And on the next day they returned to the barracks, letting the horsemen go on with him. When they had come to Caesarea and delivered the letter to the governor, they presented Paul also before him. On reading the letter, he asked what province he was from. And when he learned that he was from Cilicia, he said, “I will give you a hearing when your accusers arrive.” And he commanded him to be guarded in Herod’s praetorium.
And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul. And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:
“Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation, in every way and everywhere we accept this with all gratitude. But, to detain you no further, I beg you in your kindness to hear us briefly. For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. He even tried to profane the temple, but we seized him. By examining him yourself you will be able to find out from him about everything of which we accuse him.”
The Jews also joined in the charge, affirming that all these things were so.
Comment: Presumably Tertullus, who was the equivalent of a modern day King’s Council, led the case for the Jews. Although they were in Herod’s judgement hall, a powerful Roman, Felix, no doubt a wily old cat, sorry Judge, was the Roman in charge. Herod was half Jew. With a smooth tongue Tertullus tries to butter Felix up, and then makes the Jews’ accusation against Paul. Paul may have been the cause of riots but he didn’t stir them up; Paul was very assiduously trying not to profane the temple when, in their prejudice, the Jews misread what was going on, and seized him. They hated the message of Jesus and they hated Paul as a major spokesman for the message about Jesus, the Messiah.
Prayer: May our Magistrates and Judges as they sit in our courts be honest people, ruling with justice and integrity, O Lord.
As I read it! 