Acts 25:9

χάριν καταθέσθαι, Acts 24:27. τοῖς Ἰ., best placed emphatically before χάριν κατ. (W.H [391]), so as to show that it was the compliance of Festus to the Jews which caused the turn which things took (Weiss). θέλεις εἰς Ἱ.: “injustum videbatur condemnare, incommodum absolvere,” Blass. ἐκεῖ : he makes himself the same proposal to the prisoner which had previously been suggested by the accusers, Acts 25:3. ἐπʼ ἐμοῦ : “me præsente,” for the Sanhedrists would be the judges; otherwise, where would be the favour to the Jews? Felix may have added the words speciose, so as to reassure Paul and to obtain his acquiescence to the proposal; in Acts 25:20 omitted, but evidently from their close connection with περὶ τούτ. κρίν. they indicate that Festus would play some judicial part in the matter; cf. Acts 24:21 and 1 Corinthians 6:1. But Paul's answer plainly shows that he thought from the words of Felix that a Jewish and not a Roman tribunal awaited him: ἐπʼ ἐμοῦ would therefore seem to mean that the Sanhedrim would judge, whilst Festus would ratify their judgment or not as seemed good to him, as Pilate had acted in the case of Christ. On the other hand it is possible that Festus may have been quite sincere in his proposal: his words at least showed that in his judgment there was no case against Paul of a political nature, and he may have thought that religious questions could be best decided before the Sanhedrim in Jerusalem, whilst he could guarantee a safe-conduct for Paul as a Roman citizen.

[391] Westcott and Hort's The New Testament in Greek: Critical Text and Notes.