Acts 27 · The Lantern

Then it was decided to send him by ship to Italy, and that Paul, with the others in custody, should be delivered to a centurion named Julius, of the cohort of Augusta.

But after Paul, in consequence of his appeal to Caesar, had been sent to Rome by Festus, the Jews, being frustrated in their hope of entrapping him by the snares that they had laid for him, turned against James, the brother of the Lord, to whom the episcopal seat at Jerusalem had been entrusted by the apostles. The following daring measures were undertaken by them against him.

See how far Aristarchus also accompanies Paul. To good and useful purpose is Aristarchus present, as he would take back the report of all to Macedonia.

When it was decided that he should sail to Italy, Paul, along with the rest of the prisoners, was handed over to a centurion. More accurately read in Greek: "When it was decided that we should sail to Italy, they handed over Paul and some other prisoners to a centurion."

After climbing aboard a ship from Adramyttium, we set sail and began to navigate along the ports of Asia, with Aristarchus, the Macedonian from Thessalonica, joining us.

And on the following day, we arrived at Sidon. And Julius, treating Paul humanely, permitted him to go to his friends and to look after himself.

And when we had set sail from there, we navigated below Cyprus, because the winds were contrary.

And navigating though the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia, we arrived at Lystra, which is in Lycia.

And there the centurion found a ship from Alexandria sailing to Italy, and he transferred us to it.

And when we had sailed slowly for many days and had barely arrived opposite Cnidus, for the wind was hindering us, we sailed to Crete, near Salmone.

And barely being able to sail past it, we arrived at a certain place, which is called Good Shelter, next to which was the city of Lasea.

Then, after much time had passed, and since sailing would no longer be prudent because the Fast Day had now passed, Paul consoled them,

By "the fast" here, I suppose he means that of the Jews. For they departed thence a long time after the Pentecost, so that it was much about midwinter that they arrived at the coasts of Crete. And this too was no slight miracle, that they also should be saved on his account.

"because the fast was now over." Here the fast means that of the Jews. For after Pentecost he departed from there after a long time, as if to come to the parts of Crete almost in the winter itself. Behold, Paul now prophesies again, telling them that they would be shipwrecked. [AMMONIUS]

I think Paul is speaking here of the Jewish fast, since he had departed a long time after Pentecost, so that he arrived at the borders of Crete almost by winter.

and he said to them: “Men, I perceive that the voyage is now in danger of injury and much damage, not only to the cargo and the ship, but also to our own lives.”

See [Paul's] modesty: in order that he may not appear to prophesy but to speak as if from supposition, he says "I see." They would have not received his words if he had pronounced them at once. In the first place he prophesies and says, "God, whom I worship," thus leading them. How would have it happened without a loss of lives?

Even if the shipwreck did not occur to them with loss of lives according to his word. For this would have happened as far as the nature of the thing was concerned, if God had not preserved them. For through him he also caused those men to be saved. The shipwreck that took place, then, occurred because the season was bad, since the storm was great.

But to show that he is not prophesying, but speaking by conjecture, he expresses himself thus: "I perceive," – because they would not have immediately believed him even if he had said this as a prophet.

But the centurion put more trust in the captain and the navigator of the ship, than in the things being said by Paul.

And since it was not a fitting port in which to winter, the majority opinion was to sail from there, so that somehow they might be able to arrive at Phoenicia, in order to winter there, at a port of Crete, which looks out toward the southwest and northwest.

And since the south wind was blowing gently, they thought that they might reach their goal. And after they had set out from Asson, they weighed anchor at Crete.

But not long afterward, a violent wind came against them, which is called the Northeast Wind.

And once the ship had been caught in it and was not able to strive against the wind, giving over the ship to the winds, we were driven along.

Then, being forced along a certain island, which is called the Tail, we were barely able to hold on to the ship’s lifeboat.

When this was taken up, they used it to assist in securing the ship. For they were afraid that they might run aground. And having lowered the sails, they were being driven along in this way.

Then, since we were being tossed about strongly by the tempest, on the following day, they threw the heavy items overboard.

And on the third day, with their own hands, they threw the equipment of the ship overboard.

Then, when neither sun nor stars appeared for many days, and no end to the storm was imminent, all hope for our safety was now taken away.

And after they had fasted for a long time, Paul, standing in their midst, said: “Certainly, men, you should have listened to me and not set out from Crete, so as to cause this injury and loss.

And now, let me persuade you to be courageous in soul. For there shall be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship.

For an Angel of God, who is assigned to me and whom I serve, stood beside me this night,

Both good and bad angels are among people. Not by chance or without reason was that angel, for example, allotted to be the guardian of Peter or that other one for Paul or those of the children of the church, those that always "behold the face of their Father, who is in heaven." Concerning these things there can be no doubt that, by the judgment of God, who clearly sees their ra…

"For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo God hath given thee all them that sail with thee." So that righteous men, though they may be in a tempest, or on the sea, or in the deep, suffer nothing dreadful, but even save others together with themselves.

For an angel of God stood by me this night. He was not boasting of himself by saying this but was provoking them to faith. For the sea was allowed to be stormy so that by what was heard and by what was not heard, the spiritual grace in Paul might be revealed.

saying: ‘Do not be afraid, Paul! It is necessary for you to stand before Caesar. And behold, God has given to you all those who are sailing with you.’

