The Trial Before Felix – Read Acts 24:1-27
Paul is now caught in the cogs of the Roman justice system in Caesarea. Five days after his arrival the high priest Ananias, some other temple officials and a lawyer named Tertullus arrive from Jerusalem to prefer charges. Paul is brought before Felix and Tertullus states the Jewish case against him: he is a troublemaker and ringleader of the Nazarene sect (as the Christians were known) and worst of all, Paul had desecrated the temple. Paul makes his defence in a long speech quoted in full by Luke. Felix does not decide either way and adjourns the proceedings until he can hear further evidence from the Roman commander, still on duty in Jerusalem. Paul is given a bit more freedom in his confinement but no decision is ever announced.
The Trial Before Festus – Read Acts 25:1-22
Paul languishes in Caesarea for two years awaiting some action in his case. Luke reports that Felix kept Paul in prison partly as a favour to the Jews and partly in hopes of a bribe from the believers to release Paul. During this time Paul did not write any epistles and Luke does not record any interviews or visitors meeting with Paul.
Eventually Felix is relieved as Roman governor and succeeded by Porcius Festus. As his first order of business Festus goes to Jerusalem to meet the Jewish authorities there. Even though two years have passed, the chief priests of the temple request that Festus reopen the case against Paul. They further request that Paul be transferred to Jerusalem and Luke reports that they were plotting to ambush Paul along the way. Festus declines their transfer request, but agrees to reconvene the trial in Caesarea.
Once again charges of trouble-making and desecration are made and Paul again refutes them. Festus, wanting to ingratiate himself with the Jews, asks Paul if he would be willing to stand trial in Jerusalem. Paul declines and, as was his right as a Roman citizen facing a capital charge, appeals his case to Caesar. Festus confers with his council and grants Paul his request: he will be sent to Rome to be tried in the Emperor’s court.
But this is not the end of it. King Herod Agrippa arrives in Caesarea to pay his respects to the new Roman governor. Festus apprises Herod of the case against Paul, and privately admits that he can find nothing in the charges against Paul that deserve death. King Herod asks to interview Paul, and Festus agrees.
Paul Before Herod Agrippa – Read Acts 25:23 to 26:32
Festus, new to Palestine, is naturally unfamiliar with Jewish theology and politics and so he asks Herod Agrippa to help specify the charges that must be transmitted to the Emperor when Paul is sent to Rome. Amid much pomp and circumstance in Caesarea, both Festus and Herod Agrippa summon Paul to court for an interview. Festus opens the proceedings and Luke records Festus stating that he “found nothing deserving of death” in Paul. Next, Agrippa addresses Paul and asks Paul to make a statement.
Luke quotes Paul’s lengthy response in defence of his ministry. Paul describes his upbringing as a Pharisee, his persecution of the early church – in graphic terms – yet another detailed description (the third in Acts) of his conversion experience, and his subsequent obedience to the words of Jesus from his vision on the Damascus Road. At this point Festus interjects that Paul must be suffering from madness, but Paul persists, appealing to King Herod’s knowledge of the role of visions and angels in Jewish theology.
After the speech, Festus and Herod privately agree that Paul has done nothing deserving of death or imprisonment. In fact they would have freed Paul on the spot except for the fact that he had already appealed his case to the Emperor. Festus feels that he has no choice but to send Paul on to Rome.
Paul’s Final Journey to Rome – Read Acts 27 and 28
The last two chapters of Acts are filled with the details of Paul’s journey to Rome. Luke writes again in the first person, so perhaps the adventure of this final journey was very strong in his mind when he wrote Luke-Acts. Luke describes their route in detail and the fact that they soon fell behind schedule and had to make a crossing of the Mediterranean in winter. They encounter rough seas and a terrific storm, with the result that they are shipwrecked on the island of Malta.
Once safely ashore – although wet, exhausted and still under guard – Paul and the survivors are taken in by the Publius, the chief official of the island. Paul heals the father of Publius from dysentery, and this act of kindness is repaid by three months of hospitality on Malta until better sailing weather arrives.
