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Acts 18:1–6. After this, Paul left Athens and came to Corinth. And having found a certain Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy, and Priscilla his wife, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to leave Rome, he came to them; and, due to the same craft, he stayed with them and worked; for their trade was making tents. On every Sabbath he spoke in the synagogue and convinced the Jews and Greeks. And when Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul was compelled by the spirit to testify to the Jews that Jesus is the Christ. But as they resisted and slandered him, he shook off his clothes and said to them: Your blood is on your heads; I am clean; From now on I am going to the pagans. Paul was led by the Spirit to Corinth; and he had to remain in Corinth, because the Athenians, despite the fact that they loved to listen to news, did not listen to the truth, since they did not care about the essence of the matter, but about always being able to say something. So, Paul considered it sufficient to plant only the seed there. "Because Claudius commanded". Under Nero, Paul achieved perfection, and under Claudius, a war broke out against the Jews, and they, as dangerous people, were expelled from Rome. Therefore, Providence arranges that he was taken there as a prisoner, so as not to be expelled to him as a Jew. “Due to the same craft, I stayed with them and worked.” Therefore, he stayed because he found their shelter convenient, since it was more convenient for him than many royal palaces, just as for an athlete an arena is more useful than soft carpets, and for a warrior an iron sword is needed, not a gold one. “Having shook out his clothes, he spoke to them,” in order to frighten them not only in word, but also in deed. "Your blood is on your heads." An unclear statement. I think that Paul is saying: “Everyone who departs from Christ, who is life, appears to be killing himself, since he passes from life to death and, through self-inflicted murder, in some way sheds his own blood.” Or he says the following: “For the fact that through unbelief you kill yourself, you yourself will answer before the court, since I am innocent of this.” From this we can conclude that a suicide is punished by God as a murderer. Acts 18:7–11. And he went from there and came to a certain God-worshipper named Justus, whose house was near the synagogue. Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his household, and many of the Corinthians, listening, believed and were baptized. The Lord, in a vision at night, said to Paul: Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent, for I am with you, and no one will harm you, because I have many people in this city. And he remained there for a year and six months, teaching them the word of God. Many were inflamed by the fact that Paul was in the neighborhood. “Crispus... the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord.” This is the same Crispus about whom Paul speaks: “he baptized none of you except Crispus and Gaius” (1 Cor. 1:14). “Do not be afraid, but speak and do not be silent.” Finally, the Lord tells Paul what he especially needed, because nothing saddened him more than unbelief. Acts 18:12–18. Meanwhile, during the proconsulship of Gallio in Achaia, the Jews unanimously attacked Paul and brought him before the judgment seat, saying that he was teaching people to honor God not according to the law. When Paul wanted to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews: Jews! if there was any offense or malicious intent, then I would have a reason to listen to you, but when there is a dispute about the teaching and about the names and about your law, then sort it out for yourself; I don't want to be the judge of this. And he drove them away from the judgment seat. And all the Greeks, seizing Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, beat him before the judgment seat; and Gallio was not at all worried about that. Paul, having stayed quite a few more days, said goodbye to the brethren and sailed to Syria, and with him Aquila and Priscilla, having shaved his head in Cenchrea, according to a vow. How, someone might ask, “did the Jews attack Paul with one accord?” Suddenly grabbing him. And yet they did not dare to do anything, but brought him to the proconsul. And he expelled them from the court. It seems to me that he was one of the humane people. "And all the Greeks seized Sosthenes". As for the fact that they beat Sosthenes, it was either because he, like the ruler of the synagogue Crispus, was more devoted to Paul, or they had already gone so far in a frenzy that, forgetting their plans, they began to beat Sosthenes instead of Paul, or they beat him because they wanted to kill Paul, and Sosthenes did not allow them. They beat Sosthenes, they acted illegally in view of the boss himself, saying this: if everyone does what he wants, if the law no longer exists, then we beat him. The proconsul did not stop them, but allowed them to beat each other. If they had acted this way not in relation to themselves, but in relation to someone from another nation, then he, of course, would have brought them to their senses. “He sailed to Syria, and with him Aquila and