Under Whose Authority Did Saul Act?

According to the book of Acts, Saul acted under the authority of the high priest (the chief priest) and of the sanhédrin — afficher la définition INF003, the supreme religious council of Jerusalem.

Several texts confirm this:

• In Acts 9.1-2, Saul goes to the high priest to ask him for official letters addressed to the synagogues — afficher la définition INF090 of Damascus, authorizing him to arrest the disciples of Jesus.
• In Acts 22.5, Paul testifies: “The high priest and the whole council of elders can bear me witness. I even received letters from them for the brethren in Damascus.”
• In Acts 26.10-12, Paul states that he had received “authority from the chief priests” and that he cast his vote against Christians condemned to death.

However, Luke stresses that Saul went beyond this official mandate. The expression “ravaging the Church” (Acts 8.3) and his own admission of being “exceedingly enraged” (Acts 26.11) show that his personal zeal far exceeded the instructions he had received. He was not content to carry out orders: he was the very driving force of the persecution, spurred on by his conviction that he was defending the purity of the Jewish faith (Galatians 1.14).