The Rand-McNally Bible Atlas Part 26

6. The next station was to have been Cnidus, 100 miles from Myra, on the coast of Caria; but the vessel only reached it with difficulty, and was unable to enter, on account of contrary winds: so the prow was turned southward toward the island of _Crete_. This lies at the entrance to the aegean Sea, and is 140 miles long by 35 wide. They rounded Cape Salmone, at the eastern point of the island, and anch.o.r.ed for a time at a place then known, and still known, as _Fair Havens_, on the southern coast, about midway between the two extremes of the island. Here they were delayed for some time, and Paul urged the centurion to remain during the winter, and escape impending dangers. But it was resolved to follow along the sh.o.r.e still further westward, to the more commodious harbor of Phenice. But in this they were disappointed; for they were driven out to sea, and to the final result predicted by the apostle. (Acts 27:7-13.)

7. Soon after leaving Fair Havens, the storm set in. It was of the kind then called Euroclydon (Revised Version, Euro aquilo, "east-northeaster"), now known as "a Levanter." They were able to run under the lee of the little island of Clauda, 23 miles from Fair Havens, where they strengthened the vessel for the gale by "frapping," or winding ropes around the hull. Thence for fourteen days and nights they were driven before the wind in a westward direction, until hope perished in every heart save Paul's. They were driven 476 miles, upon the island of _Melita_, which is 62 miles south of Sicily, and is 17 miles long by 8 or 9 wide. It is of irregular oval shape, and its coast is indented by many bays. The one in which the apostle was s.h.i.+pwrecked is on the northeastern side of the island, and is known as St. Paul's Bay. A close investigation of the locality, its surroundings, and the soundings of the sea approaching it, show the remarkable accuracy of Luke's statements. The island is now known as _Malta_, and is under British rule. Some years ago an ancient inscription was found on the island, giving to its ruler the same t.i.tle, _protos_, "first or chief man" (Acts 28:7), given by Luke.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ST. PAUL'S BAY, MALTA, ENLARGED.

MALTESE ISLANDS.]

8. After wintering in the island of Melita, Paul and the other prisoners were placed on board an Alexandrian s.h.i.+p which was bound toward Rome.

The first stopping place in this part of the voyage was at the historic city of _Syracuse_, on the eastern sh.o.r.e of Sicily. (Acts 28:12.) Here they paused for three days, and then continued their voyage.

9. The next station was at _Rhegium_, where they lay, awaiting a favorable wind, for one day. (Acts 28:13.) This is at the "toe" of the Italian boot, opposite Sicily, from which it is separated by a strait, only 6 miles wide. It is now a flouris.h.i.+ng town, called _Rheggio_.

10. The vessel ended its voyage, and Paul and his fellow-prisoners disembarked, at _Puteoli_, near Naples. This was one of the leading ports of Italy, being to Rome what Liverpool is to London. Here Paul found a Christian church, and was permitted to remain for a week before going onward to the capital, 141 miles distant. The city is now called _Pozzuoli_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PLAN OF ANCIENT ROME.]

11. At a place called _Appii Forum_, "the forum of Appius," a village on the Appian Way, 43 miles from Rome, and again at the "Three Taverns," 10 miles nearer, Paul was met by some Christians, who had heard of his coming, and came to give him a welcome, which rejoiced his heart.

12. At last great ROME was reached, and the apostle was at the end of his long journey. For two years he dwelt as a prisoner at large, chained to a Roman soldier, but in "his own hired house." At this point ends all that is positively known of the journeys of the apostle.

The city of Rome stands on the river Tiber. In the period of its greatness it occupied ten hills, with the valleys between them, and a plain near the river. The apostle lived near the Pretorian Camp, on the northeastern border of the city, and at the opposite end of the city from the Jewish quarter, which was on the west of the Tiber. At the time of Paul's imprisonment, Rome contained about 1,200,000 inhabitants.

