In Acts 21–23 Luke describes Paul in two ways which seem to be at odds with one another. On the one hand, Paul is described as a Jew, on the other as a citizen of the Greek city of Tarsus (21:39). Paul claims that, from an early age, he was brought up in Jerusalem at the feet of Gamaliel (22:3). Furthermore, Paul is quick to assert that he is both a Roman citizen (22:25,27,28), and a strict Pharisee from a Pharisaic family (23:6). This description presents difficulties.

The purpose of this chapter will be to show that in Acts 21:27 to 23:11 Luke has described Paul in such a way as to make him a most striking figure in the first-century Greco-Roman world. As has been stressed in the previous chapter, and will be indicated in the chapters to come, the Greco-Roman world placed great significance upon one's breeding, one's social status, one's prestige, and one's authority.

In both what is explicitly stated and what is implicitly presented, Luke is concerned to show that Paul was just such a man of prestige, status, and authority. Therefore a proper understanding of the biographical data presented by Luke in 21:17 to 23:11, is crucial to a correct comprehension of all subsequent events recorded in Acts.