Bible Locations

Crete is the largest Greek island, a long, mountainous island south of the Aegean. It was home to the Minoan civilization around 2000 to 1450 BC. Many scholars think it was Caphtor, the homeland of the Philistines. Cretans were in Jerusalem at Pentecost (Acts 2:11). On Paul's voyage to Rome, his ship sailed "to the lee of Crete, opposite Salmone," and reached Fair Havens, near the town of Lasea (Acts 27:7-8). Paul warned against sailing on, but the captain tried to reach the harbor of Phoenix to spend the winter, and a violent wind drove the ship out to sea. Later, Paul left Titus on Crete "to put in order what was left unfinished and appoint elders in every town" (Titus 1:5). He quoted a Cretan poet, probably Epimenides, who said, "Cretans are always liars." Gortyn, the Roman capital, has a famous ancient law code carved in stone.