He knew, on the other hand, the abandoned character of Felix.

The latter was then living, as Josephus relates, in open adultery with Drusilla, who had been married to Azis, and brought away from her husband by the help of Simon a Magician; and this circumstance probably gave occasion to Paul to dwell upon temperance, or continence as the word might be rendered, among other subjects, when he made Felix tremble.

But, besides this, he must have known the general character of a man, of whom Tacitus complained, that "his government was distinguished by[49] servility and every species of cruelty and lust."-- [Footnote 49: "Per omnem Saevitiam et Libidinem jus regium servili ingenio exercuit."] If therefore the epithet of noble was an established title for those Romans, who held the government of Judea, the giving of it to one, and the omission of it to the other, would probably shew the discrimination of St.Paul as a Christian, that he had no objection to give it, where it could be applied with truth, but that he refused it, when it was not applicable to the living character.
But that the expression of excellent or of noble was any title at all, there is no evidence to shew.

And first, let us examine the word, which was used upon this occasion.

The [50]original Greek word has no meaning as a title in any Lexicon that I have seen.