party from a faraway land. Therefore Paul enjoys relative liberty. On Malta they stay three months. This time from November to the beginning of February was used generally for the overhauling of ships under winter sheets.

The journey is continued on an Alexandrian ship, which has the emblems of the mariners' patron gods Castor and Pollux on the bow. First they stop for three days at the ancient capital city of Sicily, Syracuse. They sailed from there by tacking to Rhegium and aided by a south wind they arrived at Puteoli.

Paul's earlier letter to the Romans has had such an effect that there is a group of Christians waiting for him. Nothing more is said about the centurion nor does there seem to be any hurry. Paul stays there with "the brothers" for seven days. Then the journey continues by land to Appii Forum (the Forum of Appius), where there are once more brethren in the faith to meet him. Rome is only about sixty kilometres away. Paul is accompanied another ten or so kilometres as far as Tres Tabernae (Three Taverns).

Paul's Activities in Rome

 When they arrive in Rome, Paul is allowed to live "by himself, with a soldier to guard him." And three days later he invites Jewish leaders to come and see him. They have not received any letter from Judea. Therefore Paul tells them of the accusations because of which he has appealed to Caesar. But he "does not have any charge to bring against his own people" (28:17-22).

At the end of Acts (28:23-31) there are important points which describe him again as a man and as a teacher. Luke twice describes the main emphases of Paul's teaching and preaching. First we are told how he receives the leaders of the Jewish community of Rome in the place where he was staying. "From morning till evening he explained and declared to them the Kingdom of God and tried to convince them about Jesus from the Law of Moses and from the Prophets." "For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the Kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 28:23 and 30-31).

The Kingdom of God is linked with salvation history. Acts 1:3 tells that Jesus showed through many indisputable proofs that he was alive and "appeared to them over a period of forty days and spoke of the Kingdom of God." Both Jesus and John the Baptist proclaimed that "the Kingdom of God is near!" Jesus foretold in Luke 21:24 that the Jews would be taken as prisoners "to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." Paul had written earlier to the Roman Christians in Rom. 11:25: "I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Israel has experienced a hardening in part until the full number of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved." The main theme of Romans is connected with the relationship between Jews and Gentiles. And chapters 9-11 speak separately of Israel's position in God's salvation history. In speaking in his rented accommodation "of the Kingdom of God," he evidently dealt with precisely these "mysteries".

Jewish scholars also conceived salvation history as comprising definite periods of time. The so-called Elijah tradition in the Talmud is well known. According to this, "the world will last six thousand years: two thousand years of it is desolation and emptiness, two thousand the time of the Torah and two thousand the days of the Messiah, although due to our sins, which were great, it happened as it did."¹⁰⁵ Hosea 3:4-5 foretells that Israel "will come to the LORD and to his blessings in the last days" and that it will be betrothed again "in grace and mercy" (Hosea 2:18-20); the Targum of Jonathan says that they will then be "obedient to the Messiah, the son of David." And Metsudat David, the exposition of the famous 18th century scholar David Altschuler, says of these verses that "the Israelites are long in dispersion and await salvation ... and they do not have sacrifice, because the Temple lies waste ... and they lack the inspiration of the Holy Spirit and altar service ... but in long times they will seek the Messiah-King." Metsudat David also speaks of Israel's renewal on the "third day" (Hosea 6:1-3), which "means that in the third period of time, which is to come, he will raise us up from degradation and we shall live." Is this too a reference to the Messianic renewal of the Elijah tradition? According to RaSHI, the "corner-stone which the builders rejected" in Psalm 118:22 is the Messiah to be born in Bethlehem foretold in Micah 5:1. Metsudat David explains that one day "it will be raised to the most esteemed place." But these Jewish scholars also describe verbosely in connection with the "touchstone in Zion" of Isaiah 28:16 how once "after great sufferings" the rejected touchstone "will turn out to be the precious seed of the house of David and the foundation of the foundations."¹⁰⁶

Paul has already spoken of this painful conclusion in Pisidian Antioch and in Corinth (13:48 and 18:6). And now in Rome, when "some are convinced and others have not believed" his message, Paul says, "Rightly has the Holy Spirit spoken through the prophet Isaiah" (Isa. 6:9-10)! The Bible is thus inspired by the Holy Spirit. Isaiah had already foretold that they "will not hear with their ears nor understand with their hearts" the deeds of God. "Therefore I want you to know that God's salvation has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will listen!" Actually Paul thus continues here the discussion begun in Romans. For this reason there now begin "the times of the Gentiles" (Luke 21:24), and "the full number of the Gentiles," or rather their "fullness" or "pleroma" (Rom. 11:12 and 11:25), is gathered into the Kingdom of God. These are the "days of the Messiah" of which the Elijah tradition speaks.

