The Introduction of Apollos of Alexandria
Acts 18:24-28
24 And a
certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in
the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man was instructed in the
way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught
diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John. 26
And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla
had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more
perfectly. 27 And when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the
brethren wrote, exhorting the disciples to receive him: who, when he was come,
helped them much which had believed through grace: 28 For he
mightily convinced the Jews, and that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that
Jesus was Christ.
Introduction:
In the introduction to the last sermon on Acts a month
ago we considered verses 18-23 of chapter 18. The travels of Paul and others
recorded in these verses bring us to the end of what is referred to as his
second missionary journey, and the beginning of the third. Now we pick up the
thread of the narrative once again early in this third missionary journey. Here
we are introduced to an interesting character, Apollos.
Outline:
I. The Personal Introduction of Apollos at Ephesus
(18:24-25)
II. The Private Instruction of Apollos by Aquila and
Priscilla (18:26)
III. The Public Impact of Apollos in Achaia (18:27-28)
Transition: Let us review for a moment the
major and minor characters in the
historical narrative in Acts from beginning to end. The place of Apollos in
this cast is significant.
Reminder: The historical narrative recorded by Luke in Acts covers a
transitional period in God’s dealings with his people. Some of it pertains only
to this foundational period, and thus does not have direct application to us.
Some of it applies to the Church in all stages of its development, and should
be taken directly and personally by us today. All of it is profitable for
doctrine, reproof, correction and instruction in righteousness. All of it is
the Word of God, inspired by the Spirit of God, and is necessary for us to be
perfected and full equipped to every good work. Let us rightly divide it, honor
it, submit to it, and profit from it as such.
I. The Personal Introduction of Apollos at Ephesus
(18:24-25)
24 And a
certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in
the scriptures, came to Ephesus. 25 This man was instructed in the
way of the Lord; and being fervent in the spirit, he spake and taught
diligently the things of the Lord, knowing only the baptism of John.
1. The Identification
of Apollos (18:24a-b)
2. The Characterization
of Apollos (18:24c-d)
3. The Location
of Apollos (18:24e)
4. The Ministration
of Apollos (18:25a-c)
5. The Limitation
of Apollos (18:25d)
1. The Identification of Apollos (18:24a-b) [1]
And a certain Jew
named Apollos
born at Alexandria
2. The Characterization of Apollos (18:24c-d)
an eloquent man
and mighty in the
scriptures
3. The Location of Apollos (18:24e)
came to Ephesus
4. The Ministration of Apollos (18:25a-c)
This man was
instructed in the way of the Lord
and being fervent
in the spirit
he spake and taught
diligently the things of the Lord
5. The Limitation of Apollos (18:25d)
knowing only the
baptism of John
The only references to Apollos outside of Acts 18 are:
Acts 19:1; 1 Cor. 1:12; 3:4-6, 22; 4:6; 16:12; and Tit. 3:13.
Apollos’
influence - as the focus of a faction in Corinth -
1 Cor. 1:12 - Now
this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I
of Cephas; and I of Christ.
1 Cor. 3:4-6 - 4 For
while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not
carnal? 5 Who then
is Paul, and who is Apollos, but
ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? 6
I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.
1 Cor. 3:22 - Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life,
or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours;
1 Cor. 4:6 - And these things,
brethren, I have in a figure transferred to myself and to Apollos for
your sakes; that ye might learn in us not to think of men above that
which is written, that no one of you be puffed up for one against another.
Where was Apollos when Paul
wrote 1 Corinthians?
1 Cor. 16:12 - As touching our
brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you with the brethren: but
his will was not at all to come at this time; but he will come when he shall
have convenient time.
Apollos’ trust - as one of the bearers of the Epistle to Titus:
Tit. 3:13 - Bring Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently,
that nothing be wanting unto them.
Only other mention =
Acts 19:1
In 1522 a sermon was published on Hebrews 1:1-4 in which
for the first Apollos was put forward as the author of Hebrews. Perhaps the
reason this has received so much attention, and such a following to this day is
due to the identity of the preacher of this sermon, Martin Luther. I do not
mention this in order to engage in speculation, or to express agreement with
it, but only to accentuate the prominence of Apollos, and the esteem with which
he is regarded throughout the history of the Church.
Apollos’ gifts
and reputation - as a candidate for the authorship of Hebrews -
Martin Luther:
“Luther was the first to suggest Apollos as the author. He was followed by many
since.” [2]
T. W. Manson, W.
F. Howard, C. Spicq, F. Lo Bue, H. W. Montefiore, G. Guthrie [3]
Lutterbeck (1852) [4]
“Dan Wallace has
suggested that Hebrews was co-authored by Barnabas and Apollos; Barnabas was
the main author and Apollos served as his assistant.” [5]
When was he “rebaptized”? When did he receive the Spirit?
