did apostle paul visit malta

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St. Paul in Malta

Christianity has almost 2000 years of history in Malta. According to tradition, it was brought to the Islands by none other than the Apostle Paul himself in around A.D. 60 .

Paul was being taken to Rome to be tried as a political rebel, but the ship carrying him and some 274 others was caught in a violent storm only to be wrecked two weeks later on the Maltese coast. All aboard swam safely to land.

The site of the wreck is traditionally known as St. Paul’s Island , and is marked by a statue commemorating the event.

The welcome given to the survivors is described in the Acts of the Apostles (XXVIII) by St. Luke:

“And later we learned that the island was called Malta. And the people who lived there showed us great kindness, and they made a fire and called us all to warm ourselves… ”

As the fire was lit, Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake but he suffered no ill effects. The islanders took this as a sign that he was a special man. This scene is depicted in many religious works of art on the Islands.

According to tradition, the Apostle took refuge in a cave , now known as St. Paul’s Grotto in Rabat, Malta.

During his winter stay, he was invited to the house of Publius, the Romans’ chief man on the Islands. It was here, according to tradition, that Paul cured Publius’ father of a serious fever. Publius is then said to have converted to Christianity and was made the first Bishop of Malta. The Cathedral of Mdina is said to stand on the site of Publius’ house.

Archaeological evidence seems to support this tradition, as Malta was one of the first Roman colonies to convert. 

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Acts 28 New Living Translation

Paul on the island of malta.

28  Once we were safe on shore, we learned that we were on the island of Malta. 2  The people of the island were very kind to us. It was cold and rainy, so they built a fire on the shore to welcome us.

3  As Paul gathered an armful of sticks and was laying them on the fire, a poisonous snake, driven out by the heat, bit him on the hand. 4  The people of the island saw it hanging from his hand and said to each other, “A murderer, no doubt! Though he escaped the sea, justice will not permit him to live.” 5  But Paul shook off the snake into the fire and was unharmed. 6  The people waited for him to swell up or suddenly drop dead. But when they had waited a long time and saw that he wasn’t harmed, they changed their minds and decided he was a god.

7  Near the shore where we landed was an estate belonging to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us and treated us kindly for three days. 8  As it happened, Publius’s father was ill with fever and dysentery. Paul went in and prayed for him, and laying his hands on him, he healed him. 9  Then all the other sick people on the island came and were healed. 10  As a result we were showered with honors, and when the time came to sail, people supplied us with everything we would need for the trip.

Paul Arrives at Rome

11  It was three months after the shipwreck that we set sail on another ship that had wintered at the island—an Alexandrian ship with the twin gods [ a ] as its figurehead. 12  Our first stop was Syracuse, [ b ] where we stayed three days. 13  From there we sailed across to Rhegium. [ c ] A day later a south wind began blowing, so the following day we sailed up the coast to Puteoli. 14  There we found some believers, [ d ] who invited us to spend a week with them. And so we came to Rome.

15  The brothers and sisters [ e ] in Rome had heard we were coming, and they came to meet us at the Forum [ f ] on the Appian Way. Others joined us at The Three Taverns. [ g ] When Paul saw them, he was encouraged and thanked God.

16  When we arrived in Rome, Paul was permitted to have his own private lodging, though he was guarded by a soldier.

Paul Preaches at Rome under Guard

17  Three days after Paul’s arrival, he called together the local Jewish leaders. He said to them, “Brothers, I was arrested in Jerusalem and handed over to the Roman government, even though I had done nothing against our people or the customs of our ancestors. 18  The Romans tried me and wanted to release me, because they found no cause for the death sentence. 19  But when the Jewish leaders protested the decision, I felt it necessary to appeal to Caesar, even though I had no desire to press charges against my own people. 20  I asked you to come here today so we could get acquainted and so I could explain to you that I am bound with this chain because I believe that the hope of Israel—the Messiah—has already come.”

21  They replied, “We have had no letters from Judea or reports against you from anyone who has come here. 22  But we want to hear what you believe, for the only thing we know about this movement is that it is denounced everywhere.”

23  So a time was set, and on that day a large number of people came to Paul’s lodging. He explained and testified about the Kingdom of God and tried to persuade them about Jesus from the Scriptures. Using the law of Moses and the books of the prophets, he spoke to them from morning until evening. 24  Some were persuaded by the things he said, but others did not believe. 25  And after they had argued back and forth among themselves, they left with this final word from Paul: “The Holy Spirit was right when he said to your ancestors through Isaiah the prophet,

26  ‘Go and say to this people: When you hear what I say,      you will not understand. When you see what I do,      you will not comprehend. 27  For the hearts of these people are hardened,      and their ears cannot hear,      and they have closed their eyes— so their eyes cannot see,      and their ears cannot hear,      and their hearts cannot understand, and they cannot turn to me      and let me heal them.’ [ h ]

28  So I want you to know that this salvation from God has also been offered to the Gentiles, and they will accept it.” [ i ]

30  For the next two years, Paul lived in Rome at his own expense. [ j ] He welcomed all who visited him, 31  boldly proclaiming the Kingdom of God and teaching about the Lord Jesus Christ. And no one tried to stop him.

• 28:11 The twin gods were the Roman gods Castor and Pollux.
• 28:12 Syracuse was on the island of Sicily.
• 28:13 Rhegium was on the southern tip of Italy.
• 28:14 Greek brothers.
• 28:15a Greek brothers.
• 28:15b The Forum was about 43 miles (70 kilometers) from Rome.
• 28:15c The Three Taverns was about 35 miles (57 kilometers) from Rome.
• 28:26-27 Isa 6:9-10 (Greek version).
• 28:28 Some manuscripts add verse 29, And when he had said these words, the Jews departed, greatly disagreeing with each other.
• 28:30 Or in his own rented quarters.

Holy Bible , New Living Translation, copyright © 1996, 2004, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc. , Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

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Paul's Ship Traveling to Malta

Illustration of an Paul's Ship to the Island of Malta

The Apostle Paul's ship was actually a grain ship like the image above. It was of enormous size and the corn ship that Paul traveled on carried 276 men. Ships of this size had a tonnage of 2,600 tons.

The hull ran up to a bird's-head carving above the bows and a bird's-tail at the stern. In the midst was a high mast, usually of cedar wood and near the prow was a smaller one for hoisting a small sail. Two large oars were used to steer. On the deck was a wooden hut for the helmsman which was also used as a temple of worship containing an idol.

The below sketch shows the ship that Paul had traveled on anchored on the fourteenth day of the storm. Scholars have calculated that a ship sailing under the conditions mentioned in Acts 27 would need just fourteen days to get from Crete to Malta:

"And as day was about to dawn, Paul implored them all to take food, saying, "Today is the fourteenth day you have waited and continued without food, and eaten nothing. Therefore I urge you to take nourishment, for this is for your survival, since not a hair will fall from the head of any of you." And when he had said these things, he took bread and gave thanks to God in the presence of them all; and when he had broken it he began to eat. Then they were all encouraged, and also took food themselves. And in all we were two hundred and seventy-six persons on the ship. So when they had eaten enough, they lightened the ship and threw out the wheat into the sea.

When it was day, they did not recognize the land; but they observed a bay with a beach, onto which they planned to run the ship if possible. And they let go the anchors and left them in the sea, meanwhile loosing the rudder ropes; and they hoisted the mainsail to the wind and made for shore. But striking a place where two seas met, they ran the ship aground; and the prow stuck fast and remained immovable, but the stern was being broken up by the violence of the waves.

And the soldiers' plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape. But the centurion, wanting to save Paul, kept them from their purpose, and commanded that those who could swim should jump overboard first and get to land, and the rest, some on boards and some on parts of the ship. And so it was that they all escaped safely to land."

