They’ve known me for a long time, and they could tell you, if they wanted to, that I’ve lived by the rules of the Pharisees. Their rules are harder to obey than those of any other Jewish group.
Paul knew that some of them were Sadducees and others were Pharisees. So he called out to the members of the Sanhedrin, “My brothers, I’m a Pharisee. I come from a family of Pharisees. I’m on trial because I believe that people will rise from the dead.”
“I’m a Jew. I was born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but I grew up here in Jerusalem. I studied with Gamaliel, who trained me well in the law that was given to our people long ago. I wanted to honor God as much as any of you do.
“We’ve found that this Paul is a troublemaker. Everywhere he goes in the world, riots break out among the Jews. He’s the leader of a cult called the Nazarenes.
The high priest and the whole Council could tell you this themselves. I even asked them to write official letters to their friends in Damascus so I could go there and bring Jesus’ followers as prisoners to Jerusalem to be punished.
It is true that I worship the God of our people as a follower of the Way of Jesus. They call it a cult, but everything I believe agrees with the Law and the Prophets.