Historical
23 Sha’ul looked straight at them and said, “Brothers, I have been discharging my obligations to God with a perfectly clear conscience, right up until today.” 2 But the cohen hagadol, Hananyah, ordered those standing near him to strike him on the mouth. 3 Then Sha’ul said to him, “God will strike you, you whitewashed wall! Will you sit there judging me according to the Torah, yet in violation of the Torah order me to be struck?” 4 The men nearby said, “This is the cohen hagadol of God that you’re insulting!” 5 Sha’ul said, “I didn’t know, brothers, that he was the cohen hagadol; for it says in the Torah, ‘You are not to speak disparagingly of a ruler of your people.’”[a]
6 But knowing that one part of the Sanhedrin consisted of Tz’dukim and the other of P’rushim, Sha’ul shouted, “Brothers, I myself am a Parush and the son of P’rushim; and it is concerning the hope of the resurrection of the dead that I am being tried!” 7 When he said this, an argument arose between the P’rushim and the Tz’dukim, and the crowd was divided. 8 For the Tz’dukim deny the resurrection and the existence of angels and spirits; whereas the P’rushim acknowledge both. 9 So there was a great uproar, with some of the Torah-teachers who were on the side of the P’rushim standing up and joining in — “We don’t find anything wrong with this man; and if a spirit or an angel spoke to him, what of it?” 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander, fearing that Sha’ul would be torn apart by them, ordered the soldiers to go down, take him by force and bring him back into the barracks.
11 The following night, the Lord stood by him and said, “Take courage! For just as you have borne a faithful witness to me in Yerushalayim, so now you must bear witness in Rome.”
12 The next day, some of the Judeans formed a conspiracy. They took an oath, saying they would neither eat nor drink until they had killed Sha’ul; 13 more than forty were involved in this plot. 14 They went to the head cohanim and the elders and said, “We have bound ourselves by an oath to taste no food until we have killed Sha’ul. 15 What you are to do is make it appear to the commander that you and the Sanhedrin want to get more accurate information about Sha’ul’s case, so that he will bring him down to you; while we, for our part, are prepared to kill him before he ever gets here.”
16 But the son of Sha’ul’s sister got wind of the planned ambush, and he went into the barracks and told Sha’ul. 17 Sha’ul called one of the officers and said, “Take this man up to the commander; he has something to tell him.” 18 So he took him and brought him to the commander and said, “The prisoner Sha’ul called me and asked me to bring this young man to you, because he has something to tell you.” 19 The commander took him by the hand, led him aside privately and asked, “What is it you have to tell me?” 20 He said, “The Judeans have agreed to ask you tomorrow to bring Sha’ul down to the Sanhedrin on the pretext that they want to investigate his case more thoroughly. 21 But don’t let yourself be talked into it, because more than forty men are lying in wait for him. They have taken an oath neither to eat nor to drink until they kill him; and they are ready now, only waiting for you to give your consent to their request.”
22 The commander let the young man go, cautioning him, “Don’t tell anyone that you have reported this to me.” 23 Then he summoned two of the captains and said, “Get two hundred infantry soldiers ready to leave for Caesarea at nine o’clock tonight, and seventy mounted cavalry and two hundred spearmen; 24 also provide replacements for Sha’ul’s horse when it gets tired; and bring him through safely to Felix the governor.” 25 And the commander wrote the following letter:
26 From: Claudius Lysias
To: His Excellency, Governor Felix:
Greetings!
27 This man was seized by the Judeans and was about to be killed by them, when I came on the scene with my troops and rescued him. After learning that he was a Roman citizen, 28 I wanted to understand exactly what they were charging him with; so I brought him down to their “Sanhedrin.”
29 I found that he was charged in connection with questions of their “Torah” but that there was no charge deserving death or prison.
30 But when I was informed of a plot against the man, I immediately sent him to you and also ordered his accusers to state their case against him before you.
31 So the soldiers, following their orders, took Sha’ul during the night and brought him to Antipatris, 32 then returned to the barracks after leaving the cavalry to go on with him. 33 The cavalry took him to Caesarea, delivered the letter to the governor, and handed Sha’ul over to him. 34 The governor read the letter and asked what province he was from. On learning he was from Cilicia, 35 he said, “I will give you a full hearing after your accusers have also arrived,” and ordered him to be kept under guard in Herod’s headquarters.
24 After five days, the cohen hagadol Hananyah came down with some elders and a lawyer named Tertullus, and they presented their case against Sha’ul to the governor. 2 Sha’ul was called, and Tertullus began to make the charges: “Felix, your Excellency, it is because of you that we enjoy unbroken peace, and it is your foresight that has brought to this nation 3 so many reforms in so many areas. It is with the utmost gratitude that we receive this. 4 But, in order not to take up too much of your time, I beg your indulgence to give us a brief hearing.
5 “We have found this man a pest. He is an agitator among all the Jews throughout the world and a ringleader of the sect of the Natzratim. 6 He even tried to profane the Temple, but we arrested him. 7 [b] 8 By questioning this man yourself, you will be able to learn all about the things of which we are accusing him.” 9 The Judeans also joined in the accusation and alleged that these were the facts.
10 When the governor motioned for Sha’ul to speak, he replied, “I know that you have been judge over this nation for a number of years, so I am glad to make my defense. 11 As you can verify for yourself, it has not been more than twelve days since I went up to worship in Yerushalayim; 12 and neither in the Temple nor in the synagogues nor anywhere else in the city did they find me either arguing with anyone or collecting a crowd. 13 Nor can they give any proof of the things of which they are accusing me.
