Which sect was Paul’s?

This is our second study from the Book of Acts. Have you ever asked yourself which sect did Paul call his? A quote of Paul provides the answer when he was questioned by Governor Felix during his trial.

But this I admit to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our ancestors, believing everything laid down according to the Law or written in the Prophets (Acts 24:14).[1]

What is a sect? The author of Acts provides that answer too.

Then the high priest took action; he and all who were with him (that is, the sect of the Sadducees) . . . (Acts 5:17)

But some believers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees stood up . . . (Acts 15:5)

We have found, in fact, found this man a pestilent fellow, an agitator among the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes (Acts 24:5)

Based on the evidence provided by the author of Acts, the Way was a group like the Sadducees, Pharisees and the Nazarenes. The one thing they all have in common is that they were Jewish sects.

It is interesting that Paul said he belonged to the Way, even though he was accused of being the ringleader of the Nazarenes. If he belonged to the Nazarenes, wouldn’t you expect him to say so, instead of saying he belonged to the Way? Was the Way a different sect from the Nazarenes?

The discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls added some new information that may be relevant to this discussion. Below is a quote that appears several times.

“. . . and righteous judgment and the chosen of the Way, each according to his spirit according to the norm of the Endtime.” (4QS MS B Frag. 8 [cf. 1QS 9:17-22])[2]

“The Way” appears a number of times in the Dead Sea Scrolls and it is used to mean different things, including a reference to a group.  

Saul, before he was identified as Paul in Acts, makes it clear that members of the Way were the ones that he had previous hunted and hoped to arrest.

Meanwhile Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest and asked him for letters to the synagogues at Damascus, so that if he found any who belonged to the Way, men or women, he might bring them bound to Jerusalem. (Acts 9:1-2)

Saul was searching for “disciples of the Lord who belonged to the Way.” As we saw in the previous study of Acts, there were also “disciples of Jesus that belonged to the Pharisees.” This raises an interesting question: Was Saul only searching for the disciples of the Lord that belonged to the Way and not those who belonged to other Jewish sects?

Paul was actively involved in teaching his disciples, after the Damascus Road experience, at Antioch. This happened long before he was arrested and testified before Governor Felix, as we saw above. A very important event took place there.

Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. (Acts 11:25-26)

The text appears to indicate that the disciples were called “Christians” by outsiders, who were not members of the group. The word “Christians” for those living in Antioch would probably be understood and “Anointed Ones.” Did the outsiders view them as a whole sect of “Anointed Ones?” Jesus never called his group “Christians,” so, since Paul’s teachings play a major role in the doctrines of modern Christianity, should Christians call themselves members of the Way instead?

This brings me to the end of the second study from the Book of Acts. If you enjoyed it and would like to see more from this amazing book, please let me know. Add a comment below or send an email to jim@biblicalheritage.org

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[1] New Testament quotes are from The Jewish Annotated New Testament New Revised Standard Version Bible Translation edited by Amy-Jill Levine and Marc Zvi Brettler; © 2011 Oxford University Press, New York, New York.

[2] The Dead Sea Scrolls, Hebrew, Aramaic, and Greek Texts with English Translations, Volume 1; Rule of the Community and Related Documents, edited by James H. Charlesworth; © 1994 J. C. B. Mohr (Paul Siebeck), Tubingen, Germany, distributed by John Knox Press, Louisville, Kentucky; pp. 65, 77, 79, 89, 93.