Achaia

In the Bible

In the New Testament, Achaia appears mainly in connection with the ministry of Paul.

• Acts 18:12-17: While Paul was staying in Corinth, Gallio was "the deputy of Achaia." The Jews brought charges against Paul, but Gallio regarded the matter as a question of Jewish law and declined to judge it.
• Acts 18:27: The brethren in Ephesus wrote to the disciples in Achaia so that Apollos could cross over there.
• Acts 19:21: Paul plans to travel to Jerusalem by way of Macedonia and Achaia.
• 1 Corinthians 16:15: The household of Stephanas is called "the firstfruits of Achaia," meaning the first people in that region to believe.
• 2 Corinthians 1:1: Paul addresses the letter to the church at Corinth together with "all the saints which are in all Achaia."
• 2 Corinthians 9:2; 11:10: Paul says that the believers of Achaia had been preparing their collection (offering) since the previous year, and he mentions his boast that he did not accept support in Achaia.
• Romans 15:26: The believers of Macedonia and Achaia made a contribution for the poor saints in Jerusalem.
• 1 Thessalonians 1:7-8: Paul commends the believers in Thessalonica for becoming examples to all who believed in Macedonia and Achaia.

Background

Achaia (Greek Ἀχαΐα) originally referred to a district in the northern Peloponnese. In the Roman period the name was applied to a province encompassing southern Greece. Augustus is generally understood to have separated it from Macedonia and made it a distinct province in 27 BC. It was governed by a proconsul appointed by the Senate, and its principal city was Corinth. Athens also belonged to the province. The church at Cenchreae, which Phoebe served according to Romans 16:1, was located in Corinth's port town and was therefore also a church of Achaia.

An inscription discovered at Delphi records Gallio's term as proconsul. On the basis of this inscription, scholars generally date Paul's stay in Corinth to the early AD 50s, although the precise year varies somewhat among scholars.

Biblical Significance

Achaia illustrates how the gospel spread beyond Asia Minor to the European mainland. In Paul's letters it frequently appears in the pairing "Macedonia and Achaia," which denotes the churches of the Greek region as a whole. The collection that the churches of Achaia gathered for the church in Jerusalem is read as an example of the bond between Gentile and Jewish churches (Romans 15:26-27).

Interpretive Issues

• The "firstfruits" question: Acts 17:34 reports that some people in Athens had already believed before Paul went to Corinth, yet 1 Corinthians 16:15 calls the household of Stephanas the firstfruits of Achaia. Several interpretations have been offered to account for this difference. Some take it to mean that the household of Stephanas was the first established community of believers; others read it as an expression centered on the Corinthian area.
• Manuscript differences: In Romans 16:5, some older translations, including the King James Version, describe Epaenetus as "the firstfruits of Achaia." Korean Bibles, including the New Korean Revised Version, follow earlier manuscripts and read "Asia."
• Relation to "Greece": Many interpreters understand "Greece" in Acts 20:2 to refer to Achaia, particularly the Corinthian area, although the name Achaia does not appear in the text itself.

In the Korean Church

The account in 2 Corinthians 8–9 of the believers of Achaia preparing their collection in advance is often cited in sermons on the proper attitude toward offerings. The phrase "Macedonia and Achaia" is frequently used in Bible studies on Paul's missionary journeys to refer to the churches of the Greek region.