Acts 28:2Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

It is explained what humanity the strangers showed. “They kindled a fire,” says the writer, “and received us all.” Since there was no other means of salvation, for the cold threatened them with death, they kindled a fire. And observe: they did not attack him outright, but showed compassion for his misfortune. They did not proclaim it in everyone’s hearing, but spoke “to one another.” The bonds made them suspicious, because those men were prisoners. Let those who say, “Do not do good to those in prison,” be ashamed. Let us be ashamed before these strangers. They did not know what sort of men the prisoners were. But simply pitying their misfortune, they remembered that they were human beings, and therefore showed them humanity.

The circumstances of the disastrous voyage were meant to draw Paul's companions' attention to him. The event on the island of Malta was meant to dispose the local inhabitants favorably toward him. The harmless bite of the serpent and the healing of many sick people, including the father of the chief man of the island, Publius, during the three-month stay on Malta, were a preparatory means of Providence for the conversion of the island's inhabitants.

When those who were saved had landed, they learned that they were on the island of Melita, or Malta. The inhabitants of this island treated the saved men humanely. They kindled a fire and warmed them, for the weather was rainy and cold. At this time a miraculous event occurred, which made a strong impression on the islanders, who were pagans. When the Apostle Paul had gathered much brushwood and was laying it on the fire, a viper came out because of the heat and fastened on his hand. The pagans thought that this most venomous serpent would cause the apostle certain death. But he shook it off into the fire and suffered no harm. This so astonished the pagans that they came to think Paul was God.

The inhabitants received the shipwrecked men kindly and helped them gather wood to warm their limbs, stiffened by cold and damp. The Apostle Paul also gathered wood. But when he brought a large bundle of dry brushwood and threw it on the fire, a viper, warmed back to life, sprang out of it and “fastened on the apostle’s hand.” Seeing the venomous serpent hanging from his hand. And noticing that he was a prisoner, the simple islanders began saying to one another that he must be some murderer. Though saved from the sea, righteous vengeance was pursuing him even on land. The apostle, not troubled in the least, calmly shook the viper into the fire and suffered no harm. The natives expected that he would fall down dead at once. For a long time they watched him anxiously. When they saw that no harm followed, they changed their opinion, like the rough inhabitants of Lystra, and said that he was God.

"Foreigners," or literally, "barbarians." The sacred writer calls them this not because of any roughness of manners, for the following account of their kindness contradicts that. He speaks from the viewpoint of Greeks and Romans, who called all who did not speak Greek or Roman "barbarians." The settlers of Malta were most likely of Punic, that is, Phoenician-Carthaginian, origin and spoke a Punic dialect. "They kindled a fire" there on the shore, where all the shipwrecked had gathered.

The stay of the Apostle Paul with his fellow disciples on the island of Melita was also marked by many noteworthy and miraculous events. This was done, of course, for a new instruction of his companions and also for the conversion of the Melitans. “Recent investigators almost unanimously acknowledge that the island onto which Paul and his companions were cast was present-day Malta, ancient Melita. It lies about fifteen geographical miles, or one hundred versts, south of Sicily, and about sixty miles from the African coast. The settlers of Malta were, in all probability, of Punic origin, Phoenician-Parthian, and spoke a Punic dialect. The writer of Acts calls them barbarians, not because of any roughness of morals, which the further account of their humanity contradicts.