Welcome

Hello,

Hello and welcome to my blog about Acts 27 from the New Testament of the Bible. Acts 27 is about the voyage of the Apostle Paul being transported to Rome to stand trial before Caesar. The ship was caught up in a terrible storm and was shipwrecked on an island. The writer of the book of Acts is generally considered to be Luke, a physician, companion and fellow worker of Paul. The purpose of this blog is to examine the account provided by Luke as an eyewitness account of the events of this voyage and wrecking.

My examination of the text will be from a shipwreck hunter’s standpoint. I am not out to study it as an inspired text although I do believe the Bible to be inspired. My analysis only covers how it is written and what it says. I must examine Luke’s text as I would any report of events and the Bible as a historical document, not less not more. I want to know if the account sounds logical and correct when compared to other shipwreck accounts. I will tell you up front that I have examined many other shipwreck accounts from other centuries, including survivor statements, court records, court-martial testimony, admiralty hearings, ship logs, newspaper accounts and just plain word of mouth stories. There are certain things that happen with regularity in most shipwrecks – a common list of actions. This pattern of events helps determine which accounts are reliable and which are designed to “paint a picture rather than relate the facts”.

I am not trying to convert anyone to my religious beliefs or even my conclusion about this particular account. I am not a Bible scholar, but I am quite versed in shipwreck stories and shipwreck projects. I have studied this particular story in depth and more than once over the last twenty years. My study of Luke’s account has led me to the conclusion that his is an account from an eyewitness and a survivor of this wreck. It more than passes the ‘smell test’ of authenticity. But read it for yourself and make up your own mind.

You may elect to just read the post or you may comment. Please be my guest and feel free to disagree with my conclusions or questions me, I actually have pretty thick skin. Feel free to discuss the text with others. If you elect to comment, all I ask is to please be respectful of other people and their opinions.

Thank you

John Harkins