I, Crispus

After Acts 18

A person of note in Corinth,

I, Crispus, synagogue ruler,

respected, heeded, sought for advice

and counsel, a benefactor welcomed

in the homes of Jews and Gentiles,

my wife acknowledged among the women,

and I have today thrown all of it away

because of the Tarsian, what he said,

what his words burned

into my heart there in the place

I ruled, the synagogue. The others

dismissed him, disparaged him,

laughed at him, ridiculed him,

gnashed their teeth at him and

tore their clothes, mocking outrage.

I did not.

I could not.

I followed him

to the house

next door,

sitting with

Greeks, me and

my household,

baptized.

I am lost.

I am found.

Photograph: The ruin of a Roman fountain in Corinth.