“824. CORINTH—ACTS 18”
Corinth—Acts 18
The scene of the apostle’s labors now changes to Corinth. This great and prosperous city was at this time the metropolis of Achaia—the name by which all Greece was distinguished from Macedonia. It lay at a distance of forty miles from Athens, at the southern extremity of the isthmus which joined the Peloponnesus to the mainland, upon an elevated table-land, at the foot, on the northern side, of the Acrocorinthus.
Corinth
This was a mountain nearly half a mile in perpendicular height, with an ascent of four miles to the top, where there was a fortress surrounded by a wall. The commercial advantages of this situation were incalculable; and the better to realize them, there was a port on each side of the isthmus, the eastern one (Cenchrea) being nearly nine miles, and the other (Lechaeum) being a mile and a half from the city. From this felicity of situation, Corinth had by this time recovered much of its ancient prosperity, although it had lain in ruins a hundred years, until restored by Julius Caesar. The activity of commerce, the wealth which such activity produces, and the luxury which abundant wealth engenders, were the main characteristics of Corinth. The luxuriousness was shown in the ornate style of the public edifices, in the expensive style of living, and in the general self-indulgent looseness of manners. Corinth had the reputation of being the most dissolute city in Greece; and that it deserved this reputation is shown, not only by many of the allusions in the two epistles which Paul wrote to the church in this place from Rome, but from the simple fact that the temple of Venus here boasted of the thousand sacred harlots, who screened their depravity under the cover of religious rites.
A commercial city like this was certain to attract the Jews in large numbers; and at this time their number was unusually great, because many of those who had lately been banished from Rome had come to this place.
The banishment of the Jews from Rome by the emperor Claudius, incidentally alluded to by Luke, is confirmed by Suetonius, who, in his brief summary of the occurrences of the time, says: “The Jews, who were in constant commotion, Chrestus being the leader, he banished from Rome.” Note: Judæos, impulsore Chresto, assidue tumultuantes Româ expulit.—Suet. Vit. Claud. xxv. It is likely that, for Chrestus, Christus is intended—this sort of error, or corruption of people’s names, being not uncommon at that time. Christus, “the anointed,” had no meaning to one who never heard of the Messiah; whereas Chrestus (good) had an intelligible significance. A Roman historian might easily mistake; the true state of the case; and, while the Jews were contending about Christ, he might suppose that it was under him, as a leader, that the tumults were excited. Christianity seems to have been very early introduced into Rome probably by some of the converts on the day of Pentecost, for, “strangers from Rome, Jews and proselytes,” are expressly mentioned among Peter’s hearers on that great day; and we have repeatedly seen how prone the Jews in foreign cities were to raise commotions against them, to the disturbance of the public peace. It was probably on account of such disturbances, in which the name of Christus was continually heard, that the emperor issued his proclamation commanding the Jews to depart from Rome. In this the Jewish Christians were of course included; for these were in fact Jews by birth, appearance, and habits of life; and the Romans had as yet no gauge for difference of opinion and belief between them.
Among those thus expelled from the imperial city was a tentmaker named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who, with his wife Priscilla, was going home by the ordinary maritime route across the isthmus of Corinth, when he was induced, probably by the prospects of a lucrative business in a city of so much opulence, to remain there. He accordingly took a house and workshop and commenced his tent-making occupation. It is not stated that he was already a convert to Christianity; but that he was such is extremely probable.
Paul arriving at Corinth, where he was unknown to any, had first to seek a lodging, and then the means of subsistence. He was happy to find both with Aquila, to whom the marks of his trade, and when he saw him, of his nation, induced him to apply. With Aquila he remained, living in his house, and working with him at his trade—that is, in his employment—during the whole two years of his residence at Corinth. In this intercourse a Christian friendship grew up between them, which ended only with the apostle’s life, during which he always evinced the highest regard for Aquila and Priscilla; and Aquila, on his part, found occasion to render him some essential services.
Being thus settled with these good friends, Paul soon commenced his evangelical labors. He preached Christ every Sabbath day in the synagogues. During the other days his constant labor considerably abridged his opportunities, as it hardly even left him the evening leisure; for there was a scarcity at that time through Greece, whereby the price of everything was so much enhanced, that it was needful for him to labor “night and day,” to provide for his simple wants; for at this place, during all his stay, he rigidly refused all assistance from those among whom he distributed the word of life. But even his labor at his trade afforded opportunities of spiritual usefulness; for as he spent his days thus among the workmen of Aquila, he could not but speak to them continually of the great matters that filled his own mind, and that under the most advantageous circumstances. The doctrine thus received would spread like leaven among their families and connections; and as no man can be always at work, there were precious half hours in which he might visit the acquaintances thus formed, or in which he might impart “the glad tidings” to the friends and visitors of Aquila.
