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Commentaries and Other Bible Study Helps - Prayer Tents - Prayer Tents
24:1-26:32 The Witness in Caesarea. Imprisoned in Caesarea for , Paul received formal hearings from the governors Felix and Festus and the Jewish king Agrippa II. When Festus decided to take him to Jerusalem for trial, Paul appealed for trial in Rome before the emperor.
24:1-27 Paul Appears before Felix. The closest things to an actual trial for Paul took place before Felix when the Jewish contingent arrived from Jerusalem bringing their charges against him. Felix was not persuaded, and he dismissed the court but continued to hold Paul in custody, frequently conversing with him privately.
24:1 The spokesman (Gk. rhētōr) . . . Tertullus may have been a Gentile, a professional lawyer.
24:2 Tertullus began with flattering words designed to secure the goodwill of the governor. we enjoy much peace. His remarks had little resemblance to reality: Felix had the least peaceful term of any Roman administrator up until his time, was hated by the Jews, and was noted more for his bribe taking than his benevolence.
24:5 Tertullus accused Paul of three crimes: stirring up riots, being a Christian ringleader, and profaning "the temple" (v. 6). To a Roman the first charge would have been the most serious, amounting to a charge of sedition, threatening the Roman peace. The second charge Paul readily accepted (v. 14), but the first and third he flatly denied (vv. 12-13).
24:10 Paul's opening words are brief and honest when compared to the flattery of Tertullus (see note on v. 2). Felix's term had begun in , making the many years five or six ().
24:11-12 Paul denied inciting any riots. Twelve days was hardly sufficient time to muster a following.
24:14 Paul proceeded to show how as a Christian he was a faithful Jew, accepting the Law and the Prophets and sharing the resurrection hope. That the resurrection will include both "the just and the unjust" (v. 15) implies a final judgment (see v. 25).
24:18-19 Paul began to relate the events of his being captured in the temple (21:27-36) but cut himself short when he realized his real accusers--the Jews from Asia--were not present. Roman law called for a "face-to-face" confrontation between the accusers and the accused.
24:20-21 when I stood before the council. Ananias and the elders were members of the Sanhedrin and thus could testify to Paul's earlier hearing before them (23:1-10). The key issue both then and here, before Felix, was the resurrection--not just the concept but the realization of the resurrection in Jesus.
24:22-23 Felix had an accurate knowledge of the Way (see note on 9:1-2), which may have come from his Jewish wife (see 24:24). but have some liberty. Paul's "free custody" may have been due to his being a Roman citizen.
24:24 Drusilla was the youngest daughter of Herod Agrippa I (see note on 12:1) and the sister of Agrippa II (who will appear in the next chapter; see 25:13-26:32). Her marriage to Felix was something of a scandal because Felix deceptively precipitated her divorce from her first husband.
24:25 Felix was alarmed. Paul did not flatter this man who had the power of life and death over him, but proclaimed the gospel boldly and clearly.
24:26 money . . . sent for him often. Roman law prohibited officials from taking bribes, but Josephus reports that bribe-taking was rampant.
24:27 Felix seems to have recognized Paul's innocence. Tragically, he was more concerned about currying the favor of his constituents than administering justice. Therefore, he kept Paul in prison for another two years (). He was removed from office in for failing to deal properly with a dispute between the Jews and Gentiles in Caesarea.
