Chapter 24 Acts 24
Paul Appears before Governor Felix (vv. 1-9)
Five days later a the High Priest Ananias went to Caesarea with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus. b They appeared before Governor Felix and made their charges against Paul. 2 Then Paul was called in, and Tertullus began to make his accusation, as follows:
“Your Excellency! Your wise leadership has brought us a long period of peace, c and many necessary reforms are being made for the good of our country. 3 We welcome this everywhere and at all times, and we are deeply grateful to you. 4 I do not want to take up too much of your time, however, so I beg you to be kind and listen to our brief d account. e 5 We found this man to be a dangerous nuisance; he starts riots among the Jews all over the world and is a leader of the party of the Nazarenes. f 6 He also tried to defile the Temple, g and we arrested him. 8 If you question this man, you yourself will be able to learn from him all the things that we are accusing him of.” 9 The Jews joined in the accusation and said that all this was true.
Interesting Stuff:
a This was five days after the departure from Jerusalem. This would allow just enough time for a messenger to go from Caesarea to Jerusalem, for the Sanhedrin to appoint their representatives and to travel to Caesarea.
b Tertullus could be a Roman but more likely he was a Hellenistic Jew familiar with the procedures of the Roman court.
c Tertullus began the case for the prosecution by flattering the judge as was the common practice. Many Jews would have been shocked to hear him attributing ‘a long period of peace’ and ‘reforms’ to Felix’s administration. They would hardly be thankful to the governor for he was notorious for his frequent displays of ferocity, cruelty, and greed. In general, his record was not good. He was recalled by Rome two years later because of misrule. But Tertullus knew how to appeal to Felix’s vanity.
d It was also customary to promise to be brief, though the promise was rarely kept.
e Three charges were laid against Paul. Tertullus obviously intended to create the impression in his first two charges that Paul was acting against Roman interests. Paul was accused of:
(i) Disturbing the peace among the Jews and thus creating dissension in the empire which was treason against Caesar.
(ii) Being a ringleader of the Nazarenes, which as a leader of a religious sect without Roman approval, was contrary to the Roman law.
(iii) Attempting to desecrate or defile the Temple. He tried to argue the right for Judaism to impose the death penalty in his third charge.
During his reign over Judea, Felix had repeatedly crucified the leaders of various uprisings and had killed many of their followers for disturbing the Pax Romana, the Roman peace. Tertullus’ endeavor, as supported by the High Priest and the Jewish elders with him, was to put Paul on the same level as these rebels, with the hope that in his insensitivity to the issues, Felix would act in his usual manner simply on the basis of their testimony. As in Jesus’ trial before Pilate, the accusations of Paul’s enemies were framed mainly in political terms, though all along their main grievance against Paul was religious.
f This is the only place in the NT where ‘Nazarene’ is used to describe Christians. It was a term applied to Jesus himself and it was quite likely that Jewish Christians might have been nicknamed this after the name of their leader.
g The charge now is qualified by ‘tried to’, rather than the former claim by the Asian Jews that he defiled the Temple (see 21:28).
Questions:
Who appeared before Governor Felix to make charges against Paul (v. 1)?
2. How did Tertullus begin his speech (vv. 3-4)?
Give a summary of Tertullus’ charges against Paul to the governor (vv. 2-8).
Summary of Section:
- Five days later the High Priest Ananias went to Caesarea with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus.
- They appeared before Governor Felix and made their charges against Paul.
- Tertullus began by praising Felix for his wise leadership which had brought them a long period of peace and the many reforms he had done for the good of their country. He said that they were all deeply grateful to him.
- He then told Felix that he would not take up too much of his time and he would be brief.
- He then made three charges against Paul:
i) They found Paul to be a dangerous nuisance because he started riots among the Jews all over the world.
ii) He was the leader of the party of the Nazarenes.
iii) He tried to defile their Temple and so they arrested him. - He told Felix that if he questioned Paul, he would learn from Paul about all these charges against him. The Jews present joined in the accusations and said that they were all true.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Within a short time, Paul’s case was brought before Felix. His accusers tried to frame him for being a traitor to Judaism and to the government. Jesus’ enemies had followed the same tactics. In their own court, the Sanhedrin, they had accused Jesus of threatening to destroy the Temple and of blaspheming, while before Pilate they had represented him as guilty of going against the Roman authorities (Lk 23:1-3). Now Paul’s enemies laid similar charges against him that he was going against the Jewish Law and the Temple and was starting riots in the city. In chapter 25, he was charged with going against Caesar.
