1Tři dny poté, co se Festus ujal vlády v provincii, vypravil se z Cesareje vzhůru do Jeruzaléma. 2Vrchní kněží a přední Židé mu tehdy oznámili žalobu proti Pavlovi. Prosili ho 3a dožadovali se té laskavosti, aby ho nechal poslat do Jeruzaléma (chystali totiž léčku, že ho po cestě zabijí). 4Festus odpověděl: „Pavel je ve vazbě v Cesareji, kam se sám chystám brzy odjet. 5Ať se tam vaši zástupci vypraví se mnou, a pokud ten muž provedl něco zlého, ať ho žalují.“ 6Poté, co mezi nimi strávil osm nebo deset dní, vrátil se do Cesareje. Druhého dne zasedl k soudu a poručil, ať předvedou Pavla. 7Jakmile se dostavil, obstoupili ho Židé, kteří přišli z Jeruzaléma, a vznášeli proti němu těžká obvinění, která však nemohli dokázat. 8Pavel se hájil: „Ani proti židovskému Zákonu ani proti chrámu ani proti císaři jsem se v ničem neprovinil.“ 9Festus, který se chtěl zavděčit Židům, Pavlovi odpověděl: „Chceš jít do Jeruzaléma a tam být ohledně toho přede mnou souzen?“ 10Pavel na to řekl: „Stojím před císařským soudem, jemuž podléhám. Židům jsem nijak neublížil, jak sám velmi dobře víš. 11Jsem-li skutečně vinen a spáchal jsem něco, zač si zasloužím smrt, neodmítám zemřít. Jestliže však na tom, z čeho mě obviňují, nic není, nikdo mě jim nemůže vydat. Odvolávám se k císaři!“ 12Festus to probral se svými poradci a odpověděl: „K císaři ses odvolal, k císaři půjdeš!“ 13Za několik dní do Cesareje dorazil král Agrippa s Bereniké, aby pozdravili Festa. 14Zdrželi se tam delší dobu, a tak Festus králi vyprávěl o Pavlově při: „Felix tu zanechal jednoho vězně. 15Když jsem byl v Jeruzalémě, vrchní kněží a židovští starší mi o něm řekli a žádali jeho odsouzení. 16Odpověděl jsem jim, že Římané nemají ve zvyku odsoudit člověka, aniž by obžalovaný stanul svým žalobcům tváří v tvář a dostal možnost hájit se proti jejich obvinění. 17Jakmile se tu sešli, beze všech odkladů jsem příštího dne zasedl k soudu a poručil, ať toho muže předvedou. 18Když ale vystoupili jeho žalobci, nevznesli proti němu nějaké těžké obvinění, jak bych očekával. 19Vedli s ním jen spor o nějakých otázkách toho jejich náboženství a o nějakém mrtvém Ježíši, o kterém Pavel tvrdil, že žije. 20Protože se v těch věcech nevyznám, navrhl jsem mu, zda by chtěl jít do Jeruzaléma, kde by to mohl soud projednat. 21Pavel se však odvolal, že chce zůstat ve vazbě až do rozhodnutí Jeho Veličenstva. Nařídil jsem tedy, ať zůstane ve vazbě, dokud ho nepošlu k císaři.“ 22Agrippa Festovi řekl: „Toho člověka bych si také rád poslechl.“ „Uslyšíš ho zítra,“ odpověděl Festus. 23Druhého dne přišli Agrippa a Bereniké s veškerou nádherou a spolu s veliteli a význačnými muži města vstoupili do jednací síně. Když byl na Festův rozkaz přiveden Pavel, 24Festus zahájil: „Králi Agrippo a všichni přítomní, vidíte tu muže, o něhož mě v Jeruzalémě i zde žádala celá židovská obec s křikem, že nesmí zůstat naživu. 25Shledal jsem, že neprovedl nic, za co by zasloužil smrt, ale když se sám odvolal k Jeho Veličenstvu, rozhodl jsem se ho k němu poslat. 26Nemám však nic určitého, co bych o něm svému vladaři napsal. Proto jsem ho přivedl před vás a zvláště před tebe, králi Agrippo, abych po tomto slyšení měl co napsat. 27Zdá se mi totiž nerozumné posílat vězně a neuvést, z čeho je obviněn.“
Jamieson Fausset Brown Bible Commentary 1 FESTUS, COMING TO JERUSALEM, DECLINES TO HAVE PAUL BROUGHT THITHER FOR JUDGMENT, BUT GIVES THE PARTIES A HEARING ON HIS RETURN TO CĆSAREA--ON FESTUS ASKING THE APOSTLE IF HE WOULD GO TO JERUSALEM FOR ANOTHER HEARING BEFORE HIM, HE IS CONSTRAINED IN JUSTICE TO HIS CAUSE TO APPEAL TO THE EMPEROR. (
Acts 25:1-
Acts 25:12)
Festus . . . after three days . . . ascended . . . to Jerusalem--to make himself acquainted with the great central city of his government without delay.
2 Then the high priest--a successor of him before whom Paul had appeared (
Acts 23:2).
and the chief of the Jews--and "the whole multitude of the Jews" (
Acts 25:24) clamorously.
informed him against Paul . . .
3 desired favour--in
Acts 25:15, "judgment."
against him--It would seem that they had the insolence to ask him to have the prisoner executed even without a trial (
Acts 25:16).
laying wait . . . to kill him--How deep must have been their hostility, when two years after the defeat of their former attempt, they thirst as keenly as ever for his blood! Their plea for having the case tried at Jerusalem, where the alleged offense took place, was plausible enough; but from
Acts 25:10 it would seem that Festus had been made acquainted with their causeless malice, and that in some way which Paul was privy to.
