PHOENIX was a good harbour on the S. coast of Crete. It has been identified almost certainly with Loutro, which is said to be the only harbour W. of Fair Havens where a ship of such size as that by which St. Paul travelled (it was a cargo ship, but had crew and passengers on board numbering altogether 276 - though B and Sah. read 76) could find shelter. Strabo (x. iv. 3) speaks of Phoenix as being on an isthmus (i.e. a narrow part of the island), and apparently as being in the territory of Lappa, which was not far from Loutro. Other authorities speak of it as if it were near Aradena, which is only a mile from Loutro. The identification would therefore be certain but for Luke's description of the harbour of Phoenix as looking ' towards the SW. and the NW.' (Ac.27.12 RSV: 'NE. and SE.'; margin, 'SW. and NW.'), whereas the harbour of Loutro looks towards the East. Hence some identify Phoenix with a small harbour, Phineka, a little farther W., but we have no evidence that it could accommodate so large a ship. It is perhaps more probable that Luke makes a mistake in his description of a harbour which was never reached. The RV understands the Greek to mean 'in the direction in which the SW. and NW. winds blow,' and therefore translates 'looking NE. and SE.' This may have been a sailor's way of expressing it, but we have no authority for it. See Map 16. [Article: Dictionary of the Bible, J.Hastings, 2nd Ed., T&T.Clark, 1963 -A.E.H. - F.C.G.]