Acts xxiii. 11-22, THE JEWISH CONSPIRACY AGAINST PAUL. II And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul: for as thou hast testified of me at Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. 12 And when it was day, certain of the Jews banded together, and bound themselves under a curse, saying that they would 13 neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. And they were more than forty which had made this conspiracy. 14 And they came to the chief priests and elders, and said, We have bound ourselves under a great curse, that we will 15 eat nothing until we have slain Paul. Now therefore ye with the council signify to the chief captain that he bring him down unto you to morrow, as though ye would enquire something more perfectly concerning him : and we, or ever 16 he come near, are ready to kill him. And when Paul's sister's son heard of their lying in wait, he went and 17 entered into the castle, and told Paul. Then Paul called one of the centurions unto him, and said, Bring this young man unto the chief captain: for he hath a certain thing to 18 tell him. So he took him, and brought him to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto him, and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who 19 hath something to say unto thee. Then the chief captain took him by the hand, and went with him aside privately, 20 and asked him, What is that thou hast to tell me? And he said, The Jews have agreed to desire thee that thou wouldest bring down Paul to morrow into the council, as though they would enquire somewhat of him more per21 fectly. But do not thou yield unto them: for there lie in wait for him of them more than forty men, which have bound themselves with an oath, that they will neither eat nor drink till they have killed him: and now are they 22 ready, looking for a promise from thee. So the chief captain then let the young man depart, and charged him, See thou tell no man that thou hast shewed these things to me. The Council having been thwarted in its attempt to get rid of Paul, owing to its own divisions and the careful protection of Claudius Lysias, a band of Jews, more than forty in number, formed a plot to assassinate him. They arranged with the Council to ask Lysias to bring Paul down again for further examination, and determined to murder him on the way from the fortress of Antonia to the Council chamber. Information, however, reached the ears of Paul's nephew, and he disclosed the plot to the governor. 11. thou must bear witness also at Rome. It had been Paul's ambition for some time to go to Rome (see xix. 21; Rom. i. 11-13). This vision introduces the third section of Acts (see n. on i. 8), and leads up to the climax of the book. 12. certain of the Jews. The first two words are omitted in the R.V. -a 14. We have bound ourselves. Literally, "With a curse have we cursed ourselves,”Hebrew mode of expression, denoting intensity of feeling and earnestness of action. 15. to morrow. Omitted in R. V., which translates "that he bring him down unto you, as though ye would judge of his case more exactly." 16. Paul's sister's son. This is the only reference we have to Paul's relatives. Paul's sister and her family probably resided in Jerusalem. 20. as though they would enquire. The R.V. substitutes "thou" for "they." for "they." The change represents an attempt on the part of the conspirators to throw the responsibility on to Claudius Lysias, and is probably meant to be an improvement on the scheme in ver. 15. Acts xxiii. 23-35. CLAUDIUS LYSIAS SENDS PAUL TO FELIX. 23 And he called unto him two centurions, saying, Make ready two hundred soldiers to go to Cæsarea, and horsemen threescore and ten, and spearmen two hundred, at the third 24 hour of the night; and provide them beasts, that they may set Paul on, and bring him safe unto Felix the 25 governor. And he wrote a letter after this manner: 26 Claudius Lysias unto the most excellent governor Felix 27 sendeth greeting. This man was taken of the Jews, and should have been killed of them: then came I with an army, and rescued him, having understood that he was a 28 Roman. And when I would have known the cause where-. fore they accused him, I brought him forth into their 29 council: whom I perceived to be accused of questions of their law, but to have nothing laid to his charge worthy of 30 death or of bonds. And when it was told me how that the Jews laid wait for the man, I sent straightway to thee, and gave commandment to his accusers also to say before thee 31 what they had against him. Farewell. Then the soldiers, as it was commanded them, took Paul, and brought him by 32 night to Antipatris. On the morrow they left the horse33 men to go with him, and returned to the castle: who, when they came to Cæsarea, and delivered the epistle to the 34 governor, presented Paul also before him. And when the governor had read the letter, he asked of what province he was. And when he understood that he was of Cilicia; 35 I will hear thee, said he, when thine accusers are also come. And he commanded him to be kept in Herod's judgment hall, Fearing for the safety of his prisoner in the face of the plot which had been formed against him, Claudius Lysias determined to send Paul to the Roman procurator Felix, at Cæsarea. The journey to Cæsarea represents the first stage in Paul's progress to Rome. 23. Make ready, etc. Lysias took extreme precautions for Paul's protection. A bodyguard of 470 soldiers for a single prisoner seems excessive, though it was undoubtedly necessary in view of the disturbed condition of Jerusalem. The bodyguard was composed of three classes: (a) 200 ordinary soldiers, (b) 70 cavalry, (c) 200 spearmen. It is difficult to decide what exactly the third class represents. The most probable view is that they were light-armed native troops carrying javelins. to go to Cæsarea. Cæsarea was the official residence of the Roman governor; cf. xxi. 8. 24. Felix the governor. Felix was the Roman procurator of Judæa. He owed his appointment to the influence of his brother Pallas, the notorious freedman and court favourite of the Emperor Claudius. Jewish and Roman historians unite in describing him as a cruel and profligate ruler. Tacitus, for instance, says of him that "he thought that he could do any evil act with impunity," since he had so much influence behind him at the court. He was finally recalled to Rome in disgrace. For his relations with Herod and his intrigue with Drusilla, see n. on xxiv. 24. 26. the most excellent governor. This phrase would be more aptly translated, "to his excellency the governor Felix." The same word is used of Theophilus in i. 1 (see note). 27. should have been killed. A misleading rendering. them." R.V., 66 I was about to be slain of 29. accused of questions of their law. Compare the attitude of Gallio at Corinth, xviii. 14. 31. Antipatris. A town 42 miles from Jerusalem and 26 from Cæsarea. It had been rebuilt by Herod the Great, and called Antipatris in memory of his father, Antipater. 32. left the horsemen to go with him. There was no need for the whole bodyguard to proceed farther, so the 400 soldiers returned, and left the 70 cavalrymen to conduct Paul to Cæsarea. 34. of what province he was. The question was asked in order that Felix might find out whether Paul's case came under his jurisdiction. The answer satisfied him on the point. Cilicia, like Judæa, was attached to the province of Syria, and Felix therefore was bound to try the case as deputy for his superior officer, the Legate of Syria. 35. in Herod's judgment hall. R.V., "in Herod's palace." The Greek word never means "judgment hall.” The building in question had probably been erected by Herod as a palace for his own use, but was now used as a residence for the Roman governor. Acts xxiv. I-26. THE TRIAL OF PAUL BEFORE FELIX. I. THE CASE FOR THE PROSECUTION And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who 2 informed the governor against Paul. And when he was |