Acts 18:7Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

"Whose house was next to the synagogue." This was precisely why they were so inflamed, namely because Paul was nearby.

Although the preaching of the Gospel in the synagogue of Corinth was not well received by most of the Jews, Paul did not cease to testify to them about Jesus Christ. He did this especially when Timothy and Silas also came to him. But seeing no further success, he turned with his preaching to the Gentiles. A new Church was formed mostly from the Gentiles, and very few Jews joined them. In these labors he was strengthened by a divine vision, which revealed to him that many people there were ready to receive the preaching.

But when they opposed him, Paul shook the dust from his feet, left the synagogue forever, and moved to live in the house of a proselyte named Justus, so that from there he might preach to the Gentiles.

From that time he left the synagogue and addressed his preaching exclusively to the Gentiles, among whom he had considerable success. Among the converted Gentiles were Gaius and Stephanas, later well known for truly Christian hospitality and loving generosity (Rom 16:23; 1 Cor 16:15-17). The Apostle chose as the place of his meetings the house of a certain Justus, which was beside the synagogue. There was the first house of prayer and assembly for the Corinthian Christians.

"And he departed," more precisely, having passed from there, that is, directly from the synagogue, he came not to some Jew, nor even to Aquila and Priscilla, but to a proselyte named Justus. See Acts 13:16; Acts 13:26 and the note.

That he moved into a house beside the synagogue, and not farther away, fully accords with Paul's excited state and with the decisiveness of his character. It also accords with his rule of provoking his kinsmen according to the flesh to zeal. See Rom 11:14.

"He settled in a neighboring house so that this very nearness might stir up zeal in them, if they wished" (Chrysostom).

By naming Justus and Crispus, the author of Acts further testifies that many others in Corinth also believed in the Lord. Thus the decisive measure had its effect. Yet one cannot fail to notice that, although the apostle promised to go away with his preaching to the Gentiles, at first he did not go far, but settled nearby.

Certainly the conversion of Crispus greatly aided the work of preaching. He was in charge of the synagogue, was baptized by Paul himself, see 1 Cor 1:14, and later became bishop on the island of Aegina. Yet Paul now preferred to be with Justus, a proselyte. In this way his abandonment of the Jews was immediately evident, yet at the same time not entirely without hope.