SEV Biblia, Chapter 18:12
¶ Y siendo Galión procónsul de Acaya, los judíos se levantaron de común acuerdo contra Pablo, y le llevaron al tribunal,
Clarke's Bible Commentary - Acts 18:12
Verse 12. When Gallio was the deputy of Achaia] The Romans comprehended, under the name of Achaia, all that part of Greece which lay between Thessaly and the southernmost coasts of Peloponnesus. Pausanias, in Attic. vii. 16, says that the Romans were accustomed to send a governor into that country, and that they called him the governor of Achaia, not of Greece; because the Achaeans, when they subdued Greece, were the leaders in all the Grecian affairs see also Suetonius, in his life of Claudius, cap. xxv., and Dio Cassius, lx. 24. Edit. Reimari.
Deputy] anqupateuontov, serving the office of anqupatov, or deputy: see the note on chap. xiii. 7.
Gallio] This deputy, or proconsul, was eldest brother to the celebrated Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the stoic philosopher, preceptor of Nero, and who is so well known among the learned by his works. The name of Gallio, was at first Marcus Annaeus Novatus; but, having been adopted in the family of Gallio, he took the name of Lucius Junius Gallio. He, and Annaeus Mela his brother, father of the poet Lucan, shared in the disgrace of their brother Seneca; and by this tyrant, Nero, whose early years were so promising, the three brothers were put to death; see Tacitus, Annal. lib. xv. 70, and xvi.
17. It was to this Gallio that Seneca dedicates his book Deuteronomy Ira.
Seneca describes him as a man of the most amiable mind and manners: "Quem nemo non parum amat, etiam qui amare plus non potent; nemo mortalium uni tam dulcis est, quam hic omnibus: cum interim tanta naturalis boni vis est, uti artem simulationemque non redoleat:" vide Senec.
Praefat. ad Natural. Quaest. 4. He was of the sweetest disposition, affable to all, and beloved by every man.
Statius, Sylvar. lib. ii. 7. ver. 30, Ode on the Birthday of Lucan, says not a little in his favour, in a very few words: - Lucanum potes imputare terris; Hoc plus quam Senecam dedisse mundo, Aut dulcem generasse Gallionem.
You may consider nature as having made greater efforts in producing Lucan, than it has done in producing Seneca, or even the amiable GALLIO.
And brought him to the judgment seat] They had no power to punish any person in the Roman provinces, and therefore were obliged to bring their complaint before the Roman governor. The powers that be are ordained of God. Had the Jews possessed the power here, Paul had been put to death!
John Gill's Bible Commentary
Ver. 12. And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia , etc.] This province, which was now become a Roman one, Pliny the younger calls true and mere Greece; it went by the name of Aegialus f930 , and now it is called Livadia: it has on the north the country of Thessaly, and on the west the river Acheloo, or Aracheo, on the east the Aegean sea, and on the south Peloponnesus, or the Morea. Gallio, who was now deputy of it, was brother to L. Annaeus Seneca, the famous philosopher, who was preceptor to Nero; his name at first was M. Annaeus Novatus, but being adopted by L. Junius Gallio, he took the name of the family. According to his brother’s account of him f931 , he was a very modest man, of a sweet disposition, and greatly beloved; and Statius calls him Dulcem Gallionem, “the sweet Gallio”, mild and gentle in his speech, as Quintilian says. Seneca makes mention of him as being in Achaia; and whilst he was deputy there he had a fever, when as soon as it took him he went aboard a ship, crying, that it was not the disease of the body, but of the place. The Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul ; being provoked that so many of their people, as well as of the Gentiles, were converted by him to the Christian religion, and were baptized: and brought him to the judgment seat ; of Gallio, the deputy, to be tried and judged by him.
