Yet I thought it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and companion in labor, and fellow soldier, but your messenger, and he that ministered to my wants.
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Gaius Marius Victorinus
AD 400
He commends the character of Epaphroditus by calling him “my brother and fellow soldier.” He is a brother in the law and a fellow soldier in the camp and in the work of the gospel. And he is called “your apostle.” Note that he calls Epaphroditus an apostle. Everyone who is sent on account of the gospel can rightly be called an apostle.
Epaphroditus.your apostle, and the minister to my wants. Epaphroditus had also laboured after St. Paul, and is thought to have been the bishop of the Philippians; thus he might be called their apostle; though, as others conjecture, the word apostle may be here applied to him as one sent by the Philippians to St. Paul with contributions to supply his wants. (Witham)
But I counted it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, and fellow-worker, and fellow-soldier.
And him too he sends with the same praises as Timothy, for he commended him on these two points; first, in that he loved them, when he says, who will care truly for you; and secondly, in that he had approved himself in the Gospel. And for the same reason, and in the same terms, he praises this man also: and how? By calling him a brother, and a fellow-worker, and not stopping at this point, but also fellow-soldier, he showed how he shared in his dangers, and testifies of him the same things which he testifies of himself. For fellow-soldier is more than fellow-worker; for perchance he gave aid in quiet matters, yet not so in wars and dangers; but in saying fellow-soldier, he showed this too.
To send to you your messenger, and minister to my needs; that is, I give you your own, since I send to you him that is your own, or, perhaps, that is your Teacher. Again he adds many things ...
