Evening star., 1921-11-12
BY REV. HUGH r. STEVENSON.

plot to destroy Paul served to in
crease the sanhedrin's determination
to have him killed. The protection
given the apostle by Lysias and the
failure of the lynch law made them
desperate. Ananias and the other
Jewish ecclesiastical leaders knew
the marked antipathy of the proc
urator against the rulers of the
because Felix had acted
with great severity toward the ma
tion's chiefs in consequence Of the
riots between the Syrians and Jews
in Caesarea. They recognized that
their only hope of obtaining a verdict
against Paul depended upon their Sc
curing the services of Tertullus, a
noted criminal lawyer, whose famil-
iarity with the principles and prece-
dents of the Roman law and his elo-
Quence as an orator in the use of the
Latin tongue might influence Felix to
decide against Paul, especially If the
Roman governor received some form
of generous consideration.
When Paul faced his third trial be-
fore Roman official he faced a
CRATER for a judge. The character
of Felix differed from that of Gallo
and Sergius Paulus, whose decisions
based upon the Roman law, which
had been carefully built up on the
principles of justice. furnished the
apostle and members of the early
church with powerful legal protec-
ton. The excellent system of the
Roman law, that is still the founda-
tion of Jurisprudence in Latin coun-
tries and in the form of the Napo-
leonic code in the law of Louisiana,
ho h.
venality of officials whose duty call
ed for their impartial Interpretation
of the law, who used their official
position to feather their own nests.
Felix intimated pretty strongly to
Paul that for reasonable considera-
ton he could obtain his freedom. 1t
was probably in the hope of obtain
ing a bribe that he placed Paul in
the palace prison when he had no
moral or legal right to hold him after
he had given due consideration to the
prosecutions charges. which Ter
tullus skillfully presented to the
court.
The 1attery of the lawyer went far
beyond the truth concerning the ad-
ministration of Felix. He had sup
pressed "brigands, dispersed a pre-
tender and his followers and quelled
riots. but he had also caused much
discomfort and had even caused the
assassination of q high priest" Never
theless he was considered 1.-The worst
of a series of procurators," whose ad-
ministration was noted for disorders
and troubles which grew steadily
worse until he was recalled by Nero.
Tacitus revealed with his incisive pen
the character of Felix in one short SEN
tence. The historian states that the
governor, who was called upon to con-
slider Paufs case, was "at once de-
bauchee and a tyrant, who performed
functions little less than royal with
a spirit of a slave" Felix could not
get away from his past, for he was
freedman of the Emperor Claudius
and a brother of Pallas, the favorite
Of Of Nero In order! order to Establish him him
had married Drusilla, the beautiful
and brilliant daughter of Herod
Agrippa, who deserted her lawful
husband, Aziz, the king Of Amesa. for
Felix.
Tertullus' TRADE of invective against
Paul was a shrewd formulation of
charges that painted the apostle as
an archfiend. His three specific
charges Of sedition. sectarianism. and
sacrilege were based upon the gen.
eral proposition that Paul was max
ing a public nuisance of himself. The
political charge of sedition was a
serious offense. If found guilty, the
capital punishment. 1t was the most
dangerous of all the charges. because
1t was the duty of every government
official to preserve peace and to put
down a political insurrection at any
cost. The religious charge that he
was the leader of the religious sect
of the Nazarenes was not SO serious
This term had been applied to Christ
Jesus and this was the first time 1t
was used in reference to His fol-
lowers. 1t evidently was a term OF
reproach. 1t implied that the faith
which he preached was an unauthor-
lied religion which had never been
officially approved by the government
The last charge, that he had profaned
the temple, was a serious crime. If
proven, Paul would have received the
death penalty. Roman law had recog-
nized the Jewish religion and their
laws. 1t protected, like those of Ameri-