Acts 28 Footnotes

28:1 This is the fifth “we” section, which extends to v. 16. The shipwreck took place on Malta, a small island south of Sicily.

28:3-4 Although there are reportedly no poisonous snakes on Malta today, that does not mean there were none then. Apparently everyone there in Paul’s time knew about them. Note that the people thought Paul had been singled out for the bite by Justice, the Greek goddess.

28:6 Once it became clear that Paul was not affected by the snakebite, sentiment changed from thinking him a criminal to saying he was a god. This quick reversal of opinion appears to have been just as easily shrugged off by Paul as he shrugged off the snake. Nothing more was made of it.

28:7 Publius is referred to as the “leading man” of Malta, a title reflected in inscriptional evidence from the island. He may have been a leading citizen or even a political leader. He entertained at least some of those from the boat, including the author of the “we” passage.

28:8-9 Publius’s father may have been suffering from what has been called Malta fever, a condition caused by drinking impure goats’ milk. This healing involved both prayer and the laying on of hands. As a result, a number of others with diseases were brought and cured.

28:10 The honors Paul received may have been monetary rewards or even payment, as the same word is used elsewhere in Acts to indicate money (4:34; 5:2-3; 7:16; 19:19).

28:11 This indicates that probably in February or shortly thereafter, the journey recommenced, this time aboard another Alexandrian grain ship headed for Rome. (The first one had been torn apart by the sea.) The “Twin Gods” were Castor and Pollux (Gemini), the patrons of sailors. The ship needed to be underway as soon as possible since its journey had been delayed due to the winter break.

28:12 Syracuse was a port on the eastern side of Sicily.

28:13 Puteoli was a major port in southern Italy. It was an important shipping harbor for transporting grain from Egypt to Rome.

28:14 Luke wrote that they found “brothers and sisters” in Puteoli—probably Christian believers rather than Jews. It is unknown how believers came to be in Puteoli, just as it is unknown how Christians came to be in Rome itself. Apparently there was a Jewish community there, and they may have had contact with Christians elsewhere. A seaport would also have been a natural place for such contact to be made. In answer to the question of how the centurion would have allowed Paul to stay with the believers in Puteoli for seven days, when one recounts how Paul helped the centurion at several key junctures and proved himself a reliable and trustworthy person, it is not surprising. The centurion probably had business to attend to in the area, perhaps related to the journey itself and what had happened along the way.