Who were the “Sons of Zeus” mentioned at Acts 28:11?

The Bible book of Acts records that en route to Rome, the apostle Paul sailed from Malta to Puteoli on a boat that bore the figurehead “Sons of Zeus.” (Acts 28:11) Such an insignia was popular among ancient sailors and travelers.

According to Greek and Roman mythology, Zeus (also known as Jupiter) and Leda had twin sons, Castor and Pollux. These “Sons of Zeus” were regarded, among other things, as skilled mariners with powers over the wind and waves. Thus, they came to be venerated as patron deities of sailors. Voyagers offered sacrifices to them and invoked their protection during storms. It was commonly believed that the twin deities manifested themselves and their protective powers in the form of St. Elmo’s fire, an electric glow that sometimes appears on the masts of ships during a storm.

The worship of Castor and Pollux was widespread among the Greeks and Romans, and one ancient source makes particular mention of it in the district around Cyrene, North Africa. The boat mentioned in Acts was from nearby Alexandria, in Egypt.

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Denarius coin depicting the “Sons of Zeus,” 114-113 B.C.E.