Gallio Γαλλίων
Roman proconsul of Achaia; refused to judge Paul.
Who is Gallio in the Bible?
Gallio was the Roman proconsul of Achaia during Paul's second missionary journey around 50-52 AD, serving as the chief administrator of the province that included Corinth (Acts 18:12). When Jewish leaders brought charges against Paul, accusing him of persuading people to worship God contrary to Jewish law, Gallio refused to hear the case and dismissed them, stating that he would not judge matters of Jewish religious law (Acts 18:14-16). His decision to remain neutral in religious disputes allowed Paul to continue his ministry in Corinth without Roman interference. Gallio's refusal to prosecute Paul demonstrates the Roman authorities' general tolerance of early Christian preaching, provided it did not threaten public order or Roman rule, and his historical tenure helps scholars date Paul's Corinthian ministry.
Biography
Gallio was the Roman proconsul of Achaia, the province that included the city of Corinth, during Paul's second missionary journey (Act.18.12). When the Jews brought charges against Paul, accusing him of persuading people to worship God in ways contrary to the law, Gallio refused to hear the case. He dismissed the charges, stating that he would not get involved in matters of Jewish law and that the Jews should settle the issue among themselves (Act.18.14-16). Gallio's refusal to judge Paul allowed the apostle to continue his ministry in Corinth unhindered. The incident also demonstrates the Roman authorities' general tolerance of early Christian preaching, as long as it did not disturb public order or challenge Roman rule. Gallio's tenure as proconsul of Achaia helps to date Paul's time in Corinth to around 51-52 AD.
In Scripture
1 biblical book ; 1 with study contentActs 3 verses
- Acts 18:12
"While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat."
Study Acts → - Acts 18:14
"But just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio told the Jews, “If this matter involved a wrongdoing or vicious crime, O Jews, it would be reasonable for me to hear your complaint."
Study Acts → - Acts 18:17
"At this, the crowd seized Sosthenes the synagogue leader and beat him in front of the judgment seat. But none of this was of concern to Gallio."
Study Acts →
Names & Aliases
| Form | Language | Script |
|---|---|---|
| Named | Greek | Γαλλίων |
Gallio
12-Acts.18.17">Ac 18:12-17). The trial was not of long duration. Although Gallio extended his protection to the Jewish religion as one of the religions recognized by the state, he contemptuously rejected the claim of the Jews that their law was binding upon all. In the eyes of the proconsul, the only law universally applicable was that of the Roman code and social morality: under neither was the prisoner chargeable; therefore, without even waiting to hear Paul's speech in his own defense, he summarily ordered his lictors to clear the court. Even the subsequent treatment meted out to Sosthenes, the chief ruler of the synagogue, was to him a matter of indifference. The beating of Sosthenes is ascribed by different readings to "Jews" and to "Greeks," but the incident is referred to by the writer of Ac to show that the sympathies of the populace lay with Paul, and that Gallio made no attempt to suppress them. Gallio has often been instanced as typical of one who is careless or indifferent to religion, yet in the account given of him in Acts, he merely displayed an attitude characteristic of the manner in which Roman governors regarded the religious disputes of the time (compare also LYSIAS; FELIX; FESTUS). Trained by his administrative duties to practical thinking and precision of language, he refused to adjudicate the squabbles of what he regarded as an obscure religious sect, whose law was to him a subtle quibbling with "words and names."
According to extra-canonical references, the original name of Gallio was Marcus Annaeus Novatus, but this was changed on his being adopted by the rhetorician, Lucius Junius Gallio. He was born at Cordova, but came to Rome in the reign of Tiberius. He was the brother of the philosopher Seneca, by whom, as also by Statius, reference is made to the affable nature of his character. As Achaia was reconstituted a proconsular province by Claudius in 44 AD, the accession of Gallio to office must have been subsequent to that date, and has been variously placed at 51-53 AD (compare also Knowling in The Expositor's Greek Testament, II, 389-92).
C. M. Kerr
gal'-oz.
See HANGING; PUNISHMENTS.
gam'-a-el (Gamael):
Chief of the family of Ithamar who we