Acts 25:17Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

See how again the Jews are condemned not by Paul, but by the ruler. Having acted according to this custom, he found no guilt in him. Therefore he was perplexed, as is clear from the following words: “The accusers brought none of the charges that I supposed.” He said this in order to cover his own sin.

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.

In Festus' report about Paul's case, the new and most interesting point is the mention of Jesus Christ and the fact that the Apostle Paul taught His Resurrection.

Although Festus, according to the custom of eminent Romans of that time, treated Jesus Christ with a certain disdain, he nevertheless made Agrippa understand that the essence of Paul's case lay precisely in this Jesus and His Resurrection.

"Naturally, he says, concerning a certain Jesus, since he was a man with authority and paid no heed to the Lord."

"He shows the same frivolity and indifference that Pilate displayed when questioning the Lord (see Jn 18:38). He considered Paul's speech about the Lord's Resurrection an empty fable, as the Greek word μανία shows (see Acts 26:24).