Sopater

Info

• #coworker
• Home:: Berea
• Other Locales:: Jerusalem (via the collection delegation)
• References:: Acts 20#20:4

Notes

• Called "Sopater son of Pyrrhus" from Berea
• Possibly the same person as Sosipater mentioned in Romans 16#16:21

Summary

Sopater appears once in Acts 20#20:4, identified as "Sopater the Berean, son of Pyrrhus," one of the delegates accompanying Paul on the journey to Jerusalem with the collection for the saints. He represented the Berean church, which Luke praised for examining the Scriptures daily to verify Paul's teaching (Acts 17#17:11).

The identification of Sopater by his patronymic ("son of Pyrrhus") is unusual in Acts. Luke rarely provides fathers' names for secondary figures. This detail may distinguish Sopater from others with the same name, or it may indicate that Pyrrhus was a known figure in the Berean church.

Many scholars have identified Sopater with the Sosipater whom Paul calls "my kinsman" in Romans 16#16:21. "Sopater" and "Sosipater" are variant forms of the same Greek name (the full form Sōsipatros and its shortened form Sōpatros). If they are the same person, then Sopater was a Jewish believer from Berea who was present with Paul in Corinth when Romans was written and who accompanied him on the collection journey to Jerusalem. This corroboration across multiple Pauline sources makes him one of the few delegates whose participation can be verified.

Sopater's inclusion in the delegation reflects the geographic breadth of the collection. Delegates came from Berea, Thessalonica, Derbe, Asia, and elsewhere as visible demonstration that the Gentile churches across the empire were united in their care for the Jerusalem saints.

References

• theodoretCommentaryRomansc425 - Theodoret of Cyrus's patristic commentary on Romans, with early church interpretation of Sopater in Romans 16:21.
• mouleEpistlePaulApostle2015 - Moule's commentary on Romans covering Sopater's mention in Romans 16:21.
• bruceRomans2014 - F.F. Bruce's Romans commentary addressing Sopater in Romans 16:21.
• mcclainRomansGospelGod1989 - McClain's Romans commentary covering Sopater in Paul's closing greetings.
• mooEncounteringBookRomans2002 - Moo's Romans survey covering the greetings context where Sopater appears in Romans 16:21.
• wrightChallengeActsRediscovering2024 - Wright's study of Acts as theological history, covering Sopater's role in Acts 20:4.
• polhillActs1992 - Polhill's Acts commentary covering Sopater in Acts 20:4.
• paoActsIsaianicNew2002 - Pao's study of Acts through the lens of Isaiah's new exodus, providing theological context for Sopater's narrative in Acts 20:4.
• addisonActsMovementGod2023 - Addison examines the Acts narrative as a movement model, including Sopater's contribution in Acts 20:4.
• Acts 20:4 Commentaries - BibleHub
• Sopater - Wikipedia