CRITICAL REMARKS
Acts 23:23. Two.—Not one or two (Howson), but some or certain two—i.e., two or three (Hackett) of the centurions. Compare “some two of the disciples” (Luke 7:19). Soldiers.—Heavy armed, as distinguished from the “horsemen.” The spearmen, δεξιολάβοι, “right hand graspers”—an obscure word, not yet satisfactorily explained—have been interpreted as meaning military lictors who guarded prisoners, and were so called from taking the right side (Kuinoel), but probably signified a lightly armed Roman cohort of slingers and javelin throwers (Jos., Wars, II. Act. 17:5; III. Act. 7:18; IV. Acts 1:3), hence rightly enough named spearmen.
Acts 23:25. A letter after this manner.—Lit., having this type, as to verbal form, stamp, and contents. Such a writing relative to a prisoner, called an elogium, was required by Roman law to be sent with every prisoner forwarded to a magistrate for trial. That this was not the actual missive of Claudius Lysias, but only a free reproduction of what the writer of the Acts supposed it might be, has been argued
(1) from the difficulty of understanding how the writer of the Acts would get to know what Lysias wrote, and
(2) from its similarity to the introduction of Luke (Acts 1:3), which, like it, uses the epithet “most excellent,” and to the Jerusalem letter, which employs the same salutation, “greeting” (Acts 15:23). But as to
(1), the letter of Lysias may have been unsealed and shown to Paul, if not also to Luke, who most likely accompanied him; while as to
(2), it need only be supposed that Lysias, Luke, and James, knew the art of polite letter-writing. It is a gratuitous assumption to assert that the composer of the Acts is responsible for the inaccuracy which occurs in Lysias’ letter (Holtzmann).
Acts 23:28. I brought him forth—better, down—into their council.—This clause is omitted by some authorities.
Acts 23:30. From the Received Text the word μέλλειν should be struck out, according to the best authorities; but even then two constructions are combined:
(1) μηνυθείσης ἐπιβουλῆς τῆς ἐσομένης, and
(2) μηνυθέντος ἐπιβουλὴν ἔσεσθαι. The sense, however is, it having been shown to me that there would be a plot against the man. By the Jews is wanting in the oldest codices. So is the concluding word, farewell, which was probably inserted from Acts 15:29.
Acts 23:31. By, or during night the apostle with his escort travelled to Antipatris.
Acts 23:32. On the morrow after their arrival at Antipatris. Returned to the castle.—Possibly one of the centurions (Acts 23:23), along with the footmen and spearmen.
Acts 23:35. I will hear thee.—Perhaps fully should be added to convey the force of the preposition. The rule of Roman law was: Qui cum elogio mittuntur ex integro audiendi sunt. “The governor of a province was not to give implicit credit to the document with which a prisoner was sent to him; he must institute an independent examination of the case for himself” (Hackett).
HOMILETICAL ANALYSIS.—Acts 23:23-35
The Midnight Ride to Cæsarea; or, Paul’s Safety Ensured
I. The departure from Jerusalem.—
1. The time. “The third hour of the night;” i.e., about nine o’clock in the evening. The military tribune obviously lost no time. Neither had God. The conspiracy had been hatched in the early hours of the morning. In the course of the forenoon it might be laid before the council. In the afternoon it was public talk in the inns. In the evening by nine o’clock, it was defeated. Well says Russell Lowell in his “Biglow Papers”:
“And you’ve got to get up early
If you want to take in God.”
2. The escort. Two hundred footmen, seventy horsemen, and two hundred spearmen. A large guard for the protection of one man. From this may be inferred the military tribune’s sense of the danger arising from the reckless daring of the Sicarii which infested the country. Besides, the Roman citizenship of Paul rendered it necessary that no risk should be run of harm coming to him while in the tribune’s care. “Or, perhaps, finding Paul to be a very extraordinary man, the chief captain was proud to have him his prisorer and under his protection; and the mighty parade with which he sent him off intimates as much” (Henry).
3. The destination. The soldiers were simply told they were to go to Cæsarea. Even the centurion was not informed at first of the reason of this midnight march. His instructions ran to provide beasts of burden, either horses or mules—to carry packages he might infer, but, as Luke indicates, to set Paul on one of them, and so convey him safe to Felix.
4. The accompanying letter.
(1) Its writer. Claudius Lysias, concerning whom nothing is known beyond what is here recorded.
