Bibelkommentare

Acts 18:3. And because he was of the same craft,— Aquila and Priscilla seem to have had a house at Corinth; for they had settled so far in that city, as to enter upon their usual employment, which was to make tents and pavilions of linen or of skins; such as in those hot countries they sometimes lived in during the summer season; such as travellers made use of when they had no houses or caravanseras to lodge in; and such as soldiers lodged in when encamped in the field. This was not only a gainful, but, according to Josephus, an honourable employment. St. Paul, having been brought up to this occupation in his younger days, went and lodged and worked with them. It has been frequently observed, that such of the Jews as had the most liberal education, and were the most zealous and diligent students of the law, were likewise very frequently trained up to some handicraft business. Hence one of the rabbies is surnamed the butcher, and another the baker; and this custom still prevails among the easterns. St. Paul's case, therefore, was not peculiar, nor his birth and education less liberal on that account. He might indeed, in his apostolic character, and even by the reasonof things, have expected that such as partook of his spiritual things, should have ministered to him in temporals. But though it was lawful, the apostle would not do it, because it was not always expedient: it might have given occasion for his enemies to say, that he compassed sea and land to make a gain of his converts; and that he sought what theyhad, more than their soul's benefit; and it might likewise have afforded a pretence to the false apostles to have demanded a maintenance; (see 2 Corinthians 11:7-20.) and to the slothful persons who embraced Christianity, to live in idleness, as if diligence and industry in some honest calling was no longer required of them. Whereas, now he could from his own example shew his converts, that such as would not work, when they were able, ought not to eat; at the same time that he cut off all occasion from the false apostles for demanding a maintenance under his example. And finally, by despising the pleasures, profits, and honours of this world, he gave mankind the most convincing proofs, among a thousand others, that he most cordially believed Christianity to be true; and that upon such strong evidences, as could leave no room for any reasonable doubt or hesitation. To this diligence and disinterested behaviour of his, he makes frequent appeals in his epistles, and that with the greatest justice and propriety; for what could more effectually have cleared him from all suspicion of carrying on a sinister and worldly design?

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Acts 18:4. And he reasoned, &c.— Philo informs us, that many Jews inhabited Corinth, and the chief and best parts of Peloponnesus. And St. Luke in this place, as well as St. Paul in his two epistles to the Corinthians, has given plain intimation that there were several Jews in that city; for they had a synagogue there, into which the apostle went, as usual, every sabbath-day, and there he discoursed concerning the Christian doctrine, and laboured to convince— επειθε — both the Jews and devout Gentiles that it was true, and infinitely worthy of their regard. Among them was Epenetus, who was the first convert in Achaia, Rom 16:5 as the household of Stephanus was the first family converted there. The whole family of Stephanus was baptized by the apostle himself, and he also afterwards baptized Crispus and Caius; but he himself baptized no other of the Corinthians; he left that to his assistants, or to some of the first converts of the place; for the business of an apostle was not to baptize, but to preach the gospel, 1Co 14:17 and to plant churches.

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Acts 18:5. And when Silas and Timotheus were come, &c.— St. Paul was at Corinth some time before his two assistants came up to him, and so long he frequented the synagogue; but when Timothy was come from Thessalonica, and Silas from Berea, and they had told him what success they had met with in watering the gospel which he had planted in Macedonia, he was pressed in the spirit, and grieved that he had hitherto preached to the Jews in Corinth with so little success; for which reason he resolved to push the matter in the synagogue there; and therefore, instead of merely reasoning and persuading in a more cautious manner, he asserted in the most bold, pointed, and awakening terms, that Jesus was actually the Messiah; which holy freedom, plainness of spirit, and flaming zeal, presently made the unbelieving Jews discover themselves. See the next verse, and Ezekiel 33:4; Ezekiel 33:8. 1 Kings 2:33.Matthew 27:25; Matthew 27:25. Some explain the phase, which we render pressed in spirit, by "He was borne away by an unusual impulse in his spirit." Compare Acts 18:25; Acts 19:21.Romans 12:11; Romans 12:11.

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Acts 18:6. From henceforth I will go, &c.— That is, "From henceforth I will apply myself to the Gentiles only in this city, and no longer fruitlessly attempt the conversion of you Jews."

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Acts 18:7. Justus,— From the account here given of this Justus, he was a devout Gentile,whomSt. Paul now converted through divine grace to Christianity at Corinth. The Jews had, in some places, houses annexed to their synagogues, for the entertainment of strangers and travellers: the house of Justus was probably of this kind; and it is likely that the apostle preferred the house of Justus to that of Aquila, because it was so nigh the synagogue, that he might give any of the Jews or Greeks an opportunity, if they pleased, to attend upon him more conveniently, or more privately.

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Acts 18:12. When Gallio was the deputy of Achaia,— The proconsul of Achaia,— 'Ανθυπατος. This is another instance of the great accuracy with which St. Luke expresses himself. The provinces of the Roman empire were of two sorts; Caesarean, or such as were subject to the emperor; and proconsular, or such as were subject to the people and the senate. Achaia was a proconsular province under Augustus Caesar. Tiberius, at the request of the Achaians, made it a Caesarean province. About eight years before the event here mentioned, Claudius restored it to the senate; and from that time a proconsul was sent into this country. Gallio was the present proconsul; and, though the country subject to him was all Greece, yet he was by the Romans called proconsul of Achaia. This Gallio was Marcus Annaeus Novatus, elder brother to the famous Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the Stoic philosopher, and Nero's tutor; but having been adopted by Lucius Junius Gallio, he was denominated after him. It was, most probably, by the interest of his brother Seneca that Gallio was made proconsul of Achaia; for Agrippina, who was wife to the emperor Claudius, and mother to Nero, had such an influence over her husband, that almost all things were managed according to her direction; and her son's preceptor would, it is most probable, be readily gratified in such a request for his brother. Seneca has described Gallio as a man of the most mild disposition, composed in himself, and benign and gentle to mankind in general; and his behaviour upon the following occasion, considering him to be a Heathen, agrees very well with the character that his brother has given him.

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Acts 18:14. If it were a matter of wrong, &c.— If it were a matter of injustice, or mischievous licentiousness. Heylin reads the passage, If your accusation were for some act of injustice, or other immorality, I would hear you patiently, as reason requires I should.

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Acts 18:15. But if it be a question of words— But since your dispute is only about words, and names, and your own law, you must decide it yourselves. The truth is, that religious and civil affairs are of an entirely distinct nature; that the latter come under the cognizance of the magistrate; and that it is not his business to interpose in an affair relating to the former, any further than to keep the peace, and to allow all good subjects openly to profess their own religion, and to worship in their own way. Accordingly, when the apostle was going to speak, Gallio would not give him the trouble of making his apology, because he did not look upon him as a criminal: he told his accusers, that he would have nothing to do with their religious opinions, (the subject of which he had heard, no doubt, from the accusation which the Jews brought,) and determined not to concern himself with such things as did not come within his proper province. He therefore, not without threatening, ordered them to depart from the tribunal. "Would to God (says Dr. Benson,) that all princes, judges, and magistrates had always been of Gallio's mind, and discouraged such tumults, by protecting the innocent, and discountenancing persecutors, and so had left every one to judge for himself in matters of religion, which concern only God and man's own conscience!"—A commentator remarks, The names of the Heathen gods were fables and shadows; but the question concerning the name of Jesus is of more importance than all things else under heaven. Yet there is this, among a thousand other singularities in the Christian religion, that mere human reason, curious as it is in all other things, abhors to inquire into it."

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