Contrast Acts 19!?!?”
II. The Private Instruction of Apollos by Aquila and
Priscilla (18:26)
And he began to speak boldly in the
synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them,
and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly.
1. The Occasion
of Concern for Apollos (18:26a)
2. The Invitation
from Concern for Apllos (18:26b-c)
3. The Resolution
to Concern for Apollos (18:26d)
1. The Occasion of Concern for Apollos (18:26a)
And he began to
speak boldly in the synagogue
“boldly”
verb - 9:27-28; 13:46; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; 26:26; only
elsewhere in the NT - Eph. 6:20; 1 Th. 2:2.
noun - 2:29; 4:13; 19:31; 28:31 (“the climactic
concluding sentence of the book!” [6]).
2. The Invitation from Concern for Apllos (18:26b-c)
whom when Aquila
and Priscilla had heard
they took him unto
them
This does not contradict 1 Tim. 2:12!
“…aside” - NASB, ESV, NLT
“…home” - HCSB
“they invited him into their home” - NIV
3. The Resolution to Concern for Apollos (18:26d)
and expounded unto
him the way of God more perfectly
What is the difference, if any, between “the way of the
Lord” and “the way of God”?
The “New and Improved” Apollos
III. The Public Impact of Apollos in Achaia (18:27-28)
27 And
when he was disposed to pass into Achaia, the brethren wrote, exhorting the
disciples to receive him: who, when he was come, helped them much which had
believed through grace: 28 For he mightily convinced the Jews, and
that publickly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ.
1. The Endorsement
of Apollos’ Ministry (18:27a-c)
2. The Effect
of Apollos’ Ministry (18:27d-f)
3. The Exposition
of Apollos’ Ministry (18:28)
1. The Endorsement of Apollos’ Ministry
(18:27a-c)
And when he was
disposed to pass into Achaia
the brethren wrote,
exhorting the disciples to receive him
Compare the issue of letters of endorsement in Romans
16:1 and 2 Corinthians 3:1.
2. The Effect of Apollos’ Ministry (18:27d-f)
who, when he was
come, helped them much which had believed through grace
The nature of this “help” is developed in the next verse.
A comparison of the final phrase of this verse with
Ephesians 2:8-10 does not allow for any “wiggle room” for those who would deny
that faith is a grace gift of God. This holds whether “the gift of God” in
Ephesians 2:8 is seen to refer to the entirety of that which precedes the
expression in this verse - “saved through faith,” or only to the immediate
antecedent “faith”. The former may be preferred due to the gender agreement
issues often raised in objection here, but in this case there would be no
exegetical warrant for the exclusion of “through faith” from what Paul had in
mind in the following phrase “the gift of God.” Any who would continue to
contend that faith is not the gift of God face an insurmountable barrier here
in Acts 18:27 when confronted with the question, “How did you come to believe
if not “through grace”?” [7]
3. The Exposition of Apollos’ Ministry (18:28)
Apollos’s ministry convinced his fellow Jews that Jesus
was Christ:
1) Mightily - For
he mightily convinced the Jews
2) Publicly - and that publickly
3) Scripturally - shewing
by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ
Conclusion:
Complete outline:
I. The Personal Introduction of Apollos at Ephesus
(18:24-25)
1. The Identification of Apollos (18:24a-b)
2. The Characterization of Apollos (18:24c-d)
3. The Location of Apollos (18:24e)
4. The Ministration of Apollos (18:25a-c)
5. The Limitation of Apollos (18:25d)
II. The Private Instruction of Apollos by Aquila and
Priscilla (18:26)
1. The Occasion of Concern for Apollos (18:26a)
2. The Invitation from Concern for Apllos (18:26b-c)
3. The Resolution to Concern for Apollos (18:26d)
III. The Public Impact of Apollos in Achaia (18:27-28)
1. The Endorsement of Apollos’ Ministry (18:27a-c)
2. The Effect of Apollos’ Ministry (18:27d-f)
3. The Exposition of Apollos’ Ministry (18:28)
[Sermon preached 26
OCT 2014 by Pastor John T. “Jack” Jeffery at Wayside Gospel Chapel, Greentown,
PA.]
Resources on Apollos (including those dealing with the
proposal of Apollos as a potential author or co-author of the New Testament
book to the Hebrews):
Henry Alford, The Greek Testament, 4 vols., new ed.