(2) Its recipient. Felix (Antoninus), at that time Roman Procurator of Judæa, to which office he had been appointed A.D. 53. A freedman of the emperor Claudius, and brother of Pallas the favourite of Nero, he “exercised his power as a prince with the spirit of a slave” (Tacitus, Hist., Acts 23:9), while Josephus (Ant., XX. viii. 5) relates that under this rule “the affairs of the Jews grew worse and worse continually.” Suetonius affirms that he was the husband of three queens: (a) Drusilla, the daughter of Juba, king of Mauritania and Selene, the daughter of Antony and Cleopatra; (b) another Drusilla, the daughter of Herod Agrippa I., sister of Herod Agrippa II., and wife of Azizus, King of Emesa, whom she left to marry Felix; and (c) a royal lady, whose name is unknown. This immoral governor ruled over Judæa for seven or eight years, was recalled by Nero in the year A.D. 60 or 61, and accused by the Cæsarean Jews, but acquitted on the intercession of his brother Pallas (Jos., Ant. XX., viii. 9). He was succeeded by Festus. Tradition reports that along with Drusilla and their son he perished in an eruption of Mount Vesuvius, in the days of Titus Cæsar.
(3) Its contents. After a courteous salutation (Acts 23:26), it explained how Paul had come into his hands (Acts 23:27), and why Paul was now forwarded to him (Acts 23:30). The apostle had been rescued by him (Lysias) when in danger of being slain in the temple (Acts 23:27), because he (Lysias) had come to know that he (Paul) was a Roman—an incorrect statement, which Lysias makes to represent his own conduct in the most favourable light, and which indirectly confirms the genuineness of the letter (Meyer). The apostle had been examined before the council of his countrymen, with the result that nothing had been found against him worthy of death or of bonds, but only certain charges about questions of their law had been advanced to his discredit (Acts 23:28-29). The apostle’s life had become imperilled in consequence of a conspiracy against him, which had come to his, the tribune’s ears, and which was the reason why Paul had been forwarded to Cæsarea, that if his accusers had aught to urge against him they might do so before a regular tribunal.
II. The arrival at Cæsarea.—
1. The halt at Antipatris. This town, built by Herod the Great, on a site called Kaphar-saba (Jos., Ant., XIII. xv. 1; XVI. Acts 23:2)—the modern Kefr Sâba—and named Antipatris in honour of his father, was forty miles from Jerusalem, on the direct road to Cæsarea, and might easily be reached, by a forced march of four miles an hour, by seven or nine o’clock a.m. Here the cavalcade halted for the day, and on the morrow—i.e., the day after arriving at Antipatris—the horsemen and spearmen proceeded on their journey to complete the twenty-six miles that remained between Antipatris and Cæsarea, the soldiers returning to Jerusalem, as the most dangerous part of the road was then passed.
2. The presentation of the letter and the prisoner to Felix. This was done on reaching Cæsarea. Felix, on perusing the document, put only one question, inquiring to what province the prisoner belonged. “Felix was not the principal Roman official in that part of the empire. The proconsul of Syria bore supreme authority over Judæa. Felix was proconsul, or deputy, of Judæa under that great official.… Felix deemed it expedient to inquire respecting the nationality of the prisoner, as it might have been desirable to have him sent at once to the seat of the government of some other procurator or proconsul” (Spence). Compare Pilate’s action in sending Christ, a Galilean, to be judged by Herod (Luke 23:6-7).
3. The decision of Felix concerning Paul. Having learnt that Paul belonged to Cilicia, Felix determined to investigate his cause himself. “The political motives which induced him to retain a Cilician in Judæa are to us now unknown” (Spence). When Paul’s accusers should arrive the trial would be opened. Meanwhile the apostle was commanded to be kept in Herod’s judgment-hall, pretorium, or palace—originally a mansion, erected by Herod for his accommodation, but then used as an official residence by the Roman governor. Most likely a part of this edifice was set apart for the lodging of state prisoners, and in any case it is apparent that in Cæsarea Paul was not treated like a common criminal, but allowed a large amount of liberty, his friends being permitted to visit him (Acts 24:23), during the two years of his confinement in that city.
Learn—
1. The respect which Christians, when sincere, exact, even from men of the world. This shown by the numerous guard provided to escort Paul.
2. The disrespect to truth which is often exhibited by men of the world. This instanced by Lysias’ inaccuracy in his letter.
