People Confirmed
The Erastus Inscription at Corinth
30-second summary
In 1928/1929 excavators at Corinth uncovered a pavement inscription naming a civic official, Erastus, who paid for its paving 'in return for his aedileship.' Romans 16:23 sends greetings from an Erastus, 'the treasurer of the city,' at Corinth. The inscription confirms a real Erastus of standing in the right city and era; identifying him with Paul's Erastus rests on that shared name, place, and time.
Scripture
Caius, my host, and the whole church, saluteth you. Erastus, the treasurer of the city, saluteth you, and Quartus, a brother.
salutat vos Gaius hospes meus et universae ecclesiae salutat vos Erastus arcarius civitatis et Quartus frater
The Claim
Paul's letter to the Romans, written from Corinth around A.D. 57, sends greetings from 'Erastus, the treasurer (oikonomos) of the city' (Romans 16:23). In 1928/1929, excavators at Corinth uncovered a first-century Latin pavement inscription naming an Erastus who paved the plaza near the theater 'in return for his aedileship,' at his own expense.
- Corroboration
- The inscription independently confirms that a real, wealthy Erastus held the aedileship in Corinth and funded this pavement in the first century. The Latin text names his office as an aedileship, while Paul's Greek names his Erastus's office as oikonomos, 'treasurer' or steward of the city - a different Corinthian post, worth noting for readers comparing the two texts. Identifying the two men rests on their shared name, city, and era rather than on a title match, making this a single strong archaeological anchor for a tradition-dependent identification rather than two independent corroborations.
- Discovered
- Latin pavement inscription unearthed in 1928/1929 (with further fragments in 1947) by American School of Classical Studies excavations at ancient Corinth, set in the paved plaza northeast of the theater.
- Current location
- Left in situ, embedded in the ancient pavement near the theater at the Corinth archaeological site, Greece.
Why this level?
The pavement inscription is a single archaeological anchor: it independently confirms that a wealthy Erastus held the aedileship in first-century Corinth and paid for a public pavement there. Connecting him to Paul's Erastus in Romans 16:23 draws on their shared name, city, and era rather than on a second, independent source that verifies the identification itself. That makes this a Level 1 case - a solid single-source anchor supporting a tradition-dependent identification, not two independent corroborations.
Dig deeper
The claim
Romans 16:23 closes Paul's letter to Rome with greetings sent from Corinth, including one from Erastus, described in Greek as ho oikonomos tes poleos - "the treasurer" or steward of the city. In 1928/1929, excavators from the American School of Classical Studies working at ancient Corinth uncovered a Latin inscription set into a limestone pavement in the plaza northeast of the theater. It reads: ERASTVS PRO AEDILIT[AT]E S(UA) P(ECUNIA) STRAVIT - "Erastus, in return for his aedileship, laid this pavement at his own expense." Further fragments came to light in 1947. The stone remains in situ at the Corinth site today.
What the stone establishes
On its own terms, the inscription is solid ground: a real, wealthy Roman named Erastus held the aedileship - an elected civic magistracy - in Corinth in the first century and personally funded this public work. That is excavated, dated, and undisputed.
Connecting the two Erastuses
Many readers of Paul, ancient and modern, have identified this Erastus with the one Paul greets from Corinth, on the strength of the shared name, city, and era - a striking convergence in a letter written from that very city. It is worth noting for anyone comparing the two texts directly that the offices named are not identical: the Latin inscription names an aedileship, while Paul's Greek names an oikonomos, the city's financial steward - a different rung on Corinth's civic ladder. The identification therefore rests on name, place, and time rather than on a title match, which is why it functions as a probable connection rather than a proven one.
What this corroborates
Taken together, the inscription confirms that Paul's Corinth was a real city with real, named civic officials of the kind Romans 16:23 describes, and that a man of this name and standing lived and served there in Paul's era. It is a genuine, physical touchpoint between the text and the archaeology of first-century Corinth - a single strong anchor, resting on one artifact and one line of inference, rather than a claim confirmed by two independent witnesses.
Keep digging
- https://www.magisterium.com
- https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Erastus_of_Corinth
- https://www.tyndalebulletin.org/article/30545-erastus-the-aedile.pdf
- https://www.biblexika.com/archaeology/erastus-inscription
- https://ferrelljenkins.blog/2013/10/23/the-erastus-inscription-at-corinth/
- https://biblehub.com/romans/16-23.htm
Citations
- Scripture
Romans 16:23 (Douay-Rheims)
Supports: Exact Douay-Rheims English text of Romans 16:23 naming Erastus the treasurer of the city
- Scripture
Romans 16:23 (Clementine Vulgate)
Supports: Exact Latin Vulgate text of Romans 16:23 naming Erastus arcarius civitatis
- Academic
David W. J. Gill, 'Erastus the Aedile,' Tyndale Bulletin 40.2 (1989), 293-300
Supports: Primary scholarly analysis of the inscription's text, dating, and the basis for identifying its Erastus with Paul's, cited directly rather than through a secondhand summary
- Academic
Friesen, 'The Wrong Erastus'
Steven J. Friesen, 'The Wrong Erastus: Ideology, Archaeology, and Exegesis,' in Corinth in Context: Comparative Studies on Religion and Society, ed. Friesen, Schowalter, and Walters (NovTSup 134; Leiden: Brill, 2010), 231-256
Supports: Documents that Corinth's aedileship and the oikonomos/arcarius post were distinct civic offices, relevant to comparing the inscription's title with Paul's wording
- Source
Erastus of Corinth - Wikipedia
Erastus of Corinth
Supports: Discovery details (1928/1929 and 1947) and the inscription's Latin text and translation
- Source
The Erastus inscription at Corinth - Ferrell's Travel Blog
Ferrell Jenkins, 'The Erastus inscription at Corinth' (2013), citing David W. J. Gill
Supports: Popular-level summary of the inscription's discovery and setting at the Corinth site
- Source
Erastus Inscription - Biblexika
Biblexika, 'Erastus Inscription'
Supports: Confirms the inscription remains in situ near the theater at Corinth and summarizes its significance for Romans 16:23