Acts 18:16 - Printer Friendly

Paul has faced opposition before. Typically, Jews who do not believe his teaching about Jesus work with leading Gentiles of the city to drive him out (Acts 13:50; 14:5–6). In Thessalonica, the Jews found "wicked men" to do their dirty work (Acts 17:5). Conversely, in Philippi, Gentile men who resented Paul for exorcising the fortune-telling demon from their slave girl had him and Silas arrested (Acts 16:19–20).

In Corinth, Jews bring Paul before Gallio, the proconsul of Achaia—the district in the southern-most part of Greece. A proconsul was a ruler who did not keep a standing army and was therefore responsible to the Roman Senate—the council—not the emperor directly. Certain times of the day, he would sit on a raised platform, called the bema seat, at the tribunal and listen to accusations.

The Jewish leaders of the synagogue have brought Paul before the tribunal because they don't like that he has convinced so many Jews and Gentiles that Jesus is the Son of God. Their charge is that Paul "is persuading people to worship God contrary to the law" (Acts 18:13). Cicero, in De Legibus, considered it a serious crime to promote the worship of a deity not authorized by the Roman government, or even to worship such a god in private.

If Gallio agrees with the Jews, Paul can face serious punishment. Fortunately, he doesn't. Perhaps because Paul is a Jew who began by reasoning with other Jews in the synagogue, Gallio doesn't see a legal difference between what Paul is teaching and what the Jews affirm. He dismisses the charges and goes on to other business as the hostile synagogue leader is beaten (Acts 18:17).

Acts 18:12–17 describes the relatively mild resistance Paul meets as he builds the church in Corinth. Paul spends eighteen months in Corinth teaching about Jesus' offer of forgiveness and establishing the church. The Jews who reject his message bring him to court and accuse him of teaching a new religion that isn't authorized by the Roman government. Gallio, the proconsul, doesn't see any socially relevant difference between the Jews and the Jesus-followers. So, he dismisses the charges. A crowd responds by seizing the leader of the synagogue and beating him, but Gallio does not give it any attention.

Acts 18 recounts the end of Paul's second missionary journey. He leaves Athens for Corinth, in southern Greece, and works with Priscilla and Aquila as a tentmaker until Silas and Timothy rejoin him. The team stays eighteen months with no significant pressure. Eventually, Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila sail east to Ephesus. Paul leaves a short time later for Judea and Syrian Antioch before returning to Galatia for his third missionary journey. Meanwhile, Priscilla and Aquilla host the church in Ephesus and train a talented speaker named Apollos to be a minister of Christ.

Acts 18 covers the last half of Paul's second missionary journey and the first part of the third. He and his team have traveled down the east coast of Macedonia and Greece to Corinth (Acts 17) where they will spend eighteen months. Paul will stop briefly in Ephesus on their way back to Judea before visiting Jerusalem and Syrian Antioch. From there, Paul will return to Galatia in modern-day Asia Minor before returning to Ephesus for an extended stay (Acts 19). He will revisit the churches in Macedonia and Greece before facing arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.