One-half of the population were slaves, and two-thirds of the rest were paupers, supported in idleness by the free distribution of food. During the two years of Paul's imprisonment he wrote at least four Epistles--Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, and Philemon. After about two years of imprisonment, Paul was released and spent two or more years at liberty.

OUTLINE FOR REVIEW.

1. Jerusalem. 2. Antipatris. 3. Caesarea. 4. Zidon.

5. Myra. 6. Crete. (Fair Havens.) 7. Melita. 8.

Syracuse. 9. Rhegium. 10. Puteoli. 11. Appii Forum and Three Taverns. 12. Rome.

THE LAST JOURNEYS OF PAUL.

[Ill.u.s.tration: PAUL'S LAST JOURNEYS.]

The definite history of the apostle Paul ends with the last verse of the Acts of the Apostles; but, from the later Epistles and the dim light of early tradition, we may gather a few facts, and perhaps can indicate a few more journeys. From Philippians and Philemon, it is clear that Paul expected an acquittal and release; from 1 Timothy and t.i.tus, it is evident, that after his imprisonment there were two years, perhaps more, of liberty. Combining the allusions in the Epistles, we offer a conjectural outline of the apostle's journeys during that year, following mainly the order of Canon Farrar.

1. Near the close of his imprisonment he expressed an expectation of speedily visiting the churches of Proconsular Asia, especially that at _Colosse_ (Philem. 1:22), and desired a lodging to be prepared for him at the house of Philemon. We may take for granted that this purpose was accomplished, and that _Ephesus_, as well as Colosse, was visited at this time. Ephesus has been already described. (See page 125.) Colosse, called also Cola.s.sae, was a city on the Lycus, near Hierapolis and Laodicea, and on the great caravan road from Ephesus to the Euphrates.

At one time it was a large and flouris.h.i.+ng place, but declined as other cities gained its Eastern trade. Paul had never before visited this city, and its church had been founded by Epaphras. Yet Paul was well acquainted with several of its members, and addressed to it, during his imprisonment, the Epistle to the Colossians; and to one of its members the Epistle to Philemon. The site of the ancient city is near the modern village of _Chonas_.

2. Just before his release, Paul dispatched Timothy to Philippi, expecting soon to follow him. (Phil. 2:19-24.) Timothy fulfilled his mission, and came to Ephesus, where Paul left him in charge of the church, and himself went to _Macedonia_. (1 Tim. 1:3.) Here he doubtless visited the churches which he had planted in Philippi, Thessalonica and Berea, and probably journeyed as far south as Corinth.

3. We judge that to this time belongs his visit to _Crete_. (t.i.tus 1:5.) He had touched at this island during his voyage to Rome, and may have gone on sh.o.r.e at Fair Havens; but now he organized the church, and left it under the care of t.i.tus, who had accompanied him to the island.

4. We find that after this Paul was at _Nicopolis_, a place not previously mentioned in his history. (t.i.tus 3:12.) There were no less than ten cities of this name in the ancient world; but it must have been one of three among them: Nicopolis of Thrace, of Cilicia, or of Epirus.

The latter has been generally accepted as the one where Paul "determined to winter." It was in the Roman province of Achaia, near the Adriatic Sea and the Ionian Isles; and was built by Augustus to commemorate his victory at Actium. The place is now called _Paleo-prevesa_, "old Prevesa," and contains extensive ruins, among which is a building said to have been Paul's place of prayer. Some think that Paul was arrested here before his final imprisonment; but there is no certainty concerning it.

5. _Troas._ (2 Tim. 4:13.) It is evident that Paul pa.s.sed through this place, and stopped with a certain person named Carpus, where he left his mantle for winter wear, and some ma.n.u.scripts. Farrar is of the opinion that he was here arrested, and in such haste that he could not obtain these articles. He may have come from Nicopolis by way of Macedonia, pa.s.sing through Philippi, and sailing across the aegean Sea.

