Archaeology
Erastus Inscription (Corinth)
- Era
- mid-1st century AD
- Location
- Corinth, Greece
- Discovered
- 1929
A pavement inscription in Corinth that reads, "Erastus, in return for his aedileship, laid [this pavement] at his own expense" — almost certainly the same Erastus Paul sends greetings from in Romans 16:23.
The find
Discovered near the theater of ancient Corinth, the Latin inscription cut into a marble paving block records that an aedile (city treasurer/commissioner of public works) named Erastus paid for the pavement. The dating, location, and rarity of the name strongly suggest this is the same Erastus Paul calls "the city treasurer" (Greek: oikonomos) of Corinth in Romans 16:23.
Why it matters
Here is independent, in-place archaeological evidence for a named individual in Paul's letters — and a striking confirmation of the social setting Paul describes in Corinth.
Cross-linked Scripture
Doctrine check
Sources
- ·Cadbury, H.J. (1931). Erastus of Corinth. JBL 50
- ·Gill, D.W.J. (1989). Erastus the Aedile. Tyndale Bulletin 40
- ·Erastus of Corinth — with inscription photo (Wikipedia)