Be it known unto you all
The members of the sanhedrim: and to all the people of
Israel;
who might hear of this affair; for the apostle was not ashamed of
what he had done, nor of the person in whose name he had done it:
that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth;
by calling, on that name, and by making use of it, and by the
power and authority of Jesus Christ, who by way of contempt was
called the Nazarene: whom ye crucified;
for though Pilate delivered him to be crucified, and the Roman
soldiers did crucify him, yet this was at the request and
instigation of the chief priests, Scribes, and elders; and
therefore it is ascribed to them, who were bent upon his death;
and no other would satisfy them, but the shameful and painful
death of the cross: whom God raised from the
dead;
of which the apostles were witnesses, having seen him and
conversed with him after his resurrection; and this was the
doctrine they were sent to publish, and for which they were
apprehended and detained in custody; but this did not deter them
from preaching it, no, not before the sanhedrim; which was an
instance of great courage and faithfulness: and this is the
rather mentioned; to show, that it was not by the name of one
that was dead, but of one that was alive, that this cure was
performed; as well as to observe to them, that their efforts
against Christ were vain and fruitless: even by him doth
this man stand here before you whole;
from whence it appears, as well as from ( Acts 4:18 ) that the man
that was healed, was now present: and either he was laid hold on,
and detained in custody with the apostles, in hope to discover
fraud if they could; or hearing that the apostles were before the
sanhedrim, and examining on his account, might come of himself,
in order to attest and prove the matter of fact, and to vindicate
them.