Erastus of Corinth

According to the New Testament Epistle to the Romans, Erastus (Greek: Ἔραστος, Erastos) was a steward (Greek: οἰκονόμος, oikonomos) in Corinth, a political office of high civic status. The word is defined as "the manager of household or of household affairs" or, in this context, "treasurer";[1] The King James Version uses the translation "chamberlain", while the New International Version uses "director of public works". A person named Erastus is also mentioned in the Second Epistle to Timothy and Acts. Although, it is not certain if these verses all refer to the one person or multiple persons names Erastus.

Relevant verses

And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he himself stayed in Asia for a while.
—Acts 19:22
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
Erastus remained at Corinth, and I left Trophimus, who was ill, at Miletus.
—2 Timothy 4:20

The Erastus inscription

In 1929, an inscription mentioning an Erastus was found near a paved area northeast of the theater of Corinth. It has been dated to the mid-first century and reads "Erastus in return for his ship laid the pavement at his own expense." (Latin: ERASTVS. PRO. AED. S. P. STRAVIT)[2] New Testament scholars have identified this aedile Erastus with the Erastus mentioned in The Epistle to the Romans but this is in dispute. This debate has implications relating to the social status of the members of the Pauline churches.[3]

References

  1. ^ "οἰκονόμος [Steward]". Blue Letter Bible -Lexicon. http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3623. Retrieved 18 May 2012. 
  2. ^ "PH209961". Searchable Greek Inscriptions. The Packard Humanities Institute. http://epigraphy.packhum.org/inscriptions/main?url=oi%3Fikey%3D209961%26bookid%3D223%26region%3D2%26subregion%3D1. Retrieved 18 May 2012. 
  3. ^ Friesen, Steven (January 2007). "The Wrong Erastus: Status, Wealth, and Paul's Churches". Corinth in Context. Institute for the Study of Antiquity and Christian Origins. http://www.utexas.edu/research/pasp/corinth/abstracts.html#Friesen,. Retrieved 18 May 2012. "Thus the Erastus inscription soon became a linchpin in 20th century reconstructions of the social status of Pauline Christianity. Unfortunately, the inscription was incorrectly published and the identification of the two Erastus references is wrong."  - Abstract Only.