Paul In Corinth; Acts 18: 1 – 17 Part 5

Church History: Date: A.D. 49-52

Paul was rudely apprehended, and brought before Gallio; The Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul. They were the ringleaders of all the mischief against Paul, and they entered into a coalition to harm him. Paul is falsely accused before Gallio: This fellow persuades men to worship God contrary to the law. They could not charge him with persuading men not to worship God at all, or to worship other gods: but only to worship God in a way contrary to the law. The Romans allowed the Jews in their provinces the observance of their own law; and what then? Must those therefore be prosecuted as criminals who worship God in any other way? Does their toleration include a power of imposition? But the charge was unjust; for their own law had in it a promise of a prophet whom God would send to them, and they should listen to him. Paul persuaded them to believe in this prophet, who had come, and to listen to him.

Gallio, upon the first hearing, or rather without any hearing at all, dismissed the case, and did not take any cognizance of it. Paul was going about to make his defense and to show that he did not teach men to worship God contrary to the law; but the judge, being resolved not to pass any sentence upon this cause, did not take the trouble to examining it.

The parties showed contempt upon the court, when they took Sosthenes and beat him before the judgment-seat. There are many conflicts concerning this matter, because it is uncertain who this Sosthenes was, and who the Greeks were that abused him. It seems probable that Sosthenes was a Christian, and Paul's particular friend, that appeared for him on this occasion, and probably had taken care of his safety, and taken him away, when Gallio dismissed the cause; so that, when they could not attack Paul, they attacked the one who protected him. It is certain that there was one Sosthenes that was a friend of Paul, and well known at Corinth; it is likely he was a minister, for Paul calls him his brother, and joins him with himself in his first epistle to the church at Corinth (1Corinthians 1:1), as he does Timothy in his second, and it is probable that this was him; he is said to be a ruler of the synagogue, either joint-ruler with Crispus, or a ruler of one synagogue, as Crispus was of another. As for the Greeks that abused him, it is very probable that they were either Hellenist Jews, or Jewish Greeks, those that joined with the Jews in opposing the gospel.