(1 Cor. 1:1) Who was Sosthenes?

CLAIM: Sosthenes was also mentioned in the book of Acts, when Paul went to Corinth (Acts 18:17). Is this the same person?

RESPONSE: Most likely, yes. Sosthenes was “the leader of the synagogue” (Acts 18:17) in Corinth. He could was either beaten by Gallio’s men or by the unruly mob, which was angry that they couldn’t kill Paul. Because they wanted to beat somebody, they took it out on Sostenes. While Sosthenes was a former enemy of Paul’s, it’s possible that Paul stuck around Corinth and led him to Christ. Specifically, Luke records that Paul “remained many days longer” (Acts 18:18). If this is describing the same person, then this would make sense of Paul mentioning Sosthenes in his introduction to the Corinthians.