Person New Testament
Lysias
Also known as Claudius
Claudius Lysias, the Roman commander in Jerusalem, rescued Paul from a Jewish mob and sent him to Felix. Mentioned in 2 verses across 1 book, first at Acts 23:26.
Why it matters. Roman commander who rescued Paul from a Jewish mob
- Primary passages
- Last reviewed
- 2026-08-30 by the FaithGraph team
About Lysias
Claudius Lysias was a Roman tribune (commander) stationed in Jerusalem during the time of Paul's arrest (Act.23.26). When Paul was attacked by a Jewish mob in the temple, Lysias intervened with his soldiers and took Paul into custody (Act.21.30-33). Upon learning of a plot to kill Paul, Lysias arranged for him to be transferred to Caesarea under armed guard to appear before Felix, the governor (Act.23.12-35). In his letter to Felix, Lysias explained the circumstances of Paul's arrest and his decision to send him to the governor for judgment (Act.23.26-30). Lysias admitted that he had initially arrested Paul thinking he was a rebel, but later learned that the charges against him were related to Jewish religious disputes (Act.23.28-29). Lysias' actions demonstrate his commitment to maintaining order and ensuring that Paul received a fair trial under Roman law. His letter to Felix also serves as an official record of the events surrounding Paul's arrest and transfer to Caesarea.
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.
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Appears in Scripture
Named in 2 verses across 1 book. Occurrence data from STEPBible TIPNR (CC BY 4.0); references only, no translation text.