23. Barnabas, Silas, and Priscilla and Aquila: Paul’s Coworkers
23
BARNABAS, SILAS, AND PRISCILLA AND AQUILA
God knows how much I love you and long for you.” Paul is not sparing in his expressions of love for his coworkers. His emotions are spilling onto the pages as he writes to the Philippians from his house arrest in Rome: “So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart.” Who are these people to whom he is writing? “You have been my partners in spreading the Good News about Christ from the time you first heard it until now.”[1]
Paul is a demanding team leader who not only engenders love and loyalty but also provokes dissension. In some cases his coworkers defy his authoritarian nature and protest his religious perspectives, and they abandon him in fits of anger. Paul writes to Timothy of one such situation: “You know that everyone in the province of Asia has deserted me, including Phygelus and Hermogenes.”[2] Some Bible scholars imply that this desertion was due to widespread persecution, but Paul, in this instance and others, sees it as a very personal affront. He goes on, however, to give Timothy some good news: “But God bless Onesiphorus and his family! Many’s the time I’ve been refreshed in that house.”[3]
Paul adds that Onesiphorus was not humiliated by Paul’s being locked in jail, as other coworkers presumably were. It is interesting that Paul speaks of shame rather than fear. Fear of state persecution is typically assumed to be the reason early Christians would desert the faith. Although in this case they seem to be deserting Paul, but not necessarily the faith.
In another instance Paul writes that “Demas, having loved this present world, has deserted me.”[4] Certainly this was a painful ordeal for Paul, but what about Demas? What is his side of the story?
Paul, in fact, does not hesitate to censure those who are not advancing the cause of the true gospel. In his greeting to the Galatians, he speaks even more forcefully about those who are deserting. Indeed, he extends grace and peace—though noticeably no love—and then proceeds directly to the topic at hand:
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all. . . . Am I now trying to win the approval of human beings, or of God? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still trying to please people, I would not be a servant of Christ.[5]
Elsewhere Paul laments his struggles with false brothers, again referring to those who have deserted him. He oversees a large network of people who have been part of his ministry, but perhaps fewer than half of them remain faithful to him and the gospel he preaches.
Anything but a loner, Paul works closely with dozens of men and women, whom he refers to in a variety of ways: apostles, brothers and sisters, partners, coworkers, and even children (if they were his converts), as well as relatives. Indeed, a mark of Paul’s credibility is his influence with family members. Several of them served in the gospel ministry, including Andronicus and Junia, Lucius, Jason, and the unnamed son of his sister.
Among his converts—or “sons”—who work alongside him are Timothy and Titus. Onesimus is also one of his “sons.” Brothers and sisters in the ministry include Apollos, Philemon, and Phoebe. Counted as well among Paul’s long list of coworkers (sometimes referred to as “fellow soldiers” or “fellow prisoners”) are many whose conversions either predated his or are associated with someone other than himself. In some cases he had close interaction with them, as with Peter, Barnabas, Silas, and Priscilla and Aquila. With others the relationship is more distant, as in the case of John, James (brother of Jesus), and other leaders in Jerusalem.
It is noteworthy that women are so significantly represented among Paul’s close associates. In addition to Phoebe, Priscilla, and Lydia, whose names are well known, he points to Damaris, Apphia, Euodia, Syntyche, Nympha, Junia, Mary, Julia, the mother of Rufus, and others.
Paul is effusive in commending his coworkers, and his expressions of gratitude are models for today. “I thank my God every time I remember you,” he writes to the Philippians. “In all my prayers for all of you, I always pray with joy because of your partnership in the gospel from the first day until now.”[6] More than any other biblical writer, Paul expresses love and appreciation for those involved in the ministry. Nearly one full chapter in his grand epistle to the Romans is devoted to praise for his partners in the gospel.
Barnabas: Encouragement and Partnership
His name is Joseph, but they call this man—known for his good cheer and for rallying the troops—Barnabas, meaning “Son of Encouragement.” Perhaps he is one of those who encouraged others to give their money and possessions to the general fund in the early days of the new Jesus Way so that no one would be in want. For his part, he sells his own field and brings the money to the apostles.
