Chapter Twenty-Eight

The conclusion of the Apostle Paul’s journey to Rome — from Malta to Rome (1–14). Arrival in Rome (15–16). Two conversations of Paul with the Roman Jews (17–29). Conclusion of the Book of Acts (30–31).

Acts 28:1. After being saved, those who were with Paul learned that the island was called Melita. “Learned” — evidently from the inhabitants of the island about its name “Melita” — present-day Malta, about 100 versts south of Sicily and about 350 versts from the African coast. A tradition about the apostle’s stay has been preserved here to this day (St. Paul’s Bay), closely connected with the subsequent narrative of Acts (Acts 28:3-6).

Acts 28:2. The foreigners showed us no small kindness; for on account of the rain that had come and the cold, they kindled a fire and welcomed us all. “Foreigners” — βάρβαροι, as the narrator calls them — not on account of uncouth manners (which the subsequent account of their kindness would contradict), but by the generally accepted custom of the Greco-Romans, who used that term to denote all who did not speak Greek or Latin. The settlers of Malta were in all probability of Punic origin (Phoenician-Carthaginian) and spoke their own Punic dialect.

Acts 28:3. When Paul had gathered a great bundle of brushwood and laid it on the fire, a viper came out from the heat and fastened itself on his hand. “Viper” — a species of snake, the most venomous (see note on Matt 3:7). In cold weather it falls into a stupor, from which it emerges immediately upon contact with warmth.

Acts 28:4. When the foreigners saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another: This man is certainly a murderer; though he has been saved from the sea, divine justice does not let him live. Acts 28:5. But he shook the creature off into the fire and suffered no harm. Acts 28:6. They expected that he would swell up or fall down dead suddenly; but after waiting a long time and seeing that nothing bad happened to him, they changed their minds and said that he was a god. For pagans, surviving a shipwreck and then dying a moment later from a snakebite seemed clear proof that the man had committed some great crime, which Divine Justice (δίκη — justitia, the goddess of justice, daughter of Jupiter) does not leave unpunished. But when they saw that Paul calmly shook the viper into the fire and “suffered no harm,” they began to say that he was a god. The true God, for the glorification of his servant’s ministry, allowed him to demonstrate in his own person the reality of what was written about the harmlessness of serpents for believers. Today on the island of Malta there are no longer any venomous snakes. According to the belief of the local inhabitants, they disappeared from the time when the described event took place.

Acts 28:7. In the vicinity of that place were the estates of the chief man of the island, named Publius; he received us and entertained us hospitably for three days. “The chief man of the island” — ο πρῶτος τῆς νήσου — literally the first man on the island, from which it is concluded that he was also the chief — first by rank. “Received us” — not all who were saved from the shipwreck, but us — in the strict sense of the word, i.e., Paul and his companions — Luke and Aristarchus (Acts 27:1-2; cf. Acts 28:10). Most likely, one should add here only the centurion Julius, in whose custody Paul was kept.

Acts 28:8. The father of Publius lay ill, suffering from fever and pain in the stomach; Paul went in to him, prayed, and laid his hands on him and healed him. Acts 28:9. After this event, the others on the island who had diseases also came and were healed: It was probably at Publius’s invitation that Paul went in to him, having heard of Paul’s miraculous rescue from the viper and hoping to obtain help from this wonder-worker for his sick father. “Healed him... were healed” — undoubtedly by miraculous means.

Acts 28:11. After three months we set sail in an Alexandrian ship called the Dioscuri, which had wintered at that island, “After three months” — from November 15 of the year 60 to February 16 of the year 61; by that time the stormy autumn and most of the winter had passed and further sailing no longer presented any danger. “On an Alexandrian ship” (Acts 27:6), “called the Dioscuri” (literally marked by the Dioscuri — παραστήμω Διοσκούροις — with a representation of the Dioscuri or their name). “The Dioscuri” — the two well-known mythological twin heroes of antiquity, Castor and Pollux, who were considered the patrons of seafaring.

Acts 28:12. and, putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there three days. “Syracuse” — a coastal city on the southeastern shore of Sicily, about 125 versts from Malta.

Acts 28:13. From there we sailed around and came to Rhegium; and when after one day a south wind arose, on the second day we arrived at Puteoli, “Rhegium” — now Reggio, in southern Italy, opposite Messina, on the northeastern tip of Sicily. “Puteoli” — now Pozzuolo, a coastal city 7 versts from Naples. The harbor of Puteoli at that time was one of the most significant on the western coast of Italy, especially for trade with the east. Commercial ships were ordinarily unloaded here, so that their cargoes could be transported by land to the capital of the world of that time — Rome. Here too Julius disembarked his prisoners and escort in order to proceed to Rome.

