Acts 26:5

which knew me from the beginnings if they would testify Better (with Rev. Ver.) "having knowledge of me from the first, if they be willing to testify." The word for "from the first" is the same which St Luke uses (Luke 1:3) to indicate his perfect understanding of the Gospel story "from the very first." When we remember that the early part of his Gospel can hardly have been gathered from anybody but the Virgin Mary, who alone could know many of the details, we may well think that the word implies that St Paul had been known from his very childhood. The rest of the sentence seems to intimate that there were some among those who were now his accusers who could give evidence about his previous years if they were so minded.

the most straitest There is nothing in the Greek to warrant the double superlative. Read "straitest."

sect The word is that which is rendered "heresy" by the A. V. in Acts 24:14. Everywhere else in the Acts it is sect. In the Epistles, where the plural only occurs, it is "heresies."

our religion The word refers more especially to the outward ceremonials of worship, such as those by which the Pharisees were specially distinguished.