The Catholic bulletin. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1911-1995, 1913-08-02
THE VOYAGE OF ST. PAUL
DOWN THE MEDITERRANEAN
CONTRASTING THE TRAV-
ELER OF TODAY.
Naples, June 25. 1913.

Naples, June %, 1913.
Last week l noted how the mem
cries of the Greek and Latin classics
are revived by voyage from Malta
to Naples, and especially in the pas
sage up through the Straits of Mes
sina, where every object has been
described by poets from Homer down.
But in passing up through the Straits
of Messina I had in thought another
seafarer, who was not a creation of
Homer's poetic fancy, but who in
truth made the passage on board a
ship that was carrying him as pris-
oner to Rome. He had himself ap-
pealed to Caesar against the accusa-
lions of his own countrymen, and he
was now proceeding in chains to Rome
to appear before Caesar l had, in
deed, thought of him not only at Mes
sina, but many times during the voy-
age; for he had made this very same
journey from Malta to Naples and by
the very same route.
1t was in the springtime and prob
ably in the year 81 of our era that
st. Paul made this passage. The boat
which carried him called at Rhegium,
which is now the Italian Reggie on
the coast of Calabria. The sacred
record does not say whether or how
long they stopped at Messina. The
people of Messina have a tradition
that st. Paul preached the Gospel to
their ancestors. Of course that could
have happened at another time. He
landed at Puteoli, the modern Puz-
zuoli, outside Naples, which was even
then perhaps the greatest port on
the Mediterranean, where the grain
from Egypt and Asia Minor was
landed for Rome.
One cannot make the journey to.
day, or, indeed, any journey in the
Eastern Mediterranean, without think
ing of the voyage of st. Paul. The
Catholic reader will find it described
in Chapters 27-28 of the Acts of the
Apostles. The description is graphic
and a masterpiece of historical com
position in it's succinctness. 1t was
written by st. Luke, and, indeed, could
have been written only by an eye
witness. He accompanied ST. Pau
and wrote what he had seen. He was
a born historian, with the natura
gifts required for the work The rec
ord he has left us is, of course, in
spired; but the grace of inspiration
like every other grace of God, does
not destroy but perfects, guides, ant
uses the natural talents. Let the
reader be sure to look up these two
last chapters of the Acts of the Apos
ties. They will repay the trouble
both in spiritual and intellectual food
But sitting on board a ship today
on the Mediterranean the Catholic
traveller will not only think of the
voyage of st. Paul, but will be forced
to contrast its circumstances with his
own. He will compare the ships o
that day with those of this, the hard
ships of the sea then with the com
forts and luxuries of modern cruise
and he will try, perhaps in vain, tt
imagine how the people of those days
, accomplished all they did without tn,
advantages of all we have learned ant
invented during the course of twC
thousand years. Still there are som,
things we do know in regard to thos,
times, and, thanks to st. Luke, in re
gard to that voyage. They had n,
compass. They kept in sight of Lane
: so long as that was possible. Whel
they were obliged to pass out of thu
sight of land they were guided by tn,
sun at day and by the stars at night
Out of sight of land in bad weathe
they had no means to determine thei
whereabouts; and that was the pligh
of the ship that carried ST. Paul from
the East for two full weeks before
struck the rocks at Malta. What wa
their accommodation even in goo,
weather? What was their shelter a
/ night? What their food and thei
manner of taking it?
There is one verse in the chapter
of the Acts referred to which vii
; surely set the reader thinking. 81
; Luke tells us that the ship whicl
; was wrecked at Malta carried tw,
!. hundred and seventy-four souls. Tha
: the reader will say, could not hav
{ been a very small vessel And Gel
tainIy it could not, no matter how W
, may imagine them to have been az
/, commodated The writer of this say
!, as exhibited at the Worlds Fair il
/. 1893 the ship in which Columbu
) crossed the Atlantic and discovere
4 America; and certainly it would b
: dificult to put two hundred and sen
! av,4xy e,..v v1orcnnc aboard II IN ~