15. In this tour the starting-place was at Antioch, as in the former tour. The churches planted in Galatia and Phrygia were visited, perhaps on the line of travel previously chosen, and then acourse was taken direct to Ephesus, which now became the centre of the apostle’s labors, A. D. 54–57.
16. It was at the close of this visit that the remarkable tumult described in Acts 19 took place, A. D. 57.
Paul now left Ephesus for Philippi by Neapolis, as in the previous journey, and thence to Thessalonica and Berœa, and onward by land to Corinth, a journey of about 220 miles through Thessaly and Achaia.
17. But it seems, Rom. 15:19, that at Thessalonica Paul resolved to visit the lands west of Macedonia as far as Illyricum. This was probably in the summer of A. D. 57, and perhaps the autumn. The journey was along the Roman road to Dyrrachium, about 200 miles, and across several ranges of mountains.
While at Dyrrachium it is probable he made a tour about 170 miles to the south to Neapolis, on the Bay of Arta, and returning by the city Apollonia on the Adriatic, came back to Berœa and thence to Corinth. The region which he visited was that Dalmatia referred to in 2 Tim. 4:10. Dalmatia was included in the greater region of Illyricum, and was upon the shore of the Adriatic, being contiguous to Mœsia on the north and Macedonia on the east.
18. After wintering at Corinth, Paul with several friends, Acts 20:4, returned to Achaia, Berœa, and the towns previously visited, to Neapolis, and thence by sea to Troas. At this place the events stated in Acts 20 took place.
Remaining a short time at Troas while his companions took ship, Paul walked across the promontory to Assos, about 25 miles distant by the road, and arrived in time to meet the ship, which had to stop at that city. The place Assos is now a small village known by the name Beiram.
19. From this place they sailed by Mitylene, the capital of the island of the same name, now called Lesbos. Going between the islands and the shore, they passed Chios, Samos, and the promontory and cape at Trogyllium on the then Ionian coast. At Miletus Paul stopped and sent for the elders at Ephesus while the vessel was exchanging freight. Miletus is about 50 miles south of Ephesus. Passing Cos, which is about 55 miles from Miletus, and then the island of Rhodes, they put into Patera in Lycia, which was a seaport of the town of Xanthus, famous for its oracle. Thence, taking another vessel, Acts 21:2, Paul sailed directly for Tyre, on the Phœnician coast. From this city he and his party sailed for Ptolemais, 28 miles southward, where the sea voyage ended.
20. The rest of the journey to Jerusalem was on foot by Cæsarea. The occurrences at Cæsarea are narrated in Acts 21, and on his arrival at Jerusalem Paul was seized in the Temple by a mob comprised of resident Jews, urged on by some who were in attendance upon the feast from foreign parts who had seen Paul abroad in some Asiatic place.
Paul was now protected by the military interferenceof the Roman chief “captain of the band” stationed at the Temple. The history is minutely given us in Acts 21:32–40. By the order of Festus the governor, called the procurator of Judæa, who succeeded Felix A. D. 61, Paul was taken to Cæsarea.