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1After these things Paul departed from Athens and came to Corinth. 2He found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome. He came to them, 3and because he practiced the same trade, he lived with them and worked, for by trade they were tent makers. 4He reasoned in the synagogue every Sabbath and persuaded Jews and Greeks.

5When Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the Spirit, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ. 6When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the Gentiles!”

7He departed there and went into the house of a certain man named Justus, one who worshiped God, whose house was next door to the synagogue. 8Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, believed and were baptized. 9The Lord said to Paul in the night by a vision, “Don’t be afraid, but speak and don’t be silent; 10for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city.”

11He lived there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them. 12But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, 13saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.”

14But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If indeed it were a matter of wrong or of wicked crime, you Jews, it would be reasonable that I should bear with you; 15but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves. For I don’t want to be a judge of these matters.” 16So he drove them from the judgment seat.

17Then all the Greeks seized Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment seat. Gallio didn’t care about any of these things.

18Paul, having stayed after this many more days, took his leave of the brothers, and sailed from there for Syria, together with Priscilla and Aquila. He shaved his head in Cenchreae, for he had a vow. 19He came to Ephesus, and he left them there; but he himself entered into the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. 20When they asked him to stay with them a longer time, he declined; 21but taking his leave of them, he said, “I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem, but I will return again to you if God wills.” Then he set sail from Ephesus.

22When he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and greeted the assembly, and went down to Antioch. 23Having spent some time there, he departed and went through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, in order, establishing all the disciples. 24Now a certain Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus. He was mighty in the Scriptures. 25This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, although he knew only the baptism of John. 26He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside, and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

27When he had determined to pass over into Achaia, the brothers encouraged him; and wrote to the disciples to receive him. When he had come, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace; 28for he powerfully refuted the Jews, publicly showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.

Person

Gallio

 Biography | Hershel Wayne House | Corinth

The Gallio Inscription

     The New Testament lists a number of Roman officials that the apostle Paul encountered in his missionary travels. One such official was Gallio, whom Paul stood before in judgment at the bema in Corinth sometime between A.D. 51-53. When in Corinth, according to Acts 18:12-13, he was brought before this Roman proconsul of Achaia for breaking the Jewish law. When Gallio heard that the charges regarded the Jewish law, rather than actionable Roman law, he immediately dismissed the charges. The Scripture reads,

“12   But while Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, 13 saying, “This man persuades men to worship God contrary to the law.” 14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, “If it were a matter of wrong or of vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; 15 but if there are questions about words and names and your own law, look after it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.” 16 And he drove them away from the judgment seat. 17 And they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. But Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.” (Acts 18:12-17 NAS95)

One may observe that the proconsul said were the matter a wrong or vicious crime, he was willing to give consideration. Since, however, it related to the Jewish law, they were to deal with themselves. Because of this dismissal, Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, was beaten by the Jews.

Junius Annaeus Gallio was the son of Marcus Annaeus Seneca the rhetorician and brother of the famous philosopher, Lucius Annaeus Seneca. The latter spoke of Gallio highly, “No mortal is so pleasant to any one person as Gallio is to everybody.”1

     The existence of Gallio, and his position, is confirmed by an archaeological discovery at Delphi, in 1908, consisting of nine stone fragments.2 Deissman says regarding the discoveries that the inscription was a puzzle. Initially four fragments were unearthed, then three additional ones, and finally two more.3 There was disagreement as to whether the pieces were part of different inscriptions but finally scholars agreed that all nine fragments were from the same inscription.4

The inscription is a proclamation made by emperor Claudius (A.D. 41-54) that mentions Gallio as the proconsul of Achaia (Greece) to about A.D. 52. Gallio’s position at Corinth helps to confirm Paul’s time at Corinth between A.D. 51-53.5

The pertinent part of the inscription reads, “Gallio, my fr[iend] an[d procon]sul [recently reported to me. . . ”

                                    ΝΙΟΣ ΓΑΛΛΙΩΝ Ο Φ[ΙΛΟΣ] ΜΟΥ ΚΑ[Ι ΑΝΘΥ]ΠΑΤΟΣ [ΤΗΣ ΑΧΑΙΑΣ ΕΓΡΑΨΕΝ]

     The entire inscription is thought to have read thus:

Tiberius Claudius Caesar Augustus Germanicus, 12th year of tribunician power, acclaimed emperor for the 26th time, father of the country, sends greetings to [... ]. For long have I been well-disposed to the city of Delphi and solicitous for its prosperity, and I have always observed the cult of the Pythian Apollo. Now since it is said to be destitute of citizens, as my friend and proconsul L. Iunius Gallio recently reported to me, and desiring that Delphi should regain its former splendour, I command you (singular) to invite well-born people also from other cities to come to Delphi as new inhabitants, and to accord them and their children all the privileges of the Delphians as being citizens on like and equal terms. For if some are transferred as colonists to these regions.6

This article has also been published elsewhere. See Joseph M. Holden and Norman Geisler, The Popular Handbook of Archaeology and the Bible (Eugene, OR. Harvest House Publishers, 2013), 356, 357, which book may be acquired at the preceding link. The author retained rights in this article. © 2013 H. Wayne House. All Rights Reserved.

  1. Seneca, Natural Questions, iv. a; Preface 11.* ↩︎

  2. These fragments were found in the late 19th century but their importance was only realized in 1907-1908. ↩︎

  3. Adolf Deissmann, St. Paul: A Study in Social and Religious History, Trans by Lionel R. M. Strachan (New York: Hodder and Stoughton, 1912), 238. ↩︎

  4. Gardner Gordon, Paul, Dating, and Corinth: The Gallio Inscription and Pauline Chronology (PDF) from www.reformedperspectives.org (last visited November 18, 2011). ↩︎

  5. See the detailed arguments of Gardner Gordon regarding the reign of Claudius, the ascendancy of Seneca to tutor Nero, and the appointment of Gallio and the impact of these on the dating of Paul’s work at Corinth. ↩︎

  6. See the Greek text and translation in Hans Conzelmann, Acts of the Apostles. Hermeneia (Philadelphia: Fortress, 1987), 153-154 ↩︎

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Person & place data: Theographic Bible Metadata by Robert Rouse (Viz.Bible), CC BY-SA 4.0.