- Acts 27:33-44

Paul in Eastons Bible Dictionary

Map of Paul's Journey to Rome

Paul in Smiths Bible Dictionary

The Bible Mentions "Paul"

1 Thessalonians 1:1 - Paul , and Silvanus, and Timotheus, unto the church of the Thessalonians [which is] in God the Father and [in] the Lord Jesus Christ: Grace [be] unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ. 2 Timothy 1:1 - Paul , an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, according to the promise of life which is in Christ Jesus, Ephesians 1:1 - Paul , an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God, to the saints which are at Ephesus, and to the faithful in Christ Jesus: 1 Timothy 1:1 - Paul , an apostle of Jesus Christ by the commandment of God our Saviour, and Lord Jesus Christ, [which is] our hope; Philippians 1:1 - Paul and Timotheus, the servants of Jesus Christ, to all the saints in Christ Jesus which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons: Acts 20:9 - And there sat in a window a certain young man named Eutychus, being fallen into a deep sleep: and as Paul was long preaching, he sunk down with sleep, and fell down from the third loft, and was taken up dead. Acts 23:6 - But when Paul perceived that the one part were Sadducees, and the other Pharisees, he cried out in the council, Men [and] brethren, I am a Pharisee, the son of a Pharisee: of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question. Acts 23:11 - And the night following the Lord stood by him, and said, Be of good cheer, Paul : for as thou hast testified of me in Jerusalem, so must thou bear witness also at Rome. 2 Timothy 4:22 - The Lord Jesus Christ [be] with thy spirit. Grace [be] with you. Amen. <[The second [epistle] unto Timotheus, ordained the first bishop of the church of the Ephesians, was written from Rome, when Paul was brought before Nero the second time.]> Acts 18:14 - And when Paul was now about to open [his] mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O [ye] Jews, reason would that I should bear with you: Acts 19:13 - Then certain of the vagabond Jews, exorcists, took upon them to call over them which had evil spirits the name of the Lord Jesus, saying, We adjure you by Jesus whom Paul preacheth. Acts 23:3 - Then said Paul unto him, God shall smite thee, [thou] whited wall: for sittest thou to judge me after the law, and commandest me to be smitten contrary to the law? Acts 23:18 - So he took him, and brought [him] to the chief captain, and said, Paul the prisoner called me unto [him], and prayed me to bring this young man unto thee, who hath something to say unto thee. Acts 24:27 - But after two years Porcius Festus came into Felix' room: and Felix, willing to shew the Jews a pleasure, left Paul bound. Acts 21:39 - But Paul said, I am a man [which am] a Jew of Tarsus, [a city] in Cilicia, a citizen of no mean city: and, I beseech thee, suffer me to speak unto the people. Acts 21:37 - And as Paul was to be led into the castle, he said unto the chief captain, May I speak unto thee? Who said, Canst thou speak Greek? Acts 16:9 - And a vision appeared to Paul in the night; There stood a man of Macedonia, and prayed him, saying, Come over into Macedonia, and help us. Acts 21:32 - Who immediately took soldiers and centurions, and ran down unto them: and when they saw the chief captain and the soldiers, they left beating of Paul . Acts 27:24 - Saying, Fear not, Paul ; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 1 Corinthians 3:22 - Whether Paul , or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; Acts 15:22 - Then pleased it the apostles and elders, with the whole church, to send chosen men of their own company to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas; [namely], Judas surnamed Barsabas, and Silas, chief men among the brethren: Acts 16:14 - And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard [us]: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul . Acts 25:23 - And on the morrow, when Agrippa was come, and Bernice, with great pomp, and was entered into the place of hearing, with the chief captains, and principal men of the city, at Festus' commandment Paul was brought forth. Acts 28:17 - And it came to pass, that after three days Paul called the chief of the Jews together: and when they were come together, he said unto them, Men [and] brethren, though I have committed nothing against the people, or customs of our fathers, yet was I delivered prisoner from Jerusalem into the hands of the Romans. Colossians 1:23 - If ye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and [be] not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, [and] which was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am made a minister; Acts 23:10 - And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing lest Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down, and to take him by force from among them, and to bring [him] into the castle. Acts 13:50 - But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts. Acts 21:40 - And when he had given him licence, Paul stood on the stairs, and beckoned with the hand unto the people. And when there was made a great silence, he spake unto [them] in the Hebrew tongue, saying, Acts 22:30 - On the morrow, because he would have known the certainty wherefore he was accused of the Jews, he loosed him from [his] bands, and commanded the chief priests and all their council to appear, and brought Paul down, and set him before them. Acts 24:10 - Then Paul , after that the governor had beckoned unto him to speak, answered, Forasmuch as I know that thou hast been of many years a judge unto this nation, I do the more cheerfully answer for myself:

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Table of Contents

Abdiel coin, abijah scarab seal, amarna letters - horse relief, amarna letters - musicians blindfolded, ammonite seal of ahab, ancient roman street, ancient synagogue mosaic with pisces symbol, athens bust of the philosopher metrodoros, pupil of epicurus, athens relief of the goddess dionysos, babylonian creation myth clay tablet, basalt block king esarhaddon, bronze hebrew seal with ahijah inscription, bust of a first century a.d. man, bust of a first century a.d. woman from minoa, bust of the roman emperor nero (54-68 a.d.), caesarea coin, canaanite astarte figurine, carchemish relief of musicians, carved ivory plaques from ahab's palace, darius i enthroned at persepolis - 500 b.c., egyptian wall painting showing a caravan, fortress of antonia pavement at jerusalem temple, four drachma silver coin of antiochus iv epiphanes, four-winged deity from assyria palace of sargon ii, hazor baal mask, hilchiah seal impression, ignatius' martyrdom by lions in the colosseum, jasper seal bears the inscription - "amos the scribe", julius caesar statue, king darius i seated on his throne, lead slingshot found at acco, marble relief of augustus' praetorian guard, marble sarcophagus depicts jesus and his disciples, marble statue of poseidon from the island of melos temple, marcus aurelius - bronze equestrian statue, moabite seal with mesha inscription, mural of tilling and sowing in ancient thebes, persepolis citadel - lion attacking bull relief, persian dignitary from the court of artaxerxes, pharaoh making an offering to the goddess maat, phoenician figurines of goddesses, roman emperor commodus portraying himself as hercules, samaritan temple remains at mount gerizim, sculptures of ammonite deities, statue of amenophis iii as the god amon, stele of naramsin, king of accad, the christian martyrs last prayer by leon gerome, tower of babel painting, ziggurat at ur.

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The proof that St Paul really came to Malta

‘St Paul in Malta and the shaping of a nation’s identity’. Edited by: John Azzopardi and Anthony Pace. Publisher: Office of the Prime Minister / 2010. Pages: 260pp

In 2010 Malta celebrated the 1,950th anniversary of St Paul's shipwreck on the shores of Malta. It was also the year of the visit by Pope Benedict XVI also celebrating the shipwreck anniversary.

To commemorate these two events the government of the time held an exhibition at the Auberge de Castille. This lavishly illustrated book is the catalogue of this exhibition.

To my mind it is still not clear why the exhibition had to be organised by the prime minister and held at his office, the Auberge de Castille. I remember the previous exhibition, which was held at the Catholic Institute in 1960 during the Pauline Centenary celebration.

This commemorative book obviously includes articles by the people you would expect to find - from the prime minister of the time, Lawrence Gonzi, the two editors, the late Dun Gwann Azzopardi and Anthony Pace, the late Peter Serracino Inglott, the late poet Oliver Friggieri (who wrote about the oratorio he wrote about St Paul), Keith Sciberras, Sarah M. Borg and Timmy Gambin.

Unfortunately, the book is without a Table of Contents. There is one other glaring omission. It includes a very good catalogue of the exhibition but for some reason omitted the great polyptych, which used to be in the Medina Cathedral and is now in the adjoining museum. This panel is probably of Spanish origin and has been associated with the circle of Luis Borassa (1360-1426).

The best contribution in the whole book, in my opinion, is that by Stanley Fiorini who lists a series of proofs why St Paul did come to Malta as is written in Chapters 27 and 28 of the Acts of the Apostles.

As author Thomas Freller writes, the abbot of the Benedictine abbey in Veliko Jezera near Dubrovnik on the Dalmatian island of Mljet, Ignjat Djurdevic, provoked a storm with his thesis that Paul was shipwrecked at Mljet, not Malta.

Today, however, there is little doubt among scholars that Paul was shipwrecked in Malta. The next port of call after leaving Malta was Syracuse, just across the sea from Malta.

