Discovery BoxActs 25:18-20 
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. 25:20 Because I was at a loss 7 how I could investigate these matters, 8 I asked if he were willing to go to Jerusalem and be tried 9 there on these charges. 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 tn Or “Because I was undecided.” Grk “Being at a loss.” The participle ἀπορούμενος (aporoumeno") has been translated as a causal adverbial participle.
8 tn L&N 27.34 states, “ἀπορούμενος δὲ ἐγὼ τὴν περὶ τούτων ζήτησιν ‘I was undecided about how I could get information on these matters’ Ac 25:20. The clause ‘about how I could get information on these matters’ may also be rendered as ‘about how I should try to find out about these matters’ or ‘about how I could learn about these matters.’”
9 tn Or “stand trial.”
10 tn Grk “on these things.”
