Acts says the Corinthian Jews brought Paul “before the judgment seat” — the bēma — where the proconsul Gallio dismissed the charge. That very platform has been excavated in the Corinth forum, a raised marble tribunal identified by inscription. Paired with the separately found Delphi inscription that dates Gallio's term, it lets you stand at the actual spot, in a datable year, behind a scene in Acts.
- What it is
- A monumental marble speaker's platform / tribunal in the forum of Corinth, identified by its dedicatory inscription
- Date of artifact
- c. AD 25–50
- Discovered
- the forum of ancient Corinth, Greece (excavations of the American School of Classical Studies)
- Where it is now
- In situ, ancient Corinth
- Related to
- Where Paul was hauled before the proconsul Gallio
- Scripture
- Acts 18:12–17
What this find showsThe specific structure named in Acts 18 — the public tribunal where Paul's hearing took place — matching Luke's setting precisely.
What it does not proveThe platform confirms the setting, not the words exchanged there.
Sources & further reading