A north-easterly gale could hardly have blown the vessel onto an island hugging the Dalmatian coastline on its eastern side.

Then there is a general lack of convincing evidence for a Pauline tradition in Mljet in sharp contrast to a vigorously constant testimony in Malta.

As early as in the fourth century AD Christian burials in catacombs started to appear alongside Jewish and Roman burials.

There is a letter by Pope Innocent I to Decentius, bishop of Gubbio, dated 416 that unambiguously stated that the faith in the islands between Sicily and Africa is of apostolic origin.

According to Fiorini, when the Aghlabids launched an all-out attack on the Maltese islands in 869-870 whereas Malta with its own bishop resisted the onslaught and was practically annihilated, Gozo capitulated and survived. When Count Roger II came in 1127 he found a surviving Christian community together with its bishop who came out to welcome him and began turning mosques into churches served by priests who had remained steadfast.

One of the earliest churches to be rehabilitated after the Norman conquest was San Pawl Milqi in Burmarrad.

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Paul at Malta

PAUL AT MALTA.

The general belief of mankind that the -aiorld is umier a just providential government.

Malta.—Its inhabitants.—Their reception of the shipwrecked.—The viper.— Supposition respecting Paul.— Genera! sense among men of Divine justice in the punishment of crime. —The feeling is natural to man.—Is found in all moral codes.—Is traced in early usages.—Is embodied in all laws.— General belief in a Divine arrangement for the discovery of crime. — "Murder will out."—Awakened vigilance.—Difficulty of concealment . —Dr. Webster.—Minute evidences.— Self-betrayal.— General conviction that punishment ought to follow crime. —Theories of punishment.—Often morbid.—It is not for reformation.—Nor for mere restraint.—But a requirement of justice.—And one to which society assents.—The handwriting of God himself on the heart.—The sinner lives in a world of justice.—Justice will follow him wherever he goes.—The universe will acquiesce in his doom.—But there is a way of escape.

"And when Paul had gathered a bundle pt sticks, and laid them on the fire, there came a viper out of the heat, and fastened on his hand. And when the barbarians saw the venemous beast hang on his hand, they said among themselves, No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to l1ve."

Acts xxviii. 4.

THE small island of Melita, or Malta, has a history of its own, not uninteresting or unimportant in the annals of the world. The Knights of Malta, by their exploits, have made its name celebrated; the siege of Malta was one of the most memorable that has occurred in all history. But its principal interest now to us, and to the world at large, is the fact that it is the island on which the great Christian apostle was cast, in his voyage to Rome.

It is situated to the south of Sicily, frcm the nearest point of which it is about fifty-eight miles distant. Its greatest length is seventeen and a half miles; its greatest breadth nine and a quarter. It was well known to the Romans as "a dependency on the province of Sicily;" and the principal harbour, Valetta, must have been familiar to the ancient navigators in the times when the rich productions of India were conveyed by way of the Mediterranean to Europe. Its population was originally of Phenician origin, intermingled at later periods with Greeks; and its language was a mixture of Greek, Phenician, and Latin, having "the same relation to Latin and Greek which modern Maltese has to English and Italian." By the Greeks they were called "barbarians," (iapfiapo1 —the word barbarian (fiipfiapos) meaning properly a foreigner, or one who does not understand or speak the language of a particular people. The word was used by the Greeks to denote all who did not speak Greek (comp. Rom. i. 14; CoL iii. 11). As, however, those nations which did not speak Greek were, in general, less civilized than the Greeks themselves, the word came to denote, as it does with us, those who were rude, uncultivated, and savage in their manners.

It is to be observed, however, that although the name barbarian is given to the inhabitants of Malta, they were a people who, in some respects, were an example to more civilized nations, and their conduct is most favourably contrasted with that of many, even in Christian lands, in regard to such as are driven on their shores. To these shipwrecked strangers they "showed no little kindness." They "kindled a fire," and welcomed them "every one" to its warmth, drenched as they were by the sea, and shivering with cold. Indeed an illustration of human nature might be derived from the manifestation of such kindness by these "barbarians," showing what gentleness, kindness, and compassion may exist in the human bosom though man is fallen, and suggesting the bearing of these virtues on social order, domestic peace, and the general happiness of the world.

But I do not propose to consider that point now. There is another subject presented by the narrative, equally illustrating what there is in man in his fallen condition, and important as relating to the government of God, bearing alike on the course of this world and the world to come. It is founded on the statement that "when the barbarians saw the venemous beast" hang on the hand of Paul, "they said among themselves, 'No doubt this man is a murderer, whom, though he hath escaped the sea, yet vengeance suffereth not to live.'" The word rendered "vengeance"—Sf1cn—means properly custom, manner; prescription, right; a judicial process, lawsuit, trial; then, judgment or sentence of condemnation; then penalty, punishment, vengeance. Here it is the personification of justice or vengeance, and probably has reference to the heathen goddess Vengeance, or Nemesis. The idea is, that there was a sense of justice in the case; that, in their apprehension, such a punishment must have been the consequence of some remarkable crime; that there was a belief among them in an order or course of events on earth which makes it certain that due punishment will overtake the guilty; and that such a punishment is, in itself, proper. Why they supposed that the crime which had been committed was murder, is not known. It is probable, however, that it was because mankind universally believe murder to be the most atrocious crime that can be committed, and the most certain to be followed by deserved punishment.

From the incident as thus explained, I shall deduce the following propositions:—I. That there is, in the bosoms of men, a general sense of Divine justice; a belief that the world is under a moral government, and that crime is to be punished. II. That, under that government, there is an arrangement by which it is believed that crime will be detected. III. That there is a prevalent conviction among men that it is right and proper that this slwuld be so.

I. There is a general sense of Divine justice among men, even among those who are the most barbarous and uncivilized. Such a belief existed among the people of Malta, as one of the promptings of their nature; on this belief they acted without hesitation or doubt; and they may, without impropriety, be regarded as representing mankind at large.

(1.) This conviction, with more or less distinctness, exists in all nations, often imperfect indeed, and often perverted, but still so manifesting itself, as it did on this occasion, as to show that it lies deep in thc human mind. Man is, indeed, fallen; and his faculties of mind, and his views of moral subjects, are sadly deranged. But still there are things remaining in fallen man— fragments, so to speak, of what he was—sympathies, tendencies, aspirations, affections, sensibilities, perceptions of what is right, and promptings to what is right, which show what he originally was, and which show, at the same time, what is the character of the government under which he is placed. There was not probably an original virtue in the heart of man when he was created, of which there is not in him something even now that reminds us of it, and that tells us what he was designed to be. These things which fallen human nature still retains, resemble, in some respects, the half-effaced inscriptions found on ancient*tombs and monuments. The letters of the name have, in part, been worn away by time; the dates are half-obliterated; the dignity of the sleeper within can be only imperfectly proven by the defaced emblems of rank. But skill, and care, and sagacity, may enable us to fill up the partially-lost inscription; to put in a letter here, and a letter there, that shall so completely supply the chasm as to leave no doubt that the true words are restored. In like manner, there are in the soul, half-effaced records of man's original nature and dignity. We cannot read them perfectly. From them alone we never could know entirely what man originally was. Yet they are there; and when they are filled up with the knowledge imparted by revelation, the record becomes complete. The knowledge thus imparted fits in to the rest, as the letters added do to the inscription on the tomb; and we have a correct understanding of what man was.

Among these traces left upon the hearts of men, though fallen, and even though barbarians, I have at present to mention the following:— (a.) The belief in some form of a Divinity, or Divine government, as was indicated in the case of these islanders. (6.) A sense of justice, and a feeling that the guilty deserve to be punished. These are things which tend to illustrate the nature of the administration under which man lives, and the character of that great Being who presides over all. If it should be said, in objection to this remark, that man is conscious of other tendencies, in an opposite direction, and that there are things in his nature quite as universal which seem to indicate the contrary, the reply is obvious. These things, though they exist, are not regarded as matters of obligation, or of right. They are not looked upon with approbation. The nature of man does not teach him to cherish and cultivate them, but to overcome, to resist, to destroy them.

