HechosCapítulo 25

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Three days after arriving in the province, Festus went up from Caesarea to Jerusalem.

There the chief priests and the leading men of the Jews laid out their case against Paul. They kept urging him,

asking as a favor that he have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, for they were preparing an ambush to kill him along the way.

Festus answered that Paul was being held in Caesarea and that he himself intended to leave for there shortly.

"So let your leading men come down with me," he said, "and if there is anything wrong with the man, let them bring their charges against him."

After staying among them no more than eight or ten days, he went down to Caesarea. The next day he took his seat on the judgment bench and ordered Paul to be brought in.

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

Paul made his defense: "I have committed no offense against the law of the Jews, or against the temple, or against Caesar."

But Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, said to Paul, "Are you willing to go up to Jerusalem and stand trial before me there on these charges?"

Paul replied, "I am standing before Caesar's judgment seat, where I ought to be tried. I have done the Jews no wrong, as you yourself know very well.

If then I am guilty of wrongdoing and have done anything deserving death, I do not refuse to die. But if there is nothing to the charges these men bring against me, no one can hand me over to them. I appeal to Caesar."

Then Festus, after conferring with his council, answered: "You have appealed to Caesar. To Caesar you will go."

Some days later King Agrippa and Bernice arrived in Caesarea to pay their respects to Festus.

Since they were staying there several days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king. "There is a man here," he said, "whom Felix left behind as a prisoner.

When I was in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews brought charges against him and asked for a sentence of condemnation.

I told them it is not the Roman custom to hand a man over before the accused has met his accusers face to face and has had a chance to defend himself against the charge.

So when they had assembled here, I did not delay. The very next day I took my seat on the judgment bench and ordered the man brought in.

When his accusers stood up, they brought no charge of the crimes I had suspected.

Instead, they had certain disputes with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus who had died, who Paul kept insisting was alive.

Being at a loss how to investigate such matters, I asked whether he was willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried there on these charges.

But when Paul appealed to be held for the decision of His Majesty the Emperor, I ordered him kept in custody until I could send him to Caesar."

Then Agrippa said to Festus, "I would like to hear this man myself." "Tomorrow," he answered, "you will hear him."

So the next day Agrippa and Bernice came with great pomp and entered the audience hall along with the commanders and the prominent men of the city. At the order of Festus, Paul was brought in.

Festus said: "King Agrippa, and all of you present with us, you see this man. The whole Jewish community petitioned me about him, both in Jerusalem and here, shouting that he ought not to live any longer.

But I found that he had done nothing deserving death, and since he himself has appealed to His Majesty the Emperor, I decided to send him.

But I have nothing definite to write to my sovereign about him. So 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.

For it seems unreasonable to me to send a prisoner without indicating the charges against him."

Consulta

Resumen2

Capítulo 25

Main Theme: Paul appeals his case to the emperor after new legal hearings under Governor Festus.

Content: Festus takes over as governor and is immediately confronted with demands from Jewish leaders to have Paul transferred to Jerusalem, where they plan an ambush. Festus holds a trial in Caesarea, but when he suggests that Paul be tried in Jerusalem, Paul invokes his right as a Roman citizen and appeals to the emperor. King Agrippa and Bernice visit Festus, who presents the case to them because he lacks specific charges to send with him to Rome.

Key Terms/Images:

Appeal to the Emperor: Paul's right as a Roman citizen to have his case heard by the emperor in Rome, which protects him from local injustice.
Βῆμα (the judgment seat): The official judge's platform where Festus sits as representative of Roman law and authority.
Festus' Dilemma: The governor finds no criminal act, yet must still send Paul to Rome with a formal indictment.
Agrippa as Advisor: The Jewish king is involved to help Festus understand the religious questions in the case.

Contexto histórico

Historical and Cultural Context for Acts 25

Summary

The chapter describes Paul's trial under the new procurator Festus, his appeal to the emperor, and the introduction of King Agrippa II, who is to hear the case.

