Acts 24:5

For we have found this man a pestilent fellow, and a mover of insurrection among all the Jews throughout the world, and a ringleader of the sect of the Nazarenes: who moreover assayed to profane the temple: on whom also we laid hold: ... from whom thou wilt be able, by examining him thyself, to take knowledge of all these things whereof we accuse him.

Briefly stated: Paul was accused of being (1) a pest, (2) an insurrectionist, (3) a ringleader of the Nazarenes, and (4) one who had attempted to profane the temple. All these charges except No. 3 were unspecific, and even it was unsupported by any evidence whatever. "The weak part of Tertullus' case was that he produced no evidence to support his charges."[9]

The sect of the Nazarenes ... "This is the only place in the New Testament where this term is used of the followers of Jesus."[10] In no sense whatever is Christianity "a sect."

Assayed to profane the temple ... Note how this is changed from "profaning the temple" as they at first alleged (Acts 21:28).

By examining him thyself ... Agreement is felt with McGarvey who construed this as "a hint of examination by scourging,"[11] as indicated by their careful avoidance of giving any information regarding Paul's Roman citizenship, not knowing, of course, that Lysias had already informed the governor on that point. The resolution of the question, however, would have to turn finally on the verses left out of our text, appearing in the English Revised Version (1885) margin. The words left out are:

Acts 24:6b-8a, And we would have judged him according to our law. But the chief captain Lysias came, and with great violence took him out of our hands, commanding his accusers to come before thee.

If these words from the English Revised Version (1885) margin were allowed, of course, "examining him" would then be a reference to Lysias; and the fact of Felix mentioning Lysias in Acts 24:22 seems to indicate (but does not prove) that the words belong. It is a problem we must leave with the scholars.

[9] Sir William M. Ramsay, op. cit., p. 290.

[10] F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publishers, 1954), p. 465.

[11] J. W. McGarvey, Commentary on Acts (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company), 2p. 235.