Harbor at Troas

Paul entered Europe for the first time when he sailed from Troas in response to a vision of a man from Macedonia.

Luke shifts from a third person narrative to first person plural in this section. Some have proposed that this shift represents the use of a travel diary, and indicates that the author of Acts was Paul's companion on the journey. Other explanations for the shift have been offered (e.g., the literary device of using "we" in travel narratives to make the story seem more vivid or immediate). There is no difference in literary style or vocabulary between the "we" sections (16:10-17; 20:5015; 21:1-18; 27:1-28:16) so that whatever sources the author may have used, they have been completely and skillfully reworked with the result that the narrative of Acts represents the perspective and theology of its author.

Acts 16:6-12 (New Revised Standard Version) 6 They went through the region of Phrygia and Galatia, having been forbidden by the Holy Spirit to speak the word in Asia. 7 When they had come opposite Mysia, they attempted to go into Bithynia, but the Spirit of Jesus did not allow them; 8 so, passing by Mysia, they went down to Troas. 9 During the night Paul had a vision: there stood a man of Macedonia pleading with him and saying, "Come over to Macedonia and help us." 10 When he had seen the vision, we immediately tried to cross over to Macedonia, being convinced that God had called us to proclaim the good news to them. 11 We set sail from Troas and took a straight course to Samothrace, the following day to Neapolis, 12 and from there to Philippi, which is a leading city of the district of Macedonia and a Roman colony. We remained in this city for some days.