Acts 28 Study Notes

28:1 This is the fifth we section in Acts (see note at 16:10), and it extends through v. 16. The shipwreck happened on Malta, a small island south of Sicily.

28:2-4 Although there are no poisonous snakes on Malta today, this does not mean there were none in Paul’s day. Fauna and flora change over time. The residents of Malta apparently thought Justice, a Greek goddess, had singled Paul out because he deserved death (cp. v. 6).

28:5-6 The superstitious natives of Malta quickly decided Paul was a god rather than a “murderer” (v. 4). Paul shrugged off this false praise just as easily as he had shaken off the snake.

28:7 Leading man or “first man” of Malta is a title reflected in inscriptional evidence from the island. Publius may have been a leading citizen or political leader.

28:8 Publius’s father may have suffered from “Malta fever,” which is caused by drinking impure goats’ milk.

28:9-10 The honors that Paul received may have been monetary rewards or payment. The same word is used elsewhere in Acts to indicate money (5:2-3; 7:16; 19:19).

28:11 The journey aboard the other Alexandrian ship probably began in February or shortly thereafter. The Twin Gods were Castor and Pollux (Gemini), sons of Zeus. Sailors regarded them as gods and patrons of seafarers.

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

28:13 Rhegium was a port city on the southern end of Italy, seventy miles from Syracuse. Puteoli, an important shipping harbor for transporting grain from Egypt to Rome, was about 130 miles southeast of Rome.

28:14 It is not known how the brothers and sisters came to be in Puteoli, just as it is not known how Christians first came to be in Rome. Perhaps Jews in Puteoli had made contact with Christians from elsewhere who traveled through the seaport.

28:15 Believers from Rome came down the Appian Way to two small towns (Forum of Appius and Three Taverns) to greet and encourage Paul before his arrival in Rome.

28:16 While in Roman custody, Paul appears to have stayed on his own and at his own expense (cp. vv. 23,30), guarded only by one soldier. We know nothing more about his contact with the Roman government or the disposition of his case. This verse is the end of the last we section in the book of Acts (see note at 16:10).

28:17 This is the final time in Acts in which Paul began his ministry in a new city. As usual, he started by contacting the Jews. Since he was in custody, he invited the Jewish leaders to visit him rather than going to their synagogue.

28:18-20 Clarifying Christianity’s relationship to Judaism was crucial to Luke. It was important to show that the gospel was not anti-Jewish.

28:21-22 The Jews in Rome had heard about the sect of Christianity (24:14), but they had not received any official word about Paul from Jerusalem. This lack of communication between Jerusalem and Rome may have been caused by winter weather, or it may indicate that the Jewish leaders in Jerusalem had lost interest in Paul’s case since he was now out of their sight, beyond their jurisdiction, and unlikely to cause them any more trouble. In any event, the Christians of Rome knew more about Paul’s situation than did the unbelieving Jews (see 28:15 and note).

28:23 Like the risen Christ on the road to Emmaus (Lk 24:13-35), Paul showed how both the Law of Moses and the Prophets pointed to Jesus as God’s Messiah.

28:24 Elsewhere in Acts the verb were persuaded refers to genuine conversion.

28:25-27 Luke identifies the turning point in the discussion as Paul’s provocative statement that the Holy Spirit was right about Israel’s spiritual stubbornness through Isaiah the prophet (Is 6:9-10). Since Paul said this in response to those who “did not believe” (v. 24) what he was saying about Jesus, his citation of Isaiah clearly implied that the coming of Jesus Christ and his rejection by the Jews were foretold in the OT.

28:28 On God’s salvation being sent to the Gentiles, see notes at 13:46-47; 18:6.

28:30-31 The book of Acts ends in an unexpectedly open-ended fashion. Paul remained a prisoner two whole years. During this time he lived at his own expense and was allowed to have visitors to whom he proclaimed his message boldly and without hindrance. Church tradition has long held that Paul was beheaded during the persecution instigated by the Roman emperor Nero (AD 64 or 65). It is possible that Paul was executed in Rome after the “two whole years,” though church historian Eusebius believed Paul was released from Roman imprisonment, only to be rearrested at a later date, sent to Rome, and executed. The fact that Luke does not write of Paul’s execution leads some scholars to conclude that Luke wrote the book of Acts previous to Paul’s execution, though it is possible that Luke chose not to discuss the details of Paul’s death because his aim was to show that God had fulfilled his purpose in Paul: taking the gospel to the Gentiles. Paul’s preaching day and night in the seat of the pagan Roman Empire ensured that Christianity would become an international phenomenon, not just a regional religious anomaly.