NARRATIVE OF THE VOYAGE. CHAPTER I. CESAREA TO MYRA. (Acts, xxvii. 1—6.) AFTER two years' imprisonment at Cæsarea, and after repeated examinations before Felix and Festus, successive Roman governors of Judæa, and before King Agrippa, the last of the Herod family, St. Paul appealed unto Cæsar. In consequence of this appeal it was determined that 1 Ως δε εκρίθη του αποπλειν* ήμας εις την Ιταλιαν, παρεδίδουν τον τε Παυλον και τινας ἑτερους δεσμωτας ἑκατονταρχῃ, ονοματι Ιουλιῳ, σπειρης Σεβαστης. 1 And when it was determined that we should sail into Italy, they delivered Paul and certain other prisoners unto one named Julius, a centurion of Augustus' band. * aromλew. Literally "to sail from." St. Luke, by his accurate use of nautical terms, gives great precision to his language, and expresses by a single word what would otherwise require several. Mitford observes, that "we are often at a loss to render the verb Пew otherwise than by our word to sail, though they are far from being of the same precise import. The use of oars, so prevalent in Grecian navigation, is so little known in our seas, that to sail is our only general term for going by sea. - Hist. of Greece, ii. 362. St. Luke alone of the sacred writers uses this nautical term, either simply, or, as in the present instance, in composition. he should be sent, along with other prisoners, by sea to Italy. He was accordingly committed to the charge of a centurion named Julius, of the Imperial band, a person who, upon all occasions, treated the apostle with humanity and consideration. Cæsarea was at that time the principal seaport of Syria.* It would appear, however, that there were no ships bound for Italy in the harbour capable of accommodating the party of Julius, including the prisoners and their guard. He therefore embarked them in a ship of Adramyttium †, a seaport of Mysia, on the eastern shore of the Ægean Sea, opposite Lesbos. This ship was evidently bound for her own port, and her course from Cæsarea thither necessarily led her close past the principal seaports of Asia.‡ * See account of Cæsarea in Josephus, Antiq. xv. 13. Bryant, absurdly enough, supposes that Ptolemais (Acre) was the port of embarkation; and adds, as if it were a mere conjecture, "Grotius is of opinion that they went from Cæsarea : " it would have been quite contrary to St. Luke's usual method to have omitted the land journey from Cæsarea to Ptolemais, had it actually taken place. See Acts, xxi. 7, 8. † See a very full account of the notices in ancient authors of this place, in Wetstein ad loc. By Asia St. Luke means pro-consular Asia, of which Ephesus was the capital, i. e., the western part of Asia Minor, which, according to Cicero, comprehended Caria and Lycia; and according to St. Luke, did not include Pamphylia. Acts, ii. 9, 10. By attending to this, we are left in no doubt as to "the places" (TOUS TOTOUS) meant in the text, which they would arrive at by the route they pursued. The places 66 κατα την Ασίαν,” which may be translated "along the coast of Asia," were then flourishing sea-ports, three of which are mentioned by St. Luke; namely, Myra (Acts, xxvii. 5.), Patara (xxi. 1.), and Cnidus (xxvii. 7.). For an account of the present state of Myra, see Spratt and Forbes, Travels in Lycia, i. 125. It has been observed that the magnitude of ancient cities may be inferred from that of their theatres; the diameter of that of Myra is 360 feet and Now this is also the course which a ship would take in making a voyage from Syria to Italy; they would, therefore, be so far on their voyage when they reached the coast of Asia, and in the great commercial marts on that coast, they could not fail to find opportunities of being carried on to their ulterior destination. On St. Paul's former voyage from Philippi to Syria (Acts, xx. 6. to xxi. 7.) the same plan was adopted: they sailed to the places on the coast of Asia (xaтα тην Aσiav), and changed ship at one of them, Patara, just as we find was done in the present instance at Myra. We have, therefore, an obvious reason why they took their passage in this ship. The apostle was on this occasion accompanied by Aristarchus, the Macedonian of Thessalonica, and St. Luke, the historian of the voyage. The former appears to have been a prisoner, for St. Paul, in his epistle to the Colossians, designates him as his fellow-prisoner.† iv. 10. * 2 Επιβαντες δε πλοιῳ Αδραμυττηνῳ μελλοντι πλειν εις τους κατα την Ασίαν τοπους, ανήχθημεν, οντος συν ἡμιν Αρισταρχου Μακεδονος Θεσσαλονικέως. 