“Then said Festus, Hast thou appealed unto Caesar? unto Caesar shalt thou go.” — Acts 25:12 (KJV)
The Successor to Felix
Porcius Festus was the Roman procurator of Judea who succeeded Antonius Felix around AD 60. Unlike his predecessor, who was often characterized by corruption and delay, Festus is generally regarded by historians like Josephus as being more prudent and honorable. He inherited a province on the brink of revolt, teeming with social unrest and the ongoing legal “hot potato” of the Apostle Paul’s imprisonment.
The Confrontation at Caesarea
Immediately upon arriving in his province, Festus traveled to Jerusalem, where the Jewish leadership petitioned him to have Paul brought back to the city—intending to ambush and kill him on the way. Festus, adhering to Roman legal procedure, refused and instead held a trial in Caesarea.
Finding the accusations to be “questions of their own superstition” rather than criminal acts, Festus suggested a trial in Jerusalem to appease the Jewish leaders. Recognizing the trap, Paul exercised his right as a Roman citizen and uttered the famous words: “I appeal unto Caesar.”
The Hearing Before Agrippa
Festus found himself in a legal quandary: he was required to send Paul to Rome, but he had no specific charges to write in the official report. To solve this, he invited King Herod Agrippa II and his sister Bernice to hear Paul’s defense.
During the hearing, as Paul spoke of the resurrection of the dead, Festus cried out with a loud voice:
“Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad.” — Acts 26:24 (KJV)
To the pragmatic Roman mind of Festus, the Gospel of a resurrected Savior was not a matter of “trembling” (as it was for Felix), but a matter of intellectual insanity.
The Theological Significance
Festus represents the “Secular Mind” encountering the Supernatural:
- The Limitation of Logic: Festus was a capable administrator, but he was spiritually blind. He viewed the Gospel as “superstition” and Paul’s conviction as “madness” because he could not process spiritual truth through a strictly political lens.
- The Sovereignty of God: Though Festus was merely trying to solve a bureaucratic headache, God used his legal decisions to fulfill the promise that Paul would “bear witness also at Rome” (Acts 23:11).
- Human Policy vs. Divine Purpose: Festus admitted that Paul had “done nothing worthy of death” (Acts 25:25), yet he kept him in the system to please the local authorities. He serves as a reminder that even “honorable” men can become obstacles to justice when they prioritize political expediency over truth.
Summary
Festus was the Roman official who ultimately signed the papers that sent the Gospel to the heart of the Empire. Though he viewed Paul as a harmless madman, he was the final human link in the chain of events that brought the Word of God before the throne of Caesar. He died in office only two years later (c. AD 62), a man who came close to the Light but dismissed it as a delusion.