Word Pictures in the New Testament - David Cox

Word Pictures in the NT [Acts: Chapter 18]
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18:1 {To Corinth} (\eis Korinthon\). Mummius had captured and
destroyed Corinth B.C. 146. It was restored by Julius Caesar B.C.
46 as a boom town and made a colony. It was now the capital of
the province of Achaia and the chief commercial city of Greece
with a cosmopolitan population. It was only fifty miles from
Athens. The summit of Acrocorinthus was 1,800 feet high and the
ports of Cenchreae and Lechaeum and the Isthmus across which
ships were hauled gave it command of the trade routes between
Asia and Rome. The temple of Aphrodite on the Acrocorinthus had a
thousand consecrated prostitutes and the very name to
Corinthianize meant immorality. Not the Parthenon with Athene
faced Paul in Corinth, but a worse situation. Naturally many Jews
were in such a mart of trade. Philippi, Thessalonica, Beroea,
Athens, all had brought anxiety to Paul. What could he expect in
licentious Corinth?
18:2 {Aquila} (\Akulan\). Luke calls him a Jew from Pontus,
apparently not yet a disciple, though there were Jews from Pontus
at the great Pentecost who were converted (2:9). Aquila who
made the famous A.D. translation of the O.T. was also from
Pontus. Paul "found" (\heur•n\, second aorist active participle
of \heurisk•\) though we do not know how. Edersheim says that a
Jewish guild always kept together whether in street or synagogue
so that by this bond they probably met. {Lately come from Italy}
(\prosphat•s el•luthota apo t•s Italias\). Second perfect
participle of \erchomai\. _Koin•_ adverb, here only in the N.T.,
from adjective \prosphatos\ (\pro, spha•\ or \sphaz•\, to kill),
lately slaughtered and so fresh or recent (Heb 10:20). {With
his wife Priscilla} (\kai Priskillan gunaika autou\). Diminutive
of \Priska\ (Ro 16:3; 1Co 16:19). Prisca is a name in the
Acilian family and the Prisci was the name of another noble clan.
Aquila may have been a freedman like many Jews in Rome. Her name
comes before his in verses 18,26; Ro 16:3; 2Ti 4:9. {Because
Claudius had commanded} (\dia to diatetachenai Klaudion\).
Perfect active articular infinitive of \diatass•\, old verb to
dispose, arrange, here with accusative of general reference.
\Dia\ here is causal sense, "because of the having ordered as to
Claudius." This was about A.D. 49, done, Suetonius says
http://www.ccel.org/r/robertson_at/wordpictures/htm/AC18.RWP.html (1 of 14) [28/08/2004 09:07:08 a.m.]
Word Pictures in the New Testament
(Acts: Chapter 18)