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Pleading before a Roman like Felix was no light task, and as the Jews ardently desired
to make sure of their victim, they hired the services of an orator named Tertullus. Paul,
however, elected to defend himself.
Tertullus was evidently a practiced speaker, and "Luke has faithfully preserved an
outline of his voluble plausibility" (Farrar). He opens his speech with a flattering
allusion to Felix's administration. If we had had nothing but the language of Tertullus to
guide us, we should have imagined that Felix was held in the highest admiration by the
Jews. In verses 2 and 3 we read:
"Seeing that by thee we enjoy great quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done
unto this nation by thy providence, we accept it always, and in all places, most noble
Felix, with all thankfulness" (Acts 24: 2, 3).
As a matter of fact, however, we know that Felix was particularly detested by the
Jews. It is true that he had put down one form of brigandage, but he had actually
encouraged and profited by another.
Luke tells us in verse 1 that Tertullus "informed against Paul", and this, of course, was
the work that he was employed to do. The opening of the case was known as the nominis
or criminis delatio, the information formally laid before the quaesitor. It would have
been contrary to human nature if Felix, the man who had been born a slave, had not felt
highly pleased at being reminded of his "providence", a word used of emperors and
frequently inscribed on their coins.
Tertullus now proceeds to the indictment, or accusatio, which he subdivides into three
parts:
(1)
Paul was a public pest, and lived by exciting factions among the Jews all over the
world. He was, in short, a public enemy.
(2)
He was a ringleader of a sect called the "Nazarenes".
(3)
He had attempted to profane the Temple.
According to Tertullus, therefore, the Apostle was guilty of three offences--treason,
heresy, and sacrilege. Treason was a most deadly offence against Roman law; heresy
was an offence against the Jewish law; and sacrilege was an offence against both.
Tertullus speaks of Paul as "a pestilent fellow". The original here is loinios, a
"plague". Certain it is that, wherever Paul went, "his appearance seemed the signal for
dissension, from the day when he escaped over the wall at Damascus, to the day of his
apprehension in the Temple. He had been driven out of Antioch, stoned at Lystra,
imprisoned at Philippi, accused of treason at Thessalonica, expelled from the synagogue
at Corinth, haled before the proconsul Gallio. The cause of a serious riot at Ephesus;
and the moment he arrived at Jerusalem, the disturbances had broken out afresh"
(Septimus Buss). Tertullus was evidently instructed to avoid the name "Christian" for
this would have been too much like agreeing that "Jesus" was the "Christ". He therefore
speaks of "the sect of the Nazarenes".