(2.) Wherever men have embodied their sentiments in codes of morals, it has been done in accordance with this view. These codes of morals among men are remarkably harmonious in the main points. They differ in regard to the degree of intelligence, and to the range of subjects; not in the principles on which they are founded.. Men are to do certain things because they are right; they are to abstain from certain things, because they are wrong. To a great extent, also, those things, in both respects, are substantially the rame. If they do not come up to the full measure of the ten commandments of Moses, or of the Sermon of Christ on the Mount (as they, in fact, do not), yet they do not, in the main, violate the principles of either, or enjoin things which are there forbidden. There are no books on the subject of morals, in any language, or in any age, which do not make a distinction between right and wrong; and for the most part, in regard to the same actions. With most striking coincidences, and with no very palpable divergencies, the same things are found on these subjects in Seneca, in Pliny, in Plato, in Confucius, and in Lord Herbert; in the laws of the Republics of Greece, in the Assyrian and Babylonian laws, in the laws of China, in the laws of the twelve tables of Rome, and in the New Testament. This fact may, therefore, also be regarded as an illustration of what mankind considers the government of the world to be.

(3.) The same views are found in a community before there are regular laws in regard to the administration of justice. There never has been a nation or a tribe of men which had not some notions that the guilty should be punished, and especially, as on the island of Malta, that a murderer ought not to escape.

In the earliest ages it was a universal conviction that the duty of avenging the blood of the slain devolved on the "nearest of kin" to the murdered man, and that he was not only at liberty, but was bound to avenge the blood thus shed. Among the Hebrews such a person was known as "the avenger of blood" (Num. xxxv. 19, seq. ; Deut. xix. 6, 12; Josh. xx. 3; 2 Sam. xiv. 11). His business was to see that the offender should not escape, but that he who slew should himself be slain. Such a person was recognized in all Oriental nations; such a person is found everywhere in the rude stages of society. Among American savages this duty devolved, as elsewhere, on the nearest kinsman; and, among these tribes, it became the business of life to pursue the guilty, to seek him out, and to accomplish his death,—or if vengeance could not be wrought by the kinsman himself, and on the offender, the duty devolved on his descendant in the next generation to take such revenge on some one of the tribe to which the offender belonged.

It was not easy to regulate this matter, so as to save from the outburst of passion an innocent man who might be suspected. Nor was it easy to abolish the custom, because the principle was deeply laid in the structure of ancient society. Moses, therefore, who could not at once abrogate it among the Hebrews, sought to control and restrain it, so that the guilty only should suffer. He appointed "Cities of Refuge" to which the manslayer might flee (Num. xxxv. 10—15), and where he would be safe until the case could be properly determined by the forms of law. Subsequently, also, the horns of the altar became a place of reiuge, from which even the guilty could not be torn by violence for the satisfaction of private vengeance (1 Kings ii. 28). Thus, too, in the middle ages, the altar in the sanctuary was regarded as a place of safety from popular violence.

It is manifest, from all this, that there is in the bosom of man a deep conviction of the necessity of punishment, even when that punishment cannot be regulated by law. The "avenger of blood" was the minister of justice,—one who represented what every man felt to be a carrying out of the Divine purpose in the infliction of vengeance.

(4.) The same thing is true in regard to the laws of men. As the world advances in civilization, arrangements for the punishment of crime enter into all laws, and are essential to the organization of civil society. No civil government would be complete without courts, and prisons, and instruments of punishment; or without an array of officers whose business it is to ferret out the guilty, and to bring them to trial. Arrangements for detecting the guilty, and for punishing them, are as universal, and as essential, as houses, and barns, and roads, and bridges, and legislative halls, and graveyards; and we should as soon expect to find a civilized community without the one as the other.

As civilization has made progress in the world, numerous arrangements have also been adopted on the same principle as the appointment of cities of refuge to be places of safety from the avenger of blood. The whole matter of punishment has been taken from the hands of those related to the injured or murdered man, and placed in the hands of independent and impartial men,—the appointed officers of the law; and it is required that those who occupy that position shall be impartial, upright, incorruptible men, who can be confided in alike by the accuser and the accused.

It is material to observe that, while society has made constant advances, still the same principle is recognized, that all this is demanded as connected with the Divine government over the world. The judge, the subordinate officers of justice, the jurymen, are alike the "ministers of God." Each one is appointed under the idea of a general sense of justice implanted in the soul of man; thus carrying out the sentiment in the minds of these barbarians, that justice should be done; and that there is, and should be, an arrangement in the world to secure the punishment of the guilty. This was my first proposition.

II. The second point proposed to be considered was, that there is a process or arrangement under the Divine government by which crime will be detected and punished. This was evidently the belief of these islanders; and it is my purpose now to show that this belief was founded on a state of things which was then open to observation, and which exists everywhere; and that it is not of human invention, but that it lies in the very structure of society —in the very nature of man.

This might be proved in reference to all crime; all forms of guilt. The boy at school who does a wrong to another boy on the supposition that it will be undiscovered, or the boy who in the same way robs an orchard at night, is often surprised to find that the act was known,—that there was some silent observer of what he was doing,—or that some circumstance of which he was not aware has brought his deed out to the light of noonday.

But it will be more appropriate to illustrate this in reference to the particular subject referred to in the narrative,—the commission of an act of murder. These islanders believed that the "goddess of vengeance" would not suffer the murderer to go undetected and unpunished; and that, though the offender had survived one peril—the danger of the sea—yet that another method of punishment had been in reserve, making it impos sible that he should escape. They were in error in supposing that this particular thing was proof on the point; but they were in the right in believing that there is an arrangement designed to find out the murderer, and to ensure his punishment. It has passed into a proverb that "murder will out." The following things may in few words be referred to,—all of which are to be regarded as a part of the Divine arrangement for that purpose; that is, as things which cannot be explained on any other supposition than that.

(1.) There is the awakened vigilance in every community on the commission of an act of murder, making every man feel that he has a personal interest and a personal responsibility in securing, if he can, the detection and punishment of the murderer; in the fact that every man is at once—so to speak—turned into a "detective," to find out the criminal, and to bring him to justice.

(2.) The difficulty of covering up or concealing the crime, so that it shall not be discovered,—a difficulty which is often so palpable, and so wonderful, as to lead to the belief that there is some special Divine agency in preventing the obliteration of all the marks and evidences of guilt. In itself considered, it would not seem to be difficult to obliterate all traces of a murder; to place the knife where it could not be found; to cleanse the axe so that it should not betray the blood upon it; to burn a garment so that it should not reveal the stain; or to consume a body by fire or by some chemical agency, or to hide it by burial, so that no traces of it could be found. Yet nothing is more difficult. Dr. Webster, an accomplished chemist, undertook to hide the evidence of murder by destroying, by chemical process, the body of his victim;—yet it was done in a manner so unskilful and so unscientif1c as to lead to detection, and to elicit the profane remark of another chemist that "he could forgive him for the murder, but not for the want of chemical skill in disposing of the body."

(3.) The very slight circumstances through which detection occurs may be referred to as another illustration of this point. A lock of hair; a footprint in the snow or on the sand; an unguarded remark; the possession of some article of little or no value;—any one of a thousand things in themselves apparently trifling may lead to the discovery.

(4.) We might advert to the madness and folly of him who has committed the crime,—as if abandoned by God. Remorse, compelling him to confess the crime; indications of guilt in sleep, too,—troubled dreams, the language of a guilty conscience;—the fear of every man (" I shall be a fugitive and a vagabond on the earth," said the first murderer; "and it shall come to pass that every one that findeth me shall slay me"),—such things as these betray the murderer, and justify the deep feeling of men everywhere, that, under the Divine government, such crime is sure to be detected and punished.

III. We are prepared now to consider the third point which was to be illustrated,—that there is a general con viction among men that it is proper and right that this should be so. Beyond all doubt these barbarian islanders acquiesced in the arrangement. They not only saw in the fastening of the viper on the hand of the stranger what they regarded as proof that he was a guilty man, but what they regarded as a proof of that which was just and right in the case. On no subject have the sentiments of men been more decided and unanimous than on the conviction that the guilty SHOULD be punished. It would be necessary that the whole structure of society should be altered, and a universal change made in the affairs of men, if this should cease to be the belief of mankind. The belief is equally universal, (when men express themselves freely), that punishment should be for crime; that it is designed to be an expression of the evil of the crime as such; and that, as far as it can be, it is a just measure of the evil of the crime committed. This point is material to the subject; and the views entertained on this affect the whole question of justice and punishment.

