Gallio’s judgement

“But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said to the Jews, ‘If it were a matter of some crime or vicious, unscrupulous act, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to put up with you; but if there are questions about teaching and persons and your own law, see to it yourselves; I am unwilling to be a judge of these matters.’” (1) The defendant, Paul, stood at the “beima” and placed his hand on a waist-high column to swear an oath before beginning his testimony. However, before Paul could start speaking, Gallio interrupted him. (2) Let’s examine the words of Judge Gallio: (a) The overall tone of Gallio’s statement conveys annoyance and contempt toward the accusers. His attitude can be summarized as, “Do you know who you’re talking to?” (b) Gallio addresses the Jews as “Jews,” directly calling them out. (c) He acknowledges that he would handle the matter if it were a criminal case, but he views this as an internal theological dispute within Judaism. By looking at the defendant, who bore the appearance of a Jewish rabbi (Paul), it was evident to Gallio that this was not a criminal matter. Therefore, he told them to resolve it themselves. (d) As the complaint was legally irrelevant, Gallio dismissed the case. In doing so, Gallio effectively upheld the principle of separation between religion and state. “And he drove them away from the judgment seat. But they all took hold of Sosthenes, the leader of the synagogue, and began beating him in front of the judgment seat. And yet Gallio was not concerned about any of these things.” (1) This scene reveals Gallio’s anti-Jewish stance. Persisting in their case, the Jews were forcibly expelled by Gallio. (2) Gallio’s words triggered an outburst of anti-Jewish sentiment among the crowd. Anti-Jewish feelings ran deep in Corinth. (a) The crowd turned against the Jewish leader. There was resentment toward the Jews for involving the Romans in their internal disputes. (b) Sosthenes, the synagogue leader, became the target of their attack. He had succeeded Crispus, who had become a believer, as the leader of the synagogue. (c) The crowd beat Sosthenes in front of the “beima.” (3) Gallio had no interest in any of these things. (a) Minor acts of violence were not matters for the proconsul to address. (b) His indifference was not toward religion itself but toward matters he deemed outside his jurisdiction. The trial ended with an unexpected outcome (the blessings this trial brought will be discussed next time). It was fortunate that Gallio was the proconsul at the time. God’s providence is always at work. Blessed are those who daily recognize the hand of God.