The News-Herald. [volume] (Hillsboro, Highland Co., Ohio) 1886-1973, 1909-10-28
Paul Before Festus
and Agrippa
Sunday School Lesson for 0e,. ~, 1909
Specially Arranged for This Paper

mltted unto him against that day."-2
Tim. 1:12
TIME.-Autumn OF A. d. 50 or in 90.
PLACE-Cesarea, the Roman capital of
Palestine. Herod Agrippa H., was king
of the regions north OF the Sea of Gall
lee, with his capital at Cesarea Philippi.
Suggestion and Practical Thought.
Three ways of treating the gospel:
Exemplified by three representative
men-the Apostle Paul. the Roman
Governor Festus; King Herod Agrippa
ii.
Preliminary Events. An Interesting
Story.--Acts 25:1-12. First. The new
governor. At the close Of two years
in prison under Felix, there was a
change of governors, and Porcius Fes-
tus entered upon his duties.
We know nothing concerning him ex-
cept from the Acts and Josephus. 40
sephus tells us that he governed his
stormy province with a wise, firm rule,
putting down the Sicarii. (assassins),
and other predatory companies, who
were then harassing Judea. He finds
no fault with Festus."
Second The Plot to Take Paul's'
Life.-The first thing the new govern
or did after landing at Caesera was to
go up to Jerusalem the Jewish capital,
where were centered the most difficult
persons and questions with which his
administration would have to do.
The Jewish rulers devised an inge.
NOUS plot to obtain possession of Paul.
They poured into the ears OF the new
Vnvarnnr all the oboroas Tart,,iIYa bad
brought against Paul, and these
ch fges we're chiefly for breaking the
Jewish law On the way from Caesera
to Jerusalem they proposed to assas-
sinate Paul, just as they had hoped to
do two years before, but now with
much better chances than before OF
accomplishing their purpose.
Third. The Appeal to Caesar-on
returning to Cesarea, accompanied by
the Jewish rulers, Governor Festus
summoned Paul into court where they
emphasized these ". y many and
grievous complaints" and asked Paul
II he we're willing to go up to Jerusa-
lem for his trial.
Paul stood up -four square to all
a Roman citizen. His independent
manhood speaks out: 81 defy their
charges; l will not go to Jerusalem to
be tried by my enemies; 1 appeal
unto Caesar"
1. Paul's Discourse Before King
Agrippa; Revealing How He Treated
Jesus Christ and His Gospel-Acts 25:
hA
King Herod Agrlppa made a visit of
congratulation to Governor Festus.
With him came the beautiful and fas.
cinating Bernice, who was both his sis
ter and his illegal wife. She was also
the sister OF Drusilla the wife OF Felix,
and a dissolute.
Festus was puzzled to know what
charges to send with Paul to Rome.
For Paul was no such criminal as
the Jews tried to make him out. He
had broken no Roman law. Hence he
asked Agrippa, who was a Jew, to
help him out of this dilemma
Pauls strongest argument was the
fact that he ". 19) was not disobe-
dent unto the heavenly vision" but
he practiced what he believed. and
gave his whole life, amid labors and
perils and weariness, in hunger and
thirst, and cold and nakedness, perse-
cution, stonings, stripes above meas
ure, shipwrecks and painfulness e
Cor III, to urging Jews and Gentiles
to ". 20) repent and turn to God and
do works meet for repentance" as he
himself had done.
The charges against Paul were false.
For the Jews (v. 21) were about to
kill" him because he proclaimed the
very Messiah they were expecting, the
fulfillment of their hopes.
%. Having therefore obtained help
of God" Help" in the Greek meant
originally an alliance against enemies,
such aid as a warrior receives from
auxiliary or allied forces. God was
PauPs powerful ally. witnessing both
to small and great" referring to age,
rank, and position. Paul treated all
alike, rich and poor, learned and un-
learned, obscure and famous, despised
and honored Saying none other
things" etc,
AHS DSCiSlOu vi the COuTL.-NB. oU-
30. The court decided that Paul was
innocent, and might have been set at
liberty had he not appealed to Caesar;
but that the appeal must stand "The
whole process of two years and more,
at Jerusalem and Cesarea, ended in a
public and decisive acquittal. Claudius
Lysias, Festus and Agrippa, had each
declared him innocent; three times
was 1t publicly announced OF the
apostle, as OF his Lord, that he had
done ". 81 nothing worthy of
death" But this decision was the
means of bringing him safely to Rome.
1t made a favorable impression on
the Roman officer who took him there,
and upon the Roman authorities after
his arrival
Paul's Discourse.--Paul stretched
forth his hand, the common gesture
o. u orator in opening his address,