Acts 27:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

See how far Aristarchus accompanies Paul. Aristarchus was here for good and useful purpose, for he could report everything in Macedonia.

Aristarchus is present and accompanies Paul usefully, since he is to report in Macedonia everything that happened to Paul.

At last Festus found a suitable occasion to send Paul to Italy. For this he used a merchant ship whose owner was from Adramyttium, a coastal city in the Asia Minor province of Mysia, not far from Troas. This ship was to sail along the coasts of Syria and Asia Minor. Paul and the other prisoners assigned for transport to Rome were placed on it with this calculation. Later, in some Asia Minor harbor, it would be easy to find a ship departing for Italy. Thus Paul was put on the Adramyttian ship, together with his companions, Luke the writer of Acts and Aristarchus of Thessalonica. The escort accompanying the prisoners consisted of soldiers from the so-called Augustan cohort. It was under the command of a centurion named Julius. This centurion treated Paul humanely.

An Adramyttian ship: Adramyttium was a coastal city in the Asia Minor province of Mysia, not far from Troas and Assos; see the note on Acts 16:7-8 and Acts 20:5-6. The ship was probably a merchant vessel whose owner lived in Adramyttium. For commercial calculations and business, the ship was to sail along the Asian regions, that is, along the coasts of Syria and Asia Minor as far as Adramyttium. It would enter the coastal cities required by the owner's plans. The prisoners, together with the escort, were put on this ship because no other vessel was available that sailed directly to Italy. The intention was to transfer at some Asia Minor harbor to another ship bound for Italy. Given the lively trade between Asia Minor and Italy, such a ship could always be expected there. This is what happened, as verse 6 shows. Aristarchus: see Acts 19:29; Acts 20:4; Col 4:10; Phlm 1:24.

The journey from Caesarea to Rome is described in full detail. It clearly made a strong impression on its narrator, who was among Paul's few companions. Besides the two voluntary companions, there were also unwilling prisoners, guilty of various crimes. All the prisoners were under the charge of Julius, a centurion of the imperial cohort. He was probably on assignment and now had to return to Rome. The necessary number of escorting soldiers was given to assist him. So they boarded a ship belonging to inhabitants of the small coastal city of Adramyttium, in Mysia, not far from Troas. They expected to sail on it as far as that city. There they would transfer to another ship going directly to Italy.