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Acts 18

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

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And 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.

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

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

5

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

6

And 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.

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

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And 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.

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9

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

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

11

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

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

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13

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

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14

And 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:

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But 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.

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And he drave them from the judgment seat.

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Then 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.

18

And 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.

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

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

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But 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.

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

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And 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.

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

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This 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.

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And 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.

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And 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:

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

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Acts 18

In Corinth, Paul meets Aquila and Priscilla, tentmakers who have been expelled from Rome by Claudius's edict, and they become lifelong companions and co-laborers in the gospel; the church grows through Paul's eighteen-month ministry, and the Lord's word to Paul—I am with you, and no one will hammer you, because I have many people in this city—assures him of divine protection and the presence of the Father's elect. Gallio's dismissal of the Jewish accusation's charges against Paul (If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or crime, it would be reasonable for me to hear you, but since it is a question about words and names and your own law, settle the matter yourself) establishes that Roman law distinguishes between public crimes and internal religious disputes, and that Paul's gospel does not threaten Roman order. The Nazirite vow that Paul takes in Cenchreae represents his personal piety within Judaism, and Apollos's arrival at Ephesus—described as mighty in the Scriptures but knowing only John's baptism—occasions Priscilla and Aquila's more accurate instruction regarding the Way of God, demonstrating that the Spirit works through community correction and mutual edification.

Acts 18:4

Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks — Paul's Sabbath synagogue engagement continues unchanged; he seeks persuasion (peithō) through reasoned discourse rather than miraculous demonstration.

Acts 18:3

and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them — Paul's trade (skēnopoios, tentmaker) was not uncommon for rabbis; he maintains apostolic self-support. The shared craft forges immediate fraternal bond and practical mutuality.

Acts 18:1

After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth — The transition from the intellectual heights of Athens to Corinth, city of commerce and vice, marks Luke's geographical and social realism. Corinth embodied cosmopolitan vice and opportunity.

Acts 18:2

There 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 — Claudius's expulsion (likely 49 AD) provides historical anchoring; Suetonius corroborates Jewish expulsion under Claudius. Aquila and Priscilla embody diaspora Jewish resilience and mobility.

Acts 18:5

When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah — Timothy's and Silas's arrival brings financial support (implied by 2 Corinthians 11:9), enabling Paul to cease tentmaking. 'Devoted himself exclusively' (synechō, to be pressed or driven) suggests intensified proclamation.

Acts 18:6

But when the Jews opposed him and became abusive (blasphēmeō, to blaspheme or speak against), he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, 'Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of the blood of all. From now on I will go to the Gentiles' — The dramatic gesture of shaking dust (echoing Jewish custom for gentile impurity) accompanies the pivotal declaration: Paul's initial strategy has reached exhaustion. The formula 'your blood be on your own heads' and 'I am innocent' will resurface in his Miletus address (20:26).

Acts 18:7

Then he left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God (sebomenos ton theon, a God-fearer) — The shift from synagogue to private household, while remaining adjacent, permits continued Jewish encounter while establishing gentile-centered community. Titius Justus's theism bridges Jewish and gentile worlds.

Acts 18:8

Crispus, the synagogue leader, and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard him believed and were baptized — Crispus's conversion represents establishment-level breach; his household baptism (cf. Acts 16:15) exemplifies household solidarity in conversion. 'Many of the Corinthians' marks the gospel's significant penetration.

Acts 18:9

One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: 'Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent' — The vision responds to possible discouragement following Jewish opposition; divine encouragement sustains apostolic persistence. The command to speak (laleō) and not remain silent (siōpaō) reiterates the gospel's urgency.

Acts 18:10

'For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city' — God's assurance combines protection and harvest: harm prevention secures continued proclamation, while 'many people' (laos) suggests divine pre-knowledge of receptivity. The city's election is already divinely constituted.

Acts 18:11

So Paul stayed for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God — Eighteen months represents extended urban ministry, permitting theological depth beyond evangelistic breadth. Luke's precise duration suggests documentary reliability.

Acts 18:12

While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him to the place of judgment — Gallio's proconsulate (51-52 AD) provides datable historical reference; inscriptions confirm this dating. The united Jewish attack (homothumadon, with one mind) represents coordinated legal strategy against Paul.

Acts 18:13

'This man is persuading the people to worship God in ways contrary to the law' — The accusation avoids Roman political charges, instead framing Paul's teaching as violation of Jewish law (implying Roman tolerance of Jewish legal autonomy). The complaint targets theological innovation.

