What's easy to miss here is that the Jewish leaders didn't just show up themselves to accuse Paul; they hired a professional advocate, Tertullus, to present their case. This highlights their understanding of Roman legal proceedings and their deliberate strategy to frame Paul as a threat to Roman authority, not just a religious dissenter.
And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul. And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying: “Since through you we enjoy much peace, and since by your foresight, most excellent Felix, reforms are being made for this nation,
English Standard Version (ESV)
Five days after Paul's arrival in Caesarea, a delegation from Jerusalem, led by the high priest Ananias and a hired Roman advocate named Tertullus, arrived to formally accuse Paul before Governor Felix. They had used this time to prepare their case and present a united front against Paul, aiming to have him judged by Jewish law or convicted of crimes against Roman authority.
Why did it take five days for Paul's accusers to arrive in Caesarea? It wasn't just travel time; it was a strategic delay.
Paul's accusers, led by High Priest Ananias, didn't arrive immediately after his transfer to Caesarea. The 'five days' mentioned allowed them time to organize.
Strategic Assembly
Why hire an orator? Tertullus wasn't just speaking; he was wielding words as a tool of deception and manipulation.
The introduction of Tertullus signals a shift from religious grievance to a calculated legal prosecution, heavily reliant on persuasive rhetoric.
Ask a follow-up
The Art of Flattery and Accusation
Understand the original words
archiereus · Hebrew/Greek (Contextualized title) Noun
The official religious leader of the Jewish people in the Jerusalem temple, responsible for presiding over the Sanhedrin and overseeing the sacrificial system.
hēgemōn · Greek Noun
Refers to the Roman official governing a province, responsible for judicial, financial, and administrative affairs, representing the power of the Roman Empire.
katēgoreō · Greek Verb
To bring a formal legal charge or allegation against someone in a court of law or before an authority.
The delegation's swift arrival with a hired orator highlights the intensity of the opposition Paul faced from the Jewish leadership, who were willing to employ Roman legal tactics to silence him.
c. AD 57
Paul arrested in Jerusalem
Roman soldiers rescue Paul from a Jewish mob in Jerusalem, and the Roman commander Claudius Lysias sends him to Caesarea for his own safety under guard.
c. AD 57— this verse
Ananias and elders travel to Caesarea
High Priest Ananias and a delegation of elders, along with a hired Roman orator named Tertullus, travel from Jerusalem to Caesarea to bring charges against Paul.
c. AD 57
Felix hears the accusations
Felix, the Roman governor of Judea, convenes a hearing where Tertullus presents charges against Paul, followed by Paul's own defense.
c. AD 57-59
Paul imprisoned in Caesarea
Felix detains Paul in Caesarea for two years, granting him considerable freedom but keeping him under guard, possibly hoping for a bribe.
c. AD 59
Festus succeeds Felix
Porcius Festus replaces Felix as governor of Judea and reopens Paul's case, seeking to please the Jewish leaders.
c. AD 59
Paul appeals to Caesar
To escape a hostile trial in Jerusalem, Paul appeals his case to the Roman Emperor, a right of Roman citizenship, leading to his transport to Rome.
This verse describes how followers of Jesus would be 'brought before kings and governors for my name's sake,' directly paralleling Paul's situation where religious leaders use the political system to bring charges against him.
Matthew 10:16Jesus warns his disciples to be 'wise as serpents and innocent as doves,' a caution highly relevant to Paul as he faces a carefully constructed legal attack by learned accusers and a governor.
John 15:20Jesus tells his followers, 'If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you,' highlighting the historical pattern of God's messengers being falsely accused and brought before authorities, as seen with Paul.
Acts 23:2This verse immediately precedes Paul's trial, showing the Sanhedrin's intent to strike Paul, which is now being carried out through a formal accusation before the Roman governor.
Acts 25:9Festus later asks Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem for trial, showing the ongoing tension between Jewish religious authorities and Roman governance in handling accusations against apostles.
ellicottActs 24:1: "And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul."
XXIV. (1) After five days.—The interval may have just allowed time for messengers to go from Cæsarea to Jerusalem, and for the priests to make their arrangements and engage their advocate. Possibly, however, the five days may start from St. Paul’s departure from Jerusalem and this agrees, on the whole, better with the reckoning of…
henryActs 24:1-9: "And after five days Ananias the high priest descended with the elders, and with a certain orator named Tertullus, who informed the governor against Paul."
24:1-9 See here the unhappiness of great men, and a great unhappiness it is, to have their services praised beyond measure, and never to be faithfully told of their faults; hereby they are hardened and encouraged in evil, like Felix. God's prophets were charged with being troublers of the land, and our Lord Jesus Christ, that he…
What's easy to miss here is that the Jewish leaders didn't just show up themselves to accuse Paul; they hired a professional advocate, Tertullus, to present their case. This highlights their understanding of Roman legal proceedings and their deliberate strategy to frame Paul as a threat to Roman authority, not just a religious dissenter.
Five days after Paul's arrival in Caesarea, a delegation from Jerusalem, led by the high priest Ananias and a hired Roman advocate named Tertullus, arrived to formally accuse Paul before Governor Felix. They had used this time to prepare their case and present a united front against Paul, aiming to have him judged by Jewish law or convicted of crimes against Roman authority.
Five days after Paul's arrival in Caesarea, a delegation from Jerusalem, led by the high priest Ananias and a hired Roman advocate named Tertullus, arrived to formally accuse Paul before Governor Felix. They had used this time to prepare their case and present a united front against Paul, aiming to have him judged by Jewish law or convicted of crimes against Roman authority.
"And after five days the high priest Ananias came down with some elders and a spokesman, one Tertullus. They laid before the governor their case against Paul. And when he had been summoned, Tertullus began to accuse him, saying:
“Since t…" — What's easy to miss here is that the Jewish leaders didn't just show up themselves to accuse Paul; they hired a professional advocate, Tertullus, to present their case. This highlights their understa…
Get the original Greek and Hebrew, verse-by-verse context, and related passages inside the app.
Last reviewed October 2026
