Coming on shore, Paul and those around him find themselves on Malta (28:1–10), an island about sixty miles south of Sicily. The account of their experience on this island centers on Paul being bitten by a viper. At first, the islanders think that he has been punished by “Justice” personified (28:4; cf. Hesiod, Theogony 901; Josephus, Jewish War 1.84). When Paul survives without injuries, the islanders realize that he must not be guilty because he has survived not only the storm of the sea but also the vicious attack of the viper. To Luke’s readers familiar with …