Gallio / Delphi Inscription

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Gallio / Delphi Inscription

What It Is

A Greek imperial inscription discovered at Delphi (central Greece), dating to around 52 C.E., in which Emperor Claudius addresses the local city and refers to “Lucius Junius Gallio, my friend and proconsul of Achaia.”

This is the same Gallio before whom Paul was brought by the Jews of Corinth according to Acts 18:12–17.

Why It Matters

  • The inscription independently corroborates the existence and office of Gallio, the Roman governor mentioned in Acts.
  • Because proconsuls normally served a one-year term, the inscription helps fix the date of Paul’s Corinthian ministry.
  • Acts 18 says Paul stayed in Corinth “a year and six months” and appeared before Gallio. Combining the Delphi date with Acts yields a Pauline chronology placing the Corinth mission roughly 50–52 C.E.

The Biblical Figure

  • Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus was a Roman senator, brother of the philosopher Seneca the Younger, and suffect consul in the mid-50s C.E.
  • In Acts he dismisses the Jewish accusation against Paul as an internal religious dispute, refusing to rule on it.

KJV Connection

> “And when Gallio was the deputy of Achaia, the Jews made insurrection with one accord against Paul, and brought him to the judgment seat…” — Acts 18:12 (KJV)

  • The KJV translates Gallio’s office as “deputy,” reflecting the older English term for a Roman provincial governor (proconsul).
  • The Delphi inscription confirms that a Roman official named Gallio held exactly this office in Achaia at the right time.

Sources

  • Wikipedia — Lucius Junius Gallio Annaeanus: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucius_Junius_Gallio_Annaeanus
  • Bible Odyssey — Erastus, Gallio, and Paul: https://www.bibleodyssey.org/articles/erastus-gallio-and-paul/
  • Primary publication: the Delphi Inscription (also called the Gallio Inscription), Corpus Inscriptionum Latinarum / Fouilles de Delphes.

Notes

  • The identification is widely, though not universally, accepted as the same Gallio.
  • The inscription is one of the most important extra-biblical anchors for New Testament chronology.

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