Who were the believers that worked with Paul?

The Believers that Worked with Paul

In the New Testament, we read about several individuals that worked with Paul during his ministry:

Ananias of Damascus

He was a disciple of Jesus at Damascus, mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles. He was sent by Jesus to restore the sight of “Saul, of Tarsus” (Acts 9). In Paul’s speech, in Acts 22, he described Ananias as “a devout man according to the law, having a good report of all the Jews” that dwelt in Damascus (Acts 22:12). According to tradition, Ananias was martyred in Eleutheropolis.

Aristarchus of Thessalonica

Aristarchus or Aristarch was described as Paul’s “fellow laborer” in Colossians 4:10 and Philemon 1:24. He accompanied Paul on his journey to Rome. Later, he returned with Paul from Greece to Asia (Acts 20:4). In Eastern Orthodox and Catholic tradition, he was identified as one of the Seventy Apostles and the bishop of Apamea.

Barnabas

This apostle was one of the prominent Christian disciples in Jerusalem. According to Acts 14:14, he and Paul undertook missionary journeys and defended Gentile converts against the Judaizers. Christian tradition taught that Barnabas was identified as the founder of the Cypriot Orthodox Church.

Dionysius the Areopagite

He was a judge at the court Areopagus in Athens who lived in the first century AD. According to the book Acts of the Apostles (Acts 17:34), he was converted to Christianity by the evangelism of the Apostle Paul during the Areopagus sermon. According to Dionysius of Corinth, quoted by Eusebius, this Dionysius then became the first Bishop of Athens.

Epaphras

This person was referred to twice in Colossians and once in the letter to Philemon. In the first reference, he was mentioned as a “fellow servant” of Paul in his ministry (Colossians 1:7).

Erastus of Corinth

Erastus was also known as Erastus of Paneas. According to the Epistle to the Romans, Erastus was a steward in Corinth who held a high political office. A person named Erastus was also mentioned in the 2 Timothy and Acts, and these mentions were usually taken to refer to the same person. According to the tradition of the Orthodox Church, Erastus was numbered among the Seventy Disciples. He served as a deacon and steward of the Church at Jerusalem and later of Paneas in Palestine.

Gaius

He was mentioned in Macedonia as a traveling companion of Paul, along with Aristarchus (Acts 19:29).

Jason of Thessalonica

This believer was mentioned in Acts 17:5-9 and Romans 16:21. In Acts 17, his house in Thessalonica was used as a refuge by the apostles Paul, Silas, and Timothy. According to tradition, Jason was numbered among the Seventy Disciples. And it was believed that he was appointed Bishop of Tarsus by the Apostle Paul.

John Mark

He was mentioned in the Acts of the Apostles as an assistant accompanying Paul and Barnabas on their missionary journeys. Ancient tradition consistently distinguishs John Mark from the other Marks of the New Testament and marked him Bishop of Byblos.

Luke the Evangelist

This Christian was one of the Four Evangelists and the author of one of the canonical Gospels. The New Testament mentioned Luke briefly a few times, and the Pauline epistle to the Colossians referred to him as a physician. This believer was in Rome with the Apostle Paul (2 Timothy 4:11).

Onesimus

Onesimus was a slave to Philemon of Colossae, a man of Christian faith. The name “Onesimus” was mentioned in Colossians and in Philemon. In Colossians 4:9, a person of this name was identified as a Christian accompanying Tychicus to visit the Christians in Colossae. He could be the Onesimus named by Ignatius of Antioch as Bishop in Ephesus which would put his death around 95 A.D.

Philemon

Philemon was an early Christian in Asia Minor who received a private letter from Paul of Tarsus. This letter was known as Epistle to Philemon. He was a wealthy Christian and a minister of the church that met in his home. According to tradition, He was mentioned in the list of the Seventy Apostles, attributed to Dorotheus of Tyre. And he was described as bishop of Gaza.

Priscilla and Aquila

Priscilla and Aquila were a first century Christian missionary couple described in the New Testament. They lived and worked with the Apostle Paul, who called them his “fellow workers in Christ Jesus” (Romans 16:3). In 1 Corinthians 16:19, Paul passed on the greetings of Priscilla and Aquila to their friends in Corinth which showed that the couple were in his company. Paul founded the church in Corinth (1 Corinthians 4:15) and his including them in his greetings meant that Priscilla and Aquila were also involved in the establishment of that church. According to tradition, they were listed among the Seventy Disciples.

Silas

Silas or Silvanus was a leading member of the Early Christian community (Acts 15:22; 16:25-37). He accompanied Paul the Apostle on parts of his first and second missionary journeys. Paul, Silas and Timothy were listed as co-authors of the two letters to the Thessalonians. Second Corinthians mentioned Silas preaching with Paul and Timothy to the church in Corinth (2 Corinthians 1:19). And Peter’s first epistle regarded Silas as a ‘faithful brother’ (1 Peter 5:12). Tradition claimed that Silas was identified with Silvanus of the Seventy.

Sopater or Sosipater

He was mentioned in Romans 16:21. According to church tradition, he was known as Sosipater of Iconium, and was numbered among the Seventy Apostles. It was also believed that he was Bishop in Iconium.

Sosthenes

Sosthenes was the chief ruler of the synagogue at Corinth. According to the Acts of the Apostles, he was captured and hit by the mob before Gallio, the Roman governor, when he declined to proceed against Paul at the instigation of the Jews (Acts 18:12-17).

Timothy

He met the Apostle Paul during his second missionary journey and became his companion and co-worker along with Silas. He was addressed as the recipient of the First and Second Epistles to Timothy. His relationship with Paul was close. And Paul entrusted him with missions of great importance.

Timothy’s name appeared as the co-author on 2 Corinthians, Philippians, Colossians, 1 Thessalonians, 2 Thessalonians, and Philemon. And Paul wrote to the Philippians about Timothy (Philippians 2:19–23). According to tradition, Timothy was an early Christian evangelist and the early first-century Christian bishop of Ephesus, who died around the year AD 97.

Trophimus

He was one of eight friends (Acts 20:4), who accompanied Paul at the close of his third missionary trip and continued with him from Greece, through Macedonia, into Asia until they reached Jerusalem (Acts 21:29).

Tychicus

Tychicus was an Asiatic Christian who, with Trophimus, accompanied the Apostle Paul on a part of his journey from Macedonia to Jerusalem. He was mentioned to have been with Paul in Rome, where the apostle sent him to Ephesus to help the church there. He was referenced in the letters of Paul (Acts 20:4; Ephesians 6:21; Colossians 4:7; Titus 3:12; 2 Timothy 4:12).

In His service,
BibleAsk Team