The missionaries in Siracusa invited us to a baptism last Saturday. Being a Saturday afternoon we had some extra time so we decided to see some extra sights while we were in Siracusa. I have been researching Paul and his stops in Italy. The Paul stop on Sicily was perfect for an extra side trip!
Chronologies of Paul's life are approximate and debated by scholars. At some point around the year 59 he visited Syracuse where he preached - probably in the place where the paleo-Christian Church of Saint John was built. Whatever was said was expressed in Greek, the vernacular of Roman Sicily (where Latin was a second language). It is possible that a few Jews came to hear Paul talk, as there was a Jewish community at Syracuse. There was no subsequent "Letter of Paul to the Syracusans." However, there is no doubt that it was Paul who brought Christianity to Sicily, even though his stay in Syracuse lasted only three days before he departed for Reggio Calabria, Pozzuoli (near Naples) and then Rome.
The description of this journey is found in Acts of the Apostles, 28:11-13.
"After three months we put out to sea in a ship that had wintered on the island. It was an Alexandrian ship with the figurehead of the twin gods Castor and Pollux. We put in at Syracuse and stayed there three days. From there we set sail and arrived at Rhegium. The next day the south wind came up, and on the following day we reached Puteoli."
Palermo native Vincenzo Salerno has written biographies of several famous Sicilians, including Frederick II and Giuseppe di Lampedusa.
 |
| This is a family catacombe, spaces for adults as well as children. |
 |
| Altare di San Paolo! |
 |
| Epigraph of Euskia. |
 | ||
Maps of the Catacombe Di San Giovanni  |
No comments:
Post a Comment