Neither can they prove the things whereof they now accuse me.
The declaration was made at a speedy hearing at Caesarea five days after Paul's arrival there, when his accusers came down from Jerusalem with a hired orator as their counsel, and after that orator opened by flattering the Roman governor with praise for the peace of his rule, the public services and providence of his administration, and the gratitude always felt toward him. Before Paul replied, the governor had already perceived that the charges had not been substantiated, and Paul answered cheerfully because the governor had long served as procurator and knew Jewish laws and customs.
The verse declares that Paul's accusers were unable to prove or substantiate the things they accused him of. His accusers merely repeated their charges without bringing evidence to establish his guilt. In making this denial Paul stated that he had caused no disturbance in any part of Jerusalem and had not been found stirring up the people in the temple, the synagogues, or the city. He likewise denied profaning the temple or sanctuary.
The unsupported charges he was refuting included sedition and treason, also described as sedition and heresy. He denied the accusations and challenged his accusers to prove them. The inability to prove the accusations did not end the hostility; the charges continued as popular clamor driven by intense hatred and a settled determination to kill him, unsoftened by his long imprisonment, and a later plausible request for trial by the council at Jerusalem concealed a plot to murder him on the way, which the succeeding governor saw through, refusing the transfer and requiring the charges to be made fairly at Caesarea.
The declaration was made at a speedy hearing at Caesarea five days after Paul's arrival there, when his accusers came down from Jerusalem with a hired orator as their counsel, and after that orator opened by flattering the Roman governor with praise for the peace of his rule, the public services and providence of his administration, and the gratitude always felt toward him. Before Paul replied, the governor had already perceived that the charges had not been substantiated, and Paul answered cheerfully because the governor had long served as procurator and knew Jewish laws and customs.
The verse declares that Paul's accusers were unable to prove or substantiate the things they accused him of. His accusers merely repeated their charges without bringing evidence to establish his guilt. In making this denial Paul stated that he had caused no disturbance in any part of Jerusalem and had not been found stirring up the people in the temple, the synagogues, or the city. He likewise denied profaning the temple or sanctuary.
The unsupported charges he was refuting included sedition and treason, also described as sedition and heresy. He denied the accusations and challenged his accusers to prove them. The inability to prove the accusations did not end the hostility; the charges continued as popular clamor driven by intense hatred and a settled determination to kill him, unsoftened by his long imprisonment, and a later plausible request for trial by the council at Jerusalem concealed a plot to murder him on the way, which the succeeding governor saw through, refusing the transfer and requiring the charges to be made fairly at Caesarea.