Paul’s Mission in Corinth
Acts 18:1–28
Compared to Paul’s mixed reception in Athens, his subsequent mission to Corinth is both more eventful and more successful. We see Paul preaching in synagogues every Sabbath and working closely with Priscilla and Aquila at their common trade, until the arrival of his assistants Silas and Timothy enables him to dedicate himself full time to evangelization. After Jewish rejection he turns to Corinthian Gentiles and is encouraged by Jesus in a vision. An attempt to have him condemned by the Roman proconsul fails.
After extended ministry in Corinth, Paul returns by sea to his home base in Antioch of Syria. This ends his second missionary journey. Soon afterward his third missionary journey begins with another visit to strengthen the churches he and Barnabas established in Asia Minor (18:23). The stage is set for Paul’s extraordinarily fruitful ministry at Ephesus in Acts 19.
Paul in Corinth (18:1–11)
1After this he left Athens and went to Corinth. 2There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla because Claudius had ordered all the Jews to leave Rome. He went to visit them 3and, because he practiced the same trade, stayed with them and worked, for they were tentmakers by trade. 4Every sabbath, he entered into discussions in the synagogue, attempting to convince both Jews and Greeks.
5When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began to occupy himself totally with preaching the word, testifying to the Jews that the Messiah was Jesus. 6When they opposed him and reviled him, he shook out his garments and said to them, “Your blood be on your heads! I am clear of responsibility. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7So he left there and went to a house belonging to a man named Titus Justus, a worshiper of God; his house was next to a synagogue. 8Crispus, the synagogue official, came to believe in the Lord along with his entire household, and many of the Corinthians who heard believed and were baptized. 9One night in a vision the Lord said to Paul, “Do not be afraid. Go on speaking, and do not be silent, 10for I am with you. No one will attack and harm you, for I have many people in this city.” 11He settled there for a year and a half and taught the word of God among them.
OT: Gen 26:2–4; Num 21:34; Deut 3:2; Ezek 3:17–21; 33:7–9
NT: Luke 10:10–11; Acts 13:51; 15:14; 18:12
Catechism: strength and courage as gifts of Spirit, 1303, 1520
[18:1–3]
After leaving Athens Paul arrives at Corinth, the capital city and a commercial center of southern Greece. There he meets a Jew named Aquila from Pontus, a Roman province in northwest Asia Minor. Aquila and his wife Priscilla had lived in Italy but were forced to relocate by the expulsion of all the Jews from Rome by the emperor Claudius. The ancient historian Suetonius, who mentions this event, writes that the expulsion was occasioned by inter-Jewish strife over a certain “Chrestus,” which is probably a misspelling of the Latin name for Christ, Christus. Paul stays and works with this couple since they share the same trade as tentmakers, or leatherworkers and makers of tents and awnings. In his letters Paul emphasizes the fact that he supported himself by manual labor (1 Cor 4:12; 9:6–12; 1 Thess 2:9; 2 Thess 3:6–9), to set a good example and to distinguish himself from philosophical and religious teachers who charged a fee for their teaching and whose aim was personal gain. Aquila and Priscilla will become important coworkers with whom Paul will live, work, and communicate by letter—here in Corinth, in Ephesus, and later, probably after Claudius’s death, back in Rome.
[18:4]
Paul’s initial missionary pattern in Corinth is to labor at tentmaking during the work week and preach the gospel on Saturdays. According to his usual approach in every new city, every sabbath he engages in discussions in the synagogue, attempting to convince both Jews and Greeks of the truth of the gospel. “Greeks” here probably refers to †God-fearers, non-Jews who were attracted to Judaism and attended synagogue services.
[18:5]
Paul’s pattern changes after Silas and Timothy arrive from Macedonia. Their presence and the financial support they apparently bring, probably from Philippi (see Phil 4:15), enable Paul to occupy himself totally with preaching the word, presumably all week long. Paul’s witness that the Messiah was Jesus is the heart of Paul’s preaching to the Jews who, like the Jews during Jesus’ ministry, look forward to a Messiah who will restore Israel and inaugurate the kingdom of God. The idea of “messiah” would make little sense to Gentiles who do not know the Bible.
[18:6]
These Jewish listeners, however, contradict and insult Paul. In response he shakes out his garments, in accord with Jesus’ instructions: “Whatever town you enter and they do not receive you, go out into the streets and say, ‘The dust of your town that clings to our feet, even that we shake off against you’” (Luke 10:10–11). Paul and Barnabas had performed a similar gesture after being rejected in Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:51). Paul accompanies this gesture with a declaration similar to that of the prophet Ezekiel (Ezek 3:17–21; 33:7–9): “Your blood be on your heads! I am clear of responsibility.” He is telling his listeners that he bears no culpability for their failure to respond to God’s word, for he has done all he could to deliver it to them. They, not Paul, are responsible for the judgment they will incur on account of rejecting the gospel. As on previous occasions (see Acts 13:46), Paul now turns his attention to the Gentiles.