There are, indeed, prevailing theories in regard to punishment, which are directly in conflict with this view; but these theories are at variance with human nature as God has made it. They are the results of a morbid sensibility; of false compassion for the guilty; of the aversion of the heart to the idea of punishment,— especially of punishment in the future world. They proceed on the supposition that all the objects of punishment can be accomplished in this life, and that punitive suffering will not extend beyond the grave.

(a) We may observe here, that punishment is not primarily for the reformation of the guilty. Whether it contemplates that at all, or is fitted to secure that, is a secondary question. It is never the direct and immediate object. Certainly this is not, and cannot be, the purpose in inflicting capital punishment; and as capital punishment has been practised in all nations, this fact proves that in the estimation of mankind such is not the design of punishment. Such punishment has not in itself a tendency to reform the guilty. There is no evidence that such result is ever secured by stripes, and chains, and manacles, and hard fare, and excessive toil. It is by the introduction of moral influences; by the self-sacrifices of Howard, not by the stern sentence of law, as pronounced by Jeffries.

(b.) In like manner the design of punishment is not mere restraint ; not the mere securing of a community against the commission of crime. That this may be one object of punishment is to be admitted; but it is not the main purpose. The moral sense of mankind would not be met and satisfied by this.

(c.) There is, then, a higher idea of punishment than either of these. It is founded on the fact that it is deserved ; that justice demands it; that it would be wrong not to inflict it, even though there might be the most abundant security that the crime would not be repeated if the offender were allowed to go at large.

(d.) When punishment is inflicted,—when the murderer dies, the world at large acquiesces in it as right. Men may have no ill-will toward the murderer; no desire that he should suffer; no personal wrong to be revenged; no private feelings to be gratified; no pleasure in his sufferings as such; but they would not dare to interpose to rescue him from the hands of the officers of the law. They do not feel that these officers have done wrong, or stained their hands with guilt in condemning him and in putting him to death. Those officers of the law have done what law appointed; what justice demanded. Vengeance, justice, God, and the sense of right in man, required that it should be done.

In conclusion I remark,

(1.) That these things have been written in the human heart by the hand of God Himself. They would not have been implanted in man, they would not have been found everywhere, if they had not been founded on truth,—if there were not such a thing as justice; if justice did not demand punishment; if punishment were not right. The feelings are a counterpart—a transcript of the mind of God. We cannot believe that the Creator has implanted false and delusive notions in the heart of man; that He intends to make use of a falsehood in order to govern the world ; or that He designs great arrangements in society to be made and perpetuated on illusion and deception.

(2.) The sinner lives in a world over which a just Being presides, and where punishment of guilt is a part of His arrangement as essential as any other thing that pertains to moral government. This is not a world of mere mercy. It is not a world of mere benevolence. It is a world where there is justice, and where justice demands punishment.

(3.) Wherever the sinner goes, this demand will follow him. If he escapes one danger, it will follow him still. If he is rescued from the perils of the sea, the demand follows him when he places his foot on the land, whether the land be barbarous or civilized. If he escapes from this world and flees to another, it will follow him there.

(4.) The universe will assent to the final punishment of the sinner. "Even so, Lord God Almighty," will be their language, "true and righteous are Thy judgments" (Rev. xvi. 7). In the fearful doom of the wicked all worlds will acquiesce, for all the inhabitants of those worlds will yet see it to be right.

(5.) Finally. There is a way in which the guilty may escape from impending judgment. The Son of God— the Lord Jesus—has died for men, "the just for the unjust." He "has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; He was wounded for our transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities; the chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; and the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. liii. 4—6). In Him the guilty may find pardon and peace; through Him the pardoned sinner will be safe on sea or land; whoso believeth on Him will be no more exposed to wrath in this world or in the world to come.

St. Paul’s Shipwreck: His Theology and the Maltese

Published by brenda prato on 10 february 2021 10 february 2021.

The 10th of February is a cherished day for the devoted Maltese Catholics. On the 10th of February we remember when Paul the Apostle came to Malta ‘by accident’. Yes, that is right… he did not intend to come to Malta because he was on his way to Rome to face his death. It was because of such an event that Catholicism was introduced to the Maltese people, who at the time of Paul’s arrival, were pagans.

St. Paul has his own striking theology which is known as Theologia Crucis , that is, the Theology of the Cross. This term was first coined by Martin Luther to refer to the theology concerning the cross, as opposed to the Theology of Glory that focuses mainly on human reason and abilities. The Theology of Glory sees God in works that occur in the world while the Theology of the Cross sees God in the suffering of Christ on the cross. Both theologies therefore see and explain God from different standpoints. The Theology of the Cross means that the believer encounters God in the Scriptures; through our ears and hearts and not through our eyes. In a certain sense, to be able to understand the Theology of the Cross, one needs to remove the ‘Viewing Lens’ and put on the ‘Hearing Lens’ instead. It teaches us how to listen and feel.

For Paul, humanity is the centre of the Father’s will in as much as Jesus died on the cross in obedience to the Father and as an example to all humanity. Looking at the cross, one can understand that God also knew suffering. In this way, a human can relate with what the Son has gone through and find refuge in the Cross. Paul’s argument is that since the Father gave up his only Son for humanity, he would definitely give up all that comes with Christ, including the Spirit,

“He who did not spare his own Son but gave him up for us all, will he not also give us all things with him?” ( Rom 8:32 ).

What was special about the Christ being the one to die on the cross is that he was the Word of God made Flesh. Thus, on the Cross, God suffered as the Trinitarian God being the Father, the Son and the Spirit ( Jn 19:30 ). No other living man could do what Christ did on the Cross and no other man other than Christ could have been able to transform Paul the way that Christ did. The reason is a simple one. Since Christ has two divinities, that of being human and that of being divine, Christ died on the Cross as a human yet he was able to resurrect only because of his divine nature. He was afraid like any other human would be but he trusted the Father and followed the Father’s Will, something which is very divine-like.

Christ died on the cross. Paul, who was a Jew, knew that according to the Hebrew Scriptures, if someone is crucified,

“…his body shall not remain all night upon the tree , but you shall bury him the same day, for a hanged man is accursed by God..” ( Deut 21:23 ).

Paul was persecuting the Jews because he thought it was the right thing to do as they were recognizing Jesus as the Messiah (the same person that died on the cross, in other words, the curse from God). However, on the road to Damascus, Paul encountered the Risen Christ . What did this mean to Paul? The so called curse was countered by the resurrection of Christ. So Jesus was no curse at all.

In Paul, the ministry and life of Jesus Christ are not given importance. There is a lot of emphasis on Christ’s death on the Cross because of Isaiah ( Is 52:13 ) and ( Is 53: 11 ) where Jesus is being prophesized as the suffering servant as it was the Lord’s will to redeem humanity and who was then raised from the dead in glory. What this really meant for Paul is that a person’s suffering, which could be related to the cross, does not have the last word in one’s life because the Servant has indeed risen and thus humanity can be saved. The fact that Christ has risen does not mean that his death was nullified. On the contrary if it was not for the cross, Christ would not have been resurrected, thus the resurrection highlights the cross not denies it. Furthermore, the emphasis remains on the Cross because ‘the tree’ refers specifically to the cross.

There are three important aspects that are always present in the theology of the cross. These are soteriology , eschatology and theology . We see Christ’s suffering and death. So he experienced the worst thing every human being has to go through. So he knows what human beings go through when they die. As Christ redeemed humanity through his resurrection, there is the aspect of salvation ( soteriology ). The important thing here is that God’s power is manifested in the weakness of the Son. So what Christ did, he did it for every human being not just for a few chosen people. Henceforth, humanity was given ‘a second chance’ to reconcile with God and receive God’s judgement, only if humanity accepts God’s grace. Having said that, there is the aspect of justice through revelation ( eschatology ). All this has been done in obedience to God and in accordance to His will. The Father willed it and had the power to become man and go through the hardest event in human life. This is the aspect of God’s power ( theology ).

