Acts 23: Paul in the Sanhedrin

The Sanhedrin is the council composed by the chief priest, and the leaders of Pharisees and Sadducees. At that time, the chief priest was Ananias. At Jesus time, the chief priest was Caiaphas, son in law of Annas (and not Ananias). Ananias was a violent, greedy and a volatile person that was assassinated by Jewish Zealots in 66.

1-3 Paul surveyed the members of the council with a steady gaze, and then said his piece: “Friends, I’ve lived with a clear conscience before God all my life, up to this very moment.” That set the Chief Priest Ananias off. He ordered his aides to slap Paul in the face. Paul shot back, “God will slap you down! What a fake you are! You sit there and judge me by the Law and then break the Law by ordering me slapped around!”

Thus, it is bizarre how the good man (Paul) was being judged by the bad man (Ananias). It reminds the judgement of Jesus.

6 Paul, knowing some of the council was made up of Sadducees and others of Pharisees and how they hated each other, decided to exploit their antagonism: “Friends, I am a stalwart Pharisee from a long line of Pharisees. It’s because of my Pharisee convictions—the hope and resurrection of the dead—that I’ve been hauled into this court.”

This statement caused a great confusion in the Sanhedrin because the Sadducees didn´t  believe in resurrection. Paul was taken out alive from the Sanhedrin by the Romans. The nephew of Paul (from his sister) heard a conversation where 40 Jews vowed to not eat until they kill Paul. Who were these Jews? Probably they ware Zealots. The Zealots couldn't think of gentiles (not as converted Jews), being accepted by the Lord. For them, Paul was betraying Israel.