Acts 24 5

Acts 24:5 kjv

For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of sedition among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes:

Acts 24:5 nkjv

For we have found this man a plague, a creator of dissension among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

Acts 24:5 niv

"We have found this man to be a troublemaker, stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the Nazarene sect

Acts 24:5 esv

For we have found this man a plague, one who stirs up riots among all the Jews throughout the world and is a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes.

Acts 24:5 nlt

We have found this man to be a troublemaker who is constantly stirring up riots among the Jews all over the world. He is a ringleader of the cult known as the Nazarenes.

Acts 24 verses

Acts 24 5 Meaning

Acts 24:5 records the hyperbolic accusations brought against the Apostle Paul by the lawyer Tertullus on behalf of the Jewish leadership before Governor Felix in Caesarea. These accusations brand Paul as a dangerous criminal who poses a threat to public order, a promoter of rebellion among Jews globally, and the leading figure of a newly recognized, illicit religious faction called the Nazarenes, effectively declaring him a seditious individual and a sectarian heretic.

Acts 24 5 Context

Acts chapter 24 recounts Paul's trial before Governor Felix in Caesarea, following his arrest in Jerusalem and subsequent transfer. The Jewish high priest Ananias, along with some elders, brings the legal counsel Tertullus to formally present charges against Paul. The immediate context of verse 5 is Tertullus's opening statement, intended to flatter Felix (vv. 2-4) before launching into a highly exaggerated and legally damaging indictment of Paul. These accusations reflect the deep animosity the Jewish leaders held for Paul, viewing his ministry and teaching as a threat to their religious authority and communal stability, and are designed to secure a Roman conviction. Historically, the Roman Empire was highly sensitive to any form of sedition or disruption of peace within its provinces, especially from local religious groups. Charges of being a "pestilent fellow" and "mover of sedition" were potent, aiming to align Paul's activities with threats to Roman order and imperial rule, while "ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes" was an attempt to brand early Christianity as an unauthorized and dangerous cult, distinct from accepted Judaism.

Acts 24 5 Word analysis

• For we have found: (Greek: εὑρήκαμεν, heurēkamen - "we have found/discovered").
  • significance: Presents the charges as established facts based on thorough investigation. Implies discovery of a definite, observable truth, not just an opinion. It attempts to convey certainty and objective proof.
• this man: (Greek: τὸν ἄνδρα τοῦτον, ton andra touton - "this very man").
  • significance: Refers directly to Paul, singling him out for responsibility. The demonstrative "this" (touton) emphasizes his specific role as the central figure of the alleged wrongdoing.
• a pestilent fellow: (Greek: λοιμὸν, loimon - "a plague," "a pest," "a nuisance").
  • original language: The word "loimon" originally means a plague or disease. In a metaphorical sense, it refers to someone who is a source of infection, destruction, or widespread trouble for society.
  • significance: This is a severe, condemnatory label. It likens Paul to a virulent disease, a public menace causing spiritual, social, and political "contamination." It suggests he is fundamentally corrupting and harmful, making him undesirable and dangerous to any community. This is not just a personal insult but a legal accusation implying danger to the commonwealth.
• and a mover of sedition: (Greek: κινοῦντα στάσεις, kinounta staseis - "stirring up riots/revolts").
  • original language: "kinounta" means "moving," "stirring up," "initiating." "staseis" plural of stasis, which can mean "standing," "discord," "faction," "rebellion," "insurrection," "riot."
  • significance: This is a direct legal charge of disturbing public order and inciting rebellion against Roman authority, a capital offense. It connects Paul's activities directly to political unrest, positioning him as a threat to peace and governance. It was a charge often used against early Christians.
• among all the Jews: (Greek: πᾶσιν τοῖς Ἰουδαίοις, pasin tois Ioudaiois - "among all the Jews").
  • significance: Exaggerates the scope of Paul's alleged disturbances, implying that he caused strife among the entire Jewish population, not just a small faction. It suggests he threatened the unity of a dispersed people and, by extension, Roman stability where Jews resided.
• throughout the world: (Greek: κατὰ τὴν οἰκουμένην, kata tēn oikoumenēn - "throughout the inhabited world/Roman Empire").
  • significance: Hyperbolic language, claiming Paul's destructive influence extended throughout the entire Roman Empire. It paints him as an international troublemaker, elevating the charges to a level of grave imperial concern. This broadens the alleged harm beyond just Jews to potentially affect the whole empire.
• and a ringleader: (Greek: πρωτοστάτην, protostatēn - "chief person," "leader," "champion," literally "one who stands first").
  • original language: A military term for a leader of a vanguard or front rank soldier.
  • significance: It identifies Paul as not merely a participant but the principal instigator and commander of this dangerous "sect." It designates him as the brains and driving force behind the Nazarenes, thus making him the prime target for punishment.
• of the sect: (Greek: τῆς αἱρέσεως, tēs haireseōs - "of the sect/faction").
  • original language: "hairesis" means "choice," then "a chosen way of life," a "school of thought," or a "sect." Initially neutral, by this time it had developed negative connotations for deviations from accepted beliefs, leading to the English "heresy."
  • significance: It deliberately separates the "Nazarenes" from legitimate Judaism, attempting to categorize them as an unauthorized, separate, and potentially dangerous philosophical or religious faction not under the protection afforded to recognized Jewish religion (religio licita). This made their activities, and Paul's leadership of them, legally suspect.
• of the Nazarenes: (Greek: τῶν Ναζωραίων, tōn Nazōraiōn - "of the Nazarenes").
  • significance: A derogatory term for followers of Jesus, originating from Jesus' hometown, Nazareth, which was generally despised (Jn 1:46). Calling them "Nazarenes" rather than "Christians" (which was more common among Gentiles) was an intentional move to identify them with a low-status, specific, and illegitimate Jewish sub-group, further marginalizing them and denying them recognition within the broader Jewish faith.

