Acts 22:26-28

Acts 22:26-28

[26] When  the centurion  heard  that, he went  and told  the chief captain,  saying,  what  thou doest:  for  this  man  a Roman.  [27] Then  the chief captain  came,  and said  unto him,  Tell  thou  a Roman?  He said,  Yea.  [28] the chief captain  answered,  With a great  sum  obtained  freedom.  And  Paul  said,  But  was free born. 

What does Acts 22:26-28 Mean?

Contextual Meaning

During the reign of Emperor Claudius (A.D41-54) it was possible to obtain Roman citizenship for a high price. Claudius Lysias" name probably has some connection with the emperor Claudius since the commander had evidently purchased his citizenship under the reign of this emperor. This had not always been possible in the empire. Earlier the government conferred citizenship for rendering valuable service to a Roman general or high official. [1] This is probably how Paul"s father or grandfather received his citizenship. As the son of a Roman citizen, Paul inherited this status; it did not come to him because he was a citizen of Tarsus. Tarsus was a free city, not a colony of Rome like Philippi. Born citizens enjoyed greater respect than Romans who had bought their citizenship. [2]
Roman citizens kept the documents proving their status in secure places, and nothing external identified them as citizens. People normally accepted a verbal claim to being a Roman citizen at face value since to claim citizenship falsely was a capital offense. [3] Claudius Lysias took the course of action that was safest for him and accepted Paul"s claim.
"Perhaps he [4] carries his diploma, a wooden diptych containing his registration as a citizen." [5]