Acts 24:2-4

Flattery of officials in formal speeches was fashionable in Paul’s day, and Tertullus heaped praise on Felix. The title "most excellent" usually applied to men who enjoyed a higher social rank than Felix. Felix was a fierce ruler and the "peace" that existed was a result of terror rather than tranquillity. Tertullus praised Felix for being a peacemaker in preparation for his charge that Paul was a disturber of the peace (Acts 24:5-6). Felix’s "reforms" were more like purges. Speakers also usually promised to be brief, which promises then as now they did not always keep.