Acts 24:27

But after two years,.... Not of Felix's government, for he had been judge many years in that nation, but of the apostle's confinement at Caesarea: Porcius Festus came in Felix's room; was made

But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound. But after two years.

After two years, either from Paul’ s being in bonds, which history St. Luke is here setting down; or, as others, after Felix had been governor two years over Judea; for that St. Paul speaks, , is not thought to have been true as to this place, though he had governed the neighbouring parts some years before. The Jews had accused Felix unto the emperor for his barbarous cruelty and exactions, insomuch that had it not been for his brother Pallas (a great favourite) he had lost his life: yet he did not wholly escape punishment, but was sent bound by Festus, his successor, unto Nero. Sic transit gloria mundi; and, Man being in honour continueth not.

27 But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound. Ver. 27. Willing to show the Jews, &c.] Politicians care not to gratify others and serve their own turns with the loss of right and good conscience. In the reign of Henry II of France, A. D. 1554, many were there burnt for religion, not without the indignation of honest men, who knew that the diligence used against these poor people was not for piety or religion, but to satiate the covetousness of Diana Valentina, the king’ s mistress, to whom he had given all the confiscation of goods made in the kingdom for cause of heresy. (Hist. of Council of Trent.)

(27) After two years Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room.—The English states the same fact as the Greek, but inverts the order. Literally, When a period of two years was accomplished, Felix received Porcius Festus as his successor. We can, of course, only conjecture how these years were spent. Some writers who maintain the Pauline authorship of the Epistle to the Hebrews have assigned it to this period: others have supposed that the Epistles to the Ephesians, Colossians, and Philemon were written from Cæsarea; but there is no adequate evidence in support of either hypothesis. It is better to confine ourselves to the thought of the Apostle’s patient resignation, learning obedience by the things he suffered—of his intercourse with Philip, and other members of the Church of Cæsarea, as comforting and refreshing to him. We may venture, perhaps, to think of St. Luke, who had come with him to Jerusalem, and who sailed with him from Cæsarea, as not far off from him during his imprisonment. Attention has already been called (see Introduction to St. Luke’s Gospel and to the Acts) to the probable use made by the Evangelist of these opportunities for collecting materials for his two histories. The change of administration was caused by the complaints which the Jews brought against Felix, and which led Nero to recall him. The influence of his brother Pallas availed, however, to save him from any further punishment. His successor, Festus, who came to the province in A.D. 60, died in his second year of office. Josephus (Wars, ii. 14, § 1) speaks of him as suppressing the outrages of the robbers who infested the country, and maintaining the tranquility of the province. Felix, with characteristic baseness, sought by his latest act to court the favour of the Jews, and left the Apostle in prison as a set-off against the many charges which were brought against him. Willing to shew the Jews a pleasure.—Literally, to deposit a favour. The boon conferred was not to be without return. It was, so to speak, an investment in iniquity.

Verse 27. After two years] That is, from the time that Paul came prisoner to Caesarea. Porcius Festus] This man was put into the government of Judea about A.D. 60, the sixth or seventh year of Nero. In the succeeding chapter we shall see the part that he took in the affairs of St. Paul. Willing to show the Jews a pleasure] As he had not got the money which he expected, he hoped to be able to prevent the complaints of the Jews against his government, by leaving Paul, in some measure, in their hands. For it was customary for governors, c., when they left, or were removed from a particular district or province, to do some public, beneficent act, in order to make themselves popular. But Felix gained nothing by this: the Jews pursued him with their complaints against his administration, even to the throne of the emperor. Josephus states the matter thus: "Now when Porcius Festus was sent as successor to Felix, by Nero, the principal of the Jewish inhabitants of Caesarea went up to Rome, to accuse Felix. And he certainly would have been brought to punishment, had not Nero yielded to the importunate solicitations of his brother Pallas, who was at that time in the highest reputation with the emperor."-Antiq. lib. xx. cap. 9. Thus, like the dog in the fable, by snatching at the shadow, he lost the substance. He hoped for money from the apostle, and got none he sought to conciliate the friendship of the Jews, and miscarried. Honesty is the best policy: he that fears God need fear nothing else. Justice and truth never deceive their possessor. 1. Envy and malice are indefatigable, and torment themselves in order to torment and ruin others. That a high priest, says pious Quesnel, should ever be induced to leave the holy city, and the functions of religion, to become the accuser of an innocent person; this could be no other than the effect of a terrible dereliction, and the punishment of the abuse of sacred things. 2. Tertullus begins his speech with flattery, against which every judge should have a shut ear; and then he proceeds to calumny and detraction. These generally succeed each other. He who flatters you, will in course calumniate you for receiving his flattery. When a man is conscious of the uprightness of his cause, he must know that to attempt to support it by any thing but truth tends directly to debase it. 3. The resurrection of the body was the grand object of the genuine Christian's hope; but the ancient Christians only hoped for a blessed resurrection on the ground of reconciliation to God through the death of his Son. In vain is our hope of glory, if we have not got a meetness for it. And who is fit for this state of blessedness, but he whose iniquity is forgiven, whose sin is covered, and whose heart is purified from deceit and guile! 4. We could applaud the lenity shown to St.

27. But after two years] More literally the Rev. Ver. “But when two years were fulfilled;” and it may be that St Luke would indicate by his expression, that it was not a reckoning of time such as was usual among the Jews, where portions of a year were sometimes counted for a whole, but that the Apostle’s detention endured for two years complete.Porcius Festus came into Felix’ room] Festus was made governor by Nero probably in a.d. 60 and died in about two years. Josephus (B.J. ii. 14. 1) gives him a far better character than his predecessor, but he had the same kind of difficulties to deal with in the outbreaks of the populace and the bands of assassins with which the country was infested. (Jos. Ant. xx. 8. 10) The Rev. Ver. “Felix was succeeded by Porcius Festus” comes nearer to the literal rendering “Felix received Porcius Festus as a successor,” but does not make the meaning clearer, and to put “Felix” as the subject in this sentence and in that which immediately follows gives an awkward sound to the English, which was neatly avoided in A.V.and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure] The literal sense is “to store up for himself favour with the Jews,” therefore the Rev. Ver. gives the proper rendering, “and desiring to gain favour with the Jews.” Of course it may be said that if he shewed favour to them he would gain favour with them. But what he particularly desired at this time was to blunt the anger which the Jews (especially those of Cæsarea) felt against him, that they might be less bitter in their charges against him on his recall. And so he used Paul as his “Mammon of unrighteousness” and left him detained that he might make himself friends thereby.left Paul bound] [R. V. in bonds.] This seems to indicate that before his departure Felix withdrew the indulgence which had been previously granted to Paul, and put him in bonds, so as to give to his successor the impression, which the Jews desired, that he was deserving of punishment. It would be very interesting to know what St Paul did during the two years that he was kept at Cæsarea. Various conjectures have been ventured on, but none with any ground of certainty. Some, accepting St Paul as the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews, point to this period as the time of its composition. Others assign to this imprisonment those letters of the Apostle which speak so much of his bonds, viz. to the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Colossians and Philemon, but the evidence in favour of Rome as the place whence they were written seems far to outweigh all that can be said on behalf of Cæsarea.

But after two years - Paul was unjustly detained during all this time. The hope of Felix seems to have been to weary his patience, and induce him to purchase his freedom. Came into Felix’ room - As governor.

27. Two years—Two full years of confinement were thus apparently taken out of the apostle’s mature life. There is no record of action or epistle by him at this time.