It’s an exciting time to be alive. Generosity is overflowing. Everyone is taking a cue from Barnabas and donating their estates—however meager—to the cause. Then, without a hint of warning, Ananias drops dead, and shortly afterward, Sapphira. There is sin in the camp that sucks the air right out of the excitement. Barnabas is there. How desperately his encouragement and comfort must have been needed at that moment.
A Levite from Cyprus, Barnabas is a leader in the Jerusalem congregation who takes a stand at a critical moment in the life of the emerging church when the apostles in Jerusalem appear to be overly cautious about outsiders. Word has come to them that Saul, the great persecutor, has suddenly been converted. It’s all a ruse, some are saying. He’s an opportunist seeking to infiltrate the ranks. He’s simply not trustworthy. But Barnabas steps forward to stand by this new convert. He is convinced that Paul is for real, and he is eager to encourage him and introduce him to other believers.
The early faith community does not immediately reach out to the Greek, or Gentile, world—even after Peter’s dream of unclean animals and the baptism of Cornelius and his family. Nevertheless, the young movement experiences considerable growth following the general persecution in the terrifying time after the stoning of Stephen. As believers flee, they share their faith and their numbers increase, though most specifically among God-fearing Jews.
But then some lay evangelists from Cyprus and Cyrene come to Antioch and share the testimony of Jesus with Gentiles, many of whom believe. This stirs up a commotion among the believers in Jerusalem. So they send Barnabas to Antioch to check things out for himself. There he finds a growing community of faith. True to his character, he encourages the new believers and appears to be not in the least threatened by the influx of non-Jews into the Way.
More than that, Barnabas is looking optimistically to the future and the need for strong leadership and teaching. So he goes to Tarsus seeking out Paul, who had fled to his hometown after his life was threatened. Paul may have been discouraged, but Barnabas encourages him to come to Antioch with him, where they can work together as a team with the new believers. They spend a year there building up the infant church, and it is here in this town where the followers of Jesus are first called Christians.
From Jerusalem comes word, by way of the prophet Agabus, that in Judea there are hard times. Drought and crop failures have had devastating effects on the lives of the believers. So the Christians up there in Antioch take a collection, perhaps prompted by Barnabas. He and Paul travel down to Jerusalem to present the funds to the leaders in the congregation there. Then Barnabas and Paul return to Antioch, accompanied by John Mark, nephew of Barnabas.
Sometime after this, the Holy Spirit gives instructions to the church in Antioch: “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”[7] The prophetic word might have seemed altogether vague, but it does not take long for the local leaders to spell out the specifics. The work for which they are commissioned entails what will become known as Paul’s first missionary journey.
No surprise, they sail for Cyprus on their first assignment—Cyprus, home base of Barnabas (and perhaps John Mark also). The governor invites them to his residence to talk about their message. But they are drawing interference from a local psychic charlatan. Paul strikes him blind, and that incredible display of supernatural power turns the governor into a believer. From this point on, Paul takes over as leader of the missionary journey. The team, except for rare occasions, is referred to as Paul and Barnabas.
No doubt Paul is the more commanding preacher of the two. Converts are plentiful. But wherever he goes he stirs up controversy and opposition. When they arrive in Lystra, Paul heals a lame man and the crowd goes wild, thinking he and Barnabas are gods. So they identify Barnabas as Zeus and Paul as Hermes. Indeed, Barnabas becomes a bit of a celebrity when a priest of Zeus calls for a parade honoring these two gods. Now Barnabas apparently takes the lead. He and Paul insist that the celebration be halted because—plain and simple—they are not gods: “We also are men of like passions with you.”[8]
Now stirred up by Jews from neighboring towns, the tide turns and the people rage against the preachers. Their vicious attacks are aimed not so much at Barnabas but at Paul, whom they consider to be the chief speaker. They beat him senseless and leave him for dead. The next day, having recovered sufficiently to get out of town, Paul leaves with Barnabas and heads for Derbe. After spending time there, they retrace their route and follow up on their preaching, encouraging believers all along the way. On arriving back in Antioch, they give an account of their good fortune as well as their struggles and setbacks.