(Boston: Lee and Shephard, Publishers, 1878), IV:58-61; on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=AQ49AAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false [accessed 16 OCT 2014].
David L. Allen, The Lukan Authorship of Hebrews, Vol. 8,
NAC Studies in Bible & Theology, series ed. E. Ray Clendenen (Nashville:
B&H Academic, 2010), pp. 13, 21-22, 24, 27, 42-45.
“Apollos”
(unsigned article), in Baker
Encyclopedia of the Bible, eds. W. A. Elwell and B. J. Beitzel (Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1988), pg. 130.
“Apollos” (unsigned
article), in Cyclopedia of Biblical,
Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature, eds. John McClintock and James Strong (New York: Harper and
Brothers, 1880); on Biblical Cyclopedia
at http://www.biblicalcyclopedia.com/A/apollos.html
[accessed 13 OCT 2014].
Steven Barabas,
“Apollos,” in The Zondervan
Pictorial Bible Dictionary, gen ed. Merrill C. Tenney, rev. ed. (Grand
Rapids: Zondervan Publishing House, 1963, 1964, 1967), pg. 52.
J. H. Bernard,
“Apollos,” in A Dictionary of the
Bible, Dealing with its Language,
Literature, and Contents, Including the Biblical Theology, ed. James
Hastings, 5 vols. (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, n.d.; 1988 reprint ed.
of 1898 orig. by T&T Clark, Edinburgh),1:124-125; on Christian Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/hastings/dictv1.i.v.html
[accessed 14 OCT 2014].
F. L. Bue, “The Historical Background of the Epistle to
the Hebrews,” Journal of Biblical
Literature 75 (1958), pp. 52-57.
W. J. Conybeare
and J. S. Howson, The Life, Times and Travels
of St. Paul, 2 vols. in 1 unabridged ed. (New York: E. B. Treat and Co.,
1869), 2:13-18; on Google Books at
http://books.google.com/books?id=Bn1CAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 12 FEB 2013].
G. Guthrie, “The Case for Apollos as the Author of
Hebrews,” Faith and Mission 18
(2002), pp. 41-56. [8]
Floyd E.
Hamilton, “Apollos,” in The
Classic Bible Dictionary, ed. Jay P. Green, Sr. (Lafayette, IN: Sovereign
Grace Trust Fund, 1988), pp. 114-115.
L. D. Hurst,
“Apollos, Hebrews, and Corinth: Bishop Montefiore’s Theory Examined,” Scottish Journal of Theology 38 (1985),
pp. 505-513.
C. M. Kerr, in The
International Standard Bible Encyclopedia, 1915 ed., ed. J. Edwin Orr
(Albany, OR: Ages Software, 1999); on International
Standard Bible Encyclopedia Online at http://www.internationalstandardbible.com/A/apollos.html [accessed 13 OCT 2014].
Martin Luther, WA
10.1.1.143.13-20; [9] Sermons 7:167, s.v. sermon on Hebrews
1:1-4 (1522); [10] Commentary on Genesis (1545), in LW 178.
T. W. Manson, “The Problem fo the Epistle to the
Hebrews,” Bulletin of the John Rylands
Library 32 (1949), pp. 1-17; on The
University of Manchester Library at https://www.escholar.manchester.ac.uk/api/datastream?publicationPid=uk-ac-man-scw:1m1978&datastreamId=POST-PEER-REVIEW-PUBLISHERS-DOCUMENT.PDF
[accessed 16 OCT 2014]. [11]
H. Montefiore, A Commentary
on the Epistle to the Hebrews (New York: Harper; London: Black, 1964), pp.
9-28.
R. E. Nixon,
“Apollos,” in The New Bible
Dictionary, eds. J. D. Douglas, F. F. Bruce, J. I. Packer, R. V. G. Tasker,
and D. J. Wiseman (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing Co., 1962), pp. 47-48.
A. S. Peake, "A Reply to Dr. Baxter," The
Expository Times 7:12
(SEP 1896), pp. 559-564.
Karl Schmidt, “Apollos,” in New Schaff-Herzog Encyclopedia of Religious Knowledge, Vol. I:
Aachen - Basilians, Editor-in-Chief,
Samuel Macauley Jackson (); on Christian
Classics Ethereal Library (CCEL) at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/schaff/encyc01.html?term=Apollos
[accessed 14 OCT 2014].
