Julius Caesar Chapter 15 Summary

Chapter Fifteen
PAUL’S JOURNEY TO ROME
Paul had appealed to Caesar concerning the charges which had been lodged against him. By the time all things had been made ready for the trip, the season for safe navigation had ended. The safe navigation season ran from late May until late September. During that time period, passenger ships were on the bosom of the deep, but come October the season for Mediterranean cruises ended.
Passage was found on a cargo ship. Paul advised against travel, but those in charge thought their ship would make the voyage safely. Eighty five ships of that design had been built. They were 165 feet long, 45 feet wide and 40 feet deep and they were capable of transporting over 1,000 tons of sacked grain. Paul traveled
Luke and Aristarchus went with Paul. (Luke is again using the pronoun “we.”)
The ship was being taken to Adramyttium where it would remain in dock until spring. To avoid the treacherous winter winds, the captain sailed near the coast when possible. There were several stops along the way before they reached Myra where Julius transferred Paul and the other prisoners to a ship, which was also bound for Italy. The ship had departed from Alexandra, Egypt with a load of grain (wheat).
Luke described the trip from Myra to the Island of Crete as very slow and taking many days, due to the wind. Sailing about one hundred thirty miles, they reached the Island of Cnidus, but the sea was so rough they couldn’t enter the port, so they sailed south around Salome and docked at Fair Havens near Lasea.
Luke said that the feast was already past. (Acts 27:9) He was talking about “Yom Kipper”, the Day of Atonement. (Lev. 23:26-28) The time of year would have been around October 1st. The likely year was 59 A.D. In 59 A.D. Festus was the governor, Nero was the Emperor and that year the Day of Atonement fell on October 5th. Although this information is taken from secular writings, it fits what is stated in the
While gathering sticks for the fire, Paul was bitten by a very venomous snake. The natives saw the snake hanging on to Paul and they stood breathless waiting for him to fall dead, but the Lord had fixed that a long time back. (Mark 16:16-20)
When Paul learned that the governor’s father was seriously ill, he healed him. Governor Publius may have made a public announcement about the healing of his father or the natives may have realized what had happened when they saw the old man in good health. Anyway, the natives came from all parts of the Island, bringing their sick to Paul for healing. Although, Luke made no mention of it, Paul, no doubt, used that opportunity to preach the gospel. Tradition has it that the people of the Island were converted to Christianity.
After about three months on the Island of Melita, those who had been passengers on the wrecked ship boarded another ship and sailed to Syracuse, Sicily, where they were in dock for three days. Luke did not record Paul’s activities while there, but it is certain that he did not miss an opportunity to preach. And, even today, Paul is regarded as the founder of Christianity in Sicily. It may have been done by a helper of Paul or by Paul himself between his first and second imprisonment in