Though there are many examples of empowering others in the Bible, let’s examine a special relationship between a young preacher and a gentle Christian couple. We are introduced to Aquila and Priscilla who empowered Apollos. 

The Bible first describes Apollos as “a Jew.” Like other Jewish boys of his era, he probably vigorously studied the Old Testament Scriptures in the synagogues. No doubt he had memorized vast portions of the Old Testament texts.  

Apollos was “born at Alexandria.” “Alexandria” was a famous city in the Nile Delta of northern Egypt. Part of the fame of “Alexandria” stems from its great educational advancements. During the New Testament era, there was a museum, a university of philosophy, and it was no doubt the world’s largest library at that time. Scholars tell us that before the library was destroyed by fire, it contained over 700,000 scrolls and other documents!

“Alexandria” also had a large Jewish community. In fact, about one-third of the population was Jewish. They held places of prominence throughout the city. The Jews of “Alexandria” also translated the first copy of the Septuagint, the Greek version of the Hebrew Scriptures which was widely used and often quoted in the New Testament. Apollos was the culmination of two mighty ancient cultures, the Jews and the Greeks. He was no doubt widely read and well educated. 

Have you been empowered? Let’s continue to examine Apollos in the coming days.