Book of Common Prayer

³⁴ But then a Pharisee by the name of Gamaliel stood up in the Assembly. He was a law-teacher, highly respected by all the people. He ordered the men to be put outside for a short while.

³⁵ “Men of Israel,” he said to the gathering, “be careful what you do to these men. ³⁶ Before these times Theudas rose up, claiming to be someone special, and about four hundred men went off to join him. But he was killed, and all the people who had trusted him were dispersed. The movement came to nothing. ³⁷ After that, Judas the Galilean arose, in the days of the census, and drew a crowd after himself. But he was killed, and all those who trusted him were scattered. ³⁸ So my advice to you now is this. Leave off from these men; let them be. You see, if this plan or this work is of merely human origin, it will come to ruin. ³⁹ But if it’s from God—well, you won’t be able to stop them. You might even be found to be fighting against God!”

They were persuaded by him, ⁴⁰ and they called the apostles back in. They beat them and told them not to speak in the name of Jesus. Then they let them go. ⁴¹ They, however, went out from the presence of the Assembly celebrating, because they had been reckoned worthy to suffer disgrace for the Name. ⁴² And all day, in the Temple and from house to house, they did not stop teaching and proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah.

⁴⁵ The result of all this was that several of the Judaeans who had come to Mary, and who had seen what he had done, believed in him. ⁴⁶ But some of them went off to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done.

The plan of Caiaphas

⁴⁷ So the chief priests and the Pharisees called an assembly.

“What are we going to do?” they asked. “This man is performing lots of signs.