Certain it is, that many among both the Jews and Greeks were converted. The earliest were “the house of Stephanus,” which he calls “the first fruits of Achaia.” Note: 1Co_16:15. Another convert, and one of considerable note, was Crispus, a ruler of the synagogue; and a third was Gaius, or Caius, with whom the apostle on a future occasion lodged. Note: Rom_16:23. All these were baptized by his own hand, contrary to his usual custom—for he avoided this, lest his enemies should take occasion from it to allege that he had “baptized in his own name,” and was establishing a sect of Paulites instead of Christians. The wisdom of the precautions taken by him to protect himself from misconstruction in both the respects indicated, must be very evident to those who read the Epistles to the Corinthians. Note: 1Co_1:14-17.
In about three months, Silas and Timothy joined Paul at Corinth. The latter brought information from Thessalonica, which was, upon the whole, satisfactory. The faith of the converts had remained unshaken by the persecutions to which they had been exposed. They retained “a good remembrance” of him, and longed to see him again. On the other hand, some irregularities had crept in, and some mistaken notions, especially as regarded Christ second coming, which they conceived to be close at hand. All this induced Paul to send to them his first epistle, the first in time of all his existing epistles; and not long after a second, to correct some further misconceptions, which, as he understood, had grown out of the first. Both these letters are introduced in the names of “Paul, Silvanus, and Timotheus.”
They also brought a most seasonable supply of money from “the churches in Macedonia,” and notably from the considerate and kind-hearted Philippians. This was not only greatly wanted, to supply the insufficiency of his own hand-work in a time of such dearth, but probably enabled him to give a little more time to his evangelical labors. His conduct in steadily refusing to accept assistance from the Corinthians, afterwards exposed him to some animadversions, from which he completely vindicates himself in 2Co_11:7-12. He there refers to the contributions he received from Macedonia, to prove that he had shown himself willing to accept such assistance when he could do so without compromising his independence, or exposing his disinterestedness to suspicion.
Paul, now strengthened by the presence of Silas and Timothy, pursued his spiritual labors with increased vigor; and as the Sabbath was the only day he could spare from daily toil, it was spent chiefly in proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah to the Jews in their synagogues. This awakened vehement opposition; and at length he was so shocked at the coarse blasphemies they showered upon that honored name, that he confronted them sternly, and shaking his raiment, to signify that he cast off all responsibility for the result, he said: “Your blood be on your own heads: I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.” Then, either to illustrate this determination, or to avoid the rage which the declaration of it excited, he went into a house close by, in the occupation of a Gentile convert, named Justus. He seems to have been then somewhat discouraged at the prospect before him in Corinth, and appears to have contemplated a withdrawal from the city. But he was sustained by a vision of the night, in which the Lord said: “Be not afraid; but speak, and hold not thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I have much people in this city.”
This was quite enough for Paul; and he pursued his course for eighteen months, with great success in the conversion of souls to Christ, and without any material interruption. At length a new proconsul for Achaia arrived at Corinth. This was Gallio, brother of Seneca the philosopher, and of Mela, the father of Lucan, the author of the Pharsalia. He comes down to us with a high character for amiability from his brother Seneca, who speaks of him as faultless—as one “whom every one loved too little, even he who loved him most.” On his arrival, the Jews seem to have made an experiment upon the reputed easiness of his temper, and his official inexperience, by endeavoring to extort from him by clamor the punishment of the apostle. They, therefore, seized his person, and hurried him clamorously before the judgment seat, where their charge was—“This fellow persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.” But Gallio had not unprofitably observed the commotions of this kind which had been exited by the same parties at Rome. He seems to have been aware of the nature of the Jewish opposition to Christianity, and it has been guessed that he was not altogether unacquainted with the Christian doctrine. Be this as it may, he did not call upon the apostle to make any answer to the charge, but dismissed the complaint with some asperity, as a matter with which he, as a civil magistrate, had no concern. “If it were a matter of wrong, or wicked lewdness, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you: 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.” So saying, he waved them contemptuously away. But as they were slow to move, the mob of Greeks, who hated the Jews, and sided with Paul, if only because he was accused by them, began to handle them roughly. They even seized their mouth-piece Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, and gave him a sound beating before the proconsul’s face. This was, doubtless, although not so intended, an affront to the dignity of the court. But as it was a step in accordance with the feeling he had himself manifested, he did not think proper to take any notice of it. Thus “Gallio cared for none of these things,”—neither for the accusation of the Jews, nor for the unauthorized punishment of their leader. And this, rather than as an expression of his indifference to all serious matters, we take to be the meaning of these words.
Autor: JOHN KITTO