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Lo Bɔŋanaloo “Bee Ɛrɛ Efɛɛloo”

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The vicious persecutor Saul becomes a zealous minister

Dɛɛa nyɔɔ Doonu 9:1-43

1, 2. Ena Sɔɔl bee nɔɔ lo ekii Damaskɔs wee doo a?

¹Buū bu English

² Buū bu English

3, 4. (a) Ena a bee siraloo Sɔɔl a? (b) Pya amunu ebip na i kɛɛrɛbu loo a?

³ Buū bu English

⁴ Buū bu English

How did Saul get authority to arrest Christians in a foreign city? The Sanhedrin and the high priest exercised moral authority over Jews everywhere, and the high priest’s powers apparently included authority to extradite criminals. Thus, letters from the high priest would elicit the cooperation of the elders of the Damascus synagogues.—Acts 9:1, 2.

The Romans, moreover, had granted the Jews the right to manage their own judicial affairs. This explains how five times the Jews could inflict “40 strokes less one” on the apostle Paul. (2 Cor. 11:24) The book of 1 Maccabees also mentions a letter written by a Roman consul to Ptolemy VIII of Egypt in 138 B.C.E. that demanded: “If any pestilent men have fled to you from their country [Judaea], hand them over to Simon the high priest, that he may punish them according to their law.” (1 Macc. 15:21) In 47 B.C.E., Julius Caesar confirmed the privileges previously granted to the high priest along with his right to settle any questions that arose over Jewish customs.

“Ena Anua O Tɛ̄ŋa Mɛ Loo A?” (Doonu 9:1-5)

5, 6. Ena i dap nɔ aāloo pya ue Jizɔs bee kɔ nɛ Sɔɔl a?

⁵ Buū bu English

⁶ Buū bu English

7. Ena o ɛrɛ edoo lokwa o dap egerebu bu tɛ̄ŋaloo a?

⁷ Buū bu English

“Wuga Sɔɔl, Nɛɛ-a-i-ɛrɛ . . . Eyere Mɛ” (Doonu 9:6-17)

8, 9. Tam a bee lu enɛ Ananaias bee ye dap tɔɔ̄loo doodoo wa?

⁸ Buū bu English

⁹ Buū bu English

10. Ena i dap nɔ aāloo Jizɔs kiiloo kɛ̄ a bee nyɔɔnɛ Ananaias dānia nu doo a?

¹⁰ Buū bu English

11, 12. Ena i nɔ aāloo e’ɛma akiiloo Jizɔs, Ananaias, le Sɔɔl a?

¹¹ Buū bu English

¹² Buū bu English

‘A Bɔātɛ̄ Zue Nu Akiiloo Jizɔs’ (Doonu 9:18-30)

13, 14. Lo o gaa nɔ Baibol sa o sii liamaā, ena o dap nɔ aāloo edoba Sɔɔl a?

¹³ Buū bu English

¹⁴ Buū bu English

15, 16. Ena Sɔɔl bee doo bie bu tɔ bɔŋanaloo a, e pya Juu a le Damaskɔs bee doo dogo doodoo wa?

¹⁵ Buū bu English

¹⁶ Buū bu English

17. (a) Pya nɛɛ doo dogo kumaloo kaka ue a le bu Baibol doodoo wa? (b) Ena i kiisī lo edoo a, e ena anua a?

¹⁷ Buū bu English

18, 19. (a) Sɔ̄ Banabas bee kɔ ue bee Sɔɔl, ena a bee sira aabu a? (b) Bu mɛ sīdee na i dap nɔ Banabas le Sɔɔl a?

¹⁸ Buū bu English

¹⁹ Buū bu English

“Booboo Nɛɛ Yira” (Doonu 9:31-43)

20, 21. Bu mɛ sīdee na pya zooro Bari sɔ̄ akii adumɛ le nyaawo su sɔ̄ ba “ɛrɛ efɛɛloo” daānu leere a?

²⁰ Buū bu English

²¹ Buū bu English

22. Bu mɛ sīdee na o dap su sɔ̄ o ɛrɛ efɛɛloo daānu leere a?

²² Buū bu English

23, 24. (a) Amunu kpog-bee nu na i nɔ aāloo e’ɛma akiiloo Tabita a? (b) Ena i biaɛfii lo edoo a?

²³ Buū bu English

How can you imitate Tabitha?