Dan Wallace, “Hebrews: Introduction, Argument, and
Outline” (28 JUN 2004), on Bible.org
at
https://bible.org/seriespage/hebrews-introduction-argument-and-outline [accessed 15 OCT 2014].
Resources on Acts:
G. K. Beale and D. A. Carson, eds., Commentary on the New Testament Use of the
Old Testament (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2007), pp. 513-606.
Paul Barnett, The
Birth of Christianity: The First Twenty Years, After Jesus, Vol. 1 (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 2005).
Darrell L. Bock, Acts,
Baker Exegetical Commentary on the New
Testament, eds. Robert W. Yarbrough and Robert H. Stein (Grand Rapids:
Baker Academic, 2007).
F. F. Bruce, The Acts of the Apostles: The Greek Text
with Introduction and Commentary, 2nd ed. (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans
Publishing Co., 1951, 1952).
I. Howard Marshall, Acts:
An Introduction And Commentary, Vol. 5 in Tyndale New Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. Leon Morris (Downers
Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1980; 2008 reprint).
David G. Peterson, The
Acts of the Apostles, in The Pillar
New Testament Commentaries, gen. ed. D. A. Carson (Grand Rapids: William B.
Eerdmans Publishing Co., 2009).
John B. Polhill, Acts,
Vol. 26 in The New American Commentary,
gen. ed. David S. Dockery (Nashville, TN: Broadman & Holman, Publishers,
1992).
Eckhard J. Schnabel, Acts,
Vol. 5 in the Zondervan Exegetical
Commentary on the New Testament, gen. ed. Clinton E. Arnold (Grand Rapids:
Zondervan, 2012).
William H. Willimon, Acts,
in Interpretation: A Bible Commentary for
Teaching and Preaching, series ed. James Luther Mays, New Testament ed.
Paul J. Achtemeier (Louisville, KY: Westminster John Knox Press, 2010).
Resources on Paul:
Kenneth E. Bailey, Paul Through Mediterranean Eyes: Cultural
Studies in 1 Corinthians (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic, 2011).
F. F. Bruce, Paul:
Apostle of the Heart Set Free (Grand Rapids: William B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 1977).
D. A. Carson, The
Gagging of God: Christianity Confronts Pluralism (Grand Rapids: Zondervan,
1996), pp. 496-501.
W. J. Conybeare and J. S. Howson, The Life, Times and Travels of St. Paul, 2 vols. in 1, unabridged
American ed. (New York: E. B. Treat U Co., 1869); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=Bn1CAAAAIAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 12 FEB 2013].
Adolf Deissmann, Paul:
A Study in Social and Religious History, 2nd ed., trans. William E. Wilson
(New York: Harper Torchbooks, n.d.).
F. W. Farrar, The Life
and Work of St. Paul (New York: E. P. Dutton and Co., 1889); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=RB2KeCSM6KsC&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 12 FEB 2013].
Bruce N. Fisk, “Paul: Life and
Letters”, in The Face of New Testament
Studies: A Survey of Recent Research, ed. Scot McKnight and Grant R.
Osborne (Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2004), pp. 283-325.
Richard B.Gaffin, Jr.,
"Acts and Paul", 46 lectures (MP3 format), WTS Resources Media Center
on Westminster Theological Seminary
at http://wts.edu/resources/media.html?paramType=audio&filterTopic=5&filterSpeaker=10&filterYear=2005 [accessed 20 MAR 2013].
Frank J. Goodwin, A
Harmony of the Life of the St. Paul According to the Acts of the Apostles and
the Pauline Epistles (New York: American Tract Society, 1895); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=YgpEAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 12 FEB 2013].
Richard N. Longenecker, The
Ministry And Message Of Paul (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1971).
Richard N. Longenecker, Paul,
Apostle Of Liberty (New York: Harper & Row, 1964).
Richard N. Longenecker, ed., The Road From Damascus : The Impact Of Paul's Conversion On His Life,
Thought, And Ministry (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1997).
Richard N. Longenecker, Studies
In Paul, Exegetical And Theological (Sheffield : Sheffield Phoenix Press,
2004).
J. Gresham Machen, The
Origin of Paul's Religion: The James Sprunt Lectures Delivered at Union
Theological Seminary in Virginia (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 1925).
Leon Morris, The
Apostolic Preaching of the Cross (Grand Rapids: Wm. B. Eerdmans Publishing
Co., 1955).
John Pollock, The
Apostle: A Life of Paul, 3rd ed. (Colorado Springs: David C. Cook, 1969,
2012); also published as The Man Who
Shook the World (Wheaton: Victor Books, 1972; originally The Apostle: A Life of Paul, New York:
Doubleday, 1969).
