Paul had spent at least two years in Roman jails. He had shown, both in open court and in private conversation with his captors, that he was innocent of any crime under Roman law. But somehow nothing seemed to happen. He realised eventually there was no hope of justice at the hands of Felix, the local official in charge of his case. He needed to go to the top.
Roman law, like British law, was designed to protect the innocent. Since there was always the possibility of bias on the part of the judge hearing a case, it allowed for an appeal to a higher court. This facility was open to any Roman citizen. If he felt consistently denied a fair hearing, he had the right to go to the very highest level, and ask the Emperor himself to try his case, just like an Englishman appealing to the House of Lords today.
Paul's opportunity came when Felix was replaced by a new Governor, Festus. Only three days after his taking office, the Jewish leaders petitioned him to have Paul sent back to Jerusalem to be re–tried. Not for the first time, they intended to ambush and kill Paul on the way (Acts 25: 3). Festus must have realised he had inherited a 'hot potato' from his predecessor, and refused to fall into their trap. However, when the case was eventually heard at his headquarters in Caesarea, the outcome was once again inconclusive. The Jews could not prove any crime, and Paul protested his innocence. The Governor suggested yet another trial, but Paul had already decided to use his Roman privilege – "Caesareri apello" he cried – "I appeal to Caesar". This meant only one thing. He would get to Rome– not as he had planned two years ago, as a freelance preacher, but at least with some hope of justice, away from the steamy, violent hatred of the Jews at Jerusalem. Little did he know, but his journey to Rome at the Emperor's expense was to prove more dangerous than any other episode in his eventful life.
The account of Paul's voyage to Rome occupies a whole chapter of Acts (Acts 27), and is one of the most gripping adventure stories in the Bible. Luke, the narrator, was clearly an eyewitness – he writes in the first person 'we'. He must have decided to accompany the prisoner Paul to minister to him during the voyage and to give moral support to him at Rome. He was thus in an ideal position to recount the disaster that overtook the great ship in which they travelled.
All started well. Paul was one of a number of prisoners being transported to Rome, in the custody of a centurion and a band of soldiers as guards. It seems they travelled on private ships, the fare presumably being reimbursed by the State. The first leg of the voyage, from Caesarea to Lycia near the island of Rhodes, passed without incident. Here they stopped until the centurion found berths on a grain ship sailing from Alexandria to Italy. Surprisingly, in those days, North Africa, including the area which is now the Sahara Desert, was the main source of food for the teeming population of Rome. 'Bread and circuses' were the key to the Emperor's popularity in Rome, and a steady stream of giant vessels crossed the Mediterranean on two long tacks to reach the capital. The size of the vessel can be judged from the fact that although it was designed mainly for cargo, passengers being incidental to the main purpose of the voyage, Luke counted a total, including the crew, of 276 people on board (Acts 27:37).
It was already late summer when they left Lycia, and the wind was blowing from the northeast, a direction that forced the ship out into the Mediterranean towards Crete. Luke comments on their slow progress; "As the wind did not allow us to go on, we sailed under the lee of Crete off Salmone. Coasting along with difficulty, we came to a place called Fair Havens" (Acts 26:7, 8). A crisis meeting was held at this point. Autumn was fast approaching with its heavy storms, and they had no hope of reaching Italy in a reasonable time. The normal procedure for those days was to lay up the ship in a safe anchorage and over–winter on dry land. It would be expensive and frustrating for modern traders or tour operators to be so restricted by the weather, but in the first century it was a fact of life.
Fair Haven Harbour
The problem was, although Fair Havens sounds a good place to lay up a ship, it was too exposed for the peace of mind of the Captain, who advised risking another short voyage around Crete to Phoenice in the southwest. Paul was against this idea. He was uncomfortably familiar with the Mediterranean, having already been shipwrecked three times. The season was now so advanced that the danger from even a short voyage, in his view outweighed the advantage of a better harbour.
Phoenice
Paul was against this idea. He was uncomfortably familiar with the Mediterranean, having already been shipwrecked three times. The season was now so advanced that the danger from even a short voyage, in his view outweighed the advantage of a better harbour.
to happen. He realised eventually there was no hope of justice at the hands of Felix, the local official in charge of his case. He needed to go to the top. 
