Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Monday, July 29, 2013 Read – Acts 18:1-17 From Athens Paul moved on to Corinth. Corinth was a very important city in Greece. The city sat on an isthmus about three miles wide that separated the sea to the west toward Rome from the sea to the east toward Asia Minor. This strategic position brought Corinth a great deal of wealth and about everything else one can imagine. When Paul came to Corinth he found a Jewish couple, Aquila and Pricilla. They had come to Corinth from Rome having been evicted from Rome by Claudius, the emperor. We know of this eviction from the writings of one of Claudius’ biographers, Suetonius, who wrote of an eviction of the Jews from Rome over a dispute regarding “Chrestus” – likely he meant “Christos” – at a later time Tacitus makes the same error and uses “Chrestus” when he likely meant “Christos” too. We can gather that the dispute in Rome was between Christian Jews and non-Christian Jews – the Romans did not see the difference. This is more evidence that we should understand Christianity at its beginning as an expression of Judaism. Suetonius tells us that this dispute took place in 49 AD. We will hear shortly of a proconsul named Gallio who archeological evidence shows was proconsul in 50 and 51 AD. The time-frame Luke is laying out fits perfectly. I have been critical of Luke at times for “getting things wrong” which he likely did. This, and in many, in fact most places, he gets it exactly right. Luke is not perfect but he is a reliable historian. Anyway, Aquila and Pricilla have already been working among the Corinthians! Paul comes and joins them in the mission. We also learn the all three share a common vocation – they are tentmakers. They earn their support through this work and proclaim the gospel when they are not working. Once again the outreach starts in the Jewish synagogues. Success and failure is once again the outcome. In the end, the synagogue does not prove to be fruitful ground and Paul says some rather hostile words of protest – “Your blood be on your own head!” – again we need to hear these words as insiders debating with one another. One could wish that Paul would have been a bit more tactful – but that is not the Paul we find either in his letters or in the book of Acts. The mission moves on now to the Gentiles and the place where that mission takes shape is right next door to the synagogue – how convenient! In the process of proclaiming the gospel in the home of Titius Justus, the ruler of the synagogue, Crispus, is won over and becomes a Jewish Christian. One can imagine that this did not sit well with the others in the synagogue. Trouble is brewing. As if to provide strength to Paul, God provides a vision in the night to Paul. The mission lasts for a year and a half – the longest by far that Paul has ever spent in one place to this time. Eventually trouble breaks out – and this is where we are introduced to Gallio – again it is the Jews who stir up the people against Paul. They bring their case to Gallio and, to his credit he dismisses the case because it has nothing to do with Roman law. This is Luke’s way of proclaiming to the world of his day that the Roman world has nothing to fear from Christians and that Roman leadership had found the Christians not guilty! Luke then relates a very strange event. He tells us that Sosthenes, the new ruler of the synagogue is seized and beaten in front of Gallio – who turns his eyes away unfazed by what is happening. Who did the beating? Was it other Jews angry that Sosthenes was not successful? Was it Romans? Could it have been Christians? One would hope not. Luke is silent about who did the beating and the whole story is strange – and not worth much thought. As with Galatia and with Philippi we have the letters of Paul to the Corinthians to read. We are not going to take time now to go through them. However, we can say this much – the letters of Paul reflect much the same message as Luke does in the book of Acts regarding Corinth. Pricilla, who Paul calls Prisca, and Aquila are both mentioned prominently by Paul – as is the duration of his ministry in Corinth. Paul also mentions Crispus. For those who want to hear more you are welcome to pause in read the Corinthian letters.