The name “Tertius” [Τέρτιος] is of Latin origin (from the adj. tertius), meaning “third.”1 The name, found in six Roman inscriptions as a slave name,2 and the personal greeting seem to indicate a previous connection with Rome. Whether Tertius was a current resident of Corinth or simply there to serve as Paul’s amanuensis, he was the one doing the actual writing [γράψας] of the apostle’s oral dictation.3 This greeting (or the writing of the letter)4 “in the Lord” implies that Tertius was a fellow-Christian.5
During the time approximating the composition of Paul’s writings, papyri evidence shows that it was a common practice to use a skilled or professional penman (amanuensis) to draft a document, after which the correspondent would often add a word of farewell, personal greetings, and/or the date in his own hand.6 That Paul used amanuenses in the writing of several, if not all, of his letters is generally acknowledged. He appears to have followed the customary practice of his contemporaries of employing the aid of secretarial expertise (noted here) and then writing his own subscription (1 Cor. 16:21; Gal. 6:11; Col. 4:18; 2 Thess. 3:17; Philem. 19).7 Even in the letters wherein attention is not specifically drawn to Paul having taken the pen from his amanuensis, the original autographs probably evinced a shift to the apostle’s distinctive handwriting (cf. 2 Thess. 3:17).8
The use here of the first person singular [ἐγὼ Tέρτιος, ὁ γράψας …] “is a striking indication of Paul’s courtesy. To have sent the greeting of his amanuensis in the third person would have been to treat him as a mere machine …”9 Moreover, “it was very natural that, when [Tertius] called the apostle’s attention to his personal wish to send a greeting, his own greeting … would not be dictated by the apostle, but left to himself to express. In ver. 23, Paul again proceeds with his dictation.”10
“Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you” (Romans 16:23).11
The name “Gaius” [Γάϊος], meaning “rejoice,” is also of Latin derivation and as a praenomen, one of the more common in the Roman world.12 It occurs in the NT five times, though not all in reference to the same person.13 The Gaius here is a resident of Corinth, conceivably the one baptized by Paul in the earliest stages of this work (1 Cor. 1:14). As a homeowner with the means of providing prolonged lodging and provisions for guests, he appears to have been among the affluent upper class [εὐγενής] (1 Cor. 1:26) and therefore subject to conventional Roman nomenclature. Male citizens typically had at least three names (tria nomina): a first personal name (praenomen), a clan name or family surname (nomen), and a hereditary paternal name or nickname (cognomen). It is not unlikely, therefore, that the Gaius in the present text is the one referred to by Luke as Titius Justus, a God-worshiper who welcomed Paul into his house located next to Corinth’s synagogue (Acts 18:7). The name Titius was a popular nomen14 and Justus a cognomen,15 so it would have been unusual for him not to have had a praenomen. If his full name happened to be Gaius Titius Justus, Paul would naturally know him on a more personal level by his given name.16
Gaius is presently Paul’s “host” [ξένος],17 providing accommodation and hospitality like so many others had done for the itinerant apostle. Gaius also hosted “the whole church” [ὅλης τῆς ἐκκλησίας], an apparent allusion to the local church at Corinth that regularly assembled in his house, like other house churches throughout the first-century Mediterranean world.
It has been suggested that there may have been multiple house churches in Corinth and that Gaius offered his home for intercongregational meetings.18 As many as fifteen separate house churches have been proposed, comprised of about fifteen members each for a total of over 200 Christians in the city.19 But this is highly improbable. Archeology has conclusively shown that the atrium or courtyard providing the largest space in a sizeable Roman-style house could realistically hold no more than thirty to fifty people.20 This provides a more reasonable estimation and is consistent with the seventeen known names, plus households, of Corinth’s mid-first-century church.21
Another proposal is that Paul is making a hyperbolic reference to the universal church (as in v. 16). Gaius is therefore known for providing hospitality to all Christians passing through, thus the “hyperbolical expression would appear more jesting than thoughtful.”22 However, a straightforward reading of the text is more conducive to Paul having addressed “the church [ἐκκλησία] of God in Corinth” (1 Cor. 1:2), then alluding to their regular worship assemblies as “the whole church gathered at the same [place]” [συνέλθῃ ἡ ἐκκλησία ὅλη ἐπὶ τὸ αὐτὸ] (1 Cor. 14:23).
