Philemon 1:23

Epaphras, my fellow-prisoner in Christ Jesus, saluteth thee;

Epaphrus, my fellow-prisoner ... As Nielson suggested, "The reference may be to a physical imprisonment or it may mean captured by Christ."[39] There is no way of knowing certainly just what was meant. Macknight offers the following opinion regarding this fellow-worker of Paul's:

This person is called the "faithful minister of Christ" (Colossians 1:7) ... of whom the Colossians had learned the gospel. He is also called one of themselves, and one who had a great zeal for them (Colossians 4:12,13). I think therefore that he was a converted Gentile, who had assisted the apostle in preaching at Colossae, and who was ordained by him to the office of the ministry in that church.[40]

[39] John B. Nielson, op. cit., p. 708.

[40] James Macknight, op. cit., p. 412.