The life and work of St. Paul

S. PAUL BEFOBE AORIPPA II. 555
'provincial soldiers, and the tumultuous noises of collision between Jews and
Gentiles which were constantly resounding in those ill-managed streets !
Doubtless his imprisonment had been a period of deep inward calm and
growth. Ho knew that his course was not yot over. He was awaiting the fulfilment
of God's will. He saw that he had nothing more to hope for from
High Priests or Procurators, and seized his opportunity. As a Roman citizen
ho had one special privilege that right of appeal to Caesar, which was still
left as the venerable trophy of popular triumph in the struggles of centuries.
He had only to pronounce the one word Appello, and every enemy would, for
a time, be defeated, who was now thirsting for his blood. 1 He determined to
exorcise his privilege. The Procurator was but a shadow of the Cassar. His
offer sounded plausibly fair, but perhaps Paul saw through it.
" I am stand-
ing," he said, " at Caesar's tribunal There, and not before the Sanhedrin, I
ought to be judged. Even you, O Festus ! know full well that I never
in any respect wronged the Jews. If I am an offender, and have committed
any capital crime, it is not against them, but against the Empire ; and if
I am found guilty, I do not refuse to die. But if all the accusations which
these bring against me are nothing, no one can sacrifice me to them as a
"
favour." And then he suddenly exclaimed, Caesarem ! appello
The appeal was a surprise ; even Festua, who meant well and kindly,
though perhaps with a touch of natural complaisance towards his new sub-
ject's, was a little offended by it. It was not agreeable to have his jurisdiction
superseded by an " appeal " to a superior on the very first occasion that he took
his seat on the tribunal. Paul had not yet had time to learn his character,
He might doubtless have trusted him more, if he had known him better ; but
matters had fallen into a hopeless imbroglio, and perhaps Paul had some inward
intimation that this, at last, was God's appointed way in which he was
to visit Italy, and to bear witness at Rome.
The appeal at once put an end to all the proceedings of the court. Festus
held a very brief consultation with his consiliarii or council of his assessors
as to whether the appeal was legally admissible or not. The case was too
clear to admit of much doubt under this head, and, after a moment's delay,
Festus exclaimed, in words which, however brusquely spoken, must have
thrilled the heart of more than one person in that assembly, and most of all
the heart of the Apostle himself, " Caesarem appellasti ; ad Caesarem ibis."
Perhaps Festus avenged his momentarily wounded vanity by the thought,
tc "
Tou little know what an appeal to CsEsar means !
Of course some days must elapse before an opportunity would occur to
send Paul fi'om Cssarea to Italy. A ship had to be provided, and other
prisoners had to ba tried whom it might be necessary to remand to the
Emperor's decision. The delay was a providential one. It furnished Paul
with a happy opportunity of proclaiming the truths and the arguments of
Christianity in the presence of all the Jewish and Gentile magnates of the
1 By the Lex Jalis De Appcllatwnt. Of. Plin. Epp. x. 97.
"