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The Apostle Paul and the Guns of Navarone (Rhodes): BP Podcast S1E8

Rhodes appears only once in the New Testament as a brief stop on Paul's final journey to Jerusalem. But this island was home to the Colossus — one of the Seven Wonders — hosted Herod the Great and Octavian, and served as a crossroads of the Crusades. Visit the Acropolis of Lindos and discover the island's surprising biblical significance.

Episode Summary

Brian and John explore the island of Rhodes — the only New Testament mention (Acts 21), the Colossus of Rhodes (one of the Seven Wonders), Herod the Great's connection to the island, and what visitors can see today at Lindos and the City of Rhodes.


Topics Covered

  • Acts 21: Paul stops at Rhodes on the way to Jerusalem from Miletus at the end of his Third Missionary Journey; Luke's day-by-day itinerary (Miletus → Cos → Rhodes → Patara)

  • Ezekiel's mention of Rhodes as a trading partner of Tyre — only other biblical reference

  • The movie The Guns of Navarone (1961, Gregory Peck, Anthony Quinn) — filmed partly on Rhodes; John's personal connection to the film; contrast between watching a movie about a location vs. visiting the Bible lands (Bible only gets richer)

  • Rhodes geography: southwestern Turkey, closer to Turkey than mainland Greece; spearhead-shaped island; 541 square miles (smaller than Hayes County, Texas; about 1/3 of Rhode Island); city of Rhodes at the northern tip, Lindos 35–40 miles south

  • Stag and hind statues on pillars in the harbor — symbols of Rhodes

  • The Colossus of Rhodes: statue of the god Helios; ~105 feet tall; built after victory over Macedonian forces; stood only 66 years before earthquake; debate about location (straddling harbor vs. Temple of Helios courtyard); carried off by Arab raiders in 653 AD; word "Colossus" → "Coliseum" connection (large statue near Nero's Golden House); possible that it was still standing when Paul visited (reference to 2024 article in Ancient Near East Today)

  • Laocoon statue: sculpted by Chares of Lindos (also creator of the Colossus); found in Nero's Palace; now in the Vatican; Trojan War story — Laocoon's warning about the Trojan Horse, the sea snakes

  • Herod the Great and Rhodes: Herod visited multiple times; met Octavian here after the Battle of Actium; switched allegiance from Mark Antony to Octavian; Herod donated money to rebuild the Temple of Apollo on Rhodes after an earthquake — connection to Jewish assimilation and Paul's probable irritation

  • The City of Rhodes and the Palace of the Grand Masters: medieval Crusader fortress and museum; hospitallers/Templars; eventually conquered by the Turks; moral conflict of the Crusades (wrong methods, some important outcomes — stopping Islamic conquest, revival of original language study in Europe leading to our modern critical text)

  • The Acropolis of Lindos: St. Paul's Harbor (heart-shaped, traditional landing site for Paul); temples of Athena and Zeus; the Propylaea-style entrance steps; the small medieval town at the base; street food (gyros) on the way down

  • Via Egnatia / trade crossroads — Rhodes as a stopping point comparable to Geneva for political meetings


Scripture References

  • Acts 21:1 (Paul stops at Rhodes)

  • Ezekiel 27:15 (Rhodes as a trading partner of Tyre)

  • 2 Corinthians 10:4–5 (weapons for tearing down strongholds)

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