On this account sailors keep at a distance when voyaging along the coast

Taking precautions not to be caught off their guard and driven by winds into these gulfs" (Geography 17:3:20; LCL 8: 197). No wonder the sailors on the ship the Apostle Paul was on were in fear of the Syrtis, there was no escape (Acts 27:17).Dio Chrysostom describes the Syrtis in these terms: "The Syrtis is an arm of the Mediterranean extending far inland, a three days’ voyage, they say, for a boat unhindered in its course. But for those who have once sailed into it find egress impossible; for shoals, cross-currents, and long sand-bars extending a great distance out make the sea utterly impassable or troublesome. For the bed of the sea in these parts is not clean, but as the bottom is porous and sandy it lets the sea seep in, there being no solidity to it. This, I presume, explains the existence there of the great sand-bars and dunes, which remind one of the similar condition created inland by the winds, though here, of course, it is due to the surf" (Discourse 5:8-10; LCL I: 239).Strabo was a geographer from Pontus who lived at the end of the First Century BC and beginning of the First Century AD. Dio Chrysostom was a rhetorician and traveler who lived about AD 40 ca. AD 120. Both would be considered near contemporaries with Luke and the Book of Acts. Luke was sandwiched between these two and his understanding of the Syrtis would have been the same as Strabos’ and Dio Chrysostoms’ understanding. Today, the Greater Syrtis is the Gulf of Sirte off the coast of Libya. The Lesser Syrtis is the Gulf of Gabes off the coast of Tunisia (Talbert 2000: I: 552-557, maps 1, 35, 37).The Syrtis is two bodies of water in the Mediterranean Sea, and not a "vast wasteland of sun-scorched sand" on the sandy beaches of North Africa.Rendering a VerdictJosh McDowell gives a prominent endorsement on the dust jacket of this book, "The Lost Shipwreck of Paul is evidence that demands a verdict." If the case of the six anchor stocks were brought before a court, how would an impartial jury reason the case as they evaluate the evidence and render a verdict?The first bit of evidence to be examined is the clear statement of the Book of Acts that the captain and his crew did not recognize the land when it became light (Acts 27:39). If the ship anchored off the Munxar Reef, the captain and crew would have recognized the eastern shore of Malta because it was a familiar landmark for them. Mr. Cornuke’s theory goes contrary to the clear statement in the Book of Acts.The next issue to consider is the "topon dithalasson," the place where two seas meet (Acts 27:41). We would concur with Prof. Buhagiar that the evidence here is inconclusive and that other sites on Malta are just as likely.The third issue to consider is the "bay with a beach" (Acts 27:39). When confronted with the evidence from the maps of Malta from the last 500 years, we can recognize that more than likely the ship’s captain would not have seen the low-lying beach of St. Thomas’s Bay because the Munxar Reef was actually a series of small islands or a peninsula in the First Century AD which would have blocked their view of the beach. Yet the Bible says the crew of Paul’s shipwreck saw a "bay with a beach."The last bit of evidence is the anchors. There are only two actual anchor stocks to consider, anchor stock #2 and anchor stock #3. Anchor stocks #1, #4, #5, #6 cannot be produced and examined. Anchor stock #1 was melted down, #4 is in a private collection, and #5 and #6 were sold on the antiquities market.One could conclude that anchor stock #2 could not belong to a large Alexandrian grain ship because it was too small to be used as an anchor in the stern of the ship. The only anchor stock that might possibly be from a grain ship is #3.The "case" record here shows that credible historical, archaeological, geographic, and Biblical evidence contradict the claim that the anchors found off the Munxar Reef were from Paul’s shipwreck and that the landing took place at St. Thomas Bay. The evidence demands a dismissal of this case!A Response is WelcomedThis article, and others by the