When our group had sailed from Tyre, we arrived at Ptolemais, greeted the brothers and sisters, and stayed with them for one day.
The next day we left and went on to Caesarea. We went into the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven, and stayed with him.
He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
After we had been there for some days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea.
He came to us, took Paul’s belt, tied his own hands and feet with it, and said, “The Holy Spirit says, ‘This is how the Jews in Jerusalem will bind the man who owns this belt and hand him over to the Gentiles.’”
When we heard this, we and the local people begged Paul not to go up to Jerusalem.
Then Paul answered, “Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound but even to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus.”
When he would not be persuaded, we stopped pleading and said, “Let the Lord’s will be done.”
After this, we packed our belongings and went up to Jerusalem.
Some of the believers from Caesarea accompanied us and brought us to the home of Mnason, an early believer from Cyprus.
The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present.
After greeting them, Paul reported everything God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.
When they heard it, they praised God and said to Paul, “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law.
But they have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to abandon Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or follow the customs.
What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come.
So do what we tell you: we have four men who have made a vow.
Take these men and purify yourself along with them, and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Then all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself live in obedience to the law.
As for the Gentiles who have become believers, we have sent a letter with our instructions that they should abstain from what has been sacrificed to idols, from blood, from meat of strangled animals, and from fornication.”
Paul took the men, and the next day, after purifying himself along with them, went into the temple to announce the completion of the days of purification, until the offering was made for each one of them.
When the seven days were almost completed, the Jews from Asia, who had seen Paul in the temple, stirred up the whole crowd and laid hands on him,
shouting, “Men of Israel, come to our aid! This is the man who is teaching everyone everywhere against our people and our law and this place. Moreover, he has even brought Greeks into the temple and defiled this holy place!”
For they had previously seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city and assumed Paul had brought him into the temple.
The whole city was in turmoil, and the people rushed together, seizing Paul and dragging him out of the temple. Immediately the gates were shut.
As they were trying to kill him, the tribune of the cohort and the captain of the soldiers came up and arrested him, and ordered him to be bound with two chains.
Then they asked who he was and what he had done.
Some in the crowd were shouting one thing, others another, but when the tribune had silenced the crowd, he asked Paul to speak.
When Paul had made a gesture with his hand to the crowd, he was silent and said, “Men, brothers, and fathers, hear the defense that I now make before you.”
This is the Patristics text that appears when you select Patristics.