[18:7]
Because of his rejection in the synagogue, Paul ceases preaching there and goes instead to the house of Titus Justus. Like Lydia in Philippi (Acts 16:14), Titus Justus is a †worshiper of God, a Gentile who reveres the God of Israel but does not become a Jew. As before, Paul’s turn to the Gentiles does not imply that he renounces his mission of witnessing to Jews. Rather, he turns to the Gentiles in a given city only after first preaching to Jews. Titus’s house is conveniently located next to a synagogue, making it still accessible to Jewish listeners.
[18:8]
A prominent Jew comes to believe in the Lord Jesus: Crispus, the synagogue official, whose baptism Paul himself mentions in 1 Cor 1:14. Like Lydia (Acts 16:15) and the Philippian jailer (Acts 16:31–33), Crispus is converted along with his entire household (see 1 Cor 1:14).
Crispus and Titus are the first among many Corinthians who believed and were baptized. Paul’s ministry lays a strong foundation for the church in Corinth, to whom Paul himself will later write letters, two of which are preserved in the canon of Scripture.
[18:9–10]
Paul receives a guiding vision at night, possibly in a dream, like his vision in Troas (Acts 16:9). In this case the Lord Jesus himself reassures Paul, “Do not be afraid.” Having experienced repeated rejection by his own people, Paul needs encouragement to continue his witness. The Lord gave similar reassurances to Isaac (Gen 26:2–4), Moses (Num 21:34; Deut 3:2), and Joshua (Josh 8:1) in times of adversity. Jesus exhorts Paul to continue the mission he has begun: “Go on speaking, and do not be silent, for I am with you.” “I am with you” is often God’s response to the fear and trepidation of those to whom he has given a humanly impossible mission (see Exod 3:12; Judg 6:16; Luke 1:28).
The risen Lord adds the promise, “No one will attack and harm you.” Although Jews will bring charges against Paul before the provincial governor (Acts 18:12), they will not succeed in harming him. Further, Jesus assures Paul, “I have many people in this city” who still need to hear the gospel message, whom God desires to add to the “people for his name” (Acts 15:14).
[18:11]
Paul therefore settles in Corinth for a year and a half, preaching and teaching the word of God, that is, the good news of salvation in Christ and the whole way of life that goes with it. This extended time is needed for attracting a significant number of new believers.
Accusations before Gallio (18:12–17)
12But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him to the tribunal, 13saying, “This man is inducing people to worship God contrary to the law.” 14When Paul was about to reply, Gallio spoke to the Jews, “If it were a matter of some crime or malicious fraud, I should with reason hear the complaint of you Jews; 15but since it is a question of arguments over doctrine and titles and your own law, see to it yourselves. I do not wish to be a judge of such matters.” 16And he drove them away from the tribunal. 17They all seized Sosthenes, the synagogue official, and beat him in full view of the tribunal. But none of this was of concern to Gallio.
NT: Acts 17:5–9; 18:8; 1 Cor 1
Fig. 16. Remains of the tribunal at Corinth where Paul was brought before the proconsul Gallio (Acts 18:12).
[18:12–13]
The public disturbance described in verses 12–17, which occurred when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, provides important evidence for the dating of Paul’s ministry. From an ancient Greek inscription that mentions Gallio’s brief period as administrator of Achaia, the riot can be dated precisely to AD 51 or 52. The Jews organize a united attack on Paul and bring him before the tribunal, as Jewish leaders had brought Jesus before the Roman governor Pilate (Luke 23:1). They try to get the proconsul to take their side by accusing Paul of inducing people to worship God contrary to the law. The charge is intentionally worded in ambiguous language, for “contrary to the law” could mean not only against Jewish law but also against Roman law.
[18:14–15]
Gallio, however, sees through the subterfuge and declares that their complaint is a question of arguments over Jewish doctrine, and therefore irrelevant to his secular Roman court. Gallio is one of several Roman officials cited by Luke, including Pilate and the centurion at the cross, who attest to the innocence of Jesus or his disciples. Because the charge is a religious concern and not a matter of crime or malicious fraud, he tells them, “See to it yourselves.” As a Roman official, he does not wish to be a judge of such matters.
