1 Corinthians 4

Since he is soon to virtually disappear from Paul's letter to Corinth, we should speak more about Apollos. Apollos remains a mysterious character in the Bible. He grew up in Alexandria and appears at Ephesus in Acts 18.24-28. After Priscilla and Aquila teach him "the Way of God," Luke's euphemism for faith in Christ, Apollos goes to Greece, where he eventually comes to teach in Corinth.

Alexandria was the seat of knowledge in the ancient world, famed for its library. Founded by the conquering hero Alexander the Great, who saw himself as the new Pharoah, scholars tells us that ancient Alexandria developed into a city whose population was one third Egyptian, one third Greek, and one third Jewish. Philo's school there taught a unique brand of Judaism, heavily influenced by Greek philosophy and rhetoric. Apollos must have been raised in this tradition, which gave him the confidence to "speak boldly in the synagogue" (Acts 18.26).

Acts comment that Apollos "powerfully refuted the Jews in public" (Acts 18.28) tells how persuasive he must have been. Paul's refutation had led him before Gallio, the local Roman magistrate. Paul would have relished the opportunity to offer a defense before Gallio; God had other plans. Apollos had the rhtorical skill to avoid that kind of confrontation, for a time.

Where Apollos succeeded with outsiders, he struggle within the church. St Jerome tells us that Apollos left for Crete, returning to Corinth only after Paul's letter. This is tradition, not scripturally based. Paul says that he encouraged Apollos to return from Ephesus (1 Cor 16.12). Apollos politely refused. Corinth was an ornery bunch, tougher opponents for Apollos than the leaders of the synagogue.

Some, including Martin Luther, believe Apollos wrote Hebrews. Hebrews reads more like a sermon or a teaching than a letter. Paul or someone else may have written it. The text gives us few clues. Martin Luther's idea is more of a wish than scholarship.

Ultimately, Apollos was a faithful preacher and teacher, who demurred when people thought more highly of him than Paul. Many say he later became a bishop, some say there in Corinth. More importantly, Apollos would have remained a faithful, dynamic teacher of the Way of God.