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Epaphras

Man living at the time of the New Testament

Epaphras was a faithful minister of Christ and a fellow prisoner with Paul, who labored in prayer for the Colossians.

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Epaphras was a prominent figure in the early church and a close associate of the apostle Paul. He is described as a faithful minister of Christ and a fellow servant of Paul (Col.1.7). Epaphras was likely a native of Colossae and played a significant role in the establishment and growth of the church there. He is credited with sharing the gospel with the Colossians and nurturing their faith (Col.1.7). Epaphras's deep concern for the spiritual well-being of the Colossian believers is evident in his fervent prayers on their behalf. Paul mentions that Epaphras was always laboring earnestly for them in his prayers, desiring that they would stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God (Col.4.12). This highlights Epaphras's dedication to the spiritual growth and maturity of the church. In the letter to Philemon, Paul refers to Epaphras as his fellow prisoner (Phm.1.23), indicating that Epaphras had faced imprisonment for his faith, possibly alongside Paul. This shared experience of suffering for the gospel further strengthens the bond between them. Epaphras's ministry extended beyond Colossae, as Paul also mentions his labors in the nearby cities of Laodicea and Hierapolis (Col.4.13). Epaphras's life exemplifies the commitment, sacrifice, and pastoral care of early Christian leaders who tirelessly served the church and advanced the gospel message.

Connections

Part of: Paul's Circle

Was Luke a Gentile?

FriendsDebated

In Colossians 4 Paul names Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus as "of the circumcision" and then lists Epaphras, Luke, and Demas. Many read the second group as Gentiles, making Luke the only non-Jewish NT writer, but the text does not say so directly.

LukePhysician; companion of Paul; author of Luke and ActsEpaphrasA faithful minister and fellow servant of Paul.DemasCompanion of Paul who later deserted him
Where the text shows it: Colossians 4:10-11 — Three named as of the circumcisionColossians 4:12-14 — Epaphras, Luke, Demas listed afterwards
Ways people read this (3)
  • Common reading: Luke was a Gentile, as the grouping in Colossians 4 implies.
  • Some scholars argue the list does not exclude Luke being a Hellenistic Jew, given his knowledge of the LXX and synagogue life.
  • Tradition (Eusebius) calls him a native of Antioch.

Sources: Scripture

Epaphras, founder of the Colossian church

HometownStated in the text

Paul says the Colossians learned the gospel from Epaphras, their beloved fellow servant, who is also one of them. He now shares Paul's imprisonment and prays hard for them.

EpaphrasA faithful minister and fellow servant of Paul.PaulAn apostleOnesimusRunaway slave, convert of Paul
Where the text shows it: Colossians 1:7 — Learned from EpaphrasColossians 4:12-13 — One of you, always struggling in prayerPhilemon 1:23 — Epaphras, fellow prisoner

Sources: Scripture

More background: search Wikipedia ↗

Bible dictionary

Epaphras Easton Easton’s Bible Dictionary (1897)

Lovely, spoken of by Paul (Col. 1:7; 4:12) as “his dear fellow-servant,” and “a faithful minister of Christ.” He was thus evidently with him at Rome when he wrote to the Colossians. He was a distinguished disciple, and probably the founder of the Colossian church. He is also mentioned in the Epistle to Philemon (1:23), where he is called by Paul his “fellow-prisoner.”

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Epaphras Smith Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1863)

(lovely), a fellow laborer with the apostle Paul, mentioned (Colossians 1:7) as having taught the Colossian church the grace of God in truth, and designated a faithful minister of Christ on their behalf. He was at that time with St. Paul at Rome. (A.D. 57.) For Paul’s estimate of him see (Colossians 1:7,8; 4:12)

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Epaphras Hitchcock Hitchcock’s Bible Names Dictionary (1869)

covered with foam

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Epaphras Hastings Hastings’ Dictionary of the Bible (1898)

EP'APHRAS (lovely, a contraction of "Epaphroditus"), a distinguished disciple of Colossae, and a faithful minister of the gospel. Col 1:7. His character is described by the apostle Paul, Col 1:7-8, Lev 4:12, whose fellow-prisoner he was at Rome. Phile 23.

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Epaphras Schaff Schaff’s Dictionary of the Bible

EP'APHRAS (lovely, a contraction of "Epaphroditus"), a distinguished disciple of Colossae, and a faithful minister of the gospel. Col 1:7. His character is described by the apostle Paul, Col 1:7-8, Lev 4:12, whose fellow-prisoner he was at Rome. Phile 23.

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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.

Where Epaphras appears

3 verses in 2 books · English text: BSB (change it from the menu at the top) · Strong’s G1889

Colossians2
Philemon1

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.