Paul and his companions cross safely to Italy, arriving at the port of Puteoli. Paul is met by Christians there and begins the short overland journey to Rome. About halfway some Roman Christians came out to meet Paul at a place called Three Taverns. Paul lives in Rome under house arrest, but he is permitted to preach freely.
Three days after his arrival in Rome, Paul arranges to meet with the leaders of the Jewish synagogue. He was attempting to have a pre-emptive discussion to get his side of the story heard. Plots against Paul may have preceded him to Rome, and he wanted to know where the Jewish community stood. The leaders were unaware of anything against Paul – no letters or other messages about him from Judea had been received in Rome and they were only vaguely aware of the tensions between Christians and Jews. Paul later spent a full day with a large number of Jews explaining the Christian viewpoint but without a decisive result – “some were convinced by what he said, but others would not believe.”
Paul stayed under house arrest in Rome for some time, apparently free to communicate with other Roman Christians and write his letters. Luke reports that: “For two whole years Paul stayed there in his own rented house and welcomed all who came to see him. Boldly and without hindrance he preached the kingdom of God and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ.”
And with this ending sentence, Luke concludes his Acts of the Apostles.
Paul’s Later Epistles
While Paul was in prison in Caesarea and in Rome he wrote his later epistles to some of the congregations he had founded. These letters often refer to the fact that Paul is in prison: “Remember my chains” (Colossians 4:18) or “For this reason, I, Paul, the prisoner of Christ Jesus for the sake of you Gentiles,” (Ephesians 3:1.)
The later epistles to Christian congregations are Ephesians, Philippians and Colossians. These epistles have a somewhat different character than the earlier letters that Paul wrote while on his second and third missionary journeys. These later epistles have a valedictory, almost sentimental character and some scholars dispute that Paul was the author – partly on theological grounds and partly on linguistic technicalities. The later epistles do not seem to emphasize Paul’s basic theology as strongly as his earlier letters. Some scholars also note that the Greek wording, syntax and grammar of these later epistles are distinctly different from the earlier ones.
Consensus of opinion on authorship vary epistle by epistle, but it is important to remember that the later writings were probably subject to censorship by the authorities – Paul would not want to send a theologically inflammatory letter to a congregation and cause them to come under suspicion. It may also be that Paul used a secretary to help write his later letters - the way a busy executive might let a secretary do most of the actual composing of the text – and this might account for some of the stylistic differences.
Paul also wrote to individuals while in prison and these are known as the Pastoral Epistles. These include I & II Timothy, Titus and Philemon. Similar arguments are made for and against Paul’s authorship of these letters and the timing of their writing. The contents of Titus suggest that perhaps Paul was released from confinement in Rome for a time and travelled to Crete (Titus 1:5). But Luke writing in Acts seems to leave this just as a possibility (Acts 28:30).
Links of Interest
Detailed commentary on Acts Chap 24 is here: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch24.html
Detailed commentary on Acts Chap 25 is here: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch25.html
Detailed commentary on Acts Chap 26 is here: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch26.html
Detailed commentary on Acts Chap 27 is here: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch27.html
Detailed commentary on Acts Chap 28 is here: http://www.ccel.org/ccel/mcgarvey/acts.ch28.html
Map of Paul’ route to Rome is here:
http://www.biblestudy.org/maps/paul-to-rome-map.html
Study/Discussion Questions
1. Why does Luke spend so many chapters discussing the various trials and hearings of Paul in such detail after his arrest in Jerusalem?
2. Why do you think Luke includes so many retellings of Paul’s Damascus Road conversion?
3. Why is Paul’s appeal to the Emperor important even though Festus was inclined to have released Paul in Caesarea?
4. Apart from the fact that Luke was with Paul through the storm on the ship, why does this story figure so prominently?
5. What is unusual about Paul’s meeting with the leaders of the Jewish synagogue in Rome?
6. Why do you think Luke does not include the death of Paul as the final chapter of his story?
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