Some Question Marks
When Paul, despite warnings, returned to Jerusalem, James and the elders welcomed him but told of “tens of thousands of Jews who had believed" (in Jesus) but who opposed Paul because he had relaxed Jewish laws for "believing Gentiles’. The “believing Jews” were both Christian and Jew and apparently saw themselves as members of a sect that existed within Judaism along with a range of other sects e.g. Pharisees, Sadducees etc.
Arguably it was some forty of these “Jews” who told the chief priests and elders (of Judaism) that they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Paul. (Acts 23:11-24).
Paul’s nephew heard of this plot, which would be more likely if it was hatched amongst the so-called “Nazarene Sect” of Christian Jews. Soldiers then took Paul to Caesaria for safety.
But the High Priest Ananias, through an orator, requested that Governor Felix return Paul to Jerusalem. He said Paul was a ring leader of the Nazarene Sect and he said the Jewish leadership had arrested Paul for profaning the temple. Paul admitted to worshipping God in a particular way, which he said, some people were calling a sect.
What is going on here? The High Priest calls Paul a “ring leader” of the sect. Yet he knows that 40 members of the sect or at least some members of it, plan to kill Paul as he is returned to Jerusalem. Ananias is working in with them.
Why should it be members of the Nazarene Sect that are planning to kill Paul. James has spoken of "tens of thousands of believing Jews” who were also zealous for the law and that needed to be convinced that Paul still kept the law. (21:15-26). James was not talking about mainstream Jews here.
It appears that the chief priest and elders along with some of the “believing Jews” were trying to take control of the “sect” and keep it within the bounds of Judaism – along with other sects such as the Pharisees, Sadducees etc.
It may have taken some time for Paul to realise the extent of opposition to him (which grew). But in time he wrote to the Corinthians about being in danger from his "own people" and in danger from his “so-called brothers”. (II Corinthians 11:26-30>
It was becoming more evident that the best way to avoid a "takeover" was for the church leadership to move out of Jerusalem. In the case of Paul, he was heading to Rome.
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