Acts 18:14

Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, 'If you Jews were making a complaint about some misdemeanor or criminal wrongdoing, it would be reasonable for me to listen to you' — Gallio's dismissal hinges on the distinction between private religious matters and public legal infractions. His disinterest in intra-Jewish theological disputes reflects Roman pragmatism.

Acts 18:15

But since it involves questions about words and names and your own law — settle the matter yourselves. I am not willing to be a judge of such things' — Gallio's refusal establishes crucial precedent: Roman magistrates will not adjudicate Jewish theological disputes. This provides legal space for Christian propagation.

Acts 18:16

So he drove them off the place of judgment — Gallio's forcible removal (apo tou bēmatos, from the judgment seat) of the accusers signals Roman impatience with Jewish legal harassment. The scene exemplifies how Roman legal indifference inadvertently protects Christian expansion.

Acts 18:17

Then all the Greeks (literally, 'the Greeks,' Hellenes) seized Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the proconsul — It is unclear whether the violence reflects gentile anti-Semitism or a perverse victory celebration by Christian gentiles. Luke's ambiguity preserves the incident's historical integrity without ecclesiastical smoothing.

Acts 18:18

Paul stayed on in Corinth for some time — Then he left the brothers and sisters there and sailed for Syria, accompanied by Priscilla and Aquila — He had his hair cut off at Cenchreae because of a vow he had taken — Paul's hair-cutting at Cenchreae likely reflects a temporary Nazirite vow (cf. Numbers 6); this preserves Paul's Jewish piety despite gentile ministry. The vow-ending suggests thanksgiving for Corinthian ministry.

Acts 18:19

They arrived at Ephesus, where Paul left Priscilla and Aquila — He himself went into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews — Ephesus, major commercial and religious center, becomes Paul's new primary location. Priscilla and Aquila's settlement marks intentional leadership deployment.

Acts 18:20

When they asked him to spend more time with them, he declined (apotassamai, to bid farewell or decline) — 'But as he left, he promised, 'I will come back if it is God's will' — Paul's refusal and conditional promise ('if God wills,' theos thelō) acknowledge the Jerusalem visit's priority and divine guidance's ultimate determinacy.

Acts 18:21

Then he set sail from Ephesus — The brevity masks Paul's internal calculations: Jerusalem pilgrimage supersedes extended Ephesus residence, yet he knows (later events confirm) that Ephesus will become crucial.

Acts 18:22

When he landed at Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and then went down to Antioch — The abbreviated account of these movements emphasizes continuity with home-base Antioch. The triumphal entry to Jerusalem (went up, anabainō) uses liturgical language.

Acts 18:23

After spending some time in Antioch, Paul set out from there and traveled from place to place throughout the region of Galatia and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples — The third missionary journey's commencement receives minimal narrative attention; Luke reserves detailed space for Ephesus. 'Strengthening' (episterizō) suggests pastoral consolidation rather than new evangelization.

Acts 18:24

Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus — He was a learned man (dunatos, powerful or capable), with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures — Apollos's Alexandrian provenance suggests familiarity with allegorical exegesis (Philo's tradition). His learning (dunamis, power or capability) and scriptural knowledge promise theological weight.

Acts 18:25

He had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and he spoke with great fervor and taught accurately about Jesus — Yet he knew only the baptism of John — Apollos's pedagogical passion (zeon tō pneumati, fervent in spirit) combines with ignorance of Christian baptism and, implicitly, Pentecostal pneumatology. He represents incomplete gospel knowledge.

Acts 18:26

He began to speak boldly in the synagogue — When Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they invited him to their home and explained to him the way of God more adequately (akribōs, more precisely or accurately) — Priscilla's leadership in instruction (feminine subject in instruction narrative) is theologically significant; she and Aquila complement Apollos's gaps. The verb 'explained more accurately' suggests systematic deepening rather than correction of error.

Acts 18:27

'When Apollos wanted to go to Achaia, the brothers and sisters encouraged him and wrote to the disciples there to welcome him — By his grace, he was a great help to those who by faith had believed — The letters of commendation establish early Christian epistolary networking. Apollos's effectiveness (synebalen polla, contributed much) in Achaia suggests his rhetorical gifts, once properly instructed, prove formidable.

Acts 18:28

For he vigorously refuted the Jews in public debate, proving from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah (dynamei elegchō, powerfully refuting) — Apollos's argumentative force, grounded in scriptural proof-texting, makes him a formidable Christian advocate. Luke portrays gentile-Christian teachers as exegetically rigorous.