Acts 18:1-4 - Paul left Athens and went to Corinth

18:1,2

Corinth was about 46 miles from Athens and was the major city in Achaia. We know from the two Corinthian letters (and there were probably a total of four letters) that Paul’s relationships with the Corinthians were not easy. Aquila and Priscilla were to become key figures in Paul’s ministry (Rom 16:3,4). They had been forced to leave Rome, along with all the other Jews. The reason for this was that the gospel had caused trouble in the synagogues in Rome, and so the Jews were expelled as troublemakers. We do not know how the gospel got there, but while Paul was a key figure (to put it mildly), there were other routes through which the gospel was spreading. This expulsion of the Jews helps to explain some of the hostility of the Jews towards Christians. The expulsion happened in AD 49, though they were allowed to return a few years later.

18:3,4

Paul had another bond with Priscilla and Aquila in that they were also tentmakers. Paul used his tent making skill as a source of income to fund his missionary work, so he worked with them. At this point Paul was still starting his preaching activities in the synagogue, where he reasoned with the Jews and Greeks (presumably God-fearers). Note again that Paul “reasoned”, this is an important part of spreading the good news. Do note, however, that he also did signs and wonders (2 Cor 12:2), but they are not recorded in Acts. Sometimes people use the decline in the number of miracles recorded in Acts as the narrative progresses as an argument for saying that signs and wonders are not for today. This is a fallacious argument.