SHIP
Already in very ancient times people sailed on the Nile and the Euphrates. There were small circular boats that went from the upper Euphrates to Babylon (Herodotus 1:194).
The largest river ships could carry up to five thousand talents. To row the Nile, the Egyptians used ships made of acacia wood (Herodotus 2:96).
The OT does not mention the ships of the Lake of Gennesaret, which undoubtedly already existed. During the Roman period there were numerous small fishing boats that roamed the lake (Lk. 5:2; Jn. 6:22, 23; Wars 2:21, 8; 3:10, 9; Life 33). These were rowboats; some of them also had sails (cf. Mr. 4:38 and Lk. 8:23. Josephus mentions the anchor and the pilot (Life 33).
Even before the exodus, the Egyptians, and undoubtedly the Phoenicians, were notable in the art of shipbuilding. Israel was not interested in this activity, despite the strong maritime influence around it, throughout its national history, with the fleets that sailed the Mediterranean. Solomon was the only one who directed maritime commercial enterprises.
Jehoshaphat tried to imitate him, but failed. This maritime activity depended, however, on the participation of Phoenician sailors. The Tyrians carried the cedar and cypress wood for the construction of Solomon’s temple in the form of rafts to the port of Joppa (1 Kings 5:9; 2 Chron. 2:16).
In the same way the wood for the construction of the second temple arrived in Joppa (Ezra 3:7). The crew of the ship on which Jonah embarked was made up of people of various nationalities (Jon. 1:5). During the period of Roman domination there were Jewish pirates (Ant. 14:3, 2; Wars 3:9, 2, 3).
Merchant ships and warships traversed the Mediterranean (Num. 24:24; Dan. 11:30; Jon. 1:3; 1 Mac. 11:1). In times of war, ships served as troop transports (1 Mac. 15:3, 4; 2 Mac. 14:1). Naval battles took place (1 Mac. 8:23, 32; Ant. 9:14, 12; cf. Wars 3:10, 1).
The bow of some types of ship was equipped with an iron spur, intended to split the hull of enemy ships. The ships were propelled by sail, to which oars were sometimes added. The beautiful merchant ships of Tire, made of caulked wood (Ez. 27:5, 9), had masts of cedar, sails of fine linen (Ez. 27:7; Is. 33:23), benches of pine, oars of oak ( Ez. 27:6).
The ship was manned by oarsmen and a pilot (Ez. 27:8, 27). The luxury boats had embroidered sails and rich curtains (Ez. 27:7). Ships of this type went to Tarshish (Jon. 1:3, 5, 6, 13) and even sailed across the Atlantic, from Spain to England.
The Alexandrian ship that carried the apostle Paul from Myra to Malta carried its own crew and 276 passengers, as well as a cargo of wheat (Acts 27:37, 38). Josephus suffered a shipwreck on a ship carrying 600 people (Life 3).
Lucian describes an Alexandrian ship of famous dimensions, thrown by a storm into the port of Athens with a cargo of wheat on board. This ship measured about 55 m. long (no doubt referring to the end of the bow to the end of the stern) and with a width of 13 to 14 m.
Its capacity was to be 1,000 to 1,100 gross register tons. According to Athenae, Ptolemy Philopator’s gigantic galley was around 128 m. in length and 17 in width. During one of Paul’s voyages, the commander of the ship and the ship’s owner met on the bridge where the crew was (Acts 27:11, 30).
This ship, made of wood (Acts 27:44), had a mizzen sail that could be raised or lowered (Acts 27:40). She had the mizzenmast and the great mast, and undoubtedly two steers (v. 40); She had four anchors in the stern, and others in the bow (Acts 27:29, 30).
The ship had a longboat in tow, which could be hoisted to the bridge using ropes (Acts 27:16, 17, 30, 32). Probes were carried (Acts 27:28). The ship generally had eyes painted on each side of the bow. Paul’s ship could not withstand the attacks of the wind, and was left adrift (Acts 27:15).
A painting from Pompeii, depicting a ship from Paul’s time, shows the mizzenmast tilted like a bowsprit to support a square sail. A large mast is pointed out, whose square sail is adapted to a long yard. The central part of the yard rests against the mast.
The stern and bow were frequently raised and twisted, ending in the shape of a waterfowl’s head. The ensign was painted or engraved on each side of the bow (Acts 28:11).
The boat was steered by two large oars that came out from each side of the stern. The anchors were analogous to modern ones. With cables or chains, they centered the ship during storms, preventing it from breaking loose (Acts 27:17).