20:13-15 Paul and his missionary team move down the chain of islands off the Aegean coast of Asia Minor. The final stop, at Miletus, is 30 miles from Ephesus. Back to text.
20:16 Pentecost: A religious festival held in Jerusalem 50 days after Passover. Pilgrims came to dedicate the first loaves of bread made from the spring wheat harvest. Paul's desire to arrive in time for the feast may be linked with the collection of money he had taken up among the Gentiles for the poor saints in Jerusalem (Rom 15:25-28). Delivering this gift at the feast would have symbolized the initial harvest reaped among the nations by his gospel. See note on Acts 2:1. Back to text.
20:17-38 A farewell speech to the leaders of the Ephesian Church. Paul challenges them with memories of his own conduct and cautions them of dangers that lie ahead. He urges them to be humble, persevering, and bold (20:18-21), giving their hands to hard work and their hearts to the less fortunate (20:34-35). He also warns them to protect their flocks from heretical wolves who are sure to bring confusion and error (20:28-30). After hints that Paul is uttering his final good-bye (20:22, 25), the speech ends with the elders in tears (20:37). Back to text.
20:28 guardians: The Greek term refers to "overseers", suggesting the Ephesian leaders are either "bishops" appointed to succeed the apostles or "elders" who shepherd the local Church only (20:17). Because ecclesiastical titles were not yet standardized, some degree of fluidity is evidenced in their NT usage. See note on 1 Tim 3:1 and word study: Elders at Jas 5:14. the Church of the Lord: The better reading is: "the Church of God" (see textual note v). with his own blood: This translation asserts both the divinity (his = God) and humanity (blood) of Jesus. Others translate it: "with the blood of his Own" (see textual note w). This changes the sense of the passage, saying that the Father (his = God) obtained the Church through the redeeming death (blood) of the Son (his Own). Back to text.
20:29 fierce wolves: False teachers, who invariably attacked the Ephesian flock in later years (1 Tim 1:3-7; Rev 2:2). Back to text.
20:31 three years: The approximate duration of Paul's ministry in Ephesus. See note on Acts 19:10. Back to text.
20:34 these hands ministered: Paul often refused stipends from local Churches, preferring instead to support himself with income earned as a tentmaker (18:3). He wanted at all costs to make his gospel free of charge (2 Cor 2:17; 1 Thess 2:9). Back to text.
20:35 It is more blessed: This saying of Jesus is not recorded in the four Gospels but was passed down by the apostles in the form of oral tradition. The Gospels themselves give us only selections from this tradition, which was far too broad and detailed for anyone to make an exhaustive record of it in writing (Jn 21:25). Back to text.
20:36 knelt down: A traditional prayer posture noted also in 21:5. Kneeling illustrates the proper relation between God and his servants, who express the submission of their hearts through the lowering of their bodies (Ps 95:6; Eph 3:14). Other prayer postures stemming from Jewish practice include raising the hands (Ps 141:2; 1 Tim 2:8) and standing (Mk 11:25; Lk 18:11; CCC 2702). Back to text.
21:1-18 A third series of "we" passages where Luke accompanies Paul on his final journey to Jerusalem. See note on Acts 16:10. Back to text.
21:1-3 Paul and companions sail from port to port around the southwestern edge of Asia Minor and on past the island of Cyprus to Phoenicia, just north of Palestine. The final stretch from Patara to the harbor of Tyre was nearly 400 miles long. Back to text.
21:7 Ptolemais: A Phoenician port just south of Tyre (21:3). Back to text.
21:8 Caesarea: The provincial capital of Judea, another 32 miles down the coast from Ptolemais (21:7). This was the final stop on Paul's sea voyage; from here he would travel more than 50 miles on foot to Jerusalem (21:15). Philip the evangelist: One of the seven men ordained for service in 6:56. Soon afterward he was engaged in missionary preaching in Samaria (8:4-25) and along the coastline of Judea (8:26-40). Back to text.
