Acts of the Holy Spirit #30, Acts 18:18-28

Acts does not record in detail the nearly 2 years that Paul and his companions reside in Corinth, a city of exceeding immorality. The epistles to the Corinthians reveals that the practice of immorality had entered the early church and that the Holy Spirit had manifested a variety of gifts for the believers to endure and overcome. Sacred History (Acts) however remains silent on these points. In their place we are told of a vow Paul had made (although the Greek text is unclear as to whether it was Paul or Aquila who made the vow) which involved the cutting of hair. The vow is not described, hair cutting typically reflected a Nazarite vow which also involved offering sacrifices (of animals) in Jerusalem.

Paul, Priscilla and Aquila begin a journey eastwards to Syria. Silas and Timothy remain in Corinth. Silas the prophet now fades from the pages of Sacred History and we never hear from him again, the prophet who ended up not being recorded as actually saying anything particularly prophetic. In Ephesus the party go to the Synagogue on the Sabbath. Paul encounters no opposition in his discussion of Messiah, rather gets a request to stay and explain further. A little out of character and perhaps pressed for time, Paul declines the invitation. Paul it seems is destined for Jerusalem, to fulfil that vow he made. Nazarite vows also imposed time limits on the fulfilment of the vow. Priscilla and Aquila remain in Ephesus instead and Paul lands at Caesarea.

Vs 22 says that Paul went up. Some translations have added that this was to Jerusalem. Certainly implied by the phrase ‘to go up’. The only place one ‘went up’ was to Jerusalem. While we assume a community on believers now existed in Caesarea (Acts 10), there is no reference to Paul encountering them here. Following Paul’s fulfilment of his vow and his meetings with the Jerusalem Church, he returns to Antioch, his home base and supporting community.

The scene switches back to Ephesus, a city of commerce, banking, powerful trade guilds and idolatry with the Temple of Artemis (one of the 7 wonders of the ancient world). Apollos is introduced. A Jewish follower of Jesus from Alexandria where as Western manuscripts suggest, he came to faith. Alexandria was a city of scholarship and philosophy, with a world famous library. Philo a hellenistic Jewish philosopher, hails from Alexandria. Egyptian Coptic tradition holds that the Apostle Mark brings the Gospel to Egypt. Apollos is well versed in Scripture (Greek Septuagint), described as erudite and instructed in the way of the Lord. Apollos is a potential author for the Book of Hebrews. However he had not learned of the Baptism of the Holy Spirit, only of the Baptism of John. Priscilla and Aquila take Apollos aside and instruct him further. Apollos embraces the mentoring and proceeds to powerfully proclaim the Gospel and refute counter Jewish arguments in public. Apollos is sent to Corinth, possibly to assist Silas and Timothy with the Corinthian community where he is described as a great help to the believers.