The name Erastus occurs in the NT three times (Acts 19:21-22; Rom. 16:23; 2 Tim. 4:20) in association with Paul, Timothy, and the Corinth church. The apostle Paul, writing from Corinth, describes Erastus as ὁ οἰκονόμος τῆς πόλεως (lit. “the steward of the city”).3 It’s hard to ignore the apparent link between the biblical record of our brother Erastus, a city official in Corinth, and the archaeological evidence of Erastus, a city official in Corinth.
For our worship that afternoon, we sat in a shaded area near the inscription, feeling as if we were in some way including Erastus and connecting with the first-century church in Corinth.
Singing and the Lord’s Supper
We sang, “We Shall Assemble on the Mountain,” “Amazing Grace,” and “Man of Sorrows.”
For the Lord’s Supper we read a passage Paul had written to the Christians in Corinth:
“Therefore, my beloved, flee from idolatry. I speak as to sensible ones, judge for yourselves what I say. The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of the one bread” (1 Cor. 10:14-17).
After the Lord’s Supper we sang, “Jesus, Name Above All Names.”
The Bible Lesson:
Paul spent about 18 months in Corinth, working with Aquila, Priscilla, Silas, and Timothy, leaving behind an established community of Christians (Acts 18:1-18). A few years later he returned, and during the winter of 56-57 he and Tertius wrote the letter to the Romans wherein it is stated: “Gaius, the host of me and of the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the steward of the city, and our brother Quartus, greet you” (Rom. 16:22-23).
Apparently the church was meeting in Gaius’ house, which was large enough to host a sizeable group.4 It would have been a Roman-style house (domus), similar to what we saw in Pompeii, where the main foyer (atrium) had the capacity to accommodate a maximum of 30-50 people.
The mid-first-century church at Corinth had many problems, at the heart of which was a lack of love. As Paul concludes the letter of First Corinthians, he gives this admonition: “Let all you do be done in love” (1 Cor. 16:14). Earlier in the letter he devoted a whole chapter to love, so let’s listen to these inspired words as Erastus and the other Christians in Corinth would have first heard them.
Having stressed the importance of love (1 Cor. 13:1-3), Paul then gives a description of love (vv. 3-8a):
--Kevin L. Moore
Endnotes:
1 The museum houses a stone lintel inscribed “synagogue of the Hebrews” and a stone capital with images of menorahs and palm branches, evidence of a Jewish community and synagogue in ancient Corinth (Acts 18:4-8, 12-17). The synagogue was at one time located next to the house of Titius Justus (Acts 18:7). The ruins of the massive temple of Apollo and other smaller temples, which served among other things as community centers, are relevant to Paul’s words in 1 Cor. 8:10, “For if anyone sees you having knowledge eating in an idol’s temple …” These temples, along with many other pagan shrines, statues, and artifacts, show why Paul deemed it necessary to repeatedly warn the Corinthians about the dangers of idolatry (1 Cor. 5:10-11; 6:9-11; 8:1-13; 10:7, 14, 19-22, 28; 12:2; 2 Cor. 6:16a), along with reminders that as God’s people we are his sacred temple (1 Cor. 3:16-17; 6:19; 2 Cor. 5:1; 6:16). The agora or forum brings to life the admonition in 1 Cor. 10:25, “Eat whatever is sold in the marketplace without asking questions on account of conscience.” All around the agora are abandoned shops where the tentmaking business of Aquila, Priscilla, and Paul may have been located (Acts 18:1-3). Along the Lechaeum road leading to the agora are the remains of the public Fountain of Peirene, which would have been an ideal location for baptizing initial converts (Acts 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:14-16). The Bema, the large stone platform where Paul was brought before the Roman proconsul Gallio (Acts 18:14-16), still stands in the center of the agora.
2 The stone is about 2.2 meters (7.5 feet) in length. A reconstruction of the worn, abbreviated inscription, probably covered originally with bronze lettering, reads: ERASTVS PRO AEDILIT[ATE] S(UA) P(ECUNIA) STRAVIT. In Rome the office of aedile, which included the maintenance of public buildings and regulating public festivals, was more prestigious during the Republic but lost much of its importance during and after the reign of Augustus. In the Empire-era the authority and responsibilities of this position varied in the different cities and colonies.
3 Scripture references are my own translation, unless noted otherwise.
4 Names associated with the first-century Corinth church, along with households and unnamed brethren, include Crispus, Titius Justus, Stephanas, Sosthenes, Gaius, Fortunatus, Achaicus, Tertius, Erastus, and Quartus (Acts 18:7, 8, 17; Rom. 16:22-23; 1 Cor. 1:1, 14, 16; 16:17; 2 Tim. 4:20); perhaps Epaenetus (textual variant in Rom. 16:5), and Phoebe of Corinth’s SE seaport of Cenchrea (Rom. 16:1). Also involved in this work at various times were Paul, Aquila, Priscilla, Silas [Silvanus], Timothy, Apollos, and Titus (Acts 18:1-18; 18:27–19:1; 1 Cor. 4:17; 16:10-12; 2 Cor. 1:19; 7:6-7; 8:6, 16-24; 12:17-18).
Related Posts: Kaitlyn's Post, My Family's Worship in Rome, Ancient Corinth
Also self-family-photo with the ruins of Apollo's temple in the background.
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