John Calvin Commentary Acts 18:12

"But when Gallio was proconsul of Achaia, the Jews with one accord rose up against Paul and brought him before the judgment-seat," — Acts 18:12 (ASV)

When Gallio. Either the change of the deputy encouraged the Jews to become more proud and insolent, as perverse men tend to misuse new things to stir up some commotion, or else, hoping that the judge would favor them, they suddenly broke the peace and silence which had lasted for a whole year.

The substance of the accusation is that Paul attempted to introduce a false kind of worship contrary to the law. Now, the question is whether they spoke of the law of Moses or of the rites used in the Roman Empire. Because this latter idea seems weak to me, I am more inclined to believe that they burdened Paul with this crime: that he broke and altered the worship prescribed in the law of God, in order that they might accuse him of novelty or innovation.

And surely Paul would have deserved to be condemned if he had attempted any such thing; but because it is most certain that they treacherously and wickedly slandered the holy man, they tried to cover an evil cause with an honest excuse. We know how strictly the Lord commands in the law how He wants His servants to worship Him.

Therefore, to depart from that rule is sacrilege. But because Paul never meant to add to or take away anything from the law, he is unjustly accused of this fault.

From this we gather that even if the faithful live ever so uprightly and blamelessly, they still cannot escape false and slanderous reports until they are allowed to clear themselves.

But Paul was not only unworthily and falsely slandered by his adversaries, but when he wanted to refute their impudence and false reports, he was silenced by the deputy. Therefore, he was forced to depart from the judgment seat without defending himself.

And Gallio refuses to hear the case, not because of any ill will he bore toward Paul, but because it was not fitting for the deputy's office to pass judgment on the religion of every province. For though the Romans could not force the nations subject to them to observe their rites, yet lest they should seem to approve what they merely tolerated, they forbade their magistrates from interfering with this area of jurisdiction.

Here we see the effect of ignorance concerning true godliness on the proper ordering of every commonwealth and dominion. All people confess that the principal thing is that true religion should be upheld and flourish.

Now, when the true God is known, and the certain and sure rule of worshipping Him is understood, there is nothing more just than what God commands in His law: namely, that those who rule with power (after abolishing contrary superstitions) should defend the pure worship of the true God.

But since the Romans observed their rites only out of pride and stubbornness, and since they had no certainty where there was no truth, they thought the best course of action was to grant liberty to those who lived in the provinces to live as they pleased.

But nothing is more absurd than to leave the worship of God to human choice. Therefore, it was not without reason that God commanded through Moses that the king should have a copy of the law written for himself (Deuteronomy 17:18), namely, so that, being well instructed and certain of his faith, he might more courageously maintain what he knew with certainty was right.