Bible Figure
Sosthenes
Sosthenes was the name of a synagogue ruler at Corinth who was beaten before the tribunal of Gallio after charges against Paul were dismissed. A Sosthenes is also named by Paul as 'our brother' in the opening of 1 Corinthians; the two references may concern the same man, but Scripture does not explicitly say so.
Biography
Acts 18 records Jewish opponents bringing Paul before Gallio, proconsul of Achaia, and accusing him of persuading people to worship God contrary to the law. Gallio refused to judge what he regarded as an internal dispute about Jewish words, names, and law and drove them from the tribunal. The crowd then seized Sosthenes, ruler of the synagogue, and beat him in front of the judgment seat while Gallio paid no attention. Paul later opens 1 Corinthians with greetings from 'Sosthenes our brother.' It is attractive to identify Paul's Christian coworker with the synagogue ruler, which would imply a remarkable conversion, but the common name and absence of an explicit connection require caution.
Biblical Significance
Sosthenes is significant for the historical setting of Paul's Corinthian ministry and possibly, if the two references concern one man, as another example of a former synagogue leader becoming a Christian coworker. AVWJ should preserve that identification as possible rather than certain.