6. An allusion in 2 Tim. 4:20 hints at another place visited by the apostle, perhaps as a prisoner. If arrested at Troas, he would probably be sent to _Ephesus_, the residence of the proconsul, for trial. And at Miletus, near that city, we find that he left his companion, Trophimus, who had been with him at the time of his former arrest in Jerusalem. It is a slight confirmation of this view, that there is among the ruins of Ephesus a place pointed out as the prison of Paul.

7. From Ephesus he may have set sail once more as a prisoner for _Rome_.

He was accompanied by several friends, as t.i.tus, who had left Crete once more to follow him; Luke the physician, his companion to the last; and Tychicus. We know nothing concerning the voyage, and therefore represent it on the map by the most direct route from Ephesus. At Rome we know only that his imprisonment was short; that his friends were few, for the church had been scattered by the terrible persecution of Nero; that Paul was left alone at his first hearing, his friends having gone in various directions, some on errands of duty, and others in fear of the world; that he wrote earnestly to Timothy to come, bringing Mark with him (2 Tim. 4:9, 11); and we infer from his own expectations and the tradition of the church, that his martyrdom was not long delayed.

The traditional place of his execution is shown at Aquae Salvae, now _Tre Fontane_, three miles from Rome, near the road to Ostia.

OUTLINE FOR REVIEW.

1. Colosse and Ephesus. 2. Macedonia. (Philippi, Thessalonica, Berea, Corinth.) 3. Crete. 4.

Nicopolis. 5. Troas. (Arrest?) 6. Ephesus. 7.

Rome. (Martyrdom.)

[Ill.u.s.tration: THE ISLES OF GREECE AND THE SEVEN CHURCHES.]

THE ISLES OF GREECE AND THE SEVEN CHURCHES.

I. AS THE islands of the aegean Sea are often referred to in the Acts, especially in the account of Paul's voyage to Phoenicia, in his third missionary journey, we present a map representing them upon a larger scale, with those portions of Asia and Europe adjoining them. Such of the islands as are mentioned in the history have been already described.

One of the smallest is brought to our notice in the book of Revelation, =Patmos=, to which the apostle John was banished. This lies 20 miles south of the island of Samos, 24 miles west of Asia Minor, and about 70 miles southwest of Ephesus. It is about 20 miles in circ.u.mference, and is rocky and barren. Its loneliness and seclusion made it a suitable place for the banishment of criminals; and to it the apostle John was banished by the emperor Domitian, near the close of the first Christian century: though some scholars give an earlier date, under the emperor Nero. A narrow isthmus divides the island into two parts, north and south. On a hill in the southern part is a monastery named after the apostle John, and near it is the cave where it is said by tradition that he received the vision of the Apocalypse. In the Middle Ages the island was called Patmosa, and it is now known as _Patmo_.

II. The term =Asia= was used by the ancients in varied extent of meaning. 1. Its earliest use in Homer refers only to a meadow near Troy (Troas), which was called the "Asian meadow." 2. The lands of Mysia, Lydia, Caria, and a part of Phrygia, were known as Proconsular Asia, as they formed the province of Asia under the Roman government. This was originally the dominion of the last king of Pergamos, whose t.i.tle was "king of Asia"; and was by him bequeathed to the Romans. 3. Asia Minor, as a whole, was sometimes called by the name Asia, though not often. 4.

The entire Asiatic continent was known by this name in ancient times; but this use of the word is not found in Scripture.

[Ill.u.s.tration: LAODICEA FROM HIERAPOLIS.]

III. =The Seven Churches of Asia= were all located in Proconsular Asia, in the immediate neighborhood of Ephesus. There were other churches besides these, as Hierapolis and Colosse, both near Laodicea, and referred to in the Pauline Epistles; but these are named as the most important, and a group of seven is the arrangement most frequently found in the Bible, especially in its symbolical writings. To these Seven Churches were sent the messages in the opening chapters of the Revelation.

1. _Ephesus_ (Rev. 2:1) was the most important city of the district, its church was the largest, and it was the first addressed. (A description and plan of this city may be found on page 125.)