- As a trained and experienced professional lawyer, Tertullus began with a short opening speech (called captatio benevolentiae) which was an attempt to gain the judge’s favour. Traditionally, it would compliment the judge to the point of hypocrisy and often included a promise of being brief.
Paul Defends Himself before Felix (vv. 10-23)
10 The governor then motioned to Paul to speak, and Paul said, h
“I know that you have been a judge over this nation for many years, and so I am happy to defend myself before you. i 11 As you can find out for yourself, it was no more than twelve days ago that I went to Jerusalem to worship. j 12 The Jews did not find me arguing with anyone in the Temple, nor did they find me stirring up the people, either in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city. k 13 Nor can they give you proof of the accusations they now bring against me. l 14 I do admit this to you: I worship the God of our ancestors by following that Way m which they say is false. But I also believe in everything written in the Law of Moses and the books of the prophets. 15 I have the same hope in God that these themselves have, namely, that all people, both the good and the bad, will rise from death. 16 And so I do my best always to have a clear conscience before God and man.
17 “After being away from Jerusalem for several years, I went there to take some money n to my own people and to offer sacrifices. 18 It was while I was doing this that they found me in the Temple after I had completed the ceremony of purification. There was no crowd with me and no disorder. 19 But some Jews from the province of Asia were there; they themselves ought to come before you o and make their accusations if they have anything against me. 20 Or let these men here tell what crime they found me guilty p of when I stood before the Council – 21 except for the one thing I called out when I stood before them: ‘I am being tried by you today for believing that the dead will rise to life.’ ”
22 Then Felix, who was well informed q about the Way, brought the hearing to a close. “When the commander Lysias arrives,” he told them, “I will decide your case.” r 23 He ordered the officer in charge of Paul to keep him under guard, but to give him some freedom s and allow his friends to provide for his needs.
Interesting Stuff:
h Paul’s introduction lacks the flattery employed by Tertullus. He also began with a complimentary statement, but a briefer and more honest one.
i Felix had been in contact with the Jewish nation in Palestine for over a decade, first in Samaria and then as governor over the entire province of Judea. Therefore Paul said that he was pleased to make his defense before someone who was in a position to know the situation as it was and to understand his words in their context.
j In refuting the charges against him, Paul dealt with each in turn. First, it was ‘no more than 12 days ago’ that he came to Jerusalem, not for political agitation but for worship. In such a short time, he implied, there would hardly have been sufficient opportunity to start a revolt.
k Second, his accusers could hardly charge him with being a ring- leader of any rebellion, for he was alone when they arrested him in the Temple. Moreover, they could not cite any time when he was stirring up a crowd anywhere in the city.
l Third, their claim that he desecrated the Temple was unproved because it was entirely without foundation.
m The real reason Ananias and the Jewish elders opposed him, Paul insisted, was religious. He was ‘a follower of the Way’, a Jewish group that agreed with the basic doctrines of Judaism. And while he differed from Ananias and the elders in his acceptance of ‘the Way,’ his conscience in the matter was clear before God and man.
n This is the only time Luke mentions the collection for the poor in Jerusalem, which was so dear to Paul’s own heart. From Paul’s own account in his letters to the Corinthians and Romans, he had brought a substantial sum of money collected from his churches for the poor among the believers in Jerusalem (Ro 15:26). It was a gift from the Gentile Christians to their Jewish brothers as a sign of gratitude for the spiritual blessings of the gospel which ultimately stemmed from the church in Jerusalem. From his letters, it is clear that Paul devoted much time and effort to this collection and regarded its reception by the Jerusalem brothers as an important part of his work.
o Paul’s claim was that if the Asian Jews who instigated the riot had any serious charges against him, they should have been present to accuse him before the governor. Roman law imposed heavy penalties upon accusers who abandoned their charges, and the disappearance of accusers often meant the withdrawal of a charge. Their absence, therefore, suggested that they had nothing against him that would stand up in a Roman court of law.
