1 After these things he departed from Athens, and came to Corinth.
 2 And he found a certain Jew named Aquila, a man of Pontus by race, lately come from Italy, with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had commanded all the Jews to depart from Rome: and he came unto them;
 3 and because he was of the same trade, he abode with them, and they wrought, for by their trade they were tentmakers.
 4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded Jews and Greeks.
 5 But when Silas and Timothy came down from Macedonia, Paul was constrained by the word, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ.
 6 And when they opposed themselves and blasphemed, he shook out his raiment and said unto them, Your blood be upon your own heads; I am clean: from henceforth I will go unto the Gentiles.
 7 And he departed thence, and went into the house of a certain man named Titus Justus, one that worshipped God, whose house joined hard to the synagogue.
 8 And Crispus, the ruler of the synagogue, believed in the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized.
 9 And the Lord said unto Paul in the night by a vision, Be not afraid, but speak and hold not thy peace:
 10 for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to harm thee: for I have much people in this city.
 11 And he dwelt there a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them
 12 But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment-seat,
 13 saying, This man persuadeth men to worship God contrary to the law.
 14 But when Paul was about to open his mouth, Gallio said unto the Jews, If indeed it were a matter of wrong or of wicked villany, O ye Jews, reason would that I should bear with you:
 15 but if they are questions about words and names and your own law, look to it yourselves; I am not minded to be a judge of these matters.
 16 And he drove them from the judgment-seat.

 17 And they all laid hold on Sosthenes, the ruler of the synagogue, and beat him before the judgment-seat. And Gallio cared for none of these things.

Edict of Caesar:
It satisfies me that the graves and tombs
[that] whoever, for the cult worship of ancestors,
makes, or [for the cult worship] of children or household members,
that those [graves and tombs] remain unmoved
throughout their existence. And if anyone charges that
anyone has either destroyed them, or in some other
way made off with what was buried in them, or to another
place with knavish malice
took [these things], for the purpose of doing injury to
the buried, or [had] the doorstone or
[other] stones switched, against that
man [who is accused] I order that a trial
occur, just like [a trial] concerning the [cult worship of] gods,
for the cult worship of men.
For it shall be much more necessary
to honor the buried:
[so] let no one at all move them.
Otherwise, that man I
want condemned to death for the charge
of digging through tombs

In 1878 a marble slab measuring approximately fifteen by twenty-four inches was discovered at Nazareth, describing itself as “an ordinance of Caesar.” The message was a strict prohibition against disturbing graves. Scholars generally agree that it was issued by Claudius between AD 41-54.

As noted by Maier, all previous indictments of this nature prescribe only a fine for the offender, but in this order the death penalty is due. Why such a harsh penalty at this juncture in Palestine?

This order came straight from the Emperor and most likely is the result of “claims” concerning the body of Jesus and other events during this time concerned with the spread of Christianity (see Acts 17: 1-9). Such a decree during the reign of Claudius must have also been enacted because of the riots in Rome in AD 49 which caused the Emperor to expel the Jews from the city. Suetonius tells us that the riots and expulsion were instigated by the the Christ (Acts 18:2 and Suetonius, Claudius, 25).

Claudius may have well discovered the Christian teaching that Jesus had risen from the dead and may have also heard the report spread by the Jews that someone had stolen the body (Matthew 28:12-15). This decree becomes more important since it mentions “those who disturb tombs which are sealed.” One cannot help but think if Matthew 27:66ff.

From this decree we can glean some historical facts.

1. Apparently there were reports in Palestine during the reign of Claudius the caused him to issue a stern warning.

2. Jewish burials at least sometimes included a sealing.

3. The offense of grave robbing was now a capital offense.

βῆμα (bēma 968)

1. judgment-seat

a step, a raised place. Then, a tribune to speak from in a public assembly. In the Roman Lawcourts there were two, for plaintiff and defendant. Then, the elevated seat of a judge (this specific meaning occurs only inAct 7:5).

[The βῆμα (bēma 968) or Tribunal of Christ, must be distinguished from "the throne of His [‘the King's’] glory" (Mat 25.): and also from the great white Throne of the Father (Rev 20.). Before the First, "we," (2Co 5:10) that is to say the Apostle, and all Christians, "appear" — that is to say be made manifest; to "receive". We appear there as raised in incorruption and made like the Judge "as He is". Before the-Seeond, "all the nations" "shall be gathered", and separated and judged according to what they have rendered unto the "brethren" of Christ, "when the Son of Man shall come in His glory", (the Church or bride coming and sitting with Him, Rev 3:20,21). Before the Third, stand "the dead" raised in the second Resurrection, after the thousand years, "the resurrection of damnation". These are "judged", and "cast into the lake of fire".ion.]

2. throne -s

a pace, a footstep; then, any elevated place approached by steps; hence, a tribunal, seat of a judge or magistrate. 

In phrases:

βῆμα ποδός (bēma 968 podos) foot on (to set one's); a foot-breadth, what the foot can stand on.

βῆμα (bēma 968) a step.

ποδός (podos) of a foot. 

Bema

The Acrocorinth (lit. high Corinth) is in the background; the Bema is in the front. The Bema would be where the judge of a town would sit or an orator the town would speak or make an announcement to the public.

How is the Bema significant for understanding the world of Paul?

First, the Bible, in the book of Acts, records that Paul was brought to the Bema under accusations of contrary teaching. The judge dismisses the affair as a Jewish quarrel.

