An email arrived with the question, “Who was this Apollos of Alexandria”? This is the edited reply.

The sholech Yohannan (apostle John) first went down to Alexandria before heading north to Ephesus. In Alexandria he trained a local man by the name of Apol'los who later followed him there. A pair of Paul's lackeys, Priscilla and Aquila, got hold of him and, as Acts 18:24-26 says, did a number on him. This is the RSV translation.

"24. Now a Jew names Apol'los, a native of Alexandria, came to Ephesus. He was an eloquent man, well versed in the Scriptures (Law & Prophets, Matthew and John). 25. He 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 (which was good enough, for John was a student of the Dipper). 26. He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila (Greek Priskilla and Akylas) heard him, they took him and expounded to him the way of THEOS/God more accurately." Two different ways!

Priskilla and Akylas were sheep stealers and they claimed a great prize here. Apol'los (pron. Apol-low-s) had been a major asset for his mentor. Now he had swapped camps. Why, one may ask?

Well, Paul was self-assured. In contrast, an impression one might gain from the canonical Gospels - and Luke highlights this - is that Yeshuwa's twelve students were ditherers. Time and again they are remonstrated for having no faith, not believing Him, even abandoning and denying Him. One betrayed Him for thirty pieces of silver, then went out and committed suicide. Even Yeshuwa never got along with His mother and brothers.

Who would want to be seen with such a crowd of losers? Add to this, Yohannan was trying to explain spiritual energy, the 24 Thrones and temple calendar to him, as well as going to a new planet high up in the sky while claiming to have physically been there himself.

Seven centuries earlier Y'shayahuw had experienced great difficulty himself explaining the new Earth under a different sky to his own people. So following Yeshuwa required not just great faith, but the suspension of common sense and logical thinking, even though His teachings are very logical, yet require that one think outside the box.

In Apol-los's eyes, Yohannan was a nut case teaching pie-in-the-sky. Paul, on the other hand, focused upon the real world and the role of law in a person's life. E.g. no law, no guilt. His Gospel meditations centred upon the crucifixion, death and resurrection of Jesus Buddha/Christ where there were absolutely no doubts.

Whereas the Twelve taught the migration to the new Earth before the destruction of Yeruwshalem, ironically from the early fifties Paul taught a rapture to Nirvana or heaven to happen any time day or night.

In both cases "the Lord" was going to return and take the faithful with Him/him. Paul wasn't going to miss out on that. It would spell the end of his religion if the IRVs came. He was in Spain when this happened. The assembly point was just north of Bethany east of Mount Olivet (of Olives). Two successful migrations occurred from there in mid to late 65, but most were left behind due to Roman interference.

Meanwhile Yohannan had been removed to the Isle of Patmos, so his own students could not visit him. What the authorities did not count on was that prison guards on Patmos warmed to him. When one or two returned to Ephesus, his students were instructed to gather his writings and head for Bethany, so they would be available to those who migrated.

Mattith-yahuw (Matthew) did the same. He preferred to stay behind and continue the work he was doing in Spain and Gaul. [Paul spoke as a Bodhisattwa in Philippians 1:19-23.] Yet he sent many of his own writings to Bethany. So quite a library of first century BCE and CE texts went to the new Earth, including what Yeshuwa Himself wrote. There they were used, but also copied and stored in a secure location, like the Qumran Scrolls in the caves by the Dead Sea.

News of the partially successful attempts did not reach Apol'los. When Yohannan was released in 72 CE, he returned to Ephesus. There he confronted his former student, whose opinion of him had only grown worse over the past twenty years. "What sort of Eluhiym do you have that would not let you have visitors and why were you imprisoned for so long [over nine years]? Paul was allowed visits by his companions and was released twice from captivity in Rome, once during Nero's persecution." The third time he was unlucky, yet Apol'los did not know that he had recanted his Buddha-based Christianity.

In every trial, whether natural or legal, Paul was successful. He survived, a great example of faith. Why would Apol'los abandon him for the faithless, dithering Twelve?

This man knew what his master had written about love. However, he identified fully with the apostle Paul's understanding in 1 Corinthians 13.. First John was his cheeky response. It is thoroughly Pauline. While employing similar language he distorted his words, making them say unintended lies.

E.g. 1 John 3:23 - "And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us." It sounds all very Yohannan, doesn't it?

John 15:12 indeed says to love one another. Yet nowhere is there talk of believing in the name of his son Jesus Christ. "Ask anything in My name" appears in John (three times), but Yeshuwa goes to great pains to shift the focus from Himself to His Father and His name. Instead focusing on the "name of Jesus" is very Pauline, as evident throughout his epistles.

And, of course, there being no fear in love is demonic. One cannot receive love from the Yahuw'ah until one has first been circumcised in flesh and heart, and learned to fear Him and obey His protective, energy-based commandments. Then the healing, life-giving energy called love flows to that person. Yet it is jealous, definitely insists upon its own way and is even boastful. One knows when one has it.

Apol'los can talk all he likes about sin being lawlessness. As a student of the late apostle, everything he wrote and said was lawlessness.

Henry, I trust this helps to answer your question. By the way, it has taken me years to reach this understanding.

Wayne