20 June. Acts 18:12-17

20 June. The Roman governor of Achaia dismisses a charge against Paul

"When Gallio was the governor of the country of Southern Greece (the Roman province of Achaia), some of the Jews came together against Paul and took him to the court. They said, 'This man is teaching people to worship God in a way that is against our law.'"

"Paul was about to say something, but Gallio spoke to the Jews, saying, 'I would listen to you Jews if you were complaining about a crime or some wrong. But the things you are saying are only questions about words and names - arguments about your own [Jewish] law. So you must solve this problem yourselves. I don't want to be a judge of these things.'"

"And Gallio made them leave the court. Then they grabbed Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue [who sympathised with Paul], and beat him there before the court. But this did not bother Gallio."

          (Acts 18:12-17)

 

 

After a number of months in Corinth, Paul was accused of blasphemy by some of the Jews, and was hauled before Gallio, the Roman proconsul of Achaia (southern Greece). Gallio was the elder brother of the influential Roman philosopher and dramatist Seneca, the tutor of Nero (from 49AD) and later his advisor (from 54 to 62AD).

But Gallio refused to judge Paul – a Roman citizen – on a matter of Jewish religious law, so he dismissed the case out of hand, and refused to be pressurised into intervening in the beating of Sosthenes.

Paul then stayed on in Corinth for several more months. During his eighteen months there (in 51-52AD), Paul wrote a number of letters, including his First and Second Letters to the Thessalonians.

In these letters, he encouraged the new Gentile believers he had converted in Macedonia (northern Greece) to stand firm under persecution by the Jews of Thessalonica. He instructed them how to lead a godly life and cleared up some confusion about the second coming of the Lord Jesus.

The photo shows the ancient Pirene Fountain in Corinth, where Classical Greek poets were said to imbibe inspiration.

You can read more about the two letters that Paul wrote to the new Gentile believers at Thessalonica @ https://www.thebiblejourney.org/…/pauls-1st-letter-to-thes…/

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