Acts 24

This chapter, in the latter part of Acts, deals with the period of Paul's imprisonment. In Acts 23, Paul escaped a plot against his life and was sent to the governor at Caesarea; in this chapter his trial takes place.

Outline

• Verses 1–9: Five days later, the high priest Ananias comes down with the elders and an orator named Tertullus to bring charges against Paul. Tertullus flatters Felix and then calls Paul "a pestilent fellow" and "a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes," accusing him of having attempted to profane the temple.
• Verses 10–21: In his defense, Paul states that only twelve days have passed since he went up to Jerusalem to worship and that he has stirred up no disturbance. He declares that he believes the Law and the Prophets, holds the hope of the resurrection, and came bringing alms and offerings.
• Verses 22–23: Felix defers judgment, saying he will decide the matter when Lysias the chief captain comes down. He orders a centurion to keep Paul in custody but to allow him a measure of liberty.
• Verses 24–27: Felix, together with his wife Drusilla, hears Paul and is afraid, yet he sends for him often, hoping to receive money. After two years Porcius Festus arrives as his successor, and Felix, wishing to win the favor of the Jews, leaves Paul in prison.

Key Verses

• Acts 24:15: "There shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and unjust." This verse shows that the resurrection was central to the faith Paul set forth in his defense.
• Acts 24:16: "And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence toward God, and toward men." This verse is frequently cited in discussions of how believers ought to live.
• Acts 24:25: "He reasoned of righteousness, temperance, and judgment to come." This verse portrays Paul proclaiming the gospel even before those in power.

People and Places

• Ananias the high priest: The high priest who led the prosecution. He is not the same person as Ananias of Damascus.
• Tertullus: The orator, that is, the legal advocate, whom the Jewish leaders brought to present their case.
• Felix: The Roman governor of Judea.
• Drusilla: The wife of Felix; the text identifies her only as "a Jewess."
• Lysias: The chief captain who sent Paul to Caesarea in chapter 23.
• Porcius Festus: Felix's successor as governor.
• The council: The Sanhedrin, the supreme Jewish council.
• Jerusalem: The city where Paul was seized.

Points to Consider

• The word "heresy": The Greek word hairesis, rendered in Korean translations of verses 5 and 14 by the term for "heresy" (KJV "sect" and "heresy"), originally means "sect" or "party." Acts also uses this word for the Sadducees and the Pharisees. It therefore does not carry exactly the same meaning as heresy in the sense used by Korean churches today.
• Textual variants: The manuscripts differ from the end of verse 6 through the beginning of verse 8. Some manuscripts contain additional material stating that Lysias took Paul away by force. For this reason, some translations omit verse 7 or divide the verses differently.
• Extrabiblical sources: The identification of Drusilla as a daughter of Herod Agrippa I is based on sources outside the Bible, such as Josephus.
• The relief offering: The "alms" of verse 17 are commonly interpreted as the offering for the Jerusalem church that Paul had collected from the Gentile churches. This connects with the accounts of the collection in Romans 15 and the Corinthian letters.
• Resurrection faith: The resurrection of the just and the unjust in verse 15 is often cited together with John 5:25–29 in discussions of the Last Judgment.

In the Korean Church

The scene in verse 25, in which Felix, though afraid, puts off a decision by saying, "Go thy way for this time," is often used in evangelistic preaching as an example of a person who delays repentance.