²⁴ Buū bu English

SAUL THE PHARISEE

The “young man called Saul” who appears in the Acts account at the stoning of Stephen was from Tarsus. It was the capital of the Roman province of Cilicia, in the south of modern-day Turkey. (Acts 7:58) A sizable Jewish community dwelled in that city. According to his own writings, Saul was “circumcised the eighth day, of the nation of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew born from Hebrews; regarding law, a Pharisee.” That was viewed as an impeccable Jewish pedigree!—Phil. 3:5.

Saul’s home was in a large, prosperous trading city, a center of Greek culture. Growing up in Tarsus, Saul knew Greek. It is likely that he would have received his primary education in a Jewish school. Saul learned to be a tentmaker, a skill typical of his native area. In all probability, while still a youth, Saul acquired this trade from his father.—Acts 18:2, 3.

The Acts account also reveals that Saul was born a Roman citizen. (Acts 22:25-28) This means that one of his forebears had already acquired that distinction. How Saul’s family obtained Roman citizenship is unknown. Whatever the case, that privilege would place them among the social elite of their province. Saul’s background and education, then, gave him a firm foothold in three different cultures—Jewish, Greek, and Roman.

Likely, when he was no older than 13, Saul moved 520 miles (840 km) to Jerusalem to continue his education. In that city, Saul studied at the feet of Gamaliel, a highly esteemed teacher in the Pharisaic tradition.—Acts 22:3.

These additional studies, comparable to going to a university today, would consist of instruction in and memorization of both Scripture and Jewish oral law. A successful student of Gamaliel would have a promising career before him, and apparently Saul was just such a student. He later wrote: “I was making greater progress in Judaism than many of my own age in my nation, as I was far more zealous for the traditions of my fathers.” (Gal. 1:14) Of course, Saul’s zeal for Jewish tradition was what turned him into a notorious persecutor of the fledgling Christian congregation.

TABITHA—“SHE ABOUNDED IN GOOD DEEDS”

Tabitha was a member of the Christian congregation in the seaport town of Joppa. Her fellow believers loved her because “she abounded in good deeds and gifts of mercy.” (Acts 9:36) Like many Jews who lived in areas having a mixed Jewish and Gentile population, Tabitha had two names—one Hebrew or Aramaic and the other Greek or Latin. Her Greek name, Dorcas, was rendered “Tabitha” in Aramaic. Both names mean “Gazelle.”

It appears that Tabitha fell sick and suddenly died. As was the custom, her body was washed in preparation for burial. It was laid out in an upper chamber, possibly in her own house. The hot climate of the Middle East required that burials take place either on the day of a person’s death or on the next day. The Christians in Joppa had heard that the apostle Peter was in nearby Lydda. There was enough time for Peter to come to Joppa before Tabitha would have to be buried, since the distance between the two cities was only 11 miles (18 km)—about a four-hour walk. So the congregation dispatched two men to ask Peter to come without delay. (Acts 9:37, 38) Says one scholar: “It was a regular practice in early Judaism to send out emissaries in pairs, in part so that one could validate the testimony of the other.”

What happened when Peter arrived? The account tells us: “They led him up into the upper room; and all the widows presented themselves to him, weeping and showing many garments and robes that Dorcas had made while she was with them.” (Acts 9:39) Among the factors that endeared Tabitha to the members of her congregation was that she was in the habit of sewing for them. She made tunics, worn next to the body, and cloaks or robes, which were worn over the tunic. Whether Tabitha paid for all the material herself or just provided her labor is not stated. In any case, she was loved for her kindness and “gifts of mercy.”

What Peter saw in that upper chamber must have moved him. “This was mourning which was far different from that manifested in the house of Jairus with its noisy, hired mourning women and fluteblowers,” says scholar Richard Lenski. “This was not such artificial mourning as that.” (Matt. 9:23) It was genuine and heartfelt. The fact that no mention is ever made of a husband leads many to conclude that Tabitha was single.

When Jesus commissioned his apostles, he gave them power to “raise up the dead.” (Matt. 10:8) Peter had seen Jesus perform such miracles, including the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter, but we have no record prior to this of an apostle performing a resurrection. (Mark 5:21-24, 35-43) But now Peter put onlookers out of the upper room, and then he prayed earnestly, with the result that Tabitha opened her eyes and sat up. What joy there must have been among the Christians in Joppa when Peter was then able to present to the holy ones and the widows their beloved Tabitha—alive!—Acts 9:40-42.

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