Acts 28:14 - Paul Arrives in Italy

There we found some brothers
This phrase indicates the presence of fellow believers, likely Jewish Christians, in the area. The term "brothers" reflects the early Christian practice of referring to fellow believers as family, emphasizing the unity and community within the body of Christ. This aligns with passages like Romans 12:5, which speaks of believers being one body in Christ. The presence of these brothers suggests the spread of Christianity even before Paul's arrival, possibly due to the dispersion of Jews and early Christian missionaries.

who invited us to spend the week with them.
The hospitality shown by these brothers is a testament to the Christian virtue of welcoming and supporting fellow believers, as encouraged in Romans 12:13. This act of kindness would have provided Paul and his companions with much-needed rest and fellowship after their long journey. It also reflects the cultural practice of hospitality in the ancient world, where travelers often relied on the generosity of others for lodging and sustenance.

And so we came to Rome.
This marks the fulfillment of Paul's long-standing desire to visit Rome, as expressed in Romans 1:10-11. Rome was the heart of the Roman Empire, a strategic location for the spread of the Gospel. Paul's arrival in Rome is significant in the narrative of Acts, as it represents the Gospel reaching the center of the known world, fulfilling Jesus' command in Acts 1:8 to be witnesses "to the ends of the earth." This moment also aligns with God's promise to Paul in Acts 23:11 that he would testify in Rome, demonstrating God's faithfulness in guiding Paul's mission.

Persons / Places / Events

1. Paul
The apostle who is on his journey to Rome, fulfilling his mission to preach the Gospel to the Gentiles and to stand trial before Caesar.

2. Brothers
Fellow believers in Christ who are part of the early Christian community in Puteoli, demonstrating the spread of Christianity and the hospitality among believers.

3. Puteoli
An ancient port city in Italy, near modern-day Pozzuoli, where Paul and his companions found Christian brethren.

4. Rome
The capital of the Roman Empire, representing the center of political power and a significant destination for Paul’s mission.

5. Journey to Rome
This event marks the culmination of Paul’s long journey, which included trials, shipwrecks, and divine encounters, as he fulfills his calling to witness in Rome.

Teaching Points

The Importance of Christian Fellowship
The welcoming of Paul by the brothers in Puteoli underscores the strength and encouragement found in Christian community. Believers are called to support and uplift one another, especially in times of trial.

God’s Faithfulness in Fulfilling Promises
Paul’s arrival in Rome is a testament to God’s faithfulness. Despite numerous obstacles, God’s promise to Paul was fulfilled. Believers can trust in God’s promises, knowing He is faithful to complete His work.

Hospitality as a Christian Virtue
The hospitality shown by the brothers in Puteoli serves as a model for believers. Christians are encouraged to practice hospitality, seeing it as an expression of love and service to others.

Perseverance in Mission
Paul’s journey to Rome, despite hardships, exemplifies perseverance in fulfilling God’s mission. Believers are encouraged to remain steadfast in their calling, trusting God’s guidance and provision.

(14) Where we found brethren.--The fact is significant as showing, in the absence of any distinct record, the extent to which the new society had been silently spreading. Who had been the agents in preaching the gospel there we can only conjecture, but a city which was en rapport, like Puteoli, with both Alexandria and Rome, may have received it from either. One or two coincidences, however, tend to the former rather than the latter conclusion. We find in Hebrews 10:24 a salutation sent from "those of (or, better, from) Italy." This would not be a natural way of speaking of Christians of Rome, and we are led, therefore, to think of some other Italian Church. The only such Church, however, of which we read in the New Testament is this of Puteoli, and we naturally infer that the writer of that Epistle refers to it. But the writer was, in the judgment of many critics (see Introduction to the Epistle to the Hebrews), none other than Apollos, the eloquent Alexandrian Jew of Acts 18:24, and some have been led to think that it was addressed to the Hebrew disciples of the Therapeutae, or ascetic, class, in the Delta of the Nile. All these facts tend to the conclusion that there was a connection of some kind between Alexandria and some Italian Church, and the theory that that Church was at Puteoli, though not proven, at least combines and explains all the phenomena. We find from Josephus (Ant. xvii. 12, ? 1) that there was a considerable Jewish element in the population of Puteoli. They had, indeed, spread themselves through the greater part of Italy, and the remains of a Jewish cemetery have been found even near Perugia.

Were desired to tarry with them seven days.--As before at Troas (Acts 20:6) and Tyre (Acts 21:4), so here, we can scarcely fail to connect the duration of St. Paul's stay at Puteoli with the wish of the Church there, that he should be with them on one, or, it may be, two Sundays, that so he might break bread with them, and that they might profit by his teaching. The kindness of the centurion is seen once more in the permission which made compliance with the request possible.