But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews made a united attack on Paul and brought him before the bema (tribunal).  They said, "This man is persuading people to worship God in ways that are contrary to the law." Just as Paul was about to speak, Gallio said to the Jews, "If it were a matter of crime or serious villainy, I would be justified in accepting the complaint of you Jews; but since it is a matter of questions about words and names and your own law, see to it yourselves; I do not wish to be a judge of these matters." And he dismissed them from the tribunal. Then all of them seized Sosthenes, the official of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the tribunal. But Gallio paid no attention to any of these things (Acts, chapter 18:12-17).

The Roman officials often viewed Christianity as a sect within Judaism. 

The Bema, however, also plays a role in Paul's first letter to the Corinthians.  The Bema was where orators would speak.  In Paul's day, people went to school to learn rhetoric, the art of convincing speech.  The Bema in Athens, like in Corinth, is located in the heart of the city.  Public speaking was important and those who could do it well had respect and power.  Many even demanded that Paul himself obey these conventions.

 How is Paul confronting his culture?

Paul refuses to give into the demands that he use rhetoric.  As scholar Anthony Thiselton points out -- rhetoricians were comfortable using “personality, cajoling, and similar techniques.” Paul does not want people to think their faith rests on his speaking ability, his personality, or his tricks, but on the power of God.

When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the mystery of God to you in lofty words or wisdom.  For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ, and him crucified. And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. My speech and my proclamation were not with plausible words of wisdom, but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God  (1 Corinthians 2:1-5).

 18 And Paul, having tarried after this yet many days, took his leave of the brethren, and sailed thence for Syria, and with him Priscilla and Aquila: having shorn his head in Cenchreae; for he had a vow.

19 And they came to Ephesus, and he left them there: but he himself entered into the synagogue, and reasoned with the Jews.

 20 And when they asked him to abide a longer time, he consented not;

 21 but taking his leave of them, and saying, I will return again unto you if God will, he set sail from Ephesus.

22a  And when he had landed at Caesarea, he went up and saluted the church

  and went down to Antioch.

You can read about Paul's first missionary journey in Acts chapter 13.and chapter 14. It all seems to happen quite rapidly, condensed as it is into these two fairly short chapters of the Bible. But given that travel on land was generally on foot, and that by sea was in sailing ships, this first trip probably lasted at least two years, perhaps more.

After they had been home for a while, Paul suggested to Barnabas that they re-visit the places they had been to before, and see how they were doing. This probably happened in about the year AD 49. Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them, a young man who had been with them part of the way on the first journey, but Paul disagreed, and they couldn't resolve the conflict. They decided to go separately. Barnabas and John Mark went to Cyprus, while Paul chose another man called Silas, and started out through parts of Syria en route to Turkey via land.

Paul had planned to go into Asia, but God stopped him from doing that and sent him instead to Macedonia - part of what we would now call Greece. This was the start of the church in Europe, where it has been significant for 20 centuries. Macedonia was mostly a pagan town, under Roman authority, so Paul's audience was rather different from the mainly Jewish groups he had previously spoken to. Not surprisingly there was opposition to their message about Jesus, and Paul and Silas were thrown into jail.

A violent earthquake led to the destruction of the jail, and Paul was able to tell the jailer and his family about Jesus. The following day he let the authorities know that he was himself a Roman citizen as well as Jew, and that they had no right to imprison him! He contiued to other parts of Greece, speaking sometmes to Jews, sometimes to Greeks who believed in God, and sometimes to others. In each city some people believed in Jesus, and others didn't. He stayed variable amounts of time in each city, with a particularly long spell in Corinth, another Greek city.

You can read the Biblical account of Paul's second missionary journey in Acts chapter 16, 17, and 18. Once again, it all sounds fairly fast-paced, but with the long stay in Corinth as well as the extensive travelling, this trip is likely to have lasted at least three years. Paul wrote several letters during this journey, some of which became part of the New Testament section of the Bible.

After some time back home, where Paul encouraged people in Antioch and helped to settle some disputes, he set out once more for his last missionary journey. This probably began in about the year AD 53. Once again he travelled by land through Turkey, and on to various cities in Greece. He encouraged the believers, taught them, and helped to sort out some of the difficulties that arose. Some of the local silversmiths, who made money from selling statues of the Greek pagan gods, were angry; if people believed that there was only one God, and if He didn't want idols made, they would lose money!

Paul stayed as long as was necessary in each town, as he was fairly sure that he would not return again. He knew that he had to go to Jerusalem, and was fairly sure he would die there. So part of the reason for this trip was to say goodbye to some of the people he had come to regard as brothers and sisters in the ever-increasing church around the area.

You can read about Paul's third missionary journey in Acts chapter 19, 20, and 21. Chapter 21 shows us Paul finally arrived in Jerusalem, and subsequent chapters explain in detail about Paul's arrest, his defence, and his trials. He was eventually (after some years) sent to Rome, and shipwrecked on the way, leading to a lengthy detour in Malta. In Rome he was arrested again, and while awaiting his trial he wrote several more of the letters that became part of the New Testament. At last he was freed, claiming his rights as a Roman citizen once more.

The book of Acts ends with Paul still in Rome, teaching people in the house he was renting. It's likely, however, that he was eventually arrested again, found guilty, and beheaded, in around the year 68 AD.

  and went down to Antioch.

he left and passed successively through the Galatian region and Phrygia, strengthening all the disciples.

 24Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was mighty in the Scriptures.

 25This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord; and being fervent in spirit, he was speaking and teaching accurately the things concerning Jesus, being acquainted only with the baptism of John;

26and he began to speak out boldly in the synagogue. But when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately.

27And when he wanted to go across to Achaia, the brethren encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him; and when he had arrived, he greatly helped those who had believed through grace,

28for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, demonstrating by the Scriptures that Jesus was the Christ.