Archippus

Archippus, whose name means master of the horse, was a Christian leader at Colossae addressed by Paul in both the letter to the Colossians and the letter to Philemon. In Philemon 1:2 he is called “our fellow soldier,” a term Paul uses for those engaged alongside him in the work of the gospel. Colossians 4:17 contains a direct charge to the church: “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.”

The specific nature of Archippus's ministry is not defined, and the exhortation to fulfill it has generated speculation about whether he was being reminded to complete a task, exhorted in the face of discouragement, or simply publicly commissioned by apostolic letter. Some interpreters, noting the household context in both letters, suggest he may have been a son of Philemon and Apphia, placed in pastoral charge of the house church at Colossae. Church tradition in later martyrologies links him to the fate of Philemon and Apphia at Colossae, though these accounts are unverifiable.