PAUL APPEALING TO CAESAR The apostle Paul spent two years in prison with no trial, as a favor to the Jews. The relationship between the Jewish leaderships and Felix the Roman governor was characterized by so many troubles, that he tried hard to please them, even after he was removed from his job. And now Festos came to replace him; and he probably marveled why someone could be kept in prison all that time without trial. 1- Festos in Jerusalem 1 – 5 2- Paul defending himself in Caesarea 6 – 9 3- Paul appealing to Caesar 10 – 12 4- Consulting king Agrippa 13 – 22 5- Paul before a great gathering 23 – 27 1- FESTOS IN JERUSALEM “And when Festos had come to the province, after three days he went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem” (Acts 25: 1). Procius Festus was a governor, more appreciated than Felix, and of more justice and vitality. But Palestine in those days was a place of much disturbance and troubles; and Festos died on the job before he could do any thing to make it more secure. He came first to Caesarea, the capital of the state; And as Jerusalem was the religious capital, he made his first visit to it, after only three days of his arrival to Caesarea, as to form a better relationship with the religious leaderships who were under him, and in order to get acquainted with the affairs of the state from the religious aspect. “Then the high priest and the chief men of the Jews informed him against Paul, and they petitioned him” (Acts 25: 2). There was nothing to preoccupy the hearts and minds of the Jewish leaderships, and no subject to talk to the new governor about, except getting rid of St. Paul. Although Paul was in prison for the last two years, yet their hatred toward him was still at its peak. The high priest at that time was Ismael, the son of Fabi, who was appointed by King Agrippa,1 but some believe it was still Ananias. “Asking a favor against him, that he would summon him to Jerusalem – while they lay in ambush along the road to kill him” (Acts 25: 3). We did not hear that Paul ever petitioned the governor to release him, or sent to him anyone on his behalf. They made use of Festos’ ignorance of those things, to apply pressure on him, to do them favor, by summoning Paul to Jerusalem to be tried at the location where he is supposed to have committed his crimes, while they intended to kill him on his way before reaching Jerusalem. That must have been through a motivation by the forty Jews who vowed to kill him. They asked him for a favor, which is usually asked for the benefit of the one accused, but here it is sought against him. “But Festos answered that Paul should be kept at Caesarea, and that he himself was going there shortly” (Acts 25: 4). 1 Josephus. Antiq. 20.8.8. 881 The new governor found no cause to send the prisoner to be tried by the Sanhedrim, yet he commanded him to be well guarded, and said that he was going shortly to Caesarea to take over that trial himself. He probably rejected their petition when he realized that he is a Roman citizen, and so he was not to be tried by the Jewish Sanhedrim, but by the Roman governor himself, who is responsible for the life of the Romans. He promised them to do this job as soon as possible to please them; and he probably sought the trial to be held in the capital of the state, as respect to Justice there. He told them that they would rather send those who have authority among them to Caesarea, where he was ready to listen to all. He probably feared of the possibility of disturbances during the trial in Jerusalem, that could not be controlled while he was away from Jerusalem. “Therefore, he said, ‘let those who have authority among you go down with me and accuse this man, to see if there is any fault in him” (Acts 25: 5). He clarified that his rejection of their request is not a defense of Paul; He sought from them to prove his guilt, and he would then punish him. 2- PAUL DEFENDING HIMSELF IN CAESAREA “And when he had remained among them more than ten days, he went down to Caesarea. And the next day, sitting on the judgment seat, he commanded Paul to be brought” (Acts 25: 6). The next day of his arrival to Caesarea, he had nothing to preoccupy his mind, after an experience of ten days in Jerusalem, except to start his governorship by taking care of this business. On another aspect, the Jewish leaderships did not give him a chance to postpone it, having followed him on the same day of his arrival. Therefore, he held a session on the next day. The governor sat on the judgment seat to try a case that touched the security of the state, and commanded Paul to be brought to defend himself. “And when he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove” (Acts 25: 7). They stood about, which indicates that they were not few, intending by their number to apply pressure over the governor, that the case has its importance to Jerusalem, and also to terrify the accused prisoner, Paul. Yet “they were like bees; they were quenched like a fire of thorns” (Ps 118: 12). According to St. John Chrysostom, All the chains were broken through hope in God; they were as though bees, swarming, to finish him up, but they failed to reach their goal. As you see, the name of God is a mighty weapon, and a support that could not be opposed, that overcame them all1. And Father Theodoret Bishop of Cyrus, says about himself that they hoped to overcome him with great ease, like igniting fire in thorns, but in the name of the Lord he avenged them. His hope prevailed over their hope. He sought the Lord against them, by whom He had conquest2. As they did with Felix, they presented a list of very serious accusations against Paul, nothing of which they could prove (Acts 24: 5-19). 