Acts 18:12, commentary and pictures

While Gallio was proconsul, deputy and governor of Achaia, the unbelieving Jews in Corinth united with one accord and rose together against Paul and brought him before the judgment seat for trial. Their united attack was roused to more determined action by Paul's increased success in presenting Christ, and they expected the Roman authorities to be on their side because the Jewish religion was under Roman protection. They hoped the authorities would support their charge that he was urging worship contrary to the law and violating their religious law, so that he would be given into their hands for trial and punishment by Roman power, even death. Gallio recognized Paul's innocence and dismissed the case at once as outside his public authority and having no bearing on the public interest, refusing as a man of integrity to become their dupe and do injustice to a man he knew to be innocent. That ruling gave Christianity a signal victory in Corinth that kept Paul there and protected the believers and whole community of converts from being driven out and from great danger and attempted extermination.

Corinth Setting and Jewish Attack

Corinth was a leading city of Greece and of the wider world, where people from many lands gathered for business and pleasure, and its commercial importance and access to the Roman Empire made it a strategic place to establish memorials for God and His truth. It was dominated by idolatry and marked by gross immorality, which shows the serious obstacles surrounding Paul's preaching there. The episode before the judgment seat in Corinth during Gallio's time as deputy of Achaia belongs to Paul's preaching to Corinth's merchants and other people.

While Gallio was proconsul, deputy, and governor of Achaia, the unbelieving Jews in Corinth united with one accord against Paul. They rose together in a body with great tumult and brought him before the judgment seat for trial. Their united action brought Paul before Gallio the Roman deputy for a hearing of their case.

Their united opposition followed Paul's increased success in presenting Christ, which roused them to more determined action. They expected the Roman authorities to be on their side as on former similar occasions, because the Jewish religion was under Roman protection. They hoped the authorities would support their charge that Paul was urging worship contrary to the law and violating their religious law. By that charge they sought to have him exposed to trial and punishment by Roman power, given into their hands for such punishment as they chose, even death.

Gallio's Just Ruling and Victory

Gallio saw Paul was innocent and threw the case out at once as lying outside his public authority and having no bearing on the public interest. He was a man of integrity who would not be made the Jews' dupe and, unlike Pilate, would not do injustice to a man he knew to be innocent. He stands as a model of the impartial Roman ruler who would not sacrifice justice to gain popularity.

He is counted among the heathen magistrates who declared Paul innocent and protected him when his life was threatened, in contrast to Jewish tribunals that condemned him without proving his guilt. His decision thwarted the accusers and left them baffled and enraged, and turned the Greeks and even the ignorant mob against them. The crowd's attack on the ruler of the synagogue and attack on Paul laid bare their unjust and vindictive spirit.

The ruling gave Christianity a significant and signal victory in Corinth that kept Paul there. It protected the believers and the whole community of converts from being driven out and from great danger and attempted extermination, since Roman protection kept opponents from stopping Paul's work. The verse thus records an unsuccessful attempt by the Jews in Corinth to have Paul condemned before Gallio at the Roman judgment seat, a failure to secure his condemnation that had occurred five years earlier. Festus is compared to Gallio because, in contrast with Felix, he resisted pressure from Paul's accusers and sought to administer justice, as in his refusal to send Paul to Jerusalem.