The next greeting is from “Erastus” [Ἔραστος], whose name is derived from the Greek word for sensual love.23 The name occurs three times in the NT in association with Paul, Timothy, and Corinth (Acts 19:21-22; Rom. 16:23; 2 Tim. 4:20). These overlapping connections and the comparative rarity of the name give credence to suspecting that all three biblical references are to the same person.24 He is identified as “the steward of the city” [ὁ οἰκονόμος τῆς πόλεως], also rendered “city treasurer” (ESV), “town clerk” (Phillips), or “director of public works” (NIV). As a local governing official (cf. 13:5-7) he would be recognized as one of the “powerful” [δυνατοί ] and “noble” [εὐγενεῖς] among the church’s minority (1 Cor. 1:26), whose greeting is included “because he was one of the better known or more influential members of the congregation.”25
A pavement-stone inscription has been preserved in the ruins of ancient Corinth, documenting Erastus (Lat. ERASTVS) having laid the limestone block at his own expense in return for the honor of the office of aedile.26 If this is the same Erastus who sends greetings to the Roman saints,27 he would have later occupied “a higher position in the civic administration – the position of aedile (curator of public works).”28
1 The next verse mentions Quartus, which means “fourth.”
2 F. F. Bruce, “Some Roman Slave-names” 51.
3 Notwithstanding Rom. 15:15, where the aorist ἔγραψα (“I wrote”) is used accommodatively in regard to authorship (cf. 1:1), Paul consistently employs the speaking verb λέγω (“I say”) throughout the letter (3:5; 6:19; 9:1; 10:18, 19; 11:11, 13; 12:3; 15:8).
4 If “in the Lord” is descriptive of Tertius’s writing, he considers his role in the composition of the letter as part of his Christian service (C. K. Barrett, Romans 286). Otherwise, he “is indicating his solidarity in Christ with the Roman Christians” (C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans2:806).
5 Later tradition includes Tertius among the seventy(-two) disciples of Luke 10:1, Sosipater's successor as bishop of Iconium, and dying as a martyr.
6 See R. N. Longenecker, “Ancient Amanuenses” 282-87; D. E. Aune, NT Literary Environment 187.
7 G. J. Bahr suggests that the noticeable difference between Paul’s unimpressive oratory and his impressive letters (2 Cor. 10:10) may be attributable to the writing ability of his secretary (“Letter Writing” 476). W. G. Kümmel notes that the specific references to Paul’s own handwriting were likely included because the letters were read aloud and this was the only way for the listening audience to be made aware of the fact (Introduction to the NT 251).
8 See K. L. Moore, A Critical Introduction to the NT 101-103. Note also the secretarial assistance of Baruch with Jeremiah (Jer. 36:4, 17-18) and Silvanus with Peter (1 Pet. 5:12).
9 J. Denney, “Romans” 723.
10 H. A. W. Meyer, Romans 574. As for divine inspiration, Paul affirms that “all scripture” [πᾶσα γραφὴ] is “God-breathed” [θεόπνευστος] (2 Tim. 3:16), and since “scripture” [γραφή] refers to what has been put into writing, all who participated in the writing process would necessarily have been governed by God’s Spirit. See K. L. Moore, A Critical Introduction to the NT 3-12.
11 Some manuscripts insert v. 24 here: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.” Later tradition includes Gaius (alleged bishop of Ephesus), Erastus (associated with Jerusalem and alleged bishop of Paneas in Palestine), and Quartus (alleged bishop of Beirut) among the seventy(-two) disciples of Luke 10:1.
12 Among the most notable, Gaius Julius Caesar and his adopted son Gaius Octavius (a.k.a. Augustus).
13 The Gaius who accompanied Paul from Corinth to Jerusalem was a native of Derbe in the Galatia province (Acts 20:4). The Gaius who had been attacked during Paul’s Ephesus ministry was from Macedonia (Acts 19:29). The Gaius to whom the apostle John’s third letter is addressed (3 John 1) was presumably linked to the province of Asia in the general vicinity of Ephesus, as John is believed to have moved to Ephesus during the Jewish War (66-70) and eventually died there at the end of the first century (Eusebius, Eccl. Hist. 3.31.3; 5.24.2; Irenaeus, Adv. Haer. 3.1.1).
