Acts Chapter 22 verse 1 Holy Bible
Brethren and fathers, hear ye the defence which I now make unto you.
read chapter 22 in ASV
My brothers and fathers, give ear to the story of my life which I now put before you.
read chapter 22 in BBE
Brethren and fathers, hear my defence which I now make to you.
read chapter 22 in DARBY
Men, brethren, and fathers, hear ye my defence which I make now unto you.
read chapter 22 in KJV
read chapter 22 in WBT
"Brothers and fathers, listen to the defense which I now make to you."
read chapter 22 in WEB
`Men, brethren, and fathers, hear my defence now unto you;' --
read chapter 22 in YLT
Pulpit Commentary
Pulpit CommentaryVerse 1. - Brethren for men, brethren, A.V. (Acts 7:2, note); the for my, A.V.; now make for make now, A.V. The defense; ἀπολογία This is the technical word in classical Greek for a defense in answer to an accusation. Thus e.g. the oration of Gorgias entitled, Υπὲρ Παλαμήδους ἀπολογία, begins, Ἡ μὲν κατηγορία καὶ ἡ ἀπολογία κρίσις οὐ περὶ θανάτου γίγνεται. And Demosthenes opposes κατηγρσεῖν to accuse, to ἀπολογεῖσθαι, to make one's defense. And an ἀπολογία δικαία καὶ ἁπλῆ is to prove that τὰ κατηγορημένα, "the things of which the person is accused," were never done. But it is probably from St. Paul's use of the word here that it became common to call the defenses of the Christian religion by the term ἀπολογία. Thus we have the 'Apologies' of Justin Martyr, of Tertullian, of Minutius Felix, among the ancients; me 'Apologia Ecclesiae Anglicanae,' by Bishop Jewel, and many others.
Ellicott's Commentary
Ellicott's Commentary for English ReadersXXII.(1) Men, brethren, and fathers.--The apparently triple division is really only two-fold--Brethren and fathers. (See Note on Acts 7:2.) It is noticeable that he begins his speech with the self-same formula as Stephen. It was, perhaps, the received formula in addressing an assembly which included the scribes and elders.
