Acts 23:34-35

Felix inquired concerning Paul’s home province for the following reason. If Paul had come from an area in the empire that had its own ruler in addition to a Roman governor, that local authority had a right to witness the proceedings (cf. Luke 23:6-12). Cilicia was not such a place, however, so Felix could deal with Paul himself. He needed to hear the testimony of Paul’s accusers, of course. Consequently Felix kept Paul in the governor’s palace, the Praetorium, which Herod the Great had built, until those Jews arrived and he could conduct a hearing. The governor’s palace had cells for prisoners. Paul would have been fairly comfortable there since he was a Roman citizen who had not even been charged formally with a crime.