People

Porcius Festus was the new procurator in Judea who succeeded Felix. In this chapter, he appears as an administrator seeking to balance Jewish interests with Roman legal practice. He travels to Jerusalem only three days after his arrival (v.1), rejects the Jews' attempt to have Paul transferred there (vv.4-5), but later offers Paul the opportunity to be tried in Jerusalem to please the Jews (v.9). His uncertainty regarding religious matters becomes clear when he consults Agrippa (vv.20, 26).

King Agrippa II did not hold royal authority over Judea, but the Romans gave him responsibility for appointing high priests and managing the temple in Jerusalem. This made him an important authority on Jewish religious questions, which explains why Festus sought his counsel regarding Paul's case (v.26). He came to Caesarea together with his sister Berenice to greet the new procurator (v.13) and expressed a desire to hear Paul himself (v.22).

Berenice was Agrippa's sister and accompanied him on his visit to Festus (v.13). She was present at the ceremonial presentation of Paul, where they arrived "with great pomp" (μετὰ πολλῆς φαντασίας, v.23).

The chief priests and Jewish leaders (οἱ ἀρχιερεῖς καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι τῶν Ἰουδαίων, v.2) appear as Paul's persistent accusers. They tried to get Festus to transfer Paul to Jerusalem, with plans for an ambush along the way (v.3).

Places

Caesarea was the center of the legal proceedings. The procurator's tribunal (βῆμα/bēma, vv.6, 10, 17) was the court where Festus sat in judgment over Paul. The auditorium (ἀκροατήριον/akroatērion, v.23) was a formal reception hall suitable for ceremonial occasions such as Agrippa's state visit.

Jerusalem is mentioned as the place Festus visited immediately after his arrival (vv.1, 15), and to which the Jews wanted Paul transferred—with plans for an ambush along the way (v.3).

Events and Customs

Appellatio ad Caesarem (appeal to the emperor) was a legal right for Roman citizens. For Paul, this meant an opportunity to have his case heard directly by the emperor or his representatives in Rome. The expression "Καίσαρα ἐπικαλοῦμαι" (Kaisara epikaloumai – "I appeal to Caesar," v.11) was the formal wording that set this process in motion. Once the appeal had been stated and accepted by the governor, it was legally binding—Festus no longer had authority to judge the case (v.12).

A courtesy visit from client kings was common practice within the Roman system. Agrippa's visit to "greet" (ἀσπασάμενοι/aspasamenoi, v.13) the new procurator was a diplomatic necessity that confirmed the bonds of loyalty between a client king and Rome's representative.

Roman legal practice is highlighted in verse 16, where Festus explains that it is not Roman custom to hand anyone over before the accused has met their accusers face-to-face and been given an opportunity to defend themselves.

Key Terms

Σεβαστός (Sebastos) – The Greek word used in verses 21 and 25 is the official Greek translation of the Latin title "Augustus," the emperor's honorific title. Festus' use of the phrase "τοῦ Σεβαστοῦ διάγνωσιν" (the decision of Caesar) shows the formal, legal character of Paul's appeal.

Δεισιδαιμονία (deisidaimonia) in verse 19 is a notable word choice. The word can mean both "religion" (neutral) and "superstition" (negative). Festus' use of this term when referring to Jewish belief to Agrippa reveals a typical Roman attitude toward foreign religions as "their own religious matters."

Κύριος (kyrios – "lord") used for the emperor in verse 26 reflects language usage in eastern provinces under Nero. Festus' concern about what he should write to "the lord" (τῷ κυρίῳ) underscores the formal nature of sending a prisoner to the imperial court.

Φαντασία (fantasia) in verse 23 describes "great pomp"—a term that emphasizes the ceremonial extravagance of Agrippa's and Berenice's arrival at the auditorium.

Personas6

Berenice (sister of Agrippa II)2 Porcius Festus8 Paul10 Jesus1 Felix1 Herod Agrippa II5

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Cronología2