Acts 25
New Catholic Bible
Chapter 25
Paul’s Third Trial—before Festus.[a] 1 Three days after his arrival in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem, 2 where the chief priests and the leaders of the Jews informed him about Paul. They urged him 3 as a favor to send for Paul to bring him to Jerusalem. They were going to kill him in an ambush along the way.
4 Festus replied that Paul was in custody in Caesarea, and that he himself would be returning there shortly. 5 He said, “Let your authorities come down with me, and if this man has done something improper, they can bring a charge against him.”
6 After staying with them for eight to ten days, Festus went down to Caesarea. On the next day, he took his seat on the tribunal and ordered Paul to be summoned. 7 When he appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him, and they leveled many serious charges against him that they were unable to prove.
8 Paul said in his defense, “I have committed no offense against the Jewish Law, or against the temple, or against the Emperor.” 9 Festus, anxious to ingratiate himself with the Jews, asked Paul, “Do you wish to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial there before me on these charges?”
10 Paul replied, “I am standing before the tribunal of Caesar, and this is where I should be tried. I have committed no crime against the Jews, as you yourself well know. 11 If I am guilty of any capital crime, I do not ask to be spared death. However, if there is no substance to the charges they are bringing against me, then no one has the right to turn me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.”[b] 12 Then, after Festus had conferred with his advisors, he said, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you shall go.”
13 Paul’s Fourth Trial—before Agrippa.[c] Some days later, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they spent several days there, Festus raised the subject of Paul’s case before the king, saying, “There is a man here who was left in custody by Felix. 15 When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and requested his condemnation. 16 I told them that it was not the custom of the Romans to hand over anyone before he had met his accusers face to face and had had an opportunity to defend himself against their charges.
17 “Therefore, when they had come here, I wasted no time; the very next day, I took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be summoned. 18 When the accusers rose, they did not charge him with any of the crimes that I was expecting. 19 Instead, they had certain points of disagreement with him about their own religion and about someone named Jesus, a dead man who Paul asserted was alive.
20 “Since I did not feel qualified to deal with such questions, I asked him if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem to stand trial on these charges. 21 But Paul appealed to be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, and I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear this man for myself.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”
23 On the next day, Agrippa and Bernice arrived with great pomp and entered the audience hall, accompanied by officers of high rank and prominent men of the city. Festus ordered Paul to be brought in. 24 Then he said, “King Agrippa and all of you here present with us, you see this man about whom the entire Jewish community petitioned me, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting loudly that he should not be allowed to live any longer.
25 “I have found nothing deserving of death, but when he made his appeal to the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26 However, I have nothing definite about him to put in writing for our sovereign. Therefore, I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after this examination I may have something to write. 27 For it seems senseless to me to send on a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.”
Footnotes
- Acts 25:1 The governors change, but at Jerusalem the Jewish authorities do not forget Paul. They seek once again to suppress the Apostle by a criminal act, but they appeal to the governor in vain. Since the dispute is religious in theme, why not entrust it to the jurisdiction of the Sanhedrin, while continuing the debates? Paul cannot consent to this for he realizes that he would never receive justice.
- Acts 25:11 A Roman citizen could not be transferred from one jurisdiction to another without his consent. Paul had an unassailable right to appeal to Caesar.
- Acts 25:13 Paul has already appeared in the presence of Drusilla (Acts 24:24); this time, he meets Agrippa and Bernice. The three children of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:1) have made his acquaintance. Bernice has also become famous because of her ties to Titus. The meeting takes place in a formal setting. The Roman governor probably thinks that his guests who are Jewish in origin can shed light on the dispute. Before giving a kind of curriculum of life, Paul places into evidence the Christian belief in the resurrection and shows Christianity as the fulfillment of the Jewish hope for the betterment of all human beings.
