Acts 17:23
For as I walked around and examined your objects of worship, I even found an altar with this inscription: TO AN UNKNOWN GOD. Therefore what you worship as something unknown, I now proclaim to you.
Scripture: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain
- WHERE
- Athens
- WHEN
- c. AD 49-52
ON THE MAP
WHEN
c. AD 49-52
counted from the text
The eighteen months in Corinth fit Paul into the Roman calendar in years, not just in order.
WHO RULED
- Claudius emperor of Rome AD 41-54
- Gallio proconsul of Achaia AD 51-52
- Herod Agrippa II king of Judea AD 50-93
- Antonius Felix procurator of Judea AD 52-59
MEANWHILE
-
c. AD 49 Italy
Claudius expels the Jews from Rome
That is why Aquila and Priscilla are in Corinth when Paul arrives, in Acts 18:2.
-
AD 51-52 Achaia
Gallio is proconsul of Achaia
The Delphi inscription dates his term, and with it the only fixed date in Paul's life.
SOURCES
- date — Acts 18:12 puts Paul before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia in AD 51-52 by the Delphi inscription. It is the anchor of the whole chronology of Paul.
- Claudius — Suetonius, Claudius; Tacitus, Annals XI-XII
- Gallio — Delphi inscription (SIG 801d), which dates his term; Acts 18:12. It is the only fixed date in Paul's chronology.
- Herod Agrippa II — Josephus, Jewish War II; Antiquities XX
- Antonius Felix — Josephus, Antiquities XX.7-8; Tacitus, Annals XII.54
- Claudius expels the Jews from Rome — Suetonius, Claudius 25.4; Orosius VII.6
- Gallio is proconsul of Achaia — Delphi inscription (SIG 801d); Acts 18:12
SEE ALSO
- John 4:22 You worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.
- Galatians 4:8-9 Formerly, when you did not know God, you were slaves to those who by nature are not gods. …
- John 17:3 Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom You have sent.
- John 17:25 Righteous Father, although the world has not known You, I know You, and they know that You sent Me.
- Acts 17:30 Although God overlooked the ignorance of earlier times, He now commands all people everywhere to repent.
- Romans 1:28 Furthermore, since they did not see fit to acknowledge God, He gave them up to a depraved mind, to do what ought not to be done.
- 1 Corinthians 1:21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know Him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe.
- 2 Thessalonians 2:4 He will oppose and exalt himself above every so-called god or object of worship. So he will seat himself in the temple of God, proclaiming himself to be God.
Cross-references: OpenBible.info, CC BY 4.0
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