21:10 Agabus: The prophet who foretold the famine years earlier (11:28) here announces Paul's upcoming arrest in Jerusalem (21:11). He enacts his message with the help of Paul's belt instead of merely enunciating it. • On the premise that actions speak louder than words, several Hebrew prophets delivered messages from Yahweh through symbolic acts and public demonstrations (Is 20:2-4; Jer 19:1-15; Ezek 4:1-17; Hos 1:2-11). Back to text.
21:13 even to die: Already aware that suffering awaits him (20:23), Paul has prepared himself to wear the martyr's crown. Even the affections of his friends could not overpower his sense of mission or dissuade him from traveling to Jerusalem. Paul preferred martyrdom over further ministry; see Phil 1:19-26. Back to text.
21:17 Jerusalem: The final destination of Paul's third missionary tour, where he arrived about A.D. 58. So far as we know, this is the last time the apostle ever set foot in the city. Back to text.
21:18 James: The acknowledged leader of the Jerusalem Church since the departure of Peter (12:17). That Luke surrounds him with a body of elders instead of the apostles suggests the original Twelve had left the city by this time for mission fields beyond Israel (Lk 24:47). See note on Acts 12:17. Back to text.
21:20 many thousands: Luke has already noted how the evangelization of Israel met with great success in the earliest days (2:41; 4:4; 6:7). Back to text.
21:21 forsake Moses: Rumors had reached Jerusalem that Paul forbade Jewish Christians to observe the religious traditions of Judaism. James takes this report to be false and urges Paul to make a public display of his reverence for the customs of Moses. From the perspective of Acts, only the Gentiles were exempt from circumcision and other ceremonies of the Torah (15:1-11), although hints are given that the Temple and its Mosaic rituals will pass away even for the Jews in due time (6:14; 10:9-16). • According to the Council of Florence in 1442, circumcision and other rites of the Mosaic Law could still be observed in the earliest days of the Church, so long as no one considered them necessary requirements for salvation. Back to text.
21:23 under a vow: A temporary Nazirite vow of abstinence from wine, cutting the hair, and physical contact with corpses (Num 6:1-12). The completion of the vow involved a week of purification, a ritual shaving of the head, and a sacrificial offering of animals and food in the Temple (Num 6:13-21). Paul had completed a similar vow in 18:18. Back to text.
21:25 sent a letter: The epistle issued years earlier by the Jerusalem Council (15:23-29). See note on Acts 15:20. Back to text.
21:27 Jews from Asia: Pilgrims in Jerusalem for the feast of Pentecost. Presumably they recognized Paul from his years of missionary work in Ephesus, the leading city of the Roman province of Asia (20:16). Back to text.
21:28 against . . . the law and this place: The charge that Paul was slandering both the Torah and the Temple is reminiscent of the accusations against Stephen in 6:13. Greeks into the temple: An unthinkable violation of Temple law. Gentiles were permitted to gather and worship in the outermost court of the sanctuary, but they were absolutely forbidden to penetrate into the inner courts, where the people of Israel alone had privilege of access. Separating the inner courts and the outer court was a partition wall with plaques posted near its gates that threatened death for Gentile trespassers. Luke contends that Paul was innocent of the charge—his Greek friend "Trophimus" was seen in the city, not the inner precincts of the Temple (21:29). Back to text.
21:31 tribune of the cohort: Claudius Lysias, a commander of 600 or more Roman soldiers (23:26). They were stationed in a tower connected to the northwest corner of the Temple called the Fortress Antonia. Stairway access to the Temple platform enabled the Roman military to maintain order during Jewish festivals, when the courts were overflowing with pilgrims. Back to text.
21:33 arrested him: Roman intervention saved Paul from the assaults of the Jewish mob, who would have beaten him to death for supposedly defiling the Temple (21:28). Back to text.
21:36 Away with him!: Reminiscent of the crowd's rejection of Jesus in Lk 23:18. Back to text.
21:37 you know Greek?: As soon as Paul addressed him in fluent Greek, the tribune suspected he was the Egyptian insurrectionist who had led a revolt in Israel a few years earlier. According to one report, this false prophet had gathered his followers on the summit of the Mount of Olives with the intention of charging Jerusalem and wresting the city from the Romans. Although the uprising had been crushed, the prophet had somehow escaped without a trace. Back to text.
21:38 the Assassins: Jewish revolutionaries known as "dagger men" (Lat. sicarii). Back to text.
21:40 the Hebrew language: Probably Aramaic, a language closely related to Hebrew that was widely spoken in Palestine. Back to text.
22:1-21 The first of four defense speeches delivered by Paul in Acts. Later he addresses the governor Felix (24:1021), the governor Festus (25:8), and King Agrippa II (26:123). Here, before the restless Jerusalem mob, Paul stresses his Jewish upbringing and his former antagonism toward Christianity, hoping to show that only a miracle like the Resurrection could have changed the course of his entire life and mission so drastically. In the end, the attentiveness of the crowd turns back to anger when Paul mentions his mission to the Gentiles (22:21-22). Back to text.
22:3 I am a Jew: Paul tries to ease the tension with autobiographical details. Not only is he a son of Israel by birth, but he was raised in Jerusalem and educated in the orthodox traditions of Judaism under the renowned Gamali-el the Elder (Gal 1:14). See note on Acts 5:34. Tarsus: A popular commercial and intellectual center in Asia Minor (modern Turkey). See note on Acts 9:30. Back to text.
22:4 this Way: A code name for the early Christian movement. See note on Acts 9:2. Back to text.
22:6-16 The first retelling of Paul's Damascus road conversion since its occurrence in 9:1-19. The second comes later, in 26:12-18. Back to text.
22:14 the Just One: Or, "the Righteous One". It is also a title for Jesus in 3:14 and 7:52. Back to text.
22:16 be baptized: Baptism signifies on the body what it accomplishes in the soul—the washing away of human sin. The visible water is coupled with the audible word of the minister, who calls upon the saving name of Christ (2:38; Eph 5:26). Back to text.
22:17 returned to Jerusalem: After his nighttime escape from Damascus (9:23-26). a trance: A mystical encounter with God. As with Peter's experience in 10:10, the state of spiritual ecstasy can be a means for divine communication. Back to text.
22:24 scourging: The Roman scourge was made of leather strips tipped with bone or metal fragments designed to tear open the skin. Flogging injuries could be crippling or even fatal. Back to text.
22:25 Roman citizen: Citizenship could be purchased with money, inherited through the family, or conferred by the empire as a gift for outstanding service and patriotism. Among other things, Roman citizens were exempt from the scourge as a torturous means of examination. This civil privilege protected Paul from unreasonable punishment and guaranteed him a fair judicial inquiry. Back to text.
22:30 all the council: The Sanhedrin, the supreme court of Judaism. See note on Mk 14:55. Back to text.
23:1 all good conscience: Even during his days as a persecutor of the Church, Paul was convinced he was doing the right thing (26:9). Only afterward was he given the grace to see how wrong he had been (1 Cor 15:9-10). Back to text.
23:2 Ananias: The son of Nedebaeus, high priest from A.D. 47 to 59. He was a notoriously greedy and violent man, so disliked by the Jews that they assassinated him at the start of the Jewish War with Rome in A.D. 66. He is not the high priest Annas mentioned in 4:6 or the Ananias who baptized Paul in 9:17-18. Back to text.
23:5 You shall not speak evil: Paul apologizes to the court with a quotation from Ex 22:28. • The prohibition comes from the Book of the Covenant, a body of case law given to Israel at Mt. Sinai (Ex 21-23). Paul made it clear that he holds himself to this law, although it remains unclear why he did not recognize the high priest. Back to text.
23:6 Sadducees . . . Pharisees: Two religious movements that emerged in Israel around the second century B.C. They were united on certain Jewish issues but deeply divided over others. The Pharisees, for instance, believed in the resurrection of the body, the unseen existence of angels and demons, and the hope of an afterlife, but the Sadducees denied all this and more (23:8). As a matter of strategy, Paul revealed his association with the Pharisees to generate partisan disputes and split the sympathy of the court. See essays: Who Are the Pharisees? at Mk 2 and Who Are the Sadducees? at Mk 12. Back to text.
