28:11 Paul and his companions spent the winter on the island of Malta. Ships began to sail again toward the middle of February. The centurion was able to secure passage on another Alexandrian ship, perhaps another grain ship, that had wintered in one of the Maltese ports. Valetta was the largest of these ports.
Luke's reference to the figurehead of this ship, from which it took its name, is unusual. This is the only ship's name that he recorded in Acts. The twin brothers were Castor and Pollux who were two gods thought to guard the safety of sailors. They were the sons of Zeus and Leda, queen of Sparta, whom Zeus transformed into gods, according to Greek mythology. The constellation Gemini represents them, and anyone who saw it during a storm supposedly would have good luck.966Perhaps Luke mentioned them to contrast God's real protection, as illustrated in the previous chapter and this one, with the protection the pagans superstitiously thought these gods provided. I can imagine Paul saying to Luke as they got ready to board this ship, "We have a better Protector than the twin brothers!"
28:12 Syracuse stood on the east coast of the island of Sicily. It was a busy port and the most important city on the island.
28:13 The site of Rhegium (modern Reggio di Calabria) was near the tip of the "toe"of Italy's boot opposite Sicily. It, too, was an important harbor. Puteoli (Modern Pozzuoli) stood 180 miles farther north on the "shin"of the boot. Its site occupied the most protected part of the bay of Naples. It was a very large port and the final destination of many Egyptian wheat ships at this time. There dock hands unloaded the cargo.
28:14 It is not strange that a church existed there. Puteoli had a Jewish colony.967Perhaps Roman Christians had planted this church, or perhaps Jewish converts had done so. The local Christians were very generous with their hospitality to Paul and his companions. "And thus we came to Rome"expresses Luke's eagerness to reach Paul's goal city. They had not really arrived in Rome (cf. vv. 15-16), but Luke viewed Puteoli as close enough to warrant this enthusiastic announcement of their arrival.
28:15 News of Paul's arrival preceded him to Rome. An entourage of believers travelled down the Appian Way, one of the major roads in Italy, 33 miles south to the Three Taverns, a resting spot. There some of them waited while the more energetic among them proceeded another 10 miles to Appii Forum, a market town. There Paul met his first Roman Christians. He had sent them his epistle to the Romans three years earlier (in 57 A.D.) from Corinth during his third missionary journey. This group of greeters would have been a great encouragement to Paul who had looked forward so long to ministering in Rome (Rom. 15:22-29). Their reception led Paul to thank God.
"It [Paul's growing party of friends proceeding to Rome] becomes almost a triumphal procession [cf. Jesus' triumphal entry]."968
Paul would have passed the tomb of the Roman poet Virgil between Puteoli and Neapolis. In his poems Virgil anticipated a savior, and Paul came with the message that God had provided one.969
These last verses bring Luke's account of the spread of the gospel to a climax. It had gone from Jerusalem to Judea and Samaria, and now to the uttermost part of the earth (1:8). Paul was now able to bear witness in the capital of the empire.
Tannehill suggested that Luke's purpose in his account of Paul's voyage to Rome was to illustrate the cooperative relationships that are possible between Christianity and pagan society.970This may have been part of his purpose.