Priscilla, having shaved 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, he does this both here and in the temple in Jerusalem with a high purpose. This is what he said: “he was to those who were strangers to the law... as one who was strangers to the law, in order to win those who were strangers to the law” (1 Cor. 9:21). "By vow". Refers to the vow of renunciation. He made a vow to cut his hair so that he would no longer devote his activities 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 by vow, cut his hair, because this was done by those who wanted to live godly, but at the same time it was an ancient custom among the Jews. Therefore, tonsure of monks is advisable. Acts 18:19–20. Having reached Ephesus, he left them there, and he himself entered the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews. When they asked him to stay with them longer, he did not agree. He left Aquila and Priscilla in Ephesus, no doubt, so that they could teach, for, having spent so much time with Paul, they learned a lot. Acts 18:21–23. And he said goodbye to them, saying: I must definitely spend the upcoming holiday in Jerusalem; I will return to you again, if God wills. And he left Ephesus. (Aquila and Priscilla remained in Ephesus.) Having been in Caesarea, he came to Jerusalem, greeted the church and went to Antioch. And, having spent some time there, he went out and went through the country of Galatia and Phrygia in order, confirming all the disciples. “I’ll come back to you again.” Being a prophet and knowing that he should return, Paul promised to return again to Ephesus. And so that no one foolishly does the same thing, making an unconscious promise to do this or that, Paul taught us not to make any promise in the future without adding the words “if God wills,” because no one knows what the next day will bring. Therefore, he is mad who does not limit his promise to the words “if God wills”; because if someone promises with self-confidence that he will certainly do it, he will often listen to the following words: “Mad! this night your soul will be taken from you; who will get what you have prepared” (Luke 12:20)? It was Paul's constant rule to visit the believers and strengthen them, so that if he found them weak, he could lighten their burden with instructional edification. Acts 18:24–25. A certain Jew named Apollos, originally from Alexandria, an eloquent man and versed in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. He was instructed in the rudiments of the path of the Lord and, burning in spirit, spoke and taught about the Lord correctly, knowing only the baptism of John. Some argue that this “Apollos” is Apollos, Bishop of Corinth, about whom Paul writes: “As for brother Apollos, I asked him greatly” (1 Cor. 16:12); also: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God increased” (1 Cor. 3:6). Acts 18:26–28. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue. Hearing him, Aquila and Priscilla accepted him and more accurately explained to him the path of the Lord. And when he intended to go to Achaia, the brethren sent to the disciples there, urging them to receive him; and he, having arrived there, greatly helped those who believed by grace. For he powerfully refuted the Jews publicly, proving by the Scriptures that Jesus is the Christ. If Apollos was baptized only by the baptism of John, then how is he aflame with the Spirit? The Holy Spirit was not communicated in this way. And if his followers needed the baptism of Christ, then he himself needed it much more. So what can we say to this? It seems to me that Apollos was one of the one hundred and twenty who were baptized along with the apostles, or, if not so, then the same thing happened to him as to Cornelius. The baptism of John called for repentance, but at the same time did not provide cleansing from sin, so the difference between the baptism of John and the baptism of believers is that the baptism of believers grants remission of sins, since the believer is baptized in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit and is washed from the errors that preceded baptism. If those baptized by John did not have the Holy Spirit, then how was it that Apollos, baptized only by John’s baptism, was aflame with the Spirit? But in this case, even if he was on fire with the Spirit, he still did not have the Holy Spirit, because he did not speak in different tongues, did not prophesy; it is another thing to be on fire with the Spirit, and another thing to have the Holy Spirit. He who has the Holy Spirit has Him dwelling within him, and the Spirit Himself speaks to him from his heart, as he spoke to the apostles - sometimes forbidding, sometimes commanding them to speak (pronounce) the word. But he who is aflame with the Spirit does something under the guidance of the Spirit through sanctification and external instruction; since from the sensible one must conclude to the invisible. “He powerfully refuted the Jews publicly, proving by the Scriptures.” To reprove “publicly” means to show boldness; to reprove strongly means to show strength; and to reprove “by proving it by the Scriptures” is to testify to one’s knowledge. Neither boldness achieves anything without strength, nor strength without boldness. You might be interested in: