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The Acts of the Apostles Chapter 25:1–26 Paul before Festus and his Appeal to Caesar 25:1 Now three days after Festus arrived in the province, he went up to Jerusalem from Caesarea. Three days after Festus had taken up his appointment as Governor of Judea he went from Caesarea up to Jerusalem. 25:2 So the chief priests and the most prominent men of the Jews brought formal charges against Paul to him. The chief priests and the chief rulers of the Sanhedrin wasted no time as soon as Fetus arrived they brought their formal charges against Paul to him. This was about 60 A.D. more than two years since they had incited the crowd against Paul. 25:3 Requesting him to do them a favor against Paul, they urged Festus to summon him to Jerusalem, planning an ambush to kill him along the way. As a new governor they may have thought that Festus would be more than willing to do them a favour to keep in with the Jewish ruling body. They pressed Festus to have Paul brought back to Jerusalem on the pretense of answering the charges against him. However, their purpose was that he may be ambushed and murdered along the way. 25:4 Then Festus replied that Paul was being kept at Caesarea, and he himself intended to go there shortly. So," he said, "let your leaders go down there with me, and if this man has done anything wrong, they may bring charges against him." Festus replied that Paul was being kept in custody in Caesarea and he planned to returned their soon. So he invites those who were in authority among them to go with him and if Paul had done anything criminal then they could bring their charges against him. It is to be wondered if Festus had heard or been told about the previous plot these people had to ambush and kill Paul went Lysias rescued him. 25:6 After Festus had stayed not more than eight or ten days among them, he went down to Caesarea, and the next day he sat on the judgment seat and ordered Paul to be brought. Festus stayed in Jerusalem for about eight or ten days and then he went back to Caesarea. True to his word he opened the court and sat in judgment and ordered Paul to be brought before him.
25:7 When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many serious charges that they were not able to prove. When Paul entered the courtroom the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him and began to bring many serious charges against him for which they had no proof. 25:8 Paul said in his defense, "I have committed no offense against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar." Defending himself Paul stated that he had not broken any of the Jewish law against the temple nor Roman law against Caesar. Being a Pharisee he would have had a full knowledge of Jewish law and being a Roman citizen of the law of Caesar. 25:9 But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and be tried before me there on these charges?" The Jewish leaders were right in their surmise that Festus would want to do them a favour for now he asked Paul if he would be prepared to go to Jerusalem to be tried before him there. There was no reason whatsoever except to please the Jews that Festus could not judge there and then in Caesarea. 25:10 Paul replied, "I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat, where I should be tried. I have done nothing wrong to the Jews, as you also know very well. Paul reminds him that he is standing before Caesar’s judgment seat where he should be as he had done nothing wrong to the Jews as Festus was well aware of. 25:11 If then I am in the wrong and have done anything that deserves death, I am not trying to escape dying, but if not one of their charges against me is true, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar!" He further states that if he is guilty and deserving of the death penalty he is not trying to escape dying. If however, not one of the charges made against him are true then no one can hand him over to the Jews. In saying this Paul was in a way telling Festus to face up to his responsibility as according to Roman law he could legally hand him over to the Jews. Paul now had no other choice but to appeal to Caesar to judge him according to his rights as a Roman citizen. 25:12 Then, after conferring with his council, Festus replied, "You have appealed to Caesar; to Caesar you will go!" After conferring with the Roman counselors sitting with him as his advisors he turned to Paul and announced that as he had appealed to Caesar, to Caesar he will go.
Festus Asks King Agrippa for his Opinion 25:13 After several days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. A few days later King Agrippa and his sister Bernice arrived at Caesarea to welcome Festus. This Agrippa was the son of Herod Agrippa and great grandson of Herod the Great. Note. Caesar Claudius had made him king of the province of Chalsis and later gave him other provinces. After Claudius death Nero gave more provinces (Josephus). This was the Agrippa who had James the brother John killed (Gill). Bernice had been married to Herod, king of Chalcis, her own uncle by her father’s side. After his death she proposed to Polemon, king of Pontus and part of Cilicia, that if he would become circumcised she
would marry him. He complied, but she did not continue long with him. After she left him she returned to her brother Agrippa, with whom she lived in a manner such as to excite scandal. Josephus directly charges her with incest with her brother Agrippa (Josephus). This shows the character of the people whom Festus wanted an opinion from concerning Paul. 25:14–15 While they were staying there many days, Festus explained Paul's case to the king to get his opinion, saying, "There is a man left here as a prisoner by Felix. When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews informed me about him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. Since they were staying there for many days Festus told the king about Paul’s case because he wanted his opinion and explained that Felix had left Paul in Caesarea as a prisoner. When he was Jerusalem the chief priests and elders had informed him about Paul and had made charges against him and wanted to condemn him to death. 25:16 I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before the accused had met his accusers face to face and had been given an opportunity to make a defense against the accusation. Here Festus gives his reason for refusing to hand Paul over to the Jewish authorities in Jerusalem. It was contrary to Roman law to condemn any man before he had met with his accusers and had been given an opportunity to defend himself against any charges made against them. 25:17–19 So after they came back here with me, I did not postpone the case, but the next day I sat on the judgment seat and ordered the man to be brought. When his accusers stood up, they did not charge him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected. Rather they had several points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about a man named Jesus who was dead, whom Paul claimed to be alive. The following day after arriving back in Caesarea with the accusers Festus held court to hear the charges against Paul. However, they did not bring any charges of evil crimes against him as he had expected but they had several points of disagreement concerning the Jewish religion and about a dead man named Jesus who Paul maintained was alive. 25:20 Because I was at a loss how I could investigate these matters, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges. This was beyond Festus’s understanding and he didn’t know how to proceed to get to the bottom of the charges. This was the reason, he stated, that he asked Paul to go back to Jerusalem to be tried. 25:21 But when Paul appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, I ordered him to be kept under guard until I could send him to Caesar." Paul would have none of this for he knew that an attempt would be made against his life by the Jews. In any case the Lord had told him that he would go to Rome to be a witness for Him there. So he appealed to Caesar and Festus kept him in custody until he could be sent to Rome (Acts 23:11). 25:22 Agrippa said to Festus, "I would also like to hear the man myself." "Tomorrow," he replied, "you will hear him." This account of Paul interest Agrippa so he asked Festus if he could hear him for himself out of curiosity rather than any thought of Paul; Festus agreed that he could do so on the following day.
Paul Before King Agrippa and Bernice 25:23 So the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience hall, along with the senior military officers and the prominent men of the city. When Festus gave the order, Paul was brought in. The next day Agrippa and Bernice came to the auditorium with a great show wearing their royal regalia in order to give an impress the court. They were accompanied by top ranking army officers and leading dignitaries of the city. Festus then gave orders for Paul to be brought in. 25:24 Then Festus said, "King Agrippa, and all you who are present here with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish populace petitioned me both in Jerusalem and here, shouting loudly that he ought not to live any longer. Festus introduces Paul to King Agrippa in a contemptuous manner (the CEV has look at this man!). This insignificant unimportant man who has upset the entire Jewish populace with his claims about a dead man called Jesus. For this man they had demanded both in Jerusalem and Caesarea that Festus should have him put to death (1 Corinthians 1:26–29). 25:25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death, and when he appealed to His Majesty the Emperor, I decided to send him. Festus affirmed that he had found nothing that Paul had done deserving death but as he had appealed to Caesar (Augustus) he had decided to send him. 25:26 But I have nothing definite to write to my lord about him. Therefore I have brought him before you all, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this preliminary hearing I may have something to write. For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without clearly indicating the charges against him." The problem Festus had was that there was nothing that he could write to Caesar respecting Paul’s character, opinions or manner of life. He could not definitely establish that Paul had broken any Roman laws and he had no knowledge of Jewish law. He hoped that when King Agrippa had heard Paul in this preliminary hearing that he would give him something to write to Caesar about why he was sending this man to him. It did not make any sense to send a prisoner to the emperor without any specific charges against him. © Derek Williams & Mathew Bartlett 2015 Bible Studies Online UK www.biblestudiesonline.org.uk You may copy, print or distribute our studies freely in any form, just so long as you make no charges. Sign up today for our FREE monthly Bible study magazine “Living Word” Scriptures taken from the NET Bible www.bible.org