Jesus too uttered shocking words, when he presupposed that Gentiles too would receive his message. When he explains the significance of the corner-stone rejected by the builders, he says: "Therefore I tell you that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit" (Matt. 21:43). And "many will come from the east and the west, and will take their places at the feast...in the Kingdom of Heaven, but the children of the Kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness" (Matt. 8:11). The rabbis have also used from time to time just as hard language. Jeremiah 13:16-17 exhorts: "Give glory to the LORD your God, before he brings the darkness... But if you do not listen, I will weep in secret because of your pride; my eyes will weep bitterly, overflowing with tears, because the LORD's flock will be taken captive." Rabbi Shmuel Ben Yitzchaq says that "this is due to their pride and therefore the Torah will be taken away from them and given to the Gentiles."¹⁰⁷

Apart from the perspective of salvation history, Paul always concentrated on the christological message. Already after his conversion he "preached Jesus in the synagogues, proclaiming that he is the Son of God." And he "baffled the Jews living in Damascus by proving that Jesus is the Christ" (Acts 9:20 and 22). Also in Corinth he discussed for eighteen months in the synagogue every Sabbath and "testified to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ (18:5). And in the farewell speech at Miletus he tells that he has preached "the Kingdom" and commended everywhere "to both Jews and Greeks that they must turn to God in repentance and have faith in our Lord Jesus" (20:21-25). This attitude continued unchanged till Rome. Similarly, Jesus spoke on the Emmaus road beginning "from Moses and all the prophets" and also "the Psalms" and explaining to them what "was written about him in all the Scriptures" (Luke 24:27 and 44). Someone once said that he would be prepared to give away even his last shirt if he could have heard that Bible exposition of Jesus. In Rome Paul used this formal principle, "beginning from the Law of Moses and the Prophets."

The Jewish prayer-book, the Siddur, lists after morning prayers the thirteen articles of faith drawn up by the mediaeval scholar, Moses Maimonides (1135-1204). The sixth and seventh articles read: "I believe with perfect faith that all the words of the prophets are true." "I believe with perfect faith that the prophecy of our teacher Moses, peace be to his memory, is true and that he was the father of the prophets, both of those who were before him and of those who come after him." The Talmud too says: "All the prophets in turn have foretold about the days of the Messiah, but human eye has not seen the world to come, only God ... and between this world and the days of the Messiah is only Israel's slavery among the nations."¹⁰⁸

Paul acted in accordance with these unchangeable rules. He had to choose the "long short road" in order to be able to convince the Gentiles of Jesus' Messiahship. He had to teach them first the Old Testament, that is, the Greek Septuagint. Only then could they understand that "the Scriptures" were fulfilled in him. When this translation of the "seventy" became the holy book of the Christians, the synagogue stopped using it. Similarly, the Targum of Jonathan Ben Uzziel was rejected because it contains, as the Talmud says, "qetz Meshiah", that is, too strong an emphasis on the "end-time of the Messiah."¹⁰⁹ Instead they accepted the Targum of Onqelos, a Gentile-born proselyte. Jonathan represented, as the Talmud Megillah 3a says, the tradition of "Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi" and he wished to reveal "God's secrets to the sons of men." But in attempting to avoid "doctrinal division in Israel" (mahaloqet be-Israel), his Messianic interpretation caused bewilderment.

In the same way Paul's preaching too was felt to pose a danger to the unity of the synagogue. The Jewish hearer has only two alternatives: Either he believes that Jesus is the Messiah promised by the Scriptures, who has atoned for our sins and borne the punishments for our transgsressions prescribed by the Law. And then he must be obedient to his conviction. Otherwise he is obliged to keep the synagogue rules and its interpretation of the Law. And then he has to seek some other Messianic candidate from the period of the Second Temple, for the Messiah had to come when the ordained time was "fulfilled" and Jerusalem and its sanctuary were not yet destroyed (Daniel 9:26). This fact is part of the alphabet of the Messianic idea. The Talmud emphasizes from the perspective of salvation history that after the six-thousand-year period of the Elijah tradition will be "the war of Gog and Magog and the rest of the days of the Messiah, and holy God, praised be his name, will not renew the world before seven thousand years have passed."¹¹⁰ Because, according to RaMBaM, in the Messianic era "the world will travel its normal track" (ke-minhago noheg), natural laws are not yet then renewed.

