I Appeal To Caesar!

Inside, a crowd of excited (and some very concerned)

spectators has already packed the galleries to capacity.

The glittering parade of senators and dignitaries arrive with pomp and ceremony and find their seats; many of these important people are extremely concerned about the proceedings. Nero himself has already entered his private sitting room adjacent to the Senate. There, he fusses with his appearance and plans his approach. * * * * * Paul, the prisoner, is not a newcomer to the Roman justice system. He has quit counting the number of jails where he has been incarcerated. Now, in his sixties, Paul is a well- worn, physically depleted older man, yet his spirit is razor sharp and anxious for battle. In one of his letters, he mentions some of his astounding adversities. His face is scared by the stones of zealous fellow- countrymen; he has spent long periods in rotting jails and survived hazardous journeys in dangerous places. Drudgery and hard labor have been his lot, but he has been enabled by prolonged hours of intense praying. Strenuously preaching and teaching the Gospel of God, he has been beaten up more times than he could count, and been at death’s door, time after time; brutally flogged five times with thirty- nine lashes by synagogue leaders, beaten with Roman rods three times, and endured long nights without sleep. Paul and the three soldiers await their summons to the imperial inquiry.