The life and work of St. Paul

THE LAST JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM. 515
day they anchored off rocky Chios, whose green fields wore the fabled birth-
place of Homer. 1 Next day they touched for a short time at Samos, and then
sailed across the narrow channel to anchor for the night in the island-harbour
of Trogyllium, under the ridge of Mycale, so famous for Conon's victory.
Next day, sailing past the entrance of the harbour of Ephesus, they came to
anchor at Miletus. St. Paul would gladly have visited Ephesus if time had
permitted, but he was so anxious to do all in his power to reach Jerusalem by
Pentecost, and therefore to avoid all delays, whether voluntary or accidental,
that he resisted the temptation. At Miletus, however, the vessel had to stop,
and Paul determined to utilise the brief delay. He had probably arrived
bout noon, and at once sent a messenger to the elders of the Church of
Ephesus to come and see him. 2 It was but a distance of from thirty to forty
niiles along a well-kept road, and the elders 3
might easily be with him by the
next day, which, reckoning from his departure at Troas, was probably a
Sunday. He spent the day in "their company, and before parting delivered
them an address which abounds in his peculiar forms of expression, and gives
a deeply interesting sketch of his work at Ephesus.
" Te know," he said, " how from the first day on which I set foot in Asia I
bore myself with you, serving the Lord with all lowly-mindedness, and tears,
and trials that happened to me in the plots of the Jews * how I reserved
;
nothing that was profitable, 6 but preached to you, and taught you publicly,
and from house to house, testifying both to Jews and Greeks repentance
towards God and faith towards our Lord Jesus Christ. And now behold I,
6 bound in the spirit, am on my way to Jerusalem, not knowing what may
happen to me there, save that in every city the Holy Spirit testifies to me,
saving that bonds and tribulations await me. But I regard it as of no
moment, nor do I hold my soul so precious to myself 7 as to finish my course, 8
1
TV\b iT)p Si Xwa ivt
oljeei jrcuiraXoeVon (dp. Thuc. ill. 104).
1 It is impossible to determine whether the vessel had been chartered by Paul and
his companions, or whether they were dependent on its movements. Verse 16 is not
decisive.
3 It is of course known that the words "presbyter" and "bishop" are used interchangeably
in the New Testament" (see ver. 28, where the E.V. has "overseers" for
"bishops"). 'Eirric6jrovs rovt irpe&fivTipovt KoAei an