World English Bible · Under Rome
Acts 27
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When it was determined that we should sail for Italy, they and certain other prisoners to a named , of the Augustan band. Embarking in a ship of Adramyttium, which was about to sail to places on the coast of , we put to sea, , a Macedonian of being with us. The next day, we touched at . treated kindly and gave him permission to go to his friends and refresh himself. Putting to sea from there, we sailed under the lee of , because the winds were contrary. When we had sailed across the sea which is off and Pamphylia, we came to , a city of Lycia. There the centurion found a ship of Alexandria sailing for Italy, and he put us on board. When we had sailed slowly many days, and had come with difficulty opposite , the wind not allowing us further, we sailed under the lee of , opposite . 8With difficulty sailing along it we came to a certain place called , near the city of . When much time had passed and the voyage was now dangerous because the had now already gone by, admonished them and said to them, "Sirs, I perceive that the voyage will be with injury and much loss, not only of the cargo and the ship, but also of our lives." But the centurion gave more heed to the master and to the owner of the ship than to those things which were spoken by . Because the haven was not suitable to winter in, the majority advised going to sea from there, if by any means they could reach Phoenix and winter there, which is a port of , looking southwest and northwest. When the south wind blew softly, supposing that they had obtained their purpose, they weighed anchor and sailed along , close to shore. But before long, a stormy wind beat down from shore, which is called Euroclydon. When the ship was caught and couldn't the wind, we gave way to it and were driven along. 16Running under the lee of a small island called Clauda, we were able, with difficulty, to secure the boat. After they had hoisted it up, they used cables to help reinforce the ship. Fearing that they would run aground on the Syrtis sand bars, they lowered the sea anchor, and so were driven along. As we labored exceedingly with the storm, the next day they began to throw things overboard. On the third day, they threw out the ship's tackle with their own hands. When neither sun nor stars shone on us for many days, and no small storm pressed on us, all that we would be was now taken away. When they had been long without food, stood up in the middle of them and said, "Sirs, you should have listened to me, and not have set sail from and have gotten this injury and loss. Now I exhort you to cheer up, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. For there stood by me this night , belonging to the whose I am and whom I , saying, 'Don't be afraid, . You must stand before . Behold, has granted you all those who sail with you.' Therefore, sirs, cheer up! For I , that it will be as it has been spoken to me. But we must run aground on a certain island." But when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven back and forth in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors surmised that they were drawing near to some land. 28They took soundings and found twenty fathoms. After a little while, they took soundings again, and found fifteen fathoms. Fearing that we would run aground on rocky ground, they let go four anchors from the stern, and wished for daylight. As the sailors were trying to flee out of the ship and had lowered the boat into the sea, pretending that they would lay out anchors from the bow, said to the centurion and to the soldiers, "Unless these stay in the ship, you can't be ." Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat and let it fall off. 33While the day was coming on, begged them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you wait and continue , having taken nothing. Therefore I beg you to take some food, for this is for your safety; for not a hair will from any of your heads." When he had said this and had taken bread, he gave thanks to in the of all; then he broke it and began to eat. Then they all cheered up, and they also took food. In all, we were two hundred seventy-six on the ship. When they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea. When it was day, they didn't recognize the land, but they noticed a certain bay with a beach, and they decided to try to drive the ship onto it. Casting off the anchors, they left them in the sea, at the same time untying the rudder ropes. Hoisting up the foresail to the wind, they made for the beach. But coming to a place where two seas met, they ran the aground. The bow struck and remained immovable, but the stern began to break up by the of the waves. The soldiers' was to kill the prisoners, so that none of them would swim out and escape. But the centurion, desiring to , stopped them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should throw themselves overboard first to go toward the land; and the rest should follow, some on planks and some on other things from the ship. So they all escaped safely to the land.
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The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.