03-25-2010, 04:14 PM
Ben Masada Wrote: BEN: If the accusatons had been false, what did Paul speak in his deffence? Nothing. His silence was enough evidence that everything was true. No wonder he was arrested and taken to Rome, where he died.
I am not seeing the wisdom in using this as a defense for the position that you hold to. Jesus held his silence when accused of the chief priests and elders of the Jewish People as seen in Matthew 27:11-14. If the above that you say is truth, than Jesus admitted to being the King of the Jews. However, I do not think that this was the strategy he was intending. He did though, always answer when it was an accusation of those who were not of his own People. In the case of Jesus and even perhaps in the case of Paul (who never failed to answer in defense when the Jews accused him), it is telling of who it is they cared less of and who they wished to protect. Then, Jesus had love for his own rather than for the Roman leaders and Paul would have been the opposite. Silence is dishonest when it is not used in love and in wisdom.
"You hesitate to stab me with a word, and know not - silence is the sharper sword." Samuel Johnson
Using your reasoning for silence, then you put Jesus in a bad position as well as the Jewish People given that Paul DID defend himself to the Jewish and Jesus did not defend himself only when it was the Jewish People that were said to be accusing them.
Silence is the true friend that never betrays. ~Confucius
My thought? Your understanding of silence is misguided. Jesus loved the Jewish and had little regard for the Roman authority whereas Paul was Roman through and through mentally and so, having little regard for the Jewish People, he had not the problem to make sure that his defense of their accusations against him were quite vocal despite the harm that it would (and has) caused them. <!-- s
--><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/huh.gif" alt="" title="Huh" /><!-- s --> Wisdom is not only the attribute of those who are right in their heart and ignorance is not an attribute only belonging to the heart of those deserving to be in the dark. Think about it. <!-- s:eh: --><img src="{SMILIES_PATH}/eh.gif" alt=":eh:" title="Eh" /><!-- s:eh: -->