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3 - Apollos

The Earliest Known Alexandrian Follower of Jesus

from Part I - Beginnings

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  14 December 2023

M. David Litwa
Affiliation:
Boston College, Massachusetts
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Summary

Apollos is the first known follower of Jesus from Alexandria. Even if the Western reading of Acts 18:25 (that Apollos was taught “the Way” in Alexandria) is a later deduction, it seems a reasonable one. The portrait of Apollos in 1 Corinthians corrects several statements about Apollos in Acts (for instance that Apollos only knew the baptism of John). Acts begins a trend of subordinating Apollos to Paul and the Pauline mission. 1 Corinthians reveals that Apollos was an independent recruiter in Ephesus and Corinth, not part of the Pauline circle. To the Corinthians, at least, Apollos appeared theologically distinct and more sophisticated than Paul, not to mention rhetorically more proficient. If Apollos was trained in Alexandria and was sent on a mission to Hellenic cultural centers, this would indicate that Alexandrian Christianity had an emphasis on Hellenic paideia and that the church of Alexandria was established enough to send out representatives abroad.

Type
Chapter
Information
Early Christianity in Alexandria
From its Beginnings to the Late Second Century
, pp. 40 - 54
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2023

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  • Apollos
  • M. David Litwa, Boston College, Massachusetts
  • Book: Early Christianity in Alexandria
  • Online publication: 14 December 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009449571.005
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  • Apollos
  • M. David Litwa, Boston College, Massachusetts
  • Book: Early Christianity in Alexandria
  • Online publication: 14 December 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009449571.005
Available formats
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To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

  • Apollos
  • M. David Litwa, Boston College, Massachusetts
  • Book: Early Christianity in Alexandria
  • Online publication: 14 December 2023
  • Chapter DOI: https://doi.org/10.1017/9781009449571.005
Available formats
×