 Only the Bible is acceptable as the foundation of Christian faith. However, in Jewish tradition there are many interpretations which we should listen to in order for us to understand the foundation of Christian faith. One liberal "Christian" theologian loves his own "slogans", according to which "just by looking out of the window one can see that the Messiah has not yet come." According to the Bible and also according to Jewish scholars, after two thousand years of the Messianic period, that is the time of the Gentiles, will begin the thousand-year-long "shabbaton" or Sabbath time, when "the sons of Levi" will be renewed (Malachi 3:1-3), that is, the Israelites will be a blessing to the whole of mankind. Only afterwards will the whole of creation be renewed. In the aforementioned Talmud discussion on the question that the Messiah should have come already, for "the end-time is already fulfilled" (kalu ha-qitzin). If there is not found another better Messianic candidate from Jesus' time, the whole Messianic idea should be rejected. Therefore these questions should be treated from the perspective of salvation history and christology.

 This study of salvation history includes another consideration which may bewilder the Jewish reader. The American scholar Eugene W. Faulstich has produced in his computer institute a giant work following the dating of the Bible on the basis of the Roman, Persian, Egyptian, Jewish and Christian calendars and in the light of data from ancient sources and astronomy. When we were in Moscow at a conference my room-mate gave me a long computer demonstration. Each of his four main books, which also follow the leading experts in the field, is a "magnum opus" in itself. Christian and Jewish scholars should follow their results. The computer test shows indisputably that due to its special manner of calulation the Jewish calendar has so far created a deficit of two hundred and forty-two years.¹¹¹

As I write this in spring 1994 we are in the Jewish year 5754. Thus it is now evidently the year 5754+242, that is, 5996. Dr. Faulstich asked about the aforementioned Elijah tradition. If the "Messianic" or Christian phase of salvation history lasts two thousand years, it leads to new questions. Is this time to be counted from Jesus' birth, for he was born six or so years "before his birth"? -- there is an error in the Christian calendar, which was determined only in the 6th century. Or should we take as the starting-point the year 26 A.D.? -- that is when Jesus began his public ministry. Or should these two thousand years be counted from Jesus' crucifixion in the year 30 or perhaps from the events at Pentecost? Perhaps the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D. is the right starting-point. In Hebrew there is a saying, "megalle tefah, mastir tfahayim," that is, "to reveal the palm and hide two palms." Every new thing creates double the number of questions.

Jesus himself said of his second coming, which is one of the foundations of Christian faith, that "No one knows about that day or hour, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father" -- "Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come" (Matt. 24: 36,42). And he told many parables about the importance of watching (Matt. 24:43-25:46).

RaMBaM or Maimonides states the heart of Jewish Messianic expectation: "Before the coming of the Messiah Elijah will come. And no one knows everything connected with this, because it is hidden from the prophets, too. Our scholars have not found a uniform opinion of them either, but they interpret everything according to individual verses. Therefore their opinions are divided" -- and the main thing here is not exact knowledge, "because it does not lead to the fear or love of God; and therefore one should not make calculations about the end-times."¹¹² These fine words also apply to the Christian. Jesus said, "It is not for you to know the times or dates -- but...you will be my witnesses" (Acts 1:7-8).

When in Rome Paul wrote his so-called prison letters to the Colossians, Ephesians, Philemon and the church of Philippi. Evidently Paul had not himself preached in Colosse. And Epaphras is regarded as the founder of the church (Col. 1:7 and 2:1). The courier for the letter was Tychicus, who at the same time delivered Ephesians, considered to be the twin letter to Colossians (Col. 4:7-8 and Eph. 6:21). It is important to notice that to Colosse had evidently come Jews from Essene circles, who "depended on human tradition and the elemental powers of the world and not on Christ." And they had "delighted in false humility and worship of angels" imposing ascetic customs on the church (2:8,18 and 20-23).

Thus it is small wonder that Paul, who knew well the doctrines of the Essenes, quotes to us the conception familiar from the Dead Sea Scrolls that "in him all things were created" and that "he is before all things and in him all things hold together" (Col. 1:14-18).¹¹³ In addition to these two pastoral circular letters, Paul sent from prison to the Philippians, whom he had got to know on his second missionary journey, his so-called "letter of joy" exhorting them to lead a blameless life (Phil. 1:10-11, 27 and 4:4-8). Here is also one of the most beautiful Christ hymns in the New Testament (2:5-9) and Paul's final accounting of his life (3:7-14 and 4:12-13). Only by concentrating on these sounds of Paul's heart can we understand his greatness as a man. The private letter to Philemon was also written between 60 and 62 A.D. With this perhaps his most tender letter Paul sends to his master the slave Onesimus, who had fled Rome and "become (Paul's) son while (he) was in chains" -- "no longer as a slave, but as more than a slave: as a dear brother, very dear to me, so much more then to you, both as a man and as a brother". Before this Onesimus (Gr. "useful") was "useless, but now he has become useful both to you and to me" (verses 10-11 and 16).
 

