GALLIO. - Brother of Seneca; proconsul at Corinth: he sent away the Jews who were accusing St. Paul, refusing to involve himself in their religious questions (Acts 18:11-17).
Marcus Annaeus Novatus, the firstborn son of the rhetorician Seneca, was called Junius Annaeus G. after his adoption by Lucius Junius Gallio. Seneca celebrates his gentleness: "he was greatly loved, even by those who were scarcely capable of loving" (Natur. quest., 4, prol.); Statius calls him dulcis (Silv. 2, 7, 3). A man of wide culture, he entered the magistracy young and made a rapid career (Seneca, Diol., 12, 7). In 51-52 he was proconsul at Corinth (inscription of Delphi; cf. Seneca, Epist., 104, 1); on his return to Italy he was consul suffectus.
A skilled official and a refined diplomat, he always favored a policy of compromise and accommodation. As a good Roman he shared the prejudices against the Jews, whom his brother called gens sceleratissima (Seneca, Prog., ed. F. Haase, III, p. 427). Before leaving for Corinth he had witnessed the riots that broke out at Rome, which motivated the expulsion of the Jews by Claudius (Suetonius, Claud., 25). This explains his diplomatic and disdainful conduct in Acts 18:11-17. Of weak constitution, he was soon seized by fevers and left Corinth: "in ore erat domini mei Gallionis, qui cum in Achaia febrem habere coepisset, protinus navem ascendit clamitans non corporis esse sed loci morbum" (Seneca, Epist., 104, 1).
From the inscription of Delphi, discovered by L. Bourguet in 1912, it appears that G. was elected proconsul by the Emperor (line 6: "my friend"), in Achaia, then a senatorial province (Suetonius, Claud., 25); and that Claudius writes in May-June of 52 (lines 1-3: acclaimed emperor for the 26th time), since at the inauguration of the aqueduct that bears his name (1 Aug. 52: Frontinus, De aquis, I, 13), the 27th acclamation had already occurred (inscription, portal of S. Maria Maggiore, Rome). If the Emperor (line 6, reconstruction by A. Deissmann) is replying to a report of G., then the arrival of G. at Corinth must be put back to May of 51 (E. Jacquier, D. Plocii). In that case G. would have remained in Achaia a little more than a year. Many do not consider the aforesaid condition necessary, place the arrival of G. in May of 52 and reduce his stay to a few months (cf. Seneca, Epist., 104, 1). There are no decisive documents. The stay of St. Paul at Corinth is, according to the former, restricted to the 18 months of Acts 18:11, considered an overall indication (T. Zahn, W. Larfeld); according to the latter it is extended to about 2 years (Acts 18:11, 18): Nov. 50 to Aug.-Sept. 52 (E. Ruffini, A. Tricot, W. M. Ramsay, B. Allo, L. Hennequin).