Today’s Scripture Reading
(January 14, 2015): Acts 21
Is it really
possible that over a decade after the capture of Saddam Hussein, and almost a
decade after the execution of the Iraqi leader, we are still arguing over whether
or not Iraq possessed Weapons of Mass destruction? An article released by the
New York Times in October 2014 argued that weapons were found, and then asked
the question of whether or not that vindicated George Bush. But before the ink
was dry, opponents fired back that the only weapons that were found were ancient
and decaying weapons that we already knew beyond the shadow of a doubt were
there, what we were promised were new weapons – and that is exactly what was
never found.
The reality
seems to be that if you live in the United States, there is a divide between
those who believe that the weapons were found, and those who are sure that they
were not. But outside the United States, the divide lessens. Most people not
living in the U.S. seem to believe that there were none of the promised weapons
inside Iraq. And to make matters worse, both sides are pretty sure that the
other side is lying. We may never really know the truth about Saddam’s Iraq.
Paul is
placed under arrest by the Roman guard – and the guard seems surprised that
Paul could speak Greek. He had been told that this man who was currently in his
custody was the Egyptian terrorist that had led a revolt a few years earlier.
But the Egyptian apparently wouldn’t have known Greek. And this is also where
the story gets a little interesting. There is a bit of discrepancy around the
numbers. According to the soldier, the Egyptian led a force of about 4,000 in
the revolt. It seems that Josephus differs – at least in one section of his
writing. He records that the number of soldiers following the Egyptian numbered
in the area of 30,000, and over half of them were killed in the revolt. But
Josephus also records that there were only 400 rebel who were killed the
revolt, and 200 more were taken prisoner. And so Scholars ask this question –
which number is right? Most, not surprisingly, accept the biblical number. But
what all the reports agree on was that the Egyptian leader escaped being
captured following the revolt.
The number
might be unimportant, but there is reason to believe that Josephus’ high number
could have been the right one. (And no, I am not suggesting that the Bible is
wrong, I am quite confident that 4000 is the number that the soldier gave to
Paul, I am just not confident that the soldier had knowledge of the real number
– just as I am pretty sure that President Bush believed that there were Weapons
of Mass Destruction in Iraq, regardless of what the truth might have been.) If the 30,000 number is right, it would have
represented a significant uprising, larger than Rome may have wanted to admit
was possible within its borders, thus the smaller number that the soldier spoke
of and the even smaller suggestion in Josephus’ second number might have simply
been propaganda. What that meant was that the Egyptian was a much more feared
opponent than we may have suspected. And the memory of the Egyptian was still of
use. The Egyptian was a significant enough threat that the accusation could be
used against Paul in order to justify his arrest, and possibly even his quick
execution. And if Paul had been an uneducated man, the plan may have worked.
But, at the
appropriate time Paul spoke Greek and destroyed the illusion that had been
created. The man that they had in custody was not the Egyptian, he was just
another Jew in a nation of Jews.
Tomorrow’s Scripture Reading:
Acts 22
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