"God has granted safety to all," so that what Homer says appears to be false: "I say that no one can avoid his fate, neither good man nor bad, even though he be noble." And this means that it is impossible to escape the death that Fate establishes at the moment of birth.

You cannot deny that the prisoner and the jailers were of unequal merit. And what were the circumstances of that shipwreck involving the apostle and the soldiers? The apostle Paul described a vision afterwards and said that those who were on the ship had been given to him by the Lord.

"Behold, God has granted you all those who sail with you." Behold, if it were not for Paul, all who were in the ship would have had to perish. Thus, what was said by Homer is false: Homer says that it is impossible to escape the mortal fate that determines the hour of a person's death together with their birth.

Because of this, men, be courageous in soul. For I trust God that this will happen in the same way that it has been told to me.

But it is necessary for us to arrive at a certain island.”

Then, after the fourteenth night arrived, as we were navigating in the sea of Adria, about the middle of the night, the sailors believed that they saw some portion of the land.

And upon dropping a weight, they found a depth of twenty paces. And some distance from there, they found a depth of fifteen paces.

Then, fearing that we might happen upon rough places, they cast four anchors out of the stern, and they were hoping for daylight to arrive soon.

Yet truly, the sailors were seeking a way to flee from the ship, for they had lowered a lifeboat into the sea, on the pretext that they were attempting to cast anchors from the bow of the ship.

So Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, “Unless these men remain in the ship, you will not be able to be saved.”

Paul said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Except these abide in the ship, ye cannot be saved": so saying, not on this account, but that he might restrain them, and the prophecy might not fall to the ground. Accordingly observe how the centurion does as he bids him, insomuch that he even let the boat go, and destroyed it.

But when he said, "Unless these stay in the ship, you cannot be saved," Paul spoke wisely, so as to hold them and not let the prophecy fail. Therefore when they saw that their lack of resolve had put them in danger, then they began to obey him.

"Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved," etc. Because in the danger of shipwreck, the knowledge of sailors who were experienced in the sea was more beneficial than the weapons of soldiers, they were therefore more likely to control the boat than to let the sailors be cast away.

Then the soldiers cut the ropes to the lifeboat, and they allowed it to fall.

And when it began to be light, Paul requested that they all take food, saying: “This is the fourteenth day that you have been waiting and continuing to fast, taking nothing.

And how, say you, did they go without food, having taken nothing? How did they bear it? Their fear possessed them, and did not let them fall into a desire of food, being, as they were, at the point of extreme jeopardy; but they had no care for food. Moreover, the place is a trying one, for it was in the Adriatic, and then their long abstinence. They were in the midst of death.

"And when it began to be light, Paul besought," etc. After fourteen days of storm, Paul besought them to take food, since it was clear that, of two hundred seventy-six men, not even a hair of their heads had been lost. To encourage others by his own example, he broke bread and himself began to eat.

And as the day was about to dawn, Paul urged everyone to take some food. In this passage, the most beautiful sense of allegory is laid open, as Paul urged those he promised would be saved from the wreck to take food.

For this reason, I beg you to accept food for the sake of your health. For not a hair from the head of any of you shall perish.”

And when he had said these things, taking bread, he gave thanks to God in the sight of them all. And when he had broken it, he began to eat.

But how" in every place," since we are prohibited (from praying) in public? In every place, he means, which opportunity or even necessity, may have rendered suitable: for that which was done by the apostles (who, in gaol, in the audience of the prisoners, "began praying and singing to God") is not considered to have been done contrary to the precept; nor yet that which was done…

And he exhorts them again to take some meat, and they do as he bids them, and he takes some first, to persuade them not by word, but also by act, that the storm did them no harm, but rather was a benefit to their souls. Observe, his giving thanks after all that had happened strengthened them. For this showed an assured mind that they would be saved.

That Paul began to eat was so that he would not die of hunger. "Having taken bread, he gave thanks to God" for what had happened. The order of the Eucharist also teaches us to say the same thing: "We thank Thee, O God, that Thou hast vouchsafed us…"

Then they all became more peaceful in soul. And they also took food.

Truly, we were two hundred and seventy-six souls on the ship.

And having been nourished with food, they lightened the ship, casting the wheat into the sea.

And when day had arrived, they did not recognize the landscape. Yet truly, they caught sight of a certain narrow inlet having a shore, into which they thought it might be possible to force the ship.

And when they had taken up the anchors, they committed themselves to the sea, at the same time loosing the restraints of the rudders. And so, raising the mainsail to the gusting wind, they pressed on toward the shore.

And when we happened upon a place open to two seas, they ran the ship aground. And indeed, the bow, being immobilized, remained fixed, but truly the stern was broken by the violence of the sea.

Then the soldiers were in agreement that they should kill the prisoners, lest anyone, after escaping by swimming, might flee.

But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, prohibited it from being done. And he ordered those who were able to swim to jump in first, and to escape, and to get to the land.

And as for the others, some they carried on boards, and others on those things that belonged to the ship. And so it happened that every soul escaped to the land.

Acts27