p Nor did the Sanhedrin, Paul went on, find any crime in him except that he believed in the resurrection of the dead. Therefore, Paul declared, he was on trial because of his belief in the resurrection of the dead and not because of a political crime.
q Felix could not have governed Judea and Samaria for six years without becoming familiar with the place and activities of the Christians.
r Felix could see that the Jewish charges against Paul were entirely religious in nature even though they were presented in the guise of political rebellion. He chose to delay giving a decision although he could have released Paul. However, at the same time, he did not decide in favour of the Jewish authorities. Both Paul and Ananias seem to have realised that Felix had no intention of bringing the case to a decision in the near future. And each of them, for his own reasons, decided to await the appointment of a new provincial governor (anticipated soon) before pressing for a resolution.
s As a Roman citizen, Paul was allowed some freedom and permitted visits from friends to care for his needs.
Questions:
Give the main points of Paul’s speech before the Roman Governor Felix (vv. 10-21).
2. Describe what happened after Paul finished his speech (vv. 22-23).”
Summary of Section:
- The governor then motioned to Paul to speak.
- Paul began by telling him that he was happy to defend himself before Felix because he had been a judge over their nation for many years.
- Paul then made the following points:
i) It was no more than 12 days ago that he went to Jerusalem to worship. The Jews did not find him arguing with anyone there or stirring up the people either in the synagogues or anywhere else in the city.
ii) They could not give Felix any proof of their charges against him.
iii)He admitted that he worshipped the God of their ancestors by following the Way which the Jews claimed to be false. He, however, was a Law- abiding Jew who believed in the Law of Moses and the books of the prophets.
iv) He had the same hope in God as the Jews themselves that all people would rise from the dead.
v) He always did his best therefore to have a clear conscience before God and man.
vi) After being away from Jerusalem for several years, he went there to take some money to his own people and to offer sacrifices.
vii) It was while doing so, having completed the ceremony of purification, that the Jews found him in the Temple. However, there was no crowd with him and no disorder.
vii) Some Jews from Asia were there and they themselves ought to be there before Felix to make their accusations against him if they had anything against him.
ix) Those Jews standing before Felix now should also tell what crime they had found him guilty of when he stood before the Council. The only thing was that he called out that he was being tried by them for believing that the dead would rise to life. - Then Felix, who was well informed about the Way, brought the hearing to a close. He told them that he would decide on the case when the commander Lysias arrived.
- He ordered the officer in charge of Paul to keep him under guard but to give him some freedom and allow his friends to provide for his needs.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Paul also began his speech with a short captatio benevolentiae although it was considerably more modest and moderate than Tertullus’ had been.
- In his account of Paul’s defense before Felix, Luke gives almost equal space to (i) the Jewish charges against Paul (vv. 1-9) (ii) Paul’s reply to these charges (vv. 10-21), and (iii) Felix’s response (vv. 22-27). He wants to show that despite the devious skill of the Jewish charges and the notorious cruelty and corruptibility of Felix, no other conclusions can be drawn from Paul’s appearance before Felix other than that Christianity had nothing to do with political rebel- lion and that Jewish opposition to Christianity sprang from the Christian claim that it fulfils the hopes of Judaism.
- Luke shows us that Paul was as innocent in the charges against him as Jesus had been against his. He had no quarrel with the God-given authority of either the Romans or the Jews.
- Paul’s purpose in declaring that he worshipped the God of their fathers was not just to make a personal declaration but to insist that he shared it with the whole people of God. He worshipped the same God, believed the same truths, shared the same hope and cherished the same ambition of keeping a clear con- science. He was not leading a sect but was loyal to the ancestral faith. The Way that he followed was in direct continuity with the OT for they bore witness to Jesus Christ as the one in whom God’s promises had been fulfilled.
- Paul was confident that no criminal charge could be levied against him because the Jews had no proof and could not substantiate all their charges against him. The original accusers had not even made an appearance. His final comment that he was on trial for his belief in the resurrection serves to bring into focus that this was the real underlying problem.
