And with much ado sailing by it, we came into a certain place, which is called Good-havens, nigh to which was the city of Thalassa.
μολις τε παραλεγομενοι αυτην ηλθομεν εις τοπον τινα καλουμενον καλους λιμενας ω εγγυς ην πολις λασαια
5 Church Fathers comment on this verse
See how God does nothing extraordinary here and changes nothing. He permits them to sail amid contrary winds, yet even through this He works a miracle. So that they might sail safely, He did not allow them to go out to sea, but they continually kept near the coasts.
The voyage was unfavorable. For many days the ship sailed over the waters of the Mediterranean Sea, yet it managed only to come abreast of Cnidus. Cnidus was a city on the Cnidian peninsula in the Asia Minor province of Caria. With favorable sailing it could be reached from Myra in Lycia in one day. From Cnidus the route to Italy lay southwest, past the northern shores of Crete. But the struggle with an unfavorable wind forced the ship to choose a more southwesterly course, past the eastern shores of Crete. It then put in at Salmone, the eastern cape of that island. Afterward, continuing the same struggle with the contrary wind, the ship came to the so-called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea, on the southern shore of Crete.
It was already late autumn, and the time for navigation was drawing to a close. Therefore, when the ship, struggling against contrary winds, barely reached the so-called Fair Havens on the southern coast of Crete, near the city of Lasea, the Apostle Paul advised them to winter there. Even in the sorrowful condition of a prisoner, he had succeeded in gaining the respect of those around him. He rightly warned against further sailing at such a stormy season.
“Fair Havens, near Lasea”: this is on the southern coast of Crete. Thus, with difficulty they made their way past Salmone. The danger was that, with an unfavorable wind, they might be driven onto the shore or strike underwater rocks. The ship rounded the southeastern side of the island and arrived in the bay called Fair Havens. It was well protected from the northwestern winds, which were precisely contrary to the ship’s course. These winds delayed it and forced it to tack, when otherwise it could have held a straighter course on the intended route.
The travelers spent a very long time circling around Crete. Among other places, they entered the so-called Fair Havens near the city of Lasea, on the southern shore of Crete. The time was drawing near the stormy days after the autumn equinox, in the second half of September, Tishri, when the days of cleansing end. The Apostle Paul, well acquainted with the terrors of sea travel; see 2 Cor 11:25, advised stopping the further voyage over the Mediterranean Sea. He foresaw danger for the cargo and the people. But they did not heed him, since he was not a sailor. See, says Saint John Chrysostom, how free Paul is from pride. So that it would not be evident that he was prophesying, but would seem to speak by conjecture, he said, I perceive.
They would not have believed the prophecy if he had stated it directly. So that it might be clear that Paul did not speak by conjecture, the helmsman, experienced in the matter, said the opposite. The place itself also shows that he did not speak by conjecture, for it was unsuitable. Rather, those who advised sailing farther were speaking by conjecture. Certain Western scholars find it improbable that Luke, an uncircumcised Christian from the Gentiles who wrote for Theophilus, would mark the time by the Jewish calendar. But against this, says I. Nikolin, it is enough to say that the first Christians from the Gentiles very probably used the Jewish calendar before a specifically Christian one had taken shape. They surely had to avoid using their former pagan calendar, which was connected with pagan gods.
Greek text, 16 words with lemma, transliteration and Strong’s number. Tap to expand.
THEOSIS