Now a Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, competent in the Scriptures. He had been instructed in the way of the Lord. And being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard him, they took him aside and explained to him the way of God more accurately. And when he wished to cross to Achaia, the brothers encouraged him and wrote to the disciples to welcome him. When he arrived, he greatly helped those who through grace had believed, for he powerfully refuted the Jews in public, showing by the Scriptures that the Christ was Jesus.
a Jew named Apollos - "An abbreviated form of 'Apollonius' (Bezan test). He was a native of Alexandria, the head-quarters, so to speak, of Hellenistic Judaism, and the city in which the Jews had come into closet contact with Greek learning and philosophy. After his first stay in Ephesus, and the visit to Achaia described in vv. 27-28, we find him back in Ephesus again (1 Cor 16:12), unwilling to revisit Corinth at that juncture because of the party factions there, in which his name had become involved (1 Cor 1:12; 3:5-6, 22; 4:6). We then lose sight of him, till the period shortly before St. Paul's second Roman imprisonment, when he is seen either in Crete or about to arrive there (Titus 3:13). He is characterised as being a fervent orator, with a philosophical tone about his teaching." (Walker)
"The Scriptures tell us that he was a Jew from Alexandria. This background already gave him a spiritual advantage over others. The Jews at Alexandria placed more emphasis on the Scriptures than on 'the traditions of the fathers,' as witnessed by their world-famed library and school of Biblical interpretation, and especially by the fact that the first Greek Translation of the Old Testament Scriptures, the Septuagint, was produced there." (Stam)
instructed in the way of the Lord - "'The way of the Lord,' we take it, refers to the way He taught His disciples to live in view of the establishment of His kingdom, and the way they did live after the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37). Paul himself had once gone to the high priest for letters of authority to the Damascene synagogues that if he found any of 'this way' he might bring them bound to Jerusalem (Acts 9:2) and later he testified that he had 'persecuted this way unto the death' (Acts 22:4). Apollos' eloquence, then, came from a background of profound knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures and a thorough understanding of 'the way of the Lord.' Perhaps the greatest testimony to the fact that he was painstakingly thorough in his studies is the statement in Verse 25, that 'being fervent in the spirit, he spoke and taught diligently [Lit., accurately] the things of the Lord.'" (Stam)
he knew only the baptism of John - "Yet we are informed that he knew 'only the baptism of John' (Ver. 25) i.e., he did not know that the Spirit had come (See Acts 1:5) and of course did not know the greater truths revealed through Paul ... How Apollos had come to know 'the baptism of John' and 'the way of the Lord,' we do not know. Probably either he had visited Palestine some time previous, or disciples from Palestine had reached him in Egypt." (Stam)
explained to him the way of God more accurately - "It should be noted that whereas he had been instructed in 'the way of the Lord,'Aquila and Priscilla now led him further into 'the way of God [Gr. Theos]' (Ver 26). They could now tell Apollos the great basic truths of the mystery as they had learned them from Paul in his 'gospel of the grace of God.' They could show him the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension (of which he may have heard) in the light of that grace—all of it harmonizing perfectly with the Old Testament Scriptures, though not taught there." (Stam)
he wished to cross to Achaia - "Apollos could now, of course, have returned to the synagogue, explaining that he had preached to them without full knowledge of the truth, and claiming that he now knew the way of the Lord more perfectly, but this would doubtless have served only to arouse the suspicion of his hearers, destroying his usefulness among them. Evidently feeling therefore, that Aquila and Priscilla could better carry on the testimony at Ephesus and wishing to minister where Paul had already established the truths he had so recently learned, Apollos thought to go to Achaia, whereupon 'the brethren' wrote the 'letters of commendation,' evidently referred to in 2 Cor 3:1. The result was that upon his arrival at Corinth he 'helped them much which had believed through grace' (Ver 27). Not that he immediately led them further into the truths of grace, for he himself had but recently begun to see them, but he encouraged the believers as 'he mightily convince the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was Christ' (Ver 28)." (Stam)
**"As might have been expected, however, some at Corinth began to prefer Apollos to Paul. Unlike Paul, they contended, Apollos had come with 'letters of commendation' (2 Cor 3:1). (Quite forgetting that they themselves were Paul's 'letter of commendation' - Vers. 2,3.) Furthermore, Apollos was an orator while Paul was not, for 'his letters' said they, 'are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account' (2 Cor 10:10, R.V.). Thus Apollos unintentionally became involved in division and rivalry in the church at Corinth. One party boasted of him and another of Paul. There were others, but Apollos was chiefly involved, for after mentioning four such divisions (1 Cor 1:12) Paul deals mainly with his own and Apollos' connection with the case (1 Cor 1:13; 3:4-6). But neither Paul nor Apollos condoned, much less fostered this party spirit among the Corinthians. Indeed, it is touching to witness the humility of these two great men and their mutual consideration for one another ... Indeed, such confidence did Paul have in Apollos that he strongly urged him to return to Corinth just when the party rivalry was