Acts 18 Commentary

After what "things" (Acts 18:1) did Paul depart?
After preaching and witnessing in Athens (see Acts 17).

Who are "Aquila ... and Priscilla" (Acts 18:2)?
See Aquila and Priscilla.

Where is "Pontus" (Acts 18:2)?
Pontus was a Roman province on the southeastern coast of the Black Sea in what is northeastern Turkey today.

Who was "Claudius" and why had he "commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome" (Acts 18:2)?  
After repeated riots by Jewish Zealots, the Roman Emperor Claudius expelled all Jews from Rome in 49 AD.

Where is "Corinth" (Acts 18:1)?
Corinth is located 60 miles (100 kilometers) southwest of Athens on the narrow stretch of land that connects the Peloponnese peninsula to mainland Greece. Today, Corinth is a town of 50,000.

What was Corinth like 2,000 years ago?
It was a much larger city. With two ports - one on its west coast and the other on its east coast - as well as the north-south land traffic, Corinth was a major commercial hub brimming with tradesmen, sailors, and the women who catered to them. Situated atop a 2,000 foot cliff behind Corinth was the temple of Aphrodite/Venus, the Greek/Roman 'goddess of love,' where a thousand women worked as temple prostitutes by day and then descended on the streets of Corinth at night. There was so much sexual immorality in Corinth that the city literally became synonymous with sexual immorality: the Greek verb korinthiazomai - literally translated, "to act the Corinthian" - meant to commit sexual immorality. After having Paul take the Gospel to Athens, a city particularly enslaved by pagan philosophies and idol worship, the Lord was having Paul take the Gospel to a city where Satan enslaved people particularly through lust.

In which particular way(s) does Satan enslave people in your town?