Acts 18:24 - Printer Friendly

ESV: Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures.

NIV: Meanwhile a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was a learned man, with a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures.

NASB: Now a Jew named Apollos, an Alexandrian by birth, an eloquent man, came to Ephesus; and he was proficient in the Scriptures.

CSB: Now a Jew named Apollos, a native Alexandrian, an eloquent man who was competent in the use of the Scriptures, arrived in Ephesus.

NLT: Meanwhile, a Jew named Apollos, an eloquent speaker who knew the Scriptures well, had arrived in Ephesus from Alexandria in Egypt.

KJV: And a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man, and mighty in the scriptures, came to Ephesus.

NKJV: Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus.

This is our introduction to Apollos. He is a teacher of the Hebrew Scriptures and a close follower of John the Baptist. He knows something about Jesus, but it's unclear if he only knows what John had taught (Mark 1:2–8) or if he heard more from believers later. If he knows that Jesus is the Messiah, he doesn't quite understand what that means (Acts 18:25).

When Apollos arrives at Ephesus, the synagogue leaders invite him to speak. Priscilla and Aquila, having been assigned to Ephesus by Paul (Acts 18:19), realize he only needs a little more information to be a Jesus-follower. The couple show him who Jesus is and what He came to do. Apollos enthusiastically accepts their explanation, becomes a powerful evangelist, and takes Paul's place in Corinth (Acts 18:26–28). Apollos makes such an impact on the Corinthian church that factions break out—some claiming ultimate loyalty to Paul, some Peter, some Jesus, and some to Apollos (1 Corinthians 1:12).

Alexandria was the second-largest city in the Roman Empire with half a million people. Egypt had the most Jews outside Israel, but very little is said about their communities in the New Testament. Even Apollos's work concentrates in Corinth and Ephesus—in southern Greece and modern-day Turkey. Alexandria was known for being an academic hub; the loss of the library was a historical tragedy. In the third and second centuries BC, Jewish scholars in Alexandria translated Hebrew Scriptures into Greek; the Septuagint is the version from which Jesus and other New Testament teachers largely quoted.

Ephesus was a large port town on the western coast of Turkey known for its worship of Artemis. Paul visited there briefly (Acts 18:19–21) and will return for several years after Apollos goes to Corinth (Acts 19:8–10).

Acts 18:24–28 records a short interlude featuring Priscilla, Aquila, and Apollos. Priscilla and Aquila became fast friends with Paul in Corinth (Acts 18:1–3). When Paul left Corinth, he brought the couple along and stationed them in Ephesus. Apollos is a Jewish teacher from Alexandria who preaches the baptism of repentance that John the Baptist taught (Mark 1:2–8). Apollos knows some about Jesus, but after Priscilla and Aquila explain how He is the Messiah who offers salvation, Apollos becomes a powerful evangelist and continues Paul's work in Corinth.

Acts 18 recounts the end of Paul's second missionary journey. He leaves Athens for Corinth, in southern Greece, and works with Priscilla and Aquila as a tentmaker until Silas and Timothy rejoin him. The team stays eighteen months with no significant pressure. Eventually, Paul, Priscilla, and Aquila sail east to Ephesus. Paul leaves a short time later for Judea and Syrian Antioch before returning to Galatia for his third missionary journey. Meanwhile, Priscilla and Aquilla host the church in Ephesus and train a talented speaker named Apollos to be a minister of Christ.

Acts 18 covers the last half of Paul's second missionary journey and the first part of the third. He and his team have traveled down the east coast of Macedonia and Greece to Corinth (Acts 17) where they will spend eighteen months. Paul will stop briefly in Ephesus on their way back to Judea before visiting Jerusalem and Syrian Antioch. From there, Paul will return to Galatia in modern-day Asia Minor before returning to Ephesus for an extended stay (Acts 19). He will revisit the churches in Macedonia and Greece before facing arrest in Jerusalem (Acts 21).

The summary of the book of Acts is provided in Jesus' words in Acts 1:8: ''But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.'' In Acts 2:1–13, the Christ-followers receive the Holy Spirit. Acts 2:14—7:60 describes the rapid growth of the church in Jerusalem. Chapters 8—12 find Jewish persecution inadvertently spreading the gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. And in chapters 13—28, Paul and his companions spread the good news throughout the Roman Empire.