And so we went toward Rome.--The journey would lead them through Cumae and Liternum to Sinuessa, a distance of thirty-three miles from Puteoli. Here they would come upon the great Appian Road, which ran from Rome to Brundusium, the modern Brindisi. The stages from Sinuessa would probably be Minturnae, Formiae, Fundi, and Terracina, making altogether a distance of fifty-seven miles. At this point they would have to choose between two modes of travel, taking the circuitous road round the Pontine Marshes, or going by the more direct line of the canal. Both routes met at Appii Forum, eighteen miles from Terracina. For us well-nigh every stage of the journey is connected with some historical or legendary fact in classical antiquity. We think of the great Appius Claudius, the censor from whom the Via and the Forum took their names; of the passage in the over-crowded canal track-boat, with its brawling sailors, and of the scoundrel inn-keepers, whom Horace has immortalised in the narrative of his journey to Brundusium (Sat. i. 5). All this was, we may believe, for the Apostle as though it had not been. Past associations and the incidents of travel, all were for him swallowed up in the thought that he was now on the point of reaching, after long delays, the goal after which he had been striving for so many years (Acts 19:21; Romans 15:23). . . .

Verse 14. - Intreated for desired, A.V.; came to for went toward, A.V. Brethren. It is very interesting to find the gospel already planted in Italy. The circumstances of Purcell as the great emporium of African wheat made it a likely place for Christianity to reach, whether from Rome or from Alexandria (see Acts 18:24). Luke calls them ἀδελφοί, not Ξριστιανοί (Acts 11:26). Perhaps the name of Christian was still rather the name given by those without, and that of "brethren," or "disciples," the name used by the Christians among themselves. What a joy it must have been to Paul and his companions to find themselves among brethren! Seven days. Surely that they might take part in the service and worship of the next Sunday (see Acts 20:6, 7). It is implied that the philanthropy of Julius (Acts 27:3) did not now fail. So we came to Rome. The R.V. is undoubtedly right. 'We can trace in the anticipatory form of speech here used by St. Luke, simple as the words are, his deep sense of the transcendent interest of the arrival of the apostle of the Gentiles at the colossal capital of the heathen world. Yes; after all the conspiracies of the Jews who sought to take away his life, after the two years' delay at Caesarea, after the perils of that terrible shipwreck, in spite of the counsel of the soldiers to kill the prisoners, and in spite of the "venomous beast," - Paul came to Rome. The word of God," Thou must bear witness also at Rome" (Acts 23:11), had triumphed over all "the power of the enemy" (Luke 10:19). And doubtless the hearts both of Paul and Luke beat quicker when they first caught sight of the city on the seven hills. Parallel Commentaries ...

Greek

[There]
οὗ (hou)
Adverb
Strong's 3757: Where, whither, when, in what place. Genitive case of hos as adverb; at which place, i.e. Where.

we found
εὑρόντες (heurontes)
Verb - Aorist Participle Active - Nominative Masculine Plural
Strong's 2147: A prolonged form of a primary heuro, which heureo is used for it in all the tenses except the present and imperfect to find.

[some] brothers
ἀδελφοὺς (adelphous)
Noun - Accusative Masculine Plural
Strong's 80: A brother, member of the same religious community, especially a fellow-Christian. A brother near or remote.

who invited us
παρεκλήθημεν (pareklēthēmen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Passive - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 3870: From para and kaleo; to call near, i.e. Invite, invoke.

to spend
ἐπιμεῖναι (epimeinai)
Verb - Aorist Infinitive Active
Strong's 1961: (a) I remain, tarry, (b) I remain in, persist in. From epi and meno; to stay over, i.e. Remain.

[the week[
ἑπτά (hepta)
Adjective - Accusative Feminine Plural
Strong's 2033: Seven. A primary number; seven.

with
παρ’ (par’)
Preposition
Strong's 3844: Gen: from; dat: beside, in the presence of; acc: alongside of.

them.
αὐτοῖς (autois)
Personal / Possessive Pronoun - Dative Masculine 3rd Person Plural
Strong's 846: He, she, it, they, them, same. From the particle au; the reflexive pronoun self, used of the third person, and of the other persons.

And
καὶ (kai)
Conjunction
Strong's 2532: And, even, also, namely.

so
οὕτως (houtōs)
Adverb
Strong's 3779: Thus, so, in this manner. Or (referring to what precedes or follows).

we came
ἤλθαμεν (ēlthamen)
Verb - Aorist Indicative Active - 1st Person Plural
Strong's 2064: To come, go.

to
εἰς (eis)
Preposition
Strong's 1519: A primary preposition; to or into, of place, time, or purpose; also in adverbial phrases.

Rome.
Ῥώμην (Rhōmēn)
Noun - Accusative Feminine Singular
Strong's 4516: From the base of rhonnumi; strength; Roma, the capital of Italy.

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