“commanding his accusers to come to you. By examining him yourself you may ascertain all these things of which we accuse him.” Acts 24:8

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A literal translation, even if a bit clunky, is, “having commanded his accusers to come to you, from whom you will be able, having examined, to know yourself concerning all these things which we accuse him” (CG).

In the previous verse, it said, “And Lysias, the commander, having come with great force, led away out of our hands.” That now continues with the words “having commanded his accusers to come to you.”

This was seen in a portion of Claudius Lysias’ letter to Felix, as recorded in the previous chapter –

“And when it was told me that the Jews lay in wait for the man, I sent him immediately to you, and also commanded his accusers to state before you the charges against him.” Acts 23:20

Not only did the commander send Paul safely to Caesarea, but he told the leaders of Israel that if they wanted a meeting with Paul in attendance, they would have to do so in the presence of the Roman governor. In fact, they were not given the choice. Instead, he commanded that they should appear before Felix. From there, Tertullus next says, “from whom you will be able.”

A relative pronoun is used, “whom.” Some translations, like the NKJV, say “him.” To our ears, using “whom” it sounds like Tertullus is asking for the accusers to be allowed to be examined. However, the pronoun is singular. And so, it is most probably speaking of Paul. But it also could be speaking of the Roman commander.

If so, and because he is not there, it may be that Tertullus is hoping that Felix would take this statement at face value and say, “No, there is no need to call him over this.” Either way, Tertullus continues, saying, “having examined, to know yourself concerning all these things which we accuse him.”

Either way, it is unlikely that either the Roman commander or Paul would agree that the things Paul had been accused of were true. The Roman commander would have insufficient evidence to substantiate the charges, and he would disagree with portions of the claims made. If he is referring to Paul, his words in the coming verses will completely refute the charges against him.

Life application: In this verse, Tertullus does what people continue to do today. He brazenly sets up a false narrative and then claims that when those who are interviewed are brought forward, they will agree with his position. We might call this the Shifty Schiff approach.

By boldly and brazenly lying, such people are openly mocking the integrity of the accused so that when they speak, they appear to be liars. It is a position that people will take when their side of an issue or argument has no substantiation at all.

This is a fallacy known as Poisoning the Well. The first person to speak will do so in an attempt to undermine the integrity of the next speaker, impugning his character in one way or another. They may imply he is manipulative, a liar, and that his words will be highly persuasive and thus must not be trusted, and so forth.

Even if the water in the well was perfectly good and drinkable to begin with, by poisoning the well, it is no longer to be trusted as safe. This tactic has been constantly used throughout the ages as a means of destroying someone of integrity before he even gets a chance to begin his presentation. It is highly effective because most people trust those they align with, even if their words are completely false.

Be aware of this fallacy, especially around voting season. You will see it constantly employed by those whose political position is one that has nothing of value to present to the people. It is also seen among Christian leaders and speakers at times. Be aware of this and call it out as soon as you identify it.

Lord God, help us to consider arguments – clearly and responsibly – that we see arise between people. May we not be sidetracked by fallacious thinking but instead consider what is said based on its adherence to the truth. It is a world full of confusion, but with Your wisdom to guide us, we will not be led astray by those who speak falsity and introduce error into their words. Yes, Lord God, help us in this. Amen.