We now read the third account of Paul’s conversion (see Acts 9:1-19; 22:1-21), which puts more emphasis on Paul’s mission being in accord with prophetic callings in the Old Testament. It is a splendid Christian biography of Paul, a vision of Christianity as the fulfillment of the destiny of Israel, and a profession of faith in the Resurrection of Jesus being for the salvation of all human beings.
Acts 25
New American Bible (Revised Edition)
Chapter 25
Appeal to Caesar. 1 Three days after his arrival in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem 2 where the chief priests and Jewish leaders presented him their formal charges against Paul.[a] They asked him 3 as a favor to have him sent to Jerusalem, for they were plotting to kill him along the way. 4 Festus replied that Paul was being held in custody in Caesarea and that he himself would be returning there shortly. 5 He said, “Let your authorities come down with me, and if this man has done something improper, let them accuse him.”
6 After spending no more than eight or ten days with them, he went down to Caesarea, and on the following day took his seat on the tribunal and ordered that Paul be brought in. 7 When he appeared, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem surrounded him and brought many serious charges against him, which they were unable to prove. 8 In defending himself Paul said, “I have committed no crime either against the Jewish law or against the temple or against Caesar.” 9 [b]Then Festus, wishing to ingratiate himself with the Jews, said to Paul in reply, “Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and there stand trial before me on these charges?” 10 Paul answered, “I am standing before the tribunal of Caesar; this is where I should be tried. I have committed no crime against the Jews, as you very well know. 11 If I have committed a crime or done anything deserving death, I do not seek to escape the death penalty; but if there is no substance to the charges they are bringing against me, then no one has the right to hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar.” 12 Then Festus, after conferring with his council, replied, “You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go.”
Paul Before King Agrippa. 13 When a few days had passed, King Agrippa and Bernice[c] arrived in Caesarea on a visit to Festus. 14 Since they spent several days there, Festus referred Paul’s case to the king, saying, “There is a man here left in custody by Felix.(A) 15 When I was in Jerusalem the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and demanded his condemnation. 16 I answered them that it was not Roman practice to hand over an accused person before he has faced his accusers and had the opportunity to defend himself against their charge. 17 So when [they] came together here, I made no delay; the next day I took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought in. 18 (B)His accusers stood around him, but did not charge him with any of the crimes I suspected. 19 Instead they had some issues with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died but who Paul claimed was alive. 20 Since I was at a loss how to investigate this controversy, I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and there stand trial on these charges. 21 And when Paul appealed that he be held in custody for the Emperor’s decision, I ordered him held until I could send him to Caesar.” 22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I too should like to hear this man.” He replied, “Tomorrow you will hear him.”
23 The next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great ceremony and entered the audience hall in the company of cohort commanders and the prominent men of the city and, by command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24 And Festus said, “King Agrippa and all you here present with us, look at this man about whom the whole Jewish populace petitioned me here and in Jerusalem, clamoring that he should live no longer. 25 I found, however, that he had done nothing deserving death, and so when he appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26 But I have nothing definite to write about him to our sovereign; therefore I have brought him before all of you, and particularly before you, King Agrippa, so that I may have something to write as a result of this investigation. 27 For it seems senseless to me to send up a prisoner without indicating the charges against him.”
Footnotes
- 25:2 Even after two years the animosity toward Paul in Jerusalem had not subsided (see Acts 24:27).
- 25:9–12 Paul refuses to acknowledge that the Sanhedrin in Jerusalem has any jurisdiction over him now (Acts 25:11). Paul uses his right as a Roman citizen to appeal his case to the jurisdiction of the Emperor (Nero, ca. A.D. 60) (Acts 25:12). This move broke the deadlock between Roman protective custody of Paul and the plan of his enemies to kill him (25:3).
- 25:13 King Agrippa and Bernice: brother and sister, children of Herod Agrippa I whose activities against the Jerusalem community are mentioned in Acts 12:1–19. Agrippa II was a petty ruler over small areas in northern Palestine and some villages in Perea. His influence on the Jewish population of Palestine was insignificant.
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