Here are the facts that Luke the author of Acts, gets right regarding local places, titles, names, environmental conditions, customs, and circumstances.
🗺️ Facts on Geography, Travel, and Locales (Acts References)
| Fact | Key Term/Detail | Acts Reference |
| Natural crossing between correctly named ports | Sailed to Cyprus, landed at Salamis and Paphos | Acts 13:4–5 |
| Proper port along the direct destination | Sailed to Perga in Pamphylia | Acts 13:13 |
| Proper location of Lycaonia | Fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia | Acts 14:6 |
| Unusual but correct declension of Lystra | Cities of Lycaonia: Lystra and Derbe (grammatical detail) | Acts 14:6 |
| Correct language spoken in Lystra | Spoke in the Lycaonian language | Acts 14:11 |
| Proper port for returning travelers | Went down to Attalia | Acts 14:25 |
| Correct order of approach to Derbe and Lystra | Passed through Derbe and Lystra | Acts 16:1; cf. 15:41 |
| Proper form of the name Troas | Came down to Troas | Acts 16:8 |
| Sailors' landmark, Samothrace | Sailed from Troas, came with a straight course to Samothrace | Acts 16:11 |
| Right location for the river (Gangites) near Philippi | Went out of the city by a river side (The Gangites is locally attested) | Acts 16:13 |
| Proper locations for successive nights | Passed through Amphipolis and Apollonia | Acts 17:1 |
| Sea travel convenient to Athens with winds | Paul departed to go by sea to Athens (implying the best route) | Acts 17:14–15 |
| Correct sequence of places | Sailed from Troas, came to Assos, Mitylene, Chios, Samos, and Trogylium, arrived at Miletus | Acts 20:14–15 |
| Correct name of the city as a neuter plural (Patara) | Came to Patara | Acts 21:1 |
| Appropriate route favored by persistent winds | Sailed away from Cyprus... sailed across the sea of Cilicia and Pamphylia (suggests a northern route against northwest winds) | Acts 21:3 |
| Suitable distance between these cities | Came to Caesarea (approx. 55 miles from Ptolemais) | Acts 21:8 |
| Natural stopping point on the way to Caesarea | From Antipatris, they came to Caesarea (about 30 miles) | Acts 23:31 |
| Best shipping lanes at the time | Sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia | Acts 27:5 |
| Common bonding of Cilicia and Pamphylia | Sailed across the sea which is off Cilicia and Pamphylia | Acts 27:4 |
| Principal port to find a ship sailing to Italy | Came to Myra, a city of Lycia, and found a ship of Alexandria sailing to Italy | Acts 27:5–6 |
| Slow passage to Cnidus against the northwest wind | Sailed slowly for many days and arrived with difficulty off Cnidus | Acts 27:7 |
| Right route to sail in view of the winds | Sailed under the shelter of Crete (south side) | Acts 27:7 |
| Locations of Fair Havens and Lasea | Came to a place called Fair Havens, near which was the city of Lasea | Acts 27:8 |
| Fair Havens as a poorly sheltered roadstead | Because the harbor was not suitable to winter in | Acts 27:12 |
| Rhegium as a refuge for southerly wind | The next day we came to Rhegium. And after one day the south wind blew | Acts 28:13 |
| Appii Forum and Tres Tabernae as stopping places | Brothers came out to meet us at Appii Forum and Tres Tabernae | Acts 28:15 |
🏛️ Facts on Official Titles and Governance (Acts References)
🎭 Facts on Culture, Customs, and Religion (Acts References)
🚢 Facts on Maritime and Environmental Conditions (Acts References)| Fact | Key Term/Detail | Acts Reference |
| Philippi as a Roman colony | Roman colony (kolonia) | Acts 16:12 |
| Correct designations for the magistrates | Magistrates (strategoi) | Acts 16:22 |
| Proper term for magistrates in Thessalonica | Politarchs (politarchas) | Acts 17:6 |
| Correct title for a member of the court | Areopagites | Acts 17:34 |
| Gallio as proconsul | Proconsul (anthupaton) | Acts 18:12 |
| Correct title for the chief executive in Ephesus | Town Clerk (grammateus) | Acts 19:35 |
| Proper title of honor | Temple Keeper (neokoros) | Acts 19:35 |
| Proper term for those holding court | Proconsuls (anthupatois) | Acts 19:38 |
| Use of plural anthupatoi | Proconsuls (anthupatoi) | Acts 19:38 |
| The "regular" assembly | Lawful assembly (ennomos ekklēsia) | Acts 19:39 |
| Permanent stationing of a Roman cohort | Commander (chiliarchos) at Antonia Fortress (implied) | Acts 21:31 |
| Common way to obtain Roman citizenship | Bought citizenship with a large sum | Acts 22:28 |
| Tribune impressed with Roman citizenship | Free-born Roman citizenship | Acts 22:29 |
| Felix being governor | Governor (hēgemona) Felix | Acts 23:34 |
