Melita, known in modern times as Malta, is an island located in the central Mediterranean Sea. It holds significant biblical importance due to its mention in the New Testament, specifically in the Acts of the Apostles. The island is renowned for its role in the Apostle Paul's journey to Rome, as recorded in Acts 27 and 28.

Biblical Account

The narrative of Melita is primarily found in Acts 28:1-10. After a perilous sea voyage, Paul and his companions were shipwrecked on this island. Acts 28:1-2 states, "Once we were safely ashore, we learned that the island was called Malta. The islanders showed us extraordinary kindness. They kindled a fire and welcomed all of us because it was raining and cold."

During their stay, Paul performed several miracles, which led to the spread of the Gospel among the islanders. One notable event was when Paul was bitten by a viper but suffered no harm, leading the islanders to initially believe he was a god (Acts 28:3-6). This incident demonstrated God's protection over Paul and served as a testament to the power of faith.

Furthermore, Paul healed the father of Publius, the chief official of the island, who was suffering from fever and dysentery. Acts 28:8-9 recounts, "Paul went in to see him and, after praying, placed his hands on him and healed him. After this had happened, the rest of the sick on the island came and were cured."

Historical and Geographical Context

Melita, or Malta, is strategically located in the Mediterranean, making it a significant point of contact between Europe, North Africa, and the Middle East. Its history is rich with various cultural influences, including Phoenician, Roman, and later Christian influences. The island's hospitable nature, as described in the biblical account, reflects its historical reputation as a place of refuge and safety for travelers.

Theological Significance

The events on Melita highlight several key theological themes. First, they underscore the providence and protection of God over His servants. Despite the shipwreck and the dangers faced, Paul and his companions were preserved. Second, the miraculous healings performed by Paul illustrate the power of God working through His apostles to confirm the message of the Gospel. Lastly, the account demonstrates the spread of Christianity beyond the Jewish and Greco-Roman world, reaching even the remote islands of the Mediterranean.

Legacy

The legacy of Melita in Christian tradition is profound. The island is often associated with the early spread of Christianity and the miraculous works of the apostles. Today, Malta remains a predominantly Christian nation, with a rich heritage that traces back to the apostolic age. The account of Paul's shipwreck and ministry on the island continues to inspire faith and resilience among believers worldwide.Melita

affording honey

Melita

(honey), the modern Malta. This island lies in the Mediterranean 60 miles south of Cape Passaro in Sicily, 900 miles from Gibraltar and about 1200 from Jerusalem. It is 17 miles long. by 13 or 10 broad. It is naturally a barren rock, with no high mountains, but has been rendered fertile by industry and toil. It is famous for its honey and fruits. It is now in the hands of the English. --McClintock and Strong. This island has an illustrious place in Scripture as the scene of that shipwreck of St. Paul which is described in such minute detail in the Acts of the Apostle. (Acts 27:1) ... The wreck probably happened at the place traditionally known as St.Paul's day, an inlet with a creek two miles deep and one broad. The question has been set at rest forever by Mr. Smith of Jordan Hill, in his "Voyage and Shipwreck of St. Paul," the first published work in which it was thoroughly investigated from a sailor's point of view. The objection that there are no vipers in Malta is overruled by the fact that Mr. Lewin saw such a serpent there and that there may have been vipers in the wilder ancient times, even were none found there now. As regards the condition of the island of Melitu, when St. Paul was there it was a dependency of the Roman province of Sicily. Its chief officer (under the governor of Sicily) appears from inscriptions to have had the title of protos Melitaion , or Primus Melitensium and this is the very phrase which Luke uses. (Acts 28:7) Melita, from its position in the Mediterranean and the excellence of its harbors, has always been important in both commerce and war. It was a settlement of the Phoenicians at an early period, and their language in a corrupted form, was still spoken there in St. Paul's day.

Melita

The name Melita was anciently applied to two islands; one in the Adriatic Sea, on the coast of Illyricum, now called Meleda; the other in the Mediterranean, between Sicily and Africa, now called Malta. That the latter is the one on which Paul suffered shipwreck is evident both from the direction of the wind which blew him thither, (See EUROCLYDON,) and from the fact that he left the island in a ship of Alexandria, which had wintered there on her voyage to Italy, and after touching at Syracuse and Rhegium, landed at Puteoli, thus sailing on a direct course. The other Melita would be far out of the usual track from Alexandria to Italy; and in sailing from it to Rhegium, Syracuse also would be out of the direct course. The fact that the vessel was tossed all night before the shipwreck in the Adriatic Sea, does not militate against this view, because the name Adria was applied to the whole Ionian Sea, which lay between Sicily and Greece. See ADRIA. Acts 27:27 28:1.

