SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY (CONCLUDED) 1-18. St. Paul at Corinth. Corinth was the capital of the Roman province of Achaia. The ancient town had been entirely destroyed in 146 b.c. by the Roman general Mummius, but it had been refounded as a Roman colony in 46 b.c. by Julius Cæsar. Situated on the Cor... [ Continue Reading ]
ST PAUL'S SECOND MISSIONARY JOURNEY, 49, 50 A.D. (ACTS 15:36 TO ACTS 18:22) Having secured the formal recognition by the Twelve of Gentile Christianity, St. Paul was free to resume his missionary labours. He first revisited the Churches founded on the First Journey, and then carried the gospel to E... [ Continue Reading ]
AQUILA.. PRISCILLA] As Aquila and Priscilla (Prisca) are not said to have been converted by Paul, they were probably already Christians. The edict of the emperor Claudius (about 52 a.d.) which expelled the Jews from Rome, was. caused by tumults which arose in the Jewish quarter, when the faith of Ch... [ Continue Reading ]
TENTMAKERS] All Jews, however wealthy, were taught a trade.... [ Continue Reading ]
SILAS AND TIMOTHEUS] see Acts 17:15. They brought money with them, so that Paul no longer worked with his hands, but gave himself entirely to preaching (2 Corinthians 11:9; Philippians 4:15). WAS PRESSED IN THE SPIRIT] RV 'was constrained by the word,' i.e. devoted himself continually to preaching.... [ Continue Reading ]
BLASPHEMED] They said 'Jesus is anathema' (1 Corinthians 12:3).... [ Continue Reading ]
JUSTUS] RV 'Titus Justus.' Probably a Roman colonist of the Roman colony Corinth.... [ Continue Reading ]
CRISPUS] St. Paul baptised this important convert with his own hands, as also Gaius, and the household of Stephanas (1 Corinthians 1:15). From 1 Corinthians 16:15; 1 Corinthians 16:17 we learn that Stephanas was the first convert made in Achaia.... [ Continue Reading ]
GALLIO] the brother of Nero's tutor Seneca, and uncle of the poet Lucan, was a well-educated, amiable, and accomplished man, who, having filled the office of consul, was sent out as proconsul of Achaia about 52 a.d.... [ Continue Reading ]
The Greeks hated and despised the Jews, and seeing that their contempt was shared by Gallio, they ventured to insult the Jews in his presence by assaulting Sosthenes. GALLIO CARED, etc.] This may either mean that Gallio pretended not to see the assault on Sosthenes, or else that he cared nothing abo... [ Continue Reading ]
A VOW] After delivery from danger or recovery from sickness, the Jews were accustomed to take upon themselves a modified form of the Nazirite vow (see Numbers 6). As the special consecration of this state forbade intercourse with Gentiles, St. Paul deferred it till his work at Corinth was finished.... [ Continue Reading ]
EPHESUS] The prohibition to preach the word in Asia (Acts 16:6) had now apparently been removed. Aquila and Priscilla were left in Ephesus to prepare the way for the great missionary effort that he desired to make in this important centre.... [ Continue Reading ]
VISIT TO JERUSALEM. Paul probably sailed in a ship specially chartered to convey Jews to Palestine to keep the Passover.... [ Continue Reading ]
THIS FEAST] i.e. Pentecost (or possibly Passover) 52 a.d. Clearly St. Paul had vowed to make his Nazirite offering at this feast. The RV omits the words referring to the feast altogether, but they are strongly attested.... [ Continue Reading ]
AND GONE UP] viz. to Jerusalem. We may suppose that St. Paul spent some time at Jerusalem, before going to Antioch.... [ Continue Reading ]
THIRD MISSIONARY JOURNEY, AUG. 52 A.D. TO PENTECOST 56 A.D. (ACTS 18:23 TO ACTS 21:16) 23. Visit to Galatia. St. Paul revisits Antioch in Syria and the Churches of Galatia and Phrygia, founded in the First Missionary Journey (i.e. Antioch in Pisidia, Iconium, Lystra, Derbe).... [ Continue Reading ]
Apollos at Ephesus. 24. Apollos] The name is a contraction of Apollonius. He is mentioned again Acts 19:1; 1 Corinthians 1:12; 1 Corinthians 3:4.; 1 Corinthians 4:6; 1 Corinthians 16:12; Titus 3:13. He had been instructed and baptised by the disciples of the Baptist, and therefore regarded Jesus as... [ Continue Reading ]
THE SYNAGOGUE] We infer that Priscilla and Aquila, though Christians, still attended the synagogue.... [ Continue Reading ]
WROTE.. THE DISCIPLES] Christians travelling received 'letters of commendation 'to other Christian Churches, which secured them hospitality and admission to communion (cp. 2 Corinthians 3:1). HELPED THEM MUCH] RM 'helped much through grace them which had believed.' Apollos was so popular at Corinth,... [ Continue Reading ]
CONVINCED] RV 'confuted,'... [ Continue Reading ]
CONFIRMING THE CHURCHES] see Acts 16:5, and op. Acts 14:22.... [ Continue Reading ]