Trophimus

Trophimus was a Gentile Christian from Ephesus who accompanied Paul on his missionary journeys and was falsely accused of defiling the temple in Jerusalem.

Trophimus was a Gentile Christian from Ephesus who accompanied the Apostle Paul on his missionary journeys (Act 20:4). He was one of several individuals who traveled with Paul from Greece to Asia Minor, carrying the collection for the poor in Jerusalem. In Jerusalem, some Jews from the province of Asia saw Paul in the temple and falsely accused him of bringing Trophimus, a Gentile, into the restricted areas of the temple (Act 21:29). This incident led to Paul's arrest and eventual imprisonment. Later, in his second letter to Timothy, Paul mentions that he had left Trophimus sick in Miletus (2Ti 4:20). Trophimus' presence with Paul highlights the inclusion of Gentiles in the early church and the challenges faced by Paul and his companions as they ministered in various cultural contexts.

A foster-child, an Ephesian who accompanied Paul during a part of his third missionary journey (Acts 20:4; 21:29). He was with Paul in Jerusalem, and the Jews, supposing that the apostle had brought him with him into the temple, raised a tumult which resulted in Paul’s imprisonment. (See TEMPLE, HEROD’S.) In writing to Timothy, the apostle says, “Trophimus have I left at Miletum sick” (2 Tim. 4:20). This must refer to some event not noticed in the Acts.