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     Aside from Jesus of Nazareth, we have a more complete picture of the Apostle Paul than any other New Testament character.  Yet there are some events that are strikingly brief, lacking details, yea even incomplete.
     After Paul had been a missionary for 20 years, he wrote several letters to the church in Corinth.  He recounts the hardships during those years as a Christian “…Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one.  Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was stoned, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea…” (2 Corinthians 11:25).
     Some of those events are mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles (written by Luke) but only briefly.  It seems reasonable that a history about early Christianity, would detail such perils to the Nth degree, not mark it with brevity.  For example, we have record of only one of the “Three times I was beaten with rods,” referring to beatings by Gentiles (Acts 16:22-23).  However, it is possible Paul was beaten in Antioch, but it is not specifically stated (Acts 13:50).  No legal charges justifying the beating, his trial (if any) or the “persecution” he endured are stated.  Interestingly this event was memorable, as Paul himself “briefly” mentioned it again in his second letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 3:11).  This lack of detail denotes the brevity, so often found in the Bible.  Most of the accounts Paul stated about his sufferings in the Corinthian letter are either briefly mentioned in the Book of Acts or are not in the New Testament at all.  An interesting contrast is one of three of Paul’s shipwrecks detailed in Acts 27:13-44.  It is reputed to be one of the most detailed accounts of any shipwreck in ancient history, yet the conclusion of the journey is omitted.
     The occasion of Paul’s voyage was to appear before the Roman Empire’s supreme court, which was frequented by Emperor Nero.  This voyage began when Paul was spotted by enemies in the temple in Jerusalem, who then accused him of being a traitor to the Jewish faith and nation (Acts 21:26-28).  The ensuing riot ended in Paul’s arrest and a plot to kill him (Acts 21:29-22:15).  The conspiracy was discovered, thus Paul was taken to the prison in Caesarea, the capital of Judea (Acts 22:16-23:23).  After two years in prison and hearings before two successive Roman governors and King Agrippa, Paul wanted his innocence to be declared by the Supreme Court in Rome (Acts 23:23-26:32).  Chapters 27:1-28:16 of Acts relate the voyage to Rome and the shipwreck.  The last 15 verses of chapter 28 tell of his two year stay under house arrest in Rome (Acts 28:16, 30).  The book ends abruptly, not even mentioning his supreme court hearing.  No human author would devote seven chapters to this important conflict in Paul’s life without telling us the conclusion.  We can only conclude that the frequent brevity and striking omission is by the design of God through inspiration.

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