The word `both' necessitates a two-fold witness. Just as a believing and intelligent reading of John 16:12-14

compels us to seek for a subsequent revelation after the Spirit of Truth had come, so equally a believing and

intelligent reading of Acts 26:16-18 compels us to seek for that subsequent revelation of truth that was given after

Paul had become the prisoner of the Lord for the Gentiles. This revelation is found in those epistles that bear the

stamp of prison, namely: Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and 2 Timothy. These epistles contain the revelation of

the Mystery, and give dispensational grounds for the Gentiles' right to the blessings summarized in Acts 26:18.

In verse 24, Paul's defence is interrupted by Festus crying with a loud voice: `Paul, thou art beside thyself; much

learning doth make thee mad'. It is rather strange that, for entirely different reasons, Paul is twice interrupted upon

reaching the word `Gentiles'. The fanatical Jews hear him up to this point, and then cry `Away with him'. Festus

also hears him up to the same point, and concludes that a Jew who imagines that he can possibly have

a mission and a message to the Gentiles must be mad.

It is sad to think that there are many Christians who, by their opposition to the apostle's claims and their attitude

towards those who would make these claims known, take practically the same position as that taken by Festus when

he said of the apostle, `Much learning doth make thee mad'. Paul, however, understands the attitude of Festus, and

answers him courteously. He had listened

with growing wonder to a tale of visions, revelations, persecutions, prophecies, the assertion that sins could be

forgiven, and that the darkness not only of the Jew but also of the Gentile could be dispersed. It was no wonder that

his Roman upbringing would not allow him to accept such statements at all readily.

Having replied to Festus, the apostle turns again to Agrippa. King Agrippa had a knowledge of Moses and the

prophets, and he also knew the facts of the past few years. As Paul says in verse 26, `This thing was not done in a

corner'. And so, in verse 27, the apostle asks: `King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou

believest'. How are we to understand Agrippa's reply? On this point, Farrar writes:

`Not old in years, but accustomed from his boyhood to an atmosphere of cynicism and unbelief, he could only

smile with the good-natured contempt of a man of the world at the enthusiastic earnestness which could even for

a moment fancy that he would be converted to the heresy of the Nazarenes with their crucified Messiah, ... "You

are trying to persuade me off-hand to be a Christian" he said with a half-suppressed smile' - (Farrar).

Lewin, on the other hand, writes:

`Agrippa was deeply moved, and the confession fell unbidden from his lips "Almost thou persuadest me to be a

Christian"`.

Another interpretation is this:

`En oligo, as the expression is used by the apostle himself in another place (Eph 3:3) may mean, "in short" ... "In

short, you are persuading me, the most zealous of Moses' followers, to be a Christian", But this interpretation is

not consistent with Paul's reply, "I would to God that both almost (en oligo) and altogether (en pollo) ..."` -

(Lewin).

Conybeare and Howson give the following note:

`En oligo cannot mean "almost", which would be par oligon. It might mean either "in a few words" (Eph 3:3),

or "in a small measure" or "in a small time" ... We might render the passage thus: "Thou thinkest to make me a

Christian with a little persuasion". We should observe that peitheis, "persuade" is in the present tense, and that

the title "Christian" was one of contempt' - see 1 Pet. 4:16.

The note in The Companion Bible is as follows: `To put it briefly, thou art persuading me to become a Christian'.

We feel reluctant to part with the thought enshrined in the words `almost persuaded', but truth is greater than

sentiment. Pilate before the Saviour asked `What is truth?' but there is no reason to believe that he was really

seeking the light. Felix, too, enquired of Paul concerning faith in Christ, and actually trembled as he heard, but there

is no evidence that there was the slightest movement towards repentance. And so it seems, alas, to have been with