Apelles

Biblical Record

Apelles appears once, in the list of greetings in Romans 16. At the close of the letter, Paul greets a series of believers in Rome, and among them he writes, "Salute Apelles approved in Christ" (Romans 16:10). In the latter part of the same verse, he goes on to greet "them which are of Aristobulus' household." This single verse is all that Scripture reveals about Apelles. His origins, occupation, family, the time of his conversion, and when or how he came to know Paul are not recorded.

Significance Within Scripture

The Greek word rendered "approved" (dokimos) means shown to be genuine through testing or examination. The expression is therefore understood as Paul's acknowledgment that Apelles had proved his faith genuine in the midst of difficulty or trial. The text does not, however, say what trials he endured. The list of greetings in Romans 16 names well-known workers such as Phoebe and Priscilla and Aquila alongside almost unknown believers such as Apelles. For this reason, the list serves as evidence of the diversity of the membership of the early church in Rome.

Interpretation and Discussion

The name Apelles is known to have been common in Rome at the time and was also used among Jews. Whether Apelles was a Jew or a Gentile, however, cannot be determined from the text alone. Eastern church tradition counts him among the seventy disciples of Luke 10 and also holds that he later became a bishop. This is later tradition and is not found in the biblical text.

In the Korean Church

Both the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version render the name as "Abelle" (아벨레). Apelles is rarely the subject of a sermon in his own right. He is typically introduced in expositions of Romans 16 as one of the saints whom Paul greeted by name, and, in light of the phrase "approved in Christ," he is mentioned in discussions of faithfulness amid trials.