Acts 25:7 - Printer Friendly

ESV: When he had arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many and serious charges against him that they could not prove.

NIV: When Paul came in, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him. They brought many serious charges against him, but they could not prove them.

NASB: After Paul arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him, bringing many, and serious, charges against him which they could not prove,

CSB: When he arrived, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood around him and brought many serious charges that they were not able to prove.

NLT: When Paul arrived, the Jewish leaders from Jerusalem gathered around and made many serious accusations they couldn’t prove.

KJV: And when he was come, the Jews which came down from Jerusalem stood round about, and laid many and grievous complaints against Paul, which they could not prove.

NKJV: When he had come, the Jews who had come down from Jerusalem stood about and laid many serious complaints against Paul, which they could not prove,

Paul is facing a new trial before the new governor, Festus. We aren't told what the charges are this time, but Festus later gives King Agrippa II a summary: "They had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive" (Acts 25:19). Festus then tells the leaders and nobles of Caesarea that the Jews shouted that Paul deserved death (Acts 25:24).

Paul's rebuttal also gives us clues. He defends himself against breaking the Jewish law, desecrating the temple, and breaking the Roman law (Acts 25:8).

The whole thing started two years prior when Paul returned to Jerusalem after several years in the province of Asia in modern-day southwest Turkey and in cities around the Aegean Sea. When he arrived, persons unknown falsely claimed he taught Jews they didn't have to obey the Mosaic law (Acts 21:20–21).

A week later, Jews from Asia erroneously accused him of desecrating the temple by bringing Trophimus, an Ephesian Gentile, inside (Acts 21:27–29). Tertullus, the spokesman hired by the Sanhedrin, included this charge in their hearing before Felix (Acts 24:6). The charge was an honest mistake (if poorly managed) as Paul had been with Trophimus earlier but did not bring him into the temple. Paul certainly didn't deserve to be drug outside and beat half to death (Acts 21:23–36).

Paul is charged with breaking Roman law in at least two ways. The first accusation is bringing a Gentile into the temple. Beyond being a serious offense against the Mosaic law, it was against Roman law to disrespect a religious place of worship.

The second charge is "stir[ring] up riots among all the Jews throughout the world," as Tertullus put it (Acts 24:5). Although Paul was well known for eliciting passionate responses to his church-planting activities (Acts 13:45–52; 14:4–7, 19–20), the only recorded "riot" involving Jews was in Thessalonica in Macedonia (Acts 17:5–8), not in the province of Asia. The riot in Asia was caused by an Ephesian silversmith and a crowd that didn't even know what they were supposed to be upset about (Acts 19:21–41). And the only "riot" in Festus's jurisdiction, besides the mob that beat Paul, was a fist fight in the Sanhedrin (Acts 23:6–10).

Acts 25:6–12 shows Paul taking legal matters into his own hands. He has been incarcerated in Caesarea Maritima for two years without charges. Felix has been replaced by Festus, and the Sanhedrin return to Caesarea to see if their paltry evidence will slip by the new governor. When Festus unwittingly seems about to enable the Sanhedrin to kill Paul, Paul plays his trump card: he is a Roman citizen and he appeals to a higher court, in Rome. After a short audience with King Agrippa II and the leaders of Caesarea, Paul gets his wish (Acts 26—28).

In Acts 25, the new governor, Festus, must clean up Felix's mess. He tries to ingratiate himself with the Sanhedrin but when they ask him to bring Paul to Jerusalem for trial, he refuses. The Sanhedrin agrees to come to Caesarea Maritima, instead, to present their accusations. Festus quickly realizes they don't have a case. Yet when he hesitates to dismiss the charges, Paul appeals the case to a higher court. Festus then invites King Agrippa II, the king's sister Bernice, and the city leaders to hear Paul and determine how to justify Paul's presence before Caesar.

When Felix is called back to Rome to answer for his cruelty, he leaves a bit of a mess. Paul is still under house arrest without charges (Acts 24). When the new governor Festus refuses to exonerate him, Paul appeals to a higher court. Paul is a Roman citizen, so Festus must send him. Yet he still has no formal charges. After inviting King Agrippa II and the city leaders to hear Paul's testimony, they realize Paul has done nothing wrong and should have been released. Paul and Luke survive a harrowing sea voyage but finally arrive at Rome (Acts 27—29).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.