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Journey

Paul’s Journey to Rome

Paul is arrested in Jerusalem, held in Caesarea, and sent to Rome after appealing to Caesar.

Map: Paul’s Voyage to Rome

Map of Paul's voyage to Rome. From Caesarea the ship sails north to Sidon, along the coast to Myra, past Cnidus to Fair Havens on Crete, then a dotted line from Clauda to Malta for the storm, and on to Syracuse, Rhegium and Puteoli. An inset shows the road from Puteoli past the Market of Appius and Three Taverns to Rome.
Paul’s voyage to Rome as a prisoner, Acts 27:1–28:16, with an inset from Puteoli to Rome. Select the map to view it full size.

Verses: Acts 27:1–28:16 The Spread of Christianity

Regions on this map:

Sources and limits

  • Acts 27:1–2 does not name the port they left from. Paul had been held at Caesarea (Acts 25:4), so the map starts there.
  • From Clauda to Malta the storm drove the ship for fourteen days (Acts 27:15–27). The dotted line is not its course.
  • Malta (Acts 28:1) is the accepted site. A few writers have proposed Mljet in the Adriatic, or Kefalonia. Phoenix (Acts 27:12) is not shown because its site on Crete is debated.
  • Built by Bible Building Blocks from public-domain and open data: elevation from the US Geological Survey, coastlines and rivers from Natural Earth, and town points from Wikidata. Names follow the World English Bible, each checked against its verse. Shorelines are modern.

What the sources say, and how sure we are

  • The text says

    Paul is arrested in the temple, held two years in Caesarea under Felix and Festus, appeals to Caesar, survives a storm and shipwreck on Malta, and reaches Rome, where he lives under guard for two years.Acts 21:27–36; Acts 24:27; Acts 25:11; Acts 27–28

  • Outside evidence

    Josephus confirms that Felix and Festus were governors of Judea in this period.Josephus, Antiquities 20.137–197

  • Debated

    The island of Melita in Acts 28 is usually identified with Malta, but some propose Mljet in the Adriatic. Acts does not tell the result of Paul’s trial.Acts 27:27; Acts 28:1; Acts 28:30–31

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