Annotations on Chap. XXVI.
[ a] * 1.1 V. 31. Nothing worthy of death or—] The truth of this speech of King Agrippa and his company, that Paul had done nothing worthy of death or bands, depends on the consideration of the time wherein it was spoken. For the Roman Magistrates judging by the Roman Lawes, that which was not against any Law of the Emperors, was not cognoscible, or punish∣able (especially by death or imprisonment, deprivation of life or liberty) by them. Thus when Paul is accu∣sed by the Jewes, and brought before the Proconsul of Achaia, Gallio, c. 18. he tels them plainly, that he will not be a Judge of such matters, which the Roman Law, then in Claudius's reigne, had said nothing of. For though c. 18. 2. an Edict had been by Claudius, toward the end of his reigne, set out against the Jewes, to banish them out of Italy, &c. and by that, the Christian Jewes, as Jewes, not as Christians, fell under that inderdict, and so did Priscilla and Aquila there, (and John the Apostle, banished into Patmus, in Clau∣diu's reigne, saith Epiphanius, haer. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉.) yet as to the difference betwixt Jewes and Christians, there referr'd to by Gallio, (in proportion to the accusation brought against him by the Jewes, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 of a word, as whether Jesus were the Messias, or no, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 of names, as whether the name Christian, or disciple, &c. were unlawfull, as those discriminated them from incredulous Jewes, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉, concerning the law in force among the Jewes, about conversing with the uncircumcised, &c.) there was then no Law set out by the Emperors at Rome, and therefore no rule for the Proconsul to go by, in taking cognizance of them. And thus it continued till Nero's rage against the Christians began: for that he first dedicated perse∣cution, is Tertullian's expression, and Primum Ne∣ronem in hanc sectam gladio ferociisse, Nero was the first that made any capitall Law against them. Now this appearance of Paul before Agrippa was in the second of Nero's reigne, Anno Ch. 57. long before this rage of his brake out; and accordingly Paul had made his appeal to Caesars tribunal, knowing that this dif∣ference betwixt him and the Jewes was a thing of that nature, that no Law of the Romans could take hold of, all his danger being from the tumultuary procee∣dings of the Jewes, inraging and importuning the Magistrates against him, and the best way of securing himself, being a triall by the Roman Lawes, to which prudently he appeales, c. 25. 11. making it his plea, that he had done nothing against Caesar, v. 8. and as a Romane, claiming the privilege of being judged by the Imperiall Lawes, and not to be delivered up to the Jewes, v. 10. Which plea of his could have stood him in no stead, if Christianity had then been under any Imperiall Interdict, and by being accepted for him, demonstrates that at that time it was not.