Acts 24 5 Bonus section

The term "loimos" (pestilent fellow) for Paul is found only once in the New Testament here. Its use reflects the absolute contempt and fear the Jewish leaders had for Paul, viewing him as a source of corruption and discord. In classical Greek, the term could also be used to describe sophists or other individuals who spread morally or socially corrupting ideas. The Roman legal context here is crucial; "staseis" was a charge against peace, public order, and potentially the emperor himself. Early Christian gatherings were often misinterpreted as secret political assemblies or illegal collegia, fueling suspicion and persecution. Tertullus's oratorical skill in shifting from general praise of Felix to such severe, hyperbolic charges highlights the performative nature of ancient court proceedings, where persuasion often trumped truth.

Acts 24 5 Commentary

Tertullus's charges in Acts 24:5 are a masterclass in legal rhetoric, designed to impress Governor Felix with their gravity, rather than their truthfulness. The accusations are three-fold: Paul as a public pest (loimon), a stirrer of sedition (staseis) among Jews worldwide, and a ringleader (protostaten) of an illicit sect, the Nazarenes (haireseos ton Nazoraion). The term "pestilent fellow" immediately casts Paul as a destructive force, aligning his perceived negative impact with a physical disease, rendering him a public health threat to society's moral and political fabric. The charge of sedition was a capital offense under Roman law, leveraging the Roman sensitivity to political unrest and their desire for peace in the provinces. By exaggerating Paul's reach to "all the Jews throughout the world," Tertullus attempts to escalate the perceived threat, portraying Paul as an international subversive rather than a local religious teacher. Finally, labeling "the Way" as "the sect of the Nazarenes" was an attempt to legally separate early Christianity from Judaism, which enjoyed Roman protection as a "religio licita" (lawful religion). By classifying it as a distinct "hairesis" (sect/heresy), the Jewish accusers hoped to remove that protection, thereby making the practice of Christianity, and Paul's promotion of it, illegal under Roman law. Tertullus frames Paul's religious activities as purely disruptive and rebellious, aiming for a swift Roman conviction based on perceived threats to peace and order rather than actual crimes. The accusations were indeed baseless regarding sedition, but true regarding Paul being a leader of the "Nazarenes," though the pejorative connotation was what the accusers emphasized.