Paul's Final Years

Scholars have wondered that the Acts of the Apostles ends rather briefly: "And Paul stayed in his own rented house for two whole years and welcomed all who came to him; and he proclaimed the Kingdom of God and taught the knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance." In themselves these final words present in concentrated form the character of Paul's ministry and message. But did this stage conclude with his death as a martyr? Or was he set free to fulfil his wish to travel to Spain (Rom. 15:24)? The words "two years", in Greek "dietia", are actually a legal expression that charges generally lapsed if the case was postponed due to the absence of the prosecutor beyond that deadline. It is very possible that the charges against Paul lapsed automatically after two years. The letter 1 Clement, which is from about 95 A.D., tells that Paul had proclaimed the good news "in the east and in the west" and come "finally to the limit of the west". Generally it is thought, however, that he would have continued to work in Asia Minor and, for example, on Crete (Titus 1:5). Similarly, he would have "spent the winter" on the west coast of Greece in Nicopolis (Titus 3:12).

If Paul was really set free from Roman arrest, then it would also be easier to understand the situation of his "pastoral letters" toTimothy and Titus and their message. Sometime at the beginning of 64 he evidently arrived back in Rome. That summer there broke out in Rome a great fire, for which the Emperor Nero blamed the Christians. And soon afterwards Paul's last period of imprisonment may have begun. Now the reason was no longer the breach of order in the Jerusalem Temple area but his actions against the imperial cult. Just then he may have written as his final message his second letter to Timothy. It has been regarded as his "swan-song" and his last will and testament.

From these last letters of Paul three main things can be seen. First of all, he gives detailed instructions for setting up ministries (Titus 1:7-9, 1 Tim. 3:1-13 and 2 Tim. 4:1-5). Secondly, he returns to the earlier eschatological teachings of Thessalonians, that is, concerning the end-times (1 Tim. 4:1 and 2 Tim. 3:1-7). The third strand in these letters containing a strong pastoral message is the exhortation to "good works." This is such a central matter in Paul's interpretation of the Law that we shall make a separate study of this subject in the following main section.
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99.       Num. 6:18 and Mishneh Nazir 6:6
100.    Mishneh Kelim 1:8
101.    The lowest heaven is the so-called "vilon" or "curtain"; the second heaven the so-called "raqia" or "firmament of heaven", the heavens of the sun, moon and stars; in the third heaven, "shahaqim", manna is ground for the pious; in the fourth heaven, "sebol", is the exalted Jerusalem and altar; in the fifth heaven, "maon", is the heaven of ministering angels; in the sixth heaven, "mahon" is the treasure chamber of the snow and rainbow; and in the seventh heaven, "aravot", dwell justice, righteousness, virtues, life and peace. Esoteric doctrines relating to heaven and angelic powers were often favoured by scholars.
102.    Pesahim 57,a and Josephus: Jewish War II; 12,6 and II 17,6 and Antiquities XX; 5,2 and XX; 6,2.
103.    1 Cor. 10:33, 2 Cor. 4:2 and 6:4, Phil. 3:8 and 4:13.
104.    Abodah Zarah 27b.
105.    Sanhedrin 97a.
106.    See Santala, The Messiah in the Old Testament, pp.133-140.
107.    Hagigah 5b.
108.    Berakot 34b.
109.    Megillah 3a. and Shabbat 115a.
110.    Sanhedrin 97b.
111.    E.W. Faulstich: History, Harmony: The Hebrew Kings; The Exile and Return; Daniel; Bible Chronology and The Scientific Method, 1986-1991, Spencer, Iowa.
112.    RaMBaM; "Hilkhot melakim umilhamoteihem" XII, b.
113.    See Santala, The Messiah in the New Testament, pp.65-68 and Qumran 1 QS XI:11, 1 QS III:15-16, 1 QS III:20 and 1 QH IX (=I):19, to be compared in the light e.g. Heb. 1:1-4, Jn 1:1-3 and 1 Cor. 8:6 and Rev. 4:11