4 answered that Paul should be kept--rather, "is in custody."
at Cćsarea, and . . . himself would depart shortly thither.
5 Let them . . . which among you are able, go down--"your leading men."
7 the Jews . . . from Jerusalem--clamorously, as at Jerusalem; see
Acts 25:24.
many and grievous complaints against Paul--From his reply, and Festus' statement of the case before Agrippa, these charges seem to have been a jumble of political and religious matter which they were unable to substantiate, and vociferous cries that he was unfit to live. Paul's reply, not given in full, was probably little more than a challenge to prove any of their charges, whether political or religious.
9 Festus, willing to do the Jews a pleasure--to ingratiate himself with them.
said, Wilt thou go up to Jerusalem, and . . . be judged . . . before me--or, "under my protection." If this was meant in earnest, it was temporizing and vacillating. But, possibly, anticipating Paul's refusal, he wished merely to avoid the odium of refusing to remove the trial to Jerusalem.
10 Then said Paul, I stand at Cćsar's judgment seat--that is, I am already before the proper tribunal. This seems to imply that he understood Festus to propose handing him over to the Sanhedrim for judgment (and see on
Acts 25:11), with a mere promise of protection from him. But from going to Jerusalem at all he was too well justified in shrinking, for there assassination had been quite recently planned against him.
to the Jews have I done no wrong, as thou knowest very well--literally, "better," that is, (perhaps), better than to press such a proposal.
if there be none of these things . . . no man may deliver me unto them--The word signifies to "surrender in order to gratify" another.
11 I appeal to Cćsar--The right of appeal to the supreme power, in case of life and death, was secured by an ancient law to every Roman citizen, and continued under the empire. Had Festus shown any disposition to pronounce final judgment, Paul, strong in the consciousness of his innocence and the justice of a Roman tribunal, would not have made this appeal. But when the only other alternative offered him was to give his own consent to be transferred to the great hotbed of plots against his life, and to a tribunal of unscrupulous and bloodthirsty ecclesiastics whose vociferous cries for his death had scarcely subsided, no other course was open to him.
12 Festus--little expecting such an appeal, but bound to respect it.
having conferred with the council--his assessors in judgment, as to the admissibility of the appeal.
said, Hast thou--for "thou hast."
to Cćsar shalt thou go--as if he would add perhaps "and see if thou fare better."
13 HEROD AGRIPPA II ON A VISIT TO FESTUS, BEING CONSULTED BY HIM ON PAUL'S CASE, DESIRES TO HEAR THE APOSTLE, WHO IS ACCORDINGLY BROUGHT FORTH. (
Acts 25:13-
Acts 25:27)
King Agrippa--great-grandson of Herod the Great, and Drusilla's brother (see on
Acts 24:24). On his father's awful death (
Acts 12:23), being thought too young (seventeen) to succeed, Judea, was attached to the province of Syria. Four years after, on the death of his uncle Herod, he was made king of the northern principalities of Chalcis, and afterwards got Batanea, Iturea, Trachonitis, Abilene, Galilee, and Perea, with the title of king. He died A.D. 100, after reigning fifty-one years.
and Bernice--his sister. She was married to her uncle Herod, king of Chalcis, on whose death she lived with her brother Agrippa--not without suspicion of incestuous intercourse, which her subsequent licentious life tended to confirm.
came to salute Festus--to pay his respects to him on his accession to the procuratorship.
14 when there many--"several"
days, Festus declared Paul's cause--taking advantage of the presence of one who might be presumed to know such matters better than himself; though the lapse of "several days" ere the subject was touched on shows that it gave Festus little trouble.
16 to deliver any man to die--On the word "deliver up," see on
Acts 25:11.
18 as I supposed--"suspected"--crimes punishable by civil law.
19 questions . . . of their own superstition--rather, "religion" (see on
Acts 17:22). It cannot be supposed that Festus would use the word in any discourteous sense in addressing his Jewish guest.
one Jesus--"Thus speaks this miserable Festus of Him to whom every knee shall bow" [BENGEL].
whom Paul affirmed--"kept affirming."
to be alive--showing that the resurrection of the Crucified One had been the burden, as usual, of Paul's pleading. The insignificance of the whole affair in the eyes of Festus is manifest.
20 because I doubted of such manner of questions--The "I" is emphatic. "I," as a Roman judge, being at a loss how to deal with such matters.
21 the hearing of Augustus--the imperial title first conferred by the Roman Senate on Octavius.
22 I would also hear--"should like to hear."
the man myself--No doubt Paul was fight when he said, "The king knoweth of these things . . . for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a corner" (
Acts 26:26). Hence his curiosity to see and hear the man who had raised such commotion and was remodelling to such an extent the whole Jewish life.
23 when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp--in the same city in which their father, on account of his pride, had perished, eaten up by worms [WETST].
with the chief captains--(See on
Acts 21:32). JOSEPHUS [Wars of the Jews, 3.4.2] says that five cohorts, whose full complement was one thousand men, were stationed at Cćsarea.
principal men of the city--both Jews and Romans. "This was the most dignified and influential audience Paul had yet addressed, and the prediction (
Acts 9:15) was fulfilled, though afterwards still more remarkably at Rome (
Acts 27:24;
2Tim 4:16-17) [WEBSTER and WILKINSON].
26 I have no certain--"definite"
thing to write my lord--Nero. "The writer's accuracy should be remarked here. It would have been . . . a mistake to apply this term ("lord") to the emperor a few years earlier. Neither Augustus nor Tiberius would let himself be so called, as implying the relation of master and slave. But it had now come (rather, "was coming") into use as one of the imperial titles" [HACKET].