Barnabas, Apollos, and Gamaliel

Barnabas

Barnabas' name appears twenty-three times in Acts and five times in Paul’s letters. Barnabas may mean “son of prophecy” or “one who prophesies or preaches.” He was from the clan of Levi and was a native of Cyprus. His birth name was Joseph (Joses) before being renamed by the disciples in Acts 4:36-37. He introduced Saul/Paul to the Jerusalem Church. (Acts 9:26-27) He was selected to go to Syria Antioch by the church. He secured Paul as his assistant for the trip. The first mission trip was to settle how Gentiles were to become brothers and sisters with Jewish Christians. (Acts 15:1-21) John Mark was Barnabas cousin. (Colossian 4:10)[1]

  Apollos

Apollos was an Alexandrian Jew from Ephesus. He was taught doctrine by Priscilla and Aquilla. (Acts 18:26) He was educated in the Old Testament. He traveled from Ephesus to Greece with letters of introduction. (Acts 18:27) He used the Old Testament to demonstrate Jesus as the Christ. (Acts 18:28) He appears frequently in 1 Corinthians. Apollos was gifted, willing to receive instructions, and was a team player in the gospel.[2]

Gamaliel

Gamaliel is a personal name meaning “God rewards with good.” He was a highly regarded Pharisee and a member of the Sanhedrin. (Acts 5:34) He was Paul’s teacher. (Acts 22:3) He was the grandson of Rabbi Hillel.[3]

Bibliography

Brooks, James A. “Barnabas,” In Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 176. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

“Gamaliel,” In Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 612. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

Vermillion, William H. “Apollos,” In Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, 87. Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015.

[1] James A. Brooks, “Barnabas,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 176.

[2] William H. Vermillion, “Apollos,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 87.

[3] “Gamaliel,” in Holman Illustrated Bible Dictionary, (Nashville, TN: Holman Reference, 2015), 612.