14 “But this I do admit to you: I worship the God of our fathers[c] in accordance with the Way (which they call a sect). I continue to believe everything that accords with the Torah and everything written in the Prophets. 15 And I continue to have a hope in God — which they too accept — that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. 16 Indeed, it is because of this that I make a point of always having a clear conscience in the sight of both God and man.
17 “After an absence of several years, I came to Yerushalayim to bring a charitable gift to my nation and to offer sacrifices. 18 It was in connection with the latter that they found me in the Temple. I had been ceremonially purified, I was not with a crowd, and I was not causing a disturbance. 19 But some Jews from the province of Asia — they ought to be here before you to make a charge if they have anything against me! 20 Or else, let these men themselves say what crime they found me guilty of when I stood in front of the Sanhedrin, 21 other than this one thing which I shouted out when I was standing among them: ‘I am on trial before you today because I believe in the resurrection of the dead!’”
22 But Felix, who had rather detailed knowledge of things connected with the Way, put them off, saying, “When Lysias the commander comes down, I will decide your case.” 23 He ordered the captain to keep Sha’ul in custody, but to let him have considerable liberty and not prevent any of his friends from taking care of his needs.
24 After some days, Felix came with his wife Drusilla, who was Jewish. He sent for Sha’ul and listened to him as he spoke about trusting in the Messiah Yeshua. 25 But when Sha’ul began to discuss righteousness, self-control and the coming Judgment, Felix became frightened and said, “For the time being, go away! I will send for you when I get a chance.” 26 At the same time, he hoped that Sha’ul would offer him a bribe; so he sent for him rather often and kept talking with him.
27 After two years, Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus; but because Felix wanted to grant the Judeans a favor, he left Sha’ul still a prisoner.
25 Three days after Festus had entered the province, he went up from Caesarea to Yerushalayim. 2 There the head cohanim and the Judean leaders informed him of the case against Sha’ul, and they asked him 3 to do them the favor of having the man sent to Yerushalayim. (They had plotted to have him ambushed and killed en route.) 4 Festus replied that Sha’ul was being kept under guard in Caesarea, and that he was about to go there shortly himself. 5 “So,” he said, “let competent men among you come down with me and press charges against the man, if he has done something wrong.”
6 After staying with them at most eight or ten days, Festus went down to Caesarea; and on the following day, he took his seat in court and ordered Sha’ul to be brought in. 7 When he arrived, the Judeans who had come down from Yerushalayim stood around him, bringing many serious charges against him which they could not prove. 8 In reply, Sha’ul said, “I have committed no offense — not against the Torah to which the Jews hold, not against the Temple, and not against the Emperor.”
9 But Festus, wanting to do the Judeans a favor, asked Sha’ul, “Would you be willing to go up to Yerushalayim and be tried before me there on these charges?” 10 Sha’ul replied, “I am standing right now in the court of the Emperor, and this is where I should be tried. I have done no wrong to the Judeans, as you very well know. 11 If I am a wrongdoer, if I have done something for which I deserve to die, then I am ready to die. But if there is nothing to these charges which they are bringing against me, no one can give me to them just to grant a favor! I appeal to the Emperor!” 12 Then Festus, after talking with his advisers, answered, “You have appealed to the Emperor; you will go to the Emperor!”
13 After some days, King Agrippa and Bernice arrived at Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus. 14 Since they were staying on there for some time, Festus had the opportunity to acquaint the king with Sha’ul’s situation. “There is a man here,” he said, “who was left behind in custody by Felix. 15 When I was in Yerushalayim, the head cohanim and the elders of the Judeans informed me about him and asked me to pronounce judgment against him. 16 My answer to them was that it is not the custom with Romans to give up an accused man just to grant a favor, before he has met his accusers face to face and had the opportunity to defend himself against the charge. 17 So when they arrived here with me, I did not delay, but took my seat in court the next day and ordered the man brought in.
18 “When the accusers stood up, instead of charging him with some serious crime as I had expected, 19 they disputed with him about certain points of their own religion, and particularly about somebody called Yeshua, who had died, but who Sha’ul claimed was alive. 20 Being at a loss as to how to investigate such questions, I asked him if he would be willing to go to Yerushalayim and be tried on these matters there. 21 But since Sha’ul appealed to be kept in custody and have his case decided by His Imperial Majesty, I ordered him held until I could send him to the Emperor.”
22 Agrippa said to Festus, “I myself have been wanting to hear the man.” “Tomorrow,” he replied, “You will hear him.”
23 So the next day, Agrippa and Bernice came with much pageantry; they entered the audience room accompanied by military commanders and the prominent men of the city. Then, at the command of Festus, Sha’ul was brought in. 24 Festus said, “King Agrippa and all of you here with us, do you see this man? The whole Judean community has complained to me about him both in Yerushalayim and here, crying that he shouldn’t be allowed to remain alive. 25 But I discovered that he had done nothing that deserves a death sentence. Now when he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26 However, I have nothing specific to write to His Majesty about him. This is why I have brought him before all of you, and especially before you, King Agrippa — so that after we have examined him, I might have something to write. 27 It seems irrational to me to send a prisoner without also indicating what the charges against him are.”
Copyright © 1998 by David H. Stern. All rights reserved.