Man living at the time of the New Testament
Epaenetus was the first convert to Christ in Asia and was beloved by Paul.
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Also known as Epenetus
Epaenetus is mentioned by the apostle Paul in his letter to the Romans as a beloved individual and the first convert to Christ in Asia (Rom.16.5). Asia, in this context, likely refers to the Roman province of Asia, which is located in modern-day Turkey. Being the first convert suggests that Epaenetus was among the earliest believers in that region and played a significant role in the establishment of the church there. Paul's affectionate description of Epaenetus as "my beloved" indicates a close personal relationship between them, possibly forged through shared experiences in ministry. The mention of Epaenetus in Paul's greetings to the Roman church suggests that he may have been known to the believers in Rome, either through his reputation or personal contact. No further details are provided about Epaenetus's life, his specific role in the church, or his later activities. However, his inclusion in Paul's greetings highlights the importance of individual believers and the close-knit relationships within the early Christian community.
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Commendable, a Christian at Rome to whom Paul sent his salutation (Rom. 16:5). He is spoken of as “the first fruits of Achaia” (R.V., “of Asia”, i.e., of proconsular Asia, which is probably the correct reading). As being the first convert in that region, he was peculiarly dear to the apostle. He calls him his “well beloved.”
EPAEN'ETUS (praised), one whom Paul in Rom 16:5 called his "well-beloved," and "the first fruits of Achaia" — better, "of Asia" — unto Christ.
EPAEN'ETUS (praised), one whom Paul in Rom 16:5 called his "well-beloved," and "the first fruits of Achaia" — better, "of Asia" — unto Christ.
Easton (1897), Smith (1863), Hitchcock (1869), Hastings (1898) and Schaff are in the public domain. Parsed text: neuu-org/bible-dictionary-dataset (CC BY 4.0). Headwords and whitespace normalised for this site.
1 verse in 1 book · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G1866
Greet also the church that meets at their house. Greet my beloved Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia.
Names, family links and references: STEPBible TIPNR (Tyndale House Cambridge, CC BY 4.0). Short descriptions were drafted with AI assistance by STEPBible. Family links follow STEPBible’s scholarly decisions where genealogies are ambiguous.