The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (159 page)

27:1-28:16
Paul's sea voyage to Rome. The journey has three phases: he takes one ship from Caesarea to Myra (27:15), another from Myra to Malta (27:6-28:1), and another still from Malta to Italy (28:11-16). Though a harrowing voyage through storm and shipwreck, Paul stands out as a pillar of strength and composure who encourages those around him. 
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27:1 decided that we:
Last mentioned accompanying Paul to Jerusalem (21:15-17), Luke again joins the apostle on his travels, this time to Rome. Confirmation of this emerges from the narrative, which is filled with the minute details of an eyewitness account and makes use of technical, nautical terminology.
See note on Acts 16:10
.
a centurion:
Paul and other prisoners are guarded by a military escort. 
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27:2 Adramyttium:
The ship was destined to port along the western coast of Asia Minor (modern Turkey).
Aristarchus:
Earlier he traveled with Paul from Ephesus (19:29) to Greece (20:2-4) and eventually to Jerusalem (21:15-17). His trip to Rome is independently confirmed by Paul's own letters, where he appears at the apostle's side during his detainment (Col 4:10; Philem 24). 
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27:3-5
Embarking from Caesarea, the ship sailed up the coast nearly 70 miles to Sidon, then around the northeastern shoulder of the island of Cyprus to the port of Myra, on the southern edge of Asia Minor. All told, this first leg of the trip probably lasted around 12 days. 
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27:6 ship of Alexandria
: That is, from the largest port city in northern Africa. Cargo ships like this one often passed from Egypt to Italy, supplying the Roman capital with most of its wheat and grains (27:38). 
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27:7-28:1
Embarking from Myra, the second ship sailed west to Cnidus and then south around the island of Crete. After docking in the bay of Fair Havens, the captain and crew decided to push on to another Cretan port at Phoenix but were blasted with powerful winds from the northeast that drove them away from the coastline and into the turbulent sea. Eventually they drifted to the island of Malta, where the ship ran aground and everyone on board was able to swim or paddle to safety. 
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27:9 the fast
: The annual Day of Atonement, when the nation of Israel sought the mercy of God and spent the day fasting (Lev 16:29-31). The feast fell in late September, i.e., about the same time the sailing season was drawing to a close around the Mediterranean. By the middle of November, sailing was deemed impossible for a full three months (28:11). 
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27:17 undergird the ship
: Ropes were tied sideways around the body of the vessel to keep it from breaking up in the stormy waters. the Syrtis: A stretch of offshore sandbars along the northern coast of Africa. lowered the gear: Probably the sails, not the anchors. 
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27:22 no loss of life:
A timely note of encouragement— God's kindness toward Paul would embrace all 276 passengers on board (27:37). It had already been revealed to Paul that his safe arrival in Rome was part of God's plan (23:11), and this had been reaffirmed by an angelic messenger the night before (27:24). 
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27:27 the sea of Adria:
Not the Adriatic Sea east of Italy, but another name for the central waters of the Mediterranean. 
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27:30 lowered the boat:
The crewmen intended to desert the ship on a getaway lifeboat. 
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27:35 he took bread:
After days of rough waters and seasickness drowned the crew's appetite, Paul encouraged them to find strength in food before their final swim to safety. The sequence of giving thanks and breaking bread could suggest a eucharistic celebration (Lk 24:30-35), but similar ritual actions were performed at normal Jewish meals (Lk 9:16; 1 Tim 4:45). Since Luke gives no indication that the captain and crew were baptized believers, the latter case is more probable than the former. 
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27:41 ran the vessel aground:
This was at least the fourth time Paul was shipwrecked during the days of his apostolic ministry (2 Cor 11:25). 
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27:42 to kill the prisoners:
Roman soldiers were accountable for prisoners under their guard. They would be severely punished if even one of the inmates escaped in the confusion and desperation of the moment. 
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28:1-10
The entire manifest of the ship's personnel and passengers washed up on the shores of Malta, a small island 60 miles south of Sicily. The islanders met them with extraordinary hospitality, tending to their needs for the three months of winter when sailing was impossible (Nov.-Jan.). Everyone was especially impressed with Paul, who shrugged off deadly snakes unharmed (28:3-6) and healed the sick with his hands (28:710). These were signs that Paul was a divinely authorized apostle (Mk 16:17-18; Lk 10:19). 
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28:2 the natives:
The Greek term
barbaroi
refers to non-Greek-speaking peoples, as in Rom 1:14 and Col 3:11. The Maltese people of the NT period traced their language and lineage back to the Phoenicians. 
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28:3 a viper:
Lying stiff and still, the snake was mistaken for a twig as Paul gathered up brushwood to feed the fire. Poisonous vipers like this one no longer live on the island. 
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28:6 he was a god:
Paul's immunity to the viper suggested to the islanders he could not be a mere mortal. This was opposite their initial conclusion that Paul was a murderer whose sinful past had finally caught up with him (28:4). For a similar attempt to deify Paul, see 14:11-18. 
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28:11 ship of Alexandria:
Another cargo ship from Egypt headed for Italy.
