Paul’s Third Missionary Journey Concluded; The Return to Jerusalem c AD 58
Taken from Acts 20:3b-12; 21:15 – Then (after staying in Greece [6]) when he (Paul) was on the point of setting sail for Syria the Jews made a further plot against him and he decided to make his way back (by land) through Macedonia [7]. His companions on the journey were Sopater a Beroean, two Thessalonians, Gaius from Derbe, Timothy, and two Asians. This party proceeded to Troas to await us there while we sailed from Philippi [8] after the days of unleavened bread. and joined them five days later at Troas [9], where we spent a week.
(At Troas, Paul’s lengthy teaching almost leads to the death of a young man Eutychus who goes to asleep and falls out of window!)
Meanwhile we had gone aboard the ship and sailed on ahead for Assos, intending to pick up Paul there since he himself had planned to go overland. When he met us on our arrival at Assos [10] we took him aboard and went on to Mitylene [11]. We sailed from there and arrived off the coast of Chios [12] the next day. On the day following we crossed to Samos [13], and the day after that we reached Miletus [14]. For Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus with the idea of spending as little time as possible in Asia. He hoped, if it should prove possible, to reach Jerusalem in time for the day of Pentecost.
(At Miletus he sent to Ephesus to summon the elders of the Church. On their arrival he addressed them. What saddened them most of all was his saying that they would never see his face gain.)
When we had finally said farewell to them we set sail, running a straight course to Cos [15], and the next day we went to Rhodes [16] and from there to Patara [17]. Here we found a ship bound for Phoenicia, and we went aboard her and set sail. After sighting Cyprus [18] and leaving it on our left we sailed to Syria and put in at Tyre [19], since that was where the ship was to discharge her cargo. We sought out the disciples there and stayed with them for a week (the disciples warn Paul not to go up to Jerusalem). We sailed away from Tyre and arrived at Ptolemais [20]. We greeted the brothers there and stayed with them for just one day. On the following day we left and proceeded to Caesarea [21] and there we went to stay at the house of Philip the evangelist (again he is warned of the dangers of returning to Jerualem). After this we made our preparations and went up to Jerusalem [22].
Taken from Acts 27:12 – 28:31 – (two years after Paul’s original arrest in Jerusalem [1] and his journey to Caesarea [2], Paul and some other prisoners were put in charge of a centurion named Julius.)
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