23:11 the Lord stood by: The risen Christ spoke to Paul several times after their initial encounter near Damascus (9:36; 18:9; 22:17-18). witness also at Rome: Sets the stage for the final movement of Acts, where Paul appeals his case to Caesar (25:12) and journeys by ship to the imperial capital in Italy (28:14). Back to text.
23:12 bound themselves by an oath: Or "anathematized themselves". Essentially more than 40 fanatical Jews invoked a curse upon themselves should they consume any food or drink before murdering Paul (Mk 14:71). Whether or not these men starved themselves to death is unknown; it is certain only that Paul slipped through their hands unharmed. Back to text.
23:16 the son of Paul's sister: A nephew of Paul informs the tribune of the plot to ambush the apostle and take his life. This is the only mention of Paul's biological relatives in the NT. Back to text.
23:23 two of the centurions: Roman military commanders, each in charge of 100 soldiers. the third hour: About 9 P.M. Back to text.
23:24 mounts for Paul: The tribune took seriously the alleged conspiracy against Paul's life. Accountable for the welfare of the Roman citizen in his custody, he organized a military escort of infantry and cavalry to extricate Paul from Jerusalem under cover of darkness. He was to be taken on horseback 60 miles northwest to Caesarea, the provincial capital of Judea and the headquarters of the Roman procurator. Felix the governor: Antonius Felix, the Roman procurator of Judea from A.D. 52 to 59. History remembers him as a barbarous and immoral ruler. Back to text.
23:25-30 It was customary for a subordinate (tribune) to send a written explanation to his superior (procurator) about the transference of a prisoner. As told by the tribune, the facts of the story are rearranged to cover up his own mistakes: he did not learn of Paul's citizenship when he rescued the apostle from the angry crowd (23:27), but only when he was about to have him scourged (22:24-29). Back to text.
23:29 nothing deserving death: Recalls the verdict of innocence given to Jesus in Lk 23:15. Back to text.
23:31 Antipatris: A military post near the halfway point between Jerusalem and Caesarea. Back to text.
23:35 Herod's praetorium: A Caesarean palace built by the late Herod the Great (d. 4/1 B.C.). It served as the official residence of the procurator. Other praetoria mentioned in the NT were located in Rome (Phil 1:13) and Jerusalem (Jn 18:28). Back to text.
24:1 Ananias: The high priest, accompanied by a delegation of Jewish elders to represent the interests of the Sanhedrin before Felix. See note on Acts 23:2. Tertullus: A trained orator who acted as a prosecuting attorney on behalf of the Jerusalem leadership. Back to text.
24:2-8 Tertullus' case against Paul distorts the truth about his character and conduct. After flattering the governor with praises of his benevolence and moderation, he levels two accusations sure to grab the attention of Felix. (1) He portrays Paul as a troublemaker who provokes disturbances wherever he goes. The implication is that Paul is an enemy of peace and a threat to Roman order. (2) He also tries to disassociate Paul from Judaism and make him the ringleader of a new and unapproved religion. At the time, it was illicit to practice or promote religions not officially recognized by the Romans. Back to text.
24:5 Nazarenes: The only use of this title for the followers of Jesus in the NT. • Among Jewish Christians, its Hebrew form, Notsrim, was associated not only with the village of Nazareth, but also with the prophecy of Is 11:1, where the Messiah is depicted as a "branch" (Heb. netser) that sprouts from the royal stump of Jesse, the father of King David. See note on Mt 2:23. Back to text.
24:10-21 Paul defends himself with outright denials of the charges laid against him. Far from being an agitator, he has conducted himself in a peaceable and orderly manner ever since his arrival in Jerusalem (24:12). Far, too, from promoting religious novelties, he worships the same God, venerates the same Scriptures, and maintains the same belief in a resurrection as his Jewish accusers (24:14-15). See note on Acts 24:2-8. Back to text.
24:14 the Way: A code name for the early Christian movement. See note on Acts 9:2. Back to text.
