For several days the Apostle remained thus, until the high priest Ananias, and others of the Jewish council, arrived with a Roman advocate, or lawyer, ready to assist them in making their complaint against him to the Cæsarean governor.
Felix had once been a slave, who by the favour of the Roman emperor had been raised to his high position; but he was an unjust and a tyrannical man, who lived in great sin. It was before him then that St. Paul had to appear, and Tertullus, the lawyer, commenced his speech by praising Felix, as if he had been a good man, and laying his accusations against the prisoner. First, he was charged with being a "pestilent man, raising seditions among all the Jews throughout the world, and author of the sedition of the sect of the Nazarenes." On these grounds St. Paul was deemed an offender against the Roman government, and against the law of Moses.
The next charge was that he had brought Gentiles into the temple.
The assembled Jews confirmed the truth of what Tertullus uttered, and then Felix gave the prisoner permission to defend himself.
He therefore declared that he was not guilty of disputing with any man, nor had he caused disturbance either in the temple or synagogue; that he had gone up to the temple to engage in a Jewish ceremony, and those who had been in his company were not Gentiles.
After such a defence, it would have seemed impossible to find any plea for detaining the Apostle a prisoner, but Felix only put the matter off, promising to enquire further into it at the coming of Lysias. Hoping that the Apostle would purchase his freedom, Felix remanded him to a somewhat light imprisonment, which continued two years.
One day the governor sent for St. Paul, that he and his wicked wife Drusilla might hear so famous a teacher speak about his faith.