Acts 18:21
But as he left, he said, “I will come back to you if God is willing.” And he set sail from Ephesus.
Scripture: Berean Standard Bible (BSB), public domain
- WHERE
- Jerusalem, Ephesus
- 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
- 1 Corinthians 4:19 But I will come to you shortly, if the Lord is willing, and then I will find out not only what these arrogant people are saying, but what power they have.
- James 4:15 Instead, you ought to say, “If the Lord is willing, we will live and do this or that.”
- Acts 20:16 Paul had decided to sail past Ephesus to avoid spending time in the province of Asia, because he was in a hurry to reach Jerusalem, if possible, by the day of Pentecost.
- Romans 1:10 in my prayers at all times, asking that now at last by God’s will I may succeed in coming to you.
- Romans 15:32 so that by God’s will I may come to you with joy and together with you be refreshed.
- Hebrews 6:3 And this we will do, if God permits.
- Deuteronomy 16:1 Observe the month of Abib and celebrate the Passover to the LORD your God, because in the month of Abib the LORD your God brought you out of Egypt by night.
Cross-references: OpenBible.info, CC BY 4.0
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