1On Ps. 118. 2 Commentary on Ps. 118. (6). 882 “While he answered for himself, ‘Neither against the law of the Jews, nor against the temple, nor against Caesar, have I offended in anything at all” (Acts 25: 8). He probably gave the same answer he previously gave to Governor Felix (Acts 24: 10-21) on the same accusations. 1-He did not violate the Mosaic Law, or spread teachings contrary to the law, for faith does not annul the law but consummates it. Preaching Christ realized the goal of the law, and spiritually consummated it. 2- He did not violate the sanctity of the temple, or the worship or ministry in it, for preaching the gospel realizes the enjoyment of the temple of the heart, which Solomon’s temple symbolizes. 3- He did not do any thing wrong against Caesar or the government, but he actually exhorted the believers to submit to authorities. “But Festos, wanting to do the Jews a favor, answered Paul and said, ‘Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there be judged before me concerning these things’” (Acts 25: 9). Lacking the experience of the Jewish affairs, Festos intended to do the Jews a favor, so he asked Paul, if he was willing to be tried before him in Jerusalem, where his crimes were allegedly committed. That was not a command by the governor, but was a suggestion, which the governor hoped Paul would accept. 3- PAUL APPEALING TO CAESAR “Then Paul said, ‘I stand at Caesar’s judgment seat, where I ought to be judged. To the Jews I have done no wrong, as you very well know” (Acts 25: 10). Paul rejected the suggestion, for he knew that the Jews would certainly find a way to kill him, as they already planned to. He did not want to place his life in the hands of those who hated him. He, as a Roman citizen, ought to be tried before the Roman governor at the capital of the state, where it is done in Caesar’s name, and under his authority, by his men or deputies. “For if I am an offender, or have committed anything worthy of death, I do not object to dying; But if there is nothing to these things of which these men accuse me, no one can deliver me to them. I appeal to Caesar’” (Acts 25: 11). The apostle proclaims that he would not try to escape justice, or the application of the law. If he deserved death, he would not object to dying; he would cheerfully submit to his punishment. And courageously, he appealed to Caesar. "Here now he reproved him that he too wished to sacrifice him to the Jews: then, on the other hand, he relaxes (the sternness of) his speech: "If, I am an offender, or have committed anything worthy of death, I do not object to dying”. I utter sentence against myself. For along with boldness of speech there must be also justness of cause, so as to abash (the hearer). “But if there is nothing to these things of which these men accuse me , no one"(11) however he may wish it-"no man may sacrifice me to please them." He said, not, I am not worthy of death, nor, I am worthy to be acquitted, but, I am ready to take my trial before Caesar. At the same time too, remembering the dream, he was the more confident to appeal. And he did not say, you cannot, but, ‘No one can sacrifice me’, that it might be no affront to him" 1. 1Hom. On Acts. Hom. 51. 883 St. John Chrysostom Paul “appealed” to Caesar: A Roman legal term that implies putting the case on hold, and moving it to Caesar himself, which is equivalent to resorting to the ‘Supreme Court’ in this country. That right was reserved for the Roman citizens, to protect them against the injustice of non-Roman rulers. “Then Festos, when he had conferred with the council, answered, ‘You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you shall go’” (Acts 25: 12). Festos conferred with a legal council, for he was confused; on one aspect, he had nothing to write to Caesar concerning a specific charge; there was no evidence of any crime against the state, nor against anybody, committed by Paul, that warrants punishment. And if he had left him to the Jews, they would have certainly killed him, a Roman citizen, for whom he was responsible to protect. And on another aspect, the apostle Paul refuses to be tried by the Jews, who have already condemned him to death. And when Agrippa the second, king of the province of Chalcis, came, Festos found a chance to use his experience in the affairs of the Jews and Christians. The king welcomed this and sought to listen to Paul. "Then let us not think that ill designs against us are a grievous thing. So long as we do not make ill designs against ourselves, no one will be able to have ill designs against us: or rather, people may do this, but they do us no hurt; nay, even benefit us in the highest degree: for it rests with ourselves, whether we shall suffer evil, or not suffer evil. Lo! I testify, and proclaim with a loud voice, more piercing even than the sound of a trumpet-and were it possible to ascend on high and cry aloud, I would not shrink from doing it-him that is a Christian, none of all the human beings that inhabit the earth will have power to hurt. And why do I say, human beings? Not even the Evil Spirit himself, the tyrant, the Devil, can do this, unless the man injure himself; be what it may that any one works, in vain he works it. For even as no human being could hurt an angel, if he were on earth, so neither can one human being hurt another human being. But neither again will he himself be able to hurt another, so long as he is good" 1. "For in no other way do we hurt ourselves, than by hurting another, and our greatest sins become such from our doing injury to ourselves. So I that for this reason also the Christian cannot be hurt, namely, because neither can he hurt" 2. St. John Chrysostom By such a decision, the governor could relieve himself of the pressure of the Jews, who deeply hated him, if he chose to release Paul, and could have thwarted any possibility of disturbance. At the same time, as Paul, being a Roman citizen, appealed to Caesar, no governor could afford to break the law. 4- CONSULTING KING AGRIPPA “And after some days, King Agrippa and Bernice came to Caesarea to greet Festos” (Acts 25: 13). They came to congratulate Festos for becoming a governor of Judea. 