Before Agrippa, Bernice, and assembled dignitaries, Paul recounts his Pharisaic upbringing, his hope in the resurrection promise to the fathers, and his former persecution of Jesus' followers authorized by the chief priests. The Damascus road christophany is narrated in detail, with Jesus commissioning Paul as minister and witness to both Jews and Gentiles, opening eyes and turning people from darkness to light, from Satan's power to God, for forgiveness and inheritance among the sanctified by faith. Festus declares Paul mad, Agrippa admits near-persuasion to become a Christian, and all agree Paul has done nothing deserving death or imprisonment but cannot be released because he appealed to Caesar.
Read Acts Chapter 26 Summary
Original
Characters in This Chapter
Places in This Chapter
Nazareth
View on MapNazareth is the town in Galilee where Jesus grew up and spent most of his life before his public ministry. It was a small, obscure village in ancient times, which led Nathanael to ask "Can anything good come from Nazareth?" The angel Gabriel appeared to Mary here to announce she would give birth to the Son of God. Jesus was known as "Jesus of Nazareth" throughout his ministry.
Damascus
View on MapDamascus is one of the oldest continuously inhabited cities in the world and plays a significant role in biblical history. It was on the road to Damascus that Saul of Tarsus had his dramatic encounter with the risen Christ and was converted, becoming the apostle Paul. The prophet Elijah was told to anoint Hazael as king of Syria in Damascus. The city is mentioned throughout both the Old and New Testaments.
The Temple
View on MapThe Temple in Jerusalem was the permanent house of worship built by Solomon on Mount Moriah. Destroyed by Babylon, it was rebuilt by Zerubbabel and later greatly expanded by Herod. Jesus taught in the Temple courts, cleared it of merchants, and predicted its destruction, which occurred in 70 AD.
Position in Book
Jerusalem ChurchChapters 1-7
Expansion to Judea/SamariaChapters 8-12
Paul's First JourneyChapters 13-14
Jerusalem CouncilChapters 15
Paul's Second JourneyChapters 16-18
Paul's Third JourneyChapters 19-21
Paul's Trials and RomeChapters 22-28
Arrest, trials, appeal to Caesar, shipwreck, Rome.
Bible Bites
The Gospel Spreads in 28 Chapters
The book of Acts contains 28 chapters chronicling the explosive growth of the early church from Jerusalem to Rome. Written by Luke as a sequel to his Gospel, it begins with 120 believers in an upper room and ends with Paul preaching boldly in the capital of the Roman Empire.
ActsThe narrator joins the story
In Acts 16:10, Luke suddenly switches from 'they' to 'we,' revealing he personally joined Paul's missionary journey. These 'we passages' (Acts 16, 20-21, 27-28) provide eyewitness accounts showing Luke was present for key events including Paul's shipwreck.
Acts 16:10