Among his companions in Macedonia, was Timothy, his ever zealous
and affectionate assistant in the apostolic ministry, who had been
sent thither before him to prepare the way, and had been laboring in
that region ever since, as plainly appears from the fact, that he is
joined with Paul in the opening address of the second epistle to the
Corinthians,――a circumstance in itself sufficient to overthrow a very
common supposition of the critics,――that Timothy returned to Asia; that
Paul at that time “left him in Ephesus,” and at this time wrote his
first epistle to Timothy from Macedonia. It is also most probable that
Timothy was the personal companion of Paul, not only during the whole
period of his second ministration in Macedonia, but also accompanied
him from that province to Corinth; because Timothy is distinctly
mentioned by Luke, among those who went with Paul from Macedonia to
Asia, after his brief second residence in that city. No particulars
whatever are given by Luke of the labors of Paul in Corinth. From his
epistles, however, it is learned that he was at this time occupied in
part, in receiving the contributions made throughout Achaia for the
church of Jerusalem, to which city he was now preparing to go. The
difficulties, of which so much mention had been made in his epistles,
were now entirely removed, and his work there doubtless went on without
any of that opposition which had arisen after his first departure.
There is however, one very important fact in his literary history,
which took place in Corinth, during his residence there.