What was the role of Apollos in the early church? In 1 Corinthians 3:6, Paul wrote:


  I planted the seed, Apollos watered it, but God has been making it grow.


Why did Paul specifically mention Apollos as that is the name of a god in Greek mythology?
Apollos was an Alexandrian Jew, as stated in Acts 18:24 (with following verses indicating that he knew the [Jewish] Scriptures and preached the gospel--"the way of the Lord"--but only knew "the baptism of John" before being further instructed by Priscilla and Aquila). 

It is possible that, like Timothy, he had a Jewish mother but a Gentile father; this might explain his being named Apollos. Since Alexandria was a center for both Greek and Jewish cultures, mixed parentage seems plausible.