SOSTHENES (Σωσόδενης, Sosthenes). – In the New Testament this name occurs twice; but it is uncertain whether it refers to the same person or is merely a case of homonymy. St. Paul, following a custom dear to him, associates Sosthenes in addressing the First Letter to the Corinthians (1:1); he qualifies him with the single title of “brother,” as he does Timothy elsewhere (2 Cor. 1:1; Col. 1:1).
In Acts 18:17 mention is made of a Sosthenes who, after the unsuccessful attempt to have the Apostle condemned by the proconsul Gallio, is mocked and beaten by a group of pagans. Luke merely reports the anecdote and notes Gallio’s ostentatious indifference to the rather comic scene. Sosthenes was archisynagogue of the numerous Jewish colony. If the identification is admitted, one must suppose that from being an accuser of St. Paul, Sosthenes became his faithful and dear collaborator after his conversion to Christianity.