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words the stem ver is retained in English. So in the word anastrophe the translation
retains the same stem "conVERsation" a "turn". Anastrepho, the verb, is translated
literally "overthrow" as in John 2: 15 or "return" as in Acts 5: 22; and also in its
secondary sense "to abide", "to behave", "to live" and to "have one's conversation"
(Matt. 17: 22; I Tim. 3: 15; Heb. 13: 18 and Eph. 2: 3). When therefore Paul spoke
of his "conversation in time past in the Jew's religion" he meant his whole course and
manner of life, and he was but adopting a form of argument which is repeated several
times in the New Testament record. Let us acquaint ourselves with this mode of
reasoning so characteristic of the apostle.
(1) In his defence before the multitude.
"I am verily a man which am a Jew, born in Tarsus, a city of Cilicia, yet brought up in this city
(Jerusalem) at the feet of Gamaliel, and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the
fathers, and was zealous toward God, as ye all are this day. And I persecuted this way unto the
death, binding and delivering into prisons both men and women. As also the high priest doth bear
me witness, and all the estate of the elders" (Acts 22: 3-7).
(2) In his defence before Agrippa.
"My manner of life from my youth, which was at the first among mine own nation at Jerusalem,
know all the Jews; which knew me from the beginning, if they would testify, that after the most
straitest sect of our religion I lived a Pharisee . . . . . I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do
many things contrary to the name of Jesus of Nazareth, which thing I also did in Jerusalem . . . . . I
punished them oft in every synagogue, and compelled them to blaspheme; and being exceedingly
mad against them, I persecuted them even unto strange cities" (Acts 26: 4-11).
(3) In his confession when writing to Timothy.
"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, Who hath enabled me, for that He counted me faithful putting me
into the Ministry; who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious; but I obtained
mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (I Tim. 1: 12).
Is this the sort of man that one would expect to evolve from his own heart and mind a
gospel of grace to the Gentile sinner? A man who was a Pharisee, a Jew, a Zealot, a
traditionalist, a blasphemer, and a persecutor? If so, then all argument is at an end.
There is no room for cause and effect in the estimate of human action, all psychology is
emptied of meaning, all the influence of environment and birth set at nought. One has
only to become acquainted with Judaistic teaching and upbringing to know that nothing
short of a miracle can account for the conversion of this Pharisaic persecutor into the
lowly apostle of abounding grace, and nothing short of a miracle is recorded in Acts nine.
One especially Pauline characteristic finds its place in this passage of first Galatians,
the twofold superlative "beyond measure", "more exceedingly". It will be observed in
the "most straitest sect" of Act 26: 5 and in the "less than the least" of Eph. 3: 8.
Among other consequences of his superlative zeal, Paul says that he "persecuted the
Church of God and wasted it" (Gal. 1: 13). There can be no two thoughts about the
meaning of the added words "and wasted it". Portheo occurs three times in the New
Testament and in each case refers to the action of Paul.