Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 23]
the means in order to see shrewdness and hard sense in what Paul
said and did. Paul knew, of course, that the Sanhedrin was nearly
evenly divided between Pharisees and Sadducees, for he himself
had been a Pharisee. {I am a Pharisee, a son of Pharisees} (\Eg•
Pharisaios eimi huios Pharisai•n\). This was strictly true as we
know from his Epistles (Php 3:5). {Touching the hope and
resurrection of the dead I am called in question} (\peri elpidos
kai anastase•s nekr•n krinomai\). This was true also and this is
the point that Paul mentions in 24:21. His failure to mention
again the fact that he was a Pharisee throws no discredit on
Luke's report here. The chief point of difference between
Pharisees and Sadducees was precisely this matter of the
resurrection. And this was Paul's cardinal doctrine as a
Christian minister. It was this fact that convinced him that
Jesus was the Messiah and was "the very centre of his faith"
(Page) and of his preaching. It was not a mere trick for Paul to
proclaim this fact here and so divide the Sanhedrin. As a matter
of fact, the Pharisees held aloof when the Sadducees persecuted
Peter and the other apostles for preaching resurrection in the
case of Jesus and even Gamaliel threw cold water on the effort to
punish them for it (Ac 5:34-39). So then Paul was really
recurring to the original cleavage on this point and was able to
score a point against the Sadducees as Gamaliel, his great
teacher, had done before him. Besides, "Paul and Pharisaism seem
to us such opposite ideas that we often forget that to Paul
Christianity was the natural development of Judaism" (Page). Paul
shows this in Ga 3; Ro 9-11.
23:7 {When he had so said} (\touto autou lalountos\). Genitive
absolute of present participle (Westcott and Hort) rather than
aorist (\eipontos\). While he was saying this. {A dissension}
(\stasis\). This old word for standing or station (Heb 9:8)
from \hist•mi\, to place, we have seen already to mean
insurrection (Ac 19:40 which see). Here it is strife as in
15:2. {Was divided} (\eschisth•\). See on ¯14:4.
23:8 {There is no resurrection, neither angel, nor spirit} (\m•
einai anastasin m•te aggelon m•te pneuma\). Infinitive with
negative \m•\ in indirect assertion. These points constitute the
chief doctrinal differences between the Pharisees and the
Sadducees. {Both} (\amphotera\). Here used though three items of
belief are mentioned as in 19:16 where the seven sons of Sceva
are thus described. This idiom is common enough in papyri and
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