The Book of Acts

Paul Reveals His Roman Citizenship

Acts 22:24-30 _NLT

“The commander brought Paul inside and ordered him lashed with whips to make him confess his crime. He wanted to find out why the crowd had become so furious.” _{(verse 24)}

            Roman citizenship brought with it special privileges. In the case of Paul being flogged, his citizenship would protect him. He was spared due to a simple question that he asked the centurion who had just tied him down, “Is it legal for you to whip a Roman citizen who hasn’t even been tried?”

            Now scripture doesn’t reveal at any point how or where Paul gained his Roman citizenship, but it has been speculated that “one of Paul's ancestors received it for valuable services rendered to a Roman administrator or general in either the Gischala region of northern Palestine or at Tarsus.” No one knows for sure. The only thing that differentiated a commoner from a Roman citizen was a toga that only they wore, however, that garment was cumbersome, so they were normally only worn for state occasions. “Papers validating citizenship were kept in family archives and not usually carried on one's person. The verbal claim to Roman citizenship was accepted at face value; penalties for falsifying documents and making false claims of citizenship were exceedingly stiff.” Scripture reveals that the commander had to pay for his citizenship, but Paul was born into it. 

            Paul being a Roman citizen put a whole new wrinkle in the situation.  The commander was told of this and released him from his flogging immediately. Knowing now that he held a Roman citizen in custody without a trial made him very concerned. He now realized how close him came to committing a serious offense against a Roman citizen. 

            The commander wanted to get to the bottom of this so he “ordered the leading priests into session with the Jewish high council.” Then released Paul to stand before them. 

Until next time, walk with the King and be a blessing.

In His name & for His glory,

Rich Keller

Bread of Life Ministries

Resources: The Life Application Study Bible; Expositor's Bible Commentary (Abridged Edition): New Testament.