World English Bible · Under Rome
Acts 18
Touch any underlined name to see who or where it is. Tap a verse number to see where it is taken up elsewhere.
After these things departed from and came to . He found a certain named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, who had recently come from Italy with his wife , because had commanded all the to depart from . He came to them, and because he practiced the same trade, he lived with them and worked, for by trade they were tent makers. He reasoned in the every and persuaded and . When and came down from , was compelled by , testifying to the that was the Christ. When they opposed him and blasphemed, he shook out his clothing and said to them, "Your be on your own heads! I am clean. From now on, I will go to the !" He departed there and went into the house of a certain man named , one who , whose house was next door to the . , the ruler of the , in with all his house. Many of the Corinthians, when they heard, and were . said to in the night by a , "Don't be afraid, but speak and don't be silent; for I am with you, and no one will attack you to harm you, for I have many people in this city." He lived there a year and six months, teaching the word of among them. But when was proconsul of , the with one accord rose up against and brought him before the seat, saying, "This man persuades men to contrary to ." But when was about to open his , said to the , "If indeed it were a matter of wrong or of crime, you , it would be reasonable that I should bear with you; but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves. For I don't want to be a judge of these matters." So he drove them from the seat. Then all seized , the ruler of the , and beat him before the seat. didn't care about any of these things. , having stayed after this many more days, took his leave of the brothers, and sailed from there for , together with and Aquila. He shaved his head in , for he had a . He came to , and he left them there; but he himself entered into the and reasoned with the . When they asked him to stay with them a longer time, he declined; but taking his leave of them, he said, "I must by all means keep this coming feast in , but I will return again to you if wills." Then he set sail from . When he had landed at , he went up and greeted , and went down to . Having spent some time there, he departed and went through the region of Galatia and Phrygia, in order, establishing all . Now a certain named , an Alexandrian by race, an eloquent man, came to . He was mighty in . This man had been instructed in of ; and being fervent in , he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning , although he knew only the of . He began to speak boldly in the . But when and Aquila heard him, they took him aside, and explained to him of more accurately. When he had determined to pass over into , the brothers encouraged him; and wrote to to receive him. When he had come, he greatly helped those who had through ; for he powerfully refuted the , publicly showing by that was the Christ.
A public domain modern English translation, free to read and share. Notes and cards are EKLI’s own.
The world at this moment · Under Rome, 63 BC to AD 100 ›
Judea as a client kingdom and then a province. Roads, garrisons, taxes, crucifixion, and a common Greek language that let a message travel the empire faster than any before it.
- Rome
- The republic tears itself apart in civil war and comes out as an empire under Augustus. What follows is two centuries of relative peace across the whole Mediterranean, enforced by legions and paid for by taxes, with safe roads and safe sea lanes. Every one of Paul's journeys depends on that.
- Judea
- Governed first through Herod the Great, a client king of enormous ability and enormous brutality who rebuilds the temple into one of the wonders of the ancient world, then directly by Roman prefects. Crucifixion is the standard penalty for sedition and is used often and publicly.
- The wider world
- Greek is spoken from Spain to Syria, which means a letter written in Corinth can be read in Rome without translation. Jewish communities already exist in most major cities, which is where the first Christian preaching lands. Mystery religions, imperial cult, and philosophy all compete in the same marketplace.
- Further afield
- The Han dynasty rules China and trades silk westward along routes that touch the Roman world at second hand. In Britain the Roman conquest begins within a decade of the crucifixion.