Les Feldick Bible Study

What kind of Jew was Ananias according to Acts 22?

Acts 22 describes Ananias as a devout man according to the law—a law-keeping Jew. Though he was in Antioch, he remained observant of the Mosaic law, illustrating that early believers still lived under law prior to the revelation of the mystery of grace to the Gentiles.

Les teaches that when Paul rehearsed his conversion outside Damascus in Acts 22, he identified Ananias as a devout man after the law. Les concludes that Ananias was a law-keeping Jew, even though he was clear up there in Antioch. This illustrates the larger situation in Acts: believing Jews at Jerusalem still contended with Peter over eating with uncircumcised Gentiles because they were still under the law. God had not yet revealed the secret of grace going to the Gentiles; He was still dealing with the nation of Israel under the law.

More Questions

Was Ananias in Acts 22 a law-keeping Jew?

In Acts 22, Paul describes Ananias as a devout man after the law, showing that even this early believer was a law-keeping Jew even though he was located in Antioch as Les states.