reviewer, graciously have been hosted by Dr. Lambert Dolphin on his website (www.ldolphin.org), for which I am grateful. Dr. Dolphin always has followed the admonition of Prov. 27:17 "iron sharpens iron" and has encouraged a free exchange of ideas. As with my previous critiques of Mr. Cornuke’s Mt. Sinai book, Dr. Dolphin has invited him to respond to my articles and the questions, point for point. The invitation is open regarding this article as well. Dr. Dolphin has said he would post any response by Mr. Cornuke that is concise, carefully reasoned and well documented.The questions that need to be addressed would be:•Would the sea captain and his crews have been familiar with and have easily recognized the eastern end of Malta, the Roman Temple at Tas Silg, the Munxar Reef, the entrance to Marsaxlokk Bay, the entrance to the Marsascala Bay and St. Thomas Bay? If not, why not?•In light of the Maltese maps from the last 500 years, was the Munxar Reef a series of small islands or a peninsula in the 1st century AD? If so, would the sea captain be able to see the low-lying beach of St. Thomas Bay and would he dare try and sail his ship through the islands or peninsula? If not, why not?•Could the variety of meanings for "topos dithalasson" fit the description of other places on Malta?•Are the two anchor stocks that can be examined (#2 and #3) from an Alexandrian grain ship? Would #2 be large enough to be a stern anchor of an Alexandrian grain ship?•Is the Syrtis a sandy beach or a body (or bodies) of water? Recommended Resources for Further StudyInsight's ArchaeologyHandbook Bible ArchaeologyDoing ArchaeologyIn the Land of the Bible Bibliography Ashby, Thomas 1915Roman Malta. Journal of Roman Studies 5: 23-80. Azzopardi, Anton 2002A New Geography of the Maltese Islands. Second Edition. Valletta, Malta: Progress Press. Bonanno, Anthony 1992Roman Malta. The Archaeological Heritage of the Maltese Islands. Formia, Malta: Giuseppe Castelli and Charles Cini / Bank of Valletta. 1995Underwater Archaeology: A New Turning-Point in Maltese Archaeology. Hyphen. A Journal of Melitensia and the Humanities. 7: 105-110. Bruce, F. F. 1981The Book of the Acts (NICNT). Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. 1995Paul. Apostle of the Heart Set Free. Grand Rapids: Eerdmans. Buhagiar, Mario 1997The St. Paul Shipwreck Controversy. An Assessment of the Source Material. Pp. 181-213 in Proceedings of History Week 1993. Edited by K. Sciberras. Malta: Malta Historical Society. Burridge, W. 1952Seeking the Site of St. Paul's Shipwreck. Valletta, Malta: Progress Press. Busuttil, J. 1971Maltese Harbours in Antiquity. Melita Historica 4: 305-307. Casson, Lionel 1950The Isis and Her Voyage. Transactions and Proceedings of the American Philological Association 81: 43-56. Cornuke, Robert 2002Paul's "Miracle on Malta." Personal Update (April) 14-16. 2003The Lost Shipwreck of Paul. Bend, OR: Global Publishing Services. Cornuke, Robert, and Halbrook, David 2000In Search of the Mountain of God. The Discovery of the Real Mt. Sinai. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman. 2001In Search of the Lost Mountains of Noah. The Discovery of the Real Mts. Of Ararat. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman. 2002In Search of the Lost Ark of the Covenant. Nashville, TN: Broadman and Holman. Dio Chrysostom 1971Discourses I - IX. Vol. 1. Translated by J. W. Cohoon. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Loeb Classical Library. Diodorus Siculus 1993The Library of History. Books IV.59-VIII. Vol. 3. Translated by C. Oldfather. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University. Loeb Classical Library. Fitzgerald, Michael 1990The Ship of Saint Paul. Comparative Archaeology. Biblical Archaeologist 53/1: 31-39. Franz, Gordon 2000Is Mount Sinai in Saudi Arabia? Bible and Spade 13/4: 101-113. Gambin, Timothy 2005Ports and Port Structures for Ancient Malta. Forthcoming. Ganado, Albert 1984Matteo Perez d'Aleccio's Engraving of the Siege of Malta 1565. Pp. 125-161 in Proceedings of History Week 1983. Malta: Malta Historical Society.

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