After Paul appealed to be tried in Rome, he was delivered into the custody of Julius, a centurion of Augustus, for the 2,000-mile journey, much of which was undertaken by sea.
When the ship passed Cyprus and sailed to Myra in Lycia, Julius transferred his prisoners to an Egyptian vessel with a cargo of wheat bound for Italy. With its cargo and 276 people aboard, the ship made for the open sea around Crete. Since it was late in the season, when skies were overcast and storms were a threat, Paul advised they winter at Fair Haven on the southern coast of the island of Crete. The captain and Julius selected Phoenix, a harbor some 50 miles to the west.A storm arose, and the ship ran aground. When the ship struck a shoal, the soldiers wanted to kill the prisoners "lest any of them should swim out, and escape," but Julius ordered those who could to swim to land (Acts 27:42-43), which was identified as being the island of Melita, or Malta. (Acts 28:1.)
The shipwrecked company spent three months on Malta. When the weather improved, another Egyptian grain ship gave Julius and his captives passage to Italy. After about 100 miles, they put in for three days at Syracuse on the island of Sicily, and then sailed north. Three days later, the ship dropped anchor at Puteoli, now Pozzuoli (near Naples), Italy's great commercial port. (Acts 28:12-13.) From there, the rest of the journey to Rome was by land.
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(ADDITIONAL INFORMATION)
Articles on this page may be used in conjunction with the Gospel Doctrine course of study.
Information compiled by Gerry Avant
Sources: The Life and Teachings of Jesus and His Apostles, Church Education System Student Manual; Dictionary of the Bible, Charles Scribner's Sons Publishers; The Bible Almanac, Thomas Nelson Publishers.