Can anybody answer the question why, in Acts Chapter 18 verse 18, Paul cuts off his hair?

ray -

First of all, Welcome to Web-Church.

Yeah, that sounds like a strange thing to end up being noted in a journal. The importance of it is that it was because of a vow Paul made. It doesn't say what the vow was that he made. But, since Paul had been a Pharisee, he may well have wore his hair long in places much as Hassidic Jews do today. If so, then cutting his hair would have been a declaration of severing his affiliation with Pharisaism.

Shalom.

Like Semi stated below, he had cut his hair as a result of a vow that he had made to God at some point in time and he knew it was important to fulfil the vow he made.

Much love,
Taykems

Just a note. Acts 18:6 reads: But when they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook his garments and said to them, “Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” This may be the vow refered to in verse 18. AFter cutting his hair, would he still be heard in the synagogue.?

God Bless

Paul had his hair cut, probably in compliance with some Jewish law. The other men (4 in all) had made a vow.

Acts 21:
"They are all zealous for the law, 21 and they have been told about you that you teach all the Jews who are among the Gentiles to forsake Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or walk according to our customs. 22 What then is to be done? They will certainly hear that you have come. 23 Do therefore what we tell you. We have four men who are under a vow; 24 take these men and purify yourself along with them and pay their expenses, so that they may shave their heads. Thus all will know that there is nothing in what they have been told about you, but that you yourself also live in observance of the law. "

The Jews were spreading a rumor that Paul had advised and taught that they should forsake the laws of Moses (OT regulations). But by paying the expenses (as dictated by the law of Moses) and shaving his own hair, he would demonstrate that he himself kept the law. Paying their "expenses" was probably some sort of monetary expense to the priest or to the temple. The days of purification probably referred to some time fulfillment after which they would be ceremonially clean. I don't know which particular OT passage Acts 21 was referring to. We are not even told what vow the men had made.

Two things to note. I believe Paul continued to keep the OT law even though he was free from the law through Christ. I believe further that he did not advise nor require the Gentiles to become bound to keep the Law (like circumcision or animal sacrifices). But he did not advise the Jewish believers to abandon the OT Law, which is what he was accused of doing.

Nobody has answered the question correctly. Not only was this shaving of his head not a symbol of him disbanding from Judaism, but it was the complete opposite of that. It's funny how one can take a section of the bible and make it mean the opposite of what it says. In acts, Paul makes first first and only visit to Jerusalem and apostles. This church in Jerusalem is run by James the Righteous (brother of Jesus) and Peter. The church consists of entirely Jewish followers who are all still observant and obedient to the Laws that God gave the Jews through Moses, known as the Law or as Torah. Peter and James were concerned with this new guy named Paul because they had heard some troubling rumors that contrary to how they were living, Paul was teaching his followers to abandon the Law. After inspecting Paul, they conclude that the rumors were false, and that Paul himself is observant of the Old Testament laws ( which at this time, was not called the "old testament", the phrase being coined later by pauline Christians). As such, the apostles request Paul to make a vow at the temple with 4 other men. This vow is none other than the nazarite vow. The nazarite vow included a portion where the persons taking the vow shave their head along with making a temple sacrifice. During the vow, the hair must not be cut, and the vows can be for a few years to a lifetime. Samson for example was under a nazarite vow for life, that's why he could never cut his hair. The portion of the temple sacrifice was the one the apostles were interested in seeing, as one of the rumors was that Paul had been teaching against the Temple and sacrifices. Paul agrees to the request and goes off. Surprisingly though, all the troubling rumors that the apostles had heard concerning Paul were later shown to be true through Pauls own works, such as galations. The apostles would never know this as he never wrote any letters to Jerusalem, or if he did, we don't have them and thus do not know what he wrote in them. As far as they were concerned (from their meeting in acts) he was not teaching the things he actually was.

13“‘Now this is the law for the Nazirite when the period of his separation is over. He is to be brought to the entrance to the Tent of Meeting. 14There he is to present his offerings to the LORD: a year-old male lamb without defect for a burnt offering, a year-old ewe lamb without defect for a sin offering, a ram without defect for a fellowship offering,a 15together with their grain offerings and drink offerings, and a basket of bread made without yeast—cakes made of fine flour mixed with oil, and wafers spread with oil.

16“‘The priest is to present them before the LORD and make the sin offering and the burnt offering. 17He is to present the basket of unleavened bread and is to sacrifice the ram as a fellowship offering to the LORD, together with its grain offering and drink offering.

18“‘Then at the entrance to the Tent of Meeting, the Nazirite must shave off the hair that he dedicated. He is to take the hair and put it in the fire that is under the sacrifice of the fellowship offering.

19“‘After the Nazirite has shaved off the hair of his dedication, the priest is to place in his hands a boiled shoulder of the ram, and a cake and a wafer from the basket, both made without yeast. 20The priest shall then wave them before the LORD as a wave offering; they are holy and belong to the priest, together with the breast that was waved and the thigh that was presented. After that, the Nazirite may drink wine.

21“‘This is the law of the Nazirite who vows his offering to the LORD in accordance with his separation, in addition to whatever else he can afford. He must fulfill the vow he has made, according to the law of the Nazirite.’”

Now compare the nazarite vow account with the story in acts.

"17When we arrived at Jerusalem, the brothers received us warmly. 18The next day Paul and the rest of us went to see James, and all the elders were present. 19Paul greeted them and reported in detail what God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry.

20When they heard this, they praised God. Then they said to Paul: “You see, brother, how many thousands of Jews have believed, and all of them are zealous for the law. 21They have been informed that you teach all the Jews who live among the Gentiles to turn away from Moses, telling them not to circumcise their children or live according to our customs. 22What shall we do? They will certainly hear that you have come, 23so do what we tell you. There are four men with us who have made a vow. 24Take these men, join in their purification rites and pay their expenses, so that they can have their heads shaved. Then everybody will know there is no truth in these reports about you, but that you yourself are living in obedience to the law. 25As for the Gentile believers, we have written to them our decision that they should abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality.”

26The next day Paul took the men and purified himself along with them. Then he went to the temple to give notice of the date when the days of purification would end and the offering would be made for each of them."