{
  "id": "dict_003402",
  "term": "Lysias",
  "slug": "lysias",
  "letter": "L",
  "entry_type": "biblical_person",
  "entry_family": "theological_term",
  "depth_profile": "standard",
  "short_definition": "Claudius Lysias was the Roman military commander in Jerusalem who intervened when Paul was seized by a crowd and later sent him safely to Caesarea.",
  "simple_one_line": "Roman tribune in Jerusalem who protected Paul and transferred him to Caesarea.",
  "tooltip_text": "A Roman commander mentioned in Acts who protected Paul from mob violence and oversaw his transfer to Caesarea.",
  "aliases": [],
  "scripture_references": [],
  "original_language_terms": [],
  "related_entries": [
    "Paul",
    "Acts",
    "Felix",
    "Jerusalem",
    "Roman Empire"
  ],
  "see_also": [
    "Claudius",
    "Tribune",
    "Caesarea",
    "Roman authority"
  ],
  "lede_intro": "Claudius Lysias was the Roman tribune stationed in Jerusalem who appears in Acts as the officer who rescued Paul from a hostile crowd, investigated the disturbance, and later sent Paul under guard to Caesarea.",
  "at_a_glance_definition": "Roman military commander in Jerusalem who intervened in the arrest of Paul and arranged his safe transfer to Roman custody in Caesarea.",
  "at_a_glance_key_points": [
    "Mentioned in Acts 21–24",
    "Identified as Claudius Lysias in Acts 23:26",
    "Protected Paul from mob violence",
    "Helped move the case into Roman legal proceedings"
  ],
  "description_academic_short": "Claudius Lysias was a Roman tribune stationed in Jerusalem during Paul’s ministry. According to Acts, he rescued Paul from a violent mob, learned of a plot against him, and arranged his transfer to Governor Felix in Caesarea. He is a historical person in the narrative, not a theological term in the usual sense.",
  "description_academic_full": "Claudius Lysias was the Roman commander of the cohort in Jerusalem mentioned in Acts 21–24. Luke presents him as the officer who intervened when Paul was attacked in the temple area, attempted to determine the cause of the disturbance, and later protected Paul by sending him under guard to Caesarea after learning of a conspiracy against his life. His role helps explain how Paul’s ministry moved from Jerusalem into a series of formal hearings before Roman authorities. As a biblical person, Lysias is defined primarily by his narrative role in Acts rather than by doctrinal significance in himself.",
  "background_biblical_context": "In Acts, Lysias enters the story when a riot breaks out in Jerusalem after Paul is falsely accused in the temple. He orders Paul taken into the barracks, allows him to address the crowd, and later sends him to Caesarea after uncovering a plot against his life. His actions show how God preserved Paul for further witness.",
  "background_historical_context": "Lysias was a Roman military officer, likely a tribune, responsible for order in Jerusalem under Roman administration. Acts portrays him as a practical official trying to understand a volatile public disturbance and keep custody of a potentially dangerous case. His correspondence with higher authorities reflects normal Roman procedure.",
  "background_jewish_ancient_context": "Jerusalem in the first century was politically sensitive, especially around the temple and during feast times. Roman troops were stationed nearby to respond quickly to unrest. Acts places Lysias at the intersection of Roman authority and Jewish religious tensions, where accusations could quickly become public disorder.",
  "key_texts_primary": [
    "Acts 21:31-40",
    "Acts 22:24-30",
    "Acts 23:10-35"
  ],
  "key_texts_secondary": [
    "Acts 24:22",
    "Acts 24:23"
  ],
  "original_language_note": "Greek Λυσίας (Lysías). Acts 23:26 identifies him as Claudius Lysias; the narrative presents him as a Roman military commander, often understood as a tribune.",
  "theological_significance": "Lysias has no major doctrinal role, but his presence in Acts highlights God’s providence in preserving Paul, the legitimacy of civil authority under God’s rule, and the way the gospel advanced through both persecution and legal process.",
  "philosophical_explanation": "Lysias is a historical agent acting within Roman political and legal structures. His decisions are presented in Acts as part of the concrete circumstances through which God accomplishes his purposes without overriding ordinary secondary causes.",
  "interpretive_cautions": "Do not read more into Lysias than Luke provides. He is a narrative figure, not a doctrinal category, and Acts does not require us to assume he was converted or personally sympathetic to Paul beyond what is stated.",
  "major_views_note": "There is broad agreement that Lysias was a Roman tribune/commander in Jerusalem and that Acts uses him to advance the narrative of Paul’s transfer from Jerusalem to Caesarea.",
  "doctrinal_boundaries": "This entry concerns a historical person in Acts and does not establish doctrine by itself. Any theological application should remain subordinate to the plain meaning of the narrative.",
  "practical_significance": "Lysias’s role illustrates that God can use civil authorities, legal procedures, and even imperfect officials to protect his servants and advance gospel witness.",
  "meta_description": "Claudius Lysias was the Roman tribune in Jerusalem who protected Paul and sent him to Caesarea in Acts.",
  "public_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/lysias/",
  "json_url": "/companion-bible-dictionary/data/dictionary/lysias.json",
  "final_disposition": "PUBLISH_CANONICAL"
}