Apollos

Apollos is a figure in the New Testament recognized as an Alexandrian Jewish Christian teacher and early Christian evangelist. He is mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles and in the letters of Paul, where he is described as eloquent and mighty in the Scriptures.

In Acts 18:24–28, Apollos is portrayed as a skilled speaker who arrived in Ephesus and began to teach accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he only knew the baptism of John. Priscilla and Aquila invited him to their home and explained the way of God more accurately. After being instructed, he vigorously refuted the Jews publicly, demonstrating from the Scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.

Apollos later traveled to Corinth, where he became a recognized teacher and companion of Paul. Paul writes that he and Apollos played complementary roles in the early Christian mission: “I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the increase” (1 Corinthians 3:6). This reflects both collaboration and the diversity of early Christian leadership. In 1 Corinthians 1:12, Paul notes factions within the Corinthian church in which some declared allegiance to Apollos, highlighting early tensions about leadership and authority rather than endorsing a formal division.

Little is known about Apollos’s life after these events. Early Christian tradition sometimes locates him as a prominent preacher in Asia Minor, with some sources suggesting ties to Ephesus or Corinth, though these details are not firmly attested in the biblical text. Overall, Apollos is remembered as a learned and capable teacher who contributed to the spread of the gospel through his preaching and collaboration with Paul and other Christian communities.