To fully develop a theology of non-violent civil disobedience, it would first seem fitting to dive into the life of Paul, the Roman citizen and Jewish Christian. For what teacher is worth anything if they do not themselves practice what they preach? Paul is no exception to this rule. While it might be fair to say that no one today knows the full extent of the testimony of Paul’s life, the Book of Acts, written by his companion Luke, provides, at least in this case, an excellent picture that Paul did practice what he preached. While many examples tend to start with teaching and then examine life in-depth, this article will do the converse. That is, to examine the life of Paul first and then compare his life to that of what he taught in the written letters that make up part of the New Testament canon. However, before beginning with the text of Acts, it might be best to begin with an understanding of who Paul was, primarily based on his Roman Citizenship. By his own testimony, Paul was first a Jew. See Acts 22:3: “I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city in Cilicia, yet brought up in this city at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day.”
The Life of Paul
Secondarily, Paul was a Roman citizen, which he claimed to suit his purposes. See Acts 16:35-39, Acts 22:22-29, and Acts 25:6-12:
- Acts 16:35-39: “And when it was day, the magistrates sent the serjeants, saying, Let those men go. And the keeper of the prison told this saying to Paul, The magistrates have sent to let you go: now therefore depart, and go in peace. But Paul said unto them, They have beaten us openly uncondemned, being Romans, and have cast us into prison; and now do they thrust us out privily? nay verily; but let them come themselves and fetch us out. And the serjeants told these words unto the magistrates: and they feared, when they heard that they were Romans. And they came and besought them, and brought them out, and desired them to depart out of the city.”
- Acts 22:22-29: “And they gave him audience unto this word, and then lifted up their voices, and said, Away with such a fellow from the earth: for it is not fit that he should live. And as they cried out, and cast off their clothes, and threw dust into the air, The chief captain commanded him to be brought into the castle, and bade that he should be examined by scourging; that he might know wherefore they cried so against him. And as they bound him with thongs, Paul said unto the centurion that stood by, Is it lawful for you to scourge a man that is a Roman, and uncondemned? When the centurion heard that, he went and told the chief captain, saying, Take heed what thou doest: for this man is a Roman. Then the chief captain came, and said unto him, Tell me, art thou a Roman? He said, Yea. And the chief captain answered, With a great sum obtained I this freedom. And Paul said, But I was free born. Then straightway they departed from him which should have examined him: and the chief captain also was afraid, after he knew that he was a Roman, and because he had bound him.”
- Acts 25:6-12: “And when he had tarried among them more than ten days, he went down unto Caesarea; and the next day sitting on the judgment seat commanded Paul to be brought. And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove. While he answered for himself, Neither against the law of the Jews, neither against the temple, nor yet against Caesar, have I offended any thing at all. But Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure, answered Paul, and said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and there be judged of these things before me? Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.”
This citizenship was attained at birth, and not through secondary means, according to Acts 22:28. The most likely reason for this is that his father was also a Roman citizen. For the sake of brevity, the examination of Paul’s life as a Roman citizen will focus on the three instances in which he claims such citizenship.
The first such claim is made in Acts 16, while Paul is in Phillipi (a Roman colony, of which the citizens were also considered citizens). In this context, Paul and Silas have been jailed and flogged for healing a demon-possessed girl. On the surface, it seems clear that this could be rightfully classified as wrongful imprisonment. However, there is more to this story.
Remember that the owners of the demon-possessed slave girl were Roman citizens. They seemed greatly concerned that the practice of the Jews (Paul and Silas) was contrary to that of Rome and its citizens. See Acts 16:20-21: “And brought them to the magistrates, saying, These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, And teach customs, which are not lawful for us to receive, neither to observe, being Romans.”
This is a serious charge. Darrel L. Bock states in his exegetical evangelical Bible commentary on Acts: “Since the Romans emphasized tolerance of such differences and allowed each ethnic and religious group to observe their own customs, the charge of trying to get Romans to do what they do not normally do is serious, since Paul would be seen as challenging a person’s livelihood and the economic well-being of the city.”