3. The possibility of finding virtue in the hearts of those who have not been renewed by Divine grace. As in Lysias.
HINTS AND SUGGESTIONS
Acts 23:25-30. Lysias’ Letter to Felix. “This epistle, which is a good specimen of the Roman method of writing letters, may be considered as a model of brevity, simplicity, and perspicuity. The customary title of respect to a superior, and expression of good-will, are once only made use of; and in this it differs exceedingly from modern epistles to persons of high rank and authority, which are generally encumbered with multiplied compliments and ascriptions of honour. Lysias, however, was careful not to intimate to Felix that he had bound Paul, in order to scourge him; and as we suppose this to have been an exact copy of the letter, it appears he was willing Felix should conclude that his interposition in Paul’s favour arose from a previous knowledge that he was a Roman citizen, though it is evident this was not the case. In other respects, the account was fair and candid; and we cannot wonder that a heathen should state his conduct in that light which was most favourable to his own reputation and advancement, and not likely to injure any man” (Scott). “This letter shows us that Claudius Lysias has granted protection to the Roman citizen without being attracted by the witness of the Lord Jesus Christ. The respect of a Roman, which he demands of the Jews, he wilfully emphasises, by so representing the matter as if he had rescued Paul from the Jews, after having learnt of his Roman citizenship. Through this crafty report he expected to receive from his excellency Felix the governor the more praise, while we see that Lysias was a man of not more than heathen virtue. The more powerfully also through this showed the hand of the Lord, which can deliver from the wisdom of the mighty and can make all things, even the ambition of a heathen officer, work for the good of poor Christians” (Besser).
Acts 23:31. The Apostle’s Ride to Antipatris.—A modern counterpart of this has been found in Luther’s conveyance to Wartburg by his friends after the Diet of Worms. “He was enjoined not to preach on his way home. Declaring, however, that the word of God was free, he preached, despite the injunction, at Hirschfeld and Eisenach. As he was making a little détour from the latter place, in order to visit some of his relatives and friends at Möhia, near Salzungen, he was suddenly fallen upon, in the neighbourhood of Altenstein and Walters-hansen, by a company of horsemen, lifted out of the waggon, and whilst his companions, Nicholas Amsdorf and James Luther, were suffered quietly to go on their way, he was set upon a horse, driven about for some hours in the forest, and finally, at eleven o’clock at night, brought to the castle of Warnburg, near Eisenach, which had formerly been the seat of the old landgraves of Thuringia. It soon became evident that this sudden capture, which, in all probability, was ordered by the elector, was intended to secure the well-being and personal safety of the Reformer” (Hagenbach’s History of the Reformation, i. 138, 139).
Paul’s Midnight Escapes.
I. From Damascus.—By being let down over the city wall in a basket (Acts 9:25).
II. From Thessalonica.—After the uproar in that city, by being sent away to Berœa (Acts 17:10).
III. From Jerusalem.—To Antipatris and Cæsarea.
Paul’s Last Departure from Jerusalem.
I. A mournful departure of a witness for the truth, whose message of salvation his blinded people have rejected.
II. The glorious, triumphant march of an anointed servant of God, whom the Lord leads victoriously through the midst of enemies.
III. The solemn homeward journey of a warrior of Christ, who goes to meet his last fight, his last victory, his last reward.—Gerok.
Acts 23:33-35. Paul’s First Interview with Felix.
I. Presented to the governor.—The representative of the Lord of the whole earth to the plenipotentiary of Cæsar, the minister of heaven to the servant of Rome, the noblest man that ever stood in Herod’s palace to one of the worst that ever found in it a home.
II. Questioned by the governor.—As to what province he was of. Perhaps out of mere curiosity, more likely because he wished if possible to shirk an unpleasant duty by handing him over to some other official. The least important question Felix could have asked.
III. Accepted with the governor—So far, at least, as not to be condemned by him without a hearing. Even Felix accorded him what his countrymen so often denied him—permission to defend himself. He should not be pronounced a criminal without a fair trial. Sometimes heathens may teach their more enlightened fellows lessons in morality and goodness.
IV. Lodged beside the governor.—Kept in Herod’s palace. “Another trace of the faithful care of God for His servant, as He granted him time and rest to pray and strengthen himself in the Lord;” but also an unconscious tribute of respect and honour paid by Felix to the illustrious prisoner who stood before him.