Acts 27:2

And embarking in a ship of Adramyttium which was about to sail unto the places on the coast of Asia, we put to sea, Aristarchus, a Macedonian of Thessalonica, being with us.

This was a tramp vessel making all ports along the coast of Asia Minor, that being the meaning of "Asia" as used by Luke. Paul and company had already traveled on a ship making this same run in the opposite direction (Acts 20:6-21:1).

Aristarchus ... with us ... It is not certain if Aristarchus was a prisoner or not. De Welt thought he was;[7] but the text in this place represents him apart from "other prisoners" in Acts 27:1. Paul's reference to Aristarchus as "my fellow-prisoner" (Colossians 4:10) may refer to the fact that Aristarchus was "Paul's voluntary companion in Rome."[8]

In Romans 16:7, Paul calls Andronicus and Junius his "fellow-prisoners," though he was not then in prison himself; and in Philemon 1:1:23 he gives this epithet to Epaphras with the added words "in Christ Jesus" (my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus), and does not give it to Aristarchus who is named in the same sentence.Acts 2p. 291.">[9]

Regarding the relationship between Paul, Luke and Aristarchus, the speculation of Ramsay to the effect that Paul had by inheritance, or some other providence, received a large sum of money about this time, cannot be set aside. It would appear that Luke attended Paul as his personal physician for a period of years, and that he and also Aristarchus attended Paul constantly. Such services were paid for, either by Luke and Aristarchus, or by Paul, or by the churches; and it would seem to be most likely that Paul was the paymaster. Earlier, Paul had worked with his hands as a tent-maker to support himself; but there is no mention of any such thing here, nor was it even possible. He was a prisoner.

Ramsay believed that Luke and Aristarchus carefully attended Paul, "even passing as slaves" in order to be constantly with him, arguing that the respect paid Paul by Junius would never have been given "to a penniless traveler without a servant, in either the first century or the nineteenth."[10] As Bruce said, "Ramsay's argument merits respect due to his great knowledge of social history in the Roman Empire of the first century A.D."[11]

We put to sea ... Here is resumed the "we narrative" which was broken off at Acts 21:18, indicating that Luke had been with Paul throughout his detention in Caesarea.

Although the port of embarkation is not specified, it was in all probability Caesarea.

[7] Don DeWelt, Acts Made Actual (Joplin, Missouri: College Press, 1958), p. 324.

[8] Orrin Root, Acts (Cincinnati, Ohio: Standard Publishing Company, 1966), p. 193.

Acts 2p. 291.">[9] A. C. Hervey, Pulpit Commentary (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publisher, 1950), Acts 2p. 291.

[10] F. F. Bruce, The Book of Acts (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Wm. B. Eerdmans, Publisher, 1954), p. 501.

[11] Ibid.