Atos 18
Theophylact of Ohrid
Atos 18:1
Paul was led by the Spirit to Corinth; and in Corinth he had to remain, because the Athenians, despite the fact that they loved to hear news, did not heed the truth, since they cared not about the essence of the matter, but about always being in a position to say something. And so, Paul deemed it sufficient to merely cast the seed there. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:2
"Because Claudius had commanded." Under Nero, Paul reached perfection, and under Claudius a war was kindled against the Jews, and they, as dangerous people, were expelled from Rome. Therefore Providence arranged that he was brought there as a prisoner, so that he would not be expelled as a Jew. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:3
"Because of the sameness of their trade, he stayed with them and worked." He stayed because he found lodging with them convenient, since it was for him more comfortable than many royal chambers, just as for an athlete the arena is more useful than soft carpets, and for a soldier an iron sword is necessary, not a golden one. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:6
"Having shaken out his garments, he said to them," in order to frighten them not by word only, but also by deed. "Your blood be upon your own heads." An obscure saying. I think Paul is saying: "Everyone who falls away from Christ, Who is life, is seen as killing himself, since he passes from life to death and through the murder inflicted upon himself sheds in a certain way his own blood." Or he is saying the following: "For the fact that through unbelief you are killing yourselves, you yourselves will answer before the judgment, since I am innocent of this." From this one can conclude that the one who kills himself is punished by God as a murderer. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:7
Many were inflamed by the fact that Paul was in the vicinity. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:8
"Crispus… the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord." This is the same Crispus of whom Paul says: "I baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius" (1 Cor. 1:14). — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:9
"Fear not, but speak and hold not thy peace." At last the Lord says to Paul that which he especially needed, because nothing grieved him so much as unbelief. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:12
How then, someone will ask, "did the Jews attack Paul with one accord?" By seizing him suddenly. And yet they dared do nothing, but brought him to the proconsul. And he drove them away from the judgment seat. It seems to me that this was one of the humane people. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:17
"And all the Greeks, having seized Sosthenes." As for the fact that they beat Sosthenes, this was either because he too, like Crispus the ruler of the synagogue, was more devoted to Paul, or they had already gone so far in their frenzy that, forgetting their plans, they began beating Sosthenes instead of Paul, or they beat him because they wanted to kill Paul, but Sosthenes did not allow them to. They beat Sosthenes, acting lawlessly in the very sight of the ruler, saying by this: if everyone does what he wants, if the law no longer exists, then we too will beat him. The proconsul did not stop them, but allowed them to beat one another. If they had done this not to one of their own, but to someone from another nation, he would of course have brought them to their senses. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:18
"He sailed to Syria, and with him Aquila and Priscilla, having shorn his head in Cenchrea." Since it seemed to the Jews that Paul was teaching apostasy from the law, and since many abhorred him and did not accept his preaching, both here and in the temple of Jerusalem he does this with a lofty purpose. This is the same as what he said: "to those without the law I became as without the law, that I might win those without the law" (1 Cor. 9:21). "Because of a vow." He means the vow of renunciation. He made a vow to cut his hair, so that he would no longer devote his activity to worldly affairs, like worldly people, but so that, like a person living according to God, he would devote himself to the Church. And Aquila also, according to a vow, cut his hair, because this was done by those who wished to live in a manner pleasing to God, but at the same time this was an ancient custom among the Jews. Therefore the tonsure of monks is also fitting. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:19
He left Aquila and Priscilla in Ephesus, no doubt so that they might teach, for having spent so much time with Paul, they had learned much. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:21
"I will return to you again." Being a prophet and knowing that he was to return, Paul gave a promise to return again to Ephesus. And so that no one would do the same thing out of foolishness, giving a reckless promise to do this or that, Paul taught us not to give any promise about the future without adding the words "if God wills," because no one knows what the next day will bring. Therefore, foolish is the one who does not qualify his promise with the words "if God wills"; because if someone promises with self-assurance that he will certainly do something, he will often hear the following words: "Fool! This night your soul will be required of you; then whose will those things be which you have prepared?" (Luke 12:20). — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:23
To visit the faithful and strengthen them was the constant rule of Paul, so that, if he found them growing weak, he might lighten their burden with pastoral instruction. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:24
Some assert that this "Apollos" is Apollos, Bishop of Corinth, about whom Paul writes: "As for brother Apollos, I strongly urged him" (1 Cor. 16:12); also: "I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth" (1 Cor. 3:6). — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:26
If Apollos was baptized only with the baptism of John, then how did he burn with the Spirit? The Holy Spirit was not communicated in that manner. And if his followers needed the baptism of Christ, then he himself needed it all the more. So what shall we say to this? It seems to me that Apollos was among the one hundred and twenty baptized together with the apostles, or, if not, then the same thing happened with him as with Cornelius. The baptism of John called to repentance, but did not at the same time provide cleansing from sin, so that the difference between the baptism of John and the baptism of believers consists in this: the baptism of believers grants the remission of sins, since the believer is baptized in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and is washed clean of the errors that preceded baptism. But if those baptized by John did not have the Holy Spirit, then how did Apollos, baptized only with the baptism of John, burn with the Spirit? Yet in that case, even if he did burn with the Spirit, he still did not have the Holy Spirit, because he did not speak in various tongues nor did he prophesy; it is one thing to burn with the Spirit, and another to have the Holy Spirit. He who has the Holy Spirit has Him dwelling within himself, and the Spirit Himself speaks to him from his heart, as He spoke to the apostles — now forbidding, now commanding them to speak the word. But he who burns with the Spirit accomplishes something under the guidance of the Spirit through sanctification and outward instruction; for from the sensible one must reason to the invisible. — Commentary on Acts
Atos 18:28
"He powerfully refuted the Jews publicly, proving from the Scriptures." To refute "publicly" means to show boldness; to refute powerfully means to manifest strength; and to refute "proving from the Scriptures" means to bear witness to one's knowledge. Neither does boldness accomplish anything without strength, nor strength without boldness. — Commentary on Acts