The harrowing stories of mob attacks capture the attention of their supporters in Antioch. But there is another matter that perhaps is not so publicly discussed. John Mark, nephew of Barnabas, had abandoned the team in Pamphylia for reasons unknown.
While Barnabas is in Antioch, the church there receives a delegation of believers from Jerusalem who insist circumcision is a requirement of all male believers—Jew and Gentile alike. As a result Barnabas and Paul, as well as Silas and Barsabbas, are commissioned to go to Jerusalem to settle the matter once and for all. Barnabas is one of those who speaks at the Jerusalem Council, emphasizing the necessity of welcoming those outside the Jewish fold into the community of faith, without requiring circumcision. His position prevails.
After the meeting, Barnabas and the others return with the decision, much to the pleasure of the church in Antioch. They stay on in Antioch for a time, but it quickly becomes apparent that the church there is sufficiently supplied with teachers. So Paul, chomping at the bit to get out on the road, suggests to Barnabas that they go on a second missionary journey, in part to encourage the believers in the various towns in which they had previously planted churches.
Barnabas is also eager to get back on the road, but not without his nephew John Mark. He is the encourager, and his opinion is that they should give him another chance. Paul is uncompromising. He will not even countenance the possibility of taking back on the team this unreliable young man, nephew of Barnabas or not. A bitter argument ensues, resulting in their separation. Barnabas and John Mark head back to their home territory on the island of Cyprus, while Paul and Silas go to Syria.
How the return mission of Barnabas and John Mark to Cyprus played out is not recorded, nor is anything further known about this good man who served so faithfully as a missionary and church leader. Indeed, he alone in the book of Acts is described as good. Antioch becomes his home base, and he is identified as one of five in that congregation who serve as prophet-preacher and teacher.
It is assumed that he and Paul were able to get beyond the matter that split them as a team. Sometime later Paul, writing from jail to the Colossians, commends John Mark to them. And Paul also mentions Barnabas in his first letter to the Corinthians, where he is chastising the church in Corinth for lack of support. His reference to Barnabas is most interesting, since it comes after their fractious split. The grievance is vintage Paul. One wonders if Barnabas would have been so bold as to demand the financial support he deserved.
We who are on missionary assignments for God have a right to decent accommodations, and we have a right to support for us and our families. You don’t seem to have raised questions with the other apostles and our Master’s brothers and Peter in these matters. So, why me? Is it just Barnabas and I who have to go it alone and pay our own way?[9]
Silas: Playing Second Fiddle to Paul
He “looked death in the face time and again for the sake of our master Jesus Christ.”[10] Thus the apostles in Jerusalem commend Silas in a letter sent to Antioch. The larger issue is whether circumcision must be required of non-Jewish converts. Silas accompanies Paul and Barnabas (and Judas Barsabbas) to deliver the letter. As a Jewish convert himself and a leader of the Jerusalem Council, Silas is a key player in this most controversial matter that plagues the infant faith community. Acts also describes him as a prophet.
But Silas, no matter how much he might want to be regarded as a preacher and prophet in his own right, cannot escape the reality of being a sidekick ever in the shadow of Paul. His name is always preceded by Paul and. When Paul travels to another city without him, Silas simply fades away. A Hellenistic Jew, Silas (also known as Silvanus) is mentioned in close connection with many of the major players in the early faith community, but never standing alone. Indeed, he effectively illustrates the concepts of partnership and collaboration that were so very foundational to the early church.
Silas and Judas, having arrived in Antioch with Paul and Barnabas, speak words of encouragement to the believers there, and then Judas returns to Jerusalem. Silas, perhaps planning to return to Jerusalem as well, is instead singled out for an unexpected ministry assignment. He may have been present when Paul and Barnabas were locked in a bitter dispute over whether or not to take John Mark on their missionary journey.
