Discovery BoxActs 25:18-19 
Context25:18 When his accusers stood up, they did not charge 1 him with any of the evil deeds I had suspected. 2 25:19 Rather they had several points of disagreement 3 with him about their own religion 4 and about a man named Jesus 5 who was dead, whom Paul claimed 6 to be alive.
Acts 25:25
Context25:25 But I found that he had done nothing that deserved death, 7 and when he appealed 8 to His Majesty the Emperor, 9 I decided to send him. 10
1 tn Grk “they brought no charge of any of the evil deeds.” BDAG 31 s.v. αἰτία 3.b has “αἰτίαν φέρειν…bring an accusation Ac 25:18.” Since κατήγοροι (kathgoroi, “accusers”) in the previous clause is somewhat redundant with this, “charge” was used instead.
2 tn Or “I was expecting.”
3 tn Grk “several controversial issues.” BDAG 428 s.v. ζήτημα states, “in our lit. only in Ac, w. the mng. it still has in Mod. Gk. (controversial) question, issue, argument…Ac 15:2; 26:3. ζ. περί τινος questions about someth.…18:15; 25:19.”
4 tn On this term see BDAG 216 s.v. δεισιδαιμονία 2. It is a broad term for religion.
sn About their own religion. Festus made it clear that in his view as a neutral figure (and as one Luke had noted was disposed to help the Jews), he saw no guilt in Paul. The issue was a simple religious dispute.
5 tn Grk “a certain Jesus.”
6 tn Or “asserted.”
7 sn He had done nothing that deserved death. Festus’ opinion of Paul’s guilt is like Pilate’s of Jesus (Luke 23:4, 14, 22).
8 tn The participle ἐπικαλεσαμένου (epikalesamenou) has been taken temporally. It could also be translated as causal: “and because he appealed…”
9 tn A designation of the Roman emperor (in this case, Nero). BDAG 917 s.v. σεβαστός states, “ὁ Σεβαστός His Majesty the Emperor Ac 25:21, 25 (of Nero).”
10 tn The word “him” is not in the Greek text, but is implied. Direct objects were often omitted in Greek when clear from the context, but must be supplied for the modern English reader.