Malta is a rocky island, sixty-two miles south of Sicily, seventeen miles long and nine broad, and containing nearly one hundred square miles, and 100,000 inhabitants. At an early period it was seized by the Phoenicians; these were dispossessed by the Greeks of Sicily; they by the Carthaginians; and they in turn, 242 B. C., by the Romans, who held it in the time of Paul. After numerous changes, it fell at length into the hands of the English, who since 1814 have held undisputed possession of it. The name of "St Paul's bay" is now borne by a small inlet on the north side of the island, opening towards the east, which answers well to the description in Acts 27:1-44. Here Paul was protected by the hand of God, amid perils on shore as well as in the sea. He remained here three months, and wrought many miracles.

(Acts 27:28), an island in the Mediterranean, the modern Malta. Here the ship in which Paul was being conveyed a prisoner to Rome was wrecked. The bay in which it was wrecked now bears the name of "St. Paul's Bay", "a certain creek with a shore." It is about 2 miles deep and 1 broad, and the whole physical condition of the scene answers the description of the shipwreck given in Acts 28. It was originally colonized by Phoenicians ("barbarians, 28:2). It came into the possession of the Greeks (B.C. 736), from whom it was taken by the Carthaginians (B.C. 528). In B.C. 242 it was conquered by the Romans, and was governed by a Roman propraetor at the time of the shipwreck (Acts 28:7). Since 1800, when the French garrison surrendered to the English force, it has been a British dependency. The island is about 17 miles long and 9 wide, and about 60 in circumference. After a stay of three months on this island, during which the "barbarians" showed them no little kindness, Julius procured for himself and his company a passage in another Alexandrian corn-ship which had wintered in the island, in which they proceeded on their voyage to Rome (Acts 28:13, 14). MELITA

mel'-i-ta (Melite, Acts 28:1): Is now generally identified with Malta. The former error in attributing the reference to the island of Meleda on the East coast of the Adriatic Sea was due to the ancient practice of employing the term Adria to include the Ionian and Sicilian seas.

Malta is the largest of a group of islands including Gozo and the islets Comino, Cominotto and Filfla, lying about 56 miles from the southern extremity of Sicily, 174 from the mainland of Italy, and 187 from the African coast. Malta itself is 17 1/2 miles long and 9 1/4 broad, and contains an area of 95 square miles. Its modern capital, Valetta, is situated in 35 degrees 54' North latitude and 14 degrees 31' East longitude.

The central position of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea gave it great importance as a naval station. It was probably at first a Phoenician colony, and later passed under the influence, if not domination, of the Sicilian Greeks. But the Romans captured it from the Carthaginians in 218 B.C. (Livy xxi.51) and attached it definitely to the province of Sicily. Under Roman rule the inhabitants were famous for their industry, especially in the production of textile fabrics, probably of native cotton. The celebrated vestis melitensis was a fine and soft material for dresses and for the covering of couches (Cicero Verr. ii.72, 176; ii.74, 183; iv.46, 103; Diodorus v.12, 22). At the time when Paul visited the island it would seem that the administration was entrusted to a deputy of the proprietor of Sicily, who is referred to as protos Melitaion (Acts 28:7; CIG, 5754), or Melitensium primus omnium (CIL, x, 7495) (see PUBLIUS). A bay 2 1/2 miles Northwest of Valetta, the mouth of which is held by tradition to be the place where the vessel that bore Paul ran ashore, tallies admirably with the description of the locality in Acts. The Admiralty charts indicate places near the west side of the entrance to the bay, where the depth is first 20 ft. and then 15 ft., while the rush of the breakers in front of the little island of Salmoneta and behind it suit the reference to a place "where two seas met" (Acts 27:41). The inlet is called the Bay of Paul. The topographical question has been exhaustively treated by Ramsay in Paul the Traveler.

George H. Allen

3194. Melite -- Melita (Malta), an island in the Mediterranean
... Melita (Malta), an island in the Mediterranean. Part of Speech: Noun, Feminine
Transliteration: Melite Phonetic Spelling: (mel-ee'-tay) Short Definition: Melita ...
//strongsnumbers.com/greek2/3194.htm - 6k

After the Wreck
... THE ACTS CHAP. XIII TO END AFTER THE WRECK. 'And when they were escaped, then they
knew that the island was called Melita.2. And the barbarous people showed us ...
/.../maclaren/expositions of holy scripture the acts/after the wreck.htm

Acts XXVIII
... Acts XXVIII. XXVIII: 1, 2.((1) "And after they had escaped, they knew that
the island was called Melita. (2) Now the barbarians showed ...
/.../mcgarvey/a commentary on acts of the apostles/acts xxviii.htm