It seems as though those who brought charges were not aware of Paul’s status as a Roman citizen. Although, even if they were, they may have still brought charges against him, they would have likely handled things differently. In simple terms, Paul was charged with disturbing the peace by healing a girl who was possessed by a demon. Rather than claim Roman citizenship immediately, Paul (and Silas) chose to accept their punishment willingly.
It is only after the ordeal has subsided and they have won the jailer to the Lord that the claim of Roman citizenship is made. There is no clear reason why, but Bock tends to think that it is likely because Paul did not want to confuse the people of his loyalty. It is not explicitly stated, but it will be made clear, that Paul clearly views his heavenly citizenship and loyalty to the Lord as primary to his Roman citizenship.
The next passage in Acts that directly deals with Paul as a Roman citizen is in Acts 22:22-29. As aforementioned, it is in this passage that Paul is revealed to have been a Roman citizen since birth. This passage bears remarkable similarities to that of Acts 16. Paul again does not claim his citizenship until after he has been seized, this time though before he is flogged. Paul gave his testimony before being arrested, and consequently before making known his Roman citizenship.
Following the pattern of Acts 16, it seems to fit that this was Paul’s primary purpose, to share his testimony with those in Jerusalem. It was only behind closed doors, in a less public setting that he claimed Roman citizenship. Even with the announcement of his Roman citizenship, he was able to continue preaching the Gospel until escaping Jerusalem and being sent to the governor, Felix. See Acts 22:30-23:25 for more.
In a research article entitled Paul the Roman Citizen for the Journal for the Study of the New Testament, Peter van Minnen suggests that the reason for such favorable treatment by the Roman Tribune (Claudias Lysanias) was because of his Roman citizenship. This passage shows that Paul, in obedience to the Lord, valued his status as a citizen of heaven first and of Rome second.
The third and final passage in which Paul claims himself to be a Roman Citizen is Paul’s appeal to Caesar. See Acts 25:10-12: “Then said Paul, I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged: to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou very well knowest. For if I be an offender, or have committed any thing worthy of death, I refuse not to die: but if there be none of these things whereof these accuse me, no man may deliver me unto them. I appeal unto Caesar. Then Festus, when he had conferred with the council, answered, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.”
In light of a new Governor on the scene, the Jews tried to jump on the opportunity to try Paul again, but his appeal to Ceaser stood in their way. Only Roman citizens could appeal to Caesar; had Paul not been a Roman citizen, this appeal would have died as quickly as it was made. Paul was able to sail to Rome, stay there (under house arrest), preach the Gospel, write to other churches, and accomplish the purposes of God. In this case, the charges against Paul were likely dropped, as he left Rome (only to find himself imprisoned there a second time before being martyred for the Gospel).
While the life of Paul as testified by Acts could all be included in this essay, these three serve as a fitting example. First and foremost, Paul was concerned with following the will of the Lord and serving Him, as a citizen of heaven. Secondarily, Paul was concerned with his Roman citizenship. It would not be fair to say that Paul saw no value in his Roman citizenship, only that it was submissive to his heavenly citizenship.
Two things can be seen from the testimony of Paul’s life. First, Paul never chose to raise arms against the Romans and was seemingly submissive to the Roman government (following its legal procedures in appealing to Caesar) and its ways, as long as they were not contrary to the Gospel. Secondly, Paul did not use his status as a Roman citizen to further the Gospel, nor did he tout his Roman citizenship for personal gain, only for the sake of survival and for the sake of the Gospel (as led by the Lord).
Paul’s quest to preach the Gospel was primary and often did not even directly interact with the Roman government. When it did, Paul responded accordingly, to the glory of God, to whom his primary allegiance belonged.
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- The Life of Paul & the Theology of Non-Violent Disobedience - September 30, 2024
- Christian Nationalism: A Pauline Example of Civil Disobedience for the American Church - September 16, 2024
- Post-Modern Biblical Authority: Letting Scripture Define Our Terms - April 12, 2024
