Acts 24:8
Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him. Commanding his accusers to come unto thee: by examining of whom thyself mayest take knowledge of all these things, whereof we accuse him.
The verse belongs to the speedy hearing held at Caesarea five days after Paul arrived, when his accusers came down from Jerusalem with Tertullus, an orator hired as their counsel, and Paul was brought before the assembly. It reflects the Roman rule that accusers must come to the governor with their charges, while the governor keeps the accused at Caesarea rather than sending him away to please his enemies, giving the accusers a fair opportunity to present their case there. Tertullus began his accusation by praising Felix with thankfulness for quietness and worthy deeds, judging that flattery would influence the Roman governor more than simple statements of truth and justice.
Tertullus told Felix that Lysias, the commandant of the garrison at Jerusalem, had violently taken Paul from the Jews when they were about to judge him by their ecclesiastical law, thus forcing them to bring the matter before Felix. The accusations were designed to persuade Felix to hand Paul over to the Jewish court. The Jews present vehemently supported the charges, making no effort to conceal their hatred against Paul and supporting claims that were not true. The verse belongs to the trial in which the accusers were challenged to substantiate their charges, but the accusations against Paul were not proved; Jewish tribunals condemned him without establishing his guilt, while Roman officials recognized his innocence.