“Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works…sends you his greetings.” Romans 16:23
Erastus is a little known disciple, mentioned three times in the New Testament. Last year, my daughter Karin and I took a tour following in the “Footsteps of Paul.” Our favorite stop in Greece was the ruin of the city-state Corinth where the Apostle Paul labored for several years, preaching the gospel. In the first century, Corinth was a thriving port and the chief city of Greece. It was a crossroads for travelers and traders coming from Spain and Italy to the west and Asia Minor and Egypt from the east.
Our tour guide was a young Greek woman, one of only four Christian tour guides in Greece. She had a powerful testimony how she came to Christ as a teenager. She couldn’t wait to take us to her favorite place in Corinth! We hiked down a steep stairway to the lower section of Corinth, the old part where the “pavement” leading into the ancient city had been excavated. There we read an inscription that dated from the middle of the first century, “Erastus in return for his aedileship laid the pavement at his own expense.” Our guide told us that it was customary when a high government official retired from service, he would give money for a monument of some kind to be erected in his honor. Usually, prominent people would build a temple to their favorite god. In Erastus’ case, he built a road to benefit the people of Corinth. Over the years, historians have been divided on whether this inscription refers to Erastus, Paul’s assistant. No important official of Paul’s day would ever refer to himself as a “servant” or “helper” to anyone! However, we as believers know we are ALL servants of Jesus Christ, no matter what our “status” in the world!
Paul wrote the letter to the Romans from the city of Corinth. In his final remarks at the end of the book, he sends greetings from “Erastus the city treasurer.” There are several reasons to identify Erastus with the pavement. 1) It would have been laid around AD 50, about the time Erastus would have been converted to Christianity, 2) the name Erastus is uncommon and 3) Paul’s word “treasurer” describes the work of a Corinthian “aedile.” It seems Christianity had reached the upper classes of society at a very early stage. “Erastus, who is the city’s director of public works…sends his greetings.”
I wondered what a “director of public works” would do in the first century. What was his job description? I found out he would have been an influential man with duties that would include the upkeep of civic buildings, city streets and the collection of public taxes. In some cases, he might act as a lawyer in public disputes. He might also have overseen the maintenance of Roman infrastructure, such as aqueducts and sewers.
The last mention of Erastus is in a letter written near the end of Paul’s life: “Erastus stayed in Corinth, and I left Trophimus sick in Miletus,” 2 Timothy 4:20. In spite of his prominent rank, Erastus regarded ministry as his top priority, leaving his work in Corinth to spread the good news of the gospel. He did not neglect his public duties, but held service to Christ as his ultimate goal in life. Rich or poor, we can serve God cheerfully and faithfully in whatever position He gives us. “And having sent into Macedonia two of his helpers, Timothy and Erastus, he (Paul) stayed in Asia for a while,” Acts 19:22.
Your friend, Jean