14 Note, e.g., the first century BC Gaius Titius Strabo (an opponent of Caesar) and government official Lucius Titius Strabo, and the second century AD senator Lucius Titius Epidius Aquilinus.
15 Note, e.g., the first century AD Joseph Barsabbas Justus (Acts 1:23), Jesus Justus (Col. 4:11), and the second century senator Gaius Curtius Justus.
16 See E. J. Goodspeed, “Gaius Titius Justus,” JBL 69.4 (1950): 382-83; also F. F. Bruce, The Pauline Circle 97; C. E. B. Cranfield, Romans 2:807. For an alternative proposal equating Titius Justus with Stephanas (1 Cor. 1:16; 16:15-18), see R. G. Fellows, “Name Giving by Paul and the Destination of Acts,” TB 67.2 (2016): 247-68.
17 The term ξένος lit. refers to a “foreigner” or “stranger,” and by implication a “guest,” or vice-versa one who receives and cares for a guest, thus a “host.”
18 W. A. Meeks, First Urban Christians 76; C. G. Kruse, Romans 584.
19 P. W. Barnett, Corinthian Question 225-27. Another estimation is around ninety, cf. R. W. Gehring, House Church and Mission 139-40.
20 See G. D. Fee, First Corinthians 533-34; J. Murphy-O’Connor, “House Churches” 133.
21 See A. J. Malherbe, Social Aspects 76; cf. also G. Thiessen, Social Setting 73-96. Not all those identified were together in Corinth at the same time.
22 H. A. W. Meyer, Romans 575. Contra F. F. Bruce, The Pauline Circle 97; W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 432.
23 The noun is ἔρως and verbal ἐράω, in contrast to other concepts of “love” in the Hellenistic world.
24 See T. A. Brookins, “The (In)frequency of the Name ‘Erastus’ in Antiquity,” NTS 59.4 (2013): 496-516. That Erastus served with Timothy as Paul’s emissary from Ephesus to Macedonia (Acts 19:22) does not preclude a government official on his way home from traveling for business or pleasure, and his stately position counteracting Timothy’s perceived vulnerability.
25 W. Sanday and A. C. Headlam, Romans 432.
26 The Erastus Stone (discovered in 1929) lies adjacent to the theater a couple hundred meters from the fenced-in tourist site. It is a long block of limestone with a Latin inscription, probably covered originally with bronze lettering. A reconstruction of the worn, abbreviated inscription reads: ERASTVS PRO AEDILIT[ATE] S(UA) P(ECUNIA) STRAVIT.
27 B. Witherington III, Conflict and Community 32-35; Paul Quest 92-94. Contra J. Meggitt, Paul, Poverty, and Survival 155-78; “Social Status of Erastus” 220-25.
28 F. F. Bruce, The Pauline Circle 88. 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.
29 While most translations have added the possessive pronoun “our,” not all have (e.g., ASV, NASB, N/KJV).
30 E. E. Ellis, Prophecy 13-22; “Coworkers” (1993) 183-85; cf. F. F. Bruce, The Pauline Circle 87-88. See 1 Cor. 1:1; 16:10 ff.; 2 Cor. 1:1; 2:13; 8:18-19, 23; 9:3, 5; 11:9; 12:18; 1 Thess. 3:2; also 1 Cor. 16:19-20; Gal. 1:2; Eph. 6:23; Phil. 1:14; 4:21-22; Col. 4:15. Apollos is called τοῦ ἀδελφοῦ and is mentioned with τῶν ἀδελφῶν who were on their way to Corinth to perhaps deliver the letter (1 Cor. 16:12).
Image Credit: https://christianpublishinghouse.co/2020/07/15/what-do-we-know-about-pauls-professional-scribe-tertius/
No comments:
Post a Comment