We  may  conjecture,  with  reason,  that  his  present  host  and  hostess  had
now  given  their  formal  adherence  to  St.  Paul,  and  that  they  left  the

^  Rom.  xi.  1 1 .  ia  "  were  retained,  we  should  be  at  liberty  to

2  In  Rom.  xvi.  6  we  hold  "  Asia  "  to  be  suppose  that  Ep»netus  was  a  member  of  the

nndoubtedly  the  right  reading.     See  note  on  household  of  Stephanas,  and  thus  we  might

the  passage.     If,  however,  the  reading  "  Acha-  reconcile  1  Cor.  xvi.  15  with  Rom.  xvi.  5,


350  THE   LIFE  AND   EPISTLES   OF   ST.   PAUL.  chap,  n.
Synagogue  with  him.  After  the  open  schism  had  taken  place,  we  find
the  Church  rapidly  increasing.  "  Many  of  the  Corinthians  began  to  be-
lieve when  they  heard,  and  came  to  receive  baptism."  (Acts  xviii.  8.)
We  derive  some  information  from  St.  Paul's  own  writings  concerning  the
character  of  those  who  became  believers.  Not  many  of  the  philosopherSj
—  not  many  of  the  noble  and  powerful  (1  Cor.  i.  26),  —  but  many  of
those  who  liad  been  profligate  and  degraded  (1  Cor.  vi.  11),  were  called.
