Claudius

Biblical Record

Claudius was an emperor of the Roman Empire, generally said to have reigned from AD 41 to 54. In the Bible he appears only in the Acts of the Apostles, where he is named twice. Neither passage deals with him directly; both use his name to indicate the time and setting of the events described.

• Acts 11:28: Agabus, a prophet who came to the church at Antioch, foretold a great famine throughout all the world, "which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar." In response, the disciples at Antioch determined, each according to his ability, to send relief to the brethren living in Judea, and this relief was delivered to the elders by Barnabas and Saul (Paul) (Acts 11:29–30).
• Acts 18:2: "Claudius had commanded all Jews to depart from Rome." Because of this, Priscilla and Aquila, a married couple, left Italy and moved to Corinth, where they met Paul and worked with him as tentmakers.

Significance Within the Bible

By naming Claudius, Luke situates the story of the early church within the history of the contemporary Roman world. The record of the famine provides the background for the relief that the Gentile church sent to the church in Jerusalem. The expulsion order led to Paul's meeting with Priscilla and Aquila and is thus connected with the mission in Corinth.

Interpretive Issues

• The expulsion order: The Roman historian Suetonius wrote that Claudius expelled from Rome the Jews who were causing disturbances at the instigation of "Chrestus." Many scholars take "Chrestus" to mean Christ and interpret the passage as referring to strife within the Jewish community arising from disputes about Christ. Others regard it simply as the name of a particular individual. A date of around AD 49 for the order is widely cited, though it is disputed. The extent to which "all Jews" actually left Rome is also debated.
• The famine: The Jewish historian Josephus likewise recorded a famine in Judea around this time. For this reason, many interpreters connect the account in Acts with the series of famines that struck various regions during the reign of Claudius.
• Chronology: Scholars point to an inscription issued in Claudius's name and found at Delphi in Greece, which mentions Gallio, the proconsul at Corinth (Acts 18:12), and use it as a basis for dating Paul's stay in Corinth.
• Distinguishing persons: The "Claudius Lysias" of Acts 23:26 was the chief captain who sent Paul to the governor Felix; he is a different person from the emperor. Moreover, the emperor commonly cited as a persecutor of Christians is Nero, Claudius's successor. The Bible contains no record of Claudius persecuting the church.

In the Korean Church

Claudius is rarely the subject of a sermon in his own right. He is mentioned mainly as historical background when explaining the relief offering of the church at Antioch or the relocation of Priscilla and Aquila. In materials on Bible study or Paul's missionary journeys, he is sometimes introduced as a reference point for explaining the chronology of Acts.