24:15 resurrection: Paul inherited from Pharisaic Judaism (23:8) the belief that God will raise the bodies of saints and sinners alike on the last day and send them their separate ways (Dan 12:2). This was reaffirmed in the teaching of Jesus, who claimed for himself the leading role in this final drama of history (Jn 5:25-29; CCC 1038). Back to text.
Word Study
Sect (Acts 24:5)
Hairesis (Gk.): refers to a "party", "school", or "faction". The word is used six times in Acts and three times elsewhere in the NT. It can have both neutral and negative connotations. (1) As applied to the Sadducees (Acts 5:17) and the Pharisees (15:5), it is a neutral term for distinct religious movements or schools of thought within the common heritage of Judaism. (2) Its application to the Christian sect (Acts 24:5, 14; 28:22) leans in a more negative direction. It expresses the sentiment of the Jerusalem authorities that Christianity was an illegitimate and even dangerous deviation from Judaism. Members of the sect were thus considered "heretics", an English term derived from the root of this Greek noun. Other uses of the word in the NT apply it to factions and religious fictions that go astray from Christian teaching in one way or another (1 Cor 11:19; Gal 5:20; 2 Pet 2:1).
24:17 alms and offerings: This is the only reference in Acts to the collection of money that Paul had taken up among Gentile Churches to assist the poor of Jerusalem (Rom 15:25-27; 1 Cor 16:1-4; 2 Cor 8-9). Paul had accepted this responsibility years earlier at the Jerusalem Council (Gal 2:10). Back to text.
24:22 knowledge of the Way: Felix was already familiar with the rudiments of Christian teaching, possibly from the preaching of Philip the evangelist in Caesarea (8:40; 21:8). Back to text.
24:24 Drusilla: One of the daughters of Herod Agrippa I (12:1). She was Felix' third wife, and Felix was her second husband. Back to text.
24:25 Felix was alarmed: Paul's insistence on righteousness and moral purity in the face of the coming judgment made the immoral couple too uncomfortable to listen further. Back to text.
24:26 money: Felix' interest in Paul was in part driven by greed, i.e., he hoped to get his hands on some of the funds Paul had brought to Jerusalem should the apostle attempt to buy his way out of confinement (24:17). Back to text.
24:27 Porcius Festus: The Roman procurator who replaced Felix in A.D. 59 and governed Judea until 61. History portrays him as a man more sensible and restrained than his predecessor. Paul had been left in the Caesarean prison for two years by the time he took office. Back to text.
25:3 planning an ambush: The hatred of the Jerusalem leaders for Paul had not diminished over the course of his imprisonment. With the recent appointment of Festus, they jumped at another chance to eliminate him (23:12-15). Back to text.
25:5 go down with me: Festus denied the request to bring Paul to Jerusalem but agreed to reopen his case in Caesarea. Back to text.
25:7 could not prove: Festus heard nothing but hearsay accusations against Paul. The eyewitness testimony needed to substantiate their allegations was entirely lacking. Back to text.
25:11 If . . . I deserve to die: Paul affirms the authority of the state to issue and enforce a capital death sentence. What he denies is his own guilt. See note on Rom 13:4. I appeal to Caesar: Every Roman citizen had the right to appeal his case to the emperor either before or after the verdict of a lower court was rendered. Paul exercises this right to protect his own life, knowing full well that justice would be denied him in Jerusalem. At this point, only the tribunal of Caesar in Rome could handle his case with equity and impartiality. Back to text.
25:12 to Caesar: Nero, who reigned as emperor from A.D. 54 to 68. Back to text.
25:13 Agrippa the king: Herod Agrippa II, the son of Agrippa I (12:1) and the great-grandson of Herod the Great (Lk 1:5). The last ruler of the Herodian dynasty, he governed parts of Galilee and Perea until about A.D. 85. His consort Bernice was actually his sister, with whom he had a scandalous affair for many years. Back to text.
25:22 I should like to hear: Reminiscent of Herod Antipas' interest in hearing Jesus in Lk 23:8. Back to text.
