Rulers, officials and religious leaders
Claudius Lysias
Also called Lysias
Roman commanding officer in Jerusalem
- 4
- Events
- 2
- Places
- 1
- Journeys
Editorial summary
The commanding officer of the regiment in Jerusalem, who arrested Paul during the uproar at the temple, brought him before the council and sent him under guard to Felix at Caesarea.
Scripture
Journeys
1Where their story unfolds
2Where they appear
4Paul is seized in the temple
Near the end of the seven days, Jews from Asia saw Paul in the temple and stirred up the crowd, claiming he had brought Greeks into it, since they had seen Trophimus the Ephesian with him in the city. The crowd dragged Paul out to kill him, but the commanding officer came with soldiers and arrested him.
Paul’s defense on the stairs
With the commanding officer’s permission, Paul spoke to the crowd in Hebrew, telling how he had persecuted the Way until Jesus spoke to him near Damascus. When he spoke of being sent to the Gentiles, the crowd called for his death. About to be scourged, he said he was a Roman, and the examiners withdrew.
Paul before the council
The commanding officer set Paul before the chief priests and the council, and the high priest Ananias ordered him struck on the mouth. When Paul cried out that he was a Pharisee on trial concerning the resurrection of the dead, Pharisees and Sadducees fell into dispute, and soldiers took him back to the barracks by force.
The plot and Paul’s nephew
More than forty men swore not to eat or drink until they had killed Paul and planned an ambush. Paul’s nephew heard of it and told Paul and then the commanding officer, who ordered a large guard to take Paul to Felix the governor by night and wrote Felix a letter about the case.