Paul ebiegberi gbaamụ bara mịẹ wó dịa mị
1, 2. (a) Teeki Paul paamọ ma o? (b) Paul ị kọn Caesar yarị gbaa egberi gbelemọ yọmị, omịnị te biibịbị ka kị angọbii a paa emi a o?
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“Ụgụla-warị Ka Tịẹ Emi” (Acts 25:1-12) 3, 4. (a) Teeki Jewotu ịkịọụ bọọ timi Paul akị Jerusalem a bo bara gbaa ma o, Paul bá tebara kị mịẹ wẹrị fịị a tẹị ma o? (b) Jehovah baratụa akị Paul pịrị bara bị, mịtịẹkiri kpọ Jehovah tebara ka kị baratụa wo odubo-otubo pịrịmịnị a o?
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5. Festus tebara ka kị Paul mịẹ ma o?
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6, 7. Tetuu kị duonị, Paul ụ kọn Caesar yarị gbaa ma o, Paul mịẹdịaye mị te ka kị wó tolumọ ma o?
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We appeal unfavorable legal decisions
“Ịmịnị Gbaa Bara Kị Dimịẹ Mị” (Acts 25:13–26:23) 8, 9. Tetuu kị duonị Pẹrẹ-owei Agrippa Caesar dọụmú ma o?
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APPEALING ON BEHALF OF TRUE WORSHIP IN MODERN TIMES Jehovah’s Witnesses have at times appealed to high courts in hopes of removing obstacles to the preaching of the good news of God’s Kingdom. Here are two examples.
On March 28, 1938, the U.S. Supreme Court overturned state court decisions and exonerated a group of Witnesses who had been arrested for distributing Bible literature in Griffin, Georgia, U.S.A. This was the first of many appeals made to that high court regarding the right of the Witnesses to preach the good news.
Another case involved a Witness in Greece named Minos Kokkinakis. Over a period of 48 years, he was arrested more than 60 times for “proselytism.” On 18 occasions, he faced prosecution in court. He spent years in prison and in exile on remote islands in the Aegean Sea. After his last conviction in 1986, Brother Kokkinakis lost his appeals to the higher courts of Greece. He then sought relief through the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR). On May 25, 1993, that Court ruled that Greece had violated Brother Kokkinakis’ freedom of religion.
Jehovah’s Witnesses have appealed to the ECHR for relief in dozens of cases, prevailing in most of them. No other organization, religious or otherwise, has had such success in defending basic human rights before the ECHR.
Do others benefit from the legal victories of Jehovah’s Witnesses? Scholar Charles C. Haynes wrote: “We all owe the Jehovah’s Witnesses a debt of gratitude. No matter how many times they’re insulted, run out of town or even physically attacked, they keep on fighting for their (and thus our) freedom of religion. And when they win, we all win.”
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10, 11. Paul tebara ka kị Agrippa didụbamọ ma o, Paul teeki gbaa Agrippa pịrị ma o?
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12, 13. (a) Paul tebara ka kị omịnị bo Christtuuduo kịmị a paa bara gbaa ma o? (b) Paul tebara ka kị “nama wo bụọ akị ụ nanaowei sibemịnị ogbolo famọmịnị” bara mọ lei ma o?
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14, 15. Paul tebara ka kị wo ụndụ deidẹ bara gbaa ma o?
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16. Omịnị egberigbaa akị ụgụlapẹlẹ otuama mọ ibe daa-otuama mọ pịrịmịnị ifiesẹ, tebara ka kị Paul dimịẹ a paa emi a o?
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“Ị́mịnị Ị Mịẹ bo Christtuuduo Kịmị A Paa Mịnị” (Acts 26:24-32) 17. Paul gbaa egberi gbelemọ yọmị Festus teeki gbaa ma, beitịẹkiri mị, biin kịmịama mịẹmịnị bara mị tebara ka kị Festus mịẹ-bara mọ lei emi a o?
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18. Paul tebara ka kị Festus paraị ma, Agrippa bá teeki gbaa tụa ma o?
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19. Paul gbelemọ yọmị, Festus mọ Agrippa mọ teeki tọnpẹlẹ ma o?
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20. Paul egberigbaa akị ibe daamịnị otuama pịrịtimi ifie mị teeki paa ma o?
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21. Bụụdọọnyeama k’emi kpọ Daabụọ ebiegberi gbaamịnị yọmị te arereama k’emi a o?
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ROMAN PROCURATOR PORCIUS FESTUS Our only firsthand information about Porcius Festus comes from Acts of Apostles and the writings of Flavius Josephus. Festus succeeded Felix as procurator of Judea in about 58 C.E. and evidently died in office after governing for just two or three years.
For the most part, Festus appears to have been a prudent and capable procurator, in contrast with his predecessor, Felix, and his successor, Albinus. At the beginning of Festus’ time in office, Judea was plagued by bandits. According to Josephus, “Festus . . . made it his business to correct those that made disturbances in the country. So he caught the greatest part of the robbers, and destroyed a great many of them.” During his tenure, the Jews built a wall to prevent King Agrippa from observing what took place in the temple area. Festus initially ordered them to dismantle it. At the Jews’ request, however, he later allowed them to present the matter to the Roman Emperor Nero.
Festus appears to have taken a firm stand against criminals and insurgents. But in his desire to maintain good relations with the Jews, he was willing to set aside justice—at least in his dealings with the apostle Paul.
KING HEROD AGRIPPA II The Agrippa referred to in Acts chapter 25 was King Herod Agrippa II, great-grandson of Herod the Great and son of the Herod who had attacked the Jerusalem congregation 14 years earlier. (Acts 12:1) Agrippa was the last of the Herodian princes.
At the death of his father in 44 C.E., 17-year-old Agrippa was in Rome, where he was being educated at the court of Roman Emperor Claudius. The emperor’s advisers considered Agrippa too young to inherit his father’s domain; thus, a Roman governor was appointed instead. Even so, according to Flavius Josephus, while Agrippa was still in Rome, he intervened for the Jews and represented their interests.
In about 50 C.E., Claudius assigned Agrippa kingship over Chalcis and in 53 C.E., over Ituraea, Trachonitis, and Abilene. Agrippa was also given oversight of Jerusalem’s temple, with authority to appoint the Jewish high priests. Claudius’ successor Nero extended Agrippa’s realm to include parts of Galilee and Perea. At the time of his meeting Paul, Agrippa was in Caesarea with his sister Bernice, who had left her husband, the king of Cilicia.—Acts 25:13.
In 66 C.E., when Agrippa’s efforts failed to calm the Jewish rebellion against Rome, he himself became a target of the rebels, and he was left no choice but to join the Romans. After the Jewish revolt was crushed, a new emperor, Vespasian, gave Agrippa further territories as a reward.