Pyrrhus

Biblical Record

Pyrrhus appears only once, in Acts 20:4. The Korean Revised Version renders the verse as follows: "And there accompanied him into Asia Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus; and of the Thessalonians, Aristarchus and Secundus; and Gaius of Derbe, and Timotheus; and of Asia, Tychicus and Trophimus." The New Korean Revised Version likewise reads "Sopater of Berea, the son of Pyrrhus" in the same passage.

The verse comes near the end of Paul's third missionary journey and lists the people who accompanied Paul as he returned from Greece by way of Macedonia. Pyrrhus is mentioned only as Sopater's father, to distinguish Sopater from others. The text does not say whether Pyrrhus himself was a believer, what he did, or whether he ever met Paul.

Significance in Scripture

The name Pyrrhus transliterates the Greek Pyrrhos, a name generally understood to be associated with "fire" or "red." In the New Testament he serves only to identify his son's origin and identity. The list of companions is read as evidence that people from several local churches took part in Paul's ministry.

Interpretation and Debated Points

• Manuscript differences: The phrase "the son of Pyrrhus" does not appear in all Greek manuscripts. The King James Version, which follows manuscripts lacking the phrase, does not include the name of Pyrrhus. By contrast, modern critical texts based on a number of ancient manuscripts, along with the Korean translations that follow them, include the name.
• Identity of the son: Some identify his son Sopater with the Sosipater mentioned in Romans 16:21, while others regard them as different people. This discussion concerns the son rather than Pyrrhus himself.
• Stories about the faith or life of Pyrrhus have no basis in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

In Korean churches, Pyrrhus is treated mainly as a name read within the list of Paul's companions when Acts 20 is read through or expounded. No sermons or Sunday school materials focusing on him are widely known.