The Ignatius Catholic Study Bible New Testament (143 page)

27
 When the fourteenth night had come, as we were drifting across
the sea of A'dria
, about midnight the sailors suspected that they were nearing land.
²⁸
So they sounded and found twenty fathoms; a little farther on they sounded again and found fifteen fathoms.
²⁹
And fearing that we might run on the rocks, they let out four anchors from the stern, and prayed for day to come.
³⁰
And as the sailors were seeking to escape from the ship, and had
lowered the boat
into the sea, under pretense of laying out anchors from the bow,
³¹
Paul said to the centurion and the soldiers, "Unless these men stay in the ship, you cannot be saved."
³²
Then the soldiers cut away the ropes of the boat, and let it go.

33
 As day was about to dawn, Paul urged them all to take some food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day that you have continued in suspense and without food, having taken nothing.
³⁴
Therefore I urge you to take some food; it will give you strength, since not a hair is to perish from the head of any of you."
³⁵
And when he had said this,
he took bread
, and giving thanks to God in the presence of all, he broke it and began to eat.
³⁶
Then they all were encouraged and ate some food themselves.
³⁷
(We were in all two hundred and seventy-six
^d
persons in the ship.)
³⁸
And when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship, throwing out the wheat into the sea.

The Shipwreck

39
 Now when it was day, they did not recognize the land, but they noticed a bay with a beach, on which they planned if possible to bring the ship ashore.
⁴⁰
So they cast off the anchors and left them in the sea, at the same time loosening the ropes that tied the rudders; then hoisting the foresail to the wind they made for the beach.
⁴¹
But striking a shoal
^e
they
ran the vessel aground
; the bow stuck and remained immovable, and the stern was broken up by the surf.
⁴²
The soldiers' plan was
to kill the prisoners
, lest any should swim away and escape;
⁴³
but the centurion, wishing to save Paul, kept them from carrying out their purpose. He ordered those who could swim to throw themselves overboard first and make for the land,
⁴⁴
and the rest on planks or on pieces of the ship. And so it was that all escaped to land.

Paul on the Island of Malta

28
  
After we had escaped
, we then learned that the island was called Malta.
²
And
the natives
showed us unusual kindness, for they kindled a fire and welcomed us all, because it had begun to rain and was cold.
³
Paul had gathered a bundle of sticks and put them on the fire, when
a viper
came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand.
⁴
When the natives saw the creature hanging from his hand, they said to one another, "No doubt this man is a murderer. Though he has escaped from the sea, justice has not allowed him to live."
⁵
He, however, shook off the creature into the fire and suffered no harm.
⁶
They waited, expecting him to swell up or suddenly fall down dead; but when they had waited a long time and saw no misfortune come to him, they changed their minds and said that
he was a god
.

7
 Now in the neighborhood of that place were lands belonging to the chief man of the island, named Pub'lius, who received us and entertained us hospitably for three days.
⁸
It happened that the father of Pub'lius lay sick with fever and dysentery; and Paul visited him and prayed, and putting his hands on him healed him.
⁹
And when this had taken place, the rest of the people on the island who had diseases also came and were cured.
¹⁰
They presented many gifts to us;
^f
and when we sailed, they put on board whatever we needed.

Paul Comes to Rome

11
 After three months we set sail in a ship which had wintered in the island, a
ship of Alexandria
, with the Twin Brothers as figurehead.
¹²
Putting in at Syracuse, we stayed there for three days.
¹³
And from there we made a circuit and arrived at Rhe'gium; and after one day a south wind sprang up, and on the second day we came to
Pute'oli
.
¹⁴
There we found brethren, and were invited to stay with them for seven days. And so
we came to Rome
.
¹⁵
And the brethren there, when they heard of us,
came as far as
the Forum of Ap'pius and Three Taverns to meet us. On seeing them Paul thanked God and took courage.
¹⁶
And when we came into Rome, Paul was allowed
to stay by himself
, with the soldier that guarded him.

Paul and Jewish Leaders in Rome

17
 After three days he called together the local leaders of
the Jews
; and when they had gathered, he said to them, "Brethren, though I had done nothing against the people or the customs of our fathers, yet I was delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans.
¹⁸
When they had examined me, they wished to set me at liberty, because there was no reason for the death penalty in my case.
¹⁹
But when the Jews objected, I was compelled to appeal to Caesar—though I had no charge to bring against my nation.
²⁰
For this reason therefore I have asked to see you and speak with you, since it is because of
the hope of Israel
that I am bound with this chain."
²¹
And they said to him, "We have received no letters from Judea about you, and none of the brethren coming here has reported or spoken any evil about you.
²²
But we desire to hear from you what your views are; for with regard to
this sect
we know that everywhere it is spoken against."

Paul Preaches in Rome

23
 When they had appointed a day for him, they came to him at his lodging in great numbers. And he expounded the matter to them from morning till evening, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from
the law of Moses and from the prophets
.
²⁴
And some were convinced by what he said, while others disbelieved.
²⁵
So, as they disagreed among themselves, they departed, after Paul had made one statement: "The Holy Spirit was right in saying to your fathers through Isaiah the prophet:

²⁶
'
Go to this people
, and say,

  
  You shall indeed hear but never understand,

  
  and you shall indeed see but never perceive.

