7 Bible Verses about Accusations, Nt Legal System
Most Relevant Verses
If therefore Demetrius, and the workmen associated with him, have a charge against anyone, the courts are open and there are magistrates [to judge such cases]; let them file their charges against each other. But if you want to address other matters, they can be settled in the regular, scheduled assembly. For we are truly in danger of being accused of inciting a riot here today when there is [really] no reason for it to happen. Then concerning this problem, we will not be able to explain how it all came about."read more.
And after the town clerk had said all this, he dismissed the assembly.
But when Gallio was magistrate of Achaia [i.e., the southern province of Greece] the Jews joined forces to attack Paul and brought him before the court of justice, and said [about him], "This man is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law [of Moses]."
Then he called two of his officers and said, "Get two hundred soldiers ready to go to Caesarea, along with seventy horsemen and two hundred spearmen, by nine o'clock tonight." [Note: This was calculated according to Jewish time]. And he [also] requested that they furnish animals for Paul to ride so he could be brought safely to Felix, the governor. The commander then wrote a letter like this:read more.
"Claudius Lysias, [commander of the battalion, is writing] to His Excellency, Governor Felix. Greetings: This man [i.e., Paul] was grabbed by the Jews and almost killed by them when I discovered what they were doing and rescued him, after learning that he was a Roman citizen. So, I brought him before the Council because I wanted to know the reasons for the charges [they were] bringing against him. I found out that he was being accused over questions regarding their law, but that they had no charges against him deserving of the death penalty, or [even] of being kept in prison. And when I was told that there was a plot against the man, I sent him to you immediately, also ordering his accusers to present their case against him in front of you."
Five days later the head priest, Ananias, came down [to Caesarea] with certain [Jewish] elders and an attorney [named] Tertullus, who brought their case against Paul before the governor. When Paul was called [to appear before the court] Tertullus began the prosecution by saying, "Your Excellency Felix: Since through you we are able to enjoy peace [in this province] and under your jurisdiction the problems in our society are being [properly] dealt with, we welcome all such efforts in each district with full gratitude.read more.
But, not wanting to prolong matters for you, I urge you to give consideration to this brief account [of the problem we face]. We have found this man [i.e., Paul] to be extremely bothersome, and an instigator of strife among the Jews throughout the world and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes. We arrested him, for he attempted to desecrate [even] the Temple {{Some ancient manuscripts add verse and we would have judged him according to our law but commander Lysias came and forcibly took him out of our hands}} [and] you will be able to determine the nature of our accusations against him by questioning him yourself." Then the Jews also joined in [making] the charge, and confirmed all the facts that were being presented.
Three days after Festus came to the province he went from Caesarea up to Jerusalem. The leading priests and the leading Jewish men [there] informed Festus of the charges against Paul. Then they begged him
But when the Jews objected to this, I was compelled to appeal [my case] to Caesar, even though I had done nothing against my country.