1Hom. On Acts. Hom. 51. 2Hom. On Acts. Hom. 51. 884 King Agrippa: His mother was Cypros1. He is the son of Herod, whose title was Agrippa, who killed the apostle James, and intended to kill the rest of the apostles; he was devoured by the worms. He was the grandson of the Great Herod, who ordered the massacre of the children of Bethlehem at the time of the Lord Christ's birth, when the Magi (the wise men) came to bring the infant Jesus their presents. The historian eusebius called this king ‘Agrippa Junior’, who was appointed by Emperor Claudius, as king over Chalis and Trachonitis, mentioned in (Luke 3: 1). When his father died, he was in Rome in Emperor Claudius' company, who had the intention to hand him all the authority of his father; but his council advised him not to do that, on the ground that it is not wise to give such a huge kingdom to an inexperienced young man. Lightfoot tells that, according to Jewish authors, this king Agrippa, at the end of the year of the liberation of slaves, as the law was read, stating that the children of Israel may not set a foreigner a king over them, who is not their brother, he cried, not having been a descendent of Israel. When the congregation saw tears running over his cheeks, they cried out, saying, ‘be of good cheer, O King Agrippa, You are our brother’, having been a Jew by religion, although of a foreign race. Bernice: She was the king’s sister, a widow. After the death of her father Herod, she attached herself to her brother, who assumed that he would be more famous through her. For a while, and for the second time, she married Polemon, king of Pontes and a part of Cilicia, then got divorced, to go back to her brother Agrippa. The historian Josephus accused her of having a shameful carnal relationship with her own brother Agrippa2. “When they had been there many days, Festos laid Paul’s case before the king, saying, ‘There is a certain man left a prisoner by Felix’ ’About whom the chief priest and the elders of the Jews informed me, when I was in Jerusalem, asking for a judgment against him’” (Acts 25: 14- 15). Festus found suitable opportunity to discuss with the prisoner Paul Agrippa world religious affairs of the Jews, which was not possible to be aware of Festus. Being a Roman, with little knowledge of what was going on among the Jewish religious circles; he listened to the members of the Sanhedrim, and was deceived by their religious positions, and by their appearance of Piety, assuming that they were honest in their accusations against Paul. But Agrippa, being himself a Jew, was aware of that atmosphere of hypocrisy, envy, and hatred. “To them I answered, ‘It is not the custom of the Romans to deliver any man to destruction, before the accused meets the accusers face to face, and has the opportunity to answer for himself, concerning the charge against him’” (Acts 25: 16). It seems that Festos was almost convinced with what the Sanhedrim claimed; but he could not condemn Paul to death without a trial. Appian, in his Roman History, says that it is not the custom of the Romans to convict somebody before he answers for himself3. and in Tacitus's history, it is said that the defense attorney never banned from presenting every thing possible to prove the innocence of the accused4. the entire world testified to the justice of the Roman law. 1 Josephus. Jewish Wars. 2.11.6. 2 Josephus. Antiq. 20.7.3. 3 Philo. De Praesi. Rom. 4History, 2. 885 “Therefore when they had come together, without any delay, the next day I sat on the judgment seat and commanded the man to be brought in. When the accusers stood up, they brought no accusation against him of such things as I supposed” (Acts 25: 17-18). That was not expected by Festos, who was almost swayed by the violent attitude of the Sanhedrim. He wondered how Felix chose to leave Paul in prison two years without a crime he has committed. “But had some questions against him about their own religion and about one Jesus, who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive” (Acts 25: 19). As Festos most probably did not believe that Jesus has risen, and expected Agrippa to join him in this view, he so mockingly spoke of Jesus. That issue of resurrection of the dead was rejected by the majority of philosophers and statesmen. “And because I was uncertain of such questions, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and their be judged concerning the matters” (Acts 25: 20). Although Festos did not intend to commit Paul to go to Jerusalem to be judged before the Sanhedrim there, yet he hoped Paul would voluntarily consent to do that, which reveals his doubts about Paul’s innocence from the religious side, beside that he probably wished to get away from that issue altogether. “But when Paul appealed to be reserved for the decision of Augustus, I commanded him to be kept till I could send him to Caesar” (Acts 25: 21). Augustus or Caesar those days was Nero. The expression Augustus Sebastos was a reference to greatness and