Be it known unto you all
The members of the sanhedrim: and to all the people of Israel;
who might hear of this affair; for the apostle was not ashamed of what he had done, nor of the person in whose name he had done it: that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth;
by calling, on that name, and by making use of it, and by the power and authority of Jesus Christ, who by way of contempt was called the Nazarene: whom ye crucified;
for though Pilate delivered him to be crucified, and the Roman soldiers did crucify him, yet this was at the request and instigation of the chief priests, Scribes, and elders; and therefore it is ascribed to them, who were bent upon his death; and no other would satisfy them, but the shameful and painful death of the cross: whom God raised from the dead;
of which the apostles were witnesses, having seen him and conversed with him after his resurrection; and this was the doctrine they were sent to publish, and for which they were apprehended and detained in custody; but this did not deter them from preaching it, no, not before the sanhedrim; which was an instance of great courage and faithfulness: and this is the rather mentioned; to show, that it was not by the name of one that was dead, but of one that was alive, that this cure was performed; as well as to observe to them, that their efforts against Christ were vain and fruitless: even by him doth this man stand here before you whole;
from whence it appears, as well as from ( Acts 4:18 ) that the man that was healed, was now present: and either he was laid hold on, and detained in custody with the apostles, in hope to discover fraud if they could; or hearing that the apostles were before the sanhedrim, and examining on his account, might come of himself, in order to attest and prove the matter of fact, and to vindicate them.