St. Paul: Voyage to Rome

In first-century Caesarea, young Antoninus practices sword fighting with his father, Julius, a centurion in the Roman Imperial Guard. Julius always wins and reminds his son that a good soldier must be prepared for anything. He then takes Antoninus to hear the testimony of an unusual prisoner before Governor Festus and King Agrippa.

The prisoner is Paul, who declares that a heavenly vision sent him to preach repentance in Damascus, Jerusalem, Judea, and among the Gentiles. He teaches that the promised Messiah has suffered, died, and risen to bring light to all people. Festus calls him insane, but Agrippa recognizes that Paul has committed no crime deserving imprisonment or death. Paul could be freed, except that he has already appealed his case to Caesar.

Paul explains that reaching Emperor Nero is precisely his purpose. Festus places him in Julius’s custody and orders the centurion to deliver him to Rome. Julius surprises Antoninus by taking him on the journey. Paul is permitted to bring his companions Luke and Aristarchus, and several other prisoners are placed aboard as well.

Rough seas make Antoninus miserable. Luke, a physician, gives him an herbal tea that settles his stomach, then explains why he is recording Paul’s journey. Paul had once been the Christians’ fiercest enemy, imprisoning them and approving their deaths. On the road to Damascus, however, a light brighter than the sun had blinded him, and the risen Jesus had spoken from it. After Paul’s sight was restored, he received the mission of carrying the gospel throughout the world.

Antoninus wants to learn more, but Julius orders Luke to keep Christian ideas away from his son. Julius treats Paul fairly under Roman law, yet Antoninus’s loyalty must belong to Caesar. At Fair Havens, Julius hires an Alexandrian ship captained by Rama for the next stage of the voyage. Paul warns that winter sailing will bring shipwreck, loss, injury, and death. Antoninus urges his father to listen, but Julius accepts the captain’s assurance that there is still time to reach a safer harbor.

A gentle wind carries the ship forward at first. Then a hurricane-force northeaster sweeps down, driving the vessel helplessly across the sea. The crew hauls in the lifeboat, passes ropes beneath the hull to hold it together, and throws the cargo and tackle overboard. For days the sun and stars remain hidden. Sailors and passengers stop eating, and hope disappears.

Paul comforts Antoninus with the account of Jesus calming a storm on the Sea of Galilee. Julius dismisses it as a wild tale and accuses God of abandoning them. Paul answers that God remains with them. An angel has promised that Paul will stand before Caesar and that everyone aboard will survive, although the ship itself will be destroyed on an island. Paul declares, “I have faith in God,” and asks the frightened company to take courage.

After fourteen days in the storm, the crew senses land and drops four anchors to avoid being shattered on the rocks before daylight. Some sailors secretly lower the lifeboat and try to escape. Paul warns that everyone’s survival depends on the crew remaining aboard, so Julius orders the lifeboat’s ropes cut. Before dawn, Paul blesses bread and persuades all the passengers to eat. Their strength and courage return.

At daylight, the sailors sight a bay with a sandy beach. The ship strikes a sandbar before reaching shore; its bow sticks fast while the stern breaks apart under the waves. Everyone must swim or cling to wreckage, but Roman procedure requires the guards to kill the prisoners first so none can escape. Antoninus pleads for Paul’s life, calling his father a soldier rather than a butcher. Julius apologizes, then gives Suetonius the order to advance.