Apelles
Apelles
Info
- #coworker
- Home:: Roman Church
- Other Locales:: None recorded
- References:: Romans 16#16:10
Notes
- Called "approved in Christ" by Paul - a distinctive commendation
Summary
Apelles is mentioned once in Romans 16#16:10, where Paul writes: "Greet Apelles, who is approved (ton dokimon) in Christ." The word dokimos means tested and proven, like a coin that has been assayed and found genuine. Apelles endured some trial or test of faith and emerged with his integrity confirmed. Paul uses this same adjective for Timothy in 2 Timothy 2#2:15 ("a worker who has no need to be ashamed") and for believers who endure testing (James 1#1:12).
The name Apelles was common among Jewish freedmen in Rome. The satirist Horace mentions a "credulous Apella" as a stereotypical Jew (Satires 1.5.100), and the name appears in Jewish inscriptions from Rome. If Apelles was Jewish, Paul's commendation of him as "approved" carries weight in Romans, where the relationship between Jewish and Gentile believers is central.
Like Urbanus, Ampliatus, and Stachys in the same passage, the name Apelles appears in inscriptions from the Roman imperial household, suggesting he was a slave or freedman of Caesar's household. His "approval" may have involved the social cost of maintaining Christian faith within the imperial establishment, a setting where loyalty to Christ could conflict with the expectations of imperial service.
References
- theodoretCommentaryRomansc425 - Theodoret of Cyrus's patristic commentary on Romans, with early church interpretation of Apelles in Romans 16:10.
- mouleEpistlePaulApostle2015 - Moule's commentary on Romans covering Apelles's mention in Romans 16:10.
- bruceRomans2014 - F.F. Bruce's Romans commentary addressing Apelles in Romans 16:10.
- mcclainRomansGospelGod1989 - McClain's Romans commentary covering Apelles in Paul's closing greetings.
- mooEncounteringBookRomans2002 - Moo's Romans survey covering the greetings context where Apelles appears in Romans 16:10.
- Romans 16:10 Commentaries - BibleHub
- What does Romans 16:10 mean? - BibleRef.com