25:26 nothing definite to write: Festus wanted Agrippa to assist him in drafting a report of Paul's case to Caesar. Having witnessed the battle of words—with Paul and his opponents contradicting one another on every point (25:7-8)—there appeared to the procurator to be no violation of Roman law, only disputes about Jesus and the Jewish religion (25:19). Luke stresses that both Festus and Agrippa believed Paul to be innocent of wrongdoing (25:25; 26:31), just as he highlights the innocence of Jesus during his trials before Roman judges (Lk 23:4, 15, 22). Back to text.
26:2-23 Paul's final defense speech in Acts, delivered before Jewish (Agrippa II) and Roman (Festus) authorities. Paul insists the Jews have wrongly accused him of abandoning the ancestral faith of Israel. Not only is he trained as a Pharisee (26:5), but the doctrine of the resurrection he now preaches is both a classic tenet of Pharisaic theology (23:8) and a central hope of the Hebrew Scriptures (26:22-23). Back to text.
26:3 familiar with all customs: Agrippa II was well acquainted with Judaism, being authorized by the Romans to have charge over the Temple treasury and to appoint its high priests. Back to text.
26:5 a Pharisee: Paul spent his formative years mastering the strictest traditions of Judaism under the tutelage of one of its most celebrated rabbis (22:3; Gal 1:14). Back to text.
26:7 our twelve tribes: The tribal family of Israel living in Palestine and abroad yearned for the resurrection of the dead and the restoration of their nation. • Hopes of bodily resurrection and national restoration are blended together in texts such as Ezek 37:1-14 and Hos 6:1-2, where the redemption of all Israel from sin (exile) to covenant sonship (return) is described as the resurrection of a body from death to new life. Paul deals at length with the tribal restoration of Israel in Rom 9-11. worship night and day: Luke has already hinted at this in Lk 2:36-37, where Anna, of the tribal lineage of Asher, prays night and day in the Temple for the redemption of her people. Back to text.
26:10 prison . . . death: For Paul's relentless attacks on the early Christians, see word study: Laid Waste at 8:3. Back to text.
26:12-18 The second retelling of Paul's conversion since its occurrence (9:1-19; 22:6-16). Back to text.
26:14 kick against the goads: A Greek proverb about useless and harmful resistance. The idea was well understood among farmers: yoked oxen that kick against the plowman only injure themselves on the sharpened spikes that follow behind them. Jesus was telling Paul that his resistance to the gospel was futile to the point of being personally harmful. Back to text.
26:17 the people: The sons of Israel (9:15). Back to text.
26:21 For this reason: More than anything else, it was Paul's ministry to the Gentiles that infuriated his Jewish opponents (22:21-22). Back to text.
26:23 the first to rise: Israel's hope in the resurrection (24:15) has become history in the personal experience of the Messiah (25:19), who is the first of an entire company of saints to be raised again in glory (1 Cor 15:20-23). he would proclaim light: A probable allusion to Is 49:6, excerpted earlier by Paul in 13:47. • Isaiah hears Yahweh sending out his messianic Servant, first to restore the scattered tribes of Israel and then to shine his light on the nations. The sequence of the prophecy explains why the apostles, who share in this mission of the Messiah (1:8; 9:15), carried the gospel to Israel before systematically evangelizing the Gentiles (3:26; 13:46; 26:20). See note on Acts 13:5. Back to text.
26:26 not done in a corner: The founding events of Christianity were public events of recent history. The well-attested facts of Holy Week and the open proclamation of the gospel make it anything but a secretive movement. Back to text.
26:28 make me a Christian!: When Paul's preaching turned personal, Agrippa followed the path of political expedience. He did not want to alienate himself from the Jews who hated Paul (26:2) or from the Roman procurator who thought him mad (26:24). So instead of admitting the cogency of Paul's argument, he fell back on the excuse that the exposition was too short to expect of him an authentic conversion. Back to text.
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. Back to text.
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. Back to text.
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). Back to text.
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. Back to text.
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). Back to text.
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. Back to text.
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). Back to text.
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. Back to text.
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