5 - The speech of Gallio

Summary

The speech to be examined in this chapter takes place in Corinth. As in the speech of Gamaliel studied in the previous chapter, so the current one is spoken within a forensic context. On this occasion, however, it is Paul, not the apostles in Jerusalem, who is found at the centre of conflict. In addition, it is the Roman proconsul Gallio, not the Jewish Sanhedrin, who is to pronounce the verdict. For all the shifts in locations and persons, the present episode displays the fundamental traits of other episodes in the larger plot of Acts: the messengers of the gospel continue their task of evangelisation while the antagonists continue their attempt to blockade the rising tide of gospel infiltration.

I shall be arguing in this chapter that Luke again places the speech of an outsider at a pivotal juncture of the narrative. In the configuration of Acts 18.1–18, the speech of Gallio is placed at a determinative point: it will be either the catalyst of further gospel expansion or an intimidating impediment to that expansion. I shall thus explore how the speech of the outsider Gallio is used in the narrative and what it tells us about Luke's theology/historiography.

Context

The short speech spoken by Gallio took place during Paul's so-called second missionary journey. Unlike Paul's first missionary journey (13.4–14.28) where he was accompanied by Barnabas and John Mark (the latter temporarily), Paul's companions in this second voyage were Silas and Timothy.