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NASB (UPDATED) TEXT: Act_25:23-27
23So, on the next day when Agrippa came together with Bernice amid great pomp, and entered the auditorium accompanied by the commanders and the prominent men of the city, at the command of Festus, Paul was brought in. 24Festus said, "King Agrippa, and all you gentlemen here present with us, you see this man about whom all the people of the Jews appealed to me, both at Jerusalem and here, loudly declaring that he ought not to live any longer. 25But I found that he had committed nothing worthy of death; and since he himself appealed to the Emperor, I decided to send him. 26Yet I have nothing definite about him to write to my lord. Therefore I have brought him before you all and especially before you, King Agrippa, so that after the investigation has taken place, I may have something to write. 27For it seems absurd to me in sending a prisoner, not to indicate also the charges against him."
Act_25:23 What a wonderful opportunity to preach the gospel!
▣ "the commanders" This is the term chiliarch, which means leaders of a thousand, as centurion means leader of a hundred. We learn from Josephus' Antiq. 19.19.2, that there were five auxiliary cohorts in Caesarea at this period. Therefore, possibly five military men are referred to here.
▣ "the prominent men of the city" This would refer to the civic leaders of Caesarea.
Notice the groups in the assembly.
1. a Roman procurator
2. an Idumean regional king
3. Roman military leaders
4. prominent civic leaders of Caesarea
▣ Act_25:26 "the Emperor" This term is sebastos, which was the Greek equivalent of the Latin term augustus. Its basic etymology is "revere, "adore," "venerate," or "worship." It was first used of Octavian in 27 b.c. by the Senate. Here, it is used of Nero (a.d. 54-68). Nero seems to have expanded the worship of the Emperor cult.
Act_25:26 "I have nothing definite about him to write" Festus had the same problem as Lysias, the commander from Jerusalem. He was bound by Roman law to write an indictment against Paul along with any evidence or judicial opinion. Paul was a mystery to these Roman leaders.
▣ "lord" The is the Greek word kurios, which means owner, master, ruler. This is the first documented use of kurios as a stand-alone title for Nero. This title was rejected by the Emperors Octavian/Augustus and Tiberias because they felt it was too close to the Latin rex (king), which caused the Roman populace and Senate discomfort. However, it appears often during and after Nero's day. Vespasian and Titus used the term "savior" and Domitian used "god" to describe themselves (cf. James S. Jeffers, The Greco-Roman World p. 101). The term kurios became the focus of the persecution against Christians, who could use only this term for Jesus Christ. They refused to use it in the incense offering and pledge of allegiance to Rome.
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