The biblical account of the apostle Paul\u2019s journey, the geography of the route, and the ship\u2019s subsequent stops clearly show that this refers to present-day Malta, located south of Sicily.<\/em><\/p>\n When readers come to the account of Paul\u2019s shipwreck, the question sometimes arises whether the \u201cMalta\u201d of Acts 28 could be some other place, such as Li\u00e8ge in Belgium. But a careful reading of the text leaves no basis for that. Luke, the author of Acts, provides such a consistent route that the location can be identified quite precisely.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd when we had escaped, then they found out that the island was called Melita.\u201d Acts 28:1<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n First of all, attention should be given to the wording itself. Acts 28:1 says that Paul and his companions ended up on an island. Li\u00e8ge is not an island and does not fit the description of a maritime disaster in the Mediterranean region. Acts is not speaking about inland Europe, but about travel along a Roman sea route.<\/p>\n Before that, the ship had struggled through a storm for a long time, and the sailors feared they would be driven onto shoals. This fully matches a sea voyage in the Mediterranean area.<\/p>\n \u201cNow when the fourteenth night had come, as we were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea, about midnight the sailors sensed that they were drawing near some land.\u201d Acts 27:27<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n Here we see a maritime setting: storm, currents, approaching land, and coming ashore. All of this naturally points to the island of Malta, not to a Belgian city.<\/p>\n Acts 27\u201328 contains a sequential description of the journey: Crete, the stormy sea, the island of Melita, then Syracuse, Rhegium, Puteoli, and then Rome. This route fits perfectly with the island of Malta south of Sicily.<\/p>\n After wintering on the island, the travelers boarded an Alexandrian ship and sailed on. Their next stop was Syracuse in Sicily. This is one of the strongest pieces of evidence.<\/p>\n \u201cAfter three months we sailed in an Alexandrian ship which had wintered at the island… And landing at Syracuse, we stayed there three days.\u201d Acts 28:11-12<\/a><\/cite><\/p><\/blockquote>\n If this had been Li\u00e8ge, such a sequence of places would make no sense at all. Li\u00e8ge is far from this sea route and does not lie between Crete, Sicily, and Italy. By contrast, the island of Malta fits the described trajectory perfectly.<\/p>\n Li\u00e8ge is a city in present-day Belgium, in the inland part of Western Europe. It is not an island and has no connection to Paul\u2019s sea journey to Rome. The apostle was a prisoner being transported under Roman guard. The route followed Mediterranean trade lines, not northwestern Europe.<\/p>\n The text also says that the local inhabitants showed the survivors \u201cunusual kindness.\u201d This fits well with the population of an island receiving people after a shipwreck.<\/p>\nThe biblical text directly says it was an island<\/h2>\n
Paul\u2019s route confirms present-day Malta<\/h2>\n
Why Li\u00e8ge does not fit historically or geographically<\/h2>\n