Acts 23 Footnotes

23:24 Felix the governor, originally a slave, became procurator of Judea in AD 52, succeeding Cumanus. He was eventually removed from office about seven years later for bungling Jewish-Gentile conflicts in Caesarea. He was brother to one of the most important civil servants of the time.

23:25-30 How did the author get a copy of this letter (with standard greetings, body, and closing)? Most likely Luke heard it when it was read before Felix (and Paul) in Caesarea (v. 34); at least Paul heard it and communicated its contents to Luke. While Luke may have reconstructed the letter from knowledge of the events, he may have viewed the official documents for Paul’s trial.

23:27 Some have questioned whether the commander enhanced his account by claiming to have learned that Paul was a Roman citizen before he rescued him, and thus this knowledge served as the basis of the rescue. The grammar of the passage, however, indicates that the commander rescued Paul and then learned he was a Roman citizen—exactly what happened in the account.

23:31 A Roman road connected Jerusalem with Antipatris; the two were separated by thirty-five miles. This was not too great a distance to travel in a single night; there is substantial evidence that much longer distances were traveled by troops. Also, the trip from Jerusalem to Antipatris was downhill.

23:35 Felix told Paul he would give him a hearing when his accusers arrived, and then (as the grammar indicates) he ordered that Paul be kept in custody in the procurator’s palace. It was originally built by Herod the Great.