See note on Acts 27:6
.
the Twin Brothers:
On the front of the vessel were images of Castor and Pollux, sons of the high god Zeus in Greek mythology. Popular piety revered them as the patron deities of sailing. 
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28:13 Puteoli:
The major commercial seaport of western Italy. The presence of Christian brethren here (28:14) and in Rome (28:15) confirms what Paul himself says elsewhere—that long before his arrival, the Romans had already embraced the faith and were admired the world over for it (Rom 1:8). Though no one knows for certain how and when Christianity first came to Italy, it is possible that Jewish converts from Rome (2:10) carried the gospel back with them after Peter evangelized the Pentecost pilgrims in Jerusalem years earlier (2:1-41). Tradition also puts Peter in Rome nearly two decades before Paul first set foot in the city.
See note on Acts 12:17
. 
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28:14 we came to Rome:
Luke not only accompanied Paul to Rome but must have stayed with him for a time, since he appears at the apostle's side during his detention (Col 4:14; Philem 24).
See note on Acts 16:10
. 
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28:15 came as far as:
Roman believers hurried out to welcome Paul and escort him into the capital. One group met him at the Forum of Appius, more than 40 miles from the city, and another joined him at Three Taverns, more than 30 miles outside the city. 
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28:16 to stay by himself:
Paul lived for two years under house arrest in Rome. He rented the place at his own expense (28:30), and his wrist was chained at all times to a Roman soldier (28:20). This living arrangement gave him the freedom to continue limited apostolic work: he evangelized the crowds that gathered around his home (28:23) and wrote his famous "Captivity Epistles" to the Ephesians, the Philippians, the Colossians, and to Philemon. 
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28:17 the Jews:
It is no surprise that Paul first makes contact with the Jews, as this was his missionary policy throughout Acts (17:1-2). The presence of a Jewish community in Rome here in
A.D.
60 suggests that Claudius' edict to expel them from the capital in
A.D.
49 was either revoked, relaxed, or no longer remembered as time went by. See notes on Acts 13:5 and 18:2. 
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28:20 the hope of Israel:
The hope in a bodily resurrection from the dead (23:6; 24:15; 26:6-8). 
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28:22 this sect:
The early Christian movement. See word study:
Sect
at 24:5. 
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28:23 the law . . . the prophets:
The Scriptures of Israel that Paul used to expound the gospel to the Jews (24:14; 26:22). The conviction that OT passages foretell the dying and rising of the Messiah goes back to Jesus himself (Lk 24:44). 
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28:26-27
Paul indicts his kinsmen with the words of Is 6:9-10, a text used in a similar way in the Gospels (Mt 13:14- 15; Mk 4:11-12; Jn 12:40). • Isaiah consigned all but a faithful remnant of Israel to divine judgment, making the rebels who had closed their eyes and ears to Yahweh even less responsive to his urgent warnings. Paul is faced with a similar situation, where all but a remnant of Israel accepted the gospel. 
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28:28 they will listen
: Or, better, "they also will listen". Paul is not slamming the door on the Jews permanently, since some are still accepting his message (28:24). The pattern seen here and elsewhere in Acts is a regional pattern: rejection of the gospel by local Jews turns the focus of Paul's outreach to local Gentiles instead (13:46; 18:6). At no time does Paul fully abandon his mission to the "sons of Israel" (9:15). 
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28:30 two whole years:
From about
A.D.
60 to 62. Luke is silent about the outcome of Paul's case before Caesar, although tradition has it that Paul was released and returned to active ministry. If so, the story of his captivity probably unfolded in one of two ways.
(1)
It may be that Paul successfully defended himself and was acquitted by the Roman tribunal. This might be expected since every Roman official in Acts up to this point was convinced of his innocence.
(2)
It is also possible that Paul's accusers from Jerusalem failed to make an appearance before the court, giving Rome legal cause to dismiss the charges against him and warrant his release. As for a subsequent ministry, Paul expressed intentions to travel
westward
from Rome to Spain (Rom 15:24) as well as
eastward
from Rome to Macedonia and Asia Minor (Phil 2:24; Philem 22). There is some evidence to suggest he was successful on both counts: Titus 1:5 tells us that Paul evangelized the island of Crete in the east—a mission that is all but impossible to fit into Paul's travel schedule anywhere earlier in Acts—and Clement of Rome tells us around
A.D.
95 that he carried the gospel to the limits of the west (
1 Clement
5:5-7). Tradition holds that Paul was later rearrested and martyred (beheaded) in Rome in the mid 60s.
See note on Acts 28:16
. 
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28:31 unhindered:
The preaching of Paul in Rome is a preliminary fulfillment of Jesus' mandate to witness to the "end of the earth" (1:8). Scholars generally hold that Luke has left this conclusion open-ended to show that the Church's mission to the world, far from drawing to a close, has only just begun. Also, the fact that Luke's narrative reaches a climax with Paul still shackled as a prisoner may suggest that the Book of Acts was written about this time, around
A.D.
63. The inference is not conclusive in itself, but, combined with other factors, it leads to a compelling case for dating Acts in the early 60s. See introduction to Acts:
Date.
 
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