Then the high priest
Ananias commanded those standing beside Paul to strike him on the mouth
[to silence him and mark the blasphemy he had just uttered].
[Then as now, an accused person is innocent until proven guilty. Punishing Paul before he was judged was against the law, see . Jesus was also struck on the mouth, see .
Ananias was high priest from 48 CE to around 58 CE. Ananias was known for taking bribes and embezzling sacrificial funds. In 52 AD, he was sent to Rom by Quadratus, the governor of Syria, to be questioned by Emperor Claudius regarding acts of violence he had ordered. His pro-Roman policies made him unpopular with his countrymen. He was brutally murdered during a Jewish revolt in 66 AD.]
