Paul infront of Felix, Festus and Agrippa

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R.E essay

Part A

Discuss Paul’s appearances before Felix, Festus and Agrippa (30marks)

Paul’s appearance in front of Felix was after Felix had read the letter from Claudius Lysias. He then sent for Paul’s accusers who were in Jerusalem and kept him in custody in Caesarea.

Tertullus who was known as a re-investor, who opened the prosecution by saying “Your Excellency, Felix, the unbroken peace we enjoy and the reforms this nation owes to your foresight are matters we accept, always and everywhere with all gratitude.”

This was Paul’s third trial in which Tertullus puts three charges against Paul, the first of which he said “he stirs up trouble among Jews, the world over”. This was a serious accusation because of its political overtones; there were many Jewish agitators at that time who threatened the peace.  

The second charge made against Paul is that “he is the ringleader of the Nazarene sect.” and the third charge against Paul was that “he has even attempted to profane the temple” this was a reference in belief that he had brought Trophimus the Ephesian within the prohibited precinct. This was also a dangerous accusation because the Roman’s had given the Jews the power to deal with such offences was justifying the Jewish lynching.

Tertullus goes on to say that if Felix was to ask him that “you would find out for yourself the truth of all our accusations against this man.” And this is when Felix motioned Paul to speak.

This is Paul’s defence in which he began with a captatio benevolentiae, although it was considerably more modest and moderate than Tertullus had been: he then began to refute the prosecution’s allegations one by one.

Firstly he was not a trouble maker since he went to Jerusalem as a pilgrim to worship, not as an agitator to cause a riot, and his accuser could produce no evidence that in temple, synagogue or city he had caused a disturbance or even engaged in an argument.

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Secondly Paul addressed himself to the charge that he was a ringleader of the Nazarene sect.

Although he was indeed “a follower of the way “this was not a “sect “ as they called it, for he worshipped the god of their fathers and believed the teaching of the Scriphires.

 Paul purpose in this was not just to make a personal declaration, however but to insist that he shared it with the whole people of god. He worshipped the same god, believed the same truths, shared the same hope and cherished the same ambition. He was not ...

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