Acts
Chapter 18
In Corinth
After this, Paul left Athens and traveled to Corinth.
There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently arrived from Italy with his wife Priscilla after a decree from Emperor Claudius ordered all Jews to leave Rome.
Paul visited them and stayed to work with them because they shared the same trade of tent making.
Every Sabbath, he held discussions in the synagogue, trying to convince both Jews and Greeks.
When Silas and Timothy arrived from Macedonia, Paul was able to fully dedicate himself to preaching and proving to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah.
One day, when they opposed him and insulted him, he shook the dust from his clothes in protest saying:
“Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent. I am not to blame if, from now on, I go to the non-Jews.”
So Paul left there and went to the house of a God-fearing man named Titus Justus, who lived next door to the synagogue.
A leading man of the synagogue, Crispus, along with his entire household, believed in the Lord. After hearing Paul, many more Corinthians believed and were baptized.
One night, in a vision, the Lord said to Paul:
“Do not be afraid, but continue speaking and do not be silent,
for many people in this city are mine. I am with you so that no one will harm you.”
So Paul remained for a year and a half in that place, teaching the word of God among them.
When Gallio was governor of Achaia, the Jews unified their attack on Paul and brought him before the court. And they accused him:
This man attempts to persuade us to worship God in illegal ways.
Paul was about to defend himself when Gallio told the Jews:
“If it were a matter of wrongdoing or a serious crime, I would have to consider your complaint.
But since this is a dispute over teachings and divine names that are specific to your law, deal with it yourselves: I refuse to judge such matters.”
And he sent them out of the court.
Then the people seized Sosthenes, a leading man of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal; but Gallio paid no attention.
Paul stayed with the disciples in Corinth for many days; then he left them and sailed with Priscilla and Aquila to Syria. Since he was no longer under a vow he had taken, he shaved his head before sailing from Cenchreae.
Heading Toward Antioch
When they arrived at Ephesus, he left Priscilla and Aquila behind and entered the synagogue to discuss with the Jews.
But although they asked him to stay longer, he declined.
And he took leave of them, saying: “God willing, I will come back to you again.”
Then he set sail from Ephesus.
On landing at Caesarea, he went up to greet the church, and then went down to Antioch.
After spending some time there, he left and traveled through Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening the disciples.
Apollos in Ephesus
A certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, arrived at Ephesus. He was an eloquent speaker and an expert on the Scriptures,
and he had some knowledge of the way of the Lord. With great enthusiasm, he preached and taught accurately about Jesus, even though he knew only of John’s baptism.
As he began to speak boldly in the synagogue, Priscilla and Aquila heard him;
so they took him home with them and explained to him the way more clearly.
When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the believers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him.
When he arrived, he significantly strengthened those who, by God’s grace, had become believers,
for he vigorously refuted the Jews, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus is the Messiah.
Commentaries
in Corinth – Heading Toward Antioch.
During that time, Corinth, the capital of Achaia province, was a city with two contrasting cultures—Greek before and Roman afterward. With over half a million residents, it was famous for its immorality and the stark divide between the wealthy and the poor. For Paul, it was a city of love and hardship, where he spent a year and a half evangelizing, making great efforts, and writing several letters. For Luke, it was the city where the Gospel was finally opened to the pagans and the Roman Empire, after being rejected by the Jews. Today, for Christians, Corinth is remembered as the birthplace of one of the most well-known and influential early Christian communities, whose life and energy continue to inspire us as we read the two letters Paul wrote to them.
Apollos in Ephesus.
Luke highlights that Apollos needed guidance in “the way of the Lord,” and it was Priscilla and Aquila who took him aside and provided instruction. Apollos then used his enthusiasm and biblical knowledge—coming from the school of Alexandria—to preach in Corinth, likely at the invitation of the believers there.