An Early Christian Of High Status

Romans 16:23 ESV Gaius, who is host to me and to the whole church, greets you. Erastus, the city treasurer, and our brother Quartus, greet you.

The Apostle Paul wrote that “not many wise according to the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called.” (1 Corinthians 1:26 NKJV) Thank God that “not many” does not mean “not any”!

At the end of the Book of Romans, the Apostle Paul mentioned a man named Erastus who was with him at Corinth. He describes this Erastus as the city’s “treasurer” or “director of public works” (NIV).

Not long after the Book of Romans was written, Erastus got a promotion! We know this from a Latin inscription found in Corinth from the mid-first century CE. It reads:

Erastus, for his aedileship, paved it with his own money.

Erastus was promoted to the office of aedile, and he celebrated the occasion by laying a pavement at his own expense. As an aedile of Corinth, Erastus would have been responsible for the maintenance of public buildings in the city. The office of aedile was generally part of the typical career path to high positions in the Roman government. Erastus would have commanded great wealth and authority!

It would be quite awkward to congratulate Erastus on his promotion, since he has been dead for about two thousand years now. Nonetheless, to whom much is given, much is required, and we expect that Erastus kept up the good work and carried out his responsibilities with excellence—for the glory of his God.