In Acts 18:1-17 we see the establishing of a church in Corinth. Luke writes in verse 11 that Paul spent a year and a half in Corinth and Luke did not present a full-scale history of Paul’s mission. We read in the two Epistles Paul wrote to the Corinthians (He wrote them during his third missionary journey) that this was a time of severe problems for the church and a stormy relationship between the church and Paul.
We first read of Paul’s arrival into Corinth (18:1-2). Corinth was approximately 50 miles from Athens. The first thing that happens is Paul immediately meets a Jewish couple named Aquila and Priscilla. They are also mentioned in Romans 16:3; 1 Corinthians 16:19 and 1 Timothy 4:19. They are also always mentioned together not separately. Paul also refers the wife as Prisca, which would have been her formal name. These two were important co-laborers with Paul. Luke mentions they had recently come from Rome because the emperor Claudius expelled the Jews from the city. This is very important as history shows that this event was well-known. Church historian Orosius dated this event during the ninth year of Claudius in AD 49-AD 50.
In Acts 18:3 we see the only time it is mentioned that Paul was a tent maker which was the same profession as Aquila and Priscilla. Some early church father’s have said this is a term used for those that worked with leather. Tents were usually made of leather so this is probably the best idea for this. There are other ideas of what it meant, so if you have a chance I would urge you to read up on it.
In verse 4 we see Paul following his customary pattern of reasoning in the synagogues like he did in Corinth. He did it whether it was during the week or on the Sabbath. He went there to try to persuade both Jews and the God-fearers that Christ was the Messiah.
When we read verses 5 and 6 we get the impression that Silas and Timothy arrived in Corinth from Macedonia and they contributed to Paul’s ministry. In 2 Corinthians 11:8, we read of the support of other churches while Paul ministered in Corinth, and Philippians 4:15 speaks of the generous support of that congregation in his continuing mission. Paul now is free to witness more continually and not just on the Sabbath. The Jewish opposition arose and Paul turned from the synagogues and turned to the Gentiles. Paul kept returning to the Jews even when he knew there would be resistance because in his statement he said the Corinthian Jews blood would be on their hands, not his. We can read this same language in Ezekiel’s picture of the prophet as a watchman over Israel (Ezekiel 33:1-7; 3:18). Paul always fulfilled his role of witness to his fellow Jews. When they no longer listened he moved to the Gentiles.
Paul then left the synagogue and moved to the house of a Gentile God-fearer named Titius Justus. He was probably also the one mentioned in verse 4 as being present in the Corinthian synagogue. Verse 8 speaks of the synagogue ruler and his entire household becoming believers. This was most likely also the man named Crispus mentioned in 1 Corinthians 1:14 as one of the few Corinthians whom Paul baptized.
Verses 9-11 are an interlude in the narrative. The verse seem to interrupt the account of the opposition of Paul by the Jews that had been increasing. This opposition came full-blown when he was brought before Gallio (Acts 18:12-17). These verses are still an essential part of the story and are very closely related to the trial scene. The verses show a form of a divine commissioning in which God or His angel appears to a human, gives a task to be performed, and gives an assurance of His presence. We have seen this in Acts 5:17-21; 9:10:18; 16:6-10). In verse 10 the Lord speaks of “many in this city who are my people.” (ESV) Although Paul cannot see the invisible work of God, the Lord is revealing to him that unlike his previous experiences in other cities he would be able to remain in Corinth to preach safely. Verse 11 shows us that Paul invests a great deal of time in Corinth (a year and six months) and this is the first place we read of a time period for more than a year. Remember in Acts 1:8 of bringing the Gospel to the ends of the earth, God is working this out for Paul to do this.
In verses 12-17 we see the accusation before the pro counsel of Achaia, Gallio. His appearance before Gallio is important for two reasons, 1). it established a precedent for the way the Roman leaders should consider charges against Christians that are brought before them and 2). the mention of the name Gallio is a very important reference point for determining the date of Paul’s work in Corinth and it is the basis for the entire Pauline chronology. One day I will write about the historical reliability in Acts, there is so much and there are many great books written about this subject alone.
The trial before Gallio resembles other trials in the second missionary journey (16:21; 17:7). We see that Paul’s labors in Corinth are successful, and Gallio recognizes the nature of Paul’s work and calling. This shows that the Gospel is being understood correctly even by unbelievers.This is why Paul was interrupted in verse 14 by Gallio, Paul did not need to clarify or defend the gospel Gallio knew of it. Gallio knew that Christianity was not a political movement but a theological declaration. Gallio’s final decision on this was that Christianity is not an earthly political matter.
In verses 18-22 Paul concludes this second missionary journey and acknowledges God’s faithfulness to him. Paul is now making his way back to Antioch which is the base of his operations, he made a promise to the Lord and now he has fulfilled it. Ephesus is an important city in Asia Minor because of its central location. It is also known as the gateway to Gentile territory. The people being receptive to Paul is all God’s plan to make a way for the Church to spread to the ends of the earth.
Verses 18-22 provides a transition between Paul’s second and third missions. It concludes his second, with Paul returning to Antioch where his journey began (Acts 15:35-41). We also see with Paul’s brief visit to Ephesus it looks toward his third missionary journey, which we will read is spent primarily in that city.
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