²⁷
For this people's heart has grown dull,

  
  and their ears are heavy of hearing,

  
  and their eyes they have closed;

  
lest they should perceive with their eyes,

  
  and hear with their ears,

  
  and understand with their heart,

  
  and turn for me to heal them.'

²⁸
Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles;
they will listen
."
 
^g

30
 And he lived there
two whole years
at his own expense,
^h
and welcomed all who came to him,
³¹
preaching the kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ quite openly and
unhindered
.

Commentary on The Acts of the Apostles

1:1 the first book:
The Gospel of Luke, which has a similar but more expanded dedication (Lk 1:1-4). This link with the preface of the Gospel has a direct bearing on the composition of Acts, i.e., Luke has gone to the same painstaking lengths to separate fact from fiction in preserving the historical memory of the earliest Christians.
See note on Lk 1:2
.
began to do and teach:
Implies that what Jesus began to do in Luke he continues to do through his disciples in Acts. The Spirit directs this mission of the Church and is the driving force behind it (1:8; Lk 24:46-49). 
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1:3 many proofs:
The Resurrection of Jesus is a miracle substantiated by multiple strands of historical evidence (CCC 640-44).
(1)
His tomb was empty Easter morning (Jn 20:4-9);
(2)
he presented himself alive to the apostles and other disciples that evening (Lk 24:13-31; Jn 20:19-20);
(3)
he invited eyewitnesses to touch his risen body and examine his wounds (Lk 24:36-43; Jn 20:26-29);
(4)
he showed himself risen to more than 500 people (1 Cor 15:6); and
(5)
his appearance to the Church's fiercest adversary, Saul of Tarsus, transformed him into her most zealous apostle (9:1-19).
forty days:
A period of final instruction between Easter Sunday and Ascension Thursday. The number 40 signifies a time of preparation for the disciples, just as Jesus underwent 40 days of preparation before his own ministry (Mt 4:2). For other symbolic meanings of the number 40,
See note on Lk 4:2
.
the kingdom of God:
A central pillar in the apostolic preaching of Acts (8:12; 14:22; 19:8; 20:25; 28:23, 31). 
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1:4 promise of the Father:
The Holy Spirit (Lk 24:49), poured out through Christ (2:33). 
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1:6 restore the kingdom:
Judaism hoped for a militant Messiah who would redeem Israel from the yoke of Roman oppression (Lk 24:21) and rebuild the kingdom of David that had lain in ruins since the sixth century
B.C.
(Mk 11:10). These political aspirations are given a spiritual fulfillment in Acts with the enthronement of Christ in heaven (2:32-36; Lk 1:32-33) and the redemption of Israel and the Gentiles in the Church (5:31; 15:16-18; CCC 439, 672). See essay:
Kingdom Restoration
at Acts 15. • Two interrelated traditions echo in the question of the disciples.
(1)
The time of
restoration
evokes Yahweh's promise to reunite the tribal family of Israel in the messianic age (Sir 48:10; Jer 50:19-20; Hos 11:11). This hope is confirmed in Luke (Lk 22:30) and kept alive throughout Acts (26:6-7).
(2)
Giving the kingdom
to
Israel recalls Daniel's vision of the Son of man (Messiah) giving an everlasting kingdom to the saints (Dan 7:18, 22, 27). This hope is likewise confirmed in Luke (Lk 12:32; 22:29). 
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1:7 times or seasons:
Jesus affirms the coming of the kingdom but conceals the precise timing determined by the Father. His words imply that speculation is pointless, although the parable in Lk 19:11-27 denied that the kingdom would come in its fullness when Jesus arrived in Jerusalem at the start of Passion Week. 
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1:8 power . . . Spirit . . . come upon:
These terms also appear together in Lk 1:35, showing that the same Spirit who brought forth Christ in the womb of Mary is about to bring forth the Church in the world. • The wording of this promise is inspired by Is 32:15.
witnesses:
That is, to the dying and rising of Jesus (1:22; 2:32; 3:15; 5:32; 10:41). The word translates the Greek
martys,
from which the English term "martyr" is derived. All the disciples in Acts witness to Christ with their words and life, while Stephen and James offer the testimony of a martyr's death (7:58-60; 12:1-2; CCC 857, 995). See word study:
Witnesses
at Rev 11. • The witness motif comes from Isaiah, where the people of the covenant proclaim Yahweh as the God and Savior of all nations (Is 43:10-13; 44:8). This missionary vocation of Israel to enlighten the world with the truth is now the mission of the Church (13:47).
Jerusalem . . . Samaria . . . end of the earth:
A thumbnail sketch of Acts: the gospel seizes Jerusalem (chaps. 1-7), spreads to Judea and Samaria (chaps. 8-12), and then stretches throughout the Roman Empire (chaps. 13-28). • The outer limits of the mission recall Isaiah's vision of salvation reaching the ends of the earth (Is 45:22; 48:20; 49:6; 62:11). Although writers in Jewish and pagan antiquity equated the outer rim of the world with the Atlantic coast of Spain, here the expression "end of the earth" signifies that the scope of the mission is unlimited rather than bound within geographical borders. 
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