Encyclopedia entry
Gallio
The elder brother of Seneca the philosopher, who was tutor and for some time minister of the emperor Nero. He was “deputy”, i.e., proconsul, as in Revised Version, of Achaia, under the emperor Claudius, when Paul visited Corinth (Acts 18:12). The word used here by Luke in describing the rank of Gallio shows his accuracy. Achaia was a senatorial province under Claudius, and the governor of such a province was called a “proconsul.” He is spoken of by his contemporaries as “sweet Gallio,” and is described as a most popular and affectionate man. When the Jews brought Paul before his tribunal on the charge of persuading “men to worship God contrary to the law” (18:13), he refused to listen to them, and “drave them from the judgment seat” (18:16).
Also from Smith's (1884) +−
(one who lives on milk), Junius Annaeus Gallio, the Roman proconsul of Achaia when St. Paul was at Corinth, A.D. 53, under the emperor Claudius. (Acts 18:12) He was brother to Lucius Annaeus Seneca, the philosopher. Jerome in the Chronicle of Eusebius says that he committed suicide in 65 A.D. Winer thinks he was put to death by Nero.
In the Bible
3
Verses where Gallio is named. Berean Standard Bible (public domain).
- Acts 18:12
While Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews coordinated an attack on Paul and brought him before the judgment seat.
- 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.
- 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.
Scripture on Gallio
1
Sources · Hitchcock's Bible Names (1869) · Easton's Bible Dictionary (1897) · Smith's Bible Dictionary (1884)
Public-domain text. Modernized only where archaic spelling impedes reading; original facts preserved. Verify against an authoritative modern reference before quoting.