Paul, still smarting from John Mark’s desertion during the previous journey, refuses to give him a second chance. So they split, Paul choosing Silas as a partner in building up the congregations in Syria and Cilicia. In the months that follow, Silas is with Paul when he visits Lystra and spends time with a young man named Timothy, whom Paul circumcises. He is also with Paul at the seaport of Troas, where Paul dreams of a Macedonian man calling out for him to come and help.
In Macedonia (present-day Greece), he accompanies Paul to Philippi, the largest city in the region. While there, they spend time with Lydia, a God-fearing woman who is holding a Sabbath-day riverside service. They preach the gospel to the group, she believes, and she and her entire household are baptized—most likely by Silas.
Following the baptism, Silas and Paul remain in the region and continue their preaching ministry. As they move around from place to place, they are followed by a psychic who loudly proclaims their presence to those they meet. Annoyed, Paul casts an evil spirit out of her. She loses her psychic powers, and with that all hell breaks loose. The young woman happens to be a slave, and her psychic capabilities provide income for her owners, who are furious with the preachers. They pummel both Paul and Silas, bring them before local magistrates, and have them arrested, whipped, and thrown in jail.
The jailer takes no chances. He chains them up and bolts the door. The prisoners offer no resistance. Though their wounds are smarting, they take advantage of the downtime for prayer and hymn singing. But devotions are interrupted by an earthquake. Their chains fall off and the doors fly open. They might have escaped, but they purposely remain in their cell. So shocked and inspired is the jailer by their decency that he asks them how to be saved. Silas and Paul explain the gospel, and after washing their wounds, he and his entire household are baptized—again most likely by Silas.
On learning that Paul and Silas are Roman citizens, the local officials bend over backwards in offering apologies for the beatings and incarceration; and the local police fetch them and escort them out of the prison. With the ordeal behind them, they return to the home of Lydia.
After leaving Philippi, Silas and Paul pass through towns on their way to Thessalonica, where they preach for three successive Sabbath days in the synagogue and spend time in small group discussion. Many believe, including women of high status. But as interest and commitment grow, so does the opposition. Jewish leaders incite mobs to attack the traveling preachers, but the believers there manage to surreptitiously help them.
When they arrive in Berea, the situation is much better. The people are willing to study the Scripture to see for themselves whether the message Paul and Silas are presenting adds up. But soon word comes to the Berean citizens that these preachers are troublemakers. So Paul gets out of town again, this time leaving Silas and Timothy behind. They remain in Berea while Paul goes on to Athens, but later rejoin him in Corinth.
After this, Silas fades from the record, although he is mentioned in Paul’s letters as one who sends greetings to various churches. He has also worked with Peter, who speaks of him as a brother in the ministry and who holds him in very high regard. This affirmation is included in Peter’s first epistle, which Silas may have helped to write.
Priscilla and Aquila: Marriage and Ministry Partnership
Aptly described as the power couple of Paul’s ministry network, Priscilla and Aquila are converts who have settled in Corinth, having been forced out of Rome. (In AD 49 Emperor Claudius had ordered an expulsion of all Jews from that city, including Jewish followers of Jesus.) Theirs is a mixed marriage, Aquila being a Jew from Pontus and Priscilla (or Prisca, her Roman name) a Gentile. Paul, running low on funds, seeks them out and works with them for more than a year in their tent-making business in Corinth. Together they plant the church in that city.
Then they pull up stakes and accompany Paul to Ephesus, where he leaves them on their own to continue in the ministry. Like many of the early apostles and evangelists, they do not establish permanent residences anywhere. From Pontus (in Asia Minor), Aquila initially moves to Rome; from there he and Priscilla move to Corinth, then to Ephesus, back to Rome, and to Ephesus again—and perhaps they make many more moves not mentioned in the text.
