Acts 16:20-21

‘And when they had brought them to the magistrates, they said, “These men, being Jews, do exceedingly trouble our city, and set forth customs which it is not lawful for us to receive, or to observe, being Romans.” '

This being a Roman colony the men before whom they were brought are correctly called the strategoi (Latin - praetores), the two chief magistrates. The charge being brought was that these Jews were forcing their beliefs and customs on those who were Romans, and thereby causing trouble in the city, subverting Romans and disturbing the Pax Romana.

This was in fact a turbulent time for Rome in dealings with the Jews. In 41 AD the Emperor Claudius had written a threatening letter to the Alexandrians, saying he would take measures against Jews who were "stirring up a universal plague throughout the world". In 44 AD there had been a number of public disturbances in Palestine in the wake of Herod Agrippa I's death, and Palestine was constantly a hotbed of trouble. In A.D. 49 Claudius expelled Jews from Rome because of public disturbances in the Jewish community at the instigation of "Chrestus" (Suetonius Claudius Acts 25:4). And these were no doubt not the only examples. Thus a charge against troublesome Jews would be listened to.

What noble men these accusers were! All they cared about was that Rome was being undermined, and Romans led astray. But in fact the truth is that they were liars, as all men are, using religion and patriotism to hide their main concern. Until the girl had been healed they had not cared a jot about the activities of these men. Their real cause for concern was the loss of profit they had suffered, and their aim was rather more to stir up the people against Paul and Silas in order to gain revenge. They were simply angry because they had lost the source of their profits and they wanted to take it out on these men.

The irony of the situation is that it was they who were the more in breach of Caesar's desires. The Emperors Augustus and Tiberius had been very sensitive about the activities of astrologers and other prognosticators and had issued decrees forbidding predictions and enquiries affecting the affairs of state or the emperor's personal well being.While not all of that kind of activity had been banned, it clearly came under Imperial diapproval (Dio Cassius Roman History 56:25:5-6; 57:15:8; Tacitus Annals 6:20; 12:52).