After the resurrection, the cross is no longer seen as something negative. We need to remember that God the Father experienced the hardships of humanity through his Son on the Cross together with the Spirit. God did not need to do such a thing but having done so allows humanity to realise that God is understanding and loving because He himself experienced what humans fear of the most, that is, suffering and death. Keeping this in mind, we too have a mission similar to that of Christ,

“Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” ( Jn 20:21 ).

With this quote, I will return to where I had started: Paul’s shipwreck in Malta. Paul went out of Palestine to deliver God’s Word and ‘by coincidence’ he shipwrecked in Malta. We see that Paul wrote many letters to many places he visited (e.g., Galatians, Corinthians, Thessalonians, etc.), yet there is no letter for Malta. Interestingly enough, Malta is the only place that he visited where Paul delivered the Word of God through deeds and not through preaching. In Acts 28: 8-9 it is clear that through prayer and the laying of hands, Paul healed many sick people including the father of Publius, the chief official of the island. Therefore, Malta experienced the Theology of the Cross first-hand through Paul’s concrete example. The Maltese then repeated the good deeds of Paul with their fellow brothers and sisters as well as with many other people that came in the island and were foreign to it. My hope and wish is that we remain as Luke the Evangelist describes us: unusually kind ( Acts 28:2 ) and provide those in need with whatever is necessary to survive their journey ( Acts 28:10 ),

Having her name in the Bible, Malta indeed cherishes such historical event up until today and this is why we celebrate the Feast of Saint Paul’s Shipwreck every 10th of February. It is indeed a privilege but it also weighs us with a responsibility to care for others like we cared for Paul and the rest of the crew. Being mentioned in the Bible however, helps us not to deviate from our origin, our principle, our purpose, that of being a people that assists others, even though we may not be many in number.

Viva San Pawl Missierna!

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APOSTOLIC JOURNEY OF HIS HOLINESS FRANCIS TO MALTA (2-3 APRIL 2022)

VISIT TO THE GROTTO OF ST PAUL

PRAYER OF HIS HOLINESS POPE FRANCIS

Basilica of St Paul in Rabat Sunday, 3 April 2022

[ Multimedia ]

____________________________

God of mercy, in your wondrous providence you wished the Apostle Paul to proclaim your love to the inhabitants of Malta, who did not yet know you. He preached your word to them and he healed their infirmities.

Saved from shipwreck, Saint Paul and his fellow travelers found here to welcome them pagan people of kindly heart, who treated them with rare humanity, recognizing that they were in need of shelter, security and assistance. No one knew their names, their place of birth or their social status; they knew only one thing: that these were people in need of help.

There was no time for discussions, for judgements, analyses and calculations: it was the time to lend a helping hand: they left their jobs, and did exactly that.

They lit a great fire, to dry them and warm them. They welcomed them with open hearts And, together with Publius, first in government and in mercy, they gave them shelter.

Good Father, grant us the grace of a kindly heart that beats with love for our brothers and sisters. Help us to recognize from afar those in need, struggling amidst the waves of the sea, dashed against the reefs of unknown shores.

Grant that our compassion be more than empty words, but instead light a bonfire of welcome, that can dispel the memory of the tempest, warm hearts and bring them together: the fireplace of a house built upon rock, the one family of your children, sisters and brothers all. You love them without distinction and you desire that they may be one with your Son, Jesus Christ, our Lord, through the power of the fire sent from heaven, your Holy Spirit, who burns away all enmity and in the darkness of night lights the way to your kingdom of love and peace.

PRAYER IN THE BASILICA OF SAINT PAUL

O God, infinite is your mercy, boundless the riches of your goodness: graciously increase the faith of the people consecrated to you, so that all may grasp and rightly understand the love that created them, the blood that redeemed them, and the Spirit that gave them rebirth. Through Christ our Lord.

Copyright © Dicastero per la Comunicazione - Libreria Editrice Vaticana

Apostle Paul All Cities Visited Map

Below is a comprehensive list of Biblical places linked or related to the Apostle Paul's life and ministry. Many of the destinations were personally visited by him. Some, however, such as Coos, Rhodes and Patara (Acts 21:1), are recorded as landmarks he passed while traveling or are otherwise related to his efforts.

The below listing does not include the names of Roman provinces Biblically linked to Paul, however, such provinces are compiled in our separate series on New Testament Roman Provinces.

Saint Paul, a legendary figure in Malta

While being taken to be judged as a political rebel in Rome, Saint Paul was shipwrecked north of Malta… He would remain here for only 90 days. And yet, this event of 2000 years ago marks the Maltese culture. Many historical and religious places of the archipelago refer to this legendary character of Malta. In the footsteps of Saint Paul, an idea for a tour on the island…

The Islands of Saint Paul, the place of the Shipwreck

On this winter day (60 BC), the storm rages off Malta, St. Paul’s ship runs aground on Il-Gżejer ta’ San Pawl (in Malti). The Maltese rescued 276 shipwrecked people. This date in the history of Malta would “mark” the starting point of the conversion to Christianity of the population then under Roman domination. During your stay in Malta, you can admire from the coast an imposing statue of St. Paul erected in 1845 in memory of this shipwreck, better known as “St Paul’s Shipwreck” in English. A church of the same name can be visited in San Paul’s Bay, a pretty little seaside resort. Itinerary

In the footsteps of Saint Paul in Malta

Although his stay in Malta lasted only three months, legend has it that Saint Paul performed numerous miracles , and thanks to him, the Maltese archipelago was “ spared” from venomous snakes … Of course, he also preached the Gospel to the local population.

Saint Paul lives in a cave located 100 meters from the catacombs that bear his name in Rabat and that you can visit during your vacation in Malta. One day, he is welcomed in Mdina in the palace of the Roman governor Publius. This palace would correspond to the current location of the co-cathedral of the ancient capital of Malta . After miraculously healing Publius’ father, he converted and became the first Catholic bishop of Malta.

Saint Paul takes to the sea… Later, accused of having set fires in Rome, he will be beheaded and Publius will not know a happier end…

Patron Saint of Malta

Patron Saint of Malta, of the co-cathedral of Mdina and of many parishes of Malta and Gozo, venerated by the Maltese population, his feast day gives rise to two holidays, on February 10 and June 29… And at many Festas !

Such is the legend of Saint Paul told in Malta… You will surely come across his statue and his story in a church or a street in Malta and Gozo.

• January 31, 2023

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• Paul and the Snakebite ashore on Malta

Paul was bitten by a snake Oct AD59 – Feb AD60 – Acts 28:1-6 .

They had just come ashore from a shipwreck where the ship was lost but everybody survived. An angel of God had told Paul everybody would be saved.

A poisonous snake attacks and bites him, but he suffers no ill effects, to the amazement of the onlookers. Even a poisonous snake could not stop Paul getting to Rome.

The local islanders said Paul must have been a murderer, but when he did not die they said Paul must be a god.

Later on, Paul heals the father of a high official and cures the ills of all the sick islanders and spends the winter with them.

Background Reading:

Paul ashore on the island of malta.

