Cheryl Schatz

NN,
I think you should reread what I wrote. After clarifying the different words used, I did not state that you are claiming that the Greek “exousian” was used in Acts 25 but that the essential meaning is “authority” for you wrote “authority/claim as a Roman colonial citizen”. When you input “authority” into the meaning of the text right next to “claim”, you have gone past the actual meaning of the text. Thus you are claiming that although the word “exousian” is not in the text, the general meaning of authority is there. I strongly disagree. Here is where the problem is:

However, the conceptual link, is that for Paul to be able to make a legitimate legal appeal, he had to have the authority to do so.

The correct term would be the “right” to do thing, not the authority. Authority implies the power to command obedience and one in whom authority is vested. Paul had none of this with Rome. He had the “right” to a trial. He had no authority over Rome neither did he have the authority to govern Rome. His “right” to a trial is not even in the same ball part as a woman’s “authority” regarding her husband’s body.

On the topic of where I stand, I prefer to be heard for what I say and not what people will presume that I believe.

I think there are very good reasons to state your position because what you are saying is confusing and unsupported by the text. Honestly if I connected together two unrelated texts as you have and attached them together by ascribing the essence of “authority” when no such authority is evident in the text, I rather think you would be loudly protesting and denouncing my exegesis as contrived and biased.

Perhaps it would be better for you to rethink your example to find a solid case of a real essence of “authority” that could relate to the text under discussion. This would make your point actually heard and much less confusing. Also if you are able to articulate your position, I believe that it would help against people’s presumptions. As you can see by not stating your case, it seems to cause more presumptions than if you had given a clear representation of your view.