Acts 18:1-3
After these events Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. And he found a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, having recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome. He came to them, and because he was of the same trade he stayed with them, and they worked together, for they were tent-makers by trade.

† Corinth was a major commercial hub, known for trade and immorality. Paul found fellowship and work with Aquila and Priscilla, Jewish exiles from Rome.
† Suetonius (Life of Claudius 25.4) records Claudius expelling Jews from Rome due to disturbances over "Chrestus," a likely reference to disputes about Christ.

Acts 18:4
And Paul was reasoning in the synagogue every Sabbath and trying to persuade Jews and Greeks.

† Paul's pattern continued: first to the synagogue, then to the Gentiles. His reasoning was grounded in Scripture.

Acts 18:5-6
But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul began devoting himself completely to the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. But when they resisted and blasphemed, he shook out his garments and said to them, "Your blood is on your own heads! I am clean. From now on I will go to the Gentiles."

† Paul's declaration echoed Ezekiel's watchman imagery (Ezekiel 33:4-6). Rejection of the gospel placed responsibility on the hearers.

Acts 18:7-8
Then he left the synagogue and went to the house of a man named Titius Justus, a worshiper of God, whose house was next to the synagogue. Crispus, the leader of the synagogue, believed in the Lord together with all his household, and many of the Corinthians, when they heard, were believing and being baptized.

† Even the synagogue leader believed, showing God's power to reach influential figures. The gospel spread quickly in Corinth.
† 1 Corinthians 1:14 mentions Crispus, confirming continuity between Acts and Paul's letters.

Acts 18:9-11
And the Lord said to Paul by a vision at night, "Do not be afraid any longer, but go on speaking and do not be silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city." And he settled there for a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them.

† God reassured Paul of His protection. Despite Corinth's reputation for sin, God had chosen many in the city.

Acts 18:12-13
But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews rose up together against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, saying, "This man is inciting the people to worship God contrary to the law."

† Gallio's tribunal took place at the bema seat in Corinth, an archaeological site still visible today.
† An inscription from Delphi (c. AD 52) mentions Gallio, confirming his historicity and dating Paul's time in Corinth.

Acts 18:14-16
But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of some crime or vicious, unspeakable conduct, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you. But if there are disputes about teaching and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters." And he drove them away from the judgment seat.

† Gallio dismissed the case, viewing it as an internal Jewish dispute. This provided protection for the church under Roman law at that time.

Acts 18:17
But they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. And yet Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.

† Sosthenes, possibly a later convert (1 Corinthians 1:1), suffered for the conflict. Gallio's indifference showed Rome's general disregard for Jewish quarrels.

Acts 18:18
Now Paul, after staying many days longer, took leave of the brothers and sisters and sailed away to Syria, and Priscilla and Aquila were with him. Paul first had his hair cut at Cenchrea, for he was keeping a vow.

† Paul's vow may have been a Nazirite-style vow of thanksgiving. Cenchrea, Corinth's eastern port, was a key location for travel.

Acts 18:19-21
They came to Ephesus, and he left them there. Now he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay for a longer time, he did not consent, but took leave of them and said, "I will return to you again if God wills," and he set sail from Ephesus.

† Paul planted seeds in Ephesus but left quickly. God later opened the door for extended ministry there (Acts 19).

Acts 18:22-23
When he had landed in Caesarea, he went up to Jerusalem and greeted the church, and went down to Antioch. And after he spent some time there, he left and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

† Paul completed his second missionary journey and began his third. Antioch remained the sending base.

Acts 18:24-26
Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was proficient in the Scriptures. This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was accurately speaking and teaching things about Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John; and he began speaking boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained the way of God more accurately to him.

† Apollos was eloquent and zealous, yet incomplete in knowledge. Priscilla and Aquila gently corrected him.
† Early church fathers like Jerome praised Apollos' eloquence, linking him to the sophistication of Alexandrian learning.

Acts 18:27-28
And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

† Apollos became a powerful apologist, publicly refuting opposition and strengthening believers. His ministry complemented Paul's, though some later misused his name in Corinth (1 Corinthians 1:12).

How it applies to us today

† God raises up partners like Aquila, Priscilla, and Apollos to strengthen the church.
† The gospel thrives even in corrupt cities when God's people are faithful.
† Believers must defend the truth with Scripture while relying on God's Spirit for boldness.
† The church grows through both teaching and correction, as seen with Apollos.

† This is the fulfilled perspective we proclaim at Fulfilled Prophecies †

Source Index
† Suetonius, Life of Claudius 25.4 – Expulsion of Jews from Rome over "Chrestus"
† 1 Corinthians 1:14 – Crispus mentioned in Paul's letters
† Delphi inscription (c. AD 52) – Gallio as proconsul of Achaia
† Jerome, Commentary on Titus – Praise of Apollos' eloquence