The Voyage and Shipwreck
... called, not one was missing. The shipwrecked crew were kindly received by
the barbarous people of Melita. "They kindled a fire," Luke ...
/.../white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 42 the voyage and.htm

Jerusalem to Rome
... Festus is at a loss what to write about the pris+The Island of Melita to Rome+,
or the adventures of Paul on the third ship (Acts 28:11-16). ...
/.../sell/bible studies in the life of paul/study vi jerusalem to rome.htm

An Exposition of the Chapters of the Acts of the Apostles.
... The shipwreck of Paul, and how they effected their safety on the island of Melita,
and what marvellous things he did on it. ... How Paul reached Rome from Melita. ...
/.../pamphilus/the writings of pamphilus/an exposition of the chapters.htm

Paul in Malta and Rome.
... LECTURES LECTURE XXIX. PAUL IN MALTA AND ROME. Chap. xxviii. THIS chapter begins
with showing us Paul and his company safely landed in the Island of Melita. ...
/.../dick/lectures on the acts of the apostles/lecture xxix paul in malta.htm

The Apocryphal Acts of the Apostles.
... famous Greek scholar Constantine Lascaris in 1490, and had been made use of in the
celebrated controversy as to the situation of the island Melita, upon which ...
/.../unknown/apocrypha of the new testament/part ii the apocryphal acts of.htm

Paul and his Praying (Continued)
... After the shipwreck, while on the island of Melita, we have another representation
of Paul at prayer. He is at his work of praying for a very ill man. ...
/.../bounds/prayer and praying men/xiv paul and his praying.htm

The Acts of the Apostles
... From Cesarea he is sent to Rome, suffers shipwreck on the way, performs miracles
of healing on the island Melita, and on reaching his destination preaches the ...
/.../drummond/introduction to the new testament/the acts of the apostles.htm

In Rome
... Rome. An Alexandrian ship, the "Castor and Pollux," had wintered at Melita
on her way westward, and in this the travelers embarked. ...
//christianbookshelf.org/white/the acts of the apostles/lesson 43 in rome.htm

Melita (1 Occurrence)
... Int. Standard Bible Encyclopedia. MELITA. mel'-i-ta (Melite, Acts 28:1): Is now
generally identified with Malta. ... Multi-Version Concordance Melita (1 Occurrence). ...
/m/melita.htm - 10k

Isle (15 Occurrences)
... 1:9), various islands are mentioned by name in connection with the voyages of Paul,
eg Cyprus, Crete, Lesbos, Samos, Samothrace, Chios, Melita, Sicily (Syracuse ...
/i/isle.htm - 15k

Island (16 Occurrences)
... 1:9), various islands are mentioned by name in connection with the voyages of Paul,
eg Cyprus, Crete, Lesbos, Samos, Samothrace, Chios, Melita, Sicily (Syracuse ...
/i/island.htm - 16k

Tempest (30 Occurrences)
... the Lake of Galilee when Jesus was awakened to calm the waves (Matthew 8:24 Mark
4:37 Luke 8:23); (6) the storm causing the shipwreck of Paul at Melita (Acts 27 ...
/t/tempest.htm - 17k

Rhegium (1 Occurrence)
... v0.6; Pro Archia, 3). The ship in which Paul sailed from Melita to Puteoli encountered
unfavorable winds after leaving Syracuse, and reached Rhegium by means ...
/r/rhegium.htm - 8k

Euraquilo (1 Occurrence)
... James Version eurokludon; the King James Version Euroclydon, u-rok'-li-don): The
east or northeast wind which drove Paul's ship to shipwreck at Melita (Acts 27 ...
/e/euraquilo.htm - 7k

Dioscuri (1 Occurrence)
... Pollux, the Revised Version (British and American) thE TWIN BROTHERS; in margin,
"Dioscuri"): The sign of the ship on which Paul sailed from Melita to Syracuse ...
/d/dioscuri.htm - 7k

Discovery (24 Occurrences)
... one of us: (BBE). Acts 28:1 And when we were safe, we made the discovery
that the island was named Melita. (BBE). Romans 7:10 And ...
/d/discovery.htm - 14k

Myra (1 Occurrence)
... removed from the Adramyttian ship in which he had sailed from Caesarea, and entered
into the Alexandrian ship, which was afterwards wrecked at Melita (27:39-44 ...
/m/myra.htm - 8k

Melki (1 Occurrence)

/m/melki.htm - 6k

Bible Concordance • Bible Dictionary • Bible Encyclopedia • Topical Bible • Bible Thesuarus