While preaching the gospel in Ephesus, they meet Apollos, an evangelist who is also preaching about Jesus in the local synagogue. What a coincidence! He seems like a nice fellow, and he has great enthusiasm for the message of Jesus, but he is still baptizing people according to John’s Jewish ritual of baptism—a baptism of repentance but apparently not one of commitment to the Christian faith.
So Priscilla and her husband Aquila take him aside and explain more fully the message of Jesus and the true meaning of baptism. It is interesting that here and elsewhere in the text, Priscilla’s name most frequently precedes that of Aquila. There is no indication that her teaching Apollos, accompanied by her husband, would have been a controversial matter in the early Christian church, as it likely would have been in either a Jewish or Roman context.
When Emperor Claudius dies in 54, Jews are permitted to return to Rome. Among those who do are Priscilla and Aquila, who establish a church in their home. When Paul writes to the Roman Christians, he makes personal mention of them with heartfelt gratitude: “Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.”[11]
Later Priscilla and Aquila move back to Ephesus and again minister there, as Paul notes in his greeting to them when writing his second letter to Timothy, that being his final letter. In all probability, Priscilla and Aquila continued in ministry after Paul’s death.
Timothy: Paul’s Son in the Faith
The apostle Paul arrives in Lystra, where he meets a young disciple whose mother and grandmother had played an important role in his faith—“sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice.”[12] So impressed is Paul with Timothy that he wants to train him personally by having him come along on the missionary journey. First, however, Paul circumcises him.
Timothy’s father, who may have been deceased, is Greek. So it stands to reason that Timothy would not have been circumcised. But why Paul would have performed this rite, after having previously insisted that Gentiles need not be circumcised, is a mystery—unless perhaps Timothy’s Jewish mother was advocating for such. It is true that Jews lived in the region, and they might have become offended had he not been circumcised. Furthermore, Paul is grooming him for leadership in his own right—so he represents much more than just another convert.
Timothy bids his mother and grandmother farewell and begins his life on the road with Paul. It could not have been an easy family decision, because Paul makes no secret of the life-threatening persecution he had earlier faced along the way. But as they visit churches, their teaching is eagerly devoured by the believers, and new converts are received into the faith. When Paul and Timothy arrive in Berea, Timothy remains while Paul goes on to Athens, and they team up again in Corinth.
Everyday Life
Family and Women’s Roles
Eunice and Lois. Mother and grandmother of Timothy, Paul’s closest associate. Paul commends them for their sincere faith, but otherwise they are shrouded in obscurity. Who were they, and how did they spend their days in first-century Palestine?
The everyday life of women was as varied as were the women themselves, especially when factoring in matters of personality, family size, social status, and religious inclinations. Some women traveled about in ministry or on business. Others maintained a large household filled with three generations of family members. Still others were impoverished widows supported by the church.
Paul, writing to Timothy, shows concern for the everyday life of women (1 Tim. 5). He offers specific guidelines regarding the support of widows, insisting that such matters are first and foremost the responsibility of the immediate family. In the case of a younger widow, he challenges her to marry and manage her home. Here Paul employs a strong Greek word, oikodespotein (from which the word despot is derived).
The women with whom he worked and interacted were anything but Victorian ladies who fanned and fainted. They were robust and resilient Mediterranean women who bargained their way through market day and stood their ground on the home front, sometimes virtually as despots. Yet they faced restrictions—both Jewish and Roman—in every aspect of life.
On Paul’s third missionary journey, they again travel together. Timothy is sometimes sent on ahead, however, while Paul stays behind, and on other occasions Paul goes on ahead, later to be joined by his younger colleague. Their separations offer opportunity for Paul to contact Timothy in letters—writings that demonstrate Paul’s devotion: “I write this to you, Timothy, the son I love so much.”[13] Paul emphasizes that Timothy should teach the Scripture and never let anyone intimidate him because of his youth. Rather, he must remember how he was commissioned with the laying on of hands for ministry—bold ministry that does not back down in the face of influence from the rich and famous. Indeed, he should avoid any temptation for wealth and fame.
