Naravist

The Early Church · New Testament

Acts 18

Acts 18: Corinth, Gallio's refusal, and Apollos taught at Ephesus

General context

Paul leaves Athens for Corinth and finds Aquila, a Jew born in Pontus, and his wife Priscilla, lately come from Italy because Claudius commanded all Jews to depart from Rome. Sharing their craft as tentmakers, he stays and works with them and reasons in the synagogue every sabbath. When Silas and Timotheus arrive from Macedonia he testifies that Jesus was Christ; opposed and blasphemed, he shakes his raiment and turns to the Gentiles. He enters the house of Justus next to the synagogue, and Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believes with all his house, while many Corinthians believe and are baptized. The Lord tells him in a night vision not to be afraid, and he stays a year and six months. When Gallio is deputy of Achaia the Jews bring Paul to the judgment seat, and Gallio refuses to judge a question of words and names and drives them away; the Greeks then beat Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, before the judgment seat. Paul later sails to Syria with Priscilla and Aquila, having shorn his head in Cenchrea for a vow, leaves them at Ephesus, lands at Cesarea, goes down to Antioch and then through Galatia and Phrygia. Apollos, a Jew born at Alexandria, eloquent and mighty in the scriptures, comes to Ephesus knowing only the baptism of John; Aquila and Priscilla expound the way of God to him more perfectly, and he goes on to Achaia and convinces the Jews publickly from the scriptures.

Cited passages: Acts 18:1, Acts 18:2, Acts 18:3, Acts 18:4, Acts 18:5, Acts 18:6, Acts 18:7, Acts 18:8, Acts 18:9, Acts 18:10, Acts 18:11, Acts 18:12, Acts 18:13, Acts 18:14, Acts 18:15, Acts 18:16, Acts 18:17, Acts 18:18, Acts 18:19, Acts 18:21, Acts 18:22, Acts 18:23, Acts 18:24, Acts 18:25, Acts 18:26, Acts 18:27, Acts 18:28

Acts 18 (KJV)

1After these things Paul departed from Athens, and came to Corinth;

2And found a certain Jew named Aquila, born in Pontus, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla; (because that Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome:) and came unto them.

3And because he was of the same craft, he abode with them, and wrought: for by their occupation they were tentmakers.

4And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.

5And when Silas and Timotheus were come from Macedonia, Paul was pressed in the spirit, and testified to the Jews that Jesus was Christ.

6And when they opposed themselves, and blasphemed, he shook his raiment, and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.

7And he departed thence, and entered into a certain man’s house, named Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.

8And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.

9Then spake the Lord to Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not thy peace:

10For I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.

11And he continued there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

12And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat,

13Saying, This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.

14And when Paul was now about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If it were a matter of wrong or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you:

15But if it be a question of words and names, and of your law, look ye to it; for I will be no judge of such matters.

16And he drave them from the judgment seat.

17Then all the Greeks took Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. And Gallio cared for none of those things.

18And Paul after this tarried there yet a good while, and then took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence into Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila; having shorn his head in Cenchrea: for he had a vow.

19And he came to Ephesus, and left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.

20When they desired him to tarry longer time with them, he consented not;

21But bade them farewell, saying, I must by all means keep this feast that cometh in Jerusalem: but I will return again unto you, if God will. And he sailed from Ephesus.

22And when he had landed at Cæsarea, and gone up, and saluted the church, he went down to Antioch.

23And after he had spent some time there, he departed, and went over all the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, strengthening all the disciples.

24And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.

25This man was instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.

26And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.

27And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had believed through grace:

28For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.

This page shows the King James Version. In the app, reading opens in the Berean Standard Bible unless you have chosen another translation. The reader includes five translations: the Berean Standard Bible (BSB), the King James Version (KJV), the World English Bible (WEB), the Bible in Basic English (BBE), and the American Standard Version (ASV). Search covers three of them: Berean Standard, King James, and World English. Basic English and American Standard readers search the King James words.

Historical context

The chapter names two chief rulers of the synagogue at Corinth, Crispus who believes and Sosthenes who is beaten, and it does not say how one followed the other. Claudius's order that all Jews depart from Rome is given as the background to Aquila and Priscilla's arrival from Italy, without a date or any further detail. The vow that leads to the shorn head in Cenchrea is attributed to Paul and its content is not described. Gallio's ruling, quoted in his own words, turns on jurisdiction rather than on the truth of the charge, and the narrator adds that he cared for none of those things when Sosthenes was beaten. Apollos is described as instructed in the way of the Lord and knowing only the baptism of John before Aquila and Priscilla teach him; no rebaptism is reported. The woman's name appears as Priscilla throughout this chapter, and the order of the couple's names changes, Priscilla and Aquila at the sailing and Aquila and Priscilla at the teaching.

Cited passages: Acts 18:2, Acts 18:8, Acts 18:11, Acts 18:12, Acts 18:14, Acts 18:15, Acts 18:17, Acts 18:18, Acts 18:24, Acts 18:25, Acts 18:26, Acts 18:27

Literary context

Work and speech run together in the Corinth scene: Paul stays because of the same craft, and reasons every sabbath. A night vision promising that no man shall hurt him is placed shortly before the courtroom scene, and the ruling that follows ends the case without a hearing. The chapter then empties out the cast it has gathered, leaving Priscilla and Aquila at Ephesus, moving Paul through Cesarea, Antioch, Galatia and Phrygia in a few lines, and bringing in Apollos at the point Paul has left. The last scene reverses the teaching direction of the book so far, with a couple taking aside a man already fervent and mighty in the scriptures, and it sets up the next chapter by placing Apollos at Corinth when Paul reaches Ephesus.

Cited passages: Acts 18:3, Acts 18:4, Acts 18:9, Acts 18:10, Acts 18:12, Acts 18:15, Acts 18:19, Acts 18:22, Acts 18:23, Acts 18:24, Acts 18:25, Acts 18:26, Acts 18:28

Key moments

  1. Paul works with Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:3). Paul stays and works with the couple because they share the tentmaking craft.
  2. Turning to the Gentiles at Corinth (Acts 18:6). After opposition Paul shakes his raiment and says he will go to the Gentiles.
  3. The night vision (Acts 18:9). The Lord tells Paul in a vision not to be afraid but to speak.
  4. Gallio refuses the case (Acts 18:15). Gallio says he will be no judge of a question of words and names and of their law.
  5. Sosthenes beaten (Acts 18:17). The Greeks beat the chief ruler of the synagogue before the judgment seat.
  6. Apollos taught more perfectly (Acts 18:26). Aquila and Priscilla hear Apollos in the synagogue and expound the way of God to him.

For reflection

Gallio says he will be no judge of a question of words and names, and then ignores the beating that follows. What does the chapter show about the difference between refusing a case and refusing to look?

People in this chapter

Also indexed here: