Atlas Biblica

    person

    Epaphras

    Ἐπαφρᾶς

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

    verses
    3
    first named
    Colossians 1:7
    last named
    Philemon 1:23
    period
    the New Testament
    role
    Man

    Description

    Who was Epaphras?

    In the words of STEPBible TIPNR:

    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.

    Relations

    Direct connections

    Every entity the graph places in a stated relation with this one, grouped by the kind of link. Each relation is authored once and its inverse derived, so both ends always agree. Rows marked “registry” come from the identity spine rather than from a verse, and a row marked “which bearer is the source’s decision” is one where the name could have meant more than one person. The last group is not a relation at all — it counts the events two entities stand in together.

    How the graph connects Epaphras9 of 9 entities the graph connects to Epaphras, in 2 groups: company 1, events 8. Kinship, company and ground are stated relations; events counts the acts two entities stand in together and is not a relation. Each mark is sized by how many verses name that entity and labelled with the link and the count, so the grouping and the size are both readable without colour. Distance from the centre carries nothing.Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke’s greetingTook part in · 2 versesCompanyJesus1 event · 1,160 versesLove1 event · 108 versesColossian Saints1 event · 18 versesMark1 event · 10 versesAristarchus1 event · 5 versesLuke1 event · 5 versesDemas1 event · 3 versesPhilemon1 event · 2 versesEventsEpaphras

    Took part in

    Stands in the same events as

    Places

    Where this happens

    A person is placed by the events they take part in, and an event has to clear three things to place them: it must say where it happened, that place must be one the gazetteer can put a coordinate on, and the verse must report it rather than foretell, command or ask it. Nothing anchored here clears all three. Where the text names a setting no gazetteer surveys — a vineyard, a palace, a plot of ground — it is left off rather than guessed at; where a place is named only in a prophecy, the map does not draw what was said to be coming as though it had happened; and a place reached only through a relation is not inherited, because standing beside somebody is not being somewhere.

    No verse Atlas has read as a report puts this person anywhere.

    Not read yet

    Read it

    Where to read it

    Every verse of the text carried here that names this entity — 3, across 2 books.

    1. Colossians2 verses

      1:74:12

    2. Philemon1 verse

      1:23

    Onward

    Where this page goes

    Not the direct relations above — these are one hop further out, ranked so that a rare shared connection outweighs a common one. Descriptions by STEPBible TIPNR.

    via Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke’s greetingAristarchusMacedonian companion of Paul, fellow prisonervia Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke’s greetingDemasCompanion of Paul who later deserted himvia Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke’s greetingGreetingGreeting is a concept gathering 31 labelled instances in the text.via Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke’s greetingLukePhysician; companion of Paul; author of Luke and Actsvia Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke’s greetingMarkCousin of Barnabas, companion of Paul, author of Gospel.via Mark, Aristarchus, Demas, and Luke’s greetingPhilemonRecipient of Paul's letter, Colossian slave owner

    Where they appear

    Chapter by chapter

    Atlas's reading of each chapter this person appears in, in canonical order. One line per chapter, and each leads to the whole of it.

    Sources

    What this rests on