Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Acts 27:6

Voyage from Myra to Fair Havens, 6 - 8.

Acts 27:6. A ship of Alexandria sailing into Italy. The centurion obtained here, what he expected he might obtain in one of the harbours along this coast, a new opportunity for prosecuting his voyage farther towards Italy. This opportunity was afforded by the ship bound for Italy, which he found in port at Myra. It evidently was a large and commodious ship; for there were 276 persons on board at the time of the wreck, as we learn afterwards (Acts 27:37). The majority of these, of course, were passengers. It is a popular fallacy to suppose that the trading ships of the Mediterranean, under the Roman Empire, were necessarily small craft. We have abundant proof that they were often of 500 or 1000 tons. This would especially be the case with the great corn ships of Alexandria, which took grain from Egypt to Rome and the other large towns of Italy; and this, as we learn from the subsequent narrative, was one of that class (Acts 27:38). Another Alexandrian ship (Acts 28:11) took these people on board, besides her own crew and passengers. See the Excursus at the end of the chapter.

A question, indeed, arises here, as to why this Alexandrian corn ship was found in harbour at Myra. She was bound for Italy, which is far to the west, and Myra is nearly due north of Alexandria. This question, however, is very easily answered. Independently of the possibility that there might be passengers to be landed at this port, we must remember that the wind had been blowing for some time from the north-west, and that what was unfavourable to ‘the ship of Adramyttium' was equally unfavourable to ‘the ship of Alexandria.' Thus it was extremely natural that a vessel bound from Egypt to Italy should stand to the north, where the Asiatic coast is high and easily seen, where good harbours are abundant, and where the above described advantages as to wind and water would be found. And this is in strict accordance with the practice, under such circumstances, of modern sailing ships in the Levant.

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Philip Schaff's Popular Commentary (4 vols)

Acts 27:6

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