This man, being taken by the Jews and ready to be killed by them, I rescued, coming in with an army, understanding that he is a Roman.
τον ανδρα τουτον συλληφθεντα υπο των ιουδαιων και μελλοντα αναιρεισθαι υπ αυτων επιστας συν τω στρατευματι εξειλομην αυτον μαθων οτι ρωμαιος εστιν
4 Church Fathers comment on this verse
First, he says, "the Jews seized this man and were about to kill him." Then he "brought him into the Sanhedrin." Yet even then they could not accuse him of anything. After the first attempt they ought to have become quiet and ashamed, but they again plot to kill him. How clearly these words again speak in his favor!
The Jews were greatly angered that the Roman official was not wholly on their side. They were also angered that the trial of Paul had not fulfilled their desire to deliver the apostle to death.
Then certain fanatics from among them, forty men in number, took a vow neither to eat nor drink until they had killed Paul.
To carry out their murderous design, they told the high priest and the other members of the Sanhedrin to ask the commander to bring Paul before them again for trial. During his journey to the Sanhedrin, they intended to kill him.
But their design was discovered, and Paul’s nephew brought it to the commander’s attention.
The commander continued to respect and protect the Roman citizen in Paul. Therefore, on the night before the day when the conspirators expected to carry out their plan, he sent him under a strong guard to Caesarea, to Felix, the proconsul of Judea.
In a special letter, he explained to him the circumstances of the apostle’s arrest, his Roman citizenship, and his political innocence.
"I rescued him, having learned that he was a Roman citizen": he learned this only afterward from the Apostle himself, when he had rescued him and brought him into the fortress (Acts 22:24-29). A lower official lies in writing before a higher official, in order to win favor and cover his own rash conduct toward Paul. He had wished to begin the judicial inquiry into him by scourging him. This feature of the letter undoubtedly bears witness to the authenticity of the letter cited by the writer of Acts, though it is difficult to guess where he obtained it.
The letter with which the tribune Lysias sent the Apostle Paul to the proconsul Felix is remarkable in many respects. It is like many other letters of that time, both in its external form and in its presentation.
Thus, for example, the writer identifies himself at the very beginning. Despite the businesslike character of the letter, he wishes Felix health at both its beginning and its end.
This was, so to speak, a necessity of secular correspondence. So too was the naming of Felix as most excellent, for he was indeed honored by the great rank of chief governor of Palestine.
Yet he was a man of low birth and base moral qualities. Concerning the apostle, Lysias reports everything briefly, factually, and truthfully.
Especially noteworthy is that he calls Paul a Roman citizen, and by this explains, or gives the motive for, all that he was compelled to do.
“Here is also the letter,” says Saint John Chrysostom, “which contains Paul’s justification. ‘There is in him,’ he says, ‘no guilt worthy of death.’
“And first he says, ‘The Jews seized this man and were about to kill him. I took him away, then brought him to them. Yet even then they could not accuse him of anything.
“‘Although after the first attempt they ought to have become calm and ashamed, they again plot to kill him.’ So clearly do these words again speak in his favor!”
Passages read together with this verse.
Greek text, 21 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS