Acts 23:5

As the high priest, when present, presided over the Sanhedrin, it is somewhat strange that St. Paul should not have known who Ananias was. A possible explanation is that St. Paul was somewhat short-sighted.

Thou shalt not speak evil] see Exodus 22:28.

6f. The Sadducees, who disbelieved a future life or a resurrection, derided the supposed appearance of the risen Jesus; but the Pharisees, who believed both, heard St. Paul's story with considerable sympathy. St. Paul then; seeing how matters stood, declared himself a Pharisee of the Pharisees. He declared that, like the Pharisees, he looked for the coming (i.e. the Second Coming) of the Messiah ('the hope' of Israel), and for the future resurrection of the dead, and claimed Pharisaic sympathy against his Sadducean enemies.

11. The appearance was vouchsafed to Paul to assure him that his life would not be cut short before the great desire of his life was attained.