Acts 23:8

8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)

Acts 23:8 in Other Translations

King James Version (KJV)
8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit: but the Pharisees confess both.
English Standard Version (ESV)
8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, nor angel, nor spirit, but the Pharisees acknowledge them all.
New Living Translation (NLT)
8 for the Sadducees say there is no resurrection or angels or spirits, but the Pharisees believe in all of these.
The Message Bible (MSG)
8 Sadducees have nothing to do with a resurrection or angels or even a spirit. If they can't see it, they don't believe it. Pharisees believe it all.
American Standard Version (ASV)
8 For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit; but the Pharisees confess both.
GOD'S WORD Translation (GW)
8 (The Sadducees say that the dead won't come back to life and that angels and spirits don't exist. The Pharisees believe in all these things.)
Holman Christian Standard Bible (CSB)
8 For the Sadducees say there is no resurrection, and no angel or spirit, but the Pharisees affirm them all.
New International Reader's Version (NIRV)
8 The Sadducees say that people will not rise from the dead. They don't believe there are angels or spirits either. But the Pharisees believe all these things.

Acts 23:8 Meaning and Commentary

Acts 23:8

For the Sadducees say that there is no resurrection
Of the dead, being ignorant of the Scriptures, and the power of God; see ( Matthew 22:23 Matthew 22:29 ) .

neither angel nor spirit;
the Ethiopic version reads, "nor Holy Spirit": but the sense seems to be, that they did not believe any such species of beings as angels, nor indeed any spirits whatever, which were immaterial or immortal; for as for the spirit or soul of man, they took that to be only the temperament of the body, and that it died with it, and did not exist in any separate state after this life: for so Josephus F24 says, that they deny the permanence of the soul, and rewards and punishments in the invisible state. And, according to the Talmudic F25 writers, they denied that there was any other world than this:

but the Pharisees confess both;
the resurrection of the dead, and that there are spirits, both angels and the souls of men, which are immortal. Josephus, in the place before referred to, says, that they hold that every soul is incorruptible or immortal; and that they held the resurrection of the dead, is manifest from the Talmud F26, and other writings of theirs; the Syriac version renders it, "the Pharisees confess all these things"; to which agree the Arabic and Ethiopic versions.


FOOTNOTES:

F24 De Bello Jud. l. 2. c. 10. sect. 19.
F25 T. Bab. Beracot, fol. 54. 1. & Gloss. in ib. & Pirke Abot R. Nathan, c. 5.
F26 T. Bab. Sanhedrin, fol. 90. 2.

Acts 23:8 In-Context

6 Then Paul, knowing that some of them were Sadducees and the others Pharisees, called out in the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I am a Pharisee, descended from Pharisees. I stand on trial because of the hope of the resurrection of the dead.”
7 When he said this, a dispute broke out between the Pharisees and the Sadducees, and the assembly was divided.
8 (The Sadducees say that there is no resurrection, and that there are neither angels nor spirits, but the Pharisees believe all these things.)
9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. “We find nothing wrong with this man,” they said. “What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him?”
10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.

Cross References 1

  • 1. Matthew 22:23; 1 Corinthians 15:12
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