Reader’s Guide: “The Word for Today” Wednesday, July 31, 2013 Read – Acts 18:24-28 Since chapter 13 Luke story has been focused on Paul – he is a character in every scene. For a brief moment Luke tells a story of ministry in Ephesus in which Paul is not involved. That should be a signal to readers of Acts that the ministry in Ephesus will be slightly different from ministry elsewhere and also that the story of the ministry in Ephesus was not exclusively the ministry of Paul. That was also true to a small measure in Corinth since Aquila and Pricilla are there ahead of Paul – but in Corinth all the action centers on Paul. Perhaps there is a whole story that someone could have researched and written about the ministry of Aquila and Pricilla – or even Apollos who we meet in this scene. There is much that we do not know about the spread of the gospel in the early church. That is one more reason to be thankful for Luke because we do have his work! As Paul was leaving for Jerusalem and Antioch Luke has told us that he left Aquila and Pricilla behind in Ephesus. That connects this story with what has come before. But the story is not so much about Aquila and Pricilla as it is about a man named Apollos. Luke tells us that Apollos was from Alexandria – almost certainly Alexandria in Egypt. That is an important bit of information. Alexandria was noted for its large library and its academic community. It is about at this time that a Jewish scholar named Philo was working in Alexandria. Philo was noted for his attempt to blend the Jewish faith with the philosophical schools of Greece. The Jews are really philosophers of the same caliber as Plato and Aristotle. Philo’s point was that the Jewish scripture and teaching was at least as noble and perhaps even superior to the work of the great philosophers – and that with a little interpretation some of the same ideas can be found in both. Philo left his mark on the world of his time. We can see some of his influence in the work of the Jewish historian, Josephus, who wrote near the end of the first century AD at about the same time as Luke wrote his gospel and the book of Acts. We can only speculate about whether or not Luke was familiar with the writings of Philo – though it is evident that Luke was a scholarly writer well school in Greek and in the style of Greek historians. Luke does not mention Philo in his writing – but we have been brought to Philo through Luke’s announcement that a man named Apollos came to Ephesus and that he was an eloquent man, well versed in the OT. Unlike Philo, who never became a Christian, Apollos did. He had been instructed in the “Way of the Lord” and spoke with enthusiasm (Acts 18:25). Luke tells us that Apollos taught the Christian faith accurately. But he was deficient in one thing – he was unaware of Christian baptism and knew only the baptism of John – almost certainly John the Baptist. Luke does not tell us that Apollos was a disciple of John the Baptist – there were some such followers who elevated John above Jesus as the gospel of John intimates. It is nearly impossible for us to determine exactly what the disciples of John the Baptist taught but that there was such a sect in the time of Jesus and for a period following his death and resurrection is clear. Luke tells us that Aquila and Pricilla now take Apollos aside and “explain the Way of God to him more accurately” (Acts 18:26). Apollos, to his credit, is open to their correction. Apollos now desires to go to Greece and receives letters of recommendation from the church in Ephesus and likely from Aquila and Pricilla too. Paul is aware of the ministry of Apollos – though there is just a hint of question in Paul’s mentioning of Apollos. In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul confronts the divisions among the believers that he finds there. It seems some in Corinth had chosen “favorite” preachers and perhaps were excluding those who did not share their enthusiasm. There are some who are saying, “I belong to Paul,” others say, “I belong to Apollos,” still others “I belong to Cephas,” and others, “I belong to Christ” (1 Corinthians 1:12). Paul’s point is that all Christians must see themselves as one – a message we could well hear even in our own time. Of course Apollos may not have been any more to blame for the division in Corinth than Paul was. It is interesting to note, however, how the characters in Acts show up in Paul’s letters. For his part, Luke mentions nothing about the divisions in Corinth – Luke is, apparently, a conciliatory person who seems to always smooth over the rough edges of things. We have seen that in the Jerusalem conference as well. That’s not a bad thing – though we need to also remember that the early church was not without great controversy.