Epaenetus

Biblical Record

Epaenetus is mentioned only once in Scripture, in Romans 16:5. In Romans 16, Paul greets a number of believers in Rome by name. Epaenetus's name appears immediately after Paul's greeting to the married couple Priscilla and Aquila and the church that met in their house.

Salute my wellbeloved Epaenetus, who is the firstfruits of Achaia unto Christ. (Romans 16:5, KJV)

Where the King James Version reads "Achaia," the Korean Revised Version and most modern translations read "Asia" (see "Manuscript variants" below). Here "Asia" refers not to the modern continent of Asia but to the Roman province of Asia in western Asia Minor, whose principal city was Ephesus. Scripture does not record his origins, his occupation, the circumstances of his conversion, or why he went to Rome.

Significance in Scripture

The expression "firstfruits" derives from the Old Testament practice of offering the first portion of the harvest to God. Paul used it for the first person in a region to come to faith in Christ. In 1 Corinthians 16:15 he likewise calls the household of Stephanas "the firstfruits of Achaia." Epaenetus is thus presented as the first fruit of the mission in the province of Asia. The description "my beloved" indicates that Paul was close to him. His name is generally understood to mean "praised" in Greek.

Interpretation and Debated Points

• Manuscript variants: Some Greek manuscripts read "Achaia" instead of "Asia," and the King James Version follows this reading. Most modern critical texts, as well as the Korean Revised Version and the New Korean Revised Version, follow the reading "Asia." Scholars suggest that the text may have been altered during copying to harmonize it with "the firstfruits of Achaia" in 1 Corinthians 16:15.
• The destination of Romans 16: Some scholars point to the presence in the list of greetings of figures closely associated with Ephesus, such as Epaenetus, as evidence that chapter 16 may originally have been sent to Ephesus. The view that it was sent to Rome, however, is also widely accepted.
• Conjecture and tradition: It is often added that he came to faith in Ephesus through Priscilla and Aquila. This, however, is merely an inference drawn from the circumstances described in Acts 18 and from the order of the greetings; the text does not state it directly. Some later Eastern church traditions are reported to number him among the Seventy disciples, but this has no basis in Scripture.

In the Korean Church

Sermons or Sunday school lessons devoted specifically to Epaenetus are rare. He is usually mentioned alongside Paul's other coworkers in sermons on the greetings of Romans 16, and he is also cited as an example when explaining the meaning of "firstfruits."