Reading for August 21st

 Read Acts 24.22-27. In verse 22: Lysias has already been quite clear in his judgment (23.29). In verse 24: Drusilla, the daughter of Herod Agrippa I, was criticized for "transgressing the ancestral law" by leaving her husband to marry Felix (Josephus, Antiquities 20.141-143). Faith in Christ Jesus again means the belief that Jesus is the messiah (see comments on 2.31, 36; 10.38). In verse 25-26: Standard Hellenistic ethical discourse on Justice and self-control becomes urgent when linked with Jewish and messianic convictions about the coming judgment (24.25). In verse 27: Porcius Festus became procurator around 59-60 CE. The idea of granting the Jews a favor (also 25.9) reflects the relationship of the Roman occupation force with Judean leadership. Comments or Questions..