Gamaliel was a figure in the New Testament, renowned as a wise and respected Pharisee and leader within the Jewish Sanhedrin. He is notably recognized for his lenient approach to the Old Testament law, contrasting with more stringent contemporaries. Gamaliel is perhaps best known from the Book of Acts, where during a crucial Sanhedrin meeting, he advised caution and tolerance towards Jesus' followers, suggesting that if their movement were of human origin, it would fail. Still, if divine, it could not be stopped.
He also played a pivotal role in the education of Saul of Tarsus, who later became the Apostle Paul. Under Gamaliel's tutelage, Saul received a profound education in the Hebrew Scriptures, which made him a formidable advocate for Christianity across diverse cultural contexts.
As with obscure figures in the Bible, we only have a few verses to go off them. So, let's first look at what the Bible says about him and then dive into extra-biblical sources such as Josephus.
Acts 5:33-40: "When they heard this, they were furious and wanted to put them to death. But a Pharisee named Gamaliel, a teacher of the law, who was honored by all the people, stood up in the Sanhedrin and ordered that the men be put outside for a little while. Then he addressed the Sanhedrin: “Men of Israel, consider carefully what you intend to do to these men. Some time ago Theudas appeared, claiming to be somebody, and about four hundred men rallied to him. He was killed, all his followers were dispersed, and it all came to nothing. After him, Judas the Galilean appeared in the days of the census and led a band of people in revolt. He too was killed, and all his followers were scattered. Therefore, in the present case I advise you: Leave these men alone! Let them go! For if their purpose or activity is of human origin, it will fail. But if it is from God, you will not be able to stop these men; you will only find yourselves fighting against God.” His speech persuaded them. They called the apostles in and had them flogged. Then they ordered them not to speak in the name of Jesus, and let them go."
Acts 22:3: "I am a Jew, born in Tarsus in Cilicia, but brought up in this city, educated at the feet of Gamaliel according to the strict manner of the law of our fathers, being zealous for God as all of you are this day."
For context, in the first passage, the disciples had made a stir in Jerusalem, and the Sanhedrin wanted none of it. They'd already tried to silence Jesus, and now his followers were claiming to have been transformed by him. But Gamaliel steps in and convinces them not to kill the apostles. He essentially says, "If this isn't from God, it'll fizzle out. If it is from God, we can't stop it." He convinces them to let the apostles go; because of this, they have more of a chance to spread the Gospel.
The second passage refers to Paul. He studied under Gamaliel. We'll address more of this in a moment.
So we know that he is a Pharisee, is part of the Sanhedrin, and taught the man who would eventually pen the majority of the New Testament. What else do we know about him? For that, we have to go to extra-biblical sources.
Josephus describes Gamaliel as coming from an affluent family, which meant he had a greater influence on the assemblies of the Jewish leaders. His name also appears to mean "prince" or "master."
The Talmud also mentions Gamaliel, but we don't learn much about him except for the fact that when he dies, locusts come, and "troubles increase."
Unfortunately, past there, we don't know much about him—except for an apocryphal text that Christians should read with extreme discernment. We have no idea if he eventually converted to Christianity or not. But we do know that he played a major role in helping to advance the Gospel by sparing the lives of its mouthpieces.
As mentioned before, the Jewish leaders had their hearts set on killing Peter and the other apostles. Had they done so, the Gospel would not have advanced in the way it did, and we would not have various books from the New Testament such as 1 & 2 Peter.
Gamaliel steps in and explains that previous revolts have died as soon as the leader got taken out. He uses the example of Theudas, a false messiah and rabble-rouser, according to GotQuestions, that made an appearance in the first century, around the time of Jesus.
Josephus has to say this about Theudas: "It came to pass, while Fadus was procurator of Judea, that a certain charlatan, whose name was Theudas, persuaded a great part of the people to take their effects with them, and follow him to the river Jordan; for he told them he was a prophet, and that he would, by his own command, divide the river, and afford them an easy passage over it. Many were deluded by his words. However, Fadus did not permit them to make any advantage of his wild attempt, but sent a troop of horsemen out against them. After falling upon them unexpectedly, they slew many of them, and took many of them alive. They also took Theudas alive, cut off his head, and carried it to Jerusalem."
He essentially says, "Let's see this thing play out. If it's all based on a lie (like it was for Theudas), then it'll die out." Two thousand years later, it still exists today.
More importantly, we see Gamaliel's influence on the advancement of the Gospel through his instruction to Paul. Paul, obviously, did not receive a Christian education from Gamaliel. But it does say that Paul was educated in the strict manner of the law. This plays a massive role in his writings to the church. His strong Old Testament background helped him to present clear arguments to the Jewish people based on the law and prophets that they had received prior to Jesus' arrival.
Because Gamaliel came from a wealthy background, this meant that Paul had the best education possible. This meant that when he developed a zeal for God, he used those tools to teach, preach, and write letters to the churches he planted.
My second-grade teacher asked us, "Do you believe that a non-Christian could lead someone to Christ?" My eight-year-old self was quick to say, "No." But after looking at the story of Gamaliel all these years later, we see God using those who don't follow him to fulfill his plan. I remember how, in my philosophy classes in college, I would see a Gospel thread in the messages of Plato, Aristotle, the Stoics, etc. Even though these men were as far from the Gospel as possible, they couldn't help but allude to it.
Think about the evil prophet Balaam and how God used him to proclaim a blessing over Israel rather than a curse.
God can use anyone to advance his Gospel, even those who do not believe in it. Even if Gamaliel never converted (perhaps he did, perhaps not), he recognized that no one could stand in the way of God's plans. And the same goes today for anyone who attempts to oppose the Gospel and the spreading of the wonderful news of Christ.
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Hope Bolinger is an acquisitions editor at End Game Press, book editor for hire, and the author of almost 30 books. More than 1500 of her works have been featured in various publications. Check out her books at hopebolinger.com for clean books in most genres, great for adults and kids. Check out her editing profile at Reedsy.com to find out about hiring her for your next book project.