Acts 28:14. where we found brothers and were urged to remain with them for seven days; and so we went to Rome. Julius’s great trust in and affection for Paul was expressed once again in his kind permission to delay another seven days in Puteoli at the request of the local Christian brothers, while most likely the remaining prisoners and the majority of the escort set off for Rome without stopping at Puteoli.

Acts 28:15. The brothers there, having heard about us, came out to meet us as far as the Appian Forum and Three Taverns. When Paul saw them, he thanked God and took courage. “Having heard about us...” — thanks to the earlier arrival of the other prisoners and the generally lively communications between Puteoli and Rome. “The Appian Forum” — a small town about 60 versts from Rome, named after its builder — Appius Claudius. “Three Taverns” — a stopping place for travelers about 40 versts from Rome. “He thanked God and took courage.” Two years of imprisonment in Caesarea, the long voyage, three months on Malta — all this, in view of new captivity in Rome, could not but exhaust the apostle’s energy and strength, and so it is understandable how life-giving for him was the sympathy and love of the Christians. “See how even he at this moment experienced a certain human feeling. He who had worked so many miracles took courage at the sight of the brethren. From this we see that he too received human comforts and sorrows” (Chrysostom).

Acts 28:16. When we arrived in Rome, the centurion handed the prisoners over to the commanding officer, but Paul was permitted to live by himself with the soldier who guarded him. “We arrived in Rome.” This was in March of the year 61, in the seventh year of the reign of Nero. Undoubtedly, as a result of the favorable reports about Paul from Festus (Acts 25:26-27) and the centurion Julius, “Paul was permitted to live by himself with the soldier who guarded him” (see note on Acts 24:27), separately from the ordinary prisoners and with great freedom (cf. Acts 28 and Acts 28:31).

Acts 28:17. Three days later Paul summoned the leading men of the Jews, and when they had gathered he said to them: Brothers, having done nothing against the people or the customs of our ancestors, I was handed over from Jerusalem in chains into the hands of the Romans. “Three days later” — i.e., after the arrival in Rome, days spent partly in rest, partly in conversations with the Christians who came to visit the apostle, and so on. “Paul summoned the leading men of the Jews...” — here too the apostle follows his custom (Acts 17:2 and parallels) of addressing the proclamation first of all to the Jews; and since he himself was deprived of the opportunity to go to the synagogue for this purpose, he invites the representatives of Judaism to come to him. The purpose of the apostle’s first conversation with the invited Jews was to remove their prejudices against the apostle and, in order to forestall any slanders against him, to give accurate information about his case. The main points of this conversation of the apostle were as follows: 1) He is held in chains innocently, having committed no crime against the people or against ancestral customs or the Law of Moses. 2) The apostle himself appealed to the judgment of Caesar, and not with the aim of accusing his own people of anything, but solely to escape summary justice at the hands of the Jews, who opposed the recognition of his innocence and his release by the Palestinian Roman judges. Having demanded Caesar’s judgment, “I did this not in order to harm others, but to save myself from harm, and not of my own will — I was compelled” (Chrysostom).

Acts 28:19. but when the Jews opposed this, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar — not, however, with any intention of bringing charges against my own people. “The Jews opposed this...” — a characteristic detail that supplements the narrator’s account of Paul’s trial before Festus (Acts 25). The matter becomes clearer as follows: after what Paul had said before Festus (Acts 25:8), the procurator expressed a wish to release him, but the Jews opposed this (Acts 28:19), and then Festus, seeking to please them, proposed to Paul that he be tried in Jerusalem (Acts 25:9), in response to which Paul preferred to appeal to the judgment of Caesar (Acts 25:11).

Acts 28:20. For this reason I have called for you, so that we might see one another and speak; for it is on account of the hope of Israel that I am bound with this chain. “For this reason...” — in order to declare his innocence and the true aims of his appeal to Caesar’s judgment — “I have called for you...” — anticipating possible misunderstandings and false representations of the case. He is not an enemy of the people and the law, the apostle in effect says; on the contrary — “it is on account of the hope of Israel that I am bound with these chains...” — (cf. Acts 26:6). His cause is thus, as it were, the cause of the whole people, the guardian of the divine promises.

Acts 28:21. They said to him: We have received no letters from Judea about you, nor has any of the brothers who arrived here reported or said anything bad about you. Acts 28:22. But we do wish to hear from you what you think; for we know that this sect is spoken against everywhere. Paul’s speech made a noticeable impression. “They were so carried away by his speech that they began to justify not only themselves but also their fellow countrymen... as if saying: neither through a letter nor through persons did they communicate anything bad to us about you; but we would like to hear you. And at the same time they already in advance express their opinion by adding: concerning this sect, we know that it is spoken against everywhere. They did not say: we oppose it, but ‘it is spoken against everywhere,’ so as to deflect condemnation from themselves...” (Chrysostom).

