Acts 25:16Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

See what he answers, to their shame: “It is not the custom of the Romans to hand any man over to death.” That is, before he has been permitted to speak in his own defense, it is impossible simply to hand him over.

It is therefore clear that Pilate, in handing Jesus over to the Jews, did this with an evil purpose. He despised both the judgment of God and Roman law in order to please murderers by handing innocent blood over to death. For such an unlawful act he was answerable before the Roman emperor, who had sent him as ruler into the regions of Jerusalem.

King Herod Agrippa, that is, Herod Agrippa II, was the son of Herod Agrippa I (Acts ch. 12). He possessed the tetrarchies of Philip and Lysanias (Lk 3:1) with the title of king.

He was the last king from the family of the Herods, with whom this royal line came to an end. Being in vassal relations to Rome, he considered it his duty to congratulate Festus on his new appointment.

For this purpose, soon after Festus entered the office of procurator of Judea, Agrippa came to Caesarea. Wishing to show courtesy to his guest, Festus proposed that Herod hear Paul's case.

Herod confessed the same Jewish faith and was therefore more able to understand this case than he, the Roman procurator. For, as Festus observed, Paul's accusers disputed with him over certain questions of their worship (verses 13-27).

During this visit of Agrippa, Festus brought to the attention of his distinguished guest the difficult case of the prisoner Paul. He told Agrippa about the fury aroused throughout the Jewish people at the mere mention of this man’s name, and about the fruitlessness of the trial just concluded. However much the Jews tried to distort the essence of the matter, it was clear that it consisted in subtleties of the Mosaic law. It also concerned the question of “a certain Jesus who had died, whom Paul affirmed to be alive,” and, in general, matters that did not fall under Festus’s jurisdiction.

Festus presented Paul's case to the king. The procurator evidently felt no urgent need to present this case to the king and did not hurry with it.

He presented it only when, and perhaps because, Agrippa and Bernice had stayed in Caesarea longer than Festus expected or desired. They spent many days there.

Festus sets forth the purpose of presenting this case to Agrippa as a desire to learn the king's opinion about it (verse 26). As one who himself confessed the Jewish religion, Agrippa was more familiar with Jewish customs and laws.

He was therefore better able to form a correct opinion of the case than Festus, who was a foreigner newly arrived at his office. Festus makes a fairly extensive report on this case to Agrippa.

Festus' submission of Paul's case to King Agrippa's consideration was apparently done for the entertainment of Agrippa and his sister Bernice. They had come to congratulate the new procurator and had prolonged their stay in Caesarea.

In recounting Paul's case rather fully and accurately, Festus presents much in such a spirit that his zeal for the matter may be seen in contrast to Felix's slowness. His administrative tact and judicial impartiality are also made visible.

"This Agrippa, also called Herod, seems to me," says Saint John Chrysostom, "to have been another, namely the fourth after the one who killed James" (see Acts 12:1-2).