so great, and such consideration did Apollos have for Paul that in spite of Paul's urging he would not go. In Paul's words: 'As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you ... but his will was not at all to come at this time ...' (1 Cor 16:12)." (Stam)
a Jew named Apollos - "An abbreviated form of 'Apollonius' (Bezan test). He was a native of Alexandria, the head-quarters, so to speak, of Hellenistic Judaism, and the city in which the Jews had come into closet contact with Greek learning and philosophy. After his first stay in Ephesus, and the visit to Achaia described in vv. 27-28, we find him back in Ephesus again (1 Cor 16:12), unwilling to revisit Corinth at that juncture because of the party factions there, in which his name had become involved (1 Cor 1:12; 3:5-6, 22; 4:6). We then lose sight of him, till the period shortly before St. Paul's second Roman imprisonment, when he is seen either in Crete or about to arrive there (Titus 3:13). He is characterised as being a fervent orator, with a philosophical tone about his teaching." (Walker)
"The Scriptures tell us that he was a Jew from Alexandria. This background already gave him a spiritual advantage over others. The Jews at Alexandria placed more emphasis on the Scriptures than on 'the traditions of the fathers,' as witnessed by their world-famed library and school of Biblical interpretation, and especially by the fact that the first Greek Translation of the Old Testament Scriptures, the Septuagint, was produced there." (Stam)
instructed in the way of the Lord - "'The way of the Lord,' we take it, refers to the way He taught His disciples to live in view of the establishment of His kingdom, and the way they did live after the coming of the Holy Spirit (Acts 2:42-47; 4:32-37). Paul himself had once gone to the high priest for letters of authority to the Damascene synagogues that if he found any of 'this way' he might bring them bound to Jerusalem (Acts 9:2) and later he testified that he had 'persecuted this way unto the death' (Acts 22:4). Apollos' eloquence, then, came from a background of profound knowledge of the Old Testament Scriptures and a thorough understanding of 'the way of the Lord.' Perhaps the greatest testimony to the fact that he was painstakingly thorough in his studies is the statement in Verse 25, that 'being fervent in the spirit, he spoke and taught diligently [Lit., accurately] the things of the Lord.'" (Stam)
he knew only the baptism of John - "Yet we are informed that he knew 'only the baptism of John' (Ver. 25) i.e., he did not know that the Spirit had come (See Acts 1:5) and of course did not know the greater truths revealed through Paul ... How Apollos had come to know 'the baptism of John' and 'the way of the Lord,' we do not know. Probably either he had visited Palestine some time previous, or disciples from Palestine had reached him in Egypt." (Stam)
explained to him the way of God more accurately - "It should be noted that whereas he had been instructed in 'the way of the Lord,'Aquila and Priscilla now led him further into 'the way of God [Gr. Theos]' (Ver 26). They could now tell Apollos the great basic truths of the mystery as they had learned them from Paul in his 'gospel of the grace of God.' They could show him the crucifixion, resurrection and ascension (of which he may have heard) in the light of that grace—all of it harmonizing perfectly with the Old Testament Scriptures, though not taught there." (Stam)
he wished to cross to Achaia - "Apollos could now, of course, have returned to the synagogue, explaining that he had preached to them without full knowledge of the truth, and claiming that he now knew the way of the Lord more perfectly, but this would doubtless have served only to arouse the suspicion of his hearers, destroying his usefulness among them. Evidently feeling therefore, that Aquila and Priscilla could better carry on the testimony at Ephesus and wishing to minister where Paul had already established the truths he had so recently learned, Apollos thought to go to Achaia, whereupon 'the brethren' wrote the 'letters of commendation,' evidently referred to in 2 Cor 3:1. The result was that upon his arrival at Corinth he 'helped them much which had believed through grace' (Ver 27). Not that he immediately led them further into the truths of grace, for he himself had but recently begun to see them, but he encouraged the believers as 'he mightily convince the Jews, and that publicly, showing by the Scriptures that Jesus was Christ' (Ver 28)." (Stam)
**"As might have been expected, however, some at Corinth began to prefer Apollos to Paul. Unlike Paul, they contended, Apollos had come with 'letters of commendation' (2 Cor 3:1). (Quite forgetting that they themselves were Paul's 'letter of commendation' - Vers. 2,3.) Furthermore, Apollos was an orator while Paul was not, for 'his letters' said they, 'are weighty and strong, but his bodily presence is weak, and his speech of no account' (2 Cor 10:10, R.V.). Thus Apollos unintentionally became involved in division and rivalry in the church at Corinth. One party boasted of him and another of Paul. There were others, but Apollos was chiefly involved, for after mentioning four such divisions (1 Cor 1:12) Paul deals mainly with his own and Apollos' connection with the case (1 Cor 1:13; 3:4-6). But neither Paul nor Apollos condoned, much less fostered this party spirit among the Corinthians. Indeed, it is touching to witness the humility of these two great men and their mutual consideration for one another ... Indeed, such confidence did Paul have in Apollos that he strongly urged him to return to Corinth just when the party rivalry was so great, and such consideration did Apollos have for Paul that in spite of Paul's urging he would not go. In Paul's words: 'As touching our brother Apollos, I greatly desired him to come unto you ... but his will was not at all to come at this time ...' (1 Cor 16:12)." (Stam)
No comments:
Post a Comment