Charles Ellicott Commentary Acts 28:21

"And they said unto him, We neither received letters from Judaea concerning thee, nor did any of the brethren come hither and report or speak any harm of thee." — Acts 28:21 (ASV)

We neither received letters out of Judea concerning you...—It seems strange at first that no news should have come from Jerusalem about what had happened there in connection with St. Paul’s imprisonment. There was, however, hardly likely to have been time for any letters since his appeal.

He had sailed somewhat late in the autumn, immediately after he had made his appeal (Acts 25:13, Acts 27:1), and all communication by sea was suspended during the winter months.

Furthermore, it may be noted that the Jews did not say that they had heard absolutely nothing about him, but that those who had come had spoken nothing evil of him. What they had heard by casual rumour may well have been consistent with St. James’s statement that he walked orderly, and observed the Law (Acts 21:20).

It has been urged that the decree of Claudius had suspended the communication between the Jews of Rome and those of Jerusalem; but as the former had returned before he wrote the Epistle to the Romans, this is hardly a tenable explanation. It may, however, be taken into account that among the Jews who had returned to Rome would be many of those who had known St. Paul at Corinth and were willing to bear testimony to his character.