‘Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian’

Many modern commentators think that the Authorised (King James) Version translation of Acts 26.28, ‘Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian’, is incorrect and claim that ‘the Greek words cannot possibly bear the meaning which is thus put upon them’. Instead they suppose that Agrippa is asking a question, not in earnest, but derisively and sarcastically, as rendered in the English Standard Version (ESV): ‘In a short time would you persuade me to be a Christian?’ But there are a number of problems with this modern understanding of the verse, and a number of clear and cogent reasons for favouring the translation found in the Authorised (King James) Version.

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