Timothy and his grandmother
Paul shows tenderness for the young man who has worked so tirelessly and faithfully alongside him: “Every time I say your name in prayer—which is practically all the time—I thank God for you. . . . I miss you a lot, especially when I remember that last tearful good-bye, and I look forward to a joy-packed reunion.”[14] The tenderness is balanced by confidence that Timothy is the most trustworthy of Paul’s closest associates. Indeed, Paul passes the mantle on to him near the end of his life when he is facing certain death.
When Paul writes these words, he is in prison, and he wants Timothy to come to be with him as soon as possible—and not to come empty-handed: “Bring the winter coat I left in Troas with Carpus; also the books and parchment notebooks. . . . Try hard to get here before winter.”[15] Timothy does come to Rome to spend time with his dear mentor. Together they write letters, including that most memorable letter to the Philippians: “Paul and Timothy, servants of Christ Jesus . . . Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.”[16]
Apollos: African Evangelist
A Jewish believer hailing from the cosmopolitan African city of Alexandria, he is both eloquent and erudite as a preacher and missionary in Paul’s wider network. But his initial teaching in the synagogue is surely not the Pauline line. Here is Apollos, more than a decade after the death and resurrection of Jesus, boldly preaching about Jesus while at the same time hanging on to the teachings of John the Baptist. Had he, while living in Alexandria, taken to heart the words of John: “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world”?[17] Had he traveled from Alexandria directly to Ephesus without earnestly interacting with Christians along the way?
A most unlikely candidate as an apostolic associate was a slave from Colossae whose name was Onesimus. Onesimus had abandoned his master, Philemon, and fled to Rome, probably hoping to lose himself in that crowded metropolis, perhaps stealing money from his owner in the process (Philemon 18). In the providential scheme of things—note that “perhaps” (v. 15)—he encountered Paul and was led to the Lord (v. 10). Eventually, Onesimus (whose name means “useful”) made himself so “useful” (NASB) that Paul was loath to part with him. But the apostle would not retain his services under these circumstances (Roman law required returning a slave to his owner), especially without the permission of Philemon (vv. 11–14).
And so Paul was sending Onesimus home (in the company of Tychicus) with high praise; he was a “faithful and beloved” kinsman in the Lord (Col. 4:9). Moreover, Paul urged Philemon to receive Onesimus “no longer as a servant, but more than a servant”—as “a beloved brother” (v. 16). Indeed, he is encouraged to embrace his servant with the same spirit he would have extended to Paul himself (v. 17). If this disposition was adopted, then Onesimus would have remained a slave no longer—at least practically speaking. This is virtually a “proclamation of emancipation” without the specific words, “free him,” being spoken. There may be no document in all history that has done more to remedy the evil of slavery than has Paul’s letter to Philemon.
Whatever the circumstances, he is teaching publicly about Jesus, perhaps never having fully comprehended that this very Jesus, God, very God, is risen from the dead—and is seated at the right hand of God the Father Almighty. In Alexandria he may have studied under the renowned Jewish philosopher Philo and may have availed himself of the writings in the city’s very prestigious library of more than a half million scrolls. But with all his knowledge, he is more deficient than fishermen and tentmakers as an evangelist.
So Priscilla and Aquila take Apollos aside and fill in the missing details. They are patient teachers to this most eager learner, who now becomes even more ardent as an evangelist and teacher. He is not satisfied staying put, so, with a character reference from the local leaders, he travels to Achaia. “When he arrived there, he proved to be of great benefit to those who, by God’s grace, had believed.”[18]
Apollos also becomes known as a brilliant apologist, “vigorously refut[ing] his Jewish opponents in public debate, proving from the scriptures that Jesus was the Messiah.”[19] Ephesus is his home base, but from there he is again on the road, this time to Corinth, where again he is highly regarded. Indeed, he is so popular with some of the local Christians that they are taking sides with him against Paul (though there is no evidence that Apollos himself was divisive). Soon, there are four groups staking their claims, not only for him and Paul but also for Peter—and Christ.
