In 1929, T. L. Shear uncovered a paving inscription in the plaza east of the theater at Corinth reading: ERASTVS PRO AEDILIT[AT]E S P STRAVIT — "Erastus, in return for his aedileship, laid this pavement at his own expense."\n\nPaul writes in Romans 16:23, which he sent from Corinth, that "Erastus the city treasurer greets you." The Greek term oikonomos correlates closely with the Latin aedile in Corinth's bilingual civic structure of the period. The name Erastus was not especially common, and the inscription dates to the mid-first century.\n\nMost scholars judge the identification probable, though not mathematically certain. What makes it important apologetically is that Paul named a specific public figure in a letter whose text is stable, and a credible match for that figure surfaces in the material record of that city.
highNamed Figures
The Erastus Inscription at Corinth
A first-century Latin inscription in the Corinth agora names Erastus, the aedile who laid a pavement at his own expense — widely identified with the Erastus described by Paul as treasurer (οἰκονόμος) of the city.
Key arguments
- The inscription is in situ and unambiguously dated.
- The name, office, and period match Romans 16:23.
- The correspondence between oikonomos and aedile is well documented in bilingual contexts.
Key verses
- Romans 16:23
- Acts 19:22
- 2 Timothy 4:20
Sources
- T. L. Shear — The Theater District of Corinth (1929)
- Henry J. Cadbury — Erastus of Corinth, JBL (1931)
- David W. J. Gill — Erastus the Aedile, Tyndale Bulletin (1989)