Person New Testament
Felix
Felix was a Roman governor of Judea who heard the case against Paul and kept him in custody for two years. Mentioned in 8 verses across 1 book, first at Acts 23:24.
Why it matters. Roman governor of Judea; heard Paul's case.
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Felix
Felix was a Roman procurator (governor) of Judea who served from approximately 52 to 60 AD. He is mentioned in the book of Acts in connection with the apostle Paul's imprisonment and trial. Paul was brought before Felix in Caesarea after being accused by the Jewish leaders of being a troublemaker and inciting riots (Act.23.24, 26). During the hearing, Paul defended himself against the charges and spoke about his faith in Christ (Act.24.10-21). Felix, who was well-informed about Christianity, postponed making a decision and kept Paul in custody, hoping to receive a bribe from him (Act.24.22-26). Felix also heard Paul speak about righteousness, self-control, and the coming judgment, which caused him to be afraid (Act.24.25). However, Felix left Paul in prison for two years until his successor, Porcius Festus, took office (Act.24.27). The account of Paul's interaction with Felix highlights the challenges faced by early Christians in the face of Roman authority and the corruption within the judicial system.
Description from STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House, Cambridge), CC BY 4.0, lightly reformatted. This is background reference material, not Scripture and not a FaithGraph editorial claim.
Connections
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Family
Family links from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0). Where the dataset marks an identification as uncertain, the mark is kept. Matthew and Luke give different genealogies for Jesus; see the Lineage page, which never merges them.
- Spouse
- Drusilla
Appears in Scripture
Named in 8 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.