Acts 20:5Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

In the spring, around Pascha of the year 58 or 59, Paul left Corinth. Some of his companions crossed over to Troas before him (Acts 20:4-5). Paul spent Pascha in Philippi and took Luke from there, whom he had previously left there. He spent a week in Troas to make up for the shortness of his previous stay there, which had been caused by his desire to learn quickly the state of the Corinthian Church (2 Cor 2:12). There, on the first day of the week, he was present at the Church's worship and conversed with the brethren in a house. Providence, seeing the need to confirm the faithful in the teaching they had received and to spread it among the Gentiles, opened an occasion for the divine power active in the Apostle to show itself most strikingly.

After the riot ceased, Paul took leave of the Ephesian Christians, departed, and came to Macedonia. There he visited the Churches he had founded earlier and gave the faithful abundant instruction. From there the Apostle Paul sent the Second Epistle to Corinth. From Macedonia he went for the same purpose to Hellas, or Achaia. The Apostle remained there for three months. At this time, probably in Corinth, the Apostle Paul wrote the Epistle to the Romans. It was intended to precede his personal coming to Rome, where he planned to go during his proposed fourth journey (Acts 19:21). A disturbance raised against him by the Jews forced him to leave Greece, and he directed his way toward Syria. The more convenient and shorter route there was by sea.

Having completed his ministry in Corinth and gathered a considerable alms for the suffering Christians of the holy city, the Apostle Paul resolved to visit Jerusalem once more, specifically for the feast of Pascha. He wished to sail directly from Corinth by ship to Syria. But on the eve of departure his co-workers discovered a base plot by the Jews. Its aim was to destroy the Apostle during the sea voyage, which was very easy for them because of their connections with sailors and direct bribery. Therefore the Apostle Paul was forced to go by land through Macedonia, accompanied by his friends and fellow ministers. He spent Pascha in Philippi in the peaceful and loving circle of his disciples and co-workers. Among them again was the chronicler of his activity, St. Luke. Only after this did he sail to Asia and stop in Troas for a week's rest.

"These men," that is, the seven companions just mentioned, "went ahead and waited for us," that is, for Luke and Paul, in Troas (see the note on Acts 16:8). The sacred writer does not indicate why they went ahead. Perhaps it was to prepare a more convenient voyage for Paul from Troas onward. From the description of that voyage, one may infer that Paul had a ship specially prepared for his journey.

The arrival in Troas of Paul's companions and of Paul himself did not take place at the same time. The Apostles Paul and Luke delayed somewhat in Philippi because of the feast of Pascha, which is also called by the Jewish name, the Days of Unleavened Bread. During those days the Jews did not eat leavened bread, in remembrance that at the first Pascha they ate only unleavened bread (see Lk 22:1). According to Bishop Michael's remark, 'Paul celebrated this Pascha in his Christian freedom and in a Christian spirit.' 'The writer of Acts does not indicate why his companions went ahead. Perhaps it was to prepare a more convenient voyage for Paul from Troas onward.