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Who was Festus in the Bible?

Lived in the New Testament era

Porcius Festus was a Roman procurator (governor) of Judea who succeeded Felix around 60 AD (Act.24.27). Festus appears in 12 verses of the Bible.

What does the Bible say about Festus?

Porcius Festus was a Roman procurator (governor) of Judea who succeeded Felix around 60 AD (Act.24.27). He is mentioned in the book of Acts in relation to the apostle Paul's ongoing legal case. Upon taking office, Festus was confronted with the charges against Paul that had been left unresolved by Felix (Act.25.1-2). Festus, wanting to do the Jews a favor, asked Paul if he would be willing to go to Jerusalem for trial, but Paul appealed to Caesar, asserting his rights as a Roman citizen (Act.25.9-12). Festus, unsure how to handle the case, consulted with King Agrippa II and his sister Bernice, who came to Caesarea to pay their respects to the new governor (Act.25.13-22). Paul was brought before Festus, Agrippa, and Bernice to present his defense (Act.25.23-26:32). After hearing Paul's testimony, Festus exclaimed that Paul's great learning had driven him insane (Act.26.24). Agrippa, however, believed that Paul could have been set free if he had not appealed to Caesar (Act.26.32). Festus then sent Paul to Rome for trial, as he had requested (Act.27.1). The account of Festus's involvement in Paul's case illustrates the complexities of the Roman legal system and the challenges faced by early Christians in navigating it.

Definition text: STEPBible · Tyndale House Cambridge. Licensed CC BY 4.0. Lightly edited for length and formatting.

Compiled by Protos: the verse list on this page. Where one name belongs to more than one person or place, each of them gets a separate entry.

Where does Festus appear in the Bible?

Festus is referenced in 12 verses. Every passage below is about this one, not just every verse the word turns up in.

Acts 12

What else appears in these passages?

These turn up in the same passages as Festus.

PaulAgrippaJerusalemFelixCaesareaCaesar

Common questions

How many times does the Bible mention Festus?

Festus appears in 12 verses, all of them in Acts.

Which books of the Bible mention Festus?

Just one: Acts.

Where can I read every verse about Festus?

This page lists 12 of them. Protos carries all 12, and opens this entry on the verse you are reading rather than in a separate tab.

Read it in context

Read Acts with Festus explained on the verse.

Tap any name, place, or word you do not recognize and the background opens on the verse you are reading. No second tab, no search, no losing your place.

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