Acts 28:23. When they had set a day for him, very many came to him at his lodging; and from morning until evening he expounded to them about the kingdom of God, bringing evidence and persuading them about Jesus from both the Law of Moses and the prophets. “Very many” — it is not only the leading men who come to Paul on the day they themselves appointed. “About the kingdom of God” — that is, about its foundation and establishment on earth by the Messiah who had come, the Lord Jesus Christ — of course, with communication of information about his life, teaching, and activity, about his sufferings, death, resurrection, and ascension, confirming and verifying all this with Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah (cf. Acts 17:3).

Acts 28:24. Some were persuaded by what he said, while others did not believe. “Some” — probably the smaller part — “were persuaded,” while “others” — the larger part — “did not believe” (cf. v. 25).

Acts 28:25. And being in disagreement among themselves, they were leaving, when Paul spoke one more word: the Holy Spirit rightly spoke to your ancestors through the prophet Isaiah: “As they were leaving, disagreeing among themselves, he then quoted the words of Isaiah (Isa 6 and following) — not to reproach those who did not believe, but to strengthen those who had believed” (Chrysostom); cf. Matt 15:7 and following; John 12:40.

Acts 28:26. Go to this people and say: You will hear with your hearing and not understand, and you will look with your eyes and not see. Acts 28:27. For the heart of this people has grown dull, and with their ears they can barely hear, and they have shut their eyes, so that they may not see with their eyes and hear with their ears and understand with their heart and turn back, that I might heal them. Acts 28:28. Let it be known to you therefore that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles: they will hear it. “You will hear with your hearing and not understand.” “Do you see how he shows that they are unworthy of forgiveness, seeing that they had the prophet who had proclaimed this long ago and still did not turn? And with the word ‘rightly’ he expresses that they were justly rejected, while the knowledge of this mystery has been given to the Gentiles. Therefore it is not at all surprising that they opposed: for this had been foretold long ago. Then he again stirs in them a spirit of rivalry by pointing to the Gentiles with the following words: ‘Let it be known to you therefore that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will hear it’” (Chrysostom).

Acts 28:29. When he had said this, the Jews departed, arguing vigorously among themselves. “When he had said this, the Jews departed” — cf. Acts 28:25. Evidently the Jews heard all these ominous words addressed to them, were not admonished by them, and fully deserved the condemnation pronounced in them.

Acts 28:30. And Paul lived for two full years at his own expense and welcomed all who came to him, Acts 28:31. proclaiming the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ with all boldness and without hindrance. The final two verses form the quiet conclusion of the Book of Acts, recalling the similar form of conclusion in the Gospel of Luke (Luke 24:52-53). This seems to make it certain that the Book of Acts is by no means an unfinished book, but — like the Gospel of Luke — fully completed according to the writer’s intention, a “word” (Acts 1:1). “Two full years” — probably until his release from chains, not until his martyrdom, which, according to some traditions, followed somewhat later. “At his own expense” — εν ιδίω μισθώματι — implying both the rental of lodging and provision for meals. Since at this point Paul, as a prisoner, had no opportunity to earn his living as before — by his own labor (Acts 20:34) — he evidently depended on the devotion of the faithful, not only the local ones but also those of other Christian communities that he had founded and which loved him (cf. Phil 4 and following; Phil 4:18). “Preaching without hindrance” — especially after his first defense before the court of Caesar (2 Tim 4:16) had made him known to the whole praetorium and to all the rest (Phil 1:12-13), serving for the further advance of the Gospel (Phil 4:22). “Let us imitate Paul, that noble and adamantine soul,” urges St. Chrysostom, “so that, following in the footsteps of his life, we may sail through the sea of this present life, reach the tranquil harbor, and be counted worthy of the good things promised to those who live worthily of Christ.” With this the writer concludes his narrative and leaves the eager listener to supply the rest by his own reasoning. “For surely what came after was like what came before... Corinth had him for two years, Asia for three, this city (Rome) for two, and then he came there a second time, when he also died... Would you like to know what came next? It was the same as what went before: chains, sufferings, struggles, imprisonment, plots, slanders, daily death!” (Chrysostom). In conclusion, it is not without interest to raise the question: why during these two years of Paul’s stay in Rome did his situation change neither for better nor for worse? It is supposed, in explanation of this, that all this time they were waiting for someone from Judea authorized to maintain the accusation against Paul before the emperor, or else the case was simply delayed through the negligence characteristic of Rome’s absolute rulers. Finally, some allow that this delay did not come about without the involvement of Paul’s friends, who saw in it great benefit both for themselves and for him, given the wide freedom afforded to him even while in chains. Accounts of the subsequent fate of the apostle are drawn mainly from the writings of Eusebius of Caesarea, Simeon Metaphrastes, Nicephorus Callistus, Baronius, Clement of Rome, Lactantius, and others. The most reliable date for the apostle’s martyrdom is 67 or 68 A.D.