2. _Smyrna_ (Rev. 2:8) is north of Ephesus, about 40 miles in a direct line, though longer by the route of travel. It is on the aegean Sea, at the head of the Hermaean Gulf, at the foot of Mount Pagus. The earliest city was built B.C. 1500, by the Greeks, and destroyed and rebuilt several times. From the time of Alexander the Great, who was one of its builders, it became an important city. Its earliest mention in Christian history is in the Revelation. Polycarp, a pupil of John, was martyred here A.D. 155. His grave is still shown on a hill near the city. Despite fires, earthquakes and wars, it has retained its importance, and is now the largest city on the Asiatic side of the aegean Sea, having a population of nearly 200,000 people. The modern city is about two miles from the ancient site.

3. _Pergamos_ (Rev. 2:12), more properly Pergamum, was 60 miles northeast of Smyrna, in the district of Mysia, 3 miles north of the little river Caicus, and 20 miles from the aegean Sea. It was the capital of a small but wealthy kingdom, which arose in the breaking up of Alexander's empire. It was celebrated for its large library, which at one time contained 200,000 ma.n.u.scripts, but was by Mark Antony presented to Cleopatra, and removed to Alexandria. The city was devoted to the wors.h.i.+p of aesculapius, the patron divinity of medicine; and was, like most idolatrous places, corrupt in its morals. It is now a city of 25,000 inhabitants, called _Pergama_.

[Ill.u.s.tration: ISLE of PATMOS.]

4. _Thyatira_ (Rev. 2:18) was a city in the province of Lydia, on the road from Pergamos to Sardis. It was founded by Alexander the Great, who planted it with people from Macedonia, which may account for the fact that "Lydia of Thyatira" was found by Paul at Philippi, in Macedonia. It was a prosperous manufacturing town, but never a great city, and its scarlet cloth still has a reputation throughout the Orient. It is now a place with a population of from 17,000 to 20,000, and is called _ak Hissar_, "white castle."

5. _Sardis_ (Rev. 3:1) lay 30 miles south of Thyatira, between the river Hermus and Mount Tmolus. It was the capital of Croesus, the wealthy king of Lydia, whose empire was overthrown by Cyrus the Great. After the time of Alexander it belonged to the kingdom of Pergamos, until its absorption into the Roman empire. It was a place of extensive commerce, which led to prosperity, and the worldliness of the Christian church, rebuked in the message of the Revelation. It is now a miasmatic region, with scarcely an inhabitant, and bears the name _Sert Kalessi_.

6. _Philadelphia_ (Rev. 3:7) was about 25 miles southeast of Sardis, on the river Cogamus, a branch of the Hermus. It was built and named by Attalus Philadelphus, king of Pergamos, and was the centre of a rich farming region, which has kept it inhabited through all the vicissitudes of the centuries. It was destroyed by an earthquake A.D. 17, but rebuilt. Its population is now about 10,000, and its modern name is _Allah Shehr_, "city of G.o.d."

7. _Laodicea_ (Rev. 3:14) was the capital of Phrygia, and was 50 or 60 miles from Philadelphia, according to route. It was on the bank of the Lycus, near Hierapolis and Colosse. Its ancient name was Diospolis, but was changed by the Syrian king, Seleucus II., in honor of his wife, Laodice. In A.D. 62 it was destroyed by an earthquake; but its people were sufficiently rich to decline the aid of the Romans in rebuilding their city. Its worldly prosperity was reflected in its church, which received the sharpest rebukes of the Revelator. The Mohammedans destroyed the city, which is now a ma.s.s of ruins, surrounding a village called _Eski-hissar_.

It will be noticed, that, in the order of the Revelation, the Seven Churches are arranged in a circuit, as one would find them, starting from Ephesus, and traveling north to Smyrna and Pergamus, then southeast to Thyatira, Sardis and Philadelphia, until the southern and eastern limit is reached at Laodicea.