Mark 13:9

to councils Of the actual hearers of the Lord some were destined to find this true within little more than fifty days. Thus, in Acts 4:3, we find all the Apostles brought before the Sanhedrim, and again in Acts 5:18; Acts 5:27. Similarly, St Paul was brought before the same Council, Acts 23:1.

in the synagogues ye shall be beaten "Of the Jews," says St Paul (2 Corinthians 11:24), "five times received I forty stripessave one;" "thrice was I beaten with rods." It was part of the duties of the Chazzan, or minister in each synagogue, to maintain order, and scourge the condemned.

before rulers and kings Thus St Paul stood before Felix(Acts 24:10-22), before Festus(Acts 25:1-11), before Agrippa(Acts 26:1-23), before Nero(2 Timothy 4:16). Our Lord also, we may believe, alluded to the general persecutions of the Christians in later times, and especially to that of the emperor Nero, in which St Peter and St Paul suffered martyrdom.