28:1 When we were safely on shore, we learned that the island was called Malta. 2 The people who lived there were unusually kind to us. It had started to rain and was cold, so they started a bonfire and invited us to join them around it. 3 Paul gathered a bundle of sticks and put it on the fire. A poisonous snake was forced out by the heat and attached itself to Paul’s hand. 4 When the people who lived there saw the snake hanging from his hand, they told one another, “This man must be a murderer! He may have escaped from the sea, but Justice won’t let him live.” 5 But he shook the snake into the fire and wasn’t harmed. 6 They were expecting him to swell up or suddenly drop dead, but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. Acts 28:1-6

Other slides in this module:

• Next 43 Years of the Book of Acts, Acts 18:23
• Next 4 years of the Book of Acts, Acts 18:23-21:18
• Books Burn, Paul is in Ephesus, Acts 19:18-20
• Look in a Mirror, Paul writes to the Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 12:31-13:13
• Satan as an Angel of Light, Paul writes to the Corinthians, 2nd Corinthians 2:5-11 and 11:14
• Paul writes the book of Romans
• Idol or the Golden Calf
• Paul arrested and put in Chains
• First of several trials for Paul
• Paul before the High Priest Ananias and the Sanhedrin
• Second Trial for Paul, this time before Felix
• Paul’s third trial in front of Felix
• Paul’s fourth trial was in front of Festus
• Festus consults with King Herod Agrippa 2
• Paul before King Agrippa for his fifth trial
• Paul, a prisoner, sails for Rome in chains
• Map, Paul sails for Rome and prison
• Paul heals the people on the island of Malta
• Paul under house arrest is still preaching
• Gospel of Luke
• Roman Soldier, The Armour of God
• Comeback, Paul’s plea for Onesimus
• Epaphras took a letter to the city of Colossae
• Run the race
• Map, Paul’s 5th trip which was after the book of Acts was written
• Rome burns, 19 July AD64
• Kiss of Love
• Scribe, Paul’s Letter To Titus
• Paul writes to Timothy a second time
• Victor’s Crown
• The book of Hebrews
• Moses leads God’s people
• Crossing the Red Sea
• Paul back in jail or prison again in Rome
• The Book of Jude
• Jerusalem is destroyed 2nd September AD70
• John on the Island of Patmos
• Eight Characteristics of Jesus
• The Holy City, the New Jerusalem
• Jesus Reigns
• AD96 the end of the book of Revelation and the continuation of the Christian church
• Questions and Answers 1-14
• Questions and Answers 15-28
• Questions and Answers 29-43
• Timeline for Acts part two
• Resources: Acts part one and two
• Next Module » »

A Pictorial explanation of the Bible

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The Arrival of St. Paul on the Island of Malta

Charles poërson circa 1653, crocker art museum sacramento, united states.

Born near Metz in the province of Lorraine, Poërson studied with Simon Vouet , France's prime exponent of the Baroque style. A pupil of Vouet until 1638, he was an early member of the Royal Academy of Painting and Sculpture, founded in 1648. Poërson enjoyed great success in the 1650s. In 1658 he became rector of the Academy, a post he held until his death in 1667.

Each year between 1630 and 1707, the Parisian goldsmiths' guild commissioned a large painting, called the Grand May , for Notre-Dame cathedral. Here, the story is the Apostle Paul's shipwreck on Malta on his way to trial in Rome . As the survivors built a fire to warm themselves, Paul was bitten by a poisonous snake but lived. The Maltese were convinced he was a man of God and converted to Christianity. This painting is a modello, or oil sketch, for Poerson's Grand May of 1653, now lost.

• Title: The Arrival of St. Paul on the Island of Malta
• Creator: Charles Poërson
• Date Created: circa 1653
• Physical Dimensions: 24 3/4 x 20 3/4 in. (62.9 cm x 52.7 cm)
• Provenance: Crocker Art Museum, gift of Alan Templeton
• Medium: Oil on canvas

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St. Paul’s Island – St. Paul stranded on the way to Rome

St. Paul’s Island or Selmunett is an uninhabited island of about 10 ha off Selmun, Mellieha. The Bible says that the sailing ship carrying Apostle Paul on his way to Rome was stranded there. Saint Paul converted the Maltese to Christianity. They named the island off the coast St. Paul’s Island in his honour. There is a statue of St. Paul on the island, which rises about 21 metres out of the water.

Where is Saint Paul’s Island located?

Saint Paul’s Island lies to the north near Mellieħa. The two uninhabited rocks of Saint Paul’s Island (Maltese: Il-Gżejjer ta’ San Pawl) rise up to 21 meters out of the water. The connection between the two rocks, which is only a few meters wide, is washed over during strong swells. Saint Paul’s Island is located at the western end of St. Paul’s Bay. Officially, the area of Saint Paul’s Island is 0.101 km². At the highest point of the island stands the statue of Saint Paul. His gaze is directed towards Bugibba. As Mellieha is up to 160 meters high, all you can see from St. Paul’s is the Selmun beach of Mellieha and the north of Mellieha Bay. To the east and south there is a magnificent view of the Mediterranean Sea, as well as a few hundred meters away from the town of St. Paul’s with Bugibba and Mistra Bay.

How do you get to St Paul’s Island?

From Selmun beach in Mellieha, it is up to 90 meters. You can reach the island by swimming or by SUP and kayak. Otherwise, many boat tours visit St. Paul’s Island. From the island’s pier, a flagstone path leads about 200 meters to the St. Paul’s statue.

How did St. Paul’s statue come to be?

The large statue of St Paul on St Paul’s Island is the work of two sculptors, Sigismondo Dimech (1780-1853) from Valletta and Salvatore Dimech (1805-1887) from Lija. The statue is about 4 m high. Saint Paul holds a book in his left hand, while his right-hand points to the sky. At his feet is the snake which, according to the Acts of the Apostles, bit him on the hand. The statue stands on an 8.3 m high platform by the stone carver Francesco Spiteri. On the attached marble slab is written:

To the Apostle St Paul, Master and Doctor of the Church of all People, Father and Patron of the Maltese. This statue is the same place where he was shipwrecked – together with 275 others – on this island where he had to come and teach the faith of Christ, as his friend St Luke says in the Acts of the Apostles Cap.XXVII. Salvatore Borg, in memory of this event – in the year 1845 – worked hard for its erection.

Paul converted the Maltese to Christianity

Apostle Paul lived in Malta for three months with 275 fellow travellers. He converted the Maltese to Christianity. Paul belongs to them for the Maltese. He is one of the most important saints in Malta. One of the miracles around Paul, the bite by a poisonous snake. Many statues of Paul and pictures of Paul show what happened. The rocks of the shipwreck received the name in honor of the apostle. From Malta, he travelled to Rome via Syracuse, Rhegium and Puteoli. On Feb. 10, Malta celebrates the Feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck (San Pawl Nawfragu and Feast of St. Paul’s Shipwreck) .

Perhaps the most famous Bible quote from Apostle Paul:

If anyone is unwilling to work, he shall not eat.”. (2 Thess. 3:10).

This sounds like a sentence from the party program of the Christian or conservative parties. But it is supposed to come from Paul. Or did Apostle Paul demand the “unconditional basic income” 2000 years ago? The sentence is politically abused by the Christian parties because it is taken out of context. Paul wrote this sentence in his second letter to the church in Thessalonica. The following are the sentences:

2 Thess 2:11 For we hear that some among you walk disorderly, and work nothing, but do useless things. 2 Thess 2,12 But to such we command and admonish them in the Lord Jesus Christ, that they go quietly about their work and eat their own bread. 2 Thess 2:13 But do not be displeased with doing good. 2 Thess 2:14 But if anyone is not obedient to our word in this letter, mark him and have nothing to do with him, that he may be ashamed. 2 Thess 2:15 But do not consider him an enemy, but rebuke him as a brother. … 2 Thess 3:13 But you, brothers, do not grow weary in doing good. 2 Thess 3:14 If anyone does not listen to our admonition in this letter, take note of him and avoid associating with him, so that he may be ashamed; 2 Thess 3:15 yet do not regard him as an enemy, but rebuke him as your brother.

In Thessalonica, the people lived in the near expectation of Christ’s return. In this end-time atmosphere, little or no work was done. Because the new world should be free of work. Another interpretation thinks that the sentence was addressed to the rich, who let them work for themselves. In a Christian community, some should not work and others sit down at the table. An appeal for social equality, and not an appeal against laziness.

The church and Christians agree: Whoever polemicizes this quote against the poor, the sick and people without their own income is misusing the Bible for their own (political) interests.

Was St. Paul’s Island inhabited?

Until the Second World War, the farmer Vincenzo Borg lived on Saint Paul’s Island. He converted the former watchtower of the Order of Malta into a farmhouse. The watchtower resembled the other Lazarus Towers on Malta. Grand Master Lascaris designed the watchtowers in Malta, with three chambers. The tower collapsed, and only two walls remain standing.

FAQ – Do you have question for Saint Paul's Island? We give you the answers!

When was the st. paul's statue erected.

The statue of St Paul was built in the 19th century and inaugurated in 1845. The statue reaches a height of about 12.30 meters on its base.

Is Saint Paul's Island a nature reserve?

St. Paul’s Island is part of the European Natura 2000 network of FHH-protected areas.

