by Rick Badman

Created on: May 22, 2010

VOYAGE INTO THE UNKNOWN

Christians usually had two choices in Rome; death or recanting of their faith.  Since recanting was rare, usually it was death in the Colosseum either as a flaming sacrifice or prey for a hungry animal. 

Tiberius had been a seaman since he was a child and even saw battle at sea.  But when he became a Christian, he felt compelled to tell others about salvation and gave up life on the sea to devote his time to spreading the Gospel.  But his ministry was short-lived.  He was picked up by the authorities and thrown into prison. 

He was expecting to become food in the arena.  But he was given an option that would pit his skill as a seaman with sailing into the unknown beyond the Pillars of Hercules. 

One day while he was in prayer in his cell, the jailer opened the door and entered with three men and four women that were wearing tattered clothes and fresh wounds from floggings. 

"I know you like to be at sea," said the jailor.  "Now you have the chance to test your skill on a one-way voyage either to life on a distant shore or death as a free person."

Tiberius looked up at the man and said, "Whatever the Lord wills, so be it."

"You and your imaginary Lord.  Your ship will be leaving with the tide.  Be on it with these people.  To show you we aren't heartless, there will be hooks and lines so you can catch fish and a small barrel for you to collect rain water to drink.  There is about five days of water in the barrel already and some loaves of bread.  But for all I know, all of you will fall off the edge of the world."

"May I bring my parchments aboard the ship?"

"I insist you bring them so that they don't corrupt the minds of future prisoners."

"Why would the Emperor allow us to escape Rome in a ship?"

"It's an old ship.  It was going to be scuttled.  So why not get rid of people who drink the blood of their God and eat his flesh too?"

The people were placed in a carriage and brought down to the dock where the old ship was waiting for them.  Tiberius recognized a few of the men who were on the ship.  They had served with him in the navy and had converted to Christianity shortly before he did.  They and five other women were on the ship.  Tiberius prayed for rain and plenty of fish to catch because one barrel wouldn't be enough for 16 people. 

Two men worked the bilge pumps to keep the ship afloat.  The sails caught the breeze

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