dignity, a title that was first used by Caesar Octavianus, who was an emperor during the days the Lord Christ was born. The title Augustus Caesar continued to be used for the emperors who followed him. “Then Agrippa said to Festos, ‘I also would like to hear the man myself’. ‘Tomorrow’, he said, ‘You shall hear him’." (Acts 25: 22). King Agrippa revealed his longing to hear the apostle Paul, probably to satisfy his curiosity, having heard much about him, his preaching about Jesus, the crucified and risen from the dead, as well as about the Christians. “So the next day, when Agrippa and Bernice had come with great pomp, and had entered the auditorium with the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at Festos’ command Paul was brought in” (Acts 25: 23). Because King Agrippa probably found in that an opportunity to parade his glory, he entered the hall of justice with such a great pomp. That procession actually did not get him any true glory or special dignity; as amid that glorified outer appearance, many of those present were aware of his sinful relationship with Bernice, and were wondering with sarcasm, how the king can marry his own sister! In the same city where the worms have eaten up their father, when he believed the flattery of the people and counted himself as god, his son and daughter came with their corrupted life, to receive glory from the people. “The commanders”, (chiliarchs in Greek), means leaders of a thousand, referring to the highest military ranks. The apostle Paul actually found in it a marvelous opportunity to testify to the Lord Christ before such a great assembly, attended by a king, a governor, commanders, statesmen, and dignitaries of Caesarea the political capital of the country. 886 The prisoner Paul stood as a preacher, calling all to enjoy the divine light, as though he was giving a sermon to some catechumen to prepare them for the Christian faith. When the governor tried to refer that Paul was mad and beside himself, Paul courageously responded to him. And when the king tried to confront the arrow that the apostle struck in his heart, Paul answered that he prays to God that he would share with him what he enjoys, except for the chains on his hands. "See what an audience is gathered together for Paul. Having collected all his guards, the governor is come, and the king, and the tribunes, "with the principal men," it says, "of the city." Then Paul being brought forth. See how he is proclaimed as conqueror (acts25: 23)" 1. St. John Chrysostom 5- PAUL BEFORE A GREAT GATHERING “And Festos said, ‘King Agrippa and all the men who are here present with us, You see this man about whom the whole assembly of the Jews petitioned me both at Jerusalem and here, crying out that he was not fit to live any longer” (Acts 25: 24). Matthew Henry wondered how Bernice felt, when Festos addressed the king, her unlawful husband, and the men present, using the term ‘men’ in a way distinguishing them from women! “But when I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death, and that he himself had appealed to Augustus, I decided to send him” (Acts 25: 25). This statement condemns Festos himself; if he confesses his belief in his innocence, why had he not released him? “I have nothing certain to write to my Lord concerning him. Therefore I brought him out before you, and especially before you, king Agrippa, so that after the examination has taken place, I may have something to write” (Acts 25: 26). There was no crime St. Paul has committed, that was to be punished by the Roman law. Few years before that time, neither Augustus nor Tiberius, would have consented to be called by anyone as ‘Lord’, as though he was a master dealing with his slaves, but then, it became as one of the imperial titles to address the emperor. “For it seems to me unreasonable to send a prisoner and not to specify the charges against him” (Acts 25: 27). Festos admitted that he finds it unreasonable to send a prisoner to the emperor without sending with him the sheet of accusations against him. Yet he did not admit that it is unreasonable to leave a righteous man in prison. He feared Nero, not God! 1Hom. On Acts. Hom. 52. 887 AN INSPIRATION FROM THE BOOK OF ACTS 25 TWO PROCESSIONS TO THE GATHERING Your apostle remained two years in prison, But the word of God in his mouth and on his tongue could never be chained. The high priest and the Sanhedrim remained in consistent agitation! They would not have rest, as long as Your ministers worked, Even when they were in chains. Nothing of the affairs of their country preoccupied them, Except to get rid of the apostle Paul. They applied pressure on Festos since the first day he was appointed a governor. As for Paul, he quietly appealed to Caesar, In order to testify to You in Rome. King Agrippa and his sister, and unlawful wife, Bernice, longed to hear the apostle. Festos arranged for them a great gathering at Caesarea. Where the worms had previously devoured their father alive, The son and the daughter entered with a great pomp. They entered in a magnificent procession. Yet the corruption of their life, and the unlawfulness of their relationship, Could never be amended by the processions of the entire world! The prisoner Paul, on the other hand, also entered, Surrounded by the procession of purity and holiness, While the heavenly creatures praised the work of God in him. Two processions: One of them seen, but would soon be dismissed, And another procession, although unseen, yet bears a song, A praise to the Lamb of God, who works in the life of His believers.
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