Acts 18:18-22 Paul travels back to Antioch

Acts 18:18-22 Paul travels back to Antioch (on the Orontes). Paul's trip back to Antioch included stops in Cenchrea, Ephesus, and then landing at Caesarea the seaport about 120 km from Jerusalem. Cenchrea is a seaport in Greece not far from Corinth (perhaps 15 km). He may have evangelized there, as Romans 16:1 refers to the church there, and he greets Phoebe who is from there. The vow is not otherwise referenced, and it is not even clear whether having his hair cut meant the end of a vow or the beginning of a vow. Vows have a history in Jewish law, and so the most likely explanation is that he was completing the vow of a Nazirite according to Numbers 6:18. The purpose of the Nazirite vow was to separate oneself apart unto The Lord. Jesus had more or less discouraged them (Matthew 5:33-37), and the only other mention of vows in the book of Acts (Acts 21:23) is in reference to trying to placate the Jews in Jerusalem regarding whether Paul was an observant Jew or teaching Jews to ignore the law of Moses. (More on this below).

          Paul sailed to Ephesus, on the coast of Asia Minor, about 400 km from Cenchrea. There is no record that he had ever visited before. He visited the synagogue and reasoned with the Jews, who must have received his message since they asked him to stay. There are mentions of subsequent visits by him to Ephesus in Acts. His letter to the Ephesians was written considerably later. The reference in I Cor 15:32 is not otherwise connected to Acts; when did he fight with wild beasts at Ephesus? I Cor 16:8 implies he was in Ephesus when he wrote this letter, which most likely would not have been on this visit since he had just left Corinth and the problems discussed in the letter would likely not have had time to develop, and then word to get to him, unless he spent a lot of time in Ephesus, which Acts 18:20-21 suggests he was unwilling to do. I & II Timothy both mention Ephesus, also written at later times. Rev 2:1-7 contains a letter from Jesus to the church at Ephesus.

          It is not clear what his plan for Aquila and Priscilla was when he left Corinth; perhaps he was planning for them to travel back to Antioch with him, but he evidently felt that they were capable enough to instruct the church in Ephesus, as he sailed back from there to Caesarea. There is no mention of any other members of his traveling party, including Silas, Timothy, and Luke; perhaps they had all stayed at Corinth. Paul evidently traveled by himself from Ephesus back to Syria, a sea voyage of over 1,000 km.

          Paul landed at Caesarea and visited the church. Recall that Peter had first preached the gospel to Gentiles in Caesarea some years earlier, but no previous mention of Paul's visit there. No doubt he taught and encouraged those in the church there. Whether he went up to visit the church Jerusalem is not stated. There is no record of anything Paul did upon his return to Antioch. He spent some time, and then left for Galatia. No mention of traveling companions, meeting with the leaders of the church in Antioch, teaching in Antioch, confronting the Judaizers there. He visited, stayed a while, and left.