About Contending with Paul 3 by William Cobble:

“Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ …”
(Romans 16:9)
“As for Titus, he is my partner and co-worker in your service …”
(2nd Corinthians 8:23)
“Epaphroditus – my brother and co-worker and fellow soldier …”
(Philippians 2:25)
“… together with Clement and the rest of my co-workers …”
(Philippians 4:3)
“These are the only ones of the circumcision among my co-workers …”
(Colossians 4:11)
“… and we sent Timothy, our brother and co-worker …”
(1st Thessalonians 3:2)
“To Philemon our dear friend and co-worker …”
(Philemon 2)

As Paul took the Gospel into the Graeco-Roman world, who were the men and women who partnered with him? In Paul’s letters, their names are sometimes found within a verse or passage from which some biographical or historical information can be gleaned. In these places, Paul might disclose a co-worker’s role within his ongoing work, divulge the part they played in some internal controversy, or even eulogize their passing. When also found in the Book of Acts, additional clues are occasionally available that help one to further discern the “when, where, and how” of the co-worker’s involvement in Paul’s missionary endeavors.

In some cases, an elaborate story can be woven from the information obtained, but in others what is disclosed by the New Testament would fill little more than a dictionary entry. Yet such men and women are First Century heroes of the Christian faith, often toiling in those cities where Paul’s work had begun, or where he desired to bring his teachings.

This book will examine each of these characters, providing historical context, biographical information, and insights. These are figures who deserve to be known, and this is what the New Testament tells us about them.

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