Acts Chapter 18.

Acts Chapter 18.

At Corinth. B-D. 252.     18:1-17.

Return to Antioch.          18:18-23.

Apollos.  B-D. 47.          18:24-28.

Paul at Corinth.  18:2.   Made new friends with Aquila and Priscilla.  B-D. 51.  They may have been Christians before meeting Paul.  The Edict of Claudius was about 49.AD.  See B-D. 238.

           

The arrival of Silas and Timothy.   Their coming encouraged Paul and he was constrained by the word to give himself wholly to preaching.  They may have brought financial help from Phillippi. (2.Cor.11:8-9).

           

Paul met with much success at Corinth.  Some scholars take 1.Cor.2:2 to mean that Paul changed his manner of preaching after the failure at Athens.  Surely Christ Crucified was always central to Paul's preaching, but after Athens he may have felt more than ever that Christ Crucified was his sole theme.

           

Whether Paul's approach at Athens was a mistake or not, it seems that Luke placed much more importance on the address at Athens.

           

The Gentiles.  18:6.   This is the second occasion on which Paul speaks of a deliberate intention to turn to the Gentiles.

           

A Converted Household.  18:8.   The family unit has importance in evangelism.  Other households are mentioned in 16:15, 34;  1.Cor.1:16.  To secure the conversion of the head of the household would be the first aim.  Such households were often large and included slaves.  It had this advantage: that many followed the conversion of the head without having much depth of experience for themselves.  Household or infant baptism cannot be based with confidence on these converted households.

           

Full Conversion.  18:8.   The conversion of the Corinthians is described in three             stages:- Hearing.                       Believed.                      Baptized.

           

The Impartial Proconsul.  D-D. 1036.   Gallio, B-D 451, arrived at Corinth about July, 51.AD.  See B-D. 226e.

           

Prolonged Stay.   Paul remained about 18 months at Corinth, during which he wrote the two Thessalonian Epistles.

           

After Years.   The Church at Corinth gave Paul much concern in the following years and altogether he made three visits to the city and wrote four letters to the church there.  During his final visit to Corinth, he wrote the Epistle to the Romans.

           

About the year 96 the Roman Church wrote a pastoral letter to the Church at Corinth.  This is known as the First Epistle of Clement.  It deserves careful reading.  B-D. 942.

           

The Close of the Second Missionary Journey.  

Paul saluted the Church at Jerusalem and then went down to Syrian Antioch.  This seems to be the meaning of 18:22.R.V.  See Last map in B-D.

           

His Bag Unpacked.   Paul soon sets out on the Third Missionary Journey.  18:23.

Apollos.  18:24-28.  B-D. 47.   He had excellent qualifications for preaching.

a.  Elequent.  The word 'logos' means "eloquent, learned, cultured."  He was probably trained in the Alexandrian Jewish-culture, B-D. 24-5, represented by Philo, B-D. 991.

           

b.   Mighty in the Scriptures.     

c.   Fervent in spirit.  Rom.12:11.

           

d.   A careful accurate teacher.

           

e.   A bold speaker.

           

f.   Himself ready to learn and be taught.

His knowledge of Jesus was limited to the baptism of John.   Luther suggested that Apollos was the author of the Epistle to the Hebrews.

           

In some respects, the visit of Apollos to Corinth was unfortunate.  See 1.Cor.1:12;  3:5-6, 22;  16:12.  Paul never blames Apollos for the trouble at Corinth.