Stanley E. Porter, Paul
in Acts, in Library of Pauline
Studies, gen. ed. Stanley E. Porter (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers,
Inc., 1999; 2001 reprint of The Paul of
Acts: Essays in Literary Criticism, Rhetoric and Theology, in Wissenschaftliche Untersuchungen zum Neuen
Testament 115, by Mohr Siebeck, Tubingen).
W. M. Ramsay, The
Cities of St. Paul: Their Influence on his Life and Thought (New York: A.
C. Armstrong and Son; London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1908); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=JryEbmKool0C&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 13 FEB 2013].
W. M. Ramsay, Pauline
and Other Studies in Early Christian History (New York: A. C. Armstrong and
Son, 1906); on Google Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=-1ZJAAAAYAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 13 FEB 2013].
W. M. Ramsay, St. Paul
the Traveler and the Roman Citizen, 10th ed. (London: Hodder and Stoughton,
1907); on Christian Classics Ethereal
Library (CCEL) at http://www.ccel.org/ccel/ramsay/paul_roman.html
[accessed 13 FEB 2013].
W. M. Ramsay, The
Teaching of Paul in terms of The Present Day: The Deems Lectures in New York
University (London: Hodder and Stoughton, 1914); on Internet Archive at http://ia600404.us.archive.org/2/items/teachingofpaulin00rams/teachingofpaulin00rams.pdf
[accessed 13 FEB 2013].
A. T. Robertson, Epochs
in the Life of Paul: A Study of Development in Paul's Character (Grand
Rapids: Baker Book House, 1974).
Eckhard J. Schnabel, Paul The Missionary: Realities, Strategies
And Methods (Downers Grove, IL: IVP Academic,
2008).
Udo Schnelle, Apostle
Paul: His Life and Theology, trans. M. Eugene Boring (Grand Rapids: Baker
Academic, 2003; trans. from Paulus: Leben
und Denken, Berlin: Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co., n.d.).
Thomas R. Schreiner, Paul,
Apostle of God's Glory in Christ: A Pauline Theology (Downers Grove, IL:
IVP Academic, 2001).
James Stalker, The
Life of St. Paul, (Edinburgh: T. & T. Clark, 1885; rev. ed. 2010 by Kessinger
Publishing from 1912 ed.); on Google
Books at http://books.google.com/books?id=vT0HAAAAQAAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false
[accessed 7 FEB 2013].
James Ironside Still, St.
Paul on Trial (London: Student Christian Movement, 1923).
End Notes:
[1] See below for “Resources
on Apollos (including those dealing with the proposal of Apollos as a potential
author or co-author of the New Testament book to the Hebrews).”
[2] David L. Allen, The
Lukan Authorship of Hebrews, Vol. 8, NAC Studies in Bible & Theology,
series ed. E. Ray Clendenen (Nashville: B&H Academic, 2010), pg. 13, s.v. Table 1: Theories on Authorship of
Hebrews, note c.
[3] Ibid. T. W. Manson, “The Problem
of the Epistle to the Hebrews,” BJRL
32 (1949): 1-17.
[4] Allen, op. cit., pg. 24, note 58.
[5] Allen, op. cit., pg. 42.
Note 13: ““Hebrews,” Biblical Studies Foundation,
(http://bible.org/seriespage/hebrews-introduction-argument-and-outline.htm).”
[6] Dennis E.
Johnson, The Message of Acts in the History of Redemption (Phillipsburg,
NJ: P&R Publishing, 1997), pg. 232, note 30.
[7] See also “Faith is the
Gift of God” (10 FEB 2012), on Wayside
Gospel Chapel at http://waysidegospelchapel.blogspot.com/2012/02/faith-is-gift-of-god.html
[accessed 18 NOV 2014].
[8] “Guthrie has the best
argument in modern scholarship for Apollos, which includes an historical survey
through the twentieth century of the proposal.” Allen, op. cit., pg. 43, note
15.
[9] Referenced by Allen, op.
cit., pg. 43, note 16. The information which follows is cited by Allen from C.
R. Koester, Hebrews, AB 36 (New York:
Doubleday, 2001), pg. 35, note 53, which Allen recommends “for detailed
information on Luther’s proposal and bibliography.”
[10] According to Koester,
ibid., this is where “Luther’s proposal actually first appeared”, cited by
Allen, ibid.
[11] “An amplification of the
lecture delivered at the John Rylands Library, on Wednesday, the 19th of
January, 1949.” Op. cit., pg. 1, note 1.