| Cilicia's jurisdiction | Paul transferred from Caesarea to Herod's palace in Cilicia (as a general area) | Acts 23:34 |
| Provincial penal procedure | Trial and accusers/defendant present | Acts 24:1–9 |
| Name Porcius Festus | Governor Porcius Festus | Acts 24:27 |
| Right of appeal for Roman citizens | I appeal to Caesar | Acts 25:11 |
| Correct legal formula | "The charges the accusers brought against him" (general sense) | Acts 25:18 |
| Characteristic form of reference to the emperor | The Emperor (ho Sebastou) | Acts 25:26 |
| Proper title in Malta | Chief man of the island (ho prōtos tēs nēsou) | Acts 28:7 |
| Custody with Roman soldiers | Paul was allowed to live by himself with a soldier to guard him | Acts 28:16 |
| Conditions of imprisonment | Staying at his own expense (hired his own dwelling) | Acts 28:30–31 |
🎭 Facts on Culture, Customs, and Religion (Acts References)
| Fact | Key Term/Detail | Acts Reference |
| Gods associated with Lystra | Zeus and Hermes | Acts 14:12 |
| Presence of a synagogue in Thessalonica | Where there was a synagogue of the Jews | Acts 17:1 |
| Abundant presence of images in Athens | City full of idols (kateidōlon) | Acts 17:16 |
| Reference to a synagogue in Athens | Debated in the synagogue with the Jews | Acts 17:17 |
| Athenian philosophical debate | Debated daily in the marketplace (agora) | Acts 17:17 |
| Athenian slang word for Paul | Seed-picker (spermologos) / Court: Areopagus | Acts 17:18–19 |
| Characterization of the Athenian character | Spent their time in nothing else but either to tell or to hear some new thing | Acts 17:21 |
| Altar to an "unknown god" | To an unknown God (Agnōstō Theō) | Acts 17:23 |
| Greek denial of bodily resurrection | When they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked | Acts 17:32 |
| A Corinthian synagogue | Went into the synagogue | Acts 18:4 |
| The bema (judgment seat) | Judgment seat (bēma) | Acts 18:16ff. |
| Name Tyrannus attested in Ephesus | Hall of Tyrannus (Scholē Tyrannou) | Acts 19:9 |
| Shrines and images of Artemis | Silversmiths who made silver shrines of Artemis | Acts 19:24 |
| The "great goddess Artemis" | Great is Artemis of the Ephesians | Acts 19:27 |
| Ephesian theater as meeting place | Rushed with one accord into the theater | Acts 19:29 |
| Correct name to designate the goddess | Goddess Artemis | Acts 19:37 |
| Use of precise ethnic designation | Beroian (beroiaios) | Acts 20:4 |
| Employment of the ethnic term | Asian (Asianos) | Acts 20:4 |
| Strategic importance of Troas | Paul stayed seven days in Troas | Acts 20:7ff. |
| A Jewish act of piety | Purify himself and pay the expenses of the men | Acts 21:24 |
| Jewish law regarding Gentile use of the temple | They have brought Greeks into the temple and have defiled this holy place | Acts 21:28 |
| The flight of steps | The steps (anabathmous) | Acts 21:31, 35 |
| Ananias being high priest | Ananias, the high priest | Acts 23:2 |
| Local people and superstitions of Malta | "No doubt this man is a murderer... a god" | Acts 28:4–6 |
| Fact | Key Term/Detail | Acts Reference |
| Thyatira as a center of dyeing | Lydia, a seller of purple from the city of Thyatira | Acts 16:14 |
| Danger of the coastal trip | Intended to sail past Ephesus because he would not spend time in Asia | Acts 20:13 |
| South wind backing suddenly to a violent northeaster (Gregale) | A gentle south wind began to blow... not long after a tempestuous wind arose, called Euroclydon (a violent easterly wind) | Acts 27:13–14 |
| Nature of a square-rigged ancient ship | Could not head into the wind, we let her drive | Acts 27:15 |
| Precise place and name of this island (Clauda) | Running under the shelter of a small island called Clauda | Acts 27:16 |
| Appropriate maneuvers for the safety of the ship | Secured the ship with ropes, lowered the gear, and let the ship drive | Acts 27:16–17 |
| The fourteenth night | When the fourteenth night was come | Acts 27:27 |
| Proper term of the time for the Adriatic | Were driven up and down in the Adriatic Sea | Acts 27:27 |
| Precise term for taking soundings and correct depth | Took soundings (bolisantes)... found it twenty fathoms... found it fifteen fathoms | Acts 27:28 |
| Position that suits the probable line of approach | Found a bay with a beach, where they intended to run the ship aground | Acts 27:39 |
| Severe liability on guards who permitted a prisoner to escape | The soldiers’ plan was to kill the prisoners, lest any of them should swim away and escape | Acts 27:42 |
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