Paul is distressed when he learns that there are these divisions—particularly regarding Apollos. Both of them, he insists, are “ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God.”[20] They are two very different individuals, whose personalities and gifts are complementary. They work together for the kingdom: “I have planted,” Paul writes to the Corinthians, “Apollos watered; but God gave the increase.”[21]
Apollos is last mentioned in Scripture in the letter to Titus, where Paul again affirms him as his partner in ministry: “Give Zenas the lawyer and Apollos a hearty send-off. Take good care of them.”[22]
Concluding Observations
Paul’s partners in the gospel all play a secondary role to the great apostle, none of them known for their writings or for taking over the ministry after his death, as was the case with Peter and John after the death of Jesus. With the writings of Paul, Peter, and John, the New Testament canon will become complete.
Paul, however, could not have accomplished what he did without the considerable help of others. Barnabas was critical in Paul’s early years of ministry and first missionary journey. Silas stepped in to take his place for the second evangelistic tour. Priscilla and Aquila were business and ministry partners as well as friends. One can only imagine their deep sense of camaraderie and the joy of being reunited after their frequent separations. Apollos would forever be remembered as the one who watered that which Paul had planted. Timothy was a son, the one who would take over after Paul died. But he knew as well as anyone that no one would ever rise to the stature of this singular apostle and father in the faith.
But Paul’s coworkers were certainly not all equally loyal to him. He was pained by this realization, though he sought to make the best of it, as he so pointedly wrote from Rome to the church in Philippi:
It is true that some preach Christ out of envy and rivalry, but others out of goodwill. The latter do so out of love, knowing that I am put here for the defense of the gospel. The former preach Christ out of selfish ambition, not sincerely, supposing that they can stir up trouble for me while I am in chains. But what does it matter? The important thing is that in every way, whether from false motives or true, Christ is preached. And because of this I rejoice.[23]
Some of Paul’s partners, though barely mentioned in the biblical narrative, nevertheless play a significant role in ministry. Titus, who is not mentioned in Acts but is referred to more than a dozen times in Paul’s letters, is one such individual. An uncircumcised Greek, he serves in Corinth and later on the island of Crete. Other individuals referenced, though only in passing, include Euodia and Syntyche, who, Paul writes, “have contended at my side in the cause of the gospel.”[24] Unfortunately, they are at odds with each other, and Paul pleads with them to get along and for others to help them do so. Phoebe is another woman who played a key role in Paul’s ministry network.
Expressions of appreciation for coworkers fall easily from Paul’s lips, and the reader feels fortunate when he includes context for the person he is praising, as in the case of Epaphroditus:
But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, co-worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger, whom you sent to take care of my needs. For he longs for all of you and is distressed because you heard he was ill. Indeed he was ill, and almost died. But God had mercy on him, and not on him only but also on me, to spare me sorrow upon sorrow. Therefore I am all the more eager to send him, so that when you see him again you may be glad and I may have less anxiety. So then, welcome him in the Lord with great joy, and honor people like him, because he almost died for the work of Christ. He risked his life to make up for the help you yourselves could not give me.[25]
As is typical, Paul’s warm commendation of Epaphroditus, included in his letter to the Philippians, is followed by a warning. “Watch out for those dogs,” he writes.[26] The term dogs illustrates Paul’s contempt for those supposed coworkers who were preaching another gospel—in this case, the necessity of circumcision. For every Epaphroditus there was a dog, as much a thorn in the flesh as any physical ailment he ever endured.
Further Reading
Hartin, Patrick J. Apollos: Paul’s Partner or Rival? Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2009.
Hiebert, D. Edmond. In Paul’s Shadow: Friends and Foes of the Great Apostle. Greenville, SC: BJU Press, 2001.
Keller, Marie Noel. Priscilla and Aquila: Paul’s Coworkers in Christ Jesus. Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2010.