Acts 24:1-8

The Accusations Against Paul

24:1 After five days the high priest Ananias ¹  came down with some elders and an attorney ²  named ³  Tertullus, and they ⁴  brought formal charges ⁵  against Paul to the governor. 24:2 When Paul ⁶  had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, ⁷  saying, “We have experienced a lengthy time ⁸  of peace through your rule, ⁹  and reforms ¹⁰  are being made in this nation ¹¹  through your foresight. ¹²  24:3 Most excellent Felix, ¹³  we acknowledge this everywhere and in every way ¹⁴  with all gratitude. ¹⁵  24:4 But so that I may not delay ¹⁶  you any further, I beg ¹⁷  you to hear us briefly ¹⁸  with your customary graciousness. ¹⁹  24:5 For we have found ²⁰  this man to be a troublemaker, ²¹  one who stirs up riots ²²  among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader ²³  of the sect of the Nazarenes. ²⁴  24:6 He ²⁵  even tried to desecrate ²⁶  the temple, so we arrested ²⁷  him. 24:7 [[EMPTY]] ²⁸  24:8 When you examine ²⁹  him yourself, you will be able to learn from him ³⁰  about all these things we are accusing him of doing.” ³¹ 

¹ sn Ananias was in office from a.d. 47-59.

² tn The term refers to a professional advocate (BDAG 905 s.v. ῥήτωρ).

³ tn Grk “an attorney, a certain Tertullus.”

⁴ tn Grk “who” (plural). Because in English the relative pronoun “who” could be understood to refer only to the attorney Tertullus and not to the entire group, it has been replaced with the third person plural pronoun “they.” “And” has been supplied to provide the connection to the preceding clause.

⁵ tn BDAG 326 s.v. ἐμφανίζω 3 has “ἐ. τινὶ κατά τινος bring formal charges against someone…Ac 24:1; 25:2.”

⁶ tn Grk “he”; the referent (Paul) has been supplied in the translation for clarity.

⁷ tn Or “began to bring charges, saying.”

⁸ tn Grk “experienced much peace.”

⁹ tn Grk “through you” (“rule” is implied).

¹⁰ tn This term is used only once in the NT (a hapax legomenon). It refers to improvements in internal administration (BDAG 251 s.v. διόρθωμα).

¹¹ tn Or “being made for this people.”

¹² sn References to peaceful rule, reforms, and the governor’s foresight in the opening address by Tertullus represent an attempt to praise the governor and thus make him favorable to the case. Actual descriptions of his rule portray him as inept (Tacitus, Annals 12.54; Josephus, J. W. 2.13.2-7 [2.253-270]).

¹³ sn Most excellent Felix. See the note on Felix in 23:24.

¹⁴ tn Grk “in every way and everywhere.”

¹⁵ tn Or “with complete thankfulness.” BDAG 416 s.v. εὐχαριστία 1 has “μετὰ πάσης εὐ.…with all gratitude Ac 24:3.” L&N 31.26 has “‘we acknowledge this anywhere and everywhere with complete thankfulness’ Ac 24:3.”

¹⁶ tn Or “may not weary.” BDAG 274 s.v. ἐγκόπτω states, “ἵνα μὴ ἐπὶ πλεῖόν σε ἐγκόπτω Ac 24:4 is understood by Syr. and Armen. versions to mean in order not to weary you any further; cp. ἔγκοπος weary Diog. L. 4, 50; LXX; and ἔγκοπον ποιεῖν to weary Job 19:2; Is 43:23. But impose on is also prob.; detain NRSV.”

¹⁷ tn Or “request.”

¹⁸ tn This term is another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 976 s.v. συντόμως 2). Tertullus was asking for a brief hearing, and implying to the governor that he would speak briefly and to the point.

¹⁹ tn BDAG 371 s.v. ἐπιείκεια has “τῇ σῇ ἐ. with your (customary) indulgence Ac 24:4.”

²⁰ tn Grk “For having found.” The participle εὑρόντες (Jeurontes) has been translated as a finite verb due to requirements of contemporary English style.

²¹ tn L&N 22.6 has “(a figurative extension of meaning of λοιμός ‘plague,’ 23.158) one who causes all sorts of trouble – ‘troublemaker, pest.’ … ‘for we have found this man to be a troublemaker” Ac 24:5.”

²² tn Or “dissensions.” While BDAG 940 s.v. στάσις 3 translates this phrase “κινεῖν στάσεις (v.l. στάσιν) τισί create dissension among certain people Ac 24:5,” it is better on the basis of the actual results of Paul’s ministry to categorize this usage under section 2, “uprising, riot, revolt, rebellion” (cf. the use in Acts 19:40).

²³ tn This term is yet another NT hapax legomenon (BDAG 894 s.v. πρωτοστάτης).

²⁴ sn The sect of the Nazarenes is a designation for followers of Jesus the Nazarene, that is, Christians.

²⁵ tn Grk “who.” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“who”) was replaced by the third person singular pronoun (“he”) and a new sentence begun here in the translation.

²⁶ tn Or “profane” (BDAG 173 s.v. βεβηλόω). The term was also used of profaning the Sabbath.

²⁷ tn Or “seized.” Grk “whom also we arrested.” Because of the awkwardness of a relative clause in English at this point, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the pronoun “him” as object of the verb.

²⁸ tc Some later mss include some material at the end of v. 6, all of 24:7, and some material at the beginning of v. 8: “and we wanted to judge him according to our law. 24:7 But Lysias the commanding officer came and took him out of our hands with a great deal of violence, 24:8 ordering those who accused him to come before you.” Acts 24:6b, 7, and 8a are lacking in Ì⁷⁴ א A B H L P 049 81 1175 1241 pm and a few versional witnesses. They are included (with a few minor variations) in E Ψ 33 323 614 945 1505 1739 pm and a few versional witnesses. This verse (and parts of verses) is most likely not a part of the original text of Acts, for not only is it lacking from the better witnesses, there is no easy explanation as to how such could be missing from them. The present translation follows NA²⁷ in omitting the verse number, a procedure also followed by a number of other modern translations.

²⁹ tn Or “question.”

³⁰ tn Grk “From whom when you examine him yourself, you will be able to learn…” Because of the length and complexity of the Greek sentence, the relative pronoun (“whom”) was replaced by the third person singular pronoun (“him”) and a new sentence begun at the beginning of v. 8 in the translation.

³¹ tn Grk “about all these things of which we are accusing him.” This has been simplified to eliminate the relative pronoun (“of which”) in the translation.