[18:16–17]
Gallio’s rejection of their case is forceful: he drives them away from the tribunal. Both the ensuing Jewish reaction and Gallio’s nonresponse to it are puzzling. Jews seize Sosthenes, the synagogue official, and publicly beat him up. It is not clear whether this is the same Sosthenes whom Paul mentions as the cosender of 1 Corinthians (1 Cor 1:1); nor do we know the nature of his relationship to Crispus, the other Corinthian synagogue official converted by Paul (v. 8; see 1 Cor 1:14).
If Sosthenes was not a Christian convert, the Jewish motive for beating him may have been frustration with him as the leader of their failed attempt to have Paul convicted by Gallio. More likely, Sosthenes had become an influential Christian and the Jews turn on him when they cannot get at Paul. Either way, they interpret Gallio’s laissez-faire attitude as license to beat Sosthenes since their concern is an intramural Jewish matter. Jews in Thessalonica had similarly turned on Jason when they could not find Paul (Acts 17:5–9).
But none of this was of concern to Gallio. Gallio’s failure to respond to obvious lawbreaking in his presence might be a deliberate sign of his contempt for intra-Jewish squabbles. Or it might stem from a similar anti-Semitic prejudice that magistrates had demonstrated at Philippi, so that he does not care if a Jew is openly beaten in violation of Roman law.
Return to Syrian Antioch (18:18–23)
18Paul remained for quite some time, and after saying farewell to the brothers he sailed for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. At Cenchreae he had his hair cut because he had taken a vow. 19When they reached Ephesus, he left them there, while he entered the synagogue and held discussions with the Jews. 20Although they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent, 21but as he said farewell he promised, “I shall come back to you again, God willing.” Then he set sail from Ephesus. 22Upon landing at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the church and then went down to Antioch. 23After staying there some time, he left and traveled in orderly sequence through the Galatian country and Phrygia, bringing strength to all the disciples.
OT: Num 6:1–21
NT: Acts 15:40–41; 18:26; 21:23–24
Catechism: vows, 2102–3
[18:18]
After ministering in Corinth for quite some time (v. 11 said it was “a year and a half”), Paul bids farewell to the community and sails for the church at Antioch, from which he had begun his mission (15:40–41). Priscilla and Aquila accompany him on the first leg of his return (see 18:26), but Silas and Timothy seem not to do so.
Before sailing from Corinth’s port of Cenchreae, Paul gets his hair cut because he had taken a vow. Luke does not make clear what kind of vow this is, but it is probably a †Nazirite vow, a form of consecration to God for Israelite laypeople that included abstention from alcohol and from cutting one’s hair (Num 6:1–21). On completing the terms of the vow, a Nazirite would offer sacrifices in the temple and shave his head; verse 22 implies that after arriving in Caesarea, Paul did in fact go to the temple in Jerusalem. The mention of this detail shows that Paul is still an observant Jew. This will be further underlined by James’s request that Paul join four men taking a vow and pay their expenses so as to silence those who accuse Paul of breaking the Mosaic law (Acts 21:23–24).
[18:19–21]
In the first leg of his voyage, Paul sails to Ephesus, where he leaves his coworkers Priscilla and Aquila, probably with the plan that they will set up their tentmaking business and make acquaintances in preparation for his return for a mission like the one he carried out with them in Corinth. Before departing from Ephesus, Paul enters the synagogue and engages in discussions with the Jews, according to his usual missionary pattern. His efforts are apparently well received, since they ask him to stay longer. Paul declines but promises, “I shall come back to you again, God willing.” His return and prolonged mission in Ephesus will be reported in Acts 19.
[18:22]
Paul sails from Asia Minor to the port of Caesarea in Palestine; from there he went up, that is, he went to Jerusalem. Because of the special holiness of Jerusalem and the temple as a pilgrimage destination, travelers even today speak of going up to Jerusalem, regardless of the direction from which they approach the city. When travelers leave Jerusalem, they likewise go down. Thus, after Paul greets the church in Jerusalem, he goes down to Antioch, which is to the north in Syria.
[18:23]
After staying at his home base in Antioch for an unspecified length of time, Paul departs on his third missionary journey. This time he travels by land into Asia Minor, again visiting the churches. Paul travels in orderly sequence (“from place to place,” NIV, RSV, NJB) through the Galatian country and Phrygia. His purpose is to bring strength to all the disciples he made in these areas—strengthening them, for instance, by answering their questions and giving them fuller instruction and exhortation.
Fig. 17. Paul’s third missionary journey (Acts 18:23–21:15).
International Mapping
Apollos (18:24–28)
24A Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, an eloquent speaker, arrived in Ephesus. He was an authority on the scriptures. 25He had been instructed in the Way of the Lord and, with ardent spirit, spoke and taught accurately about Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. 26He began to speak boldly in the synagogue; but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the Way [of God] more accurately. 27And when he wanted to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him. After his arrival he gave great assistance to those who had come to believe through grace. 28He vigorously refuted the Jews in public, establishing from the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus.
