Acts 18:24

Now a certain Jew named Apollos, born at Alexandria, an eloquent man and mighty in the Scriptures, came to Ephesus. Acts 18:24

The words now form an insert into the narrative to introduce a new figure into the Bible. While Paul is going through the areas of Galatia and Phrygia, the figure is introduced so that when he meets with Paul, their two accounts will properly align. Understanding this, it now says, “Now a certain Jew named Apollos.”

The name Apollos is derived from the pagan deity Apollon, meaning the sun god. It is from the same source as Apollonia which is a place in Macedonia noted in Acts 17:1. The name Apollos may be a shortened form of a longer Greek name, such as Apollonius or Apollodorus.

This person will be noted twice in Acts, six times in 1 Corinthians, and then once in Titus. Outside of these verses, nothing more is known of him. He is next noted as having been “born at Alexandria.” Of this location, Jamieson-Fausset-Brown says –

“...the celebrated city of Egypt on the southeastern shore of the Mediterranean, called after its founder, Alexander the Great. Nowhere was there such a fusion of Greek, Jewish, and Oriental peculiarities, and an intelligent Jew educated in that city could hardly fail to manifest all these elements in his mental character.”

This evaluation then explains the next words, saying he was “an eloquent man.” The word in Greek is logios. It signifies being gifted with learning. It also speaks of one with excellent oratory skills. Vincent’s Word Studies explains further –

“The word is used in Greek literature in several senses. As λόγος [logos] means either reason or speech, so this derivative may signify either one who has thought much, and has much to say, or one who can say it well. Hence it is used: 1. Of one skilled in history. Herodotus, for example, says that the Heliopolitans are the most learned in history (λογιώτατοι) of all the Egyptians. 2. Of an eloquent person. An epithet of Hermes or Mercury, as the god of speech and eloquence. 3. Of a learned person generally. ...the scripture-learning of Apollos is specified in the words mighty in the scriptures, and his superior eloquence appears to have been the reason why some of the Corinthians preferred him to Paul.”

The comment about Apollo being preferred by some in Corinth is found in Paul’s first epistle to them where the church was divided in who was the best example to follow. Because of his eloquence, it is assumed that some in the church preferred following Apollos. Not only did he possess the ability to eloquently convey his thoughts, but it also notes of him as, “and mighty in the Scriptures.”

Rather, the Greek contains a present participle, saying, “being mighty in the Scriptures.” In other words, he had a deep knowledge of the Jewish Scriptures. Of this, Albert Barnes rightly says, “The foundation was thus laid for future usefulness in the Christian church.”

This is the purpose of introducing him at this point. When someone will soon play a prominent role in the ongoing narrative, he or she is often introduced in advance. Then, at the right time, that person is brought directly into the ongoing narrative. Suddenly introducing Apollos as Luke has done means that this will be the case with him in the verses ahead. For now, it notes of him that he “came to Ephesus.”

Earlier in the chapter, it noted that Paul indicated that he would return to Ephesus –

“When they asked him to stay a longer time with them, he did not consent, 21 but took leave of them, saying, ‘I must by all means keep this coming feast in Jerusalem; but I will return again to you, God willing.’ And he sailed from Ephesus.” Acts 18:20, 21

From there, the account hurriedly rushed through Paul’s trip. At this point, he has left Antioch and is in the region of Galatia and Phrygia. At the same time, Apollos is introduced and he is at Ephesus, the place Paul committed to returning to. Without looking forward, one can be reasonably assured that these two will meet up in Ephesus. What type of meeting is unknown. Maybe they will be rivals, fighting over points of doctrine. Maybe they will become close friends as Paul and Timothy have done. But it is reasonably assured that the two will be brought into the same account in the narrative in the not-too-distant future.

Life application: One of the biggest mistakes made by people looking for a church, or of churches in the selection of the pastors, is that they look, first and foremost, for a person who is a skilled orator. There is nothing wrong with good oratory skills. Instead, they can be a source of great encouragement or stirring of the soul by those who hear well-spoken sermons.

Another similar mistake occurs when people look first and foremost for a pastor who is incredibly intelligent and articulates his thoughts in a remarkably logical and methodical way. There is nothing wrong with this approach either. Some people or congregations are so well developed in their thinking that having this type of presentation really edifies them.

However, the problem with such selections is derived from the thought “first and foremost.” All of the oratory skills in the world are wholly useless to a church if they are not properly aligned with Scripture. Likewise, being extremely well versed in the Greek language or in the structure of literature means diddly if evaluations of such things are torn out of their proper context.

What should be the first and foremost consideration is, “How well does this person know, understand, and care about Scripture?” Without this considered, nothing else really matters. To be properly and excitingly orated into heresy can only lead to sadness. To be presented with meticulous analyses of Scripture that are not based on what is contextually proper will only lead to faulty conclusions and aberrant doctrine.

If a person does not know Scripture well and if his understanding of it is not orthodox, he shouldn’t be given two seconds of your time. Don’t look at externals! How he is dressed, what he looks like, where he went to school, what type of degree he possesses, etc., are all not to be thought of as primary considerations. Understanding of, and adherence to, sound doctrine should be looked for before anything else.

Remember this and don’t get caught up in fallacious thinking. Innumerable people have been swept up into cults and aberrant sects because they failed this first and primary consideration.

Glorious Lord God, please direct us to leaders who are mighty in Scripture and who handle it properly. We have our part in the selection of our leaders, so help us to be well-versed in Your word as well. Fill us with the strong desire to be fully aware of what Your word is conveying before we select those who we will appoint over us. If they are sound in such things, only then should we consider their other qualities. Keep us on the straight path in this matter. Amen.