I have often observed in the writings of many of my Christian friends that they raise an important issue about dying for the faith by saying, “thanks to faithful men like Peter and Paul, as well as the other disciples, Christianity flourished.” Here is the story of Paul from the Bible. Please read on with the question in the title in mind, because I feel like faith and death don’t mix well.
When Saul of Taurus, later named Paul, appeared in Jerusalem to inform James and the elders about his recent missionary trip to Cyprus and Syria, he was met with a widespread rumor that he was teaching Jews living in Gentile countries to abandon the laws of Moses. Despite all he could do to show his loyalty to this law, Paul was assaulted by a mob and would have been killed if Claudius Lysias, captain-in-chief of the Roman garrison in Jerusalem, had not rescued him.
Once in the hands of the Romans, who had to determine whether he was guilty of any crime against Roman law, Paul relied heavily on the fact that he was a Roman citizen by birth. Finally, realizing that the Roman authorities in Jerusalem and in Caesarea, where he was brought before the governor, were currying favor with the Jews and would not give him a fair trial, Paul appealed to Caesar. This took the matter out of the hands of the lesser authorities and made it necessary for the king to send Paul to Rome, where he could present his case before Caesar himself.
Setting sail from Caesarea in a ship from Adramyttium, Paul, with several other prisoners, was placed in charge of a centurion named Julius, a member of Augustus’s cohort. The first part of the trip was uneventful. Julio was kind to Pablo and allowed him to disembark in Sidon and visit his friends and refresh himself. From Sidon, the ship sailed across the Mediterranean Sea “under the lee” of Cyprus, to Myra, a Lycian city. Here they changed ships and took one from Alexandria bound for Italy. Sailing, with some difficulty because of contrary winds, they arrived after many days at Fair Havens, a port near Lesea on the island of Crete.
Here it became clear to Pablo that continuing to sail would be dangerous because winter was near and the winds would be very unfavorable. When he told the centurion of his fears, he was ignored as the captain and the ship’s owner wanted to get their cargo to Italy as quickly as possible. So they moved out of Fair Havens and headed for Phoenix. For a few days the southerly winds were favorable and it seemed that the crossing would be completed without any of the dangers predicted by Pablo. But, after “not long”, a storm blew over them and the ship was thrown helplessly into the stormy waters. Fearing destruction, the sailors began to throw first the cargo and then the ship’s tackle overboard. This made the boat lighter and easier to handle, but the storm was so bad that it seemed to everyone that it was only a matter of time before they drowned on their ship.
Paul encouraged the sailors and gave them hope with the assurance that an angel of God had appeared to him the night before saying. “Don’t be afraid, Pablo, you must appear before Caesar.” This was evidence enough for him that he would not perish at sea but would complete his voyage to Rome.
For fourteen days they sailed, no one knew where. The storm battered their ship mercilessly, and all the sailors could do seemed to be in vain. They were then about to leave their ship for their small boats when Pablo argued that only by staying on the ship could they be saved. The men listened to his advice, mindful of the fact that if they had listened at Fair Havens, they and their ship would have been safe through the winter.
The next morning they found themselves near a bay that had a wide beach. This they found to be the island of Melita, a place inhabited by some “barbarians” who treated them kindly. As Paul was helping to gather wood for the fire that the “barbarians” had built for them, a viper came out of the nearby bushes and “clung to his hand.” When the “barbarians” saw this, they were sure that Paul was a murderer or some other criminal, and they commented to one another: “Surely this man is a murderer who, though he had escaped from the sea, justice has not served.” suffered”. live.”
Paul surprised everyone by throwing the creature into the fire and doing his job unharmed. Those who were close to him expected him to fall down suddenly. When nothing happened, they were shocked and changed their minds towards him, saying that he was not a criminal, but a God.
After three months on the island of Melitta, Paul was taken on a ship from Alexandria that had wintered there and carried north to Syracuse, from there to Reggio and Puteoli, and to Rome. At every stop along the way, Paul met Christians, who greeted him with joy and whom he encouraged with words of advice and praise.
In Rome, he was allowed to live in a house he had rented, but was forced to remain chained by a wrist to a Praetorian soldier day and night. Here, for more than two years, Paul awaited trial. During this period he worked with the Roman Christians and wrote letters to the churches he had founded and to the many friends he had made during his long and eventful life.
As time passed, it became clear to Paul that his case would inevitably end without a conviction. In his second letter to Timothy he expresses this fear. This is a cry of despair for his life, but an expression of faith in the cause for which he had given his life. His work is done and he is about to be “offered”. So he writes to Timothy, his companion and friend, whom he now longs to see. Others have deserted him and he is alone except for Luke. So he urges Timothy to come in a hurry, picking up a few other friends on the way.
Tradition says that Timothy arrived in Rome in time to share in Paul’s last days, but not in time to do anything to save his friend from damnation under Roman law. Paul was tried, but he had no independent evidence to dismiss the charges against him and had to bow to the executioner’s sword. The traditional date is June 29, 62, and the place of execution is said to be the Via Ostia about three miles from Rome, probably in modern Tre Fontane.
Shouldn’t even a fair trial be forthcoming on faith? I wonder why?
(Well, though, Paul said his job was done and he was about to be “offered up.” He didn’t expect to be saved this time. His job was done, and as a man of faith, he accepted it as part of his spirituality. journey).
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