Did St. Paul's Island belong to the Order of Malta?

Saint Paul’s Island belonged to the Order of Malta . It is known that for some years the Grand Master of the Order, Jean de la Cassière, was the owner. In 1576, he gave it to Marco di Maria, who renamed it Tal-Barba Marku. After his death, it was renamed St. Paul’s Island.

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November 9, 2018 By Randall Niles Leave a Comment

Paul’s Ministry on Malta

Once safely on shore, we   found out that the island   was called Malta.   The islanders showed us unusual kindness. They built a fire and welcomed us all because it was raining and cold.   Paul gathered a pile of brushwood and, as he put it on the fire, a viper, driven out by the heat, fastened itself on his hand.   When the islanders saw the snake hanging from his hand,   they said to each other, “This man must be a murderer; for though he escaped from the sea, the goddess Justice has not allowed him to live.”   But Paul shook the snake off into the fire and suffered no ill effects.   The people expected him to swell up or suddenly fall dead; but after waiting a long time and seeing nothing unusual happen to him, they changed their minds and said he was a god. (Acts 28:1-6)After Paul and the others made it safely ashore, they discovered that the name of the island was Malta, probably after meeting some of the local residents. Luke described the locals as “barbaroi,” meaning they didn’t speak Greek or Latin. Coins and inscriptions discovered on Malta show that the Punic language and Phoenician script were common, and used alongside Greek and Latin. The Punic dialect was descended from Phoenician, which was extremely close to ancient Hebrew, so Paul would have been able to carry on a conversation with them.

While sitting around the fire after the shipwreck, Paul was bitten by a snake. The locals perceived the snake as a poisonous viper — a consequence of divine judgment. Initially believing that Paul was being punished, the locals probably referred to a goddess that was worshipped on Malta, Justice. “Dike” was the Greek goddess of justice, a daughter of Zeus who kept watch on the earth and reported injustices to Zeus. This goddess also had a Phoenician equivalent named “Sydyk,” and in the account, Luke probably used the Greek translation of what the locals said.

There was an estate nearby that belonged to Publius, the chief official of the island. He welcomed us to his home and showed us generous hospitality for three days. His father was sick in bed, suffering from fever and dysentery. Paul went in to see him and, after prayer, placed his hands on him and healed him. When this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured. They honored us in many ways; and when we were ready to sail, they furnished us with the supplies we needed. (Acts 28:7-10)

After warming themselves around the fire, Paul and his group were welcomed for three days at a nearby estate of a man named Publius, the chief official of Malta. In Greek, Luke referred to Publius as “the first man of the island.” According to inscriptions from Malta, this phrase appears to have been a local political title used on Malta in the 1 st century, which matches Luke’s description. Serving under the governor of Sicily, Publius would have been the local leader of the island.

The estate of Publius would have been a Roman type villa, belonging to a wealthy local man. It appears his family lived on the island with him, including his father who Paul prayed for and healed of a fever and dysentery.

Near ancient Mdina and modern Rabat, is a Roman villa (“Domus Romana”) occupied from the 1 st century BC to 2 nd century AD. This is the best example of a Roman style estate discovered on Malta from the time of Paul. Among the ruins, archaeologists have found all sorts of Roman period artifacts, including coins, pottery, and impressive statues of Emperor Claudius and his daughter Antonia, now housed at the local museum. There were also impressive mosaic floors found in the house. One contains a scene that many believe depicts Samson and Delilah from the Old Testament.

Here’s an interesting side note in Christian history. A man named Publius became the Christian bishop of Athens in the late first century. He was later martyred during the reign of Emperor Trajan around 112 AD. Some scholars believe this was the same Publius that Paul visited on Malta.

Randall acts as the lead writer for ColdWater’s Drive Thru History® TV series and Drive Thru History® “Adventures” curriculum.

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John Paul II, in love with Malta: An island of faith, heroism and devotion

Archdiocese of Malta

“An island of faith, heroism and devotion”: this is how John Paul II described the island of Malta in the Co-Cathedral of St. John in Valletta ( May 25, 1990 ).

It was a special visit on 25 May 1990, almost 26 years after the independence of Malta whose population was 99% Catholic at the time. “And as the Church in Malta awaits the Third Millennium, I wish to offer encouragement and hope for an even more glorious future ,” the pontiff said. 

Matteo Bruni, director of the Press Office, told journalists accredited at the Vatican that it was a trip with 13 speeches and great popular acclaim. 

“I must confess that I am admiring not only the natural beauty of these islands and of the sea, but also their splendid artistic heritage,” Pope John Paul II said of Malta. “Malta will make a lasting contribution to the security and progress both of the Mediterranean area and of the entire world”, said John Paul II at the Grand Master’s Palace ( May 25, 1990 ).

At the Marian Shrine of Mellieha (Valletta), the Pope stressed that Malta is a country “where the Catholic faith has flourished for centuries,” and expressed his hope that its men and women would continue to “make evident to their neighbors the mystery of God’s love as it has been revealed in Jesus Christ.”

The Pope warned on that trip about the changes brought by a “secularized culture” and spoke about the trap of a “false culture of appearances.”

The Eucharistic celebration on the esplanade of the shrine of Ta’Pinu , on the island of Gozo, was also a historic moment.

John Paul II underlined the great hospitality and fortitude of the Maltese islanders, including in the tourist sector: “Whether your work is at home, in the fields or at sea, in the factories or in Malta’s growing tourist industry, offer it to the Lord as a pleasing sacrifice in preparation for the coming of his kingdom!”

In the footsteps of St. Paul

St. John Paul II presented himself as a pilgrim following in the footsteps of St. Paul, who brought the Christian faith to these places long ago. And at the Ta’ Pinu Shrine, he recalled the strong Catholic heritage of the children of Malta, praying that the mighty acts of God might continue to manifest themselves there, then and in the future.

John Paul II explained that Malta represents “a wonderful symbiosis of European and Mediterranean cultures.” In the context of the end of the Cold War, he praised Malta’s “good position” to “observe and participate in the ongoing changes.” 

Pope John Paul II wanted to meet the workers of Malta in St. Margaret of Cottonera Square, inviting them to continue with the “outstanding virtue of the working men and women of Malta” which is their solidarity: “a commitment to the common good; a rejection of selfishness and irresponsibility.”

During his farewell address , the Pope re-emphasized the fidelity of the Maltese people to their cultural and religious heritage. “Your desire to remain faithful to this precious legacy as you seek to promote your development for the good of all is certainly a sign of great hope for Malta’s future,” he said at the end of his 48th apostolic journey.

When St. Paul preached on Malta, tradition holds that he stayed in a cave in Rabat, now found under a church dedicated to the saint. John Paul II visited the grotto on May 27, 1990, and Benedict XVI prayed there on April 17, 2010, on the occasion of the 1950th anniversary of the shipwreck of St. Paul.

John Paul II’s second journey to Malta

John Paul II visited Malta a second time on May 8-9, 2001. He showed intense fatigue during this visit, a few days before his 81st birthday and at the end of an intense and delicate journey that also included Greece and Syria. 

On May 8, 2001, the Pope arrived in Valletta somewhat weakened by the previous days of his journey. Malta, he said, “shows that one can still find in Malta the hospitality that was given to St. Paul the Apostle”.

This visit to Malta was shorter than the previous one, with only four speeches, but it was a continuation of his year 2000 Jubilee trips.

“With this visit, my Jubilee pilgrimage concludes,” he said. And today, “following in the footsteps of St. Paul, I have returned to you, dear people of Malta,” said John Paul II at the conclusion of this ambitious program.

Today, Granary Square, Floriana, is one of the largest open spaces in Malta and is used for large events. It was there, on May 9, 2001, that St. John Paul II celebrated the beatification Mass of three Maltese:

Priest George Preca (1880-1962), founder of the Society of Christian Doctrine; Ignatius Falzon (1813-1865), a member of the Franciscan Third Order who evangelized British soldiers stationed on the island; and Benedictine nun Maria Adeodata Pisani (1806-1855).

In the same square, Benedict XVI presided over the Eucharistic celebration in April 2010, on the occasion of his apostolic journey to the island.

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