Acts 18:24-25 24Now a certain Jew named Apollos, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus, an educated man, powerful in the Scriptures. 25This man had been instructed in the way of the Lord, and being fervent in spirit, he spoke and taught accurately the things concerning Jesus, though he knew only the baptism of John.
Luke introduces another significant early Christian leader named Apollos. Luke gives quite a few details about Apollos that paint the picture of a sincere and gifted believer whom God used to further the mission of the church. The first description is where he was from, a Jew from Alexandria, Egypt. Located in northern Africa along the delta of the Nile River, Alexandria was the capital of Egypt and the second most significant city of the Roman Empire, after Rome. There was a large Jewish population in the city. It was known as a center of education and had a great library. The Jew Philo, a contemporary of Paul, wrote several significant works, available today, in which he merged Judaism and Platonism as a form of defense for the Jews against criticism.
Apollos may have been influenced by this context and learned the Scriptures and rhetoric among the educated Jews of Alexandria. Rhetoric was the key topic of higher education. Apollos learned how to speak publicly in convincing and clear ways. The city was also known as a center of Jewish scholarship and where the Septuagint, the Greek Old Testament, was translated from Hebrew. These qualities would have made Apollos stand out among the Jews. Luke does not mention what brought Apollos to Ephesus. Ephesus was also a major city in the Empire and would have attracted people from all over.
At some point, Apollos became a believer in Jesus as the Messiah. Luke does not say where or when Apollos became a believer. Someone shared the basic gospel with him, as indicated by the passive participle had been instructed. The phrase excited in spirit is difficult to interpret because the word spirit (pneumati) has the article, which usually indicates in the New Testament the “Holy Spirit.” It is possible that Apollos was fervent in the Holy Spirit, yet he only knew John’s Baptism, which usually refers to John’s call for people to repent. Jesus’ baptism was deeper, with the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit. What could be the case is that Apollos had come to believe in Jesus, repented and been baptized. He was excited and fervent; the Holy Spirit was working in his life, but he lacked understanding of how it all fit together. In simple theological terms, he was saved with new life from the Spirit but not fully sanctified and transformed by the Spirit.