Matthew Henry Commentary
Verses 12-17 - Paul was about to show that he did not teach men to worship God contrary to law; but the judge would not allow the Jews to complain to him of what was not within his office. It was right in Gallio that he left the Jews to themselves in matters relating to their religion, but yet would not let them, under pretence of that, persecute another. But it was wrong to speak slightly of a law and religion which he migh have known to be of God, and which he ought to have acquainted himsel with. In what way God is to be worshipped, whether Jesus be the Messiah, and whether the gospel be a Divine revelation, are no questions of words and names, they are questions of vast importance Gallio spoke as if he boasted of his ignorance of the Scriptures, as in the law of God was beneath his notice. Gallio cared for none of thes things. If he cared not for the affronts of bad men, it wa commendable; but if he concerned not himself for the abuses done to good men, his indifference was carried too far. And those who see an hear of the sufferings of God's people, and have no feeling with them or care for them, who do not pity and pray for them, are of the sam spirit as Gallio, who cared for none of these things.
Greek Textus Receptus
γαλλιωνος 1058 N-GSM δε 1161 CONJ ανθυπατευοντος 445 5723 V-PAP-GSM της 3588 T-GSF αχαιας 882 N-GSF κατεπεστησαν 2721 5627 V-2AAI-3P ομοθυμαδον 3661 ADV οι 3588 T-NPM ιουδαιοι 2453 A-NPM τω 3588 T-DSM παυλω 3972 N-DSM και 2532 CONJ ηγαγον 71 5627 V-2AAI-3P αυτον 846 P-ASM επι 1909 PREP το 3588 T-ASN βημα 968 N-ASN
Vincent's NT Word Studies
12. Gallio. Brother of the philosopher Seneca (Nero's tutor), and uncle of the poet Lucan, the author of the "Pharsalia." Seneca speaks of him as amiable and greatly beloved.Deputy. See on Ch. xiii. 7. The verb, to be deputy, occurs only here.
Judgment-seat. See on ch. vii. 5.
Robertson's NT Word Studies
18:12 {When Gallio was proconsul of Achaia} (galliwnos de anqupatou ontos tes acaias). Genitive absolute of present participle ontos. Brother of Seneca the Stoic (Nero's tutor) and uncle of Lucan the author of the farsalia. His original name was M. Annaeus Novatus till he was adopted by Gallio the rhetorician. The family was Spanish. Gallio was a man of culture and refinement and may have been chosen proconsul of Achaia for this reason. Statius calls him "_dulcis Gallio_." Seneca says of him: _Nemo enim mortalium uni tam dulcis quam hic omnibus_ (No one of mortals is so pleasant to one person as he is to all). Luke alone among writers says that he was proconsul, but Seneca speaks of his being in Achaia where he caught fever, a corroboration of Luke. But now a whitish grey limestone inscription from the hagios Elias quarries near Delphi (a letter of Claudius to Delphi) has been found which definitely names Gallio as proconsul of Achaia (auqupatos tes acaias). The province of Achaia after various shifts (first senatorial, qen imperial) back and forth with Macedonia, in A.D. 44 Claudius gave back to the Senate with proconsul as the title of the governor. It is amazing how Luke is confirmed whenever a new discovery is made. The discovery of this inscription has thrown light also on the date of Paul's work in Corinth as it says that Gallio came in the 26th acclamation of Claudius as Emperor in A.D. 51, that would definitely fix the time of Paul in Corinth as A.D. 50 and 51 (or 51 and 52). Deissmann has a full and able discussion of the whole matter in Appendix I to his _St. Paul_. {Rose up} (katepestesan). Second aorist active of kat-ef-istemi, intransitive, to take a stand against, a double compound verb found nowhere else. They took a stand (estesan) against (kata, down on, epi, upon), they made a dash or rush at Paul as if they would stand it no longer. {Before the judgment seat} (epi to bema). See on ¯12:21. The proconsul was sitting in the basilica in the forum or agora. The Jews had probably heard of his reputation for moderation and sought to make an impression as they had on the praetors of Philippi by their rush (sunepeste, #16:22). The new proconsul was a good chance also (#25:2). So for the second time Paul faces a Roman proconsul (Sergius Paulus, #13:7) though under very different circumstances.
