Editing Apollos (section)

===1 Corinthians===
Paul's [[First Epistle to the Corinthians]] (AD&nbsp;55) mentions Apollos as an important figure at Corinth. Paul describes Apollos' role at Corinth:
:''I planted, Apollos watered, but God gave the growth.''<ref>{{Bibleref2|1 Cor|3:6}}</ref>
Paul's Epistle refers to a [[Schism (religion)|schism]] between four parties in the Corinthian church, of which two attached themselves to Paul and Apollos respectively, using their names<ref name="EB1911">{{EB1911|inline=y|wstitle=Apollos|volume=2|page=189}}</ref> (the third and fourth were Peter, identified as Cephas, and Jesus Christ himself).<ref>{{Bibleref2|1 Cor|1:10-13}}</ref> It is possible, though, that, as Msgr. [[Ronald Knox]] suggests, the parties were actually two, one claiming to follow Paul, the other claiming to follow Apollos. "It is surely probable that the adherents of St. Paul [...] alleged in defence of his orthodoxy the fact that he was in full agreement with, and in some sense commissioned by, the Apostolic College. Hence 'I am for Cephas'. [...] What reply was the faction of Apollos to make? It devised an expedient which has been imitated by sectaries more than once in later times; appealed behind the Apostolic College itself to him from whom the Apostolic College derived its dignity; 'I am for Christ'."<ref>Knox, R. ''Enthusiasm'', p. 13.</ref> Paul states that the schism arose because of the Corinthians' immaturity in faith.<ref>{{Bibleref|1 Cor|3:1-4}}</ref>

Apollos was a devout Jew born in Alexandria. Apollos' origin in Alexandria has led to speculations that he would have preached in the allegorical style of [[Philo]]. Theologian [[Jerome Murphy-O'Connor]], for example, commented: "It is difficult to imagine that an Alexandrian Jew ... could have escaped the influence of Philo, the great intellectual leader ... particularly since the latter seems to have been especially concerned with education and preaching."<ref>J Murphy-O'Connor. ''Paul: A critical life.'' Oxford: Clarendon Press, 1996, p. 275</ref>

There is no indication that Apollos favored or approved an overestimation of his person. Paul urged him to go to Corinth at the time, but Apollos declined, stating that he would come later when he had an opportunity.<ref>{{Bibleref2|1 Cor|16:12}}</ref>