2 And entering into a ship of Adramyttium, we launched, meaning to sail by the coasts of Asia ; one Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us. the "arena is now a corn-field." Ib. 132. The theatre of Patara is also a magnificent structure; see a view of it in the Ionian Antiquities, published by the Dilletante Society (vol. ii. pl. 56, 57.), and an account of it in Beaufort's Caramania, p. 5.; for an account of Cnidus, see Clarke's Travels, vol. ii. p. 216. * μελλοντι πλειν εις τους, &c., is the reading both of the Vatican and Alexandrian MSS., the two earliest, and, in a case like the present, best authorities, and is that adopted by Lachmann; the common reading is μEXλOVTES WλEW TOUS, &c.; the preposition is renders the meaning obvious, by showing that the ship was to touch at “the places,” &c. †This companion of St. Paul is very unceremoniously mentioned by On the day after they left Cæsarea they touched at Sidon. From the distance accomplished, sixty-seven geographical miles, we must infer that they had a fair, or at least a leading wind, probably westerly, which is the wind which prevails in this part of the Mediterranean.* We are not informed of the cause of their stopping at Sidon; probably, however, it was for the purposes of trade.† Whatever was the cause of the delay, it afforded the centurion an opportunity of showing kindness to St. Paul, for we are told in the narrative that he "gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself." 3 Τη δε έτερα κατηχθημεν εις Σιδωνα. 3 Φιλανθρώπως τε ὁ Ιουλιος τῳ Παυλῳ χρησαμενος, επέτρεψεν προς τους φίλους πορευθεντα, επιμελειας τυχειν. 3 And the next day we touched at Sidon. 3 And Julius courteously entreated Paul, and gave him liberty to go unto his friends to refresh himself. our English translators, by the gratuitous insertion of the word " one." He is twice previously noticed in the Acts, once as a Macedonian (xix. 29.), and once as a Thessalonican (xx. 4.); here he is mentioned as both. "The wind continues to the westward. I am sorry to find it almost as prevailing as the trade winds." (4th July, 1798, near Alexandria.)——— Life of Lord de Saumarez, i. 210. "We have just gained sight of Cyprus, nearly the track we followed six weeks ago, so invariably do the westerly winds prevail at this season." (19th Aug. 1798.)-Ib. i. 243. A westerly wind would be fair between Cæsarea and Sidon, as the bearing of the coast line between the two places is about N.N.E. See sailing Directions for the Coast of Syria, by Capt. E. Smith, R. N. † According to Strabo, Sidon was situated on the finest harbour of the continent, and contested with Tyre the supremacy of the Phoenician cities (lib. xvi. c. 2.). Achilles Tatius calls it the metropolis of the Phoenicians, μητηρ Φοινικων ἡ πολις ; he describes it as having two harbours, one of Loosing* from thence they were forced, by contrary winds, to run under the lee of Cyprus.† A question here 4 Κάκειθεν αναχθεντες ὑπεπλευ σαμεν την Κυπρον δια το τους ανέμους ειναι εναντιους. 4 And when we had launched from thence, we sailed under Cyprus, because the winds were contrary. which is large with a narrow entrance, where merchant ships can winter in safety (lib. i.). To judge from its present state, the shelter was afforded by a ridge of rocks, parallel to the coast, forming a natural breakwater. The harbour was filled up during the wars of the middle ages. For an account of its present state, see Robinson's Biblical Researches, and Wilson's Lands of the Bible. The latter author gives a plan of the harbour. See a view of it in Carne's Syria and the Holy Land illustrated, vol. iii. p. 6. * avax@evtes is one of those nautical terms about which there is no doubt as to the meaning — which is, to depart from a place; it is used by St. Luke both in the Gospel and Acts, and is rendered in the authorised version, "to launch," "to loose," "to sail," "to set forth," "to depart." Avayeσla is amongst the nautical terms of Julius Pollux. There is no precisely corresponding term in English. Mitford observes, that in rendering it "we must risk the sea phrase to get under way, or content ourselves with the inaccurate expression to set sail.”—Hist. of Greece, vol. ii., p. 232, note. St. Luke uses the words αποπλεω, εκπλέω, and αιρω, to express the same thing. The last is an elliptical expression: it occurs in verse 13 of this chapter, and is translated "loosing." It would have been more accurately rendered "weighed," тas aуkupas, the anchors, being understood. Thus, in Plutarch, Pompey, p. 1208., apaμevol тas ayκupas. It is, however, generally used absolutely, as in the present case, and as its English equivalent to weigh. See Wetstein ad loc. The corresponding word for coming to land, karayeσbai, Jul. Pollux, Onom. i. 102., occurs in the preceding verse. 66 † ὑπεπλευσαμεν, we sailed under the lee" Dr. Falconer, in his Dissertation on St. Paul's Voyage, supposed it meant to sail to the south of a place, because the maps of the ancients, like those of the moderns, |