Acts 25:19 - Coke's Commentary on the Holy Bible

Of their own superstition,— Of their own religion. See on ch. Acts 17:22. As Agrippa was a Jew, and now come to pay a visit of respect to Festus on his arrival at his province, it is improbable that he would use so rude a word as superstition; so that this text affords a further argument, that the word δεισιδαιμονια will admit a milder interpretation; and it is remarkable, not only that the Jewish religion is spoken of by this word inseveral edicts reported by Josephus, which were made in its favour, but that Josephus himself uses it in the same sense too, Jewish War, lib. 2: 100. 9. We may just observe from this, as well as many other places in the Acts, that St. Luke has generally given us no more than the substance of the speeches; for there is nothing of what is mentioned in this verse related in the place where he speaks of what passed when the apostle made his first apology before Festus.