NT: Luke 1:4; 3:4; Acts 9:2; 19:1; 24:14; Rom 16:1; 1 Cor 3:5–6
Catechism: inspiration and truth of Scripture, 106–7; interpretation of Scripture, 109–14
[18:24]
During Paul’s absence, Apollos, who will later play a major role in the church at Corinth (1 Cor 3:5–6), arrives in Ephesus. He is a Jew and native of Alexandria, capital of the Roman province of Egypt and, along with Rome, Ephesus, and Syrian Antioch, one of the most important cities in the Roman Empire. He is an authority on the scriptures and an eloquent speaker. The Greek for “eloquent” here, logios, can also mean “learned.” Probably both apply to Apollos because of his knowledge of the Scriptures and ability to argue from them. Later, in the patristic era, Alexandria would become well known as a great center of Christian learning, especially of spiritual interpretation of the Scriptures.
[18:25]
Some of the information about Apollos here is confusing. On the one hand, Luke reports that he was instructed in the Way of the Lord, that is, Christianity (see Acts 9:2; 24:14), and that he taught about Jesus accurately and with ardent spirit. This is a positive assessment, though not as positive as saying he was “filled with the Holy Spirit,” as were others, such as the apostles, Stephen, and Paul. On the other hand, Apollos knew only the baptism of John. If he has been instructed in the †Way (like Theophilus in Luke 1:4), how could he know “only the baptism of John”? One explanation is that Apollos knew John’s teaching about “the way of the Lord,” meaning “prepare the way of the Lord” (Luke 3:4). John also taught that a greater one would come after him, without knowing in detail how this prophecy would be fulfilled in Jesus. Apollos is apparently familiar with John’s preaching and some of Jesus’ deeds and sayings but not with the full truth of Jesus’ identity and mission.
[18:26]
Unaware that his knowledge is incomplete, Apollos begins to preach boldly in the synagogue. When Priscilla and Aquila hear about him, they discreetly take him aside and fill in the gaps, namely, that the Lord proclaimed by John is the crucified and risen Lord Jesus and that “the Way of the Lord” is the path of discipleship that one enters through baptism into Christ. It is noteworthy that Priscilla’s name appears before Aquila’s, suggesting that she has the more active role in instructing Apollos. Four out of the six times Priscilla is mentioned in the New Testament, her name appears first. Although both she and her husband, Aquila, were valued coworkers of Paul, Priscilla was more prominent, indicating that, despite the generally inferior position of women in the first century and limitations on their public teaching (1 Cor 14:34–35; 1 Tim 2:12–15), the early Church was able to appreciate the insight and abilities of gifted women.
[18:27]
After some ministry in Ephesus, Apollos wishes to cross to Achaia—southern Greece—where he will follow up Paul’s ministry (see Acts 19:1; 1 Cor 3:5–6). Because of his ability to defend the Christian message from Scripture, the Ephesian Christians encourage him and write to the disciples in Achaia to welcome him. Introducing a traveling Christian missionary with a letter of recommendation was a common practice in the early Church. For example, Paul wrote to the Romans, “I commend to you Phoebe our sister, . . . a minister [Greek diakonos] of the church at Cenchreae” (Rom 16:1). In Achaia, Apollos gives great assistance to the Christians, who had come to believe through grace. Luke here reminds us that their conversion was primarily due to God’s grace rather than to God’s human instruments such as Paul.
[18:28]
A special contribution of Apollos to the Christians in Achaia is in apologetics. He vigorously refutes the Jews in public, defending the recently converted Christians from Jewish criticisms of their beliefs and establishing from the scriptures that the Messiah is Jesus (as in Luke 24:25–27, 44–47; Acts 2:22–36; 17:2–3). This Christian interpretation of the Old Testament also contributes to the catechesis of the community. Thus the learned biblical preacher Apollos furthers the faith of those Corinthians converted by Paul. This corresponds to Paul’s statement in 1 Cor 3:6: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God caused the growth.”
Reflection and Application (18:1–28)
Christian ministers always have to keep in mind that the ministry is God’s work, not ours. As the master in charge of the work, God is responsible for the success of the ministry as well as the needs of those who serve him. In times of opposition or failure, the best antidote to a defeatist impulse is earnest prayer, seeking Jesus’ reassurance that he is with us and will protect us. At the same time, Christian ministers have to realize that they are not indispensable in any particular mission or city. In his absence, Paul’s efforts were furthered not only by his own trained assistants but also by other ministers such as Apollos. The same is true today. In the end, all Christian workers die and must be replaced in the Lord’s vineyard.