Paul Appears before Felix and Drusilla (vv 24-27)
24 After some days Felix came with his wife Drusilla, t who was Jewish. He sent for Paul and listened to him as he talked about faith in Christ Jesus. 25 But as Paul went on discussing about goodness, self-control, and the coming Day of Judgment, Felix was afraid u and said, “You may leave now. I will call you again when I get the chance.” 26 At the same time he was hoping that Paul would give him some money; v and for this reason he would call for him often and talk with him.
27 After two years had passed, Porcius Festus succeeded Felix w as governor. Felix wanted to gain favour with the Jews so he left Paul in prison. x
Interesting Stuff:
t Drusilla was the youngest of the three daughters of Herod Agrippa I (whose death Luke had described in 12:20-23), her sisters being Bernice and Mariamme. Bernice was the wife of King Agrippa II who will appear in chapter 25. At the age of 14 she married Azizus, king of Emesa, but left him for Felix. He was so captivated by her beauty that he employed a Cyprian sorcerer to gain her for his wife. She thus left her husband a year after her marriage and became Felix’s third wife. The relationship between these two seemed to have been based upon greed, lust, and expectations of grandeur.
u On hearing about righteousness, self-control and the judgment, Felix could have looked at his life of greed and selfish ambition and become filled with fear in the presence of such preaching. Apparently Drusilla was offended by what she heard for Luke makes no mention of her listening to Paul again.
v Felix’s corruption led him to call Paul before him often in the hope of getting a bribe for his release. He must have believed that Paul had access to some money. Paul had mentioned that he had come to Jerusalem bringing money to the Jewish Christians there.
w After two years, Festus replaced Felix as governor of Judea. According to Josephus, a Jewish historian, Felix’s downfall came through an outbreak of hostilities between the Jews and Syrians at Caesarea. His savage suppression of the dispute resulted in many Jews being killed, taken prisoner, or plundered of their wealth. A delegation of Jews went to Rome to complain. Felix was then recalled to Rome and replaced by Festus in A.D. 60.
x Possibly Felix did not want to incite more anger among the Jews because he would be facing them in Roman court shortly over the incident described in note w.
Questions:
Who came with Felix to hear Paul speak (v. 24)?
2.Describe what happened when Paul was sent for by Felix (vv. 24-26).
3.What action did Felix take with regards to Paul (vv. 26-27)?
4.Who succeeded Felix after two years had passed (v. 27)?
Summary of Section:
- After some days, Felix came with his Jewish wife Drusilla. He sent for Paul and listened to him talk about faith in Jesus Christ.
- But as Paul went on discussing about goodness, self-control and the coming Day of Judgment, Felix became afraid.
- He told Paul to leave but said that he would call him again when he got the chance. At the same time, he was hoping that Paul would give him some money.
- For this reason, he would call for Paul often and talk with him.
- After two years had passed, he was succeeded by Porcius Festus as governor.
- Because Felix wanted to gain favour with the Jews, he left Paul in prison.
Nuggets of Wisdom
- Felix probably found himself in a dilemma. He could not convict Paul since Lysias the commander had found no fault in him. Neither the Sanhedrin nor Tertullus had been able to substantiate their charges against him. On the other hand, he was unwilling to release Paul, partly because he hoped for a bribe and partly because he wanted to gain favour with the Jews.
- The Romans had different degrees of punishment. Because Paul was a Roman citizen who had not been convicted of any offence, he could be given some freedom. Thus although he was still under guard, his friends could have free access to him.
- There was to be no public trial for two years. But during this period, however, Felix conducted a kind of private investigation of his own. His wife also was interested to hear Paul. Since Drusilla was a Jewess, Paul must have taken pains to present Jesus as the Messiah, the fulfillment of OT prophecy and the Saviour and Lord in whom Felix and Drusilla should put their trust. It is not surprising that as he elaborated on what was involved in the Way that Felix grew alarmed and sent him away.
- During the succeeding months, Felix sent for Paul frequently. It could perhaps be more than him hoping for a bribe, a practice that was as common as it was illegal. He could have found something in the gospel that attracted him. Unfortunately, there is no evidence that Felix ever responded to the gospel and became a Christian.
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