Chapter 21—Trial at Caesarea
Five days after Paul’s arrival at Caesarea, his accusers also came
down from Jerusalem, accompanied by one Tertullus, an orator whom
they had engaged as their counsel. The case was granted a speedy
hearing. Paul was brought before the assembly, and Tertullus pro-
ceeded to specify the charges against him. This wily orator judged
that flattery would have more influence upon the Roman governor
than the simple statements of truth and justice. He therefore began
his speech with praise of Felix: “Seeing that by thee we enjoy great
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quietness, and that very worthy deeds are done unto this nation by thy
providence, we accept it always, and in all places, most noble Felix,
with all thankfulness.”
Tertullus here descended to bare-faced falsehood. The character
of Felix was base and contemptible. It was said that he “practiced all
kinds of lust and cruelty with the power of a king and the temper of
a slave.” It is true that he had rendered some service to the nation by
his vigilance in ridding the country of robbers, and he pursued and
drove away the Egyptian rebel for whom Claudius Lysias had hastily
mistaken Paul; but his acts of cruelty and oppression caused him to be
universally hated. The treacherous cruelty of his character is shown by
his brutal murder of the high priest Jonathan, to whom he was largely
indebted for his own position. Jonathan, though really little better
than Felix himself, had ventured to expostulate with him for some of
his acts of violence, and for this, the procurator had caused him to be
assassinated while employed in his official duties in the temple.
An example of the unbridled licentiousness that stained his charac-
ter is seen in his alliance with Drusilla, which was consummated about
this time. Through the deceptive arts of Simon Magus, a Cyprian
sorcerer, Felix had induced this princess to leave her husband and to
become his wife. Drusilla was young and beautiful, and, moreover, a
Jewess. She was devotedly attached to her husband, who had made
a great sacrifice to obtain her hand. There was little indeed to induce
her to forego her strongest prejudices and to bring upon herself the
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