Apollos
APOLLOS
A pious Jew whose name (Gk. 'Απολλ[symbol omitted]ς) is a contracted form of Apollonius (of Apollo), mentioned by St. Paul and in Acts. Expert in Scripture, eloquent and with an ardent temperament, he was perhaps a traveling lecturer or professional orator. Apollos was a native of Alexandria, the center of Jewish Hellenism, which boasted of its exegetical Scripture schools and also of the Jewish philosopher philo judaeus. While not yet fully instructed in Christianity, Apollos met prisca (priscilla) and aquila in Ephesus; they completed his instruction, baptized him, and sent him with recommendations to Achaia and Corinth (Acts 18.24–27). A clever apologist, he refuted the Jews at Corinth and deeply impressed Jews and Christians by his eloquence (Acts 18.28). One of the cliques formed at Corinth gave him special allegiance (1 Cor 1.10–13). He joined Paul in Ephesus and did not want to return to Corinth (1 Cor 16.12). The only other mention of this loyal friend of Paul is in Ti 3.13. A tradition (Menolog. Graec. 2b.17) places him later as bishop of Caesarea. He has been suggested as the author of Hebrews (see hebrews, epistle to the).
Bibliography: e. b. allo, Saint Paul: Première épître aux Corinthiens (Études Bibliques 2d ed. 1956) xix-xxi. Encyclopedic Dictionary of the Bible, tr. and adap. by l. hartman (New York 1963), from a. van den born, Bijbels Woordenboek 114–115.
[r. g. boucher]