Saturday, April 6, 2013

Acts 25:13-22

Now when some days had passed, Agrippa the king and Bernice arrived at Caesarea and greeted Festus. And as they stayed there many days, Festus laid Paul's case before the king, saying, “There is a man left prisoner by Felix, and when I was at Jerusalem, the chief priests and the elders of the Jews laid out their case against him, asking for a sentence of condemnation against him. I answered them that it was not the custom of the Romans to give up anyone before the accused met the accusers face to face and had opportunity to make his defense concerning the charge laid against him. So when they came together here, I made no delay, but on the next day took my seat on the tribunal and ordered the man to be brought. When the accusers stood up, they brought no charge in his case of such evils as I supposed. Rather they had certain points of dispute with him about their own religion and about a certain Jesus, who was dead, but whom Paul asserted to be alive. Being at a loss how to investigate these questions, I asked whether he wanted to go to Jerusalem and be tried there regarding them. But when Paul had appealed to be kept in custody for the decision of the emperor, I ordered him to be held until I could send him to Caesar.” Then Agrippa said to Festus, “I would like to hear the man myself.” “Tomorrow,” said he, “you will hear him.”


Agrippa - "Herod Agrippa II, son of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:1) and great-grandson of Herod the Great (Matt 2:1), both of whose territories he ultimately ruled under Rome's jurisdiction." (Ryrie)

"Agrippa II, son of Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:1).  When his father died, he was a youth of seventeen years old, living at Rome, where he was brought up at the court of the emperor Claudius.  When his uncle Herod, king of Chalcis (a district of Syria, north-west of Damascus) died some eight years later, the emperor conferred that principality on Agrippa.  In A.D. 53, he gave it up, and received instead the tetrarchies of Philip and Lysanias (Lk 3:1) with the title of 'king.'  The government of part of Galilee and Petraea was added later by Nero.  Caesarea Philippi, in Galilee, was his capital.  He was the last of the Herodian dynasty to exercise sovereignty.  After the fall of Jerusalem (A.D. 70), he retired to Rome, where he died about A.D. 100." (Walker)

"Agrippa II, the last of the Herods, was not even, like his predecessors, 'King of the Jews.'  Luke calls him simply 'the king' (Acts 25:14, ctr. Lk 1:5).  The domain which Caesar had first granted Herod the Great, had been cut in two, so that Archelaius was 'enthnarch' over half the province.  This half had again been cut in two, so that Herod Antipas was a 'tetrarch,' or governor over one quarter of a province.  The present Herod had been given even less territory, including part of Galilee, but not Judaea, so that he was not even 'King of the Jews.'  The title 'king' was conferred upon him only as a courtesy.  History does record, however, that he was the appointed guardian of the temple with the right to nominate the high priest.  In this all we have further evidence of the stead decline of the nation Israel.  For years the kings of Israel, who should have come from the royal line of David, and the high priests, who should have come from the priestly line of Aaron, had been appointed by heather emperors; the Emperor directly appointing the king, giving the king, in turn, the power to name the high priest.  But these Herods not only lacked the royal blood of David's line; they were Idumaeans, aliens by birth, though they did go through the motions of embracing the Jewish religion.  Since Agrippa represented at least some of the people of Israel, it was advisable for him to maintain the best possible relations with the Roman procurator at Caesarea.  Hence t his visit.  Furthermore, Festus needed him too—especially now—for his knowledge of the Jewish religion and Jewish laws and customs." (Stam)

Bernice - "...was Herod Agrippa II's sister, with whom he was living incestuously.  Paul was not required to defend himself before them, since he had already appealed to Caesar, but he took this opportunity to witness to the Jewish king." (Ryrie)

"Eldest daughter of Agrippa I, and sister of Drusilla (Acts 24:24).  She was one year younger than her brother Agrippa II, being sixteen years old when her father died.  When only thirteen years of age, she was married to her uncle Herod of Chalcis and bore him two sons.  At his death in A.D. 48, she came to reside with her brother, and the ugliest rumours were afloat as to their relationship, both among the Jews and Romans.  To still these rumours, she married Ptolemon, king of Cilicia, but soon left him and returned to Agrippa.  Later, she became the mistress of Titus, son of the emperor Vaspasian.  He discarded her in Rome on becoming emperor, and she seems to have passed her last days there in the house of Agrippa." (Walker)

the emperor - "The Greek word (Sebastos) is the equivalent of the Latin 'Augustus', a title conferred on the first emperor Octavian Caesar, and inherited by his successors.  It was regarded as one of peculiar honour and sacredness.  Indeed, the Greek form of it is derived from the root 'to worship', and suggests more than human glory.  Festus, most likely, purposely spoke of 'the Augustus' in addressing a vassal king, the better to enhance the emperor's dignity and claims.  The nearest modern representative of it would be 'His imperial majesty', which would naturally be employed, under similar circumstances, of our king-emperor." (Walker)

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